10. But Edward the First made a law in favour of the sale and purchase of all lands except those held immediately of the king; and Edward the Third gave his own vassals leave to sell their estates. 11. Other laws were afterwards made, by which landed property was made liable to seizure for debt, and might be given by will, or sold at the pleasure of the owner. And Henry the Seventh, by another law, further encouraged the sale of land, and the consequent division of large estates. 12. Then many of the nobles, who had more land than they wanted, sold some of it to wealthy merchants and others, who built large mansions, to which they often gave their own family name, as for instance, if the name of the proprietor happened to be Burton, he would probably call his residence Burton Hall. 13. These country gentlemen formed quite a new class of people in England, and they have ever since that time continued to increase in wealth, rank, and importance. 14. A strange thing happened in the reign of Henry the Seventh, which has made some people think the sons of Edward the Fourth were not put to death in the Tower, as is generally believed, but you shall hear the story. 15. A young man, called Perkin Warbeck, came to Ireland from Flanders, and declared he was the younger of those two princes, and the lawful heir to the throne, as his brother was dead. 16. He told a wonderful tale, how he had escaped from the Tower, and related many adventures which he said had befallen him; so the Irish people said they would fight for him, and try to take the crown from king Henry; but as they could not raise a sufficient force by themselves, Warbeck applied to the king of France, who also promised to help him, and then he went to the Duchess of Burgundy, who was Edward the Fourth’s sister, and, strange to say, that lady declared she believed the young man was her brother’s son, and persuaded the Flemings to lend him their aid. 17. But the king of France changed his mind; and made a treaty of peace with king Henry, who ordered the English merchants not to carry on any trade with Flanders while the Flemings continued to favour the cause of Perkin Warbeck, so they deserted him too. 18. I have not the room to tell you the rest of his adventures, but they ended in his being taken prisoner by the king, who had him put to death as a traitor. Henry the Seventh reigned twenty-four years, and was succeeded in 1509 by his son, Henry the Eighth. 19. The young king was married to Catharine of Arragon, the daughter of the king of Spain, a beautiful and talented woman, who deserved a better husband, for Henry was a sad tyrant in his family, as well as over the nation.