difconcerted all their schemes. And from that time forward he began to lofe all confidence in his Englith fubjects, and to regard them as inveterate and irreconcileable enemies. He had already raised such a number of fortreffes in the kingdom, that he no longer dreaded the tumultuous or tranfient efforts of a discontented multitude; he therefore determined to treat them as aconquered nation, to indulgehisown avarice, and that of his followers, by numerous confiscations, and to fecure his power by humbling all who were able to make any refiftance. He proceeded to confifcate all the eftates 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. To keep the clergy as much as poffible in his interefts, he appointed none but his own countrymen to the most confiderable church-dignities, and even difplaced Stigand archbishop of Canterbury, upon fome frivolous pretences. William, having crushed feveral confpiracies, and by punishing the malcontents, thus fecured the peace of his dominions, now expected reft from his labours; and finding none either willing or powerful enough to oppofe him, he hoped that the end of his reign would be marked with profperity and peace. But fuch is the blindnefs of human hope, that he found enemies where he leaft expected them, and fuch too as ferved to embitter all the latter part of his life. His laft troubles were excited by his own children, from the oppofing of whom he could expect to reap neither glory nor gain. He had three fons, Robert, William and Henry, befides feveral daughters. Robert, his eldeft fon, furnamed Curthofe, from the fhortness of his legs, was a prince who inherited all the bravery of his family and nation, but was rather bold bold than prudent; and was often heard to exprefs his jealoufy of his two brothers, William and Henry. Thefe, by greater affiduity, had wrought upon the credulity and affections of the king, and confequently were the more obnoxious to Robert.. A mind, therefore, fo well prepared for refentment, foon found or made a caufe for an open rupture. The princes were one day in fport together, and in the idle petulance of play, took it into their hand to throw water upon their elder brother as he paffed through the court, on leaving their apartment. Robert, all alive to fufpicion, quickly turned this frolic into a ftudied indignity; and having these jealoufies still farther enflamed by one of his favourites, he drew his fword, and ran up ftairs with an intent to take revenge. The whole caftle was quickly filled with. tumult, and it was not without fome difficulty that the king himself was able to appeafe it. But he could not allay the animofity, which from that moment ever after prevailed in his family. Robert, attended by feveral of his confederates, withdrew to Rouen that very night, hoping to furprize the caftle, but his defign was defeated by the governor. The flame being thus kindled, the popular character of the prince, and a fympathy of manners, engaged all the young nobility of Normandy and Maine, as well as of Anjou and Brittany, to efpoufe his quarrel; even his mother, it is faid, fupported him by fecret remittances, and aided him in this obftinate resistance by private encouragement. This unnatural conteft continuedfor feveral years toenflamethe Norman state; and William was at laft obliged to have recourse to England for supporting his authority against his fon. Accordingly drawing an army of Englishmen together, he led them over into Normandy, where he foon compelled Robert and his adherents to quit the field, and he was quickly reinftated in all his dominions, William William had fcarcely put an end to this tranfaction, when he felt a very fevere blow in the death of Matilda, his queen; and, as misfortunes generally some together, he received information of a general infurrection in Maine, the nobility of which had been always averfe to the Norman government. Upon his arrival on the continent, he found, that the infurgents had been fecretly affifted and excited by the king of France, whofe policy confifted in thus leffening the Norman power, by creating diffenfions among the nobles of its different provinces. William's difpleasure was not a little increased by the account he received of fome railleries which that monarch had. thrown out against him. It seems that William, who was become corpulent, had been detained in bed fome time by fickness; and Philip was heard to say, that he only lay in of a big belly. This fo provoked the English monarch, that he fent him word he would foon be up, and would at his churching prefent fuch a number of tapers as would fet the kingdom of France in a flame. In order to perform this promife, he levied a ftrong army, and entering the ifle of France, deftroyed and burned all the villages and houses without oppofition, and took the town of Mante, which he reduced to afhes. But the progrefs of thefe hoftilities was stopped by an accident which fhortly after put an end to William's life. His horfe chancing to place his fore-foot on fome hot afhes, plunged fo violently, that the rider was thrown forward, and bruised upon the pummel of the faddle to fuch a degree that he fuffered a relapfe, of which he died fhortly after at a little village near Rouen. СНАР. WILLIAM RUFUS. WILLIAM, furnamed RUFUS, from the colour of his hair, was appointed by the king's will his fucceffor, while the elder fon, Robert, was left in poffeffion of Normandy. Nevertheless, the Norman barons were, from the beginning, difpleafed at the divifion of the empire by the late king;. they eagerly desired an union as before, and looked upon Robert as the proper owner of the whole. A powerful confpiracy was therefore carried on against William; and Odo, the late king's brother, undertook to conduct it to maturity. William, fenfible of the danger that threatened him, endeavoured to gain the affections of the native English, whom he prevailed upon by promifes of future good treatment, and preference in the diftribution of his favours, to espouse his interefts. He was foon therefore in the field; and at the head of a numerous army, fhewed himself in readiness to oppofe all who fhould difpute his pretenfions. In the mean time, Robert instead of employing his money in levies, to support his friends in England, fquandered it away in idle expences, and unmerited benefits, fo that he procrastinated his departure till the opportunity was loft; while William exerted himself with incredible activity to diffipate the confederacy before his brother could arrive. Nor was this difficult to effect: the confpirators had in confequence of Robert's affurances, taken poffeffion of fome fortreffes; but the appearance of the king foon reduced them to implore for mercy. He granted them their lives, but confifcated all their estates, and banished them the kingdom. A new A new breach was made fome time after between the brothers, in which Rufus found means to encroach still farther upon Robert's poffeffions. Every confpiracy thus detected, ferved to enrich the king, who took care to apply to his own use those treasures which had been amaffed for the purpose of dethroning him. But the memory of thefe tranfient broils and unfuccefsful treasons, were now totally eclipfed by one of the most noted enterprizes that ever adorned the annals of nations, or excited the attention of mankind. I mean the Crufades, which were now firft projected. Peter the Hermit, a native of Ameins in Picardy, was a man of great zeal, courage, and piety. He had made a pilgrimage to the holy fepulchre at Jerufalem, and beheld, with indignation, the cruel manner in which the Chriftians were treated by the Infidels, who were in poffeffion of that place. He preached the crufade over Europe by the Pope's permiffion, and men of all ranks flew to arms with the utmost alacrity, to rescue the Holy Land from the Infidels, and each bore the fign of the cross upon their right fhoulder, as a mark of their devotion to the 'canfe. In the midst of this univerfal ardour that was diffufed over Europe, men were not entirely forgetful of their temporal interests; for fome, hoping amore magnificent settlement in the foft regions of Afia, fold their European property for whatever they could obtain, contented with receiving any thing for what they were predetermined to relinquish. Among the princes who felt and acknowledged this general fpirit of enterprize, was Robert duke of Normandy. The Crufade was entirely adapted to his inclinations, and his circumftances; he was brave, zealous, covetous of glory, poor, harraffed by infurrections, and, what was more than all, naturally fond of change. In order, therefore, to fupply money to defray the neceffary charges of fo expenfive an undertaking, he offered |