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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40513 ***
+
+ DANES, SAXONS, AND NORMANS;
+
+ OR,
+
+ Stories of our Ancestors.
+
+ BY
+ J. G. EDGAR,
+ AUTHOR OF "BOYHOOD OF GREAT MEN," "CAVALIERS AND ROUNDHEADS," ETC.
+
+
+ LONDON:
+ S. O. BEETON, 248, STRAND.
+ 1863.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+In the following pages I have endeavoured to tell in a popular way the
+story of the Norman Conquest, and to give an idea of the principal
+personages who figured in England at the period when that memorable
+event took place; and I have endeavoured, I hope not without some
+degree of success, to treat the subject in a popular and picturesque
+style, without any sacrifice of historic truth.
+
+With a view of rendering the important event which I have attempted to
+illustrate, more intelligible to the reader, I have commenced by
+showing how the Normans under Rolfganger forced a settlement in the
+dominions of Charles the Simple, whilst Alfred the Great was
+struggling with the Danes in England, and have recounted the events
+which led to a connexion between the courts of Rouen and Westminster,
+and to the invasion of England by William the Norman.
+
+It has been truly observed that the history of the Conquest is at once
+so familiar at first sight, that it appears superfluous to multiply
+details, so difficult to realize on examination, that a writer feels
+himself under the necessity of investing with importance many
+particulars previously regarded as uninteresting, and that the defeat
+at Hastings was not the catastrophe over which the curtain drops to
+close the Saxon tragedy, but "the first scene in a new act of the
+continuous drama." I have therefore continued my narrative for many
+years after the fall of Harold and the building of Battle Abbey, and
+have traced the Conqueror's career from the coast of Sussex to the
+banks of the Humber and the borders of the Tweed.
+
+For the same reason I have narrated the quarrels which convulsed the
+Conqueror's own family--have related how son fought against father,
+and brother against brother--and have indicated the circumstances
+which, after a fierce war of succession in England, resulted in the
+peaceful coronation of Henry Plantagenet, and the establishment of
+that great house whose chiefs were so long the pride of England and
+the terror of her foes.
+
+ J. G. E.
+
+
+
+
+ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS.
+
+
+ CHAPTER I.
+
+
+ ROLFGANGER AND HIS COMRADES:--Rolfganger's banishment--Settles
+ in France--Ludicrous incident during the ceremony of
+ Rolfganger's taking the oath of fealty to Charles the Simple
+
+
+ CHAPTER II.
+
+ WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR:--His birth and parentage--Duke Robert's
+ pride in him--Is declared successor to Robert the Devil--Duke
+ Robert's death--Opposition to William's succession--Conspiracy
+ headed by Bessi and Cotentin--William flees from them--Defeat of
+ the conspirators, and accession of William to the ducal throne
+ of Normandy--His cruelty--Good qualities of William
+
+
+ CHAPTER III.
+
+ THE DANES IN ENGLAND:--The Saxons come to the assistance of the
+ Britons--Seize on Britain--Formation of the Kingdom of
+ England--The first inroad of the Danes--Death of Ethelred, and
+ accession of Alfred the Great to the throne of England--Alfred
+ in the swineherd's cottage--Visits the Danish camp--Drives the
+ Danes from England--Sweyn, King of Denmark, invades England--Is
+ bribed to retire--Massacre of St. Brice--Sweyn again invades
+ England--His sudden death--Canute succeeds him--Treachery and
+ punishment of Edric Streone--Canute's marriage--Death of
+ Canute--Accession of Harold Harefoot--His death--Accession of
+ Hardicanute--His death
+
+
+ CHAPTER IV.
+
+ EARL GODWIN:--Ulf and Godwin--Canute's partiality to
+ Godwin--Godwin becomes Earl of Wessex--Marries the daughter of
+ Sweyn, King of Denmark--Godwin espouses the cause of
+ Hardicanute--Godwin procures the crown of England for Edward the
+ Confessor
+
+
+ CHAPTER V.
+
+ EDWARD THE CONFESSOR:--His parentage--Death of his brother
+ Alfred--Edward demands justice of Hardicanute--Ascends the
+ English throne--Edward and the leper--Edward marries Edith,
+ daughter of Godwin
+
+
+ CHAPTER VI.
+
+ THE KING AND THE KING-MAKER:--Edward's Norman friends--Dislike
+ of the Normans by the English--Quarrel between Eustace of
+ Boulogne and the townsmen of Dover--Godwin's quarrel with
+ Edward--Godwin is outlawed--William of Normandy visits
+ England--His reception--Godwin returns to England--Is restored
+ to power--Godwin's awful death
+
+
+ CHAPTER VII.
+
+ MATILDA OF FLANDERS:--William of Normandy determines to marry
+ Matilda of Flanders--Matilda's pedigree--Her father's
+ acquiescence in William's proposal--Her refusal to the
+ espousal--William's love-making--Matilda's consent is
+ obtained--The Pope's opposition to the marriage--William
+ overcomes the Pope's scruples--Obtains a dispensation--Marries
+ Matilda of Flanders
+
+
+ CHAPTER VIII.
+
+ SIWARD THE DANE:--His appearance--The mystic banner--Siward's
+ reception by Hardicanute--Tostig's raillery and its
+ punishment--Battle between Eadulph, Earl of Northumberland, and
+ Siward--Siward is sent by Edward the Confessor to defend the
+ Northumbrian coast--Death of Siward
+
+
+ CHAPTER IX.
+
+ HAROLD, THE SAXON KING:--Harold's personal appearance--Harold's
+ first appearance in national affairs--His great military
+ reputation--Harold proposes to visit Normandy--King Edward tries
+ to dissuade him--He sets out--His cordial reception by Duke
+ William--Harold accompanies William in a war against the
+ Bretons--William extorts a promise from Harold to aid him in
+ obtaining the English crown--Death of Edward the Confessor
+
+
+ CHAPTER X.
+
+ DUKE WILLIAM AND HIS DIFFICULTIES:--William has news of Harold's
+ accession to the English throne--Harold is summoned by the Court
+ of Rome to defend himself on the charges of perjury and
+ sacrilege--He refuses to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the See
+ of Rome--William is ordered by the Pope to invade England--He
+ prepares to set out--William Fitzosborne overrules the
+ objections of the Norman nobles.
+
+
+ CHAPTER XI.
+
+ TOSTIG, SON OF GODWIN:--Tostig is made Earl of
+ Northumberland--His cruelty--The Northumbrians force him to
+ flee--Harold is sent against the insurgents--Tostig is
+ deposed--His anger is turned against Harold--The massacre of
+ Hereford--Tostig repairs to Flanders--Obtains aid from William
+ of Normandy--Tostig's unfavourable reception by Sweyn, King of
+ Denmark
+
+
+ CHAPTER XII.
+
+ HAROLD HARDRADA:--His personal appearance--Harold at the battle
+ of Stiklestad is wounded--Harold with his companions goes to
+ Constantinople and takes service as a varing--The varings--Goes
+ to Africa and Sicily, and makes an armed pilgrimage to
+ Jerusalem--Drives out the Moslems--Returns to Constantinople--Is
+ enamoured of Maria, niece of the Empress Zoe--The Empress in
+ love with Harold--Magnus, the illegitimate son of Olaf, usurps
+ the throne of Norway--Harold, wishing to assert his superior
+ claim, is detained in Constantinople by the Empress--Is
+ delivered by a Greek lady--Rouses his companions, carries off
+ Maria, and sets sail for Denmark--Hardrada shares the throne
+ with Magnus--Death of Magnus--Tostig applies to Hardrada for
+ assistance against Harold, King of England--Tostig makes a
+ descent on England--Hardrada sails for England--The
+ apprehensions of the Norwegians
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIII.
+
+ THE ALARM IN ENGLAND:--Harold's indefatigable exertions for the
+ welfare of England--Duke William claims fulfilment of Harold's
+ promise--Harold's refusal--Duke William sends again to
+ Harold--His offers again refused--William's threat--The
+ alarm--Tostig lands in the North--Harold goes against him
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIV.
+
+ THE BATTLE OF STAMFORD BRIDGE:--Tostig and Hardrada burn
+ Scarborough, take York, and encamp on the river Derwent at
+ Stamford Bridge--The approach of the English--Harold's
+ proposition to Tostig--Tostig's refusal--The battle--Hardrada is
+ slain--Harold a second time offers peace--Is refused--Tostig is
+ slain--The defence of the bridge--Termination of the
+ conflict--The Norwegians leave England--Harold claims the booty
+ as his own--Discontent in the army--Harold receives news of
+ William's landing
+
+
+ CHAPTER XV.
+
+ PHILIP OF FRANCE:--William of Normandy seeks the assistance of
+ Philip, King of France--The French barons refuse to aid him in
+ his invasion
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVI.
+
+ THE NORMAN ARMAMENT:--William decides to invade England in
+ August, 1066--William's treatment of the Saxon spy--The weather
+ not being favourable, the Normans are filled with superstitious
+ fears--William's strategy to calm their apprehensions--The
+ Normans set sail--William's ship sails away from the rest--The
+ landing--William burns his fleet--Overruns the county of
+ Sussex--Receives intelligence of the Saxons' approach
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVII.
+
+ HAROLD'S HOST:--Harold arrives in London--His ill-timed
+ rashness--Not being able to attack William unawares, Harold
+ halts at Epiton, and fortifies his position--The Saxon chiefs
+ advise a retreat--Harold refuses to listen to them--William
+ denounces Harold as a perjurer and liar--The effect of William's
+ message on the Saxons--Gurth advises Harold to quit the
+ army--The night before the battle
+
+
+ CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+ THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS:--Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, blesses the
+ Norman army--Arrangement of the Norman army--William in
+ 1066--Superstitious fears of the Normans--William's address to
+ his soldiers--Taillefer, the Norman minstrel--The attack--The
+ Norman first division is repulsed--They renew the
+ charge--Obstinate resistance of the Saxons--William's
+ strategy--Its success--Harold and Leofwine are slain--Gurth's
+ courageous resistance--Gurth is slain--Rout of the
+ Saxons--William pitches his camp for the night
+
+
+ CHAPTER XIX.
+
+ THE BODY OF HAROLD:--William returns thanks for his
+ victory--Calls over the muster-roll--The Saxons seek to bury
+ their dead--William refuses to allow the body of Harold to be
+ buried--At the intercession of the monks of Waltham he
+ relents--The search for the body--Harold's burial
+
+
+ CHAPTER XX.
+
+ THE CONQUEROR AND THE KENTISHMEN:--William finding no allegiance
+ paid him, takes Dover and marches towards London--Is opposed by
+ a large body of Kentishmen--The advancing wood--Parley with the
+ Kentishmen--William turns towards the west, and crosses the
+ Thames at Wallingford--The Saxon Wigod's
+ treachery--Berkhampstead is taken
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXI.
+
+ EDGAR ATHELING:--The Londoners determine upon crowning Edgar
+ Atheling--Edgar's birth and parentage--His popularity with the
+ people--Harold, afraid of Edgar's popularity, treats him with
+ great respect and honour--Edgar is proclaimed king--Ansgar, the
+ standard-bearer of the City of London, excites the people to
+ deliver the keys of London to the Conqueror--Edgar Atheling, the
+ archbishops, and chief citizens pay homage to William
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXII.
+
+ CORONATION OF THE CONQUEROR:--William marches towards
+ London--The Abbot and inhabitants of St. Albans oppose
+ him--William, doubting the propriety of accepting the crown,
+ holds a council of war--The speech of Aimery de Thouars decides
+ the council--Christmas day, 1066, is fixed for the
+ coronation--The ceremony is performed by Aldred, Archbishop of
+ York; Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury declining to crown
+ him--Tumult during the coronation--The lion banner of Normandy
+ is planted on the Tower of London, and the south and east of
+ England given to William's followers--He embarks for
+ Normandy--His enthusiastic reception--He refuses to take the
+ oath of fealty to the Pope
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+ THE SIEGE OF EXETER:--During William's absence in Normandy, the
+ Norman barons treat the Saxons with great cruelty--Saxon leagues
+ are formed--William, receiving notice of the state of affairs in
+ England, returns home--He ingratiates himself with the chiefs
+ and the populace--William proceeds westward--Is opposed at
+ Exeter--He attacks the town--Desperate resistance of the
+ besieged--Exeter is taken--Somerset and Gloucester
+ subjugated--Escape of Githa, Harold's mother--Bad treatment of
+ the Saxon women
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+ MATILDA AND BRIHTRIK:--Matilda's arrival and enthusiastic
+ reception in England--Origin of Matilda's popularity--Her
+ vindictive spirit--In her early years becomes enamoured of
+ Brihtrik--Brihtrik does not reciprocate her affection--Brihtrik
+ leaves Bruges--Matilda's indignation at his
+ coolness--Probability of Brihtrik's speaking too freely about
+ the Duchess Matilda--Matilda, after the siege of Exeter keeps
+ Brihtrik's possessions as her share of the spoil--Brihtrik is
+ imprisoned--His death
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXV.
+
+ THE NORMANS IN NORTHUMBERLAND:--State of the county of
+ Northumberland in 1068--The Conqueror marches northward--York is
+ taken--Robert Comine is deputed to extend the conquest as far as
+ Durham--Eghelwin, Bishop of Durham's advice to Comine--The
+ vengeance of the Northumbrians--The King of Denmark sends a
+ fleet to the assistance of the English--The Saxons and Danes
+ march upon York--The Normans are driven into the citadel--The
+ citadel is taken--William's wrath at the death of Comine and the
+ destruction of York--He bribes the Danes to depart--William
+ again marches upon York--York is once more taken by the
+ Normans--After ravaging Northumberland, the Normans reach
+ Durham--The bishop and clergy of Durham set out for Holy
+ Island--William enters Durham, and surprises the
+ Saxons--William's guides, marching to Hexham, lose the way, and
+ are separated from the rest of the army--The army is
+ regained--William halts at Hexham--The subjugated territory is
+ divided amongst William's nobles--The Normans erect castles for
+ the better governance of the Northumbrians
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+ COSPATRICK AND THE CONQUEROR:--William determines to conciliate
+ the Northumbrians--Cospatrick--His birth and parentage--The
+ crimes of the house of Godwin--Cospatrick's enmity to
+ Harold--Cospatrick claims the earldom of
+ Northumberland--William's bargain with Cospatrick
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+ SAXON SAINTS AND NORMAN SOLDIERS:--The saving of the church of
+ St. John of Beverley--The inhabitants of Beverley take refuge in
+ the church of St. John--The Normans hear reports of the riches
+ lodged within the walls of the church--Toustain heads the
+ Normans in the pillage of the church--Toustain's
+ misadventure--Superstitious terror of the Normans
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+ THE REDUCTION OF CHESTER:--William determines to take
+ Chester--The soldiers murmur--William marches into
+ Chester--Gherbaud, a Fleming, made Earl of Chester--Gherbaud,
+ finding the earldom too much trouble, resigns--Hugh le Loup is
+ appointed in his stead--His parentage--Nigel joins Hugh le Loup
+ at Chester--Gilbert de Lacy is granted the domain of
+ Pontefract--Blackburn and Rochdale succumb to him
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+ LANFRANC OF PAVIA:--The Pope's legates arrive in
+ London--Deposition of the Saxon bishops--Lanfranc is appointed
+ to the Archbishopric of Canterbury--Lanfranc's birth-place--His
+ fame at Bec-Hellouin--Lanfranc gains the friendship of William
+ the Norman--Lanfranc opposes William's marriage--He gains a
+ dispensation for William--Is restored to favour--Is made Abbot
+ of Caen--William's delight at Lanfranc's appointment to the
+ province of Canterbury--The Pope's letter to
+ Lanfranc--Lanfranc's entry into Canterbury--The church in
+ ruins--Lanfranc gains the primacy of England for
+ Canterbury--Undertakes a revision of the Scriptures--The Saxons
+ averse to the revision--Lanfranc the people's champion
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXX.
+
+ EDWIN AND MORKAR:--Their personal appearance--Edwin the
+ handsomest man of his age--They took no part in the battle of
+ Hastings--Aspire to the throne--Edgar Atheling's adherents too
+ strong--Go to York--Their plans--William attempts to conciliate
+ them--William promises his daughter in marriage to Edwin--Edwin
+ and Morkar accompany William to the Continent--William refuses
+ to give his daughter to Edwin--Edwin and Morkar escape from
+ Court--Their enterprise fails--Reconciliation to William--A
+ mighty conspiracy formed--The camp of refuge--Morkar is deluded
+ by William's promises and imprisoned--Edwin resolves to leave
+ Ely--Is betrayed by three of his officers--Is attacked by the
+ Normans--Attempts to escape--Edwin's death--William's grief
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+ IVO TAILLE-BOIS:--His unpopularity--His marriage to Lucy, sister
+ of Edwin and Morkar--His tyranny--His various modes of
+ annoyance--His oppression of the monks of Spalding--The monks
+ leave Spalding--Some Angevin monks are substituted in their
+ place
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+ HEREWARD THE SAXON:--Hereward, living in Flanders, is told by
+ some exiles of the spoliation of his home--He sets out for
+ England--Assembles his friends and retakes his paternal
+ home--His popularity--Is made captain of the camp at Ely--Is
+ admitted a member of the high Saxon militia--Is sneered at by
+ the Norman knights--Turauld, the fighting churchman--Turauld is
+ appointed Abbot of Peterborough--Hereward makes a descent on the
+ abbey and carries off the crosses, sacred vestments,
+ &c.--Turauld arrives at Peterborough--Ivo Taille-Bois proposes
+ to Turauld to attack the camp of Ely--Hereward attacks Turauld's
+ soldiers at the abbey, seizes upon the abbot and his attendants,
+ and detains them prisoners--Sweyn, King of Denmark, fits out a
+ fleet for the assistance of the Saxons--Sweyn joins Hereward at
+ Ely--William bribes him to return--Departure and sacrilege of
+ the Danes--The Normans commence siege operations--Hereward
+ attacks the workmen--Hereward is suspected of being in league
+ with the Evil One--Ivo Taille-Bois procures the services of a
+ witch to disenchant Hereward's operations--Hereward's
+ bonfire--Blockade of the Isle of Ely--Treachery of the monks of
+ Ely--Rout of the Saxons--Hereward's escape--His daring attack on
+ the Norman station--Exploits of Hereward and his
+ followers--Hereward's marriage--Hereward accepts the king's
+ peace--His treacherous assassination--Valorous defence--Asselm's
+ remark
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+ BUILDING OF BATTLE ABBEY:--William begins to build Battle
+ Abbey--Deficiency of water--William's promise--The abbey
+ built--Endowment of the abbey
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXXIV.
+
+ MALCOLM CANMORE:--William determines to invade
+ Scotland--Malcolm's parentage--Siward, upon Malcolm's flight
+ from Scotland, protects him--Edward the Confessor's court--The
+ Scots request the restoration of Malcolm--Malcolm prepares to
+ attack Macbeth--Defeat of Macbeth--His death--Lulach attempts to
+ usurp the throne--His death--Malcolm is crowned at Scone--A
+ conspiracy is formed to dethrone Malcolm--The conspirators
+ defeated--Malcolm's ingratitude to the English--Northumberland
+ devastated by the Scots--Malcolm shelters Edgar and Margaret
+ Atheling--Malcolm marries Margaret Atheling--Malcolm raises an
+ army to vindicate Edgar Atheling's right to the English
+ throne--Treaty with William
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXXV.
+
+ THE DEATH OF COSPATRICK:--Cospatrick attempts to draw Malcolm
+ from Northumberland--Durham cathedral in disorder--Deposition of
+ the Bishop of Durham--Cospatrick is deprived of the earldom of
+ Northumberland--He goes to Flanders--The clergy enemies to
+ Cospatrick--Cospatrick's pilgrimage to the Holy Land--His
+ illness--Sends to Melrose for the hermits Aldwin and
+ Turgot--Cospatrick's gifts--His death--His son--Burial in Norham
+ church--Norham a memorial of his greatness
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXXVI.
+
+ ATHELING AND HIS ALLIES:--Malcolm Canmore promises to aid Edgar
+ Atheling--Malcolm's inability to do so--Atheling seeks a
+ reconciliation with William--Obtains it--Atheling being
+ suspected, again flies to Scotland--Personal appearance of Edgar
+ Atheling--Atheling seeks allies in Flanders--Is
+ disappointed--Philip of France offers his assistance--Offers
+ Atheling the fortress of Montreuil--Atheling's misfortunes--His
+ fleet lost at sea--Determines to seek peace with William--Joins
+ William at Rouen--His amusements
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXXVII.
+
+ FITZOSBORNE AND DE GAEL:--The marriage at Norwich--William's
+ disapproval thereof--The marriage feast--Signs of a coming
+ storm--The conspiracy--The conspirators apply to Sweyn, king of
+ Denmark, for aid--Roger Fitzosborne raises an army at
+ Hereford--Is stopped at Worcester--Fitzosborne
+ excommunicated--The battle at Worcester--Defeat of
+ Fitzosborne--De Gael raises his standard at Cambridge--Is
+ defeated at Fagadon--De Gael escapes--Flies to Norwich--Goes to
+ Brittany for aid--The Bretons expelled from England--Sweyn's
+ descent on the eastern coast--Fitzosborne refuses William's
+ present at Easter--William's anger
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXXVIII.
+
+ WALTHEOF, SON OF SIWARD:--Tostig usurps the earldom of
+ Northumberland--Waltheof figures as Earl of Huntingdon--Waltheof
+ submits to the Conqueror--He joins the Northumbrians in their
+ insurrection--His share in the death of Comine--Prodigies of
+ valour--Reconciliation with William--Marriage to
+ Judith--Friendship with Vaulcher--Fitzosborne and De Gael try to
+ persuade him to join their conspiracy--Promises secrecy--Is
+ betrayed by his wife--Is confined in Winchester
+ Castle--Sentenced to death--Fearing a riot, Waltheof is
+ privately executed--Judith, Waltheof's wife, is destined for
+ Simon de Senlis--Her dislike to the match--Judith repairs to
+ Croyland--Her death in poverty
+
+
+ CHAPTER XXXIX.
+
+ WULSTAN, BISHOP OF WORCESTER:--Wulstan accompanies Edgar
+ Atheling to make his submission to William--Wulstan a simple
+ weak-minded man--Wulstan is confirmed in his diocese--His
+ services to the Norman king--Lanfranc reports Wulstan
+ incapacitated--Is summoned to the great council in Westminster
+ church--Is commanded to give up his robes and staff--Resigns his
+ staff at the tomb of the Confessor--Wulstan is entreated to
+ resume his episcopal robes--Wulstan beloved by the Saxons
+
+
+ CHAPTER XL.
+
+ ROBERT CURTHOSE:--William's dismal forebodings--Robert, his
+ eldest son--Robert recognised as heir of Normandy--Badly
+ trained--His good qualities--His nickname--Robert claims
+ Maine--William refuses to cede it to him--Robert's
+ indignation--William Rufus' and Henry Beauclerc's practical
+ joke--Its evil consequences--Robert attempts to seize Rouen--His
+ failure--Robert's bad counsellors--Robert asks Normandy, or part
+ of England, of his father--Being refused, he leaves Normandy and
+ goes to Flanders--Is everywhere well received--His waste of
+ money
+
+
+ CHAPTER XLI.
+
+ THE CONQUEROR AND HIS HEIR:--Curthose craves support from Philip
+ of France--Repairs to Gerberoy--Curthose's reception at
+ Gerberoy--Matilda sends money to Curthose--William's
+ displeasure--Matilda still sends to Curthose--William upbraids
+ her--Matilda's maternal affection--William orders Samson the
+ Breton to have his eyes put out--Samson escapes--Curthose raises
+ an army--William besieges Curthose in Archembrage--Curthose's
+ sally--His success--Hand to hand with his father--William
+ unhorsed--His rescue--William refuses to be reconciled with
+ Curthose--Forgives Curthose--Malcolm Canmore invades
+ England--Curthose is sent to repulse him--Malcolm retreats into
+ Scotland--Curthose founds Newcastle--Matilda of Flanders
+ dies--William's quarrel with Curthose again breaks out
+
+
+ CHAPTER XLII.
+
+ ODO, BISHOP OF BAYEUX:--Odo, regent of England--William enriches
+ his relations on his mother's side--Odo, no shaveling--The
+ warrior-monk--Odo celebrates mass at Hastings--Leads the cavalry
+ at that battle--Odo is created Grand Justiciary of England--Earl
+ of Hereford--Odo, during William's absence, behaves badly--The
+ murder of Liulf--Vaulcher attempts to mediate between Leofwin
+ and Gislebert, and the relations of Liulf--Meets the Saxons at
+ Gateshead--Eadulf, the Saxon spokesman--Eadulf incites the
+ Northumbrians to slay the bishop--Odo marches northward to
+ punish the murderers--The Saxons, unable to take Durham,
+ disperse--Odo's cruelty--Odo prepares to leave England for
+ Italy--Reasons for doing so--William much displeased at Odo's
+ intention--Odo intercepted off the Isle of Wight--Arraigned
+ before the council of barons--William's impeachment of
+ Odo--William sentences Odo--Odo defies his authority--Odo is
+ carried to Normandy and imprisoned
+
+
+ CHAPTER XLIII.
+
+ DOOMSDAY BOOK:--William begins to think about casting up his
+ subjects' accounts--His commissioners--Bad understanding between
+ the king and the barons--The manner of carrying out the
+ undertaking--The council for the discussion of the Doomsday
+ Book--The Goddess of Discord in the council--William asserts
+ himself proprietor of all the land that belonged to Edward the
+ Confessor, Harold, and the house of Godwin--Several barons
+ renounce their allegiance--Their descendants
+
+
+ CHAPTER XLIV.
+
+ THE CONQUEROR'S DEATH:--Louis le Gros--Curthose and Beauclerc at
+ Conflans--The quarrel between Louis and Beauclerc--Philip
+ ravages Normandy--William goes against him--Christina Atheling
+ is persuaded to take the veil--Edgar is sent on a
+ pilgrimage--The bone of contention--William's lying-in--Curthose
+ joins Philip--William reaches Mantes--The town on fire--The
+ accident--William is removed to the priory of St.
+ Gervase--Conscience-stricken--William's bequests--Death of
+ William
+
+
+ CHAPTER XLV.
+
+ THE BURIAL AT CAEN:--Consternation in Rouen--Inside the priory
+ of St. Gervase--The conqueror's body deserted--The Archbishop of
+ Rouen attends to the funereal honours--Interruption of the
+ ceremony--Fitzarthur is recompensed--The Anglo-Norman barons
+ decide for Robert as King of England
+
+
+ CHAPTER XLVI.
+
+ THE RED KING:--William Rufus--Personal appearance--Gains the
+ support of Lanfranc--Wulnoth and Morkar committed to
+ prison--Odo, bishop of Bayeux, at the head of a conspiracy to
+ dethrone William--Lanfranc as prime minister--Rufus conciliates
+ the Saxon Thanes--The insurgents repulsed at Rochester--Curthose
+ is bribed to let William remain on the throne--William forgets
+ his promises to the Anglo-Saxons--Lanfranc's disgust at his
+ perfidy--Death of Lanfranc--Rufus a bachelor--His dissolute
+ morals--Ravages committed by William's followers--London Bridge
+ built--Westminster Hall founded--Discontent in the land
+
+
+ CHAPTER XLVII.
+
+ RUFUS AND THE JEWS:--The Jews in England--Favour with Rufus--The
+ disputation--Conversion of the young Jew--William's avarice
+
+
+ CHAPTER XLVIII.
+
+ RUFUS AND THE SCOTS:--William's longings for Normandy--Atheling
+ being expelled from Normandy, once more takes refuge with
+ Malcolm Canmore--Canmore invades England--William patches up a
+ peace with Curthose, and prepares to march against the
+ Scots--Malcolm falls back--Everything wrong with the
+ English--Malcolm's defiance--Peace--Rufus being sick, sends for
+ Malcolm to settle disputes--Rufus treats him badly--Malcolm
+ ravages Northumberland as far as Alnwick--The castle of Ivo de
+ Vesci besieged--Hammond Morael--His deliverance of the
+ garrison--Malcolm's death--Morael's escape--The sally--Rout of
+ the Scots--Malcolm's burial--Donald Bane usurps the Scottish
+ throne--Atheling returns to England
+
+
+ CHAPTER XLIX.
+
+ ROBERT DE MOUBRAY:--Possessions of Moubray--The
+ conspiracy--Moubray suspected--The King marches
+ northward--Tynemouth taken--Bamburgh impregnable--Erection of
+ Malvoisin--Moubray captured--Moubray's wife defends the Castle
+ of Bamburgh--Surrender of Bamburgh--Moubray imprisoned at
+ Windsor--His death
+
+
+ CHAPTER L.
+
+ HENRY BEAUCLERC:--Personal appearance of Beauclerc--A native of
+ England--His manners--His learning--Military education--Addicted
+ to gaming--Beauclerc's avarice--Beauclerc lends money to
+ Curthose--Lord of Cotentin--Selection of a chaplain--Takes part
+ with Curthose in the defence of Normandy--Firm dealing at
+ Rouen--Curthose comes to terms with Rufus--They besiege Henry in
+ the Castle of Mont St. Michael--The Red King in danger--Defence
+ of the saddle--Want of water in the fortress--Curthose grants
+ permission to Beauclerc to get water--Beauclerc
+ defeated--Departs to Brittany--Beauclerc feels assured he will
+ ascend the throne of England--Is elected governor of
+ Damfront--Rufus, jealous of Beauclerc, invites him to
+ England--Joins his brother--Fondness for the
+ chase--"Deersfoot"--Presentiments
+
+
+ CHAPTER LI.
+
+ THE DEATH OF RUFUS:--Rufus at Malwood--His vision--The Abbot of
+ Gloucester's despatch--The breakfast--The six arrows--Departure
+ for the chase--Tyrel and Rufus hunt together--The King's
+ bow-string breaks--Commands Tyrel to shoot--The King's
+ death--Tyrel escapes to France--The King's last ride
+
+
+ CHAPTER LII.
+
+ A CHANGE OF FORTUNE:--Beauclerc goes to Winchester--William de
+ Breteuil protests against Henry having the keys--Beauclerc
+ secures the public money and regal ornaments--Is crowned at
+ Westminster--Curthose's adherents--Beauclerc marries Edith,
+ daughter of Margaret Atheling--Edith changes her name to
+ Maude--Godrick and Godiva--Where is Curthose?
+
+
+ CHAPTER LIII.
+
+ CURTHOSE AT THE CRUSADE:--Peter the Hermit--Success of his
+ preaching--Curthose and Atheling resolve to take part in the
+ Crusade--Rufus supplies them with money--Curthose's
+ popularity--Edgar Atheling does not go with Curthose--Atheling
+ sets out for Scotland, to dethrone Donald Bane--Curthose meets
+ the other princes at Constantinople--Curthose's valour--At
+ Antioch--Edgar Atheling joins Curthose--Atheling and Curthose
+ the terror of the Saracens--Election of the King of
+ Jerusalem--Curthose declines the honour--Death of Odo, Bishop of
+ Bayeux--Curthose at Conversano--The territory of
+ Conversano--Curthose marries Sybil, daughter of the Count of
+ Conversano--Waste of time
+
+
+ CHAPTER LIV.
+
+ BEAUCLERC AND CURTHOSE:--Ralph Flambard, "the fighting bishop,"
+ is imprisoned--Flambard incites Curthose to invade
+ England--Curthose embarks for England--Curthose sells his
+ birthright--Resigns his pension in favour of the queen--His
+ indignation at finding himself duped--The castle of
+ Rouen--Beauclerc proposes to purchase Normandy--Being refused,
+ he prepares to take it by force--Tinchebray--The battle--Fortune
+ against the English--Treason!--Nigel de Albini--Curthose and
+ Atheling captured--Curthose imprisoned in Cardiff--Attempts to
+ escape--Is subjected to a rigorous durance--Edgar Atheling's old
+ age
+
+
+ CHAPTER LV.
+
+ AFTER TINCHEBRAY:--William Clito--Louis of France attempts to
+ place Clito on the throne of Normandy--Death of
+ Clito--Beauclerc's reputation not so good--The Queen Maude's
+ popularity--Death of Henry's son--Geoffrey of Anjou--His
+ marriage to the daughter of Henry--Stephen of Bouillon seizes
+ the crown of England--The treaty of Wallingford--Henry
+ II.--Conclusion
+
+
+
+
+ INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+
+ ALTAR
+ ANDIRON
+ APPEAL TO HAROLD HARFAGHER, HILDA'S
+ ARCHERS, ENGLISH
+ ARMS
+ BARBACAN
+ BATTLE ABBEY, HASTINGS
+ BATTLE-FIELD, THE
+ BAYEUX TAPESTRY, FROM THE
+ BODY OF RUFUS, BRINGING HOME THE
+ BONDMAN, SAXON (FROM STRUTT)
+ BOOKS, THE DOOM'S-DAY
+ BOSS
+ BOSTON, FEN COUNTRY NEAR
+ BOUILLON, GODFREY DE, ELECTED KING OF JERUSALEM
+ BOWS
+ BRACKET
+ BRINGING HOME THE BODY OF RUFUS
+ BROTHER HAROLD, TOSTIG'S PARTING SPEECH TO HIS
+ BRUGES, BELFRY AT
+ BUTTRESS
+ CHARLES THE SIMPLE, ROLFGANGER PAYING HOMAGE TO, 6
+ CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE, JERUSALEM
+ CHURCH PORCH
+ CLOISTERS
+ COMMOTION DURING THE CROWNING OF WILLIAM
+ CONQUEROR, EDWIN, EARL OF MERCIA, AND THE DAUGHTERS
+ OF THE
+ COOKS--FROM BAYEUX TAPESTRY
+ CROSSBOW
+ CROZIER
+ CRUSADE, PETER THE HERMIT PREACHING THE
+ CURTHOSE AND THE SARACEN
+ DEATH OF MALCOLM CANMORE
+ DEATH OF SIWARD WITH HARNESS ON HIS BACK
+ DEATH, SWEYN STRUCK BY THE HAND OF
+ DELIVERANCE FROM HIS EASTERN DUNGEON, HARDRADA'S
+ DISTAFF, WOMAN WITH
+ DOOM'S-DAY BOOKS, THE
+ DOOR OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY
+ DOVER, SHAKESPEARE'S CLIFF
+ EDWIN, EARL OF MERCIA, AND THE DAUGHTERS OF THE CONQUEROR
+ ENGLISH ARCHERS
+ FEN COUNTRY NEAR BOSTON
+ FERN ISLANDS, OFF THE COAST OF NORTHUMBERLAND
+ FLINT CASTLE, ON THE ESTUARY OF THE DEE
+ FOREST LAWS, OLD
+ FOREST, THE
+ FORUM AT ROME, RUINS OF THE
+ GIRDLE AND PURSE
+ GODFREY DE BOUILLON ELECTED KING OF JERUSALEM
+ GODWIN, THE JUDGMENT OF GOD ON
+ GOOD SHIP MOIRA, THE, WILLIAM OF NORMANDY, OWNER
+ HAND OF DEATH, SWEYN STRUCK BY THE
+ HARDRADA'S DELIVERANCE FROM HIS EASTERN DUNGEON
+ HARFAGHER, HILDA'S APPEAL TO HAROLD
+ HAROLD HAS NEWS OF WILLIAM'S LANDING
+ HAROLD, TOSTIG'S PARTING SPEECH TO HIS BROTHER
+ HAROLD, WILLIAM EXTORTING A PROMISE FROM
+ HART, THE
+ HASTINGS, BATTLE ABBEY
+ HAWK
+ HAWKING
+ HAWK STRIKING THE QUARRY
+ HENRY BEAUCLERC AND LOUIS LE GROS, THE QUARREL OF
+ HERALDIC VANE
+ HERDSMAN (FROM STRUTT)
+ HERMIT, PETER THE, PREACHING THE FIRST CRUSADE
+ HEXHAM, WILLIAM'S MARCH ON
+ HILDA'S APPEAL TO HAROLD HARFAGHER
+ HOLY SEPULCHRE, JERUSALEM, CHURCH OF THE
+ HOMAGE TO CHARLES THE SIMPLE, ROLFGANGER PAYING
+ HUNTING
+ INITIAL LETTER A
+ INITIAL LETTER I
+ INITIAL LETTER O
+ ISLANDS, FERN, OFF THE COAST OF NORTHUMBERLAND
+ JERUSALEM, CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE
+ JERUSALEM, GODFREY DE BOUILLON ELECTED KING OF
+ JERUSALEM, PILGRIMS IN SIGHT OF
+ JUDGMENT OF GOD ON GODWIN, THE
+ KNIGHTS JOUSTING (FROM STRUTT)
+ LAWS, OLD FOREST
+ LINCOLNSHIRE, TATTERSHALL CASTLE
+ LOCH LOMOND
+ LONG BOW
+ LOUIS LE GROS, THE QUARREL OF HENRY BEAUCLERC AND
+ LOVE-MAKING, WILLIAM'S
+ MALCOLM CANMORE, DEATH OF
+ MINERVA
+ MOIRA, THE GOOD SHIP, WILLIAM OF NORMANDY, OWNER
+ MUNDANE TREE OF THE SCANDINAVIANS, YGGDRASILL
+ NORMAN PRELATES BLESSING THE TROOPS
+ NORMAN RUSTIC (FROM STRUTT)
+ NORMAN RUSTIC, ELEVENTH CENTURY
+ NORWEGIAN CHAMPION AT THE BATTLE OF STAMFORD BRIDGE,
+ THE
+ OLD FOREST LAWS
+ PARTING SPEECH TO HIS BROTHER HAROLD, TOSTIG'S
+ PEASANT, WILLIAM AND THE
+ PETER THE HERMIT PREACHING THE FIRST CRUSADE
+ PILGRIMS IN SIGHT OF JERUSALEM
+ PROMISE, WILLIAM EXHORTING A, FROM HAROLD
+ PURSE AND GIRDLE
+ QUARREL OF HENRY BEAUCLERC AND LOUIS LE GROS, THE
+ QUARRY, HAWK STRIKING THE
+ "RAVEN OF EARTHLY TERROR," THE
+ ROCHESTER
+ ROLFGANGER PAYING HOMAGE TO CHARLES THE SIMPLE
+ RUINS OF THE FORUM AT ROME
+ RUFUS, BRINGING HOME THE BODY OF
+ RUSTIC, NORMAN (FROM STRUTT)
+ RUSTIC, NORMAN, ELEVENTH CENTURY
+ SARACEN, CURTHOSE AND THE
+ SAXON BONDMAN (FROM STRUTT)
+ SCANDINAVIANS, YGGDRASILL, THE MUNDANE TREE OF THE
+ SEPULCHRE, CHURCH OF THE HOLY, JERUSALEM
+ SHAKESPEARE'S CLIFF, DOVER
+ SHIELDS
+ SIWARD, DEATH OF, WITH HARNESS ON HIS BACK
+ STAMFORD BRIDGE, THE NORWEGIAN CHAMPION AT THE BATTLE
+ OF
+ SWEYN STRUCK BY THE HAND OF DEATH
+ TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER I.
+ TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER V.
+ TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER VIII.
+ TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER XV.
+ TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER XXXV.
+ TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER XLI.
+ TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER XLIV.
+ TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER LI.
+ TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER LIV.
+ TAPESTRY, FROM THE BAYEUX
+ TATTERSHALL CASTLE, LINCOLNSHIRE
+ THOR
+ TOSTIG'S PARTING SPEECH TO HIS BROTHER HAROLD
+ TRIESTE
+ TROOPS, THE NORMAN PRELATES BLESSING THE
+ TYNEMOUTH
+ VANE, HERALDIC
+ WESTMINSTER ABBEY, DOOR OF
+ WILLIAM AND THE PEASANT
+ WILLIAM, COMMOTION DURING THE CROWNING OF
+ WILLIAM EXTORTING A PROMISE FROM HAROLD
+ WILLIAM'S LANDING, HAROLD HAS NEWS OF
+ WILLIAM'S LOVE-MAKING
+ WILLIAM'S MARCH ON HEXHAM
+ WOMAN WITH DISTAFF
+ YGGDRASILL, THE MUNDANE TREE OF THE SCANDINAVIANS
+
+
+
+
+DANES, SAXONS, AND NORMANS;
+
+OR,
+
+Stories of our Ancestors.
+
+
+
+
+I.
+
+[Illustration: Hilda's appeal to Harold Harfagher.]
+
+ROLFGANGER AND HIS COMRADES.
+
+
+One day towards the close of the ninth century, Harold, King of
+Norway, exasperated at the insubordination and contumacy of the chiefs
+among whom that land of mountain, and forest, and fiord was divided,
+vowed not to cut his fair hair till he had reduced the whole country
+to his sovereign authority. The process proved, as he doubtless
+foresaw, somewhat difficult and slow. Indeed, the chiefs of Norway,
+who were, in fact, petty kings, disputed the ground inch by inch, and
+Harold was occupied for so many years ere consummating his victories,
+that his hair, growing ridiculously long and thick, led to his
+receiving the surname of "Hirsute."
+
+Even after having sustained numerous defeats on the land, the fierce
+chiefs--all Vikings, and, like their adversaries, worshippers of
+Odin--taking to the sea, ravaged the coasts and islands, and excited
+the Norwegians to rebellion. Harold, however, resolved to do his work
+thoroughly, went on board his war-fleet, sailed in pursuit of his
+foes, and, having sunk several of their vessels, forced the others to
+seek refuge in the Hebrides, where the exiled war-chiefs--many of them
+ancestors of the Anglo-Norman nobles--consoled themselves with horns
+of potent drink, with schemes for conquering kingdoms, and with the
+hope of better fortune and brighter days.
+
+It appears that in the long and arduous struggle which gave him the
+sole and undisputed sovereignty of Norway, Harold had been faithfully
+served by a Jarl named Rognvald; and it was to this Jarl's
+timber-palace, in Möre, that the victorious King repaired to celebrate
+the performance of his vow. Elate with triumphs, perhaps more signal
+than he had anticipated, Harold made himself quite at home; and
+having, before indulging in the Jarl's good cheer, refreshed himself
+with a bath and combed his hair, he requested Rognvald to cut off his
+superfluous locks.
+
+"Now, Jarl," exclaimed Harold, when this operation was over, "methinks
+I should no longer be called 'Hirsute.'"
+
+"No, King," replied Rognvald, struck with surprise and pleasure at the
+improvement in Harold's appearance; "your hair is now so beautiful
+that, instead of being surnamed 'Hirsute,' you must be surnamed
+'Harfagher.'"
+
+It happened that Rognvald, by his spouse Hilda, had a son named Rolf,
+or Roll, who was regarded as the foremost among the noble men of
+Norway. He was as remarkable for his sagacity in peace, and for his
+courage in war as for his bulk and stature, which were such that his
+feet touched the ground when he bestrode the horses of the country.
+From this peculiarity the son of Rognvald found himself under the
+necessity of walking when engaged in any enterprise on the land; and
+this circumstance led to his becoming generally known among his
+countrymen as Rolfganger.
+
+But the sea appears to have been Rolfganger's favourite element. From
+his youth he had delighted in maritime adventures, and in such
+exploits as made the men of the north celebrated as sea-kings; and one
+day, when returning from a cruise in the Baltic, he, while off the
+coast of Wighen, shortened sail, and ventured on the exercise of a
+privilege of impressing provisions, long enjoyed by sea-kings, and
+known as "strandhug." But he found that, with Harold Harfagher on the
+throne, and stringent laws against piracy in force, the rights of
+property were not thus to be set at defiance. In fact, the peasants
+whose flocks had been carried away complained to the King; and the
+King, without regard to the offender's rank, ordered him to be tried
+by a Council of Justice.
+
+Notwithstanding Rognvald's services to the King and his personal
+influence with Harold Harfagher, Rolfganger's chance of escaping
+sentence of banishment appeared slight. Moved, however, by maternal
+tenderness, Hilda, the spouse of Rognvald, made an effort to save her
+son. Presenting herself at the rude court of Norway, she endeavoured
+to soften the King's heart.
+
+"King," said she, "I ask you, for my husband's sake, to pardon my
+son."
+
+"Hilda," replied Harold, "it is impossible."
+
+"What!" exclaimed Hilda, rearing herself to her full height; "am I to
+understand that the very name of our race has become hateful to you?
+Beware," continued she, speaking in accents of menace, "how you expel
+from the country and treat as an enemy a man of noble race. Listen,
+King, to what I tell you. It is dangerous to attack the wolf. When
+once he is angered, let the herd in the forest beware!"
+
+But Harold Harfagher was determined to make the laws respected, and,
+notwithstanding Hilda's vague threats, a sentence of perpetual exile
+was passed against her tall son. Rolfganger, however, was not a man
+to give way to despair. Fitting out his ships in some rocky coves,
+still pointed out, he embarked at an island off the mouth of
+Stor-fiord, took a last look at his native country, with its rugged
+scenery, its rapids, cataracts, and fiords, forests of dark pine and
+mountains of white snow, herds of reindeer and clouds of birds, and,
+sailing for the Hebrides, placed himself at the head of the banished
+Norwegians, who speedily, under his auspices, resolved on a grand
+piratical enterprise, which they did not doubt would result in
+conquest and plunder.
+
+Having cut their cable and given the reins to the great
+sea-horses--such was their expression--the Normans made an attempt to
+land in England, where Alfred the Great then reigned. Defeated in this
+attempt by the war-ships with which the Saxon King guarded the coast,
+they turned their prows towards France, and, entering the mouth of the
+Seine, sailed up the river, pillaging the banks as they proceeded,
+and, with little delay, found themselves admitted into Rouen, on which
+they fixed as their future capital.
+
+It was the year 876 when Rolfganger and his comrades sailed up the
+Seine; and on becoming aware of their presence in France, Charles the
+Simple, who then, as heir of Charlemagne, wielded the French sceptre
+with feeble hand, summoned the warriors of his kingdom to stop the
+progress of the Normans. An army, accordingly, was mustered and sent,
+under the command of the Duke of France, to encounter the grim
+invaders. Before fighting, however, the French deemed it prudent to
+tempt the Normans with offers of lands and honours, on condition of
+their submitting to King Charles, and sent messengers to hold a
+parley. But the Normans treated the proposals with lofty disdain.
+
+"Go back to your King," cried they, "and say that we will submit to no
+man, and that we will assert dominion over all we acquire by force of
+arms."
+
+With this answer the ambassadors returned to the French camp, and ere
+long the Normans were attacked in their entrenchments. But Rolfganger
+and his comrades rushed to arms, and fought with such courage that the
+French suffered a complete defeat, and the Duke of France fell by the
+hand of a fisherman of Rouen.
+
+The Normans, after vanquishing the host of King Charles, found
+themselves at liberty to pursue their voyage; and Rolfganger, availing
+himself of the advantage, sailed up the Seine, and laid siege to
+Paris. Baffled in his attempt to enter the city, the Norman hero
+consoled himself by taking Bayeux, Evreux, and other places, and
+gradually found himself ruling as a conqueror over the greater part of
+Neustria. At Evreux, he seized as his prey a lady named Popa, the
+daughter of Count Beranger, whom he espoused; and, becoming gradually
+more civilized, he rendered himself wonderfully popular with the
+inhabitants of the district subject to his sway.
+
+Meanwhile the French suffered so severely from the hostility of the
+Normans, that Charles the Simple recognised the expediency of securing
+the friendship of warriors so formidable. With this object he sent the
+Archbishop of Rouen to negotiate with Rolfganger, and the result was
+that the Sea-King consented to become a Christian, to wed Gisla, the
+daughter of Charles, and to live at peace with France, on condition
+that the French monarch ceded to him the province of Neustria.
+
+Matters having reached this stage, preparations were made to ratify
+the treaty in a solemn manner, and for that purpose Charles the Simple
+and Rolfganger agreed to hold a conference at the village at St.
+Clair, on the green-margined Epte. Each was accompanied by a numerous
+train, and, while the French pitched their tents on one side of the
+river, the Normans pitched theirs on the other. At the appointed hour,
+however, Rolfganger crossed the Epte, approached the chair of state,
+placed his hand between those of the King, took, without kneeling, the
+oath of fealty, and then, supposing the ceremony was over, turned to
+depart.
+
+"But," said the Frenchmen, "it is fitting that he who receives such a
+gift of territory should kneel before the King and kiss his foot."
+
+"Nay," exclaimed Rolfganger; "never will I kneel before a mortal;
+never will I kiss the foot of any man."
+
+The French counts, however, insisted on this ceremony, and Rolfganger,
+with an affectation of simplicity, made a sign to one of his comrades.
+The Norman, obeying his chief's gesture, immediately stepped forward
+and seized upon Charles's foot. Neglecting, however, to bend his own
+knee, he lifted the King's foot so high in the effort to bring it to
+his lips, that the chair of state was overturned, and the heir of
+Charlemagne lay sprawling on his back.
+
+[Illustration: Rolfganger paying homage to Charles the Simple.]
+
+At this ludicrous incident the Normans raised shouts of derisive
+laughter, and the French held up their hands in horror. For a few
+moments all was confusion, but fortunately no serious quarrel
+resulted; and soon after, Rolfganger was received into the Christian
+Church, and married to Gisla, the King's daughter, at Rouen.
+
+Rolfganger, having begun life anew as a Christian and a Count, divided
+the territory of Neustria among his comrades, and changed its name to
+Normandy. Maintaining internal order by severe laws, and administering
+affairs with vigour, he soon became famous as the most successful
+justiciary of the age. Such was the security felt under his
+government, that mechanics and labourers flocked to establish
+themselves in the newly-founded state, and the Normans applied
+themselves to the arts of peace with as much ardour as they had
+previously exhibited in their predatory enterprises.
+
+Gradually adopting the French tongue, and refining their manners,
+Rolfganger's comrades and their heirs were metamorphosed from a band
+of pagan sea-kings and pirates into the most refined, the most
+chivalrous, and the most religious race in Christendom--orators from
+their cradle; warriors charging in chain mail, with resistless
+courage, at the head of fighting men; and munificent benefactors to
+religious houses, where holy monks kept alive the flame of ancient
+learning, and dispensed befitting charities to the indigent and poor.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+II.
+
+WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.
+
+
+One glorious afternoon in the autumn of the year 1023, some damsels of
+humble rank were making merry and dancing joyously under the shade of
+trees in the neighbourhood of Falaise, when, homeward from the chase,
+accompanied by knights, squires, and grooms, with his bugle at his
+girdle, his hawk on his wrist, and his hounds running at his horse's
+feet, came, riding with feudal pride, that Duke of Normandy whom some,
+in consideration, perhaps, of substantial favours, called Robert the
+Magnificent, and whom others, in allusion to his violent temper,
+characterized as Robert the Devil.
+
+Not being quite indifferent to female charms, Duke Robert reined up,
+and, as he did so, with an eye wandering from face to form and from
+form to face, the grace and beauty of one of the dancers arrested his
+attention and touched his heart. After expressing his admiration, and
+learning that she was the daughter of a tanner, the duke pursued his
+way. But he was more silent and meditative than usual; and, soon
+after reaching the Castle of Falaise, he deputed the most discreet of
+his knights to go to the father of the damsel to reveal his passion
+and to plead his cause.
+
+It appears that the negotiation was attended with considerable
+difficulty. At first, the tanner, who had to be consulted, treated the
+duke's proposals with scorn; but, after a pause, he agreed to take the
+advice of his brother, who, as a hermit in the neighbouring forest,
+enjoyed a high reputation for sanctity. The oracle's response was not
+quite consistent with his religious pretensions. Though dead,
+according to his own account, to the vanities of the world, the hermit
+would seem to have cherished a lingering sympathy with human frailty.
+At all events, he declared that subjects ought, in all things, to
+conform to the will of their prince; and the tanner, without further
+scruple, allowed his daughter to be conducted to the castle of Robert
+the Devil. In due time Arlette gave birth to a son, destined, as
+"William the Conqueror," to enrol his name in the annals of fame.
+
+It was the 14th of October, 1024, when William the Norman drew his
+first breath in the Castle of Falaise. Arlette had previously been
+startled with a dream, portending that her son should reign over
+Normandy and England; and no sooner did William see the light than he
+gave a pledge of that energy which he was in after years to exhibit.
+Being laid upon the floor, he seized the rushes in his hands, and
+grasped them with such determination, that the matrons who were
+present expressed their astonishment, and congratulated Arlette on
+being the mother of such a boy.
+
+"Be of good cheer," cried one of them, with prophetic enthusiasm; "for
+verily your son will prove a king!"
+
+At first Robert the Devil did not deign to notice the existence of the
+boy who was so soon to wear the chaplet of golden roses that formed
+the ducal diadem of Normandy; but William, when a year old, was
+presented to the duke, and immediately won the feudal magnate's heart.
+
+"Verily," said he, "this is a boy to be proud of. He is wonderfully
+like my ancestors, the old dukes of the Normans, and he must be
+nurtured with care."
+
+From that time the mother and the child were dear to Duke Robert.
+Arlette was treated with as much state as if a nuptial benediction had
+been pronounced by the Archbishop of Rouen: and William was educated
+with more than the care generally bestowed, at that time, on the
+princes of Christendom. At eight he could read the "Commentaries of
+Cæsar;" and in after life he was in the habit of repeating a saying of
+one of the old counts of Anjou, "that a king without letters is a
+crowned ass."
+
+It happened that, about the year 1033, Robert the Devil, reflecting on
+his manifold transgressions, and eager to make atonement, resolved on
+a penitential pilgrimage to Jerusalem. A serious obstacle, however,
+presented itself. The Norman nobles, with whom the descendant of
+Rolfganger was in high favour, on being convened, protested loudly
+against his departure.
+
+"The state," they with one voice exclaimed, "will be in great peril if
+we are left without a chief."
+
+"By my faith!" said Robert, "I will not leave you without a chief. I
+have a little bastard--I know he is my son; and he will grow a gallant
+man, if it please God. Take him, then, as your liege lord; for I
+declare him my heir, and bestow upon him the whole Duchy of Normandy."
+
+No objections were raised to the Duke's proposal. In fact, everything
+seems to have gone more smoothly than could have been anticipated.
+William was formally presented to the assembly, and each feudal lord,
+placing his hand within those of the boy, took the oath of allegiance
+with such formalities as were customary.
+
+Having arranged matters to his satisfaction, and placed his son under
+the protection of the court of France, Duke Robert took the pilgrim's
+scrip and staff, and, attended by a band of knights, set out for the
+Holy Sepulchre. On reaching Asia Minor he fell sick, and, dispensing
+with the company of his knights, hired four Saracens to carry him in a
+litter onward to Jerusalem. When approaching the Holy City, he was met
+by a palmer from Normandy, and waved his hand in token of recognition.
+
+"Palmer," cried the duke, "tell my valiant lords that you have seen me
+carried towards Paradise on the backs of fiends."
+
+The fate of Duke Robert was never clearly ascertained; but from his
+pilgrimage to Jerusalem it is certain that he did not return to
+Normandy. Within a year of his departure, indeed, news reached Rouen
+that the pilgrim-duke had breathed his last at Nice; and the Normans,
+though without implicitly believing the report, gradually came to
+think of him as one who had gone to his long home.
+
+With news of the death of Robert the Magnificent came the crisis of
+the fate of "William the Bastard." Notwithstanding the oath taken with
+so much ceremony, the Norman barons were in no humour to submit to a
+boy--and to a boy, especially, who was illegitimate.
+
+It was in vain that the guardians of young William exerted all their
+energies to establish his power. One pretender after another was put
+down by the strong hand. But the old Norman seigneurs, who had
+submitted with reluctance to the rule of legitimate princes, steeled
+their hearts against the humiliation of bending their knees to a
+bastard.
+
+Among the nobles of Normandy, by far the haughtiest and most turbulent
+were the seigneurs of Bessi and Cotentin. These men were proud to
+excess of their Norwegian descent, and very tenacious of their
+Scandinavian traditions and customs. Indeed, they treated with
+something like contempt the conversion of the Normans to Christianity,
+carried pagan devices on their shields, and rode into battle with the
+old Scandinavian war-cry of "Thor aide!" Rejoicing, above all things,
+in the purity of their blood, these ancient seigneurs not only talked
+with ridicule of the idea of submitting to the son of Arlette, but
+formed a strong league, marshalled their fighting men, and prepared to
+display their banners and seize William's person.
+
+When this conspiracy was formed, William had attained his seventeenth
+year, and, utterly unconscious of his danger, was residing in a castle
+unprepared for defence. The Counts of Bessi and Cotentin were making
+ready to mount their war-steeds and secure their prey, when one of
+their household fools stole away during the night, reached the castle
+where William was, clamoured for admittance in a loud voice, and would
+not be silenced till led to the young duke's presence. On getting
+audience of William, the fool hastily told him of his peril, and
+warned him to fly instantly.
+
+"What say you?" asked William in surprise.
+
+"I tell you," answered the fool, "that your enemies are coming, and,
+if you don't fly without delay, you'll be slain."
+
+After some further questioning, William resolved to take the fool's
+advice, and mounting, spurred rapidly towards the Castle of Falaise.
+But he was imperfectly acquainted with the country; and he had not
+ridden far when he missed his way. William reined up his steed, and
+halted in perplexity and dismay; and his alarm was increased by
+hearing sounds as of enemies following at no great distance.
+Fortunately, at that moment, however, he met a peasant, who, by
+pointing out the way to the fugitive, and setting the pursuers off in
+a wrong direction, enabled the duke to reach Falaise in safety.
+
+At that time, Henry, grandson of Hugh Capet, figured as King of
+France, and wore the diadem which his grandsire had torn from the head
+of the heirs of Charlemagne. In other days, Henry had been protected
+against the enmity of an imperious mother and a turbulent brother by
+Robert the Magnificent; and when William hastened to the French court,
+Henry, moved by the young duke's tale of distress, and remembering
+Robert's services, promised to give all the aid in his power. Ere long
+he redeemed his pledge by leading a French army against the
+insurgents. The result was the defeat of the rebel lords in a pitched
+battle at the "Val des Dunes," near Caen, and a victory which, for a
+time, gave security to Arlette's son on the ducal throne of Rollo.
+
+William's youth was so far fortunate. His friends regarded him with
+idolatry; and his enemies, forced to admit that he seemed not unworthy
+of his position, became quiescent. The day on which he mounted his
+horse without placing foot in stirrup was hailed with joy; and the day
+on which he received knighthood was kept as a holiday throughout
+Normandy.
+
+As time passed on, William showed himself very ambitious, and somewhat
+vindictive. He made war on his neighbours in Maine and Britanny on
+slender provocations, and resented without mercy any offensive
+allusion to his maternal parentage. One day, when he was besieging the
+town of Alençon, the inhabitants, to annoy him, beat leather skins on
+the walls, in allusion to the occupation of his grandfather, and
+shouted, "Hides, hides!" William, in bitter rage, revenged himself by
+causing the hands and feet of all his prisoners to be cut off, and
+thrown by the slingers over the walls into the town.
+
+But, whatever William's faults, he was loved and respected by his
+friends. Nor could the duke's worst enemy deny that he looked a prince
+of whom any people might well have been proud. In person he was scarce
+above the ordinary height; but so grand was his air, and so majestic
+his bearing, that he seemed to tower above ordinary mortals. His
+strength of arm was prodigious; and few were the warriors in that age
+who could even bend his bow. His face was sufficiently handsome to
+command the admiration of women, and his aspect sufficiently stern to
+awe men into submission to his will. No prince in Europe was more
+capable of producing an impression on a beholder than, at the age of
+twenty-five, was the warrior destined to attempt and accomplish that
+mighty exploit since celebrated as the Norman Conquest of England.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+III.
+
+[Illustration: Sweyn struck by the hand of death.]
+
+THE DANES IN ENGLAND.
+
+
+At the time when William the Norman was making good his claim to the
+Dukedom won by Rolfganger, the Saxons had been settled in England for
+nearly six centuries. During that long period, however, the country
+had frequently been exposed to the horrors of civil war and to the
+inroads of those ruthless Northmen, who "replunged into barbarism the
+nations over which they swept."
+
+It was about the year 451 that the Saxons, with huge axes on their
+shoulders, set foot on the shores of Britain. At that period--when the
+ancient Britons, left by the Roman conquerors at the mercy of the
+Picts and Scots, were complaining that the barbarians drove them to
+the sea, and that the sea drove them back to the barbarians--there
+anchored off the coast of Kent three bulky ships, commanded by Hengist
+and Horsa, two Saxon chiefs, who claimed descent from Woden, their god
+of war, and boasted of some military skill acquired when fighting in
+the ranks of Rome. From Hengist and Horsa, still worshippers of Thor
+and Woden, the Britons implored aid against the Picts and Scots; and
+the Saxon chiefs, calling over a band of their countrymen, speedily
+drove the painted Caledonians to their mountains and fastnesses.
+
+After having rescued the Britons from their northern neighbours, the
+Saxons did not exhibit any haste to leave the country which they had
+delivered. Indeed, these mighty sons of Woden rather seemed ambitious
+of making Britain their own; and Hengist, having settled in
+Lincolnshire, gave a great feast. Among other guests who on this
+occasion came to the Saxon's stronghold was Vortigern, a King among
+the Britons, and, his eye being arrested and his heart inflamed by the
+grace and beauty of Rowena, the daughter of Hengist, while she
+presented the wassail-cup on bended knee, he became so desperately
+enamoured that he never rested till the fair and fascinating Saxon was
+his wife. After the marriage of Vortigern and Rowena, the Saxons
+plainly intimated their intention of being masters of Britain, and,
+the sword having been drawn, the two races--the Saxons and the
+Celts--commenced that struggle which lasted for more than a hundred
+and fifty years, during which King Arthur and the Knights of his Round
+Table are said to have wrought those marvellous exploits which have
+been celebrated by chroniclers and bards.
+
+At length, however, the Saxons, in spite of prolonged resistance,
+established their supremacy, and, during the existence of the Saxon
+Heptarchy, which included the whole country, subject to seven
+Princes, the conquerors of Britain became converts to Christianity,
+and members of the Catholic Church; and, abandoning the worship of
+Thor and Woden, they endeavoured to show their zeal by erecting
+churches and monasteries.
+
+As time passed on, Egbert, King of Wessex, in 827 prevailed over all
+rivals, formed the separate provinces into a single state, and reigned
+as King of England. But while the Saxons were still engaged in putting
+down the Celts and cutting each other to pieces, a band of grim
+adventurers one morning sailed into the port of Teignmouth. In the
+discharge of his duty, a Saxon magistrate proceeded to the shore to
+learn whence they came and what they wanted. Without deigning an
+answer, the strangers slew the magistrate and his attendants,
+plundered the town, carried the booty to their ships, and then,
+hoisting their sails, took their departure. This was the first
+appearance in England of those Danes who were, ere long, to rend the
+Anglo-Saxon empire in pieces, and place their King on the English
+throne.
+
+In fact, from the time of this their first visit to the English coast,
+the Danes were constantly finding their way to England, and
+signalising their inroads by every kind of barbarity. They were the
+most reckless of pirates and pagans, calling the ocean their home and
+the tempest their servant, and delighting to shed the blood of
+Christian priests, to desecrate churches, and to stable their steeds
+in chapels. In their cruel inroads, they tossed infants on the points
+of their spears, and mocked the idea of tears and mourning. For them,
+indeed, death had no terrors, for they believed themselves secure,
+especially if they fell in battle, of being conveyed to Valhalla; and
+gloried in the prospect of feasting in the halls of Odin, waited on by
+lovely damsels, and quaffing beer out of huge cups of horn. Settling
+gradually in Northumberland, East Anglia, and Mercia, the Danes
+occupied the whole country north of the Thames. Only one province
+remained to the Saxons, that of Wessex, which then extended from the
+mouth of the Thames to the Bristol Channel.
+
+Such was the state of affairs when, in 871, a Saxon King, named
+Ethelred, was slain in a conflict with the Danes, and was succeeded by
+his son, Alfred, afterwards Alfred the Great, but then a youth of
+twenty-two. At first, the courage and ability of the young King
+inspired the Saxons with high hopes. But Alfred, puffed up with
+conceit of his superior knowledge, despised those whom he governed,
+and his contemptuous indifference to their opinions and wishes
+rendered him ere long so very unpopular that when, after having
+reigned seven years, he was under the necessity of preparing against
+an inroad of the Danes, he found himself, to his mortification, almost
+unsupported. In vain the King, after the fashion of his ancestors,
+sent messengers of war to town and hamlet, bearing the arrow and naked
+sword, and proclaiming, "Let each man that is not a nothing leave his
+house and come!" So few obeyed the summons that Alfred, deeply
+mortified, abandoned his throne, and sought refuge in Cornwall.
+
+It was at this dismal period that Alfred found shelter in the hut of a
+swineherd, and, while examining his arrows, allowed the cakes to burn.
+"Stupid man!" cried the swineherd's wife, unaware of his quality, "you
+will not take the trouble to prevent my bread from burning, though
+you're always so glad to eat it."
+
+But, ere long, Alfred emerged from his obscure lurking-place, visited
+the Danish camp disguised as a harper, and, while entertaining the
+rude Northmen with music and song, became so well acquainted with the
+situation of affairs that he took immediate steps to restore the old
+Saxon nationality. Summoning fighting men of the Saxon race from every
+quarter, Alfred met the Danes in the field, vanquished them in eight
+battles, and finally reduced them to submission and obedience.
+
+After the death of Alfred the Great, who had, after his restoration,
+reigned with lustre and glory, Ethelstane, pursuing Alfred's
+conquests, recovered York, crossed the Tweed, defeated the Danes and
+Cambrians at Bamborough, and brought the whole island under his
+dominion. For some time after Ethelstane's triumphs, the Saxons were
+allowed unmolestedly to sow and reap, to buy and sell, to marry and
+give in marriage.
+
+In 994, however, Sweyn, King of Denmark, turned his eyes covetously
+towards England, where Ethelred the Unready then reigned; and
+forthwith, in company with Olaf, King of Norway, undertook an
+expedition. Despairing of opposing the invaders with success,
+Ethelred bribed them with a large sum of money to retire, and both of
+them withdrew, after having sworn not again to trouble England.
+Nevertheless, in 1001, Sweyn, in whom the spirit of the pirate was
+strong, reappeared; and the Saxon King, seeing no way of getting rid
+of such a foe except by bribery, agreed to pay an annual tribute, to
+be levied throughout England under the name of "Dane-gold."
+
+Sweyn, to whom an arrangement that was every year to replenish his
+treasury seemed satisfactory, returned to Denmark. Many Danes,
+however, remained in England, and conducted themselves with such
+intolerable insolence that the Saxons projected a general massacre of
+their unwelcome guests, and fixed on St. Brice's Day, 1002, for the
+execution of their hoarded vengeance. Ethelred, who, having lost his
+first wife, Elgira, the mother of Edmund Ironsides, had espoused Emma,
+sister of the Duke of Normandy, and who deemed himself secure in the
+alliance of the heir of Rolfganger, unhappily consented to the
+massacre, and, on the appointed day, the Saxons applied themselves to
+the work of extermination, little dreaming what would be the
+consequences.
+
+No sooner did Sweyn hear of the massacre of St. Brice, than he vowed
+revenge, and, embarking with a mighty force, landed in England, and
+commenced a work of bloodshed, carnage, sacrilege, destruction, and
+every kind of enormity. Ethelred, after a vain attempt at resistance,
+fled to Normandy, with Emma his wife, and their two sons, Alfred and
+Edward; while Sweyn, left a victor, caused himself to be proclaimed
+King of England. But he did not live long to enjoy his conquests. One
+day, while feasting at Thetford, drinking to excess, and threatening
+to spoil the monastery of St. Edmund, he suddenly felt as if he had
+been violently struck, and the chiefs, who sat around in a circle,
+observed that his face underwent a rapid change.
+
+"Oh!" exclaimed Sweyn, gasping for breath, "I have been struck by this
+St. Edmund with a sword!"
+
+"Nay," said the Danish chiefs, who did not share their King's
+superstitious feeling, "there is no St. Edmund here."
+
+Death, however, seemed written on Sweyn's face, and horror took
+possession of his soul. After suffering terrible tortures for three
+days, he breathed his last, and left his claims and pretensions to his
+son Canute, who, coming victoriously out of that struggle with Edmund
+Ironsides, in which the royal Saxon, after repeatedly defeating the
+Danes, perished by the hand of an assassin, succeeded to the English
+throne, where he was destined to render his name memorable and his
+memory illustrious as Canute the Great.
+
+It appears that, during these unfortunate struggles with the Danes,
+Ethelred and his son Edmund Ironsides relied much on the services of a
+man whom the Saxon King delighted to honour, and whom English
+historians have since branded as one of the most infamous traitors
+that ever breathed English air. This was Edric Streone, who had
+obtained from Ethelred the Earldom of Mercia, and who evinced his
+gratitude for that and countless favours by betraying his benefactor
+and suborning a ruffian to stab his benefactor's son.
+
+After Ironsides' murder, Edric hastened to Canute and claimed a
+reward. Not unwilling, perhaps, to profit by the treachery, but
+abhorring the traitor, the Danish conqueror had recourse to
+dissimulation, and spoke to Edric in language which raised the
+villain's hopes.
+
+"Depend upon it," said Canute, "I will set your head higher than any
+man's in the realm;" and, by way of redeeming his promise, he soon
+after ordered the traitor to be beheaded.
+
+"King," cried Edric, in amazement, "remember you not your promise?"
+
+"I do," answered Canute, with grim humour. "I promised to set your
+head higher than other men's, and I will keep my word." And having
+ordered Edric to be executed, he caused the body to be flung into the
+Thames, and the head to be placed high over the highest of the gates
+of London.
+
+After having won considerable popularity among the Saxons by the
+execution of Edric Streone, Canute, who figured as King of Denmark and
+Norway, as well as England, endeavoured to strengthen his position by
+a matrimonial alliance. With this view the royal Dane wedded Emma of
+Normandy, the widow of Ethelred; and it was supposed that, at his
+death, Hardicanute, the son whom he had by this fair descendant of
+Rolfganger, was to succeed to the English throne.
+
+In 1035, however, when Canute the Great went the way of all flesh, and
+when his remains were laid in the Cathedral of Winchester, there was
+living in London one of his illegitimate sons, named Harold, who, from
+his swiftness in running, was surnamed Harefoot. Immediately, Harold
+Harefoot claimed the crown, and a contest took place between his
+adherents and those of Hardicanute, who was then in Denmark. Harold
+Harefoot, however, being favoured by the Danes of London, carried the
+day; and finding that the Archbishop refused to perform the ceremony
+of coronation, he placed the crown on his head with his own hand,
+became an avowed enemy of the Church, lived as one "who had abjured
+Christianity," and displayed his contempt for religious rites by
+having his table served and sending out his dogs to hunt at the hour
+when people were assembling for worship.
+
+After reigning four years, however, he breathed his last, and was
+buried at Westminster.
+
+When Harold Harefoot died, Hardicanute was at Bruges with his mother,
+the Norman Emma, and he immediately sailed for England. No attempt
+seems to have been made to restore the Saxon line. Indeed, Hardicanute
+found himself received with general joy, and commenced his career as
+King of England by causing the body of his half-brother to be dug out
+of his tomb at Westminster and thrown into the Thames. Hardicanute
+then abandoned himself to gluttony and drunkenness, and scandalously
+oppressed the nation over which he swayed the sceptre. His career,
+however, was brief, and his end was so sudden, that some have ascribed
+it to foul play.
+
+It was the 8th of June, 1041, and Hardicanute was celebrating the
+wedding of a Danish chief at Lambeth. Nobody expected a catastrophe,
+for he was still little more than twenty, and his constitution was
+remarkably strong. While revelling and carousing, however, he suddenly
+tossed up his arms and dropped on the floor a corpse. Some ascribed
+the death of Hardicanute to poison, but none lamented his fate; and,
+by the Saxons, the event was rather hailed as a sign for the
+restoration of the Saxon line and the heirs of Alfred.
+
+
+
+
+IV.
+
+EARL GODWIN.
+
+
+One morning, at the time when Edmund Ironside and Canute were
+struggling desperately for the kingdom of England, and when the son of
+Ethelred had just defeated the son of Sweyn in a great battle in
+Warwickshire, a Danish captain--Ulf by name--separated from his men,
+and, flying to save his life, entered a wood with the paths of which
+he was quite unacquainted. Halting in one of the glades, and looking
+round in extreme perplexity, he felt relieved by the approach of a
+young Saxon, in the garb of a herdsman, driving his father's oxen to
+the pastures.
+
+"Thy name, youth," said Ulf to the herdsman, saluting him after the
+fashion of his country.
+
+"I," answered the herdsman, "am Godwin, son of Wolwoth; and thou, if I
+mistake not, art one of the Danes."
+
+"It is true," said Ulf. "I have wandered about all night, and now I
+beg you tell me how far I am from the Danish camp, or from the ships
+stationed in the Severn, and by what road I can reach them."
+
+"Mad," exclaimed Godwin, "must be the Dane who looks for safety at the
+hands of a Saxon."
+
+"Nevertheless," said Ulf, "I entreat thee to leave thy herd and guide
+me to the camp, and I promise that thou shalt be richly rewarded."
+
+"The way is long," said Godwin, shaking his head, "and perilous would
+be the attempt. The peasants, emboldened by victory, are everywhere up
+in arms, and little mercy would they show either to thee or thy
+guide."
+
+"Accept this, youth," said the Dane, coaxingly, as he drew a gold ring
+from his finger.
+
+"No," answered Godwin, after examining the jewel with curiosity, "I
+will not take the ring, but I will give you what aid I can."
+
+Having thus promised his assistance to Ulf, Godwin took the Danish
+captain under his guidance, and led him to Wolwoth's cottage hard by,
+and, when night came, prepared to conduct him, by bye-paths, to the
+camp. They were about to depart when Wolwoth, with a tear in his eye,
+laid his hand in that of the Dane.
+
+"Stranger," said the old man, "know that it is my only son who trusts
+to your good faith. For him there will be no safety among his
+countrymen from the moment he has served you as a guide. Present him,
+therefore, to Canute, that he may be taken into your king's service."
+
+"Fear not, Saxon," said Ulf, "I will do more than you ask for your
+son. I will treat him as my own."
+
+The Dane and Godwin then left Wolwoth's cottage, and, under the
+guidance of the young herdsman, the Dane reached the camp in safety.
+Nor was his promise forgotten. On entering his tent, Ulf seated Godwin
+on a seat as highly-raised as his own, and, from that hour, treated
+him with paternal kindness.
+
+It was under such romantic circumstances, if we may credit ancient
+chroniclers and modern historians, that Godwin entered on that
+marvellous career which was destined to conduct him to more than regal
+power in England. Presented by Ulf to Canute, the son of Wolwoth soon
+won the favour of the Danish king; nor was he of a family whose
+members ever allowed any scrupulous adherence to honour to stand in
+the way of ambitious aspirations. Indeed, he was nephew of that Edric
+Streone who had betrayed Ethelred the Unready, and whom Canute had
+found it necessary to sacrifice to the national indignation; and it
+has been observed that, "even as kinsman to Edric, who, whatever his
+crimes, must have retained a party it was wise to conciliate, Godwin's
+favour with Canute, whose policy would lead him to show marked
+distinction to any able Saxon follower, ceases to be surprising."
+
+But, however that may have been, Godwin, protected by the king and
+inspired by ambition, rose rapidly to fame and fortune. Having
+accompanied Canute to Denmark, and afterwards signalized his military
+skill by a great victory over the Norwegians, he returned to England
+with the reputation of being, of all others, the man whom the Danish
+King delighted to honour. No distinction now appeared too high to be
+conferred on the son of Wolwoth. Ere long he began to figure as Earl
+of Wessex, and husband of Thyra, one of Canute's daughters.
+
+Godwin's marriage with the daughter of Canute did not increase the
+Saxon Earl's popularity. Indeed, Thyra was accused of sending young
+Saxons as slaves to Denmark, and regarded with much antipathy. One
+day, however, Thyra was killed by lightning; soon after, her only son
+was drowned in the Thames; and Godwin lost no time in supplying the
+places of his lady and his heir.
+
+Again at liberty to gratify his ambition by a royal alliance, he
+wedded Githa, daughter of Sweyne, Canute's successor on the throne of
+Denmark; and the Danish princess, as time passed on, made her husband
+father of six sons--Sweyne, Harold, Tostig, Gurth, Leofwine, and
+Wolwoth--besides two daughters--Edith and Thyra--all destined to have
+their names associated in history with that memorable event known as
+the Norman Conquest.
+
+Meanwhile, Godwin was taking that part in national events which he
+hoped would raise him to still higher power among his countrymen, when
+Canute the Great breathed his last, and was laid at rest in the
+cathedral at Winchester. Then there arose a dispute about the
+sovereignty of England between Hardicanute and Harold Harefoot. The
+South declared for Hardicanute, the North for Harefoot. Both had their
+chances; but Harold Harefoot being in England at the time, as we have
+seen, while Hardicanute was in Denmark, had decidedly the advantage
+over his rival.
+
+Godwin, however, favouring Hardicanute, invited Queen Emma to England.
+He assumed the office of Protector, and received the oaths of the men
+of the South. But for once the son of Wolwoth found fortune adverse to
+his policy; and, having waited till Emma made peace with Harold
+Harefoot, the potent Earl also swore obedience, and allowed the claims
+of Hardicanute to rest.
+
+But when time passed over, and affairs took a turn, when Harold
+Harefoot died, and Hardicanute, having come to England, ascended the
+throne, excited the national discontent by imposing excessive taxes,
+and was perpetually alarmed, in the midst of his debaucheries, with
+intelligence of tax-gatherers murdered and cities in insurrection, it
+became pretty clear that the Danish domination must, ere long, come to
+an end. Then Godwin, who had ever a keen eye to his interest,
+doubtless watched the signs of the times with all the vigilance
+demanded by the occasion, and marked well the course of events which
+were occurring to place the game in his hands. Accordingly, when, in
+the summer of 1041, Hardicanute expired so suddenly at Lambeth, while
+taking part in the wedding festivities of one of his Danish chiefs,
+Godwin perceived that the time had arrived for the restoration of
+Saxon royalty. With his characteristic energy, he raised his standard,
+and applied himself to the business. His success was even more signal
+than he anticipated. Indeed, if he had chosen, he might have ascended
+the throne of Alfred and of Canute. But his policy was to increase his
+own power without exciting the envy of others. With this view he
+assembled a great council at Gillingham. Acting by his advice, the
+assembled chiefs resolved on calling to the throne, not the true heir
+of England--the son of Edmund Ironsides, who resided in Hungary, and
+probably had a will of his own--but an Anglo-Saxon prince who had been
+long absent from England--an exile known to be inoffensive in
+character as well as interesting from misfortune, and with whom Godwin
+doubtless believed he could do whatever he pleased. At all events, it
+was as King-maker, and not as King, that the ennobled son of Wolwoth
+aspired, at this crisis, to influence the destinies of England.
+
+
+
+
+V.
+
+EDWARD THE CONFESSOR.
+
+
+While Duke William was overcoming his enemies in Normandy, and Earl
+Godwin was putting an end to the domination of the Danes in England,
+there might have been observed about the Court of Rouen a man of mild
+aspect and saintly habits, who had reached the age of forty. He was an
+exile, a Saxon prince, and one of the heirs of Alfred.
+
+It was about the opening of the eleventh century that King Ethelred,
+then a widower, and father of Edmund Ironsides, espoused Emma, sister
+of Richard, Duke of Normandy. From this marriage sprung two sons and a
+daughter. The sons were named Edward and Alfred; the name of the
+daughter was Goda.
+
+Edward was a native of England, and drew his first breath, in the year
+1002, at Islip, near Oxford. At an early age, however, when the
+massacre of the Danes on the day of St. Brice resulted in the exile of
+Ethelred, Edward, with the other children of Ethelred and Emma, found
+refuge at the Court of Normandy. It was there that the youth of Edward
+was passed; it was there that his tastes were formed; and it was there
+that, brooding over the misfortunes of his country and his race, he
+sought consolation in those saintly theories and romantic practices
+which distinguished him so widely from the princes of that fierce and
+adventurous period which preceded the first Crusade.
+
+When Ethelred the Unready breathed his last, in 1016, and Canute the
+Great demanded the widowed queen in marriage, and Emma, delighted at
+the prospect of still sharing the throne of England, threw herself
+into the arms of the royal Dane, her two sons, Edward and Alfred,
+remained for a time securely in Normandy. Indeed, they do not appear
+to have been by any means pleased at the idea of their mother uniting
+her fate with a man whom they had regarded as their father's mortal
+foe. However, as years passed over, the sons of Ethelred received an
+invitation from Harold Harefoot to visit their native country, and
+they did not think fit to decline. At all events, it appears that
+Alfred proceeded to England, and that he went attended by a train of
+six hundred Normans.
+
+On arriving in England, Alfred was immediately invited by Harold
+Harefoot to come to London, and, not suspecting any snare, he hastened
+to present himself at court. No sooner, however, had the Saxon prince
+reached Guildford than he was met by Earl Godwin, conducted under some
+pretence into the Castle, separated from his attendants--who were
+massacred by hundreds--and then put in chains, to be conveyed to the
+Isle of Ely, where he was deprived of his sight, and so severely
+treated that he died of misery and pain.
+
+Edward, who had remained in Normandy, soon learned with horror that
+his brother had been murdered; and when Hardicanute succeeded Harold
+Harefoot, he hastened to England to demand justice on Godwin.
+Hardicanute received his half-brother with kindness, promised that he
+should have satisfaction, and summoned the Earl of Wessex to answer
+for the murder of Prince Alfred. But Godwin's experience was great,
+and his craft was equal to his experience. Without scruple, he offered
+to swear that he was entirely guiltless of young Alfred's death, and
+at the same time presented Hardicanute with a magnificent galley,
+ornamented with gilded metal, and manned by eighty warriors, every one
+of whom had a gilded axe on his left shoulder, a javelin in his right
+hand, and bracelets on each arm. The young Danish king looked upon
+this gift as a most conclusive argument in favour of Godwin's
+innocence--and the son of Wolwoth was saved.
+
+Edward returned to Normandy, and passed the next five years of his
+life in monkish austerities. But when the Danish domination came to an
+end, and the Grand Council was held at Gillingham, Godwin, as if to
+atone for consigning one of the sons of Ethelred to a tomb, hastened
+to place the other on a throne. Edward, then in his fortieth year, was
+accordingly elected king, and, on reaching England, was crowned at
+Winchester, in that sacred edifice where his illustrious ancestors
+and their Danish foes reposed in peace together.
+
+It is related by the chroniclers of this period, that when Edward,
+arrayed in royal robes, and accompanied by bishops and nobles, was on
+the point of entering the church to be crowned, a man afflicted with
+leprosy sat by the gate.
+
+"What do you there?" cried the king's friends. "Move out of the way."
+
+"Nay," said Edward, meekly, "suffer him to remain."
+
+"King!" cried the leper, in a loud voice, "I conjure you, by the
+living God, to have me carried into the church, that I may pray to be
+made whole!"
+
+"Unworthy should I be of heaven if I did not," Edward replied; and,
+stooping forward, he raised the leprous man on his back, bore him into
+the church, and prayed earnestly, and not in vain, for his
+restoration. Roger Hoveden even asserts that the king's prayers were
+heard, and that the leper was made whole from that hour. But, in any
+case, there can be no doubt that on the fierce nobles and people of
+his realm such a scene as this must have produced a strange
+impression. It was believed that Edward's sanctity gave him the power
+to heal; and belief in the influence which his hand was in this way
+supposed to have, led to the custom of English sovereigns touching for
+the king's evil.
+
+In fact, however, people soon discovered that Edward was more of a
+monk than a monarch; and far happier would he have been if he had
+remained in Normandy, and sought refuge from the rude and wicked world
+in the quiet of a cloister. It soon appeared, moreover, that the son
+of Ethelred was intended to be king but in name; and that the son of
+Wolwoth was to be virtually sovereign of England. The plan was not
+unlikely to succeed. Indeed, Edward was so saintly and so simple, that
+Godwin might, to the hour of his death, have exercised all real power,
+had he not, with the vulgar ambition natural to such a man, risked
+everything for the chance of his posterity occupying the English
+throne.
+
+It appears that Godwin, by his marriage with Githa, the Danish
+princess, had, besides six sons, two daughters, Edith and Thyra.
+Edith, at the time of the restoration of the Saxon monarchy, is
+described as having been young, beautiful, and remarkable for her
+learning. It can hardly be doubted that her character and disposition
+contrasted favourably with the other members of the family that then
+domineered in England; and she was praised for not resembling them.
+"As the thorn produces the rose," people said, "so Godwin produced
+Edith."
+
+The idea of making his daughter the wife of a king, and perhaps living
+to see his grandson wear a crown, fired Godwin's imagination; and it
+is even said that Edward, before leaving Normandy, was forced to
+swear, in the most solemn manner, that, if elected, he would marry
+Edith. But however that may have been, the imperious Earl insisted on
+the meek king becoming his son-in-law; and a man who, even in the days
+of his youth, had been much too saintly to think of matrimony, was
+compelled, when turned of forty, to espouse a woman on the hands of
+whose father was his brother's blood, and to whose family he had,
+naturally enough, a thorough aversion.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+VI.
+
+[Illustration: The judgment of God on Godwin.]
+
+THE KING AND THE KING-MAKER.
+
+
+It was 1042 when Edward--afterwards celebrated as the Confessor--found
+himself placed by the hand of Godwin on the throne of his ancestors,
+and provided with a wife and queen in the person of Edith, Godwin's
+daughter. At first, matters went pleasantly enough, and, indeed,
+appeared promising. But no real friendship could exist between the
+Anglo-Saxon king and the man whom he regarded as his brother's
+murderer. Ere six years passed, Godwin and the king were foes, and
+England was the scene of discord and disorder.
+
+At that time the prejudice of the Anglo-Saxons against foreigners was
+peculiarly strong. Before returning to the land of his birth,
+therefore, Edward was under the necessity of promising that he should
+bring with him no considerable number of Normans. The condition was
+observed in so far that few Normans did accompany Edward to England.
+But no sooner was he seated on the throne, and in a position to grant
+favours, than his palace was open to all comers; and guests from the
+court of Rouen flocked to the court of Westminster.
+
+When Edward's Norman friends presented themselves, they met with the
+most cordial welcome; and being, for the most part, men of adventurous
+talents, they soon began to look upon the country as their property,
+and grasped at every office which the king had to bestow. Ere long,
+Norman priests found themselves bishops in England; Norman warriors
+figured as governors of English castles; and the court became so
+thoroughly Normanized, that the national dress, language, and manners,
+went wholly out of fashion.
+
+The Anglo-Saxon nobles do not appear to have manifested any jealousy
+of the king's friends. In fact, their inclination was quite the
+reverse. The polish and refinement of their new associates excited
+their admiration, and they hastened to adopt the Norman fashions.
+Throwing aside their long cloaks, they assumed the short Norman
+mantle, with its wide sleeves; they neglected their native tongue to
+imitate, as well as they could, the language spoken by Norman prelates
+and warriors; and, instead of signing their names, as of old, they
+began to affix seals to their deeds. The Anglo-Saxon dress, manners,
+and language were no longer accounted worthy of men who pretended to
+rank and breeding.
+
+Meanwhile, Godwin not only steadily abstained from adopting the Norman
+fashions, but looked upon the king's foreign friends as mortal foes,
+and regarded everything about them with hatred. He felt, with pain,
+that they kept alive the memory of Prince Alfred and their murdered
+countrymen, and he perceived with uneasiness that each new arrival had
+the effect of weakening his influence with the king. It was under such
+circumstances that he set his face against foreigners, and found means
+of exciting the popular prejudices against the man whom, for selfish
+purposes, he had, to the exclusion of the true heir, placed on the
+English throne. The multitude, ever ready to be deluded, took
+precisely the view Godwin wished, and began to speak of the pampered
+and overgrown adventurer as a neglected and long-suffering patriot.
+
+"Is it astonishing," said one, "that the author and support of
+Edward's reign should be indignant at seeing new men from a foreign
+nation raised above him?"
+
+"And yet," observed another, "never does he utter a harsh word to the
+man whom he himself created king."
+
+"Curse all Norman favourites!" exclaimed a third.
+
+"And," cried a fourth, "long life to the great chief--to the chief
+magnanimous by sea and land!"
+
+While such was the situation of affairs, Eustace, Count of Boulogne,
+happened, in the year 1048, to come as a guest to England. Eustace was
+husband of Edward's sister, Goda; and the king naturally strove to
+make the visit of his brother-in-law as pleasant as possible. After
+remaining for some time at the English court, however, Eustace
+prepared to return home; but on reaching Dover, where he intended to
+embark, an awkward quarrel took place between his attendants and the
+townsmen. A fray was the consequence; and in a conflict which took
+place, twenty of the count's men were unfortunately slain. Angry and
+indignant at the slaughter of his followers, Eustace, instead of
+embarking, turned back to demand redress, and hastened to lay his
+complaint before the king, who was then keeping his court in the
+castle of Gloucester.
+
+Edward, ashamed of the riot, and horrified at the bloodshed, promised
+that condign punishment should be inflicted on the perpetrators of the
+outrage, and deputed the duty to Godwin, in whose earldom the town of
+Dover was included.
+
+"Go without delay," said Edward, "and chastise by a military
+execution, those who have attacked my relative with arms in their
+hands, and who have disturbed the peace of the country."
+
+"Nay," said Godwin, "it is not right to condemn, without hearing, men
+whom it is your duty to protect."
+
+Nettled by the tone of Godwin's refusal, and aware of the refractory
+spirit by which the earl was animated, Edward gave way to anger, and
+convoked a great council at Gloucester. Before this assembly Godwin
+was summoned to answer for his conduct. Instead of appearing, the Earl
+of Wessex mustered an army with the object of setting Edward at
+defiance. England seemed on the verge of a civil war, but a peace was
+patched up by the mediation of Siward, Earl of Northumberland, and
+Leofric, Earl of Mercia, husband of that Godiva whose equestrian feat
+at Coventry the grateful citizens have since so often commemorated.
+But the efforts of Siward and Leofric proved vain. The king and Godwin
+indeed pretended to be reconciled. But neither was sincere. Ere long,
+the quarrel broke out afresh with great bitterness; and the earl,
+finding the king much more resolute than could have been expected,
+consulted his safety by escaping with his wife and family to Flanders.
+
+Freed from the presence of his imperious father-in-law, and feeling
+himself at length a king in reality, Edward passed sentence of
+outlawry on Godwin and his sons, seized on their earldoms, and
+confiscated their property. Even Edith, the queen, did not escape her
+share of the adversity of her house. After being deprived of her lands
+and money she was sent to a convent in Hampshire, and condemned in a
+cloister to sigh with regret over the ambition that had united her
+fate with that of a man who had regarded her with a sentiment akin to
+horror.
+
+"It is not meet," said Edward's Norman friends, ironically, "that
+while this woman's family undergo all the evils of exile, she herself
+should sleep upon down."
+
+"But the King's wife!" remonstrated the Anglo-Saxon nobles.
+
+"Tush!" answered the Normans, significantly; "she is his wife only in
+name."
+
+While Godwin was an exile in Flanders, William, Duke of Normandy, paid
+a visit to the King of England. Edward received his kinsman with
+great affection, entertained him magnificently, and treated him with
+such distinction as encouraged the Norman Duke's most ambitious hopes.
+Indeed, it has been said that "William appeared in England more a king
+than Edward himself, and that his ambitious mind was not slow in
+conceiving the hope of becoming such in reality." Nor did William
+return to Normandy without tokens of Edward's good will. Magnificent
+presents of armour, horses, dogs, and falcons were the substantial
+pledges with which the monk-king accompanied his assurances of
+friendship for the warrior-duke.
+
+But, meantime, Godwin grew weary of exile and eager for revenge.
+Impatient to return to England, and to wreak his fury on the Norman
+favourites, the banished earl resolved, at all hazards, on leaving
+Flanders. Having obtained ships from Count Baldwin, he sailed from
+Bruges; and, soon after Edward had witnessed the departure of his
+martial kinsman for Normandy, the fleet of his outlawed father-in-law
+sailed up the Thames and anchored at Southwark.
+
+Edward was in London when Godwin's fleet appeared in this menacing
+attitude; and, assembling his council, the king, with a flash of
+ancestral spirit, evinced a strong desire to oppose force to force.
+But, though the Norman courtiers were anxious to come to blows with
+their mortal foe, the king was the only Englishman who participated in
+their sentiments. Not only were the citizens of London all ready to
+take up arms for the outlawed earl; but even Siward and Leofric, the
+chiefs who had ever stood in opposition to Godwin, were in favour of
+his restoration; and the soldiers who formed the royal army were
+animated by such an antipathy to the foreign favourites, that it was
+felt they could not be depended on in the event of matters being
+pushed to extremity. In these circumstances, the king reluctantly
+consented to refer the question to a council of nobles; and this
+council, presided over by Robert Stigand, Bishop of East Anglia,
+decided that the whole case should be submitted for judgment to the
+Witenagemote, the National Council of the Anglo-Saxons.
+
+On learning what had occurred, the Norman courtiers perceived that
+there was no hope for them but in escape. Without hesitation,
+therefore, they mounted their horses, and spurred from the palace of
+Westminster. Headed by Robert, Archbishop of Canterbury, and William,
+Bishop of London, a troop of Norman knights and gentlemen dashed
+eastward, fought their way through the city, and, making for the
+coast, embarked in fishing-boats; others fled to northern castles,
+held by Hugh the Norman, and Osbert, surnamed Pentecost; and thence,
+with Hugh and Osbert, made for the north, crossed the Tweed, and
+sought security on Scottish soil. No mercy, they well knew, could be
+expected at the hands of Godwin, and quite as little at the hands of a
+multitude believing in his patriotism and exasperated against his
+foes.
+
+Meanwhile, the Witenagemote having been convoked, and all the best men
+in the country having assembled to take part in the deliberations,
+Godwin spoke in his own defence. The proceedings, as had been foreseen
+from the beginning, resulted in the revocation of the sentence of
+outlawry against the earl and his sons, and restoration to their lands
+and honours. An exception was, indeed, made in the case of Godwin's
+eldest son, Sweyn, who, having debauched the abbess of Leominster, and
+murdered his kinsman, Earl Beorn, was deemed unworthy of the company
+of Christians and warriors. But Sweyn relieved his family from all
+awkwardness on this point by voluntarily undertaking a penitential
+pilgrimage on foot to the Holy Sepulchre.
+
+Matters having been thus arranged, the king accepted from Godwin the
+oath of peace; and Godwin, as hostages for his good faith, placed his
+youngest son, Wolnoth, and Haco, the son of Sweyn, in the hands of the
+king, who sent them to the court of Rouen. At the same time, William,
+the Norman Bishop of London, was, by the king's wish, recalled to
+England; but Robert, the Norman Archbishop of Canterbury, was not so
+fortunate. Stigand, instituted as Robert's successor, took possession
+of the pallium which the Norman prelate had left behind in his sudden
+flight.
+
+When her kinsmen were restored to England, Edith, the queen, brought
+from her convent in Hampshire, once more appeared at the palace of
+Westminster; and the house of Godwin seemed more firmly established
+than ever. The king, ceasing to struggle against the earl's influence,
+occupied his attention with completing the abbey which he had been
+building at Westminster, and Leofric and Siward seemed to bow to their
+great rival's power and popularity. But the days of Godwin were
+numbered.
+
+It was the spring of 1054; Edward was holding his court in the castle
+of Winchester; and Godwin and his sons were among the guests. One day,
+when the feast was spread, and the king and the earl were seated at
+the board, an attendant, who was stepping forward to pour wine into a
+cup, happened to stumble with one foot, and quickly recovered himself
+with the other. Edward smiled; and Godwin, willing to give a hint to
+his sons, who were perpetually brawling with each other, turned
+towards them.
+
+"Well," remarked the earl, "you see how the brother has come to the
+support of the brother."
+
+"Ay," said the king, in a significant tone; "brother needs the aid of
+brother; and would to God my brother Alfred yet lived to aid me!"
+
+"Oh, king!" exclaimed Godwin, startled and irritated, "why is it that,
+on the slightest recollection of your brother, you ever look so
+angrily on me?"
+
+Edward deigned no reply; but his pale brow grew stern, and his
+withered cheek flushed with resentment.
+
+"If," continued the earl, taking a piece of bread in his hand--"if I
+contributed, even indirectly, to your brother's death, may the God of
+Heaven grant this may choke me!"
+
+With these words Godwin put the bread into his mouth; and, as he did
+so, and as the eyes of the king were bent intently on his countenance,
+the earl fell from his seat.
+
+"It is the judgment of God!" muttered the courtiers with a shudder.
+
+Tostig and Gurth, two of Godwin's sons, rushed forward, raised him in
+their arms, and bore him from the hall; and, five days later, the Earl
+of Wessex was a corpse.
+
+
+
+
+VII.
+
+[Illustration: William's love-making]
+
+MATILDA OF FLANDERS.
+
+
+On the memorable day on which William the Norman, during the exile of
+Earl Godwin, appeared as an honoured guest in the halls of
+Westminster, and speculated on the probability of figuring, at no
+distant period, as King of England, the crown worn by Edward the
+Confessor was not the only prize on which the young duke had set his
+mind. In fact, love was blended with ambition in William's heart. He
+had determined, somewhat in defiance of canon and precedent, to
+espouse Matilda of Flanders; and no one who visited Bruges and looked
+upon the fair and intelligent face of that graceful Flemish princess
+could have wondered that a warrior-duke, not yet thirty, should
+meditate the indiscretion of defying popes and prelates to enjoy the
+privilege of calling her his own.
+
+Matilda's pedigree was such as to make her a desirable bride for the
+struggling son of Duke Robert. She was one of the daughters of
+Baldwin, Count of Flanders, by Adele, daughter of Robert, King of
+France; and, through an Anglo-Saxon ancestress, she had in her veins
+the blood of Alfred the Great. But even with a much less illustrious
+descent, Matilda would have been highly distinguished among the
+princesses of the eleventh century. Nature had gifted the daughter of
+Count Baldwin with beauty and talent, and careful education had
+rendered her one of the most attractive and captivating among the
+high-born maidens of whom Christendom could boast. William's ambition
+and his heart were naturally enough fascinated with the idea of
+wedding a princess of such rank and beauty; and while yet he found the
+coronal of Normandy sitting somewhat uneasily on his brow, he sent
+ambassadors to the Court of Flanders to demand Matilda's hand.
+
+Notwithstanding William's illegitimate birth and disputed title, Count
+Baldwin expressed no objection to accept him as a son-in-law. Indeed,
+the count, feeling that William could prove a valuable friend or a
+formidable foe, hailed the proposal with gratification. But two
+obstacles immediately presented themselves--one difficulty was the
+repugnance of Matilda, the other was the laws of the Church.
+
+Matilda had no stronger objections to being led to the altar than
+other ladies of her age. In fact, she is understood to have already
+dreamed of the bridal veil and the marriage vow, and to have been
+eager to become the spouse of a Saxon nobleman named Brihtrik, who had
+appeared at her father's court. Perhaps Matilda's thoughts had dwelt
+on Brihtrik longer than prudence warranted. In any case, when the
+ambassadors from Rouen presented themselves at Bruges, she set
+herself decidedly against the proposal of which they were the bearers.
+
+"Why," said Baldwin, "do you object to the Count of the Normans?"
+
+"Mention him not!" exclaimed Matilda, with a disdainful toss of her
+finely-shaped head. "I will not have a bastard for my husband!"
+
+But William, who feared not man's wrath, was not to be daunted by
+woman's scorn. Every day he became more convinced of the necessity of
+uniting himself with some princess capable, by her rank and lineage,
+of giving dignity to his position. It appears, moreover, that the
+warrior-duke really entertained a strong affection for Matilda; and he
+seized an opportunity of manifesting the excess of his attachment by a
+violent kind of love-making, which has long been out of fashion.
+
+It is related that one day, when Matilda had been at mass, and was
+quietly walking with her ladies of honour along the streets of Bruges
+on her way to the palace, to employ her hands with the embroidery work
+for which she was destined to become famous, and perhaps to occupy her
+thoughts with the fair Saxon noble who had won her young heart without
+giving his in return, William, arrayed as if for battle and mounted on
+horseback, suddenly and unexpectedly made his appearance. Alighting
+with a bound, he seized the princess in his strong arms, shook her,
+beat her, rolled her on the ground, and fearfully damaged her rich
+garments. After this extraordinary exhibition, he sprang into his
+saddle, set spurs to his horse, and rode away at full speed.
+
+It might have been supposed that William's violent conduct would have
+increased Matilda's aversion to the match. The reverse, however, was
+the case. The princess, in fact, appears to have been overwhelmed by
+such a proof of affection.
+
+"I am now convinced of the sincerity of his love," she said, "and I
+will offer no further objections to taking him as a husband."
+
+Ere Matilda began to conquer the repugnance she had expressed to a
+union with the son of Duke Robert, William found, to his annoyance,
+that the Church opposed his marriage with the fair Flemish princess,
+on the ground of their being within the prohibited degrees of
+relationship. It would seem, in fact, that Adele, Countess of
+Flanders, had, in early youth, been betrothed to William's uncle,
+Richard, Duke of Normandy; so that the mother of Matilda stood in the
+relationship of aunt to the Norman duke, "an affinity," as has been
+observed, "quite near enough to account for, if not to justify the
+interference of the Church."
+
+Nevertheless, William did not despair. Indeed, he had thoroughly made
+up his mind to be Matilda's husband and Baldwin's son-in-law, and to
+permit no priest to baffle him in a matrimonial scheme which ambition
+and love alike rendered dear to his heart. It was in vain that Pope
+Nicholas set himself in opposition to the marriage, and that the
+legitimate heirs of Rolfganger prepared to take advantage of a rupture
+between the son of Arlette and the See of Rome. William's perseverance
+and policy overcame all obstacles, and at length, with a dispensation
+in his hand, he claimed and received the bride he had so long wooed.
+
+It was after his visit to the Court of Westminster, in 1052, and after
+the restoration of Godwin and his sons to their country, that William
+the Norman led Matilda of Flanders to the altar, and flattered himself
+that, by espousing a descendant of Alfred, he had smoothed his way to
+the throne from which Alfred had ruled England.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+VIII.
+
+[Illustration: Death of Siward with harness on his back.]
+
+SIWARD THE DANE.
+
+
+At the time when Godwin and Edward were at feud, and when the earl was
+browbeating the saintly prince whom he had placed on the English
+throne--among the Saxons and Normans who assembled around the king to
+discuss a grave question, or strike a great blow, might have been
+observed an aged warrior of gigantic stature, leaning on a two-handed
+sword, and regarding Saxon thane and Norman count with an expression
+indicative of some degree of calm contempt. His dress recalled the
+days of Canute and Hardicanute; his hair was white with years; his
+frame was bowed with time; but his spirit was such as time could
+neither bend nor break; and his eye still glanced at the sight of
+battle-axe and shield. "Gray and vast, as some image of a gone and
+mightier age, towered over all Siward, the son of Beorn, the great
+Earl of Northumberland."
+
+Siward was one of the most remarkable men who figured in the reign of
+Edward the Confessor, and he had a history still more remarkable than
+himself. A Dane, and of noble birth, he had, at an early age, left his
+native shores, with an idea, perhaps, of emulating the feats of
+Hasting or Haveloke. Landing in the Orcades, he engaged in single
+combat, and put to the rout a large dragon, which had long been the
+terror of the rude islanders. After performing this exploit, Siward
+put to sea, left the Orcades behind, and, guiding his ship as a
+horseman does a steed, reached the northern coast of England. Having
+sprung ashore, and wandered into the forest in quest of adventures, he
+met a venerable old man, with a long white beard, who entered into
+conversation with him, presented him with a mystic banner, and gave
+him some sage advice.
+
+"This banner," said the venerable man, "is called 'the raven of
+earthly terror;' take it as thy standard; direct thy voyage southward
+to the mouth of a river called the Thames, which will lead thee to a
+city called London, where reigns the son of Canute, who will bid thee
+welcome, and aid thee to become great in this land."
+
+Siward does not appear to have disdained the idea of exchanging the
+pine plank for the rush-strewed hall. At all events, he took the
+mystic banner and the advice of the venerable man, steered his course
+towards the Thames, and, reaching London, presented himself to the
+king. It was an age when men of huge proportions and fearless hearts
+were in great request; and Siward's reception was all that could have
+been wished.
+
+The favour shown by the Danish king to Siward naturally made him the
+object of envy. Many absurd stories were consequently circulated
+about his origin and parentage. He was described as the grandson of a
+bear; and Tostig, Earl of Huntingdon, took occasion to affront him
+before the whole court. But the adventurous Dane gave his enemies a
+lesson which they never forgot. Defying Tostig to mortal combat, he
+signalized his prowess beyond all dispute, and terminated the duel by
+cutting off his antagonist's head. More convinced than ever of
+Siward's value as an adherent, Hardicanute bestowed on him the earldom
+which Tostig had enjoyed.
+
+After being installed as Earl of Huntingdon, Siward played his part
+with energy and wisdom. The ability he displayed seemed fully to
+justify his sudden rise to importance, and a circumstance ere long
+occurred which gave him an opportunity of still further advancing his
+fortunes.
+
+It happened that Uchtred, the great Saxon Earl of Northumberland,
+having been gathered to his fathers, Eadulph, the son of Uchtred,
+ruled from the Humber to the Tweed. Not content, however, with this
+territory, Eadulph undertook an expedition against the Welsh, and
+committed fearful depredations. Enraged at the northern earl making
+war without his consent, Hardicanute resolved on a severe
+chastisement, and entrusted Siward with the duty of inflicting it.
+Aware of his danger, Eadulph mounted, and hastened towards London to
+implore the king's clemency. But it was too late. While Eadulph was on
+his way south, Siward, going north, met him face to face. A conflict
+ensued. Eadulph fell, and Siward carried his head to Hardicanute.
+
+It was shortly after the encounter which terminated in the death of
+Eadulph, that Edward the Confessor ascended the throne of his
+ancestors. At that time the fortunes of Siward, as foreigner and Dane,
+were probably in great peril. The event, however, proved to his
+advantage. There was some dread of a Danish fleet appearing on the
+Northumbrian coast; and the new king, in considerable alarm, took
+counsel with his great men.
+
+"What is to be done?" asked the king.
+
+"It is best," answered the thanes, "that the little devil should be
+first opposed to the great devil. Let Siward the Dane be sent to rule
+that part of your realm likely to be invaded by the Danes."
+
+The king listened, and, as he was advised, nominated Siward Earl of
+Northumberland. Siward, repairing to York, the capital of the North,
+won the favour of the province by espousing Alfleda, granddaughter of
+Uchtred, and then governed the inhabitants with an ability and a
+vigour that excited the admiration of Leofric, and roused the jealousy
+of Godwin. The Danes, considering, perhaps, that their gigantic
+countryman would be a formidable antagonist to encounter, refrained
+from any attempt at invasion, and, moreover, sent messages of peace
+and friendship to Edward. "We will," said they, "allow you to reign
+unmolested over your country, and content ourselves with the lands
+which God has given us."
+
+Years passed over, and Siward was keeping his court at York, and
+ruling Northumberland with complete success, when the unfortunate
+conflict between the townsmen of Dover and the train of Eustace of
+Boulogne brought the quarrel of Edward and Godwin to a crisis. Siward
+and Leofric were then summoned to the king's aid, and commanded to
+lead their fighting men against the forces of the refractory earl.
+Both obeyed, and, at their call, the inhabitants of Northumberland and
+Mercia took up arms. Hostile, however, as Siward and Leofric were to
+Godwin, they could not help perceiving that the country was wholly on
+his side. Indeed, the murmurs of their own soldiers convinced the
+Earls of Northumberland and Mercia of the utter impolicy of pushing
+matters to extremity. Generously sacrificing resentment to patriotism,
+they raised their voices in favour of Godwin's restoration and against
+Godwin's foes.
+
+Scarcely had Godwin gone to his account, when Siward became aware that
+his own end was drawing nigh. The Danish earl had just returned from
+that expedition into Scotland which resulted in the overthrow of
+Macbeth, when he was prostrated with sickness at York. Feeling that
+the great destroyer was upon him, Siward became horrified at the
+prospect of dying in bed, and in night-gear.
+
+"Raise me," he said to those who watched his uneasy couch. "Let me die
+like a warrior, and not huddled up together like a cow!"
+
+"What wouldest thou, great earl?" asked the attendants.
+
+"Put my coat of mail on my back," said Siward; "place my helmet on my
+head, my shield on my left arm, and my gilt axe in my right hand, that
+I may expire as a warrior should."
+
+The command of the dying earl was obeyed. Clad, by his own desire, in
+all the habiliments of war, and sitting up in his bed, Siward, with
+calm courage, awaited the last enemy, and died with the same martial
+dignity which had characterized his life. His remains were laid in the
+monastery of Galmanho, which he had founded at York; and, as a
+memorial of his prodigious prowess, there was long afterwards shown a
+rock of granite which he was said to have split with one blow of his
+mighty battle-axe.
+
+[Illustration: Yggdrasill, the Mundane Tree of the Scandinavians]
+
+
+
+
+IX.
+
+[Illustration: William extorting a promise from Harold.]
+
+HAROLD, THE SAXON KING.
+
+
+When Earl Godwin breathed his last, under circumstances so memorable,
+his second son, Harold, succeeded to his earldom, and inherited his
+influence. A robust and active man, of tall, though not gigantic
+stature, with long fair hair, a pleasing countenance, dignified
+manners, and popular address--such appears to have been Harold, the
+son of Godwin.
+
+It was when Hardicanute died so suddenly, at the marriage feast at
+Lambeth, that Harold began to figure in public, and to take a
+prominent part in national affairs. At that crisis, Harold was one of
+the first to raise a standard against the Danes, and he is even said
+to have contributed to the triumph of the Saxon cause, by inviting
+many of the Danish chiefs to a banquet, and causing them to be put to
+the sword while over their cups. But, whatever truth there may be in
+such a story, it seems that Harold shared in the prosperity of the
+house of Godwin at the opening of Edward's reign, and that when
+Godwin, outlawed and exiled, in 1048 escaped to Bruges, Harold, with
+his brother Leofwin, fled to Bristol, and there took shipping for the
+Irish coast. When Godwin returned from Bruges, Harold and Leofwin,
+coming from Ireland, joined their father at the Isle of Wight, and
+took part in that formidable demonstration which startled King Edward
+and his Norman courtiers in the halls of Westminster.
+
+After the restoration of Godwin, and the banishment of the Normans,
+Harold would seem to have been higher in Edward's favour than any of
+his kinsmen; and after the death of Godwin, Harold was quietly put in
+possession of the vast earldom south of the Thames which his sire had
+so long enjoyed. Both as regarded military reputation and territorial
+power he was now foremost among the Anglo-Saxons, and he immensely
+increased his fame by the skill he displayed in a war with the
+refractory Welsh.
+
+The originator of this war was Algar, son of the great Leofric, who,
+becoming discontented, gave his daughter Aldith in marriage to a Welsh
+prince named Griffith, and encouraged that crowned Celt to make an
+incursion into the English territories. During this inroad the city of
+Hereford was sacked and much mischief done; but Harold, on being sent
+with an army, speedily put the Welsh to the rout, and forced Griffith
+to submit. Untaught, however, by his severe experience of the
+superiority of the English, Griffith once more rebelled; and Harold,
+marching back to the borders of Wales, caused such terror, that, to
+pacify him, the Welsh sacrificed Griffith to save themselves, and
+sent the head of the murdered prince to the English camp, on the point
+of a spear.
+
+After his victories over the Welsh, Harold returned to London, and
+found himself hailed by the multitude as a conqueror. His popularity
+was now immense, and wherever he appeared his name was shouted with
+enthusiasm.
+
+"Harold! Harold the Earl!" was the cry.
+
+"Since Edward the king has no heirs," was the saying, "no man is so
+worthy to succeed to the crown."
+
+While such was the popularity of the son of Godwin, and while all
+rivalry with him was so completely out of the question that Algar died
+of despair and regret, Harold, with a view of recovering his brother
+Wolnoth and his nephew Haco, who had been sent as hostages to Duke
+William, and who were still retained at the court of Rouen, proposed
+to visit Normandy. On intimating his intention to Edward, however, the
+king hesitated to grant permission.
+
+"Your journey," said the king, "will certainly bring some evil on
+yourself, and on your country."
+
+"In what way, O king?" asked Harold in amazement.
+
+"I know Duke William and his crafty mind," replied Edward; "he hates
+you, and will grant you nothing unless he gain greatly by it. The only
+way to obtain the hostages from him were to send some one else."
+
+"I fear it is otherwise," said Harold.
+
+"Well," said Edward, "I will not prevent your going; but, if you do
+go, it will be without my consent."
+
+Not much influenced by Edward's warnings, Harold departed for
+Normandy. As if going on an excursion for pleasure, he set out,
+surrounded by his gay comrades, with his hawks and his hounds.
+
+But a circumstance soon occurred to make him serious. Having sailed
+from one of the ports of Sussex, Harold's vessels were driven by
+contrary winds towards the mouth of the Somme; and the earl, forced to
+land on the territories of Guy, Count of Ponthieu, was seized by that
+feudal personage as a captive, despoiled of all his property, and
+placed securely under lock and key, in the castle of Beaurain.
+
+One day, when William the Norman was at Rouen, a messenger from Harold
+arrived hurriedly and in haste, with intelligence of his captivity.
+William expressed high indignation, and demanded extradition of the
+Saxon earl with a menace, which was meant to serve for ransom. Guy of
+Ponthieu, however, demanded a fine estate and a large sum of money,
+and would listen to no proposal less advantageous to himself. William
+was, in consequence, obliged to grant what the count demanded; and,
+the matter having been arranged, Harold was set free and conducted to
+Rouen.
+
+On reaching the Norman capital, Harold met with a reception which soon
+effaced the remembrance of his captivity in the stronghold of Count
+Guy. At the same time William intimated that the hostages were at
+Harold's disposal; but he pressed the earl to remain for a time as his
+guest, and see something of the land. Harold, who was bold and
+confident, accepted the invitation; and having, with his companions,
+been admitted into the Norman order of knighthood, he began to figure
+prominently in the festivals and pageants of the Norman court.
+
+While Harold the Saxon was in this position, William the Norman
+undertook an expedition against the Bretons. Before setting out, the
+martial duke requested Harold's company; and Harold, consenting
+without hesitation, went with his Saxon comrades to take part in the
+war. During this campaign, William treated Harold with the utmost
+consideration; and the Norman duke and the Saxon earl slept in one
+tent, ate at the same table, and conducted themselves towards each
+other like men on terms of the most intimate friendship.
+
+In this expedition against the Bretons, Harold and his Saxon
+companions bore themselves with a courage which excited high
+admiration; and, in spite of Edward's prophecy, everything seemed to
+go smoothly; when one day, as the duke and the earl rode along, side
+by side, enlivening the way with friendly colloquy, William artfully
+turned the conversation to his early acquaintance with the King of
+England, and suddenly revealed the ambitious project which was
+occupying his mind.
+
+"In the days of my youth," said William, turning on his saddle,
+playing with his bridle-rein, and looking Harold in the face, "your
+king and I lived under the same roof like brothers; and he then
+promised that, if ever he came to be King of England, I should be
+nominated heir to his crown."
+
+Harold, in perplexed surprise, muttered some words.
+
+"Wherefore, Harold," continued William, "if thou wouldst aid me in
+realizing this promise, be sure that, if I obtain the kingdom,
+whatever thou askest thou shalt have. What is thine answer?"
+
+"Be it as thou sayest," murmured Harold, taken by surprise, and
+finding it impossible to answer otherwise than with some vague words
+of compliance.
+
+"Then," added William, growing bolder in his proposals, "since thou
+consentest to serve me, thou must engage to fortify the castle of
+Dover, to dig there a well of fresh water, and when the time comes, to
+deliver up the place to my people. Moreover, to make the bond between
+us the stronger, thou must give thy sister Thyra in marriage to one of
+my barons; and thou must take to wife my daughter Adeliza. On thy
+departure, thou must leave me, as guarantee for thy promise, one of
+the two hostages thou hast come to reclaim, and I will restore him to
+thee in England when I come there as king."
+
+"I acquiesce in your demands," said Harold, eager to get rid of a
+subject which every moment became more embarrassing, and, without
+pursuing the conversation further, the duke and the earl rode on side
+by side towards Bayeux.
+
+But it soon became apparent that William the Norman was by no means
+satisfied with the promise he had wrung from his Saxon guest. No
+sooner had the duke reached Bayeux than he prepared to exact a more
+solemn and ceremonious pledge; and, having caused such sacred relics
+as bones of saints to be brought from the churches, placed in a vessel
+in the council hall of the castle, and covered with a rich cloth of
+gold, so as to have the appearance of a table, he convoked his barons
+and prelates on a certain day, and intimated to Harold that his
+presence would be required.
+
+At the hour appointed, baron and bishop crowded to the council hall;
+and William, with a sword in his hand and the coronal of Normandy on
+his brow, took his seat on the throne, caused two small reliquaries
+to be placed on the cloth of gold, and intimated, by a gesture, his
+desire that Harold should approach.
+
+"Harold," said the Duke, "I require thee, before this noble assembly,
+to confirm, by oath, the promises thou hast made to me--namely, to aid
+me to obtain the kingdom of England after the death of King Edward, to
+marry my daughter, and to send thy sister, that I may give her to one
+of my lords."
+
+"I swear," said Harold, extending his hand over the two reliquaries,
+"to execute my promise as far as lies in my power, if I live, and if
+God aid me."
+
+"God aid him!" repeated the barons and bishops who stood around.
+
+The ceremony being thus complete, William made a sign; the cloth of
+gold was raised; and before Harold's eyes lay bones and entire
+skeletons of saints, upon which he had, without suspecting their
+presence, so solemnly sworn. With a shudder and a change of
+countenance, which did not escape notice, he turned away from the
+sight. But the oath which he had sworn appeared to the Normans far too
+sacred ever to be broken; and he was allowed to depart for England
+with his nephew, the son of Sweyn. William accompanied them to the
+seaside, made them valuable presents, and repaired to Rouen, rejoicing
+in the thought, that the man most likely to have baffled his
+aspirations after the crown of England, was bound, by the most solemn
+oath, to aid him to the utmost.
+
+Meanwhile, Harold's ships went tilting over the waters; and, on
+reaching England in a mood the reverse of serene, he hastened to
+London, presented himself to Edward, and related what had passed
+between the duke and himself. The saintly king heard the tidings with
+sadness, and expressed himself in words of woe.
+
+"Did I not warn you," he said, after a painful silence, "warn you over
+and over again, that I knew Duke William, and that thy journey would
+bring evil on thyself and on thy country?"
+
+"It is true," said Harold.
+
+"Heaven grant," continued Edward, "that these evils happen not in my
+time!"
+
+And, in truth, there was little danger of Edward living to witness
+the troubles in store for the land of his fathers. The king's days
+were now "dwindling to the shortest span." Aware that he was hourly
+sinking, Edward occupied himself more and more with religious
+devotions, and manifested much anxiety for the completion of the Abbey
+of Westminster, which, under his auspices, had risen on Thorney Island
+in the form of a cross, with a high tower in the centre. Intending to
+consecrate this edifice with great splendour at the Christmas of 1065,
+Edward summoned all the nobles and clergy to be present. But before
+the appointed day he became too weak to leave his chamber.
+
+Edith, the queen, consequently presided at the consecration; and
+scarcely was the ceremony over, when Harold became aware that his
+royal brother-in-law could not survive many days. In fact, Edward,
+stretched on a bed of sickness, and haunted by terrible visions of
+fiends wandering over England, was looking, almost with impatience,
+for the hour that was to deliver him from the evils to come. Nor was
+the patience of the royal saint put to any long or severe trial.
+
+It was Thursday, the 5th of January, 1066, and the king lay in that
+chamber of the palace of Westminster long afterwards, when known as
+"The Painted Chamber," associated with his memory. Robert Stigand,
+Archbishop of Canterbury, with many nobles and prelates, stood by his
+couch; for Edward was on the eve of going where the weary are at rest;
+and nobles and prelates were, doubtless, anxious to hear his last
+will. He was, however, entirely absorbed in melancholy forebodings;
+and, as passages of Scripture denouncing woe to nations occurred
+involuntarily to his memory, he repeated them with a wild energy which
+horrified those who surrounded his couch.
+
+"The Lord has bent his bow," exclaimed the dying king, "the Lord has
+prepared his sword; he brandishes it like unto a warrior; his wrath is
+manifested in steel and flame."
+
+"The saints defend us!" muttered those present, terrified at the
+king's ejaculations.
+
+"Tush!" exclaimed Archbishop Stigand, with a sneer of contempt; "why
+tremble ye at the dreams of a sick old man?"
+
+In such a frame of mind, Edward the king breathed his last; and it is
+said that, having been asked whom he wished to succeed to his throne,
+he named Harold, son of Godwin. But whether or not such was the case,
+Harold was elected on the day after Edward's funeral, and allowed
+himself to be crowned at once, in violation of his oath to William the
+Norman, and in defiance of the claims of Edgar Atheling, grandson of
+Edmund Ironsides, and heir of the Saxon kings. In order to bind the
+chiefs of the House of Leofric to his interest, and to render his
+throne more secure, Harold espoused Aldith, daughter of Earl Algar,
+and widow of that Griffith whose head the Welsh had sent to him on the
+point of a spear.
+
+Nevertheless, the position of Harold was encompassed with danger, and
+the minds of his subjects were filled with gloom and apprehension. As
+men reflected on the dying words of Edward the king, they recalled to
+mind old prophecies which increased their alarm. One of these
+predicted such calamities as the Saxons had never experienced since
+they left the Elbe; and another, which was more to the point,
+predicted the conquest of England by a people from France. While vague
+terrors preyed upon England, the appearance of a comet daunted all
+hearts, and was regarded, as it seemed to come, as a herald of woe.
+
+"Thou hast then returned," said a monk of the period; "thou hast
+returned at length, thou who wilt cause so many mothers to weep! Many
+times have I seen thee shine; but thou lookest to me more terrible now
+that thou announcest the ruin of my country."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+X.
+
+DUKE WILLIAM AND HIS DIFFICULTIES.
+
+
+It was early one day, about the opening of the year 1066, and the
+ground was hard with frost, when William the Norman left the palace of
+Rouen, and crossed the Seine to test some new arrows in the park of
+Rouvray. While the duke was occupied in stringing that mighty bow
+which, save himself, no man then living could bend, a messenger from
+England reached him with tidings of such import, that his colour
+changed, and his lip quivered with emotion. It was to the effect that
+Edward the Confessor was dead, and that Harold, son of Godwin, had
+seized the English crown.
+
+Giving his bow to an attendant, William walked to the margin of the
+Seine, stepped into his barge, and, without speaking, indicated by a
+gesture his wish to return to Rouen. On reaching the castle, he
+entered the great hall, and paced up and down with a restless and
+excited step, "often," say the chronicles, "changing posture and
+attitude, and oft loosening and tightening the strings of his mantle."
+Such, indeed, seemed his agitation, that no member of his household
+ventured for some time to ask the cause.
+
+Meantime, rumours of the intelligence brought by the messenger from
+England began to creep about, and a Norman noble, probably William
+Fitzosborne, the duke's seneschal, and the proudest of Norman
+magnates, presented himself to learn the actual state of affairs.
+Fitzosborne, who was Count of Breteuil, and destined one day to higher
+rank, had such a reputation for _hauteur_ that he was surnamed "The
+Proud Spirit." Without any of that hesitation exhibited by others, he
+approached William the Norman, and inquired the cause of his emotion.
+
+"My lord," said he, "pray communicate your news. It is bruited about
+that the King of England is dead, and that Harold, breaking faith with
+you, has usurped the crown."
+
+"They say truly who so report," answered the duke; "and my grief is
+touching the death of Edward, and my anger is touching the wrong done
+me by Harold."
+
+"Sir," said Fitzosborne, "chafe not at what may be amended. For
+Edward's death, it is true, there is no remedy; but there is a remedy
+for the injury done you by Harold. Yours is the right, and you have
+stout warriors. Strike with courage: the work is already half done."
+
+Genius, however, is generally patient; and William was too crafty to
+spoil his game by indiscreet haste. He went cautiously and gradually
+to work; and not till he had twice, in courteous phrase, required
+Harold to fulfil the treaty so solemnly concluded, did he threaten the
+Saxon with invasion and punishment. Then, however, he cast hesitation
+to the winds, and resolved on inflicting a signal chastisement. "I
+doubt not," he said, "of finding that man a feeble foe, who has proved
+so faithless a friend."
+
+In the meantime negotiations were vigorously commenced at Rome, and
+Harold was charged before the pontifical court with perjury and
+sacrilege. The Saxon king was summoned to defend himself, and
+endeavoured to escape by refusing to acknowledge the jurisdiction of
+the court. But this did not serve his purpose. The conclave assembled
+at the Lateran, under the inspiration of the famous Hildebrand,
+decided that William should enter England, and bring that kingdom back
+to the Holy See; and a papal bull, directed against Harold and his
+adherents, was presented to William, along with a consecrated banner,
+an agnus of gold, and a ring which contained a hair of St. Peter, set
+in a diamond of great price.
+
+A council of high Norman nobles was now convened at Rouen; and
+William, addressing his friends, demanded counsel and aid. There was
+no difference of opinion. All were ready to take part with their duke
+in the invasion of England, and each man present delighted his soul
+with visions of rich manors on the Thames or the Mersey. However, they
+advised him to consult the general feeling of the community; and,
+accordingly, the merchants and traders of Normandy, as well as the
+lords and knights, were summoned to confer with the duke.
+
+Lillebonne was the place appointed for this memorable assembly, and
+thither came all the wealthiest and most important subjects of
+Normandy. William, after opening his heart to them, explained his
+views and craved pecuniary aid, and they then withdrew to deliberate
+in freedom. The result was not quite satisfactory. The Normans were
+greatly divided in opinion. Some were anxious to aid the duke with men
+and money; but others positively objected, declaring that they had
+already more debts than they could pay.
+
+It was now that William Fitzosborne did better service than a hundred
+knights could have rendered to his liege lord. Raising his voice above
+the tumult, he exerted that eloquence for which the Norman nobles were
+so remarkable.
+
+"Why this confusion and discord?" asked Fitzosborne. "Why dispute thus
+among ourselves? The duke hath need of us, and he is our lord----"
+
+"William is our lord; but we owe him no aid beyond the seas,"
+interrupted the assembly.
+
+"It is our duty to make offers of aid, rather than to wait his
+requests," continued Fitzosborne. "He hath need of us now; and if we
+fail him, and he gains his end, he will remember it to our
+disadvantage. Let us, then, prove by our acts that we love him, and
+let us entitle ourselves to his gratitude."
+
+"Doubtless, William is our lord," cried the Normans; "but is it not
+enough for us to pay him his dues? We owe him no aid beyond the seas.
+He hath already oppressed us enough with his wars; let him fail in
+this new enterprise, and our country is undone."
+
+"Well," said Fitzosborne, changing his plan, "let us return to the
+duke; and I, as knowing the position of each man present, will take
+upon me to excuse the limited offers of the assembly."
+
+"So be it," was the answer; and the Normans, with Fitzosborne at their
+head, returned to Duke William's presence.
+
+"Sire," said Fitzosborne, addressing William, "I do not believe that
+there are in the whole world people more zealous than yours. You know
+the aids they have given you--the onerous services they have rendered.
+Well, sire, they will do more. They offer to serve you beyond the seas
+as they have done here."
+
+"No, no!" cried the Normans, "we did not charge you with such an
+answer."
+
+"For my own part," continued Fitzosborne, "I will, out of love to you,
+give sixty well-appointed ships, each charged with fifty fighting men.
+Forward, then, and spare us in nothing! He who hath hitherto only
+supplied you with two good mounted soldiers will now supply four."
+
+"We did not say that," cried the Normans, "and it shall not be so. In
+things within his own country, we will serve the duke, as is due; but
+we are not bound to assist him to conquer another man's country.
+Besides, if once we rendered double service, and followed him across
+the sea, he would make it a right and a custom for the future; he
+would burden our children with it."
+
+"It shall not be--it cannot be!" shouted the assembled Normans
+vociferously; and, after forming themselves into groups of ten,
+twenty, and thirty, they declaimed tumultuously, and then separated.
+
+William was enraged beyond measure--the blood of Rolfganger boiled in
+his veins--and the spirit of Robert the Devil flashed from his eyes.
+Nevertheless, by such an effort as only such a man is capable of, he
+exercised sufficient command over himself to control his temper, bow
+his pride, and resort to artifice. Summoning separately the men with
+whom in a body he had failed, he requested the support of each as a
+personal favour. This plan of proceeding proved completely successful.
+No Norman, when alone with the duke, and under the influence of his
+eloquence and his eye, had the courage to refuse; and every one of
+those who had shouted "It cannot be!" consented to give to the full
+extent of his means.
+
+With the papal bull in his hands, and promises of aid from his
+subjects, carefully registered when they had been made, William
+summoned the Normans to the consecrated banner, and published his ban
+in the neighbouring countries, with promises of pay and pillage. Both
+Normans and foreigners answered his call. From all directions martial
+adventurers crowded to his standard. The papal bull and the promises
+of plunder did their work. From France and Flanders; from Maine, and
+Aquitaine, and Brittany, and from Anjou, ruled by the ancestors of
+the Plantagenets--from the Alps, and from the banks of the
+Rhine--multitudes crowded, with sword and cross-bow, to range
+themselves under the consecrated banner, and to aid in the conquest
+and share in the plunder of England.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XI.
+
+[Illustration: Tostig's parting speech to his brother Harold.]
+
+TOSTIG, SON OF GODWIN.
+
+
+In the spring of 1066, when the crown of Edward the Confessor was
+placed on the head of Harold the Saxon; and when the news of the
+coronation, carried to Rouen, kindled the ire of William the Norman,
+there was living in Flanders, musing over the past, watching events
+with a keen eye, an English exile, who was Harold's brother and his
+sworn foe. This exile was Tostig, the third son of Godwin and Githa.
+
+When the riot between the townsmen of Dover and the train of Eustace
+of Boulogne resulted in the dispersion of the family of Godwin,
+Tostig, then in the pride of early manhood, accompanying his father to
+Flanders, wedded Judith, daughter of Count Baldwin, and sister of
+Matilda, whom William the Norman, after vanquishing so many obstacles,
+received as his bride. This high alliance would seem to have rendered
+Tostig's pride intolerable; and he returned to England with ridiculous
+notions of his hereditary claims, and absurd ideas of his personal
+importance. It was a period, however, when the members of Godwin's
+house were encouraged to conduct themselves as if England had existed
+solely for their advantage; and when Siward died, leaving one son too
+young to succeed to his authority, Tostig claimed and received the
+earldom of Northumberland.
+
+Accustomed to the sway of such chiefs as Uchtred and Siward, the men
+of the north were not perhaps particularly pleased with their new
+earl. But whether or not, Tostig soon gave them cause to be
+discontented. Cruel and tyrannical in his notions, he appeared at York
+with the tax-gatherer on one hand, and the executioner on the other,
+and treated the Northumbrians as if he had been a conqueror, and they
+had been the inhabitants of a conquered province. Brooking no
+restraint, he violated old customs and laws, levied enormous imposts,
+and violently put to death those who refused to submit to his
+exactions. Gamel, the son of Orm, and Ulf, the son of Dolphin, are
+mentioned as among the thanes of high rank whom, with fell treachery,
+he allured to the castle of York, and caused to be put to death, under
+his own roof, and in his own chamber.
+
+Of all people, the Northumbrians were the least likely to tolerate
+such tyranny. Meeting at Gamelburn, Dunstan, son of Agelnoth, and
+Gloricern, son of Eadulf, with two hundred soldiers, raised the
+standard of insurrection; and, under the command of their native
+chiefs, the men of the north sprang to arms to avenge their
+slaughtered countrymen and fight for their ancient liberties. Marching
+to York, Dunstan and Gloricern prepared to seize the tyrant in his
+castle.
+
+Tostig was in the capital of the north, when he suddenly became aware
+that armed men were approaching with hostile intent. Unprepared for
+resistance, and shrinking from the peril he had defied, the son of
+Godwin resolved to fly; and, escaping with some of the chief ministers
+of his violence and injustice, he left his officers and servants to
+contend with the men whom he had exasperated. The Northumbrians,
+taking possession of York, seized the arsenal and treasury, and,
+assembling a council, formally deposed Tostig, and elected Morkar,
+one of the sons of Algar, and one of the grandsons of Leofric and
+Godiva, in his stead.
+
+When news of the tumult in Northumberland, and of the expulsion of
+Tostig, reached the Confessor's court, Harold mustered an army and
+marched northward to deal with the insurgents. This, however, he soon
+found would be no easy operation. The Northumbrians met him at Oxford,
+and in such a way as convinced him of the expediency of listening to
+their complaints. A conference was consequently held, and Harold
+endeavoured to exculpate his brother and to soften the Northumbrians.
+
+"If," said Harold, "you will receive Tostig again as your earl, I
+promise that he will govern with equity, and according to law."
+
+"No!" cried the Northumbrians with one voice, and with that Danish
+burr which their descendants have inherited; "we were born free; we
+were brought up free; and a haughty ruler we cannot abide. We have
+been taught by our ancestors to live free or to die. We have said.
+Bear thou our answer to Edward the king."
+
+Harold could not dispute the justice of the complaints of the
+Northumbrians. Without delay he went to explain their grievances to
+the king; and Edward sent him back to give the royal sanction to
+Tostig's deposition, and to the election of Morkar, the grandson of
+Leofric.
+
+Henceforth, it was not so much against the Northumbrians as against
+Harold that Tostig's wrath burned fiercely; and when the brothers soon
+after met at Windsor, at Edward's board, a scene was enacted which
+made the blood of the saintly king run cold. Harold, it appears,
+pledged Edward in a cup of wine; and Tostig, exclaiming that such
+familiarity with the king was unseemly, pulled Harold by the hair of
+his head. A scuffle immediately ensued, and but for the presence of
+the king would have ended in bloodshed.
+
+"It is notorious," said Edward, raising his hands in holy horror,
+"that all the sons of Godwin are so transcendently wicked, that if
+they see any house which they covet, they will murder the owner in the
+night-time, and destroy his children, to get possession. Verily, they
+will one day destroy each other."
+
+After this outrageous scene at Windsor, Harold and Tostig were at
+deadly feud; and when Harold, somewhat later, was on his way to
+Hereford with the king, Tostig, going thither and entering his
+brother's house, attacked the servants, who were preparing a great
+feast. Killing the unoffending men, and severing the heads and hewing
+the limbs from the bodies, he put the corpses into the winecasks, and
+then, riding forth as if to meet the king and his party, he hinted at
+the brutal enormity he had perpetrated.
+
+"Harold," he said, as he turned away, "you will find the meat for your
+feast well powdered."
+
+And, as Tostig spoke these words, the brothers parted, not to meet
+again till that day when they met face to face as foes, each with a
+weapon in his hand and an army at his back.
+
+After the massacre at Hereford, Tostig, with revenge gnawing at his
+heart, and threats on his lips, sailed from England and repaired to
+the court of Flanders. For a time he remained brooding in silence over
+his wrongs, and watching his opportunity. No sooner, however, did he
+receive intelligence of Edward's death and Harold's coronation, than
+he sprang to action, and cried that the time for vengeance had
+arrived. Mounting in haste, he made his way without delay to Normandy,
+and urged Duke William, his brother-in-law, to lose no time in hurling
+Harold from the throne.
+
+"Be not so impatient, brave Tostig," said William.
+
+"Why," asked Tostig, excitedly, "should a perjurer be allowed to reign
+in peace? Have not I more credit and power in England? Yea, and I can
+assure possession of the country to any one who will unite with me to
+make the conquest."
+
+But William was not the man to be imposed upon by vain boasts; and
+Tostig was somewhat mortified at the reception with which his
+proposals were met. Willing, however, to test the banished Saxon's
+influence, the duke furnished him with some ships to make a descent.
+But Tostig, instead of sailing for England, sailed to the Baltic
+trusting to secure the aid of his uncle, Sweyn, King of Denmark. This
+attempt, however, failed. Sweyn gave Tostig a harsh refusal; and the
+nephew, leaving his uncle in discontent, but still breathing threats
+of revenge against his brother, made for Norway, where a king reigned
+more likely than Sweyn to take part in a bold adventure, and better
+qualified to conduct a bold adventure to a triumphant conclusion.
+
+
+
+
+XII.
+
+[Illustration: Hardrada's deliverance from his eastern dungeon.]
+
+HAROLD HARDRADA.
+
+
+When Tostig's ships came to anchor, and when Tostig, landing at
+Drontheim, presented himself at the rude palace of the old kings of
+Norway, the crown of that northern realm was worn by the last of those
+heroes who called the ocean their home and the tempest their servant.
+This was Harold Hardrada, a warrior of high renown, who had fought
+countless battles on the sea as well as on the land, who had probably
+seen more of the world than any man then living, and who, in every
+respect, looked worthy of the fame he had won. His height exceeded
+seven feet; and, though the hands and feet appeared somewhat large,
+the whole person was fairly proportioned. He had a short beard, a long
+moustache, and fair hair falling over his shoulders. His aspect was,
+on the whole, pleasing, and would always have been so but for the
+circumstance of one eyebrow being somewhat higher than the other, and
+giving a sinister expression to his face when he frowned.
+
+Hardrada was son of Sigurd and brother of Olaf--that King of Norway
+who established Christianity in his kingdom by the strong hand.
+Hardrada, however, appears to have been more of a sea-king than a
+saint.
+
+At an early age, Hardrada fought by the side of Olaf in the sanguinary
+battle of Stiklestad. The elder brother fell, but the younger escaped,
+after his body had been covered with wounds, and his blood freely
+poured out. Taking to the forest, he was received into the cottage of
+a woodman, and there lay concealed till his wounds were healed and his
+spirits revived.
+
+Restored to health and hope, Hardrada left his lurking-place, and
+turned his face eastward. Faring forth with a brave band of comrades
+on a career of adventure, he set foot, after many romantic wanderings,
+on the banks of the Bosphorus, and, halting with his comrades at
+Constantinople, took service, as a varing, in the bodyguard then
+maintained by the Emperor of the East.
+
+The varings were of high account at the Imperial Court. Generally
+Danes, Swedes, or Germans, they exhibited the courage characteristic
+of Northmen, and wore their hair long, after the fashion of their
+native countries. Armed with huge axes, which they were in the habit
+of carrying on their shoulders, they stood as guards at the door of
+the emperor's chamber, and paraded his capital, imposing respect and
+awe.
+
+Among the varings, Hardrada, though the brother of a king, did not
+disdain to enrol himself and his comrades. But his wild and free
+spirit could ill brook the necessary subordination, and, after some
+quarrel with a Greek commander, he repaired to Africa. Fighting there
+with the Saracens, and despoiling them of gold and jewels, he became
+celebrated and rich. Turning to Sicily, he increased his fame and his
+wealth; and then, as if to consecrate his deeds of violence, he made
+an armed pilgrimage to Jerusalem, not yet visited by Peter the Hermit;
+and, sweeping Moslem and marauder from his path, ascended Mount
+Calvary, and knelt at the Holy Sepulchre.
+
+From Jerusalem Hardrada returned to Constantinople, and there became
+enamoured of Maria, a niece of the Empress Zoe, while he himself
+became dear to the heart of the empress. The predicament was
+perplexing, and might have baffled the ingenuity of another man. But
+Hardrada was equal to the occasion, and freed himself by a romantic
+elopement from the snares by which he was surrounded.
+
+It appears that Olaf, the brother of Hardrada, though deemed worthy of
+canonization, had been somewhat general in his attentions to the fair
+sex; and, among other consequences of his amours, was an illegitimate
+son, named Magnus. In the absence of Hardrada, Magnus contrived to win
+the sovereignty of Norway from the heir of Canute; and no sooner did
+Hardrada hear of his nephew's elevation than he determined to assert
+his own superior claim.
+
+But Hardrada had scarcely intimated his intention of returning to
+Norway, when he found there was a lioness in the way. Eager to detain
+the varing who had won her heart, the empress caused him to be charged
+with some irregularity, and imprisoned. Hardrada was accordingly
+incarcerated. But a Greek lady, incited by a dream, resolved to
+attempt his deliverance, and lowered ropes from the roof of a tower to
+the dungeon in which he lay. Escaping in this way, Hardrada hastily
+roused his varings, proceeded to the palace of Maria, niece of the
+empress, bore off the princess in his strong arms to the quay,
+embarked with her in his galley, and gave his sails to the wind.
+
+At length, Hardrada, with the bride and the wealth he had won, set his
+foot on the shores of Norway, and, raising an army, made an effort to
+grasp the crown. Magnus, however, proved a formidable adversary; and
+Hardrada, perceiving the difficulty of a complete triumph, made a
+compromise, and agreed to share the kingdom with his nephew.
+
+On the death of Magnus, however, Hardrada became king of all Norway.
+Such he was, and highly considered among European sovereigns on
+account of his experience, his prowess, and his wealth, when Tostig,
+with the proposals which had been coldly treated in Normandy and
+scornfully repelled in Denmark, reached Drontheim, appeared at the log
+palace, and approached him with honeyed words. "The world knows well,"
+said the banished son of Godwin, "that there lives no warrior worthy
+to be compared to thee. Thou hast only to will it, and England will be
+thine."
+
+Hardrada was neither insensible to such flattery, nor proof against
+such a temptation. Allowing himself to be persuaded, he promised to
+put to sea whenever the ice should melt and the ocean become
+navigable, and commenced preparations for the grand expedition.
+
+Tostig, however, was much too impatient to await the convenience of
+his Norwegian ally. With his own fleet he set out to prepare the way,
+and, with a band of men recruited in Flanders, Holland, and Friesland,
+he made a descent on the northern coast of England. But the
+inhabitants, roused at the news of villages pillaged, and granges
+burned, rose in such numbers that he was compelled to make for
+Scotland, and, anchoring off the Orkney Islands, he waited till the
+winds should blow the Norwegian ships to his aid.
+
+Hardrada, meanwhile, fitted out several hundred ships of war; and the
+Norwegians, encamped on their coast, waited the signal to embark.
+Their enthusiasm was not excessive. Vague presentiments of evil
+pervaded their ranks, and the sleep of many of the warriors was broken
+by ill-omened visions. One dreamed that, the fleet having put to sea,
+flocks of vultures perched on the masts and sails; and that a woman,
+sword in hand, sitting on a rock, cried to the birds with a loud
+voice, "Go without fear; you shall have enough to eat and to choose
+from, for I go with them." Another dreamed that he saw his comrades
+land in England, and encounter an English army, in front of which was
+a woman of gigantic stature, riding on a wolf, and giving it human
+bodies to devour.
+
+The imaginations of the Norwegian warriors were disagreeably
+influenced by these presages; and more threatening than either of the
+dreams appeared an incident that occurred as the Norwegian king, with
+his son Olaf, and his war-steed black as a raven, and his banner, "The
+Ravager of the World," embarked. As Hardrada set foot in the royal
+barge, the weight of his body pressed the boat so much down in the
+water, as to cause general apprehension. But, undismayed, Hardrada set
+sail, touched at the Orcades, and joined his fleet with that of
+Tostig, who was all impatience for carnage and revenge.
+
+
+
+
+XIII.
+
+[Illustration: Door of Westminster Abbey.]
+
+THE ALARM IN ENGLAND.
+
+
+It was the summer of 1066, and William the Norman was gathering
+continental warriors to his standard, and Harold Hardrada was manning
+his lofty war-ships with grim Norwegians, and Harold the Saxon king
+was applying his energies with diligence and care to the difficulties
+of his position, when the people of England were seized with alarm at
+the prospect of an invasion.
+
+From the day of Harold's coronation at Westminster, he devoted himself
+ably and vigorously to his regal duties. Never, indeed, had English
+monarch shown himself more considerate for the people's feelings, or
+more ardent for their welfare. The new reign was marked by a complete
+return to the national customs, by a diminution of the taxes
+previously levied, and by a more decided impartiality in the
+administration of justice. By all means in his power Harold
+endeavoured to render his reign popular. "Ever active for the good of
+his country," says the chronicler, "he spared himself no fatigue by
+land or by sea."
+
+Notwithstanding his vigour and energy, clouds soon began to gather
+around the Saxon king. In the midst of his efforts to keep together a
+decaying empire, Harold was disagreeably interrupted by the arrival of
+a messenger from Duke William to claim fulfilment of the promise made
+at Bayeux.
+
+"William Duke of Normandy," said the messenger, "reminds thee of the
+oath which thou didst swear to him upon good and holy relics."
+
+"It is true that I swore such an oath to Duke William," replied
+Harold, "but I swore it under compulsion. I promised that which did
+not belong to me, and which I could not perform. My royalty is not
+mine, nor can I divest myself of it without consent of the country. As
+for my sister Thyra, whom the duke claims, to marry her to one of the
+chiefs, she died this year. Would he have me send her body?"
+
+The Norman with this answer departed, and hastened to Duke William.
+But, with as little delay as possible, he was sent back, and appeared
+at Westminster with a new message, couched in terms of gentle
+remonstrance.
+
+"Duke William," said the messenger, "entreats you, if you will not
+abide by all the conditions, at least to execute one of them, and
+take, as wife, his daughter Adeliza, whom you promised to marry."
+
+"I could not marry," said Harold, "without the country's consent; and
+besides," he added, "it is now impossible for me to wed the daughter
+of Duke William, since I have already wedded another woman."
+
+"Is this thine answer?" asked the Norman.
+
+"It is," replied Harold.
+
+"Then," said the Norman, "Duke William swears that, within the year,
+he will come and demand the whole of his debt, and pursue you, as
+perjurer, to the very places where you think you have the surest and
+firmest footing."
+
+Rumours of William's projects crept about England, and the country was
+soon in serious apprehension. The appearance of the comet, coming, it
+was believed, as a harbinger of woe, added to the general alarm; and
+while thousands nightly went out to gaze at "the blazing star,"
+merchant and pilgrim carried to castle and cottage intelligence of the
+formidable preparations making by Duke William for the subjugation of
+England.
+
+In the midst of the alarm which prevailed, Harold at first displayed a
+vigilance worthy of the crisis. All summer, and far into autumn, he
+remained steadily at his post, guarding the southern coast. Even when
+news of Tostig's ravages came, he did not leave London, but left the
+chastisement of his brother to the Northumbrians and their earl.
+
+But events baffled Harold's plans. When summer passed and autumn came
+without an invasion, men, wise in their own conceit, began to ridicule
+the idea of the peril being imminent; and Harold, not uninfluenced by
+the general impression that William would not attempt to land before
+winter, allowed his army to disband, and the fleet to run short of
+provisions.
+
+Such was the position of affairs, when news reached London that
+Hardrada, in company with Tostig, had landed in the North, defeated
+the Northumbrians in a sharp battle, and taken measures for forcing
+York to yield.
+
+No sooner did Harold become aware of the new danger than he roused
+himself to action. Convincing himself, perhaps reluctantly, that the
+peril which he left behind was not extreme, the Saxon king hastily
+drew his men together, and prepared to crush the host of grim
+Norwegians. Turning his face northward, Harold pushed on, by forced
+marches, to York, and succeeded in reaching the capital of the North
+on the very evening before Hardrada and Tostig anticipated placing on
+its walls "The Ravager of the World."
+
+
+
+
+XIV.
+
+[Illustration: The Norwegian Champion at Stamford Bridge.]
+
+THE BATTLE OF STAMFORD BRIDGE.
+
+
+The month of September, 1066, was drawing towards its close, and so
+far all had prospered with Tostig and his Norwegian ally. After
+burning Scarborough, they had sailed up the Humber, advanced towards
+York, fought a tough battle, and placed themselves in such a position
+before the capital of the North, that the citizens recognised the
+necessity of yielding. Indeed, they had agreed to open the gates on
+the morning of the 25th, and on that morning Tostig and Hardrada--who
+had broken up their lines, and encamped on the river Derwent, at
+Stamford Bridge, seven miles from York--were to march in triumph into
+the city, and hold a grand council to regulate the affairs of the
+province.
+
+It was a Monday; and early in the morning, Hardrada and Tostig,
+leaving part of their army encamped on the other side of the Derwent,
+rode side by side towards York, accompanied by some thousands of their
+soldiers. The weather being warm--for it was "one of those autumnal
+days in which the sun is still in all its vigour"--and no resistance
+being anticipated, the Norwegians laid aside their coats of mail, and
+dispensed with all defensive armour except helmets and bucklers. When
+approaching York, however, they suddenly perceived clouds of dust,
+and, through the clouds, steel glittering in the sun.
+
+"Who are these men?" asked Hardrada, in surprise.
+
+"They must be Northumbrians," answered Tostig, "coming either to crave
+friendship or to ask pardon."
+
+The Norwegians, however, had not advanced many paces, when Tostig was
+disagreeably undeceived. The approaching mass grew more distinct, and
+the sun revealed an army in battle order.
+
+"It is King Harold," said Tostig, scarce mustering voice sufficient to
+speak the words.
+
+"Ride!" said Hardrada, turning to three of his horsemen--"ride! and,
+with all haste, bring our warriors from the camp."
+
+The horsemen darted off with the speed of the wind; and Hardrada,
+unfurling "The Ravager of the World," on the folds of which a vast
+raven was depicted, ranged his men round the banner in a long, narrow
+line, curved at the extremities. Pressing against each other, with
+their spears planted in the ground, and the points turned against the
+foe, the Norwegians stood ready for conflict; and their king, mounted
+on his coal-black steed, his helmet glittering with gold, rode along
+the line, singing, as was his wont on such occasions, extempore
+verses, to excite the valour of his men.
+
+"Let us fight," he sang, "though without our cuirasses; let us forward
+to the edge of blue steel. Our helmets shine in the sun. For brave men
+that is enough."
+
+While Hardrada thus sang, about twenty mounted warriors--horses and
+riders clad in steel--dashed out from the Saxon ranks. Approaching the
+Norwegian lines, they suddenly halted, and intimated their wish to
+hold a parley.
+
+"Where," cried one of them, "is Tostig, the son of Godwin?"
+
+"Here," answered Tostig, spurring forward his steed.
+
+"If thou art Tostig," said the Saxon, "thy brother greets thee by me,
+and offers thee peace, with his friendship, and thine ancient
+honours."
+
+"These are fine words," said Tostig, bitterly; "but if I accept your
+offers, what shall be given to the noble King Hardrada, son of Sigurd,
+my faithful ally?"
+
+"He," replied the Saxon, "shall have seven feet of English land, or a
+little more, for his height exceeds that of other men."
+
+"Then," said Tostig, "go back and say to my brother that he may
+prepare to fight; for none but liars will ever say that the son of
+Godwin deserted the son of Sigurd."
+
+The parley ended; and the Saxon warriors rode back to their host. The
+Norwegians and Saxons then closed in the shock of war, and the
+conflict immediately became fierce and sanguinary. But, from the
+first, the invaders had the worst of the encounter. With their huge
+battle-axes, wielded with both hands, the Saxons rushed furiously on
+their foes, cleaving down all opposition, and breaking the first rank
+of the Norwegians. Hardrada, pierced with an arrow, fell in the heat
+of the strife; and, as his gigantic form disappeared from the black
+steed, the banner he had brought from Norway was trampled in the dust
+and captured by the foe.
+
+No sooner did Hardrada fall than Tostig took command of the
+Norwegians, and prepared to continue the strife. Harold, however,
+paused in his assault, and sent once more to offer peace. But the
+Norwegians would not listen to terms.
+
+"We will rather die," said they, "than owe our lives to those who have
+killed our king."
+
+On receiving this answer, the Saxon king led on his men to the attack,
+and fearful was the carnage that ensued. In vain did bands of the
+Norwegians, roused in their camp by Hardrada's riders, hurry up to the
+aid of their fast-falling comrades. Fatigued with their hasty march
+under a burning sun, they fell in heaps before the axes of their foes.
+Ere long, the struggle ceased: Tostig lay dead on the ground, and
+around him the Norwegian chiefs who had followed their king to
+minister to his vengeance.
+
+But, meanwhile, the Norwegians who had not passed the Derwent drew
+together to make a desperate defence; and the Saxons advanced to
+consummate their victory. This, however, proved no easy achievement.
+In fact, the strength and resolution of one man long kept the Saxons
+at bay.
+
+At that time the Derwent was crossed by a wooden bridge. Long and
+furiously was this bridge contested; and when the Norwegians, yielding
+to overwhelming press of numbers, retreated, one warrior, of tall
+stature and mighty strength, remained to defy, single-handed, the
+might of his foes. Armed with a battle-axe, which few men could have
+wielded, he struck down every one who ventured within his reach; and,
+when forty men had fallen by his hand, the boldest Saxons recoiled in
+dismay from a foe who appeared armed with supernatural power.
+
+But at length the Norwegian was taken unawares. Perceiving the
+certainty of death in attempting an encounter hand to hand, one of the
+Saxons seized a long spear, leaped into a boat, and floated quietly
+under the bridge. Availing himself of a favourable opportunity, the
+Saxon dexterously thrust his spear through the planks right into the
+Norwegian's body; and the huge champion, without even seeing his new
+adversary, fell mortally wounded. Harold then became master of the
+bridge, and led his soldiers to the Norwegian camp.
+
+Nothing that could be called resistance was now attempted. The
+Norwegians had given way to despair; and when Harold, for the third
+time, sent to offer peace, the proposal was gladly accepted.
+Accordingly, a treaty was hastily concluded; and after Olaf, son of
+Hardrada, had sworn friendship to the Saxon king, the Norwegians took
+to their ships, and, with sad hearts, set sail for their northern
+homes.
+
+The victory at Stamford Bridge placed much booty, and a considerable
+quantity of gold, in the hands of the Saxons. All this Harold, as
+king, claimed as his own; and deep was the discontent which the
+avarice, or economy, of the son of Godwin, on this occasion, created
+in the ranks of the victorious army. Many of the Anglo-Saxon chiefs
+took mortal offence, and ridiculed the idea of serving a king who had
+not sufficient generosity to share the spoil of a vanquished enemy
+with those by whom the enemy had been vanquished.
+
+The discontent of the Anglo-Saxons was at its height, when Harold
+suddenly became aware that he was in no position to lose friends and
+adherents. The breezes in which his banners waved at Stamford Bridge
+had filled the sails, and impelled to the English shores, the fleet of
+an invader more formidable than the adventurous Hardrada. While Harold
+the Saxon was wrangling with his earls and thanes in the city of York,
+William the Norman had landed with his counts and vavasors, on the
+coast of Sussex.
+
+Alarm now appeared on the face of every Saxon, and confusion added to
+the discontent that pervaded Harold's ranks. But no time was to be
+lost. Without even taking time to bury the slain, the Saxon king
+turned his face southward. For many years after, the bones of the
+slaughtered Norwegians whitened the scene of the battle of Stamford
+Bridge; and, so late as the nineteenth century, swords, heads of
+halberds, and horseshoes, have often been turned up, and excited
+interest, as memorials of the day on which the great Hardrada was
+overthrown, and the "Ravager of the World" trampled in the dust.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XV.
+
+PHILIP OF FRANCE.
+
+
+While Duke William was preparing for the invasion of England, and the
+nobles of Normandy were mustering their fighting men, and adventurous
+warriors were flocking from all quarters, with eager anticipation, to
+take part in the daring enterprise, he bethought him of repairing to
+the court of France, with the object of enlisting the sympathies, and
+securing the support, of the French king.
+
+Philip, the son of Henry, and great-grandson of Hugh Capet, was then a
+boy of fourteen, and reigning under the guardianship of Baldwin, Count
+of Flanders. He was residing at St. Germain when William appeared to
+ask his aid and salute him with a degree of feudal deference seldom
+shown by the Dukes of Normandy to the Capetian kings.
+
+"You are my seigneur," said William, addressing the young king; "and
+if it please you to aid me, and I, by God's grace, obtain my rights
+over England, I promise to do you homage for it, as though I held it
+from you."
+
+"Well," answered Philip, "I will assemble my council of barons; for,
+without their advice, I cannot decide an affair so important."
+
+A council was accordingly called, and the expediency of assisting
+William was discussed; but the French barons, one and all, pronounced
+strongly against rendering any aid.
+
+"You know," said they to the king, "how ill the Normans obey you now."
+
+"True," said Philip.
+
+"It will be worse if they possess England," said the barons. "Besides,
+it would cost us a great deal to assist Duke William; and, if he fail
+in his enterprise, the English will be our enemies for ever."
+
+The council, having determined on giving William no aid, rose; and
+Philip, repairing to the Norman duke, communicated the decision.
+
+"My barons," said he, "are of opinion that they ought not, in any way,
+to aid you in the conquest of England."
+
+"Are they?" exclaimed William, much disappointed. "Then, by the
+splendour of God! I will show them that I can conquer England without
+their help."
+
+"But," asked the boy-king, with a sneer, "who will take care of your
+duchy while you are grasping at a crown?"
+
+"My duchy," answered William, fiercely, "shall not trouble my
+neighbours. I have a spouse of prudence, who can take charge of my
+duchy, and could take charge of much more, if it were necessary."
+
+And King Philip parted with his great subject, whom he was never
+henceforth to think of but as a formidable foe.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XVI.
+
+[Illustration: The good ship Moira, William of Normandy, owner]
+
+THE NORMAN ARMAMENT.
+
+
+All through the summer of 1066, while England was ringing with alarm,
+Normandy was resounding with preparations; armourers were busy forging
+weapons and coats of mail; shipwrights were occupied with the
+construction of vessels; and men were continually employed carrying
+arms from workshop to port. Everything, meantime, seemed to favour
+William's project of conquest; and he fixed on a day about the middle
+of August as the time for his departure.
+
+The mouth of the Dive was appointed as the rendezvous; and there, in
+good time, William's mighty armament was ready for the enterprise.
+Sixty thousand men came to the Norman standard; and the fleet
+consisted of four hundred ships and a thousand other vessels, great
+and small. For a month, however, the winds, proving adverse, detained
+the fleet in port. An Anglo-Saxon was caught making observations,
+taken into custody, and carried before William.
+
+"You are a spy," said the duke.
+
+The man, with William's terrible eye upon him, could not muster
+courage to deny the charge.
+
+"Nevertheless," said the duke, "you shall see everything; though
+Harold need not trouble himself to ascertain my force; for he shall
+both see and feel it, ere the year has run its course."
+
+At length a southern breeze sprang up, and the Normans set sail. But
+they soon found the impossibility of proceeding on their voyage.
+Carried as far as the roadstead of St. Valery, at the mouth of the
+Somme, they were under the necessity of landing and submitting to a
+further delay.
+
+William's patience was now severely tried. The weather was stormy;
+rain fell in torrents; some ships, shattered by the tempest, sank with
+their crews; and the men began to lose heart. The fearful difficulties
+that beset the enterprise forced themselves on every mind; and while
+conversing with each other under their tents, dripping with water,
+they talked of the ships that had been lost, and exaggerated the
+number of the bodies cast ashore.
+
+"The man is mad who thus seeks to seize the land of another," said
+some of the soldiers.
+
+"And, doubtless," suggested others, "God is offended with such
+designs, and proves it by refusing us a favourable wind."
+
+Not unaware that such conversations were held, William became uneasy
+and restless. He plied the men with strong drink to stimulate their
+courage, and was frequently observed to enter the church of St.
+Valery, to remain long in prayer, and to gaze anxiously, as he left
+the building, at the weathercock that ornamented the belfry.
+
+On Tuesday, the 26th of September, while William was occupied with
+somewhat sad thoughts, a brilliant idea crossed his brain, and filled
+his heart with hope. Either prompted by sincere faith, or by a desire
+to dissipate the gloom that hung over his mighty host, he caused a
+coffer containing the bones of St. Valery to be taken from the church
+and solemnly carried through the camp. The duke made rich offerings;
+every soldier gave his mite; and the adventurers in a body joined in
+prayer. This ceremony had the effect of calming superstitious fears;
+and when next morning dawned, it seemed as if their prayers had been
+answered and a miracle wrought; for the weather was fine, and the wind
+was favourable.
+
+No time was now lost. At daybreak the sleepers were roused from their
+repose; orders for immediate embarcation were given; the soldiers,
+cheered by the change of weather, joyfully hastened on board; and the
+mariners made ready to haul up their anchors and spread their sails.
+
+William's own ship--a gift of Matilda the duchess--was named the
+Moira, commanded by a skipper of skill, known as Stephen, the son of
+Gerard, and ornamented by a figure-head representing William Rufus,
+then a little boy, with a bent bow in his hands. On the sails of
+divers colours were painted the arms of Normandy, and at the masthead
+flew the consecrated banner sent to William by the pope. Large
+lanterns, fixed on poles, were intended to serve as a rallying-point
+for the whole fleet.
+
+After much bustle and exertion, everything was in readiness for
+sailing; and, William having embarked, the Moira, followed by fourteen
+hundred vessels, great and small, made for the open sea, while a cheer
+rose from sixty thousand tongues. The voyage was, on the whole,
+prosperous. But the Moira, sailing much more swiftly than the other
+ships, outstripped them during the day, and at night left them far
+behind. In the morning William found to his dismay that his friends
+were not to be seen.
+
+"Go to the masthead," said the duke, addressing Stephen; and the
+skipper obeyed.
+
+"I see only sky and sea," said the skipper.
+
+"Never mind," said William, affecting a gay countenance; "cast anchor
+till they come in sight."
+
+At the same time, to keep away fear and anxiety, he ordered a copious
+repast, with spiced wines; and, this having been disposed of, he
+caused the skipper again to go aloft.
+
+"What do you see now?" asked William.
+
+"Four vessels," answered the skipper.
+
+"Look again," said William.
+
+"Ah!" cried the skipper, "I see a forest of masts and sails."
+
+"Our fleet!" exclaimed William, joyfully; and ere long, the fourteen
+hundred vessels having come up, the Moira was once more at their head,
+and gallantly leading the way to the coast of Sussex.
+
+On that September day, the Norman fleet, without encountering the
+slightest opposition, sailed into the Bay of Pevensey, and cast anchor
+hard by that ancient castle, whose foundations were then washed by the
+waves, though the sea is now a mile distant from its stately ruins.
+The process of disembarking the troops was immediately commenced.
+First landed the archers, clad in short coats, with their bows in
+their hands; then the horsemen, in steel helmets and coats of mail,
+with long lances and double-edged swords; and then the armourers,
+smiths, carpenters, and pioneers. Everything was done in perfect
+order, and with a degree of precision which must have pleased
+William's eye.
+
+The duke was the last to land; and, as he did so, a slight accident
+occurred, which some were inclined to regard as a presage of evil, but
+to which, with his wonted tact, he contrived to give an interpretation
+highly favourable to the fortunes of their enterprise. When his foot
+touched the shore, he slipped and fell on his face, and a murmur
+instantly arose.
+
+"God preserve us!" exclaimed some in horror.
+
+"This is a bad sign," cried others.
+
+"Lords, what is it you say?" exclaimed William, rising with a spring.
+"Why are you amazed? See you not that I have taken seizin of this land
+with my hands, and all that it contains is our own?"
+
+It is said that after landing, William ordered the ships forming his
+fleet to be burned, that the Normans, seeing all hope of retreat cut
+off, might be induced to fight the more desperately; and then he
+marched towards Hastings.
+
+On a broad plain, between Pevensey and Hastings, the Normans pitched
+their camp. Having erected two wooden castles, brought with them to
+serve as receptacles for provisions during the campaign, or as places
+of refuge in case of disaster, they sent out bodies of troops to
+overrun the neighbourhood. The inhabitants, terrified at the approach
+of foes whom they were utterly unprepared to meet, fled from their
+dwellings to the churches; and the country seemed to lie so open,
+that many of the invaders indulged in the anticipation of taking
+possession without resistance.
+
+Far otherwise, however, was it ordered. In fact, the Anglo-Saxons were
+rising from the Thames to the Tweed; and William soon received warning
+from one of the Normans settled in England not to trust to
+appearances.
+
+"Be upon your guard," was the message, "for in four days the son of
+Godwin will be at the head of a hundred thousand men."
+
+The warning was well meant, but somewhat unnecessary. William was not
+the man to be taken by surprise, as Hardrada had been. His camp was
+carefully guarded; and his outposts, extending to a great distance,
+kept watch night and day with unceasing vigilance. At length, on the
+morning of Friday, the 13th of October, horsemen galloped into the
+camp in such haste, that they had scarcely breath sufficient to
+communicate their intelligence.
+
+"With what tidings come you?" asked the Normans eagerly.
+
+"With tidings," answered the horsemen, "that the Saxon king is
+advancing furiously."
+
+[Illustration: Harold has news of William's landing.]
+
+
+
+
+XVII.
+
+HAROLD'S HOST.
+
+
+As Harold, after his victory over the Norwegians, left York to hasten
+to London, he summoned the men of the provinces through which he
+passed to arm in defence of their country. The Anglo-Saxons obeyed the
+summons with the utmost possible celerity, and bands of armed men were
+soon on their way to the capital. But Harold's conduct ruined all.
+With a rashness of which even Tostig would hardly, under such
+circumstances, have been guilty, he resolved to venture on a battle
+before the great Anglo-Saxon nobles and their fighting-men came up;
+and, accompanied by his brothers, Gurth and Leofwine, he left the
+capital at the head of an army composed mainly of Kentishmen and
+Londoners, utterly inferior both in numbers and discipline to the
+force arrayed under the banner of his potent foe.
+
+Elate with the success of his arms at Stamford Bridge, and probably
+deluding himself with the idea that he could conquer William as he had
+conquered Hardrada, Harold marched with fierce rapidity till he was
+within seven miles of the Norman camp. But convinced, at that stage,
+of the impossibility of coming on William unawares, he changed his
+tactics, halted near the village then known as Epiton, took possession
+of some hilly ground, and fortified his position with ditches,
+palisades, ramparts of slates, and willow hurdles. Thus strongly
+intrenched, he resolved to stand on the defensive.
+
+Meanwhile, some spies, sent to make observations on the hostile army,
+and bring intelligence of the disposition and force of the Normans,
+returned to the camp, and gave their report.
+
+"There are more priests," said the spies, "in Duke William's camp,
+than there are fighting men on the English side."
+
+"Ah," said Harold, with a smile, "you have mistaken warriors for
+priests, because the Normans shave their beards, and wear their hair
+short. Those whom you saw in such numbers are not priests, but brave
+soldiers, who will soon show us what they are worth."
+
+"It seems to us," said some of the Saxon chiefs, on whom the report of
+the spies, doubtless, was not without effect, "that we should act
+prudently in avoiding a battle for the present, and retreating towards
+London, ravaging the country as we go, and thus starving out the
+foreigners."
+
+"I cannot ravage the country which has been committed to my care,"
+answered Harold. "By my faith, that were indeed treason; and I prefer
+taking the chances of battle with my courage, my good cause, and the
+few men I have."
+
+But ere long the Saxon chiefs had reason to doubt the goodness of
+Harold's cause. While this conversation as to the expediency of a
+retreat was taking place, a monk from William arrived with a message
+for Harold, and found his way to the presence of the Saxon king.
+
+"William, Duke of Normandy," said the monk, addressing Harold,
+"requires thee to do one of three things: either to surrender to him,
+the crown of England; or to submit your quarrel to the arbitration of
+the pope; or to refer its decision to the chances of a single combat."
+
+"And my answer," said Harold, briefly, "is, that I will not resign the
+crown; I will not refer the matter to the pope; and a single combat I
+will not fight."
+
+"Then," said the monk, solemnly, "Duke William denounces thee as
+perjurer and liar; and all who support thee are excommunicated. The
+papal bull is in the Norman tent."
+
+The mention of excommunication produced an instantaneous effect on the
+Saxon chiefs, and they looked at each other like men suddenly seized
+with superstitious terror.
+
+"This is a business of great danger," they murmured.
+
+"Whatever the danger may be, we ought to fight," said a thane; "for
+here is not a question of receiving a new lord as if our king were
+dead; the matter in hand is very different. William of Normandy has
+given our lands to his barons and his people, most of whom have
+already rendered him homage for them. They come not only to ruin us,
+but to ruin our descendants also, and to take from us the country of
+our ancestors."
+
+"It is true," cried the Saxons, recovering their courage. "Let us
+neither make peace, truce, nor treaty with the invader."
+
+"Let us swear," cried all, "to drive out the Normans, or die in the
+attempt."
+
+An oath was accordingly taken by the Saxon chiefs. But when their
+enthusiasm evaporated, the thought of fighting for national existence
+under the auspices of a man branded as "perjurer and liar" troubled
+every conscience. Even Harold's brothers could not conceal their
+uneasiness, and Gurth frankly and honestly expressed his sentiments.
+
+"Harold," said Gurth, "let me persuade you not to be present in the
+battle, but to return to London and seek fresh reinforcements, while
+we sustain the Norman's attack."
+
+"And why?" asked Harold.
+
+"Thou canst not deny," replied Gurth, "that, whether on compulsion or
+willingly, thou hast sworn an oath to Duke William upon the relics of
+saints. Why risk a combat with a perjury against thee? For us, who
+have taken no oath, the war is just: we defend our country. Leave us,
+then, to fight the battle. If we retreat, thou canst aid us; if we
+fall, thou canst avenge us."
+
+"My duty," said Harold, "forbids me to remain apart while others risk
+their lives."
+
+The night of Friday, the 13th of October, had now come, and by the
+Saxons little doubt was entertained that the Norman duke would attack
+them on the morrow. Nor was their anticipation incorrect. Indeed,
+William had intimated to his army that next day would be a day of
+battle; and, while the Norman warriors prepared their arms, Norman
+monks and priests prayed, and chanted litanies, and confessed the
+soldiers, and administered the sacrament.
+
+The Saxons passed the night in a far different and much less devout
+manner. It seems that the 14th of October was the day of Harold's
+nativity, and that the Saxons, eager to celebrate such an occasion, or
+hailing it as a fair excuse for carousing, dedicated the night to
+joviality. Around their fires wine and ale flowed in abundance, and
+men, grouped in large circles, sang national ballads, and filled and
+emptied horns and flagons with a reckless indifference to the
+probability that next morning their ideas would be confused and their
+nerves disordered.
+
+And thus, almost face to face with the Normans, and soon to be hand to
+hand, the Saxons, under King Harold's standard, beheld the break of
+that day on which, against fearful odds, they were to fight a battle
+for the sovereignty of England.
+
+[Illustration: Battle Abbey, Hastings.]
+
+
+
+
+XVIII.
+
+[Illustration: The Norman prelates blessing the troops.]
+
+THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS.
+
+
+On the morning of Saturday, the 14th of October, 1066, the day of St.
+Calixtus, William the Norman rose from his couch, and prepared to tear
+the crown of Edward the Confessor from the head of Harold, son of
+Godwin.
+
+Before forming into battle order, the Normans went through an
+impressive religious ceremony. Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and Geoffrey,
+Bishop of Coutance, celebrated mass, and solemnly blessed the troops;
+and then Odo, who was warrior as well as prelate, and wore a hauberk
+under his rochet, mounted his tall white charger, and, with a baton of
+command in his hand, aided to marshal the cavalry.
+
+The Norman army was ranged in three divisions. In the first were the
+men of Boulogne, Ponthieu, and most of the continental adventurers,
+whom the prospect of pay and plunder had brought to the invading
+standard; in the second appeared the auxiliaries from Brittany, Maine,
+and Poitou; while the third was composed of the high Norman chivalry,
+and comprised hundreds of knights and nobles, whose names were
+afterwards registered in the roll of Battle Abbey, and whose
+descendants ranked among the mediæval magnates of England. Gallantly
+they mounted--Fitzosborne and Warren, Gourney and Grantmesnil, Percy
+and Peverill, Montgomery and Mortimer, Merley and Montfichet, Bruce,
+Bigod, and Bohun, De Vere, De Vesci, De Clare, De La Val, and De
+Roos--completely covered with linked mail, armed with lances and
+swords, and with crosses or dragons and wolves painted on their
+shields.
+
+But, while warriors were mounting, the proudest and grandest of these
+barons attracted little attention. It was on the chief of that mighty
+host that all eyes were turned--on the martial duke, under whose
+auspices was now to be fought one of the greatest battles of the
+world--a battle the result of which has ever since exercised no
+unimportant influence on the destinies of the human race.
+
+William was now in his forty-third year, and time had left its traces
+behind. But, bald as he was, and worn with the cares of four decades,
+the Norman duke had all the vigour, energy, and martial enthusiasm of
+youth. Never, perhaps, had he appeared more worthy of his high
+fortunes than when, with some of the relics on which Harold had sworn,
+around his neck, he stood in view of the great army of which he was
+the soul.
+
+This display having served its purpose, William hastened to complete
+the process of arming; and his squires, while handing him his hauberk,
+in their haste presented him with the backpiece first.
+
+"This is an evil omen," said the lords around.
+
+"Tush!" exclaimed William, laughing their fears to scorn. "Methinks it
+is rather a good omen: it betokens that the last shall be first--that
+the duke will be a king."
+
+Having completely armed himself, with the exception of his helmet,
+William intrusted his standard to Tonstain le Blanc, a young warrior,
+and sprang upon his magnificent Spanish charger, which the King of
+Castile had sent him as a gift. Thus armed, and thus mounted, with the
+consecrated standard waving over his head, he raised his voice to
+address his soldiers ere they marched upon the foe.
+
+"Normans and warriors," said the duke, "you are now about to encounter
+your enemies. Fight your best, and spare not. What I gain, you gain;
+if I conquer, you conquer; if I take the land, you will share it. We
+shall all be rich. Know, however, that I came here not merely to take
+that which is my due, but to revenge our whole nation for the felon
+acts, perjuries, and treasons of these Saxons. In the night of St.
+Brice they put to death the Danes, both men and women. Afterwards they
+decimated the companions of my kinsman, Alfred, and put him to death.
+On then, in God's name, and chastise them for all their misdeeds!"
+
+As William concluded his address, the Norman priests and monks retired
+to a neighbouring hill to pray for victory; and the Norman warriors,
+with a shout of "Dieu aide!" began their march to the Saxon camp. In a
+short time they came in sight of the place where Harold and his men,
+all on foot around their standard, and strongly posted, stood ready,
+with their huge axes, to fight to the death.
+
+While such was the position of the hostile armies, a Norman minstrel,
+named Taillefer, rendered himself prominently conspicuous. Giving the
+spur to his horse, he rode out in front of the Norman array, and, in a
+loud voice, raised the song of Charlemagne and Roland, then so famous
+throughout Christendom. As he proceeded, he played with his sword,
+tossing the weapon far into the air, and then catching it in his right
+hand with wondrous dexterity; while the warriors behind vociferously
+repeated the burthen of his song, and loudly shouted, "Dieu aide!"
+
+When the Normans approached the Saxon intrenchments, their archers
+began the conflict by letting fly a shower of arrows, and the
+crossbowmen discharged their bolts. But neither arrows nor bolts did
+much execution. In fact, most of the shots were rendered useless by
+the high parapets of the Saxon redoubts, and the archers and bowmen
+found, with dismay, that their efforts were in vain.
+
+But the infantry, armed with spears, and the cavalry, with their long
+lances, now advanced, and charging the gates of the redoubts,
+endeavoured to force an entrance. The Saxons, however, forming a solid
+mass, encountered their assailants with courage, and swinging with
+both hands their heavy axes, broke lances into shivers, and cut
+through coats of mail.
+
+It was in vain that the Normans forming the first division of
+William's army perseveringly endeavoured to tear up the stakes and
+penetrate the redoubts. Foiled and dispirited, archers and bowmen,
+infantry and cavalry, fell back on that column where the duke, in
+person, commanded.
+
+But William was not to be baffled. Spurring his Spanish charger in
+among the archers, he ordered them to shoot, not straightforward, but
+into the air, so that their arrows might fall into the enemy's camp.
+
+"See you not," said the duke, "that your shafts fall harmless against
+the parapets? Shoot in the air. Let your arrows fall as if from the
+heavens."
+
+The archers then, advancing in a body, profited by William's
+suggestion; and so successful proved the manoeuvre, that many of the
+Saxons, and, among others, King Harold, were wounded in the face.
+
+In the meantime, the Norman horse and foot renewed the attack with
+shouts of "Notre Dame!" "Dieu aide!" and an impetuosity which seemed
+to promise success. But if the attack was fierce, the resistance was
+stubborn. Notwithstanding the execution done by arrows and bolts, and
+their frightful wounds, Harold and his men fought with mighty courage.
+Driven back from one of the gates to a deep ravine, which was
+concealed by brushwood and long grass, the Normans found their
+situation deplorable. Horses and men rolled over each other into the
+ravine, perishing miserably; and, when William's Spanish charger was
+killed under him, and the great war-chief for a moment disappeared,
+alarm seized the invaders.
+
+"The duke is slain!" was the cry; and the Normans, giving way to
+panic, commenced a retreat.
+
+"No!" exclaimed William, in a voice of thunder, as he disentangled
+himself from his fallen steed; "I am here. Look at me. I still live,
+and, with God's help, I will conquer."
+
+And taking off his helmet that he might be the more readily
+recognised, William threw himself before the fugitives, and
+threatening some, striking others with his lance, he barred their
+passage, and ordered the cavalry to return to the attack. But every
+effort to force the redoubts proved fruitless; still the charge of the
+Normans was broken on the wall of shields; and, in spite of the
+fearful odds against them, the Saxons still held gallantly out.
+
+It was now that William determined on a stratagem to lure the Saxons
+from their intrenchments, and ordered a thousand horse to advance to
+the redoubts and then retire. His command was skilfully obeyed; and
+when the Saxons saw their enemies fly as if beaten, they lost the
+coolness they had hitherto exhibited, and, with their axes hanging
+from their necks, rushed furiously forth in pursuit.
+
+But brief indeed was their imaginary triumph. Suddenly the Normans
+halted, faced about, and being joined by another body of cavalry, that
+had watched the manoeuvre, turned fiercely upon the pursuers with
+sword and lance, and quickly put them to the rout.
+
+Evening was now approaching; and William, availing himself of the
+confusion and disorder which the success of his stratagem had created
+among the Saxons, once more assailed the redoubts, and this time with
+success. In rushed horse and foot, hewing down all who opposed them.
+In vain the Saxons struggled desperately, overthrowing cavalry and
+infantry, and continued the combat hand to hand and foot to foot.
+Their numbers rapidly diminished; and at length the king and his two
+brothers were left almost without aid to defend the standard.
+
+No hope now remained for the Saxons, and soon all was over. Harold,
+previously wounded in the eye, fell to rise no more. Leofwine shared
+his brother's fate and died by his side; and Gurth, courageously
+facing the foe, maintained a contest single-handed against a host of
+knightly adversaries. But William, pushing forward, mace in hand,
+struck the Saxon hero a blow of irresistible violence, and Gurth fell
+on the mangled corpses of his kinsmen and countrymen.
+
+Ere this the sun had set, and still the conflict was continued; and
+the Saxons, vain as were their efforts, maintained an irregular
+struggle till darkness rendered it impossible to know friend from foe,
+except by the difference of language. The vanquished islanders then
+fled in the direction of London. But when the moon rose, the victors
+fiercely urged the pursuit. The Norman cavalry, flushed with triumph,
+granted no quarter. Thousands of Saxons, dispersed and despairing,
+fell by the weapons of pursuers, and thousands more died on the roads
+of wounds and fatigue.
+
+Meanwhile, William ordered the consecrated standard to be set up where
+that of the Saxons had fallen, and, pitching his tent on the field of
+battle, passed that October night almost within hearing of the groans
+of the dying.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XIX.
+
+THE BODY OF HAROLD.
+
+
+No sooner did Sunday morning dawn than William, having first evinced
+his gratitude to Heaven for the victory gained, applied himself to
+ascertain the extent of his loss. Having vowed to erect on the field
+of battle an abbey, to be dedicated to St. Martin, the patron saint of
+the warriors of Gaul, the Conqueror drew up his troops, and called
+over the names of all who had crossed the sea, from a list made at St.
+Valery.
+
+While this roll was being called over, many of the wives and mothers
+of the Saxons who had armed in the neighbourhood of Hastings to fight
+for King Harold appeared on the field to search for and bury the
+bodies of their husbands and sons. William immediately caused the
+corpses of the men who had fallen on his side to be buried, and gave
+the Saxons leave to do the same for their countrymen.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+For some time, however, no one had the courage to mention the
+propriety of giving Christian burial to the Saxon king; and the body
+of Harold lay on the field without being claimed or sought for. At
+length Githa, the widow of Godwin, sent to ask the Conqueror's
+permission to render the last honours to her son, but William sternly
+refused.
+
+"The mother," said the messengers, "would even give the weight of the
+body in gold."
+
+"Nevertheless," said William, "the man, false to his word and to his
+religion, shall have no other sepulchre than the sands of the shore."
+
+William, however, relented. It happened that Harold had founded and
+enriched the abbey of Waltham, and that the abbot felt himself in duty
+bound to obtain Christian burial for such a benefactor. Accordingly he
+deputed Osgod and Ailrik, two Saxon monks, to demand permission to
+transfer the body of Harold to their church; and the Conqueror granted
+the permission they asked.
+
+But Osgod and Ailrik found their mission somewhat difficult to fulfil.
+So disfigured, in fact, were most of the dead with wounds and bruises,
+that one could hardly be known from another. In vain the monks sought
+among the mass of slain, stripped as they were of armour and clothing.
+The monks of Waltham could not recognise the corpse of him whom they
+sought, and, in their difficulty, they resolved to invoke female aid.
+
+At that time there was living, probably in retirement, a Saxon woman
+known as Edith the Fair. This woman, who was remarkable for her
+beauty, and especially for the gracefulness of her neck, which
+chroniclers have compared to the swan's, had, before Harold's
+coronation and his marriage with Aldith, been entertained by him as a
+mistress; and, on being applied to, she consented to assist the monks
+in their search. Better acquainted than they were with the features of
+the man she had loved, Edith was successful in discovering the corpse.
+
+The body of Harold having thus--thanks to the zeal and exertions of
+the monks--been found, was, with those of his brothers, Gurth and
+Leofwine, placed at the disposal of their mother, the widowed Githa.
+With her consent they were buried in the abbey of Waltham. The
+Conqueror sent William Mallet, one of his knights, to see the corpse
+honourably interred; and at the east end of the choir, in a tomb long
+pointed out as that containing the remains of the Saxon king, were
+inscribed the words--
+
+ "HAROLD INFELIX."
+
+"But here," says Sir Richard Baker, "Giraldus Cambrensis tells a
+strange story, that Harold was not slain in the battle, but only
+wounded and lost his left eye, and then escaped by flight to Chester,
+where he afterwards led a holy anchorite's life in the cell of St.
+James, fast by St. John's Church."
+
+
+
+
+XX.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+THE CONQUEROR AND THE KENTISHMEN.
+
+
+After his victory at Hastings, William remained for some time on the
+field, waiting for the men of the country to appear at his camp and
+make their submission. Finding, however, that nobody came, he marched
+along the sea coast, took Dover, and then advanced by the great Roman
+road towards London.
+
+While passing through Kent, the conquerors, for a time, pursued their
+way without interruption. Suddenly, however, at a place where the
+road, approaching the Thames, ran through a forest, they found their
+passage disputed by a large body of Kentishmen. Each man carried in
+his hand a green bough, and at a distance they presented the
+appearance of a wood in motion.
+
+"This," said the Normans, crossing themselves, "is magic--the work of
+Satan."
+
+On drawing near, however, the Kentishmen threw the green boughs to the
+ground, raised their banner, and drew their swords; and William, aware
+that the men of Kent were not foes to be despised, asked with what
+intent they came against him in such a fashion.
+
+"We come," cried the men of Kent, "to fight for our liberty, and for
+the laws we have enjoyed under King Edward."
+
+"Well," answered William, whose object it now was, if possible, to
+conciliate, "ye shall have your ancient customs and your laws which ye
+demand, so that ye acknowledge me king of England."
+
+The Kentishmen, on hearing this, consented to lay down their arms,
+having concluded a treaty by which they agreed to offer no further
+resistance, on condition that they should be as free as they had
+before been. William sent forward five hundred horsemen towards
+London; and learning that the citizens were likely to stand on their
+defence, he resolved to turn towards the west, and passed the Thames
+at Wallingford.
+
+On reaching Wallingford, which had been regarded by the Saxons as a
+stronghold of the first importance, William was struck with the
+capacity of the place, and eager to secure it as one of his
+strongholds. On this point there was no difficulty. In fact,
+Wallingford was in possession of a Saxon thane named Wigod, who had
+neither the will nor the power to resist, but who had an only daughter
+named Aldith, with no insuperable objection to become the bride of a
+Norman knight. The Conqueror immediately provided the fair Aldith with
+a husband, in the person of Robert D'Oyley, one of his favourite
+warriors; and the marriage ceremony having been performed without any
+unnecessary delay, D'Oyley was left, in the company of his bride and
+his father-in-law, to make the castle as strong as possible; while the
+Conqueror, marching to Berkhampstead, cut off all communication
+between London and the north, and continued so to hem in the city that
+the inhabitants became every day more apprehensive of being exposed to
+the horrors of famine.
+
+
+
+
+XXI.
+
+EDGAR ATHELING.
+
+
+News of the Norman victory at Hastings speedily reached London; and
+the city became the scene of commotion and debate. So strong, however,
+appeared the necessity for doing something decisive, that men calmed
+themselves to consider their position; and, by way of dealing with the
+crisis, they resolved on placing the Confessor's crown on the head of
+Edgar Atheling, the Confessor's kinsman, and the undoubted heir of the
+Saxon kings.
+
+Atheling was grandson of Edmund Ironsides, and a native of Hungary. In
+fact, it seems that when Canute the Dane, in 1017, made himself master
+of England, he found in the kingdom two sons of Ironsides, who bore
+the names of Edmund and Edward. Wishing, it is said, to have the Saxon
+princes put to death, but apprehensive of the consequences of ordering
+their execution, Canute sent them to the King of Sweden, with a
+request that they might be secretly made away with. Not caring,
+however, to have the blood of two innocent boys to answer for, the
+royal Swede sent them to Hungary; and the king of that country, after
+receiving them with reluctance, reared them with kindness. As time
+passed on, Edmund died without heirs; but Edward, known as The Exile,
+espousing Agatha, daughter of an Emperor of Germany, became father of
+a handsome and fair-haired boy, known as Edgar Atheling, and two
+girls, named Margaret and Christina.
+
+During the reigns of Harold Harefoot and Hardicanute, the son of
+Ironsides remained forgotten in exile. But the Confessor, in his old
+age, finding himself childless, and knowing that his end was drawing
+nigh, turned his thoughts towards his expatriated kinsman, and
+despatched Aldred, Archbishop of York, to escort the heir of Alfred
+from the German court. The result was, that Edward the Exile, bringing
+with him his wife and three children, returned to the country of his
+ancestors, with high hopes of wearing the crown. But not long after
+arriving in England he went the way of all flesh, leaving his son much
+too young to assert his own rights, and without adherents sufficiently
+influential to cope successfully with the wealthy and popular chief of
+the House of Godwin.
+
+At the time when the Confessor drew his last breath, in the Painted
+Chamber, Edgar Atheling was a boy of ten; and Harold had very little
+difficulty in excluding him from the throne. It has been asserted,
+indeed, that, from the earliest period, minors had been set aside, as
+a matter of course, by the Saxon customs; and that the Atheling's
+nonage positively disqualified him from wearing the crown.
+Nevertheless, the youth, the beauty, the hereditary claims of the boy,
+won him many friends; and he was much beloved by the people, who, in
+their loyal affection, called him their darling.
+
+"He is young and handsome," said they, "and descended from the true
+race, the best race of the country."
+
+It would seem that the Atheling's claims caused Harold considerable
+uneasiness. In fact, historians state that the son of Godwin was kept
+in constant dread "of anything being contrived against him in favour
+of Edgar by those who had a great affection for the ancient royal
+family." However, Harold, to keep them quiet, showed the boy great
+respect, gave him the earldom of Oxford, and "took care of his
+education," says one historian, "as if he would have it thought that
+he intended to resign the crown to him when he should be of fit age to
+govern."
+
+But whatever may have been Harold's motives or intentions, no sooner
+did he fall at Hastings than the popular cry rose in Edgar's favour.
+Opinions, however, were divided as to the person most worthy of being
+king. Edwin and Morkar, the grandsons of Leofric, claimed the honour
+for one of themselves; and men influenced by the papal bull, stood up
+for Duke William. But both Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury, and
+Aldred, Archbishop of York, declared strongly for the Atheling; and at
+length, after much hesitation and much dispute, the boy was publicly
+proclaimed.
+
+Such was the stage at which affairs had arrived in London, when
+William, from his camp at Berkhampstead, found a way of communicating
+with Ansgar, the standard-bearer of the city, an officer whom, in
+1051, he had seen at Edward's court; and when Ansgar, assembling the
+chief citizens, without informing them of William's message to
+himself, impressed upon them the expediency of negotiating with the
+invaders.
+
+"Honourable brothers," said Ansgar, "our resources are nearly
+exhausted. The city is threatened with assault, and no army comes to
+our aid."
+
+"True," murmured the citizens.
+
+"Such," continued Ansgar, "is our situation; but when strength is
+exhausted, when courage can do no more, artifice and stratagem still
+remain. I advise you to resort to them."
+
+"In what way?" asked the citizens.
+
+"The enemy," answered Ansgar, "is not yet aware of our miserable
+position: let us profit by that circumstance, and send them fair words
+by a man capable of deceiving them, who will feign to convey your
+submission, and, in sign of peace, will lay his hand in theirs if
+required."
+
+"Yes," cried the citizens: "we will, in that case, be able to obtain a
+suspension of hostilities, and protract negotiations until the arrival
+of succours."
+
+After this scene, in which Ansgar skilfully acted his part, his
+counsel was enthusiastically adopted. But the messenger sent to delude
+William returned to London devoted to the Norman duke's cause, and
+gave so flattering a report of the Conqueror, that the citizens became
+eager to acknowledge such a man as King of England. The feeling proved
+marvellously contagious, and London was soon under the influence of
+one of those popular outbursts which nothing can resist.
+
+"What should be done?" asked Ansgar.
+
+"Let the keys of the city be carried to Duke William," was the answer.
+
+The warriors and prelates who surrounded Edgar Atheling were probably
+somewhat surprised at this sudden resolution, and they were certainly
+in no position to restrain or counteract it. They therefore yielded to
+the current; and the young king, accompanied by the two archbishops,
+Stigand and Aldred, by Wulstan, Bishop of Worcester, and by the chief
+citizens, proceeded to Berkhampstead to make their submission. On
+presenting themselves to the Conqueror they swore fidelity, gave
+hostages, and received his promise to be gentle and clement. William
+regarded the grandson of Ironsides with interest, kissed the boy
+tenderly, and spoke to him with kindness. Doubtless, in the eye of a
+prince of Edgar Atheling's age, a dog and a pony would have seemed
+more to be desired than the crown and throne of England; nor can it be
+said that, in after years, when his valour and his capacity had been
+proved, he ever looked back with excessive regret to the crown he had
+lost and the throne from which he had been excluded.
+
+[Illustration: Saxon Bondman (from Strutt).]
+
+
+
+
+XXII.
+
+[Illustration: Commotion during the crowning of William.]
+
+CORONATION OF THE CONQUEROR.
+
+
+After Edgar Atheling and the Saxon chiefs and prelates had made their
+submission to the conqueror of Hastings, and given hostages for their
+fidelity, William--having previously sent forward a strong body of
+soldiers to construct a fortress in the heart of London--left
+Berkhampstead, and marched towards the wealthy city on the Thames, ere
+long to become the capital of England.
+
+It seemed as if the progress of the Normans would now be easy. Most
+men of rank and worldly discretion, especially the bishops--whose
+influence was strong--believed that the national cause could not be
+maintained, and were inclined to support Duke William as a matter of
+duty.
+
+"It is needful," men said to each other, "to fall in with the times,
+and not to oppose the will of God, by whom the powers of the world are
+raised up."
+
+But all Saxons did not take this view; and while the Normans were on
+their way from Berkhampstead to London, an incident occurred which
+gave William an idea of the hostile spirit by which many of the
+natives were animated. On approaching the ancient abbey of St. Alban's
+he found, with surprise, that numbers of huge trees had been cut down,
+and so disposed as to intercept the march of his army. William
+immediately sent for the abbot, whose name was Frithrik, and demanded
+the reason of this attempt to intercept his passage.
+
+"Why," asked the Conqueror, "hast thou thus cut down thy woods?"
+
+"I have done my duty," answered the abbot, boldly; "and had all of my
+order done the same, as they ought to have done, thou wouldst not have
+advanced so far into our country."
+
+After having advanced near London, William, pondering the propriety of
+assuming the crown, held a council of war, ostensibly to discuss the
+means of promptly completing the conquest, but in reality to get
+nearer the object on which his heart had so long been set.
+
+"It appears," said some of William's friends, addressing their chief,
+"that, in order to mitigate resistance, it is politic that thou
+shouldst assume the title of King of the English."
+
+"No," said William, feigning an indifference which he was far from
+feeling; "I demand, at least, some delay. I have not come to England
+for my own interest alone, but for that of the whole Norman nation.
+And besides, if it be the will of God that I should become king, the
+time has not yet arrived. Too many countries and too many men have yet
+to be subjected."
+
+"Yes; it is not yet time to create a king," said the Norman nobles,
+interpreting William's scruples literally.
+
+"This is too modest of Duke William," said Aimery de Thouars, a
+captain of auxiliaries, rising and speaking with much energy. "It is
+too modest of him to appeal to soldiers, whether or no they will have
+their lord a king. Soldiers have nothing to do with questions of this
+nature; and our discussions only serve to retard that which, as a
+matter of feeling, we all so ardently desire."
+
+After the speech of Aimery de Thouars, the Norman nobles felt bound to
+support the opinion he had expressed; and it was unanimously resolved
+that William should be crowned before proceeding farther with the work
+of the conquest. Accordingly, he entered London, took up his residence
+at the Tower, and ordered the necessary preparations to be made for
+the ceremony.
+
+Christmas was the day fixed for placing the Confessor's crown on the
+Conqueror's head, and the church of Westminster was decorated for the
+occasion. The Archbishop of Canterbury was invited to perform the
+office; but Stigand declined. The Archbishop of York was then invited;
+and Aldred consented. The Norman cavalry, posted around Westminster,
+carefully watched over the safety of those who took part in the
+ceremony; and William, walking between two ranks of soldiers, entered
+the abbey, accompanied by two hundred and sixty of his counts and
+captains.
+
+When everything was ready for the ceremony of coronation, Geoffrey,
+Bishop of Coutance, and Aldred, Archbishop of York, ascended a
+platform; and Geoffrey asked the Normans, and Aldred asked the
+English, whether they would have William for their king. Those present
+answered by acclamations so loud as to produce awkward results. The
+Norman cavalry posted in the vicinity, mistaking the meaning of the
+cries, and hastily concluding that a riot had taken place, drew their
+swords, spurred towards the church, and, in their confusion, set fire
+to some houses. The noise and tumult reaching the interior, caused
+Normans and Saxons hastily to disperse, and William was left alone
+with Aldred and the Saxon and Norman priests. The ceremony was,
+however, completed; and William somewhat hastily took the oaths to
+treat the Saxon people as well as the best king ever elected by them.
+
+Having planted the lion banner of Normandy on the Tower of London, and
+portioned out the south and east of England among his followers,
+William embarked at Pevensey to visit his continental dominions,
+taking with him as hostages, Edgar Atheling and several Saxon chiefs,
+and more gold and silver than could have been found in all Gaul.
+
+In Normandy he was received with boundless enthusiasm. Crowds flocked
+from Rouen to the seashore to welcome his return. The Normans and the
+French vied with each other in doing him honour. William's vanity was
+gratified, and he displayed his munificence by presenting his guests
+with the chased gold and silver plate, and the massive drinking-cups,
+of which the Saxons had been despoiled.
+
+No one dared now to allude to his illegitimacy, or to mention his
+grandsire, the tanner. William had, in fact, made himself the most
+independent of European sovereigns; and even the great Hildebrand,
+when exalted to the papal throne as Gregory the Seventh, in vain asked
+for the oath of fealty.
+
+"I hold my kingdom of God and of my sword," was the stern answer of
+the Conqueror.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XXIII.
+
+THE SIEGE OF EXETER.
+
+
+After having seated himself on the throne of Edward the Confessor, and
+attained the object of his ambition, William was not, perhaps,
+unwilling to pursue a policy of clemency and conciliation towards the
+Saxons. The Norman barons and knights might have been satisfied with
+the lands of the Saxons who had fallen at Hastings. But the numerous
+adventurers who had followed the Norman standard had yet to be gorged
+with plunder. While the Conqueror was on the Continent, these men were
+guilty of indiscreet severity; and the Saxons, unable to brook their
+insolence, formed leagues, and vowed to assert their liberty or die in
+its defence.
+
+Messengers, hastily despatched, carried to Rouen intelligence of the
+state of affairs; and William in alarm hastened to Dieppe, and on a
+cold December night embarked for England. On reaching London he found
+that city in a ferment; and conscious that his military force was not
+as yet sufficient to keep down a whole nation, he resorted to
+artifice--called around him Saxon chiefs and prelates, promised all
+they asked--celebrated, in their company, the festival of
+Christmas--and having in this way gained over the leaders, addressed
+to the populace a proclamation, couched in the Saxon language, and
+engaging to maintain the laws of King Edward.
+
+After making these and other promises, never intended to be kept,
+William left London, and proceeded westward, to pursue the work of
+conquest. At Exeter, where Githa, the widow of Godwin and mother of
+Harold, had resided since Hastings, the citizens, bent on resistance,
+fortified their walls, repaired their towers, and, summoning fighting
+men from the neighbouring country, indicated their determination to
+bid the Conqueror defiance.
+
+Informed of the attitude assumed by the men of Exeter, William halted
+at a place four miles distant from the city, and sent, summoning the
+citizens to surrender and swear the oath of fidelity.
+
+"No," answered the citizens of Exeter; "we shall swear no oath of
+fidelity to this pretended king, nor admit him within our walls. But
+if he thinks proper to receive, by way of tribute, the impost we pay
+to our kings, we will give it to him."
+
+"I require subjects," was William's scornful reply, "and I will have
+them on no such conditions as are offered."
+
+Without further parley, William ordered his banner to advance
+forthwith, and the Norman army speedily invested Exeter. Ere the
+assault began, however, some of the chief men, in pursuance of a
+secret negotiation, came to the king, demanded peace on terms of
+surrender, and delivered hostages. But on returning within the walls,
+the bulk of the citizens exclaimed against their treaty, kept the
+gates closed, and stood to their arms. William, who was not to be
+trifled with, caused one of the hostages to be brought in sight of the
+ramparts, and had his eyes put out. But the determination of the
+inhabitants was inflexible; and it was not till the siege had lasted
+nearly three weeks, and till forty-eight houses were destroyed, that
+their courage gave way, and they repaired to the Norman camp, in the
+attitude of suppliants, with their priests bearing missals and sacred
+vessels.
+
+Having gained possession of Exeter, William ordered a strong fortress
+to be constructed out of the houses that had been destroyed during the
+siege, and proceeded with the subjugation of the west; adding Somerset
+and Gloucester to the conquered territory; dividing the land among his
+warriors; and on almost every eminence erecting strong and gloomy
+castles to keep the Saxons in awe. Recognising the importance of
+Gloucester as a barrier against the incursions of the Welsh, William
+fortified the north and south with embattled walls and gates, and
+selected its castle for his residence in winter, as he had already
+made the Tower of London his residence in summer, and the palace of
+Winchester his residence in spring.
+
+Ere Exeter surrendered, Githa, the widow of Godwin, and a number of
+other women, escaped to one of the islands of the Severn; then to
+Bath; and from Bath gained the western coast, and embarked for
+Flanders. Fortunate, comparatively speaking, were those who thus
+betook themselves to exile. Cruel, indeed, if we are to believe
+historians, was the fate of those who remained. While thanes of high
+name and great descent were supplanted by men who had been weavers in
+Flanders and drovers in Normandy, their wives and sisters were
+degraded to the dust.
+
+"Ignoble grooms, the scum of armies," says the chronicler, "did as
+they pleased with the noblest women, and left them nothing but to weep
+and wish for death."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XXIV.
+
+[Illustration: Belfry at Bruges]
+
+MATILDA AND BRIHTRIK.
+
+
+While William the Norman was occupied with the subjugation of the
+west, Matilda of Flanders arrived in England to share her husband's
+triumph. It was in the spring of 1068, after the siege of Exeter, that
+Matilda, with her children, set foot on English ground. Her reception
+was all that she could have desired. Her grace and majesty quite
+charmed the people; and when, with great state, she was crowned at
+Westminster, she was cheered enthusiastically.
+
+The popularity of Matilda arose from a belief that her counsels often
+softened the heart of the Conqueror towards the Saxons, and disposed
+him to clemency. Such was probably the case. On one occasion, however,
+the royal lady manifested a most vindictive spirit, and exercised the
+influence she possessed with her husband to avenge, in a signal
+manner, a slight which she deemed had been put upon her in the days of
+a somewhat wayward youth.
+
+It appears that when the daughter of Count Baldwin was a girl at
+Bruges, with nothing particular to occupy her attention, a young and
+noble Saxon, named Brihtrik, arrived at her father's court as
+ambassador from Edward the Confessor, and brought with him the
+reputation of being enormously rich. Matilda was then passing her time
+in exchanging sharp sayings with her sister, Judith, going to mass
+with her ladies of honour, working at the embroidery in which she had
+such skill, and applying her fine intelligence to the studies which
+rendered her one of the most accomplished of European princesses.
+Captivated with Brihtrik's handsome person, long hair, and fair face,
+and being at an age when ladies are supposed to fall in love without
+profoundly calculating the consequences, the Flemish princess soon
+found her heart full of a romantic kind of affection for the
+interesting stranger.
+
+Brihtrik, however, does not appear to have evinced excessive joy at
+his good fortune. In vain the daughter of Count Baldwin indulged in
+dreams and in hints of uniting her fate with his. The Saxon lord,
+either from having another bride in view, or not relishing the idea of
+ladies taking the initiative in love, proved insensible to
+allurements, and left the court of Bruges, and the beautiful Matilda,
+without having given proof of anything like reciprocity of sentiment.
+
+Matilda was by no means gratified with Brihtrik's coolness. Indeed,
+she would seem to have brooded over the memory of the Saxon for many
+long years. In any case, when time passed over, and she became the
+bride of William the Norman, Queen of England, and the mother of sons
+destined to wear crowns and coronals, she had not forgotten Brihtrik
+the Saxon.
+
+It is just probable that Brihtrik might not always have spoken of the
+daughter of Count Baldwin with the discretion which he ought to have
+exercised. When the alarm of invasion was agitating England, and the
+name of Duke William was on every tongue, the Saxon, over his cups in
+his own hall, or even in the palace of Westminster, might have been
+tempted, under the influence of repeated potations, to speak too
+freely of his early acquaintance with Matilda the duchess; and his
+words might have been carried to the palace of Rouen. At all events,
+she still sighed for vengeance on the man who had trifled with her
+affections, or treated her advances with indifference.
+
+Matilda had an early opportunity of proving to Brihtrik that he had
+not been forgiven. The possessions of Brihtrik, which included
+Tewkesbury and Thornbury, lay in the south-west of England; and after
+the taking of Exeter, the lands of the vanquished in that quarter were
+divided among the conquerors. One of the first names inscribed on the
+partition-roll was that of Matilda of Flanders; and her portion of the
+plunder was all the land of Brihtrik the Saxon. But Matilda's
+resentment was too deep to be satisfied with impoverishing Brihtrik;
+and the potent queen still further avenged her outraged vanity by
+imprisoning the object of her youthful love after she had plundered
+him.
+
+Accordingly, Brihtrik, having been arrested at his manor-house, was
+incarcerated in the castle of Winchester. In a dungeon of that
+palatial stronghold, with misery for his mate, and precluded,
+probably, from looking on the face of day, save through the iron bars
+of a prison house, Brihtrik had the prospect of leisure to lament the
+coolness of which he had been guilty towards the daughter of Count
+Baldwin, and to curse the fate that had made the offended fair one the
+spouse of a king and conqueror of England.
+
+But Brihtrik did not long survive the date of his incarceration.
+Whether he died a natural death, or fell a victim to Matilda's
+relentless vengeance, does not clearly appear. It is certain, however,
+that the Saxon lord drew his last breath in prison, and that he was
+buried with a degree of secrecy which suggested suspicions of foul
+play.
+
+
+
+
+XXV.
+
+[Illustration: William's march on Hexham]
+
+THE NORMANS IN NORTHUMBERLAND.
+
+
+It was the autumn of 1068, and the south, east, and west of England
+having yielded to the Conqueror, and been portioned out among his
+adventurous followers, the theatre of English independence became
+somewhat limited. William, however, had not yet reason to sigh for
+another country to conquer. North of the Humber was a vast province,
+where no Norman banner had yet waved, where no Norman horseshoe had
+left its print, but where tall Danes and wealthy Saxons, who were
+prepared to do battle fearlessly for their liberty, were leaving their
+houses to sleep in tents, or in the open air, swearing never again to
+repose beneath the shelter of a roof till they had freed their
+country.
+
+At length, however, the Conqueror marched northward, and, advancing
+upon York, slaughtered all who attempted resistance, and, sword in
+hand, entered the capital of the north. Feeling that the struggle was
+hopeless, many of the chief Northumbrians descended the Humber in
+boats, and sought refuge on Scottish soil, there to watch events; and
+William, after erecting a strong castle, and appointing William Malet
+as Governor of York, returned southward. But the aspect of affairs
+speedily became so alarming, that the king prepared for a second
+expedition, and reached York at the very time when the citizens and
+the inhabitants of the country had formed a league, and were besieging
+the Norman fortress. Attacking them with his wonted energy, William
+succeeded in killing or dispersing the insurgents, and, determined on
+extending his sovereignty at least as far as Durham, he entrusted the
+task of doing so to Robert Comine, whom he by anticipation created
+earl of the county that was to be subdued.
+
+With an army of nine thousand men, twelve hundred of whom were
+horsemen, Robert Comine ventured on his perilous enterprise. At first
+all seemed to go prosperously; and he became quite confident when he
+found himself approaching Durham without having seen the face of a
+foe. At that point, however, he was met by Eghelwin, Bishop of Durham,
+who hinted that there was danger in the way.
+
+"I advise you," said the bishop, "to be prudent and beware of a
+surprise."
+
+"Who would attack me?" asked Comine, with contempt. "None of you, I
+imagine, would dare to do so." And with these words the Norman warrior
+rode into the city and took up his quarters in the bishop's palace,
+while his troops encamped in the square.
+
+Everything, so far, seemed secure; but after nightfall a wonderful
+change occurred. On every hill a signal-fire was lighted, and armed
+men, gathering from the banks of the Tyne, assembled in great numbers,
+and hastened towards Durham. By daybreak they were before the walls,
+and, forcing the gates, they entered with a mighty rush, and fell
+ferociously upon the Normans. Dismayed, but not yet despairing, Comine
+attempted to rally his soldiers in the bishop's palace, erected
+barricades, and showered arrows from the roofs; but every effort
+proved vain. The Northumbrians, resolutely pressing on, set fire to
+the episcopal mansion, and Comine and every man within the walls
+perished in the flames.
+
+After this successful attempt at revolt, the Northumbrians summoned
+allies to their side. They implored aid from the King of Denmark, and
+they recalled the Saxons who had exiled themselves to the Scottish
+frontier. Both responded with alacrity. A Danish fleet, sent by the
+King of Denmark, under the command of his brother, entered the Humber;
+and Edward Atheling, Siward Beorn, and Merlesweyn, and Waltheof, son
+of the great Siward, who had all taken refuge in Scotland, hastened to
+Durham.
+
+It was the autumn of 1069, when the Saxons and Danes, after uniting
+their forces, marched upon York, the Saxons forming the van, the Danes
+the main army. Messengers went before, announcing deliverance from the
+invaders; and, ere long, the Normans were surprised to find the city
+invested on all sides. For several days the garrison offered a brave
+resistance, but on the eighth day--it was Saturday, the 19th of
+September--the besiegers had made such progress that the Normans,
+seeing that they must depend on their citadel, and fearing that the
+neighbouring houses might be used as materials for filling up the
+moats, set them on fire. The flames, leaping from house to house, made
+rapid progress; and the Northumbrians and their Danish allies, guided
+by the light, penetrated within the walls.
+
+The Normans now took to the citadel, and still hoped to save
+themselves. The assault of the besiegers, however, proved
+irresistible. The citadel was taken. A conflict of the most desperate
+character took place: the Northumbrians and the Danes sought to excel
+each other in deeds of valour; and thousands of Normans fell in the
+sanguinary encounter. The victors granted quarter to William Malet and
+his wife and children, who were conveyed on board the Danish fleet,
+and then imprudently proceeded to destroy the fortifications erected
+by the Normans, in order to efface all vestiges of the invasion. This
+done, they raised the shout of triumph, and expressed their impatience
+for the arrival of spring to march southward, and drive the conquerors
+from the land. Meanwhile, as King of England, Edgar Atheling concluded
+a treaty of alliance with the citizens of York, and had the
+gratification of being recognised from the Humber to the Tweed.
+
+William was hunting in the Forest of Dean when he received
+intelligence that the Northumbrians had killed Robert Comine at
+Durham, and taken possession of York. The wrath of the Norman king
+burned fiercely.
+
+"By the Divine splendour!" he exclaimed, "I will never again lay aside
+my lance till I have slain all the Northumbrians;" and he prepared
+forthwith to execute his threat. But, resolved to facilitate
+operations by buying off the Danes, he sent messengers to the Danish
+king's brother, with offers of a large sum of money; and the Dane,
+yielding to temptation, agreed to take the bribe, and withdrew without
+striking another blow.
+
+Having thus deprived the Northumbrians of their allies, William
+assembled an army composed of picked soldiers, and, by forced marches,
+suddenly appeared at York. The Northumbrians, taken by surprise, and
+dispirited by the departure of the Danes, nevertheless girded
+themselves up for the combat, resisted with the courage of despair,
+and fell by thousands while attempting to oppose the Conqueror's
+passage through the breaches of the walls. But long as was the
+struggle, and dearly-purchased as was William's success, his victory
+was complete. Edgar Atheling left as a fugitive the land of his
+ancestors, and all who could, made their escape northward.
+
+Finding himself once more master of York, William determined to extend
+his conquest to the Tweed. Cruelly and savagely the work was begun.
+Precipitating themselves on Northumberland, the Normans wreaked their
+fury on all that the land contained. Flocks and herds were massacred
+as well as men; corn-fields were burned with the towns and hamlets
+they surrounded; and the devastation seems to have been pursued on
+such a scale as to render the country uninhabitable. Wasting, burning,
+slaughtering as they went, the Normans at length reached Durham, which
+in the previous year had witnessed the death of Robert Comine.
+
+When, one winter's day, news of the Conqueror's approach reached
+Durham, the bishop and his clergy were well-nigh in despair. It was
+the very depth of the season. Nevertheless, they resolved to be gone.
+
+"Let us fly," they cried, "to some place where neither Norman, nor
+Burgundian, nor brigand, nor vagabond can reach us."
+
+Accordingly they set out for Holy Island, carrying with them the bones
+of St. Cuthbert and all their moveables of value. They left, however,
+a crucifix, richly adorned with gold and silver gems, which had, in
+other days, been presented to the church by Tostig, the son of Godwin,
+and his haughty countess, Judith of Flanders. This crucifix appears to
+have been too heavy for the monks to carry. But they consoled
+themselves with the idea that, instead of tempting sacrilege, it would
+act as a protection to the church, and to the sick and infirm persons
+who had crawled to seek refuge within the sacred precincts, and who,
+overcome with pain, and misery, and fatigue, lay in crowds on the bare
+stones.
+
+While the bishop and clergy were flying, William entered Durham, and
+the Normans took possession of the city, without being disturbed in
+their slumbers as Robert Comine had been. Indeed, resistance was now
+scarcely thought of, even by the most desperate; and the conquering
+army traversed Northumberland in all directions, killing the
+unresisting. The sufferings of the inhabitants were fearful. Between
+the Humber and the Tweed, more than a hundred thousand human beings
+perished by famine and the sword; and many, bidding farewell for ever
+to the fields and homesteads of their fathers, hurried northward, and
+sought safety in the Merse and Lothian.
+
+But the expedition proved infinitely more fatiguing than any
+previously undertaken by the conquerors. Their march was through
+terrible roads, across rivers, and over hills covered with snow. On
+reaching Hexham, William's army had suffered severely. Horses sank
+never to rise again, and the riders complained of the hardships as
+intolerable. One dark night William was horrified to learn that his
+guides had missed their way, and that he was separated from his army.
+The Conqueror found himself in the awkward predicament of being in a
+strange and hostile country, with not more than six attendants. The
+circumstance caused him some pensive reflection; and when, with the
+aid of the morning light, he regained his army, it appeared that the
+danger he had passed had produced considerable effect on his mind.
+
+On reaching Hexham, William halted; and ordering his captains to
+overrun the country to the north and west, he returned to York, and
+caused himself to be crowned in the northern capital. At the same time
+he endeavoured to confirm his conquests by planting Norman warriors of
+high rank throughout the territory that had been subjugated. William
+de Warren, William de Percy, and others were gifted with manors and
+villages in Yorkshire; William de Lacy obtained the great domain of
+Pontefract; Robert de Brus was settled in Durham; Ralph Meschines took
+possession of the mountainous district of Cumberland; Robert de
+Umfraville had a grant of Prudhoe and Redesdale; William de Merley
+obtained the lands of Morpeth, on which he and his heirs built the
+castle of Morpeth and the abbey of Newminster; and Ivo de Vesci became
+lord of Alnwick, and husband of the heiress of a Saxon chief who had
+fallen at Hastings. All these Norman warriors erected strong castles,
+manned the walls with foreign soldiers, and applied their energies to
+keep down the Northumbrians.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XXVI.
+
+COSPATRICK AND THE CONQUEROR.
+
+
+It would seem that William's taste of Northumberland during his
+campaign made him pause and ponder. Perceiving the difficulty of
+retaining such a district in subjection against the inclination of the
+inhabitants, he recognised the policy of conciliation. Under such
+circumstances he bethought him of the claims of a Saxon of illustrious
+birth, whom the Northumbrians regarded with pride as the heir of their
+ancient earls.
+
+At the time when Harold reigned at Westminster, when Tostig was
+tempting the King of Norway to invade England, and when William the
+Norman was preparing that mighty armament the accounts of which filled
+the minds of the Saxons with dismay and alarm, without rousing them to
+preparations for a patriotic resistance, there might have been seen,
+in the north of England, riding somewhat discontentedly to the
+Northumbrian earl's court at York, or stalking about the woods of
+Raby, with a spear in his right hand, a hawk on his left wrist, and
+greyhounds running at his heels, a young man with fair face and blue
+eyes, whose dress was the short garment, reaching to mid-knee, of the
+Normans, but whose moustache, long hair, and speech, strongly
+tinctured with the "burr" which the Danes introduced into
+Northumberland, indicated, in a manner not to be mistaken, his
+genuinely English birth. He was a Saxon thane of high consideration,
+and was known as Cospatrick. Frank and hasty was this personage, ever
+too ready to trust foes and to quarrel with friends; but with all his
+faults, he was destined to play in his own day a conspicuous part in
+the affairs of struggling England north of the Humber, and to figure
+in history as male ancestor of the two mighty mediæval families of
+Neville and Dunbar.
+
+The father of Cospatrick was Malred, the son of Crinian; and his
+mother was Algitha, daughter of the great Uchtred, Earl of
+Northumberland. Moreover, the blood of the Saxon kings ran in
+Cospatrick's veins; for Uchtred had married Elfgiva, King Ethelred's
+daughter; and of that marriage Algitha was the issue. It was natural
+that, with such a pedigree, Cospatrick should be somewhat
+discontented; that he should look with discontent on the domination of
+the House of Godwin; that, as grandson of Uchtred, he should grow
+indignant at the sight of Tostig figuring as Earl of Northumberland;
+that, as great-grandson of Ethelred, he should boil with indignation
+at the sight of Harold on the throne of his young kinsman, the
+Atheling.
+
+It is necessary, in order to comprehend the course taken by the great
+Anglo-Saxon Houses at the time of the Conquest, to remember that the
+members of Godwin's House appeared to them wholly different beings
+from the personages represented to our generation by the writers of
+romantic histories and historic romances. Almost every one of them
+stood charged with some fearful crime. Edric Streone was the worst of
+ingrates and traitors. Godwin had on his hands the blood of the young
+Alfred. Sweyn had debauched a nun and assassinated a kinsman. Harold
+had the weight of perjury and usurpation on his soul. Tostig's name
+was associated with bloodshed, savagery, and treason. Even Edith, the
+queen, was not free from reproach. Chroniclers tell how, on the fourth
+night of Christmas, 1065, while the Confessor was on his death-bed,
+starting restlessly from dreams of woe and terror, Edith, for love of
+her brother, Tostig, caused some Northumbrians, who were dependents of
+Cospatrick, to be murdered in the king's court.
+
+Such being the idea entertained of the House of Godwin, Cospatrick was
+probably in no mood to pray for the usurpation of Harold being
+attended with success. More probably, indeed, the Saxon magnate, rich,
+potent, ambitious, and surrounded, in his halls at Raby, by a huge
+household of warriors, coerles, serfs, and adherents of every
+description, who fed at his board, lived on his hospitality, and
+ministered to his pride, reflected with bitterness on being excluded
+from the government of that magnificent province, which from infancy
+he had been taught to regard as his birthright, and only awaited a
+favourable opportunity to enforce his hereditary claim to these fair
+domains.
+
+Thus it came to pass, that when the enterprise of the Normans so
+prospered, that the Saxon prelates and chiefs carried Edgar Atheling
+to Berkhampstead, Cospatrick claimed the earldom of Northumberland, as
+heir of Uchtred. William the Conqueror, however, proved as
+unaccommodating as Harold the Usurper had been; and Cospatrick not
+only saw the government of Northumberland bestowed upon another, but
+found that he was no longer safe on the south of the Tweed.
+
+However, when William perceived the necessity for cultivating the
+good-will of the Northumbrians, he entered into negotiations with
+Cospatrick, and indicated his readiness to come to terms. A bargain
+was soon struck between the Conqueror and the grandson of Uchtred.
+Cospatrick paid William a large sum of money, and William invested
+Cospatrick with the earldom of Northumberland.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XXVII.
+
+SAXON SAINTS AND NORMAN SOLDIERS.
+
+
+At the time when William the Conqueror was north of the Humber; when
+the Normans were ruthlessly ravaging Northumberland with fire and
+sword; when the bishop and clergy of Durham were carrying off the body
+of St. Cuthbert to Holy Island; and when the invaders were
+slaughtering man and beast without a thought of mercy, one spot of
+ground escaped, as if by miracle, from devastation, and remained
+cultivated and covered with buildings, when every other part of the
+country around was laid waste or given to the flames. The land thus
+miraculously saved from the spoiler's hand lay around, and belonged
+to, the church of St. John of Beverley.
+
+It appears that, in 1070, when the Normans were encamped about seven
+miles from Beverley, many Northumbrians, in utter despair of resisting
+the invaders with the slightest success, remembered, in the hour of
+darkness, that St. John of Beverley was a saint of Saxon race, and, in
+accordance with the ideas prevalent at the time, believed he was
+potent enough to afford them protection. Alarmed beyond measure at the
+approach of the Conqueror, and at the accounts of atrocities
+perpetrated by the victorious Normans, many women of rank whose
+husbands and brothers had fallen, and old men on the verge of the
+grave, taking with them their most valuable property, gathered to the
+church of Beverley, and prostrating themselves at the shrine of St.
+John, prayed to their canonized countryman, "that he, remembering in
+heaven he was born a Saxon, might protect them and their property from
+the fury of the foreigners." Having thus committed themselves to the
+care of St. John, the refugees awaited the issue, with fear and
+trembling indeed, but not without hope of salvation.
+
+In the meantime, there reached the Norman camp tidings that many
+Northumbrians of great riches had sought shelter in the church of
+Beverley, and that most of the wealth of the neighbourhood had been
+lodged in safety within the walls. This report roused the avarice of
+the invaders; nor did any thought of the sacred character of the
+edifice, or of the saint to whom it was dedicated, restrain their
+aspirations after plunder. Whatever an Umfraville or a Merley might
+think of sacrilege, the crime was one which the majority of the
+conquerors lightly regarded. Every consideration, however holy,
+vanished in presence of the temptation presented by the prospect of
+booty; and the warriors of the Conquest had as little hesitation in
+robbing a church as in plundering a henhouse.
+
+Among the military adventurers encamped near Beverley was a soldier
+named Toustain. This man, who seems to have had neither scruples nor
+fears, on hearing that spoil was to be easily come by, immediately
+resolved on a foray. Buckling on his mail, calling out his men, and
+mounting his horse, Toustain, at the head of his troops, rode from the
+camp, and dashed across the country to Beverley, eager to commence the
+work of pillage, and only uneasy at the possibility of any one being
+before him.
+
+But Toustain was destined to disappointment. Entering Beverley with
+his band at his back, he rode on, and pursued his way towards the
+church without encountering resistance, and found that the people had
+taken refuge and crowded together in the cemetery. Giving his horse
+the spur, Toustain leaped the wall; and running his keen eye along the
+crowd, he was attracted by an old man, whose attire was of the richest
+description.
+
+The individual on whose figure the eye of Toustain thus rested was an
+aged thane--so advanced in years, indeed, that he probably remembered
+the days of Earl Uchtred. With his long, loose robe, long white hair,
+and long white moustache, the aspect of the man was venerable and
+striking. But what attracted Toustain's attention was not the white
+beard, nor the long robes, but the bracelets with which, according to
+the custom of the country, the arms of the aged thane were loaded. In
+fact, the sight of the bracelets caused Toustain's eye to gleam with
+avarice; and drawing his sword, he spurred forward with the intention
+of making them his own.
+
+But, according to the proverb, there is much between the cup and the
+lip; and the truth of this Toustain now found to his cost. Terrified
+at the Norman's drawn blade and menacing manner, the old thane
+tottered hastily to the church, to place himself under the protection
+of the patron saint of the place; and Toustain, who had no more
+respect for the Saxon saint than for those who invoked his aid,
+pursued sword in hand. Scarcely, however, had the Norman, with avarice
+at his heart and blasphemy on his lips, spurred through the doorway,
+when his horse, touching the pavement, slipped, lost its footing, and
+fell, bearing its rider to the ground with a crash which seemed
+sufficient to break every bone in his body.
+
+On seeing their leader fall, and lie as if dead, the Norman soldiers
+were seized with superstitious terror. It seemed as if the Saxon saint
+had, in his wrath, struck Toustain down. Hurriedly turning their
+horses' heads, they left Beverley at a gallop, hastened in terror to
+their camp, and related to the companions of their enterprise the
+terrible example which St. John of Beverley had just given of his
+power. The accident produced a lasting effect on the invading army;
+and when the Normans again marched to slay and plunder, not one
+soldier in their ranks was daring enough to expose himself to
+supernatural vengeance by molesting any person under the protection of
+St. John of Beverley.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XXVIII.
+
+THE REDUCTION OF CHESTER.
+
+
+While the conquerors of Northumberland passed the winter of 1070 at
+York, and rested from the fatigues they had undergone in their
+campaign north of the Humber, William occupied his mind with schemes
+for the reduction of the country around Chester--"the one great city
+of England that had not yet heard the tramp of the foreigners'
+horses." When winter passed, and spring began to bring back the grass
+to the fields and leaves to the trees, the Norman king intimated his
+intention of setting out on the important expedition.
+
+But the effect produced by William's orders, that war-steeds should be
+saddled, and warriors should mount, to encounter new perils, was such
+as he could hardly have anticipated. Loud murmurs immediately arose in
+the army, especially among the auxiliaries from Anjou and Brittany.
+Exaggerated accounts of the ruggedness of the province of Chester and
+of the ferocity of the inhabitants circulated through the camp; and
+the terrible hardships suffered in Northumberland utterly disinclined
+the soldiers for a campaign on the banks of the Dee.
+
+"This service," said they, "is more intolerable than slavery. We
+demand leave to return to our homes."
+
+"Wait awhile," said William, coaxingly: "after victory I promise you
+repose; and with repose, great estates, as the reward of your
+exertions."
+
+After some difficulty the murmurs of the Normans were silenced; and
+William, leading his army over the intervening mountains by paths till
+then deemed impracticable for cavalry, entered the city of Chester as
+a conqueror. Having erected a strong castle to keep the natives in
+awe, he gave the command of the province to a Fleming, named Gherbaud,
+with the title of Earl of Chester.
+
+Elate, doubtless, with his good fortune, Gherbaud entered on his
+duties with vigour. His ardour, however, was speedily damped. It
+appeared that the accounts of the ferocity of the men of Chester that
+had reached York were not altogether without foundation. The English
+and Welsh, hitherto sworn foes, and continually at strife, seemed to
+vie with each other in their attacks on the invaders. Harassed on
+every hand, and exposed to continual anxiety and peril, Gherbaud grew
+tired of Chester, abandoned his earldom, and intensely disgusted with
+his taste of the conquered country, retired to Flanders.
+
+It now appeared necessary to place the earldom of Chester in the hands
+of a man who, while gifted with the governing faculty, could laugh at
+danger, and fatigue, and ferocious foes. Accordingly, William, duly
+weighing the circumstances of the case, conferred the post of danger
+on that feudal personage who figures in the history of the period as
+Hugh d'Avranches, and who, from bearing a wolf's head painted on his
+shield, was familiarly known among his contemporaries as Hugh le Loup.
+
+Hugh le Loup was son of Richard Gosse, and, on the mother's side,
+stood to William in the relationship of nephew. Full of courage and
+ambition, he shrunk neither from the perils nor the toils that had
+disgusted and dismayed Gherbaud. Passing the Dee with his two
+lieutenants, Robert de Malpas and Robert d'Avranches, Hugh conquered
+Flintshire, and built a castle at Rhuddlan, which was occupied by
+Robert d'Avranches; while Robert de Malpas having built a castle on a
+high hill, gave the place his name, which it still bears. Both of
+these warriors exhibited high courage, carried on a fierce war with
+the natives, and fought sanguinary battles, in which they dyed their
+spears in Welsh blood.
+
+When Hugh le Loup found himself installed as Earl of Chester, but
+surrounded on all sides by implacable foes, he naturally felt desirous
+of having some of his countrymen at hand to share his fortunes. With
+this view he sent to Normandy for an old friend, named Nigel, who
+brought with him five brothers, to whom Hugh granted lands in the
+earldom of Chester. Besides appointing Nigel Constable and Hereditary
+Marshal of Chester, Hugh granted him the town of Halton, near the
+Mersey, and all four-legged beasts of more than one colour taken from
+the Welsh, besides other privileges; and the five brothers were all
+provided for. One was gifted with the office of Constable of Halton,
+and the lands of Weston and Ashton, with all the bulls taken from the
+Welsh, and the best ox for the man-at-arms who carried his banner; the
+second of the brothers received as much land as an ox could plough in
+two days; the third, who was a priest, was gifted with the church of
+Runcorn; and two others became lords of a domain in that village.
+
+About the time that Hugh le Loup was consolidating his power in
+Chester, Gilbert de Lacy, to whom William had granted the magnificent
+domain of Pontefract, passed the mountains west of York, advancing
+boldly into the county of Lancaster, which then formed part of
+Chester. Gilbert took possession of this immense territory, extending
+south and east to the borders of Yorkshire, forcibly expelled the
+ancient proprietors, and constituted himself lord of the towns of
+Blackburn and Rochdale, and all the land which he overran.
+
+[Illustration: Flint Castle, on the Estuary of the Dee]
+
+
+
+
+XXIX.
+
+[Illustration: Ruins of the Forum at Rome]
+
+LANFRANC OF PAVIA.
+
+
+About Easter, 1070, three ecclesiastics of high rank, sent by the
+Pope, at King William's request, arrived in England in the capacity of
+legates. One was bishop of Sion, the other two were cardinals, and
+their errand was to set the Church of England in order. After being
+received by William with great honour, and magnificently entertained
+in the castle of Winchester, the legates convoked a great assembly of
+Norman priests and warriors, and summoned to it the Anglo-Saxon
+prelates and abbots. Having opened the business of the assembly by
+solemnly placing the Confessor's crown on the Conqueror's head, they
+proceeded to the discharge of their harsh duties, and pronounced
+sentence of deposition on many abbots and prelates.
+
+Among those who were deposed, the most important, from his position
+and influence, was Robert Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury. The
+difficulty of finding a proper successor to Stigand was not
+overlooked. Without delay, the legates prepared to bestow the
+archbishopric of Canterbury on Lanfranc of Pavia, one of the greatest
+scholars and most remarkable men of the century in which he lived.
+
+Lanfranc was a native of the city of Pavia, and a man of gentle blood.
+A scholar by nature, he early applied himself to those studies which
+enabled him to figure as the leader of the intellectual movement of
+the age. It has been said that, "to comprehend the extent of his
+talents, one must be Herodian in grammar, Aristotle in dialectics,
+Cicero in rhetoric, Augustine and Jerome in scriptural lore."
+
+Becoming a monk of Bec-Hellouin, Lanfranc rapidly raised that humble
+monastery to the dignity of a university, and came to be acknowledged
+as the great teacher of Latin Christendom. So signal was his success,
+and so high his reputation, that, from the remotest parts of Western
+Europe, and even from Greece, students resorted to Bec-Hellouin as to
+a new Athens.
+
+While at Bec-Hellouin, Lanfranc had the gratification to gain the
+confidence of William the Norman, and he became zealously attached to
+the ambitious duke's fortunes. But a serious difference arose.
+Lanfranc happened to set himself in opposition to William's marriage
+with Matilda of Flanders, as being within the degrees of relationship
+prohibited by the Church; and as, in regard to this affair, the duke
+would brook no contradiction, the priest of Pavia was commanded to
+depart. It is related that William, to speed Lanfranc on his way back
+to his native land, sent him a horse so lame of one foot, that it
+might be said to go on three legs, and that Lanfranc, meeting William
+on the road, begged at least to have a quadruped, and not a tripod,
+for his journey. But however that may have been, Lanfranc found his
+way to Rome, and placed himself under the wing of the Pope.
+
+Once at Rome, Lanfranc began carefully to examine the case of
+William's relationship to Matilda in all its bearings. Ere long, his
+opinion as to its merits underwent a change. After examining canon and
+precedent, he arrived at the conclusion that, though the letter of the
+law was against the union of the duke and the Flemish princess, yet
+that the alliance came under the category of those to which the Church
+should accord dispensation. Having convinced himself on this point,
+Lanfranc exerted his efforts earnestly as William's advocate, and
+though dealing with a Pope decidedly averse to the marriage, he
+managed matters so skilfully as to obtain a formal dispensation, which
+not only restored him to the Norman duke's good opinion, but gave him
+a higher place in the martial magnate's favour than he before
+occupied.
+
+Removed from the cloisters of Bec-Hellouin to figure as Abbot of Caen,
+Lanfranc became the soul of William's councils and his plenipotentiary
+at Rome. He it was who, in that capacity, brought to a successful
+issue the negotiations regarding the invasion of England.
+
+When the papal legate proposed Lanfranc as Stigand's successor in the
+archbishopric of Canterbury, William gladly approved of the selection.
+Lanfranc was then at Caen. No time, however, was lost in sending him
+to England. Matilda hastened his departure; and his arrival was
+celebrated by the Normans with joy. "He is," said they, "an institutor
+sent from God to reform the habits of the English."
+
+The gratification which the elevation of Lanfranc caused was not
+confined to the conquerors of Neustria and England. The Pope evinced
+his high satisfaction by sending his own pallium to the new
+archbishop, with an epistle worded in the most complimentary strain.
+
+"I long to see your face," wrote the Pontiff, "and am only consoled
+for your absence by reflecting on the happy fruits which England will
+derive from your care."
+
+When Lanfranc made his entry into Canterbury, the condition to which
+the church was reduced filled his heart with sadness. During the
+Conquest the edifice had met with rough treatment. It had been
+pillaged, despoiled of its ornaments, and even set on fire, and the
+high altar was half buried beneath a heap of rubbish.
+
+It was not difficult for a man of Lanfranc's influence to repair the
+church; but there was a grave question, whether Canterbury or York
+should possess the primacy of England, which had long furnished matter
+for dispute. It was a serious controversy, and one from which Lanfranc
+felt that it would ill become him to shrink.
+
+By this time the Saxon Alred, bowed down with sorrow, had gone where
+the weary are at rest, and Thomas, one of William's Norman chaplains,
+figured as Archbishop of York. Thomas was naturally reluctant to give
+up his claims; and some of the earlier evidences were so ambiguous,
+that he had a fair excuse for being pertinacious. After a long
+process, however, Lanfranc established his claim to the primacy;
+became, as such, first member of the Grand Council of State, and by
+his success established the great principle, "that whatever rights had
+legally subsisted before the Conquest were to be preserved and
+maintained, unaffected by the accession of a new dynasty."
+
+After thus being recognised as primate, Lanfranc was hailed as, "by
+the grace of God, father of all the churches," and as such undertook a
+task of great delicacy. Owing to the ignorance of Anglo-Saxon
+transcribers, the text of the biblical books had become much
+corrupted; and Lanfranc employed himself in a new edition of the Holy
+Scriptures, diligently occupying himself with the work, and executing
+much of it with his own hand. The Saxons, incapable of comprehending
+the necessity that existed for such revision, raised a cry that the
+primate was falsifying the sacred books. But Lanfranc went on with his
+labours, and without heeding the hostile attitude assumed towards him
+by the vanquished islanders, was ever zealous in standing up for their
+rights. He endeavoured to enact the part of a father to the conquered
+populace; he devoted his whole energies to the service of his adopted
+country, and he ever rejoiced in the name of Englishman.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XXX.
+
+[Illustration: Edwin, Earl of Mercia, and the daughters of the
+Conqueror.]
+
+EDWIN AND MORKAR.
+
+
+While Lanfranc was, as Archbishop of Canterbury, establishing his
+claims to the primacy of England, the year 1071 witnessed the utter
+ruin of that great Saxon House of which, in the days of Edward the
+Confessor, Leofric, Earl of Mercia, had been the head.
+
+Edwin and Morkar, the sons of Algar, and grandsons of Leofric and
+Godiva, were fair to look upon and pleasant to converse with. They
+were proud, indeed, but their pride did not detract from their
+popularity. The people rather thought it became them; for it was well
+known that, while the immediate forefathers of most Saxon thanes had
+held the plough or enriched themselves by trade, the Mercian earls
+could justly boast of a long pedigree. Leofric, the husband of Godiva,
+was sixth in descent from his renowned ancestor of the same name; and
+his heirs were all the prouder of the circumstance, that their
+position had been maintained with honour and dignity, while other
+families, yielding to wars, revolutions, and confiscations, had ceased
+to exist or degenerated into ceorles.
+
+Edwin, Earl of Mercia, was considered the handsomest man of his age.
+With the earldom of Leofric, he had inherited the beauty of Godiva.
+His frank features, valiant spirit, and engaging manners made him a
+great favourite with men; and few women, whether peasant girls or
+princesses, could look without admiration upon his fair face, blue
+eyes, handsome figure, and the long light hair that flowed over his
+manly shoulders.
+
+Edwin and Morkar had taken no part in the battle of Hastings. That,
+however, was no fault of theirs, for Harold, rashly as it would seem,
+had left London to encounter the Normans before his brothers-in-law
+could possibly bring up the men of the north to his aid. On reaching
+London they heard of his defeat and fall.
+
+The idea of aspiring to the vacant throne was not unnatural to men
+situated as Edwin and Morkar were. They accordingly appeared as
+candidates for the difficult post of King of England. What might have
+been the result if one of them had been elected it would be useless to
+speculate. Sufficient it is to say that the adherents of Edgar
+Atheling were too resolute to be influenced and too numerous to be
+overawed. Finding their claims disregarded, Edwin and Morkar took
+their sister Aldith, the widow of Harold, from the palace of
+Westminster, escorted her to Chester, and then repaired to York with
+some dream of separating the northern provinces from the rest of
+England, and defending them to the death against the Norman invaders.
+
+Events speedily opened the eyes of the northern earls to the absurdity
+of their project. Almost every day brought to York such intelligence
+as convinced them that they were pursuing an impolitic course; and
+when they learned that William the Norman had obtained possession of
+London and the Confessor's crown, they deemed it prudent to hasten
+southward to present themselves to the Conqueror, to profess their
+friendship, and offer their allegiance.
+
+William, well understanding the importance of being recognised as king
+by such men as Edwin and Morkar, treated the sons of Algar with
+distinction. Moreover, to insure the fidelity of the two brothers,
+William promised Edwin one of his daughters in marriage; and,
+fascinated by the prospects opened up to their view, they remained
+quietly and submissively at the Conqueror's court. It does not appear
+to have occurred to them that they were regarded in the light either
+of captives or of hostages.
+
+As months passed on, however, and William, anxious to display himself
+on the Continent in his new character, prepared to embark at Pevensey
+for Normandy, Edwin and Morkar suddenly learned their real position.
+The Conqueror peremptorily commanded the attendance of the two Saxon
+earls, and they were fain to obey. But it was with sullen reluctance;
+and when, after having been duly admired and criticised by the dames
+and damsels at the court of Rouen, they returned to England, it was
+with a determination to break their chains without delay.
+
+Matters were soon brought to a crisis. Edwin reminded William of the
+promise of his daughter's hand, and demanded her in marriage. William
+made a reply which sounded like a refusal, and seemed to savour of
+insult. The Saxon earl tossed back his head with an air of defiance,
+as if to indicate his opinion that the granddaughter of Arlette would
+have been highly honoured by becoming the wife of the grandson of
+Godiva. Soon after, it was publicly known that Edwin and Morkar,
+having escaped from the court, had departed for the north; and the
+prayers of the people accompanied them in their flight, while monks
+and priests offered up fervent orisons for their safety and success.
+
+The prayers and orisons, however, cannot be said to have proved of
+much avail. The enterprise of Edwin and Morkar resulted in failure;
+the Saxon earls were fain to retreat to the borders of Scotland; and
+events ere long seeming to render the Saxon cause hopeless, the
+chiefs, after William's coronation at York, lost heart and hope, and
+consented to capitulate. On the banks of the Tees, where William was
+encamped, a formal reconciliation took place. Edwin and Morkar, with
+other Saxons of high name, made their peace with the Conqueror, and
+with a sigh for the freedom they left behind, returned to his court.
+
+Brief, however, was the residence of the Saxon earls in the halls of
+the Norman king. In fact, the deposition of the Saxon bishops, and the
+sufferings they had to endure, fired the soul of every Saxon with
+fierce indignation. A mighty conspiracy was formed, with ramifications
+over all England; and men, driven to the last stage of despair,
+determined to establish an extensive armed station.
+
+At that time the district to the north of Cambridgeshire, of which Ely
+and Croyland formed part, was almost a moving bog, intersected by
+rivers, overgrown with rushes and willows, clouded with fogs and
+vapours, and presenting the appearance of a vast lake interspersed
+with islands. On these islands there stood, as monuments of the piety
+of the Saxon kings, religious houses, built on piles and earth brought
+from a distance--here an abbey, there a hermitage.
+
+It was to this district, wholly impracticable for cavalry and
+heavily-armed troops, that Saxon chiefs despoiled of their lands, and
+Saxon priests deprived of their livings, repaired in great numbers.
+Constructing intrenchments of earth and wood, they formed what was
+called the Camp of Refuge. Thither, from Scotland, came Robert
+Stigand, the deposed Archbishop of Canterbury, and Eghelwin, the
+deposed Bishop of Durham; and thither, from the court of the Norman,
+after having escaped countless perils, and wandered for months in
+woods and solitary places, came Edwin and Morkar, the Saxon earls.
+
+William was startled at this second escape of his long-haired
+captives, and by no means easy at the idea of their being at liberty.
+He immediately contrived to convey to them promises never intended to
+be kept, and Morkar was sufficiently credulous to listen. Yielding to
+the temptations held out, the young earl abandoned the camp at Ely.
+Scarcely, however, had he left the intrenchments when he was seized,
+bound hand and foot, carried to a Norman castle, put forcibly in
+irons, and left under the custody of Robert de Beaumont--one of those
+men from whose keeping there was small chance of escaping.
+
+Edwin, hearing of his brother's imprisonment, became somewhat
+desperate. He resolved to leave Ely, not to surrender, but to struggle
+so long as life remained. With a few adherents he wandered for six
+months from place to place, vainly endeavouring to rouse his
+countrymen to a great effort for their deliverance. While thus
+occupied he was betrayed by three of his officers, who basely sold him
+to the Normans. Warned of his danger, Edwin was one day riding, with
+twenty attendants, towards the sea, with some notion of reaching the
+coast of Scotland, when a band of Normans suddenly rushed upon him.
+Endeavouring to escape, the Saxon earl galloped on; but stopped by a
+brook so swollen with the tide that it was impossible to cross, he
+dismounted from his steed and turned desperately to bay.
+
+Nor in that hour did the young and popular Saxon earl bear himself in
+a manner unworthy of his position as one of the great race which for
+six centuries had given kings and war-chiefs to the British isles. For
+a long time he defended himself with heroic courage against a host of
+assailants; and at last--when overborne by numbers and forced to his
+knees, he fell as, in such circumstances, a brave man should--he died
+without fear, as he had fought without hope.
+
+The death of Edwin was lamented by Normans as well as Saxons; even the
+grim Conqueror's heart was touched to the core. When the head of the
+Saxon earl, with its long, flowing hair, was carried to London,
+William could not restrain his tears. The king, says the chronicler,
+wept over the fate of one whom he loved, and whom he would fain have
+attached to his fortunes.
+
+
+
+
+XXXI.
+
+[Illustration: OLD FOREST LAWS]
+
+IVO TAILLE-BOIS.
+
+
+Among the martial adventurers of the Continent whom William the
+Norman, before sailing to the Conquest, allured to his standard, and
+whose services he rewarded with the lands and lordships of the
+Saxons, slain, imprisoned, or expatriated during his progress from the
+coast of Sussex to the verge of "mountainous Northumberland," one of
+the most unpopular with the vanquished islanders was Ivo Taille-Bois.
+
+Nevertheless, Ivo Taille-Bois was a remarkable man in his way. A
+native of Angers, he came to the Conquest as a captain of Angevin
+auxiliaries, with a spirit equally mercenary and unscrupulous. Fortune
+favoured his career; and having done much work from which a Norman
+noble would have shrunk, he found that his aspirations after wealth
+and power were likely to be realized. It was on the ruins of the great
+House of Leofric that Ivo eventually contrived to exalt himself.
+
+When Edwin was killed, under circumstances so touching, and Morkar was
+imprisoned, under circumstances so melancholy, Ivo Taille-Bois
+received in marriage Lucy, the youngest sister of the two earls, and
+with her a large part of their hereditary domains. This immediately
+made Ivo a man of importance; and as the bulk of his land was situated
+about Spalding, towards the borders of Cambridge and Lincoln, he
+called himself Viscount of Spalding, and began to let the inhabitants
+feel his territorial power in such a way, that they cursed the chance
+which had metamorphosed a captain of mercenaries into a feudal lord.
+
+Among a band of conquerors such as accompanied William the Norman to
+England, there must always be many more or less tyrannical to the
+vanquished; but the tyranny of Ivo Taille-Bois was something by
+itself. He was so fond of outraging the feelings and invading the
+rights of the populace, that he seemed to indulge in it as a luxury;
+and no humility on their part could in the slightest degree mitigate
+his violence. It was in vain that they paid all the rents he demanded;
+that they rendered all the services he required; that they appeared in
+his presence on bended knee; and that they addressed him in the most
+deferential tone: he only became the more cruel and more exacting.
+
+The account given by a contemporary chronicler of the oppressions
+practised by Ivo Taille-Bois on the inhabitants of the district
+subject to his sway is sufficient, even at this distance of time, to
+excite strong indignation. Though they rendered him all possible
+honour, he showed them neither affability nor kindness; on the
+contrary, he vexed them, imprisoned them, tormented them, and tortured
+them. Often he hounded his dogs on their cattle while quietly grazing,
+drove their beasts into the marshes, drowned them in ponds, broke
+their backs or limbs, and by mutilating them in various ways, rendered
+them unfit for service.
+
+Ivo seemed to delight in cruelty for cruelty's sake; and under such
+treatment, the people who were his victims gradually gave way to
+despair. Selling what little they still possessed, they sought in
+other lands the peace no longer to be found at home. Ivo, however,
+feeling the necessity of somebody to oppress, and looking round, fixed
+his eyes on some Saxon monks.
+
+It happened that there stood near Spalding, and by the gates of the
+terrible Angevin, a religious house which was dependent on the abbey
+of Croyland and inhabited by some of the Croyland monks. Ivo, having
+forced the peasantry of the neighbourhood to decamp, turned his
+attention to this religious house, and soon succeeded in making it an
+earthly purgatory. The monks attempted to save themselves by
+refraining from giving the slightest offence; but this only added to
+his bitterness. He lamed their horses and cattle, killed their sheep
+and poultry, attacked their servants on the highway, and oppressed
+their tenants in every way which his ingenuity could invent.
+
+Nevertheless, the monks held on. Not by any means inclined to yield
+their home without a struggle, they did all they could, by prayers,
+supplications, and presents to his dependents, to soften Ivo's heart.
+But they were utterly unsuccessful. They found that matters became
+worse and worse. Their patience and long-suffering came to an end.
+They packed up their books and their sacred vessels, and committing
+their house to God's keeping, prepared to depart. "We have tried all,
+and suffered all," said they; "now let us begone;" and shaking the
+dust from their feet, they repaired to Croyland.
+
+On the departure of the monks Ivo was rejoiced beyond measure. He
+immediately despatched a messenger to his native town of Angers, and
+requested to have some holy men sent over to England. A prior and five
+monks soon appeared, and took possession of the religious house at
+Spalding. The Abbot of Croyland, who was an Anglo-Saxon, protested
+against their installation, and complained to the king's council
+against proceedings so lawless. But no redress could be obtained; and
+Ivo Taille-Bois continued in the daily perpetration of enormities, for
+which, had he lived two centuries later, he would have been tried
+before a jury at Westminster, and hanged at the Nine Elms.
+
+[Illustration: Norman rustic (from Strutt)]
+
+
+
+
+XXXII.
+
+[Illustration: Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire.]
+
+HEREWARD THE SAXON.
+
+
+While Edgar Atheling was seeking refuge in Scotland, and while Edwin
+and Morkar were, by their wavering, bringing ruin on the House of
+Leofric, and rendering the Saxon cause utterly hopeless, there was
+living in Flanders a native of England, who bore the name of Hereward
+and a high reputation for courage and prowess.
+
+Hereward, having long been settled in Flanders, had taken no part in
+the earlier struggle between Normans and Saxons. Some of the
+vanquished islanders, however, flying from the Conqueror's sword,
+sought their countryman, and intimated that they brought him bad news.
+
+"Your father," said the exiles, "has been dead for a year; your mother
+has been exposed to many indignities and vexations; and your heritage
+is in possession of a foreigner."
+
+"By the Holy Rood!" exclaimed Hereward, "if such are the tidings you
+bring from England, it is high time for me to be there."
+
+After this, Hereward was not guilty of any delay. He prepared for a
+voyage, embarked for England, reached the coast, and made his way to
+Lincolnshire, where, surrounded by woodland and marshes, with a wide
+avenue in front, and an orchard in the rear, near the abbeys of
+Croyland and Peterborough, and near the Isle of Ely, stood the rude
+wooden mansion which his fathers had called their own. The sight of
+his birthplace fired Hereward's patriotism; and making himself known
+to such of his friends and kinsmen as had survived the struggle, he
+induced them to arm. Having, without exciting the suspicion of the
+Normans, assembled them in a body, he attacked the foreigner who had
+evicted his mother, and conducted the enterprise with such courage,
+that he was enabled to take possession of his property.
+
+But scarcely had Hereward installed himself in his paternal property,
+when he found that he could not, with safety, limit his operations to
+a single exploit. Accordingly he commenced a partisan warfare in the
+neighbourhood of his dwelling, and at the head of his little band
+encountered the garrisons of towns and strongholds. Such were the
+skill and courage he displayed, that his name soon became celebrated
+over England. Songs in his praise were sung in the streets, and the
+Saxons turned their eyes towards him with hope long unfelt.
+
+On hearing of the exploits of Hereward, the Saxons who had formed the
+Camp of Refuge at Ely requested him to become their captain; and
+Hereward, most readily consenting, passed, with the comrades of his
+victories, to the Isle. His arrival excited the courage and revived
+the hopes of the Saxons. Before taking the command, however, he
+desired to become a member of the high Saxon militia, and to be
+admitted with the proper ceremonies into that body.
+
+The demand was suggestive of some difficulties, for it was necessary
+to have the services of a priest of high rank to bless the arms, and
+at this stage of the Conquest few priests of high rank were
+sufficiently courageous to defy the wrath of the conquerors. Among
+those, however, who regarded Hereward as the hero destined to save his
+country was Brand, the Abbot of Peterborough. This abbot, a man of
+high temper and indomitable spirit, consented to perform the ceremony;
+and Hereward repaired to the abbey. Having confessed at evening, and
+watched all night in the church, he laid his sword on the altar at the
+hour of mass in the morning, received, while kneeling, his blade from
+the hand of the abbot, took the sacrament, and rose to go forth and
+wield it in the cause of his country.
+
+The ceremony that was performed in the abbey of Peterborough was no
+secret to the Normans in the neighbourhood. The knights with whom
+Hereward had crossed swords soon learned that he had repaired to the
+abbey, and sneered scornfully at the idea of a warrior's belt being
+girded on by an abbot.
+
+"He who has his sword girded on by a priest," said they, "is not
+knight, but a degenerate burgess."
+
+But it was against the Saxon abbot, in the first place, and not
+against Hereward, that the wrath of the conquerors was directed. No
+sooner did news of the ceremony at Peterborough reach the ears of
+those high in authority, than Brand was doomed; and ere long soldiers
+appeared to seize him in the king's name. They, however, were too
+late. Before their arrival he had breathed his last; and a foreigner
+was, without delay, appointed to fill the bold Saxon's place.
+
+Among the fighting churchmen whom the Conquest had introduced to
+England was a native of Fécamp, named Turauld. Accommodated with an
+abbey at the expense of the vanquished, this man had rendered himself
+notorious by the stern method he used of drilling the Saxon monks into
+discipline. Whenever they proved refractory he was in the habit of
+crying, "A moi, mes hommes d'armes;" and he made his abbey the scene
+of military violence.
+
+The system pursued by Turauld in his abbey soon became a matter of
+notoriety, and reached the king's ears. William thought himself bound
+to interfere, but was at some loss to decide in what way such an
+offender should be punished. On the death of Abbot Brand, however, the
+difficulty vanished, and Turauld was immediately appointed to the
+abbey of Peterborough.
+
+"That is somewhat near the Saxon Camp of Refuge," remarked Turauld.
+
+"It is a dangerous post, doubtless," said William, smiling grimly;
+"but very fit for an abbot who is so good a soldier."
+
+Attended by Norman warriors, Turauld in due time approached
+Peterborough to take possession. But apprehensive of danger, he halted
+some leagues from the abbey, and sent men forward to ascertain the
+position of the refugees.
+
+The monks of Peterborough, in the utmost trepidation, determined to
+admit the foreigner; and Hereward, not unaware of their intentions,
+made a descent on the abbey. Finding that the monks could not be
+relied on, he resolved on a desperate expedient. While the scouts of
+Turauld were making observations, he carried off the crosses,
+chalices, sacred vessels, and whatever valuable ornaments the abbey
+contained, and conveyed them by water to the camp.
+
+"Now," he said, "we have hostages for the fidelity of the monks."
+
+Soon after Hereward left the abbey of Peterborough, Turauld,
+encompassed by Norman lances, presented himself at the gates. The
+monks, trembling for their lives, bent their shaven crowns, and
+admitted their new abbot without hesitation; and Turauld, having taken
+possession, was forthwith installed. At the same time he appropriated
+sixty-two hides of land belonging to the abbey to his soldiers, to
+reward their services and encourage their zeal.
+
+Meantime, Ivo Taille-Bois, clad in his linked mail, and followed by
+armed men, rode to the abbey of Peterborough. On being admitted to the
+abbot's presence Ivo proposed an expedition to the Isle of Ely, to
+destroy the Camp of Refuge and crush the insurgents. Turauld
+sanctioned the expedition, but declined to take an active part in it;
+and everything having been arranged, the Angevin viscount advanced
+boldly with his men through the forests and willows which served the
+Saxons as intrenchments, while the abbot, surrounded by Normans of
+high rank, remained at what he considered a safe distance.
+
+But Ivo Taille-Bois was destined to miss his foes, and Turauld to meet
+those whom Ivo sought. Aware of the projects of the Normans and of
+their movements, Hereward was on the alert. Contriving to escape
+unobserved from the wood by one side while Ivo entered by the other,
+the Saxon chief, leaving the Angevin viscount to pursue his search in
+vain, fell suddenly upon the abbot and the abbot's Norman attendants,
+seized them without difficulty as prisoners, and kept them securely in
+the marshes till they paid a large ransom.
+
+Nevertheless, the position of Hereward and his comrades became every
+day more perilous. About this time, however, they were reinforced by
+allies, whose presence inspired them with some hope of accomplishing
+their country's deliverance. Indignant at his brother's conduct at
+York, Sweyn, King of Denmark, fitted out a new fleet, and came in
+person to the aid of the vanquished islanders. But the royal Dane soon
+tired of an enterprise which he found was much less promising than he
+had anticipated. After sailing up the Humber without receiving any
+particular encouragement, he returned to Denmark.
+
+But, however disappointed he might have been, Sweyn, while departing
+from the shores of England, did not withdraw his fleet. Entering
+Boston Wash, the Danish ships, by the mouth of the Ouse and the Glen,
+succeeded in reaching the Isle of Ely. Hereward hailed with joy the
+arrival of the Danes, and welcomed them as friends and liberators.
+
+William was startled at the arrival of Danish auxiliaries, but he was
+not particularly perplexed. Perfectly comprehending how to deal with
+King Sweyn, the Conqueror hastened to send ambassadors to Denmark with
+artful messages and costly presents. The successor of Canute,
+completely won over to the Norman cause, did without scruple that
+which he had, some months earlier, punished his brother for doing; and
+Hereward and his comrades soon learned to their dismay that they were
+once more betrayed by their Northern allies.
+
+When the Danes at Ely, on whose powerful aid Hereward had built such
+hopes, received orders to return home, they were far from manifesting
+any reluctance. They seemed determined, however, not to go
+empty-handed. In fact, the temptation of carrying off the ornaments
+and sacred vessels which Hereward had brought from the abbey of
+Peterborough was more than the grisly Northmen could resist; and
+seizing everything in the way of treasure upon which they could lay
+hands, they embarked, and turning the prows of their ships homewards,
+gave their sails to the wind, laughing grimly at the ridiculous plight
+in which they left the men they had come to save.
+
+Affairs now hurried to a catastrophe. Ivo Taille-Bois and Abbot
+Turauld rejoiced in the hope of triumph and revenge; and Hereward
+could not but confess that the prospects of the Saxons at Ely were
+dismal in the extreme. By-and-by news reached the Camp of Refuge that
+William was assembling forces, and that a great blow was to be struck,
+and as weeks passed on, the Camp of Refuge was invested by land and
+water. On every side workmen were set to form dykes and causeways over
+the marshes; and on the west, over waters covered with reeds and
+willows, the Normans commenced the construction of a road three
+hundred paces in length.
+
+But most of the labour was found to be in vain. The Normans had no
+rest. Hereward and his friends, incessant in their attacks and artful
+in their stratagems, constantly interrupted the work; and the workmen,
+finding themselves disturbed in the most sudden and unexpected manner,
+gave way to superstitious terror.
+
+"Assuredly," they exclaimed, "this Hereward is in league with the Evil
+One."
+
+"Think you so?" cried Ivo Taille-Bois; "then we must fight him with
+his own weapons."
+
+The idea of the Angevin viscount was highly approved of; and he soon
+procured the services of a witch, whose enchantments, he declared,
+would disenchant Hereward's operations. Accordingly this woman was
+brought to the scene of action, and posted in a wooden tower at the
+place where the work was in progress. The result, however, was not
+such as Ivo had predicted. In fact, while the Norman pioneers and
+soldiers were all confident in the potency of the witch's charms,
+Hereward suddenly made a sally, set fire to the osiers that covered
+the marsh like a forest, and gave witch, workmen, and warriors to the
+flames.
+
+At this fresh misfortune the Normans began to consider their
+enterprise hopeless, and the blood of Ivo Taille-Bois boiled at the
+thought of being baffled by a "degenerate burgess" like Hereward. The
+address and activity of the Saxon chief really seemed to preclude the
+possibility of success. Nevertheless, the Normans persevered; and for
+months the Isle of Ely was blockaded so closely that provisions were
+with extreme difficulty obtained from without.
+
+When the operations reached this stage, William bethought him of the
+monks of Ely, and devised a scheme for enforcing their aid. Without
+warning he seized all the manors belonging to the abbey situated
+without the Isle; and the monks, unable to endure poverty and misery,
+and the famine that stared them in the face, resolved to put an end to
+the contest. With this view they sent to the Norman camp, and offered
+to show a passage, on condition of being left in possession of their
+property. Gilbert de Clare and William Warren having plighted their
+faith, and a treaty having been entered into, the monks fulfilled
+their promise, and the Normans prepared to penetrate into the Isle.
+
+Hereward and the Saxons, utterly unsuspicious of the treachery of the
+monks of Ely, were resting from their arduous exertions, when the
+sound of arms and the war-cry of Normans intimated that their foes
+were upon them. Completely taken by surprise, the Saxons were in no
+position to resist; and after a thousand of them had fallen, the camp
+was closely surrounded, and the majority were forced to lay down their
+arms. But better far would it have been for them to fight to the last.
+Many of those who submitted had their hands cut off and their eyes put
+out, and were then turned adrift as warnings against future revolts;
+others--and among them Archbishop Stigand and Bishop Eghelwin--were
+incarcerated and sentenced to imprisonment for life.
+
+But in the midst of carnage and disaster, Hereward was undaunted. When
+others laid down their arms, he still disdained the thought of
+yielding. Closely attended by a few zealous adherents, the Saxon
+chief broke from the assailants, retreated by paths into which the
+Normans did not venture to follow, passed from marsh to marsh, and
+overcoming every obstacle, made his way to the lowlands of
+Lincolnshire.
+
+It happened that the Normans had a station in the immediate
+neighbourhood of the place where Hereward and his friends found
+themselves after their hair-breadth escape. The temptation of a daring
+adventure was, under the circumstances, irresistible. Hereward made
+himself known to some fishermen, who were in the habit of every day
+taking fish to the garrison; and the fishermen, sympathizing with his
+views, were induced to lend their aid. Receiving Hereward and his
+companions into the boats, and concealing them under straw, the
+fishermen, next day, approached the station as usual; and the Normans,
+who were just sitting down to dinner, preparatory to riding forth on
+an expedition, were not in the least apprehensive of danger. Suddenly
+strange voices were heard, and Hereward and his men entering with
+their axes in their hands, rushed upon the Normans, and hewed down
+many before they knew what was taking place. Alarmed and despairing,
+the survivors fled, leaving their horses, which were ready saddled, a
+prey to the victors.
+
+After this exploit, which struck dismay into the hearts of his
+enemies, and considerably modified the joy with which the Normans
+announced their success at Ely, Hereward resumed operations with his
+old spirit. With a band of patriotic men, which gradually swelled to
+the number of a hundred, the indomitable Saxon performed countless
+feats of valour. Ever lying in ambush, and granting no quarter, he
+exerted his skill and energy with such effect, that he well avenged,
+if he could not redeem, the disaster of Ely. His comrades, all well
+armed and inspired by his example, encountered the foe with a degree
+of courage seldom equalled, and appearing suddenly at various points,
+never shrunk from odds save such as appeared overwhelming. Not one of
+them was known to have declined a conflict with fewer than four
+Normans; and Hereward, on his part, often fought with as many as
+seven.
+
+While Hereward was signalizing his prowess and courage in such a way
+that his name was idolized all over England, a lady of large
+property, named Alswithe, hearing of his fame and admiring his
+exploits, offered him her hand. Grateful for such a mark of esteem,
+Hereward accepted the proposal, and married her without delay. But
+Alswithe, dreading her husband's continual exposure to danger,
+employed all her influence to induce him to make his peace with the
+Conqueror; and Hereward, who loved his wife tenderly, gradually
+yielded to her entreaties, and at length accepted the king's peace.
+
+Having exchanged peril for security, and glory for ease, Hereward
+indulged in dreams of peace and comfort. But the Normans were not
+disposed to spare so formidable a foe. Determined to rid the country,
+by some means, of one who might again prove a mighty adversary, they
+several times attacked his house without success. One day, however,
+Fortune placed him in their power.
+
+It was a summer afternoon; and, after having dined, Hereward stretched
+himself in his orchard, with his hound at his feet, to enjoy some
+repose. He was without a coat of mail, but beside him lay his sword
+and a short spear, which Saxons of his rank always carried with them.
+As Hereward slept, a band of armed men, led by Asselm, a Norman, and
+Raoul de Dol, a knight of Brittany, cautiously penetrated into the
+orchard; and he, suddenly awakened by the barking of the hound, found
+himself hemmed in. But even in this emergency the heart of the hero
+did not fail him. Rising with a bound, before which the armed band
+recoiled, he faced his foes and demanded their errand.
+
+"Whom seek you?" he asked, sternly.
+
+"You," was the significant answer.
+
+"False traitors!" he cried; "the king has granted me his peace. Seek
+you me for my goods or my life?"
+
+"Both."
+
+"Then," exclaimed Hereward, "ye shall pay for them dearly!" and with
+these words he thrust his short spear with such force against a Norman
+knight who stood near, that it pierced through the hauberk into the
+heart, and came out dripping with life's blood.
+
+The Normans, startled, but confident in their numbers, now attempted
+to close with Hereward, and inflicted numerous wounds. But the Saxon
+hero returned blow for blow. When his spear broke he drew his sword,
+and made so desperate a resistance, that, at times, the issue of the
+combat appeared doubtful. Even when his sword broke on the helmet of
+one of his antagonists, he continued to fight with the pommel; and
+fifteen Normans had fallen beneath his hand, when he, at once,
+received four lance thrusts, and felt himself borne to the ground.
+Still he continued to struggle. Seizing a buckler, he struck Raoul de
+Dol so fiercely in the face, that the warlike Breton fell dead on the
+spot. But strength and life were now spent, and Hereward sank and
+expired.
+
+As Hereward lay dead, Asselm, the Norman, cut off the hero's head, but
+not without an emphatic expression of admiration. "By the virtue of
+God!" he exclaimed, "I swear that I have never in my life seen so
+valiant a man!"
+
+[Illustration: Fen country near Boston.]
+
+
+
+
+XXXIII.
+
+BUILDING OF BATTLE ABBEY.
+
+
+While pursuing his victorious career, William the Conqueror did not
+forget the vow which, immediately after the battle of Hastings, he
+made to erect an abbey, to be dedicated to the Holy Trinity and to St.
+Martin, the patron of the warriors of Gaul.
+
+It is related that, when the foundations were dug, and the first
+stones of the edifice laid, the architects discovered that there would
+be a deficiency of water. Somewhat disconcerted, they repaired to
+William, and acquainted him with the untoward circumstance.
+
+"Never mind," said the Conqueror, in a tone more jovial than his wont;
+"work away, and, if God give me life, there shall be more wine among
+the monks of Battle Abbey than there is in the best convent of
+Christendom."
+
+According to William's orders, the work was proceeded with: the outer
+walls were traced round the hill which Harold and his men had covered
+with their bodies; and the adjacent land was granted to the abbey.
+
+When the building of Battle Abbey was finished, William offered his
+sword and the regal robe he had worn at his coronation; and
+seven-score monks were brought from the great convent of Marmontiers,
+near Tours, to inhabit the edifice and pray for the souls of all who
+had died on the field. This magnificent structure is now in ruins, and
+the altar-stone, standing amid stagnant water, marks the spot where
+the Pope's consecrated banner was planted by William in the hour of
+carnage and victory.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XXXIV.
+
+MALCOLM CANMORE.
+
+
+After devastating Northumberland, reducing the men of Chester, and
+entirely crushing the refugees in the camp of Ely, William turned his
+attention towards the reduction of Scotland, where reigned a king who
+had some power and much inclination to work him annoyance.
+
+Malcolm Canmore was son of Duncan, King of Scots, whose murder by
+Macbeth, Buchanan has narrated and Shakspeare immortalized. In danger
+of being destroyed by the usurper, Malcolm and his brother, Donald
+Bane, after lurking for awhile in Scotland, resolved to fly--one made
+for Northumberland, the other for the Western Isles.
+
+At that time Siward the Dane ruled Northumberland; and of that great
+and sapient earl the mother of Malcolm had been a near kinswoman. This
+circumstance was sufficient to insure the Scottish prince a friendly
+reception; and, on reaching York, he had the consolation of being
+treated with every possible kindness. Moreover, when Siward carried
+him to the court of Westminster, the Confessor--who could not help
+comparing Malcolm's circumstances to his own, while an exile in
+Normandy--after expressing a strong sympathy with his misfortunes, and
+a strong interest in his welfare, bade him be of good cheer.
+
+At the Confessor's court, among Saxon thanes and Norman chevaliers,
+Malcolm might have learned to forget the crown which he had lost and
+the rude land from which he had been forced to fly; but it happened
+that Macbeth, after forfeiting the popularity by the aid of which he
+had usurped the Scottish throne, became a cruel and rapacious tyrant.
+The Scots, in disgust, manifested a decided desire for Malcolm's
+restoration; and Macduff, thane of Fife, abandoning Macbeth's cause,
+espoused that of Malcolm with enthusiasm and energy.
+
+About the time of Godwin's restoration to England, messages of
+encouragement from the north of the Tweed reached Malcolm in his
+exile; and, without much hesitation, the young prince, now grown to be
+a man of huge stature, resolved on an expedition to regain his
+father's crown. Powerful was the aid on which he had to rely; for the
+Confessor readily lent his countenance to the enterprise, and Siward
+undertook to conduct it to a successful issue.
+
+A fleet was soon fitted out to land soldiers on the Scottish coast;
+and an army of horse, commanded by Siward and his son, escorted
+Malcolm across the Tweed and through Lothian. The enterprise proved
+perfectly successful. In vain Hugh the Norman, Osborne, surnamed
+Pentecost, and other foreigners who had fled into Scotland at the time
+of Godwin's return, drew their swords in favour of the usurper. A
+battle was fought; the son of Siward fell, and many Anglo-Danes. But
+Malcolm was victorious; and Macbeth, who in the battle had lost all
+his Norman allies, was deserted by his army, forced to fly, and
+overtaken and slain at Lanfanan in Aberdeenshire. An effort was then
+made by some of Macbeth's friends to raise a kinsman of the usurper,
+named Lulach, to the throne; but the friends of Malcolm soon put an
+end to Lulach's pretensions and his life, and the son of Duncan was,
+without further opposition, crowned at Scone.
+
+Nevertheless, a plot was soon after formed to put Malcolm to death,
+and of this the chief author was a nobleman who frequented the court.
+Malcolm early became aware of the existence of the plot, but affected
+ignorance, till one day, when out hunting, he took the chief
+conspirator aside, and severely reproached him.
+
+"But," said Malcolm, "here is a fit place and time to do that manfully
+which you have intended to do treacherously; and here draw your sword,
+if you dare."
+
+The nobleman, however, fell on his knees, confessed his fault, asked
+forgiveness, and ever afterwards served his king faithfully.
+
+It cannot be said that Malcolm Canmore, when seated securely on the
+Scottish throne, displayed any particular gratitude to his
+benefactors. Indeed, the nation under the protection of which he had
+found safety in the day of adversity, and by the aid of which he had
+gained his crown, had more than once strong reason to complain of his
+enmity and denounce his ingratitude. But it was chiefly in the third
+year after the landing of William the Norman that Malcolm offended.
+When the Northumbrians drew together at York, to make head against the
+Conqueror's power, Malcolm mustered an army to lead to their
+assistance. Ere he was ready to take the field, however, the
+Northumbrians were put down; but, unwilling to be baulked of carnage
+and plunder, he marched by way of Carlisle, which, with Cumberland, he
+then held from the English crown, into Northumberland, and let loose
+all the fury of his barbarous subjects on the land where he had found
+rest in his weariness and consolation in his despair.
+
+The Scots proceeded with energy to the work of destruction and
+bloodshed. Cleveland was savagely overrun; Wearmouth was sacked; St.
+Peter's Church was burned; the banks of the Wear were ravaged without
+mercy; and everywhere the inhabitants were treated with barbarous
+cruelty. Able-bodied men and women were driven off captive, like
+flocks of sheep, and in such numbers, that, for many years after,
+there was scarcely a tenement in Scotland without English slaves of
+one sex or the other. Blood, meanwhile, flowed like water.
+Grandfathers and grandmothers, on the verge of the grave, and infants
+torn from their mothers' arms, were ruthlessly slaughtered. Warriors,
+calling themselves men and Christians, exhibited neither humanity nor
+religion. Never had Pagan Danes or Norwegians been guilty of such
+atrocities as were perpetrated on this memorable occasion.
+
+One day, while the church of St. Peter was in flames, and while the
+Scots were revelling in carnage and cruelty, Malcolm, as he rode along
+and witnessed savage outrages which it is charitable to suppose he
+could not prevent, received intelligence that Edgar Atheling, with his
+mother Agatha, and his two sisters, Margaret and Christina--whom the
+chronicler describes as "comely young women"--were on board a ship in
+the harbour, waiting for a fair wind, but scarcely knew whither to
+steer their course. The tale of their distress appears to have touched
+the heart of Malcolm; he sent messages of kindness, invited them to
+repair to Scotland, and assured them that they might there reside in
+safety as long as they pleased. In their despair, the royal exiles
+grasped at this invitation, and the mariners steered for Scotland.
+
+Accordingly, when Malcolm Canmore returned to his own dominions, he
+found that the heirs of Alfred and of Ironsides had sought refuge on
+the Scottish shores. The young king hastened to make their
+acquaintance; and the result was important in its influence on the
+destinies of England. The sweetness and piety of Margaret Atheling,
+endowed as she was with all the comeliness characteristic of Saxon
+women, produced a strange effect on the royal Scot, and he soon
+arrived at the conclusion that the opportunity of securing such a
+bride ought not to be neglected. A marriage was, in due time,
+celebrated; the Saxon Queen of Scots, by her precepts and example,
+exercised a softening and civilizing influence on her fierce husband
+and his savage subjects; their daughter Maude became the wife of Henry
+Beauclerc; and from their ancestress--the heiress of Henry and Maude,
+married to Geoffrey, the brave and accomplished Count of Anjou--the
+Plantagenets inherited royal Saxon blood, and that sympathy with the
+vanquished race which made them, when kings, the favourites and heroes
+of the English people.
+
+William the Conqueror was not, of course, inattentive to what was
+passing in the north; nor, indeed, did Malcolm allow the Norman to
+overlook his existence. In 1073, the Scottish king gathered an army,
+and crossed the Border to vindicate the claim of his wife's family to
+the English crown. By this time, however, William had put the Saxons
+throughout England under his feet, and resolved to bring Malcolm to
+reason by demanding the extradition of those who had taken refuge in
+Scotland.
+
+With this object William placed himself at the head of his army, and,
+for the first time, crossed the Tweed. Not inclined to try conclusions
+with an antagonist so formidable, Malcolm presented himself to the
+Conqueror at a place near the frontier, which is supposed to have been
+Berwick; and, though declining to surrender the Saxon emigrants, "met
+King William in a peaceful attitude, touched his hand in sign of
+friendship, promised that William's enemies should be his also, and
+freely acknowledged himself his vassal and liegeman."
+
+[Illustration: Fern Islands, off the Coast of Northumberland.]
+
+
+
+
+XXXV.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+THE DEATH OF COSPATRICK.
+
+
+It was the year 1072, when the destruction of the camp of Ely ruined
+the last hope which the Saxons entertained of making head against the
+Conqueror; and the year 1073 witnessed the exile of the last Saxon of
+illustrious lineage whom the Conqueror allowed to occupy a high
+position and exercise important functions.
+
+It appears that after the installation of Cospatrick as Earl of
+Northumberland, the peace of the North was unbroken save by the
+terrible inroad of Malcolm, King of Scots. On that occasion,
+Cospatrick, having no force sufficiently powerful to oppose that of
+the Scottish king, endeavoured to draw Malcolm from Northumberland by
+making an incursion into Cumberland in the direction of Carlisle,
+which then lay in ruins. But finding the Scots too intent on carnage
+and plunder to move, he was fain to return, to shut himself up in
+Bamburgh, and in that fortress to listen, with unavailing regret, to
+accounts of the barbarous atrocities perpetrated by the invaders.
+
+At length affairs began to settle; and the Bishop of Durham and his
+clergy, hearing that William had departed for the South, ventured back
+to their church. They found everything in disorder. Even the
+magnificent crucifix, the gift of Tostig and Judith, was stripped of
+all its ornaments, and tossed upon the floor. Nor was this the worst
+that was to befall. Ere long the bishop was degraded, and a native of
+Lorraine, named Vaulcher, instituted in his place.
+
+When Vaulcher, accompanied by a numerous train of Norman knights,
+reached York, Cospatrick presented himself, and conducted the new
+bishop to Durham. Perhaps, by this attention to Vaulcher, Cospatrick
+hoped to escape such a fate as had befallen every other Saxon of high
+rank. But if so, he was mistaken. Between the Norman king and the
+Saxon earl no real confidence existed. Every movement in
+Northumberland hostile to the Normans had exposed Cospatrick to
+suspicion; and, after having received Malcolm's homage, William,
+thinking he could dispense with the aid of the grandson of Uchtred,
+alleged that he had taken part in the murder of Robert Comine and in
+the siege of York, and formally deprived him of his earldom.
+
+Cospatrick was now at his wits' end. Mortified at his own reverses,
+and grieving at the oppression under which his countrymen were
+labouring, but against which it seemed vain to struggle single-handed,
+he left England and passed over to Flanders, to which the Saxons still
+looked with hope of aid. But all efforts proved vain; and he returned
+to die in poverty on the verge of the great northern province which he
+had lately ruled.
+
+It would seem that Cospatrick had, by advising the flight of the
+bishop from Durham, lost favour with the clergy, and that they used
+all their efforts to terrify him with threats of the wrath of St.
+Cuthbert. An aged priest of Durham, while in Holy Island, professed
+to have had a dream, in which he saw a great Northumbrian thane, who
+had maltreated the bishop and his company during their flight,
+suffering the torments of hell, and in which St. Cuthbert appeared
+denouncing woes against Cospatrick. This dream derived importance from
+the circumstance of the Northumbrian thane having died at the very
+time; and when related to Cospatrick, now grown old and infirm, it
+caused him much trouble of spirit. Indeed, he is said to have
+forthwith taken the shoes from his feet, and set out on a pilgrimage
+to Holy Island, to propitiate St. Cuthbert by prayers and offerings.
+
+After his pilgrimage to Holy Island, Cospatrick found rest for a time
+at Norham, on the Tweed. At that place, weary with adversity and woe,
+he soon felt himself sinking under his infirmities. At length, sick
+unto death, he bethought him of religious consolation, and intimated
+his wish to have the spiritual aid of Aldwin and Turgot, two monks in
+whose piety and prayers he had great confidence.
+
+At Melrose--not on the spot occupied by the magnificent ruins of that
+great abbey, to which Sir Walter Scott has, in our day, given so wide
+a fame, but in a flat peninsula, described by Bede as "almost inclosed
+by the windings of the river Tweed"--the Culdees had, in the seventh
+century, erected a religious house. After flourishing for two hundred
+years, this edifice had suffered at the hand of King Kenneth, and
+gradually dwindled down to a chapel sacred to St. Cuthbert. In this
+chapel Aldwin and Turgot were "living in poverty and contrite in
+spirit for the sake of Christ." On receiving Cospatrick's message,
+these holy men hurried down the Tweed, eager to comfort the expiring
+sinner.
+
+On reaching Norham the monks found the Saxon earl loudly lamenting his
+shortcomings, and expressing penitence for his sins, and they
+confessed him with all the ceremonies usual on such occasions. Before
+their departure he gave them two dorsals, or pieces of tapestry which
+were hung against walls as screens for the back, and begged that, in
+whatever place the monks might chance to take rest, they would hang
+the dorsals up in memory of him. This scene over, Cospatrick yielded
+up his breath.
+
+It was destined that the posterity of this great Saxon, who passed his
+last days hovering between two countries, in neither of which he could
+find a home, and who died in misery, and with lamentations on his
+lips, should exercise the very highest authority in centuries then to
+come. He left two sons. One of these was Cospatrick, founder of the
+House of Dunbar, whose chiefs were so great in war and peace; the
+other was Dolfin, male ancestor of the Nevilles, who became famous for
+making and unmaking kings.
+
+Meanwhile, Cospatrick was laid at rest in the porch of the church of
+Norham. In the chancel of that ancient edifice, a recumbent effigy, in
+the decorated style of the fourteenth century, when his descendants on
+both sides of the Tweed were in all their glory, still recalls his
+memory, when the places that once knew them know them no more--when
+the castle of Dunbar is desolate, and when Raby no longer owns a
+Neville as its lord.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XXXVI.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+ATHELING AND HIS ALLIES.
+
+
+When Edgar Atheling, after the disastrous defeat of the Saxons at
+York, took refuge in Scotland, he found himself treated with great
+respect. Malcolm Canmore, saluting the exiled prince as true King of
+England, assured him of a secure asylum, and influenced, doubtless, by
+the charms of the fair Margaret, still further evinced his sympathy
+with the Saxon cause by bestowing offices and lands on the expatriated
+chiefs. Moreover, he promised Atheling every aid to regain the throne
+of his ancestors.
+
+The King of Scots was probably quite sincere in his professions of
+friendship and promises of support; but his power to assist the Saxons
+was by no means equal to his will. Besides, the mighty energy of
+William, bearing down all opposition, was calculated to daunt the
+boldest foe. Malcolm was brave as a lion; yet he might, without
+exposing himself to the imputation of cowardice, feel some degree of
+alarm as he conjured up visions of Norman warriors crossing the river
+Tweed, sweeping through the Merse and Lothian, and pursuing their
+victorious career as far north as to cool the hoofs of their horses in
+the waters of the Tay, and plant their standard on the towers of the
+palace of Scone.
+
+At all events, it is certain that, after a brief residence in
+Scotland, Atheling recognised the necessity of seeking a
+reconciliation with the Conqueror. This was, without difficulty,
+obtained. Then, as ever, William was kind and forgiving to the heir of
+Alfred. But, as the work of the Conquest went on, and as the Saxons,
+exasperated by the deposition of their bishops and abbots, indicated
+their intention of making a great effort to recover their liberty,
+Atheling discovered that he was the object of suspicion. Indeed, it
+was natural that such should have been the case; for his name was in
+the mouth of all ardent patriots, and songs were sung in which he was
+described as "the brave, the beautiful darling of England." Perceiving
+that snares were set for him, Atheling effected his escape from court;
+and, with all the haste he could, made for Scotland.
+
+"Curse him!" exclaimed the Normans; "he is the most fickle of human
+beings."
+
+"Ah!" cried the Saxons, "he is young and handsome, and descended from
+the true race--the best race of the country."
+
+It must be admitted that, so far as appearances went, the Saxons had
+reason to be proud of the heir of their ancient kings. Atheling was
+now approaching manhood, and looked worthy, indeed, of a nation's
+regard. His person was handsome, his figure tall and graceful, his
+manner courteous to excess, his temper serene to a fault, and he spoke
+with taste and eloquence. Brave he was beyond question, but somewhat
+slow in action; and while ever and anon giving proof that he inherited
+the courage of Ironsides, he constantly showed symptoms of having in
+his veins the sluggish blood of Ethelred.
+
+Indeed, the prospects of Edgar Atheling were at no time so encouraging
+as to tempt him to heroic ventures to regain the crown which had, for
+a brief season, been his. After the day on which Malcolm Canmore did
+homage to William the Norman, aid from Scotland could not reasonably
+be expected. Not yet content, however, to submit tamely to
+circumstances, Atheling, in 1075, repaired to Flanders, probably when
+Cospatrick, after being deprived of Northumberland, went thither to
+crave the alliance of Count Robert, who, though Matilda's kinsman, was
+William's political enemy, and, moreover, a descendant of Alfred the
+Great. But Atheling's application was not attended with success, and
+he returned to Scotland with the impression that the Saxon cause was
+too hopeless to enlist the alliance of any European prince, when,
+somewhat to his surprise, he was favoured with a friendly message from
+the King of France.
+
+Philip, though young, was no longer the mere boy whose countenance and
+support William the Norman had asked before undertaking his expedition
+against Harold. The heir of Hugh Capet was now in his thirty-third
+year, perfectly capable of comprehending his position, and of
+estimating the power of a Duke of Normandy who was also King of
+England. In fact, he had somewhat recent evidence of William's
+strength and his own weakness. While William, who had left England in
+1073, was on the Continent, carrying on war in Maine with signal
+success, Philip had taken up arms against the Count of Flanders, and
+sustained a shameful defeat before Cassel. The idea of a man who had
+been vanquished by Count Robert of Flanders having to encounter
+William the Conqueror was not pleasant; and the French king, eager in
+the extreme to multiply William's enemies on the English side of the
+Channel, resolved to afford the Saxons such encouragement as to enable
+them to keep their conqueror in his insular dominions.
+
+It was under the influence of such apprehensions, and with a view of
+accomplishing such an object, that Philip invited Atheling to France.
+
+"Come hither," wrote the French king to the English prince--"come and
+aid me with your counsel. I will give you the fortress of Montreuil,
+which is so situated that thence you can either make a descent on
+England or ravage Normandy."
+
+Atheling was not proof against such temptation. On receiving Philip's
+message, he prepared, with the companions of his exile, to embark for
+France, and made arrangements for his voyage. Malcolm, as William's
+liegeman, could not openly lend his countenance to the enterprise of
+his brother-in-law. Nevertheless, he secretly supplied Atheling with
+money, and furnished the companions of the exiled prince with arms.
+
+But the expedition, and all the projects to which it was to lead, were
+destined to come to nought. The voyage of the adventurers proved the
+very reverse of fortunate. Scarcely had Atheling's fleet lost sight of
+the Scottish shores when a violent tempest arose. The vessels were
+scattered like leaves in autumn. Some sank, and others, going to
+pieces on the northern coast of England, left their crews at the mercy
+of the Norman officials, who made them prisoners. Atheling, and those
+who sailed in his ship, were wrecked, but escaped captivity. However,
+they lost everything; and in sadness and gloom they made their way,
+some on foot, others miserably mounted, back to the Scottish court,
+where Atheling, with his wonted eloquence, narrated to Malcolm and
+Margaret the misfortunes of the voyage.
+
+"And now," asked Atheling, in conclusion, "what is to be done?"
+
+"It seems to me," answered Malcolm, "that fortune is decidedly against
+you. Wherefore, struggle no longer with fate, but seek peace, once
+more, of William the Norman."
+
+At all times Atheling was easily persuaded; and, on this occasion, he
+was in no frame of mind to dispute the wisdom of Malcolm's counsel.
+Accordingly he sent a message to William, who was still on the
+Continent; and William, responding frankly, asked him to repair to
+Normandy. Entering England by the north, passing through the country
+escorted by Norman counts, and entertained by them in the tall and
+turretted castles which already crowned every height, and which
+contrasted strangely with the low, irregular buildings, surrounded by
+woods, in which dwelt such of the Saxons of rank as had escaped death
+or banishment, Atheling could not fail to be impressed with a
+conviction of the fact that the work of the Conquest had gone much too
+far to be undone by force of arms, and that any thought of resistance
+was absurd.
+
+Embarking for the Continent, he reached Rouen in safety, and was
+received by the Conqueror with kindness. A pension was granted to the
+banished prince to defray his personal expenses; but, taking a fancy
+to a charger in the stables of the palace, he afterwards parted with
+his pension in order to become master of the animal. For years
+Atheling remained at the palace of Rouen, amusing himself with hawks,
+dogs, and horses, and reflecting, with philosophic calmness, on the
+crown he had lost and the land from which he was exiled.
+
+[Illustration: Hawk striking the quarry.]
+
+
+
+
+XXXVII.
+
+FITZOSBORNE AND DE GAEL.
+
+
+One day in the course of the year 1074, when William the Conqueror was
+in Normandy fighting with his Continental foes, and while Archbishop
+Lanfranc governed England in the king's absence, a great marriage took
+place in the castle of Norwich. Many guests of high rank were bidden;
+and the occasion was rendered memorable by the circumstance that the
+feast with which it was celebrated proved fatal to almost every
+individual who happened to be present.
+
+About the year 1073, William Fitzosborne, the Conqueror's famous
+comrade in arms, departed this life, leaving two sons, named William
+and Roger, and a daughter, named Emma. William, succeeding to his
+father's lands in Normandy, was known as Lord of Breteuil; Roger,
+inheriting his father's English possessions, became Earl of Hereford;
+and Emma was sought in marriage by a young Breton, who figured as Earl
+of Norfolk, and naturally felt ambitious of allying himself with the
+high Norman nobility. But a union between Ralph de Gael and the
+daughter of Fitzosborne did not meet with the Conqueror's approval. In
+fact, William set his face decidedly against the matrimonial project,
+and, being at the time in Normandy, sent a messenger to forbid, in the
+most peremptory tone, the celebration of the marriage.
+
+The interference of William was more than the high spirit of Roger
+Fitzosborne could brook. He resolved at once to set the Conqueror's
+prohibition at defiance; and, on a day appointed for the wedding,
+conveyed his sister to Norwich.
+
+The ceremony was performed with a pomp worthy of the rank of the
+parties; and when the feast was spread in the castle hall, Norman
+bishops, and lords of high degree, both Norman and Welsh, and ladies
+fair to look upon, gathered around the board. So far all went
+smoothly. But as dishes were carved and cups emptied the master of the
+feast and his guests became rapidly excited and frank to excess. The
+habitual respect displayed by the Norman nobles for the great
+war-chief who had led them to conquest and plunder vanished as wine
+flowed in abundance, and the two earls especially vociferated in a
+strain which caused many present to stare in silent surprise.
+
+"What is this man?" asked Roger Fitzosborne, in accents of supreme
+contempt--"what is this man, who dictates who are to be the husbands
+of ladies descended from the comrades of Rollo?--A bastard, owing this
+kingdom to my father, to whose memory this interference is an insult."
+
+"He is a bastard, and a man of low birth," cried the Normans. "He may
+call himself a king; but 'tis clear that he is not made for one, and
+that he is not agreeable in the sight of God."
+
+"And," exclaimed the Saxons, "he invaded England, he massacred the
+legitimate heirs of our kings and nobles, or obliged them to
+expatriate themselves."
+
+"What is worst of all," roared the military adventurers who had
+followed William's banner in hopes of high reward, "he has not
+honoured as he might those who came to his aid--those who raised him
+higher than any of his predecessors."
+
+"Yes," cried others; "what has he given to us, the conquerors covered
+with wounds? Sterile tracts of land, of which he deprives us whenever
+he sees them improving."
+
+"It is true!" shouted the guests, tumultuously; "the man is odious to
+all; his death would gladden the hearts of all. Let him die!"
+
+After further vociferation, the two earls, several bishops and abbots,
+many Normans and Saxons, and the Welsh chieftains, bound themselves by
+oath to rise against William, and arranged to ask the aid of Sweyn,
+King of Denmark, to insure the success of their perilous project.
+Perhaps, with the morning, repentance came, and many rued the words
+they had spoken and the promises they had made over wine at the
+festive board. But it was too late to retreat; and the two earls, to
+lessen the danger of being betrayed, resolved on immediate action.
+Roger Fitzosborne hastened home to raise his banner at Hereford; and
+Ralph de Gael prepared to shorten his honeymoon, leave the company of
+his bride, and raise his banner at Cambridge.
+
+On reaching the province of which he was earl, Roger Fitzosborne lost
+no time in rallying his friends around him. Not only did he gather the
+discontented Normans to his standard. The Welsh on the Marches rose at
+his summons, and, with wild and vague hopes of recovering
+independence, rushed with enthusiasm to his aid. Having assembled a
+force which he deemed sufficiently formidable to inspire foes with
+terror, he commenced his march eastward, with the intention of joining
+De Gael. But, on reaching the Severn, and attempting to pass that
+river by the bridge at Worcester, he found, somewhat to his surprise,
+that preparations had been made to stop his progress.
+
+In fact, the conspirators at Norwich had not very faithfully kept
+their secret. By some means or other, Lanfranc had become acquainted
+with the whole project; and when in possession of such intelligence
+the great archbishop was not the man to sleep at his post. He
+despatched soldiers from London to throw themselves in Roger's path;
+and he so far made use of the spiritual artillery at his command as to
+level a sentence of excommunication against the Norman earl.
+
+Meanwhile, the king's friends were not idle in the west. Walter de
+Lacy, a Norman baron, and Eghelwig, the Saxon abbot of Evesham, roused
+the people of the country to take arms against Roger Fitzosborne and
+his Welshmen; and the people, regarding the Welsh as their natural
+enemies, obeyed the call of Walter and Eghelwig, and crowded to the
+royal standard.
+
+At length the royal soldiers and the insurgents met face to face. It
+was on the banks of the Severn that the hostile armies encountered and
+fought a sanguinary battle. The Welsh, however, were defeated, and
+with such slaughter that the river was crimsoned with their blood.
+Roger Fitzosborne was made prisoner, and with him many adherents were
+taken with arms in their hands. The chief was kept in secure custody
+till the Conqueror should decide what was to be his fate. But the
+inferior captives were summarily disposed of. Some were hung on
+gibbets, some had their eyes put out, and others underwent such
+mutilation as to render them incapable of further mischief.
+
+While such disasters attended the adventure of Roger Fitzosborne on
+the Severn, Ralph de Gael did not yield to the temptation of lingering
+with his fair bride at Norwich. Leaving that city, the bold Breton
+encamped in the neighbourhood of Cambridge, and succeeded in alluring
+a multitude of Saxons to his standard. But Ralph de Gael's part of the
+enterprise proved little more successful than that of Roger
+Fitzosborne had been. While the Breton earl was still gathering men to
+his camp, William de Warren, with Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and Geoffrey,
+Bishop of Coutance, took the field, and the insurgents found
+themselves menaced by a force decidedly superior to them in number.
+Not shrinking, however, from a conflict, they bravely faced the royal
+force at a place named Fagadon. There a stubborn battle was fought;
+but Ralph de Gael's men were completely defeated; and the chief
+escaped from the lost field, while many of his adherents were taken
+and treated with the utmost cruelty. Indeed, the victors are said to
+have been so merciless as to cut off the right foot of every captive,
+no matter what his rank or nation.
+
+In the midst of this operation, Ralph de Gael had the fortune to reach
+Norwich. He threw himself into the citadel with some vague and
+desperate notions of defending himself to the last. Seeing, however,
+the impossibility of holding out, he left the fortress under the
+charge of his bride, and sailed to Brittany to implore the aid of his
+friends. The daughter of Fitzosborne made a brave defence, but her
+resistance proved vain. After a somewhat protracted struggle, the
+men-at-arms, seeing famine staring them in the face, recognised the
+necessity of yielding, and agreed, not only to surrender Norwich, but
+to leave England in case of their lives being spared. Almost every
+Breton who had come to England with the Conqueror was involved in the
+ruin of Ralph de Gael, and departed from the English shores. "Glory be
+to God in the highest!" Lanfranc wrote joyfully to King William, "your
+kingdom is freed from the filthy Bretons."
+
+On returning to England, William, at Christmas, held a great council
+of barons, and dealt with the rebel chiefs. Both were condemned to
+lose their estates. De Gael, being absent, could not, of course, be
+punished in person; but Fitzosborne, who appeared before the assembly,
+was sentenced to perpetual imprisonment.
+
+When matters had reached this stage, a son of Sweyn, King of Denmark,
+unaware of the ruin of those who had craved assistance, approached the
+eastern coast. But the Danes made no attempt to land. On learning what
+had happened they turned their helms towards Flanders, and left
+Fitzosborne to his fate.
+
+But even captivity and chains could not break the strong spirit nor
+humble the haughty pride of Fitzosborne. Even in his dungeon he found
+a way of braving and insulting the king whom he had attempted to
+dethrone. One day, during Easter, the Conqueror, according to a Norman
+custom, sent him a magnificent suit of precious stuff, as if he had
+been at liberty. Fitzosborne received the vestments with a smile,
+examined the coat and mantle of silk, and handled the jacket, trimmed
+with foreign furs, as if highly pleased. Having done so, however,
+Roger ordered a fire to be kindled, and committed coat, mantle, and
+jacket to the flames.
+
+"Thus," said he, "does the son of William Fitzosborne treat the gifts
+of the bastard to whom his father gave a crown."
+
+"By the splendour of God!" exclaimed the Conqueror, boiling with
+anger, when informed of this scene, "the man who has thus insulted me
+shall never leave his prison alive."
+
+
+
+
+XXXVIII.
+
+[Illustration: Thor.]
+
+WALTHEOF, SON OF SIWARD.
+
+
+Siward the Dane, when he expired at York, exhibiting his martial
+spirit to the last--clad, at his own request, in all the habiliments
+of war, with his helmet on his head, his coat of mail on his back, his
+gilt battle-axe in his hand, and that mystic banner, "The Raven of
+Earthly Terror," waving over his head--left, by his wife, the daughter
+of Earl Alred, one son to inherit his renown. The name of the son of
+Siward was Waltheof, and his career was anticipated with hope by the
+inhabitants of the provinces which his great father had ruled.
+
+At the time of Siward's death, however, Waltheof was too young to
+succeed to Northumberland. Indeed, Tostig, as one of the sons of
+Godwin, immediately grasped at the earldom. Waltheof, however, soon
+began to figure as Earl of Huntingdon, and gave evidence of
+inheriting his father's courage and prowess in the conflicts of the
+Northumbrians with Tostig and Harold Hardrada.
+
+After the battle of Hastings, Waltheof made his submission to the
+Conqueror. As a consequence, when William visited the Continent, the
+son of Siward was taken, with Edwin and Morkar, to grace the
+Conqueror's triumphant return to Rouen. But the sympathies of Waltheof
+were with the vanquished; and when the spirit of the country rose
+against the invaders he left London, and hurried northward, to take
+part in the operations of the Northumbrians. He was still very young;
+but, like his father, he was remarkable for his tall stature, his
+physical strength, and his strong arm; and the presence of the son of
+Siward was hailed with delight by those whom Siward had so often led.
+
+When the Northumbrians, after the tragical death of Robert Comine, and
+the landing of the Danes, marched from Durham and besieged York,
+Waltheof performed prodigies of valour. Placing himself in ambuscade
+at one of the gates, battle-axe in hand, he fell upon some Normans who
+were attempting to escape, and laid twenty of them dead on the ground.
+A hundred men, who hoped to save themselves by flight, took refuge in
+a neighbouring wood; but Waltheof, who pursued them closely, was in no
+humour to allow them to escape.
+
+"I will save myself further trouble," he said, "by setting the wood on
+fire."
+
+Putting his threat immediately into execution, Waltheof gave the wood
+to the flames; and a Danish poet, who was also a warrior, celebrating
+Waltheof's deeds in verse, compared his valour to that of Odin, and
+congratulated him on having given the English wolves an ample repast
+on Norman corses.
+
+When William was interrupted, while hunting in the Forest of Dean,
+with news of the outbreak beyond the Humber, and swore never again to
+lay aside his lance till he had slain all the Northumbrians, and
+marched suddenly with his choice troops to York, Waltheof once more
+fought like a hero of romance. Planting himself in a breach, through
+which only a single person could enter at a time, he cleft Norman
+after Norman with his ponderous battle-axe. His prowess on the
+occasion moved the admiration of his antagonists; and William was
+unable to refrain from expressions of surprise.
+
+"By the Divine splendour!" he exclaimed, "I must make a friend of the
+man who dare do such deeds."
+
+Accordingly a reconciliation was proposed; and a meeting was appointed
+at the Norman camp on the banks of the Tees. Everything went smoothly.
+Waltheof, in token of homage, placed his bare hand in that of the
+Conqueror, and William bestowed the earldoms of Huntingdon and
+Northampton on the son of Siward.
+
+After this submission Waltheof received Judith, one of the Conqueror's
+nieces, in marriage, became the father of two children, and, after the
+deprivation of Cospatrick, had his highest ambition gratified by being
+installed as Earl of Northumberland. In that capacity the Anglo-Dane
+lived in the closest friendship with Vaulcher of Lorraine, Bishop of
+Durham. Sitting with Vaulcher in the synods of his clergy, Waltheof
+humbly and obediently put in execution the decrees of the bishop for
+reforming religion within the diocese. Nor did he by such conduct lose
+the favour of the English. All appeared prosperous; and Waltheof,
+united to the king's niece, and occupying his father's seat, enjoyed
+the favour of the Conqueror without having forfeited his popularity
+with the vanquished, when the conspiracy of Norwich, for which he
+cannot be considered to have been responsible, involved him in ruin
+and cost him his life.
+
+On that day, when Norman counts, Saxon thanes, and Welsh chiefs
+assembled at Norwich to celebrate the marriage of Ralph de Gael with
+the daughter of William Fitzosborne, conspicuous, by his high head and
+gigantic stature appeared Waltheof, the Anglo-Dane. It would seem,
+however, that Waltheof took no part in the abuse lavished upon the
+uncle of his wife. But when the tumult was at the loudest, one of the
+Norman earls, rising suddenly, hushed the assembly to silence, and
+solemnly appealed to Waltheof to take part in the revolt.
+
+"Brave man," said the earl, with that eloquence for which the Normans
+were so famous, "this is a great moment for your country; this is, for
+you, the hour of vengeance and fortune. Join us, and we will
+re-establish the kingdom of England in every respect as it was in the
+time of King Edward. One of us three shall be king, the other two
+shall command under him, and all lordships shall be held of us.
+William is occupied beyond sea; we are satisfied that he will not
+again cross the Channel. Now, brave warrior, adopt our plan; 'tis the
+best for thee, for thy family, and for thy crushed and fallen nation."
+
+"It is! it is!" shouted the guests in chorus.
+
+But Waltheof hesitated and remained silent. Warned by former failures,
+and with the fate of Edwin and Morkar before his mind's eye, he shrunk
+from embarking in an enterprise which he felt must terminate in
+disaster. At length he allowed himself so far to be drawn into the
+league that he promised secrecy.
+
+It would seem, however, that Waltheof did not keep his word. The
+secret preyed on his mind. Uneasy, restless, and sleepless, he
+revealed the conspiracy first to his wife, Judith, and then to
+Archbishop Lanfranc. It is even said that he was persuaded by the
+primate to repair to Normandy and warn the Conqueror.
+
+At all events, Waltheof did not escape punishment. When, in due time,
+the fleet invited from Denmark, commanded by the son of King Sweyn,
+approached the coast, Waltheof was accused of having invited the Danes
+over, lodged in the Castle of Winchester, and, ere long, brought to
+trial. He denied the charge. But the evidence given by Judith against
+her husband, whom she disliked, appeared conclusive, and the court was
+only divided in opinion as to the punishment to be inflicted.
+
+"He deserves execution as a revolted Englishman," said some.
+
+"No," argued others, "it should be perpetual imprisonment as a
+revolted officer of the king's."
+
+While Waltheof remained a prisoner in the Castle of Winchester, his
+fate hung in the balance for nearly a year. But his enemies were eager
+for his destruction. Judith was eager to be a widow; Ivo Taille-Bois
+had set his heart on some of Waltheof's land which adjoined his own;
+and many Normans had a keen eye to the great earldom which had been
+enjoyed by the son of Siward. William did not resist the pressure, and
+sentence of death was pronounced.
+
+The 29th of April, 1075, was appointed for the execution of Waltheof.
+But such was his popularity that the Normans apprehended an
+insurrection as the consequence of openly beheading him. It was,
+therefore, determined that the utmost secrecy should be observed.
+Before daybreak, accordingly, while the citizens of Winchester still
+slept, Norman officers, appearing in Waltheof's prison, informed him
+that his hour was come; and Waltheof, rising, arrayed himself in his
+earl's robes and walked forth to execution. Escorted by soldiers,
+attended by priests, and followed by some of the poor whose home was
+the street, the son of Siward directed his steps to a hill outside the
+city. On reaching this place, where the last scene was to be enacted,
+he prostrated himself on the ground, and, for a few moments, prayed in
+a low and earnest tone.
+
+"Rise, that we may fulfil our orders," said the Normans, alarmed at
+the thought of the news spreading and a rescue being attempted.
+
+"Wait," he replied calmly, "till I have said the Lord's Prayer for
+myself and for you."
+
+"Yes," said they, consenting.
+
+Waltheof, rising from his prostrate attitude, but remaining on his
+knees, said, in a loud voice, "Our Father, which art in Heaven."
+However, when he reached the words "lead us not into temptation," the
+executioner, growing impatient and uneasy, suddenly drew his large
+sword, waved it in the air, and with one blow severed the earl's head
+from his body. Alarmed at the approach of day, the Normans hastily dug
+a hole between two roads, threw in the body, and covered it with
+earth.
+
+The possessions of Waltheof, and the earldom of Northampton, devolved
+upon Judith, his widow; and that lady consoled herself in her
+bereavement by regaling her imagination with the idea of sharing her
+wealth and power with a husband of her own choosing. But it soon
+appeared that in this respect the widow of Waltheof had made a serious
+miscalculation. William, in fact, without consulting her taste,
+destined her hand for Simon de Senlis, a French knight of unquestioned
+courage, but lame and somewhat deformed; and Judith expressed her
+utter horror of the match.
+
+"What!" she exclaimed, "I marry a man who is lame and ill-shapen?
+Never!"
+
+"As you will, madam," said the Conqueror, grimly; "but, at all events,
+Simon de Senlis shall be Earl of Northampton."
+
+Meanwhile, the body of Waltheof was removed from the place where it
+had been hastily buried to the Abbey of Croyland, and interred in the
+chapter-house. Judith, disappointed in her hopes of a second husband,
+and mortified at the spectacle of Simon de Senlis figuring as Earl of
+Northampton, repaired to Croyland, and, as if to appease the spirit of
+the man whom she had betrayed, offered a silken cloth at his
+sepulchre. Left with her two children in poverty and obscurity, the
+widow of Waltheof passed the remainder of her life mournfully in a
+remote corner of England.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XXXIX.
+
+WULSTAN, BISHOP OF WORCESTER.
+
+
+In that memorable day when Edgar Atheling appeared at the Norman camp
+at Berkhampstead to make his submission to the conqueror of Hastings,
+one of the Saxon prelates who accompanied the grandson of Edmund
+Ironside was Wulstan, Bishop of Worcester.
+
+Wulstan had taken part in the election of Edgar Atheling, and probably
+felt as anxious as any of his neighbours to maintain the national
+independence. But after having arrived at the conclusion that the game
+was up, and sworn allegiance to William the Norman, he continued
+faithful to his oath; and, in doing so, earned the distinction of
+being described by a modern historian as "a simple, weak-minded man,
+who, after a momentary impulse of patriotic enthusiasm, became
+heartily reconciled with the conquerors."
+
+It appears that long after the other prelates of Saxon race were
+somewhat summarily deposed, Wulstan was, in consequence of his
+fidelity to William, allowed to remain Bishop of Worcester. In that
+capacity he rendered to the Norman cause services which only a Saxon
+churchman could have rendered. When the violence shown towards the
+Saxon clergy raised so much resentment throughout England that in some
+provinces no Norman bishop durst show his face, Wulstan made pastoral
+visitations, calmed the popular excitement, and proclaimed the
+amnesties of the king; and when Roger Fitzosborne, raising the
+standard of revolt, marched from Hereford, in hopes of crossing the
+Severn and joining Ralph de Gael, Wulstan not only rallied the natives
+of Worcester around the royal standard, but marched in person to
+oppose the rebel earl's progress.
+
+Wulstan, after these events, doubtless considered his position secure.
+Indeed, it was quite natural that he should. But he was deficient in
+that kind of erudition which Lanfranc deemed that a bishop ought to
+possess--and Lanfranc, being no respecter of persons, reported him as
+"insufficient for his place for want of learning."
+
+It was the year 1076; and a great council of barons and bishops was
+held in the church of Westminster, under the auspices of Lanfranc and
+under the presidency of William. Before that assembly Wulstan was
+cited; and by the assembly he was unanimously declared incapable of
+exercising episcopal functions. When this judgment was pronounced,
+William ordered Wulstan to take off his pontifical robes, and resign
+his staff and ring, the ensigns of his ecclesiastical dignity.
+Wulstan, however, was so amazed and indignant, that, instead of
+obeying quietly, as was anticipated, he rose, turned towards the
+Conqueror, and exclaimed, with energy--
+
+"A better man than you, O king! bestowed these robes upon me, and to
+him I will restore them!"
+
+As Wulstan spoke, the Norman barons and bishops stared in mute
+surprise, and they were astonished when the venerable man, as if under
+Divine inspiration, walked to the Confessor's tomb.
+
+"Thou, holy Edward," said he, "gavest me this staff, and to thee I
+return and confide it!"
+
+Suiting the action to the words, Wulstan energetically struck the
+tombstone with the end of his pastoral staff; and then turning back to
+the Normans, he said, with calm scorn--
+
+"I received my staff from a better man than any of _you_! I have
+returned it to him. Take it from him if you can!"
+
+At this distant period it would be impossible adequately to describe
+the effect produced on the assembled Normans by this scene. Had all
+the heroes, saints, and martyrs of that great regal House whose throne
+the son of Arlette so unworthily occupied come out of their graves,
+and walked in procession before the council, the bishops and barons
+could not have been more astonished. The air of Wulstan, his
+unexpected energy, and the circumstances under which it was displayed,
+produced a feeling of wonder mingled with superstitious awe. The king
+did not repeat his demand; but Lanfranc mustered voice to entreat
+Wulstan to put on his robes and remain in his bishopric.
+
+But the effect produced on the bishops and barons within the church of
+Westminster was trifling compared with the impression produced
+throughout the country. According to popular report, something
+resembling a miracle had been wrought. It must be confessed, indeed,
+that the story lost nothing in the telling. The rumour ran, that when
+Wulstan struck the tomb his staff penetrated into the stone as into
+soft earth, and that no one was able to draw it but the bishop
+himself. The story spread far and wide, and was told by many an
+oppressed peasant at the cottage hearth, by many a bold outlaw under
+the greenwood tree, and by many a sad-hearted Saxon, driven from his
+country, dressed as a Varing, and guarding the palace of the Emperor
+of Constantinople.
+
+[Illustration: Herdsman (from Strutt)]
+
+
+
+
+XL.
+
+ROBERT CURTHOSE.
+
+
+The conquest of England having been accomplished, and the Saxons
+completely reduced to submission, the Conqueror, instead of enjoying
+his triumph, became sad and uneasy. Doubts as to the fidelity of his
+barons, and dismal forebodings as to the fate of his sons, haunted him
+day and night; and he even went so far, in his intense anxiety, as to
+consult some "wise men," who were supposed to have the gift of
+divination, as to the future of his line. Had any magician really had
+the power of revealing to him the fortune of his descendants in an
+enchanted mirror, as conjurers in another age revealed to Catherine de
+Medici the fortunes of her posterity, his worst apprehensions would
+have been confirmed. As it was, the conduct of his son Robert filled
+his heart with sadness and his mind with gloom.
+
+Robert was the eldest son of William and Matilda. He drew his first
+breath about the year 1053; and his appearance was hailed with delight
+by his parents. Both William and Matilda appear to have indulged young
+Robert in such a way as utterly to spoil him; and when he passed from
+childhood to boyhood he acquired most dangerous notions of his
+importance.
+
+When William sailed to conquer England, Robert had reached his
+thirteenth year. Ere that period he had been formally recognised by
+the Norman barons as heir of the duchy, and affianced to the heiress
+of the Counts of Maine; and when William sailed in the _Moira_, Robert
+was associated with Matilda in the administration of affairs.
+Flattered, complimented, and allowed to exercise enormous influence in
+Normandy during the absence of his sire, Robert early assumed the airs
+of an independent sovereign, and began to treat the parental authority
+with undisguised contempt.
+
+Notwithstanding the influence which unfortunate training produced on
+the heir-apparent of Normandy, Robert, as he grew up to manhood,
+displayed qualities which recommended him to the hearts of the Norman
+chivalry. Brave and eloquent, intrepid and generous, he was just the
+person to secure the affection of a martial and high-spirited race of
+nobles. In war his prowess reminded men of the heroes of romance. But
+his appearance was in no respect heroic. He was under the ordinary
+height, fat to excess, and large in the bones. Rollo would have been
+astonished at the aspect of his heir; and William was so impressed
+with the shortness of Robert's legs, that the father, in ridicule,
+called the son "Curthose."
+
+While Curthose was emerging from his teens, the death of the heiress
+of Maine and the annexation of that province to Normandy resulted in a
+quarrel between William and his heir. Eager to have a dominion of his
+own, Curthose claimed Maine as husband of the heiress; and the
+inhabitants, eager to have a lord of their own, supported Curthose's
+claim heart and soul. William, however, treated the idea with cold
+contempt; and while Curthose was brooding over this as a serious
+injury, circumstances occurred to fire his indignation.
+
+It was the year 1077, and the Conqueror, Queen Matilda, and their sons
+happened to be on a visit to Laigle. One day, about noon, Curthose,
+with his friends around him, was standing in the courtyard of the
+house in which he lodged, expatiating with his wonted eloquence on his
+wrongs, and his brothers, William Rufus and Henry Beauclerc, who had
+been in the habit of taking part against Curthose in the domestic
+feud, coming thither, ascended to the upper rooms, where, making a
+great noise, they began to play at dice, after the manner of the
+soldiers of that age. Suddenly Rufus and Beauclerc conceived the idea
+of varying their amusement, and, without calculating the consequences,
+they threw a quantity of water on Curthose and those with whom he was
+in earnest and animated conversation.
+
+This insult stung Curthose to the quick. Giving way to irritation, he
+swore that no man on earth should so treat him with impunity; and,
+drawing his sword, with a gesture of menace he sprang to the doorway,
+and rushed upstairs to inflict chastisement. Fortunately, his friends
+interfered in time to prevent bloodshed. But high words passed,
+defiances were exchanged, and the scene was so tumultuous that the
+Conqueror's presence became necessary to prevent the disputants from
+coming to blows.
+
+At length order was restored. It was even supposed that the quarrel
+was at an end. But, all the time, the blood of Curthose was boiling in
+his veins, and his high spirit was swelling with anger and grief. Next
+night he left Laigle with a choice band of friends, and proceeded to
+Rouen. With some vague notion, he attempted to surprise the citadel.
+The enterprise, however, failed, and many of his adherents were
+arrested. Curthose, however, escaped, passed the frontier of Normandy,
+took refuge in La Perche, and found shelter in the castle of Sorel.
+
+The conduct of his heir naturally excited the Conqueror's wrath.
+Curthose, however, had a powerful advocate in his mother, Matilda, and
+a reconciliation took place. But this domestic peace was not of long
+duration. The adherents of Curthose, generally gay and thoughtless
+young men, exercised all their art to stimulate his ambition; and he
+yielded somewhat too readily to their suggestions.
+
+"Noble son of a king," said they, "thy father's people must take good
+care of his treasure, since thou hast not a penny to bestow on thy
+followers. Why endurest thou to remain so poor when thy father is so
+rich?"
+
+"But what can I do?" asked Curthose.
+
+"Ask him for a portion of his England," they answered; "or, at least,
+for the duchy of Normandy, which he promised thee before all his
+barons."
+
+Curthose did as he was advised. Excited and discontented, he went to
+William, and demanded to be put in possession of either part of the
+kingdom of England or the duchy of Normandy. William, instead of
+complying, exhorted Curthose, in a paternal tone, to amend his life,
+and to behave in a manner more worthy of the position he was destined
+to occupy.
+
+"Return to your duty as a son," said the Conqueror, "and then make
+choice of better counsellors than you now have. Make choice of wise
+and grave persons of mature age to guide you--such a man, for
+instance, as Archbishop Lanfranc."
+
+"Sir King!" replied Curthose, so sharply that William started, "I
+came here to claim my right, and not to listen to sermons. I heard
+enough of them, and wearisome enough they were, when I was at my
+grammar. Answer me, therefore, distinctly, so that I may know what I
+have to do; for I am firmly resolved not to live on the bread of
+others, and not to receive the wages of any man."
+
+"Know, then," exclaimed William, angrily, "that I will not divest
+myself of Normandy, to which I was born, nor share England, which I
+have acquired with so much labour."
+
+"Well," said Curthose, "I will go and serve strangers, and perhaps
+obtain from them what is refused me in my own country."
+
+Without further ceremony, Curthose summoned his adherents, mounted his
+horse, and, with a soul glowing with pride and a spirit swelling with
+indignation, rode out from Rouen and away towards Flanders. Passing
+from country to country, from castle to castle, and from court to
+court, Curthose travelled over Europe, publishing his grievances and
+demanding aid. Nor was his story, told in eloquent language, without
+influence on the magnates whom he visited. Counts, dukes, and princes
+testified their sympathy, and drew their purses. Their liberality,
+however, had no beneficial influence on the wanderer's circumstances.
+In fact, Curthose was one of those men who can give the most sapient
+advice as to the affairs of their friends, while their own affairs are
+going to ruin as rapidly as their enemies could wish. All that he
+received to support his cause slipped through his fingers.
+Mountebanks, parasites, and women of equivocal reputation perpetually
+preyed upon him. All that Curthose obtained from barons and princes to
+buy arms and equip men passed into the hands of those who ministered
+to his amusement or contributed to his pleasure. Hard pressed for
+money, inconvenienced by poverty and all its concomitant evils,
+compelled to beg afresh, but, probably, with less success than on the
+first occasion, he found himself under the necessity of going to the
+usurers, and borrowing gold at exorbitant interest. Such were the
+steps by which Curthose entered upon that fatal path which finally,
+notwithstanding his great fame as a prince and soldier, and as a
+champion of the Cross, conducted him to disaster and defeat, and to a
+long and dismal captivity in the dungeons of Cardiff.
+
+
+
+
+XLI.
+
+THE CONQUEROR AND HIS HEIR.
+
+
+While Robert Curthose was journeying from castle to castle and from
+court to court, Philip, King of France, now in his twenty-seventh
+year, and William the Conqueror's sworn foe, was offering bribes and
+protection to all the discontented Normans. After wandering about
+Flanders, Lorraine, and Aquitaine, Curthose at length turned his
+horse's head towards France, made for St. Germain, and craved sympathy
+and support from the great grandson of Hugh Capet.
+
+Never did monarch listen to exiled prince with more eagerness than
+Philip of France listened to the heir of Normandy. Fearing and hating
+William as he did, Philip smiled with delight at the idea of setting
+the son to pull down the father, and readily promised his utmost aid.
+After much conversation on the subject, Curthose formed his plan of
+action, and, under the auspices of the French king, repaired to
+Gerberoy, a castle on the frontiers of Normandy.
+
+At that period it was the custom that the castle of Gerberoy should be
+occupied by two viscounts, equal in authority, and that fugitives from
+all nations should find protection within its walls. The reception of
+Curthose at this stronghold was all that he could have wished. He was
+courteously received at the gate by Elie, one of the viscounts, and
+afterwards cordially welcomed by Elie's colleague.
+
+Ere this, Matilda of Flanders became aware of the pecuniary
+embarrassments of her son, and, eager to administer relief without
+informing William, she contrived, by means of a Breton named Samson,
+to send Curthose sums of money. Hearing of this, the Conqueror forbade
+her to hold any communication with a son who had forfeited all title
+to consideration. Matilda, however, had a will of her own. Her
+maternal anxiety proving, in this case, infinitely stronger than
+respect for her husband's mandate, she continued secretly to assist
+Curthose in the midst of his multitudinous difficulties. William,
+learning that he had been disobeyed, was highly indignant, and
+addressed his spouse in language somewhat reproachful.
+
+"Behold my wife," said the Conqueror; "she whom I have loved as mine
+own soul--to whom I have confided the government of my realms, my
+treasures, and all that in this world I possess of power and
+greatness--she hath supported mine adversary against me; she hath
+strengthened and enriched him with the wealth I confided to her
+keeping; she hath secretly employed her zeal and subtlety in his
+cause, and done everything she could to encourage him against me."
+
+"My lord," answered Matilda, "be not surprised if I feel a mother's
+tenderness for my first-born son. By the virtue of the Most High! I
+protest that if my son Robert were dead, and hidden far from the sight
+of the living, seven feet deep in the earth, and that the price of my
+blood would restore him to life, I would cheerfully bid it flow."
+
+"But," said William, "you support my enemy with the very money I have
+committed to your keeping."
+
+"And how," asked Matilda, "can you suppose that I could enjoy the
+pomps and luxuries with which I was surrounded when I knew that he was
+pining in want and misery? Far from my heart be such hardness!"
+
+On hearing this, William grew pale with vexation. In his rage he
+bethought him of Matilda's messenger, and gave peremptory orders that
+Samson should be arrested and deprived of his sight. But the Breton,
+hearing that his eyes were to be put out, made his escape, and sought
+safety in the cloister. The old chronicler deemed the circumstance one
+in regard to which he had a right to be jocular, and remarked that
+Samson turned monk to save at once his body and soul.
+
+Meanwhile, Curthose hoisted his flag and invited mercenaries to
+repair, without delay, to the castle of Gerberoy. Thither they flocked
+as eagles to the carnage. From France, from Flanders, and from
+Normandy they hastened, on foot and on horseback, with sword and with
+spear. Even men-at-arms who had served in William's court, who had
+lived under his protection, and who had partaken of the fruits of his
+successes, willing to worship the rising sun, left Rouen and galloped
+to Gerberoy. Curthose ere long found himself at the head of a
+formidable force, and Philip of France rejoiced in the triumph which
+he anticipated from having set the son against the father.
+
+William was startled at the menacing attitude which Curthose had
+assumed, but he acted with all the energy of his earlier days. Landing
+in Normandy, the Conqueror prepared to encounter his refractory heir
+as he had encountered other foes, and, attended by his son, William
+Rufus, appeared in hostile array, and at the head of a numerous army,
+before Archembrage, where Curthose then was.
+
+It was now Curthose's turn to feel some degree of anxiety. Inclosed
+within the walls of Archembrage, he saw himself hemmed in by a force
+with which his own was too weak to cope. But the chivalrous spirit of
+the heir of Normandy was not to be daunted by the odds arrayed against
+him; and making a sally, with his lance in rest, and his best warriors
+at his back, he bore down opposition and carried confusion into the
+enemy's camp.
+
+It was on this occasion that Curthose and the Conqueror encountered
+hand to hand. Unaware who was his adversary, Curthose so strenuously
+exerted his marvellous prowess that William, who had never before been
+worsted in close conflict, was wounded and unhorsed. Alarmed at
+disasters which to him were quite novel, William bellowed out much
+more loudly than was consistent with the dignity of a conqueror, and
+the Norman knights, spurring in to the rescue, shouted out that it was
+the king. On discovering who was the wounded knight, Curthose
+dismounted, lifted William from the ground, aided him to regain his
+saddle, and left him at liberty to depart.
+
+After the affray at Archembrage, the Norman counts and bishops used
+their utmost endeavours to reconcile William and his son. At first
+their efforts were unavailing. The Conqueror would scarcely listen to
+their entreaties, and, even after listening, he resisted sternly and
+stubbornly.
+
+"Why," he asked, "do you solicit me in favour of a traitor who has
+seduced from me those soldiers whom I have fed with my bread and whom
+I have supplied with the arms they bear?"
+
+As time passed on, however, William's heart softened. Perhaps, when
+cured of his wound, he recovered from the mortification of spirit
+caused by the remembrance of his overthrow and affright at
+Archembrage. At all events, he yielded to the solicitations of the
+Norman counts and bishops, expressed his willingness to forgive the
+past, and granted Curthose full pardon for his rebellious exploits.
+
+While the good understanding consequent on this reconciliation between
+father and son lasted, William departed for England, and not, perhaps,
+deeming it safe to leave Curthose in Normandy, requested the honour of
+his company. In England, however, there was work for a warrior to do.
+Malcolm, King of Scots, crossing the Tweed, began once more to ravage
+Northumberland, and Curthose, placed at the head of an army, was sent
+to repel the invader. But in this expedition the heir of Normandy had
+no opportunity of winning new laurels. Malcolm, alarmed at the
+approach of so redoubted a champion, retreated rapidly to his own
+dominions; and Curthose, to leave some memorial of his northern
+expedition, erected a strong fort on the Tyne, to which was given the
+name of Newcastle.
+
+Matters so far went smoothly; but in the year 1083 Matilda of Flanders
+died; and soon after the queen's death, the quarrel between the
+Conqueror and his heir broke out afresh.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XLII.
+
+[Illustration: From the Bayeux Tapestry.]
+
+ODO, BISHOP OF BAYEUX.
+
+
+During the time that King William was on the Continent fighting with
+Robert Curthose, the government of England was committed to Odo,
+Bishop of Bayeux. Before this period Odo's arrogance had been
+sufficiently conspicuous, and during the time he exercised viceregal
+functions events occurred to minister to his pride to such a degree
+that he became altogether intolerable.
+
+It was one of the great objects of William the Norman to elevate those
+to whom he was related on the mother's side. After the death of Robert
+the Devil, Arlette, probably ambitious of figuring in a less equivocal
+position than that which she had previously occupied, united herself
+in marriage with Herluin de Couteville, and found herself the mother
+of two legitimate sons. William did not neglect their interests. One
+of them, Robert, became Earl of Mortain; the other, named Odo, and
+dedicated to the Church at an early age, became Bishop of Bayeux.
+
+But, though Bishop of Bayeux, Odo was no meek shaveling nor
+pale-faced student. He was a daring warrior and a cautious libertine,
+and is pictured with defiance in his eye and rings on his finger; at
+one time leading a fiery charge of Norman cavalry, at another inditing
+love epistles to the dames of Rouen while pretending to be occupied
+with a treatise on some such relic as the finger of St. Thomas. His
+addiction to sinful pleasures was, in fact, notorious; and one of the
+results of his amours was a son, named John, who distinguished himself
+in the reign of his kinsman, Henry Beauclerc.
+
+In the scenes with which the Norman invasion of England commenced, Odo
+of Bayeux enacted a prominent part. When Edward the Confessor expired,
+and Harold usurped the throne of young Atheling, and William
+calculated the chances of success in the event of undertaking an
+enterprise, Odo was one of the Normans who met at Rouen, who tendered
+the hesitating duke their support, and who promised to serve with
+money and goods, even to pledging or alienating their inheritances. On
+that day, also, which witnessed the battle of Hastings Odo was a
+prominent personage. In the morning he celebrated mass and blessed the
+troops; and, having performed this duty, he mounted his tall white
+charger and displayed his military skill by setting the cavalry in
+order for battle.
+
+Hastings having been won, and the work of the Conquest proceeding,
+Odo's services did not go unrewarded. While his brother Robert became
+Earl of Cornwall, Odo became Grand Justiciary of England, and obtained
+the earldom of Kent; and at a later period, having meanwhile shared
+the whole of Archbishop Stigand's property with Adeliza, wife of Hugh
+Grantmesnil, he, on the forfeiture of Roger Fitzosborne, received a
+grant of the earldom of Hereford.
+
+Never had fortune been more favourable to a human being than for years
+she seemed to Odo. Unluckily for the warlike Bishop of Bayeux, his
+pride swelled as his power and possessions increased; and at length,
+when invested, during William's absence from England, with viceregal
+authority, he lost all sense of discretion, and acted like a man whose
+head prosperity had turned.
+
+It happened that, after the execution of Waltheof at Winchester, the
+earldom of Northumberland was purchased from the Conqueror by
+Vaulcher, Bishop of Durham, and that his government was somewhat
+unsatisfactory. Vaulcher, indeed, appears to have been a learned,
+pious, and well-meaning man, and to have shown his respect for popular
+sentiment by the high consideration he paid to Liulf, a Saxon thane
+connected by marriage with the wife of Siward and with the mother of
+Cospatrick. But Leofwin, the bishop's chaplain and chief confidant,
+and Gislebert, a kinsman who acted as the bishop's deputy in
+administering the affairs of this province, regarded Liulf with envy
+and malice. After frequent exhibitions of ill-will, they conspired to
+murder Liulf; and Gislebert, entering the Saxon thane's house by
+night, put him and his family to the sword.
+
+Vaulcher was naturally much enraged at this atrocity. Such, however,
+was his position that he was fain to pass over the crime, and even to
+continue his countenance to Leofwin and Gislebert. The Northumbrians,
+deeming that this was adding insult to injury, held nocturnal
+conferences, as in the time of Robert Comine, and were so evidently
+bent on mischief, that Vaulcher recognised the necessity of doing
+something to allay the ferment. With this object he announced his
+intention of holding a court, and mediating between the relatives of
+Liulf on the one part and Leofwin and Gislebert on the other.
+
+It was on the 14th of May, 1080, and at Gateshead, that Vaulcher met
+the Northumbrians. The bishop was attended by Leofwin and Gislebert,
+and about a hundred men of foreign birth; and the Northumbrians, all
+secretly armed, were headed by Eadulf, surnamed Rus, a great-grandson
+of Earl Uchtred, and a connexion by marriage of Liulf. Knowing the
+French language, Eadulf acted as spokesman, and conferred with the
+bishop on the business of the day, and then stated that he must
+consult his followers as to the terms proposed. But instead of doing
+so, he cried out--"Short reed, good reed, slay ye the bishop;" and the
+Northumbrians, who had come with weapons concealed under their
+clothes, instantly brandished them in the air. In order to encourage
+his followers, Eadulf struck down Vaulcher with his own hand; and the
+Northumbrians, rushing on the bishop's attendants, slaughtered them
+without mercy. Only two servants, men who were natives of England,
+escaped the massacre.
+
+News of this outrage at Gateshead was carried to Odo. The Bishop of
+Bayeux smiled grimly, and, girding on his armour, promptly marched
+northward to punish the perpetrators of the murder. But, meanwhile,
+the Northumbrians had marched to Durham, attacked that city, and,
+after finding their efforts vain, dispersed in all directions. Eadulf
+and the ringleaders fled the country; and, when Odo's approach was
+announced, few remained at home except those who had taken no part in
+the insurrection.
+
+But Odo had ridden northward indulging in visions of carnage and
+plunder; and he was not to be baffled in his expectations by
+considerations of justice. Aware that the murderers of the bishop had
+fled, he avenged their crime on the whole province, ravaged the
+country, executed many of the inhabitants, mutilated others in the
+most revolting manner, plundered the church at Durham of the sacred
+ornaments which Bishop Eghelwin had formerly saved by removal to Holy
+Island, and gained a high reputation among the most disreputable class
+of the Norman conquerors, who proudly described him as "one of the
+greatest quellers of the English."
+
+On learning what had occurred in Northumberland, William was doubtless
+surprised to hear of his brother acting so like a madman. But his
+astonishment was still greater when he learned that Odo was on the
+point of leaving England and proceeding to Italy. In fact, the queller
+of the Northumbrians, relying on some prediction of an Italian
+soothsayer that the next Pope should be named Odo, had bought a palace
+in Rome, and, in order to secure his election to the papal chair, was
+not only preparing to go thither, but had engaged his nephew, Hugh Le
+Loup, Earl of Chester, and many other Norman knights and barons, to
+form his court.
+
+The idea of Odo aspiring to the chair of St. Peter proved in the
+highest degree displeasing to William. Sailing from Normandy without
+delay, he contrived to intercept Odo off the Isle of Wight. Assembling
+a council of Norman barons, he presented Odo to them, and accused him
+of having abused his power as judge and earl.
+
+"This man," explained William, "has despoiled churches; he has
+maltreated the Saxons to the danger of the common cause; and he has
+attempted to seduce and take with him beyond the Alps the warriors on
+whose fidelity the safety of the country depended. Consider these
+grievances," said William, in conclusion, "and tell me how I ought to
+act towards such a brother."
+
+The barons looked at each other; but no one ventured to reply.
+
+"Ha!" exclaimed William, "offensive foolhardiness must be restrained
+in time. Therefore," continued he, after a pause, "let this man be
+arrested and put into safe custody."
+
+But the idea of Odo being a bishop daunted the boldest. None present
+had the courage to put out a hand. At length William advanced and
+seized Odo's robe.
+
+"I am a priest--I am a minister of God!" cried Odo. "The Pope alone
+can judge between us."
+
+"It is not as priest or prelate that I judge," exclaimed William,
+grasping the bishop's robe more tightly than before; "it is as my
+vassal, my earl, and my false viceroy."
+
+Odo, finding all protests unavailing, was fain to yield to his fate.
+Carried to Normandy, he was lodged in a strong fortress, and made to
+suffer for the sins committed in the days of his prosperity. In fact,
+the licentiousness for which he had been notorious was urged as a
+reason against his release, and he remained in durance almost without
+hope of seeing his prison-doors opened.
+
+[Illustration: Cooks--from Bayeux Tapestry.]
+
+
+
+
+XLIII.
+
+[Illustration: The Doom's-day Books]
+
+DOOMSDAY BOOK.
+
+
+The House of Godwin having been overthrown; the son of Siward
+executed; one grandson of Leofric in the grave, the other in a
+dungeon; and one son of Cospatrick relegated to obscurity in Durham,
+the other condemned to exile in Lothian; William the Conqueror shook
+off all feelings of apprehension in so far as concerned the
+vanquished, and bethought him of casting up accounts with the
+companions of his victories. With this view he commissioned Walter
+Gifford, Henry de Ferrars, Remi, Bishop of Lincoln, and other persons
+of distinction, to traverse the country in all directions, and
+ascertain what amount of property each man possessed, and what
+proportion each should contribute towards the revenue.
+
+This process, however necessary, does not appear to have been highly
+gratifying to those whom it chiefly concerned. Indeed, the Norman
+king and the Norman barons had, ere this, begun to regard each other
+with distrust and hostility. William accused them of caring more for
+their private interests than the general welfare; and they retaliated
+by reproaching him with greediness of gain and a desire to appropriate
+to himself, under the pretext of public utility, the wealth that had
+been acquired by their united exertions. No forcible opposition,
+however, was offered to the inquest which William ordered; and the
+Royal commissioners proceeded to the execution of their laborious
+duties.
+
+Making progresses through the various counties of England, the
+commissioners established a court of inquiry in each place of
+importance, and caused the results of their investigations to be
+regularly registered in a book. The king's name was placed first, with
+the lands and revenues he enjoyed; then the names of the chiefs or
+smaller proprietors, according to their military rank and the value of
+their territory. The whole business was conducted with the utmost
+regularity, and with such care as rendered the lapse of years
+inevitable before the completion of their inquiry.
+
+When this territorial register, described by the Normans as the "Grand
+Roll," but talked of by the Saxons as "Doom's-Day Book," was
+completed, all the Norman chiefs, clerks as well as laymen, were
+convoked, in 1086, to discuss and decide the various claims that had
+been made and disputes that had arisen during the inquest. It was a
+magnificent assembly, presided over by William, and consisting of
+prelates, barons, and knights, glutted with the blood and gorged with
+the spoil of the slaughtered and banished Anglo-Saxon lords. But many
+of them came thither in no amicable mood; and the Goddess of Discord
+availed herself of their frame of mind to celebrate a festival.
+
+It appears that William asserted himself proprietor, by inheritance,
+of all the land that had belonged to Edward the Confessor, to Harold
+the Usurper, and to the various members of the House of Godwin, and
+thus interfered with the claims of many Normans who had served him
+most zealously at the time of the invasion. Much discontent was felt
+in consequence, and expressed without hesitation. Men deprived of
+their estates held strong language; and, finally, unable to obtain
+redress, they renounced their allegiance, left the country they had
+helped to conquer, passed the Tweed, and offered their homage to
+Malcolm Canmore.
+
+This circumstance was destined to exercise considerable influence in
+after ages. The Normans crossed the frontier with feelings the reverse
+of tender towards the country they were leaving, and taught their
+children to turn the points of their spears southward. Two centuries
+later it was the perfidy of their descendants that baffled the genius
+of the first Great Edward; and it was the courage and prowess of their
+children's children which enabled Robert Bruce to wrest from Edward's
+son the crown of Scotland on the field of Bannockburn.
+
+[Illustration: Norman Rustic, 11th century (from Strutt)]
+
+
+
+
+XLIV.
+
+[Illustration: The quarrel of Henry Beauclerc and Louis le Gros]
+
+THE CONQUEROR'S DEATH.
+
+
+It was the spring of 1086, and Philip, King of France--weak as ever,
+and with a reputation decidedly the worse for wear--was at Conflans,
+on the Seine; and with him was his son, afterwards, as Louis le Gros,
+distinguished as the foremost man of his time, but then scarcely out
+of his teens, and showing no signs of the talent and energy which
+history has associated with his name. In fact, this prince was "gay,
+conciliating all hearts to him, and of such extreme good-nature," says
+his biographer, "that to some men he seemed almost weak."
+
+While Philip was at Conflans with his court, Conflans was doubtless an
+attractive place. Indeed, the court of Philip included so many young
+men sent to be instructed in knightly accomplishments, under the royal
+auspices, that they almost formed an army. At the same time, weary,
+perhaps, of Rouen, and eager for change of scene Robert Curthose and
+Henry Beauclerc--whom the Conqueror had recently invested with joint
+authority as governors of Normandy--repaired to Conflans on a visit,
+"entertaining the time with a variety of sports."
+
+One day, when the three princes were in the palace, Henry and Louis
+commenced playing chess, while Curthose sat looking out on the banks
+of the Seine, or paced the room, pondering some vague project
+connected with love or war. Henry appears to have had marvellous luck;
+and Louis, perhaps not quite satisfied of having fair play, lost not
+only his money but his temper also. High words, and a quarrel not
+remarkable for princely dignity were the consequences. Louis, getting
+into a rage, perhaps for the first time in his life, called Henry the
+son of a bastard, and threw the chessmen in his face. Henry, provoked
+in the highest degree, reproached Louis with being the heir of
+usurping, effeminate, and priest-ridden kings, and felled him to the
+floor with the chessboard. In the vehemence of his passion, Henry
+would have slain Louis on the spot; but Curthose, recovering from the
+amazement produced by the scene, hastily interfered, dragged his
+brother away, and hurried to the stables. Mounting, the Norman princes
+spurred off with the speed of the wind, and scarcely halted till they
+were beyond the French frontier.
+
+On learning what had occurred, Philip swore to be avenged. Rousing
+himself from apathy, and availing himself of William's absence from
+the Continent, the French king made a hostile incursion into Normandy;
+and, ere long, the Conqueror, while in England, learned that his
+liege lord was ravaging his territory and besieging his towns.
+
+William was, by this time, in his sixty-third year, and by no means so
+energetic as in days gone by. Nevertheless, his spirit was high as
+ever. Resolved to go in person to face the danger and punish the
+aggression, he prepared to cross the Channel. Before doing so,
+however, he determined to remove from the vanquished islanders the
+temptation of making a last desperate effort to restore their national
+royalty.
+
+At this time, Edgar Atheling, and his sister, Christina, were both in
+England. The Atheling, with some touch of sentiment for the land over
+which his sires had reigned, had, in the previous year, returned from
+Normandy; and Christina, having perhaps exhausted the patience of King
+Malcolm, had returned from Scotland. The presence of the royal Saxons
+could hardly, under all the circumstances, have been of vital
+consequence. But suspicion had now become a disease with the
+Conqueror, and he could not embark without having first disposed of
+them to his satisfaction. Accordingly, he so strongly impressed upon
+Christina the propriety of becoming a religious, that the princess,
+albeit not yet forty, still comely to behold, and perhaps by no means
+averse to the veil of a bride, was fain to take the veil of a nun in
+the convent of Rumsey; and he demonstrated so clearly to Atheling the
+propriety of undertaking an expedition to the Holy Land, that the
+prince, after being promised money to support his dignity, consented
+to set out on a pilgrimage.
+
+Matters having thus been settled, William, with Edgar Atheling under
+his wing, and Rufus in attendance, embarked for the Continent. Having
+set his iron heel once more on Norman soil, the Conqueror first
+shipped off the grandson of Ironside to Apulia, with a retinue of two
+hundred knights, and then applied himself to his dispute with the heir
+of Hugh Capet.
+
+It appears that the real cause of debate between William and Philip
+was the country of Vexin, situated between the Epte and the Oise. This
+territory had been wrested from Normandy and united to France during
+the troubles consequent upon the rumoured death of Robert the Devil.
+William, less inclined than of yore to submit the question of
+possession to the arbitrament of the sword, flattered himself that he
+should be able to regain the Vexin by peaceful means, and with this
+hope opened negotiations.
+
+While negotiations were pending, William, whose corpulence had caused
+him serious inconvenience, felt the necessity of placing himself in
+the hands of his physicians and, by their advice, he kept his bed, and
+attempted to reduce himself by a rigorous diet. Philip, deeming that
+he had little to fear from such an adversary, returned evasive replies
+to William's demands, and found that the Conqueror bore the delay so
+patiently, that he ventured one day, at Paris, to indulge, at
+William's expense, in a coarse jest, which was faithfully repeated at
+Rouen.
+
+"By my faith!" said Philip, "our cousin, the King of England, is very
+long about his lying-in! What rejoicings there will be when he gets
+up! What a number of candles I must provide for his churching!"
+
+"Ha!" angrily exclaimed William, when told what Philip had said, "no
+cost shall the King of France incur on that day for candles or lights.
+For," added he, his anger rising and swelling into fury, "by the
+splendour and birth of God! I will be churched at Notre Dame de Paris
+with ten thousand lances for my candles."
+
+While the blood of William was boiling with indignation at his liege
+lord's insulting jest, an incident occurred which must have added much
+to his annoyance. Curthose, falling under Philip's influence, and
+allured by Philip's promises, broke once more with his father, and
+prepared for the third time to leave the Norman court. William stormed
+as was his wont on such occasions, cursed his son's folly, and heaped
+maledictions on his head. Curthose, however, paid no regard to the
+reproaches of a sire with whom he could not agree; though it could
+hardly have been without reluctance that he left the duchy of which he
+was the recognised heir, to sit at the hearth, and feed at the board,
+and climb the stairs of strangers. But, whatever his feelings,
+Curthose did go; and the grim Conqueror cursed him as he departed.
+
+William now shook off sickness, discarded his physicians, rose from
+his bed, mustered his men-at-arms, buckled on his mail, and entered
+the territory of Philip. More than threescore years had passed since
+the son of Arlette drew his first breath; but he proved, in a manner
+not to be mistaken, that time had not bent his spirit nor softened his
+heart. It was late in July, the harvest was at hand, and the summer's
+sun shone on fields of yellow corn, on vineyards rich with grapes, and
+orchards laden with fruit. William spared nothing. He ordered his
+cavalry to burn the corn, to tear up the vines, and to cut down the
+fruit-trees. Slaughtering, destroying, and ravaging with all the fury
+he had seventeen years earlier displayed in Northumberland, William
+reached Mantes, on the Seine.
+
+It was Sunday, the 15th of August, when the Conqueror appeared at
+Mantes; and, on effecting an entrance, he immediately ordered the town
+to be set on fire. His orders were promptly obeyed; and as the flames
+leaped from roof to roof, seizing on cottages, and castles, and
+churches, and shot crackling upwards like a serpent's tongue, William,
+as if in a frenzy, shouted at the top of his voice, galloped through
+the conflagration, and seemed to enjoy the terrible scene. But
+suddenly his haughty spirit was brought low. While riding through the
+ruins, he spurred his horse towards a ditch which crossed his path.
+While in the act of springing, the animal set its foot on some burning
+embers, started, plunged furiously, and came to the ground, throwing
+the corpulent rider with such violence against the saddle as to cause
+a severe wound in the stomach.
+
+It soon became apparent that William was not destined to reach Paris
+or to appear at Notre Dame; in fact, the Conqueror was in no slight
+danger. Weak from recent confinement, heated by excitement, by the
+fire, and by the weather, he became feverish, and ordered himself to
+be conveyed back to Rouen. But when laid in his own chamber he could
+not rest; and so great was the annoyance he experienced from the noise
+of the streets, that it was deemed expedient to remove him to the
+priory of St. Gervase. In that religious house, which belonged to the
+monks of Fescamp, and stood on a hill outside the city, William, under
+the care of Gilbert, Bishop of Lysieux, and Goutard, Abbot of
+Jumieges, who tended him as physicians, languished for weeks. But his
+condition daily became worse, and, not deluding himself with hopes of
+recovery, he prepared for death.
+
+When stretched on a bed from which he felt there was no probability of
+his rising, William reflected seriously on his past life, and regarded
+many actions in a very different light from that in which he had been
+in the habit of viewing them during the years of health and vigour.
+Eager to make atonement, he caused money to be given to the poor, and
+to be sent to the religious houses of England and Mantes to rebuild
+the churches which, by his orders, had been burned. At the same time
+he ordered the prison doors to be opened, and freedom to be given to
+captives, among whom were Wulnoth, brother of Harold; Morkar, brother
+of Edwin; and William's own brother, Odo of Bayeux.
+
+It was now Wednesday, the 8th of September, 1087, and the Conqueror
+became aware that he was on the point of passing that bourne from
+which no traveller returns. But still he seems to have remained
+somewhat unconvinced of the vanity of sublunary greatness. Ordering
+the officers of his household to repair to his chamber, he, weak as he
+was, delivered an harangue of some length on his military
+achievements, dilated on the renown he had acquired as a ruler of men,
+and dictated his last will to his sons. Robert Curthose was at
+Abbeville; but William Rufus and Henry Beauclerc were by the bed of
+their dying father.
+
+"I leave Normandy," said the Conqueror, "to my eldest son Robert, in
+accordance with the wishes of the Normans; but wretched will be the
+land subject to his rule. As for England, I leave it to no one,
+because I acquired it by force and bloodshed. I replace it in God's
+hands, wishing that my son William, who has ever been obedient to me,
+may, if it please God, obtain that kingdom and prosper in it."
+
+"And," said Henry, stepping forward and speaking with energy, "what,
+then, will you give me, my father?"
+
+"Give thee?" replied William; "I give thee five thousand pounds in
+silver from my treasury."
+
+"But," said Henry, "what can I do with this money if I have neither
+house nor land?"
+
+"Be content, my son," answered the Conqueror, "and have confidence in
+God. Allow thine elder brothers to precede thee. Thy time will come
+after theirs."
+
+This scene having been enacted, William awaited that pale spectre
+which comes with impartiality to the cottages of the poor and the
+castles of kings. Nor was his patience severely tried. At sunrise, on
+Thursday morning, he awoke from the feverish slumber in which he
+passed the last night his spirit was to spend on earth. It was bright
+and clear; the rising sun shone on the storied windows of the priory,
+the bells were ringing, and the monks were singing a Latin hymn to the
+hour of prime.
+
+"What means that noise?" inquired William, in faint accents.
+
+"They are ringing prime at the church of St. Mary," was the answer.
+
+"Ha!" faltered William; and then adding, "I commend my soul to Mary,
+the Holy Mother of God," he raised his hands to heaven, and instantly
+expired.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XLV.
+
+THE BURIAL AT CAEN.
+
+
+One Thursday the 10th of September, 1087, consternation and dismay
+pervaded the city of Rouen. Neither Granada after Boabdil's flight,
+nor Edinburgh after the death of King James at Flodden, presented such
+a scene of confusion as did the capital of Normandy on that morning
+when it became known that William the Conqueror had breathed his last.
+Fear fell upon all men who had anything to lose, and they ran wildly
+about, beating their breasts, tearing their hair, and imploring
+advice, as if a hostile army had been before the gates.
+
+Meanwhile, within the convent of St. Gervase and the castle of Rouen
+were enacted such scenes as, when reflected on, make human beings
+blush for human nature. No sooner did William breathe his last than
+his physicians, and the attendants who had watched his couch during
+the night, hastily left the chamber of death, and mounting their
+horses, rode away to look after their property; and, when the news
+reached the castle, the servants carried off plate, armour, clothes,
+linen, and everything that was not too hot or too heavy, and fled
+from the place. It is even said that the body of the great
+warrior-statesman was left on the floor with scarcely a shred of
+covering, and that it remained in that position for several hours.
+
+It is most discreditable, indeed, to the memory of William's two sons,
+Rufus and Beauclerc, that such should have been the case. But these
+young men were wholly intent on their own interests. Rufus was already
+on his way to England, and Beauclerc was busy receiving the five
+thousand pounds, seeing the silver carefully weighed, and depositing
+the treasure in a chest, fastened with bands of iron, and secured with
+strong locks. Never was there a more thorough display of intense
+selfishness. Even Curthose, with all his faults, would not have been
+guilty of such filial impiety.
+
+It almost seemed as if the Conqueror was to be denied Christian
+burial. But William, Archbishop of Rouen, had the decency to think of
+the dead king, and ordered a procession to be arranged. Dressed in
+their habits, monks and priests, with cross, candles, and censers,
+repaired to the chamber to pray for the soul that had departed, and
+the archbishop gave orders that the corpse should be conveyed to Caen,
+and buried in the cathedral which William had built and dedicated to
+St. Stephen. But nobody showed the least inclination to take an active
+part in the obsequies.
+
+At length a Norman knight, named Herluin, probably a kinsman of
+Arlette's husband, William's stepfather, volunteered to take the
+trouble and bear the expense. Having hired a hearse and men, Herluin
+removed the body to the banks of the Seine, and, having caused it to
+be placed in a boat, attended it, by the river and the sea, to Caen.
+On reaching that place the corpse was met by the Abbot of Caen, with
+all his monks, and by many other priests and laymen, among whom
+appeared Henry Beauclerc. But a fire suddenly breaking out in the town
+dissolved the procession, and the corpse, deserted by all but the
+monks of St. Stephen, was borne by them to the cathedral.
+
+Between the altar and the choir of the Cathedral of Caen a tomb was
+prepared; and when the time appointed for the inhumation arrived all
+the bishops and abbots of Normandy assembled for the ceremony. Mass
+was then said; and the body, without a coffin, but clothed in royal
+robes, was about to be lowered, when suddenly a man, advancing from
+the crowd, stepped forward and interrupted the process.
+
+"Priests and bishops," said he, in a loud voice, "this ground is mine.
+It was the site of my father's house. The man for whom you have now
+prayed took it from me by force to build his church upon it."
+
+"It is true," said several voices.
+
+"I have not sold my land," continued the man; "I have not pawned it--I
+have not forfeited it--I have not given it. Mine the ground is by
+right, and I demand it."
+
+"Who art thou?" they asked.
+
+"My name," he answered, "is Asselin Fitzarthur, and in God's name I
+forbid the body of the spoiler to be laid in this place. Here was the
+floor of my father's house--it was violently wrested from us; and I
+charge you, as ye shall answer for it before the face of God, not to
+cover this body with the earth of my inheritance."
+
+"He hath the law of Normandy on his side," muttered those present.
+
+Perceiving how the matter stood, the bishops caused Fitzarthur to
+approach, and a bargain was hastily struck. The bishops agreed to pay
+sixty pence for the immediate place of sepulture, and to give
+equitable recompence for the rest of the ground; and Fitzarthur,
+contented with their assurance, withdrew his protest. The body was
+then placed in its narrow receptacle, and, the ceremony having been
+hastily completed, the grave closed over the remains of William the
+Conqueror.
+
+The right of Robert Curthose to the coronal of Normandy was not
+disputed, and when that prince arrived at Rouen he quietly took
+possession of the dominions of Rollo. But the succession to the crown
+of England was a question which the Anglo-Norman barons deemed
+themselves entitled to decide. A council was accordingly held for that
+purpose; and at this assembly the majority of those present gave it as
+their opinion that crown and coronal should go together--that the two
+countries should have one and the same government--and that the crown
+of England should be placed where the coronal of Normandy already
+was, on the head of Duke Robert. But, in the midst of their
+deliberations, the dignity of the assembled barons was rudely shocked.
+News, in fact, came across the Channel which seemed to indicate that
+their wishes on the subject of the succession were not thought worthy
+even of being consulted, and which, by creating bitter animosities,
+was destined to produce an alarming and not altogether unimportant
+civil war.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+XLVI.
+
+[Illustration: Shakespeare's Cliff, Dover.]
+
+THE RED KING.
+
+
+About the time when news that the Conqueror had commended his soul to
+the Virgin Mary and expired at the convent of St. Gervase was causing
+consternation and affright in the city of Rouen, there might have been
+seen, at the port of Wissant, near Calais, a thickset and
+rude-mannered man, of twenty-seven or thereabouts, who stammered in
+Norman French, swore "by the face of St. Luke," and went blustering
+about in the excess of his eagerness to embark for the shores of
+England.
+
+The appearance of this person was the reverse of prepossessing. His
+stature was mean, his figure was ungraceful, his face florid, his
+forehead shaped like a window, his hair fiery red, and his
+countenance, which had not a redeeming feature, was deformed by a
+disagreeable defect in the eyes. It was William Rufus, the Conqueror's
+second son, on his way to seize the English throne.
+
+On setting foot in England, Rufus hastened to Winchester, presented
+himself to the treasurer, and gained that officer over to his views.
+Having obtained the keys of the treasury, he found much silver and
+gold, and a quantity of jewels. Upon weighing these carefully, and
+taking an inventory, he succeeded in gaining the support of Lanfranc;
+and, having prevailed on the Norman barons then in England to
+recognise him as king, he was crowned by the archbishop in the
+cathedral of Winchester.
+
+It would seem that at this stage Rufus apprehended some danger from
+the enmity of the Saxons. At all events, his first act of royal
+authority was directed against men of the vanquished race. In
+accordance with the Conqueror's dying command, four captives of high
+rank had been restored to liberty. These were Roger Fitzosborne, Odo
+of Bayeux, Wulnoth, brother of Harold, and Morkar, brother of Edwin.
+Of these, Rufus ordered Wulnoth and Morkar to be seized, and again
+committed to prison at Winchester.
+
+Events soon occurred to convince the Red King that he had mistaken the
+quarter whence danger was to come. In fact, the Norman barons, who had
+assembled at Rouen, were furious at the intelligence of a coronation
+having taken place without their consent, and, ere long, they reached
+England, breathing defiance and threatening vengeance. Soon a party
+was formed with the avowed resolution of pulling Rufus from the
+throne, and placing the crown of England on Curthose's head.
+
+At the head of this party figured Odo, the fierce and haughty Bishop
+of Bayeux, now released from prison. Owing Lanfranc an old grudge, and
+willing to pay the debt with interest, Odo exerted all his influence
+to destroy the settlement of which the archbishop was author, and
+proved so successful in his efforts that a formidable conspiracy was
+formed with that object. Day by day it was strengthened by the names
+of powerful nobles and influential churchmen. Hugh de Grantmesnil,
+Robert Mortain, Earl of Cornwall; Robert Montgomery, Earl of
+Shrewsbury; Robert Moubray, Earl of Northumberland; and William
+Carilif, Bishop of Durham, were among the many eminent personages who
+vowed to place Curthose on the Conqueror's throne. With the object of
+perplexing the movements of Rufus while awaiting the coming of
+Curthose, they fortified themselves in different parts of the country.
+Hugh de Grantmesnil fortified himself in Leicester; the Earl of
+Cornwall posted himself at Pevensey; the Earl of Shrewsbury held
+Norwich; the Earl of Northumberland seized Bristol; William Carilif
+occupied the castle of Durham; and Odo himself took possession of the
+castle of Rochester. The banners of the insurgents waved from hundreds
+of other strongholds; and they only awaited the arrival of Curthose to
+strike a decisive blow.
+
+[Illustration: Rochester]
+
+The position of Rufus appeared somewhat perilous. Left to his own
+resources he must have fallen from the throne he so unworthily
+occupied. But the circumstance of having a minister of such wisdom and
+experience as Lanfranc at his side considerably altered the case; and,
+acting under the auspices of the archbishop, Rufus took the only step
+likely to save him from impending ruin.
+
+In passing through England, as it then was, foreigners were
+surprised, after passing the Norman fortresses, which on every height
+frowned with heavy, massive, and gloomy turrets, to come, ever and
+anon, on two-storied houses, quite unfortified, and standing in the
+midst of parks, through which, watched by the herdsmen, herds and
+flocks grazed in security. These were the seats of such Saxons of
+consideration as had escaped the Norman sword; not mighty chiefs, like
+Edwin or Cospatrick, but thanes who, perhaps, had been too proud to
+march under the banner of the son of Godwin; men who had not, for
+years, wandered out from the shadow of their paternal oaks; whom
+isolation had rendered eccentric, and whom oppression had rendered
+irascible.
+
+In the hour of need, Rufus was reminded of these Saxon thanes, who had
+long been exclaiming over their cups against Norman tyranny, summoned
+them to his court, asked their counsels, and promised, in the event of
+their rendering aid, to restore to them the right of carrying arms,
+and the privileges of the chase. The simple Saxons fell into the
+snare, gave credit to his frank assurances, and issued to the natives
+a proclamation couched in the words to which the Saxons had been long
+accustomed.
+
+"Let every man," such were the words--"let every man that is not a
+nothing, whether in the town or country, leave his house and come."
+
+The appeal was not made in vain. At the time and place appointed
+thirty thousand Saxons rallied round the Red King's banner.
+
+It was at the head of this body of men, who were mostly on foot, that
+William, with some Norman cavalry, marched towards Rochester, where
+Odo of Bayeux was strongly posted. The Saxons, to whom Odo was
+peculiarly odious, displayed great eagerness for the strife, vowed
+vengeance against the oppressors, and beleaguered Rochester on all
+sides. Closely pressed, the Bishop of Bayeux and his friends soon
+offered to yield, and to acknowledge Rufus as King, on condition of
+being allowed to retain their honours and their lands. Rufus, who was
+brave, though his courage somewhat resembled that of a wild beast, at
+first refused to listen to such terms. But the Normans in his army,
+having no mind to slaughter their friends and kinsmen, pressed him to
+accede.
+
+"We, who have aided thee in this danger," said they, "pray thee to
+spare our countrymen and relatives, who are also thine, and who aided
+thy father to conquer England."
+
+"Well," said Rufus, yielding to their representations, "I will grant
+them liberty to depart with arms and horses."
+
+"But," said Odo, "we must stipulate that the king's military music
+shall not play in token of victory at our departure."
+
+"By St. Luke's face!" exclaimed Rufus, fiercely, on hearing of this
+demand, "I will not make any such concession for a thousand gold
+marks."
+
+Accordingly, when Odo and his friends left Rochester, with colours
+lowered, the royal trumpets sounded in token of victory; but far
+louder were the clamours that arose from the assembled Saxons.
+
+"Bring us cords!" some cried; "we will hang this traitor bishop, with
+all his accomplices!"
+
+"O king!" cried others, "why dost thou let him go free? He is not
+worthy to live--the traitor, the perjurer, the murderer of so many
+thousand men."
+
+The war, after raging for some time longer, was terminated by a
+treaty. Curthose was bribed with a grant of land and with a promise of
+succeeding to the crown in the event of his surviving Rufus; while his
+adherents were pardoned and returned to their estates. But how did
+Rufus treat the Anglo-Saxons who had secured him victory? How did he
+fulfil the promises made to the Saxon chiefs who had brought their
+countrymen around him in the hour of need?
+
+No sooner was the war at an end than Rufus became infinitely more
+tyrannical than ever his father had been. In vain Lanfranc, who had,
+as it were, stood sponsor, reminded the Red King of the pledges he had
+given.
+
+"Remember your promises," said the venerable prelate.
+
+"Tush!" stammered out Rufus; "how can a king keep all the promises he
+makes?"
+
+Lanfranc was horrified. Dumb with amazement at the idea of solemn
+engagements, for which he had stood security, being thus repudiated,
+the archbishop retired into privacy, and soon after went the way of
+all flesh. The death of Lanfranc was regarded as a national calamity;
+and the Red King, freed from all restraint, and pursuing his career
+without scruple and without fear, lived like a scoundrel, and reigned
+like a tyrant.
+
+Rufus seems to have had as little sympathy with the sentiments of that
+gallant French monarch who said that "society without ladies would be
+like the year without the spring; or, rather, like spring without the
+flowers," as with the sentiment of another French monarch, who said
+that, "if good faith were banished from all the rest of the world, it
+should still be found in the breasts of kings." No gentle wife had the
+Red King to exercise a softening influence on his harsh heart. From
+the first he was a confirmed bachelor, and his morals were dissolute
+in the extreme. It is true that at the court of Winchester no mediæval
+Diana of Poictiers or Madame Pompadour scandalized the grave and
+decorous by the spectacle of an abandoned woman, arrayed in purple and
+fine linen, enjoying a degree of royal favour not vouchsafed to a
+wedded wife. But Rufus indulged without restraint in amours with
+females too obscure to be mentioned by chroniclers; and such was the
+reputation of the king's court that, when he made progresses through
+England, women who had not discarded decency left their homes to save
+their honour, and took refuge in the depths of the forests.
+
+At the same time the country through which the Red King passed was
+ruthlessly ravaged by his train. Goods and provisions were lawlessly
+seized; and such was the spirit of the courtiers that, when they found
+in the houses of the Saxons more than they could consume, they amused
+themselves by giving articles of food to the flames, and using wine to
+wash the feet of their horses.
+
+Another kind of oppression was heavily felt by the vanquished race.
+The king deemed it necessary to construct a new wall round the Tower,
+to build a bridge over the Thames, and to add a great hall to the
+palace of Westminster. All around London men were taxed, and bands of
+labourers were forcibly compelled to take part in the works. Murmurs
+and complaints were frequent; but murmurs were useless and complaints
+unavailing.
+
+In fact, under the government of the Red King, the affairs of England
+were conducted without the least reference to the feelings of those to
+whom he owed his throne. Deep, of course, was the discontent.
+
+"Every year that passed," says the chronicler, "was heavy and full of
+sorrow, on account of the vexations without number, and the multiplied
+taxes."
+
+[Illustration: Knights jousting (from Strutt)]
+
+
+
+
+XLVII.
+
+RUFUS AND THE JEWS.
+
+
+Among the evils which the Saxons associated with the Norman Conquest,
+not the least was the introduction, by William the Conqueror, of a
+considerable number of Jews into England. Doubtless, ere that event,
+the fame of their wealth, and of the atrocious means by which it had
+been acquired, had preceded them. But their arrival from Rouen caused
+much dismay. Accounts of their usury, their traffic in human beings,
+and the insults offered by them to the Christian religion, were
+carried through the land, and so influenced the popular mind, that, of
+all the nations of modern Europe, the Anglo-Saxons learned most
+thoroughly to despise the degraded remnants of the chosen people.
+There was something about the appearance of men of Hebrew race which
+raised involuntary antipathy in the breasts of the inhabitants of
+England; and wherever the face of a Jew appeared, with the sensual
+lip, the sharp, hooked nose, and features the reverse of beautiful,
+hands instinctively clenched and lips curled with scorn.
+
+The Red King did not share the prejudices of his Saxon subjects. Being
+an infidel, he could not think the worse of them because they were
+not Christians; and being a spendthrift, he was glad to avail himself
+of their wealth, without particularly inquiring into the nefarious
+means by which it had been acquired. In any case, Rufus gave the Jews
+considerable encouragement in matters of religion; and, whenever an
+opportunity occurred, he showed that he was not above pocketing their
+gold.
+
+It appears that on one occasion the Red King even consented to a
+disputation being held in his presence between Jews and Christians.
+Before the arrival of the day appointed, the Jews came to Rufus, laid
+rich presents at his feet, and implored him to insure them a fair and
+impartial hearing.
+
+"Doubtless," he answered; "and you must quit yourselves like men."
+
+"Assuredly," said the Jews.
+
+"And if you prevail in argument," exclaimed Rufus, "I swear by St.
+Luke's face that I myself will turn Jew, and be of your religion."
+
+This disputation, like most disputations of the kind, came to nought,
+and Rufus was not called upon to redeem his pledge of becoming a
+convert. He did, however, contrive to turn the conversion of others to
+account. When a Jew happened to be brought to a knowledge of the
+truth, Rufus was quite ready, on certain terms, to lay his commands on
+the convert to return to Judaism. In this way, which ill became the
+king of a Christian people, he obtained considerable sums of money.
+
+On one occasion a wealthy old Jew, whose son had seen the error of his
+ways, and embraced Christianity, appeared at the king's court, told
+his tale of woe, and entreated assistance.
+
+"I am sore troubled," said the Hebrew; "I am bowed down with grief. O
+king," he continued, presenting Rufus with sixty marks, "command my
+son to return to the faith of his fathers."
+
+"Ay," said Rufus, clutching the money; "bring your son to me, and I
+will bring him to reason."
+
+The old Jew retired, and soon after returned with his son. The young
+Israelite, however, was unabashed as he entered the Red King's
+presence, conscious of the goodness of his cause.
+
+"Young man," said Rufus, by way of settling the business in as few
+words as possible, "I command you, without delay, to return to the
+religion of your nation."
+
+"King," said the young Israelite, in a tone of mournful reproach, "I
+marvel that you can give such advice. Being a Christian, you ought to
+feel it your duty rather to persuade me to remain steadfast to
+Christianity."
+
+"Dog!" stammered out Rufus, in a loud tone; "get out of my sight
+without delay, or it will be the worse for thee."
+
+The convert went his way, and the old Jew remained, deeply mortified
+at the result of the royal mediation, for which he had paid so high a
+price. But even at that instant his intense love of gold, prevailing
+over all considerations of propriety, prompted an attempt to recover
+his sixty marks.
+
+"Since, O king," he said, "you have not persuaded my son to return to
+his religion, it would be but fair to restore to me the gold I gave to
+that end."
+
+"Nay," answered the king, with his usual oath; "I have taken trouble
+enough, and have done work enough, for the gold, and more. And yet I
+would like to show you how kindly I can deal. Therefore you shall have
+one-half of the sixty marks, and in conscience you cannot deny me the
+other."
+
+[Illustration: Andiron.]
+
+
+
+
+XLVIII.
+
+[Illustration: Death of Malcolm Canmore, the Scottish King]
+
+RUFUS AND THE SCOTS.
+
+
+While William Rufus, having set honour and decency at defiance, was
+playing the part of a tyrant and oppressor in England, he ever and
+anon gave indications, not to be mistaken, of a desire to play the
+part of a usurper in Normandy.
+
+Repairing to the Continent, with some idea of taking possession of his
+brother's duchy, Rufus expelled from Normandy the unfortunate heir of
+the Saxon kings, who had returned from Apulia. Homeless and well-nigh
+desperate, Edgar Atheling once more sought refuge in Scotland; and
+Malcolm Canmore, irritated, perhaps, at the treatment with which his
+brother-in-law had met, resolved on making Rufus feel his enmity.
+
+"Years since," said the King of Scots, "I was fain to recognise
+William the Norman as my liege lord; and I acknowledge Robert Curthose
+as the heir of William the Norman; but as for this Red King, I can
+only recognise him as a usurper, and he shall only know me as a foe."
+
+Rufus was still in Normandy, when intelligence reached him that
+Malcolm, accompanied by the Atheling, had, in the month of May, 1091,
+crossed the frontier; and he was seriously alarmed at tidings of an
+invasion that might lead to important consequences. Under such
+circumstances he perceived the policy of going craftily to work; and,
+after patching up a peace with his brother Robert, prevailed on the
+Norman duke to attend him to England, and aid in bringing Malcolm to
+reason. It was in the autumn of 1091 when, with Curthose by his side,
+an army at his back, and a fleet at sea, Rufus moved northward to try
+conclusions with the royal Scot.
+
+On hearing of the approach of the King of England, Malcolm fell back
+in some dismay. Nevertheless, Rufus was not quite in a position to
+congratulate himself on the success of his expedition. In fact,
+everything went wrong. The weather proved altogether unfavourable.
+Before the close of September, the English fleet was destroyed by a
+storm; and, soon after Michaelmas, the army began to suffer so
+fearfully from cold and want, that there appeared little prospect of
+the enterprise having other than a disastrous termination.
+
+While such was the state of affairs, Malcolm Canmore, turning to bay,
+sent a messenger to the English camp with expressions of friendship to
+Curthose, and of scornful defiance to Rufus. Curthose, however, with
+characteristic generosity, stood firmly by Rufus at this crisis.
+Mounting his steed, he rode to the Scottish camp, had an interview
+with Edgar Atheling, persuaded the Saxon prince that, for all
+parties, peace was the wisest policy, and finally succeeded in
+negotiating a treaty between the two kings.
+
+Rufus now deemed himself secured against Malcolm's hostility; and
+scarcely had Curthose rendered this service when the Norman duke began
+to experience the gross ingratitude of the Red King. In utter disgust,
+Curthose resolved forthwith to leave England, and, crossing the sea,
+he established himself at Rouen with the intention of securing himself
+against further hostility.
+
+Meanwhile Rufus, while keeping his court at Gloucester, fell so sick,
+that physicians despaired of his life. Stretched on a bed of
+suffering, the Red King became extremely penitent and anxious to atone
+for his sins. While in this frame of mind, William invited Malcolm
+Canmore to come and settle all disputes. But ere the King of Scots
+reached Gloucester, Rufus was in a fair way of recovering, and in no
+mood to sacrifice either to justice or righteousness. Without even
+condescending to see Malcolm, he disdainfully ordered him to submit
+his disputes to his peers, the Anglo-Norman nobles; and Malcolm--his
+blood boiling at the treatment with which he had met--returned home,
+vowing to make the Red King repent his insolence.
+
+No sooner, accordingly, did Malcolm reach Scotland, than he assembled
+a great army, and marched towards England. Attended by his eldest son,
+Edward, he entered Northumberland, ravaged the country with fire and
+sword, advanced as far as Alnwick, invested the castle of Ivo de
+Vesci, and besieged that stronghold so closely that the garrison lost
+all hope.
+
+It was the month of November, 1093--a Sunday, and the day of St.
+Brice. The rain had fallen in torrents; the river Alne was in flood;
+and the garrison had given way to perplexity and despair. No chance of
+the siege being raised, or of escape by any other means, could be
+entertained; and the remembrance of the savage cruelty of the Scots
+under Malcolm, twenty years earlier, filled every heart with
+consternation. In this emergency, Hammond Morael, of Bamburgh, a
+soldier of courage and determination, undertook to deliver the
+garrison, or die in the attempt. Mounting a fleet steed, he issued
+from the castle, and, carrying the keys on the point of his spear, he
+rode towards the Scottish camp. On being challenged, he professed his
+willingness to surrender the keys of the fortress, but demanded
+permission to present them to the King of Scots in person. Malcolm,
+informed of Hammond's approach, immediately came forth; and Morael,
+spurring forward, pierced the Scottish king through the heart.
+
+A loud cry arose as Malcolm fell, and the Scotch camp was in
+commotion. Hammond, however, had well calculated his danger and his
+chances of escape. Turning rein without the delay of an instant, he
+gave his horse the spur, galloped towards a wood, made for the Alne,
+then swollen with rain, and, dashing in at all hazards, escaped by
+swimming the river at a place long afterwards known as "Hammond's
+Ford."
+
+While the Scots, amazed at the unexpected fall of their king, were in
+confusion, the soldiers forming the garrison of Alnwick availed
+themselves of the circumstance. Sallying, they made a fierce attack;
+and the Scots, put to the rout, either fell by the sword, or were
+drowned in attempting to pass the river. Among the warriors slain on
+this occasion was Malcolm's son Edward, a young prince of great
+promise.
+
+The rout of the Scots was so sudden, and their dispersion so complete,
+that the victors, without opposition, took possession of Malcolm's
+body. But though left in the hands of the foe, the corpse was not
+denied a Christian's grave. Placed in a cart by the Northumbrians, it
+was conveyed to Tynemouth, and there laid, with funereal honours, in
+the priory of St. Oswin, a famous religious house, which Robert de
+Moubray had wrested from the monks of St. Cuthbert, and bestowed on
+the monks of St. Alban's.
+
+In the meantime, news that Malcolm and his son had fallen at Alnwick
+reached the Scottish court, and overwhelmed Queen Margaret with grief.
+Nothing seemed sufficient to console the royal lady for the loss she
+had sustained. Indeed, she is said to have prayed that she might not
+survive them, and to have expired within three days of the catastrophe
+which made her a widow.
+
+The children of Malcolm Canmore and Margaret Atheling, when thus
+deprived of both parents, were in no enviable plight. The courtiers,
+being for the most part Normans and Saxons, were regarded and hated by
+the Scots as strangers or foreigners; and the only man capable of
+protecting the royal children was their uncle, Donald Bane. But that
+prince proved the reverse of generous. Instead of maintaining the
+interests of the eldest of his nephews, he resolved on availing
+himself of his nephew's nonage to seize the crown.
+
+It was not difficult for Donald Bane to realize his aspirations. The
+prejudices of the Scots as to the laws of succession, and the claims
+of Magnus, King of Norway, were in his favour. Without scruple he
+gratified the patriotism of the Scots by declaring for the banishment
+of all Normans and Saxons; and at the same time he purchased the
+support of the Norwegian king by ceding to him the Western Isles.
+Having thus strengthened his claims, Donald Bane mounted the Scottish
+throne.
+
+When affairs reached this stage, the Normans and Saxons escaped from
+Scotland with all convenient speed. With Normans and Saxons to England
+went Edgar Atheling; and with Atheling, to the country over which his
+sires had reigned, went the children of Malcolm and Margaret, to seek
+refuge in the land of their maternal ancestors till the occurrence of
+events calculated to lead to their restoration to home and country.
+
+[Illustration: Tynemouth.]
+
+
+
+
+XLIX.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+ROBERT DE MOUBRAY
+
+
+About the spring of 1095, William Rufus was menaced with ruin. It was
+Robert de Moubray, Earl of Northumberland--a man who possessed two
+hundred and eighty manors--whose influence the Red King now had to
+dread.
+
+Not without bitter grumbling had the Norman barons hitherto submitted
+to the law by which the Norman king retained the exclusive right of
+hunting in the forests of England. Nevertheless, this privilege was
+maintained by Rufus as vigorously as ever it had been by the mighty
+Conqueror. The Saxons contemptuously called him "The Wild Beast Herd,"
+while the Normans conspired to take off his crown, and place it on the
+head of Stephen, Earl of Albemarle, son of the Conqueror's sister. At
+the head of this conspiracy, which included several of the highest
+Norman nobles, Robert de Moubray nobly placed himself.
+
+Rufus was not altogether unaware of the conspiracy formed by the
+Anglo-Norman barons to overturn the throne. Indeed, Moubray drew
+suspicion on himself by failing to appear at court on the occasion of
+a great assembly of knights and barons at Easter. In order to bring
+matters to a crisis, Rufus issued a proclamation that, at the feast of
+Whitsuntide, every great landholder should attend, or be excluded from
+the public peace. Moubray, instead of presenting himself, sent Rufus a
+message, which sounded like a defiance.
+
+"I will not attend," said the Norman earl, "unless the king sends me
+hostages, and a safe-conduct to protect me going and returning."
+
+"By St. Luke's face!" cried Rufus, stammering with rage, "if he will
+not come to me, I will go to him!"
+
+According to this threat, the Red King mustered an army and marched
+northward. Besieging the castle of Tynemouth, which was held by a
+garrison commanded by Moubray's brother, he, after two months, took
+that fortress, and then marched on to Bamburgh, where Moubray was
+spending his time in the company of a young woman of great beauty,
+whom he had recently married. But Rufus, discovering that Bamburgh was
+quite impregnable, erected near it a stronghold called Malvoisin, or
+"Ill Neighbour," and, placing therein a strong garrison to keep that
+of Bamburgh in check, returned southward with the bulk of his army.
+
+Meanwhile Moubray had established communications with the garrison of
+Newcastle, and conceived the hope of making himself master of that
+stronghold. With this object, he one night set out from Bamburgh,
+attended by thirty horse; but, unfortunately for his scheme, he was
+observed by the garrison of Malvoisin, closely pursued, and forced to
+take refuge in the priory of Tynemouth. At that place, after being
+besieged and wounded in the leg, he was taken prisoner with his
+comrades.
+
+Rufus, on hearing of Moubray's capture, sent orders to secure Bamburgh
+without delay. But this was no easy business. The garrison, under the
+auspices of Moubray's young countess, and Hammond Morael--that warrior
+who had slain Malcolm Canmore--proved as stubborn as ever, and the
+besiegers were well-nigh in despair. Rufus, however, was not to be
+baffled by a woman.
+
+"Carry her husband before the castle," he cried, "and let his eyes be
+put out if it is not immediately surrendered."
+
+The king's orders were promptly obeyed. The soldiers left by Rufus at
+Malvoisin led Moubray in chains before the castle of Bamburgh, and
+summoned the countess to a parley. No sooner did she appear than they
+intimated their intention of putting out Moubray's eyes unless she
+instantly yielded the castle. The fair countess could not hesitate;
+without delay she threw the keys over the walls; and the soldiers of
+Rufus entering, took all prisoners. Morael, however, earned his pardon
+by revealing the names of all the conspirators; and Moubray, sentenced
+to perpetual imprisonment, was conveyed to the castle of Windsor.
+
+After long captivity, however, Moubray was permitted to retire to the
+Abbey of St. Alban's. In that great religious house, the once haughty
+Earl of Northumberland assumed the monastic habit, and became a meek
+shaveling. He appears to have survived his unfortunate rebellion fully
+thirty years.
+
+"You must know," says the chronicler, "that Robert de Moubray, the
+brave knight and Earl of Northumberland, was deprived of sight some
+days before he died. He was a very old man, and devoted to God, and
+became a monk at St. Alban's, where, after living a holy life for some
+time, he departed to the Lord, and was honourably buried in a place
+not far from the chapter-house."
+
+
+
+
+L.
+
+[Illustration: Hawking.]
+
+HENRY BEAUCLERC.
+
+
+At the time when Rufus became King of England, and Curthose took
+possession of Normandy, Henry, third son of the Conqueror, was in his
+twentieth year. Both in personal appearance and intellectual capacity
+he was decidedly superior to his brothers. He was a princely
+personage, of tall stature, and firmly built, with brown hair, a
+brilliant complexion, and clear, penetrating eyes, thoughtful rather
+than dreamy, which ever seemed to be looking to the future. He thought
+much, but spoke little, for his mind was occupied with projects of
+ambition, which he would not have whispered even to the winds.
+
+Henry had the advantage of being a native of England. It was at
+Selby, in Yorkshire, where an abbey was afterwards founded by the
+Conqueror, that Matilda of Flanders, during 1068, the first year of
+her residence in England, became the mother of her third son. But
+though a native of "the proud isle of liberty," Henry can hardly be
+described as an Englishman. His manners were foreign; his habits were
+those of a Norman; and it does not appear that he could even speak the
+English language. But he never failed, when such was his interest, to
+profess ardent love for his native land, and strong sympathy with the
+struggles of those who were its inhabitants.
+
+In critical moods, William the Conqueror was in the habit of repeating
+a phrase of one of the old counts of Anjou, as to a king without
+learning being a crowned ass; and the words sank deep into Henry's
+mind. The prince, thus strongly impressed with the necessity of
+acquiring knowledge, exhibited exemplary diligence; and, in 1084,
+William, when keeping his court at Abingdon, left him under the care
+of Robert D'Oyly, to be educated by the monks. Subsequently Henry was
+instructed beyond seas in philosophy and the liberal sciences, and won
+such renown for his knowledge that he was distinguished by the
+honourable surname of Beauclerc.
+
+Meanwhile, Henry's military education was not neglected. It was an
+age, as the grim Conqueror knew full well, in which no prince could
+hope to prosper who was not prepared to lead fighting men to the
+field, and ride boldly, through all dangers, into the thickest ranks
+of foemen. Henry was carefully trained in all the warlike exercises of
+the period; and, in 1086, he was, with the ceremonies befitting his
+rank, admitted to the honour of knighthood.
+
+The accomplishments of Henry were not confined to arms and letters.
+The scene at Laigle, when he and Rufus were playing at dice, after the
+fashion of soldiers at the time of the Conquest--the scene at
+Conflans, when he won so much money from Prince Louis that the heir of
+France lost his temper--lead to the suspicion that Henry was addicted
+to gaming; and there is evidence that his success in playing for
+money, if not miraculous, was quite equal to his success in playing
+for kingdoms and crowns.
+
+When the Conqueror, on his death-bed, left Beauclerc five thousand
+pounds in white silver, and gave the assurance that, after his
+brothers had their turn of sovereignty, his would certainly come,
+Beauclerc, who probably valued the legacy more than the assurance,
+hastened to secure the treasure. He immediately went to receive the
+money, had it carefully told and weighed, packed it in chests,
+strongly locked, and bound with iron. But the silver did not long
+remain in the strong boxes. Curthose came to Normandy poor, and eager
+to borrow from any one who would lend on any terms; and Beauclerc was
+not unwilling to advance on good security. A bargain was accordingly
+struck between the brothers. Curthose received a sum which gladdened
+his heart; and Beauclerc, in consideration thereof, took possession of
+that part of Normandy known as Cotentin.
+
+One morning, when Beauclerc was hunting near Caen, he entered a church
+to hear mass. The priest, whose name was Roger, comprehending the
+taste, and consulting the convenience of his visitor, made the service
+so brief that Beauclerc was impressed with a high admiration of his
+sense.
+
+"By Heavens!" he exclaimed, "this is the most sensible priest I ever
+knew. I must attach him to my fortunes."
+
+Roger, who evinced no unwillingness, immediately became Beauclerc's
+chaplain, and lived to flourish as Bishop of Sarum, and first minister
+of England.
+
+Beauclerc was figuring as lord of Cotentin, when, in 1090, Rufus
+invaded Normandy, and threatened Curthose with ruin. The circumstance,
+doubtless, caused him alarm, and interfered with his plans. With a
+keen eye to his own interest, however, he took part with Curthose, and
+exerted himself to prevent Rufus taking possession of the duchy.
+
+It appears that, when the Red King seemed likely to conquer, some of
+the inhabitants of Rouen, influenced by threats, promises, and bribes,
+conspired to surrender the city. Beauclerc, informed of their scheme,
+resolved to baffle it; and, suddenly entering Rouen, he proceeded to a
+tower, where the chief conspirator was, and, throwing him headlong to
+the ground, caused such terror among the confederates that the city
+was saved. But Curthose soon after came to terms with the invader;
+and Rufus was in no mood to spare the man who had disappointed his
+hopes of complete success.
+
+Not unaware of his danger, Beauclerc threw himself into Mont St.
+Michael, and in that fort, situated on a rock, determined to bid the
+Red King defiance. Rufus, however, induced Curthose to join in
+bringing Beauclerc to submission; and the two princes, with a powerful
+army, appeared at Mont St. Michael, and commenced a close siege.
+
+For a time Beauclerc seems to have resisted bravely, and on one
+occasion the Red King was in the utmost peril of death or captivity.
+Riding carelessly along the shore one day, Rufus was attacked by three
+horsemen, who bore him to the ground, and his saddle with him. He was,
+of course, in extreme danger. But seizing his saddle in one hand, and
+drawing his sword with the other, he managed to defend himself till
+his soldiers came to the rescue.
+
+"O king!" exclaimed the soldiers, "how could you be so obstinate to
+save a saddle?"
+
+"Nay," cried Rufus, "it would have angered me at the very heart if the
+knaves could have bragged they had won my saddle from me."
+
+Meanwhile, the siege was so closely pressed that provisions ran short,
+and every man in the fort was suffering from the want of fresh water.
+Beauclerc, however, sent a messenger to beseech the besiegers not to
+deny him the enjoyment of that which belonged to all men; and
+Curthose, touched with compassion, ordered that the garrison should be
+allowed to take in a supply. Rufus, who, when this occurred, was
+possibly on the shore fighting about his saddle, was highly enraged on
+hearing of this permission, and took Curthose to task in no courteous
+terms.
+
+"You show your warlike skill," stammered the Red King, "in letting
+your enemy help himself to drink. By St. Luke's face! you have now
+only to supply him with meat to make him hold out for twelve months."
+
+"And how," asked Curthose, "could I leave a brother to die of thirst?
+What other brother have we if we lose him?"
+
+Notwithstanding the supply of fresh water, Beauclerc could not much
+longer hold out. After enduring a rigorous siege he was compelled, for
+want of provisions, to submit to fate. Rufus despoiled him of all he
+possessed, and it was with difficulty he obtained leave to depart to
+Brittany. His escort consisted of one knight, three squires, and a
+chaplain; and with these adherents, who either disdained to desert him
+in his distress, or felt strong faith in his destiny, Beauclerc
+wandered about, sometimes in want of the necessaries of life, and
+utterly hopeless of reaching any place that could be called a home.
+
+But genius is generally prophetic; and Beauclerc scarcely required to
+recall his father's dying words to feel assured that he was yet to
+reign in the land of his birth, and over the land he had just quitted
+for poverty and exile. The consciousness that he was one day to be
+great gave the Conqueror's son a dignity in all that he said or did.
+Even as a vagrant, Beauclerc was an influential personage; and he
+impressed strangers with so high a notion of his talents and his
+political wisdom, that he was, ere long, elected by the people of
+Damfront as governor of their city.
+
+It happened, however, that Beauclerc was soon tempted from the
+government of Damfront. His high reputation for intellect and decision
+filled the mind of Rufus with jealousy, and the Red King, deeming,
+perhaps, that his gifted brother would be much less likely to work
+mischief under his own eye than when rambling about Europe and ready
+to head any movement promising a change of fortune, expressed his
+desire for a reconciliation. Beauclerc, who perfectly comprehended the
+motives of Rufus, calculated his chances, and, trusting to the chapter
+of accidents, came to England.
+
+Beauclerc now suffered all the inconveniences likely, in the eleventh
+century, to surround a prince without land and without money. Even for
+abilities he got no credit; he was sneered at as "having little in
+him." He was fond of the chase; and, having no horses, he was forced
+when hunting to follow the game on foot, but such was his speed that
+the courtiers of the Red King surnamed him "Deersfoot." Beauclerc,
+however, bore all inconveniences and taunts with patience; perhaps,
+remembering the paternal assurance that, after his brothers', his turn
+would surely come, he hoped he might, by patience, conquer adversity.
+If so, he was not doomed to disappointment. It has been remarked that
+generally there is in human affairs an extreme point of depression,
+from which they naturally ascend in an opposite direction; and
+Beauclerc's case was not to prove any exception to the general rule.
+
+[Illustration: Woman with distaff]
+
+
+
+
+LI.
+
+[Illustration: Bringing home the body of Rufus]
+
+THE DEATH OF RUFUS.
+
+
+On the evening of Wednesday, the 1st of August, 1100, William Rufus,
+intent on chasing the deer of the New Forest, stretched his limbs to
+rest in the hunting-seat that then crowned the height of Malwood.
+
+At dead of night, a loud voice roused the royal household from repose;
+and the officers, starting to their feet to listen, with surprise
+heard the king invoking the aid of the Virgin Mary, and calling for
+lights in his chamber. On entering, they learned that his rest had
+been disturbed by a fearful vision, in which he himself figured with
+the veins of his arms broken and blood flowing in streams. Such was
+the effect produced on the King's imagination, that he would not allow
+them to leave the side of his couch till the sun rose, and the light
+of day streamed into the chamber.
+
+Nevertheless, on the morning of Thursday, a grand breakfast was spread
+in the hall of the hunting-seat, and Rufus rose to indulge in the good
+cheer. As he was dressing, however, a messenger arrived with a
+despatch from the Norman Abbot of Gloucester, warning the king that
+danger was at hand.
+
+"One of my monks," said the abbot, "has had a dream of evil omen. He
+has seen Jesus Christ seated on His throne, and at His feet a woman
+supplicating Him in these words--'Saviour of the world, look down with
+pity upon this people, who suffer under the yoke of William.'"
+
+"Tush!" cried Rufus, breaking into a loud laugh; "do they take me for
+a Saxon with their dreams? Do they think I am one of the idiots who
+tremble because an old woman sneezes? But I warrant the monk would
+have something for his dream. Let him have a hundred shillings, and
+bid him look that he dream more auspicious dreams in future."
+
+With these words, Rufus tied his shoes, left his chamber, and seated
+himself at table with his friends around him. It was a gay party that
+feasted that morning in the hunting-lodge of Malwood, and included
+many personages of high degree. Among them were the king's brother,
+Henry Beauclerc; his bosom friend, Walter Tyrel; his bow-bearer, Nigel
+de Albini; his treasurer, William de Breteuil, who was eldest son of
+the great Fitzosborne, and hardly less proud than his father had been.
+Perhaps Rufus, with the scene of the previous night preying on his
+mind, felt unwontedly depressed. At all events, he ate more than
+usual, and drank copiously, as if to banish sadness. The potations, of
+course, soon took effect. The king's spirits rose. He blustered and
+swore with characteristic indecency.
+
+While Rufus was still passing round the wine-cup, an artificer brought
+him six arrows for cross-bows, which seemed so sharp and strong as to
+excite much admiration. The king received the arrows, praised the
+workmanship, took four for his own use, and handed the others to
+Walter Tyrel.
+
+"There, Tyrel," said he, "take two; for you know how to shoot to some
+purpose. Sharp arrows for the best shot! And now to horse!"
+
+The king and the Norman knights, excited with wine, strung their
+hunting-horns round their necks, called for their horses, sprang into
+their saddles, and with huntsmen in attendance, their hounds running
+at their feet, rode down the steep of Malwood, and entered the New
+Forest. According to the custom of the period, they then dispersed
+through the wood to pursue the game. Walter Tyrel, however, remained
+with the king, and all day their dogs hunted together.
+
+At length, as the sun was setting, the king and the knight found
+themselves at a place known as Charingham, where were the ruins of a
+chapel which the Conqueror had dismantled. At that instant, a large
+hart, roused by the huntsmen, came bounding up between Rufus and
+Tyrel, who were on opposite sides of the glade. The king instantly
+pulled his trigger; but, the cord of the cross-bow breaking, the arrow
+did not fly. The stag, however, hearing a sharp sound, halted
+abruptly; and Rufus, after making a sign to his comrade to shoot,
+without being understood, cried out impatiently--
+
+"Shoot, Walter, shoot, in the devil's name!"
+
+The knight bent his bow, and at that instant an arrow, whistling
+through the air, pierced the king's breast. In another moment he
+dropped from his horse, and expired without having time to utter a
+word.
+
+When Rufus fell to the ground, Tyrel, in great alarm at what he saw,
+leaped from his horse and rushed forward. But the king was already a
+corpse. Perceiving that life was quite extinct, Tyrel sprang upon his
+horse, spurred through the glade, rode hastily to the coast, embarked
+for France, and soon set foot on continental soil. Protesting his
+innocence, but horrified at being suspected of killing a king, even by
+accident, the knight afterwards went to Palestine.
+
+A rumour that the king was killed ran through the forest; but none of
+the knights or nobles deemed it their duty to pay any attention to the
+corpse. For hours the body remained among the rank grass that grew
+over the ruins of the chapel of Charingham, as completely abandoned as
+that of the Conqueror had been in the convent at Rouen.
+
+However, as the evening advanced, a charcoal-burner, passing by with
+his cart, observed the body pierced with an arrow, and recognised it
+as that of the king. More humane and considerate than Norman knights
+and nobles, the charcoal-burner wrapped the corpse in rags, placed it
+in his cart, and conveyed it to the castle of Winchester. Soon after,
+Rufus was buried in the choir of that cathedral, where Anglo-Saxon
+kings and their Danish foes reposed in peace together. Scarcely a
+tear, however, was shed over the grave of the Red King. The
+Anglo-Normans felt no grief at his death, and the Anglo-Saxons openly
+rejoiced that the destroyer had struck down their oppressor in the
+midst of his pride.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+LII.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+A CHANGE OF FORTUNE.
+
+
+When a rumour ran through the New Forest that Rufus had fallen, never
+again to rise, Henry Beauclerc, far from manifesting any excessive
+grief at the death of his rude brother, sprang upon his horse--which
+was probably a borrowed one--and, with a resolution to turn the
+circumstance to the best account, spurred off to Winchester, to secure
+the royal treasure, as a preliminary step to seizing the crown.
+
+On reaching Winchester, Beauclerc rode straight to the castle, and
+demanded the keys of the treasury; but, while the officials were still
+hesitating, William de Breteuil galloped up breathless and in haste,
+and, in his capacity of treasurer, protested against the keys being
+surrendered.
+
+"Thou and I," he said to Beauclerc, "ought loyally to remember the
+fealty we swore to the Duke Robert, thy brother. He has received our
+homage, and, absent or present, he is entitled to the crown."
+
+"Nevertheless," answered Beauclerc, who observed that the populace had
+gathered, "no man shall have possession of the crown of England but
+whom the people appoint."
+
+As he spoke these words, Beauclerc, seeing it was no time to be
+squeamish, drew his sword, and a scuffle ensued. But it was not
+serious. Indeed, Breteuil and other lords, seeing the mob on Henry's
+side, deemed it prudent to retire; while he secured the public money
+and the regal ornaments. Hastening then to London, and gaining the
+support of the bishop, he was elected as king, and solemnly crowned
+before the high altar in the abbey of Westminster.
+
+Nevertheless, many of the Anglo-Norman barons continued faithful to
+the cause of Curthose, and prepared to support his claims to the
+crown. But Beauclerc was not a man to surrender, without a struggle,
+the prize he had so boldly grasped. Feeling his insecurity, he
+determined on adopting measures of safety. He set himself to win the
+hearts and to secure the aid of the Saxons; he reminded them of his
+being a native of the country, and promised, as their king, to guide
+himself by their counsel, to maintain their ancient liberties, and to
+grant them a charter confirming the laws in force during the reign of
+Edward the Confessor. The Saxons, on hearing Beauclerc's promises,
+consented to befriend him; and he, to consolidate the alliance,
+engaged to marry a woman of Saxon race.
+
+At that time there was in the convent of Rumsey, in Hampshire, where
+she had been educated under the care of her aunt Christina, a daughter
+of Malcolm Canmore and of Margaret Atheling. The hand of the princess,
+whose name was Edith, had been sought by Norman lords of high rank;
+and Beauclerc and she had loved in other days. But a somewhat serious
+objection was made to their union. It was said that she had taken the
+veil of a nun. An inquiry, however, was instituted, and it appeared
+that she had never been consecrated to God.
+
+"I must confess," she said, "that I have sometimes appeared veiled,
+but only for this reason: in my youth, when I was under the care of my
+aunt Christina, she, to protect me, as she said, from the Normans--who
+then assailed the honour of every woman they met--used to place a
+piece of black stuff on my head; and when I refused to wear it, she
+treated me harshly. In her presence I wore this cloth, but as soon as
+she left me I threw it on the ground, and trampled on it in childish
+anger."
+
+In order, however, that the position of Edith might be formally
+investigated, an assembly of clergy and lay lords was convoked at
+Rochester, and this assembly decided that "the girl was free to
+marry." Accordingly she was united to Beauclerc, and exchanged her
+name of Edith for that of Maude. Even envy itself could not discover a
+flaw in her conduct as wife; but it is said that the Anglo-Norman
+barons favourable to Curthose affected to regard Henry's marriage with
+a princess in whose veins ran the blood of the vanquished race as a
+_mésalliance_, and, in derision, nicknamed the regal pair Godrick and
+Godiva. Beauclerc, perhaps, did not relish the joke, but, like a man
+of sense, he laughed at the allusion.
+
+In fact, Henry had more serious business to think of, for the
+partisans of his brother were watching their opportunity, and only
+awaiting the presence of Curthose to do their utmost to overturn
+Beauclerc's throne. And where, in reality, had that eccentric son of
+chivalry been at the time of the crisis of his fate? Had he been
+carried away to Fairyland, between death and life, like King Arthur,
+or borne to another region on the backs of fiends, like his grandsire,
+Robert the Devil? In order to ascertain his "whereabouts," we must
+follow his steps on an expedition which at that time excited universal
+interest, and which was destined to exercise no slight influence on
+the destinies of Europe and of Asia.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+LIII.
+
+[Illustration: Peter the Hermit preaching the first Crusade]
+
+CURTHOSE AT THE CRUSADE.
+
+
+In the autumn of 1095, a little man, of mean aspect and eccentric
+manners, arrayed in a coarse woollen mantle, and mounted on a mule,
+rode about Europe, exhorting Christians to arm for the rescue of the
+Holy Sepulchre. Sometimes he preached in a church, or at the
+market-cross; at others, under a tree by the wayside; and wherever he
+went people crowded round him, hung on his eloquent words, and seemed
+delighted if they could touch the hem of his mantle, or pluck a hair
+from the mane of his mule. This remarkable man was known as Peter the
+Hermit, who had recently visited Jerusalem as a pilgrim, and vowed to
+deliver the Holy Land from the domination of the Turks.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The preaching of Peter the Hermit was marvellously successful. Peasant
+and peer alike confessed the grandeur of his idea; and, as the
+conquest of England by the Normans had inspired feudal warriors with a
+desire for adventurous enterprise, multitudes expressed their
+willingness to take part in a crusade. Many men of princely rank,
+among whom the chief was Godfrey de Bouillon, Duke of Lorraine,
+assumed the cross, alienated their possessions, and mustered armies to
+fight in Palestine. At length the idea which was agitating all
+Christendom, penetrating to the castle of Rouen, excited the ardent
+imagination of Robert Curthose, and stirred the somewhat sluggish
+blood of Edgar Atheling.
+
+Both princes resolved to take part in the Holy War. But a serious
+obstacle presented itself. Money was necessary, and neither the heir
+of the Conqueror nor the heir of the Saxon kings had the means of
+defraying their expenses. The difficulty, however, was overcome.
+Rufus, who was glad to hear of his brother's wish to leave Europe,
+agreed to furnish ten thousand marks on condition of being put in
+possession of Normandy for five years; and Curthose, having received
+the sum, made his preparations, and set up his white banner
+embroidered with gold.
+
+In spite of his faults, few men of that period were more popular than
+the Norman duke; and, eager to fight under a chief so brave and
+generous, a goodly band of warriors, led by feudal barons of great
+name, came around his standard. Aubrey de Vere, Everard Percy, Girard
+Gourney, Conan Montacute, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and Stephen, Earl of
+Albemarle, were among those who attended the Conqueror's heir. Edgar
+Atheling, who was on the point of setting out for Scotland to dethrone
+Donald Bane, and seat his youthful nephew on the Scottish throne, did
+not accompany his friend. But he promised to join Curthose in the Holy
+Land, with a host of Saxons, which he was about to lead against the
+Scottish usurper.
+
+[Illustration: Church of the Holy Sepulchre Jerusalem]
+
+Meanwhile, Curthose, at the head of his army, and attended by his
+chaplain, Arnold de Rohés, made his way eastward, met the pious
+Godfrey de Bouillon, and other pilgrim-princes, under the walls of
+Constantinople, and, after causing much alarm to the Emperor Alexis,
+crossed the Bosphorus, and marched towards Nice.
+
+[Illustration: Curthose and the Saracen]
+
+No sooner was Curthose on Asiatic soil than his valour and prowess
+excited general admiration. At the siege of Nice he repelled the
+fierce onset of the Sultan's cavalry; at the battle of Dogorgan he
+performed prodigies of valour, made the most magnificent charge of the
+day, spurring into the midst of the foe, with his banner flying and
+his sword flashing, and cutting down three Emirs with his own hand; at
+Antioch he led the van of the Crusaders, seized the bridge, defended
+by towers masked with iron, and during one of the subsequent
+skirmishes when fiercely attacked by a gigantic Saracen, who figured
+as chief in command, he cleft him with his battle-axe from crown to
+chest.
+
+[Illustration: Pilgrims in sight of Jerusalem.]
+
+"Pagan dog!" exclaimed Curthose, as the Saracen fell lifeless to the
+ground; "I devote thy impure soul to the powers of hell."
+
+At Laodicea, Curthose was joined by Edgar Atheling. Faithful to his
+promise, the Saxon prince, after seating his nephew on the Scottish
+throne, brought the flower of the Saxon race to fight for the Holy
+Sepulchre. Side by side, like brothers, Curthose and Atheling marched
+to Jerusalem; side by side they fought at the siege of the Holy City;
+and side by side, in the hour of victory, they scaled the walls,
+Saracens bearing back in terror before the Norman's falchion and the
+Saxon's axe.
+
+[Illustration: Godfrey de Bouillon elected King of Jerusalem]
+
+After taking possession of Jerusalem, the Crusaders assembled for the
+purpose of electing a king; and it is understood that Curthose might,
+if he had chosen, worn the crown of Jerusalem. However, Curthose
+declined the high honour, which fell to the lot of Godfrey de
+Bouillon; and, after taking part in the battle of Ascalon, where, at
+the head of the European cavalry, he broke the Saracens' ranks,
+penetrated to their centre, and seized the Moslem standard, he left
+the Holy Land, and returned to Europe.
+
+When Curthose was at Palermo, on his way home, Odo of Bayeux breathed
+his last. The Norman duke, having buried his uncle in St. Mary's
+Church, pursued his way, and found himself quite at home among the
+Normans, whose families had been settled by warlike adventurers in
+Southern Italy. All these Norman warriors treated the heir of the
+great William with high honour; and all their daughters manifested
+interest in a hero who had won such fame as a Champion of the Cross.
+But of all the Normans of Southern Italy, none showed Curthose so much
+hospitality as William, Count of Conversano, a kinsman of the
+Guiscards, founders of the Norman dynasty in Naples.
+
+The Count of Conversano was the most powerful lord in Lower Apulia.
+His possessions extended along the shores of the Adriatic, from
+Otranto to Bari. His castle was situated on an eminence, amid olive
+groves, and was replete with all those means for rendering life
+pleasant which the feudal system brought into existence. Curthose
+thought Conversano a terrestrial paradise, and was delighted with his
+host's fine hounds, choice hawks, and mettled steeds; but, above all,
+he was delighted, charmed, and fascinated with his host's daughter,
+Sybil, who was still in her teens, and as beautiful as she was young.
+
+It could not be concealed that Curthose was verging on fifty, and that
+Sybil was just seventeen. But that was no conclusive objection to a
+match. In fact, such fame as that of a Crusader, and such rank as Duke
+of Normandy, were strong recommendations; so, when Curthose told his
+enamoured tale, Sybil smiled on her lover; and, ere long, the daughter
+of the Count of Conversano was led to the altar, and became Duchess of
+Normandy.
+
+Even after his marriage Curthose found himself too comfortable to
+move. Perhaps he was averse to change the splendour of Conversano for
+the irksome poverty of Rouen. At all events he lingered in the scene
+of his courtship, and among the olive groves on the shores of the
+Adriatic wasted months, which, if judiciously spent, might have
+secured him a duchy and assured him a crown.
+
+[Illustration: Trieste.]
+
+
+
+
+LIV.
+
+BEAUCLERC AND CURTHOSE.
+
+
+Among the ministers who enjoyed the favour of Rufus, and ministered to
+his tyranny, none had rendered himself more odious to the people of
+England than Ralph Flambard, Bishop of Durham, known as "the fighting
+bishop," and celebrated as founder of the castle of Norham-on-Tweed.
+Immediately on taking possession of the throne, Henry caused Flambard
+to be arrested and imprisoned in the Tower. Flambard, however,
+contrived to escape; and, passing over to Normandy, he exerted his
+eloquence to persuade Curthose to invade England and seize the English
+crown.
+
+For some time Curthose, who had just arrived from Italy with his
+bride, remained inactive. Indeed, the Norman duke was so much occupied
+with showing off Sybil of Conversano, and devising pageants on which
+to squander her fortune, that he had no leisure "to play for kingdoms
+and crowns." In 1102, however, when the young duchess was dead, and
+her money spent, Curthose lent a willing ear to the tempter, roused
+himself to energy, made preparations, and embarked for England.
+
+It now appeared that Beauclerc would have to fight desperately for
+the throne he had so boldly seized; and, summoning the Saxons, he
+marched to Pevensey, where he anticipated his brother would land.
+Curthose, however, landed at Portsmouth. But the brothers gradually
+approached each other, and a sanguinary conflict appeared inevitable.
+Ere Beauclerc and Curthose met, however, the quarrel had been
+adjusted. Instead of a bloody battle there was a hurried treaty.
+Curthose, who was in want of money, sold what he deemed his birthright
+for an annual pension of three thousand marks; and the brothers
+embraced with all the semblance of genuine affection.
+
+Returning to Normandy, Curthose scrupulously maintained the treaty.
+Nevertheless, to his surprise, he found that his pension was not
+regularly paid. Feeling, no doubt, extreme inconvenience from the
+circumstance, he paid a visit to England to make arrangements for
+regularity in future. But, ere this, the Norman duke had yielded to
+the temptation of indulging too frequently in the wine-cup, and, when
+at Beauclerc's court, he was often drunk for days together. On such
+occasions, of course, nothing was too absurd for him to consent to;
+and one night, when intoxicated, he was easily prevailed on to resign
+his annual pension in favour of the queen, who was his goddaughter. On
+recovering possession of his faculties, and becoming aware of the
+advantage taken of him while under the influence of wine, he expressed
+high indignation, and, much exasperated, returned to Normandy.
+
+By this time the castle of Rouen was the most miserable of ducal
+palaces, and Normandy was the most wretched of duchies. Poverty
+reigned in the palace; disorder prevailed in the duchy. While
+Curthose, for want of fitting raiment, lay in bed for days, Robert de
+Belesme, Earl of Shrewsbury, whom Beauclerc had exiled from England,
+ravaged Normandy at his pleasure; and matters soon reached such a
+stage that the Norman nobles entreated the King of England to
+interfere. Beauclerc, who only wanted an excuse, received their
+message with gladness, and, by way of settling affairs, proposed to
+purchase the duchy.
+
+"Thou hast the title of lord," he said, addressing Curthose, "but thou
+art no longer a lord in reality; for they scorn, who should obey thee.
+Yield to me thy duchy, and I will give thee money."
+
+Curthose declined the proposal with disdain; and Beauclerc, having
+prepared to take Normandy by force of arms, fitted out an armament,
+and soon appeared on continental soil with a determination to conquer.
+For a time, however, Beauclerc and Curthose proceeded with caution,
+and not till the autumn of 1106 did they put their fortunes to the
+chance of a decisive engagement.
+
+It was Friday, the 28th of September--the vigil of St. Michael, and
+just forty years after William the Conqueror had landed at Pevensey;
+and Beauclerc, with a great army, was besieging the castle of
+Tinchebray, situated about three leagues from the town of Mortain.
+Curthose, however, having promised speedy relief, the garrison made a
+brave defence; and the Norman duke, having allied himself with De
+Belesme, came to redeem his pledge, accompanied by Edgar Atheling, who
+by his side had fought so gallantly beneath the Cross in Palestine.
+
+On learning that a hostile force was approaching, Beauclerc turned to
+give battle; and the trumpets having sounded an onset, Curthose began
+the conflict by a charge so hot, that for a time the English were
+thrown into confusion. Bearing down all opposition, William Crispin,
+Count d'Evreux, fought his way to the English standard, and dealt the
+king so violent a blow on the head that blood gushed from his mouth.
+Beauclerc, indeed, was in extreme peril, and his army in danger of
+being scattered in dismay. At a critical moment, however, a cry of
+"Treason!" arose to turn the fortunes of the day; and De Belesme was
+observed leading away his men, and basely deserting his allies.
+
+While Curthose and his friends were still under the influence of
+surprise and indignation, Beauclerc recovered himself, and, showing
+himself to his army, encouraged them by words and gestures to
+encounter the foe, weakened by desertion. But meanwhile Curthose,
+rallying his broken forces, made another onset; and never in his
+younger days, neither on the plain of Antioch nor on the plain of
+Archembrage, had his courage and prowess been more conspicuous. Foe
+after foe went down before his weapon, and it seemed for a moment that
+his single arm was about to retrieve the day.
+
+At Beauclerc's side, however, was Nigel de Albini, a Norman warrior,
+who, more than thirty years earlier, marched with the Conqueror on the
+terrible expedition into Northumberland, and who had since figured as
+bow-bearer to Rufus. For a captain who had faced the tall Danes of
+Northumberland even the prowess of the bravest champion of the Cross
+had no terrors; and Albini followed Curthose through the battle as
+keenly as he had ever chased a stag in the New Forest. At length,
+availing himself of an opportunity, he killed the duke's horse, and
+found the redoubted Crusader at his mercy. At that moment forward
+rushed Ealdric, the king's chaplain, by whom Curthose was disentangled
+from his prostrate steed, and conducted to his victorious brother.
+With Curthose were captured several men of high rank, the most
+distinguished of whom was his friend Edgar Atheling, who, by some
+strange destiny, was ever leagued with the unfortunate.
+
+The captive princes were forthwith conveyed to England. Curthose was
+committed as a prisoner to the castle at Cardiff. Atheling was allowed
+to go at large, having no longer sufficient influence to endanger the
+king's throne. The captors, meanwhile, were well rewarded--Nigel de
+Albini having a grant of the lands forfeited by the great Robert de
+Moubray; while Ealdric, the king's chaplain, was promoted to the
+bishopric of Llandaff.
+
+At first Curthose was indulged with some measure of freedom, and
+allowed to walk along the banks of the Severn. For a time he seemed
+content with his lot. One day, however, his old spirit of adventure
+seized him, and, leaping on a horse, he broke from his keepers, and
+rode off at full speed. Unfortunately for him, his horse floundered in
+a morass, and having been secured, he was subjected to a rigorous
+durance. Some even say his eyes were put out. But, however that may
+have been, he remained in his prison at Cardiff till 1135, and then
+dying, was laid at rest in the cathedral of Gloucester, where his tomb
+is still to be seen.
+
+Edgar Atheling long survived his comrade-in-arms. Indeed, the life of
+the Saxon prince far exceeded the term of years ordinarily allotted to
+mortal man. Well-nigh a century after the battle of Hastings, and his
+coronation as king, when the first of our Plantagenet sovereigns was
+on the English throne, Atheling was still alive in England, in full
+possession of his faculties, and probably telling old stories of the
+Norman Conquest, and the First Crusade, and of William the Norman, and
+Rufus, and Curthose, and Beauclerc, and a hundred other warriors and
+statesmen who had gone the way of all flesh, and who were known only
+by name to the generation amid which he found himself lingering out
+the last years of his strange and diversified career.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+LV.
+
+[Illustration: English Archers.]
+
+AFTER TINCHEBRAY.
+
+
+When Curthose was defeated at Tinchebray and carried captive to the
+castle of Cardiff, the son whom he had been left by Sybil of
+Conversano was a little boy, known as William Clito. Not relishing the
+spectacle of so ambitious a prince as Henry Beauclerc figuring at once
+as King of England and Duke of Normandy, Louis, King of France--he
+who, in his earlier years, had quarrelled with the Conqueror's sons
+over their game of chess at Conflans--supported the pretensions of the
+son of Robert, and formed a league, with the object of putting him in
+possession of the duchy which Rolfganger had wrested from Charles the
+Simple. This, however, proved a much more difficult matter than Louis
+had anticipated. In fact, Beauclerc exerted himself with such effect
+that all efforts to diminish his power proved vain; and when, in 1132,
+William Clito, who had been invested with the earldom of Flanders,
+died of a wound received while besieging Alost, Louis gave up the
+struggle in despair.
+
+Meanwhile, Beauclerc had not improved his reputation in the country
+where he reigned as king. He had been faithless at once to the Saxon
+people who had placed him on the throne, and to the Saxon princess
+who, for the sake of her race, had, somewhat against her inclination,
+united her fate with his. Every promise made to the English had been
+so unscrupulously violated, that they began to speak of royalty as
+synonymous with crime; and Maude died with the melancholy reflection
+that she had sacrificed herself for her race in vain.
+
+Ere "the good queen" was laid at rest in the cathedral of Winchester,
+she made Henry father of two children--a son, William Atheling, who
+married a daughter of the Count of Anjou, and a daughter, Matilda,
+wife of Henry, Emperor of Germany. The son, however, was drowned while
+on his voyage from Normandy in a vessel called _The White Ship_; and
+the daughter, on the death of her imperial husband, returned to
+England a young and beautiful widow.
+
+About that time, Fulke, Count of Anjou, bowed down with grief at the
+loss of his wife, undertook a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to seek
+consolation at the Holy Sepulchre. Before going, Fulke gave Anjou to
+his eldest son, Geoffrey, who, from wearing a sprig of flowering broom
+in his hat instead of a feather, was surnamed Plantagenet. Being an
+accomplished and handsome prince, Geoffrey Plantagenet had the good
+fortune to secure the friendship of Henry Beauclerc and the hand of
+the Empress Matilda, who was expected to succeed, on her father's
+death, to the crown of England and the coronal of Normandy.
+
+It was, however, otherwise ordered. When, in 1135, Henry Beauclerc,
+having eaten lampreys to excess--such is the story--breathed his last
+in Normandy, his martial nephew, Stephen of Bouillon, claimed the
+English crown, and seated himself on the throne. But Matilda was not
+the woman to submit tamely to exclusion under such circumstances; and
+a war of succession between her and Stephen was the consequence. A
+long and sanguinary struggle resulted, and continued, with varying
+success, till 1153, when it was agreed, by the treaty of Wallingford,
+that Stephen should be allowed to reign during his life, on condition
+of recognising young Henry Plantagenet, the son of Geoffrey and
+Matilda, as his heir. Next year, on the death of Stephen, Henry, who,
+by his marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine, had extended his
+continental dominions from the Channel to the Pyrenees, was crowned
+King of England in the cathedral of Winchester. From the first he
+seems to have been in high favour with the nation. In fact, the
+people, remembering that he derived his descent, through his
+grandmother, "the good queen Maude," from the ancient monarchs of
+England, called him "the Saxon king," described him as the natural foe
+of the Norman nobles, and believed him favourable to such a system of
+laws as popular tradition ascribed to Edward the Confessor.
+
+But the day for the rise of the vanquished race had not yet come. Nor
+was it, indeed, till more than a century later, when Simon de Montfort
+had fallen at Evesham, and the third Henry had gone to his grave, that
+the monarchy of the Plantagenets, having passed through that terrible
+struggle celebrated as the Barons' War, was enabled to emancipate
+itself, in some measure, from the trammels of feudalism, and associate
+its fortunes with the nation. It was then that the first Edward,
+already famous as the conqueror of Evesham, returned from romantic
+adventures and hair-breadth escapes in the East to rule England with
+justice and righteousness--to give prosperity to the country and
+protection to the people--to win, by his admirable laws, the title of
+the English Justinian; and, by his profound and patriotic policy, to
+unite hostile races into a nation capable of great achievements in war
+and peace.
+
+ THE END.
+
+
+ LONDON:
+ SAVILL AND EDWARDS, PRINTERS, CHANDOS STREET,
+ COVENT GARDEN.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Danes, Saxons and Normans, by John G. Edgar
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40513 ***
generated by cgit v1.2.3 (git 2.25.1) at 2026-08-08 01:44:54 +0000