out for the purpose by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. This was in the year 1492.

Henry the seventh encouraged learning more than had been the custom in the preceding reigns. Ladies began to be better educated; for in addition to the household accomplishments of needlework, confectionery, surgery, and music, they were now taught reading and writing, and sometimes even Latin and French; thus they became more intelligent companions and wives, and less addicted to gadding about the country in search of amusement.

A very beautiful style of architecture was introduced at this period, called the florid, on account of the profusion of its ornaments. It was brought in by Henry's desire to have a magnificent monument. For this purpose he began to build what is called Henry the seventh's chapel, in Westminster Abbey, but he died leaving it unfinished, and his son, Henry the eighth, completed it.

A curious story is told of the way in which this king enforced his laws, especially when there was money to be gained by doing so. He went one day to pay a visit to lord Oxford, who summoned a large number of retainers to do honour to his royal guest.

These men were drawn up in line at the gate when

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the king departed. Turning to his host, he made some remark on the number of his household servants. But on hearing that they were retainers who wore his badge on such occasions to do him honour, the king exclaimed, "My lord, I thank you for your good cheer, but my laws must not be broken in my very sight. I must send my lawyer to you." The earl was fined 15,000 marks, that is 10,0007.

Henry's encouragement of commerce led to the improvement of the navy; and some larger vessels than had ever have been known before were built, and maps and charts began to be commonly used. The discovery of America by Columbus, led to other discoveries. Sebastian Cabot, son of a Venetian merchant, a native of Bristol, was sent out by Henry with a small fleet of ships, and sailing to the north-west, he saw Newfoundland, the island of St. John's, and Virginia, which name was afterwards given to the country he then discovered, in honour of the virgin queen Elizabeth, grand-daughter of Henry the seventh. Shillings were first coined in this reign, and Greek began to be taught in schools.

CHAPTER XXIII.

HENRY THE EIGHTH-FROM 1509 TO 1547.

HENRY THE EIGHTH was nineteen when he ascended the throne. Every worldly advantage appeared to be his. He was handsome in person, lively, and pleasing in manner, was well educated for the times he lived in, and being alike descended from the families of York and Lancaster, his claim to the crown was universally admitted. His father had left him immensely rich, and the country was not engaged in any kind of war. But with all these advantages to begin with, we shall find them in a great measure thrown away by his violent temper and want of self-control, which prevented him from denying himself a single pleasure, even when it had to be procured by the shedding of innocent blood.

I shall confine myself principally to the greatest event of this reign, "the Reformation," that is, the reforming, or clearing from error the religion of our country, which was at this time the Roman Catholic.

In the first part of Henry's reign, every thing

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seemed to go on prosperously. He punished Dudley and Empson, the two lawyers who had helped the late king to extort so much money from his subjects, and chose wise and experienced men for his advisers. But his fondness of pleasure, and excessive extravagance, soon caused his father's wealth to disappear. His friends in vain pointed out to him the folly of his conduct; and at last Fox, bishop of Winchester, one of his wisest counsellors, introduced to him a priest named Wolsey, in the hope that he might succeed in restraining the young king. But it soon appeared that the bishop was deceived in Wolsey's character. Instead of giving Henry good advice, he encouraged him in all his follies, and flattered him, in order to procure his own advancement. He was soon made a cardinal, the highest dignity in the Roman Catholic church next to the Pope, and hoped in time even to be elected to the popedom, but in this he was disappointed.

In the fourth year of Henry's reign, being ambitious of military glory, he made a very unnecessary war on France, defeating the duke de Longueville at Terouenne, when the French ran away so fast that it was called "the battle of spurs."

Soon after peace was made with France, and the

king, Louis the twelfth, married Henry's youngest sister, Mary, but dying very soon, was succeeded by one of the most celebrated of the French kings, Francis the first.

In 1512, there was also a battle between the English and Scotch at Flodden Field, near the Cheviot hills, in which the Scotch were defeated, and their gallant king, James the fourth, killed.

At this time, Martin Luther was preaching in Germany against the errors of the Romish Church, as Wickliffe had already done in England. The world has never at any time been left without some witnesses for the truth in it; but in the course of ages, many errors had crept into the church. For instance (as I have elsewhere said), the Pope, or bishop of Rome, had insisted on being considered as the head of the whole body of Christians throughout the world; and he not only made himself chief in all affairs relating to religion, assuming the power of forgiveness of sins, of releasing men from their oaths, &c., but for some time had interfered in temporal, or worldly matters; and set himself up as superior to every sovereign in Christendom. This, you see, my dear children, is in direct opposition to the precepts of the Gospel. Our blessed Saviour said, "My