His body was stripped, thrown across the back of a horse, and borne thus to Leicester, where it was buried in the church of the Grey Friars. His crown was found amongst the spoil and set upon the victor's head. Richard was the last of the Yorkist kings; the Earl of Richmond (who succeeded him under the title of Henry VII.) was the first sovereign of the Tudor line. He fulfilled his promise of marrying Elizabeth, and, the heir of one house being thus united to the heiress of the other, the Wars of the Roses came to an end.

THE GOVERNMENT OF HENRY VII. HENRY VII. was, in many respects, just the kind of king England wanted after the troublous times through which she had passed. He liked good order, and was strong enough to secure it; he was severe in punishing those who broke the peace, but his severity was the result of policy, not of revenge. He thus gained the respect of his people; still, he did not win their love, for his manners were cold and distant, and his temper was suspicious.

Henry throughout his reign aimed at increasing his own power by weakening the power of the nobles. A great lord in those days could speedily raise an army, and hence there was constant danger of rebellion. You have seen how the Percies defied Henry IV., and how the Earl of Warwick made and unmade kings. Noblemen were strong because of their retainers. These were armed men who wore their livery and were always ready to fight their battles. Henry made a law against the giving out of liveries and the keeping of retainers. Fifty years before, the nobles would have laughed at

such a law and altogether disregarded it; but so many of them had been slain in the Wars of the Roses that the king was now strong enough to compel the obedience of the rest.

2 Bacon tells a story which shows how strictly the law was enforced. He says: "There remaineth to this

day a report that the king was on a time entertained by the Earl of Oxford, that was his principal 3 servant both for war and peace, nobly and sumptuously, at his castle of 5 Henningham. And at the king's going away the earl's servants stood, in a seemly manner, in their livery coats with cognizances, ranged on both sides,

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and made the king a lane. The king called the earl to him and said, 'My lord, I have heard much of your 7 hospitality, but I see it is greater than the speech: these handsome gentlemen and yeomen which I see on both sides of me are sure your 3 menial servants?' The earl smiled and said, 'It may please your grace that were not for mine ease; they are most of them my retainers that are come to do me service at such a time as this, and chiefly to see your grace.' The king started a little and said, 'By my faith, my lord, I thank you for my good cheer, but I may not endure to have my laws broken in my sight; my attorney must speak with you.' And it was part of the report that the earl 10 compounded for no less than fifteen thousand 11. marks."

If Henry acted thus, it is impossible to say how far he did so from a determination to have good order kept, and how far from a desire to amass wealth. He believed that to be strong he must be rich, and he therefore strove by every means to get money. He was very 12 chary of spending the 13 subsidies granted him by Parliament, and he raised great sums by forcing rich men to give him "presents "-presents which were given none the more readily because they were called 66 benevolences.' People who broke the laws were heavily fined; and in order to have more excuses for fining, old and forgotten laws were searched out, and persons who had never heard of them were made to pay for not keeping them. By these and other means Henry accumulated an enormous hoard; upon his death he left behind him £1,800,000, an amount probably equal to twenty millions of our money..

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The Earl of Warwick, Richard Neville, the "king-maker." 2 Bacon. Francis Bacon (1561-1626), a great philosopher who

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5

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flourished in the time of Elizabeth and James I. He wrote many amous books, one of which is a history of the reign of Henry VII. (See page 206.) 3 servant. We should say "minister." sumptuously, expensively. Henningham, in Essex. cognizance, badge; each noble had his own, and it was worked in the coats of his retainers. The badge of the great Earl of Warwick, for instance, was a bear and ragged staff. 7 hospitality, kind treatment of guests. 8 menial, common, of low rank.

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10 attorney, one of the chief law officers of the king. compound, to settle a debt by paying a part of it. 11 mark, 13s. 4d. The earl therefore paid £10,000, worth about twelve times that sum now. 12 chary, careful. subsidy, money granted by Parliament.

14 accumulate, to heap up.

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THE BATTLE OF FLODDEN.

the

WHEN Henry VII. was succeeded by Henry VIII., whole nation welcomed the change from the cold and reserved father to the frank and 1jovial son. The new king had many qualities to make him popular; he was young, handsome, and clever, 2 dexterous in all manly sports, lively and good-tempered. In the course of years he acquired more power than any sovereign who had gone before; but notwithstanding his high-handed rule, notwithstanding his unrighteous deeds, he never altogether lost the love of his subjects.

The prosperous condition of the country and the immense wealth which had been amassed by his father left Henry free to interfere in foreign affairs. As he was anxious to win fame as a great commander, he entered gaily into a needless war with France.

This led to a war with Scotland also. The Scotch and French were ancient friends; each nation was ever ready to help the other against the common foe. Thus when Edward III. was besieging Calais, David II.

invaded England and was defeated by Queen Philippa at 3 Neville's Cross; while the first victory which the French obtained during the last stage of the Hundred Years' War was won by the aid of some Scotch soldiers. It was therefore quite according to custom for James IV. of Scotland to invade England when Henry was in France.

He crossed the borders with an army of fifty thousand men, to which the Earl of Surrey could only oppose a force half as large. After moving about in a somewhat aimless fashion for a time, James, on the approach of the English, took up a strong position on a height called 5 Flodden, west of the river Till. Surrey (who was on the other side of the stream) saw that it would be only throwing lives away to attack the Scotch where they stood, and therefore tried to draw them down the hill. He marched northward and crossed the Till by 7 Twisel Bridge.

James-who, though a brave soldier, was an unskilful general-made a fatal mistake in allowing the English to cross. Finding them between him and his kingdom, he grew alarmed, and determined to give battle at once. Dividing his army into four bodies, he brought it towards the level ground. Surrey also arranged his men in four bodies. The brunt of the fighting was borne by the division James himself commanded, which was opposed to that commanded by Surrey. At first the Scotch had the better; but when the English divisions to the right and left of the earl, having routed their opponents, came to their chief's aid, the tide of battle turned. Forming themselves into a circle with spears pointing in every direction, the invaders fought furiously. Their armour was so good that the arrows had little effect upon them; so the English, slinging