we consider how many of the estates of the Saxon nobles were seized upon by the conqueror, and bestowed upon his Norman followers, it appears to us to be more probable, that it was an act of William himself, remembering, perhaps, the obstacle he had unconsciously been to his marriage, and instigated both by cupidity and policy, cupidity to make his own the rich possessions of the wealthy Saxon, and policy, not to leave in the hands of one whom he knew would never be reconciled to the Norman Dynasty, so much wealth and power. The circumstance of these rich domains having been settled on Matilda, is probably the reason why she has been considered the agent in this dark deed.

William was crowned king of England, the 25th of December, 1066, and having restored something like tranquillity to England, in the March of the following year he returned to Normandy, taking with him, as hostages, for the fidelity of his new subjects, many of the most powerful of the Anglo-Saxon nobles; and it is evident, that Brihtric Meau was far from being the only Saxon noble that he had plundered of his estates, for our author says:

"William appears to have had infinite pleasure in displaying, not only to his wife and family, but to the foreign ambassadors, the costly spoils he had brought over from England. The quantity and exquisite workmanship of the gold and silver plate, and the richness of the embroidered garments, wrought by the skillful hands of the Anglo-Saxon ladies, then esteemed so inestimably precious in all parts of Europe, that they were called, by distinction, Anglicum opus, excited the admiration and astonishment of all beholders; but more particularly did the splendid dress of his guards, and the magnificence and beauty of the long-haired and moustached Anglo-Saxon nobles, by whom he was attended, attract the wonder of the foreign princes and peers." i., p. 63.

Vol.

It is a well known historical fact, how liberally William rewarded his Norman followers with the estates of the Saxon nobles: in another place Miss Strickland says:

"A few days after his coronation, William, feeling some reason to distrust the Londoners, withdrew to his old quarters at Berkhampstead, where he kept his court, and succeeded in drawing around him many of

the most influential of the Saxon princes and thanes, to whom, in return for their oaths of allegiance, he restored their estates and honors." Vol. i., p. 62.

The term restored their estates, here used, certainly implies, that he had already possessed himself of them. They were restored too, it appears, only to those who took the oath of allegiance; and, amongst the proud and spirited Anglo-Saxon nobles, there were, doubtless, a vast number who refused to take this oath to the conqueror of their country, and who would relinquish not only their estates, but life itself, rather than honor or swear fealty to one whom they must have looked upon with hatred as a foreigner, a conqueror, the subduer of the liberties of their country. Their refusal to take the oath of allegiance, furnished William with the pretext he wanted, to seize their estates; and we would rather look upon the noble Saxon, as suffering from his patriotism and devotion to his country, than from the vindictive resentment of a woman.

We have seen that William returned to Normandy in March, and during his absence a plot was formed for a general rising against the hated Normans, and to throw off the yoke of the Conqueror. William, through his spies, obtained knowledge of it; he appeared suddenly in England, and took prompt and efficient measures for crushing the insurrection, while his vengeance fell heavily upon those nobles who refused to attend his court. Miss Strickland tells us, that the seizure of Brihtric's estates took place in the first year of William's reign, but she does not inform us whether it was before or after this insurrection: if after, might we not reasonably attribute both that and his imprisonment, and perhaps death, to this cause?

Matilda arrived in England in April 1068, and on Whitsunday was crowned with great pomp. It was at this coronation that the office of the Champion was first instituted, and which has continued as part of that august ceremony, till the coronation of William the fourth.

It was soon after this event that William laid the foundation of the Tower of London, which was erected by a priestly architect and engineer, Gundulph, Bishop of Ro

chester.* He built and garrisoned many strong fortresses, and framed a chain of military stations from one end of England to the other. These proceedings could not but be very galling to the Saxons, who felt that William was indeed treating them as a conquered people. Repeated and formidable revolts were the consequence, which were subdued by his talents and good fortune, but each one followed by forfeitures and increased restrictions upon the liberties of the people.

"The Saxon bishops had stood forth as champions for the rights and ancient laws of the people; and William, finding it impossible to awe or silence these true patriots, proceeded to deprive them of their benefices, and to plunder the churches and monasteries without scruple; and, according to the report of Roger Wendover, and other ancient chroniclers, he appropriated to his own use all the chalices and rich shrines on which he could lay his hands." Vol. i., p. 73.

Thus, it appears, that though William founded monas teries, his piety did not prevent him from pillaging the Church, as well as the nobles.

"The royal revenues were never richer than in this reign." says our author," and they were not charged with any of the expenses attending on the military force of the country, for the king had taken care to impose that burden on such persons among his followers, as had been enriched with the forfeited lands of the Anglo-Saxons.” Vol. i., p. 94.

The reign of William the Conqueror is certainly one of the most interesting in the annals of English history. It is to this reign we trace the origin of the English language. The dialect spoken in Normandy was derived from a mixture of the French and Danish. William attempted to make this supersede the Saxon; he ordered it to be introduced into all schools, colleges, and public foundations for the instruction of youth. The laws and statutes of the country were written in that language, and no other was permitted to be used in the courts of justice; and when we consider that this law continued in force for above two hundred years, we can only

*It was the learned and pious prelates of the Catholic Church that were the architects of that era, and numerous and beautiful indeed are the specimens they left us in this noble art. The learned Lanfranc employed the revenues of his see in raising the beautiful Cathedral at Canterbury. Edward the third employed William of Wychham whom he had made Bishop of Winchester to build Windsor Castle.

express our astonishment, that it did not become the language of the country. It was, no doubt, only prevented from becoming so, by the further admixture of the Provençal language in the succeeding reigns; Latin was the language of the learned; Norman French of the court; and Saxon, with, perhaps, some mixture of the Danish, of the people. It was from this mixture, that our own nervous, expressive, and copious language was formed.

The death of Harold, and the extinction of the Royal family, gave William a comparatively easy possession of the throne of England, as he had no competitor, yet the history of the latter part of William's reign, proves that the English did not succumb to the Norman yoke, without a struggle, and that he, finally, treated the country like a conquered nation. Still, we must admit, that he displayed consummate talent as a legislator. He established the Court of Exchequer. The Court of King's Bench, or King's Court, as it was called at that time, was first established by the Saxon princes, for it is stated that Alfred used to preside in person in this court; still William remodelled it, and appointed the judges and officers as it has remained, with little change, to the present day. William too, like Napoleon, though generally engaged in wars, did not deem any subjects beneath his attention, for, though his queen Matilda almost constantly resided in Normandy, he established the English court, and appointed the officers, and his arrangements served as the model on which future courts were formed in succeeding reigns.

But let us return to Matilda, the latter part of whose life was embittered by the rebellious conduct of her eldest and favorite son, Robert. Her injudicious fondness for this child, no doubt fostered that proud and rebellious spirit, which led the prince, at so youthful an age, to take up arms against his father. To see those objects of her dearest affection, for either of whom, with the devotion of the wife and the mother, she would have willingly yielded up her own life, opposed to each other in arms, must have been, indeed, severely felt, and, without doubt, hastened her death, which took place in 1083. She was duchess of Normandy thirtyone years, and, though little in England, had borne the title of queen seventeen years.

The next queen, in regular succession, bore also the name

of Matilda. She was the daughter of the king of Scotland; her mother was Margaret Atheling, the sister of Edgar Atheling, the last descendant of the Anglo-Saxon race of kings. Matilda had taken the black veil, as a nun; but Henry, the youngest son of the Conqueror, who had possessed himself of a crown, which the laws of hereditary descent would have given to his eldest brother, Robert, Duke of Normandy, thought, that, by sharing his throne with one of the last descendants of the blood of Alfred, he should secure the fealty of the Saxon nobles.

Attentive research into the history of this period shows, that the succession was considered elective, for all the first Norman kings of England declared, that they mounted the throne by the choice, and with the consent, of the nobles and the people. But this, whilst it apparently gave more power to the barons and the people, was absolutely necessary to confirm the king's title. These kings too, all commenced their reigns, by granting the people a charter of liberties, by which they bound themselves to govern the realm with justice and mercy, and according to the laws of Edward the Confessor. William I., and William Rufus, however, had no sooner found themselves seated firmly on the throne, than they had violated these charters.

The people of England regarded Henry with feelings very different from those they had entertained for his father and brother. In the first place, he was born in England, and, therefore, was, in fact, an English prince, and Cambridge boasts that he was in part educated in that university. The Saxon nobles, who had suffered so heavily under the reigns of the two former Norman sovereigns hated the Normans, and greatly wished for a separation of the two countries, and giving the crown to Henry, while Robert, the Conqueror's eldest son, remained possessed of Normandy, appeared the most probable means of accomplishing this. The Norman barons, on the contrary, most of whom had sworn allegiance to Robert, and many of whom possessed estates in both England and Normandy, wished Robert to succeed to the English throne.

We have seen that Matilda of Flanders resided chiefly in Normandy, and William Rufus never married. Since the conquest, therefore, the English had enjoyed none of the advantages of a resident court. It is not surprising, then