New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-24


OF laborers for whom there no work. Even
ROYALTY had to listen to this outcry, especially
when il led as Il I'D on several occasions in the
times Of Henry and Mary, to open rebellion
But in fact the tendency was one which couid
not be resisted 1t part Of the evolution or
indiv.duasm, against which the communal IDEAS
inherited from the Middle Ages. and from stu
earlier times were powerless. But the opening
up Of the abbey lands naturally a relief
It retarded by much the process Of inclosure
and was Of similar value the farmer and
co.ter that the connscation Of plate jewels and
other movables from the monastc house was to
the nlidde-class contributor to royal suDs!diee
II put off an evil day that was felt TO be coming
and it saved the popularity Of the king. what
would have happened II re had lived to do as
he meant to do. namely to lay hands on the
SURPLUS Of the universities can only be imagined.
Henry had found the treasury rich he left it
poor But the country growing richer
daily not through his magnfcence and luxury
but in spite Of H. II was growing more intelh-
gent 1t was repeie with ideas which were
soon 10 be embodied in the grandest body OF
literature known to history Still the universi-
ties decayed The new learning which had
sprung up under the influence Of Erasmus when
the king was in the heyday Of youthful enthu-
slasm. withered away or was cultivated only oy
the few But the memory OF 1t spread. There
was an endless amount of translation and imi-
tation The classics were as much the subject
Of everyday conversation the lightest litera
ture is az the present day. Society was saturated
with what II took to be learning. Perhaps it
was no loss in the end that the universities lost
ground for n time In the eager dsputation that
went on everywhere else. In the taste for novelty
and for display, there lay capacity which
would soon produce host Of poets and drama
lists. For this almost the whole TT Tor period
was merely time Of preparation. II was not
till toward the close Of Elizabcth's reign that the
plant which had been so long cultivated began
to bloom IN perfection.
With all the wish and the opportunity 10 be
tvrants there was one thing which would in any
case have kept the Tudors from welding absolute
power They were not military Henry invaded
France with an army hampered by his pers 'nal
attendants and belongings to such degree that
he IS sarcastically compared in ths book to that
proverb of luxury and Incompetence. the Persian
XArxes Neither he nor Elizabeth paid those who
fought their battles on land and sea II they could
help IT, Had it not been for the patriotism Of
private individuals the Armada might not have
been defeated n, persuasions and no urgency
suffced to open the Queens purse-strings vide
enough to victual the ships in proper manner
This trait Of parsimony was the worse in both
father and daughter. because they had done
away completely with all the medieval in
centives 70 loyalty on the part Of the soldier
The retainer of feudal lord had t. be faithful
II he failed in his duty he became homeless
outcast. Eut the soldiery Of the Tudors were, III
theory a least. adherents solely II the monarch
They bore no device except that Of national
import Their loyalty was unduly tested when
they were forced to serve without pay and often
with nothing TO eat. In two cases whole armies
deserted their colors. Such incidents add grim
force to the curious arguments which led - the
casting aside Of the long bow weapon OF
war The very fact that throughout almost the
whole Of the Tudor period archers continued 10
form a large part of English armies In spite Il
the Improvement in firearms and in spite II the
universal change on the Continent. shows how
Indifferent he English rulers really We're 90
military affairs True the long bow was an
efficient weapon The hand gun Of the period
only proved It's superiority very gradually. But
the long bow was efficient just In proportion 20
the strength Of the archer. II he ill-fcd and
barely able TO stand, then ne could not draw his
bow. In a vast number Of cases h. was rem
dercd incapable by the neglect and paIs!mouy
, OF those for whom he fought. 50 the advocates
OF the use of firearms In argued that the
condition Of the soldiers required the use Of
weapon which did not depend for It's efficiency
on physical strength. II must have appealed
sooner or later to Tudor think that his
soldiers might be enabled to fight even though
they were starving.
+ The fact is impressed on tho mind that Eng
land. under those famous princes Of the Kenais-
sance and the Reformation, would have been
great without them. The very diseases from
which the population suffered those mysterious
cpiderni-s which still followed each other as they
had done in the Middle Ages. suiiiccd merely TO
clear off those who hindrance II their
stronger contemporaries. The numbers Of the
people increased a; a rapid rate, and while COM
plaiuts were endless it Is plain that the added
millions lived the average as long as the r"st
Competition stirred the race ont Of the SOW
life Of an earlier time. The people awoke to all
! that was going on about them They turned
their faces away from the hopeless task - get
| ting foothod in Europe. and betook themselves
| 10 Ireland, 10 the ocean. 70 the New World. II
| was not the cautious and timorous policy Of the
rulers that accomplished this. but the adventu-
rous spirit Of the people themselves. While royalty
/ meddling with the navy. the great free
| hooters Of the Spanish Main were making one
! smuggling the King Of SPANS beard" capturing
| his treasure fleets destroying his colonies acting
/ the very part OF the dragon they supposed
+ by supersttious Spaniards to resemble. The
nation. pushing upward on every side raised its
! princes TO prominence. II endured their abso-
| lutism inasmuch as this was for the time be-
! ing a stimulus to its own activity. IT n
number Of persons murdered with every degree
OF cruelty for their religious convictions. and IL
did not murmur overmuch. II was fond of bear
batting and may have taken pleasure FOR time
in the batting Of heretcs But before the period
was ended which this volume describes, stop
was put upon much OF this judicial cruelty
| The nation getting too serious to be trincd
with. II men could not agree about religion
! more especially IL they mixed II with politics.