TABLE OF CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

THE PRIMITIVE SAXONS.

PAGE

The polity of the United States to some extent a revival of

something most ancient. The plains at the mouths of the

Elbe and Weser.- Social and legal aspects of the civiliza-

tion of the Anglo-Saxons. — Divisions of rank. - Political

forms. Comparison of the Anglo-Saxon polity with that

of other primitive Aryan peoples; with that of modern

America. Freeman and J. R. Green on the retention of.

Anglo-Saxon elements in the constitutions of England and

America.

-

1

CHAPTER II.

THE ANGLO-SAXON CONQUEST OF BRITAIN.

-

Inquiry into the value cf Anglo-Saxon freedom. — Views of

John Stuart Mill and J. Toulmin Smith. - Saxon conquest

of Britain. - Transferrence of the continental civilization

to the new home. - Appearance of kingship. - How the

King was appointed. — Origin of the thegns. — Conver-

sion of the Saxons to Christianity. The Heptarchy.—

The supremacy of Wessex. Moots of tun, hundred, and

shire. - The witenagemote.- Conservative spirit of Al-

fred. Influence of the Danes. The ceorls sink toward

villeinage. Incipient feudalism. - Edward the Confes-

-

-

-

Appearance to-day of the field of Senlac. - Importance of
the battle. The beach at Hastings. — Landing of the Nor-

-

-

mans in 1066. — Appearance of Duke William. ·

. His pres-

11

ence of mind.

bey. - The

-

-

- Difficult situation of Harold. - Battle Ab-
"Roman de Rou." The two armies opposed.

- The minstrel Taillefer. - Dangerous situation of the

Normans. — The wounding of Harold. — The rout of the

Saxons. A walk to-day over the battle-field

CHAPTER IV.

-

-

-

PAGE

25

-

MAGNA CHARTA AND THE RISE OF PARLIAMENT.

Submergence of popular government under feudalism. -

Ultimate good effect of the Norman conquest. - Character.

of the rule of William I. - Domesday Book. Persistence

of ancient institutions in tun, hundred, and shire. Char-

acter of the King's title. - Limitation of feudalism in Eng-

land. Work of Henry II in depressing the great vassals.

-The Curia Regis. - Serfdom. - Trial by jury.

sion of John.- Runnymede. Analysis of Magna Charta.

- The work of Langton. The origin of Parliament.

Value of the representative system. Conditions of its

success. - Simon de Montfort and his achievement. - Ed-

ward I and the establishment of the House of Commons . 38

-

CHAPTER V.

THE COMING UP OF THE SERFS.

-

-

Condition of freedom in Europe in the thirteenth century.-
Constitution of the early Parliaments. — Importance of
the knights-of-the-shire. — The yeomen. - Unfortunate
state of the boroughs. - The Chapter House at Westmin-
ster. Division of Parliament into two Houses. Growth
of the power of Parliament. Its imperfect character as a
representative body. - Rise of the farmers and the free
laborers. The Statute of Laborers. - Peasant rebellion.
John Ball in Kent. - Bearing of Richard II.— Wat Tyler
of Essex.. His death. Treachery of the King.
liam Grindecobbe. - Aristocratic temper of Parliament

Deposition of Richard II. - Power of Parliament under

Henry IV. - Popularity of Henry V. Fortescue on the

English constitution. - Sudden decay of the power of Par-

-

. 62

liament. - Misfortunes to representation in the shires and
the boroughs.-Jack Cade's rebellion. - Justice of his
cause. - The Wars of the Roses.- Extinction of the power
of the nobles. - Accession of the Tudor line.

-

CHAPTER VII.

DEPRESSION OF THE POWER OF PARLIAMENT.

-

-

Great increase of the power of the Crown. Effect of the

Reformation in producing this. - Position and character

of Henry VIII. - Good points of his reign. — Catholic

reaction under Mary. - Wyatt's rebellion. — Parliament

grows more spirited under Elizabeth. - Sir Thomas Smith's

description. -Tact of the Queen - Acts of Suprem-

acy and Uniformity. - Star Chamber and High Commis-

sion Courts. - Absolutism restrained under the Tudors.

Its triumph everywhere upon the continent. - Growth of

the doctrine of the jus divinum. - Cowell's "Interpreter."

-Subserviency of Convocation and the University of

Oxford. - Claims of James I.-Opposition of Parlia-

ment. Accession of Charles I. The Petition of Right.

-Laud, Strafford, and the policy of "Thorough." — Ship-

money

-

-

-

-

PAGE

80

94

CHAPTER VIII.

SETTLEMENT OF AMERICA.

-

-

Charters of the East India and Virginia Companies. — Settle-

ment of Jamestown; of Plymouth. - Revival of ancient

Anglo-Saxon polity in New England. - Submergence in

England of the popular moots. Methods of Puritan set-

tlement in New England. - The town-meeting. Repro-

duction of contemporary England in Virginia. - The

parish, the county, the court of Quarter Sessions.-

Scene at the county court. — Reasons for the contrast be-

tween New England and Virginia. - The yeoman settlers

of the former. — The great planters, the slaves, the poor

whites of the South.·

Virtues of

· Disrepute of labor.

the Virginia society. - Spirit of the House of Burgesses.
- Condition of South Carolina; of Maryland. - Feudalism
in New York and Pennsylvania. — The popular moot the

-

-

-

-

-

--

primordial cell of Anglo-Saxon freedom. — Its condition in

the Thirteen Colonies, its spirit in New England, its feeble-

ness in the South

PAGE

110

CHAPTER IX.

THE ENGLAND OF CHARLES I.

-

-

Effort of Charles to rule without a Parliament. - The Short

Parliament. Assembling of the Long Parliament. — Its

idea to establish the equilibrium between King, Lords, and

Commons. Arrest of Laud and Strafford. · The Grand

Remonstrance. Attempt to arrest the Five Members.

Outbreak of the Civil War. - Constitution of the two

parties. Edgehill. Low estate of the Parliament. -

The Solemn League and Covenant and Marston Moor. —

Naseby. The rank and file of the Ironsides. — Their

manifestoes. Reluctance of the leaders to subscribe to

them. The prayer-meeting of December 22, 1647 .. 130

-

-

CHAPTER X.

THE ENGLISH COMMONWEALTH.

Civil war of 1648.

ton.

-

Siege of Colchester and battle of Pres-
The Grand Army Remonstrance. - Resistance of

Parliament. Pride's Purge.

The Agreement of the People. Its anticipation of the
Reform Bill of 1832. - Abolishment of the kingship and
the House of Peers. - Execution of the King. - Republi-
can ideas of the party in power. - Temporary government
of the Rump and the Council of State. - Embarrassments
of the Independents. - Cromwell in Ireland.
- The cam-
paigns of Dunbar and Worcester. The ocean war with
Holland. - Schism among the Independents. The dis-
solution of the Rump. The autocracy of Cromwell.
Panegyric of Milton. The Restoration.- Benefits se-
cured by the English Revolution

Enthusiasm for Charles II. Reaction from the ideas of

-

the Commonwealth. - Benefits flowing from the bad char-

-

-

acters of Charles II and James II.-The nation forced
into resistance. The Bill of Rights and the Revolution.
William and Mary. — Extinction of liberty elsewhere. –
Whigs and Tories. — Important part played by the non-
conformists and commercial classes. - The Huguenots and
other refugees.- Doubtful struggle between Whigs and
Tories. Establishment of modern forms in the polity. –
Rise of the Cabinet. - Unsatisfactory condition of Parlia-
ment. - Power of the nobles and men of wealth

-

-

CHAPTER XII.

ERA OF PARLIAMENTARY CORRUPTION.

Equal responsibility of Whigs and Tories for parliamentary
corruption. Stooping of honest men to bribery. - Degen-
eracy of the county representation. - Decline of yeomen.
- Assumptions of the great land-holders. Bad condi-
tion of the boroughs. - Destruction of the popular fran-
chise. ― Rotten boroughs.—Their growth under the Tu-
dors and Stuarts. Large towns unrepresented. — Cases
of Buckingham, Bewdley, Oxford, Salisbury, Bath, New
Shoreham, Sudbury. — Condition of Scotland. - Case of
the shire of Bute. Price of seats in Parliament. - The
"nabobs." - Testimony of Sir Samuel Romilly. The peo-
ple unrepresented. Case of Wilkes. - Mass-meetings. ·
Rise of the great newspapers. — Dangers to freedom

CHAPTER XIII.

THE COMING ON OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

-

-

Condition of the Thirteen Colonies in the first half of
eighteenth century. - The approach of the American Rev-
olution. The title to the colonies in the Crown, not in
the Parliament. — Inconsistency of Kings and colonists.
The ecclesiastical grievance. The commercial grievance.
Selfishness of the trading-spirit. — The Sugar Act. —
The rights and privileges of Englishmen. - Effect of the
destruction of French power. - Enforcement of customs
regulations. The Writs of Assistance. - The Stamp Act.
Debate in Parliament. - Burke, Chatham, Camden,
Mansfield. The question summed up. - Superior appre-

-

-

PAGE

163

177