ly celebration of the next Easter festival at Canterbury at the
Archbishop's expense. In consequence of John's frequent quarrels with
his nobles the attendance at his Christmas feasts became smaller every
year, until he could only muster a very meagre company around his
festive board, and it was said that he had almost as many enemies as
there were nobles in the kingdom.

In 1205 John spent his Christmas at the ancient town of Brill, in the
Vale of Aylesbury, and in 1213 he kept a Royal Christmas in the great
hall at Westminster.

MAGNA CHARTA DEMANDED AT A CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL.

The Christmas of 1214 is memorable in English history as the festival
at which the barons demanded from King John that document which as the
foundation of our English liberties is known to us by the name of
_Magna Charta_, that is, the Great Charter. John's tyranny and
lawlessness had become intolerable, and the people's hope hung on the
fortunes of the French campaign in which he was then engaged. His
defeat at the battle of Bouvines, fought on July 27, 1214, gave
strength to his opponents; and after his return to England the barons
secretly met at St. Edmundsbury and swore to demand from him, if
needful by force of arms, the restoration of their liberties by
charter under the king's seal. Having agreed to assemble at the Court
for this purpose during the approaching festival of Christmas they
separated. When Christmas Day arrived John was at Worcester, attended
only by a few of his immediate retainers and some foreign mercenaries.
None of his great vassals came, as was customary at Christmas, to
offer their congratulations. His attendants tried in vain to assume an
appearance of cheerfulness and festivity; but John, alarmed at the
absence of the barons, hastily rode to London and there shut himself
up in the house of the Knights Templars. On the Feast of the Epiphany
the barons assembled in great force at London and presenting
themselves in arms before the King formally demanded his confirmation
of the laws of Edward the Confessor and Henry I. At first John assumed
a bold and defiant air and met the barons with an absolute refusal
and threats; but, finding the nobles were firm, he sank to the
meanness of subterfuge, and pleaded the necessity of time for the
consideration of demands so weighty. With some reluctance the barons
granted the delay, and ultimately, in 1215, the tyrant bowed to the
inevitable, called the barons to a conference at