9. But still some good arose out of all the evil. The Saracens were very superior to the Europeans in their knowledge of the sciences, such as mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, &c., and also in many of the arts and elegancies of life. Much of this learning was brought home by the crusaders. The Europeans have been improving, and gaining knowledge ever since; but the Turks, and all the people of the East, have either stood still or gone backward.

10. There are some travels in the East written about the year 1440, by De Brocquière, grand carver to the Duke of Burgundy, and you might suppose them written only last year; the manners of the people, as he describes them, being in every particular precisely the same as they are now said to be by travellers of our own time.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

William obtains large Territories by Mortgage.-Ilis Death.

1. As might have been expected from his character, Robert of Normandy engaged most zealously in the Holy War. To procure money for the expedition, he lent or mortgaged his territories for five years to his brother William, for a very large sum.

2. William raised the money, though not without some difficulty, and then, very much delighted with his bargain, took possession of Normandy. He did not find it a very quiet dominion; for it in

long did the rage for crusading last? 9. What good resulted from the crusades? What of the manners of the people of the East?

10.

XXXIII.-1. How did Robert raise money for the crusades? 3. Who else mortgaged

DEATH OF WILLIAM RUFUS.

65

volved him in continual wars with the King of France, in which sometimes the French, and sometimes the Normans, had the advantage.

3. The Duke of Guienne also proposed to mortgage all his dominions to William, who accepted the offer. But before he could take possession, all his plans of ambition were brought to a sudden end. Whilst he was waiting for a fair wind to sail for France, he used to amuse himself by hunting in the New Forest.

4. One day, as he sat at dinner, six arrows, very long and sharp, were brought to him. Keeping four himself, he gave the other two to Sir Walter Tyrrel, a Norman knight, saying, "Here, Tyrrel, take your two, for you know well how to use them."

5. After dinner they started off together for the forest. Anxious to show his dexterity, Tyrrel let fly an arrow at a stag which suddenly started before him; the arrow hit a tree, glanced and struck the king on the breast, and he instantly expired.

6. Tyrrel did not stop to tell anybody of the accident, but putting spurs to his horse, hastened to the sea-coast, and embarked for France, where he joined the crusaders in the expedition to Jerusalem, as a penance for his involuntary crine.

7. The body of the king was found by some laborers, and carried in a coal-cart to Winchester, where it was buried the next day without pomp. The death of William occurred in the year 1100, in the fortieth year of his age, and the thirteenth of his reign. He was never married.

8. There is one memorial of William II., which is still an object of admiration. This is Westminster Hall, in London, which he built; it is a noble structure, and contains one of the largest rooms in Europe. He also built the Tower of London, or rather he enlarged and strengthened a small fortress, which had been erected by the Conqueror, to keep the citizens in good order.

9. The Tower has been the scene of many memorable events. It has always been used as a prison for the confinement of persons accused of offences against the state, such as rebels, and others who in any way attempt to disturb or interrupt the government. But it has in modern times been much more interesting to most persons, as the place in which the king's menagerie, or collection of lions, tigers, and other wild animals, has been kept.

10. We ought to mention as one of the remarkable occurrences of this reign, that the Norwegians made an incursion into England in 1098. This was the last attempt on that country by any of the northern nations. Those restless people learned about this period the art of tillage, which provided them with food, and gave them Occupation at home; this freed the rest of Europe from their piratical invasions.

their territories to William? 4, 5, 6. Relate the particulars of William's death. 7.
When did it happen?
of William remains?
Norwegians?

How old was he? How long had he reigned? 8. What memorial
What of the Tower of London? 10. What of the incursions of the

66

HENRY I. USURPS THE CROWN.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Henry I., surnamed Beauclerc, usurps the Crown.-Dispute betwee:s the Pope and the King. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, preaches against certain Fashions of Dress.

1. THE news of the king's death soon reached the rest of the royal hunting party, who, in the pursuit of game, had become separated from their master. Henry, the conqueror's youngest son, was one of these, and, instead of showing any concern at his brother's death, or even waiting to see his body borne away from the spot where it fell, he put spurs to his horse, and rode directly to Winchester, where he seized on the royal treasure.

2. He then hastened to London; and, by great gifts, and many promises, disposed the people so much in his favor, that within three days after his brother's death, he was crowned king, in violation of the right of his brother Robert, who had not yet returned from the Holy Land.

3. Henry was of middle height, and well made; he had an agreeable countenance; his hair was brown, and very thick and bushy. He had received what was considered in those days a learned education, and, from having performed the great work of translating Æsop's Fables, he acquired the surname of Beauclerc, or the Good Scholar.

4. His character was made up of an extraordinary mixture of good and bad qualities. He was brave, eloquent, and extremely pleasing in his manners; he governed the kingdom with so much wisdom, and caused justice to be administered with so much impartiality, that, in spite of his ambition, his avarice, and his wicked conduct to his brother Robert, and that brother's son, William, the English esteem him as among the best of their kings.

5. The Normans would naturally support the claim of Robert to the crown of England; as a matter of policy, therefore, Henry courted the favor of his Anglo-Saxon subjects. He granted them a charter of privileges, or, more properly speaking, he restored Edward the Confessor's code of laws, to which that people were much attached.

6. He tried to conciliate the church by recalling Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, who had been banished by William II., for refusing to admit the king's authority to invest him with some of the rights of the archbishopric, he considering that authority to belong exclusively to the pope.

7. Before bishops took possession of their dignities, there had formerly been two ceremonies performed; they received from the hands of the sovereign a ring and a crosier-which was originally a staff, like a shepherd's crook, having the head bent--as symbols

XXXIV.-1. What did Henry do, when he heard of his brother's death? 2. What was his success? Who was the rightful heir to the crown? 3. What is said of Henry I.? What was he surnamed? Why? 4. What of his character? 5. What course did Henry pursue from policy? 6. What dispute had arisen between the king and the

ABOUT THE CLERGY.—1100.

67

of their office, or spiritual power; and this was called the investi

ture.

8. But as they also held great possessions in land, they made those promises and submissions to the king which were required of vassals by the feudal law, and this was called doing homage. In obedience to orders from the pope, the priests, not only in England, but in all countries where the Roman Catholic religion prevailed (that is, in nearly all Christian countries), refused either to receive investiture from the sovereign, or to do homage to him.

9. The sovereigns stoutly resisted this claim; but such was the influence of the church over the minds of the superstitious people, that upon the continent of Europe the pope prevailed to the full extent of his claim. Henry was glad to make a compromise; he resigned the right of granting investiture, but was allowed to retain the homage.

10. We have before told you that the clergy were divided into two parties; the monks, or regular clergy, and the secular clergy. Though the monks prevailed and obtained all the dignities of the churches, the secular clergy still exercised the duties of the parish priests in the villages.

11. It will be recollected that the monks were not allowed to marry. Having no domestic ties to excite and keep alive their kindly feelings, many of them became hard, unfeeling bigots. Anselm was a monk, and seems to have been wanting in common humanity; for by his influence a law was made, obliging such of the secular priests as were married to put away their wives, and forbidding them ever to see them again, or to suffer them to live on any lands belonging to the church, on pain of seeing them reduced to slavery, or otherwise severely punished.

12. Anselm not only conducted arbitrarily in the affairs of the church, but he troubled himself about the dress of the laity. He preached so furiously and so successfully against long hair, and curls, which he disapproved of, that the ladies absolutely cut off their locks in the church.

13. He was not so successful in the attacks he made on the fashionable shoes of the gentlemen; for, notwithstanding his threatenings and exhortations, they continued to wear them so enormously long, that they were obliged to support them by a chain from the end of the toe, fastened to the knee.

pope? 7. What was investiture? 8. What was homage? What did the pope order ir relation to these? 9. How was the dispute settled in England? 10. What of the clergy? 11. What law did Anselm procure to be passed? 12. 13. What fashions in dress dic Ans Im preach against? With what success?

68

MORE ABOUT HENRY.-1106.

CHAPTER XXXV.

More about Henry.-Edgar Atheling.-Death of Duke Robert.

1. To endear himself yet more to his Anglo-Saxon subjects Henry married Matilda, daughter of Malcolm, King of Scotland, and niece of Edgar Atheling, and therefore of the Anglo-Saxon royal family.

2. In the mean time, Robert had returned from the Holy Land, and resumed possession of Normandy. Without any delay he commenced his preparations for invading England, and asserting his right to the crown. He landed with his army at Portsmouth, on the 19th of July, 1101.

3. Henry now found the benefit of his conciliatory conduct towards the English, who remained true to him, while the Normans chiefly took part with Robert, against whom Henry marched with a powerful force. The two armies remained within sight of each other for several days without coming to an engagement.

4. This gave Anselm and some of the barons who were desirous of peace, an opportunity of concluding a treaty between the two princes, in which it was agreed that Robert should renounce his pretensions to the crown of England, in consideration of Henry granting him a pension, and promising to restore those Normans who had joined him, to their honors and estates in England.

5. No sooner had Robert returned to Normandy, than Henry, totally regardless of his promise, deprived of their offices and possessions all those barons who had taken his brother's part. When Robert heard this, he returned to England and remonstrated with Henry on this breach of faith; but he soon found, that instead of benefiting his friends, he was endangering himself by staying in England; and he escaped in safety only by giving up his pension.

6. In 1106, Henry invaded Normandy, and in a battle fought on the 28th of September, he took Robert prisoner, and many of his nobles, among whom was Edgar Atheling. Edgar, however, was not considered a formidable enemy, and was soon set at liberty. His Saxon blood and his mild disposition made him a favorite with the English; whilst the weakness of his character rendered him too insignificant to be feared by the Normans.

7. From this time till his death, which was not till he was very old, he lived quietly in England, and probably far more happily than any of those who were wearing that crown to which, by birth, he had the best right.

8. Robert's fate was not so happy; he was brought a prisoner to England; and his cruel and unrelenting brother kept him in confinement till his death, twenty-eight years afterward. The circumstances which attended this event are thus related:

XXXV.-1. Whom did Henry marry? 2. What did Robert do? and Robert reconciled? 5. How did Henry keep his promises? Atheling? 9, 10. Relate the particulars of Robert's death.

4. How were Henry 6, 7. What of Edgar