THE EARLY HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume II, Issue 10, 31 October 1856, Page 7

THE EARLY HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

Continued from the last Number. When it was too late to undo the wrong his cruel treatment of his father had done, King Richard was borne down by sorrow, and called together the friends and advisers of the dead king, so that now he might do bis will and follow ing the steps be would have taken; hot though King Richard's heart was the

dwelling place of many noble great designs, Snd powers Which made his people talk and sing of him in their songs and stories for many years, he neither found content for his own mind, nor did he leave any lasting good to his country, as he followed the law of what seemed glorious and pleasant to himself, and not the harder law of what was right and wise for the dwellers in his land. Impatient to show his skill and zeal in war, he turned his whole mind to raising money enough to fit out the ships and soldiers, who were to win back from the Heathen Saladin the Holy City of Jerusalem) and for this he sold the public offices, making Magistrates and Judges, not of the wise or just, those who would give hi in most of the gold he longed for. At last all things were ready, and leaving the kingdom he oiight to have stayed to watch over, he set sail for the Holy Lnnn, with tl*e cunning Philip King of France as l»is companion, and I eing met by a furious storm at sea, th«*ir vessels were driven into the port of Messina, where began envies and j(>a!ousies between the two proud kings who had here no occupations but their pleasures, and who began a hatred which lasted with their lives, and which, when they reached the end of all their journeys, hindered bold Richard's triumphs, and turned all his brave acts arid hard fought battles into useless labour; as when the heathen fled before him, and be with his army followed to seize upon Jerusalem, the wily 'Philip sprea l doubt and distrust among his soldiers, making them long for their distant homes, and hurrying ba« k to his own country, let the fire-brand of discord alight in the kingdom of the English. Richard, now knew that instead of resting amidst glory in the heat hen country »b.e h;«lso bravely won, he must m ike, a truce with all his foes .and: go back in ha*te and secresy to defend and rule his own disturbed and neglected land. : JJressed as. a poor and • humble man, he hoped to reach his hbtnetiti-i • known; but he had to pass through theter4 ritories of a Prince, who shared the haired of the King of France for the brave and fuo-

cessFul King of England, and finding oul his peal rank through his disguise, the base enemy seized bis foe who had no comrades now lo help and guard and threw him a prisoner inion strong castle where in weary loneliness he spent fourteen months, without his own people knowing where their king was hid. At last (the story tells us) a faithful servant seeking his master over the whole land, chanced to sing his favourite song below the window of Hie tower he was shut up in, and the king finishing the song, the loving singer knew his master's voice, and hasted home to tell the English he bad fonnd their ford; and they raised a sum of money to tempt the greedy stranger to give them'back their king; but when he reached old England His troubles were not ended, for his brother John had joined with Philip; to disturb and puin him. Forgiving him his treason he once more thought of how he might destroy the heathen and regain the sacred city; but going to subdue a rebel chief who refused to pay him treasure which he thought his due, he was wounded by an arrow and died as he had lived, a brave-hut thoughtless king, who would have fiiled his high post better had. he lived among and for- his people; instead of winning glory for himself in far off lands. Leaving no children to come after him, John took his place, and as he had never struggled against the blackness and baseness of his nature, be made as bad a king, as he had been a son and brother, and brought disgrace and loss on bis subjects, as well as hatred and contempt upon hiimelf. He bad a poor young nephew, knowfr by the name of Arthur, who some men, with King Philip on their side,.said should be king instead of John, whieh filled him with such fear and haired that he hired ruffians to slay him, and when, repenting of their bloody treaty, they refused, he with his own hands stabbed the youth, and pushing the dead body down the river would have hid the deed but it was known, and Philip in whose kingdom, it was done; drove the weak murderer from the lands. At this time the Pope of Rome loved lo exert bis power in every land, and wished no king to rule without his pleasure and consent, he soon became the enemy of John, .who,, without courage or high mind, humbled himself and country in the dust until the pride of England's Lords awoke and with the Bishop Laughton at their head, they met and vowed no king should ever treat them so, that they would make a written law, which John must sign r by which their rights

as men would be protected, and never more so ill used anrl forgot. This law in a large open Held called liunnymede, King John was forced to sign and since that day, the people 'have been guarded from a King's misrule. But soon he wished tlieboon he bad granted broken, and raised an army to attack the men he dreaded, and now the lords so wise before did wrong by cafling to assist them a French Prince, who, bad he conquered with them, would have conquered over them; making the. English once more subjects to a foreign lord. Rut death stepped in to save them—and as John marched his army to attack them, a fever struck his shattered worn out frame, and he gave up the life so badly spent with dreadful fear and trembling, leaving a boy some eleven years old to hold place he had so disgraced.