The History of the British Empire, from the Accession of James I. To which is prefixed a review of the progress of England, from the Saxon Period to ... 1603

Front matter

TM I: HISTORY in THE BRITISH EMPIRE. THE HISTORY OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE, FROV1 THE ACCESSION OF JAMES THE FIRST. TO WHICH 13 PREFIXED A REVIEW OF THE PROGRESS OF ENGLAND FROM Till SAXON PERIOD TO THE LAST YEAR OF THE REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. 16CU. BY JOHN MACGREGOR, M.P. VOL. I. LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL, 193, PICCADILLY. MDCCCLII. THE HISTORY • >F THE BRITISH EMPIRE. CONTENTS OF VOL. I. Page Introduction i A Review or the Progress of England from the Saxon Period to the last Year of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, a.d. 450 to a.d. 1603 — 1153 Years.

Chapter I

The Saxon Period. a.d. The Roman Occupation xliv 590. Preaching of St. Augustine xlv The Saxon Tongue xlvi State and Church xlix Six remarkable Characteristics of the Saxon Period 1 Popular Institutions and System of Government li Domestic Condition of the People ib. 700. The Laws 1!i Probable Origin of the Privileges of Members of Parliament **• 710. Institutions of Idolatry •>" Vassalage of England to Rome to 741. Intemperance of the Clergy •*• Domestic Manners of the Anglo-Saxons hv al • CONTENTS. PAGE a.d. Early Yeomanry os England lvii Stale of Manufactures lviii Incursions of the Danes lx 1066. Population of England at the Conquest lxi The Saxon Government lxii Frauds of the Church „ lxiii

Chapter II

The Norman Period. 1067. Tyranny and Rapacity of William the Conqueror lxv Struggles of the People against Norman Rule lxvii Degradation of Archbishop Stigand ib. A First Legate from Rome ib. Revenue of William the Conqueror lxx 1087. Accession of William Rufus lxxi The Feudal Laws lxxii Love of Freedom inherent in the Anglo-Saxon Race Ixxiv Degraded Condition of the English lxxv Charter of Henry I lxxvi Commencement of Royal Progresses lxxvii Tyranny of the Ecclesiastical Courts lxxviii Constitutions of Clarendon ib. Dissimulation and Arrogance of A'Becket lxxxi Vigorous Administration of Henry II ib. Murder of A'Becket -. lxxxii 1214. Pilgrimage and Penance of Henry II ib. General Character and Excesses of Richard I lxxxv Character of King John lxxxvi Murder of Prince Arthur ib. Extinction of the Norman Power lxxxviii

Chapter III

First English Period. 1215. Period of Independent English History lxxxviii, lxxxix Chivalric Customs of the Normans xc Policy and Government of the Norman Monarchs xci The Feudal System xciii The Magna Charta xcvii Early Parliaments of England xcviii The Revenues of the King cvi Degraded state of Justice cviii Immoralities of the Clergy CONTENTS. 5

Chapter IV

Iirst English Period continued. —Digression SHOWING THAT A RUDE STATE OF INDUSTRY AND AN INSIGNIFICANT OR DECAYED Trade AND NAVIGA- TION HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CONCOMITANT WITH THE AD- DEPRESSED STATE OF NATIONS. 1215. Domestic Condition of the English People cxii Industry and Commerce cx;;j Commercial Interchange cxv Natural Advantages of Great Britain ib. Labour and Wealth cxviji Progress of Mankind cxjx Civil Liberty and Civilisation cxxii Progressof the Anglo-Saxon Race cxxv Early Restrictions on Commerce cxxvii Institution of Colleges cxxviii ., of Hostels or Inns of Court or Chancery ... cxxix State of Learning #,.

Chapter V

First Period of English History resumed.— Early Progress of Civil and Political Regeneration. Reign of Henry I. and its leading features cxxx „ of Stephen, the Usurper cxxxii „ of Henry II cxxxiii „ ofJohn ib. „ of Henry III ib. Rapacity of the Ecclesiastics cxxxiv Statutes of Oxford ib. Prince Edward swears to maintain the Charters cxxxv Conspiracy against Henry III cxxxvi The First House of Commons ib. The Charters of Henry III cxxxvii Rapin on Baronial Privileges cxxxviii Separation of the King's Judicial and Executive Functions ib. Statutes of Edward I cxxxix

Chapter VI

The Political Administration of England under Edward I. and the Plantagenets, until the Wars of the Roses. The Commons first summoned cxli Subjugation of Wales ib. CONTENTS. PAGE a.d. Conquest of Scotland exlii Barbarity of Edward towards Wallace and the Scots ... ib. The form of Government in Scotland cxliii State of Ireland in the Reign of Edward I ib. Tribunal of Tail Baton cxliv Barbarity of Edward towards the Jews cxlv His Principles of Royal Prerogative cxlvi The Chief Statutes of his Reign ib. Progress of the Church in acquiring Territorial Estates cxlviii Edward's plan to curb the Ambition of the Clergy cxlix His Hostility towards them /..... cli Plunders their Property ib. His Expedition to Flanders cliv His Treachery with regard to the Charters civ Characteristics of the Age clvi 1307 Reign of Edward II clviii to Battle of Bannockburn ib. 1327.

Edward III. compared with Louis XIV clxi Arbitrary Acts of Edward III clxiii The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge clxiv Manufactures and Trade clxv Constitutional Government of England clxvii Representative System in the Reign of Richard II clxix The Poll-tax and Wat Tyler's Insurrection ib. 1400

Chapter VII

to The English Period continued. 1485. Henry IV clxxii His Hypocrisy on Church Reform clxxiii 1401. Burning of Sautrfe, the Lollard ib. Proposal of the Commons to confiscate all Ecclesiastical Property ,-j,. Address from the Commons to mitigate th^ Statutes against the Lollards clxxiv The Lack-Learning Parliament ib. Rapin on the Corruption of Parliament clxxvi Character of Henry V clxxviii The Maid of Orleans clxxix The Church of Rome and Civil Liberty clxxx

Chapter VIII

Conclusion of the First Period of English History.— The Wars of the Roses and the Accession of Henry VII. Calamities of the People c]xxxi CONTENTS. 7 page a.d. Murder os the Duke of Gloucester — Jack Cade clxxxii Civil War of the Lancasterians and Yorkists ib. Victories of Edward IV. of York clxxxv Revolt against Edward clxxxvii His Defeat and Flight from England ih. His Return to England clxxxix The Battle of Barnet and his Restoration ib. Murder of Henry VI cxc Murder of Edward V. and the Duke of York cxci Battle of Bos worth Field cxcii The House of Lancaster ib Trade and Navigation of England cxciii

Chapter IX

1485 Second Period of English History. — Reigns of to the Tudors — Henry VII. to the Death of 1603. Elizabeth. 1485. Henry VII. Remarkable Circumstances of the Second Period cxcv State of the Nation on the Accession of Henry VII. cxcix Insurrections of Simnel and Warbeck cci Character of Henry VII ccii Corruption of Parliament ccv Henry's Violation of the Magna Ckarta ccvi His Avarice — Revolt against the Taxes ccviii Commercial and Legislative Acts of his Reign ccxii Henry VIII. 1509. State of the Nation on his Accession ccxv Chief Incidents ofhis Reign ib. His Intellectual Capacity and Predilections ccxvi Execution of Empson and Dudley ccxviii 1514. Henry's Martial Vanity and its Results si- Lord Herbert's Remarks on his War against France ccxx Tournament of the Cloth of Gold ccxxi Henry's Quarrels with the Pope— Anne BoIeyn,&c... ccxxii Hurd's Description of the Commons at this Period ... ccxxiv Inquiry into the Conduct of the Parliament of Henry ib.

Subversion of the Papal Supremacy in England ccxxx Suppression of the Monasteries and the consequences ccxxxiv Remarks on the Property of the Church ccxxxviii Sir Thomas More, Wolsey, and Cromwell ccxii Review of the Acts of this Reign ">• CONTENTS. a.d. Edward VI. page 1547. Character of Edward ccxliv Invasion of Scotland by Somerset ccxlv Popular sentiments in regard to the Reformation ccxlvii Severe enactments against Beggary ccxlviii The Nobility and the Church and College Lands ccxlix The Liturgy ib. Religious Character of both Houses of Parliament .... ib. Intrigues of Warwick against the Protector ccl Execution of Somerset and his Friends ib. Northumberland and Lady Jane Grey executed cclii 1553. Reign of Queen Mary. Reaction in favour of Papacy ccliii Her Family and Early Associations ccliv Restoration of the Catholic Religion ib.

Review of the Events of her Reign ib. 558. Reign of Queen Elizabeth. State of England on the Accession of Elizabeth cclviii Re-establishment of the Reformed Religion cclix Her Reply to the Address of Parliament cclxi Litany of the Reformed Church ib. Conspiracies of the Roman Catholics cclxiii Persecution of the Puritans ib. The Puritans and Church Reform cclxiv 1.581. Penal Laws against the Catholics cclxv Philipp II. of Spain and Protestantism cclxvi 1584. Further Enactments against Papists and Jesuits ib. Court of Ecclesiastical Commission cclxvii Supremacy of the Queen as Head of the Church cclxviii General Policy and Administration of Elizabeth cclxix Constitutional Rights of Parliament cclxx The Monopolies cclxxii Peter Wentworth. Civil Liberty and Religious Freedom cclxxiv 1586. Parliament — Subserviency of the Puritans cclxxvi The Queen's haughty Treatment of Parliament cclxxvii Imprisonment of several Members ib.

Undaunted Perseverance of Wentworth ib. Effects of her Resistance to Parliamentary Freedom... cclxxix Absolute Authority of the Queen cclxxxii Courts-Martial ib. 1000. State of Justice in this Reign , cclxxxiv Parliament of 1571 and the Prerogative Royal cclxxxv 1601. Bold Spirit of Liberty in the Commons CONTENTS. 9 A.D. PAGE General Remarks on the Reign of Elizabeth ccxci 1603. Her Death and Character ib. Mary Queen of Scots ccxcv

Chapter X

The Condition of England under the Tudors, and on the Accession of James the Sixth to the British Throne. I. Domestic Manners ccxcix The Progresses of Queen Elizabeth cccvii Decay of Baronial Hospitality cccviii Vanity, Virtues, and Foibles of Elizabeth cccx 1574. First Patent for acting Tragedies and Comedies ... cccxii II. Learning and Science cccxiii Men of Learning in the Reigns of Henry VIII. and Elizabeth cccxv III. Population, Crime, and Poor La ivs cccxviii IV. The Revenue of the Tudors cccxxiii V. Agriculture, Manufactures, and Trade of England before the Tudors cccxxvi Forests. Sea-Coal cccxxxvii VI. Commerce of England during the Tudor Dynasty cccxliii First Trading Voyages to Africa and America cccliii Voyages of Drake ccclix ofCavendish ccclx 1599. Direct Trade with India ccclxi 1576.

First attempt to establish Colonies in America ... ccclxii 1575. The Whale Fisheries in the Arctic Seas ccclxiii State of the Coinage ib. 1562. VII. Origin of the English-African Slave Trade... ccclxiv Royal Navy during the Tudor Dynasty ccclxix VIII. Stale of Ireland until the Death of Queen Elizabeth ccc,xxi 800. The Danes or Eastmen in Ireland ccclxxiv Invasion by Strongbow and Henry II ccclxxv The Scots invade Ireland under Edward Bruce... ccclxxxi The English in Ireland in the Fourteenth Century ccclxxxiii State of Ireland during the Fifteenth Century ccclxxxiv State of Ireland on the Accession of Henry VII. ... ccclxxxv The O'Neale Rebellions ccclxxxvii IX. Anglo-Irish Church Established cccxci X. Irish Industry and Trade cccxcv First Settlement of Colonists in Ulster cccxcviii CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XL

Sketch of the Condition of Scotland until the Death of Queen Elizabeth. page a.d. Government and Laws of Scotland cccxcviii Confederacies ccccii Fatality of the Stuart Family cccciii Feudalism in Scotland cccciv Regalities and other Jurisdictions ccccv The King and the Barons' Feuds ccccix State of Religion in the Reign of James V ccccxiv 1542. Reformation in Scotland ccccxv Representative System ccccxvi The Lords of the Articles ccccxvii Invasion of Scotland by Henry VIII ccccxxi Conspiracies and Anarchy ccccxxii 1547. Invaded by the Protector Somerset ccccxxiv Disastrous Battle of Pinkie ccccxxv John Knox ccccxxvi Mary of Guise Regent ccccxxvii Catholic Monasteries and Charities ccccxxviii Chancellors and Church Dignitaries ccccxxix Corrupt Morals of the Clergy and Nobles ccccxxx 1557. Marriage of Mary Stuart and the Dauphin ccccxxxi 1559.

Courtesy of Scotland — Crown Matrimonial ib. The Queen Regent persecutes the Protestants ccccxxxiii Riots at Perth ccccxxxv The Protestants march to Edinburgh ccccxxxvii The Queen Regent is reinforced by the Guises ib. The Protestants aided by Queen Elizabeth ccccxl 1 560. Treaty between the Lords of the Congregation and Queen Regent ccccxli The Reformation and the Scottish Parliament ccccxliii The Monasteries Suppressed ccccxiv First General Assembly of the Protestants ccccxlvii Knox's Book of Church Discipline ib.

Chapter XII

Return of Mary Stuart to Scotland, and the consequences. 1563. Mary refuses to Assent to the Protestant Church Establishment ccccl Conduct of John Knox and the Reformers ib. 1565. Her Marriage with Darnley ccccii 1566. The Murder of Rizzio ft. CONTENTS. 11 A,D' PAGE 1567. The Murder of Daruley ccccii The Queen Marries Bothwell ccoclii Confederacy against Mary ;b. The Infant James VI. proclaimed King ccccliii 1568. Mary imprisoned in Lochleven Castle ib. Escapes and assembles an Army ib. The Battle of Langside ib. Flight of Mary to England ib. 1570. Murder of the good Regent Murray ib. 1581. Factions and intestine Anarchy ccccliv

Chapter XIII

Reign of James VI. in Scotland. 1582. Deplorable State of Scotland cccclvi 1583. Raid of Ruthven ib. Andrew Melville persecuted cccclviii James attempts to reduce the Presbyterian Church.. ib. His System of Kingcraft cccclix Policy of Elizabeth in Scotland / cccclxi Conspiracies against Elizabeth cccclxii The Master of Grey cccclxv Alleged Conspiracy against Elizabeth cccclxvi Return of the Banished Lords to Scotland cccclxviii Revolution in Scotland cccclxix Judicial Murder of Mary Stuart cccclxx Queen Elizabeth and Scottish Affairs cccclxxi Marriage of James VI cccclxxii Subsequent Events and Incidents cccclxxiv Bothwell's Attempt against the King — The consequences cccclxxv Battle of Glenlivat cccclxxviii Death of Maitland ib. Persecution of the Roman Catholics cccclxxix Standing Council of the Church cccclxxx The General Assembly and the Royal Prerogative cccclxxxvi Gowrie Conspiracy cccclxxxvii Tranquillity Restored ccccxciii 1603. Accession of King James to the English Throne ... ib. Manners of the Scottish Nobility, and State of Learning ccccxcv

Chapter XIV

Industry and Trade of Scotland at the Death of Queen Elizabeth ccccxcvii Navy of James IV dii Restrictive Policy of the Scottish Parliament diii CONTENTS, A.D. 1603 History of the British Empire. — The Reign of to the Two First Stuarts, a.d. 1603 to 1649. 1649.

Chapter I

page 1603. James I. departs from Holyrood to London dvii Elizabeth and James dviii His Progress and his Profuse Gifts of Titles dix His Foreign Relations dx Alleged Conspiracy dxi Trial of Sir Walter Raleigh dxii Disputes between the Puritans and the Church dxiii Conference at Hampton Court ib. 1604. A great Plague dxiv The King and the Privileges of the Commons dxv Ideas of governing as an absolute King dxvi Attempt of Parliament to relieve Trade from Restrictions dxvii London Corporate Monopolies ib. Proposed Union of England and Scotland dxviii Habits of the King — Hunting and Drinking dxix Gunpowder Conspiracy ib. 1607. Parsimony of Parliament dxx Increase of Trade and Navigation dxxi Extravagance of James dxxii 1610. Opposition of Parliament to Royal Proclamations dxxiii Attempt to limit the King's Supremacy over the Church j'6.

The favourite Carre dxxv The Prerogative Royal dxxvi 1612. Death of Cecil dxxviii Suffolk succeeds ib. Sale of Titles and Patents ib. Intrigues by " Undertakers" ib. 1614. A Parliament dxxix Young Buckingham appears at Court ib. 1615. Disgrace of Somerset dxxx Scandalous Elevation of Buckingham dxxxi 1616. James compounds with the Dutch ib. 1617. Visit of James to Scotland dxxxii Summons a General Assembly ib. Execution of Sir Walter Raleigh dxxxiii 1621. A Parliament dxxxiv Impeachment of Lord Bacon ib. CONTENTS. 13 a.d. page Commons assume the character of Defenders of the People dxxxv 1622. Sir Edwin Sandys imprisoned dxxxvi Bold Remonstrance of the New Parliament dxxxvii They urge the King to persecute Catholics ib. The King forbids the Commons to discuss matters of State ib. They despise his Threats, and send him a second Remonstrance dxxxviii Conduct of the King ib.

Several Members of the Commons apprehended and imprisoned dxxxix Rise of a Court Party and a Party of Political Freedom dxl Failure of the King's Foreign Policy dxliii Indiscreet Visit of Prince Charles and Buckingham to Madrid dxliv 1623-4. The King proposes War against Spain dxlvi Renewal of the Animosities against the Catholics dxlvii Impeachment of the Treasurer Middlesex ib. Disastrous Expedition to Flanders dxlviii 1625. Remarks on the Transactions of the Reign of James I. dxlix Character of the King and his Courtiers dl Prerogative in matters of Trade and Navigation dli London and Westminster dlii Manufactures, Trade, Riches, and Revenue dliii Royal Navy dlv Board of Trade dlvi State of Learning dlviii

Chapter II

Reign of Charles I. 1598. Birth and Education of Charles dlx His Character and Principles dlxi 1626. His First Speech to the Commons dlxii His Marriage Alliance with France dlxv Members and Temper of the Commons ib. Commencement of the Struggle for Political Liberty ib. The Plague— A Parliament at Oxford dlxvi The Commons refuse Supplies— Charles dissolves the Parliament dlxvii He borrows Money under Privy Seals dlxviii Fruitless Expedition to Cadiz &. Impeachment of Buckingham dlxix CONTENTS. a.d. . . PAGE Digges and Dudley Imprisoned — Charles dismisses Parliament — Resolves to govern by his own Councils dlxx He compounds with the Catholics ib. Ship-Money dlxxi Arrests for Refusal of Payment dlxxii 1627. A New Parliament dlxxiv The Commons refuse Supplies, and insist on a redress of Grievances dlxxvi 1628.

The Petition of Rights dlxxvii 1629. Resolute Proceedings in Parliament dlxxviii , Prorogation — Imprisonment of several Members — Elliot dies in the Tower dlxxix Charles resolves never to meet a Parliament ib. Apostasy and Character of Wentworth dlxxx Character and Persecuting Speech of Laud dlxxxiii Taxes levied by Royal Prerogative dlxxxviii Illegal and merciless Proceedings dlxxxix 1633. The King's Visit to Scotland dxc 1637. Trial of John Hampden dxcii Attempt of the Puritan leaders to embark for America ib. Arbitrary Penalties inflicted dxciii Charles attempts to introduce the Liturgy in Scotland dxciv The famous Solemn League and Covenant dxcv General Assembly and Episcopacy dxcvi A General Rising of the Covenanters dxcviii 1639. Charles invades Scotland ib. The Parliament of England meets after an Interregnum of eleven years dc Subsidies refused until Grievances are redressed dcii A Sudden Dissolution — Defeat of the Royal Forces by the Covenanters at Newburn dciv 1640.

The Long Parliament assembles dcv Impeachment of Strafford for High Treason dcvi Trial and Execution of Strafford dcxvi Charles revisits Scotland dcxviii Rebellion in Ireland ib. The Remonstrance dcxx Dispute between the Peers and Commons dcxxi Riots in London ib. Impeachment of several Members of Parliament dcxxii Consequent Proceedings dcxxiii The Citizens rise in Arms ib. Impeachment of the Attorney -General Herbert dcxxiv CONTENTS. 15 A-D. PAGE The Queen and Duke of York leave England dcxxv The Parliament organises an Army of Resistance ... ib. Charles resolves to make War against the Parliament dcxxvi Unsuccessful attempts at Reconciliation dcxxvii The Civil War— Battle of EdgehiU ib. 1643. New attempts at Reconciliation fail ib. Battles of Streatham, Lansdowne, and Roundway Down dcxxviii Death of Hampden — His Character ib.

Surrender of Bristol to Prince Rupert dcxxx Siege of Gloucester ib. Battle of Newport — Death of Falkland ib. Fairfax and Cromwell ib. The Covenanters and the Scotch Army march into England dcxxxi Turbulent State of Ireland ib. Disasters of the Parliamentarians dcxxxii 1644. The Parliaments of Oxford and Westminster ib. Origin of the Excise Laws ib. DeathofPym dcxxxiii Recommencement of the War— Battle of Newark ... dcxxxiv Defeat of Rupert by Cromwell at Marston Moor ... ib. Capture of the City of Newcastle by the Parliamentary Forces ib. Defeat of the Parliamentary Forces at Banbury ib. The Self-Denying Ordinance dcxxxvi Duplicity of Cromwell dcxxxvii The King is driven to extremities dcxxxix Exploits of Montrose dcxl 1646. Army of Oliver Cromwell dcxli Fatal Battle of Naseby • dcxlii Fall of Bridgewater, Sherborne, Bath,' Bristol, and Carlisle *■ Royal Power suppressed in the West dcxliii Covenanters defeated by Montrose at Kilsyth ib.

Oxford and all the Towns of England surrender ib. 1647. Charles flies to the Scottish Army ib. Rntherglen Castle and all Scotland yield to the Parliament l"' The Scots deliver up their King dcxliv He is imprisoned at Holdenbury, and carried off to the Army dcxlv Cromwell and the Parliament »*• Charles Imprisoned at Hampton dcxlvi CONTENTS. A.D. PA°E Escapes to the Isle of Wight dcxlvi 1648. Imprisoned al! Winter at Newport dcxlvii Civil War renewed ib. The Fleet at the Nore declares for the King — Sails to Holland ib. Parliament negotiates with the King ib. His Concessions ib. War in Scotland — Victories of Cromwell dcxlviii Scotland reduced by Cromwell ib. He confines the King in Hurst Castle ib. Pride's Purge dcxlix 1649. Trial of the King ib. His Execution del Fatalities of the Kings of England ib.

Character and Acts of Charles I dclii NOTES. Note 1. Knights' Fees and Service dclxviii 2. Charta Foresta dclxxii 3. Moneyage dclxxv 4. The Magna Charta dclxxvi 5. Lands and Exchequer of the Jews dclxxxviii ERRATA. Page lxxxvi, line 4 from bottom, for brother, read nephew. — cxiii, line 5 from bottom, for countries, read country. — clxii, line 8 from bottom, for lodges, read judges. — clxii, line 6 from bottom, for offered, read affixed. — clxv, line 4, for yeoman, read yeomen. — cxcviii, dele note f, inserted by mistake. — ccxxix, line 4, and next page, line 3, for Burton, read Barton. — cclvi, line 14, after regency, read were incurred. — eexciv, for possibly, read probably; and following page, line 22, for who, read whom. — dlv, line 3, for crockery, read cookery. — dlxxxvi et seq., for Rushwood, read Rushworth. — dcxlviii, last line, for Prynne, read Pride.— dcxlix, line 6, for Prynne, read Pride.— dclvi, for Metdon, read Wellwood. HISTORY or THE BRITISH EMPIRE.

Introduction

. The task which I have undertaken embraces the history of deeds and events far greater in their magnitude, — in their effects, — and in their power, than all the mighty events and deeds recorded in the history of the Roman Empire. I have endeavoured to trace the rise and progress of a nation which was in utter obscurity, and whose people justly ranked as barbarians, at the period when Greece had declined into a Roman province, — and when Rome had acquired imperial domination over all the States of Europe, from the forests of Ger many, the Carpathians, and the Dniester, south to the shores of the Mediterranean, — from the Pillars of Hercules to the banks of the Hellespont; — over all Asia Minor, from the Propontis to Scanderoon and Colchis, — from the Euxine to the Levant, — over all the islands of the Mediterranean, — over Palestine, vol. i. b

INTRODUCTION.

. XVIII and Syria, and Mesopotamia, beyond the Eu phrates; — and over all Africa, north of the Atlas — from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. I have briefly noticed the Roman period of British history — the barbarism and misery which followed — the rise of the Saxon power — the introduction and establishment of Christianity — the Saxon go vernment and laws — and the domestic condition of Endand on the arrival of the Normans. I have endeavoured briefly to exhibit the degraded condition of England under the Norman tyranny, and to show how the Anglo-Saxons and their language survived, and finally rose and expanded over feudal oppression, and became, in strength and grandeur, independent of foreign domination. The growth and progress — the benefits and disadvantages, of the exorbitant power acquired in England by the Romish Church ; the struggles of the English people against their kings for their civil and political liber ties, and for the re-establishment of the Saxon or common law, in order to restrain feudal authority and to resist arbitrary taxation, have all required a dispassionate and important consideration.

I have pointed out the effects of the wars between England and France, and the fortunate results of the former power having been expelled from the territories of the latter — first, in the reim of Kino; i DO John, and second, in the reign of Henry VI. I have likewise exposed the evils which have attended all the wars of England upon the continent of Europe ; and I have endeavoured faithfully to narrate all those facts on the best authorities, and to arrive, without bias, at just conclusions.

INTRODUCTION.

. XIX On the other hand, I have endeavoured to trace the blessings and advantages which have been ex perienced during peace by the British nation, and to show the benefits derived from the pursuits of agriculture, manufactures, commerce, and navigation, and the consequent wealth and power, and civil, political, and religious liberty, acquired by the people. My object has been to render this history instruc tive, as far as possible, to those who have not the benefits of a liberal education, and to those of the people who have not the advantage of a general library, to enable them to form a just estimate of their country, its history, progress, resources, institutions, laws, constitution, and government. The disasters of the civil wars of the Roses, con trasted with the blessings of peace, afford lessons which enable us to deprecate the calamities of armed violence, and to appreciate the benefits of domestic tranquillity; while the heavy taxation of the people proves the oppressions caused by the wars of kings, and by the disturbance of industry and commerce.

The laws commencing with Magna Charta, and those extorted from the kings of England down to the Petition of Rights, the Habeas Corpus Act, and the Bill of Rights, and which constitute the ele ments of the constitution of England, have formed a leading object of this History. The condition of England at the time when the supremacy of the Pope was defied by Henry VIIL, when he transferred that supremacy to himself as head of the Church, and when even his violence gave new occupants, constituting a useful and dignified class— the country gentlemen— to many parts 6 INTRODUCTION-. XX of the fertile valleys and plains which from generation to generation had been acquired by the monas teries, formed a new and instructive era, but not that of public liberty in England. A Reformation of the Liturgy, in which some of the old doctrines of the Romish Church were omitted, and a new Independent Episcopal Church — that of England — was established, of which the sovereign became the supreme head, was an advent highly favourable to national prosperity.

By those great changes in the religious institutions of Eng land, the clergy ceased to be dependent on Rome; and although the Tudors maintained an absolute authority in government, they laid the foundation of that industry and prosperity, and of that intelli gence and patriotism, which afterwards enabled the English people during the dynasty of the Stuarts to struggle with success for civil and political liberty — for religious and intellectual freedom. The first settlements of those colonies which England planted in the Western world, — the pro gress of the Anglo-Americans since that period, — and the settlements and conquests of the English in India, together with the British colonies in Africa aud Australasia, are all so intimately allied with the affairs and with the prosperity and power of the British Empire, that frequent notices of their rise and progress have long become necessary in a His tory of the Progress of the British Empire : for the advances made by the Anglo-Saxon race over the territories of the Western and Eastern world are un paralleled in the history of colonisation and of the acquisition of dominion.

INTRODUCTION.

. XXI It was not until the end of the sixteenth century that the first trading adventures were made by the English to India. They established factories first in 1615, at Surat, — afterwards in other parts of the East. In less than one hundred years, in the beginning of the eighteenth century, the East India Com pany possessed factories at Aden and Mocha, — in the Persian Gulf, on the coast of the peninsula of India, in Malacca, Siam, Pekoe, Cochin-China, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Celebes, the Moluccas, Japan, and in five Chinese ports. But no Englishman at that time possessed an acre of territory in any part of Asia, with the exception of a small spot on the coast of India and the island of Bombay: although the Dutch, Portuguese, and French had formed small settlements in the East. In the year 1630 the East India Company first became possessed of one small tract, five miles square, on the Coromandel coast.

On this spot they erected a fortress with warehouses, which they called Fort St. George, now commonly known as Madras. Thirty-two years afterwards, on the marriage of Charles II. with Catherine of Por tugal, the island of Bombay, with its harbour, was transferred to the Crown of England as part of her dowry; but, in 1668, Charles not being able to de fray the expenses of maintaining that place, granted it in perpetuity to the East India Company. It was not, however, till about the middle of the eighteenth century that the English commenced to make conquests in the East. Hostilities then arose be tween the French and the English, in which many desperate actions were fought, both on sea and land ; and thus, at the conclusion of the war in 1763, the

INTRODUCTION.

. XXII English had acquired extensive territories and an ascendency over the French in India. In 1757 the English acquired, by treaty, a large territory from an usurper, Cossim Alii Cawn, the Soubah of Ben gal, — and six years afterwards the Jaghire lands of the Carnatic. From that date the victories of Clive, and the subsequent triumphs of the English over the princes of India, have added to British dominions nearly the whole of the vast regions lying between the Himalayan Mountains and Cape Comorin — from the Indus to the southern extremity of Malacca. But it was by aggression, not by justice, that those territories were acquired. During the present century British power has ex tended its authority along the west coast and over the southern extremity of Africa, — has acquired an other Gibraltar commanding the entrance of the Red Sea, — and has laid the foundations of an em pire on the continent and islands of Australasia, and in the midst of the Pacific.

But it is in America that the progress of Anglo- Saxon enterprise has gained the most wonderful acquisition of power, territory, wealth, and stability. The first attempts at settlement were made during the latter years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, at the expense, and under the auspices of the gallant Sir Walter Raleigh. These spirited attempts to esta blish colonies on the part of England did not succeed, and the death of Queen Elizabeth ruined the fortunes of that enterprising and accomplished per sonage. The mean soul and despicable character of James I. were unfavourable to commercial or colonial adventure, and in 1602 there was not a