the affection of a fond parent, he caused Meanwhile, the thundering maledichim to be nurtured and educated with tions of Mauger, archbishop of Rouen, royal distinctions in his own palace, and an illegitimate brother of tlie late Duke declared that the world had never seen Robert, threatened William and his the like of so fair and forward a boy." bride with alarming dangers. This preWhen about proceeding on that myste- late, who by tact and ambition had risen rious pilgrimage to the Holy Land. to the primacy, and who had always whence he returned not, nor was heard been to William a bitter foe, under the of more, the duke left his son, then an plea that the marriage stood within the infant but seven years old, in the guar-forbidden degrees of consanguinity, and dianship of his suzerain, Henry the First, that, therefore, the union, without the the reigning King of Irance, after hav-pope's consent, was illegal, solemnly exing first received from his nobles their communicated the cousins, and absolved solemn acknowledgment of the infant the Normans from their oath of alleas his successor. giance to their royal duke. On receiv The French monarch appears to haveing intelligence of this wicked outrage faithfully discharged his duty, as guar-offered to himself and his fair cousin, dian to the young Duke of Normandy, William was so provoked, that he swore for several years. But scarcely had he "by the splendour of God"—his usual resigned him to the ambassadors from outh-"he would be revenged." Withthe Norman nobles, who now demanded | out delay, he dispatched Lanfranc, then the presence of their sovereign, when he an obscure monk, with submissive letters invaded the dominions of his ward with to the pope; and the Holy See, concipowerful forces, and fomented internal liated by his modest representations, imstrife, by inciting all who could boast of mediately issued a bull, nullifying the a descent from Rollo-the founder of archbishop's anathemas, and confirming the Norman ducal line-to become rival the marriage of the royal pair, on conclaimants for the crown. The Normans, dition that they should each build and however, bravely beat back his armies, endow an abbey as the price of this disand his political projects were all de- pensation. feated by the youthful William, who, during the contest, displayed great talents, and overpowering energies.

The

In compliance with this bull, the stately abbeys of St. Stephens, and Holy Trinity, were founded at Caen. former was endowed by William, for monks; and the latter by Matilda, for nuns.

Henry of France was, however, too jealous of the rising fame of the Norman Duke, to cease giving him trouble. But, fortunately for William, immedi- The hour had now come for William, ately after his marriage, the French King, in compliance with his solemn oath, to who, with all the chivalry of France, take vengeance on the haughty Mauger. was preparing to attack his dominions, Calling a convocation of all the bishops suddenly died; leaving his infant son and of Normandy, at Lisieu, he caused the successor, Philip the First, under the guar- archbishop to be accused before them of dianship of Matilda's father, the Duke of selling the church plate and consecrated Flanders, who immediately established chalices to supply his own personal peace between the suzerain and his vassal. luxury. Of these crimes Mauger was Having now nothing to fear from solemnly convicted, and deposed, and France, William lost no time in crushing Maurillus elected in his room; but his all remains of rebellion amongst his sub-judges were probably no less guilty than jects. Guy of Burgundy, the Earls of Aujou, of Eu, and of Montagne, and others, who had vainly endeavoured to suatch the ducal crown from his head, were speedily overpowered, and either reduced to subjection or banished, and Having thus reduced or quieted all peace and happiness restored to the land. | his foes, William, by the enlightened

himself, as, at that period, although forbidden by the canons, it was the usual practice of the great dignitaries of the church to deal with the property of their sees as if it were their own.

counsel of his beloved Matilda-who perfectly comprehended the advantages of the arts and commerce to a nationafforded every encouragement to learning and refinement, and, by constructing roads, bridges, and harbours, and organizing fleets of merchantmen, enlarged the trade and increased the happiness of his subjects. During this period of repose, the royal pair enjoyed great domestic happiness, and occupied much of their time in the education of their children. Their eldest son, who was named after his grandfather-Robert, was born about ten months after their marriage. The choice of name singularly coincided with his enterprising spirit and ill-starred fate, as, like his ancestor, Duke Robert, he journeyed to the Holy Land, and, after a series of misfortunes, died miserably. The birth of Robert was followed by that of Richard, William Rufus, and six daughters, all of whom were of remarkable beauty and promise.

Shortly after his marriage, William entrusted his duchess with the reins of his government, and, taking advantage of the banishment of Earl Goodwin and his sons from Britain, made a visit to his kinsman and friend, Edward the Confessor, of England, who had no children, and who, in memory of the hospitality he had received, during his exile, at the court of Normandy, had already given William some hope of being his heir. By all accounts, the Norman duke was most honourably received by his cousin, the English king, who loaded him with presents, and promised him to make a will in his favour; and this will, although it never appeared, was the pretence made by William, fourteen years afterwards, for invading England.

Even at this period, William's designs upon England were, doubtless, well known to his father-in-law, the Earl of Flanders, and more than suspected by Harold, his Saxon rival. Tostig, the second son of Earl Goodwin, during his exile from England, married Judith, the sister of Matilda, and the daughter of Baldwin, and from that period became a deadly foe to his brother Harold, whose downfall might not have happened but for his unnatural conduct.

From this period, no remarkable in cident occurs in the chronicles of Ma tilda's court, till 1062. In that year, Harold undertook a voyage to Normandy, in an open fishing-boat, to demand the release of a brother and a nephew, whom Earl Goodwin had given to the king as hostages. But hardly was he at sea, when a tempest arose, and drove him into the mouth of the Maye, a port belonging to the Farl of Ponthieu, who made him prisoner, in the hope of obtaining a large sum for his ransom. In this dilemma, he sent to the Duke of Normandy for aid; and William, delighted at the advantage to be obtained from the unexpected incident, promptly procured his release.

On reaching the Norman court, at Rouen, Harold was received with every ontward demonstration of goodwill. William agreed to resign the hostages, and, as if ignorant of the secret intentions of his guest, informed him of his own adoption by Edward the Confessor as heir to the crown of England, and Harold, being virtually his prisoner, he made him solemnly swear to acknowledge him (William) as the successor to Edward's crown, upon relics of the most venerated martyrs, which, in those days of dark superstition, rendered an oath doubly binding. When the reluctant Harold had sworu just what his wily host had chosen to dictate, William professed the profoundest friendship towards him. But satisfied though the Norman Duke pretended to be, he nevertheless feared, that, when free in England, Harold would consider an oath that had been extorted from him not binding upon his conscience, and, on the death of Edward, grasp at the English sceptre. To render the breach in such a case doubly flagrant, William affianced to Harold his daughter Adeliza, a child but seven years old, after which he loaded him with presents, and dismissed him with his nephew, promising to bring his brother when he himself came to England.

On arriving in England, Harold, who considered himself in nowise bound by the oath and promises which endurance had forced from him, strengthened his cause by espousing Algitha, sister to the

man undertaking to assist in the invasion of the Anglo-Saxon land, and, for the occasion, to double his services.

powerful Earl of Morear; and shortly clamorous uproar ensued, so noisy and afterwards, on the death of Edward the wild, that not a speaker could make himConfessor, he ascended the throne-a self heard: "Thou liest. Fitz-Osborn! step which so exasperated William, that, thou liest!" being the only cry audible bursting into a fit of vehement anger, he amidst the babble and confusion. drove the bearer of the unpleasant news | The duke retired from the exciting from his presence, hurriedly paced the scene into his presence-chamber, sent for hall, and unconsciously tying and unty- the refractory nobles one by one, and by ing the tasselled band of his cloak, hurled remonstrances and magnificent promises, Curses of defiance against the faithless so overcame their scruples, that to what Harold "Not enough is it," he pas-Fitz-Osborn proffered they agreed; each sionately muttered, "that the dastardly usurper spurns his aflianced bride, my lovely Adeliza! but he must even clutch the crown ere it can descend on my head! By the splendour of God! the harvest of his aspiring ambition shall be snatched from his covetous grasp, and William of Normandy yet reign England's king!" Although aware of the many difficultics to be encountered in invading so powerful a country as England, William resolved, rather than the valuable sceptre should escape his grasp, to undertake the hazardous project. He, therefore, without delay, stated his intentions to his assembled nobles, who, conceiving the enterprize far too hazardous, strongly objected to it.

William next requested aid from Philip of Irance, offering, in return, in the event of success, to own him as his lord paramount of England, as well as of Normandy. Lut the French king had no faith in the project, and declared, that in its support he would not advance a pound of silver. Besides, he archly remarked to the Norman ambassador:

May not your royal master, by running after a crown's shadow, gain nothing, and lose what he still possesses? Speed ye to your liege lord, and say, Philip would ask who is to take charge of Normandy in the absence of its royal duke:"

"Already," said they, "we are suffi- Although rebuffed by the French king, ciently impoverished by the duke's foreign William speedily gathered the flower of wars, and, furthermore, we like not cross-Europe's chivalry under his renowned ing the sca. Let us wait on our sovereign and inform him, and let our good itzOsborn, who is fairer-tongued than we, speak our message."

To this arrangement Fitz-Osborn, who was one of their body, readily agreed; but either from craft, or excess of loyalty, he quite forgot the purport of his commission, and instead of telling the duke that they disapproved of the expedition, actually informed him that, being exceedingly pleased with the measure, they had cheerfully resolved to go with him over sca, and, to render victory more sure, they would each double the number of men which, as vassals, they were bound to bring into the field.

These words astonished the assembled knights and barons, and so excited their ire against Fitz-Osborn, that they sorely abused him.

"Man of fair tongue, thou liest!" they exclaimed, with fiery execrations; and a

banner. The Counts of Brittany and Anjou encouraged their subjects to join his ranks, as also did the Emperor of Germany, Henry IV., who likewise undertook to preserve his dukedom from invasion during his absence; and the Pope sent him a consecrated banner, and promulgated a bull declaring the justice of his cause, and animating all Christians to flock to his standard. Besides other signal services, his father-in-law, Ealdwin of Flanders, fitted out sixty ships, filled with sturdy warriors, and trusted them to Tostig, to make a descent on England. The traitor Saxon carried fire and sword into several villages on the British coast, but being come upon unawares by the intrepid Earl Morcar, he was driven to his ships, and sailed for Scotland, where, meeting with no encouragement, he directed his course to Norway, whose warlike king, Hartager, he persuaded to join him in attacking

en

Eugland on the north, simultaneous with, the Duke of Normandy's descent on the south.

After strenuous efforts, William found himself at the head of a inagnificent deet of three thousand sail, and an army of sixty thousand stalwart warriors, commanded by the boldest and most illustrious knights of that renowned age of rude chivalry.

The port of St. Valleri was the place appointed for the embarking of the assembled warriors, and thither William proceeded, after having first invested Matilda, and his son Robert, a youth who had seen but thirteen summers, with the regency of his dukedom, and named the able Roger de Beaumont, and other wise prelates and nobles, as their councillors during his absence.

CHAPTER II.

The Norman fleet wind-bound at St. Valleri-Superstition of the soldiery-Happy arrival of Matilda in the Mora-Favourable wind-William and his armament cross the Channel-Land in England-Tostig and the king of Norway defeated Battle of Hastings-Bayeaux tapestry.

HEN William reach- |nity, to the heart of the encampment, ed St. Valleri, the when, calling the army together, he told fleet was wind- them that their own impiety had raised bound, and his fight- the ire of the saint, who would only ing men were detain- grant a favourable wind on receiving ed in suspense and their earnest prayers and charitable conidleness. Day follow tributions. Then, setting the example, ed day, but the wish- he himself knelt before the revered shrine, ed-for breeze came not, and the superstiti- and, with affected gravity, strewed the ous soldiers began to murmur and desert. antependium with golden pieces. The "Surely there is evil in this," said they, stratagem completely succeeded. All "for God, who rules the wind, locks us murmurings and discontent ceased, and in our own harbour, whence we cannot every man-knight, archer, and swordsdepart. How know we but what the man - eagerly crowded to the hallowed duke, like unto his father communes shrine, and, with hearts bursting with with evil spirits, who have shut the ears penitence and devotion. literally buried of his understanding, so that he hearkens it with gifts of gold and silver, "much," not to the predictions of the terrible says an old chronicler, "to the glory of omen? By the holy mass! if he persists the church, who reaped therefrom a in opposing the will of the Most High, golden harvest, so plenteous, that the all the armament will be swallowed up monks of St. Valleri did nothing but cry in the ocean, and no one left to tell its for joy for a week after." loss to our weeping kindred!"

Time passed wearily; adverse winds still detained the fleet, and in the camp, despite the exertions of military authorities, so rife had become disaffection and desertion, that only a favourable wind, or the disabusing the superstitious soldiery of their groundless fears, could save the army from a mutual disbandment. To effect the latter object, William caused the shrine containing the venerated relics of St. Valleri, the patron saint of the harbour, to be conveyed, with due solem

Whilst these devotions were proceeding, Matilda agreeably surprised her husband by unexpectedly arriving at the port, in a noble vessel, named the Mora, which, by her orders. had been secretly built, to present to him as a royal pledge of love and constancy during his absence. The Mora was a truly fine ship, and for size, strength, and sailing qualities, the queen of William's fleet; her fittings were highly superb, and beautifully carved, painted, and gilded. At the prow was a golden figure of Matilda's youngest

son, William, with a bow and arrow in one hand, whilst with the other he held a trumpet to his lips, as if giving the signal of victory; and at the stern was a cross, surrounded by richly carved emblematical devices, inlaid with ivory and precious metals,

William brought with him from Normandy a portable wooden fortress, which had been carefully framed. so as to be readily put together. This, on landing, was erected with all speed at a spot near to the beach, and close to where the mouldering remains of the castle still stand. The disjointed timbers were brought on shore by the soldiers and the sailors; and the carpenters and the masons put them together with such diligence and dexterity, that on the first day the building was completed, and at nightfall the duke and his councillors took up their quarters therein. Here, according to the chronicler, Malmesbury, he lay still for fifteen days, and kept his soldiers from plundering the neighbourhood.

Matilda had scarcely presented this magnificent gift to her affectionate lord, when the long-desired wind sprang up; and the invading host, viewing the arrival of the Mora as an auspicious omen, leaped into the vessels, exclaiming, "God is with us! Now for England, and victory!" With many fond farewells to his beloved duchess, William embarked on board the Mora. The gallant vessel led the way across the sea, and, to keep the squadron from parting, carried a As before observed, Tostig had arblood-red flag by day, and lanterns burn- ranged with the King of Norway, that ing by night. But her speed was so they and the Normans should attack Enggreat that, during the voyage, she more land simultaneously. But as the Norman than once outsailed her companions, and ships had been unexpectedly wind-bound completely lost sight of them. How at St. Valleri, the Norwegian squadron, ever, as rough weather occurred during of three hundred sail, reached the Tyne the passage, and the seamen were rude, about eighteen days before the arrival of unskilled navigators, it is remarkable their Norman allies. Harold, at the head that, with the loss of only two vessels, of a large army, met the invaders at and a slight damage to four others, the Stamford,in Lincolnshire, and after a hot, whole fleet, after a month's perilous voy-murderous contest, in which Tostig, the age, safely entered the harbour of Pevensy, on the coast of Sussex.

On the twenty-ninth of September, 1066, the day they entered the English port, the anxious Normans hastened to disembark. First landed the knights and soldiery; then came the carpenters, masons, and other workmen, carrying their tools by their side; and, lastly, the duke himself, who, springing on shore too hastily, measured his length on the sand. As he fell, the superstitious Normans uttered a shrill cry of terror; and an instant afterwards, they all murmured, Here is indeed an evil omen!"

But William, who on rising had grasped his hands full of sand, exclaimed, "By the splendour of God! he is no true interpreter who proclaims evil here. See, my brave lieges," he continued, extending out his hands, and shewing the soil they contained. "behold, warriors, I have already taken possession of the country which, by God's help and yours, I will

evermore hold."

King of Norway, and a host of Norwegian knights and nobles were slaincrushed their forces, and captured their fleet, and all their valuables.

The news of William's landing, which spread through the country with eagle's wings, reached the ears of Harold just after he had obtained this signal victory over his base-hearted brother. At first, he put no faith in the tidings as, deceived by the Duke of Flanders, he had 'supposed that the Norman duke had delayed the threatened invasion till the following spring. But he was soon convinced of the truth of the alarming rumour, by the arrival of a trusty knight, who, having watched the landing of the hostile host, sped to him in hot haste, and in breathless anxiety, exclaimed,

"Arm, sire! arm! the Normans have landed, and built a fort at Hastings. Their fighting men are countless as the stars, and their nobles so numerous, that the dazzled eyes cannot look on their polished panoplies. You are lost, sire, if you lose