ENG1 
Arundel to compliment them on their fafe landing ; and 
to inform them that he intended paying them a vifit in 
perfon. Philip, for the fake of difpatch, refolved to an¬ 
ticipate the vifit by ftepping up to Windfor. Henry re¬ 
ceived him with all magnificence and cordiality ; but was 
refolved to reimburfe himfelf for the expence, by advan¬ 
tages that would be more fubftantially conducive to his 
own interefts, and thofe of the nation. There had been 
a plot carried on again!! him by the earl of Suffolk ; for 
which fir James Tyrrel and fir James Windham had been 
condemned and executed, while Suffolk, the original con¬ 
triver, had made his efcape into the Low Countries, where 
he found protection from Philip. But lie was now given 
up at Henry’s req.ue.ft; and, being brought to England, 
he was impriforted in the Tower. A treaty of commerce 
was alfo agreed upon between the two fovereigns ; which 
was at that time of the great eft benefit to England, and 
continues to remain the ground-work of all other com¬ 
mercial treaties to this day. 
Henry having thus lived to fee England in a great mea- 
fure civilized by his exertions, his people arifing the 
taxes without conftraint, the nobles confefting a due 
fubordination, the law's alone inflicting punifliment, the 
towns beginning to fiourifh, and becoming indepen¬ 
dent of the powerful barons, commerce increafing, the 
fpirit of faCtion extinguiflied, and foreigners either fear¬ 
ing England, or feeking her alliance, he began to feel 
the approaches of his end. He then refolved to reconcile 
himfelf to heaven ; and, by diftributing alms, founding 
religious houfes, and granting a general pardon to all his 
fubjeCts, to make an atonement for the errors of his paft 
life. In this difpofition he'died, April 21, 1509, in the 
twenty-fourth year of his reign, and fifty-fourth of his 
age. He had rendered his fubjeCts powerful and happy, 
and wrought a greater change in the manners of the peo¬ 
ple, than it was pollible to fuppofe could have been ef¬ 
fected in fo (hort a time. If he had any fault that de- 
ferves to be marked with great reproach, it was that, 
having begun his reign with economy, as he grew' old his 
defires feemed to change their objeCt from the ufe of 
money, to the pleafure of hoarding it. But he ought 
even in this to be pardoned, becaufe he faved for the 
public ; the royal coffers being then the only treafure of 
the ftate; and, in proportion to the king’s finances, the 
public might be faid to be either rich or indigent. As 
an apology for Henry’s avarice, let it be remembered that 
he expended fourteen thoufand pounds in building one 
fliip, called the Great Harry. This, properly fpeaking, 
was the firft fliip of war in tlie Englifh navy. Before this 
period, when the king wanted a fleet, he had no other 
expedient but to hire (hips from the merchants. He was 
alfo the founderof the chapel in Weftminfterabbey, which 
has ever fince gone by the name of Henry the Seventh’s 
cha'pel, 
Henry VII. was in ftature a little above the middle 
fize, flender, firong, and aCIive. His deportment was, in 
general, grave, referved, and (lately ; but he could put 
on a fmiling countenance, and a flume a gracious engaging 
manner, when he faw it convenient. In perfonal courage 
he was not defective; but it was attended with caution, 
and not of the impetuous enterprifing kind. Though he 
fometimes threatened, he never really intended to engage 
in any foreign war; becaufe he knew it was exceedingly 
expenfive, and peculiarly dangerous to a prince with a 
difputed title and difeontented fubjeCts. From thefe con- 
fiderations, rather than from timidity, he cultivated peace 
with all the neighbouring princes. Fn application to bufi- 
nefs he was indefatigable, and defeended to the mod mi¬ 
nute details. He was his own minifler, impenetrably fe- 
cret in all his fchemes, and preferibed to his fervants the 
parts they were to aft, without acquainting them with 
his views. His underftanding was good, but neither 
quick nor comprehenfive : but he fupplied the want of 
quicknefs by mature deliberation; and the fuccefs with 
which all his meafures were crowhed, procured him the 
AND. 6.'; I 
appellation of Solomon the Wife. He has been highly 
railed for dimini filing the exorbitant pow er of the great 
arons, which had often endangered the crown and op- 
preffed the people. This he certainly in part acconi- 
plifhed : but it was far from being a difficult talk. The 
civil wars had ruined two-thirds of the great families, 
and at his acceflion there were only twenty-feven tempo¬ 
ral peers in England. The great defefts in the character 
of this prince proceeded not from the weaknefs of his 
head, but the obduracy of his heart, w hich was exceed¬ 
ingly felfifh and unfeeling; little fufceptible of the im- 
preflions of love, friendfhip, pity, or any benevolent af¬ 
fection. He was an unkind hufband to an amiable con- 
fort; never had a friend, and rarely forgave an enemy. 
As a fon, he treated his venerable mother with formal 
refpeCt, but allowed her no influence ; as a father, he 
was folicitous, but not affectionate. His arbitrary ex¬ 
actions of various kinds, his feverity to fir William Stan¬ 
ley, and his cruelty to the noble earl of Warwick, have 
procured him, and not unjuftly, the odious name of ty¬ 
rant. An inordinate love of money, and an unrelenting 
hatred to the houfe of York, were his ruling paffions, 
and the chief fources of all his vexations, and of all his 
vices. 
Henry VII. had iffue four fons and four daughters. 
1. Arthur, born September 20, i486; died April 2, 1502. 
2. Henry, who fucceeded to the crown, was born in June, 
1492. 3. Edmund, who died at five years old. 4. Ed¬ 
ward, born in February, 1500, died in his infancy. 5, 
Margaret, married in 1502 to James IV. king of Scot¬ 
land, which eventually occafioned the union of the two 
kingdoms. 6. Catharine, who died in her infancy. 7. 
Mary, married December 17, 1508, to Charles archduke 
of Auftria, prince of Caftile. 8. Elizabeth, born in 1503, 
died foon after the queen, whofe death was occafioned by 
her birth. 
Henry VIII. afeended the throne of England, A. D. 
1509. He had then completed his feventeenth year, and 
had been occupied entirely in the purfuits of literature, 
and manly exercifes; and the proficiency which he made 
in each, gave no bad prognoftic of his parts and inge¬ 
nuity. Even the follies of vehemence, ardour, and im¬ 
patience, to which he was prone, and which afterwards 
degenerated into tyranny, were confidered only as foibles 
incident to unguarded youth, which would be corrected 
by time. And, as the contending titles of York and 
Lancafter were united in his perfon, men juflly expected 
from a prince, obnoxious to no party, that impartiality 
of adminiftration which the conftitution of England was 
intended to promulgate ; but unfortunately this was not 
the cafe. The firft public aft of unprovoked feverity, 
was the punifliment of Empfon and Dudley, who were ob¬ 
noxious to the populace for having been the inftruments 
of the late king’s avarice. They were cited before the 
council to anfwer for this conduct; and Empfon, in his 
defence alleged, that fo far from deferving cenfure, he 
was confident he had merited reward and approbation. 
Though a ftrift execution of the law was the crime of 
which he and Dudley were accufed ; and though thefe 
laws had been eftablifhed by the voluntary confent of the 
people ; yet Empfon and Dudley were folemnly brought 
to their trial, and the jury were fo far infefted with po¬ 
pular prejudice, that they gave a verdict againft them ; 
and they were both executed by a warrant from the king. 
This meafure, which betrayed an unjuft compliance 
with popular clamour, was followed by another highly 
detrimental to the nation, although (till more pleafing to 
the people. Julius II. was at that time pope, and had 
filled all Europe with his intrigues and ambition ; but 
his chief refentment happened to be levelled againft 
Louis XII. of France, who was in poffeflion of fome va¬ 
luable provinces of Italy, from which he hoped, by his 
intrigues, to remove him. For this purpofe he entered 
into a treaty with Ferdinand king of Spain, and Henry of 
England j to each of whom he propofed fuch advantages 
as. 
