The Chronicle of the Norman Conquest Part 22

[Footnote 1: Wight.]

[Footnote 2: HORA PRIMA, six in the morning.]

[Footnote 3: The church of the abbey of St. Stephen, which has been mentioned before, p. 63 and 64, as founded by William, at the same period as that of the Trinity was founded by his queen Matilda.]

[Footnote 4: _Orderic_ explains that this price was only for the mere grave; the promise of future benefit appearing there to be realized by the subsequent purchase of all the ground claimed by Ascelin. We add that historian's oratorical summary of the striking circ.u.mstances attending the conqueror's death and interment. 'Non fictilem tragdiam venundo; non loquaci comdia cachinnantibus parasitis faveo: sed studiosis lectoribus varios eventus veraciter intimo. Inter prospera patuerunt ad versa, ut terrerentur terrigenarum corda. Rex quondam potens et bellicosus, multisque populis per plures provincias metuendus, in area jacuit nudus, et a suis, quos genuerat vel aluerat, dest.i.tutus. aere alieno in funebri cultu indiguit, ope gregarii pro sandapila et vespilionibus conducendis eguit, qui tot hactenus et superfluis opibus nimis abundavit. Secus incendium a formidolosis vectus est ad Basilicam, liberoque solo, qui tot urbibus et oppidis et vicis princ.i.p.atus est, caruit ad sepulturam. Arvina ventris ejus tot delectamentis enutrita c.u.m dedecore patuit, et prudentes ac infrunitos, qualis sit gloria carnis, edocuit.' _Benoit_ paraphrases these reflections more poetically than is usual with him.]

CONCLUSION

KING WILLIAM'S CHARACTER, FROM THE SAXON CHRONICLE[1].

Las! how false and how unresting is this earth's weal! He that before was a rich king, and lord of many lands, had then of all his lands but seven feet s.p.a.ce; and he that was whilom clad with gold and gems, lay there overspread with mould! If any one wish to know what manner of man he was, or what wors.h.i.+p he had, or of how many lands he were the lord, then will we write of him, as we have known him; for we looked on him, and somewhile dwelt in his herd[2].

This king William that we speak about was a very wise man, and very rich; more wors.h.i.+pful and stronger than any his foregangers were. He was mild to the good men that loved G.o.d, and beyond all metes stark to those who withsaid his will. On that same stede where G.o.d gave him that he should win England, he reared a n.o.ble minster, and set monks there and well endowed it.

Eke he was very wors.h.i.+pful. Thrice he bore his king-helm[3] every year, as oft as he was in England. At Easter he bore it at Winchester; at Pentecost at Westminster; at midwinter at Glocester. And then were with him all the rich men over all England; archbishops and diocesan bishops; abbots and earls; thanes and knights. Truly he was eke so stark a man and wroth, that no man durst do any thing against his will. He had earls in his bonds, who had done against his will. Bishops he setoff their bishoprics; and abbots off their abbacies; and thanes in prisons.

And at last he did not spare his brother Odo; him he set in prison.

Betwixt other things we must not forget the good frith[4] that he made in this land; so that a man that was worth aught might travel over the kingdom with his bosom full of gold unhurt. And no man durst slay another man, though he had suffered never so mickle evil from the other.

He ruled over England, and by his cunning he so thoroughly surveyed it, that there was never a hide of land in England that he wist not both who had it, and what its worth was; and he set it down in his writ[5].

Britland[6] was under his weald, and therein he wrought castles. And he wielded Mann-cynn[7] withal. Scotland he subdued by his mickle strength. Normandy was his by kin; and over the earldom that is called Mans he ruled. And if he might have lived yet two years, he had won Ireland by his wors.h.i.+p[8], and without any armament.

Truly in his time men had mickle swinking, and very many hards.h.i.+ps. He let castles be wrought, and poor men to be sorely swinked. The king was so very stark; and he took from his subjects many marks of gold, and many hundred pounds of silver: and that he took of his people, some by right, and some by mickle unright, for little need. He had fallen into covetousness, and greediness he loved withal.

The king and the head men loved much and over much the getting in of gold and silver; and recked not how sinfully it was got, so it but came to them. He let his lands to fine as dear as he dearest might. Then came some and bade more than the first had given; and the king let it to him that bade more. Then came a third, and bade yet more; and the king let it to the man who bade the most. Nor did he reck how sinfully his reeves got money of poor men, or how unlawfully they did. But the more men talked of right law, the more they did against law.

He set many deer-friths; and he made laws there-with, that whosoever should slay hart or hind, him man should blind. And as he forbade the[9] harts, so eke did he the boars. He loved the high deer as much as if he were their father. Eke he set as to the hares, that they should go free. His rich men bemoaned it, and the poor men murmured, but he was so firm that he recked not the hatred of them all; and they must withal follow the king's will, if they would live, or have lands or goods, or his favour.

Wa-la-wa! that any man should be so moody, so to upheave himself, and think himself above all other men! May almighty G.o.d have mild-heartedness on his soul, and give him forgiveness of his sins!

These things we have written of him, both good and evil, that men may choose the good after their goodness; and withal flee from evil, and go on the way that leadeth us to Heaven's kingdom.

[Footnote 1: The _Saxon chronicler_, who had frequented the Conqueror's court, furnishes us with a cotemporary portrait. It is less flattering than that of the Norman poet, but forms a suitable commentary and conclusion. In our translation the phraseology, and generally the very words, of the original are retained.]

[Footnote 2: Court.]

[Footnote 3: Crown.]

[Footnote 4: Peace.]

[Footnote 5: This is an allusion to _Domesday Book_, which had been more fully described in a previous part of the _Saxon Chronicle_, and probably by another hand. The description of that doc.u.ment by the continuer of _Wace's Brut_ is as follows:

--volenters voleit saver D'Engletere la tenor, E la laise e la longnur, Toz les feez e les tenemenz E les servises de tote genz, Quant de cont.e.e.z i sunt trove E quant de viles en chascon conte, Quant de barons la terre avoit E c.u.mbien de terre chascon tenoit, Quanz de feez de chevaliers E c.u.mbien de franc-fermers, Les serganties e les sokages, Les petiz sokemen e les vilenages; c.u.mbien des charues en chascon vile, E kant de boueez en la charue; c.u.mbien de terre chascon home avoit, E en quele manere il la tenoit, E quel servise faire devoit, E quei sa terre valer purreit.

Tuit ensemble fist enquerre Par serement par mie la terre, Od grant diligenz ceo fist escrivre E de ceo en fist un grant livre.

Le livre est _Domesday_ apele E en la tresorie le roi uncore guarde.]

[Footnote 6: Wales.]

[Footnote 7: The Isle of Man?]

[Footnote 8: The fame of his strength.]

[Footnote 9: Reserved to himself, or forbade others, the slaying of the harts.]

APPENDIX

OF

ADDITIONAL NOTES AND CORRECTIONS.

PAGE 14. The position of Folpendant is shown on ancient maps, north of Harcourt. It is certainly a little removed from the river, the Orne; but Wace's phrase does not necessarily imply immediate contact. He probably meant that they crossed the river about, or near, or opposite Folpendant.

PAGE 44. _Town_ of Arches, in line 13, should be _Tower_.

PAGE 60. The translation is not precisely correct as to the causes of loss and of the rupture of the bridge at Varavile; instead of the _water_, (in the last line,) read the _sea_ or _tide_.

PAGE 71. A century before the revival and enrichment of the abbey of Westminster by Edward, its church was rich enough to boast an organ, that required seventy strong men to keep its twenty-six bellows in action. The following description of this unwieldy machine is quoted (from Ducange) in the _Mem. des Antiq. Norm_. vol. i. 673, from a latin poem of Wolstan, a monk of Westminster.

Bisseni supra sociantur in ordine _folles,_ Inferiusque jacent quatuor atque decem: Quos agitant validi septuaginta viri, Brachia versantes, multo et sudore madentes.

Certatimque suos quisque movet socios, Viribus ut totis impellant flamina sursum, Et rugiat pleno capsa referta sinu, Sola quadragintas quae sustinet ordine musas.

PAGE 79. The LIVRE here seems to mean the pound weight of silver.

PAGE 83. _Benoit de Sainte-More's_ account of Harold's oath and agreement with duke William:

Si josta li dux son concile, Ce sui lisant, a Bone vile.

La fu li serremenz jurez, Que Heraut meisme a devisez, Que tant c.u.m Ewart vivreit mais Le regne li tendreit en pais, Selon sa force, au suen poeir, Senz fausser et senz deceveir; E apres qu'il sereit feniz, Ci que del regne fust saisiz, li tendreit vers toz homes nez De ci qu'il i fust coronez; E des ceu jor en avant L'en sera mais partot aidant; Douvre, la tor e le chastel, Si fort c.u.m il est e si bel, Baillera sempres bien garniz E de vitaille repleniz A ceus des suens qui lui plaira, Qu'il a garder i trametra; E s'aillors vout chasteaus fermer Desus le rivage de mer, Despense e vivre e estoveir, Trovera tot de son aveir.

Eissi sor tot le saintuaire Qu'on li vout aporter ne traire Jura de sa main a tenir, Senz rien fausser e senz guenchir.

E li dux, por lui mieuz aveir Senz fausser e senz deceveir E senz muer vers lui corage, Aeliz la proz e la sage.

Sa fille, li ottreie e done, Quant saisiz ert de la corone, E del regne une meitie.

Mult en vout cil baisier le pie.

Iteux furent lor covenanz.

PAGE 98. For _Easter_ should be read _Noel_ (Christmas). _Benoit de Sainte-More's_ account of the messages between Harold and William is as follows:

A Heraut tramist ses messages, Vaillanz e bien apris e sages; Si li manda qu'il aveit fait, Kar ce li ert dit e retrait Que la corone aveit saisie; Mais ne feist teu felonie, Car tote genz saveit a.s.sez c.u.m li regnes li ert donez.

Il meesmes tot premerain Li a.s.seura de sa main.

Ne se parjurt ne se desleit; Mais rende-li, si c.u.m il deit, L'onor, le regne e la corone Que dreitore e raison li done; Kar sache bien, si n'en dot mie, Tant c.u.m li seit eu cors la vie, N'aura repos mais ne sejor Ci que saisiz seit del honor.