, that
it was afterwards called the little Battle of Chalons.

The English were very well disposed to be proud of their King after these
adventures; so, when he landed at Dover in the year one thousand two
hundred and seventy-four (being then thirty-six years old), and went on
to Westminster where he and his good Queen were crowned with great
magnificence, splendid rejoicings took place. For the coronation-feast
there were provided, among other eatables, four hundred oxen, four
hundred sheep, four hundred and fifty pigs, eighteen wild boars, three
hundred flitches of bacon, and twenty thousand fowls. The fountains and
conduits in the street flowed with red and white wine instead of water;
the rich citizens hung silks and cloths of the brightest colours out of
their windows to increase the beauty of the show, and threw out gold and
silver by whole handfuls to make scrambles for the crowd. In short,
there was such eating and drinking, such music and capering, such a
ringing of bells and tossing of caps, such a shouting, and singing, and
revelling, as the narrow overhanging streets of old London City had not
witnessed for many a long day. All the people were merry except the poor
Jews, who, trembling within their houses, and scarcely daring to peep
out, began to foresee that they would have to find the money for this
joviality sooner or later.

To dismiss this sad subject of the Jews for the present, I am sorry to
add that in this reign they were most unmercifully pillaged. They were
hanged in great numbers, on accusations of having clipped the King's
coin--which all kinds of people had done. They were heavily taxed; they
were disgracefully badged; they were, on one day, thirteen years after
the coronation, taken up with their wives and children and thrown into
beastly prisons, until they purchased their release by paying to the King
twelve thousand pounds. Finally, every kind of property belonging to
them was seized by the King, except so little as would defray the charge
of their taking themselves away into foreign countries. Many years
elapsed before the hope of gain induced any of their race to return to
England, where they had been treated so heartlessly and had suffered so
much.

If King Edward the First had been as bad a king to Christians as he was
to Jews, he would have been bad indeed. But he was, in general, a wise
and great monarch, under whom the country much improved. He had no love
for the Great