The greater Barons, out of whom in later days our House of Lords or Peers was formed, came, as they still do, in person to the national council; and as the smaller tenants of the Crown or freeholders were too numerous to do likewise, a few of their number had occasionally been summoned to act for them-so many knights from each county. This was the origin of our county members, who still are called Knights of the Shire. But a House of knights alone would have been a poor representation of the whole people. Simon brought the towns also into the national assembly, making not only each county send two knights, but each city and borough send two of their citizens or burgesses. It was not however till thirty years later that representatives of the towns began to be regularly and continuously summoned to Parliament, forming, together with the knights, our House of Commons. Simon's Parliament, which met Jan. 20, 1265, was not what would be called a full and free Parliament. The number of earls and barons was small, Simon having summoned only those who supported him; on the other hand there was a large body of clergy, as among that class he had many friends.

Simon "the

6. Battle of Evesham.-Earl Righteous," as he was called, did not keep his power much longer. His sons gave offence by their haughtiness and ill-conduct, and one of the foremost of the Barons, Gilbert of Clare, Earl of Gloucester, entered into league with the Royalist Mortimers, one of the great families on the Welsh marches. Hoping to bring about Edward's escape, his friends sent him a fleet horse, upon which, having craftily got leave for a race or trial of horses, he galloped away from his escort, bidding them farewell with sarcastic courtesy. Fortune now turned against the Earl of Leicester, whose plans were defeated by his son Simon allowing himself to be surprised by Edward and the Earl of

Gloucester at Kenilworth. Edward and Gloucester then advanced against the elder Simon at Evesham, Aug. 4, 1265, and, by displaying in their van the banners they had won at Kenilworth, deluded their adversaries into taking the approaching force for that of young Simon. When the ensigns of the Royalist leaders at length appeared, the elder Simon saw that he was outnumbered and outgeneralled. "They come up in skilful fashion, but they have learned that ordering from me, not of themselves," said the veteran warrior; "now let us commend our souls to God, for our bodies are theirs." King Henry, being forced to appear in the baronial ranks, ran no small risk, until the fall of his helmet revealed him to the too zealous friends who were attacking him. Earl Simon, unhorsed and hemmed in by foes, fought on valiantly, till a blow from behind ended his life. His body was brutally mangled by the Royalists, but some relics of the corpse were buried by the friendly monks of Evesham; and the clergy and people in general honoured him as a martyr. This victory restored Henry to power, although "the Disinherited"-that is, Simon's adherents and their sons, whose estates were confiscated-kept up a fierce plundering warfare for two years longer. In the end they were allowed to redeem their estates, though this advantage was not extended to the Montfort family. Among the last to yield was the North-Welsh prince, Llywelyn, son of Gruffydd, who had been in alliance with Earl Simon, and whose submission was soothed by the title of Prince of Wales.

7. Death of Henry. The land being now at peace, Edward and Edmund set off upon what proved to be the last Crusade ; and during their absence King Henry died, Nov. 16, 1272. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, which he had begun to rebuild; and ere his sepulchre was closed, the Earl of Gloucester, laying his hand on the corpse, swore fealty to the absent Edward, who was at once proclaimed King.

8. Magna Carta.-The Great Charter, with the omission of the clauses touching taxation and the national council, and with some other alterations, was thrice re-issued in this reign: first, on the accession of Henry; secondly, after the departure of Louis, when a Charter of the Forest was added, which declared that no man should lose life or limb for taking the King's game; thirdly, in 1225, being the condition upon which Henry obtained a grant of money from the national council. In this last form it was afterwards confirmed more than thirty times. The proverbial phrase, Nolumus leges Anglia mutare, (We will not change the laws of England,) dates from this reign, it having been the answer of the earls and barons in council at Merton in 1236, when urged by the bishops to bring the law of inheritance into accordance with the ecclesiastical law.

9. The Universities.-The English Universities, which began to be of importance in the time of Henry, had arisen in the twelfth century, being at first gatherings of independent masters and scholars, not attached to any great ecclesiastical foundation, and not as yet formed into endowed societies. The first of these settlements of students was at Oxford, which was then one of the chief towns of England, a strong military post, and a place in which great national assemblies were often held. There in 1133, a Breton, Robert Pulan, first began to lecture on divinity, and in 1149, Vacarius, a Lombard, began to teach the Roman law. By the close of the thirteenth century, Oxford ranked as one of the greatest schools of the Western world. Cambridge also became the seat of an University, but of its early history hardly anything is known. Incorporated and endowed colleges within the Universities were first founded in the thirteenth century.

10. Gothic Architecture.-In the last years of the twelfth century arose the Pointed or Gothic style

of architecture, which flourished until the introduction of the Italian style in the sixteenth century. When it had gone out of fashion, and its beauties were not appreciated, the name of Gothic, which had the sense of barbarous, was fixed upon it in scorn. It is also called pointed, because its leading feature is the pointed arch. Salisbury Cathedral is a good specimen of early Gothic; and the Eleanor Crosses, and the nave of York Minster, of that which prevailed under the first three Edwards. The naves of Winchester and Canterbury Cathedrals represent the form intermediate between York nave and the latest Gothic, of which the chapels of St. George at Windsor and of Henry VII. at Westminster are examples.

CHAPTER XVII.

EDWARD I.

Edward I. (1). war with Prince Llywelyn; death of Llywelyn and of David; creation of the Prince of Wales; Wales annexed to England (2)-competitors for the Scottish Crown; decision of Edward; conquest of Scotland; deposition of Balliol; Stone of Scone (3) William Wallace; second conquest of Scotland; murder of Comyn; Bruce crowned King of Scots; death of Edward (4)—family of Edward (5)—-legislation; Parliament; Confirmation of the Charters; parliamentary taxation (6)—expulsion of the Jews (7).

I. Edward, First from the Norman Conquest, surnamed Longshanks, 1272-1307.Edward, the first English prince after the Norman Conquest who was an Englishman at heart, was strong and tall, towering by head and shoulders above the

cut out.

crowd, a good horseman, a keen hunter, and noted for his skill in knightly exercises. His credit as a Crusader was heightened by his having narrowly escaped with his life from the poisoned dagger of a Mohammedan assassin. The touching story that his wife, Eleanor of Castile, at her own peril sucked the venom from his wound, is but a romance; for in truth Edward's fortitude was put to the test of having the poisoned flesh He could hold his own in hand-to-hand fight, was a skilful general, and never grudged taking his share of the hardships of war. During a campaign in Wales, when he and some of his men ran short of provisions, he refused to have the small supply of wine reserved for himself. "In time of need all things ought to be in common," he said, "I, who am the cause of your being in this strait, will fare no better than you." Besides being a good soldier, he was a great statesman and ruler. Loving power, he was loth to give it up, but he knew when to yield; his chief fault was a disposition to strain his legal rights, and keep to the letter of the law rather than to its spirit.

2. Conquest of Wales.-Upon Edward's accession, Llywelyn, Prince of Wales, was called upon to do homage. This he persistently evaded, till he was at length declared a rebel, and was soon brought by force of arms to submit. For some years there was peace, though both prince and people still hoped to win their independence. Resistance was first made by the very man from whom Edward could least have expected it, Dafydd or David, who had fought on the English side against his brother Llywelyn, and had been favoured and enriched by Edward. He raised in 1282 a formidable insurrection; but after Llywelyn had fallen in a chance encounter with an English knight, the Welsh chieftains yielded, and David, being delivered up by his own countrymen, was put to death as a traitor and a murderer, Sept. 20, 1283. Llywelyn's head, encircled with a wreath of silver ivy-leaves,