at some distance from the camp, he perceived two horfemen riding out from the castle, who foon came up and attacked him. In the very firft encounter, the king's horfe being killed, overturned, and lay upon him, in fuch a manner that he could not difengage himself. His an tagonist while he remained in this fituation, lifted up his arm to dispatch him; when William exclaimed, in a menacing tone, "Hold, villain, I am the king of England." The two foldiers were immediately feized with veneration and awe; and, helping him up, accommodated him with one of their horfes. William was not ungrateful for this fervice; he mounted the horse, and ordering the foldier to follow, took him into his fervice. Soon after Robert had an occafion to fhew ftill greater marks of generofity; for, hearing that the garrifon was in great diftrefs for want of water, he not only ordered that Henry fhould be permitted to fupply himself, but also sent him fome pipes of wine from his own table. Rufus did not at all approve of this ill-timed generofity; but Robert answered his remonftrances by faying, "Shall we fuffer our brother to die with thirft! Where fhall we find another when he is gone?"

The

The inteftine and petty difcords that enfued upon this accommodation between Robert and Rufus, seem scarce worthy the attention of history. They indeed produced more real calamities to the people than fplendid invafions, or bloody battles, as the depredations of petty tyrants are ever more severely felt by the poor. than the magnanimous projects of ambition. A rupture enfued between Rufus and Malcolm, king of Scotland, in which the latter was ultimately furprised, and flain, by a party from Alnwick castle,

A new breach was made fome time after be- A.D. 1093. tween the brothers, in which Rufus found

means

to encroachstill further upon Robert's poffeffions. An incurfion from the Welsh filled the country

of England with alarm; but they were quickly A.D. 1094. repelled, and obliged to find refuge in their native mountains. A confpiracy of the Norman barons in England threatened ferious confequences; but their schemes were prevented and fruftrated. Robert Mowbray, earl of Northumberland, who was at the head of this plot, was thrown into prifon, where he died, after thirty years confinement. The count Eu, another confpirator, denying the charge, fought with his accufer, in prefence of the court, at Windfor, and being worsted in the combat, was

con

condemned to be caftrated, and to have his eyes put out. Every confpiracy, thus detected, ferved to enrich the king, who took care to ap ply to his own use those treasures that had been amaffed for the purpose of dethroning him.

But the memory of thefe tranfient broils, and unsuccessful treafons, 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 first projected. Peter the Hermit, a native of Amiens, 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. Unable to suppress his resentment, upon his return, he entertained the bold defign of freeing the whole country from the Mahometan yoke, and of reftoring to the Chriftians the land where their religion was first propagated. He propofed his views to Martin II. at that time pope, who permitted, rather than affifted, this bold enthufiaft in his aims. Peter, therefore, warmed with a zeal that knew no bounds, began to preach the Crusade, and to exite the princes of Christendom to the re

covery of the Holy Land. Bare-headed, and bare-footed, he travelled from court to court, preaching as he went, and inflaming the zeal of every rank of people. The fame of this defign being thus diffused, prelates, nobles, and princes, concurred in feconding it; and, at a council held at Clermont, where the pope himfelf exhorted to the undertaking, the whole affembly cried out with one voice, as if by inspiration, It is the will of God! It is the will of God! From that time, nothing was seen but an universal migration of the western nations into the Eaft; men of all ranks flew to arms with the utmost alacrity, and bore the fign of the crofs upon their right fhoulder, as a mark of their devotion to the caufe. In the midft of this univerfal ardour that was diffused over Europe, men were not entirely forgetful of their temporal intereft; for fome, hoping a more magnificent fettlement 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 spirit of enterprize, was Robert duke of Normandy. The Crufade was entirely adapted to his inclinations, and his circumstances; he was brave, zealous, covetous

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of glory, 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 to mortgage his dukedom of Normandy to his brother Rufus for a ftipulated fum of money. This fum, which was no greater than ten thousand marks, was readily promised by Rufus, whofe ambition was upon the watch to feize every advantage. He was no way folicitous about raifing the money, as he knew the riches of his clergy. From them, therefore, he forced the whole; heedless of their murmurs, and aggravating his injustice by the pious pretences he made use of to cover his extortions: thus equipping his brother for his romantic expedition to the Holy Land, he more wifely, and more fafely, took peaceable poffeffion of his dukedom at home,

In this manner was Normandy once more united to England; and from this union, afterwards, arose thofe numerous wars with France, which, for whole centuries, continued to depopulate both nations, without conducing in the end to increase the power of either. However, Rufus was not a little pleased with this acquifition; he made a voyage to his new dominion, and took poffeffion of it for five

years,