name was Hopeful who joined himself unto him. After journeying for some time they fell into the hands of Giant Despair, who put them "into a very dark dun" in Doubting Castle, and cruelly used them. When they had lain in prison four days Christian be CHRISTIAN AND HOPEFUL ESCAPING FROM GIANT DESPAIR. thought him of a key called Promise which he had in his bosom, and which, he was persuaded, would open any lock in Doubting Castle. By means of it they escaped, then passing over the 5 Delectable Mountains, the Enchanted Ground, and the Land of Beulah, they came to the Dark River, through which all pilgrims must pass. Safely across, they were welcomed by Shining Ones, who, with joy and singing, led them to the gates of the Celestial City. 1 Celestial, heavenly. 2 slough, bog. 3 despond, despair, hopelessness. 4 fare, to go. 5 delectable, full of delight. SUMMARY. THE history of the reign of Richard II. is little more than a dreary record of unsuccessful war abroad and of bad government at home,-of reasonable discontent among the people, and of mean struggles for power among the nobles. Richard became king when he was only eleven; he was twenty-two before he became ruler. When the 1 supreme power first came into his hands, he governed wisely and well; but after a while "he began to rule more fiercely." His tyranny at last became unbearable, and Parliament, exercising a right it had already exercised in the case of Edward II., deposed him, and gave the crown to his cousin. Henry IV. found the throne harder to hold than to get. Some of his chief supporters, thinking him ungrateful, rebelled again and again, but in the end he triumphed over all. His son, Henry V., to give the nobles something besides rebellion to think of, renewed the Hundred Years' War with France. In 1415, fighting against fearful odds, he won a great victory at Agincourt; in 1420 he made peace on condition that he should succeed 2 Charles VI. When Charles died Henry himself had been dead two months, and the French were not disposed to acknowledge his baby son. The northern half of the country was forced to submit, but at Orleans the tide of conquest was stayed. A simple peasant girl, firm in the belief that God had created her for the salvation of the "fair realm of France," inspired her countrymen with confidence which made them everywhere victorious. Little by little the invaders were driven back, till at last, of all the possessions they had once held, Calais alone remained in their hands. The Maid herself, to whose pure 3 patriotism this result was mainly due, fell a victim to French 4 treachery and English barbarity. Henry VI., though gentle and pious, was weakminded, and proved unable to hold the crown which his grandfather had won. It was 5 wrested from him by the head of the House of York, who became king as Edward IV. The Wars of the Roses (as the struggle between the rival families was called) lasted thirty years, and only ended when the Lancastrian Henry married the Yorkist Elizabeth. Under the Tudor sovereigns the great religious change known as the Reformation took place. It was the outcome of the feelings of three classes-those who complained that many of the clergy were leading unholy lives, those who wanted the English Church to be independent of a foreign pope, and those who desired an alteration in the doctrines taught. As each class in turn prevailed, the character of the Reformation varied. First, attempts were made to secure greater purity of life, then the supremacy of the Pope was abolished, and lastly, several of the chief Catholic beliefs were rejected. In the time of Henry VII. the minds of men were slowly ripening for a change, but it was under his son that the change began to take outward shape. In the reign of Henry VIII. the English Church was separated from Rome and the monasteries were suppressed, but no great 6 innovation was made in the 7 creed. In the days of Edward VI. the triumph of the Protestants was complete, but the violent changes which they made led to a reaction, so that when Mary ascended the throne she found no difficulty in making Catholicism once more the national religion. But the bitter bigotry of the queen made her and her faith hateful. Persecution generally injures the cause that seeks its aid; respect for the martyr easily passes into respect for the martyr's opinions. So it proved now. A lady writing to Bishop Bonner told him that by "cruel burning and murdering," he had "lost the hearts of twenty thousand that were rank Papists within this twelve months." Just as the folly of the Protestants in the days of Edward made a change back to Catholicism easy under Mary, so the bigotry of the Catholics in the days of Mary made a change back to Protestantism easy in the days of Elizabeth. Since her time little alteration has been made in the beliefs of the Church or in its relation to the State. Under the Tudors England was engaged in a great religious, and under the Stuarts in a great political, struggle. Under the Tudors it was settled that the Church, and under the Stuarts that the sovereign, must obey English law. James I. believed firmly in "the right divine of kings to govern wrong," and Charles I. inherited all his father's exalted notions of royal authority. The attempts of Charles to put his ideas into practice cost the country a civil war and him his life. 8 After being ruled in turns by a tyrant king, a tyrant parliament, and a tyrant army, the distracted people determined to recall Charles's son. He deliberately aimed at absolute power, and at his death his brother obstinately attempted to overthrow the national liberties and the national religion. James's folly led to the Revolution of 1688, which finally decided that in this country the law is above the sovereign. 3 4 5 1 Supreme, highest. 2 Charles VI., the king of France. patriotism, love of country. treachery, betrayal. wrest, to take away by force. innovation, change. 7 creed, that which is believed. 8 deliberately, with careful consideration. 6 MEN OF ENGLAND. MEN of England! who inherit Rights that cost your sires their blood; Men whose 'undegenerate spirit Has been proved on field and flood. By the foes you've fought uncounted, Yet remember, England gathers Glow not in your hearts the same. |