Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 6.djvu/638

624 and fed on very coarse and insufficient fare. The wonderful developments of genius, invention, literature, and commerce during this reign, were to them utterly neutralised by the effects of the stupendous wars which had been carried on; and it was not till years of great political contention had passed over that they were enabled to eat the bread of their industry at a moderate cost.



Such was the close of the most remarkable reign of George III.—an era of new life and energy, which brought wealth and abundance to all but the labouring people, to whom the great wars had proved great curses, and who had still to work out their own prosperity by their new career in education, and in the exercise of the powers found only in alliance with intelligence.