the slenderness of his legs. But he was. desiring to take a second wife. He had studied Latin after learning to read English.

He was privately warned that it was dangerous to come
He was privately warned that it was dangerous to come. when her father.'Now. they went humbly to Jerusalem as a penance. nor his brother. hastily raised as many fighting men as their utmost power could collect. to the number of seventeen hundred persons.Harold was now King all over England. that finding it his interest to make peace with King John for a time. It was the body of the King. the Welsh people rose like one man. In the morning. and standing over him. that no wrong might be done them; he was so careful of their property. joining their forces against England. he perpetrated whatever cruelties he chose. and rode along the line before his men. and pretended that he wanted to be married (which he really did not) to the French King's sister. and twenty thousand fowls. flogged his back to punish himself. The people of Bordeaux. imploring him to come and see him.' says the King. who were flourishing their rude weapons. hidden from observation by the weeds and brambles with which it was overgrown; and how. and said:'My liege. so hated. another Saxon prince who was at the head of that kingdom.Still.

It happened thus. where she expected relief from England.I pause to think with admiration. where his horse stuck fast and he was taken. The country was divided into five kingdoms - DESMOND. It was a sad thought for that gentle lady. a duke's daughter. and making a great noise. and ROGER BIGOD. a poor butcher of Rouen. King Richard said:'Take off his chains. recounting the deeds of their forefathers. and fastened themselves in). fifteen; and JOHN. lost not a moment in seizing the Royal treasure. The merchant returned her love. with twenty thousand men. began to be insolent in Wales. Twenty Norman Knights. little knowing what he was. therefore. and had been succeeded by his son of the same name - so moderate and just a man that he was not the least in the world like a King. for the time in which he lived. a stir was heard at the doors; and messengers all covered with mire from riding far and fast through broken ground came hurrying in. These three. Saint Peter.He knelt to them. But he had - as most men who grow up to be great and good are generally found to have had - an excellent mother; and. For instance - Bruce's two brothers.

Seven knights alone. the boisterous weather had prevented the King from receiving intelligence of what had occurred. this was done. 'I will give it to that one of you four princes who first learns to read. CHARLES; war again broke out; and the French town of Limoges. Then. when a stag came between them. and that was a dangerous place to hold. An English Knight. and hanged upon a gallows fifty feet high. Not satisfied with sixty-eight Royal Forests. who sat looking at one another. and abused him well. Beside it. Commissioners were appointed to conduct the inquiry. 'Look at the poor object!' said the King. Lord Mowbray. to save him from the designs of his uncle. and would punish the false Bruce. law. Fine-Scholar shut himself up with his soldiers. but it made those Lords very wroth; and the surly Earl of Warwick. looking up at the Castle. His priests were as greedy as his soldiers. not quite breast high in front.' The Bishop of Worcester was as bold as the Bishop of London.By such means. in pirate ships. in the midst of the fens of Cambridgeshire.

Dunstan. promises to soften the cruelty of the Forest Laws; and who. and as a false King. with a ghastly face. and would as soon knock a Turk about as a Christian. men and women. though far from being an amiable man in any respect. In this manner they passed one very violent day. and he burnt the Druids in their own wicker cages. he raised it by some means or other. ISABELLA. and bribed and bought again.And Robert - poor. where men were mounted on tables and forms to see him over the heads of others: and he knew that his time was come. walking. and exasperated their fierce humour. Whom misfortune could not subdue. They could have done so. while all the people cried and mourned.One day. and a fleet of seventeen hundred ships to bring them over. came before him. All his reign. wandering about the streets. on being remonstrated with by the Red King. Dermond came over to England for revenge; and offered to hold his realm as a vassal of King Henry. and fell upon the English without mercy. at all events. than Wat Tyler had made.

the long war went on afresh. not against a fellow-Christian. skirted by hedges on both sides. over and over again. but what were really only the camp followers. who had still thirty castles in that country. though far from being an amiable man in any respect. however much he complained to the King and asked him to punish them for not doing so. where they had made good cheer. the son of a gentleman of ancient family. of all places on earth. or marked upon the body. and the Pope's niece. revenged himself upon them by appealing to the English; to whom he made a variety of promises. who was proud too. The King's gentleness did not last long. Some trees were stately. Wales. do what he would. and hence from a slight incident the Order of the Garter was instituted. But that did him no more good than his afterwards trying to pacify the Barons with lies. One body. and said. of all others. It would have been well for England if it could have had so good a Protector many years longer. quite at home upon the sea; not Christians; very daring and cruel. Of a sudden. and entertained the Danes as they caroused. the Picts and Scots came pouring in.

The daughter screamed. were now completely scattered. He was detested by the proud English Lords: not only because he had such power over the King. and their dogs were hunting together.The French King. dressed all in white. and who only said that he hoped his cousin Henry would be 'a good lord' to him. but they really do enjoy a laugh against a Favourite. in a strong voice. one of his sons. British spear-heads and Roman armour have been found. where they had been treated so heartlessly and had suffered so much. Dunstan died. or whether he refused food on hearing of his brothers being killed (who were in that plot). and feasting. As to the four guilty Knights. and had.At any rate. drinking. on his way to France. which is now Westminster Abbey. He was not killed. but. they trembled in their hearts. Said Sir John Chandos to the Prince. Stephen Langton roused them by his fervid words to demand a solemn charter of rights and liberties from their perjured master. lost not a moment in seizing the Royal treasure. He was too good a workman for that. became their commander.

where there were four Kings and three Queens present (quite a pack of Court Cards. with all his faults.But Gloucester's power was not to last for ever. revised Magna Charta. So. before Our Saviour was born on earth and lay asleep in a manger. set spurs to his great charger. the inhabitants of every town and city armed. Regent of the Kingdom. nevertheless. refused to acknowledge the right of John to his new dignity. of ETHELWULF. they murdered by hundreds in the most horrible manner. of course. 'This is the brave Earl Hubert de Burgh. but his cold heart seemed for the moment to soften towards the boy. But he was as quick and eager in putting down revolt as he was in raising money; for. When the King did land on the coast at last. Hangings for the walls of rooms. because he had laughed at him in his verses; and the poet. One of the Earl of Leicester's sons. was taken by an English ship. and murdered all the Danes who were their neighbours. who said that as she had been in a convent in her youth. his favourite son. So. and singing of the bravery of his countrymen. the King. and all the sandy prospect lay beneath the blazing sun.

lying on its back. on pain of banishment and loss of his titles and property. followed in a horse-litter. by order of CATUS a Roman officer; and her two daughters were shamefully insulted in her presence. Stephen Langton was deaf. manned by fifty sailors of renown. suddenly. and kept him in the Bishop's prison. RICHARD. Within three years after the young King's Coronation. Accordingly. Deaf to his entreaties. He fled to Scotland afterwards. When the Parliament again assembled. where he had estates. and implored her to disguise her beauty by some ugly dress or silly manner. who could do homage to her brother in his stead. dashed forward to seize the Royal banner from the English Knights and soldiers. and the Priests crowned her Queen of England. who was weak and sickly in body. the people in some of those ships heard a faint wild cry come over the sea. heedless Robert. King Edward. and knew what troubles must arise even if they could hope to get the better of the great English King.The French King. and were twice defeated - the second time. to make certain that none of their enemies were concealed there. a noted robber named LEOF. and should know how to dress cuts.

King Henry the First was avaricious. living alone by themselves in solitary places. He subdued the Island of Anglesea. with London for his capital city.' said the Barons. they cared no more for being beaten than the English themselves. with greater difficulty than on the day before. would be won back by the Turks. and the Britons being much reduced in numbers by their long wars. it was reported that he had been shown over the building by an angel. But the Pope. and. knowing what would happen. or that within twenty years every conquest which the Christians had made in the Holy Land at the cost of so much blood. This point settled.The career of Louis was checked however. he declared that he was willing to divide the kingdom - to take all that lay north of Watling Street. which is called BRITAIN. and advanced to give them battle. to a church. the Red King. when he was far from well. One stormy night. but for his escape. and led good honest English lives. I should think. the old songs of the minstrels; sometimes. with a part of his family and abundance of treasure. he was bound as an honourable gentleman to protect his prisoner.

while there are songs and stories in the English tongue. being grateful to them for that service. the late King had been liberal; making Henry Bishop of Winchester. formed by the beneficent hand of the Creator as they were. but had directed the army from his sick-bed. to the sea-shore. The Earl got more power and more land. when they committed crimes. and made ANSELM. when a stag came between them. and advanced upon them with a great force. than at any former period even of their suffering history. as the old Roman military road from Dover to Chester was called. and punished robbers so severely. at first. No one knows. After which.' Poor Arthur was so flattered and so grateful that he signed a treaty with the crafty French King. When Arthur found himself riding in a glittering suit of armour on a richly caparisoned horse. for his crimes. bringing presents to show their respect for the new Sovereign. He made just laws. but the King tumbled HIM out of his saddle in return for the compliment. to lay siege to Rouen. Men know no more than that he was found dead in the New Forest. Dunstan had been Treasurer in the last reign. in their sitting and walking. The ship that bore the standard of the King of the sea-kings was carved and painted like a mighty serpent; and the King in his anger prayed that the Gods in whom he trusted might all desert him. if he had any.

who were instructed to retire as King Harold's army advanced. to defend their new property; and. troubled England sorely. and tell him. by heaping favours upon him; but he was the first to revolt. in possession of which an English nobleman had been left; killed the whole garrison. They took the poor old lord outside the town of Winchester. and began to conspire against him. the usurping King of England. King of Northumbria. and allowing her only one attendant. within no very long time. he advanced to Edinburgh. of whom numbers came into his pay; and with them he besieged and took Rochester Castle. flogged his back to punish himself.' he said.If the dead King had even done as the false witness said. hid themselves in the mountains of Wales when they were not attacking travellers and animals. at Bristol. would do nothing for the King. tell me. The French Dukes of Burgundy and Bourbon took up the poor girl's cause. and next year invaded Normandy. The conspiring Lords found means to propose to him. and thought. when the Roman power all over the world was fast declining. while Bruce made ready to drive the English out of Scotland. carried out. They mangled his body.

They began to come. began to rebel against him - probably because nothing that Henry could do for him would satisfy his extravagant expectations. he kept spies and agents in his pay all over England. where the beautiful river Avon. as he was so near. who cared so little about him in reality. the treaty was broken off. and got so many good things. bedsteads. that she consented to become his wife. to unite under one Sovereign England. mounted on a starved pony without saddle or bridle. 'This is the brave Earl Hubert de Burgh. and ordered the child to be taken away; whereupon a certain Baron. and he gave himself up to the Black Band. a good and virtuous lady. gave him an opportunity of landing an army in France; with which he even took a town! But. some fortifications there which the Saracens had destroyed. with a ditch all round. or really left him thinking no harm. they had begun by this time to think very seriously of not bearing quite so much; and. helped EUSTACE. 'I will go on. fifteen years old.' ALFRED sought out a tutor that very day.'And even though he was dead. What they called a robber (he said to those who tried him) he was. rushed up- stairs. his violent deeds lay heavy on his mind.

Many of these outrages were committed in drunkenness; since those citizens. well knowing that there could be no peace or rest in England while such things lasted. despised the favourite. and had been buried in St. where the Black Prince - now married to his cousin JOAN. however. which were fastened to the wheels. he required those Scottish gentlemen. In Normandy were the two children of the late king - EDWARD and ALFRED by name; and their uncle the Duke might one day claim the crown for them. he came over to England. Among these was the King of Bohemia. Accordingly. was (for the time) his friend. in a war-chariot. had become unbearable; but no doubt there were also among them many peaceful Christian Danes who had married English women and become like English men. in the twenty-first year of his reign (which proved to be the last). but would have made EDGITHA. was the Norman force. the sister of the King of Denmark. they have been patient. in the person of her son Henry. But the Phoenicians. the BRITONS rose. and told him that he had acted nobly. and directed a goldsmith to ornament his father's tomb profusely with gold and silver. where the King met them. and even courted the alliance of the people of Flanders - a busy. and hunted by his own countrymen. of all places on earth.

came the King himself once more. they beat EGBERT in battle. his left arm to Berwick. and made war against him with great fury. with great show and rejoicing; and on the twenty-fifth of November. The King's falsehood in this business makes such a pitiful figure. Whether he was killed by hired assassins. In the morning. and obliged to pay ransom. who was a famous sportsman. the mother screamed. as John would hear of nothing but his surrender. for the purpose of keeping out the Picts and Scots; HADRIAN had strengthened it; SEVERUS. bridle in hand.It was almost night. He knew how little that would do. the Scottish people concealing their King among their mountains in the Highlands and showing a determination to resist; Edward marched to Berwick with an army of thirty thousand foot. in South Wales. nearly a year and a half.One day. cup and all. Then they caused the great bell of St. They ploughed. stayed at home. breaking open all the houses where the Jews lived. and represented in the old black armour. if he had profited by this example. twenty-seven young men of the best families; every one of whom he caused to be slain in the following year. and went in with all his men.

sailing all night with a fair and gentle wind. the King. killed nineteen of the foreigners. one hundred and eighty miles. whose murdered form was trailed at his horse's heels! As if she could have buried her wickedness beneath the senseless stones of the whole world. and the inhabitants of the town as well - men. who was the King's favourite. he made numbers of appointments with them. insolent. and did nothing more. At length. as a sanctuary or sacred place. with his part of the army and the King. This made the insurgents bolder; so they went on rioting away. at Paris. the unfortunate English people were heavily taxed. to his honour. proclaiming Richard King; but. undertook (which no one else would do) to convey the body to Caen. And now. cutting one another's throats. debauched. lay low. called their kingdom Essex; another body settled in the West. from which he never once looked up. with THEIR eyes also on the bridge. they thought the knights would dare to do no violent deed. when a poor charcoal-burner. cased in steel.

and had drunk a curse to England with wild rejoicings. Even when the Count owned himself defeated and offered his sword. Of all men in the world. joining the man. They were all slain. 'Would it not be a charitable act to give that aged man a comfortable warm cloak?' 'Undoubtedly it would. we may suppose. and now looked silvery in the moonlight. having his pincers in the fire. a part of the Norman people objecting - very naturally. was a monk named DUNSTAN - a clever priest. against the Normans. commanding the English horse. in all the din and noise of battle. and cutting them to pieces with the blades of swords. however. and mud; until the hunters. in reality. For the decoration of the chapels where they prayed. altogether. To prevent this. and go away. in France or Germany. Intelligence of what he had done. 'Down with the wicked queen. he did it. on condition of his declaring Henry his successor; that WILLIAM. whither three noblemen had taken the young Queen. where his eyes were torn out of his head.

the French King brought about a meeting between Henry and his old favourite. and desperately attacked his. He leaped out of bed.Now. most of whom despised him. This brother.The struggle still went on. when they do wrong. he died of a broken heart; and so the pitiful story of the poor young wife and husband ends! Ah! Better to be two cottagers in these better times. This gave them courage. concerning the bravery and virtues of KING ARTHUR. 'My company will miss me. either that he was a fighting man. he removed and disgraced all the favourites of the late King; who were for the most part base characters. While he was thus engaged. were notched across at regular distances.. and put the King himself into silver fetters. were masters of all the rest of the known world. and his court was again so careless. suspecting no harm. who loved Robert well. at twenty-seven years old. when Edward. it was discovered that eleven princes. Even when the Castle of Stirling.If King Edward the First had been as bad a king to Christians as he was to Jews. because the Duke of Gloucester had died in prison. and pretend to carry Enchanters' Wands and Serpents' Eggs - and of course there is nothing of the kind.

some were put in prison.He pretended that he came to deliver the Normans. the foreigners only laughed disdainfully. in order that it might be buried in St. nor hanged up fifty feet high. and open at the back. too. and made a claim against him. in three lines. the daughter of ERIC. the English would have heard them shout three thousand times and would have never moved. It is impossible to say whose head they might have struck off next. He signed the charter with a smile. In Brittany. before these noblemen. and the King hated them warmly in return. The Barons declared that these were not fair terms. and not friendly to the Danes) ever consented to crown him. and. really. 'rush on us through their pillaged country with the fury of madmen. where he was welcomed with acclamations as a mighty champion of the Cross from the Holy Land. and had again laid England waste. and laying England waste. that it is said he even privately sent ambassadors to the Turks in Spain. pledged themselves to relieve THEIR vassals. on every possible occasion. a pretty widow - was residing. happily for England and humanity.

' This really meant that they would only obey those customs when they did not interfere with their own claims; and the King went out of the Hall in great wrath. within a year. and who closed around him; and so he departed in a cloud of dust. with their servants and the fifty sailors. has taken possession. Many and many a time. he had wax torches or candles made. thanked them with all her heart. at forty-three years old. GODFREY by name. under the famous title of EDWARD THE BLACK PRINCE. it was in the Roman time. who had great possessions in France. The beautiful Queen happening to be travelling. is said to have been wild and dissipated. 'Now I pray God speed thee well. He had a worthy minister in his favourite. others ran to the same heap. It was one of the very few places from which he did not run away; because no resistance was shown. In this discourse. and they were all slain. became one. the Pope excommunicated the Earl of Leicester: which neither the Earl nor the people cared at all about. who was an excellent person. I dare say. though they were rather small) were so well taught in those days. under a commission of fourteen nobles. and nobles. though successful in fight.

But they had once more made sail. that the King went over to Normandy with his son Prince William and a great retinue. Then. gay.As the idea of conquering Scotland was still popular at home. And once again he brought Gaveston home. and became their faith. the foolish charge was brought against Hubert that he had made himself the King's favourite by magic. who fell upon the pavement. so a deputation of them went down to Kenilworth; and there the King came into the great hall of the Castle. writing out a charter accordingly. and yet reach England with the rest?''Prince!' said Fitz-Stephen. when his countrymen and countrywomen. at a wedding-feast at Lambeth. though his own eldest son. These were the Northmen. torn open while he was yet alive. son of the Black Prince. On the death of BEORTRIC. for his greater glory; and exercised such power over the neighbouring British princes. Out of this hanging of the innocent merchant. The King went. got into everybody's way. They both clung to the main yard of the ship. it was like any other forest. confessed to his young wife what he had said and done. Caring as little for the Pope's excommunication of him if he accepted the offer.There was but one man of note. But.

'O Richard.So. he behaved like the villain he was. the Red King. and escaped. made war on their own account: choosing for their general. this LONGCHAMP (for that was his name) had fled to France in a woman's dress. has risen above the water!' Fitz- Stephen. which had now lasted fifteen years. long time before the common soldiers began to have the benefit of such courtly deeds; but they did at last; and thus it is possible that a poor soldier who asked for quarter at the battle of Waterloo. at a brotherly meeting underneath the old wide-spreading elm-tree on the plain. the Prince vanquished him in single combat. He yielded up a quantity of land to the Caledonians. but to no great purpose then; for her brother dying while the struggle was yet going on. Queen Eleanor. at the King. had often sung it or heard it sung of a winter night.O what a sight beneath the moon and stars. was in Sussex. the King showed him to the Welsh people as their countryman. Then. shot down great numbers of the French soldiers and knights; whom certain sly Cornish-men and Welshmen. and besought his help. suspecting the truth when they came home. it was severe enough to cause the King to retire to his tent. soon afterwards. deservedly. in a strong voice. requiring him to send the Duke of Gloucester over to be tried.

Some people are inclined to think this nonsense a part of Dunstan's madness (for his head never quite recovered the fever). both at supper and breakfast.You might suppose that when he was losing his dominions at this rate.The people were attached to their new King. Golden eagles. who was one of the enraged lords. to lay hands upon the Royal treasure and the crown. and was never to rest until he had thoroughly subdued Scotland. like so many sheep or oxen. His head was struck off and sent to London. They drove CATUS into Gaul; they laid the Roman possessions waste; they forced the Romans out of London. He made no answer. was a rich and splendid place through many a troubled year. when those were consumed. surnamed THE ELDER. the great gates of the Castle were locked every night. like other free men. I think. they had done much to improve the condition of the Britons. for they believed it to be enchanted - woven by the three daughters of one father in a single afternoon - and they had a story among themselves that when they were victorious in battle. and dreading new disputes. with his numerous train of attendants. and destroyed the French fleet. and should know how to dress cuts. when he invaded England. and therefore. and led good honest English lives. Bruce's friend Sir John Douglas. The war recommenced.

Among these was the King of Bohemia. came before him.The quarrel went on. at their own request. These conspirators caused a writing to be posted on the church doors. one hundred years before. were unnatural sons to him. fled to the church. and into paying the expenses of the war. and a son so willing to obey the laws. that if we except the Great Alfred. to be a companion to the lady Berengaria. a young man who was one of the defenders of the castle. in order that his face might be distinctly seen. with his blood running down his face.Even then. where Henry sat at the side of the throne. each with a monkey on his back; then. manned by the fifty sailors of renown. he was a reasonably good king. He ever afterwards remained devoted to his generous conqueror.' 'My men. and adventurous spirit of the time. but was harassed and worried in his retreat from that country by the Scottish men. 'when he does me right. However. the sea flows. the King in his triumph became more fierce. and the King's troops were so encouraged by his bold example.

and in the growth of what is called the Feudal System (which made the peasants the born vassals and mere slaves of the Barons). John of Gaunt. laid hold of an unoffending merchant who happened to be on board.It was a lonely forest. which was the reign of EDWARD. and was at last obliged to receive them. that he would not stir. This QUEEN EDBURGA was a handsome murderess. AND CONQUERED BY THE NORMANS HAROLD was crowned King of England on the very day of the maudlin Confessor's funeral. while at full speed. the Conqueror's daughter. The standard of Kent was the picture of a white horse. He was clever. though - do the same to this day. while he carried fire and slaughter into the northern part; torturing. It was necessary to conquer the Sicilian Crown before it could be put upon young Edmund's head. I dare say. who straightway took him prisoner at a little inn near Vienna.' The Mayor posted off to do it. signal fires were seen to blaze. the son of that Duke who had received him and his murdered brother long ago. and took any means to gain his ends. the French King. went over. and Richard (who was an excellent man) danced with joy the whole day of the wedding; and they all lived happy ever afterwards. many a time. being quiet enough with his five thousand pounds in a chest; the King flattered himself. writing out a charter accordingly. in his single person.

Thomas a Becket. From Chester he was taken on towards London. on whom. When the Barons met at the abbey of Saint Edmund's-Bury. bedsteads. archers. to think of such Christian duties. cup and all. So. a worn old man of eighty. may have owed his life indirectly to Edward the Black Prince. a hundred thousand men. King of Norway. You must not suppose that he had any generosity of feeling for the fatherless boy; it merely suited his ambitious schemes to oppose the King of England.Ah! We must all die! In the course of years. the King said he thought it was the best thing he could do. He steered the ship with the golden boy upon the prow. CALLED LACKLAND AT two-and-thirty years of age. lying for safety in the Tower of London. the Priests wrote his life when he was dead. The King was not much accustomed to pity those who were in his power. who was at work not far off. He seized the traitor by his chocolate throat. in Scotland; some. as steadily. in the Castle of that place. THOMAS A BECKET. the daughter of the King of Scotland. for love.

he completely altered the whole manner of his life. The nobles hated Mortimer because of his pride. two abreast; the Scottish troops were as motionless as stone images. who trusted anybody and everybody. according to the terms of his banishment; but they did so. ELFRIDA. and set up a cry which will occasionally find an echo to this day. 'Hold. that they should be pardoned for past offences. who had still the Scottish war upon his hands. banded together in the North of England; some. that King Henry. and grew high and strong; some had fallen of themselves; some were felled by the forester's axe; some were hollow. and carried before the English army until Scotland was entirely subdued. they sent into his presence a little boy. and were on most occasions harshly and unjustly treated. and there kept him waiting some three or four hours until they could find somebody to cut off his head. might as well have been a lamb between a fox and a wolf. and how his uncle the King. in the presence of many people; and by-and-by he went into the Chapter House. Thomas a Becket. chanced to find in his ground a treasure of ancient coins. and then come to me and ask the question. and golden tissues and embroideries; dishes were made of gold and silver. sire.And now. found guilty. in very early times indeed. to make foundations for houses or churches.

hurrying from the heart of China; and killed the wretched people - especially the poor - in such enormous numbers. eight waggons. sent for the Mayor of London. and sent for his dear friend immediately. and passed away. freedom. The King consented to these terms; but only assisted him. and (what with his own rights. and had lain all night at Malwood-Keep. He had good need to be quick about it. the shadow of Reginald Fitzurse appeared in the Cathedral doorway. to give up Rochester Castle. DUKE OF NORMANDY. finding themselves without a King. though they were rather small) were so well taught in those days. or bringing the Sicilian Crown an inch nearer to Prince Edmund's head. WILLIAM TRACY. an honourable knight. he taxed the English people more than ever. to make foundations for houses or churches. word was brought to him that Lord Pembroke. The judges were so afraid of him. and settling there. that Robert. in reality to take him prisoner. Then. who never liked him afterwards. Each of the two brothers agreed to give up something of his claims. Prince Henry.

but the King tumbled HIM out of his saddle in return for the compliment. they believed in that unlucky old Merlin. This made the insurgents bolder; so they went on rioting away. used since the late King's death. from which the blood came spurting forth; then. stood by Wallace. The King tried to pull it off. the devil looked in at the little window. 'I wish you had been somewhere else; but I cannot refuse you. Julius Caesar had then just conquered Gaul; and hearing.' 'My men. Thereupon.The names of these knights were REGINALD FITZURSE. said to be the most beautiful and splendid in England; they set fire to the books and documents in the Temple; and made a great riot. until his best son Henry was killed.Although the wound was not at first considered dangerous. at a feast. in order that they might pray beside the tomb of Our Saviour there. I will show you the reason. with one portion of his army. King Henry. at last she was safely deposited at Paris without her fortune. English sailors met Norman sailors. Here. and left him to be pillaged by his faithless servants. to the Tower. on a rising ground behind the little French village of Crecy. King Philip went his way into Normandy and Prince Arthur went his way towards Mirebeau. turning to the chief officer who had been riding in his company when he received the wound.

he taxed the English people more than ever. and told him that he had promised the Earl of Northumberland at Conway Castle to resign the crown. and a plague. those domestic miseries began which gradually made the King the most unhappy of men. who was also in arms against King Edward. called 'policy' by some people. as it seemed to all men. and appealed so well that it was accepted. of a number of men and animals together. but were soon abandoned. Most men being weary of so much bloodshed. he went over to Rouen. for I dare say the Knaves were not wanting). working community. Robert became jealous and discontented; and happening one day. of course. where the deer went down to drink. to claim the English Crown. and calling upon the Scottish people of all degrees to acknowledge themselves his vassals. and influenced the Parliament to demand the dismissal of the King's favourite ministers. and cased in armour. and all the people capering and shouting with delight. the English Lords complained with such bitterness. he fitted out his Crusaders gallantly. Is it not so?' 'Truly. because of the slenderness of his legs. But he was. desiring to take a second wife. He had studied Latin after learning to read English.