812 



HOUSE-BREAKING HOWARD. 



udmiren. They dwell in green gardens, beautiful 

 beyond description, where they are to be found in 

 bowers lying upon green cushions, and the most 

 beuutiful tapestry, and flourishing in perpetual youth. 

 Mohammed has omitted nothing to render his para- 

 dise delightful to the voluptuous inhabitants of the 

 East. But he had a pattern in the religion of the 

 Parsees, in whose paradise, called Behisht&nd Menou, 

 the black-eyed nymphs, Hurani bishisht, are endowed 

 with no unsubstantial loveliness. A paradise for 

 n)men is also provided, abounding in pleasures of 

 every kind. A further hope is held out to affectionate 

 wives, for it is left optional with their husbands to 

 take lack their wives in the place of the Houris. 



HOUSE-BREAKING. See Burglary. 



HOUSE-BURNING. See Arson. 



HOUSEHOLD TROOPS. See Guards. 



HOUSELEEK (sempervimim tectorum); a succu- 

 lent plant, having the leaves, which are all radical, 

 disposed somewhat in the form of a double rose. 

 The stem rises to the height of eight or ten inches, 

 and bears a few purplish flowers, which have twelve 

 or fifteen petals and as many ovaries. It is a native 

 of Europe, where it grows in the clefts of rocks, on 

 old walls and the roofs of cottages. The other 

 species of sempervivum, nearly thirty in number, are 

 all natives of Madeira, the Canaries, and the coun- 

 tries about the Mediterranean. 



HOUTMANN, CORNELIUS, founder of the Dutch 

 East India trade, was born at Gouda, in the middle 

 of the sixteenth century. Being obliged to spend 

 some time in Lisbon, he made inquiries, from curi- 

 osity, concerning the trade with the Indies, which 

 then exclusively enriched Portugal, and concerning 

 the routes followed by the Portuguese. He soon 

 became sensible of the great advantages which his 

 countrymen might derive from this commerce ; but 

 all such inquiries being strictly forbidden to foreigners, 

 Houtmann was suspected, imprisoned, and condemn- 

 ed to a large fine. Being unable to pay this, he 

 offered to the merchants of Amsterdam to reveal 

 every thing relating to the India trade, if they 

 would free him from his confinement. They accord- 

 ingly ransomed him, and, in 1594, he returned to his 

 native country, and performed his promise. The 

 merchants then formed a company, which they called 

 the company of remote parts, fitted out four vessels, 

 and made Houtmann supercargo. The flotilla set 

 sail April 2, 1595, and arrived before Bantam, Java, 

 June 23, 1596. They were kindly received, but the 

 Portuguese soon involved them in difficulties with 

 the natives. They made many attempts upon the 

 Indian islands, but were at last compelled to return, 

 their forces being diminished to less than one third of 

 their original number. They arrived again, Aug. 

 14, 1597, in the harbour of Amsterdam. Although 

 this expedition had brought but little profit, it was 

 immediately determined to fit out another. After 

 the example of Amsterdam, similar companies were 

 formed in other ports of the United Provinces, and, 

 finally, all united into an East India company, which 

 destroyed the trade of the Portuguese, and drove 

 them out of the East Indies, and which continued to 

 monopolize the trade till the end of the eighteenth 

 century. Houtmann went again, in 1598, to the 

 East Indies, as commander of the second expedition, 

 and was this time more successful. After he had 

 visited Madagascar, the Maldives, and Cochin-China, 

 he landed at Sumatra, where he was at first kindly 

 received by the king, but was afterwards thrown 

 into prison. The ships, which were already laden, 

 returned home, and it was believed that Houtmann 

 was dead. But Dec. 31, 1600, he came with three 

 sailors on board a Dutch ship, lying off Acheen, and 

 declared that he did not wish to escape, as he hoped 



to receive his freedom, and to conclude with the 

 king a treaty which would be advantageous to hia 

 countrymen. The king was really favourably dis- 

 posed towards him, but yielded to the influence if 

 the Portuguese, and sent Houtmann into the interior 

 of the country, where he afterwards died. Many 

 interesting accounts appeared of these first voyages of 

 the Dutch, but they published nothing officially con- 

 cerning their later voyages. 



HOVEDEN, ROGER DE ; an English historian, 

 who flourished in the reign of Henry II. He was 

 born at York, and, entering the church, was for 

 some time professor of theology at Oxford. He was 

 also a lawyer, and he is said to have served the king 

 in the capacity of chaplain, and in other confidential 

 offices. After the death of Henry, he applied him- 

 self to the compilation of English history, and wrote 

 Annals in Latin, commencing at 731, the period at 

 which Bede finished, and bringing down affairs to 

 the third year of John, 1201. His style is defective, 

 but he is highly esteemed for his diligence and fidel- 

 ity, and, according to Leland, surpasses all the writers 

 of his class who preceded him. Vossius asserts that 

 he is the author of a history of the Northumbrian 

 kings, and of a life of Thomas-a-Becket. Such was 

 his authority, that Edward I. caused a diligent search 

 to be made in all the libraries for copies of Hove- 

 den's Annals, in order to ascertain the homage due 

 from the crown of Scotland. This work was publish- 

 ed in Sir Henry Savile's Collection of ancient Eng- 

 lish Historians (15961601, folio). 



HOWARD, THOMAS, duke of Norfolk ; an 

 eminent statesman and warrior in the reign of Henry 

 VIII. He was born about 1473, and was grand- 

 son of the first duke of the Howard family, who lost 

 his life at the battle of Bosworth, fighting for Richard 

 III. His father, who was also in arms on that occa- 

 sion, was restored by Henry VII. to his title and 

 estates, which he had forfeited. The son was made 

 a knight of the garter soon after the accession of 

 Henry VIII., and he obtained early distinction by 

 his talents, both as a naval and military commander. 

 In 1513, he became high-admiral of England. The 

 same year, he commanded, with his father, at the 

 battle of Flodden, in which James IV., king of Scot- 

 land, was defeated and slain. For their services on 

 this occasion, the father was made duke of Norfolk, 

 and the son earl of Surrey. The latter was sent to 

 Ireland as lord-lieutenant, in 1521, where he sup- 

 pressed a dangerous insurrection under O'Neal. 

 His father dying in 1524, he succeeded to the duke- 

 dom. He was afterwards a leading member of the 

 king's council, and was considered as the head of 

 the Roman Catholic party, though he acted with so 

 much prudence as to retain the favour of his caprici- 

 ous sovereign till near the close of his long reign. In 

 1536, he was employed against the Catholic insur- 

 gents in the north of England, and, in 1542, against 

 the Scots. In 1544, he went to France with the 

 king, in a hostile expedition, and commanded at the 

 siege of Montreuil. All his services could not 

 secure him from the suspicious jealousy of Henry, 

 who, on slight grounds, had condemned him to suf- 

 fer the death of a traitor on the 29th of January, 

 1547. The king's death the preceding night pro- 

 cured him a respite ; but he was detained a prisoner 

 in the Tower during the reign of Edward VI. He 

 was released and reinstated in his rank and pro- 

 perty on the accession of queen Mary ; and he sat, as 

 high-steward, on the trial of the duke of Northum- 

 berland. He died in August, 1554. 



HOWARD, HENRY, earl of Surrey, eldest son of 

 the preceding, an accomplished nobleman, and the 

 best English poet of his age. His birth is dated 

 by some writers in 1515, and by others in 1520. 



