ENGLISH HISTORY. EDWARD III. (Concluded from page 22.) Joan of Kent and her Son. THE reign of Edward III. was one of continual warfare. At this time he was restrained by a truce from direct hostilities with the French, but several petty acts of hostility took place. When we consider that at this period acts of violence were represented as the most glorious of all occupations, we need not be surprised to find the nobility engaged in acts of plunder, and their monarch equally anxious for every opportunity of warfare. The Spanish fleet having committed some depredations, Edward sent out a fleet against them, which was victorious. In 1854, the truce ended, and Edward marched from Calais with an army, and advanced into the French territories, which he laid waste; but he was restrained, by the want of supplies, and was soon recalled to England by an invasion from Scotland. This he soon repelled, and marching northwards, he burned Edinburgh, and ravaged the open country; but he could retain no more of the country than his army occupied, and when he returned to England, he, in effect, abandoned his conquests. In 1856, similar scenes took place in the south of France. The prince of Wales advanced from Guienne, and related, in an account of his expedition, that in two months he had taken 500 villages, besides cities and walled towns, and that he had devastated the country by fire and sword, thus causing incalculable suffering. Having advanced as far as Berri, he considered it desirable to retrace his steps; but the king of France, with a large army, hastened to intercept his retreat, and the English found cause to regret the ravages they had committed, which left them destitute. The English army did not exceed 8000 men; the French had more than 40,000; but the Black Prince occupied a strong position among vineyards and enclosures, only to be approached by narrow roads between hedges. The next day was Sunday. The French had now surrounded the English encampment, and passed the day in joyful anticipations of victory. The English strengthened their position, though they suffered much from want of supplies. The cardinal of Perigord in vain endeavoured to negotiate a truce. Edward was willing to surrender his prisoners and booty, and not to renew the war with France for seven years, upon condition of being allowed to retreat unmolested; but king John insisted that the prince should surrender himself and E a hundred of his knights as prisoners,' intending to require the surrender of Calais as their ransom. The next morning the battle began. The French knights and men at arms pressed forward through the narrow lanes, but many were slain, and others dismounted by the archers. The mass being thus thrown into confusion, they lost the advantage of numbers; and after a severe conflict, the English were conquerors. King John was taken prisoner in a struggle, in which he had nearly fallen a victim to the eagerness of the assailants. Prince Edward was surprised at his victory, and exhibited all that courtesy which was considered the proof of a true knight. He treated the captive monarch with kindness, and exhibited every attention towards him, even waiting upon him while at supper. The English army was released from its dangerous position, but could not take any other advantage of the victory thus gained. The Black Prince retreated to Bourdeaux, and after passing the winter there, proceeded to England, where he had a triumphal entry into London. The spirit of chivalry here showed itself very different from heathenism; the captive monarch was not dragged at the chariot wheels of his conqueror, and then put to death. The French king, John, richly dressed, rode through the city of London, seated upon a noble white horse decked with trappings, while the Prince of Wales accompanied him on a small black nag. The French king was lodged in the Savoy palace, and, although a prisoner, was treated with all the attentions dictated by chivalry. It is pleasant to record proofs of the abatement of ferocity in war, but still we must mark the defects of the system which then prevailed, and the wrong estimate of historians even at the present day. The laws of chivalry showed undue respect of persons. Thousands and tens of thousands of unoffending villagers suffered from needless and cruel invasion; for this the Black Prince is not censured, while he is commended to posterity for his treatment to the royal prisoner, which, after all, was little more than "the pride that apes humility." But the balances of human wisdom do not fairly estimate men and their actions. The battle of Poictiers did not decide the contest between England and France. The resources of the former were so much exhausted, that a truce for two years was a desirable measure. This left France a prey to civil dissension in the absence of her monarch. Bands of soldiers, acknowledging no general, ravaged the country; and the peasants reduced to despair by suffering, or maddened by the oppression of their feudal superiors, rose in considerable numbers, destroyed many castles, and put the nobles and their families to death with the most atrocious circumstances of ferocious cruelty. These peasants were called "the Jacquerie;" they were soon suppressed by the knights and military forces of the contending powers, who rode down the peasantry, whether guilty or innocent of these outrages, trampling them under foot as the dust of the earth, thus slaughtering them without hesitation or remorse, while their wrongs remained unredressed. In 1359, Edward again ravaged France, and found that it was impossible to conquer the kingdom; but the state of that country was wretched beyond description. The desolation made by the English troops effectually prevented their continuance for any length of time in one position. The terrific effects of a violent storm also induced Edward to vow that he would grant peace to France. He consented to terms of pacification, by which Guienne and other provinces were ceded to England, and a large ransom was agreed to be paid for the liberation of king John. In 1362, the Prince of Wales was invested with the English dominions in France, and styled Prince of Aquitaine. He had lately married Joan of Kent, celebrated for her beauty and accomplishments. France was reduced to a miserable state. King John being unable to raise the sum promised for his ransom, voluntarily returned to England, leaving his son as regent. He had an incentive to this honourable action in the conduct of some of the nobles, who, though hostages for his ransom, had broken their faith and escaped. He was received in London with festivities, and treated with respect and attention; but he died there not long after. At this period, France suffered most from the ravages of the independent bodies of soldiery who styled themselves "Free Companions" and "White Companies." Efforts were made to induce them to undertake a crusade, but in vain. In 1366, Du Guesclin, a celebrated French knight, succeeded in di recting the efforts of these troops against | had contracted a fatal disorder. Peter the Cruel, king of Castile, who, after murdering his brothers and many of his nobles, caused his queen, the sister of the queen of France, to be put to death. Du. Guesclin was a bold and enterprising character, and induced these men to follow him. Passing by Avignon, they demanded from the pope a large sum of money and his blessing. No difficulty was made as to the latter, though considerable reluctance was evinced respecting the money; but the character of these warriors was too fully known for the pope to venture to refuse their demands. Du Guesclin and his band soon triumphed. Peter was driven from his throne, and Henry of Tristemarre, reputed his natural brother, was placed there in his stead. Peter applied to the Black Prince for support, and several circumstances pleaded strongly in his favour. He was a profound dissembler, and told his story so as to excite sympathy in the mind of the prince, whose chivalrous temper naturally led him to take up the cause of the deposed monarch, while the opposition between France and England rendered him jealous of the fame and success of Du Guesclin. He at once promised to restore Peter to the throne of Castile. The princess expressed deep regret that her husband should take up the cause of one so deeply criminal; but this only excited the prince to pursue his design more eagerly. It was a fatal resolve, dictated by personal vanity. In 1367, he entered Spain, at the head of a considerable army, having first recalled the English from the White Companies." The prince was soon distressed for supplies. Du Guesclin's first plan was to weaken the enemy by cutting off foragers, and causing the army to waste by famine; but the defiance of prince Edward induced him to give battle at Navarette; he was conquered, and Peter was replaced on the throne. We read in Scripture," He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are an abomination to the Lord." Doubtless the conduct both of Peter and Edward was displeasing to the Most High, who often causes evil doers to punish each other. Peter delayed to reimburse the expenses the Black Prince had incurred in his cause, and detained the English army in an unwholesome, district, till their numbers were diminished by famine, and the prince At length he retired from Spain, and left Peter unprotected. Du Guesclin' soon availed himself of this alteration, and invaded Castile with success. Peter was taken prisoner, and soon after stabbed by his brother Henry. Meanwhile the Black Prince laid heavy taxes on his subjects in Guienne, to liquidate his debts. A hearth-tax, in particular, caused much discontent, and the Gascons applied to the king of France. He willingly availed himself of the pretext, and summoned Edward to give an account of his proceedings, claiming the feudal superiority he had previously relinquished. Hostilities were commenced, but the declining health of the Black Prince prevented him from heading his troops. He was, however, carried in a litter to Limoges, where he caused the city to be stormed, and massacred the garrison with 3000 of the helpless inhabitants, including women and children, many of whom suppli cated him for mercy on their knees, while with inconsistency he spared the three commanders of the French garrison who had compelled the townsmen to resist him. Here is a striking proof that the brightest examples of chivalry were devoid of Christian feeling. The prince was obliged to return to England on account of his declining health. Large sums were raised by the English parliament, and repeated expeditions were sent forth; but after ravaging the country, all that remained to the English was the reputation of having performed a number of gallant actions. Froissart imputes much of the unpopu larity of the English to the arrogance of the Black Prince and his knights, and the contempt with which they treated the natives of the provinces they sought to retain. The French troops soon re gained all the territory lately possessed by England in France, excepting Calais and a few other towns. Thus the boasted victories of Cressy and Poic tiers left only barren laurels to the conquerors, even during their lives; and one of the last public acts of Edward III was to procure money from his subjects to enable him to resist a threatened invasion of England by the French! The lives of thousands, and tens of thousands, with vast sums of money, had been expended in vain, a deep amount of guilt was incurred, and no earthly advantages were gained in return; but national animosities were. the awful words of Holy Writ are excited, and the rivalry thus stirred up has continued even to the present day. Happy will it be for both nations when this evil spirit is wholly laid aside and forgotten. National glory, as it is falsely called, might well be relinquished for so desirable a change. but too applicable: "Thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider the saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms, that made the world as a wilderThe unsatisfactory result of these ex-ness, and destroyed the cities thereof ?" pensive preparations excited the displea- Yet this was a monarch of whom his sure of the parliament; and as they at-rival could say that he had reigned most tributed much of this to the practice of employing the prelates and dignified ecclesiastics in the offices of state, some of these personages were dismissed. In 1376, the Black Prince died at an age comparatively early. He was honoured with a pompous funeral, and left large bequests to abbeys and monasteries, in return for the false peace into which his soul had been lulled by the Romish priesthood. King Edward was now almost in a state of dotage, and the parliament, complaining of the misgoverned condition of the land, prayed that the royal council might be enlarged, and no measures of importance undertaken without its concurrence. Queen Philippa had died in 1369, and the declining monarch was infatuated by a mistress, Alice Piers, who presumed even to seat herself with the judges, and to direct the administration of justice. In the year 1374, Edward placed her by his side in a chariot, calling her the Lady of the Sun, and rode from the Tower to Smithfield, attended by a train of nobles and knights, each of whom was led by a richly dressed damsel. Jousts, the mockfights of chivalry, were held for seven successive days in honour of this wretched minion. Her follies attracted such public notice that she was compelled to retire from court; but the enfeebled king recalled her, and she attended him in his last illness. Her conduct is thus described:-" She permitted him to have no religious attentions, choosing to assert that his health would be reestablished. When his last moments approached, and she observed his voice to fail, his eyes to become glazed, and his limbs chilled, she pulled the rings from his fingers, and went away. A priest found him still sensible, but speechless; but he kissed the cross, and wept, before he expired." We have reason to fear that he had no true faith in Him who died on the cross. But it is to be feared that to Edward nobly and valiantly, and that his name ought to be remembered with honour among heroes; he was offered the empire of Germany, and of him English historians are accustomed loudly to boast! The military spirit of Edward 111. impoverished his country both by withdrawing the services of the ablest part of its population, and by the direct taxation required to support his troops. War was esteemed the noblest profession, and the soldier, whose only employment was to destroy, was paid at a rate double that of the labourer and cultivator of the soil, who benefited others, as well as supported himself and his family. But his need for money compelled Edward to increase the privileges which the middle classes had already begun to enjoy. They had now considerable weight in the legislature, for the representatives of the commons were allowed to form a distinct legislative body; and their speaker not only presided in their deliberations, but pleaded for their rights and privileges, and remonstrated against official misconduct. But the most important improvement in this reign was occasioned by the notice taken of the abuses of the church of Rome; this stimulated to various measures of reformation, and gave clearer views of the necessity of instructing the people. Here the corrupted state of the language was found a great hinderance, the natives of different counties being scarcely able to understand each other. This led to an important change. At the Norman conquest the French language had been introduced into all law proceedings. Thus the most important matters of business were conducted in a tongue of which the mass of the people were ignorant; and the middle and upper ranks were more in the habit of cultivating that language than their own. But in 1862 a law was passed directing the use of the English tongue in all the courts of law. The careful administration of justice was one REVELATION AND THE LANGUAGE IN 1. Revelation and Inspiration. of the most favourable circumstances of fare disappears, and the reader may this reign. Judge Hale, no common au- perceive that "the Lord of hosts hath thority, speaks decidedly in its commend-purposed it to stain the pride of all ation. He says, "The pleadings of this (such) glory." reign have neither uncertainty, prolixity, nor obscurity." The language of the country was now cultivated by those who had formerly neglected it, and authors were encouraged to use it in their writings. Those who really desired the spiritual welfare of the people, dispersed vast numbers of small written treatises and translations of Scripture in English; and not only the middle, but the lower orders, began to take an interest in their religious and civil liberties; though as yet this work proceeded slowly. The seed was largely sown in the fourteenth century, but more than 100 years passed away before much of the fruit was to be seen. This was the most glorious feature of Edward's reign. The false glare proceeding from victory and slaughter had disappeared even before his death. The progress made in the arts was evidenced by many noble edifices constructed in this reign, but these have mostly crumbled into dust. The privileges gained by the community, but still more the resistance to the papal authority, and the inclinations to repress the undue assumptions of the ecclesiastics, have alone left traces of benefits arising during the reign of Edward III. In his days Englishmen first began to search the Scriptures" in their native tongue. Ball and others boldly rebuked the vices and usurpations of the popedom; and when forbidden to preach in churches, they spoke openly to multitudes in the markets and on the highways until silenced by imprisonment. But Wickliff, though at first only excited to resist the Romish tyranny, soon had clearer views of the soul-destroying effects of popery, especially in the conduct of the monastic orders. The archbishop of Armagh, and others, had similar views, but Wickliff pursued the work with greater ability, and made it his main object to "declare the evil deeds of the monks and friars." 66 As an effectual measure to promote this work, he translated the Scriptures into English. But the history of this reformer belongs more properly to the following reign. Thus, although the reign of Edward III. is often spoken of as the most glorious in the British annals, when viewed clearly, and tried by Christian principles, the false glare of successful war This distinction is in exact accordance with the declaration of our Saviour to his disciples, John xiv. 26, xvi. 12, 13, where the twofold office of the Holy Spirit, of bringing to remembrance things before known by other means, and of revealing new truths, is clearly recognised. The word inspiration, by the custom of speech, includes both these operations of the Spirit; the word revelation only the latter. Accordingly, revelation may be defined as that act of the Holy Spirit, by which truths before unknown are communicated to men; and inspiration, the act of the Spirit, by which not only unknown truths are communicated, but by which also men are excited to publish truths for the instruction of others, and are guarded from all error in doing it. Thus it was revealed to the ancient prophets that the Messiah should appear, and they were inspired to publish this fact for the benefit of others. |