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 intercourse between London and the country towns at that time, as the roads were still bad, and there were no stage coaches till a few years after the death of Charles the Second, and then only on three or four of the principal roads.

57. The rich country gentlefolks lived in a plain homely way, and their daughters were brought up to assist in domestic duties, such as washing, ironing, cooking, knitting, and many other useful things; but they seldom had any other accomplishments, and very few could read or write.

58. Charles the Second died in 1685, twenty-five years after his restoration, and was succeeded by his brother James, who was a Catholic, and tried to restore the Catholic religion, although he had promised not to do so.

59. The people soon began to feel that he did not mind breaking the laws to accomplish this object; so a great many Protestant noblemen and gentlemen agreed that it would be better to take the crown from him, and to place on the throne a prince of another family, for they said, the laws would never be rightly observed so long as the Stuarts, or a Catholic king, reigned; so they sent to William, prince of Orange, who was married to the king's daughter, Mary, and asked