15. How did he regulate the parliament? 18. How was Wales united to England? 37. What gave rise to the Scottish wars? 38. Who was the great Scottish chief and patriot; and what was his fate? 39. Who was made king of Scotland? 40. When did Edward die? and who succeeded him? 41. What became of Edward the Second? 43. Who was the next king? 44. Whom did he marry? 47. Who was the first great English poet? 49. Why did Edward the Third invade France? 53. When did the death of Edward take place? 54. How did Edward the Third raise money for the wars? CHAPTER XI. FROM THE ACCESSION OF RICHARD THE SECOND TO THE WAR OF THE ROSES.--1377 TO 1422. [Illustration: ABDICATION OF RICHARD.] 1. Richard the Second, the son of Edward, the Black Prince, was but eleven years old when, by the death of his grandfather, he became king of England. His uncles governed the country till he was old enough to act for himself; but they did not teach him to be a wise, nor a just man, and this injustice was the cause of all his misfortunes. 2. One of the first things he did on his own account, was to break a promise he made to the people; and this was how it happened. A new tax had caused great discontent among the labouring classes, and their unwillingness to pay it was increased by the insolence of the collectors, who, one day, in the house of a man called Walter, or Wat Tiler, behaved so ill to his daughter, that he gave one of them a blow on the head with his hammer, which unluckily killed him. 3. Now the neighbours knew that if Walter should be taken, he would be put to death for the offence, and as they all had cause to complain of the tax-gatherers, they assembled in front of his cottage, and declared they would protect him. 4. This was at Deptford, and they all proceeded to London, being joined by thousands of men from different towns, and a dreadful riot there was; so that it was thought necessary for the king to take some means of pacifying the rebels. 5. Accordingly he went, with the lord mayor and some nobles and gentlemen, to meet them in Smithfield, and whilst Tiler, their leader, was talking with the king, the mayor came behind him, and struck him on the head with his mace, and stunned him, and he was killed by Richard’s party; and then the king, fearing the rioters would kill him in return, asked them what they wanted, saying, he was ready to do any thing that was right and just. 6. They said they desired that the poll tax should be taken off; slavery and villeinage abolished by law; so that all who were still in bondage should be made free; and that the old feudal custom of paying duties on goods, at all the markets and fairs, should be done away with.