HENRY VIII.

1509 A.D. to 1547 A.D.-38 years.

1. Henry VIII., son of the late king, was eighteen years old when he came to the throne. He was the first king that united in his own person the Houses of Lancaster and York. He married Catherine of Aragon, widow of his elder brother Arthur.

2. When Henry came to the throne the nation was at peace, and his coffers were filled by the wealth which his father had so greedily gained. But he gave himself up to pleasure and gaiety, and soon wasted all his riches in foolish expenses.

In 1513 he invaded France, and gained the Battle of Spurs,-so called because the French made more use of spurs in fleeing than of swords in fighting. Whilst he was away, James IV. of Scotland invaded England, but was defeated and slain on Flodden Field by the Earl of Surrey. 3. Henry's chief friend and adviser in the early part of his reign was Thomas Wolsey, who, from a low rank in life, rose to the highest offices in the kingdom. When a boy he was very fond of books. At fourteen years of age he took the degree of B.A. at Oxford, and was called the Boy Bachelor.

Henry, finding Wolsey well able to assist him in all his plans, took him into favour; and Wolsey, being also in great favour with the Pope, soon rose to be Archbishop of York, and Cardinal (1515). He had eight hundred attendants, and dressed in the most costly robes,

But his glory did not last long; for he had two masters, and in trying to serve both he lost the favour of both, in the following way:— Henry, after having lived eighteen years with Catherine of Aragon, became tired of her, and fell in love with Anne Boleyn, one of her maids of honour. He therefore wished Wolsey to say that his marriage with his brother's widow was unlawful, and to give him a divorce.

Wolsey durst not refuse, and so displease the king; and he durst not comply, and so displease the Pope. He therefore put it off from time to time, until the king in anger took from him all his riches and power, and arrested him for high treason.

But Wolsey was never tried. Whilst on his way to London, filled with grief and remorse, he was taken ill, and died at Leicester Abbey. On his death-bed he said, "Had I served my God as diligently as I have served the king, he would not have given me over in my gray hairs" (1530).

4. In the meantime Henry had put away Catherine, and married Anne Boleyn. The Pope denounced him. Henry in return set the Pope at defiance, and took upon himself the title of Supreme Head

of the Church of England--a title which was afterwards confirmed by Parliament (1534).

5. Meanwhile a great religious movement was taking place in Germany, called the Reformation. Henry had at first opposed it, and written a book against Luther, its leader; but now that he had quarrelled with the Pope, he was inclined to show the Reformers some favour. Having called himself Head of the Church, he proceeded to destroy the monasteries throughout England, to turn the monks out into the world, and seize their incomes.

Then followed a long and terrible persecution. Henry made a law that every one must, on pain of death, believe what the Head of the Church believed (1539). By this law Roman Catholics were burned to death for not acknowledging him as Head of the Church; and Protestants, for not believing his doctrines. Such numbers suffered death through this law that it was ever afterwards known as the Bloody Statute.

6. Henry, having now become tired of his second wife, Anne Boleyn, and fallen in love with the beautiful Jane Seymour, accused Anne of being unfaithful, and had her beheaded. The very next day he married Jane Seymour (1536); but she died in less than a year, after giving birth to a son (afterwards Edward VI.).

He then married a fourth wife, Anne of Cleves; but not liking her, he put her away, with a pension of £3000 a year. The same year he married a fifth wife, Catherine Howard; but before another year was gone he had her beheaded, because she was accused of misconduct before marriage. Shortly afterwards he married his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr, who outlived him.

7. During the latter part of his life, Henry became very fat and heavy, and was much troubled with ulcers in his legs, which prevented him from walking; and not having patience to bear his infirmities, he is said to have been more like a chained lion than a human being.

He spared no man's life who opposed his wishes, and gained the character of a blood-thirsty tyrant. It is said that seventy-two thousand persons suffered death for various offences during his reign.

He left three children-Mary by Catherine of Aragon, Elizabeth by Anne Boleyn, and Edward by Jane Seymour-each of whom afterwards sat upon the throne.

8. In this reign the Bible, made cheaper by means of printing, began to find its way into the houses of the people. The Church of England Prayer-Book was compiled by Archbishop Cranmer, Henry's adviser after Wolsey's death.

For writing against Luther, Henry received from the Pope the title

of Defender of the Faith. All English sovereigns since that time havo borne this title. It may be seen in the letters F.D. (for Fidei Defensor) on our coins. A great meeting took place in France between Henry and the French king; and so great was the splendour displayed, that the place of meeting was called The Field of the Cloth of Gold.

Pins were introduced from France by Catherine Howard. Cotton thread was invented. Beef and mutton sold at a halfpenny per pound; veal and pork at three farthings. Workmen's wages were threepence and fourpence per day.

QUESTIONS.

1. Edward VI. was the son of the late king and Jane Seymour. Being yet only ten years of age, his uncle, the Duke of Somerset, was made Protector. He was a Protestant, and with the help of Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer, did much to promote the Reformation in England.

2. The marriage of Edward with Mary, the young Queen of Scots,

had been a favourite project with the late king. The proposals for this match were now renewed; but the Scotch would not consent.

Somerset therefore led an army into Scotland, and gained the Battle of Pinkie (1547). But Mary was sent to France, where she married the Dauphin,—that is, the eldest son of the French king.

3. Soon after this, Somerset, by taking too much power to himself, lost the favour of the people; and the Earl of Northumberland, who envied him, sought his ruin. Many charges being brought against him, he was arrested for high treason and beheaded; and Northumberland took his place as Protector (1552).

4. The king's health now began to give way, and Northumberland, thirsting for still greater power, persuaded him to make a will leaving the crown to the earl's daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey, who was the grand-daughter of Mary Tudor, a sister of Henry VIII.

Edward grew worse; and Northumberland, ever by his bedside, placed him under the care of an old woman, who engaged to cure him. The young king, however, died; and it is even suspected by some that his end was hastened, if not by poison, at least by neglect. He was amiable and learned, and much lamented by the nation.

QUESTIONS.

1. Who succeeded Henry VIII.? How long did he reign? Give dates. Whose son was Edward VI.? What was his age on his accession? Who was made Protector? What movement did he greatly promote? What three bishops helped him?

Whither was Mary sent? Whom did she marry?

3. What happened to Somerset? Who sought his ruin? What death did he die? Who became Protector?

4. What is said of the king's health? What did Northumberland persuade 2. To whom was it proposed that him now to do? Under whose care was Edward should be married? Who he placed? What is thought by some had wished it? Did the Scotch con- persons to have hastened his death? sent? What was the consequence? What was his character?

MARY I.

1553 A.D. to 1558 A.D.-5 years.

1. On Edward's death, Lady Jane was proclaimed Queen by order of her father-in-law, the Protector, very much against her own wish, as she knew that, while any of the descendants of Henry VIII. lived, she had no right to the crown. But Mary, daughter of Henry VIII. and Catherine of Aragon, and half-sister of the late king, immediately put forth her claim; and the people being in her favour, Lady Jane gladly gave up the crown to her.

Mary ordered Northumberland, Lady Jane, and her husband Lord (382)

25

Dudley, to be arrested. Northumberland was at once put to death. The others, with sixty adherents, were beheaded in the following year. 2. Mary had promised to retain the religious laws of Edward VI.; but being a devoted Catholic, she immediately began to undo the work of the Reformation. Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer were cast into prison; and soon afterwards they, and many others, were burned at the stake.

In the last three years of Mary's reign, two hundred and eighty-eight men, women, and children were burned to death for heresy.

3. Mary had married Philip II. of Spain; but his conduct towards her was cold and careless; and this, together with the hatred of her subjects and the loss of Calais (1558), which the English had possessed for two hundred years, preyed so much on her mind as to bring on a slow fever, of which she died, after an unhappy reign of five years.

Mary's temper was soured by the troubles of her early life. She has been branded with the name of Bloody Mary. We should, however, rather pity the queen whose religious zeal consumed in her heart the mercy natural to woman; who died hated by her subjects, abandoned by her husband, and disappointed of every aim and hope of her life.

4. During this reign coaches came into use. Before this time ladies rode in litters, or on horseback behind their squires.

QUESTIONS.

1. Who succeeded Edward VI.? How imprisoned? What became of them? long did she reign? Give dates. Who How many were burned to death in was first proclaimed? By whose order? Mary's reign? For what cause? Was it just? Whose daughter was 3. Whom had Mary married? How Mary? Did Lady Jane Grey willingly | did he treat her? What other causes give up the crown? Who were arrested? of grief had she? What was the conWhat became of them? How many sequence? What had soured Mary's suffered besides? temper? What name has been applied to her? Why should we pity her?

2. What promise had Mary made? Did she keep it? Why not? What did she do instead? What bishops were

4. What came into use in this reign? How did ladies previously ride?

ELIZABETH.

1558 A.D. to 1603 A.D.-45 years.

1. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII. and Anne Boleyn. When she came to the throne the nation was filled with rejoicing. The Protestant religion was restored (1559), the Church of England took its present form, and the Thirty-nine Articles of belief which Cranmer had written were placed in the Prayer Book (1562).