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 sea— such 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.

In 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.

crown hereditary. One

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. There are several very good reasons for having the is that it saves quarrelling; another, that our kings are educated for the throne. I mean that, when they 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

be a king, is not likely to have his head turned when he comes to the throne. Those who are born to grandeur and fine clothes and riches get used to them, and are not hurt by them. Those who become grand late in life often get disagreeable and conceited.

Now you have read enough history to know that, although for hundreds of years the crown of England has been called hereditary-that is, professing to go always to the right heir, there has often been quarrelling (as in the wars of the Roses) as to who was the right heir; and sometimes, for some reason or other, hereditary right has been set aside.

When James II. abdicated it was settled that the crown should go always to the next Protestant heir; and, therefore, when Queen Anne died, the throne did not go to her half-brother, James Edward, because he was a Roman Catholic, but was given instead to George, Elector or King of Hanover, who was the great-grandson of James I.

George I. was sent for from Hanover in a great hurry, but either he did not much care about the crown of England, or he felt sure of it, for it was six weeks before he landed at Gravesend. He seems to have been a rather disagreeable man, but to have had a good deal of pluck and determination.

He had a wife, but, having quarrelled with her, and shut her up in a castle some years before we have to do with his history, she never came to England.

George, when he first came over, was received quietly enough; but, unfortunately, he could not let well alone, and, because he fancied his ministers did not like him,

began by turning them out, and filling their places with men with whom he thought he should get on better. Of course those who lost their situations were vexed; many people took their parts, and a great deal of rioting ensued.

The consequence of the rioting, and of George's punishment of it, was this-numbers of people began first to grumble at the king, and then to plot rebellion against him. In the year 1715 a Scotch nobleman, the Earl of Mar, collected an army, and proclaimed James Edward, the son of James II., king. Numbers of discontented Englishmen joined the Scotch, and the rebellion would have been serious, but, fortunately for George, his enemies began to quarrel among themselves. The result was that half the army dwindled away, and the other half was easily defeated.

George was now too severe, and made himself still more unpopular by his harshness. Several noblemen were put to death, some were led in chains through London to the Tower, and there imprisoned. Privates were shut up in a very close, unwholesome prison, where many died from bad air and bad food; and a thousand men were spared only on condition that they went out to the colonies and became slaves.

George I. died in Germany, after having reigned in England eight years. He was never a popular king, and his one merit in the eyes of the people seems to have been that he was a Protestant.