Robert and his adherents to quit the field, and he was,quickly reinftated in all his dominions.

William had scarcely put an end to this transaction, 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 infurrection 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 diffenfions among the nobles of its different provinces. - William's difpleafure was not a little increased by the account he received of fome railleries which that monarch had thrown out against him. It seems that William, who was become corpulent, had been detained in bed fome time by ficknefs; 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, he should foon be up, and would at his churching present fuch a number of tapers, as would fet the kingdom of France in a flame.

In order to perform this promife, he levied a strong army, and entering the Ifle of France, destroyed and burned all the villages and houses without oppofition, and took the town of Mante, which he reduced to ashes. But the progress of these hoftilities was ftopped by an accident which fhortly after put an end to William's life. His horfe chancing to place his fore-feet on fome hot afhes, plunged fo violently that the rider was thrown forward, and bruised upon the pummel of the faddle to fuch a degree that he fuffered a relapfe, of which he died fhortly after, at a little village near Rouen.

CHAP.

[35]

CHAP. V.

WILLIAM RUFUS.

WILLIAM, furnamed RUFUS from the co

lour of his hair, was appointed, by the king's will, his 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 against 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 interests. He was foon therefore in the field; and at the head of a numerous army, fhewed himself 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 procraftinated his departure till the opportunity was loft; while William exerted himself with incredible activity to diffipate the confederacy before his brother could arrive. Nor was this difficult to effect; the confpirators had, in confequence of Robert's affurances, taken poffeffion of fome fortreffes; but the appearance of the king foon reduced them to implore his mercy. He granted them their lives, but confifcated all their eftates, and banished them the kingdom.

A new

A new breach was made fome time after between the brothers, in which Rufus found means to encroach still farther upon Robert's poffeffions. Every confpiracy thus detected, ferved to enrich the king, who took care to apply to his own use those treafures which had been amaffed for the purpose of dethroning him.

But the memory of these transient broils and unfuccefsful treafons were now totally eclipfed by one of the most noted enterprizes that ever adorned the annals of nations, or excited the attention of mankind; I mean the Crufades, which were now firft projected. Peter the Hermit, a native of Amiens in Picardy, was a man of great zeal, courage and piety. He had made a pilgrimage to the holy fepulchre at Jerufalem, and beheld, with indignation, the cruel manner in which the Chriftians were treated by the Infidels, who were in poffeffion of that place. He preached the Crufade over Europe by the Pope's permiffion, and men of all ranks flew to arms with the utmoft alacrity, to refcue the Holy Land from the Infidels, and each bore the fign of the cross upon their right fhoulder, as a mark of their devotion to the caufe. In the midft of this univerfal ardour that was diffused over Europe, men were not entirely forgetful of their temporal interefts; for fome, hoping for a more magnificent fettlement in the foft regions of Afia, fold their European pro-. perty for whatever they could obtain, contented. with receiving any thing for what they were predetermined to relinquifh. Among the princes who felt and acknowledged this general spirit of enterprize was Robert, Duke of Normandy. The Crufade was entirely adapted to his inclinations and his circumftances; he was brave, zealous, covetous of glory, poor, harraffed by infurrections, and, what was more than all, naturally fond of change. In order, therefore, to fupply money to defray the

neceffary

2

neceffary charges of fo expenfive an undertaking, he offered to mortgage his dukedom in Normandy to his brother Rufus for a ftipulated sum of money. This fum, which was no greater than ten thousand marks, was readily promifed by Rufus, whose ambition was upon the watch to feize every advantage.

But though the ceffion of Maine and Normandy greatly increafed the King's territories, they added but little to his real power, as his new fubjects were compofed of men of independent fpirits, more ready to difpute than to obey his commands. Many were the revolts and infurrections which he was obliged to quell in perfon; and no fooner was one confpiracy fuppreffed than another arofe to give him freth dif quietude.

However Rufus proceeded, careless of approbation or cenfure; and only intent upon extending his dominions, either by purchafe or conqueft. The earl of Poitiers and Guienne, inflamed with a defire of going upon the Crufade, had gathered an immenfe multitude for that expedition, but wanted money to forward his preparations.. He had recourfe, therefore, to Rufus, and offered to mortgage all his dominions, without much confidering what would become of his unhappy fubjects that he thus difpofed of. The King accepted this offer with his ufual avidity; and had prepared a fleet, and an army, in order to take poffeffion of the rich provinces thus configned to his truft. But an accident put an end to all his ambitious projects; he was fhot by an arrow that Sir Walter Tyrrel difcharged at a deer in the New Foreft, which glancing from a tree, ftruck the king to the heart. He dropt dead inftantaneoufly; while the innocent author of his death, terrified at the accident, put fpurs to his horfe, hatened to the fea-fhore, embarked for France, and joined the Crufade that was then fetting out for Jerufalem.

СНАР.

CHAP. VI.

HENRY I. furnamed BEAUCLERC.

HENRY, the late king's younger brother, whơ had been hunting in the New Foreft when Rufus was flain, took the earlieft advantage of the occafion, and haftening to Winchester, refolved to fe cure the royal treafure, which he knew to be the beft affiftant in feconding his aims. The barons, as well as the people, acquiefced in a claim which they' were unprovided to refift, and yielded obedience from the fears of immediate danger.

Henry, to ingratiate himself with the people, expelled from court all the minifters of his brother's debauchery and arbitrary power. One thing only remained to confirm his claims without danger of a rival. The English remembered their Saxon mc-* narchs with gratitude, and beheld them excluded the throne with regret. There ftill remained some of the defcendants of that favourite line; and, among others, Matilda, the niece of Edgar Atheling, which lady, having declined all pretenfions to royalty, was bred up in a convent, and had actually taken the veil... Upon her Henry firft fixed his eyes as a proper con-afort, by whofe means the long breach between the Saxon and Norman interefts would be finally united. It only remained to get over the fcruple of her being a nun: but this a council, devoted to his interefts, readily admitted; and Matilda being pronounced free to marry, the nuptials were celebrated with greats pomp and folemnity.

It was at this unfavourable juncture that Robert returned from abroad, and after taking poffeffion of his native dominions, laid his claim to the crown of England. But propofals for an accommodation bə