and thus walk in the straight path which leads to eternal life! The same year, the Infidels in Spain made a plundering incursion on the Christian States, and seized large portions of their territory. But the Christian king Alphonso, collecting forces from the faithful in all parts, recovered his dominions, slaying and expelling the Infidels, and repairing the losses caused by their inroads. In Denmark, also, an event happened which had never before occurred. The Danes were guilty of treason, and faithlessly murdered their king, Canute, in a monastery. William, king of England, bequeathed Normandy to his eldest son Robert; the kingdom of England to William, his second son; and the treasure he had amassed to his third son, Henry, by means of which, having purchased a part of Normandy from his brother Robert, he succeeded in depriving him of his dominions; a thing displeasing to God, but the punishment was deferred for a time. William divided his father's treasures, which he found at Winchester, according to his bequest. There were in the treasury 60,000 pounds of silver, besides gold and jewels, and his plate and wardrobe. He distributed part of this wealth, giving to some churches ten golden marks, to others six, and to the church of every vill five shillings; and he sent to each county 100l., to be given in alms; likewise, according to his father's will, all prisoners were set at liberty. The new king held his court at London during Christmas. There were present Lanfranc, the archbishop [of Canterbury], who had consecrated the king; and Thomas, archbishop of York; together with Maurice, bishop of London; Walchelm, of Winchester; Godfrey, of Chester; Wulnoth, the holy bishop of Worcester; William of Thetford, Robert of Chester, William of Durham, and Odo, bishop of Bayeux, principal justiciary of all England; as also Remi, bishop of Lincoln, of whom I am led to give a short account. The king [William I.] had given to Remi, who was a monk of Fecamp, the bishopric of Dorchester, which is situated on the Thames. But as that see is larger than any other in England, extending from the Thames to the Humber, it seemed to the bishop to be inconvenient that his episcopal seat should be placed at the very extremity of his diocese. It was also unsatisfactory to him that it was fixed in a poor town, while there was in the diocese so noble a city as Lincoln, which seemed more worthy to be the episcopal seat. He therefore bought some fields on the top of the hill, near the castle, the lofty towers of which commanded the city; and on that elevated spot he built a cathedral church, which for strength and beauty was both fitting for the service of God, and, as the times required, impregnable to hostile attacks. The district of Lindsey, in which it was placed, had from ancient times been claimed as part of the archbishopric of York. But Remi, disregarding the archbishop's remonstrances, urged forward the work he had undertaken, and when it was completed he supplied it with clerks of approved learning and morals. Remi was small in stature, but great in heart; his complexion was dark, but his conduct was clear. He was, indeed, on one occasion accused of treason against the king, but one of his followers cleared him of the charge by the ordeal of red-hot iron, and thus restored him to the royal favour unsullied by any stain of disgrace. By this founder, at this time, and for these reasons, the modern cathedral of the diocese of Lincoln was begun. And now the course of events being brought down to my own times, it is fitting that I should commence a new Book with those that followed. If any recapitulation be required, according to my practice hitherto, for the more clear understanding of what has been set forth in this present Book, it may be so short as not to detain the reader. Here, then, follows a summary view of the kings' reigns included in the Book now brought to an end. ETHELRED reigned xxxvii. years, in continual disturbance, over the whole extent of England. EDMUND, the young and the brave, was treacherously murdered, after a reign of one year. CANUTE the Great reigned xx. years, with more glory than any of his predecessors. HAROLD, his son, reigned iv. years and xvi. weeks. HARDECANUTE, the munificent son of King Canute, was cut off by sudden death, after a reign of six months short of ii. years. EDWARD, a pious king, reigned in peace xxiv. years. HAROLD, the perjured, reigned scarcely one year, falling a sacrifice to his breach of faith. WILLIAM, the last and the greatest of all that have been enumerated, had a glorious reign of xxi. years. It has been said of him : "What though, like Cæsar, nature fail'd To give thy brow its fairest grace? BOOK VII. THUS far I have treated of matters which I have either found recorded by old writers, or have gathered from common report; but now I have to deal with events which have passed under my own observation, or which have been told me by eye-witnesses of them. I have to relate how the Almighty alienated both favour and rank from the English nation as it deserved, and caused it to cease to be a people. It will also appear how He began to afflict the Normans themselves, the instruments of his will, with various calamities. The greater nobles, breaking their oaths of allegiance to William the younger, stirred up war against him for the purpose of placing his brother Robert on the throne, and each of them revelled in rebellion and tumults within his own domains [A.D. 1088]. Odo, bishop of Bayeux, the chief governor of England, who was their leader, raised an insurrection in Kent1, where he seized and burnt the vills of the king and the archbishop. Roger, earl of Morton, in like manner, ravaged the country about Pevensey. Geoffry, the bishop [of Coutances], set forth from Bristol and pillaged Bath and Berkeley, and the neighbourhood. Roger, [earl of Montgomery,] was not slow in beginning the work of mischief throughout East-Anglia from his castle at Norwich. Hugh [de Grantmesnil] was not backward in the counties of Leicester and Northampton. William, bishop of Durham, made a similar movement on the borders of Scotland. The chief men also of Herefordshire and Shropshire, with the Welshmen, burnt and pillaged the county of Worcester up to the city gates. They were preparing to assault the cathedral and castle, when Wulstan, the venerable bishop, in his deep necessity, implored the aid of his greatest friend, even God the Most High; by The king had granted him the earldom of Kent. whose help, while the bishop lay prostrate in prayer before the altar, a small party of soldiers who sallied forth against the enemy, was able either to slay or capture 50001 of them, and the rest miraculously took to flight. The king, therefore, summoned an assembly of his English subjects and promised that he would restore the freedom of chace and of the woods, and that he would confirm the ancient laws they loved. He then sat down before Tunbridge Castle, where Gilbert was in rebellion against him; but upon being reduced to straits by the royal army, he made peace with the king. Marching thence, the king laid siege to Pevensey Castle, in which were Bishop Odo and Earl Roger, and invested it six weeks. Meanwhile Robert, duke of Normandy, hastened to embark for England and take advantage of the movement in his favour; he therefore sent forward a body of troops to support his friends, preparing himself to follow with a powerful army. But the English, who guarded the sea, attacked the advanced force, and immense numbers of them were either put to sword or drowned. Whereupon those who were besieged in Pevensey Castle, provisions failing them, surrendered it to the king. Bishop Odo solemnly swore to depart the realm and deliver up his castle at Rochester. But when he came there with a party of the king's troops to cause it to be surrendered, Earl Eustace and the other great men who were in the city seized the king's officers, at the bishop's secret instigation, and threw them into prison. Upon hearing this the king laid siege to Rochester, which shortly capitulated, and Bishop Odo went beyond sea never to return. The king also sent an army to Durham and besieged the city: upon its surrender the bishop and many of the rebels were driven into banishment. The king distributed the lands of those who broke their fealty among such as continued faithful to him. The year following [A.D. 1089], Archbishop Lanfranc, the enlightened doctor of the church and the kind father of the monks, departed this life; and there was a great earthquake the same year. William the younger, preparing the means of taking vengeance on his brother for the injury he had 1 The Saxon Chronicle says five hundred. |