System into England, but with one very important difference. In France and elsewhere the chief vassals did homage to the king, while the under vassals did homage to their own lords only. Hence, if one of the chief vassals rebelled, his vassals fought for him and against the king. This often made the vassal stronger than the king. William himself, for instance, as Duke of Normandy was vassal to the king of the French whom he had defeated. To hinder a like evil in his new dominion, the Conqueror made a law that every vassal should do homage to the king. This made rebellion on the part of the tenants-in-chief difficult.

folk-land, land of the folk

1 Successor, one who comes after. or people. 3 tenant, a person holding. ransom, to pay money for setting a prisoner free. 5 homage (from the French word for a man), owning one's self the man of another. 6 introduce, to bring in. 7 dominion, the land over which he was lord; kingdom.

In ruling as in winning England the Conqueror showed himself skilful, bold, and pitiless. He loved good government, and punished severely all who broke the laws. All men feared him, but none loved him. His own Norman followers rebelled because he kept them in strict order. His eldest son made war against him; his half-brother, Odo (who had fought beside him at Senlac), was a constant trouble to him.

When William had made up his mind to do anything, whether for the good of the kingdom or for his own pleasure, he did it without fear or pity. Still, though he was heartless, he never seems to have been cruel for cruelty's sake. Even the harrying of the north was done partly to defend the kingdom from the Danes and Scotch, by putting a broad band of desert between it and them.

One cruel thing the king did with no other end than his own pastime. This was the making of 2 the New Forest, in Hampshire. He enclosed a wide stretch of country wherein were old woods with villages and farms between. All the houses were levelled with the ground, and the people who dwelt in them were driven away to live or die as best they might. Two of William's sons and one of his grandsons perished miserably in the forest thus made.

1 Harry, to plunder and waste. 2 pastime, amusement, pleasure.

mon'-as-ter-y

LANFRANC.

ab'-bot

coun'-sel-lor

loy'-al

3

AT Bec, in Normandy, was a small monastery, 2 whither came one day a 3 Lombard, who said he wanted to be a monk. His name was Lanfranc. He was taken in, and as it was found he was a great scholar the abbot urged him to teach. He began to teach accordingly, and in course of time

the little monastery grew into a famous school to which students flocked from all parts of Europe.

William (who was then only Duke of Normandy) soon came to know Lanfranc, and saw he was just the friend and 5 counsellor he wanted,-a man firm and skilful as a ruler, learned too, and loyal. But, faithfully as he served the duke, Lanfranc was not afraid to withstand him at need, and once for opposing him was ordered to leave the land 7 forthwith.

The best horse the monastery had was a miserable creature that hobbled on three legs. On this Lanfranc set out. Meeting William by the way he said, "I am leaving the country by your commands. I could get along as quickly walking as riding upon this useless beast, so give me a proper horse that I may the better obey you." William laughed, and the two men made up their quarrel.

When the Duke of Normandy became King of England he wanted a man of like mind with himself to govern the English Church. He felt sure that Lanfranc would prove such a man, so he made him Archbishop of Canterbury; and just as William kept good order among laymen, Lanfranc kept good order among priests.

8

1 Monastery, a house for monks. 2 whither, to where. 3 Lombard, a man from Lombardy, in the north of Italy. 4 abbot, the head of an abbey or monastery. 5 counsellor, one who gives counsel or advice. loyal, faithful. 7 forthwith, at once. 8 laymen, men who are not clergymen.

THE DEATH OF THE CONQUEROR. THE end of the great Conqueror was unhappy. Strong, and stern, and bold as he had been, none feared him when he lay upon his death-bed, while the loveless life he had led left him without a friend to soothe or cheer him.

In the course of a war William made upon the King of France he caused the town of 1 Mantes to be burnt. As he was riding among the ruins his horse stumbled, and he was thrown forward upon the high saddle-bow, and severely hurt. It was soon seen that he could not recover, so he began to prepare for the end.

He repented him of all the evil he had wrought. No tongue, he said, could tell the deeds of wickedness he had done. He had shed rivers of blood, and he had seized a kingdom to which he had no right. Still he had tried to rule that kingdom well; he had appointed wise and good men to every office. He left Normandy to his eldest son, Robert, who was now far away. "The crown of England," he said, "I won by the sword, and to it I will appoint no heir, lest the wrath of God fall upon him." him." Still he wished, if it might be, that his son William should be king. To Henry he left five thousand pounds.

On September 9th, 1087, he died. His sons had already left him, and as soon as the breath was out of his body his attendants rushed to horse and hastened home to look after their own affairs. Then

the servants, having stripped the corpse, and stolen every article they could lay hands on, also went away. Thus the mighty Conqueror, at whose anger the greatest noble in the land had trembled, was left lying on the bare floor, naked and deserted. He was a great and wise but not a good man.

1 Mantes, on the Seine, about thirty miles below Paris. 2 repent, to feel sorry for what one has done.

and by the help of The Norman barons because, as they had Channel, they would

2 Rufus hastened to England, Lanfranc he was chosen king. would have 3 preferred Robert, estates on both sides of the have liked to see England and Normandy under, one ruler. Besides this, they knew that Robert being an easy, careless man, they could do under his government very much as they pleased. Hence they took up arms on his behalf. Then William called upon the English to help him; they, desiring above all things a sovereign who would keep the Normans in order, came to his aid, and the barons were forced to submit.

The Red King, like his father, was a very able man. He kept the nobles firmly down, but he oppressed the people with heavy taxes. He was