Chapter Soulis to Spanish Lady of S by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Richard I., April 6, 1199; Richard II., deposed September 29, 1399; Richard III., August 22, 1485.

Stephen, October 25, 1154.

William I., September 9, 1087; William II., August 2, 1100; William III., March 8, 1701–2; William IV., June 20, 1837.

Edward II. resigned Tuesday, January 20, 1327, and was murdered Monday, September 21, 1327. Henry VI. deposed Wednesday, March 4, 1461, again Sunday, April 14, 1471, and died Wednesday, May 22, 1471. James II. abdicated Tuesday, December 11, 1688, and died at St. Germain’s, 1701. Richard II. deposed Monday, September 29, 1399, died the last week in February, 1400; but his death was not announced till Friday, March 12, 1400, when a dead body was exhibited said to be that of the deceased king.

Of the sovereigns, eight have died between the ages of 60 and 70, two between 70 and 80, and one has exceeded 80 years of age. Queen Victoria was 78 on May 24, 1897.

William I. 60, Henry I. 67, Henry III. 65, Edward I. 68, Edward III. 65, Elizabeth 69, George I. 67, George IV. 68.

George II. 77, William IV. 72.—George III. 82.

Length of reign. Five have reigned between 20 and 30 years, seven between 30 and 40 years, one between 40 and 50 years, and four above 50 years.

William I., 20 years 8 months 16 days; Richard II., 22 years 3 months 8 days; Henry VII., 23 years 8 months; James I., 22 years 4 days; Charles I., 23 years 10 months 4 days.

Henry I., 35 years 3 months 27 days; Henry II., 34 years 6 months 17 days; Edward I., 34 years 7 months 18 days; Henry VI., 38 years 6 months 4 days; Henry VIII., 37 years 9 months 7 days; Charles II.+Cromwell, 36 years 8 days; George II., 33 years 4 months 15 days.

Elizabeth, 44 years 4 months 8 days.

Henry III., 56 years 20 days; Edward III., 50 years 4 months 28 days; George III., 59 years 3 months 4 days; Victoria completed her 60th year’s reign June 20, 1897, and is still on the throne (April, 1898.)

Sow (A), a machine of war. It was a wooden shed which went on wheels, the roof being ridged like a hog’s back. Being thrust close to the wall of a place besieged, it served to protect the besieging party from the arrows hurled against them from the walls. When the countess of March (called “Black Agnes”), in 1335, saw one of these engines advancing towards her castle, she called out to the earl of Salisbury, who commanded the engineers—

Beware, Montagow,
For farrow shall thy sow;

and then had such a huge fragment of rock rolled on the engine that it dashed it to pieces. When she saw the English soldiers running away, the countess called out, “Lo! lo! the litter of English pigs!”

Sow of Dallweir, named “Henwen,” went burrowing through Wales, and leaving in one place a grain of barley, in another a little pig, a few bees, a grain or two of wheat, and so on, and these made the places celebrated for the particular produce ever after.

It is supposed that the sow was really a ship, and that the keeper of the sow, named Coll ab Collfrewi, was the captain of the vessel.—Welsh Triads, lvi.