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THE

LONDON MAGAZINE.

APRIL,

As the late unfortunate Death of the Prince of
WALES bus turned the Converfation
upon the Princes and minorities in England
Since the Conqueft, we shall give a short
HISTORY of them as follows:

W

ILLIAM the Conque-
ror had four fons, Ro-
bert, Richard, William
and Henry; of whom A

Richard died in the life-
time of his father, or,
as fome fay, was kill-
ed by a tag in the New Foreft. Robert
fucceeded his father in his dukedom of
Normandy, and William in his kingdom
of England; who dying without iffue was
fucceeded by his brother Henry.

Henry married Matilda, daughter of Malcolm king of Scotland and Margaret fifter to Edgar Atheling, by whom he had a fon named William, and a daughter named Matilda, married first to the emperor of Germany, and afterwards to Geoffrey Plantagenet earl of Anjou, by whom the had a fon, named Henry.

B

C

William was filed prince of England,
being the title then given to the king's
eldest fon; but at the age of 16, he was
drowned in his paffage from Normandy,
with a great many other young noblemen;
and upon his death, Henry did all he could
to have fecured to his daughter, the emprefs
Matilda, both his kingdom of England, and
the dukedom of Normandy, which he had D
taken from his eldest brother Robert ; but
upon his death his fifter's (on, and a fa-
ourite of his own, Stephen earl of Bo-
lome, got himself chofen king of England,
andby that means got alío poffeffion of
Normandy, which he prefently refigned to
Euftac his eldest fon..

Stephn had, befides Euftace, another
fon name William, whom he created earl
of Surrey but being involved in continual
wars with be emprefs Matilda and her fon
Henry, he was at laft obliged to come to
a treaty with Henry, by which he was to
hold the crown of England during his life,
and to be fucceed by Henry; prefently
April, 17510

E

1751.

after the concluding of which treaty his fon Eustace died without iffue; but as the fucceffion was then cut off from William, he could never properly be called prince of England.

In little more than a year after this treaty Stephen died, and in pursuance thereof was fucceeded by Henry, called Henry II. in the perfon of whom the blood of the antient Saxon kings was restored, as he was defcended from Margaret fifter to Edgar Atheling, who died abroad without iffue; but if that alone had been to be regarded, the king of Scotland had a better right than Henry, as he was defcended from the son of Margaret, whereas Henry's defcent was from a daughter.

Henry had four fons, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, and John. Henry the eldest was not only prince of England, but his father made him be crowned and gave him the title of king, even in his life-time, tho' he gave him none of the power; but he died before his father without iffue, and confequently Henry II. was fucceeded by his fecond fon Richard, who dying likewife without iffue, John the youngest got himself chofen king, to the prejudice of Arthur, fon of Geoffrey his elder brother, which Arthur was upon his father's death become duke of Bretagne in right of his mother.

John, foon after his acceffion, had the good luck to take both Arthur and his fifter Eleanora prifoners in a battle, the former of whom he caufed to be murdered in the caftle of Roan, and the latter he confined in the caftle of Bristol, where the lived many years and died a prifoner, by which the progeny of Geoffrey became extinct.

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After a most unfortunate reign, John died, leaving his two fons Henry prince of England, and Richard earl of Cornwall, both infants, the eldeft not ten years old, and in a very unhappy fituation; for moft of the barons had rebelled against him, and chofen the dauphin of France for their king, who with a French army was in poffeffion of London, and the greatest part of the kingdom, However, young Henry,by the Ta

name

148

Of the Princes and Minorities in ENGLAND. April

name of Henry III. was proclaimed king by thofe barons who had remained attached to the father; and they having chofen the wife earl of Pembroke regent of the kingdom, and guardian of the infant king, he in a fhort time recovered the affections of the people, drove the French out of the kingdom, and established his infant fovereign upon the throne. But he died in less than three years after he was appointed regent; and in his room the bishop of Winchester was appointed regent, and Hubert de Burgh chief justiciary of England, during the king's minority, who did not govern near fo prudently.

that time the eldest fons of our kings have always been called, and generally created princes of Wales, tho' they still retained the title of princes of England, and fince the union that of princes of Great-Britain, which is the most honourable title, and which they have without creation. A. Upon Edward's death he was fucceeded by his fon Edward, called Edward II. who had but one fon named Edward, whom he created prince of Wales; but he governed fo ill that a rebellion was raised against him, headed by his own queen, who had got along with her his only fon; and he had fo entirely last the affections of the people, that he could make no resistance; but was taken as he was endeavouring to make his efcape to Ireland, deposed, imprisoned, and then murdered.

B

However, Henry continued in peaceable poffeffion till by his own mismanagement, after he was declared of age by the parliament, tho' not then 19, he raised the barons in rebellion against him, who headed by the earl of Leicefter, defeated and took him prifoner at the battle of Lewes ; but in about a year after, he was released by his eldest fon Edward, after having defeated the earl of Leicester's army at the C battle of Evesham, where the earl himself was killed.

Henry added the title of prince of Wales to that of prince of England, in the perfon of his eldest fon Edward, and his other fon Edmund he created earl of Lancaster ; but Edward could never in his father's life-time make good his title to

In his room, his fon Edward was declared king by the name of Edward III. and as he was but 13 years old, the parliament appointed a regency, who were all probably of the queen mother's nomination; for the kept the government entirely in her own hands, and administered it chiefly by her favourite Roger Mortimer, whom the got created earl of March. But Edward growing fenfible of his mother's misconduct, when he was but 16, he by ftratagem furprised her and her favourite in the castle of Nottingham, and made them prifoners; after which he called a new parliament, and

the principality of Wales; and when his D by that parliament he was declared of age,

father died, he was upon an expedition to the Holy Land; but as he had acquired a great character by his conduct and bravery in battle, and especially by the mercy he Thewed even to his rebel enemies, after he had conquered them, notwithstanding his abfence, he was upon his father's death proclaimed king without the least difficulty, and the archbishop of York, the earl of Cornwall, his coufin, and the earl of Gloucefter, were appointed by the council, and foon after confirmed by the parliament, as regents of the kingdom till his return.

E

Edward had fix fons, John, Henry, Alphonfus, Edward, Thomas, and Edmund. John died while he was upon his expedition to the Holy Land, and Henry and F Alphonfus foon after his return. Edward fucceeded him, Thomas was created earl of Norfolk, and Edmund earl of Kent.

As Edward, a few years after his return, made an intire conqueft of Wales, he not only gave the titles of prince of Wales and earl of Chefter to Edward his then eldest fon, but put him in poffeffion of all the eftates G belonging to the crown in both; and to fecure the affection of the Welch, he carried his queen then with child to Caernaryon, where he brought forth Edward, that the Welch might fay, they had ftill a prince of their own country; and fince

and the earl of March was' impeached, condemned and executed.

Edward had five fons, Edward, commonly called the Black Prince, Lione! duke of Clarence, John duke of Lancaster, Edmund duke of York, and Thomas duke of Gloucefter. The prince Edward was, as ufual, created prince of Wales and earl of Chefter; and as the title and estate of Cornwall had reverted to the crown by failure of the heirs of Richard, brother to Henry III. the king erected it into a Dutchy, had both title and estate annexed to the crown, and fo fettled upon his fon Edward, that for the future they should always belong to the eldest son of the king; fince which time the cldeft fon of the king has at his birth, or father's acceffion, fuc. ceeded heredirarily to the title and eftate of duke of Cornwall, and they have generally been created princes of Wales and earls of

Chester,

But this brave prince Edward died before his father, leaving one only fon, named Richard, who was foon after by his grandfather created prince of Wales, duke of Cornwall, and earl of Chefter; for as he was not fon of the king he had not hereditarily by the faid at a right to the title or estate of Cornwall.

This

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1751. Of the Princes and Minorities in ENGLAND.

This Richard fucceeded to his grandfather by the name of Richard II. and as he was but eleven years of age, the parlia ment appointed his three furviving uncles, Lionel the eldeft being dead, together with fome bishops and lay lords, to be regents of the kingdom during his minority; but at the fame time they appointed others to A take care of his perfon and education."

As Richard was violent in his temper, he affumed upon himself the government before he was 18, and he made fo bad a ufe of it, that at last a rebellion was raised against him, headed by his coufin, Henry, eldeft fon of John duke of Lancaster, to whom he was forced to refign his crown, and being imprisoned was there murdered, without leaving any iffue.

- Upon Richard's refignation, Henry was declared king, by the name of Henry IV. to the prejudice of Roger earl of March, grandson of Lionel duke of Clarence, by his daughter and only child Philippa, who had been declared next heir to the crown by act of parliament in Richard's reign.

As foon as Henry was crowned he declared Henry his eldest fon prince of Wales, duke of Cornwall, and earl of Chefter; and befides this fon he had Thomas duke of Clarence, John duke of Bedford, and Humphrey duke of Gloucefter.

B

149

Henry having been dethroned, and imprifoned, where he died or was murdered, Edward duke of York mounted the throne, which he claimed as his right, being by his grandmother, daughter to the earl of March, the lineal heir of Lionel duke of Clarence, fecond son of Edward III.

This Edward, called Edward IV, had two fons, Edward whom he created prince of Wales and earl of Chester, and Richard whom he created duke of York; but he died in the infancy of his two fons, and his brother Richard, duke of Gloucefter, caused himself to be appointed protector by a pack'd council.

Young Edward was accordingly proclaimed king by the name of Edward V. but he reigned but a few months; for the protector ufurped the crown, and got both the young king and his brother murdered in the Tower, where he had them confined.

Richard, who was proclaimed king, by the name of Richard III. had a fon named C Edward, whom he created prince of Wales and earl of Chester, but the young prince died foon after, and the father foon met with a just reward for his crimes; for in the beginning of the third year of his ufurped reign, he was defeated and killed in the battle fought in Bolworth field between Upon Henry's death he was fucceeded by him and Henry earl of Richmond, heir of his eldeft fon Henry, by the name of the house of Lancaster, who was thereD Henry V. who added to our kings titles upon declared king by the name of Henry that of France, and dying young left but VII. and by marrying the eldest daughter. one fon, an infant of 9 or 10 months of Edward IV. he put an end to the fatal old, who fucceeded him by the name of difpute between the two houses of York Henry VI. and Lancafter.

As Henry came fo young to the crown, he was never created earl of Chefter or prince of Wales, but by coming to be king he fucceeded to them as heir to his father, thofe titles being always granted to the prince and his heirs kings of England; and as he was fo young, the parliament appointed the duke of Bedford to be protector of the kingdom when prefent, and in his abfence the duke of Gloucefter, the duke of Clarence having been before killed in France ; but at the fame time they appointed a council of regency, none of whom could be moved without authority of parliament; and they committed the care of the king's perfon and education to the duke of Exeter and bishop of Winchester.

By this marriage Henry had two fons, Arthur and Henry, Arthur was created prince of Wales and earl of Chester, but Ehe dying without iffue in the life-time of his father, Henry who had before been created duke of York, was created prince of Wales and earl of Chefter, and upon the death of his father fucceeded to the crown, by the name of Henry VIII.

F

Henry had one only fon named Edward,
whom he reated prince of Wales and earl
of Chefter but tho' he had a long, he
had a most fortunate reign; for before G
he was of age e loft almost every thing his
father had acquired in France ; and at
laft he loft the crown and kingdom of
England, as wells his only fon, who was
killed in cold blood fter being taken prisoner
at the battle of Tewksbury,

Henry VIII. had likewife two fons, Henry by Catharine of Arragon, and Edward by Jane Seymour; but Henry died in the fecond month after he was born, and confequently was never created prince of Wales or earl of Chefter; and tho' Edward was called prince of Wales, there is no record of his having been ever fo created.

However, Edward fucceeded to the crown upon the death of his father, by the name of Edward VI. and as he was but nine years old, his father had by his will appointed 16 regents with equal authority to govern the kingdom during the king's minority, but they were to govern by the advice of a privy council of

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150

Account of the celebrated SHAKESPEAR.

12 perfons all named in the will, none of
whom they could remove. As this was
a form of government inexecutable, it was
foon new moulded: The duke of Somerset,
the king's uncle, was declared protector, and
got the whole power into his own hands;
but a faction foon formed itself against him,
headed by the cart of Warwick, afterwards A
duke of Northumberland, by which the
regent was degraded, and afterwards be-
headed, and the former got thereby the
whole power into his hands. Whether
this laft had any defign upon the king's life
is uncertain, but he certainly had a defign
to get the crown into his family, for which
he loft his head in the next reign; and as

April

duke of Gloucefter, January 10, 1717-18, by proxy installed knight of the garter, April 30, 1718, created duke of Edinburgh, July 15, 1726; and upon his father's acceffion he became of courfe duke of Cornwall. In the year 1728, he was fent for from Ha❤ nover and arrived at St. James's, Dec. 4; and, on Jan. 9, following, he was created prince of Wales and earl of Chefter, Upon his decease, his eldest son, George William Frederick, was, on the 22d inft fo created, (fee p. 187.) And to the duke dom of Cornwall he has not, without a new creation, a right, because by the limitation it belongs only to the eldest son of the king, and confequently, as his father never

the young king was feized with a diftemper, B was king, cannot by law belong to him.

of which he afterwards died, in about a year after the death of his uncle, the duke of Northumberland was violently suspected of having been the cause of his death.

As Edward was fucceeded first by his fifter Mary, and then Elizabeth, we had no prince of Wales till the acceffion of James I. who had two fons, Henry and C Charles Henry was created prince of Wales and earl of Chefter; but dying before his father, Charles was created in his room, and upon his father's death fuc ceeded to the crown.

Charles had three fons, Charles, who foon after his birth was created prince of Wales and earl of Chefter; James, created duke of York; and Henry, created duke D

of Gloucefter.

Upon the murder of Charles, his fon Charles fucceeded to the crown by the name of Charles II. but did not come to the poffeffion till 1660, foon after which his brother Henry died; and as Charles died without any legitimate iffue, he was fucceeded by his brother James, who had a fon`born in 1688, called James, and presently after his birth created prince of Wales and earl of Chefter; but as his father abdicated the crown before the end of the year, the son is now called the pretender.

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Upon the abdication of James, William prince of Orange was declared king, by the name of William III. As he died with. F out iffue, and as Q. Anne's fon, William duke of Gloucefter, died before she came to the crown, we had no prince of Wales, till the acceffion of his late majesty, who foon after his arrival in England created his only fon, now our most gracious king, prince of Wales and earl of Chester, he having before been created duke of Cam-G bridge and installed knight of the garter; and upon his late majesty's demife, he fuc ceeded to the crown, by the name of George II.

Frederick Lewis, his eldest fon, now deteafed, was by his late majefty created

As we bave bere exhibited a beautiful Copper Plate of the Monument erected but a few Years ago, in Westminster- Abbey, to the Memory of that most celebrated of all our dramatick Writers, Mr. WILLIAM SHAKESPEAR, (fee Mag: for 1741, P. 99.) it may be justly expected that we fhould give fome Account of bis Life, which we prefent our Readers with as follows.

T

HIS extraordinary man, to whom nature gave fo vast a genius, that his imagination, thought and expreffion feem'd almost unbounded and inexhaustible, was born at Stratford upon Avon, in Warwickshire, in April, 1564. His father was Mr. John Shakespear, of a good family in those parts, and a confiderable dealer in wool; but having ten children, his substance was not fo large, but that he was obliged to bring up this fon, tho' his eldest, to his own employment. He fent him, for fome time, indeed, to a free-school, where, 'tis probable, he acquired what Latin he was mafter of; but the narrowness of his cir cumstances, and the want of his affiftance at home, made his father take him from fchool, and fo prevented his further proficiency. But whatever he wanted in learning, nature amply supplied; and perhaps his unacquaintance with the antients gave his genius a freer scope, than it might have had if he had been ever fo well verfed in them. For tho' the knowledge of then might have made him more correct, yet his over attention to that correctnefs might have abated that fire, and restrained that impetuofity, and even beautiful extravagance, which we fo much amire in Shakespear..

Upon his being taken from school, he feemed to think of nothing elf but entirely devoting himself to the bufires his father defigned him for ; and in oder to settle in the world in that way, he married, while he was yet very young the daughter of one Hathaway, a fubfantial yeoman in the neighbourhood. A this kind of life

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1751.

Account of the celebrated SHAKESPEAR.

he continued for fome time; but having,
by a misfortune too common to young fel-
lows, fallen into bad company, fome of
whom made a frequent practice of deer-
ftealing, he was engaged with them more
than once in robbing the park of Sir Tho-
mas Lucy, of Cherlecot, near Stratford,
who profecuted him for it; and as he A
thought him too fevere, to be revenged,
he made a ballad upon him, which, pro
bably, was the firft effay of his poetry,
tho' it be now loft. However, 'tis faid to
have been so very bitter, that it redoubled
the profecution against him; so that he
was forced to leave his bufiners and family
in the country, for fome time, and take
thelter in London. Tho' this was certain-
ly at that time a blemish upon his charac-
ter, and feemed at first to be a misfortune
to him; yet it afterwards proved the oc-
cafion of exerting one of the greatest ge-
nius's in dramatick poetry that ever was
known.

151

his lively wit and engaging manners procured him the acquaintance and friendship of the gentlemen of the neighbourhoud. In that country they have a tradition to this day, that he had a particular intimacy with Mr, Combe, an old gentleman noted for his wealth, and for being a great usurer and that in a pleafant converfation with him and other friends, Mr. Combe merrily told Shakespear, that he fancied he intend ed to write his epitaph, if he happened to out-live him, and fince he could not know what might be said of him when he was dead, he defired it might be done immedi"ately: Upon which Shakespear gave him the following lines

B

For as the abovementioned accident brought him to London, fo it occafioned C his first acquaintance with the players; among whom tho' he at first flood in a very mean rank, yet his admirable wit, and the natural turn of it to the stage, soon diftinguished him, if not as an extraordinary actor, yet as an excellent writer. What parts he acted in feveral plays is uncertain; but, it feems, the top of his performance D was the ghoft in his own Hamlet. Befides his furprizing and almost inimitable wit, he was a very good-natured man, of great fweetness in his temper and manners, and a moft delightful companion; which excellent qualities brought him acquainted with the best perfons of his time. Q. Elizabeth. had feveral of his plays acted before her, and, without doubt, gave him many gra- E cious marks of her favour: She was fo well pleafed with his character of Falstaff, in the two parts of Henry IV. that the commanded him to continue it for one play more, and to fhew him in love; which is Taid to have been the occafion of his writing The Merry Wives of Windfor. But the particular notice and encouragement of F the queen was not his only advantage : The earl of Southampton, so famous for his friendship to the unfortunate earl of Effex, was his munificent and generous patron, who at one time is faid to have given him 1000l. to enable him to go thro' with a purchase he was then about. It was to this noble lord that he dedicated his poem of Venus and Adonis.

The latter part of his life was paffed in retirement and the converfation of his friends. He had the good fortune to acquire a competent eftate, and is faid to have (pent fome years before his death at his native Stratford. It is no wonder, that

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Ten in the hundred lies bere ingrav'd,
"Tis a bundred to ten bis foul is not fav'd
If any man afk, who lies in this tomb?
Ob! bo! quoth the devil, 'tis my Jobn-a◄

Cambe.

But the sharpness of the fatire is faid to have flung the man fo feverely, that he never forgave it.

Shakespear died in 1616, in the 3d year of his age, and was buried on the north fide of the chancel, in the great church at Stratford, where a monument is placed in the wall. On his grave-stone underneath are thefe lines :

Good friend, for Jesus' fake forbear
To dig the duft inclofed bere.
Bleft be the man that spares these frones,
And curfi be be that moves my
bones.

He had three daughters, of whom two lived to be married, and had children; but thefe all died without iffue.

Mr. Pope fays, if ever an author deferved the name of an original, it was Shakespear. His characters are so much nature herfelf, that it is a fort of injury to call them copies of her.-Every fingle character in him is as much an individual as thofe in life itfelf.-The power over our paffions was never poffeffed in a more eminent degree, or displayed in fo different inftances: Yet all along there is no labour, no pains to raise them :-We are furprized the moment we weep; and yet upon reflection find the paffion so just, that we should be surprised if we had not wept, and wept at the very moment. -How furprizing is it again, that the paffions directly contrary to these, laughter and fpleen, are no lefs at his com mand! That he is not more a master of the great than of the ridiculous in huGman nature; of our noblest tender

neffes, than of our vaineft foibles, of our ftrongest emotions, than of our idlest sen. fations. Nor does he only excel in the paffions: In the coolnefs of reflection and reasoning he is still as admirable.

BRI

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