60S 
ENGLAND. 
power of burning their enemies would revive that fh.are 
of temporal authority which they had potfeded fome cen¬ 
turies before ; and in this they were not mi (taken-. 
Henry, by thefe wily meafures, feemed to furmount all 
his troubles; and the temporary calm which was thus 
produced, was employed by him to recover that popu¬ 
larity, which he had loft by the feverities of the preceding 
part of his reign. With that view, lie permitted the 
houfe of commons to alfume powers which had not been 
ufually exercifed by their predecefTors. In the fixth year 
of his reign, A.D. 1407, when they voted him the fup- 
plies, they appointed treafurers of their own, to fee the 
money difburfed for the purpofes intended ; and required 
them to deliver in their accounts to the houfe. They 
propofed thirty very important articles for the govern¬ 
ment of the king’s houfehold ; and, on the whole, pre- 
ferved their privileges and freedom more entire, during 
his reign, than that of any of his predecedors. But while 
the king thus laboured to retrieve the reputation he had 
loft, his fon Henry, prince of Wales, feemed equally bent 
on incurring the public averfion. He became notorious 
for all kinds of debauchery ; and ever chofe to be fur- 
rounded by a fet of thieves, who took pride in commit¬ 
ting the mod illegal aCts, with the prince at their head, 
The king was not a little mortified at this degeneracy in 
his elded fon, who feemed entirely forgetful of his dn- 
tion, although he had exhibited the highed proofs of his 
valour and generofity. Such were the exceffes into which 
he ran, that one of his dilfolute companions being brought 
to trial before fir William Gafcoigne, chief-judice of 
the king’s bench, the prince was fo exafperated at the 
condition, that he druck the judge in open court. The 
venerable magidrate, behaved with that dignity which 
became his office, and immediately committed his royal 
liighnefs to piifon. When this tranfaCtion was reported 
to the king, he could not help exclaiming, “ Happy is- 
the king that has a magidrate endowed With courage to 
execute the laws upon fuch an offender; dill more hap¬ 
py, in having a fon willing to fubmit to fuch a chadife- 
ment.” This, in truth, is one of the fil'd noble indanccs 
in the Englifli hidory of a magidrate doing judice in op- 
pofition to power ; fmce, upon many former occafions, 
we find the judges only the agents of royal caprice. 
Henry, whofe health had for fome time been declining, 
did not long out-live this tranfaCtion. He was fubjeCt to 
fits, which bereaved him of his fenfes ; and which, at lad, 
brought on the near approach of death, at Wedminder. 
As Ins conditution decayed, his fears of lofing th,e crown 
alarmed him even to a childifh anxiety. He could not 
deep, unlefs the royal diadem was laid upon his pillow. 
He refolved to take the crofs, and fight the caufe of the 
pilgrims at Jerufalem ; and even imparted his defigns to 
a great council ; but his diforder increafing to a violent 
degree, he was obliged to lay afide that vilionary fcheme, 
and prepare for a journey of much,greater importance. 
As the king lay in a violent paroxifm, the prince of 
Wales took up the crown, and carried it into another 
apartment; but the king foon after recovering, and mif- 
fi'n<r the crow’ti, hadilv demanded what was become of it ? 
Being informed that the prince of Wales had carried it 
off: “What! (faid the king,) would he rob me of my 
right before my death?” But the prince, jud then en¬ 
tering the room, affured his father that he had no fuch 
motives; went and replaced the crown where he had 
found it; and, having receiving his father’s bleffing, du¬ 
tifully retired. The king was t^aken with his lad fit while 
at his devotions before the (brine of St. Edward the Con- 
felfor, in Wedminder Abbey, and from thence he was 
carried to the Jerufalem Chamber. When he had re¬ 
covered from his fwoon, perceiving himfelf in a drange 
place, he defired to know where he was, and if the apart¬ 
ment had any particular name : being informed that it 
was called the Jerufalem Chamber, he faid, that he then 
perceived a prophecy was fulfilled, which declared that 
he fliould die in Jerufalem. Thus faying he expired, in 
the forty-fixth year of his age, and the fourteenth of his 
reign. 
Henry IV. was, in dature, a little below the middle 
fize, but robud and well made. He excelled in all the 
martial and manly exercifes of bis times; and his cou¬ 
rage was at once calm and undaunted. His head was 
better than his heart ; his fchemes being formed with 
prudence, and generally fuccefsful, but not always inno¬ 
cent, and feldom generous. As jealous as he was fond 
of power, he duck at nothing to obtain and keep it; and 
was not very prone to pardon thofe who attempted to 
deprive him of it. From policy more than principle, he 
protected the church and perfecuted heretics. Ambition 
was his ruling pafiion-; and that, impelled by a violent 
gale of popular favour, hurried him into a throne, which 
involved him in many crimes and cares, and his country 
in many calamities. He would have been both a better 
and happier man, if he had never been a king. Henry, 
by bis fird wife, Mary de Bohun, one of the coheirelTes 
of Humphry de Bohun earl of Hereford, had four fons 
and two daughters, viz. Henry, who fucceeded him in 
the throne, Thomas duke of Clarence, John duke of 
Bedford, Humphry duke of Glouceder, Blanche duchefs 
of Bavaria, and Philippa queen of Denmark. By hir fe- 
cond wife, Jane duchefs of Briranny, he had no iffire. 
Henry V. furnamed Henry of Monmouth, was pro¬ 
claimed at London, March 21, and crowned at Wedmin¬ 
der, April 9, 1413 ; and, whatever objections might have 
been made to his title, no prince ever afeended a throne 
more peaceably, and few with greater applaufe. His fa-' 
ther, Henry IV. had lod all his popularity long before 
his death, which made the news of that event, and of his 
fon’s fuccedion, to be received with joy. The fird deps 
taken by the young king confirmed all the public hopes 
entertained in his favour. He called together his former 
companions, acquainted them with his intended reforma¬ 
tion ; exhorted them to follow his example;. and thus 
difmilled them from his prefence, allowing them a com¬ 
petency to fubfid upon, till lie faw them worthy of higher 
promotion. The more rigid and virtuous miniders of his 
father began to tremble for their fafety ; but he foon 
eafed them of their fears, by taking them intq his friend- 
fliip and confidence. Sir William Gafcoigne, who had 
committed the prince, met with praifes indead of re¬ 
proaches, and was exhorted to perfevere in the fame ri¬ 
gorous and impartial execution of judice. Henry feemed 
to deplore not only his own private errors, but thofe of 
the former reign. He exprefi'ed the deeped forrow for 
the fate of the unhappy Richard, and ordered his funeral 
obfequies to be performed with great folemnity. He 
feemed anxious to bury all party didin'Ctions in oblivion; 
the good men of either party were alone dear to him ; and 
the bad vainly alleged their loyalty in extenuation of 
their vices. The exhortations, as well as the example 
of the prince, gave encouragement to virtue; all parties 
were equally attached to fo jud a prince, and the defects 
of his title were forgot, amidd the ludre of his amiable 
qualities. 
Thus the people feemed happy in their new king; but 
it is not in the power of any human being to raife him¬ 
felf entirely above the prejudices of the age in which lie 
lives, or to correct thofe abufes which often employ the 
fagacity of ages to overcome. The vices of the clergy 
Had drawn upon them the contempt and detedation of 
the people ; but they were refolved to continue their ec- 
clefiadical power, not by reforming themfelves, but by 
perfecuting thofe who oppofed them. The herefy of 
Wickliffe, or Lollardifm, as it was called, began to lpread 
every day more and more, while it received a new ludre 
from the protection and preaching of fir John Oldcadle, 
baron of Cobham, who had been one of the king’s do- 
medics, and dood high in his favour. His character, 
both for civil and military excellence, pointed him out 
to 
