1066 Flaw in William learns the news. sion had been, the political faith in the “right royal kindred" excluded all competition, except as amongst the members of a particular caste or family; but the charm was now broken- the mist which had hitherto enveloped the sovereign magistracy was dispelled-and the way to the throne was opened to any competitor. § 3. William was hunting in the Park of Rouen, surrounded by a noble train of knights, esquires, and damsels, when a "Serjeant," just arrived from England, hastened into his presence, and related the events which had happened :Edward's death, and Harold's assumption of the crown.-The bow dropped out of the hand of the Norman, and he was unnerved by anxiety and surprise. William fastened and loosened his mantle, spake not, and looked so fierce and fell, that no one ventured to address him. Entering a skiff, he crossed the Seine, still silent; stalked into the great hall of his palace, threw himself into a seat, wrapped his head in his mantle, and bent his body downwards, apparently overwhelmed." Sirs "-said William de Breteuil the Seneschal, to the enquiring crowd-"ye will soon know the cause of our lord's anxiety;❞— and then, approaching his master, he roused the Duke by telling him that everybody in the streets of Rouen would soon hear of the death of Edward, and of his claims to the succession. Claims the William instantly recovered from his reverie; and upon the advice of a Norman baron, Fitz crown. Osbern the Bold, it was determined that he should forthwith require Harold, the sworn liegeman of William, to surrender the inheritance, and to perform the engagements which he had contracted with the Norman Sovereign. 1066 refuses. Harold answered, that the kingdom was not Harold his to bestow: implying, no doubt, that he could not make the transfer without the consent of the Witenagemot. He also alleged distinctly, that he could not marry Adela without the advice of the nobility of his realm. If this assertion be taken in its strict sense, we must suppose that, as the queen had some, though a very undefined share in the royal authority, she could not be raised to that rank without the assent of the legislature. But perhaps we must receive the expressions according to a more qualified construction; and suppose that Harold merely meant to say, that it was not expedient for an English king to choose a wife in such a manner as might render him unpopular. But these excuses need not be weighed very accurately. Other parts of Harold's reply were scurrilous and insulting; and the whole is only to be considered as an intimation that the son of Godwin defied the power of William, the Bastard of Normandy. 24. Harold did not feel his own weakness, and he scarcely knew the resources of his adversary. Normandy, at this period, was in the height of its prosperity. Under the prudent government 1066 300 MEETING AT LILLEBONNE. of the late Dukes, Richard and Robert, there had arisen a race of wise, active, and loyal nobility. The heads of the great houses of Beaumont, Montgomery, Fitz-Osbern, Mortimer, and Giffard, were stout of heart and strong of hand; they could give the best counsel, and execute the counsel which they gave; and in Lillebonne. the great parliament assembled at Lillebonne, the barons determined to assist their Sovereign in his contest with the English usurper, the perjured Harold. Barons meet at Fitz-Osbern's zeal for the invasion. In this memorable meeting, there was at first much diversity of opinion. The Duke could not command his vassals to cross the sea; their tenures did not compel them to such a service. William could only request their aid, to fight his battles in England: many refused to engage in this dangerous expedition, and great debates arose. Fitz-Osbern exhorted his peers to obey the wishes of their liege lord. After some discussion they allowed the intrepid Baron to be their spokesman; and in their name did he engage that each feudatory should render double the service to which he was bound by his tenure; and, moreover, he, Fitz-Osbern, promised to fit out, at his own expense, sixty vessels, all filled with chosen warriors. Fitz-Osbern might make any promise on his own part, to which he was stimulated by his loyalty. But the other barons had not empowered him to assent on their behalf to bind persuades them to similar exertions; and whilst he was 1066 speaking, such an outcry of disapprobation arose that it seemed as if the very roof of the Hall would be rent asunder. William, who William could not restore order, withdrew into another the barons. apartment and calling the barons to him one by one, he argued and reasoned with each of these sturdy vassals separately, and apart from the others. He exhausted all the arts of persuasion; their present courtesy-he engaged -should not be turned into a precedent; the troops now granted as a favour should never be demanded as a right by himself or his successors; and the fertile fields of England should be the recompense of their fidelity.-Upon this prospect of remuneration, the barons assented; and, that they might not retract, the ready clerk wrote down in his roll the number of knights and vassals which each prelate and baron would furnish to this expedition. turers to join. William did not confine himself to his own Calls advensubjects. All the adventurers and adventurous spirits of the neighbouring States were invited to join his standard. Armorica, now called Brittany, had become a fief of Normandy; and though the Duke could not compel the baronage of that country to serve in his army, still they willingly yielded to his influence. Alan Fergant, and Bryan, the two sons of Eudo, Count of Brittany, came with a numerous train of Breton knights, all ready for the conflict 1066 perhaps eager to avenge the wrongs of Arthur upon the Saxons, who had usurped the land of their ancestors. Others poured in from Poitou and Maine; from Flanders and Anjou; and to all, such promises were made as should best incite them to the enterprise--lands,-liveries, ―money,—according to their rank and degree; and the port of St. Pierre-sur-Dive was appointed as the place where all the forces should assemble. William's grounds for 2 5. William had discovered four most valid his invasion. reasons for the prosecution of his offensive warfare against a neighbouring people:-the bequest made by his Cousin;-the perjury of Harold; the expulsion of the Normans, at the instigation, as he alleged, of Godwin;—and, lastly, the massacre of the Danes by Ethelred on St. Brice's day. The alleged perjury of Harold enabled William to obtain the sanction of the Papal See. Alexander, the Roman Supported at Pontiff, allowed, nay, even urged him to punish the crime, provided England, when conquered, should be held as the fief of St. Peter. In this proceeding, His Holiness took upon himself to act judicially, and in solemn consistory; not, however, without opposition,-but the measure was carried and Hildebrand, Archdeacon of the Church of Rome, afterwards the celebrated Pope Gregory VII., greatly assisted by the support which he gave to the decree. As a visible token of protection, the Pope |