P. 141.—“Erpingham.” An English general, distinguished for personal
courage, a chief excellence in feudal times.
“Truncheon,” trŭnˈshun. A baton or military staff, employed in directing
the movements of troops.
P. 143.—“Three French Dukes.” Since the fourteenth century the eldest
son of the king of France, and heir apparent to the crown, is surnamed
Dauphin. “Count” (from which comes companion) is one of the imperial
court, a nobleman in rank, about equal to an English earl. Dukes (from
_dux_, leader, or _duco_ to lead) were princes in peace, and leaders of
clans in war.
P. 145.—“Jack Cade.” A man of low condition; Irish by birth; once an
exile because of his crimes, but having returned to England he became
the successful leader in riotous demonstrations of most disastrous
consequences. He had great power of control over a turbulent crowd, but
the rioters became insubordinate, and the injuries were such that a price
was offered for the leader’s head, and Jack was assassinated.
“Cheapside.” Part of a principal thoroughfare in London, north of the
Thames, and nearly parallel with it. If the name, as is supposed, at
first marked the locality where shop-keepers, content with small profits,
sold their goods cheap, it is less appropriate now. As the city extended
new names were given to the same street passing through the successive
additions to the city. Going west on Cheapside the avenue widens, and is
in succession called New Gate, Holborn Viaduct, New Oxford, Uxbridge and
High Street.
P. 146.—“Duke of Somerset,” sŭmˈūr-sĕt. Edward Seymour, Lord Protector of
England, was uncle to Edward VI, during whose minority he acted as regent
of the realm—a most powerful nobleman. His brilliant victory over the
Scots at Pinkey greatly strengthened his influence. There was much in his
administration to be commended, but the execution of his own brother, and
that of the accomplished Earl of Surrey, left a stain on his otherwise
fair record. Through the machinations of his rival, he was deprived of
his high office, and perished, on Tower Hill in 1552.
“Earl of Warwick,” wŏrˈick. Richard Neville, a powerful chief at that
time, and a cousin of King Edward IV. He was a most remarkable man, and
his character and methods are a study. A powerful antagonist, and brave
in battle, he was also a shrewd politician, and was much concerned with
the affairs of the government. He does not seem to have coveted civic
honors for himself, or to have had any aspirations for regal authority.
His ambition was rather to make kings, and to unmake them when their
character or policy did not suit. By marriage he succeeded to the
earldom, and the vast estates of Warwick. He fell at the battle of Barnet.
P. 149.—“Margaret of Anjou,” ănˈjoo. Daughter of a French count, and
Queen of England—a woman of fine talents, well educated, and full of
energy. She became unpopular with the English and was forced to flee from
the country. She may have lacked womanly delicacy, but did not deserve
the adverse criticism received. Her circumstances justified many of her
seeming improprieties.
P. 150.—“Towton,” often written Touton. The scene of the bloodiest battle
of English history. A hundred thousand were engaged, and the carnage was
terrible.
“Vimeira,” ve-miˈrä. A town in Portugal where, during the same campaign,
the French were again repulsed with great loss.
“Talavera,” tä-läˈva-rä. In the province of Toledo, Spain. The battle
referred to took place in 1809, when Sir Arthur Wellesley defeated the
French.
“Albuera,” ăl-boo-āˈrä. A small town in the province of Estremadura,
Spain, where the English were victorious in 1811. This victory cost them
nearly four fifths of the men engaged.
“Salamanca,” sal-â-mancˈâ. The capital of a province of the same name in
Spain, on the river Tormes, 120 miles northwest from Madrid. Wellington
defeated the French here in 1812—a victory which put southern Spain into
England’s power.
“Vittorea,” ve-toˈre-ä. On the road from Bayonne to Madrid, where
Wellesley defeated Joseph Bonaparte, in 1813, capturing 150 guns and
$5,000,000 of military and other stores, the accumulations of five years’
occupation of the place.
P. 152.—“Montagu,” mŏnˌta-gūˈ. The orthography is not uniform. He was of
the powerful family of Nevilles, and brother of the Earl of Warwick. They
fell together on the bloody field at Barnet.
“Gloucester,” glŏsˈter. This was Richard, brother of the king.
“Coniers,” konˈi-ers.
P. 153.—“Cognizance,” kŏgˈnĭ-zans. A badge to indicate a person of
distinction, or the party to which he belongs. Flags are used for the
same purpose on modern battlefields.
P. 154.—“D’Eyncourt,” dāˌin-courˈ.
“Cromwell.” Not Oliver, of course, but one of his ancestors, probably
Thomas, who afterward became widely known as a statesman and politician
in the service of Henry VIII.
P. 155.—“Redoubted.” Regarded with fear, dreaded.
P. 156.—“Exeter,” Earl of. The Earl was brother-in-law to Edward, and
fought with the Lancastrians in the civil war.
P. 157.—“The Destrier’s Breast,” dāsˌtre-āˈ. A French word meaning
charger or war horse.
P. 158.—“Victorious Touton.” On the bloody field of Towton, or Touton,
at a crisis in the battle, Warwick had killed his favorite steed in the
sight of his soldiers, kissing and swearing by the cross on the hilt of
his sword to share with them a common fate, whether of life or death. He
was victorious then.
P. 160.—“Casque,” cäsk. A piece of defensive armor to protect the head
and neck in battle.
P. 162.—“Tewksbury,” tukesˈbĕr-e. A town in Gloucestershire, on the Avon
and Severn. Edward there defeated the Lancastrians.
“Mirwall Abbey.” A quiet retreat not far from Leicester, north-northwest
from London.
P. 163.—“Fleshed,” flesht. Used murderously on human flesh, especially
for the first time.
“Harquebuse,” härˈkwe-bŭse. An old-fashioned gun resembling a musket, and
supported, when in use, upon a forked stick.
“Morris pike.” An obsolete expression for a Moorish pike.
P. 164.—“Frushed,” frusht. Trimmed, adjusted.
P. 166.—“Tournay,” toorˌnāˈ. A city of some historic importance in
Belgium, on the river Scheldt, near the French border. It was the
birthplace of Perkin Warbeck.
P. 169.—“Beaulieu,” bū-lĭ. A secluded place, sought for refuge.
P. 171.—“Ardres,” ārdr; “Francois,” frŏnˈswäˌ.
“St. Michael,” mīˈkāl. Jews, Mahomedans, and Romanists reverence St.
Michael as their guardian angel. A favorite symbol of protection was an
image of the saint, with drawn sword in hand, conquering the dragon.
P. 172.—“Duprat,” du-präˈ. A French minister of state, and a diplomat of
ability.
“Louise of Savoy,” savˈoy or sa-voiˈ. Once a sovereign duchy, since a
department of France, south of Switzerland, and west of Italy.
P. 173.—“Sieur de Fleuranges,” sēˈurˌ deh fluhˈrŏngˌ.
P. 174.—“Guisnes,” gheen. In France, not far from Ardres.
P. 175.—“Almoner.” An officer connected with religious houses, intrusted
principally with the distribution of alms, and also serving as chaplain
to the sick, or those condemned to die.
P. 181.—“Prebendary,” prebˈend-a-ry. A clergyman attached to a collegiate
or cathedral church, who has his prebend or maintenance in consideration
of his officiating at stated times in the church services.
“Caermarthen,” kar-marˈthen. The chief town in Caermarthenshire, South
Wales, a beautifully situated parliamentary borough, on the river Towy, a
few miles from the bay. Caermarthen was the scene of the final struggle
for Welsh independence under Llewellyn, the last of the princes.
P. 187. “Babington conspiracy.” Anthony Babington, a gentleman of ancient
and opulent family, when young became a leader of a band of zealous
Catholics who were smarting under the persecutions to which the members
of that communion were exposed in the days of Elizabeth. Their primary
object was to promote the Catholic cause. When Mary, Queen of Scots, was
forced to flee to England as a suppliant, Babington and his associates
became interested in her. They conspired to rescue Mary and assassinate
Elizabeth. The conspirators, when arrested, rather gloried in the
undertaking; as to the fate intended for Elizabeth, Babington declared
it no crime, in his estimation, to take the life of a sovereign “who had
stript him and his brethren of all their political rights and reduced
them to the condition of helots in the land of their fathers.” They were
sentenced and executed.
P. 192.—“In manus, Domine tuas, commendo animam meam,” Into thy hands, O
Lord, I commit my spirit.
P. 193.—“Fotheringay.” A town in Northamptonshire. Its famous castle was
the birthplace of Richard III. Here Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned
and executed. The Dukes of York, Richard and Edward, are buried at
Fotheringay.
P. 194.—“The Lizard.” The extreme southern point of land in England, on
the British Channel.
“Looe.” A town of the Cornish mining region in the southern part of
Cornwall.
P. 195.—“Drake,” Sir Francis. A most daring and efficient naval officer,
and one of the founders of the naval greatness of England. In 1587 he was
sent in command of a fleet to Cadiz, where, by a bold dash, he destroyed
one hundred ships destined for the invasion of England, and the next year
he commanded as vice-admiral in the victory obtained over the Spanish
Armada.
“Frobisher,” frŏbˈish-er, Sir Martin. An English navigator of the
fifteenth century, who made many discoveries in the arctic regions, and
was the first explorer for a northwest passage. He had a command in the
great sea fight against the Spaniards in 1588.
“Hawkins,” Sir John. He was previously associated with Drake in several
important expeditions, and served as rear-admiral in the fight that,
together with the elements, destroyed the Armada.
“Weathergage.” The position of a ship to the windward of another. Hence a
favorable position for making an attack with sailing vessels.
“Medina Sidonia,” ma-deˈnä se-doˈne-ä. Shortly before the time fixed for
the sailing of the fleet and army for the invasion of England, owing
to the death of the admiral Santa Cruz, and also his rear-admiral, the
Duke of Medina Sidonia, the extreme southern province of Spain, a man
unacquainted with naval matters, was made captain-general of the fleet.
He had, however, for his rear-admiral, Martinez Recalde, an expert seaman.
“Recalde,” rā-kälˈdä.
P. 196.—“Oquendo,” o-kānˈdo; “Pedro de Valdez,” peˈdro da väldĕthˈ.
“Andalusian,” anˌda-luˈshi-an. The southern part of Spain. It was
formerly called Vandalusia, because of the Vandals who settled there. It
is a delightful country, having a mild climate, and generally a fertile
soil. Cadiz is the principal seaport and commercial city.
P. 197.—“Guipuzcoan,” ge poosˈko-an. The smallest but most densely
populated of what are known as the Basque provinces; three Spanish
provinces distinguished from all other divisions, in the character,
language, and manners of the people. They have few of the characteristics
of Spaniards, and acquired political privileges not enjoyed by others,
and a form of government nearly republican.
P. 198.—“Gravelines,” grävˈlēnˌ. A small fortified and seaport town of
France, in a marshy region at the mouth of the river Aa.
“Galleons.” Ships of three or four decks, used by the Spaniards both for
war and commerce.
“Galleasses.” A kind of combination of the galleon and the galley;
propelled both by sails and oars.
“Sir Henry Palmer;” “Sir William Winter.” English officers who were
active in the attack on the Spanish fleet.
P. 199.—“Alonzo de Leyra,” a-lonˈzo dā leiˈrä; “Diego Flores de Valdez,”
de-āˈgo floˈreth dā välˈdeth; “Bertendona,” bĕrˈtān-doˌnä; “Don Francisco
de Toledo,” don fran-chesˈko dā to-lāˈdo; “Pimental,” pe-manˈtäl; “Telles
Enriquez,” telˈleth än-reˈketh.
“Luzon,” loo-thonˈ; “Garibay,” gä-re-biˈ.
P. 200.—“Borlase,” bor-lazˈ. A captain in the fleet of Van der Does.
“Admiral Van der Does,” doos. A Hollander.
P. 201.—“Ribadavia,” re-bä-däˈve-ä. A kind of Spanish wine.
“Lepanto.” A seaport town of Greece, on the Gulf of Lepanto. In 1571 it
was the scene of one of the greatest and most important naval battles
ever fought. The Turkish sultan, Selim, with two hundred and fifty royal
galleys and many smaller vessels, engaged the allied forces of Spain,
Italy and the Venetian Republic, and was defeated with loss in killed and
prisoners of thirty thousand men. The decline of the Turkish empire dates
from the battle of Lepanto.
P. 203.—“Essex.” (1567-1601.) Essex’s career had been a romantic one.
From his first appearance at court at 17, he captivated Elizabeth. He
was present at the battle of Zutphen, and joined an expedition against
Portugal in 1596. His position as court favorite caused many intrigues
to be formed against him, but he kept the queen’s favor, although often
offending her. Elizabeth had ordered him imprisoned after the Ireland
expedition, more to correct than to destroy him, but upon being dismissed
he attempted to compel the queen to dismiss his enemies by raising a
force against her. This led to his execution.
P. 207.—“Walter Raleigh.” (1552-1618.) Navigator, author, courtier and
commander. His first public services were his explorations in North
America, during which he occupied the region named Virginia. Having given
up his patent for exploration in the New World, he became interested in
a project for the conquest of El Dorado. In pursuit of this he sailed
in 1595 to South America, but soon returned. He assisted at the capture
of Cadiz in 1596. After the death of Elizabeth he lost favor with the
throne and was accused of treason and convicted. For thirteen years he
was confined in the Tower, where he wrote his “History of the World.” In
1615 he obtained his release to open a gold mine in Guinea. The search
was unsuccessful. Having encountered in battle at St. Thomas a party of
Spaniards, on his return the Spanish court demanded that he be punished,
and the king, James I., resolved to execute the sentence passed on him
fifteen years before.
“Coke,” kŏōk. (1549-1634.) An eminent English judge and jurist. At the
trial of Raleigh in 1603 his position was that of attorney-general.
During the trial he showed the greatest insolence to Raleigh.
“Yelverton,” yĕlˈver-ton. (1566-1630.) An English statesman and jurist.
P. 208.—“Distich,” dĭsˈtik. A couple of verses or poetic lines making
complete sense.
P. 209.—“St. Giles.” A favorite saint in France, England and Scotland.
Many localities and public places were named from the saints. The
reference here is to a drinking place named in honor of St. Giles. It was
situated near Tyburn, which, until 1783, was the chief place of execution
in London. Since that date Old Bailey, or Newgate, has been the place of
execution.
“Oldys,” ōlˈdis. (1687-1761.) An English biographer and bibliographer. He
wrote a life of Sir Walter Raleigh, prefixed to Raleigh’s “History of the
World.”
P. 210.—“Arundel,” arˈun-del. (1540?-1639.) The first Lord Arundel. He
had served in the war against the Turks under the German emperor, and
from him had received the title of Count of the Roman Empire.
P. 211.—“Naunton,” naunˈton. An English statesman, who died in 1635. He
was secretary of state under James I., and the author of an account of
the court of Queen Elizabeth.
“Paul’s Walk,” Bond Street, London, was known as St. Paul’s, before the
commonwealth. Here crowds of loungers used to collect to gossip. They
soon became known as _Paul’s Walkers_; now they are called _Bond Street
Loungers_.
“Mantle.” According to this old story, as the queen was going from the
royal barge to the palace she came to a spot where the ground was so
wet that she stopped. Raleigh immediately covered the spot with his
rich cloak, on which she stepped. For his gallantry he is said to have
received his knighthood and a grant of 12,000 acres of forfeited land in
Ireland.
P. 212.—“Spanish Main.” The circular bank of islands forming the northern
and eastern boundaries of the Caribbean Sea. It is not the sea that is
meant, but the bank of islands.
P. 213.—“Roundheads.” The Puritans, so called because they wore their
hair short, while the Royalists wore long hair covering their shoulders.
“Cavaliers.” The adherents of Charles I. were members of the royal party,
knights or gentlemen, to whom the name cavaliers was ordinarily applied.
P. 214.—“Janizaries,” jănˈi-za-ries. A Turkish word. “A soldier of
a privileged military class which formed the nucleus of the Turkish
infantry, but was suppressed in 1826.”
P. 215.—“Turenne,” tū-rĕnˈ. (1611-1675.) A famous general and marshal of
France, who during his whole life was actively engaged in the French wars.
“Counterscarp,” counˈter-scärp. The exterior slope of a ditch, made for
preventing an approach to a town or fortress.
P. 216.—“Pelagian.” Holding the doctrines of Pelagius, who denied the
received tenets in regard to free will, original sin, grace, and the
merit of good works.
“Bulstrode,” bulˈstrode. (1588-1659.) An English jurist.
P. 217.—“Sidney.” (1622-1683.) An eminent English patriot. He belonged to
the army of parliament, but held no office under Cromwell. When Charles
II. was restored he was on the continent, where he remained. In 1666 he
solicited Louis XIV. to aid him in establishing a republic in England,
and having returned to England he joined the leaders of the popular
party. In 1683 he was tried as an accomplice in the Rye House plot, and
executed.
“Ludlow.” (1620-1693.) A republican general who assisted in founding
the English republic, but was opposed to Cromwell’s ambition. He had
been commander of the army, but his opposition to Cromwell lost him the
position. On Oliver’s death he was replaced, but at the Restoration
escaped to France, where he spent the remainder of his life.
P. 227.—“O. S.” Dates reckoned according to the calendar of Julius Cæsar,
who first attempted to make the calendar year coincide with the motions
of the sun, are said to be _Old Style_ as contrasted with the dates of
the Gregorian calendar. This latter corrected the mistake of the former,
and was adopted by Catholic countries about 1582, but Protestant England
did not accept it until 1752.