dresses, and were called Grey Friars. These friars went about among the ignorant, neglected people, preaching earnest sermons; and the people crowded to listen. It was a great religious "revival," and more stirring because in such contrast to the ignorance all around, than those we sometimes see now. Poor, barefooted, and humble, the friars lived and worked among the sick and needy, and their lives were a sermon. In those days, when people were ignorant of sanitary laws, in regard to drainage, cleanliness, and ventilation, there were many terrible diseases of which we know nothing now except by hearsay; leprosy, for instance, was common. The brothers of St. Francis devoted themselves to tending and comforting these wretched sufferers. Thus religion began to be felt again as a reality among men. But the great fault of the Dominicans soon began to show itself. Not content with preaching what they thought was the truth, they by and by joined with the Pope and the bishops in persecuting those who did not believe as they did. It never occurred to them that they might, perhaps, be mistaken themselves; nor that, as long as people lived innocent lives, no one had the right to ill-treat them for their opinions. The Dominicans made a pun on their name, which, in Latin, if divided, means Dogs of the Lord Domini-canes; and they thought it a great part of the business of good dogs to harass and kill the wolves, or heretics, even though these "wolves" were often very harmless and very good people. A cruel persecution was carried on at this time in the south of France against some heretics who were really much better Christians than their persecutors. But as yet there were no wolves or heretics in England. A very few poor Germans had come into the country in the time of Henry II., who seem to have been almost what we should call Protestants now; but they had been most cruelly treated, and had made no converts. Advance of education. Another great step was now made, which was in due time to help the coming reformation; and that was the advance of learning and education, and especially the growth of the universities. Strange to say, there is no certain knowledge of the beginning of either that of Oxford or Cambridge. It has often been said that King Alfred founded the University of Oxford. But this is not believed by modern scholars, and many other things are placed to his credit with which he really had nothing to do. But at this time Oxford began to be famous, and crowded with scholars and teachers. Instead of studying theology solely, scholars turned their attention to other things; they began to read the thoughts of great and wise men of oldmen who had lived long before Christ; men of other religions, and other habits of thought. They also began The laws to study more accurately mathematics and natural of nature. science, as astronomy and optics. That is to say, they began to learn something of the way the world is made, and the natural laws which govern it. When we say natural laws, we can mean only God's laws-the laws which He made for the powers of nature, and which He does not change. With the study of science the decline of superstition began. The story is told that the hand of St. Thomas (which he put in our Lord's side) was kept in a vessel in a certain city, and by it the people of that city made their judgments. "For when there is any dissension between two parties, both parties write their cause in two bills and put them in the hand of St. Thomas; and, anon, he casts away the bill of the wrong cause, and holds still the bill with the right cause." Another tells of a little society of wild ducks which were under the protection of a particular saint; and if any injury befell the Church or the clergy they withdrew from the pond which they generally inhabited, and would not return till condign punishment had overtaken the offenders. Meanwhile, during their absence, the waters of the pond, which were before very limpid and clear, became putrid. We know how frightened everybody was when there was an eclipse of the sun or moon, or if a comet appeared. They thought it a sure sign that something fearful was going to happen. But now we have learned something about the laws of the universe, and we know that no divine power is interfering with those laws. How grandly David writes of this: "Praise Him, sun and moon: Praise Him, all ye stars of light. And ye waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord: For He spake the word, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created. He hath made them fast for ever and ever: He hath given them a law which shall not be broken." Astronomers have now learned enough of this law which shall not be broken that they can foretell an eclipse and predict the appearance of a comet, and assure us that these phenomena are entirely unconnected with human affairs. Thus we may hope that studying the laws of nature is really studying the laws and thought of God; and it raises us above those foolish ideas which make God and the saints seem to be changeable and uncertain, sometimes even childish and revengeful. every Roger It was about this time that an eminent Englishman named Roger Bacon began to study what we now term natural philosophy. He took an interest in thing, from the sun and the stars down to the common dust. His life and his discoveries are much obscured by fables, owing to the general ignorance of the time. He was supposed by the vulgar to be a magician with supernatural powers. It has been supposed that he first invented telescopes, which give such wonderful revelations of the distant heaven above us. He is also said to have invented gunpowder, although neither of those claims can be established beyond doubt; but his writings show that he knew the principles upon which telescopes were constructed (as by Galileo, two hundred years later), and that he was acquainted with the composition of gunpowder, learned, perhaps, from the Chinese. In most departments of thought he was the foremost man of his age, and, as a consequence, he spent many years in prison. CHAPTER XXIII. THE PARLIAMENT. The foreigners. The king's extravagance. Demands for money. The barons resist. Simon de Montfort. The parliament. Character of Prince Edward. The last Crusade. eigners. As the young king grew up, he soon began to affront his nobles and all his subjects by his extravagance and love of foreigners. His mother had come from Angoulême, The for- and he himself, after a time, married a princess from Provence, and crowds of their relations and dependents came to England. Henry, who was too amiable to say "No," received them all kindly, enriched them, and honored them. He brought in other Frenchmen himself, who were "poor and covetous after wealth." "These men," says Roger of Wendover, "used their utmost endeavors to oppress the natural English subjects and nobles, calling them traitors, and accusing them of treachery to the king; and he, simple man that he was, believed their lies, and gave them the charge of all the counties and baronies, as also of all the youth of the nobility, both male and female, who were foully degraded by ignoble marriages." One of these foreigners, who did much mischief, was made Bishop of Winchester, and "nothing was done in England but what the Bishop of Winchester and this host of foreigners determined on," Roger complains. 1235. The king's foolish extravagance kept him always in want of money. His sister Isabella was married to the Emperor of Germany, and her wedding ornaments and trousseau were so splendid that they "appeared to surpass kingly wealth." "She shone forth with such a profusion of rings and gold necklaces, and other splendid jewels, with silk and thread garments, and other like ornaments which usually attract the gaze and excite the desires of women, that they appeared invaluable.” He also tells of her beautiful bed, and the fine sheets and pillows she had, and of her cups and dishes of the purest gold and silver, "and what seemed superfluous to every one, all the cooking-pots, large and small, were of pure silver." ExtravaShe was provided, too, with many fine horses, having their saddles and bridles elaborately gilt and embroidered. gance. The Chronicle of Roger of Wendover ends here very patriotically, for he takes a pride in tracing up the pedigree of Isabella, through Henry I.'s wife, Matilda, to "the renowned King Alfred (leaving out all mention of the Conqueror William), and through Alfred back to Adam, adding that, being "descended from such ancestors, she was in every respect worthy of a marriage with the emperor." The splendid outfit which Henry gave his sister, including the silver saucepans, must certainly have cost a great deal of money; as did his own marriage festival, which was very magnificent. He got as much money as he could out of the people by all sorts of means; but though he made them very angry, he could not get enough. He was in debt; he was obliged to summon the nobles together to see what he could obtain from them. The Chronicle was continued by another and cleverer monk of St. Albans, who went on writing the history of the times he lived in after Roger left off, and who is generally called Matthew Paris. He tells us that on the summons of the king the nobles assembled "in a countless multitude," being told that they were wanted "to arrange the royal business, and 1237. matters concerning the whole kingdom." But The nobles moned. when they met together they found out that the are sum"royal business was to ask for a thirtieth part of their whole property. The king's clerk spoke for him very pitifully and meekly. He made a few excuses, and then said, "The king is now destitute of money, without which any king is indeed desolate; he therefore humbly demands assistance of you in money.' وو Discontent. It is not wonderful that the nobles, "not expecting anything of this sort, murmured greatly," and at last replied with indignation. They said they were oppressed on all sides; constantly paying such large sums of money; and "they declared that it would be unworthy of them, and injurious to them, to allow a king so easily led away, who had never repelled nor even frightened one of |