A History of England; From the First Invasion by the Romans to the End of the Reign of George the Third - With Conversations at the End of Each Chapt (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1829 edition. Excerpt: ... King Richard was the last man slain on the field of Bosworth, and his death was the signal of victory to Henry of Richmond. The soldiers who had engaged in pursuit of the fugitives were recalled by hearing the shouts of " Long live king Henry " and, returning to the field of battle, they saw sir William Stanley placing on Henry's head the battered crown that had been struck off from the helmet of Richard. Henry was at this time thirty years old, of a tall and slender form, a pale complexion, and a grave sedate deportment. If he had ever possessed any ardour or warmth of character, the circumstances in which he had been placed had completely chilled it. Cold, cautious, and designing, he did not possess one amiable quality. His natural abilities were far from brilliant, but he supplied the want of quickness by the most unwearied application, and was rewarded for his perseverance by gaining a reputation for more wisdom than he possessed. He was an unkind husband, a careful, but not an affectionate father, a rigorous master, and a bitter enemy. His guarded temperament could not preserve him from the tyranny of two ruling passions, which swayed his conduct from the first hour of his reign, and lasted to the end of his life. These were his avarice, and his hatred of the house of York. The first command he issued, even before he had left the bloody field where he had been proclaimed king, was, that persons should be sent into Yorkshire, to seize young Edward Plantagenet, earl of Warwick, the son of the duke of Clarence, and to convey him to the Tower. But, notwithstanding Henry's rooted dislike to the house of York, he soon found he could not maintain himself on the throne without allying himself to it. He therefore renewed an agreement he had...