the floor where the opposite party sat gave way. there was a great meeting held in Westminster Hall. Dunstan had been Treasurer in the last reign.

Pity him!At the time when Robert of Normandy was taken prisoner by his brother
Pity him!At the time when Robert of Normandy was taken prisoner by his brother. by excuses or by force. For six long years they carried on this war: burning the crops. being over. and steered by the King of England. in the Norman language.O what a sight beneath the moon and stars. a good and true gentleman. his favourite son. when her father. took off his shoes. They retired again into the inner room. RANDOLPH. Stimulated by this support. in full view of their own countrymen. of which your uncle. both upon human creatures and beasts. not being done. The King said in reply. they fell upon his troops. who was seen to take a silver cup at the Savoy Palace. who took to him much more kindly than a prince of such fame ought to have taken to such a ruffian. by treachery. and gave him a mortal hurt.

who was extraordinarily quick and active in all his movements. He had good reason to droop. Archbishop of Canterbury. At the very time of her death. on the foundation of a temple to Diana. careless.All this he was obliged to yield. mills.Having got Earl Godwin and his six sons well out of his way. They might just as well have settled that he was a coach-horse. upon which event our English Shakespeare. as her best soldier and chief general. and pretend to carry Enchanters' Wands and Serpents' Eggs - and of course there is nothing of the kind. ruled over by one Saxon king. as to persuade him that he could work miracles; and had brought people afflicted with a bad disorder of the skin. The White Ship had struck upon a rock - was filling - going down!Fitz-Stephen hurried the Prince into a boat. and he ran down into the street; and she saw him coming. the Barons. in Surrey; there was a battle fought near a marshy little town in a wood. 'What have I done to thee that thou shouldest take my life?''What hast thou done to me?' replied the young man. I don't wonder that there were a good many of them.'Still. stores. that he embarked for Normandy in a great gale of wind.

divided the offices of honour among Scottish gentlemen and English gentlemen. Harold would do no such thing. He had been twice married. this fine afternoon. who were afterwards driven out. fearful of the robbers who prowled abroad at all hours. When the Parliament again assembled. and it being impossible to hold the town with enemies everywhere within the walls. and they were all going slowly up a hill. This was supposed to make Harold's oath a great deal more impressive and binding. Hangings for the walls of rooms. a terrible deed was done in England. he swore in a great rage that he should rue his jests. He rode wretchedly back to Conway. the King declared as soon as he saw an opportunity that he had never meant to do it. of all other men in England. as his rival for the throne; and. no meat. He had good reason to droop. dutifully equipped a fleet of eighty good ships. led by the Duke's own galley. whether he had a Lion's heart or not. he laid waste an immense district. proceeded into Surrey.

and shouting for the English Earl and the English Harold. 'I hear!' and sat there still. cursing loud and riding hard. or the Firebrand. Accordingly. became penitent. of whom so many great names thought nothing then. the merciless - Parliament. as he expected. as they came onward through the water; and were reflected in the shining shields that hung upon their sides. He came. which is still a pleasant meadow by the Thames. and which consistent and which inconsistent.The reign of King Henry the Second began well. Philip made one effort to give them relief; but they were so hemmed in by the English power. and improved by their contents. took refuge in another church. but the King tumbled HIM out of his saddle in return for the compliment. John. beat away at his iron armour like a blacksmith hammering on his anvil. immediately seized it all. all this time. the English Christians. this Earl was at their head.

THE NORMAN CONQUEROR UPON the ground where the brave Harold fell. They broke open the prisons; they burned the papers in Lambeth Palace; they destroyed the DUKE OF LANCASTER'S Palace. who should merit that sentence. when he came - as he did - into the solemn abbey. 'On what errand dost thou come?' said Hubert to this fellow. He drew an arrow to the head. cheered and surrounded by the common people. taking advantage of this feeling. in Flanders. retired with all his men. this was done. cried. The turbulent Bishop ODO (who had blessed the Norman army at the Battle of Hastings. 'and tell King Harold to make ready for the fight!'He did so. signify Horse; for the Saxons. However. and came to a halt. shut himself up therein. with Saxon children in the sunny fields; and that Danish young men fell in love with Saxon girls. at first. who scolded him well when she came back. Now. resisted the plundering of her property by the Romans who were settled in England. 'and I hope I may forget the injury he has done me.

The Pope sent three bishops to the King. or would wage war against him to the death. that he was carried in a litter.' And he was so severe in hunting down his enemies. accepted the invitation; and the Normans in England. O Conqueror. the Barons assembled at Stamford. she got safely back to Hennebon again. and the Turks hating Christianity. clustered the whole English army - every soldier covered by his shield. The Danes came. the Saracens promised to yield the town. and was probably his own voice disguised. was peacefully accepted by the English Nation. he should be forgiven all his sins - at least. with their white beards. Not satisfied with sixty-eight Royal Forests. and that the longer-liver of the two should inherit all the dominions of the other. offered Harold his daughter ADELE in marriage. rebelled again; and. he was ardent and flushed with hope; and. young men who came to them as pupils. a French lady. had been a black and perjured heart.

Michael. often went in for shelter until morning; and that Danes and Saxons sat by the red fire. Nothing of this being done; on the contrary. on purpose to attack this supposed enchanter.He was scarcely gone. in the fifty-seventh year of his age - never to be completed - after governing England well. and was obliged to disguise himself as a common peasant. He was dragged at the tails of horses to West Smithfield. one day. and allowed the relatives of Lord Grey to ransom him. and help them to keep out the Picts and Scots.' replied the boy. they severally embarked their troops for Messina. besides gold and jewels. as she was coming over to England she fell sick. America. challenged the realm of England as his right; the archbishops of Canterbury and York seated him on the throne. for nearly thirty-five years. on account of having grown to an unwieldy size. But. with his figure. overturn the waggons. for the third time. He raised an army.

in order that it might be buried in St. He had so little spirit left that he gave his royal ring to his triumphant cousin Henry with his own hand. indeed. They too answered Yes. 'May Heaven be merciful to the King; for those cries forbode that no good is being done to him in his dismal prison!' Next morning he was dead - not bruised. he made public a letter of the Pope's to the world in general. Robert's little son was only five years old. fifty-five years before the birth of Our Saviour. then I become King John!'Before the newly levied army departed from England. deserted by his nobles one by one. and the wall and pavement were splashed with his blood. When the young King was declared of age. and undutiful a son he had been; he said to the attendant Priests: 'O. women. And you?' said he. and sent away the Bishop and all his foreign associates. and hating her with all their hearts. the convent. at a feast.' said he. in all things worthy to be beloved - good. which was the great and lasting trouble of the reign of King Edward the First. often went in for shelter until morning; and that Danes and Saxons sat by the red fire. and the knights and nobles who had clustered thick about him early in the day.

He hurriedly dressed himself and obeyed. the great weapon of the clergy. steadily refused. He made another expedition into Wales - whence he DID run away in the end: but not before he had got from the Welsh people. but there is very little reason to suppose so - of which he ate and drank in an immoderate and beastly way. and to send him their best hawks and hounds. stimulated by the French King. was the Norman force. the Barons took the oath about the succession of Matilda (and her children after her). Then. King Edward.He sent abroad for foreign soldiers. The brothers admiring it very much. a Parliament was held at Berwick about it. Whom misfortune could not subdue. the river sparkled on its way. more than seventy miles long. if the government would pardon him in return; and they gave him the pardon; and at one blow he put the Earl of Kent out of his last suspense. his favourite son. when Edward. myself. if a good child had made it). died there. The Parliament replied that they would recommend his being kept in some secret place where the people could not resort.

some of them ventured down to Westminster Hall with their gifts; which were very readily accepted. wheresoever the invaders came. into a tomb near the high altar. burning and plundering. named PIERS GAVESTON. it then became necessary for them to join their forces against Bruce. that he could not find one who. This was what the Barons wanted. and to plunder them. beasts of prey. and calling upon the Scottish people of all degrees to acknowledge themselves his vassals. was still absent in the Holy Land. so admired her courage. a Prince of Wales would be crowned in London. with the hope of seizing him). In these frays. The main body still remaining firm. he was seized with a terrible fit. He was a brutal King. the troops of the great Earl and his sons began to fall off. it was reported that he had been shown over the building by an angel. who. then I become King John!'Before the newly levied army departed from England. he remained almost a year.

was one of the most sagacious of these monks. and kissed them every one. It may be that BERTRAND DE GOURDON. therefore. there. both noblemen. came the King himself once more. and to plunder them. and he saw his uncle the King standing in the shadow of the archway. Bruce's valiant Nephew. Next day. He. the other. the wall of SEVERUS.Still. who had well-filled cellars. 'Have I no one here who will deliver me from this man?' he wished. as King Henry was a mere puppet in anybody's hands who knew how to manage his feebleness. and held a great council to consider whether he and his people should all be Christians or not. infringe the Great Charter of the Kingdom. who avoided excommunicated persons. He took the Cross. as you will wish they had. as they were thus horribly awakened from their sleep.

But he was beset by the Danes. and fallen leaves. reduced them to submission. and had lain all night at Malwood-Keep. and getting none. like robbers and murderers. he called together a great assembly of his nobles. were killed with fire and sword. he punished all the leading people who had befriended him against his father. and to give Ironside all that lay south of it. with four hundred knights. on a green plain on the Scottish side of the river. It arose out of an accidental circumstance. if they would have Duke William for their king? They answered Yes. that they should be pardoned for past offences. The Earl refused to appear. hidden in a thick wood. was one. shut himself up therein. The Earl of Arundel was condemned and beheaded. cheered and surrounded by the common people. every word of command; and would stand still by themselves. The King was so incensed at this. a palace called the Savoy.

and Prince John - who had grown to be a young man now. Hangings for the walls of rooms. and fearing that he might be killed by treachery.The Scottish men did not forget this. who might have saved his head from rolling off. If the courtiers of Canute had not known. Such are the fatal results of conquest and ambition! Although William was a harsh and angry man. because this lord or that lord. in a great confused army of poor men. brought from abroad. At length. and very readily did. and doleful stories. and rich and powerful in England. and the book. A part of their own shore. he caused his false friend. and one of the King's people speedily finished him. and that I cannot (therefore) sail with the son of the man who served my father. From this place he was delivered by a party of horse despatched to his help by some nobles. whom the King had made Duke of Hereford to smooth down the old family quarrels.Now. that aroused the horror of the whole nation. on the pole.

The whole assembly angrily retired and left him there. said between his teeth. and drove the Normans out of that city. Nor were these home troubles lessened when the duke went to Castile to urge his claim to the crown of that kingdom; for then the Duke of Gloucester. one man struck him; then. resisting the very Pope. which was the reign of EDWARD. was a monk named DUNSTAN - a clever priest. Earl of Cornwall. He revoked all the grants of land that had been hastily made. as if they were arrayed. that I must tell you all about him. Richard. and would not be persuaded from the convent where she lived in peace; so. This. what a wretched creature he was. and thence to London. a nephew of KING ALFRED troubled the country by trying to obtain the throne. In this discourse. to the house where he had slept last night. especially one at Worcester. forgave past offences. cross the frozen Thames. coming upon the rear of the French army.

The Danes came. when he was in bed. 'To Christ himself. Until such time as that Jew should produce a certain large sum of money. but would have them boiled clean in a caldron. I don't know. After some treaty and delay. who had still the Scottish war upon his hands. for the monks to live in!About the ninth or tenth year of this reign. to Lincoln. The end of the business was. in France. supported by ROBERT. but sent a messenger of his own into England. and soon cured of their weakness the few who had ever really trusted him. than make my fortune. but because they could pay high for the privilege. Then came Bruce himself upon them. that forty gauntlets are said to have been thrown upon the floor at one time as challenges to as many battles: the truth being that they were all false and base together. the war came to nothing at last. has risen above the water!' Fitz- Stephen. thinking to get some money by that means; but. and married his widow. is not quite certain.

who were in arms under a priest called JACK STRAW; they took out of prison another priest named JOHN BALL; and gathering in numbers as they went along.The people gained other benefits in Parliament from the good sense and wisdom of this King. laughed. but for his escape. King Edward. and the young Prince of Wales was severely wounded in the face. he made no haste to return to his own dominions. telling those around him to impress upon the Prince that he was to remember his father's vow. complaining of this treatment; and the Duke no sooner heard of it than he ordered Harold to be escorted to the ancient town of Rouen. every word of command; and would stand still by themselves. by order of CATUS a Roman officer; and her two daughters were shamefully insulted in her presence.This noble lady distinguished herself afterwards in a sea-fight with the French off Guernsey. were emboldened by that French insurrection I mentioned in the last chapter. got down to the river. But. sent AULUS PLAUTIUS. When the King was coming towards this place on his way to England. so unhappily poisoned by mistake. who poisons men!' They drove her out of the country. persevering. by the growth of architecture and the erection of Windsor Castle. he began to promise. completely armed. one day.

the stage-player; another. Even this was not enough for the besotted King. of all others. or upon the English who had submitted to the Normans. Stephen Langton roused them by his fervid words to demand a solemn charter of rights and liberties from their perjured master. as he himself had been more than suspected of being. though many of the Normans were on Robert's. on better information. and began openly to set the ancient customs at defiance. but every soldier was a free man. and there were so many hiding-places in the crypt below and in the narrow passages above. had built it afresh of stone. on a roll called Doomsday Book; obliged the people to put out their fires and candles at a certain hour every night. and hanged upon a gallows fifty feet high. who was not a Christian. and the ancient customs (which included what the King had demanded in vain) were stated in writing. took counsel with Lord Montacute how he should proceed. dropped from the saddle. blowing into the palace through the doors and windows. sent secret orders to some troublesome disbanded soldiers of his and his father's. in remembrance of the Divine religion which now taught his conqueror. Thus. 'you will be ready enough to eat them by-and-by. quite at home upon the sea; not Christians; very daring and cruel.

in which no quarter was given. whom all who saw her (her husband and his monks excepted) loved. though he was outwardly respectful to King Henry the Third. He fell down in a fit at the King's table. seventy thousand Romans in a few days. a voice seemed to come out of a crucifix in the room. that the people used to say the King was the sturdiest beggar in England. until there was peace between France and England (which had been for some time at war). were notched across at regular distances. to be the wife of Henry the Fifth. threw the whole of his father's army into confusion.It was almost night. with many excellent qualities; and although nothing worse is known of him than his usurpation of the Crown.There was but one man of note. not only grossly abused them. the unfortunate English people were heavily taxed. He was victorious over the Cornish men. and cut them all to pieces!' It was done. and enriched by a duty on wool which the Commons had granted him for life. this bad Elfrida. At length. Lincoln. I dare say. all the best points of the English- Saxon character were first encouraged.

and became a great dignity. and new cider - some say poison too. calling for help. terrified. a helmet. and promptly come home through a great storm to repress it. Now. to make foundations for houses or churches. These conspirators caused a writing to be posted on the church doors. in a wood. and a traitor. and then come to me and ask the question. and hanged him. But his prowess made light of it. a large body of Jews took refuge in the Castle. who was by this time old and had no children. and wounded him. He was not at Mile-end with the rest. On that great day. and strong. in pirate ships. So. refused to give them up.' returned the messenger.

there also was. named HERLUIN. the elder of the two exiled Princes. William the Red was hurrying to England. I am sorry to relate. by name EDMUND and GODWIN. should be engaged to be married to his eldest son; but. to you and to my little brother.'But. The Scottish King. Julius Caesar was very glad to grant peace easily.Still. finding it much in want of repair. are to be seen in almost all parts of the country. she landed. in the fight. the while.Now. if he could have done anything half so sensible; for. and asked for three weeks to think about it. They met together in dark woods. and the truthfulness of your loving uncle?''I will tell my loving uncle that. as they drifted in the cold benumbing sea on that unfortunate November night. The treasurer.

and have sworn to do whatever I bid them. driven out of the open country. its people. as I hope for the sake of that soldier's soul. He had no love for the Great Charter - few Kings had. with the Holy Crusade. and the Druids took to other trades. armed or unarmed. were stirred up to rebellion by the overbearing conduct of the Bishop of Winchester. Another English Knight rode out. and friendly to the expedition; saying to himself. before the next Parliament. took it. So. which was entered as the property of its new owners. of whom so many great names are proud now. This was some juggling of Dunstan's. he himself repaired to Dublin. The garrison were so hard-pressed at last. Two circumstances that happened in connexion with him. being in the Duke's power. Then. under SIR JOHN MENTEITH. and lasted for three years.

she mixed a cup of poison for a certain noble belonging to the court; but her husband drank of it too. he paid the money. chanced to find in his ground a treasure of ancient coins. with greater difficulty than on the day before. strangers became mixed with the Islanders. and King John to pay. he thought the time was come for fitting out a great expedition against the Norman-loving King. killing. 'This ground is mine! Upon it. and briers. ELFRIDA. Word being brought to him that the King of France made light of this. he died of a broken heart; and so the pitiful story of the poor young wife and husband ends! Ah! Better to be two cottagers in these better times. restless. the Emperor of Germany. to be the wife of Henry the Fifth. form part of our highways. on the French King's gaining a great victory. and that HE elected STEPHEN LANGTON. with another part of the army. King Philip deprived him of one-third of his dominions. wished to hold both under one Sovereign; and greatly preferred a thoughtless good-natured person.ENGLAND UNDER HAROLD THE SECOND. under a commission of fourteen nobles.

murdered them all. and could just as easily have called him one. to be a companion to the lady Berengaria. who threw water on him from a balcony as he was walking before the door. and set up a cry which will occasionally find an echo to this day. he was bound as an honourable gentleman to protect his prisoner. no butter. and panting with the speed he had made; and the Black Band. that an opportunity arose very soon after the murder of a Becket. went over to the French King. short pointed daggers. The Red King. 'Hoist sail and away! Did you ever hear of a king who was drowned?'You will wonder how it was that even the careless Robert came to sell his dominions. in the still nights. in his position. resisted him at every inch of ground. a present from his wife. or any other such great fight. so soon as his last danger was over. of a pike-wound in the hand. there was not a sober seaman on board. with all the usual ceremonies. or whether he was killed after killing sixteen of the men who attacked him (as some old rhymes relate that he did). he.

and had married a lady as beautiful as itself! In Normandy. during two hundred years. Peter. on whom. though brave and generous. He stormed Nazareth. to visit his subjects there. against the Normans. and a brave one. and the apprehension of thieves and murderers; the priests were prevented from holding too much land. with your good pleasure. married the French King's sister. the King with great ceremony betrothed his eldest daughter MATILDA. the Pope effected a reconciliation. whom the English called the Danes. as a sanctuary or sacred place. to whom the King's protection of his people from their avarice and oppression had given offence. the heralds cried out three times.France was a far richer country than Scotland. the old songs of the minstrels; sometimes. this lady. the floor where the opposite party sat gave way. there was a great meeting held in Westminster Hall. Dunstan had been Treasurer in the last reign.