He re6stablished the order and
tranquillity
which so long a series of bloody wars had banished.
Edmund Burke
He could neither read nor write at
twelve years old; but he improved his time in such a
manner that he became one of the most knowing men
of his age, in geometry, in philosophy, in architec
ture, and in music. He applied himself to the improvement of his native language; he translated several valuable works from Latin; and wrote a vast number of poems in the Saxon tongue with a wonderful facility and happiness. He not only excelled in
the theory of the arts and sciences, but possessed a
great mechanical genius for the executive part; he
improved the manner of ship-building, introduced a
more beautiful and commodious architecture, and
even taught his countrymen the art of making bricks,
-- most of the buildings having been of wood before
his time. In a word, he comprehended in the greatness of his mind the whole of government and all its
parts at once, and, what is most difficult to human
frailty, was at the same time sublime and minute.
Religion, which in Alfred's father was so prejudi
? ? ? ? 268 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
cial to affairs, without being in him at all inferior in
its zeal and fervor, was of a more enlarged and noble
kind; far from being a prejudice to his government,
it seems to have been the principle that supported
him in so many fatigues, and fed like an abundant source his civil and military virtues. To his religious exercises and studies he devoted a full third part of his time. It is pleasant to trace a genius even
in its smallest exertions, -- in measuring and allotting his time for the variety of business he was engaged in. According to his severe and methodical custom, he had a sort of wax candles made of different colors in different proportions, according to the
time he allotted to each particular affair; as he carried these about with him wherever he went, to make
them burn evenly he invented horn lanterns. One
cannot help being amazed that a prince, who lived
in such turbulent times, who commanded personally
in fifty-four pitched battles, who had so disordered
a province to regulate, who was not only a legislator,
but a judge, and who was continually superintending his armies, his navies, the traffic of his kingdom,
his revenues, and the conduct of all his officers,
could have bestowed so much of his time on religious exercises and speculative knowledge; but the
exertion of all his faculties and virtues seemed to
have given a mutual strength to. all of them. Thus
all historians speak of this prince, whose whole his.
tory was one panegyric; and whatever dark spots of
human frailty may have adhered to such a character, they are entirely hid in the splendor of his many
shining qualities and grand virtues, that throw a glory
over the obscure period in which he lived, and which
is for no other reason worthy of our knowledge.
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 269
The latter part of his reign was molested with
new and formidable attempts from the Danes:. but
they no longer found the country in its former condition; their fleets were attacked; and those that landed found a strong and regular opposition. There
were now fortresses which restrained their ravages,
and armies well appointed to oppose them in the
field; they were defeated in a pitched battle"; and
after several desperate marches from one part of the
country to the other, everywhere harassed
A. D. 897.
and hunted, they were glad to return with
half their number, and to leave Alfred in quiet to
accomplish the great things he had projected. This
prince reigned twenty-seven years, and died at last
of a disorder in his bowels, which had afflicted him,
without interrupting his designs or souring his temper, during the greatest part of his life. CHAPTER V.
SUCCESSION OF KINGS FROM ALFRED TO HAROLD.
HIs son Edward succeeded. Though of Edward,
less learning than his father, he equalled A' 900.
him in his political virtues. . e made war with success on the Welsh, the Scots, and the Danes, and left his kingdom strongly fortified, and exercised,
not weakened, with the enterprises of a vigorous
reign. Because his son Edmund was under age,
the crown was set on the head of his illegitimate
offspring, Athelstan. His, like the reigns Athelstan,
of all the princes of this, time, was molested A. D. 925.
by the continual incursions of the Danes; and notb.
? ? ? ? 270 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
ing but a succession of men of spirit, capacity, and
love of their country, which providentially happened
at this time, could ward off the ruin of the kingdom.
Such Athelstan was; and such was his brother EdEdmund, mund, who reigned five years with great A. D. 942. reputation, but was at length, by an obscure
ruffian, assassinated in his own palace. Edred, his
Edred, brother, succeeded to the late monarchy:
A. D. 94. though he had left two sons, Edwin and
Edgar, both were passed by on account of their minority. But on this prince's death, which happened after a troublesome reign of ten years, valiantly
Edwin, supported against continual inroads of the
A. D. 95. Danes, the crown devolved on Edwin; of
whom little can be said, because his reign was short,
and he was so embroiled with his clergy that we can
take his character only from the monks, who in such
a case are suspicious authority.
Edgar, Edgar, the second son of King Edmund,
A. - D- 959 came young to the throne; but he had the
happiness to have his youth formed and his kingdom
ruled by men of experience, virtue, and authority.
The celebrated Dunstan was his first minister, and
had a mighty influence over all his actions. This
prelate had been educated abroad,, and had seen the
world to advantage. As he had great power at
court by the superior wisdom of his counsels, so by
the sanctity of his life he had great credit with the
people, which gave a firmness to the government of
his master, whose private character was in many
rlcpects extremely exceptionable. It was in his
reign, and chiefly by the means of his minister,
Dulnstan, that the monks, who had long prevailed in
the opinion of the generality of the people, gave a to
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 271
tal overthrow to their rivals, the secular clergy. The
secular clergy were at this time for the most part
married, and were therefore too near the common
modes of mankind to draw a great deal of their respect; their character was supported by a very small
portion of learning, and their lives were not such
as people wish to see in the clergy. But the monks
were unmarried, austere in their lives, regular in
their duties, possessed of the learning of the times,
well united under a proper subordination, full of
art, and implacable towards their enemies. These
circumstances, concurring with the dispositions of
the king and the designs of Dunstan, prevailed so
far that it was agreed in a council convened for that
purpose to expel the secular clergy from their livings, and to supply their places with monks, throughout the kingdom. Although the partisans of the
secular priests were not a. few, nor of the lowest
class, yet they were unable to withstand the current of the popular desire, strengthened by the authority of a potent and respected monarch. However, there was a seed of discontent sown on this occasion, which grew up afterwards to the mutual destruction of all the parties. During the whole reign of Edgar, as lie had secured the most popular part
of the clergy, and with them the people, in his interests, there was no internal disturbance; there was
no foreign war, because this prince was always ready
for war. But he principally owed his security to
the care he took of his naval power, which was much
greater and better regulated than that of any English monarch before him. He had three fleets always equipped, one of which annually sailed round
the island. Thus the Danes, the Scots, the Irish,
? ? ? ? 272 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
and the Welsh were kept in awe. He assumed the
title of King of all Albion. His court was magnificent, and much frequented by strangers. His revenues were in excellent order, and no prince of his time supported the royal character with more dignity.
Edgar had two wives, Elfleda and Elfrida. By the
first he had a son called Edward; the second bore
him one called Ethelred. On Edgar's death, EdEdward, ward, in the usual order of succession, was
A. D. 95. called to the throne; but Elfrida caballed
in favor of her son, and finding it impossible to set
him up in the life of his brother, she murdered him
with her own hands in her castle of Corfe, whither
he had retired to refresh himself, wearied with huntEthelred, ing. Ethelred, who by the crimes of his
A. D. 979. mother ascended a throne sprinkled with
his brother's blood, had a part to act which exceeded the capacity that could be expected in one
of his youth and inexperience. The partisans of
the secular clergy, who were kept down by the vigor of Edgar's government, thought this a fit time to
renew their pretensions. The monks defended themselves in their possession; there was no moderation
on either side, and the whole nation joined in these
parties. The murder of Edward threw an odious
stain on the king, though he was wholly innocent
of that crime. There was a general discontent, and
every corner was full of murmurs and cabals. In this
state of the kingdom, it was equally dangerous to exert the fulness of the sovereign authority or to suffer it to relax. The temper of the king was most inclined to the latter method, which is of all things
the worst. A weak government, too easy, suffers
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 273
evils to grow which often make the most rigorous
and illegal proceedings necessary. Through an ex-,
treme lknity it is on some occasions tyrannical. This
was thl- condition of Ethelred's nobility, who, by being permitted everything, were never contented.
Thas all the principal men held a sort of factious
and independent authority; they despised the king,
they oppressed the people, and they hated one another. The Danes, in every part of England but Wessex as numerous as the English themselves, and in many parts more numerous, were ready to take advantage of these disorders, and waited with impatience
some new attempt from abroad, that they might rise.
in favor of the invaders. They were not long without such an occasion; the Danes pour in almost upon
every part at once, and distract the defence which
the weak prince was preparing to make.
In those days of wretchedness and ignorance, when
all the maritime parts of Europe were attacked by
these formidable enemies at once, they never thought
of entering into any alliance against them; they
equally neglected the other obvious method to prevent their incursions, which was, to carry the war
into the invaders' country.
What aggravated these calamities, the no- 987
bility, mostly disaffected to the king, and entertaining very little regard to their country, made,
some of them, a weak and cowardly opposition to the
enemy; some actually betrayed their trust; some
even were found who undertook the trade of piracy
themselves. It was in this condition, that Edric,
Duke of Mercia, a man of some ability, but light,
inconstant, and utterly devoid of all principle, proposed to buy a peace from the Danea. The genVOL. VII. 18
? ? ? ? 274 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTOIRY.
eral weakness and consternation disposed the king
and people to take this pernicious advice. At first. . 991. 10,0001. was given to the Danes, who retired with this money and the rest of their
plunder. The Ellglish were now, for the first time,
taxed to supply this payment. The imposition was
called Danegelt, not more burdensome in the thing
than scandalous in the name. The scheme of purchlasing peace not only gave rise to many internal
hardships, but, whilst it weakened the kingdom, it
inspired such a desire of invading it to the enemy,
that Sweyn, King of Denmark, came in person soon
after with a prodigious fleet and army. The English,
having once found the method of diverting the storm
by an inglorious bargain, could not bear to think of
any other way of resistance. A greater sum, 48,0001. ,
was now paid, which the Danes accepted with pleasure, as they could. by this means exhaust their enemies and enrich themselves with little danger or trouble. With very short intermissions they still returned, continually increasing in their demands. . In
a few years they extorted upwards of 160,0001. from
the English, besides an annual tribute of 48,0001.
The country was wholly exhausted both of money
and spirit. The Daines in England, under the protection of the foreign Danes, committed a thousand
insolencies; and so infatuated with stupidity and
baseness were the English at this time, that they
employed hardly any other soldiers for their defence.
A. D. 1002. In this state of shame and misery, their
sufferings suggested to them a design rather
desperate than brave. They resolved on a massacre
of the Danes. Some authors say, that ill one night
the whole race was cut off. Many, probably all the
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 275
military men, were so destroyed. But this massacre,
injudicious as it was cruel, was certainly not universal; nor did it serve any other or better end than
to exasperate those of the same nation abroad, who
the next year landed in England with a
A. D. 1003.
powerful army to revenge it, and committed outrages even beyond the usual tenor of the Danish cruelty. There was in England no money left to purchase a peace, nor courage to wage a successful
war; and the King of Denmark, Sweyn, a prince of
capacity, at the head of a large body of brave and
enterprising men, soon mastered the whole kingdom,
except London. Ethelred, abandoned by fortune and
his sulbjects, was forced to fly into Normandy.
As there was no good order in the English affairs,
though continually alarmed, they were always surprised; they were only roused to arms by the cruelty of the enemy, and they were only formed into a body by being driven from their homes: so that
they never made a resistance until they seemed to
be entirely conquered. This may serve to account
for the frequent sudden reductions of the island, and
the frequent renewals of their fortune when it seemed
the most desperate. Sweyn, in the midst of his victories, dies, and, though succeeded by his son Canute,
who inherited his father's resolution, their affairs
were thrown into some disorder by this accident.
The English were encouraged by it. Ethelred was
recalled, and the Danes retired out of the kingdom;
but it was only to return the next year with a greater and better appointed force. Nothing seemed able
to oppose them. The king dies. A great part of
the land was surrendered, without resistance, to Canute. Edmund, the eldest son of -Ethelred, supported,
? ? ? ? 276: ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
Edinund however, the declining hopes of the English
Ironside,
a. D. 1016. for some time; in three months he fought
three victorious battles; he attempted a fourth, but
lost it by the base desertion of Edric, the principal
author of all these troubles. It is common with the
conquered side to attribute all their misfortunes to
the treachery of their own party. They choose to
be thought subdued by the treachery of their friends
rather than the superior bravery of their enemies.
All the old historians talk in this strain; and it must
be acknowledged that all adherents to a declining
party have many temptations to infidelity.
Edmund, defeated, but not discouraged, retreated
to the Severn, where he recruited his forces. Canute
followed at his heels. And now the two armies were
drawn up which were to decide the fate of England,
when it was proposed to determine the war by a
single combat between the two kings. Neither was
unwilling; the Isle of Alney in the Severn was chosen for the lists. Edmund had the advantage by the greatness of his strength, Canute by his address; for
when Edmund had so far prevailed as: to disarm him,
he proposed a parley, in which he persuaded Edmund
to a peace, and to a division of the kingdom. Their
armies accepted the agreement, and both kings departed in a seeming friendship. But Edmund died soon after, with a probable suspicion of being murdered by the instruments of his associate in the empire.
The Danish Canute, on this event, assembled the
race. states of the kingdom, by whom he was acCanute. knowledged King of all England. He was a prince truly great; for, having acquired the kingdom by his-valor, he maintained and improved it
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 277
by his justice and clemency. Choosing rather to
rule by the inclination of his subjects than the
right of conquest, he dismissed his Danish army,
and committed his safety to the laws.
He re6stablished the order and tranquillity which so long a series of bloody wars had banished. He revived
the ancient statutes of the Saxon princes, and governed through his whole reign with such steadiness and moderation that the English were much happier
under this foreign prince than they had been under
their natural kings. Canute, though the beginning
of his life was stained with those marks of violence
and injustice which attend conquest, was remarkable in his latter end for his piety. According to the mode of that time, he made a pilgrimage to Rome,
with a view to expiate the crimes which paved his
way to the throne; but he made a goon use of this
peregrination, and returned full of the observations
he had made in the country through which he
passed, which he turned to the benefit of his extensive dominlions. They comprehended England, Denmark, Norway, and many of the countries which
lie upon the Baltic. Those he left, established in
peace and security, to his children. The fate of his
Northern possessions is not of this place. England
fell to his son Harold, though not without Harold I. ,
much competition in favor of the sons of AD. 1036.
Edmund Ironside, while some contended for the
right of the sons of Ethelred, Alfred and Edward.
Harold inherited none of the virtues of Canute;
he banished his mother Emma, murdered his halfbrother Alfred, and died without issue after a short reign, full of violence, weakness, and cru- lardicanute
elty. His brother Hardicanute, who SUC A. D. '1039.
? ? ? ? 278 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
ceeded him, resembled him in his character; he
committed new cruelties and injustices in revenging
those which his brother had committed, and he died
after a yet shorter reign. The Danish power, es
tablished with so much blood, expired of itself; and
The Saxon Edward, the only surviving son of Ethelred,
line restored. then an exile in Normandy, was called to
the throne by tile unanimous voice of the kingdom.
Edward the This prince was educated in a monastery,
Confessor,
A. D. 104o. where h-le learned piety, continence, and humility, but nothing of the art of government. He
was innocent and artless, but his views were narrow,
*and his genius contemptible. The character of such
a prince is not, therefore, what influences the government, any further than as it puts it in the hands of
others. When lie came to the throne, Godwin, Earl
of Kent, was the most popular man in England; he
possessed a very great estate, an enterprising disposition, and an eloquence beyond the age he lived in;
he was arrogant, imperious, assuming, and of a conscience which never put itself in the way of his interest. He had a considerable share in restoring Edward to the throne of his ancestors; and by this
merit, joined to his popularity, he for some time directed everything according to his pleasure. He intended to fortify his interest by giving in marriage to the king his- daughter, a lady of great beauty, great
virtue, and an education beyond her sex. Godwin
had, however, powerful rivals in the king's favor.
This monarch, who possessed many of the private
virtues, had a grateful remembrance of his favorable reception in Normandy; he caressed the people
of that country, and promoted several to the first
places, ecclesiastical and civil, in his kingdom. This
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 279
begot an uneasiness in all the English; but Earl
Godwin was particularly offended. The Normans,
on the other hand, accused Godwin of a design on
the crown, the justice of which imputation the whole
tenor of his conduct evinced sufficiently. But as his
cabals began to break into action before they were in
perfect ripeness for it, the Norman party prevailed,
and Godwin was banished. This man was not only
very popular at home by his generosity and address,
but he found means to engage even foreigners in
his interests. Baldwin, Earl of Flanders, gave him
a very kind reception. By his assistance Godwin
fitted out a fleet, hired a competent force, sailed
to England, and having near Sandwich deceived
the king's navy, he presented himself at London
before he was expected. The king made ready as
great a force as the time would admit to oppose him.
The galleys of Edward and Godwin met on the
Thames; but such was the general favor to Godwin, such the popularity of his cause, that the king's men threw down their arms, and refused to fight
against their countrymen in favor of strangers. Edward was obliged to treat with his Own subjects, and in consequence of this treaty to dismiss the Normans, whom he believed to be the best attached to his interests. Godwin used the power to which he was
restored to gratify his personal revenge, showing no
mercy to his enemies. Some of his sons behaved
in the most tyrannical manner. The great lords
of the kingdom envied and hated a greatness which
annihilated the royal authority, eclipsed them, and
oppressed the people; but Godwin's death D 1053
soon after quieted for a while their murmurs. The king, who had the least share in the
? ? ? ? 280 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
transactions of his own reign, and who was of a
temper not to perceive his own insignificance, begun in his old age to think of a successor. He had
no children: for some weak reasons of religion or
personal dislike, he had never cohabited with his
wife. He sent for his nephew Edward, the son of
Edmund Ironside, out of Hungary, where he had
taken refuge but he died soon after he came to
England, leaving a son called Edgar Atheling. The
1066 king himself, irresolute in so momentous an
affair, died without mnaking' any settlement.
His reign was properly that of his great men, or
rather of their factions. All of it that was his own
was good. He was careful of the privileges of his
subjects, and took care: to have a body of the Saxon
laws, very favorable to them, digested and enforced.
He remitted the heavy imposition called Danegelt,
amounting to 40,0001. a year, which had been constantly collected after the occasion had ceased; he even repaid to his subjects what he found in the
treasury at his accession. In' short, there is little
in his life that can call his title to sanctity in question, though he can never be reckoned among the great kings.
CHAPTER VI.
HAROLD II. - INVASION OF THE NORMANS. - ACCOUNT
OF THAT PEOPLE, AND OF THE STATE OF ENGLAND AT
THE TIME OF THE INVASION.
Harold II. , THOUGH Edgar Atheling had the best tiA. D. 1066. tle to the succession, yet Harold, the son of Earl Godwin, on account of the credit of his father,
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 281
and his own great qualities, whichl supported and
extended the interest of his family, was by the general voice set upon the throne. The right of Edgar,
young, and discovering no great capacity, gave him
little disturbance in comparison of the violence of his
own brother Tosti, whom for his infamous oppression
he had found himself obliged to banish. This man,
who was a tyrant at home and a traitor abroad, insulted the maritime parts with a piratical fleet, whilst
he incited all the neighboring princes to fall upon his
country. Harold Harfager, King of Norway, after
the conquest of the Orkneys, with a powerful navy
hung over the coasts of England. But nothing troubled Harold so much as the pretensions and the formidable preparation of William, Duke of Normandy, one of the most able, ambitious, and enterprising men
of that age. We have mentioned the. partiality of
King Edward to the Normans, and the hatred he
bore to Godwin and his family. The Duke of Normandy, to whom Edward had personal obligations,
had -taken a tour into England, and neglected no
means to improve these dispositions to his. own advantage. It is said that he then received the fullest
assurances of being appointed to the succession, and
that Harold himself had been sent soon after into
Normandy to settle whatever related to it. This is
an obscure transaction, and would, if it could be
cleared up, convey but little instruction. So that
whether we believe or not that, William. had engaged Harold by a solemn oath to secure him the
kingdom, we know that he afterwards set up a will
of King Edward in his favor, which, however, he
never produced, and probably never had to produce.
In these delicate circumstances Harold was not want
? ? ? ? 282 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
ing to himself. By the most equitable laws and the
most popular behavior he sought to secure the affections of his subjects; and he succeeded so well, that, when he marched against the King of Norway, who
had invaded his kingdom and taken York, without difficulty he raised a numerous army of gallant men, zealous for his cause and their country. He obtained
a signal and decisive victory over the Norwegians.
The King Elarfager, and the traitor Tosti, who had
joined him, were slain in the battle, and the Norwegians were forced to evacuate the country. Harold had, however, but little time to enjoy the fruits of his
victory.
Scarce had the Norwegians departed, when William, Duke of Normandy, landed in the southern part
of the kingdom with an army of sixty thousand chosen men, and struck a general terror through all the nation, which was well acquainted with the character
of the commander and the courage and discipline of
his troops.
The Normans were'the posterity of those Danes
who had so long and so cruelly harassed the British
islands and the shore of the adjoining continent. In
the days of King Alfred, a body of these adventurers, under their leader, Rollo, made an attempt upon England; but so well did they find every spot defended by. the vigilance and bravery of that great monarch that they were compelled to retire. Beaten from these shores, the stream of their impetuosity bore towards the northern parts of France, which had
been reduced to the most deplorable condition by
their former ravages. Charles the Simple then sat
on the throne of that kingdom; unable to resist this
torrent of barbarians, he was obliged to yield to it;
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 283
he agreed to give up to Rollo the large and fertile
province of Neustria, to hold of him as his feudatory.
This province, from the new inhabitants, was called
Normandy. Five princes succeeded Rollo, who maintained with great bravery and cultivated with equal wisdom his conquests. The ancient ferocity of this
people was a little softened by their settlement; but
the bravery which had made the Danes so formidable
was not extinguished in the Normans, nor the spirit
of enterprise. Not long before this period, a private
gentleman of Normandy, by his personal br. avery, had
acquired the kingdom of Naples. Several others followed his fortunes, who added Sicily to it. From
one end of Europe to the other the Norman name
was known, respected, and feared. Robert, the sixth
Duke of Normandy, to expiate some crime which lay
heavy upon his conscience, resolved, according to the
ideas of that time, upon a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
It was in vain that his nobility, whom he had'assembled to notify this resolution to them, represented to him the miserable state to which his country would
be reduced, abandoned by its prince, and uncertain
of a legal successor. The Duke was not. to be moved
from his resolution, which appeared but the: more
meritorious from the difficulties which attended it.
He presented to the states William, then an infant,
born of an obscure woman, whom, notwithstanding,
he doubted not to be his son; him he appointed to
succeed; him he recommended to their virtue and
loyalty; and then, solemnly resigning the government in his favor, he departed on the pilgrimage,
from whence he never returned. The states, hesitating some time between the mischiefs that attend the allowing an illegitimate succession and those
? ? ? ? 284 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
which might arise from admitting foreign pretensions,
thought the former the least prejudicial, and accordingly swore allegiance to William. But this oath was not sufficient to establish a right so doubtful. The
Dukes of Burgundy and Brittany, as well as several
Norman noblemen, had specious titles. The endeavors of all these disquieted the reign of the young prince with perpetual troubles. In these troubles he
was formed early in life to vigilance, activity, secrecy,
and a conquest over all those passions, whether bad
or good, which obstruct the way to greatness. He
had to contend with all the neighboring princes, with
the seditions of a turbulent and unfaithful nobility,
and the treacherous protection of his feudal lord, the
King of France. All of these in their turns, sometimes all of these together, distressed him. But with
the most unparalleled good fortune and conduct he
overcame all opposition, and triumphed over every
enemy, raising his power and reputation above that
of all his ancestors, as much as he was exalted by his
bravery above the princes of his own time.
Such was the prince who, on a pretended claim
from the will of King Edward, supported by the common and popular pretence of punishing offenders and redressing grievances, landed at Pevensey in Sussex,
to contest the crown with Harold. Harold had no
sooner advice of his landing than he advanced to
meet him with all possible diligence; but there did
not appear in his army, upon this occasion, the same
unanimity and satisfaction which animated it on its
march against the Norwegians. An ill-timed economy in Harold, which made him refuse to his soldiers the plunder of the Norwegian camp, had created a
general discontent. Several deserted; and the sol
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 285
diers who remained followed heavily a leader under
whom there was no hope of plunder, the greatest incitement of the soldiery. Notwithstanding this ill disposition, Harold still urged forward, and by forced
marches advanced within seven miles of the enemy.
The Norman, on his landing, is said to have sent
away his ships, that his army might have no way
of safety but in conquest; yet had he fortified his
camp, and taken every prudent precaution, that so
considerable an enterprise should not be reduced to
a single effort of despair. When the armies, charged
with the decision of so mighty a contest, had approached each other, Harold paused awhile. A
great deal depended on his conduct at this critical
time. The most experienced in the council of war,
who knew the condition of their troops, were of opinion that the engagement ought to be deferred, - that the country ought to be wasted, - that, as the winter
approached, the Normans would in, all probability be
obliged to retire of themselves, - that,,if. this should
not happen, the Norman army was without resources,
whilst the English would be every'day considerably
augmented, and might attack their enemy at a time
and manner which might make their success certain.
To all these reasons nothing was opposed but a false
point of honor and a mistaken courage in Ilarold,1
who urged his fate, and resolved on an engagement.
The Norman, as soon as lie perceived that the English were determined' on a battle, left his camp to post himself in an advantageous situation, in which
his whole: army remained the night which preceded
the action.
This night was spent in a manner which prognosticated the event of the following day. On the part of
? ? ? ? 286 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
the Normans it was spent in prayer, and in a cool
and steady preparation for the engagement; on the
side of the English, in riot and a vain confidence
that neglected all the necessary preparations. The
two armies met in the morning; from seven to five
the battle was fought with equal vigor, until at last
the Norman army pretending to break in confusion,
a stratagem to which they had been regularly formed,
the English, elated with success, suffered that firm
order in which their security consisted to dissipate,
which when William observed, he gave the signal to
his men to regain their former disposition, and fall
upon the English, broken and dispersed. Harold in
this emergency did everything which became him,
everything possible to collect his troops and to renew the engagement; but whilst he flew from place to place, and in all places restored the battle, an
arrow pierced his brain, and he died a king, in a
manner worthy of a warrior. The English immediately fled; the rout was total, and the slaughter prodigious.
The consternation which this defeat and the death
of Harold produced over the kingdom was more fatal
than the defeat itself. If William had marched directly to London, all contest had probably been at an end; but he judged it more prudent to secure the
sea-coast, to make way for reinforcements, distrusting
his fortune in his success more than he had done in
his first attempts. He marched to Dover, where the
effect of his victory was such that the strong castle
there surrendered without resistance. Had this fortress made any tolerable defence, the English would have had leisure to rouse from their consternation,
and plan some rational method for continuing the
? ? ? ? ABRIDGHENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 287
war; but now the conqueror was on full march
to London, whilst the English were debating concerning the measures they should take, and doubtful in what manner they should fill the vacant
throne. However, in this emergency it was necessary to take some resolution. The party of Edgar
Atheling prevailed, and he was owned king by the
city of London, which even at this time was exceedingly powerful, and by the greatest part of the nobility then present. But his reign was of a short duration. William advanced by hasty marches, and, as he approached, the perplexity of the English redoubled: they had done nothing for the defence of the
city; they had no reliance on their new king; they
suspected one another; there was no authority, no
order, no counsel; a confused and ill-sorted assembly
of unwarlike people, of priests, burghers, and nobles
confounded with them in the general panic, struck
down by the consternation of the late defeat, and
trembling under the bolts of the Papal excommunication, were unable to plan any method of defence: insomuch that, when he had passed the
Thames and drew near to London, the clergy, the
citizens, and the greater part of the nobles, who had
so lately set the crown on the head of Edgar, went
out to meet him; they submitted to him, and having brought him in triumph to Westminster, he
was there solemnly crowned King of England. The
whole nation followed the example of London; and
one battle gave England to the Normans, which had
cost the Romans, the Saxons, and Danes so much
time and blood to acquire.
At first view it is very difficult to conceive how
this could have happened to a powerful nation, in
? ? ? ? 288 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
which it does not appear that the conqueror had one
partisan. It stands a single event in history, unless,
perhaps, we may compare it with the reduction of
Ireland, some time after, by Henry the Second. An
attentive consideration of the state of the kingdom at'
that critical time may, perhaps, in some measure, lay
open to us the cause of this extraordinary revolution.
The nobility of England, in which its strength consisted, was much decayed. Wars and confiscations,
but above all the custom of gavelkind, had reduced
that body very low. . At the same time some few
families had been raised to a degree of power unknown in the ancient Saxon times, and dangerous. in all. Large possessions, and a larger authority, were annexed to the offices of the Saxon magistrates, whom they called Aldermen. This authority,
in their long and bloody wars with the Danes, it was
found necessary to increase, and often to increase
beyond the ancient limits. Aldermen were created
for life; they were then frequently made hereditary;
some were vested with a power over others; and at
this period we begin to hear of dukes who governed
over several shires, and had many aldermen subject
to them. These officers found means to turn the
royal bounty into an instrument of becoming independent of its authority. Too great to obey, and too
little to protect, they were a dead weight upon the
country. They begau to cast an eye on the crown,
and distracted the nation by cabals to compass their
designs. At the same time they nourished the most
terrible feuds amongst themselves. The feeble government of Edward established these abuses. He
could find no method of humbling one subject
grown too great, but by aggrandizing in the same
?
twelve years old; but he improved his time in such a
manner that he became one of the most knowing men
of his age, in geometry, in philosophy, in architec
ture, and in music. He applied himself to the improvement of his native language; he translated several valuable works from Latin; and wrote a vast number of poems in the Saxon tongue with a wonderful facility and happiness. He not only excelled in
the theory of the arts and sciences, but possessed a
great mechanical genius for the executive part; he
improved the manner of ship-building, introduced a
more beautiful and commodious architecture, and
even taught his countrymen the art of making bricks,
-- most of the buildings having been of wood before
his time. In a word, he comprehended in the greatness of his mind the whole of government and all its
parts at once, and, what is most difficult to human
frailty, was at the same time sublime and minute.
Religion, which in Alfred's father was so prejudi
? ? ? ? 268 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
cial to affairs, without being in him at all inferior in
its zeal and fervor, was of a more enlarged and noble
kind; far from being a prejudice to his government,
it seems to have been the principle that supported
him in so many fatigues, and fed like an abundant source his civil and military virtues. To his religious exercises and studies he devoted a full third part of his time. It is pleasant to trace a genius even
in its smallest exertions, -- in measuring and allotting his time for the variety of business he was engaged in. According to his severe and methodical custom, he had a sort of wax candles made of different colors in different proportions, according to the
time he allotted to each particular affair; as he carried these about with him wherever he went, to make
them burn evenly he invented horn lanterns. One
cannot help being amazed that a prince, who lived
in such turbulent times, who commanded personally
in fifty-four pitched battles, who had so disordered
a province to regulate, who was not only a legislator,
but a judge, and who was continually superintending his armies, his navies, the traffic of his kingdom,
his revenues, and the conduct of all his officers,
could have bestowed so much of his time on religious exercises and speculative knowledge; but the
exertion of all his faculties and virtues seemed to
have given a mutual strength to. all of them. Thus
all historians speak of this prince, whose whole his.
tory was one panegyric; and whatever dark spots of
human frailty may have adhered to such a character, they are entirely hid in the splendor of his many
shining qualities and grand virtues, that throw a glory
over the obscure period in which he lived, and which
is for no other reason worthy of our knowledge.
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 269
The latter part of his reign was molested with
new and formidable attempts from the Danes:. but
they no longer found the country in its former condition; their fleets were attacked; and those that landed found a strong and regular opposition. There
were now fortresses which restrained their ravages,
and armies well appointed to oppose them in the
field; they were defeated in a pitched battle"; and
after several desperate marches from one part of the
country to the other, everywhere harassed
A. D. 897.
and hunted, they were glad to return with
half their number, and to leave Alfred in quiet to
accomplish the great things he had projected. This
prince reigned twenty-seven years, and died at last
of a disorder in his bowels, which had afflicted him,
without interrupting his designs or souring his temper, during the greatest part of his life. CHAPTER V.
SUCCESSION OF KINGS FROM ALFRED TO HAROLD.
HIs son Edward succeeded. Though of Edward,
less learning than his father, he equalled A' 900.
him in his political virtues. . e made war with success on the Welsh, the Scots, and the Danes, and left his kingdom strongly fortified, and exercised,
not weakened, with the enterprises of a vigorous
reign. Because his son Edmund was under age,
the crown was set on the head of his illegitimate
offspring, Athelstan. His, like the reigns Athelstan,
of all the princes of this, time, was molested A. D. 925.
by the continual incursions of the Danes; and notb.
? ? ? ? 270 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
ing but a succession of men of spirit, capacity, and
love of their country, which providentially happened
at this time, could ward off the ruin of the kingdom.
Such Athelstan was; and such was his brother EdEdmund, mund, who reigned five years with great A. D. 942. reputation, but was at length, by an obscure
ruffian, assassinated in his own palace. Edred, his
Edred, brother, succeeded to the late monarchy:
A. D. 94. though he had left two sons, Edwin and
Edgar, both were passed by on account of their minority. But on this prince's death, which happened after a troublesome reign of ten years, valiantly
Edwin, supported against continual inroads of the
A. D. 95. Danes, the crown devolved on Edwin; of
whom little can be said, because his reign was short,
and he was so embroiled with his clergy that we can
take his character only from the monks, who in such
a case are suspicious authority.
Edgar, Edgar, the second son of King Edmund,
A. - D- 959 came young to the throne; but he had the
happiness to have his youth formed and his kingdom
ruled by men of experience, virtue, and authority.
The celebrated Dunstan was his first minister, and
had a mighty influence over all his actions. This
prelate had been educated abroad,, and had seen the
world to advantage. As he had great power at
court by the superior wisdom of his counsels, so by
the sanctity of his life he had great credit with the
people, which gave a firmness to the government of
his master, whose private character was in many
rlcpects extremely exceptionable. It was in his
reign, and chiefly by the means of his minister,
Dulnstan, that the monks, who had long prevailed in
the opinion of the generality of the people, gave a to
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 271
tal overthrow to their rivals, the secular clergy. The
secular clergy were at this time for the most part
married, and were therefore too near the common
modes of mankind to draw a great deal of their respect; their character was supported by a very small
portion of learning, and their lives were not such
as people wish to see in the clergy. But the monks
were unmarried, austere in their lives, regular in
their duties, possessed of the learning of the times,
well united under a proper subordination, full of
art, and implacable towards their enemies. These
circumstances, concurring with the dispositions of
the king and the designs of Dunstan, prevailed so
far that it was agreed in a council convened for that
purpose to expel the secular clergy from their livings, and to supply their places with monks, throughout the kingdom. Although the partisans of the
secular priests were not a. few, nor of the lowest
class, yet they were unable to withstand the current of the popular desire, strengthened by the authority of a potent and respected monarch. However, there was a seed of discontent sown on this occasion, which grew up afterwards to the mutual destruction of all the parties. During the whole reign of Edgar, as lie had secured the most popular part
of the clergy, and with them the people, in his interests, there was no internal disturbance; there was
no foreign war, because this prince was always ready
for war. But he principally owed his security to
the care he took of his naval power, which was much
greater and better regulated than that of any English monarch before him. He had three fleets always equipped, one of which annually sailed round
the island. Thus the Danes, the Scots, the Irish,
? ? ? ? 272 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
and the Welsh were kept in awe. He assumed the
title of King of all Albion. His court was magnificent, and much frequented by strangers. His revenues were in excellent order, and no prince of his time supported the royal character with more dignity.
Edgar had two wives, Elfleda and Elfrida. By the
first he had a son called Edward; the second bore
him one called Ethelred. On Edgar's death, EdEdward, ward, in the usual order of succession, was
A. D. 95. called to the throne; but Elfrida caballed
in favor of her son, and finding it impossible to set
him up in the life of his brother, she murdered him
with her own hands in her castle of Corfe, whither
he had retired to refresh himself, wearied with huntEthelred, ing. Ethelred, who by the crimes of his
A. D. 979. mother ascended a throne sprinkled with
his brother's blood, had a part to act which exceeded the capacity that could be expected in one
of his youth and inexperience. The partisans of
the secular clergy, who were kept down by the vigor of Edgar's government, thought this a fit time to
renew their pretensions. The monks defended themselves in their possession; there was no moderation
on either side, and the whole nation joined in these
parties. The murder of Edward threw an odious
stain on the king, though he was wholly innocent
of that crime. There was a general discontent, and
every corner was full of murmurs and cabals. In this
state of the kingdom, it was equally dangerous to exert the fulness of the sovereign authority or to suffer it to relax. The temper of the king was most inclined to the latter method, which is of all things
the worst. A weak government, too easy, suffers
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 273
evils to grow which often make the most rigorous
and illegal proceedings necessary. Through an ex-,
treme lknity it is on some occasions tyrannical. This
was thl- condition of Ethelred's nobility, who, by being permitted everything, were never contented.
Thas all the principal men held a sort of factious
and independent authority; they despised the king,
they oppressed the people, and they hated one another. The Danes, in every part of England but Wessex as numerous as the English themselves, and in many parts more numerous, were ready to take advantage of these disorders, and waited with impatience
some new attempt from abroad, that they might rise.
in favor of the invaders. They were not long without such an occasion; the Danes pour in almost upon
every part at once, and distract the defence which
the weak prince was preparing to make.
In those days of wretchedness and ignorance, when
all the maritime parts of Europe were attacked by
these formidable enemies at once, they never thought
of entering into any alliance against them; they
equally neglected the other obvious method to prevent their incursions, which was, to carry the war
into the invaders' country.
What aggravated these calamities, the no- 987
bility, mostly disaffected to the king, and entertaining very little regard to their country, made,
some of them, a weak and cowardly opposition to the
enemy; some actually betrayed their trust; some
even were found who undertook the trade of piracy
themselves. It was in this condition, that Edric,
Duke of Mercia, a man of some ability, but light,
inconstant, and utterly devoid of all principle, proposed to buy a peace from the Danea. The genVOL. VII. 18
? ? ? ? 274 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTOIRY.
eral weakness and consternation disposed the king
and people to take this pernicious advice. At first. . 991. 10,0001. was given to the Danes, who retired with this money and the rest of their
plunder. The Ellglish were now, for the first time,
taxed to supply this payment. The imposition was
called Danegelt, not more burdensome in the thing
than scandalous in the name. The scheme of purchlasing peace not only gave rise to many internal
hardships, but, whilst it weakened the kingdom, it
inspired such a desire of invading it to the enemy,
that Sweyn, King of Denmark, came in person soon
after with a prodigious fleet and army. The English,
having once found the method of diverting the storm
by an inglorious bargain, could not bear to think of
any other way of resistance. A greater sum, 48,0001. ,
was now paid, which the Danes accepted with pleasure, as they could. by this means exhaust their enemies and enrich themselves with little danger or trouble. With very short intermissions they still returned, continually increasing in their demands. . In
a few years they extorted upwards of 160,0001. from
the English, besides an annual tribute of 48,0001.
The country was wholly exhausted both of money
and spirit. The Daines in England, under the protection of the foreign Danes, committed a thousand
insolencies; and so infatuated with stupidity and
baseness were the English at this time, that they
employed hardly any other soldiers for their defence.
A. D. 1002. In this state of shame and misery, their
sufferings suggested to them a design rather
desperate than brave. They resolved on a massacre
of the Danes. Some authors say, that ill one night
the whole race was cut off. Many, probably all the
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 275
military men, were so destroyed. But this massacre,
injudicious as it was cruel, was certainly not universal; nor did it serve any other or better end than
to exasperate those of the same nation abroad, who
the next year landed in England with a
A. D. 1003.
powerful army to revenge it, and committed outrages even beyond the usual tenor of the Danish cruelty. There was in England no money left to purchase a peace, nor courage to wage a successful
war; and the King of Denmark, Sweyn, a prince of
capacity, at the head of a large body of brave and
enterprising men, soon mastered the whole kingdom,
except London. Ethelred, abandoned by fortune and
his sulbjects, was forced to fly into Normandy.
As there was no good order in the English affairs,
though continually alarmed, they were always surprised; they were only roused to arms by the cruelty of the enemy, and they were only formed into a body by being driven from their homes: so that
they never made a resistance until they seemed to
be entirely conquered. This may serve to account
for the frequent sudden reductions of the island, and
the frequent renewals of their fortune when it seemed
the most desperate. Sweyn, in the midst of his victories, dies, and, though succeeded by his son Canute,
who inherited his father's resolution, their affairs
were thrown into some disorder by this accident.
The English were encouraged by it. Ethelred was
recalled, and the Danes retired out of the kingdom;
but it was only to return the next year with a greater and better appointed force. Nothing seemed able
to oppose them. The king dies. A great part of
the land was surrendered, without resistance, to Canute. Edmund, the eldest son of -Ethelred, supported,
? ? ? ? 276: ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
Edinund however, the declining hopes of the English
Ironside,
a. D. 1016. for some time; in three months he fought
three victorious battles; he attempted a fourth, but
lost it by the base desertion of Edric, the principal
author of all these troubles. It is common with the
conquered side to attribute all their misfortunes to
the treachery of their own party. They choose to
be thought subdued by the treachery of their friends
rather than the superior bravery of their enemies.
All the old historians talk in this strain; and it must
be acknowledged that all adherents to a declining
party have many temptations to infidelity.
Edmund, defeated, but not discouraged, retreated
to the Severn, where he recruited his forces. Canute
followed at his heels. And now the two armies were
drawn up which were to decide the fate of England,
when it was proposed to determine the war by a
single combat between the two kings. Neither was
unwilling; the Isle of Alney in the Severn was chosen for the lists. Edmund had the advantage by the greatness of his strength, Canute by his address; for
when Edmund had so far prevailed as: to disarm him,
he proposed a parley, in which he persuaded Edmund
to a peace, and to a division of the kingdom. Their
armies accepted the agreement, and both kings departed in a seeming friendship. But Edmund died soon after, with a probable suspicion of being murdered by the instruments of his associate in the empire.
The Danish Canute, on this event, assembled the
race. states of the kingdom, by whom he was acCanute. knowledged King of all England. He was a prince truly great; for, having acquired the kingdom by his-valor, he maintained and improved it
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 277
by his justice and clemency. Choosing rather to
rule by the inclination of his subjects than the
right of conquest, he dismissed his Danish army,
and committed his safety to the laws.
He re6stablished the order and tranquillity which so long a series of bloody wars had banished. He revived
the ancient statutes of the Saxon princes, and governed through his whole reign with such steadiness and moderation that the English were much happier
under this foreign prince than they had been under
their natural kings. Canute, though the beginning
of his life was stained with those marks of violence
and injustice which attend conquest, was remarkable in his latter end for his piety. According to the mode of that time, he made a pilgrimage to Rome,
with a view to expiate the crimes which paved his
way to the throne; but he made a goon use of this
peregrination, and returned full of the observations
he had made in the country through which he
passed, which he turned to the benefit of his extensive dominlions. They comprehended England, Denmark, Norway, and many of the countries which
lie upon the Baltic. Those he left, established in
peace and security, to his children. The fate of his
Northern possessions is not of this place. England
fell to his son Harold, though not without Harold I. ,
much competition in favor of the sons of AD. 1036.
Edmund Ironside, while some contended for the
right of the sons of Ethelred, Alfred and Edward.
Harold inherited none of the virtues of Canute;
he banished his mother Emma, murdered his halfbrother Alfred, and died without issue after a short reign, full of violence, weakness, and cru- lardicanute
elty. His brother Hardicanute, who SUC A. D. '1039.
? ? ? ? 278 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
ceeded him, resembled him in his character; he
committed new cruelties and injustices in revenging
those which his brother had committed, and he died
after a yet shorter reign. The Danish power, es
tablished with so much blood, expired of itself; and
The Saxon Edward, the only surviving son of Ethelred,
line restored. then an exile in Normandy, was called to
the throne by tile unanimous voice of the kingdom.
Edward the This prince was educated in a monastery,
Confessor,
A. D. 104o. where h-le learned piety, continence, and humility, but nothing of the art of government. He
was innocent and artless, but his views were narrow,
*and his genius contemptible. The character of such
a prince is not, therefore, what influences the government, any further than as it puts it in the hands of
others. When lie came to the throne, Godwin, Earl
of Kent, was the most popular man in England; he
possessed a very great estate, an enterprising disposition, and an eloquence beyond the age he lived in;
he was arrogant, imperious, assuming, and of a conscience which never put itself in the way of his interest. He had a considerable share in restoring Edward to the throne of his ancestors; and by this
merit, joined to his popularity, he for some time directed everything according to his pleasure. He intended to fortify his interest by giving in marriage to the king his- daughter, a lady of great beauty, great
virtue, and an education beyond her sex. Godwin
had, however, powerful rivals in the king's favor.
This monarch, who possessed many of the private
virtues, had a grateful remembrance of his favorable reception in Normandy; he caressed the people
of that country, and promoted several to the first
places, ecclesiastical and civil, in his kingdom. This
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 279
begot an uneasiness in all the English; but Earl
Godwin was particularly offended. The Normans,
on the other hand, accused Godwin of a design on
the crown, the justice of which imputation the whole
tenor of his conduct evinced sufficiently. But as his
cabals began to break into action before they were in
perfect ripeness for it, the Norman party prevailed,
and Godwin was banished. This man was not only
very popular at home by his generosity and address,
but he found means to engage even foreigners in
his interests. Baldwin, Earl of Flanders, gave him
a very kind reception. By his assistance Godwin
fitted out a fleet, hired a competent force, sailed
to England, and having near Sandwich deceived
the king's navy, he presented himself at London
before he was expected. The king made ready as
great a force as the time would admit to oppose him.
The galleys of Edward and Godwin met on the
Thames; but such was the general favor to Godwin, such the popularity of his cause, that the king's men threw down their arms, and refused to fight
against their countrymen in favor of strangers. Edward was obliged to treat with his Own subjects, and in consequence of this treaty to dismiss the Normans, whom he believed to be the best attached to his interests. Godwin used the power to which he was
restored to gratify his personal revenge, showing no
mercy to his enemies. Some of his sons behaved
in the most tyrannical manner. The great lords
of the kingdom envied and hated a greatness which
annihilated the royal authority, eclipsed them, and
oppressed the people; but Godwin's death D 1053
soon after quieted for a while their murmurs. The king, who had the least share in the
? ? ? ? 280 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
transactions of his own reign, and who was of a
temper not to perceive his own insignificance, begun in his old age to think of a successor. He had
no children: for some weak reasons of religion or
personal dislike, he had never cohabited with his
wife. He sent for his nephew Edward, the son of
Edmund Ironside, out of Hungary, where he had
taken refuge but he died soon after he came to
England, leaving a son called Edgar Atheling. The
1066 king himself, irresolute in so momentous an
affair, died without mnaking' any settlement.
His reign was properly that of his great men, or
rather of their factions. All of it that was his own
was good. He was careful of the privileges of his
subjects, and took care: to have a body of the Saxon
laws, very favorable to them, digested and enforced.
He remitted the heavy imposition called Danegelt,
amounting to 40,0001. a year, which had been constantly collected after the occasion had ceased; he even repaid to his subjects what he found in the
treasury at his accession. In' short, there is little
in his life that can call his title to sanctity in question, though he can never be reckoned among the great kings.
CHAPTER VI.
HAROLD II. - INVASION OF THE NORMANS. - ACCOUNT
OF THAT PEOPLE, AND OF THE STATE OF ENGLAND AT
THE TIME OF THE INVASION.
Harold II. , THOUGH Edgar Atheling had the best tiA. D. 1066. tle to the succession, yet Harold, the son of Earl Godwin, on account of the credit of his father,
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 281
and his own great qualities, whichl supported and
extended the interest of his family, was by the general voice set upon the throne. The right of Edgar,
young, and discovering no great capacity, gave him
little disturbance in comparison of the violence of his
own brother Tosti, whom for his infamous oppression
he had found himself obliged to banish. This man,
who was a tyrant at home and a traitor abroad, insulted the maritime parts with a piratical fleet, whilst
he incited all the neighboring princes to fall upon his
country. Harold Harfager, King of Norway, after
the conquest of the Orkneys, with a powerful navy
hung over the coasts of England. But nothing troubled Harold so much as the pretensions and the formidable preparation of William, Duke of Normandy, one of the most able, ambitious, and enterprising men
of that age. We have mentioned the. partiality of
King Edward to the Normans, and the hatred he
bore to Godwin and his family. The Duke of Normandy, to whom Edward had personal obligations,
had -taken a tour into England, and neglected no
means to improve these dispositions to his. own advantage. It is said that he then received the fullest
assurances of being appointed to the succession, and
that Harold himself had been sent soon after into
Normandy to settle whatever related to it. This is
an obscure transaction, and would, if it could be
cleared up, convey but little instruction. So that
whether we believe or not that, William. had engaged Harold by a solemn oath to secure him the
kingdom, we know that he afterwards set up a will
of King Edward in his favor, which, however, he
never produced, and probably never had to produce.
In these delicate circumstances Harold was not want
? ? ? ? 282 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
ing to himself. By the most equitable laws and the
most popular behavior he sought to secure the affections of his subjects; and he succeeded so well, that, when he marched against the King of Norway, who
had invaded his kingdom and taken York, without difficulty he raised a numerous army of gallant men, zealous for his cause and their country. He obtained
a signal and decisive victory over the Norwegians.
The King Elarfager, and the traitor Tosti, who had
joined him, were slain in the battle, and the Norwegians were forced to evacuate the country. Harold had, however, but little time to enjoy the fruits of his
victory.
Scarce had the Norwegians departed, when William, Duke of Normandy, landed in the southern part
of the kingdom with an army of sixty thousand chosen men, and struck a general terror through all the nation, which was well acquainted with the character
of the commander and the courage and discipline of
his troops.
The Normans were'the posterity of those Danes
who had so long and so cruelly harassed the British
islands and the shore of the adjoining continent. In
the days of King Alfred, a body of these adventurers, under their leader, Rollo, made an attempt upon England; but so well did they find every spot defended by. the vigilance and bravery of that great monarch that they were compelled to retire. Beaten from these shores, the stream of their impetuosity bore towards the northern parts of France, which had
been reduced to the most deplorable condition by
their former ravages. Charles the Simple then sat
on the throne of that kingdom; unable to resist this
torrent of barbarians, he was obliged to yield to it;
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 283
he agreed to give up to Rollo the large and fertile
province of Neustria, to hold of him as his feudatory.
This province, from the new inhabitants, was called
Normandy. Five princes succeeded Rollo, who maintained with great bravery and cultivated with equal wisdom his conquests. The ancient ferocity of this
people was a little softened by their settlement; but
the bravery which had made the Danes so formidable
was not extinguished in the Normans, nor the spirit
of enterprise. Not long before this period, a private
gentleman of Normandy, by his personal br. avery, had
acquired the kingdom of Naples. Several others followed his fortunes, who added Sicily to it. From
one end of Europe to the other the Norman name
was known, respected, and feared. Robert, the sixth
Duke of Normandy, to expiate some crime which lay
heavy upon his conscience, resolved, according to the
ideas of that time, upon a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
It was in vain that his nobility, whom he had'assembled to notify this resolution to them, represented to him the miserable state to which his country would
be reduced, abandoned by its prince, and uncertain
of a legal successor. The Duke was not. to be moved
from his resolution, which appeared but the: more
meritorious from the difficulties which attended it.
He presented to the states William, then an infant,
born of an obscure woman, whom, notwithstanding,
he doubted not to be his son; him he appointed to
succeed; him he recommended to their virtue and
loyalty; and then, solemnly resigning the government in his favor, he departed on the pilgrimage,
from whence he never returned. The states, hesitating some time between the mischiefs that attend the allowing an illegitimate succession and those
? ? ? ? 284 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
which might arise from admitting foreign pretensions,
thought the former the least prejudicial, and accordingly swore allegiance to William. But this oath was not sufficient to establish a right so doubtful. The
Dukes of Burgundy and Brittany, as well as several
Norman noblemen, had specious titles. The endeavors of all these disquieted the reign of the young prince with perpetual troubles. In these troubles he
was formed early in life to vigilance, activity, secrecy,
and a conquest over all those passions, whether bad
or good, which obstruct the way to greatness. He
had to contend with all the neighboring princes, with
the seditions of a turbulent and unfaithful nobility,
and the treacherous protection of his feudal lord, the
King of France. All of these in their turns, sometimes all of these together, distressed him. But with
the most unparalleled good fortune and conduct he
overcame all opposition, and triumphed over every
enemy, raising his power and reputation above that
of all his ancestors, as much as he was exalted by his
bravery above the princes of his own time.
Such was the prince who, on a pretended claim
from the will of King Edward, supported by the common and popular pretence of punishing offenders and redressing grievances, landed at Pevensey in Sussex,
to contest the crown with Harold. Harold had no
sooner advice of his landing than he advanced to
meet him with all possible diligence; but there did
not appear in his army, upon this occasion, the same
unanimity and satisfaction which animated it on its
march against the Norwegians. An ill-timed economy in Harold, which made him refuse to his soldiers the plunder of the Norwegian camp, had created a
general discontent. Several deserted; and the sol
? ? ? ? ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 285
diers who remained followed heavily a leader under
whom there was no hope of plunder, the greatest incitement of the soldiery. Notwithstanding this ill disposition, Harold still urged forward, and by forced
marches advanced within seven miles of the enemy.
The Norman, on his landing, is said to have sent
away his ships, that his army might have no way
of safety but in conquest; yet had he fortified his
camp, and taken every prudent precaution, that so
considerable an enterprise should not be reduced to
a single effort of despair. When the armies, charged
with the decision of so mighty a contest, had approached each other, Harold paused awhile. A
great deal depended on his conduct at this critical
time. The most experienced in the council of war,
who knew the condition of their troops, were of opinion that the engagement ought to be deferred, - that the country ought to be wasted, - that, as the winter
approached, the Normans would in, all probability be
obliged to retire of themselves, - that,,if. this should
not happen, the Norman army was without resources,
whilst the English would be every'day considerably
augmented, and might attack their enemy at a time
and manner which might make their success certain.
To all these reasons nothing was opposed but a false
point of honor and a mistaken courage in Ilarold,1
who urged his fate, and resolved on an engagement.
The Norman, as soon as lie perceived that the English were determined' on a battle, left his camp to post himself in an advantageous situation, in which
his whole: army remained the night which preceded
the action.
This night was spent in a manner which prognosticated the event of the following day. On the part of
? ? ? ? 286 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
the Normans it was spent in prayer, and in a cool
and steady preparation for the engagement; on the
side of the English, in riot and a vain confidence
that neglected all the necessary preparations. The
two armies met in the morning; from seven to five
the battle was fought with equal vigor, until at last
the Norman army pretending to break in confusion,
a stratagem to which they had been regularly formed,
the English, elated with success, suffered that firm
order in which their security consisted to dissipate,
which when William observed, he gave the signal to
his men to regain their former disposition, and fall
upon the English, broken and dispersed. Harold in
this emergency did everything which became him,
everything possible to collect his troops and to renew the engagement; but whilst he flew from place to place, and in all places restored the battle, an
arrow pierced his brain, and he died a king, in a
manner worthy of a warrior. The English immediately fled; the rout was total, and the slaughter prodigious.
The consternation which this defeat and the death
of Harold produced over the kingdom was more fatal
than the defeat itself. If William had marched directly to London, all contest had probably been at an end; but he judged it more prudent to secure the
sea-coast, to make way for reinforcements, distrusting
his fortune in his success more than he had done in
his first attempts. He marched to Dover, where the
effect of his victory was such that the strong castle
there surrendered without resistance. Had this fortress made any tolerable defence, the English would have had leisure to rouse from their consternation,
and plan some rational method for continuing the
? ? ? ? ABRIDGHENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY. 287
war; but now the conqueror was on full march
to London, whilst the English were debating concerning the measures they should take, and doubtful in what manner they should fill the vacant
throne. However, in this emergency it was necessary to take some resolution. The party of Edgar
Atheling prevailed, and he was owned king by the
city of London, which even at this time was exceedingly powerful, and by the greatest part of the nobility then present. But his reign was of a short duration. William advanced by hasty marches, and, as he approached, the perplexity of the English redoubled: they had done nothing for the defence of the
city; they had no reliance on their new king; they
suspected one another; there was no authority, no
order, no counsel; a confused and ill-sorted assembly
of unwarlike people, of priests, burghers, and nobles
confounded with them in the general panic, struck
down by the consternation of the late defeat, and
trembling under the bolts of the Papal excommunication, were unable to plan any method of defence: insomuch that, when he had passed the
Thames and drew near to London, the clergy, the
citizens, and the greater part of the nobles, who had
so lately set the crown on the head of Edgar, went
out to meet him; they submitted to him, and having brought him in triumph to Westminster, he
was there solemnly crowned King of England. The
whole nation followed the example of London; and
one battle gave England to the Normans, which had
cost the Romans, the Saxons, and Danes so much
time and blood to acquire.
At first view it is very difficult to conceive how
this could have happened to a powerful nation, in
? ? ? ? 288 ABRIDGMENT OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
which it does not appear that the conqueror had one
partisan. It stands a single event in history, unless,
perhaps, we may compare it with the reduction of
Ireland, some time after, by Henry the Second. An
attentive consideration of the state of the kingdom at'
that critical time may, perhaps, in some measure, lay
open to us the cause of this extraordinary revolution.
The nobility of England, in which its strength consisted, was much decayed. Wars and confiscations,
but above all the custom of gavelkind, had reduced
that body very low. . At the same time some few
families had been raised to a degree of power unknown in the ancient Saxon times, and dangerous. in all. Large possessions, and a larger authority, were annexed to the offices of the Saxon magistrates, whom they called Aldermen. This authority,
in their long and bloody wars with the Danes, it was
found necessary to increase, and often to increase
beyond the ancient limits. Aldermen were created
for life; they were then frequently made hereditary;
some were vested with a power over others; and at
this period we begin to hear of dukes who governed
over several shires, and had many aldermen subject
to them. These officers found means to turn the
royal bounty into an instrument of becoming independent of its authority. Too great to obey, and too
little to protect, they were a dead weight upon the
country. They begau to cast an eye on the crown,
and distracted the nation by cabals to compass their
designs. At the same time they nourished the most
terrible feuds amongst themselves. The feeble government of Edward established these abuses. He
could find no method of humbling one subject
grown too great, but by aggrandizing in the same
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