tors had already taken the resolution and fixed the day for the intended massacre, which was to be on AshWednesday, during the time of divine service, when all the Normans would be unarmed, as penitents, according to the discipline of the times. But his presence quickly disconcerted all their schemes. Such of them as had been more open in their mutiny betrayed their guilt by flight; and this served to confirm the proofs of an accusation against those who remained.

Valk.

From that time forward the king began to lose all williambe confidence in his English subjects, and to regard them haudat di as inveterate and irreconcileable enemies. He had Britten als ein erobertes already raised such a number of fortresses in the kingdom, that he no longer dreaded the tumultuous or transient efforts of a discontented multitude; he determin. ed to treat them as a conquered nation, to indulge his own avarice, and that of his followers, by numerous confiscations, and to secure his power by humbling all who were able to make any resistance. The first signal of his arbitrary power was manifested in renewing the odious tax of Danegeld, which had been abolished by Edward the Confessor. This measure produced remonstrances, complaints, and even insurrections, in different parts of the kingdom; but William, conscious of his power, marched against such as were most formidable, and soon compelled them to implore mercy. In this manner the inhabitants of Exeter and Cornwall excited his resentment, and experienced his lenity.

But these insurrections were slight, compared A.D. nordischer to that in the North, which seemed to threaten 1068. Insurrechion. the most important consequences. This was excited by the intrigues of Edwin and Morcar, the two most powerful noblemen of the English race, who, joined by Blethyn prince of North Wales, Malcolm king of Scotland, and Sweyn king of Denmark, resolved to make

one great effort for the recovery of their ancient liberties. But the vigour and celerity of William destroyed their projects before they were ripe for execution; for, as he advanced towards them at the head of a powerful army, by forced marches, the two earls were so intimidated, that instead of opposing, they had recourse to his clemency, by submission. He did not think proper to reject their advances, but pardoned them without hesitation. A peace which he made with Malcolm, king of Scotland, shortly after, seemed to deprive them of all hopes of future assistance from without the kingdom.

Die Norman. But, whatever the successes of William might have machen sich been, the inhabitants, whether English or Normans, immer mehr were at that time in a most dreadful situation. All the verhafsu miseries that insolence on one hand, and hatred on the

other; that tyranny and treason, suspicion and assassir nation, could bring upon a people; were there united. The Normans were seen to commit continual insults upon the English; and these vainly sought redress from their partial masters. Legal punishment being denied, they sought for private vengeance; and a day seldom passed but the bodies of assassinated Normans were found in the woods and highways, without any possibility of bringing the perpetrators to justice. Thus, at length, the conquerors themselves began again to wish for the tranquillity and security of their native country; and several of them, though intrusted with great commands, desired to be dismissed from the service. In order to prevent these desertions, which William highly resented, he was obliged to allure others to stay, by the largeness of his bounties. These brought on fresh exactions, and new insurrections were the na tural consequences.

Den nördliche The inhabitants of Northumberland, impatient of

Proving an Englands

their yoke, attacked the Norman garrison in Durham, gelingen and, taking advantage of the governor's negligence, put einige him, with seven hundred of his men, to the sword. The ugriffe Norman governor of York shared the same fate; and Vermanen auf die Normanson. the insurgents, being reinforced by the Danes, and some leaders from Scotland, attacked the castle, which was defended by a garrison of three thousand men. Mallet, its governor, that he might the better provide for its defence, set fire to some houses which lay contiguous; but the fire spreading, the whole city was quickly in flames. This proved the cause of his destruction; for the enraged inhabitants, joining in the assault, entered the citadel sword in hand, and cut off the whole garrison, without mercy. This transient gleam of success seemed to spread a general spirit of insurrection. The counties of Somerset, Dorset, Cornwall, and Devon, united in the common cause, and determined to make one great effort for the recovery of their former freedom.

William, undaunted amidst this scene of confusion, Willion assembled his forces, and led them towards the North, f "Die Lusur: conscious that his presence alone would be sufficient to rection. repress these rude efforts of unadvised indignation. Accordingly, wherever he appeared, the insurgents either submitted or retired. The Danes were content to return, without committing any further hostilities, into Denmark. Waltheoff, who long defended York castle, submitted to the victor's clemency, and was taken into favour. Edric, another nobleman, who commanded the Northumbrians, made his submission to the Conqueror, and obtained pardon; while the rest dispersed themselves, and left the Normans undisputed masters of the whole kingdom. Edgar Atheling, who had been drawn among the rest into this insurrection, sought a retreat in Scotland from the pursuit

of his enemies. There he continued, till, by proper solicitation, he was again taken into favour by the king. From that time he remained in England in a private station, content with opulence and security; perhaps as happy, though not so splendid, as if he had succeeded in the career of his ambition.

Northumber William, being now acknowledged master of a peoLand wid ple that more than once showed reluctance to his govwüstet. vernment, resolved to throw off all appearance of le

nity, and to incapacitate them from future insurrections. His first step was, to order the county of Northumberland to be laid waste, the houses to be burnt, the instruments of husbandry to be destroyed, and the inhabitants to seek new habitations. By this order it is said that above one hundred thousand persons perished either by the sword or famine; and the country is supposed, even at this day, to bear the marks of its ancient depopulation. He next proceeded to confiscate all the estates of the English gentry, and to grant them liberally to his Norman followers. Thus all the ancient and honourable families were reduced to beggary, and the English found themselves entirely excluded from every road that led either to honour or preferment. They had the cruel mortification to find, that all his power only tended to their depression; and that the scheme of their subjection was attended with every circumstance of insult and indignity.

William He was not yet, however, sufficiently arbitrary to will a change all the laws then in being for those of his own französisch country. He only made several innovations, and orderSprache ed the law-pleas in the several courts to be made in the einführer. Norman language. Yet, with all his endeavours to

make the French the popular language, the English still gained ground; and, what deserves remark, it had adopted much more of the French idiom for two or

three reigns before than during the whole line of the

Norman kings succeeding.

The feudal law had been before introduced into Eng- Eintheilung land by the Saxons; but this monarch reformed it ac- in Baronien. cording to the model of that practised in his native dominions. He divided all the lands of England, except the royal demesne, into baronies, and conferred those, upon certain military conditions, on the most considerable of his followers. These had a power of sharing their grants to inferior tenants, who were denominated knights or vassals, and who paid their lord the same duty that he paid the sovereign. To the first class of these baronies the English were not admitted; and the few who were permitted still to retain their landed property, were content to be received in the second. The barons exercised all kinds of jurisdiction within their own manors, and held courts in which they administered justice to their own vassals. This law extended not on only to the laity, but also to the bishops and clergy. They had usurped a power, during the Saxon succes-mi sion, of being governed within themselves; but William restrained them to the exercise of their ecclesias-ups tical power only, and submitted them to a similitude of duties with the rest of their fellow-subjects. This they at first regarded as a grievous imposition; but the king's authority was established by a power that neither the clergy nor the pope could intimidate. But, to keep the clergy as much as possible in his interests, he appointed none but his own countrymen to the most considerable church-dignities, and even displaced Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury, upon some frivolous pretences. His real motive was, that such a dignity was too exalted for a native to possess.

While he was thus employed in humbling the clergy, william. he was no less solicitous to repress many of those su

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