the earls, barons, prelates, and a vast assembly of other notables by Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Chancellor to the late King, William Bishop of Ely having died two years before -England being well rid of the flagitious priest!

The Archbishop made a speech on the occasion. It may in fragments be spelled out in mediæval Latin still. I grasp one fact in it that he delivered before the audience, that John was elected King by the national will. One likes the ring of the olden words, AB UNIVERSITATE REGNI."

To this declaration of national election John assented.

Then thundered, as only English lungs could, or can do now, "Long live the King." This coronation was more than a pageant. It was a great national council, attended by all the magnates of the realm, with the Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor at their head, though Geoffrey Plantagenet, the Archbishop of York, the king's base brother, was absent designedly, as will appear in the sequel, the two brothers being through life on the worst of terms. John soon took note that Geoffrey Plantagenet was Archbishop of York through purchase, and High Sheriff of Yorkshire, also through the same corrupt means. He was king not by purchase, but by election.

On this great day King John bound William Marshall, Earl of Striguil, (a name not met with in society since the Churchyard gathering, held six years before,) and Geoffrey Fitz-Peter, Earl of Essex, with their counties' swords.

John was crowned by Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury, on the day of the ascension of our Lord; the transactions of which Roger de Hoveden thus relates:-"Therefore, there being assembled at London in expectation of the coming of the aforesaid Duke, Hubert the archbishop, John of Dublin, the Archbishop de Raguse, William of London, Gilbert of Rochester, John of Norwich, with others, High Church dignitaries too numerous to mention, with earls, and barons, and knights innumerable; amongst whom stood Earls Robert of Leicester, Clare, Tutesbury,

Warren, Salisbury, Striguil, Warwick, Bigot, Arundel, Chester, &c.-Philip, Bishop of Durham, protesting that the coronation should not take place in the absence of Geoffrey, Archbishop of York."

We may look at the scene as placed on record by Roger de Wendover, Monk of Saint Albans. It were to spoil the old chronicler's narrative, as coarse fingers spoil the a-dust auricula, in anywise to change the writing, half inarticulate and stammering though it be. It gladdens a reader in the nineteenth century to find double witness to the broad principle of "elective" monarchy, such as is borne by the Archbishop of Canterbury's noteworthy words, than which worthier have not been heard in old Westminster. The Hebraic historic reference to Saul and David was meet from priestly and arch-priestly lips. But now turn we to Roger de Wendover. "Wherefore, there being assembled against his coming, archbishops, bishops, earls, and barons, and all those who ought to be at that coronation; the Archbishop of Canterbury standing in the midst of all, said :- Hear ye! all of you! Your discretion should have known that no one can succeed to the kingdom of another by any previous agreement or arrangement, unless chosen unanimously by the whole commonwealth or community of the kingdom, the favour of the Holy Spirit being supplicated upon the transaction, and (præ-electus) pre-eminently chosen for an example and similitude to Saul, the first anointed king whom the Lord placed over His people, not the son of a king, nor one sprung from a royal race. In like manner, after him David, the son of Semei; this because valiant and fitted to the royal dignity: that because sanctified and humble; that so he, who excelled all others in the kingdom in his valour, should be placed before all, both in power and government. But if any one of the race or family of the deceased king shall excel others in virtue, without hesitation and immediately his election is to be consented to forthwith. Therefore we have said these things for the excellent Earl John, who is now present, the brother of our

most illustrious King Richard, now dead, an heir proceeding from his own body, who was provident, and energetic, and manifestly noble, whom we, the blessing of the Holy Ghost being invoked, have universally and unanimously elected, as much on account of his own merits, as from his consanguinity to the late king.""

Words these very memorable, and not to be forgotten by any one who really wishes to get at the man, King John, as he seemed to those nearest him. They were not courtly, idly spoken words. I would have them weighed.

Let us cull the more remarkable. "Pre-eminently chosen for the eminency of his morals."1 Fine tautology that, of the old monk! "We have said these things for the excellent Earl John, who is now present." "Wanted an heir who was provident and energetic and manifestly noble." Ha! then, King John, by attestation of the Holy Ghost, was manifestly noble-unanimously elected as much on account of his own merits, as for his consanguinity. In this coronation King John bound himself with a triple oath, to wit, "That he would delight himself in the sacred Church and its ordinances, and would preserve it intact from depredations of the malignant; and that bad laws being destroyed, he would substitute good ones, and exercise true justice in the kingdom of England.

Afterwards he was sworn by the same Archbishop, on the part of God, and strictly forbidden to presume to receive this honour unless his mind were fully made up to carry out in full operation that which he had sworn to carry out or fulfil.

"To this he, responding, promised that he, by the assistance of God, in good faith would perform those things which he had sworn to perform.

"On the morrow, therefore, homages and fealties being accepted, he, a pious devotee, sought, for the sake of his declaration, the

1 Roger de Hoveden's Annals, vol. ii. p. 115.

happy Albanus, the proto-martyr of England. And so making a very short stay in England, and leaving those things which were appointed in his kingdom with his council of great men, he departed for Normandy to settle his affairs there."

One's eyes brim with tears, even at this late day, in reading this solemn narrative of mutual vow and oath. I have said those were not courtly or merely flattering words which the Archbishop spoke. In proof, hear what the same Roger de Wendover says of the speaker of them :-"This Archbishop," he tells us, "was a man of a profound depth of character: and in the kingdom was a column of singular stability and incomparable wisdom. Nor did others, as yet, doubt on these matters; knowing, as they did, that he would not have or defined this business had he not sufficient cause." I have italicised two little ominous words "as yet,” small, but suggestive of coming shadows. But the good, stout Archbishop's speech had welcome from Earl John, "the King" now, and from all.

We learn from these old words under what sanctions and in what spirit King John placed the crown of England on his forehead; learn that it was with a profound sense of duty, not less than with manly dignity. It were to malign our common nature to suppose for a moment that the pageant was a pageant only, or the vows and oaths and announced purposes unreal. To those who have accepted a low view of John, the shadow of awe in hist coronation responses, and his voluntary adhesion to his great council, must seem out of accord. But as we proceed in our inquiry, it will be found that the afterlife went (if I may be allowed the word) on the same plane of projection.

Thus King of England, John had scarcely ascended the throne when he sued a divorce from his second wife Isabel, third daughter of the Earl of Gloucester. She was "barren." The pretext, common in that age, was too close consanguinity in blood. They were in the third degree of kindred; whereas the Pope prohibited all

marriages within seven degrees of kindred. I state the fact, I do not vindicate it. But I cannot measure it by a nineteenth century standard.

Morality is eternal; but conscience is educated in the progress of the ages.

He married, upon his divorce, Isabella or Avis, daughter of the Earl of Angouleme. This "fair ladye" had previously been contracted to Hugh le Brun, Count de la Marche, a gallant Troubadour. From the moment of the royal marriage, the Count became a deadly enemy of the King. 1 Here, again, I pause to ask my readers to observe another of the after-meshes in which. John was involved; another element toward a proper estimate of himself and his circumstances alike.

By Isabella John had issue, Henry-afterwards King of England as the third of that name, and whose life-story, equally with his father's, has been darkened and confused by calumny-Richard, Earl of Cornwall, and Eleanor, who was married twice; first, to William Marshall the younger; and secondly, to one who lives for "all time" in the page of Joanna Baillie's magnificent dramaSimon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, who fell at the battle of Evesham. He had other two daughters.

The King having been in France for four months, looking after

1 Randulph de Diceto, Dean of London, 1200, when writing on King John's matrimonial alliance, in his History or Imagines Historiarum, observes in vol. i. page 709"Lord John, King of England, having in intent to take for his wife the daughter of the King of Portugal, whose fame had won over his affections, he sent from Rouen, to inquire about her, illustrious and stately men, as the Bishop Lisoiensis, William de Stagno, Randulph de Ardene, Hubert de Burgh, and many others, as well from England as from Normandy. But he by chance, consulting less their honour

than became the royal dignity, while they were on their journey, nay, without securing their support, married Isabel, the only daughter and heiress of the Earl of Engolismensis, who before had been contracted to a certain nobleman of Poictiers-namely, Hugo le Brun; on which business afterwards there arose the greatest misunderstanding amongst themselves. He made her to be crowned Queen at Westminster by Hubert, Archbishop of Canterbury, on the 8th of the ides of October, when he himself was crowned."