Only thirteen; but most of the regicides lost their

estates.

851. What may we conclude from this series of events before and after the restoration?

That the English nation was never sufficiently republican for the purposes of the Independents; that the Presbyterians sacrificed everything to their hatred of Episcopacy, as Charles did to his love of it; and that Cromwell could never manage loyalists, Presbyterians, and republicans, all of whom united against him.

852. What succeeded the disgrace of Clarendon?

The connexion of Charles with Louis the Fourteenth; and his designs against the civil and religious liberties of this country, by means of Louis's assistance.

853. What marks this period of history?

The striking assemblage of characters. The reign of Charles presents the impartial and indefatigable Clarendon, succeeded by the vigorous and extraordinary Shaftesbury, who piqued himself on being able to change sides with good address. The profligate but talented Buckingham, and his associates, Rochester and Falmouth, contrast strangely with the intrepid Sidney, the candid and amiable Russell, and his faithful friend the brilliant and courageous Cavendish, the clever and humane Sir William Temple, and the rigid patriot Andrew Marvel.

854. What was the character of the Duke of York?

He was naturally brave, candid, and sincere, but his principles were undermined by his fortunes and his religion. With the generality, he was considered superior to the king; this may be attributed to the great desire he manifested to understand affairs,-for he had no true judgment, and was entirely guided by the

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counsels of his personal friends. The Duke of Buckingham gave a short and severe, but true character, of the two brothers, when he said, The king could see things if he would, and the duke would see things if he could." Ignorance and obstinacy were the peculiar failings of James the Second's mind,-mental deficiencies, which probably arose from the imperfect education afforded him, and to which all his mistakes, false opinions, and crimes, are traceable. Clarendon, in his Autobiography, tells us, "That, as a youth, the duke was entirely dependent upon his mother," and there was not that care for the " general part of his education, nor that indulgence to his person, as ought to have been; moreover, the queen's own carriage and behaviour to him was at least severe enough."

855. What was the nature of the resistance of the people of England to James's accession?

Universally religious, but not exclusively so; the Whig party, or exclusionists, urged civil reasons. The king also experienced foreign resistance in his son-inlaw the Prince of Orange, the great champion of Protestant Europe, against the enemy of civil and religious liberty, Louis the Fourteenth.

856. Who signed the invitation to William, Prince of Orange?

Devonshire, Danby, Shrewsbury, and Lumly, two commoners, Mr. Sydney and Admiral Russell, and one bishop, Compton, Bishop of London; they assured him of the co-operation of the greater part of the nobility and gentry, and the disaffection of the common soldiers and seamen to the service of James and the popish religion.

857. Do the principles of the Whigs appear in the vote of the house upon the question of the succession ?

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Yes, in the following assertion, "The king, James the Second, having endeavoured to subvert the constitution of the kingdom, by breaking the original contract between king and people," &c.

858. Name the most important discovery of the fifteenth century.

The discovery of the new world, by Christopher Columbus, which was followed by the conquests and settlements of the different European nations in the East and West Indies.

859. What was the character of the great navigator?

The merits of this extraordinary man are beyond criticism the amazing energy which his character possessed and exhibited, was so tempered and chastened, as to be rendered faultless to a degree which finds no parallel in history. A calm and benevolent temperament regulated a mind cast in an original and stupendous mould reasonable in his conclusions, and animated only with the pure and innocent enthusiasm of a projector, his presence of mind did not desert him in the most overpowering calamities; and we may contemplate uninterrupted perseverance, piety, and fortitude in a life chequered with difficulties and defeats, disappointments and injuries.

:

860. What followed the discovery of America by Columbus?

The conquest of Mexico, by Cortez. A summary account of his proceedings, from the planting of a colony at Vera Cruz, to the subjugation of the Mexican empire, and the discovery of the South Sea, is contained in four letters to his sovereigns: in these the military character and political feelings of Cortez are manifest; but he preserves a distant neutrality in his

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relations of the most daring achievements of the enterprise.

861. What cruel outrage excites our abhorrence against the Spanish conqueror?

The barbarous murder of the Mexican officers, and the contumely which their venerable Prince Montezuma experienced.

862. To whom are we indebted for a graphic account of these transactions?

Bernal Diaz del Castillo, a faithful follower and fellow-soldier of Cortez: his original narrative is the recital of a veteran, deeply interested in the extraordinary events he records, and naturally impressed with the importance of the part he and his comrades performed in the tragic scene. There is both force and simplicity in the statements of this old soldier, who, after reconciling his conduct and his conscience, by supposing himself guided by the hand of God through a plundering and destroying career, concludes with this assertion, "There never existed in the world men who, by bold achievements, have gained more for their lord and king than we the brave conquerors, amongst the most valiant of whom I was considered as one, and am the most ancient of all. I say again, that I— I myself I am a true conqueror, and the most ancient of all."

863. Who was Pizarro?

The conqueror of Peru; a character in which the only redeeming points are a powerful understanding and decisive courage. The case of the vanquished Peruvians excites our compassion, whilst we condemn them for not even attempting the defence of their country.

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864. Did the internal divisions and animosities of these two empires render them an easy prey?

Their civil dissensions gave allies to their conquerors, and both Cortez and Pizarro two well knew the inevitable fate of "a kingdom divided against itself.” The cruelties of these merciless invaders leave an eternal stain on the Spanish name, and we turn from their black annals to admire the humane and virtuous Las Casas, the celebrated bishop of Chiapa, who ameliorated the sufferings of the defenceless Indians, and reprobated the crimes of their remorseless destroyers.

865. Did the Portuguese rival the Spaniards in their researches ?

For some time their navigators cautiously explored down the coast of Africa, until finding in Vasco de Gama and Albuquerque, a second Columbus and Cortez, they doubled the cape and sailed for the Eastern Indies. After this, the conquests and concerns of Spain and Portugal became entangled. The Brazils were seized by the Portuguese, who themselves fell under the dominion of the Spanish crown; and the Dutch appeared as the invaders of the general possessions.

866. What was the natural result of the discovery of these new tracts of country?

Being fresh sources of affluence and strength, they necessarily affected the politics of the nations of Europe, and by aiding the progress of human prosperity, provided means for the progress of the human mind in the advancement of literature and science.

867. Did the revolution of 1688 succeed?

On the whole: on the death of William the Third the crown descended on the principles of the revolution, and provision was made for its subsequent transmission to the Protestant line, in exclusion of the exiled family.