the Earl's Hoft was, with much 1272. Slaughter, efpecially of the Welsh, utterly in the End diftreffed and dif- Robert comfited. Simon de Montford being Kilwarflain in the Fight, had his Head, by, A. B. Hands, and Feet chop'd off. The of Cant. King, who had been brought a Prifoner into the Field, by his Friends Valour and good Hap was restored to his Liberty: And he, prefently after this cruel Battle, call'd a Parliament at Winchester, by whofe Approbation he feized into his Hands the Charters of London, and other difloyal Towns, difinherited fuch as were on the Earl's Side, and diftributed their Eftates amongst his welldeferving Subjects. The Legate Cardinal Ottobon excommunicated the Bifhops of London, Winchester, Worcefter, and Chichefter, for their adhering unto the Earl. And now all things being calm in England, Prince Edward, with many of the Nobles, took the Crofs upon them for the Holy Land. And the King, to fecure the Nation's Peace, held a Parliament at Marlborough, where the Statutes of Marlborough were en acted. But King Henry having been at Norwich, to punifh the Citizens Outrage in burning the Priory Church, he, in his Return, fell grievoufly fick at the Abby of St. Edmond in Suffolk, and there died in A. D. 1272, and was buried at Westminster. His Wife was Eleanor, the Daughter of Raymond Earl of Provence. His Iffue was Edward, Edmund furnamed Crouchback, Richard, who died young; as alfo John, William, and Henry. Margaret, married to Alexander III. King of Scotland; Beatrice, marri ed to John the Firft, Duke of Brer tain; Katharine, who died young. This King laid the firft Stone of the new Work of the Abby Church of Weftminster. He founded the House of Converts, where fuch as forfook

having his Horfe flain under him, yielded himself Prifoner; the King of the Romans, and other great Peers were taken, and the whole Hope of the Day loft on the King's Side. On the next Day Feace was concluded for the prefent, on Condition, that Prince Edward, and Henry the King of the Romans Son, should also render themselves into the Barons Hands. And now by this Advantage the factious Lords gained all the chief Caftiles of the Kingdom in:o their Power, Montford carrying his Sovereign as his Prifoner about the Country, (yet with all outward Refpect and Honour) the rather to procure a more quiet Surrender of Garrifons. So fortunate may Trea fon and Rebellion for a Time be, tho' in the End it commonly fpeeds as it deferves. To tame thefe Rebels, the Pope fends his Cardinal Legate to excommunicate them; but they truting to the Temporal Sword, made light of the Spiritual. How beit to the King's great Advantage, there happened fo irreconcileable a Difference betwixt the two great Earls of Leicester and Gloucefter, that the latter forfook the Barons Caufe, and joined himfelf with Roger de Mortimer, and his Affociates, to whom, not long after, Earl Warren, and William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, with other Peers, united themselves, and Prince Edward efcaping, came in Safety to them; the Counties of Hereford, Worcester, Salop, and Chefter coming in to their Affiftance. When the Prince, having a confiderable Strength, marched against Montford, who hearing of the Prince's Advance, encamped at Evesham, where Prince Edward inclofed him, compelling him either to fight, or yield. The first of which he elected, both Armies joining Battle before the Town of Evesham, where

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1272. the Jewi Religion had Provifions for Maintenance. He alfo erected and endowed a famous Hofpital at Oxford, both for the Entertainment of Foreigners and Pilgrims, and for Relief of fuch as were diseased. He was fo difpofed to performing Acts of Charity, that he made Leoline Prince of Wales, (Montford's Confederate) when he was threat ned hardly, if he would not live in Peace, to answer thus: I more fear the Alms Deeds of the King, than all the Men of War which he bath, and the Clergy to boot. King Henry, because Thomai de la Linde killed a White Hart at Blackmore Forest, which he much fancied, fet a perpetual Fine upon the Land, which at this Day is called White Hart Silver.

In the 17th Year of his Reign, four Mock-Suns were feen from Morn ing to Evening; after which followed fo great a Dearth, that People were forced to eat Horfe Flefh and Barks of Trees; and in London twenty Thoufand were famished. In this Famine, which was about 4. D. 1235, certain poor People of Abol delia (fo called then) in Cambridge fhire, whilft Corn was green, pluck'd the Ears in the common Fields to fuftain their Lives; whereupon the Owners call upon and compel the Prieft to curfe them all; but one amongst them, more human than the reft, adjured the Prieft, in the Name of God, to exempt his Corn from the Sentence, faying, It pleafed him well that the Poor, for their Neceffity had took of his Corn; and fo commended that which they had left to God, who miraculously preferved it, when as all the other Corn (amongst which his grew) was utterly deftroyed by terrible Lightning, Wind, Hail and Rain, whilst the Prieft was about to denounce the Curfe. A. D. 1241, certain Jews of Norwich were

hang'd for the Circumcifing a Chriftian Child, and their Houfe called the Thor deftroyed. A Scholar of Oxford, who attempted to kill the King in his Chamber at Woodstock, was pulled in Pieces by wild Horfes. Now arofe in England a moft monftrous Impoftor, who pretended himself to be Chrift, procuring himself to be wounded in the Hands, Feet, and Side, thinking thereby the more eafily to delude the People; his Punishment was immuring between two Walls, together with an old Hag, pretending herfelf to be the Virgin Mary, there to pine to Death.

In this King's Reign flourished in England, the irrefragable Doctor Alexander de Hales, who was SchoolMafter to the Angelick Doctor Thomas Aquinas. Now alfo lived Robert Grofthead, Bishop of Lincoln, called Romanorum Malleus, who wrote boldly against the Pope, reproving his arrogant (to call them no work) Practices.

At Sorbiodunum, or Salisbury, Richard Poor, then Bishop of Sarum, built that ftately Church, which hath in it as many Windows as are Days in the Year; as many Marble Pillows as Hours; as many Doors as Months.

Magna Charta, containing the Sum of all the written Laws of England, was ordained in the Ninth Year of Henry III. The Walls and Bulwarks raised about the Tower of London were thrown down by an Earthquake. Eighteen Jews were executed for crucifying a Child at Lincoln. And in London were flain of fews to the Number of 700, their Wares fpoiled, and their Synagogues defaced, because a few would have forced one Chriftian Man to have paid more than Two Pence the Week for the Ufe of Twenty Shil lings.

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fbanks, at his Father Henry's Death, was employed in the Holy Wars, wherein he fo excellently behaved himfelf, that he gained the Repute of a moft valiant Soldier. At Acon an Affaf fin wounded him with a poifoned Knife; which Wound his Queen Eleanor daily licked with her Tongue, till therewith the Poifon was extracted, and the Wound healed; herfelf receiving no Harm there. by. When the News of his Father's Death came to his Ears, he grieved much more than for the Death of his Son, who died little before, faying to the King of Sicily, who wondred thereat, That the Lofs of Sons is but light, because they are multiplied every Day; but the Death of Parents is irremediable, because they can never be had again. At his Arrival in England, he was moft joyfully welcomed, and with his dearest Eleanor was crowned at Westminster by Robert Kilwarby, Archbishop of Canterbury. When for the more Royal Celebration of the Coronation Feaft of fo martial a Prince, there were Five hundred great Hor. fes let loose, every one to take them for his own, who could. The first' Matter of Remark done by King Edward, after his Coronation, was the fubduing of Wales, whofe Prince Levellin, the laft Prince of Britains Blood, had refufed to do him Homage; but being flain, his Head, crowned with Ivy, was fet upon the Tower of London, In his Stead the King created his own Son Ed ward (whom he caufed to be born at Caernarvon) Prince of Wales. To whom the Welsh patiently fubmitted,

tion; and the ancient Race of their Princes being extinguifhed, they acknowledg'd the Sovereignty of England, and did Homage to this Prince. Thus Wales being fettled in Quiet, the King repaired into France, where he fate in Perfon with the French King in his Parliament at Paris as a Peer of that Realm, in respect of fuch Lands as he held in those Parts; and being returned into England, he addreffed himself to purge his State from the Oppreffions under which it groaned. Fifteen Thoufand of the extorting Jews he banished out of the Land, confifcating their Goods. His corrupt Jufticiars he difplaced, and fined, and conftrained all his Juftices to fwear, that from that Time, they would take no Fce, Penfion or Gift of any Man, except only a Breakfaft, or like Prefent, He alfo appointed, that Juftices Itinerant fhould go their feveral Circuits at fuch certain Times of the Year. And now the Crown of Scotland, by the Death of Alexander the Third, being deftitute of any apparent Heir, by the Umpirage of King Edward, it was fettled on the Head of John Baliol, who did Homage to Edward (against the Minds of the Scots) for the whole Kingdom of Scotland. But fhortly after, Baliol, to regain the Affections of his People, combined with the French against the English: Wherefore the King advanced against the Scots with a puiffant Army, drove the Scots cut of the North Parts of England, where they had done much Mifchief, took Berwick Town and Cattle, had Dunbar yielded to him, and after a cruel Fight, obtained a Victory of G 3

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