William Rufus.

made the sufferers no compensation for the injury. At the same time, he enacted new laws, by which he prohibited all his subjects from hunting in any of his forests, and ordained the most dreadful penalties for their violation. The killing of a deer or boar, or even a hare, was punished with the loss of the delinquent's eyes; and that, too, at a time when the killing of a man could be atoned for by paying a moderate fine or composition. Our present Game Laws are, as Blackstone remarks, a "bastard slip" of these savage enactments. In the New Forest are now to be found `nine walks; each walk has a keeper, two rangers, a bow-bearer, and lord- warden. Report says, but we never saw the phænomenon ourselves, that there is an oak on the north side of Malwood-castle, which buds on Christmas-day and withers again before night! Besides three sons who survived him, William had five danghters; Cicely, a nun in the monastery of Feschamp, afterwards abbess in the Holy Trinity, at Caen; Con-stantia, married to the Earl of Brittany; Alice, contracted to Harold; Adela, married to the Earl of Blois; and Agatha, who died a virgin, though betrothed to the King of Gallicia.

It only now remains to notice a few remarkable occurrences omitted by our author, but mentioned by profume historians, and then our illustration of this reign will be completed. 1. William brought the Jews from Roanne to inhabit in England. 2. The Feudal system, if not introduced, (which is diputed by some writers,) was more completely organized by the Conqueror. He divided all the lands, with very few exceptions besides the royal demesnes, into baronies; these baronies were again let out to knights or vassals, who paid the lord, the same submission in peace or war which he himself paid to his sovereign. The whole kingdom contained about 700 chief tenants, and 60,215 knights'fees; none of the natives were admitted into the first rank, but were glad to be receive into the second, and thus be the dependants of some powerful Norman. 3. In Li reign, or about that time, surnames came first to be used. 4 Trial by battle was introduced into the kingdom. 5. The Normans brought in a new way of creating knights, and the use of seals and witnesses in all deeds and instruments. Before that time, or at least before the reign of Edward the Confessor, the parties only set down their names with a cross before them. Lastly, the Normans introduced the foolish practice of common swearing. The Conqueror used to swear by the_resurrection_and splendour of God; his successor, William Rufus, by St. Luke's face. King John swore by God's teeth; Charles II. by cod's fish; George III, the Prince Regent, and the rest of the Royal Family, have no peculiar oath, but generally swear after the manner of their subjects. In the year 1076 there was an earthquake, and a frost from the beginning of November to the middle of April; and in 1089 there was a fire in London, which destroyed the greatest part of the city, and St. Paul's Cathedral

II.-WILLIAM RUFUS.

Now Rufus was thirty and one years old when he began to reign, and the reigned over England twelve years and ten months, and his mother's name was Matilda.

Now Rufus was thirty and one years old,—and his mother's name was Matilda.] Rufus, or the Red, being so called from the colour of his hair. Notwithstanding the unfavourable reports as to the manhood of the Conqueror, Queen Matilda was extremely jealous of his favours; and, in a fit of revenge, she ordered one of his mistresses, a clergyman's daughter, to be hamstringed.-Rapin, vol. 1. p. 127.

William Rufus.

And he was a very wicked man, and his heart was set to do live continually; and he contemned the gods of his fathers, and believed not; he banished all the priests, and converted the sacred revenues

to his own use.

Wherefore the Lord smote him with sickness, and his sickness seemed unto death.

Then his heart trembled within him, and he repented him of his sin; and he sent for the high priest, and besought him, saying,

I have done evil in the sight of the Lord, in seizing the vacant bishopricks; wherefore now, I pray thee, take back the things which belong to the church, that it may be well with me, and that my soul may live.

Howbeit, when the sickness left him, he forgot all that he had promised, and returned to his evil ways.

And he was a very wicked man.] Ali historians agree in the reprobate character of this prince. He is described as neither religious, nor chaste, nor temperate ;-that he had neither honour, nor conscience, nor faith; and, what was worse, he was proud of appearing as such. He is accused of denying a Providence, and maintained that prayers are vain and impertinent. Malmsbury relates, that he once ordered some Bishops and Rabbies to meet together, and fairly dispute the question of their religion in his presence; promising the Rabbies he would be circumcised, if their arguments were stronger than the Christians. As another instance of his impiety, we are told, that he once accepted sixty marks from a Jew, whose son had been converted to Christianity, and who engaged him by that present to assist him in bringing back the youth to Judaism. William laboured hard to accomplish his point; but finding persuasion and menaces of no avail, he sent for the father, and told him, that as he had not succeeded, it was not just that he should keep the present; but as he had done his utmost, it was right he shonld be paid for his pains, and he had therefore retained thirty marks of the money.

I have done evil in the sight of the Lord, in seizing the vacant bishopricks.] The Bishops taking advantage of his illness, exho rted him, without delay, to restore the vacant benefices he had seized. They represented to him what an obstacle it was to his salvation, to withhold from them the revenues of the church, contrary to the intent of the donors. Having no hope of recovery, he readily complied with their request. He nominated Robert Bloet to the bishopric of Lincoln, and for Archbishop of Canterbury made choice of Anselm, Abbot of Bec, in Normandy, a very austere man.

Howbeit, when the sickness left him, he forgot all that he had promised.] His profaneness returned with his health; his repentance proceeding from the fear of death, not conviction of error. The prisoners commanded to be freed, were, by his order, more closely confined, and those who were set at liberty were again thrown into prison. Extortion, injustice, and rapine, were as prevalent as ever, Altogether, from the description of Rapin, the country exhibited the same atrocities we now observe under the mild sway of the Boroughmongers. "The administration of justice (says he) was in the hands of such as took more care to enrich themselves, than discharge the duties of their respective offices. ALL WERE POOR BUT THOSE WHO HAD THE FINGERING OF THE PUBLIC MONEY. To be in favour with the king, it was necessary to be without honour or conscience: None but informers met with encouragement. These dis

William Rufus.

Nevertheless he was a valiant prince, and he fought against the Welch, and discomfited them, and drove them into the mountains, and conquered the southern part of the country.

And Malcolm also, king of the Scots, made war upon him; but he slew him in battle, and put his army to flight.

And in these days were great divisions in the church, and Urban the pope bethought himself how he might put an end to them; and he sent messengers to all the princes of Christendom, saying, Behold now, O ye Christian princes, the infidels have taken the city of Jerusalem, even the city of our God; they have possessed themselves of the holy land, and profaned the sacred places: wherefore now, I pray ye, let us unite together, and drive them from the face of the earth, to the end that the holy city may be delivered from the pollutions of evil-doers, and from the scorn of unbelievers.

So all the Christian princes united together, and raised a numerous army; and they distinguished themselves by a red cross, which they wore on the upper garment, wherefore this expedition was called the the Crusade; and they marched into Palestine, and besieged the holy city, and took it.

orders forced many honest men to resolve to quit the kingdom, and seek elsewhere that tranquillity they could not find in their native country." How exact the picture!— Vol. 1. p. 144.

Nevertheless he was a valiant prince] As a proof of his generosity, it is related of him, that while besieging a fortress of Normandy, riding out alone, he was suddenly attacked by two soldiers, and dismounted. One of them drew his sword to dispatch him; when the king exclaimed, Hold knave! I am the King of England. The soldier suspended his blow; and raising the king from the ground, with expressions of respect, received a handsome reward, and was taken into his service.

And Malcolm also-but he slew him in battle.] In looking into several profane writers, we find that William did not command the army in this war, but Robert de Mowbray, then governor of the northern parts; and the Scotch historian Buchanan says, that the King of Scotland was slain by a base stratagem of the English: Malcolm having reduced the castle of Alnwick to extremity, the besieged were forced to surrender, and only desired that the king in person would receive the keys of the gates, which were brought by a soldier upon the top of a lance, who, standing within the wall, thrust the point of the lance into the king's eye, as he was going to take them.

So all the Christian princes united together-wherefore this expedition was called the Crusade.] This is the most memorable event in the history of fanaticism. PETER the hermit, a native of Amiens, in Picardy, had the honour of originating the holy enterprise for rescuing Jerusalem from the Infidels. Having made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he saw with indignation the oppression under which the Christians groaned; and formed the bold, and, in all appearance, the impracticable project, of leading into Asia, from the farthest extremities of the West, armies sufficient to subdue those warlike nations, who held them in subjection. He proposed his views to Martin II. who then filled the

William Rufus.

And it came to pass in those days, that the sea overflowed its banks, insomuch that great part of the lands of Earl Godwin, in Kent, were overwhelmed and lost in the sea; and the place is called Godwin's Sands unto this day.

Papal chair; but though sensible of the advantages he must reap from a religious war, as head of the church, the Pope at first declined to embark in the gigantic enterprise. Indefatigable in his object, Peter continued to howl through the different countries of Europe, the horrible pollution of the holy sepulchre. His perseverance had its natural effect; and he at last succeeded in imparting his own zeal and enthusiasm, through the kingdoms he travelled. A council was summoned at Clermont; where the greatest princes, nobles, and prelates assembled; and the Hermit and the Pope renewing their pathetic exhortations, the whole assemblage, as if impelled by inspiration, exclaimed, It is the will of God! It is the will of God!

Such a tumult now arose as had never been seen before nor since; and Europe, as Hume says, appeared loosened from its foundations to be precipitated in one united body upon the East. All orders of men, deeming the Crusades the only road to heaven, enlisted themselves under the sacred banners, and were impatient to open their way, with the sword, to the holy city. Nobles, artizans, peasants, and priests enrolled their names; and to decline this godly enterprise was branded as impiety, or, what was deemed as disgraceful, cowardice and pusillanimity. The infirm and aged contributed to the expedition by presents and money; and many of them, not satisfied with the merit of this atonement, attended in person, determined, if possible, to breathe their last in sight of that city where a carpenter's son had died. Women themselves, concealing their sex under the disguise of armour, attended the camp, and, rather inconsistently with their holy undertaking, prostituted themselves, without reserve, to the army.* * The greatest criminals were forward in a service which they regarded as a propitiation for all crime; and the most enormous disorders were, during these expeditions, committed by men inured to wickedness, encouraged by example, and impelled by necessity. The multitude of adventurers became so great, that their more sagacious leaders became apprehensive lest the greatness of the enterprise itself should disappoint its purpose: they permitted an undisciplined multitude, computed at 300,000 men, to go before them, under the cominand of the Hermit and Walter the Moneyless. This bedlam rabble took the road towards Constantinople, through Bulgaria; and, trusting that heaven would supply them with all their necessaries, they made no provision for subsistence on their march. They soon found themselves obliged to obtain by plunder what they had vainly expected from miracles; and the enraged inhabitants of the countries through which they passed, gathering together in arms, attacked and slaughtered them without resistance. The more disciplined armies followed, and, passing the Straits of Constantinople, they were mustered in the plains of Asia, and amounted, in the whole, to 700,000 combatants.t

England was the least infected of any country in Europe with this general frenzy; principally from the character of William, who made the romantic chivalry of the Crusade the object of his perpetual raillery. His brother Robert, Duke of Normandy, however, was a victim to the general contagion, and mortgaged, or rather sold, his dominions to William for ten thousand marks, to enable him to appear in a suitable rank at the head of his vassals in this crazy enterprise. The king raised the money by violent extortion, and compelled the monks even to melt their plate to furnish the quota demanded of them.

And it came to pass in those days, the sea overflowed-and the place is called Godwin's Sands.] This celebrated sand bank runs parallel to the coast for three leagues to

William Rufus.

And Rufus builded a great hall, the like of which had not been seen in England; the length thereof was two hundred and seventy feet, and the breadth thereof was seventy and four feet;, and he I called it Westminster Hall.

And it came to pass on a certain day, as he hunted in the forest which his father had made, that he was slain with an arrow; and his body was carried in a cart to the city of Winchester, and was buried there and Henry, his brother, reigned in his stead.

gether, at about two leagues and a half distance, and affords a great protection to that capacious road the Downs. It formerly occupied a tract of ground belonging to Godwin, Earl of Kent, father of King Harold, and which afterwards being given to the monastery of St. Augustine, at Canterbury, the abbot neglected to keep in repair the wall that defended it from the sea, and the whole tract was drowned, leaving those Sands on which so many ships have been wrecked,

And Rufus builded a great hall.] This is the largest room in Europe; but, notwithstanding its extraordinary dimensions, William thought it too small, and said it hardly deserved to be called a bed-chamber, in comparison of the extent he designed it. It was originally intended as a place for the entertainment of the king's guests and dependants. Richard II. once accommodated 10,000 persons within its walls; and it is still used for coronation feasts. Parliaments have frequently been held beneath its roof, and it was the court of justice where the king presided in person. In this Hall Charles I. was tried and condemned to be beheaded. At present it is occasionally fitted up for the trial of peers, and persons impeached by the Commons. At other times it forms a promenade for lawyers and suitors during the sittings of the adjoining courts.

And it came to pass on a certain day, as he hunted.] Malmsbury relates, that, as the king was going to mount his horse, he was told that a certain monk had dreamt a dream which portended no good to him. William, caring little about such presages, answered, jestingly, he plainly saw that the monk wanted money, so ordered him a hundred shillings, and sent him word to dream better dreams in future. The circumstances of this monarch's death are differently related by historians. The most probable account is the following. He was engaged in hunting, the chief amusement, and almost only occupation of princes in those times, in the New Forest: towards the evening, William, having wounded a stag, was pursuing him full speed, when Walter Tyrrell, a French gentleman, shooting at the same stag, the arrow glanced from a tree and pierced the king to the heart. Tyrrell instantly put spurs to his horse, and, without informing any one of the accident, hastened to the sea-shore, embarked for France, and joined the Crusade in an expedition to Jerusalem, a penance he imposed on himself for this involuntary crime. The body of William was found in the forest by the country people, and buried, next day, without pomp or ceremony. Every one was occupied with his successor, and besides the Prince was so little beloved that no one cared showing much regret at a death considered a happy deliverance from oppression.

His tomb of grey marble, somewhat raised from the ground, may still be seen in the middle of the choir of Winchester Cathedral. During the Civil Wars, in the reign of Charles I. the parliamentarians broke open his monument, but they found only the dust of the king, some relics of cloth of gold, a large gold ring, and a chalice of silver.

APPLICATION.

William was slain on the 2d of August, in the year 1100, in the forty-fourth year of his age, after a reign of twelve years, ten mouths, and twelve days. He met his