570 
ENG 
of Gloucefter foon after, who Was the life of her party, 
gave a dreadful blow to her interefls. Yet Hill the affairs 
of Stephen continued to fluctuate. Though this monarch 
had the good fortune to fee his rival fly to the continent, 
and leave him entire poirelTion of the kingdom ; though 
his brother was pofletred of the higheft authority among 
the clergy ; yet he was dill infecure. Finding that the 
caftles built by the noblemen of his own party encouraged 
a fpirit of independence, and were little lefs dangerous 
than thofe which remained in the hands of the enemy, 
he endeavoured to gain thefe ; and this attempt united 
many of his own adherents againft him. His danger was 
-increafed by the oppofition of the clergy, who, from hav¬ 
ing been on his fide, began to declare loudly in favour of 
his opponents. The pope laid his whole party under an 
interdift, for having refufed to fend deputies, to be named 
by himfelf, to the general council at Rheims. By this 
fentence, which was now firft praftifed in England, di¬ 
vine f'ervice was prohibited, and all the forms of religion 
ceaferj, except baptifm and extreme unftion. This ftate 
of Stephen’s affairs looked fo unpromifing, that a revolu¬ 
tion was once more expefted, when his fubmifTion to the 
fee of Rome for a while fufpended the threatened blow. 
Stephen had hitherto been oppofed only by men who 
feconded the pretenfions of another; and w'ho confe- 
quently wanted that popularity which is ufually attached 
to thofe who fight their battles. But he was now to en¬ 
ter the lifts with a rival, who was every day coming to 
maturity, and growing more formidable. This was Henry, 
the fon of Matilda, who had now, A. D. 1149, reached 
his fixteenth year, and gave the greateft hopes of future 
magnanimity and prowefs. It was the cuftom of thofe 
days for young noblemen to receive the honour of knight¬ 
hood before they were permitted to carry arms; and 
Henry propofed to receive his admiflion from his great 
uncle, David, king of Scotland. With this view, and in 
hopes of once more infpiring his mother’s party, he land¬ 
ed in England with a vaft retinue of knights and foldiers, 
accompanied by many of the nobility, as well Englifh as 
foreigners. The ceremony was performed by the Scots’ 
king at Carlifle, amidft a multitude of people affembled 
on this occafion, who all, pleafed with the vigour, the 
addrefs, and (till more perhaps with the noble mein, of 
the young prince, fecretly began to wifh for a revolution 
in his favour. Soon after his return to Normandy, he 
was, by his mother’s confent, inverted with that duchy, 
which had fonte time before revolted to her. He was 
alfo, upon the death of his father Geoffrey Plantagenet, 
Jecured in the portellion of his dominions ; and, to add 
ftill more to his increafing power, he married Eleanor 
the daughter and heirefs of the duke of Guienne and 
Poiftou ; and took pofteflion of thefe extenfive territories. 
With this great acceffion of power young Henry was re- 
folved to claim the hereditary crown of England, and to 
difpute once more Stephen’s ufurped pretenfions. For 
this purpofe, being previoufly affured of the difpofitions 
of the majority of the people in his favour, he made an 
invafion on England, A. D. 1158, where he was joined 
by alrnoft all the barons of the kingdom. Though it was 
the middle of winter, he advanced to befiege Malmfbury ; 
and took the town, after having defeated a body of the 
enemy that attempted to oppofe his march. Soon after, 
the caftle of Reading, and above thirty other fortrefles, 
fubmitted to his arms. 
In the mean time Stephen, alarmed at the popularity 
and fuccefs of his young rival, had been trying every 
method to anticipate the purpofe of his invafion, by de¬ 
priving him of a fucceflion he fo earneftly fought after. 
He had convoked a council in London, where he propofed 
his own ion Euftace, a weak prince, for his airociate in 
she government, as well as for his fucceffor. He had 
even exprefled a defire of immediately proceeding to the 
coronation ; but was mortified to find that the archbifhop 
of Canterbury refufed to perform the ceremony. It was 
ifhen no time to profecute his relentment, when his rival 
land. 
was landed, and making hafty ftrides to the throne- he 
therefore inarched with all podible diligence to oppofe 
him, while he was befieging Wallingford ; and, coming 
in fight, he refted his army to prepare for battle. In this 
fituation the two armies remained for fome time, within 
a quarter of a mile of each other, a decilive aftion beino- 
expefted every day. But while they continued in this 
menacing pofture, a treaty was fet on foot by the interpo- 
fition of William earl of Arundel, for terminating the dif¬ 
pute without blood. 0 he death ol Stephen’s fon, which 
happened during the courfe of the treaty, facilitated its 
conclufion. It was therefore agreed by all parties, that 
Stephen fhould reign during the refidue of his life; and 
that juftice fhould be adminiftered in his name - that 
Henry fhould on Stephen’s death, fncceed to the* king¬ 
dom; and William, Stephen’s fon r fhould inherit Bou¬ 
logne and his patrimonial eftate. After all the barons 
had fworn to this treaty, which filled the kingdom with 
gratulation, Henry evacuated England, and Stephen re¬ 
turned to the peaceable enjoyment of his throne. His 
reign, however, was flvortly after terminated by bis death, 
which happened at Canterbury, Oft. 25, 1154;_in the 
cathedral of which city he was interred. 
The good fortune and brilliant fuccefs of manv princes, 
gives them, with pofterity, the reputation of wifdom and 
virtue : Stephen wanted fuccefs in all his fchemes but 
that of afcending the throne; and confequently his vir¬ 
tues and abilities remain clouded and doubtful. If we 
eftimate them by the happinefs of his fubjefts, they will 
appear in a very humble point of view, fince England was 
never more rent with internal commotion and inquietude, 
than during bis reign ; but if we confider them as they 
appear in his private conduft, few monarchs can boaft 
more. Aftive, generous, and brave, his foie arm was to 
deftroy a vile ariftocracy that oppreffed the people; but. 
the abilities of no man, however politic or intrepid, were 
then Sufficient to refift an evil that was too firmly rooted, 
and interwoven with the very exiftence of the prince! 
The moll prominent faults, therefore, of this monarch’s 
reign, are chiefly to be imputed to the ungovernable fpirit 
of the people; but his virtues were his own. * 
From the COMMENCEMENT of the PLANTA- 
GENETS, in the person of HENRY II. to the 
signing OF MAGNA CHARTA and DEATH 
of KING JOHN. 
Henry Plantagenet, when called to the throne of 
England, was mafter, in right of his father, of Anjou 
and Touraine; in that of his mother, of Normandy 
and Maine; in that of his wife, of Guienne, Poiftou, 
Xaintonge, Auvergne, Perigord, Angoumois, and the Li- 
mofin ; and he foon after annexed Brittany to his other 
dominions ; all which rendered him one of the mod pow¬ 
erful monarchs in Chriftendom, and an objeft of dread 
and jealoufy to the king of France. But to diminiffi the 
glory of fwaying the fceptre over Rich extenfive territo¬ 
ries, the fubjefts of Henry were difunited by fituation and 
by law, by language and by manners; and the prince 
himfelf, from his refidence in England, was confidered as 
a kind of foreigner in his French dominions, and but little 
regarded. Yet under every circumftance, the rifing gran¬ 
deur of the houfe of Plantagenet, could not fail to im- 
prefs with terror the king of France. Louis VII. had 
ever maintained a drift union with Stephen, and had en¬ 
deavoured to prop the unftable fortunes of that afpirino- 
ufurper. But after his death, it was too late to think of 
oppofing the fucceffion of Henry, who had been received 
inEngland withtheacclamationsofallordersof the people. 
The firft afts of Henry the Second’s reign, alfo corref- 
ponded to the flattering hopes entertained of his abilities. 
Confcious of his ftrength, he began to correft thofe abufes, 
and to refume thofe privileges which had been extorted 
from the vveaknefs or the credulity of his predeceffors. 
He immediately difmifled all thofe mercenary foldiers 
who committed infinite diforders in the nation. He or- 
* deied 
