f a throne.

A few years afterwards her son Henry took up her cause, and landed in
England with an army. But the threatened hostilities ended in a truce,
which provided that Henry should reign after Stephen's death. Stephen
died a year afterwards, England gained an able monarch, and prosperity
returned to the realm after fifteen years of the most frightful misery
and misrule.

_THE CAPTIVITY OF RICHARD COEUR DE LION._

In the month of October, in the year of our Lord 1192, a pirate vessel
touched land on the coast of Sclavonia, at the port of Yara. Those were
days in which it was not easy to distinguish between pirates and true
mariners, either in aspect or avocation, neither being afflicted with
much inconvenient honesty, both being hungry for spoil. From this vessel
were landed a number of passengers,--knights, chaplains, and
servants,--Crusaders on their way home from the Holy Land, and in need,
for their overland journey, of a safe-conduct from the lord of the
province.

He who seemed chief among the travellers sent a messenger to the ruler
of Yara, to ask for this safe-conduct, and bearing a valuable ruby ring
which he was commissioned to offer him as a present. The lord of Yara
received this ring, which he gazed upon with eyes of doubt and
curiosity. It was too valuable an offer for a small service, and he had
surely heard of this particular ruby before.

"Who are they that have sent thee to ask a free passage of me?" he asked
the messenger.

"Some pilgrims returning from Jerusalem," was the answer.

"And by what names call you these pilgrims?"

"One is called Baldwin de Bethune," rejoined the messenger. "The other,
he who sends you this ring, is named Hugh the merchant."

The ruler fixed his eyes again upon the ring, which he examined with
close attention. He at length replied,--

"You had better have told me the truth, for your ring reveals it. This
man's name is not Hugh, but Richard, king of England. His gift is a
royal one, and, since he wished to honor me with it without knowing me,
I return it to him, and leave him free to depart. Should I do as duty
bids, I would hold him prisoner."

It was indeed Richard Coeur de Lion, on his way home from the Crusade
which he had headed, and in which his arbitrary and imperious temper had
made enemies of the rulers of France and Austria, who accompanied him.
He had concluded with Saladin a truce of three years, three months,
three days, and three ho