The plain Englishman's historian, or, A compendious chronicle of England from its first being inhabited to this present year 1679 but more especially containing the chief remarques of all our Kings and Queens since the conquest, their lives and reigns, policies, wars, laws, successes, and troubles : with the most notable accidents, as dearths, tempests, monstrous births, and other prodigies that happened in each of their times respectively / by H.C.

CHAP. IX. King Henry the Third.

NOtwithstanding the Promises made to the French Prince Lewis after King John's death, his Son Henry was Crowned King, chiefly by the means of William Mar∣shal Earl of Pembroke who had married his Aunt, and (the young King being but nine Years old) was appointed Protector of the Realm during his Minority, who drew off divers of the Factious Lords; and hav∣ing utterly defeated Lewises Forces at Lin∣coln, and destroyed the Supplies sent him out of France in a Fight at Sea, obliged him to a Composition, for fifteen thousand Marks, renouncing not only all his Pretences

to England, but also swearing to restore when he came to be King all such Provin∣ces in France as belong'd to this Crown; which he not performing, King Henry af∣terwards made War upon him, but with∣out any notable success, Troubles encreas∣ing at home, because the King abandon'd his English Lords and trusted Strangers in his Councels and grand Offices: By which means he was grown into such extream Necessity for Money, that he coming to take up Money at Loan of a certain Abbot, told him, It was more Alms to give Mony to him, than to a Beggar that went from door to door. And yet, the Story says, the hard hearted Abbot would not lend him a Penny.

He several times promised the Observa∣tion of the two great Charters of the Peo∣ples Liberties, but yet still they were little regarded, one time especially they were confirm'd in the most solemn Manner that State or Religion could devise, a terrible Curse being pronounced against all that should break them.

The Bishop of Bononia comes into England from the Pope, who pretending the King∣dom of Sicily was at his Dispose, would needs bestow it upon Edmond the Kings

Son, sending a Ring to invest him there∣with, and King Henry takes it in so good Earnest, that he ever after calls his Son King of Sicily, but all this was done by the Pope only to bubble away the Kings Money, hav∣ing drawn him into an engagement of an hundred and 50000 Marks for this kind∣ness, whereas he was so far from having Conquered that Kingdom, that Manfred Son of the Emperour Frederick had wholly routed his Holiness's Forces, and was re∣established there.

Contentions between the King and Ba∣rons encreasing, a Parliament is held at Ox∣ford, called the Mad-Parliament, because ma∣ny things were Enacted against the Kings Prerogative, which proved after to the Confusion of the Realm and Death of many Noble-men; for their Acts not being obser∣ved, at last both Parties betake them to Arms, and near Lewis in Sussex was fought a bloody Battel, wherein the Lords prevail∣ed, the King, with Richard his Brother King of the Romans and twenty five other Noble-men being taken, and of the Com∣mons above twenty thousand slain. But Difference arising between the two great Heads of the Barons, Leicester and Glocester, the Latter joyns with the Prince escaped out

of Prison, and killing Leicester and routing his Forces set the King at Liberty.

Both the Kings Sons Edward and Ed∣mund undertake the Holy-War, where the first carrying his wife Eleanor Daughter of Ferdinand King of Spain along with him, he happened to be treacherously wounded in three Places by a Saracen with a poisoned knife, which by the Surgeons were judg∣ed and had proved Mortal, if she in Ex∣cess of Love had not with her Mouth suckt the Poison out of his Wounds, thereby ef∣fecting a Cure, which otherwise had been Incurable.

During their absence, their Father in Peace after all his Troubles dyed, on the six∣teenth of November, 1272. having reign∣ed fifty six Years, leaving Sons, the said Edward who succeeded him, and Edmund created Earl of Lancaster, from whose Per∣son the great Contention between York and Lancaster took beginning; and three Daugh∣ters one married to the King of Scotland, the other to the Duke of Britain, the third died young.

In the seventeenth year of his Reign was so great a Dearth, that People were constrain∣ed to eat Horse-Flesh and Barks of Trees, and in London twenty thousand were starv∣ed

to Death for want of Food: and in his time was sent over from the French King the first Elephant that ever was seen in Eng∣land, likewise Anno 1264. Five hundred Jews were slain in London, because one of them would have forced a Christian to have paid above two Pence Usury for the Loan of two Shillings for one Week.