patched to scour the seas, and bring notice of the coming of the Armada. Meanwhile, the English fleet, composed of small and light vessels, cruised off the southern coast. At last, on a certain day in October, 1588, the sea became alive with ships. Squadron after squadron had gathered from the shores of Belgium, and Spain, and Holland; an army of the best soldiers in Europe was embarked in the accompanying transports, which bore also rosaries and innumerable manacles and chains to bind the English heretics —when they were caught. But a storm began to blow; the ships that crowded the narrow channel were driven against each other; the English navy rushing out from under the lee of the land, poured their batteries into the labouring hulks of the Spanish fleet, and escaped the return cannonade by the smallness of their size. Scattered, disheartened, the Spanish galleons could neither ward off nor escape the assaults of these foes. Two or three little vessels made a dash at an enormous three-decker of the enemy, and forced it to haul down its colours. From every bay and inlet, out sailed barge, pleasure-boat, and fishing-coble, filled with volunteers, who did all the execution they could. No man on all the coast was satisfied without having had a shot at the Don. A million wasps, buzzing and humming round the head of an ox that has strayed too near their nest, clinging to his eyeballs, stinging his ears, dashing into his nostrils, nestling in all the folds of his skin, and sting, stinging over every corner of his body, was but a faint image of the attack. In the mean time, the storm blew fiercer and fiercer. Over the tops of the highest waves floated ever and ever the terrible English fleet, and poured broadside after broadside into the half-shipwrecked foes. Neither able to handle their vessels in such weather, nor to escape from the enemy's pursuit, despair at last took possession of the Invincible Armada. Some ran themselves on shore; some put up all sail and fairly took to flight, and all that was heard of the fleet and army were reports which, from time to time came in, that a squadron had foundered off

the coast of Scotland, that another had been wrecked among the Northern Isles, and, finally, that a small remnant had found its way, after many months, into their own ports, and that England was free from all danger of an invasion. After this, Elizabeth was not only the queen of a great and victorious nation, but whoever attacked her made enemies of free people throughout the world. The English became proud of their queen, when all nations agreed in calling her the great Elizabeth; and, as she grew old, they grew even fond of her, and called her the Good Queen Bess. Under her watchful guardianship they felt that no man could safely assault them, and they travelled into other countries with no surer passport than the English name. Though wise enough to prefer a quiet peace to the most triumphant war, all men felt that she had a sword, and would draw it if required. Ships were fitted out for the discovery of other lands, but as the pope had disposed of all the portions of the world which were already discovered, or might hereafter be discovered, to other kings, she contented herself with seizing Spanish ships wherever they could be found, and taking possession of any Spanish settlement which she fancied would be of use to herself. Honoured abroad, and kindly looked upon at home, her hair turned grey amid the flattery of her people, who now thought snowy locks of hair the most beautiful of all.From White's Landmarks of the History of England.'

THE MONASTERIES DISSOLVED (Henry VIII.).

HENRY reduced Catherine, his wife, to the rank of Princess Dowager of Wales, and married Anna Boleyn. Wolsey, who had risen to be cardinal and archbishop, and who had opposed this marriage, was now disgraced and died. Cranmer, the adviser of the application to the foreign doctors* for

*These were doctors in divinity, not doctors in medicine.

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their advice as to the marriage, and greatly in favour of the Reformation, was made Archbishop of Canterbury. Anna Boleyn herself, who owed no favour to the pope, had a strong tendency towards the doctrines of the Reformers of the Church, and was, in fact, one of the greatest enemies the papacy ever knew, for she was the mother of Queen Elizabeth. Complaints were made in all quarters of the enormous wealth of the monasteries. Henry proclaimed himself supreme head of the church of England in all temporal affairs; had this assumption of his royal rights confirmed in parliament; and now, independent of pope and prelate, and supported by his courtiers, who expected to share in the spoils, he dissolved the religious houses throughout the land; turned the monks and nuns out of doors,-settling, however, small salaries upon them for their lives, and became of a sudden the richest of the kings of England, by the accumulated treasures of a thousand years. Anna Boleyn was soon condemned on charges, the truth or falsehood of which is still in dispute, and on the day following her execution at the Tower, Henry married Jane Seymour, who died within a year in giving birth to Edward VI. Henry next married a Princess of Cleves; but dismissed her in a few months, putting to death, at the same time, the councillor who had advised the marriage, and had brought over a too flattering portrait of the bride. He then married Catherine Howard; but discovering that she was of bad character, he sent her also to Tower-hill; and finally bestowed his heart and hand on a widow of the name of Catherine Parr, who survived him for many years. The wealth obtained from the plunder of the monasteries, was bestowed in liberal portions on the favourites and followers of the king. Large tracts of country, that had maintained innumerable monks, and afforded doles at their gates, were transferred to the possession of needy courtiers. It is useless to deny that much hardship was the result of these proceedings, and that the money so taken from the church might have been much more usefully employed. The student of the history

of this kingdom will perceive that the king, by endowing the new dignities he bestowed upon his friends with large possessions, was laying the foundation for a landed aristocracy which should again be useful to the body of the people, by being their defence against oppression. The injunction laid on the whole nation, at the same time, against sending gifts, or Peter's pence, or the income of vacant bishoprics to Rome, tended to increase the wealth of the people at home; and by that means we formed as complete an ecclesiastical island, by cutting ourselves off from the continent, as the four seas flowing round us had made us an island in the common sense of the word. All this time, the quarrel between Henry and the pope had really been as to which should prove himself to be master. No one could be a stronger believer in all the doctrines of the Roman Catholic church than Henry. He burned at one stake in Smithfield three men who denied the most mysterious doctrines of the Roman Catholic faith, and three men who denied that he himself and not the pope was supreme head of the church. In the matter of burning, indeed, he was most impartial. He burned for small things, and he burned 'for great. He hanged a humble citizen, or sent a duke or a marquis to Tower-hill for a disrespectful word. The nation and the church seem to have been awe-struck into silent agreement with all his wishes. The bishops, who owed their mitres to the pope, and had sworn obedience to him, acknowledged Henry's earthly headship; the strictest followers of the pope, and the strictest admirers of the Reformation, went equally to church.-Adapted from 'Landmarks of the History of England.'

PERKIN WARBECK. A.D. 1491 (Henry VII.).

In this reign occurred an event which is still surrounded by some doubt, but is at all events one of the most romantic

in English history. The tyrant Richard III., on the death of his brother Edward IV., had cleared his own path to the throne by the murder of the two princes, the sons of Edward, in the Tower of London. No notice seems to have been taken of their disappearance at the time. The battle at Bosworth, and the novelty of Henry's reign, had turned the public attention to other things. But when the tyranny and avarice of the new King had time to disgust the people, a report got abroad that the princes had escaped, and that one of them was alive. A young man, who had hitherto lived at Tournay, under the name of Perkin Warbeck, made his appearance at the court of the Duchess of Burgundy, the sister of Edward IV., and was acknowledged by her as her nephew. He proceeded to other countries, and was everywhere recognised as the true prince. Among other courts he visited was that of the gallant James IV. of Scotland; who was so convinced of the justice of his claims, that he gave him the dignity due to the Duke of York, and gave him in marriage to his young and beautiful cousin, the lady Catherine Gordon. He now made his descent on England. Here, also, he was acknowledged by many of his father's friends; even the husband of Henry's mother, the very Lord Stanley who had crowned him on Bosworth-field, became a follower of the pretender. That pretender was not unworthy, either in education or appearance, of the rank he claimed. He recalled circumstances to the memory of the followers of his father, which they said could only be known to themselves. He expressed the greatest regard for the happiness of the people, and somewhat offended the Scottish James, who had attended him across the border, by finding fault with the manner in which he treated the English inhabitants. But Henry watched his opportunity, and directed a great force against the pretender, in Devonshire, before he was prepared for the attack. Perkin fled to the protection of Beaulieu, now called Beuly Abbey, near Southampton; and after a residence there of some days-whether despairing of escape, whether bribed by promises of pardon, or whether repent