W. You have told of several new articles of food, papa; please, let me count them -hops, carrots, salads, and several vegetables, pippins, carps, turkeys, and beer, currants, plums, cherries, and apricots. more sovereigns with it. He treated the silver money in the same way, so that the shillings of his reign were afterwards sold for tenpence, ninepence, and even sixpence a-piece. It seemed as if Henry wished to hide his dishonesty of cha content with being styled "The Head of the Church," he caused himself to be addressed by the title "YOUR MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY," instead of "Your Highness," or "Your Grace." P. There was also an improve-racter in sounding titles. Not ment in the supply of water in this reign. In London, leaden conduits were substituted for the old wooden ones, which were inconvenient. Indeed, many improvements were made in the social comforts and in the civilization of the people during this reign. This was a natural consequence of the measures which Henry VII. adopted to increase the people's liberty and importance. I told you, that there were no longer any of the order of "villeins" after the reign of Henry VII.; so also, after the reign of Henry VIII. there were scarcely any more bondsmen or thralls. Slavery and Popery, the two last and worst remnants of the Feudal System, were checked during this reign. Another change worth noticing is, that the pound was also called a SOVEREIGN. Henry's treatment of the coin was very disgraceful. Notwithstanding the immense wealth he gained by robbing the monasteries, his extravagance was such that he was always poor. To increase his riches he cheated the public most shamefully, by debasing the coin. He "called in " all the sovereigns; and, melting them down, he alloyed the gold with copper, in order to coin and The number of new offices, institutions, and buildings in this reign is worthy of notice. Soon after the dissolution of the monasteries six new bishops were appointed, viz., the Bishops of Bristol, Chester, Gloucester, Oxford, Peterborough, Westminster. The first Secretary of State was also appointed. The order of Jesuits was founded by the Roman Catholics abroad. The name Protestants was also first adopted by the Reformers. The two principal colleges in the Universities, Christchurch College, at Oxford, and Trinity College, at Cambridge, were founded in this reign. The College of Physicians was also established in 1528. The palaces of Hampton Court and Whitehall were built by Wolsey; one of the religious houses, an old hospital for women with the leprosy, was made into a palace for the king, and was called St. James's Palace. The eminent men of this reign were numerous. Cardinal Wolsey, Sir Thomas More, Archbishop Cranmer, and the Vicar-general Cromwell, you have heard of. All may be said to have died violent deaths. Cardinal Wolsey either died of grief or poisoned himself; but for that, he would perhaps, as I told you, have been beheaded. More and Cromwell were executed; and of Cranmer's violent death you will soon hear. of Henry VII., and the second king of the Tudor Family. 2. On his ascending the throne his pleasing manners and person were a contrast to those of his father; but Henry soon fell into sad vices. The people found him to be as extravagant as his father was mean, so that he soon spent the vast sum of money which had been saved. His wars with France and Scotland, and afterwards his peaceful amusements at "tilt and tourney," were very expensive. Dr. John Colet, an eminent scholar, and founder of St. Paul's School, was also celebrated. So also were Miles Coverdale and William Tindal, the first translators of the Bible into English. Tindal was betrayed to the Emperor of Germany by Henry VIII., and was burned. His last words were, "Lord, open the King of Eng-forced the people to yield suffiland's eyes." The most famous men of foreign countries were four divines, Luther, Calvin, Socinus, and Erasmus, whose lives you may one day read. Besides these, Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the order of Jesuits; the celebrated Gustavus Vasa, King of Sweden; Copernicus, the astronomer of Prussia, who discovered that the earth moved round the sun, and was imprisoned by the Inquisition for saying so; Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, the famous Italian painters; and Albert Durer, the famous German painter, were all men of those times, and are worthy to be remembered. Lesson 31. HENRY VIII. Began to reign 1509. Died ... 1547. 3. In procuring these sums of money Henry was assisted by a favourite, named CARDINAL WOLSEY, whose extravagance was almost equal to that of the king. This man, nevertheless, cient money for the desires of himself and his master. 4. Henry at length quarreled with his friend WOLSEY, and with the POPE, concerning the divorce of his wife Catherine. Wolsey was succeeded in favour by CRANMER and THOMAS CROMWELL, who raised immense sums of money for the king, by suppressing the monasteries and religious houses of England; the king also increased his wealth by the mean practice of debasing the coin. 5. The principal events of Henry's reign are his quarrel with the Pope, the Reformation, and the translation and reading of the Bible. The less important events are, the king's marriages with six different wives; the rise and fall of Wolsey and Cromwell, both of whom lost favour when the king changed 1. Henry VIII. was the son his wife; the rise of Cranmer; and the execution of Sir Thomas More. The improvements in civilisation, the introduction of new articles of food, the new institutions and buildings, and the eminent foreigners during this reign, are also remarkable. 6. Henry VIII. died in the year 1547, after a tyrannical reign of nearly 38 years. BE KIND. Be kind to the young-in thy youth's merry day Enough of them yet in the pathway of life, But dim not bright youth with the shadow of strife; Be kind to the aged-not long at thy side The frail thread of life will be shortly untied, He is passing-soon passing away. Oh! let him not deem that when summoned from earth, Give him still a warm nook of thy heart and thy hearth; Be kind to the simple-although the full light Of genius to thee may be given, Yet look not with scorn, in the pride of thy might, On a brother less favoured by heaven. He is not to blame if the God-given ray Hath but faintly illumined his mind; Thine own may be quenched by a cloud on the way; Be kind to the erring-full many a heart Unkindness hath driven astray, But the breath of reproach may but sharpen Ye would not insult with a gibe or a sneer But the ills of the spirit are far more severe; Canada. R. A. P. THE ENGLISH TRAVELLER. LONDON-THE ANCIENT BUILDINGS. of a large portion of its revenue, converted the Abbey into a cathedral, and formed Westminster into a city. "MY DEAR CHILDREN,- HENRY VIII. took possession "WESTMINSTER ABBEY,' said my friend, 'deserves a careful and close examination; it is perhaps more interesting than either the Tower, or St. Paul's.' "Certainly its venerable exterior is very interesting,' I replied. 'Oh! how beautiful is the tracery of the windows! Look at the crumbling, crocketted spires, the turreted buttresses, and the lofty pinnacles. How grand are these two gigantic western towers!' But I need not attempt to describe the exterior to you; it is another of those buildings which must be seen to acquire an idea of their beauty. 666 The interior is far more worthy of your attention than the outside,' said my friend. Before we visit it I may tell you that the whole building is, like the other cathedrals, in the form of a cross, but, cloisters and numerous chapels around it interfere much with its shape. Its length is 375 feet; breadth, 200 feet; greatest height, 142 feet. 666 "The building is said to have been founded by Sebert, King of the East Saxons, in 616. The spot of ground on which it was built was then a small island surrounded by the river Thames. It was afterwards enlarged and rebuilt by EDWARD THE CONFESSOR, HENRY III., HENRY VII., and SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN. "But let us enter,' said my friend, and accordingly we found ourselves in the part called Poets' Corner. Here we waited until two or three more visitors arrived to make up a party, and we were then conducted round the building by a verger. Our guide pointed out to us the monuments of the famous ADDISON; of the actor GARRICK; of the musician HANDEL; of the poets GOLDSMITH, GAY, THOMSON, SHAKESPERE, SOUTHEY, GRAY, SPENSER, MILTON, CAMPBELL, DRYDEN, and others. "From the Poets' Corner we passed into the chapel of St. Edmund, the chapel of St. Nicholas, and the most magnificent chapel of Henry VII. This place, like the whole of the building, it is useless to attempt to describe; it has been called the wonder of the world; and there is not, perhaps, a nobler specimen of architecture. King Henry lived to see the building nearly completed, and was buried in the sumptuous tomb which he had prepared for his remains. The chapel not only contains Henry's own tomb, but that of his grandson, Edward VI. There are there, also, the monuments of the murdered princes, Edward V. and his brother, whose remains were, you may remember, discovered in the Tower. In another part is what is called 'The Royal Vault,' which contains the remains of Charles II., William III. and Mary, and Queen Anne. In another part are remains of King George II. and Queen Caroline, the father of George III., and the Duke of Cumberland, famous for his victory at Culloden, in 1745. "The next chapel is that of ST. PAUL, which contains the colossal statue of Mr. James Watt, erected at the cost of £6,000. nearly 800 years old. Near the Chapter House the Almonry formerly stood, in which place the first book was printed in England by William Caxton, A.D. 1474. "In the neighbourhood of Westminster Abbey we found many other interesting places. The principal were WESTMINSTER SCHOOL, renowned for its antiquity and learning; for it was founded at the close of the 11th century, and it numbered among its pupils, Dryden, Wren, Locke, and Southey. WESTMINSTER HALL is another ancient and famous place; it is the centre of the "superior" law courts. It was originally a palace, built by William Rufus, and altered by Richard "The chapel of EDWARD THE CONFESSOR is, perhaps, the most interesting of all. Around the magnificent mauso-II. The Hall is said to be the leum of the Confessor are the largest, unsupported by pillars, tombs of EDWARD I., HENRY in the world, being 290 feet III., QUEEN ELEANOR, HENRY long, 68 feet broad, and 90 V., QUEEN PHILIPPA, EDWARD feet high. Within these walls III., and RICHARD II. King Charles I. and many nobles were tried and condemned to death; and within these walls, also, many a coronation banquet and merry feast have been held. "After lingering over these tombs we proceeded to the chapels of ST. ERASMUS, and of ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST. We also visited the NORTHERN TRANSEPT, where we saw the monuments of the EARL OF CHATHAM, SIR ISAAC NEWTON, and of the most celebrated musicians. "Leaving the Abbey we inspected the CLOISTERS, and the CHAPTER HOUSE, where the House of Commons held their parliaments until the reign of EDWARD VI. In this place the public records are now deposited; amongst them is the original Doomsday Book, now "On the other side of the river, opposite Westminster Abbey, is LAMBETH PALACE, which, for more than 650 years has been the residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury. "This was the last of the ancient buildings which we saw on the third day; therefore, dear children, I have only to add that "I remain, "Your affectionate friend, "HENRY YOUNG." |