make off at once into the mountains, climb where soldiers could not follow, and thus be saved. It was needful therefore to add treachery to cruelty.

And this scheme was devised. A few soldiers were sent to live with the Glencoe people as friends, to find out all the secret ways by which escape from the glen was possible. These soldiers were ordered on a certain morning to get up before daybreak, and to murder their hosts. The massacre thus begun by the visitors was to be finished by four hundred other soldiers, who were to be marched into the glen in the early morning.

All was arranged, but fortunately for the Glencoe people there was some muddle in the carrying out of this wicked plot. The four hundred fresh men did not arrive quite at the right time, and so a few of the inhabitants of the glen escaped. Still more than thirty men were slaughtered, and women and children were driven out to die in the snow. One little boy of twelve years old begged hard for mercy, but was killed. The Glencoe people had given their best food and best lodging to their enemies, and received them with true Scotch hospitality. All this went for nothing.

It is not exactly known whether William was answerable for this cruelty. It is certain that he signed the warrant for the massacre; probably he must have done so without proper consideration, and did not realise how cruel an act it was.

William died at Hampton Court, in the year 1702. His wife died before him, and they left no children.

CHAPTER XXXII.

ANNE, 1702-1714.

Married George, Prince of Denmark.

Had several children, but none survived their mother.

ANNE was the daughter of James II., and the sister of Mary. She was a very dull woman, and she married a husband duller than herself. So you may suppose that everybody went to sleep, and that nothing of importance happened in this reign. But that would be a mistake, for a good deal happened in Queen Anne's time. Like many rulers, she made favourites. One of her chief ones was a girl named Sarah Jennings, who was one of her maids. Sarah, when she grew up, married a soldier named Lord Churchill, and I believe this fact caused much of the fighting in Queen Anne's reign.

But now I must tell you how a war arose. You must know that the King of France, Louis XIV., had been a great fighter in his youth, and though he was getting an old man, he kept on longing for more power, and more and more. Louis could no more help longing for more war than a drunkard can his longing for drink. If he did not get more land himself, he liked his relations to have it. There are many people now, who, like Louis, had rather have rich relations than poor ones.

In the year 1700-that was just two years before Anne became Queen of England--the King of Spain died, and left his kingdom to Louis. his grandson. I do not see that he But there arose a fine riot in Europe.

Louis gave it to was to blame here. Some of the kings

of other countries agreed that Louis was getting a great deal too powerful, that there would be no end to him soon, and that they must join together to put him down. Austria, Holland, and other lands, united against France.

When Anne came to the throne there was much talking as to whether England should interfere, or remain neutral (that is, take neither side in the quarrel). However, Lord Churchill wanted war, and that was enough for Anne. So England joined the quarrel, and Lord Churchill got immense honour and glory. When he returned to England, after great successes, he was made Duke of Marlborough, as a reward. Soon afterwards he set off to the Continent again, and a great battle was fought at a place called Blenheim, in Bavaria. This was the most utter defeat of the French. Every one was afraid to tell Louis about it. But at last a lady, of whom he was very fond, broke to him that his troops could no longer be called invincible. (That long word means cannot be beaten).

So

Lord Churchill went home, and Queen Anne thought that she could not do enough for him this time. she bought a great big bit of ground, and had a splendid house, as grand as a palace, built on it, which she called Blenheim, after the victory. This she gave to the Duke of Marlborough. Then came another victory at a place called Ramilies, and then more and more successes, till old England began to be much feared and admired.

Meanwhile the sailors on the seas were not in the least behind the soldiers on land. The most important sea conquest of the reign was Gibraltar, a very strong fortress to the south of Spain. The English did not

think much of this at the time, and hardly thanked the brave sailors who got it. Every one was too busy admiring Marlborough.

But Gibraltar mattered more to England really than the splendid victories of Blenheim and Ramilies. It is true that Gibraltar is not a big place; but some small places are important from their situation. Perhaps you would not care to have a rusty little key? I should, if it unlocked a big box full of all manner of nice things. Now Gibraltar is like a key that unlocks ever so many things that are pleasant to have.

Look at the map, and you will see that the narrow little Straits of Gibraltar lead into the big blue Mediterranean Sea. If any of the countries bordering on that seasuch as Italy, Spain, Turkey, &c.-are rude to old England, we can shut their ships up tight, by just sending a few sailors down to mind that they do not get through the Straits of Gibraltar. If those straits were not ours, and the Spaniards turned disagreeable, they might say that our ships should not go through them with things for sale in other countries. Now we send lots of ships through whenever we please, without having to ask anybody's leave.

Anne reigned twelve years, dying in the year 1714. She did one very good thing. You remember that Henry VIII. took a quantity of church money to which he had no right. Queen Anne gave a good deal of this back again. She put aside a large sum, the interest of which was to be given to poor clergymen. This money is not yet at an end, and goes by the name of "Queen Anne's Bounty."

CHAPTER XXXIII.

GEORGE I., 1714-1722.

Married Sophia of Zell.

Children:-George Augustus, and one daughter.

L some countries which are governed by a king the people choose whom he shall be. In others, the crown is hereditary-that is to say, it goes from father to son. Both plans have advantages and disadvantages. If the people always chose the best and cleverest man in the land as king, of course it would be a fine plan that the one who got most votes should reign. But it would be very difficult to find out who would make the best king, and it is likely that there would be a great deal of bribery; and that at last the richest, and not the best, man would have the throne.

There are several very crown hereditary. One another, that our kings I mean that, when they

If the crown is hereditary, as is our English custom, of course there is some risk of having a stupid or bad king. But a stupid or bad king cannot, after all, do very much harm in England, because he, as well as his subjects, must obey the laws. good reasons for having the is that it saves quarrelling; are educated for the throne. are children, they learn all manner of things which are most likely to be of use to them when they become kings, just as boys intended for carpenters or shoemakers, or any other trade, begin to learn their business when they are young. And a third reason is, that a boy who has known all his life that he will some day