CHAP. VII.] INTERESTINO CHARACTER OP ENGLISH HISTORY. 89 



your Majesty of the imperfection of the present history of 

 England, in the main continuance of it, and the partiality 

 and obliquity of that of Scotland, in the most copious and 

 recent account that has been left us. As this island of 

 Great Britain will now, as one united monarchy, descend to 

 future ages, we cannot but deem it a work alike honourable 

 to your Majesty, and grateful to posterity, that exploits were 

 collected in one history, in the style of the ancient Testa- 

 ment, which hands down the story of the ten tribes and the 

 two tribes as twins together. If the greatness of the under- 

 taking, however, should ])rove any obstacle to its perfect 

 execution, a shorter period of time, fraught with the greatest 

 interest, occurs from the junction of the roses to the union 

 of the two kingdoms — a space of time which to me appeal's 

 to contain a crowd of more memorable events than ever oc- 

 curred in any hereditaiy monarchy of similar duration. For 

 it commences with the conjoint adoption of a crown by arms, 

 and title, an entry by battle, and a marriage settlement. 

 The times which follow, partaking of the nature of such 

 beginnings, like waters after a tempest, full of workings and 

 swelli!igs, though without boisterous storms, being well navi- 

 gated by the wisdom of the pilot,^' one of the most able ot 

 his predecessors. Then succeeded the reign of a king, whose 

 policy, though rather actuated by passion than counsel, exer- 

 cised great influence upon the courts of Europe, balancing 

 and variably inclining their various interests ; in whose time, 

 also, began that great change of religion, an action seldom 

 brought on the stage. Then the reign of a minor. Then an 

 attempt at usurpation, though it was but as a " febris ephe- 

 mera :" then the reign of a queen, matched with a foreigner : 

 then the reign of a queen, solitary and unmarried. And 

 now, as a close, the glorious and auspicious event of the 

 union of an island, divided from the rest of the world : so 

 that we may say the old oracle which gave rest to ^neas, 

 ''antiquam exquii'ite matrem,"'* is fulfilled in the union of 

 England and Scotland under one sceptre. Thus as massive 

 bodies, drawn aside from their course, experience certain 

 waverings and trepidations before they fix and settle, so this 

 monarchy, before it was to settle in your Majesty and your 



• Henry V14. * ^n. iii. 9«. 



