58 B. C. Julius Cæsar finished his famous wall of entrenchment, 16 feet in height and 17 miles in length, from Geneva to St. Claude; being a labor of only 6 days.
1436. Paris surrendered to the French under Charles VII, having been almost 14 years in the possession of the English.
1517. Cairo taken by the Turks under Selim, after a gallant resistance, and 50,000 of its inhabitants barbarously massacred. The sultan was hanged on one of the gates, Egypt was reduced to a province, and the power of the Mamelukes crushed, who for more than 260 years had swayed the land.
1584. An expedition fitted out by Sir Walter Raleigh took possession of Wowoken, on the coast of America, since called Virginia. A colony was left there, but they were cut off by the Indians, and every one put to death.
1598. Henry IV of France published at Nantes the memorable edict of toleration; it was revoked 1685, by Louis XIV.
1605. Boris Godoonoff, czar of Moscow, died. He was called to the throne by acclamation, on the death of Fedor, the last of the dynasty of Ruric. In abilities and vigor of character, he resembled Peter the great; and might be called one of the greatest of princes, was not his name tarnished by a crime that led his way to the throne.
1638. Henry, duke of Rohan, a French warrior and historian, died. He signalized himself under Henry IV, both in the field and in the cabinet, but the jealousy of Richelieu drove him to Geneva. He joined the duke of Saxe Weimar against the imperialists, and was wounded in the battle, of which he died.
1640. The English parliament again met by royal mandate, after a refusal on the part of the king to call one for 12 years.
1641. Richard Montague, a learned English prelate, died. He published several controversial works.
1684. Nicolao Antonio, a Spanish author, died. He published an account of all the Spanish writers, in 4 vols. folio, entitled Bibliotheca Hispania. He spent his income, which was large, in acts of charity, and in collecting a library, which at his death, amounted to 30,000 volumes.