New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-20
EDWARD LONGSHANKS.
THE FIRST ENGLISH KING WHO oUTwITTED
THE ECCLESIASTICS.
EDWARD THE FIRST. BY Professor T. F, Tout.
PIP. VII 23s. Macmillan < co. 'l"ei'e English
Statesmen.)

PIP. vi. 23s. Macmillan & co. CIweiVe English
Statesmen)
In this book the lean. active, onglegged figure OF
the first downright Englishman VINO sat on the
throne OF William the Conqueror Is set up alongside
OF William himself of Henry II. OF Henry VIII and
OF Cromwell, filling out the htue b'o"p Va really
great mon who have regned the country in the
last 500 wears ENGLAND has had great men In every
generation. but her kings have rarely "'eh worthy
OF being counted among them. icI'''pH coward
at heart more OF a patriot Una" iiei'S H.
but circumstances were such that nc he'n toward
the people relation which the Stout Ieu-H'aue'
cholerc Augeyin from his place In the twelfth
century would have deemed inconprehehsioie Inc
very name Edward, given to the baDy frince IN
memory OF Edward the Confessor' SHOWS that
rulers and ruled. though they were sun W nave
bloody conflicts with each other' hau heseI.heiess
reached a ground OF mutual UNDERSTANDINGS. tut Tue
time Of Edward the Confessor appeareu 10 ire
masses of England as "A sort Oh soiu@.i "ee WV"
the world went well and WHEN everybody was nap
~. Tbe, looked unon the name given 10 The young
Plantagenet as an auspiclous sign That the laws
and customs under which, as they iahcleu' fhsiand
had prospercd. were TO be restored N,a' really
happened was the beginning OF better thihss man
had ever been dreamed Of even by the pcst oi 'Noh
kings The skv began to brighten with the dawn
OF modern life, feudalism began mei'hS away
something like representation in government was
o,to,nnted and the old medieval Knight the Dul-
wark or anarchy found himself no long inrincibie
in battle with foot soldiers.
There was not little OF the IRONY OF i'le III "ie
fact that Edward, the flower OF kmsh,hoou'
the envy of the tourney field who despised 10"
birth had TO carry out reforms that dc stroyed his
ideals of life A.,
The weakness OF the preceding King proved the
hoe, trojrin,, for Edward lie found out before ne
began TO reign what the things were tnat the ha'oh
would not endure. Thus the conquerer vi 'i''o''
de Montfort became the heir OF that p'aVe oiu wal
riors ideas In fact, he crushed lie N"'''''t a.
Evesham by the use OF the same military devices
which the latter invented and successfully Hsei nj
a.. ha,,io ., Iowcs In the Wars Of the i}arons
no learned how 10 view things as they viewed thcm
and how to put his finger on the peculiarly OF inc
feudal system which made the CONNECT VI r'"s anu
ba ron inevitable The result long aiterwar' was '"e
prohibition Of tenancy within tenancy w'phS out a.
with a sweep of the hand. successive grades Of de-
nendenoy Before long II was ciear 'hat IL
deadly blow had been given to the fcudal principle
itssIf The constant creation OF fresh links OF feu-
dial obligations was a necessary part OF inc vial
ity of the system" Tenure graduai'y ios' al
efficacy in politics. Probably nothlhs was i"' t"'
from the minds Of Edward and his advisers 'h",
this result Yet nothing could he more peh'"e'"'.
Edward had good luck often in the character OF
his opponcnts lie had TO wage the same connie,
with the ecclcslastcs as Henry II. But Beckett hau
been Henrys own man. lie knew just VIVA, 10 uo
in order TO defeat lIenry's plans on the o,he'
hand every effort OF Edward TO have his 'hahce'lo''
Bishop Burne raised To the prnacy iaiiel' IN o'"'
to- reward man whose public career was behencch''
hut whose private life was shameful Edwatu eN-
nosed himself Ito two well-mertcd rebuns from
poue as well as TO the scandalous imputation OF
desiring to make the great places or inc 'hurVh
mere rewards for political sood serN'''' '"'
Edward was saved the risk OF creating announcer
Beckett. In view OF the prolonged dispute p''",'"
the monkish electors and the KING rope N''"o''S
III Amounted his own man. John Pcckham an al
most fanatical Mendicant Friar. VINO th"nsh' "''
wealth Of the Church was its ruin Under the '"a'
~ this man as Archbishop OF Canterbury tho
clergy hogan nj once to assert their irNl'F'T.
Then Edward put himself on the grouNH VIM"
Peckham occupied. and by the statute oil or'I'"'n
prohibited all future grants OF land I" "ecl'ShSu
cal corporations Peckham, a' an honest hnN'S"
man and n good Christian. who believed IN pow
art, had mo-, n word 10 say In reply 10 this Legs
lauon No other victory OF Edward. whether h"i-
tary or civil was brilliant "a this II seene' 10
be in the interest ot Ia" feudal lords II was
.Iargely a definition OF previous custom pu' "
gained what previous monarchs hai iodsh- io' III
vain.
Professor Tout points out that medieval rulers
ver. often az capable OF broad diplomacy ana OF
great international alliances as their SUCCESSORS
7, yas not brains nor skill that they lacked. but
resources Compared with the modern "orll' III"
Chrlstcndom OF the thirteenth ana fourteenth cen
turies was poverty stricken Its wealth wa hfrdy
greater than that OF Rome. with the adHiuoha'
defec, that while the riches of the old empire
ue,a concentrated those OF medieval Europe
wer. scattered While this dispersion was neces-
sarv 10 future progress for IL enabled men TO con-
ouer the forests and wild lands In when th'y
Iivaa I, rendered combination impossible. one OF
Edwards mos, vexatiou1 inheritanccs was dcb''
He never freed himself from it. but rathe- In
ftt.s ts.F 40
cause OF every dispute that occurred between him
and bis subjects Tho resentment he felt toward
Insurers intensified his persecution OF the jews.
though his crueltics against them strengthened
him With the people at large. But inc h"eu Oh
money 10 carry on for his continental pos
sess lons forced from him the confirmation OF 'he
charters which is one Of the turning points in the
history OF England. This act Stands
in the closest relation to that development OF inc
parliamentary system which Is among the chet
elorios of the reign Of Edward Edward had called
into being the parliament OF three estates 10y
his concessions in 1927 he invested the body that
had first met in 1895 with the highest and choicest
Of its powers 1t was the greatest triumph OF the
ponular principle that the age witnessed and the
,riunnh became all the greater when 1t was
won from 80 fierce and strong a King
"a Edward" OF course the King. like
every mediacval ruler, tried to Keep his promises
in the letter and violate them In spirit. But his
own efforts to give England just courts his HE
long ambition to be known King who Kept his
word restrained him. Hot and cruel he could be-
but he had a wonderful reverence for law. by way
of distinction he has been called lawyer, pure
and simple But he great deal more and n
great deal less than n lawyer. He had the wisdom
10 gather men Of practical learning about him. and
10 take their advice without being slavishly bound
by H. The story OF the way he initiated the tactics
Of De Montfort Is in sense the key to his whole
ca rccr This device recurs so often In respect to
all his achievements in war. I'm legislation. in re-
form as to mark his Individuality II shows that
he was n greater man than his councillors often
# seems as though could in a given
that Edward asked his lawyers what principle
would apply in certain conditions. and then care
fully brought those conditions about. For example.
Castor, Viscount Of Bearn appealed to the Paria-
ment Of Paris to be released from his obligations
as yassal 10 Edward. But he had been a rebel