SOON

OON after William passed the Thames, at Wallingford, Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury, Aldred, archbishop of York, accompanied by two bishops, made submissions to him. in the name of the clergy at Berkhamstead; and, before he came within sight of the city, all the chief nobility came into his camp, and declared an intention of yielding to his authority. William was glad of being peaceably put in possession of a throne which several of his predecessors had not gained without repeated victories.

But in order to give his invasion all the sanction possible, he was crowned king of England at Westminster, by the archbishop of York, and took the oath usual in the times of the Saxon and Danish kings; which was, to protect and defend the church, to observe the laws of the realm, and to govern the people with impartiality. Having thus secured the government, and, by a mixture of rigour and lenity, brought the English to an entire submission, he resolved to return to the Continent, there to enjoy the triumph and congratulation of his ancient subjects.

In the mean time, the absence of the Conqueror, in England, produced the most fatal effects. His officers, being no longer controlled by his justice, thought this a fit opportunity for

extortion; while the English, no longer awed by his presence, thought it the happiest occasion for vindicating their freedom.

The English had entered into a conspiracy to cut off their invaders, and fixed the day for their intended massacre, which was to be on Ash-Wednesday, during the time of divine service, when all the Normans would be unarmed as penitents, according to the discipline of the times. But William's return quickly disconcerted all their schemes. And, from that time forward, he began to lose all confidence in his English subjects, and to regard them as inveterate and irreconcileable enemies. He had already raised such a number of fortresses in the kingdom, that he no longer dreaded the tumultuous or transient efforts of a discontented multitude; he therefore determined to treat them as a conquered nation, to indulge his own avarice, and that of his followers, by numerous confiscations, and to secure his power, by humbling all who were abl to make any resistance. He proceeded to confiscate all the estates of the English gentry, and to grant them liberally to his Norman followers. Thus all the ancient and honourable families were reduced to beggary, and the English found themselves entirely excluded from every road which led either to honour or preferment.

To keep the clergy, as much as possible, in his interests, he appointed none but his own countrymen to the most considerable church dignities, and even displaced Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury, upon some frivolous pretences.

William, having crushed different conspiracies, and, by punishing the malecontents, thus secured the peace of his dominions, now expected rest from his labours; and, finding none either willing or powerful enough to oppose him, he hoped that the end of his reign would be marked with prosperity and peace. But such is the blindness of human hope, that he found enemies where he least expected them; and such too, as served to embitter all the latter part of his life. His last troubles were excited by his own children, from the opposing of whom he could expect to reap neither glory nor gain. He had three sons, Robert, William, and Henry, besides several daughters. Robert, his eldest son, surnamed Curt-hose, from the shortness of his legs, was a prince who inherited all the bravery of his family and nation, but was rather bold than prudent; and was often heard to express his jealousy of his two brothers, William and Henry, who, by greater assiduity, had wrought upon the credulity and affections of the king, and consequently were the more obnoxious to Robert.

A mind, therefore, so well prepared for resentment, soon found, or made, a cause for an open rupture. The princes were one day in sport together, and, in the idle petulance of play, took it into their heads to throw water over their elder brother as he passed through the court, on leaving their apartment. Robert, all alive to suspicion, quickly turned this frolic into a studied indignity; and having these jealousies still farther inflamed by one of his favourites, he drew his sword, and ran up stairs with an intention to take revenge. The whole castle was quickly filled with tumult, and it was not without some difficulty that the king himself was able to appease it. But he could not allay the animosity which, from that moment, ever after prevailed in his family. Robert, attended by several of =his confederates, withdrew to Rouen that very night, hoping to surprise the castle, but his design was defeated by the

governor.

The flame being thus kindled, the popular character of the prince, and a sympathy of manners, engaged all the young nobility of Normandy and Maine, as well as of Anjou and Brittany, to espouse his quarrel. Even his mother, it is said, supported him by secret remittances, and aided him in this obstinate resistance by private encouragement. This unnatural

contest continued for almost three years to inflame the Norman state, and William was at last obliged to have recourse to England for supporting his authority against his son. Accordingly, having drawn an army of Englishmen together, he led them over to Normandy, where he soon compelled Robert and his adherents to quit the field, and he was quickly reinstated in all his dominions.

William had scarcely put an end to this transaction, when he felt a very severe blow in the death of Matilda, his queen ; and, as misfortunes generally come together, he received information of a general insurrection in Maine, the nobility of which had always been averse to the Norman government. Upon his arrival on the Continent, he found that the insurgents had been secretly assisted and excited by the king of France, whose policy consisted in thus lessening the Norman power by creating dissensions among the nobles of its different provinces. William's displeasure was not a little increased by the account he received of some railleries which that monarch had thrown out against him. It seems that William, who was become corpulent, had been detained in bed some time by sickness; and Philip was heard to say, that he only lay-in of a big belly. This so provoked the English monarch, that be

sent him word, that he should soon be up, and would at his churching present such a number of tapers, as would set the kingdom of France in a flame.

In order to perform this promise, he levied a strong army, and entering the isle of France, destroyed and burned all the villages and houses without opposition, and took the town of Mante, which he reduced to ashes. But the progress of these hostilities was stopped by an accident, which shortly after put an end to William's life. His horse chancing to place his fore-foot on some hot ashes, plunged so violently, that the rider was thrown forward, and bruised upon the pummel of the saddle to such a degree, that a fever was the immediate consequence, and, in a few days, he expired at a little village near Rouen.

EXERCISES.

How

In what year did William I. ascend the throne of England? How was William received by the clergy and nobility? What oath did he take? What effect on his subjects had his return to the Continent? did he resolve to treat the nation? By what means did he gratify his own avarice, and that of his followers? Whom did he appoint to the dignities of the church? How did he secure the peace of his dominions? Whence did the troubles arise, which rendered the remainder of his life miserable? Why was his eldest son surnamed Curt-hose? What was his character? What incident gave rise to the animosity which prevailed among his sons? Relate the conduct of Robert. Who assisted William against his son? What happened in Maine? By whom was it secretly encouraged and assisted? Relate the sarcastic remark of Philip, king of France, and the answer of William. By what accident did William lose his life?

sor in Britain, while the eldest son, Robert, was left in possession of the Dutchy of Normandy. Nevertheless, the Norman barons having been, from the first, displeased at the division of the empire by the late king, they eagerly desired a union as before, and looked upon Robert as the proper owner of the whole. A powerful conspiracy was therefore carried on against William; and Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, maternal brother of the late king, undertook to conduct it to maturity.

William, sensible of the danger which threatened him, endeavoured to gain the affections of the native English, upon whom he prevailed by promises of future good treatment, and preference in the distribution of his favours, to espouse his interests. He was soon, therefore, in the field; and, at the head of a numerous army, showed himself in readiness to oppose all who should dispute his pretensions. In the mean time, Robert, instead of employing his money in levies, to support his friends in England, squandered it away in idle expenses, and unmerited benefits, so that he procrastinated his departure till the opportunity was lost; while William exerted himself with incredible activity to dissipate the confederacy before his