CHAPTER XV.

THE STUARTS. FROM THE UNION TO THE REVOLUTION.--1603 TO 1689.

1. The people of Scotland did not like the union of the two kingdoms, at first, because the king and many of the nobility went away to live in London, which, as there was little trade, left Scotland in a very poor condition; and it was a long time, indeed, not before the people had experienced the great benefits of British trade and commerce, that they began to feel as a part of the English nation; but now that the English and Scots have become like one people, it is certainly much happier and better for both.

2. James had not been king two years, when a conspiracy was formed against the government, called the Gunpowder Plot. I cannot tell you for certain by whom it was contrived, but it was a wicked scheme to blow up the houses of parliament, when the king, and most of the lords and commons were there assembled; but, happily, it was discovered a short time before the meeting of parliament, and all the greatest men in the country were saved from a dreadful death.

3. James the First was not a good king, for he had a mistaken notion that a king ought to do whatever he liked; and that, if he wanted money he had a right to make new taxes, without the consent of parliament, and, in fact, he thought it unnecessary to have any parliament at all, and he taught his son Charles to be of the same opinion, which was the cause of that monarch’s untimely fate, and the civil wars that you will presently read about.

4. In the reign of James the First, there were such severe laws against those who did not conform to the church of England, that hundreds of people emigrated to America, and settled themselves in colonies in a wild country, where at first they suffered many hardships and privations; but these colonies, and others, afterwards formed, gradually improved, till they became large flourishing states, now called the United States of America.

5. James the First reigned twenty-two years, and was succeeded, in the year 1625, by his son Charles, whose bad education led to all the miseries of a long civil war, and to misfortunes that fell upon his own head.

6. The quarrels between Charles and the parliament, arose from his taking upon himself the power of raising money by taxes, without the consent of the House of Commons; and in other things he chose to act by his own will, although it might be quite contrary to the laws of the country.

7. Many people were put in prison because they would not lend him money when he desired it; and, at last, he dissolved the parliament altogether, and said he would govern without one, and then the people had no protection from his tyranny.

8. Those who were treated the worst were the Puritans, a religious sect, whose form of worship was very similar to that of the present Scottish Church, which is different from the English, as they have no bishops, do not use prayer books, and have particular rules about choosing their own clergymen.

9. The Scots who hold these opinions are called Presbyterians. The Puritans dressed very plainly, like quakers, and had their hair cut close, and on that account they obtained the name of Roundheads; and those who took part against the king in the civil war, generally adopted that fashion, and were distinguished by that name.

10. After a time, the king began to find that, if he continued to govern by himself, there would certainly be a serious rebellion; so he consented to have a new parliament, and there was an election directly, and as many of the new members were Puritans, they perhaps wanted the king to yield too much, and thus provoked him not to give up so much as he ought.

11. I cannot tell how this might be; but a great many people at length began to think it would be better to have a Republic, that is, a government without a king, and many of the Puritans were of that opinion.

12. Charles had undoubtedly brought all his troubles upon himself, but it was now evident he must either give up his authority as a sovereign, or fight to maintain it; so he chose the latter alternative, and a war was commenced between the king and the parliament. Each party raised a large army.

13. The queen, who was sister to the French king, went to France, to raise money to pay soldiers to fight for her husband, and to bring arms for them. He was supported by most of the English nobility, while the principal commoners sided with the parliament.

14. The first general for the parliament was the Earl of Essex, who resigned in favor of general Fairfax, but the greatest general of the parliamentary army was a country gentleman named Oliver Cromwell, who was very clever, both as a military officer and a statesman; and, after the death of Charles, he became the ruler of England.

15. The war caused a great deal of unhappiness in private families; for, although it was principally the soldiers who fought, everybody was interested in the question whether there should be a king, or not; and such violent quarrels arose, that the nearest relatives, even fathers and sons, and brothers often became enemies, and many young men went to join one army, or the other; so that sometimes two brothers might be on different sides; and then think how dreadful it was, when a battle took place, that they should be fighting against each other.

16. The Royalists, who were called Cavaliers, were known from the Roundheads by their handsome style of dress, for they wore colored doublets made of silk or satin, with lace collars falling over them, and a short cloak over one shoulder. Their hair was curled in long ringlets, and their broad hats adorned with long feathers.

17. There was as much difference in dress between the ladies as the gentlemen, for the female Roundheads were very plain and prim in their attire, while the Royalists were dressed in the gayest fashion.

18. I shall not enter into the particulars of the war. It is enough to say that after it had gone on three years, the king was totally defeated, at the battle of Naseby, in Northamptonshire, and soon afterwards was made prisoner.

19. The Republicans then had it all their own way. The king was brought to trial on a charge of having broken the laws of the country; was condemned to death, and beheaded at Whitehall, January 30th, 1649.

20. But the civil war did not end with the death of Charles the First, for his son, prince Charles, who was in Holland at the time, went to Scotland, where the generality of the people were not disposed to have a republican government, so they made the prince promise not to interfere with their religion, but to join the Presbyterians, and then they proclaimed him king, and soon raising an army, he marched into England.

21. A battle was fought at Worcester, where Cromwell gained a great victory, and the young king had to make his escape, in disguise, with a few friends, who were anxious to get him safely out of the country; and many curious adventures they met with, for parties of the republican soldiers were sent off in all directions in pursuit of the fugitive prince, who was several times very nearly caught.

22. His escape was chiefly owing to the fidelity of five brothers, named Penderel, farmers and woodmen, who were tenants of a gentleman that was warmly attached to the Royal family. They lent him a woodman’s dress, called him Will Jones; and rode about with him, to show him what houses he might safely go to for shelter and entertainment.

23. On the third day after the battle, he was obliged to hide in a wood, in Boscobel, on the borders of Staffordshire, where he met with a friend, Major Carlis, who was hiding himself.

24. They heard soldiers about the wood, so they both got up into an old oak tree, with some bread and cheese and beer, that one of the Penderels had brought to Charles, and while they were there, they heard the soldiers talking close under the tree, and saying how glad they should be to find the king, and that they were sure he must be somewhere thereabouts.

25. The tree was afterwards called the Royal Oak; and there is a tree now on the same spot, raised from an acorn of the original one, which is still distinguished by that name.

26. One time he travelled with a lady, as her groom, and when they stopped at an inn, he went into the kitchen, where the cook told him to wind up the jack, which he did so awkwardly, that she scolded him.

27. He made an excuse, saying that where he came from, they did not have roast meat very often, and never used a jack; but I dare say, he laughed heartily afterwards, for he was always merry in the midst of his troubles.

28. At last, after being at hide and seek for nearly two months, he embarked at Shoreham, and reached the continent in safety.

29. Great Britain was now not a kingdom, for there was no king, but it was a Republic, or Commonwealth, which is a government managed by the people, or their representatives in parliament.

30. But Oliver Cromwell was an ambitious man, and wanted to have all the power in his own hands; so he got the soldiers on his side, and then told the members of parliament that it was time for them to go out of office, that there might be a new election; and on their refusal, he went to the House of Commons with a regiment of soldiers, turned out the members, locked the doors, and took away the keys.

31. He soon formed a new Parliament of men who were devoted to his interest, and he was made chief ruler of the state, under the name of Protector of the Commonwealth; but he might as well have been called king, for he was almost as absolute a sovereign as any that had yet reigned.

32. However, he made a good use of his power by promoting trade, and foreign commerce, besides which, he had an excellent army, and a good navy, so that England was considered of more importance, by other nations, than it had ever been before.

33. The English Admiral, Blake, gained some great victories over the Dutch at sea; and some conquests were made both in the East and West Indies, particularly that of Jamaica, which was taken from the Spaniards.

34. The English people obeyed Cromwell more from fear than love, yet he had so many great qualities that he was respected, as well as feared. Milton, the poet, was one of his secretaries, and was much attached to him, as I believe most people were, who belonged to his domestic circle, for Cromwell was kind and mild in his family, although severe and determined in his public character.

35. There was not much merriment in England, while he was its ruler, for the Puritans thought it sinful to dance, or feast, or sing, or play at any games; so all the theatres and other places of public amusement were ordered to be shut up, even at Christmas, which had previously been a very gay time, when everybody, rich or poor, used to make holiday for twelve days; and in every country mansion, there was a good Christmas dinner, and plenty of fun afterwards, old and young playing at forfeits, blindman’s buff, and other Christmas gambols, in the great hall.

36. But these frolics were forbidden in Cromwell’s time, and if any merry-hearted folks indulged in such doings, it was by stealth, and they kept it secret.

37. The prim dress, and hats with high crowns, were worn by both sexes; for if any persons had dressed in a gayer fashion, they would have been taken for Royalists. Cromwell died six years after he was made Protector, and ten from the death of Charles the First.

38. A great many improvements were made during the Commonwealth; for instance, coffee, sugar, and India muslins, were first brought to this country.

39. When Oliver Cromwell was dead, his son Richard was made Protector; but he liked a quiet life, and soon gave up the troublesome task of ruling the country; and as most people were now of opinion it was better to have a king than not, the parliament resolved to recall Charles, who was residing in Holland, and messengers were sent to tell him that he would be restored to the throne, on condition that all persons should have liberty to follow their religious belief, and that no one should be punished for having taken part against him, or his father, before.

40. He returned to England, and entered London in great state, on the 29th of May, 1660, on which day, every year, you may always hear the bells ringing, to commemorate the restoration of Charles the Second.

41. But the rejoicing is because the old form of government was restored; for Charles was not, by any means, a good sovereign, nor had he one quality to be admired, except that he was good natured to those about him, and liked to make fun of every thing. However, I must not forget to say that he rewarded the Penderels, who had been so kind to him in his misfortunes.

42. England was now quite a different place from what it had been. Every body might be as merry as they chose; the theatres were re-opened; holidays kept; the villagers danced round their may-poles as they used to do, and were not afraid to laugh and sing; while the towns-people had their pleasant social meetings, and the London citizens their grand feasts, and fine shows, as in the days of Elizabeth.

43. During the Commonwealth, there were no bishops, nor any music allowed in the churches; but now, the bishops were restored to their former dignity, and beautiful church music was again heard.

43. But, I am sorry to say, the king did not keep his promise to let all persons enjoy their own religion, which caused a great deal of unhappiness, for numbers of families, to escape being put in prison, or having their property taken from them, left their comfortable homes, and went to settle in the new American colonies, where they had to endure many hardships, for it is a long time before the people in new settlements can obtain the means of living in any degree of comfort.

44. About five years after the return of king Charles, the plague broke out in London, and continued to rage for many months with fearful violence.

45. The streets were, at that time, narrow and dirty; the houses mostly of wood, and not airy; nor was the city so well paved or cleansed, nor so well supplied with water, as at present, consequently it was not so healthy; and then, the doctors were not so clever as they are now, so that many died, who perhaps might have been saved.

46. It was a melancholy time. The houses were all shut up; no business was transacted, and scarcely anybody was to be seen in the streets, which were sad and silent, for death was in almost every house.

47. The king and queen, and most of the great people, went out of town, but some of the clergymen and other benevolent persons, stayed to do what good they could, and some of them caught the infection, and died.

48. At last, when the heat of the summer was over, the plague began to abate, and those who had survived it, returned to their usual occupations; but with sorrowful hearts, for most of them had to mourn the loss of their dearest friends.

49. The plague had often raged in London before, but had never been so bad; and perhaps the great fire that followed it, tended greatly to remove the cause of this dreadful distemper.

50. The memorable fire of London happened September, 1666. It began at a baker’s shop, near London-bridge, and spread rapidly from street to street, till almost all the town was in flames.

51. It continued to burn for three days, and destroyed nearly the whole city, with most of the churches and public buildings; but there were very few lives lost, as the people fled from their houses when they saw the fire approaching the street in which they lived.

52. Many, however, were ruined by the loss of their property, and all were left houseless, so that they had to set up tents in the fields, to shelter themselves till they could find some place to go to; and subscriptions were made for the relief of those who were most in need, for generally the respectable citizens had saved their plate, jewels, and money.

53. The fire put an end to the pestilence, and so far proved a benefit, in the end; for the city was rebuilt with wider streets; the houses were built of brick or stone, and altogether it was handsomer and more healthy; one proof of which is, that the plague has not been known in London since.

54. The visitation of the cholera, in 1829-30, although partaking somewhat of the character of a plague, was a different disease, and yielded to cleanliness and medical treatment.

55. It was about this time, that tea was first brought to England, from China, by the East India Company; but it was so very dear, that a pound of tea was thought a handsome present, and it was a very long while before people drank it as they do now.

56. Except in London, Liverpool, and some of the principal towns, nobody had ever heard of such a thing as tea; for there was but little intercourse between London and the country towns at that time, as the roads were still bad, and there were no stage coaches till a few years after the death of Charles the Second, and then only on three or four of the principal roads.

57. The rich country gentlefolks lived in a plain homely way, and their daughters were brought up to assist in domestic duties, such as washing, ironing, cooking, knitting, and many other useful things; but they seldom had any other accomplishments, and very few could read or write.

58. Charles the Second died in 1685, twenty-five years after his restoration, and was succeeded by his brother James, who was a Catholic, and tried to restore the Catholic religion, although he had promised not to do so.

59. The people soon began to feel that he did not mind breaking the laws to accomplish this object; so a great many Protestant noblemen and gentlemen agreed that it would be better to take the crown from him, and to place on the throne a prince of another family, for they said, the laws would never be rightly observed so long as the Stuarts, or a Catholic king, reigned; so they sent to William, prince of Orange, who was married to the king’s daughter, Mary, and asked him to become king of England, and he consented.

60. He came, with a large army, to Torbay, in Devonshire; but there was no fighting, for king James, with his wife and infant son, fled to France, where he was kindly received by the French king, Louis the Fourteenth, who promised to try and replace him on the throne; but the attempt was unsuccessful, as you will presently see.

61. James the Second had only reigned in England three years, and during that time the Protestants were so cruelly treated in France, that thousands of industrious artisans came over here, chiefly silk weavers, but also watchmakers, cutlers, and manufacturers of glass, writing paper and many other things; from whom the English learned to make all these things as well as the French.

62. The middle classes were much better off than at any former time, on account of the increase of trade; but the lower orders were not so well off, for wages were less, in proportion to the prices of bread and meat, than they were at earlier periods of our history.

QUESTIONS.

2. What was the gunpowder plot?

3. What was the opinion of the new king with regard to sovereignty?

4. How were the American States first colonized?

5. Who succeeded James the first?

6. What gave rise to quarrels between the king and parliament?

9. Who were the Roundheads?

11. What sort of government was desired by the people?

14. Who was Oliver Cromwell?

16. What were the Cavaliers?

17. What was the ultimate fate of king Charles?

19. Name the date of his death.

20. Did this event put an end to the war?

21. What was the battle of Worcester?

30. How did Cromwell obtain sovereign power?

31. What was his title?

33. What conquests were made in his time?

37. How long did Cromwell rule?

38. What improvements were made in his time?

39. What followed the death of Cromwell?

40. Name the date of the restoration.

44. What calamities befel London in this reign?

60. In what year was the fire of London?

63. Why did it eventually prove a benefit?

65. When was tea first brought to England?

58. How long did Charles the Second reign?

59. Why was James disliked by many of the people?

61. How were the useful arts improved in England, about this time?