even being inclined to murmur at it; his affable and obliging behaviour, his munificence and generofity, made them fubmit with pleasure to his dominion; his valour and conduct made them fuccefsful in moft of their enterprizes; and their unquiet fpirits, directed against a public enemy, had no leifure to breed disturbances, to which they were naturally fo much inclined, and which the form of the government feemed fo much to authorize. This was the chief benefit which refulted from Edward's victories and conquefts. His foreign wars were, in other refpects, neither founded in justice, nor directed to any very falutary purpofe. His attempt against the king of Scotland, a minor, and a brother-in-law, and the revival of his grandfather's claim of fuperiority over that kingdom, were both unreafonable and ungenerous and he allowed himself to be too foon feduced by the glaring profpects of French conqueft, from the acquifition of a point which was practicable, and which might really, if attained, have been of lafting utility to his country and to his fucceffors. But the glory of a conqueror is fo dazzling to the vulgar, and the animofity of nations fo extreme, that the fruitlefs defolation of fo fine a part of Europe as France is totally difregarded by us, and never confidered as a blemish in the character or conduct of this prince: and indeed, from the unfortunate ftate of human nature, it will commonly happen that a fovereign of great genius, fuch as Edward, who ufually finds every thing eafy in the domeftic government, will turn himself towards military enterprizes, where alone he meets oppofition, and where he has full exercife for his induftry and capacity. Died 21ft of June, aged 65, in the 51ft year of his reign. § 64. Another Character of EDWARD III.

Hume.

Edward's conftitution had been impaired by the fatigues of his youth: fo that he began to feel the infirmities of old age, before they approach the common courfe of nature and now he was feized with a malignant fever, attended with eruptions, that foon put a period to his life. When his diftemper became fo violent, that no hope of his recovery remained, all his attendants forfook him, as a bankrupt no longer able to requite their fervices. The ungrateful ALICE, waiting until the perceived him in the agonies of death, was fo inhuman as to ftrip him of his rings and

jewels, and leave him without one dome. ftic to clofe his eyes, and do the laft offices to his breathlefs corfe. In this deplorable condition, bereft of comfort and affistance, the mighty Edward lay expiring; when a prieft, not quite fo favage as the reft of his domeftics, approached his bed; and, finding him till breathing, began to adminifter fome comfort to his foul. Edward had not yet loft all perception, when he found himself thus abandoned and forlorn, in the last moments of his life. He was juft able to exprefs a deep fenfe of forrow and contrition for the errors of his conduct, and died pronouncing the name of JESUS.

Such was the piteous and obfcure end of Edward the Third, undoubtedly one of the greateft princes that ever swayed the fcepter of England; whether we respect him as a warrior, a lawgiver, a monarch, or a man. He poffeffed all the romantic fpirit of Alexander: the penetration, the fortitude, the poli...ed manners of Julius; the liberality, the munificence, the wisdom of Auguftus Cæfar. He was tall, majestic, finely fhaped, with a piercing eye, and aquiline vifage. He excelled all his contemporaries in feats of arms, and perfonal address. He was courteous, affable, and eloquent; of a free deportment, and agreeable converíation; and had the art of commanding the affection of his fubjects, without feeming to folicit popularity. The love of glory was certainly the predominant paffion of Edward, to the gratification of which he did not fcruple to facrifice the feelings of humanity, the lives of his fubjects, and the interefts of his country. And nothing could have induced or enabled his people to bear the load of taxes with which they were encumbered in his reign, but the love and admiration of his perfon, the fame of his victories, and the excellent laws and with his advice and concurrence. regulations which the parliament enacted

Smollett.

$65. Character of RICHARD II.

All the writers who have tranfmitted to us the hiftory of Richard, compofed their works during the reign of the Lancaftrian princes; and candour requires that we fhould not give entire credit to the reproaches which have been thrown upon his memory. But after making all proper abatements, he till appears to have been a weak prince, and unit for government lefs for want of natural parts and capa

the murder of his fovereign and near relation; these were fuch enormities, as drew on him the hatred of his fubjects, fanctified all the rebellions against him, and made the executions, though not remarkably fevere, which he found neceffary for the maintenance of his authority, appear cruel as well as iniquitous to his people. Yet, without pretending to apologize for thefe crimes, which muft ever be held in deteftation, it may be remarkable, that he was infenfibly led into this blameable conduct, by a train of incidents, which few men poffefs virtue enough to withftand. The injuftice with which his predeceffor had treated him, in firft condemning him to banishment, and then defpoiling him of his patrimony, made him naturally think of revenge, and of recovering his loft rights; the headstrong zeal of the people hurried him into the throne, the care of his own fecurity, as well as his ambition, made him an ufurper; and the fteps have always been fo few between the prifons of princes and their graves, that we need not wonder that Richard's fate was no exception to the general rule. All these confiderations made the king's fituation, if he retained any fenfe of virtue, very much to be lamented; and the inquietudes, with which he poffeffed his envied greatnefs, and the remorfes by which, it is faid, he was continually haunted, rendered him an object of our pity, even when feated upon the throne. But it must be owned, that his prudence, vigilance, and forefight in maintaining his power, were admirable; his command of temper remarkable; his courage, both military and political, without blemish and he poffeffed many qualities, which fitted him for his high station, and which rendered his ufurpation of it, though pernicious in after-times, rather falutary during his own reign, to the English nation. Hume.

Died 1413. Aged 43.

$69. Another Character of HENRY IV. Henry IV. was of a middle ftature, well proportioned, and perfect in all the exercifes of arms and chivalry; his countenance was fevere, rather than ferene, and his difpofition four, fullen, and reserved: he poffeffed a great fhare of courage, fortitude, and penetration; was naturally imperious, though he bridled his temper with a great deal of caution; fuperftitious though without the leaft tincture of virtue and true religion; and meanly parfimo

nious, though justly cenfured for want of œconomy, and ill-judged profufion. He was tame from caution, humble from fear, cruel from policy, and rapacious from indigence. He rofe to the throne by perfidy and treafon; and established his authority in the blood of his fubjects, and died a penitent for his fins, because he could no longer enjoy the fruit of his tranfgreffions. Smollett.

§ 70. Character of HENRY V. This prince poffeffed many eminent virtues; and, if we give indulgence to ambition in a monarch, or rank it, as the vulgar do, among his virtues, they were unstained by any confiderable blemish; his abilities appeared equally in the cabinet and in the field: the boldness of his enterprizes was no less remarkable than his perfonal valour in conducting them. He had the talent of attaching his friends by affability, and gaining his enemies by addrefs and clemency.

The English, dazzled by the luftre of his character, ftill more by that of his victories, were reconciled to the defects of his title. The French almost forgot he was an enemy; and his care of maintaining juftice in his civil administration, and preferving difcipline in his armies, made fome amends to both nations for the calamities infeparable from those wars in which his fhort reign was almoft occupied. That he could forgive the earl of Marche, who had a better right to the throne than himself, is a fure proof of his magnanimity; and that the earl relied fo on his friendship, is no lefs a proof of his eftablifhed character for candour and fincerity.

There remain, in hiftory, few inftances of fuch mutual truft; and still fewer, where neither found reason to repent it.

The exterior figure of this great prince, as well as his deportment, was engaging. His ftature was fomewhat above the middle fize; his countenance beautiful, his limbs genteel and flender, but full of vigour; and he excelled in all warlike and manly exercises. Hume.

Died 31ft Auguft, 1422: in the year of his age 34; of his reign, the 10th.

§71. Another Character of HENRY V.

Henry was tall and flender, with a long neck, and engaging afpect, and limbs of the most elegant turn. He excelled all the youth of that age, in agility, and the exercife of arms; was hardy, patient, labo

rious, and more capable of enduring cold, hunger, and fatigue, than any individual in his army. His valour was fuch as no danger could ftartle, and no difficulty oppose; nor was his policy inferior to his courage.

He managed the diffenfions among his enemies with fuch addrefs, as spoke him confummate in the arts of the cabinet. He fomented their jealoufy, and converted their mutual refentment to his own advantage.

Henry poffeffed a felf-taught genius, that blazed out at once, without the aid of inftruction and experience; and a fund of natural fagacity, that made ample amends for all thefe defects. He was chafte, temperate, moderate, and devout, fcrupulously juft in his adminiftration, and feverely exact in the difcipline of his army; upon which he knew his glory and fuccefs, in a great measure, depended. In a word, it must be owned, he was without an equal in the arts of war, policy, and government. But we cannot be fo far dazzled with his great qualities, as to overlook the defects in his character. His pride and imperious temper loft him the hearts of the French nobility, and frequently fell out into outrage and abufe; as at the fiege of Melun, when he treated the Marechal l'Ifle d'Adam with the ut

moft indignity, although that nobleman had given him no other offence, than that of coming into his prefence in plain decent apparel.

Smollett.

$72. HUME'S Account of HENRY VI. (for there is no regular Character of this Prince given by this Hiftorian) is expressed in the following Manner.

In this manner finished the reign of Henry VI. who, while yet in his cradle, had been proclaimed king both of France and England, and who began his life with the molt fplendid profpects which any prince in Europe had ever enjoyed. The revolution was unhappy for his people, as it was the fource of civil wars; but was almost entirely indifferent to Henry himfelf, who was utterly incapable of exercifing his authority, and who, provided he met perpetually with good utage, was equally eafy, as he was equally enslaved, in the hands of his enemies and of his friends. His weakness, and his difputed title, were the chief causes of his public misfortunes: but whether his queen and his minifters were not guilty of fome great abuses of

power, it is not eafy for us, at this distance of time, to determine. There remain no proofs on record of any confiderable violation of the laws, except in the death of the duke of Gloucester, which was a private crime, formed no precedent, and was but too much of a piece with the usual ferocity and cruelty of the times.

$73.

SMOLLETT'S Account of the Death of HENRY VI. with fome Strictures of Character, is as follows.

This infurrection in all probability haftened the death of the unfortunate Henry, who was found dead in the Tower, in which he had been confined fince the reftoration of Edward. The greater part of hiftorians have alledged that he was affaffinated by the duke of Gloucefter, who was a prince of the most brutal difpofition; while fome moderns, from an affectation of fingularity, affirm that Henry died of grief and vexation. This, no doubt, might have been the case; and it must be owned, that nothing appears in history, from which either Edward or Richard could be convicted of having contrived or perpetrated his murder: but, at the fame time, we muft obferve fome concurring circumftances that amount to ftrong prefumption against the reigning monarch. Henry was of a hale conftitution, but juft turned of fifty, naturally infenfible of affiction, and hackneyed in the viciffitudes of fortune, fo that one would not expect he should have died of age and infirmity, or that his life would have been affected by grief arifing from his laft difafter. His fudden death was fufpicious, as well as the conjuncture at which he died, immediately after the fuppreffion of a rebellion, which feemed to declare thatEdwardwould never be quiet, while the head of the house of Lancafter remained alive and lastly, the fufpicion is confirmed by the characters of the reigning king and his brother Kichard, who were bloody, barbarous, and unrelenting. Very different was the difponition of the ill-fated Henry, who, without any princely virtue or qualification, was totally free from cruelty or revenge: on the contrary, he could not, without reluctance, confent to the punishment of thofe malefactors who were facrificed to the public fafety; and frequently fuftained indignities of the groffeft nature, without difcovering the leaft mark of refentment. He was chafte, pious, compas