speaker to the House of Commons chosen; indeed, the parliament was then first divided into Lords and Commons. The title of esquire, now given so indiscriminately, was then first applied to people of fortune. The Order of the Garter was instituted, according to some historians, from the fact of the countess of Salisbury dropping her garter when dancing with the king, who picked it up, and presented it to her, saying, "Honi soit qui mal y pense;" or, "Evil be to him who evil thinks." But others attribute it to Richard the first, who distinguished some of the brave knights-crusaders who attended him in the Holy Land, by giving them a leather garter to strap round the left leg.

Queen Philippa died in 1370, leaving a name held in the highest respect to our own days.

Edward the third died July 1, 1377, in the sixtyfifth year of his age, and after a reign of fifty-years. His sons were Edward the Black Prince; Lionel, duke of Clarence; John of Gaunt; Edmund, duke of York; and Thomas of Woodstock, duke of Gloucester. His daughters were Isabel, Joan, Mary, and Margaret. He was succeeded by his grandson, Richard the second, son of the Black Prince.

CHAPTER XVI.

RICHARD THE SECOND-FROM 1377 TO 1399.

RICHARD the second was not more than eleven years old when he came to the throne. As he was too young to govern by himself, his three uncles, the dukes of York, Lancaster, and Gloucester, managed the affairs of the kingdom in his name. But their government was extremely unpopular. The dukes of Lancaster and Gloucester were ambitious, headstrong men; and their continual demands for money caused much murmuring throughout the country. The conquests of Edward the third in France were a constant source of expense, from the necessity of keeping up garrisons in the towns to preserve them. To meet these demands a tax was levied, called the poll-tax, of three groats, or a shilling a head for every person, rich or poor, above the age of fifteen. The indignation excited by this tax ended in a serious insurrection of the lower orders, headed by a man named Wat Tyler. They were much excited by a crazy priest, named John Ball, who rode about preaching against

the higher classes, and maintaining that all men should be equal, repeating everywhere a jingling rhyme,

"When Adam delved, and Eve span,
Where then was the gentleman?"

Wat Tyler was soon at the head of an immense multitude, who followed him to London, committing every species of outrage on the way. The young

He

king was at this time about sixteen, and his uncles being absent from the kingdom, he determined, like a brave fellow, to go and meet the rebels himself. asked them what were their grievances, and promised to give them a charter to redress them. Their leader, Wat Tyler, however, insolently laid his hand on the bridle of the king's horse, and kept playing with a dagger while he spoke, and Walworth, the lord mayor of London, dreading lest Richard should be injured, struck down the rebel with his mace, and he was immediately slain by the attendants. To commemorate this service, a dagger was added to the city arms, as we see it to this day.

The mob were stunned at seeing their leader fall, and some bent their bows to avenge him; but the king (remembering, perhaps, that "a soft answer turneth away wrath,") rode boldly up to them, "What

WAT TYLER KILLED.

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mean ye, my lieges? Your leader was a traitor. Follow me, and I will be your leader.” Struck by the confidence of their young king, the rebels actually followed him as far as Islington, where he promised to govern them well and faithfully, and the mob, with cheers and shouts, laid down their arms and dispersed.

Although Richard was at this time only sixteen, he was married to Anne of Bohemia, a princess whose exemplary conduct and sincere piety have won for her the noble title of "Good queen Anne.” This marriage caused such general satisfaction, that people looked forward to a glorious reign under their youthful sovereign. But Richard did not grow up so wise and prudent as his early conduct led them to expect. He became idle and fond of pleasure, and so lost the respect of his subjects. How can a large kingdom be governed by idleness? It is necessary in all affairs to give our whole attention to what we do, or it will never be done well. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor knowledge, nor device, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." (Eccl. ix. 10.) ·

John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, one of the king's uncles, had married the daughter of Pedro, king of

Castile, and went to Spain with an army of 20,000 men on his death, to claim the crown of Castile, in right of his wife; but after draining the country of money in support of his claim, he lost so many of his men by sickness, that he was very glad to compromise the matter at last, by marrying one of his daughters to the rival king of Castile, and the other to the king of Portugal, and then returned to England, and passed the remainder of his life in retirement. During the three years of his absence in Spain, his nephew, king Richard, had become extremely unpopular, giving himself up to pleasure, and to the society of people whose agreeable manners could not make amends for their vicious character. The duke of Gloucester contrived to get all the power into his own hands, and to reduce the king to a mere cypher; but after bearing this tyranny for about a year and a half, Richard suddenly roused himself, shook off his uncle's yoke, and took the reins of government into his own hands.

He acted with so much vigour that the duke was compelled to submit, but was continually plotting against him. Surely a state of sovereignty is far from being one of peace and quiet at best; but in those dark ages, when the nearest relationship did not prevent the great from plotting against their king, it