Графични страници
PDF файл
ePub
[merged small][graphic][merged small]

S foon as William paffed the Thames, at Walling. ford, Stigand, the primate, made fubmiffions to him in the name of the clergy; and before he came with. in fight 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 poffeffion of a throne which feveral of his predeceffors had not gained without repeated victories.

But, in order to give his invafion all the fanction poffible, he was crowned at Westminster, by the archbishop of York, and took the oath ufual in the times of the Saxon and Danish kings; which was, to protect and defend the church, to obferve the laws of the realm, and to govern the people with impartiality. Having thus fecured the government, and, by a mixture of vigour and lenity, brought the English to an entire fubmiffion, he refolved to return to the continent, there to enjoy the triumph and congratulation of his ancient fubjects.

In the mean time, the abfence of the Conqueror, in England, produced the moft fatal effects. His officers, being ro longer controlled by his juftice, thought this a fit opportunity for extortion; while the English, no longer

D 2

awed

awed by his prefence, thought it the happieft occafion for vindicating their freedom.

The English had entered into a confpiracy to cut off their invaders, and fixed the day for their intended maf. facre, which was to be on Afh-Wednesday, during the time of divine fervice, when all the Normans would be unarmed as penitents, according to the difcipline of the times. But William's return quickly difconcerted all their fchemes. And, from that time forward, he began to lofe all confidence in his English fubjects, and to regard them as inveterate and irreconcileable enemies. He had already raifed fuch a number of fortreffes in the kingdom, that he no longer dreaded the tumultuous or tranfient efforts of a difcontented multitude; he therefore deter. mined to treat them as a conquered nation, to indulge his own avarice, and that of his followers, by numerous confifcations, and to fecure his power, by humbling all who were able to make any refiftance. He proceeded to confifcate all the eftates of the English gentry, and to grant them liberally to his Norman followers. Thus, all the ancient and honourable families were reduced to beg gary, and the English found themselves entirely excluded from every road that led either to honour or preferment.

To keep the clergy, as much as poffible, in his interefts, he appointed none but his own countrymen to the most confiderable church-dignities, and even difplaced Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury, upon fome frivolous pretences.

William, having crushed feveral confpiracies, and, by punishing the malecontents, thus fecured the peace of his dominions, now expected reft from his labours; and, finding none either willing or powerful enough to oppose him, he hoped that the end of his reign would be mark ed with profperity and peace. But fuch is the blindness of human hope, that he found enemies where he least expected them; and fuch, too, as ferved to imbitter all the latter part of his life. His laft troubles were excited by his own children, from the oppofing of whom he could expect to reap neither glory nor gain. He had three fons, Robert, William, and Henry, befides feveral daughters. Robert, his eldest fon, furnamed Curthofe, from the fhortness of his legs, was a prince, who inherited all the bravery

bravery of his family and nation, but was rather bold than prudent; and was often heard to exprefs his jealousy of his two brothers, William and Henry. Thefe, by greater affiduity, had wrought upon the credulity and affections of the king, and confequently were the more obnoxious to Robert. A mind, therefore, fo well prepared for refentment, foon found or made a caufe for an open rupture. The princes were one day in fport together, and in the idle petulence of play, took it into their heads to throw water over their elder brother as he paffed through the court, on leaving their apartment. Robert, all alive to fufpicion, quickly turned this frolic into a ftudied indignity, and having thefe jealoufies ftill farther inflamed by one of his favourites, he drew his fword, and ran up ftairs with intent to take revenge. The whole castle was quickly filled with tumult, and it was not without fome difficulty, that the king himself was able to appease it. But he could not allay the animofity which, from that moment, ever after prevailed in his family. Robert, attended by feveral of his confederates, withdrew to Rouen that very night, hoping to furprise the caftle, but his defign was defeated by the governor.

The flame being thus kindled, the popular character of the prince, and a fympathy of manners, engaged all the young nobility of Normandy and Maine, as well as of Anjou and Britanny, to efpoufe his quarrel: even his mother, it is faid, fupported him by fecret remittances, and aided him in this obftinate refiftance by private encouragement. This unnatural conteft continued for feveral years to inflame the Norman ftate, and William was at laft obliged to have recourfe to England for fup. porting his authority againft his fon. Accordingly, drawing an army of Englishmen together, he led them over to Normandy, where he foon compelled Robert and his adherents to quit the field, and he was quickly reinftated in all his dominions.

William had fcarcely put an end to this tranfaction, when he felt a very fevere blow in the death of Matilda, his queen; and as misfortunes generally come together, he received information of a general infurrecton in Maine, the nobility of which had been always averfe.

to the Norman government. Upon his arrival on the continent, he found that the infurgents had been fecretly affifted and excited by the king of France, whofe policy confifted in thus leffening the Norman power, by creating diffentions among the nobles of its different provinces. William's difpleasure was not a little increafed by the account he received of fome railleries which that monarch had thrown out against him. It feems that William, who was become corpulent, had been detained in bed fome time by fick nefs; and Philip was heard to fay, that he only lay-in of a big belly. This fo provoked the English monarch, that he fent him word, that he fhould foon be up, and would at his churching prefent fuch a number of tapers, as would fet the kingdom of France in a flame.

In order to perform this promife, he levied a ftrong army, and entering the ifle of France, deftroyed and burned all the villages and houfes without oppofition, and took the town of Mante, which he reduced to afhes, But the progrefs of thefe hoftilities was topped by an accident which fhortly after put an end to William's life. His horfe chancing to place his fore-foot on fome hot afhes, plunged fo violently, that the rider was thrown forward, and bruifed upon the pummel of the faddle to fuch a degree, that he fuffered a relapse, of which he died shortly after at a little village near Rouen.

CHAP.

[merged small][graphic][merged small]

WILLIAM, appointed, by the king's will, his

WILLIAM, furnamed Rurus, from the colour of

fucceffor, while the elder fon, Robert, was left in poffeffion of Normandy. Nevertheless, the Norman barons were, from the beginning, difpleafed at the divifion of the empire by the late king; they eagerly defired an union as before, and looked upon Robert as the proper owner of the whole. A powerful confpiracy was therefore carried on againft William; and Odo, the late king's brother, undertook to conduct it to maturity.

William, fenfible of the danger that threatened him, endeavoured to gain the affections of the native English, whom he prevailed upon by promifes of future good treatment, and preference in the diftribution of his favours, to efpoufe his interefts. He was foon, therefore, in the field; and, at the head of a numerous army, fhewed himfelf in readiness to oppofe all who fhould difpute his pretenfions. In the mean time, Robert, inftead of employing his money in levies, to fupport his friends in England, fquandered it away in idle expences, and unmerited benefits, fo that he procrastinated his departure

D4

till

« ПредишнаНапред »