New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-30


teenth century and the emancipation Of seris on
the Isle of Ely by Elizabeth in 1874 Doup'eSS
freedom made rapid advances during the SIN
teenth century still we must remember that as
late as 1923 Fitzherbert spoke Of villanage III
sucb terms as indicated that II was not alto-
gether exceptional
In law It would be difficult to point out any
interruption between the old and the new E"s
land after a fashion all her own as +. W. MAI
land remarks. had stumbled into sche''e III
the reconciliation Of permsnence win pios'''''
He points out that before some very recent IT,
forms the procedure Of the Court OF Chaicei!
was the procedure OF an ecclesiastical court anu
in another place paraphrasng an expression u
CARLYLE he remarks: The English common Id"
WINS tough one Of the toughest things ever maui
And well for England was 1t in the DAYS u
Tudors and Stuarts that this was simpler
a more rational a more elegant system "o"'1
! have been an apt instrument Of despouc rule
He almost rehabilitates the credit of two hstilu-
lions which have endured much oboquy when ne
| odds. "Tbe old medieval criminal law could be
nraserved because court OF Star Chamoer
would supply its deficiencies; the old private la"
| coud be preserved because the Court OF Chah-
Gerry was composing an appendix 10 H. "'a' W
Jury could be preserved. developed. trdns"suie'
because other modes OF trial were nmiuhs !"
an appropriate sphere. and so our o.d Ia" n'"'i-
| tanned it's continuity The Star Chamber anu inc
| Chancery were dangerous 10 our poil'icai hDei
ties but II we look abroad we snaH ma soou
| reason for thinking that but for those ihs'i'u-
tions our old-fashioned National law, unaoie out
OF its own resources to meet the requirements Va
q now age would have utterly broken down and
the "lngodly tumble would have made way 10Y
| Roman Jurisprudence and for despotism. were
|
and the Court of Star Chamber saved the Con-
stituton even in this paradox there would De
some truth
II We turn TO the science of we shall find
q enuallv difficult to fix definite date as the
termination of the medieval period. Was this
date marked by the earliest use OF artillery?
Then il must be the year l3i7 in which, as fro's-
sart says Edward III mounted bombards IN the
fort which formed the central point OF MS INES
of investment around Calais. MI oman VINO
writes most of the articles on war In TINS NoIu'hr'
discredits the statement Of the old chronicler,
Villain that the English used guns on the he.d
I of Crecy Cannon. he says. were used in posi-
ton long before they could be handled on the
/ open field. This point Is illustrated by the id''
that 'the BLACK Prince IN his great foray around
France in 1856. which ended in the battle OF
Poic,Iers used cannon against Romoran'in and
nlovment Of them in the great battle which fol-
! lowed" He holds. somewhat tematNeN' now
ever. that Northampton was the first Ehe''Sh
ha,tle whore field guns were used by native
| generals and tina, Formigny was the hrst a'H'h
IN which they were used against the knghsh 10y
! any opponent The day OF field artillery ne aduS'
! had not yet arrived The fifteenth century d.
| we'll as the fourteenth was characterized pl me
! predominance Of the archer and the dlsh""l'e'
| man-at-arms on the battlefield. The increasing
| use Of artillery be seen only N the Story "'
! sieges The adoption Of smaller hfcaImS "N"
Gates. Of course a great advance toward ihode'"
methods Burgundian arquebusi~rs were used pF
| Warwick at the second battle OF s. Adams III
| 1851 but neither then nor in l41, when Ed""Iu
~ hired some Flemish hand-gunners 10 help
him regain his kingdom. did the new arms prove
| very efficient Down to the middle * the SIX
/ tenth century" says MIR Oman. me archeI
held his own against the arquebusier' on me u"
! occasions when they met ne had decidedly IN"
advantage. In Ellzabeth's reign when firearms
vorA. already long established In use all over me
! Continent archers were still found In the army
| which followed Leicester 10 Flanders, ana IN 'he
fleet which scattered the Armada II was nov "'
the seventeenth century that the long bow many
| disappeared: even lat, as 1912 there was
proposal TO arm some Of the London militia with
the old National weapon.
The most characteristic figure Of the Mln''e
, Ages was the knight. mounted ana encased III
metal almost from head 10 foot. IL IL De ihi'i-
| tained that the medieval military system re-
ceived its death-b blow when knighthood failed to
| hold its own against infantry, then Crccy was
the first battle and Henry the first King 81
modern times. But long after this though the
English had learned the value Of archers ana
| al
| t,cu,arly the French. continued to rely on their
| heavy cavalry Armies on both sides OF the
! Channel were still made up Of bar1nial contih-
! gents on the basis Of livery and maintenance'
1t was only after the great mobiles had Killed each
other off in the Wars of the Roses that national
army became possible When these wars ehded
there was no great baron left "who could trouble
England either by h ,rdes Of swashbucklins
household retainers or b. confedcrac!"s OF unruy
sauires and knights contracted to him by treaty
and wearing his badge on their sleeves" 1t Is In
the light Of this fact that Mr. Oman iinds
Justification for his statement that the Middle
Ages ended on the field Of Bosworth. Neverthe-
less II is certain that the reorganization OF the
arrnv under the Tudors reflected the meth DDS Of
the past The traditions Of the Hundred Years
War Of Crecy and Poctiers Of Henry and
.gtncourt had been interrupted but not de-
s,roved by the Wars of the Roses. In these wars
the nation at large took no interest. Trade. aGTl-
! culture and all the ordinary occupations OF NE
went on among the middle ard lower classes as
IL nothing were happening. The actual result
WAS an almost unmlxed good for the country
nv slaughtcr.ng each other the r,en who stood
in the way Of reform gradually relieved the realm
of their presence, while the men who would nave
done the lighting In truly national war looked
jndfferenty on battles between bands OF house
hold men and the liveried dependents of the great
peers Not only the leaders but the disorderly
armies were in great par: swept away. leaving
to Henry VII and his successors the opportunity
not only Of creating new peerage, but new
armies loyal only to themselves. The immediate