The
rebellious
army, astonished as: much-:by the celerity of his
march as the fury of -his attack, was totally routed.
march as the fury of -his attack, was totally routed.
Edmund Burke
D.
1171.
creased by the sacredness of the person who
suffered and of the place where it was committed,
diffused itself on all sides with incredible rapidity.
The clergy, in whose cause he fell, equalled him to
the most holy martyrs; compassion for his fate made
all men forget his faults; and the report of frequent
miracles at his tomb sanctified his cause and character, and threw a general odium on the king. What became of the murderers is uncertain: they were neither protected by the king nor punished by the laws, for the reason we have not long since mentioned
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 409
The king with infinite difficulty extricated himself
from the consequences of this murder, which threatened, under the Papal banners, to arm. all Europe against him; nor was he absolved, but by renouncing the most material parts of the Constitutions of Clarendon, by purging himself upon oath of the murder of Becket, by doing a very humiliating penance at his tomb to expiate the rash words which had
given occasion to his death, and by engaging to furnishl a large sum of money for the relief of the IIoly Land, and taking the cross himself as soon as his
affairs should admit it. The king probably thought
his freedom from the haughtiness of Becket cheaply purchased by these condescensions: and without question, though Becket might have been justifiable,
perhaps even laudable, for his steady maintenance
of the privileges which his Church and his order
had acquired by the care of his predecessors, and of
which he by his place was the depository, yet the
principles upon which he supported these privileges,
subversive of all good government, his extravagant
ideas of Church power, the schemes he meditated,
even to his death, to extend it yet further, his violent
and unreserved attachment to the Papacy, and that
inflexible spirit which. all his virtues rendered but the
more dangerous, made his death as advantageous, at
that time, as the means by which it was effected were
sacrilegious and detestable.
Between the death of Becket and the king's absolution he resolved on the execution of a design by which he reduced under his dominion a country not
more separated from the -rest of Europe by its situation than by the laws, customs, and way of life of the inhabitants: for the people of Ireland, with no differ
? ? ? ? 410 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
ence but that of religion, still retained the native
manners of the original Celtse. The king had meditated this design from the very beginning of his reign,
and had obtained a bull from the then Pope, Adrian
the Fourth, an Englishman, to authorize the attempt.
He well knew, from the internal weakness and advantageous situation of this noble island, the easiness
and importance of such a conquest. But at this particular time he was strongly urged to his engaging
personally in the enterprise by two other powerful
motives. For, first, the murder of Becket had bred
very ill humors in his subjects, the chiefs of whom,
always impatient of a long peace, were glad of any
pretence for rebellion; it was therefore expedient,
and serviceable to the crown, to find an employment
abroad for this spirit, which could not exert itself
without being destructive at home. And next, as he
had obtained the grant of Ireland from the Pope,
upon condition of subjecting it to Peter-pence, he
knew that the speedy performance of this condition
would greatly facilitate his recovering the good graces
of the court of Rome. Before we give a short narrative of the reduction of Ireland, I propose to lay open
to the reader the state of that kingdom, that we may
see what grounds Henry had to hope for success in
this expedition.
Ireland is about half as large as England. In the
temperature of the climate there is little difference,
other than that more rain falls; as the country is
more mountainous, and exposed full to the westerly
wind, which, blowing from the Atlantic Ocean, prevails during the greater part of the year. This moisture, as it has enriched the country with large and frequent rivers, and spread out a number of fair and
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 411
magnificent lakes beyond the proportion of other pla.
ces, has on the other hand incumbered the island
with an uncommon multitude of bogs and morasses;
so that in general it is less praised for corn than pasturage, in which no soil is more rich and luxuriant.
Whilst it possesses these internal means of wealth, it
opens on all sides a great number of ports, spacious
and secure, and by their advantageous situation inviting to universal commerce. But on these ports,
better known than those of Britain in the time of the
Romans, at this time there were few towns, scarce
any fortifications, and no trade that deserves to be
mentioned.
The people of Ireland lay claim to a very extravagant antiquity, through a vanity common to all nations. The accounts which are given by their ancient chronicles of their first settlements are gernerally tales confuted by their own absurdity. The settlement of the greatest consequence, the best authenticated, and from which the Irish deduce the
pedigree of the best families, is derived from Spain:
it was called Clan Milea, or the descendants of Milesius, and Kin Scuit, or the race of Scyths, afterwards
known by the name of Scots. The Irish historians,
suppose this race descended from a person called
Gathel, a Scythian by birth, an Egyptian by education, the contemporary and friend of the prophet
Moses. But these histories, seeming clear-sighted in
the obscure affairs of so blind an antiquity, instead
of passing for treasuries of ancient facts, are regarded
by the judicious as modern fictions. In cases of this
sort rational conjectures are more to be relied on
than improbable relations. It is most probable that
Ireland was first peopled from Britain. The coasts
? ? ? ? 412 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
of these countries are in some places in sight of each
other. The language, the manners, and religion of the
most ancient inhabitants of both are nearly the same.
The Milesian colony, whenever it arrived in Ireland,
could have made no great change in the manners
or language; as the ancient Spaniards were a branch
of the Celtse, as well as the old inhabitants of Ireland. . The Irish language is not different from that
of all other nations, as Temple and Rapin, from ignorance. of it, have asserted; on the contrary, many
of its words bear a remarkable resemblance not only
to those of the Welsh and Armoric, but also to the
Greek and Latin. Neither is the figure of the letters very different from the vulgar character, though
their order is not the same with. :that of other nations, nor the names, which are taken from the Irish
proper names of. several. species of trees: a circumstance which, notwithstanding their similitude to the
Roman. letters, argues a different original and great
antiquity. The Druid discipline anciently flourished
in that island. In the fourth century it fell down before the preaching of St. Patrick. Then the Christian religion was embraced and cultivated with an uncommon. zeal, which displayed itself in the number and consequence of the persons who in all parts
embraced the: contemplative life. This mode of life,
and the situation of Ireland, removed from the horror of those devastations which shook the rest of
Europe, made it a refuge for learning, almost extinguished everywhere:else. Science flourished in
Ireland during the seventh and eighth centuries.
The' same cause which destroyed; it in other countries
also destroyed it there. The:Danes, then pagans,
made themselves masters of: the island, after a long
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF:ENGLISH HISTORY. 413
and wasteful war, in which: they destroyed the sciences along with the monasteries in which they were
cultivated. By as destructive a war they were at
length expelled; but neither their ancient science
nor repose returned to the Irish,: who, falling into
domestic distractions as soon as they were freed from
their foreign enemies, sunk quickly into a state of
ignorance, poverty, and barbarism, which must have
been very great, since it exceeded that of the rest
of Europe. The disorders in the Church were equal
to those in the civil economy, and -furnished to the
Pope a plausible pretext for giving Henry a commission to conquer the kingdom, in order to reform it.
The Irish were divided into a number of tribes or
clans, each clan forming within itself a separate government. It was ordered- by a chief, who was not
raised to that dignity either by election or by the ordinary course of descent, but as the eldest and worthiest of the blood of the deceased lord. This order of succession, called Tanistry, was said to have been
invented in the Danish troubles, lest the tribe,: during
a minority, should have been endangered for want of
a sufficient leader. It was probably much more ancient: but it was, however, attended with very great
and pernicious inconveniencies, as it was obviously an
affair of difficulty to determine who should be called
the worthiest of the blood; and a door being always
left open for ambition, this order introduced a greater mischief than it was intended to remedy. Almost
every tribe, besides its contention with the neighboring tribes, nourished faction and discontent within; itself. The chiefs we speak of were in general called Tierna, or Lords, and those of more consideration
Riagh, or Kings. Over these were placed five kings
? ? ? ? 414 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
more eminent than the rest, answerable to the five
provinces into which the island was anciently divided. These again were subordinate to one head, who
was called Monarch of all Ireland, raised to that power by election, or, more properly speaking, by violence.
Wfhilst the dignities of the state were disposed of
by a sort of election, the office of judges, who were
called Brehons, the trades of mechanics, and even
those arts which we are apt to consider as depending principally on natural genius, such as poetry and
music, were confined in succession to certain races:
the Irish imagining that greater advantages were to
be derived from an early institution, and the affection
of parents desirous of perpetuating the secrets of
their art in their families, than from the casual efforts
of particular fancy and application. This is much in
the strain of the Eastern policy; but these and many
other of the Irish institutions, well enough calculated
to preserve good arts and useful discipline, when these
arts came to degenerate, were equally well calculated
to prevent all improvement and to perpetuate corruption, by infusing an invincible tenaciousness of ancient customs. The people of Ireland were much more addicted to
pasturage than agriculture, not more from the quality of their soil than from a remnant of the Scythian
manners. They had but few towns, and those not
fortified, each clan living dispersed over its own territory. The few walled towns they had lay on the
sea-coast; they were built by the Danes, and held
after they had lost their conquests in the inland
parts: here was carried on the little foreign trade
which the island then possessed.
The Irish militia was of two kinds: one called
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 415
kerns, which were foot, slightly armed with a long
knife or dagger, and almost naked; the other, galloglasses, who were horse, poorly mounted, afnd generally
armed only with a battle-axe. Neither horse nor foot
made much use of the spear, the sword, or the bow.
With indifferent arms, they had still worse discipline.
In these circumstances, their natural bravery, which,
though considerable, was not superior to that of their
invaders, stood them in little stead.
Such was the situation of things in Ireland, when
Dermot, King of Leinster, having violently carried
away the wife of one of the neighboring petty sovereigns, Roderic, King of Connaught and Monarch of
Ireland, joined with the injured husband to punish
so flagrant an outrage, and with their united forces
spoiled Dermot of his territories, and obliged him to
abandon the kingdom. The fugitive prince,. 1167.
not unapprised of Henry's designs upon his
country, threw himself at his feet, implored his protection, and promised to hold of him, as his feudatory,
the sovereignty he should recover by his assistance.
Henry was at this time at Guienne. Nothing could
be more agreeable to him than such an incident; but
as his French dominions actually lay under an interdict, on account of his quarrel with Becket, and all
his affairs, both at home and abroad, were in a troubled and dubious situation, it was not prudent to remove his person, nor venture any considerable body of his forces on a distant enterprise. Yet not willing
to lose so favorable an opportunity, he warmly reconimended the cause of Dermot to his regency in England, permitting and encouraging all, persons to arm in his favor: a permission, in this age of enterprise,
greedily accepted by many; but the person who
? ? ? ? 416 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
brought the most assistance to it, and indeed gave
a form and spirit to the whole design, was Richard,
Earl of Strigul, commonly known by the name of
Strongbow. Dermot, to confirm in his interest this
potent and warlike peer, promised him his daughter
in marriage, with the reversion of his crown.
The beginnings of so great an enterprise were
formed with a very slender force. Not four hundred
D. 1169 men landed near Wexford: they took the
town by storm. When reinforced, they did
not exceed twelve hundred; but, being joined with
three thousand men by Dermot, with an incredible
rapidity of success they reduced Waterford, Dublin,
Limerick, the only considerable cities in Ireland. By
the novelty of their arms they had obtained some
striking advantages in their first engagements; and
by these advantages they attained a superiority of
opinion over the Irish, which every success increased.
Before the effect of this first impression had time to. . . wear off, Henry, having settled his affairs
abroad, entered the harbor of Cork with a
fleet of four hundred sail, at once to secure the conquest, and the allegiance- of the conquerors. The fame of so great a force arriving under a prince dreaded
by all Europe very soon disposed all the petty princes,
with their King Roderic, to submit and do homage
to Henry. They had not been able to resist the arms
of his vassals, and they hoped better treatment from
submitting to the amabition of a great king, who left
them everything but the honor of their independency, than from the avarice of adventurers, from which nothing was secure. The bishops and the body of
the clergy greatly contributed to this submission,
from respect to the Pope, and the horror of their
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 417
late defeats, which they began to regard as judgments. A national council was held at Cashel for
bringing the Church of Ireland to a perfect conformity in rites and discipline to that of England. It is
not to be thought that in this council the temporal
interests of England were entirely forgotten. Many
of the English were established in their particular
conquests under the tenure of knights' service, now
first introduced into Ireland: a tenure which, if it
has not proved the best calculated to secure the obedience of the vassal to the sovereign, has never failed
in any' instance of preserving a vanquished people
in obedience to the conquerors. The English lords
built strong castles on their demesnes; they put
themselves at the- head of the tribes whose chiefs
they -had slain; they assumed the Irish garb andi
manners; and thus, partly by force, partly by policy, the first English families took a firm root in Ireland. It was, indeed, long before they were able'entirely to subdue the island. to the laws of England; but the continual efforts of the Irish for more than
four hundred years proved insufficient to dislodge
them.
Whilst Henry was extending his conquests to the.
western limits of the known world, thte, whol'e fabric
of his power was privately sapped and undermined,
and ready to overwhelm him with the ruins, in, the
very moment when he seemed to be arrived at the
highest and most permanent point of grandeur and
glory. His excessive power, his continual accessions
to it, and all ambition which by words and actions
declared that the whole world was not sufficient for
a great man, struck a just terror into all the poten-.
tates near him: he was, indeed, arrived at that pitch
VOL. VII. 27
? ? ? ? 418'ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLTSH HISTORY.
of greatness, that the means of his ruin could only
be found in his own family. A numerous offspring,
which is generally considered as the best defence of
the throne, and the support as well as ornament of
declining royalty, proved on this occasion the principal part of the danlger. Henry had in his lawful bed,
besides daughters, four sons, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, and John, all growing up with great hopes from
their early courage and love of glory. No father was
ever more delighted with these hopes, nor more tender and indulgent to his children. A custom had
long prevailed in France for the reigning king to
crown his eldest son in his lifetime. By this policy,
in turbulent times, and whilst the principles of succession were unsettled, he secured the crown to his
posterity. Henry gladly imitated a policy enforced
no less by paternal affection than its utility to public
peace. He had, during his troubles with Becket,
crowned his son Henry, then no more than sixteen
years old. But the young king, even on the day
of his coronation, discovered an haughtiness which
threatened not to content itself with the share of authority to which the inexperience of his youth and
the nature of a provisional crown confined him. The
name of a king continually reminded him that he
only possessed the name. The King of France,
whose daughter he had espoused, fomented a discontent which grew with his years. Geoffrey, who
had married the heiress of Bretagne, on the death
of her father claimed to no purpose the entire sovereignty of his wife's inheritance, which Henry, under a pretence of guardianship to a son of full age, still retained in his hands. Richard had not the same
plausible pretencos, lbut lie had yet greater ambition.
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 419.
He contended for'the: Duchy of. Guienne before his
mother's death, which alone could give him the color
of a title to it. : The queen, his mother, hurried on
by her own unquiet spirit, or, as some think, stimulated by jealousy, encouraged their rebellion against
her'husband. The King of France, who moved all
the other engines, engaged the King of Scotland, the
Earl of Flanders, then a powerful prince, the Earl of
Blois, and the Earl of Boulogne'in the' conspiracy.
The barons in Bretagne, in Guienne, and even in
England, were ready to ztake up arms:in. the same
cause; whether it was thatthey perceived the uniform plan the king had pursued: in order to' their
reduction, or were -solely instigated: by the natural
fierceness and levity of their: minds, fond of every
dangerous novelty. ; The historians of that time seldom afford'us a tolerable insight into the'causes: of
the transactions they: relate:; but whatever were the
causes of so extraordinary a conspiracy,' it was not
discovered until the moment'it was ready for execution. The first token -of it appeared in the young
king's demand to have either. England or Normandy
given up to him. The refusal of this demand served
as a signal to all parties'to put themselves in motion.
The'younger- Henry fled into France; Louis entered
Normandy with a vast army; the barons of Bretagne
under Geoffrey, and those of. Guienne under Richard,
rose in arms; the King of Scotland pierced into England; and the Earl of Leicester; at the head of fourteen thousand Flemings, landed in'Suffolk. It was on this trying occasion that Henry displayed
a greatness independent of all fortune. For, beset
by all the neighboring powers, opposed by his own
children, betrayed by his wife, abandoned by one part
? ? ? ? 420 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH. HISTORY.
Of his subjects, uncertain of the rest, every part. of his
state rotten and suspicious, his magnanimity grew
beneath the danger; and when all the ordinary resources failed, he found superior resources in his
own courage, wisdom, and activity. 'There were at
that: time dispersed over Europe bodies of mercenary
troops, called Brabanqons, composed of fugitives from
different nations, men' who were detached from any
country, and who,:by making war a perpetual trade,
and passing from service to service, had acquired an
experience and military knowledge uncommon in
those- days-. Henry took:twenty thousand
A. D. 1173.
of these mercenaries into his service, and,
as he paid them: punctually, and; kept them always
in action, they served: him with fidelity. The Papal
authority, so often subservient, so often prejudicial
to his designs, he called to his assistance in a cause
which did not misbecome it, --the cause of a father
attacked by higs'children. This took off the ill impression left by Becket's death, and kept; the bishops firm in their allegiance. Having taken his measures
with judgment, he pursued the war in Normandy
with vigor. In this war his mercenaries had a great
and visible advantage over the feudal armies of
France: the latter, not so useful while they remained
in the field,-entered it late in the summer, and commonly. left it in forty days. The King of France was forced to raise the siege of Verneuil, to evacuate Normandy, and agree: to a truce. Then, at the head of his victorious Brabanqons, Henry marched into Brittany with an incredible expedition.
The rebellious army, astonished as: much-:by the celerity of his
march as the fury of -his attack, was totally routed.
The principal towns and castles were reduced soon
? ? ? ? A'BRIDGMENTI OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 421
after. . . The custody of the conquered! country being
lodged in faithful. hands, he flew to the relief of England. There his natural son Geoffrey, Bishop elect of
Ely, faithful during the rebellion of all his legitimate
offspring, steadily maintained his cause, though with
forces much inferior to his zeal. The king, before
he entered into action, thought it expedient to perfor'm his expiation at the tomb of Becket.
A. D. 1174.
Hardly had he finished this ceremony, when
the news arrived that. the Scotch army was totally
defeated, and their king made prisoner. This victory was universally attributed to the prayers. of Becket; and whilst it established the credit of the. new
saint, it established Henry in the. minds. of his people: they no longer looked upon their king as an object of the Divine vengeance, but as a penitent reconciled to Heaven, and under the special protection of the martyr he had made. The Flemish army,
after several severe checks, capitulated to evacuate
the kingdom. The rebellious barons submitted soon
after. All was quiet in England; but the King of
France renewed hostilities in Normandy, and laid
siege to Rouen. Henry recruited his army with a
body of auxiliary Welsh, arrived at Rouen with his
usual expedition, raised the siege, and drove the King
of France quite out; of Normandy. It was then that
he agreed to an accommodation, and in the terms of
peace, which he dictated in, the midst of victory to
his sons, his subjects, and his enemies, there was seen
on one hand the tenderness of:a father, and on the
other the moderation of a wise man, not insensible of
the mutability of fortune,.
The war which threatened. his ruin being so happily ended, the greatness of the danger served only to
? ? ? ? 422 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
enhance his glory; whilst he saw the King of France
humbled, the Flemings defeated, the King of Scotland a prisoner, and his sons and subjects reduced to
the bounds of their duty. He employed this interval
of peace to secure its continuance, and to prevent a
return of the like' evils; for' which reason
A. D. 1176.
he made many reforms in the laws and polity of his dominions. He instituted itinerant justices,
to weaken the power of the great barons, and even
of the sheriffs, who were: hardly more obedient, --an
institution which, with great public advantages, has
remained to our times. In the spirit of the same
policy he'armed the whole body of the people: the
English commonalty had been in a manner disarmed
ever since. the Conquest. In this regulation we may
probably trace the origin of the militia, which, being
under'the orders of the' crown rather in a political
than a feudal respect, were judged' more to be relied on than the soldiers of tenure, to whose pride
and power they might prove a sort of counterpoise.
Amidst these changes' the affairs of the clergy remained untouched. The king: had experienced how
dangerous it was to attempt removing foundations so
deeply laid both in strength and opinion. He therefore wisely aimed at acquiring the favor of that body,
and turning to his own advantage a power he should
in vain attempt to overthrow, but which he might set
up against another power, which it was equally his
interest to reduce.
Though these measures were taken with the greatest judgment, and seemed to promise a peaceful evening to his reign, the seeds of rebellion remained still at home, and -the dispositions that nourished them
were rather increased abroad. The parental author
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 423
ity, respectable at all times, ought to have the greatest force in times when the manners are rude and the laws imperfect. At that time Europe had not
emerged out of barbarism, yet this great natural bond
of society was extremely weak. The number of foi
eign obligations and duties almost dissolved thefamily obligations. From the moment a young man was knighted, so far as related to his father, he became
absolute master of his own conduct; but he contracted at the same time a sort of filial relation with the person who had knighted him. These various principles of duty distracted one another. . The custom which then prevailed, of bestowing lands and jurisdictions, under the name of Appanages, to the sons
of kings and the greater nobility, gave them a power
which was frequently employed against the giver;
and the military and licentious manners of the age
almost destroyed every trace of every kind of regular
authority. In the East, where the rivalship of broth-.
ers is so dangerous, such is the force of paternal power amongst a rude people, we scarce ever hear of a son in arms against his father. In Europe, for several ages, it was very common. It was Henry's great misfortune to suffer in a particular mannier from this
disorder.
Philip succeeded Louis, King of France.
A. D. 1180.
He followed closely the plan of his predecessor, to reduce the great vassals, and the King of
England, who was the greatest of them; but he followed it with far more skill and vigor, though he
made use of the same instruments in the work. He
revived the spirit of rebellion in the princes, Henry's
sons. These young princes were never in harmony
with each other but in a confederacy against their
? ? ? ? 424. . ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
father, and the father had no recourse but in the melancholy safety derived from the disunion of his children. : This he thought it expedient to increase; but such policy, when discovered, has always a dangerous
effect. The sons, having just quarrelled enough to
give room for an explanation of each other's designs,
and to display those of their father, enter into a. D. 1183. new conspiracy. In the midst of these motions the young king dies, and showed at his
death such signs of a sincere repentance as served to
revive the old king's tenderness, and to take away all
comfort for. his loss. The death of his third son,. Geoffrey, followed close upon the heels of
this funeral. He died at Paris, whither he
had gone to concert measures against his father.
Richard and John remained. Richard, fiery, restless, ambitious, openly took up arms, and pursued
the war with implacable rancor, and such success as
drove the king, in the decline of his life, to a dishonorable treaty; nor was he then content, but excited
new troubles. John was his youngest and favorite
child; in him he reposed all his hopes, and consoled
himself for thei undutifulness of his other sons; but
after concluding:the treaty with the: King of France
and Richard, he found too soon that John had been
as deep as any in the conspiracy. This was his last
wound: afflicted by his children in their deaths and
harassed in their lives,; mortified as a father and a
king, worn down with cares and sorrows more: than
with years, he died, cursing his fortune, his children,
and the hour of his birth. When he perceived that
death approached him, by his own desire he was-carried into a church and laid at the altar's
A. fD. 1189.
foot. Hardly had he expired:when. he was
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT: OF'ENGLISH HISTORY. 425
stripped, then forsaken by his attendants, and left a
long time a naked and unheeded body in an empty
church:. affording a just consolation for the obscurity
of a: mean fortune, and an instructive lesson how little an outward greatness and'enjoyments foreign to the mind contribute towards a solid felicity, in the
example of one who was the greatest of kings and the
unhappiest of mankind.
CHAPTER VII.
REIGN OF RICHARD I.
WHILST Henry lived, the King of France had always an effectual means of breaking his power by
the divisions in his family. But now Rich- Richard I.
ard succeeded to all. the power of his father, A. 1189.
with an equal ambition to extend it, with a temper
infinitely more fiery and impetuous, and free from
every impediment of internal dissension. These circumstainces filled the mind of Philip with great and just uneasiness. There was no security but in finding exercise for the enterprising genius of the: young king at a distance from home. The new Crusade afforded an advantageous opportunity. A little before his father's death, Richard had taken the cross in
conjunction with the King of France. So precipitate were the fears of that monarch, that Richard
was hardly crowned when ambassadors were dispatched to England to remind him of his obligation, and to pique his pride by acquainting him that their
master was even then in readiness to fulfil his part
of their common vow. An enterprise of this sort
? ? ? ? 426 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
was extremely agreeable to the genius of Richard,
where religion sanctified the thirst of military glory;
and where the glory. itself seemed but the,more desirable bybeing unconnected with interest. : He immediately accepted- the proposal, and resolved to insure the success as well as the lustre of his expedition by the magnificence of his, preparations. Not content with the immense treasures amassed by his
father, he drew in vast sums by the sale of almost all
the demesnes of the crown, and of every office under
it, not excepting those of the- highest trust. The clergy, whose wealth' and policy enabled them to take advantage of the necessity and weakness of the Croises,
were generally the purchasers of both. To secure his
dominions in his absence, he made an alliance with
the princes of Wales, and with the King of Scotland.
To the latter he released, for a sum of money, the
homage which had been extorted by his father.
His brother John gave him most uneasiness; but
finding it unworthy, or impracticable, to use the'severer methods of jealous policy, he resolved to secure his fidelity by loading him with benefits. He
bestowed on him six earldoms, and gave him in
marriage the Lady Avisa, sole heiress of the great
house of Gloucester; but as he gave him no share in
the regency, he increased his power, and left him discontented in a kingdom committed to the care of new
men, who had merited their places by their money.
It will be proper to take a view of the condition
of the Holy Land at the time when this third Crusade was set on foot to repair the faults committed
in the two former. The conquests of the Croises,
extending over Palestine and a part of Syria, had
been erected into a sovereignty under the name
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 427
of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. This kingdom, illordered within, surrounded on all. sides. by powerful
enemies, subsisted by a strength not its own for
near ninety years. But dissensions'arising about
the succession to the crown, between Guy of Lusignan and Raymond, Earl of Tripoli, Guy, either because he, thought the assistance of the European princes too distant, or that he feared their decision,
called in the aid of Saladin, Sultan of Egypt. This
able prince immediately entered Palestine. As the
whole strength of the Christians in Palestine depended upon foreign succor, he first made himself
master of the maritime towns, and then Jerusalem
fell an easy prey to his arms; whilst the competitors
contended with the utmost violence for a kingdom
which no longer existed for either of them. All Europe was alarmed at this revolution. The banished
Patriarch of Jerusalem filled every place with the
distresses of the Eastern Christians. The, Pope ordered a solemn fast to be forever kept for this loss,
_and then, exerting all his influence, excited a new
Crusade, in which vast numbers engaged with an
ardor unabated by their former misfortunes; but
wanting a proper subordination rather than a sufficient force, they made but a slow progress, also
when Richard and Philip, at the head of
more than one hundred thousand chosen men, the
one from Marseilles, the other from Genoa, set sail
to their assistance.
In his voyage to the Holy Land accident presented
Richard with an unexpected conquest. A
vessel of his fleet was driven by a storm
to take shelter in the Isle of Cyprus. That island
was governed by a prince named Isaac, of the ima
? ? ? ? 428 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
perial family of the Comneni, who not only refused
all relief to the sufferers, but plundered them of'the little remains of their substance. Richard, resenting this inhospitable treatment, aggravated by the insolence of the tyrant, turned his' force upon
Cyprus, vanquished Isaac in the field, took the capi,
tal city, and was solemnly crowned king of that
island. But deeming it as glorious to give as to
acquire a crown, he soon after resigned it to Lusi
gnan, to satisfy him for his claim on Jerusalem; in
whose descendants it continued for several generations, until, passing by marriage into the family of
Cornaro, a Venetian nobleman, it was acquired to
that state, the only state in Europe which had any
real benefit by all the. blood and treasure lavished
in:the: Holy War. ;
Richard arrived in Palestine some time after the
King of France. His arrival gave new vigor to the
operations of the Croises. ~ He reduced Acre to surrender at discretion, which had been in vain besieged
for two years, and in the siege of which. an infinite
number of C:hristians had perished; and so much
did he distinguish himself on this and on all occasions, that the. whole expedition seemed to rest on his
single valor. The King of France, seeing him fully
engaged, had all: that he desired. The climate was
disagreeable to his constitution, and, the war, in
which: he acted, but a second part, to his pride.
He therefore hastened home to execute his projects against Richard, amusing him with oaths made
to be violated, - leaving, indeed, a part of his: forces under the Duke of Burgundy, but with private
orders to give him underhand all possible obstruction. : Notwithstanding the desertion of" his ally,
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 429
Richard: continued the war with uncommon alack.
rity. With very unequal numbers he engaged and
defeated the whole army of Saladin, and slew forty
thousand of his best troops. He obliged him to
evacuate all the towns on the sea-coast, and spread
the renown and terror of his arms over all Asia. A
thousand, great exploits did;not, however, enable him
to extend his conquests to the inland country. Jealousy, envy. , cabals, and a total want of discipline
reigned in the army of the Croises. The climate,
and their intemperance more than the climate, wasted
them with a swift decay. The vow which brought
them to the Holy Land was generally for a limited
time, at the conclusion of which they were, always
impatient to depart. Their armies broke up at the
most critical conjunctures, - as it was not the necessity of the service, but the- extent of their vows,
which held them together. As soon, therefore, as
they had habituated themselves to the country, and
attained some experience, they were gone; and new
men supplied their places, to acquire experience by
the same misfortunes, and to lose the benefit of it by
the same inconstancy. Thus the war could never be
carried on with steadiness and uniformity. On the
other side, Saladin continually repaired his losses;
his resources were at hand; and this great captain
very judiciously kept possession of that mountainous
country which, formed by a perpetual ridge of Libanus, in a manner walls in the sea-coast of Palestine.
There he hung, like a continual tempest, ready to
burst over the Christian army. On his rear was the
strong city of Jerusalem, which secured a communication with the countries of Chaldea and Mesopotamia, from whence he was well supplied with every
? ? ? ? 430 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
thing. If the Christians attempted to improve their
successes by penetrating to Jerusalem, they had a
city powerfully garrisoned in their front, a country
wasted and destitute of forage to act in, and Saladin
with a vast army on their rear' advantageously posted
to cut off their convoys and reinforcements.
Richard was laboring to get over these disadvantages, when he was informed by repeated expresses
of the disorder of his affairs in Europe, disorders
which arose from the ill dispositions he had made at
his departure. The heads of his regency had abused
their power; they quarrelled with each other, and
the nobility with them. A sort of a civil war had
arisen, in which they were deposed. Prince John
was the main spring of these dissensions; he engaged
in a close communication of councils with. the King
of France, who had seized upon several places in
Normandy. It was with regret:that Richard found
himself obliged to' leave a theatre on which he had
planned such an illustrious scene of action. :A constant emulation in courtesy and politeness, as well as
in military exploits, had: been kept up between him
and Saladin. He now concluded a truce with that
generous enemy, and on his departure sent a messenger to assure him that on its expiration he would not fail to be again in Palestine. - Saladin replied, that,
if he must lose his kingdom, he would choose to lose
92 it to the King of England.
creased by the sacredness of the person who
suffered and of the place where it was committed,
diffused itself on all sides with incredible rapidity.
The clergy, in whose cause he fell, equalled him to
the most holy martyrs; compassion for his fate made
all men forget his faults; and the report of frequent
miracles at his tomb sanctified his cause and character, and threw a general odium on the king. What became of the murderers is uncertain: they were neither protected by the king nor punished by the laws, for the reason we have not long since mentioned
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 409
The king with infinite difficulty extricated himself
from the consequences of this murder, which threatened, under the Papal banners, to arm. all Europe against him; nor was he absolved, but by renouncing the most material parts of the Constitutions of Clarendon, by purging himself upon oath of the murder of Becket, by doing a very humiliating penance at his tomb to expiate the rash words which had
given occasion to his death, and by engaging to furnishl a large sum of money for the relief of the IIoly Land, and taking the cross himself as soon as his
affairs should admit it. The king probably thought
his freedom from the haughtiness of Becket cheaply purchased by these condescensions: and without question, though Becket might have been justifiable,
perhaps even laudable, for his steady maintenance
of the privileges which his Church and his order
had acquired by the care of his predecessors, and of
which he by his place was the depository, yet the
principles upon which he supported these privileges,
subversive of all good government, his extravagant
ideas of Church power, the schemes he meditated,
even to his death, to extend it yet further, his violent
and unreserved attachment to the Papacy, and that
inflexible spirit which. all his virtues rendered but the
more dangerous, made his death as advantageous, at
that time, as the means by which it was effected were
sacrilegious and detestable.
Between the death of Becket and the king's absolution he resolved on the execution of a design by which he reduced under his dominion a country not
more separated from the -rest of Europe by its situation than by the laws, customs, and way of life of the inhabitants: for the people of Ireland, with no differ
? ? ? ? 410 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
ence but that of religion, still retained the native
manners of the original Celtse. The king had meditated this design from the very beginning of his reign,
and had obtained a bull from the then Pope, Adrian
the Fourth, an Englishman, to authorize the attempt.
He well knew, from the internal weakness and advantageous situation of this noble island, the easiness
and importance of such a conquest. But at this particular time he was strongly urged to his engaging
personally in the enterprise by two other powerful
motives. For, first, the murder of Becket had bred
very ill humors in his subjects, the chiefs of whom,
always impatient of a long peace, were glad of any
pretence for rebellion; it was therefore expedient,
and serviceable to the crown, to find an employment
abroad for this spirit, which could not exert itself
without being destructive at home. And next, as he
had obtained the grant of Ireland from the Pope,
upon condition of subjecting it to Peter-pence, he
knew that the speedy performance of this condition
would greatly facilitate his recovering the good graces
of the court of Rome. Before we give a short narrative of the reduction of Ireland, I propose to lay open
to the reader the state of that kingdom, that we may
see what grounds Henry had to hope for success in
this expedition.
Ireland is about half as large as England. In the
temperature of the climate there is little difference,
other than that more rain falls; as the country is
more mountainous, and exposed full to the westerly
wind, which, blowing from the Atlantic Ocean, prevails during the greater part of the year. This moisture, as it has enriched the country with large and frequent rivers, and spread out a number of fair and
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 411
magnificent lakes beyond the proportion of other pla.
ces, has on the other hand incumbered the island
with an uncommon multitude of bogs and morasses;
so that in general it is less praised for corn than pasturage, in which no soil is more rich and luxuriant.
Whilst it possesses these internal means of wealth, it
opens on all sides a great number of ports, spacious
and secure, and by their advantageous situation inviting to universal commerce. But on these ports,
better known than those of Britain in the time of the
Romans, at this time there were few towns, scarce
any fortifications, and no trade that deserves to be
mentioned.
The people of Ireland lay claim to a very extravagant antiquity, through a vanity common to all nations. The accounts which are given by their ancient chronicles of their first settlements are gernerally tales confuted by their own absurdity. The settlement of the greatest consequence, the best authenticated, and from which the Irish deduce the
pedigree of the best families, is derived from Spain:
it was called Clan Milea, or the descendants of Milesius, and Kin Scuit, or the race of Scyths, afterwards
known by the name of Scots. The Irish historians,
suppose this race descended from a person called
Gathel, a Scythian by birth, an Egyptian by education, the contemporary and friend of the prophet
Moses. But these histories, seeming clear-sighted in
the obscure affairs of so blind an antiquity, instead
of passing for treasuries of ancient facts, are regarded
by the judicious as modern fictions. In cases of this
sort rational conjectures are more to be relied on
than improbable relations. It is most probable that
Ireland was first peopled from Britain. The coasts
? ? ? ? 412 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
of these countries are in some places in sight of each
other. The language, the manners, and religion of the
most ancient inhabitants of both are nearly the same.
The Milesian colony, whenever it arrived in Ireland,
could have made no great change in the manners
or language; as the ancient Spaniards were a branch
of the Celtse, as well as the old inhabitants of Ireland. . The Irish language is not different from that
of all other nations, as Temple and Rapin, from ignorance. of it, have asserted; on the contrary, many
of its words bear a remarkable resemblance not only
to those of the Welsh and Armoric, but also to the
Greek and Latin. Neither is the figure of the letters very different from the vulgar character, though
their order is not the same with. :that of other nations, nor the names, which are taken from the Irish
proper names of. several. species of trees: a circumstance which, notwithstanding their similitude to the
Roman. letters, argues a different original and great
antiquity. The Druid discipline anciently flourished
in that island. In the fourth century it fell down before the preaching of St. Patrick. Then the Christian religion was embraced and cultivated with an uncommon. zeal, which displayed itself in the number and consequence of the persons who in all parts
embraced the: contemplative life. This mode of life,
and the situation of Ireland, removed from the horror of those devastations which shook the rest of
Europe, made it a refuge for learning, almost extinguished everywhere:else. Science flourished in
Ireland during the seventh and eighth centuries.
The' same cause which destroyed; it in other countries
also destroyed it there. The:Danes, then pagans,
made themselves masters of: the island, after a long
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF:ENGLISH HISTORY. 413
and wasteful war, in which: they destroyed the sciences along with the monasteries in which they were
cultivated. By as destructive a war they were at
length expelled; but neither their ancient science
nor repose returned to the Irish,: who, falling into
domestic distractions as soon as they were freed from
their foreign enemies, sunk quickly into a state of
ignorance, poverty, and barbarism, which must have
been very great, since it exceeded that of the rest
of Europe. The disorders in the Church were equal
to those in the civil economy, and -furnished to the
Pope a plausible pretext for giving Henry a commission to conquer the kingdom, in order to reform it.
The Irish were divided into a number of tribes or
clans, each clan forming within itself a separate government. It was ordered- by a chief, who was not
raised to that dignity either by election or by the ordinary course of descent, but as the eldest and worthiest of the blood of the deceased lord. This order of succession, called Tanistry, was said to have been
invented in the Danish troubles, lest the tribe,: during
a minority, should have been endangered for want of
a sufficient leader. It was probably much more ancient: but it was, however, attended with very great
and pernicious inconveniencies, as it was obviously an
affair of difficulty to determine who should be called
the worthiest of the blood; and a door being always
left open for ambition, this order introduced a greater mischief than it was intended to remedy. Almost
every tribe, besides its contention with the neighboring tribes, nourished faction and discontent within; itself. The chiefs we speak of were in general called Tierna, or Lords, and those of more consideration
Riagh, or Kings. Over these were placed five kings
? ? ? ? 414 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
more eminent than the rest, answerable to the five
provinces into which the island was anciently divided. These again were subordinate to one head, who
was called Monarch of all Ireland, raised to that power by election, or, more properly speaking, by violence.
Wfhilst the dignities of the state were disposed of
by a sort of election, the office of judges, who were
called Brehons, the trades of mechanics, and even
those arts which we are apt to consider as depending principally on natural genius, such as poetry and
music, were confined in succession to certain races:
the Irish imagining that greater advantages were to
be derived from an early institution, and the affection
of parents desirous of perpetuating the secrets of
their art in their families, than from the casual efforts
of particular fancy and application. This is much in
the strain of the Eastern policy; but these and many
other of the Irish institutions, well enough calculated
to preserve good arts and useful discipline, when these
arts came to degenerate, were equally well calculated
to prevent all improvement and to perpetuate corruption, by infusing an invincible tenaciousness of ancient customs. The people of Ireland were much more addicted to
pasturage than agriculture, not more from the quality of their soil than from a remnant of the Scythian
manners. They had but few towns, and those not
fortified, each clan living dispersed over its own territory. The few walled towns they had lay on the
sea-coast; they were built by the Danes, and held
after they had lost their conquests in the inland
parts: here was carried on the little foreign trade
which the island then possessed.
The Irish militia was of two kinds: one called
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 415
kerns, which were foot, slightly armed with a long
knife or dagger, and almost naked; the other, galloglasses, who were horse, poorly mounted, afnd generally
armed only with a battle-axe. Neither horse nor foot
made much use of the spear, the sword, or the bow.
With indifferent arms, they had still worse discipline.
In these circumstances, their natural bravery, which,
though considerable, was not superior to that of their
invaders, stood them in little stead.
Such was the situation of things in Ireland, when
Dermot, King of Leinster, having violently carried
away the wife of one of the neighboring petty sovereigns, Roderic, King of Connaught and Monarch of
Ireland, joined with the injured husband to punish
so flagrant an outrage, and with their united forces
spoiled Dermot of his territories, and obliged him to
abandon the kingdom. The fugitive prince,. 1167.
not unapprised of Henry's designs upon his
country, threw himself at his feet, implored his protection, and promised to hold of him, as his feudatory,
the sovereignty he should recover by his assistance.
Henry was at this time at Guienne. Nothing could
be more agreeable to him than such an incident; but
as his French dominions actually lay under an interdict, on account of his quarrel with Becket, and all
his affairs, both at home and abroad, were in a troubled and dubious situation, it was not prudent to remove his person, nor venture any considerable body of his forces on a distant enterprise. Yet not willing
to lose so favorable an opportunity, he warmly reconimended the cause of Dermot to his regency in England, permitting and encouraging all, persons to arm in his favor: a permission, in this age of enterprise,
greedily accepted by many; but the person who
? ? ? ? 416 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
brought the most assistance to it, and indeed gave
a form and spirit to the whole design, was Richard,
Earl of Strigul, commonly known by the name of
Strongbow. Dermot, to confirm in his interest this
potent and warlike peer, promised him his daughter
in marriage, with the reversion of his crown.
The beginnings of so great an enterprise were
formed with a very slender force. Not four hundred
D. 1169 men landed near Wexford: they took the
town by storm. When reinforced, they did
not exceed twelve hundred; but, being joined with
three thousand men by Dermot, with an incredible
rapidity of success they reduced Waterford, Dublin,
Limerick, the only considerable cities in Ireland. By
the novelty of their arms they had obtained some
striking advantages in their first engagements; and
by these advantages they attained a superiority of
opinion over the Irish, which every success increased.
Before the effect of this first impression had time to. . . wear off, Henry, having settled his affairs
abroad, entered the harbor of Cork with a
fleet of four hundred sail, at once to secure the conquest, and the allegiance- of the conquerors. The fame of so great a force arriving under a prince dreaded
by all Europe very soon disposed all the petty princes,
with their King Roderic, to submit and do homage
to Henry. They had not been able to resist the arms
of his vassals, and they hoped better treatment from
submitting to the amabition of a great king, who left
them everything but the honor of their independency, than from the avarice of adventurers, from which nothing was secure. The bishops and the body of
the clergy greatly contributed to this submission,
from respect to the Pope, and the horror of their
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 417
late defeats, which they began to regard as judgments. A national council was held at Cashel for
bringing the Church of Ireland to a perfect conformity in rites and discipline to that of England. It is
not to be thought that in this council the temporal
interests of England were entirely forgotten. Many
of the English were established in their particular
conquests under the tenure of knights' service, now
first introduced into Ireland: a tenure which, if it
has not proved the best calculated to secure the obedience of the vassal to the sovereign, has never failed
in any' instance of preserving a vanquished people
in obedience to the conquerors. The English lords
built strong castles on their demesnes; they put
themselves at the- head of the tribes whose chiefs
they -had slain; they assumed the Irish garb andi
manners; and thus, partly by force, partly by policy, the first English families took a firm root in Ireland. It was, indeed, long before they were able'entirely to subdue the island. to the laws of England; but the continual efforts of the Irish for more than
four hundred years proved insufficient to dislodge
them.
Whilst Henry was extending his conquests to the.
western limits of the known world, thte, whol'e fabric
of his power was privately sapped and undermined,
and ready to overwhelm him with the ruins, in, the
very moment when he seemed to be arrived at the
highest and most permanent point of grandeur and
glory. His excessive power, his continual accessions
to it, and all ambition which by words and actions
declared that the whole world was not sufficient for
a great man, struck a just terror into all the poten-.
tates near him: he was, indeed, arrived at that pitch
VOL. VII. 27
? ? ? ? 418'ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLTSH HISTORY.
of greatness, that the means of his ruin could only
be found in his own family. A numerous offspring,
which is generally considered as the best defence of
the throne, and the support as well as ornament of
declining royalty, proved on this occasion the principal part of the danlger. Henry had in his lawful bed,
besides daughters, four sons, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, and John, all growing up with great hopes from
their early courage and love of glory. No father was
ever more delighted with these hopes, nor more tender and indulgent to his children. A custom had
long prevailed in France for the reigning king to
crown his eldest son in his lifetime. By this policy,
in turbulent times, and whilst the principles of succession were unsettled, he secured the crown to his
posterity. Henry gladly imitated a policy enforced
no less by paternal affection than its utility to public
peace. He had, during his troubles with Becket,
crowned his son Henry, then no more than sixteen
years old. But the young king, even on the day
of his coronation, discovered an haughtiness which
threatened not to content itself with the share of authority to which the inexperience of his youth and
the nature of a provisional crown confined him. The
name of a king continually reminded him that he
only possessed the name. The King of France,
whose daughter he had espoused, fomented a discontent which grew with his years. Geoffrey, who
had married the heiress of Bretagne, on the death
of her father claimed to no purpose the entire sovereignty of his wife's inheritance, which Henry, under a pretence of guardianship to a son of full age, still retained in his hands. Richard had not the same
plausible pretencos, lbut lie had yet greater ambition.
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 419.
He contended for'the: Duchy of. Guienne before his
mother's death, which alone could give him the color
of a title to it. : The queen, his mother, hurried on
by her own unquiet spirit, or, as some think, stimulated by jealousy, encouraged their rebellion against
her'husband. The King of France, who moved all
the other engines, engaged the King of Scotland, the
Earl of Flanders, then a powerful prince, the Earl of
Blois, and the Earl of Boulogne'in the' conspiracy.
The barons in Bretagne, in Guienne, and even in
England, were ready to ztake up arms:in. the same
cause; whether it was thatthey perceived the uniform plan the king had pursued: in order to' their
reduction, or were -solely instigated: by the natural
fierceness and levity of their: minds, fond of every
dangerous novelty. ; The historians of that time seldom afford'us a tolerable insight into the'causes: of
the transactions they: relate:; but whatever were the
causes of so extraordinary a conspiracy,' it was not
discovered until the moment'it was ready for execution. The first token -of it appeared in the young
king's demand to have either. England or Normandy
given up to him. The refusal of this demand served
as a signal to all parties'to put themselves in motion.
The'younger- Henry fled into France; Louis entered
Normandy with a vast army; the barons of Bretagne
under Geoffrey, and those of. Guienne under Richard,
rose in arms; the King of Scotland pierced into England; and the Earl of Leicester; at the head of fourteen thousand Flemings, landed in'Suffolk. It was on this trying occasion that Henry displayed
a greatness independent of all fortune. For, beset
by all the neighboring powers, opposed by his own
children, betrayed by his wife, abandoned by one part
? ? ? ? 420 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH. HISTORY.
Of his subjects, uncertain of the rest, every part. of his
state rotten and suspicious, his magnanimity grew
beneath the danger; and when all the ordinary resources failed, he found superior resources in his
own courage, wisdom, and activity. 'There were at
that: time dispersed over Europe bodies of mercenary
troops, called Brabanqons, composed of fugitives from
different nations, men' who were detached from any
country, and who,:by making war a perpetual trade,
and passing from service to service, had acquired an
experience and military knowledge uncommon in
those- days-. Henry took:twenty thousand
A. D. 1173.
of these mercenaries into his service, and,
as he paid them: punctually, and; kept them always
in action, they served: him with fidelity. The Papal
authority, so often subservient, so often prejudicial
to his designs, he called to his assistance in a cause
which did not misbecome it, --the cause of a father
attacked by higs'children. This took off the ill impression left by Becket's death, and kept; the bishops firm in their allegiance. Having taken his measures
with judgment, he pursued the war in Normandy
with vigor. In this war his mercenaries had a great
and visible advantage over the feudal armies of
France: the latter, not so useful while they remained
in the field,-entered it late in the summer, and commonly. left it in forty days. The King of France was forced to raise the siege of Verneuil, to evacuate Normandy, and agree: to a truce. Then, at the head of his victorious Brabanqons, Henry marched into Brittany with an incredible expedition.
The rebellious army, astonished as: much-:by the celerity of his
march as the fury of -his attack, was totally routed.
The principal towns and castles were reduced soon
? ? ? ? A'BRIDGMENTI OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 421
after. . . The custody of the conquered! country being
lodged in faithful. hands, he flew to the relief of England. There his natural son Geoffrey, Bishop elect of
Ely, faithful during the rebellion of all his legitimate
offspring, steadily maintained his cause, though with
forces much inferior to his zeal. The king, before
he entered into action, thought it expedient to perfor'm his expiation at the tomb of Becket.
A. D. 1174.
Hardly had he finished this ceremony, when
the news arrived that. the Scotch army was totally
defeated, and their king made prisoner. This victory was universally attributed to the prayers. of Becket; and whilst it established the credit of the. new
saint, it established Henry in the. minds. of his people: they no longer looked upon their king as an object of the Divine vengeance, but as a penitent reconciled to Heaven, and under the special protection of the martyr he had made. The Flemish army,
after several severe checks, capitulated to evacuate
the kingdom. The rebellious barons submitted soon
after. All was quiet in England; but the King of
France renewed hostilities in Normandy, and laid
siege to Rouen. Henry recruited his army with a
body of auxiliary Welsh, arrived at Rouen with his
usual expedition, raised the siege, and drove the King
of France quite out; of Normandy. It was then that
he agreed to an accommodation, and in the terms of
peace, which he dictated in, the midst of victory to
his sons, his subjects, and his enemies, there was seen
on one hand the tenderness of:a father, and on the
other the moderation of a wise man, not insensible of
the mutability of fortune,.
The war which threatened. his ruin being so happily ended, the greatness of the danger served only to
? ? ? ? 422 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
enhance his glory; whilst he saw the King of France
humbled, the Flemings defeated, the King of Scotland a prisoner, and his sons and subjects reduced to
the bounds of their duty. He employed this interval
of peace to secure its continuance, and to prevent a
return of the like' evils; for' which reason
A. D. 1176.
he made many reforms in the laws and polity of his dominions. He instituted itinerant justices,
to weaken the power of the great barons, and even
of the sheriffs, who were: hardly more obedient, --an
institution which, with great public advantages, has
remained to our times. In the spirit of the same
policy he'armed the whole body of the people: the
English commonalty had been in a manner disarmed
ever since. the Conquest. In this regulation we may
probably trace the origin of the militia, which, being
under'the orders of the' crown rather in a political
than a feudal respect, were judged' more to be relied on than the soldiers of tenure, to whose pride
and power they might prove a sort of counterpoise.
Amidst these changes' the affairs of the clergy remained untouched. The king: had experienced how
dangerous it was to attempt removing foundations so
deeply laid both in strength and opinion. He therefore wisely aimed at acquiring the favor of that body,
and turning to his own advantage a power he should
in vain attempt to overthrow, but which he might set
up against another power, which it was equally his
interest to reduce.
Though these measures were taken with the greatest judgment, and seemed to promise a peaceful evening to his reign, the seeds of rebellion remained still at home, and -the dispositions that nourished them
were rather increased abroad. The parental author
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 423
ity, respectable at all times, ought to have the greatest force in times when the manners are rude and the laws imperfect. At that time Europe had not
emerged out of barbarism, yet this great natural bond
of society was extremely weak. The number of foi
eign obligations and duties almost dissolved thefamily obligations. From the moment a young man was knighted, so far as related to his father, he became
absolute master of his own conduct; but he contracted at the same time a sort of filial relation with the person who had knighted him. These various principles of duty distracted one another. . The custom which then prevailed, of bestowing lands and jurisdictions, under the name of Appanages, to the sons
of kings and the greater nobility, gave them a power
which was frequently employed against the giver;
and the military and licentious manners of the age
almost destroyed every trace of every kind of regular
authority. In the East, where the rivalship of broth-.
ers is so dangerous, such is the force of paternal power amongst a rude people, we scarce ever hear of a son in arms against his father. In Europe, for several ages, it was very common. It was Henry's great misfortune to suffer in a particular mannier from this
disorder.
Philip succeeded Louis, King of France.
A. D. 1180.
He followed closely the plan of his predecessor, to reduce the great vassals, and the King of
England, who was the greatest of them; but he followed it with far more skill and vigor, though he
made use of the same instruments in the work. He
revived the spirit of rebellion in the princes, Henry's
sons. These young princes were never in harmony
with each other but in a confederacy against their
? ? ? ? 424. . ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
father, and the father had no recourse but in the melancholy safety derived from the disunion of his children. : This he thought it expedient to increase; but such policy, when discovered, has always a dangerous
effect. The sons, having just quarrelled enough to
give room for an explanation of each other's designs,
and to display those of their father, enter into a. D. 1183. new conspiracy. In the midst of these motions the young king dies, and showed at his
death such signs of a sincere repentance as served to
revive the old king's tenderness, and to take away all
comfort for. his loss. The death of his third son,. Geoffrey, followed close upon the heels of
this funeral. He died at Paris, whither he
had gone to concert measures against his father.
Richard and John remained. Richard, fiery, restless, ambitious, openly took up arms, and pursued
the war with implacable rancor, and such success as
drove the king, in the decline of his life, to a dishonorable treaty; nor was he then content, but excited
new troubles. John was his youngest and favorite
child; in him he reposed all his hopes, and consoled
himself for thei undutifulness of his other sons; but
after concluding:the treaty with the: King of France
and Richard, he found too soon that John had been
as deep as any in the conspiracy. This was his last
wound: afflicted by his children in their deaths and
harassed in their lives,; mortified as a father and a
king, worn down with cares and sorrows more: than
with years, he died, cursing his fortune, his children,
and the hour of his birth. When he perceived that
death approached him, by his own desire he was-carried into a church and laid at the altar's
A. fD. 1189.
foot. Hardly had he expired:when. he was
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT: OF'ENGLISH HISTORY. 425
stripped, then forsaken by his attendants, and left a
long time a naked and unheeded body in an empty
church:. affording a just consolation for the obscurity
of a: mean fortune, and an instructive lesson how little an outward greatness and'enjoyments foreign to the mind contribute towards a solid felicity, in the
example of one who was the greatest of kings and the
unhappiest of mankind.
CHAPTER VII.
REIGN OF RICHARD I.
WHILST Henry lived, the King of France had always an effectual means of breaking his power by
the divisions in his family. But now Rich- Richard I.
ard succeeded to all. the power of his father, A. 1189.
with an equal ambition to extend it, with a temper
infinitely more fiery and impetuous, and free from
every impediment of internal dissension. These circumstainces filled the mind of Philip with great and just uneasiness. There was no security but in finding exercise for the enterprising genius of the: young king at a distance from home. The new Crusade afforded an advantageous opportunity. A little before his father's death, Richard had taken the cross in
conjunction with the King of France. So precipitate were the fears of that monarch, that Richard
was hardly crowned when ambassadors were dispatched to England to remind him of his obligation, and to pique his pride by acquainting him that their
master was even then in readiness to fulfil his part
of their common vow. An enterprise of this sort
? ? ? ? 426 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
was extremely agreeable to the genius of Richard,
where religion sanctified the thirst of military glory;
and where the glory. itself seemed but the,more desirable bybeing unconnected with interest. : He immediately accepted- the proposal, and resolved to insure the success as well as the lustre of his expedition by the magnificence of his, preparations. Not content with the immense treasures amassed by his
father, he drew in vast sums by the sale of almost all
the demesnes of the crown, and of every office under
it, not excepting those of the- highest trust. The clergy, whose wealth' and policy enabled them to take advantage of the necessity and weakness of the Croises,
were generally the purchasers of both. To secure his
dominions in his absence, he made an alliance with
the princes of Wales, and with the King of Scotland.
To the latter he released, for a sum of money, the
homage which had been extorted by his father.
His brother John gave him most uneasiness; but
finding it unworthy, or impracticable, to use the'severer methods of jealous policy, he resolved to secure his fidelity by loading him with benefits. He
bestowed on him six earldoms, and gave him in
marriage the Lady Avisa, sole heiress of the great
house of Gloucester; but as he gave him no share in
the regency, he increased his power, and left him discontented in a kingdom committed to the care of new
men, who had merited their places by their money.
It will be proper to take a view of the condition
of the Holy Land at the time when this third Crusade was set on foot to repair the faults committed
in the two former. The conquests of the Croises,
extending over Palestine and a part of Syria, had
been erected into a sovereignty under the name
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 427
of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. This kingdom, illordered within, surrounded on all. sides. by powerful
enemies, subsisted by a strength not its own for
near ninety years. But dissensions'arising about
the succession to the crown, between Guy of Lusignan and Raymond, Earl of Tripoli, Guy, either because he, thought the assistance of the European princes too distant, or that he feared their decision,
called in the aid of Saladin, Sultan of Egypt. This
able prince immediately entered Palestine. As the
whole strength of the Christians in Palestine depended upon foreign succor, he first made himself
master of the maritime towns, and then Jerusalem
fell an easy prey to his arms; whilst the competitors
contended with the utmost violence for a kingdom
which no longer existed for either of them. All Europe was alarmed at this revolution. The banished
Patriarch of Jerusalem filled every place with the
distresses of the Eastern Christians. The, Pope ordered a solemn fast to be forever kept for this loss,
_and then, exerting all his influence, excited a new
Crusade, in which vast numbers engaged with an
ardor unabated by their former misfortunes; but
wanting a proper subordination rather than a sufficient force, they made but a slow progress, also
when Richard and Philip, at the head of
more than one hundred thousand chosen men, the
one from Marseilles, the other from Genoa, set sail
to their assistance.
In his voyage to the Holy Land accident presented
Richard with an unexpected conquest. A
vessel of his fleet was driven by a storm
to take shelter in the Isle of Cyprus. That island
was governed by a prince named Isaac, of the ima
? ? ? ? 428 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
perial family of the Comneni, who not only refused
all relief to the sufferers, but plundered them of'the little remains of their substance. Richard, resenting this inhospitable treatment, aggravated by the insolence of the tyrant, turned his' force upon
Cyprus, vanquished Isaac in the field, took the capi,
tal city, and was solemnly crowned king of that
island. But deeming it as glorious to give as to
acquire a crown, he soon after resigned it to Lusi
gnan, to satisfy him for his claim on Jerusalem; in
whose descendants it continued for several generations, until, passing by marriage into the family of
Cornaro, a Venetian nobleman, it was acquired to
that state, the only state in Europe which had any
real benefit by all the. blood and treasure lavished
in:the: Holy War. ;
Richard arrived in Palestine some time after the
King of France. His arrival gave new vigor to the
operations of the Croises. ~ He reduced Acre to surrender at discretion, which had been in vain besieged
for two years, and in the siege of which. an infinite
number of C:hristians had perished; and so much
did he distinguish himself on this and on all occasions, that the. whole expedition seemed to rest on his
single valor. The King of France, seeing him fully
engaged, had all: that he desired. The climate was
disagreeable to his constitution, and, the war, in
which: he acted, but a second part, to his pride.
He therefore hastened home to execute his projects against Richard, amusing him with oaths made
to be violated, - leaving, indeed, a part of his: forces under the Duke of Burgundy, but with private
orders to give him underhand all possible obstruction. : Notwithstanding the desertion of" his ally,
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 429
Richard: continued the war with uncommon alack.
rity. With very unequal numbers he engaged and
defeated the whole army of Saladin, and slew forty
thousand of his best troops. He obliged him to
evacuate all the towns on the sea-coast, and spread
the renown and terror of his arms over all Asia. A
thousand, great exploits did;not, however, enable him
to extend his conquests to the inland country. Jealousy, envy. , cabals, and a total want of discipline
reigned in the army of the Croises. The climate,
and their intemperance more than the climate, wasted
them with a swift decay. The vow which brought
them to the Holy Land was generally for a limited
time, at the conclusion of which they were, always
impatient to depart. Their armies broke up at the
most critical conjunctures, - as it was not the necessity of the service, but the- extent of their vows,
which held them together. As soon, therefore, as
they had habituated themselves to the country, and
attained some experience, they were gone; and new
men supplied their places, to acquire experience by
the same misfortunes, and to lose the benefit of it by
the same inconstancy. Thus the war could never be
carried on with steadiness and uniformity. On the
other side, Saladin continually repaired his losses;
his resources were at hand; and this great captain
very judiciously kept possession of that mountainous
country which, formed by a perpetual ridge of Libanus, in a manner walls in the sea-coast of Palestine.
There he hung, like a continual tempest, ready to
burst over the Christian army. On his rear was the
strong city of Jerusalem, which secured a communication with the countries of Chaldea and Mesopotamia, from whence he was well supplied with every
? ? ? ? 430 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
thing. If the Christians attempted to improve their
successes by penetrating to Jerusalem, they had a
city powerfully garrisoned in their front, a country
wasted and destitute of forage to act in, and Saladin
with a vast army on their rear' advantageously posted
to cut off their convoys and reinforcements.
Richard was laboring to get over these disadvantages, when he was informed by repeated expresses
of the disorder of his affairs in Europe, disorders
which arose from the ill dispositions he had made at
his departure. The heads of his regency had abused
their power; they quarrelled with each other, and
the nobility with them. A sort of a civil war had
arisen, in which they were deposed. Prince John
was the main spring of these dissensions; he engaged
in a close communication of councils with. the King
of France, who had seized upon several places in
Normandy. It was with regret:that Richard found
himself obliged to' leave a theatre on which he had
planned such an illustrious scene of action. :A constant emulation in courtesy and politeness, as well as
in military exploits, had: been kept up between him
and Saladin. He now concluded a truce with that
generous enemy, and on his departure sent a messenger to assure him that on its expiration he would not fail to be again in Palestine. - Saladin replied, that,
if he must lose his kingdom, he would choose to lose
92 it to the King of England.
