tooke his sister Margaret to wife He possessed himselfe of a great part of Cumberland and of Northumberland wherewith the people were well content for that hee was their Earles sisters sonne Hereupon King William sent against him first Roger a Norman who was traiterously slaine by his owne Souldiers then Gospatrick Earle of Gloucester These did onely represse the enemie but were not able to finish the warre fully Lastly hee went himselfe with a mighty armie into Scotland where hee made wide waste and in Lothiam found King Malcolme prepared both in force and resolution to entertaine him with battell The great armie of King William their faire furniture and order their sudden comming but especially their firme countenance and readinesse to fight much daunted the Scots whereupon King Malcolme sent a Herault to King William to mooue him to some agreement of peace The more that the King was pleased herewith the more hee seemed vnwilling and strange the more he must be perswaded to that which if it had not bin offered he would haue desired At the last a peace was concluded vpon conditions honourable for King William and not vnreasonable for the King of Scots whereby all the English were pardoned who had fled into Scotland and borne armes against their King As for the Welsh albeit both their courage and their power had been extreamely broken in the time of King Edward and that by the valour and industry of Harold yet vpon aduantage of these troubled times they made some incursions into the borders of England but in companies so disordered and small so secretly assaulting so suddenly retiring so desirous more of pillage then of blood that they seemed more like to ordinarie robbers then to enemies in field Against these the King ledde an armie into Wales reduced the people both to subiection and quiet made all the principall men tributary vnto him receiued pledges of all for assurance of their obedience and faith Whilest the King thus setled his affaires abroad he secured himselfe against his subiects not by altering their will but by taking away their power to rebell The stoutest of the Nobilitie and Gentlemen were spent either by warre or by banishment or by voluntary auoidance out of the Realme All these hee stripped of their states and in place of them aduanced his Normans insomuch as scarce a ny noble family of the English blood did beare either office or authoritie within the Realme And these ranne headlong to seruitude the more hasty and with the fairer shew the more either countenanced or safe These he did assure vnto him not onely by oath of fidelitie and homage but either by pledges or else by reteining them alwaies by his side And because at that time the Clergie were the principall strings of the English strength he permitted not any of the English Nation to be aduanced to the dignities of the Church but furnished them with Normans and other strangers And whereas in times before the Bishop and Alderman were absolute Iudges in euery Shire and the Bishop in many causes shared in forfeitures and penalties with the King he clipped the wings of their Temporall power and confined them within the limits of their Ecclesiasticall Iurisdiction to maintaine the Canons and customes of the Church to deale in affaires concerning the soule He procured Stigand Archbishop of Canterburie Agelwine Bishop of East-Angles and certaine other Bishops and Abbots to be depriued by authoritie from Rome and deteined them in prison during their liues that strangers might enioy their places The matters obiected against Stigand were these 1 That hee had entruded vpon the Archbishopricke whilest Robert the Archb. was in life 2 That he receiued his Pall from Benedict the fifth who for buying the Papacie had bene deposed 3 That hee kept the Sea of Winchester in his handes after his inuestiture into the Sea of Canterburie He was otherwise also infamous in life altogether vnlearned of heauie iudgement and vnderstanding sottishly seruiceable both to pleasure and sloath in couetousnesse beneath the basenesse of rusticitie insomuch as he would often sweare that he had not one penie vpon the earth and yet by a key which hee did weare about his necke great treasures of his were found vnder the ground And this was a griefe and sicknesse to honest mindes that such spurious and impure creatures should susteine or rather destaine the reuerence and maiestie of Religion Further the King caused all the Monasteries and Abbeys to be searched pretending that the richer sort of the English had layd vp their money in them vnder colour whereof he discouered the state of all and bereaued many of their owne treasure Some of these Religious houses he appropriated wholly to himselfe of diuers others he seized the liberties which they redeemed afterward at a very high and excessiue rate Those Bishopricks and Abbeis which held Baronies and had bene free before from secular subiection he reduced vnder the charge of his seruice appointing how many Souldiers and of what sort they should furnish for him and his successours in the time of their warres Those strangers which he entertained in pay he dispersed into Religious houses and some also among the Nobilitie to be maintained at their charge whereby he not onely fauoured his owne purse but had them as a watch and sometimes as a garrison ouer those of whose alleageance he stood in doubt Now against the inferiour sort of people knowing right well that hee was generally hated hee prepared these remedies for his estate All their armour was taken from them they were crushed downe with change of calamity which held them prostrate vnder yoke and brake the very heart of their courage leauing them no hope to be relieued no hope to rise into any degree of libertie but by yeelding entire obedience vnto him Those who either resisted or fauoured not his first entrance he bereaued of all meanes afterward to offend him holding them downe and keeping them so lowe that their very impotencie made him secure All such as had their hand in any rebellion albeit they were pardoned their liues lost their liuings and became vassals to those Lords to whom their possessions were giuen And if they attained any thing afterward they held it onely at the pleasure of their Lords at the pleasure of their Lords they might bee despoyled Hee much condemned the iudgement of Swanus the Dane sometimes King of England who permitted those whom hee had vanquished to retaine their former both authoritie and estates whereby it happened that after his death the inhabitants were of force to expell the strangers and to quit themselues both from their societie and subiection Hereupon many seuere lawes were made diuers of all sorts were put to death banished stripped of their wealth disabled in their bodies by vnusuall variety of punishments as putting out the eyes cutting off the hands and such like not onely to diminish his feares if they were suspected but sometimes if they were of
to Swaine Earle Goodwins eldest sonne Vpon this assurance he was furnished by the duke his cousin with all meanes fit both for his enterprise and estate And so hee passed the Seas arriued in England and with generall iov was receiued for King He tooke to wife Edith the daughter of Earle Goodwine but whether vpon vow of chastitie or whether vpon impotencie of nature or whether vpon hatred to her father or whether vpon suspition against herselfe for all these causes are alleaged by seuerall writers of those times he forbore all priuate familiaritie with her When he was well locked into the chaire of State Duke William came out of Normandie to see him to shew his magnificence to the English people to shew to the English both that he loued their King and that he was of power to relieue him in case his necessities should so require Here besides honourable enterteinement besides many rich gifts both to himselfe and to his followers the King hauing neither hope nor desire of issue promised him in regard of his great fauours and deserts that hee should be his next successour in the Kingdome And for further assurance thereof sent him also the like message into Normandie by Robert Archbishop of Canterburie After this Harold sonne to Earle Goodwine passed the Seas into Normandie to deale for the discharge of his brother Wolnoth and Hacon his nephew who had bene deliuered for hostages to the Duke In his passage he was much tossed with troublesome weather and in the end was cast vpon the coast of Ponthieu and there taken by the Earle and committed to prison But at the request of the Duke of Normandie hee was released with honourable respect and by the Earle himselfe accompanied to the Duke who enterteined him with great magnificence at Roan The Duke was then going in Armes against the Britaines in which iourney Harold did accompany him and shewed himselfe a man neither rash in vndertaking nor fearefull in perfourming any seruices of the field After prosperous returne the Duke declared to Harold the purpose of King Edward cōcerning the Dukes succession to this Crowne Harold did auow the same to be true and promised to affoord thereto the best furtherance that he could Hereupon the Duke assembled a Councell at Boneuill where Harold did sweare fidelitie vnto him and promised likewise by oath that after the death of King Edward he would keepe the Realme of England to the vse of the Duke that he would deliuer vnto him the castle of Douer and certaine other pieces of defence furnished at his owne charge Hereupon the Duke promised vnto him his daughter in marriage and with her halfe the Realme of England in name of her dower He also deliuered to him his nephew Hacon but kept his brother Wolnoth as an hostage for performance of that which Harold had sworne In short time after King Edward died and Harold being generall commander of the forces of the Realme seized vpon the soueraignetie and without any accustomed solemnities set the crowne vpon his owne head The people were nothing curious to examine titles but as men broken with long bondage did easily entertaine the first pretender And yet to Harold they were inclinable enough as well vpon opinion of his prowesse as for that hee endeauoured to winne their fauour partly by abating their grieuous paiments and partly by increasing the wages of his seruants and Souldiers generally by vsing iustice with clemencie and courtesie towards all About this time a blasing starre appeared and continued the space of seuen dayes which is commonly taken to portend alteration in States Of this Comet a certaine Poet alluding to the baldnesse of the Norman wrote these verses Caesariem Caesar tibi si natura negauit Hanc Willielme tibi stella comata dedit Duke William sent diuers Ambassadours to Harold first to demaund perfourmance of his oath afterward to mooue him to some moderate agreement But ambition a reasonlesse and restlesse humour made him obstinate against all offers or inducements of peace So they prepared to buckle in armes equall both in courage and in ambitious desires equall in confidence of their fortune but Harold was the more aduenturous William the more aduised man Harold was more strong in Souldiers William in Alies and friends Harold was seated in possession which in case of a kingdome is oftentimes with facilitie attained but retained hardly William pretended the donation of King Edward and that he was neere vnto him in blood by the mothers side Now there wanted not precedents both ancient and of later times that free kingdomes and principalities not setled by custome in succession of blood haue been transported euen to strangers by way of guift Attalus king of Pergamus did constitute the people of Rome his heire by force wherof they made his kingdome a part of their empire Nicomedes King of Bithynia made the people of Rome likewise his heire whereupon his kingdome was reduced to the forme of a Prouince So Alexander King of Egypt gaue Alexandria and the kingdome of Egypt and so Ptolemie gaue the kingdome of Cyrene to the same people of Rome Prasutagus one of the kings of great Britaine gaue the kingdome of the Iceni to Caesar Nero and to his daughters Yea in the Imperial state of Rome Augustus designed Tiberius to be his successour and by like appointment Nero became successour to Claudius Troiane to Nerua Antonius Pius to Adrian and Antoninus the Philosopher to another Antoninus When the Emperour Galba did openly appoint Piso for his successour he declared to the people that the same custome had been obserued by most approued and ancient Princes Iugurth being adopted by Mycipsa succeeded him in the kingdome of Numidia and that by the iudgement as well of Mycipsa himselfe as of the Senate and people of Rome The holy histories report that Salomon gaue twentie cities to Hiram king of Tyre and if the argument be good from the part to the whole he might in like sort haue disposed of all his kingdome Who hath not heard of the donation falsly attributed to Constantine the great being in trueth the donation of Lewis sirnamed the pious whereby he gaue to Pope Paschal the citie of Rome and a large territorie adioyning vnto it the instrument of which gift Volaterrane doth recite So the Ladie Matild daughter to Roger the most famous Prince of Cicilie and wife to king Conrade sonne to Henrie the 4. Emperour gaue the Marquisate of Apulia to the Bishop of Rome which when the Emperour Otho the 4. refused to deliuer hee was for that cause excommunicate by the Pope In like sort the countrey of Daulphin was giuen by Prince Vmbert to the King of France vpon condition that the eldest sonne of France should afterward be called Daulphine Lastly the Dukes first auncestor Rollo receiued the Dukedome of Normandie by donation of Charles King of France And himselfe held the Countie of Maine by
donation of Earle Herebert as before it is shewed And by donation of the King of Britaine Hengist obtained Kent the first kingdome of the English Saxons in Britaine After which time the Countrey was neuer long time free from inuasion first by the English and Saxons against the Britaines afterward by the seuen Saxon kingdomes among themselues and then lastly by the Danes By meanes whereof the kingdome at that time could not bee setled in any certaine forme of succession by blood as it hath been since but was held for the most part in absolute dominion and did often passe by transaction or gift and he whose sword could cut best was alwaies adiudged to haue most right But of this question more shall hereafter be said in the beginning of the life of King William the second Touching his propinquity in blood to King Edward by the mothers side he enforced it to be a good title because King Edward not long before had taken succession from Hardicanutus to whom hee was brother by the mothers side And although King Edward was also descended from the Saxon Kings yet could not he deriue from them any right For that Edgar and his sisters were then aliue descended from Edmund Iron side elder brother to King Edward Hee could haue no true right of succession but onely from Hardicanutus the Dane So Pepine when he was possessed of the State of France did openly publish that hee was descended of the blood of Charles the Great by the mothers side And albeit the said Edgar was both neerer to King Edward then the Duke of Normandie and also ioyned to him in blood by the fathers side yet was that no sufficient defence for Harold The vsurped possession of Harold could not be defended by alleaging a better title of a third person The iniurie which hee did to Edgar could not serue him for a title against any other These grounds of his pretence beautified with large amplifications of the benefits which he had done to King Edward he imparted to the Bishop of Rome who at time was reputed the arbitrator of controuersies which did rise betweene princes And the rather to procure his fauour and to gaine the countenance of religion to his cause hee promised to hold the kingdome of England of the Apostolike Sea Hereupon Alexander then Bishop of Rome allowed his title and sent vnto him a white hallowed banner to aduance vpon the prowe of his ship also an Agnus Dei of gold and one of S. Peters haires together with his blessing to begin the enterprise But now concerning his further proceedings concerning his victorious both entrance and cōtinuance within the Realme of England two points are worthy to be considered one how he being a man of no great either power or dominion did so suddenly preuaile against a couragious King possessed of a large and puissant State The other is how he so secured his victorie as not the English not the Britains not the Danes not any other could dispossesse or much disturbe him his posteritie from enioying the fayre fruits thereof And if we giue to either of these their true respects wee shall find his commendation to consist not so much in the first as in the second because that was effected chiefly by force this by wisedome only which as it is most proper to man so few men doe therein excell Hee that winneth a State surmounteth onely outward difficulties but he that assureth the same trauaileth as well against internall weaknes as external strength To attaine a Kingdome is many times a gift of Fortune but to prouide that it may long time continue firme is not onely to oppose against humane forces but against the very malice of Fortune or rather the power and wrath of time whereby all things are naturally inclineable to change For the first then besides the secret working and will of God which is the cause of all causes besides the sinnes of the people for which the Prophet saith Kingdomes are transported from one Nation to another King Edward not long before made a manifest way for this inuasion and change For although he was English by birth yet by reason of his education in Normandie he was altogether become a Normane both in affection and in behauiour of life So as in imitation of him the English abandoned the ancient vsages of their Country and with great affection or affectation rather conformed themselues to the fashions of France His chiefe acquaintance and familiar friends were no other then Normans towards whom being a milde and soft spirited Prince he was very bountifull and almost immoderate in his sauours These he enriched with great possessions these he honoured with the highest places both of dignitie and charge Chiefly he aduanced diuers of them to the best degrees of dignitie in the Church by whose fauour Duke William afterward was both animated aided in his exploit Generally as the whole Clergie of England conceiued a hard opinion of Harold for that vpon the same day wherein King Edward was buried he set the Crowne vpon his owne head without Religious Ceremonies without any solemnities of Coronation so they durst not for feare of the Popes displeasure but giue either furtherance or forbearance to the Dukes proceedings and to abuse the credite which they had with the people in working their submission to the Normans Now of what strength the Clergie was at that time within the Realme by this which followeth it may appeare After that Harold was slaine Edwine and Morcar Earles of Northumberland and Marckland brothers of great both authoritie and power within the Realme had induced many of the Nobilitie to declare Edgar Athelinge to be their King but the Prelates not onely crossed that purpose but deliuered Edgar the next heire from the Saxon Kings to the pleasure of the Duke Againe when the Duke after his great victorie at Hastings aduanced his armie towards Hartford-shire Fredericke Abbot of S. Albanes had caused the woods belonging to his Church to be felled and the trees to be cast so thicke in the way that the Duke was compelled to coast about to the castle of Berkhamstead To this place the Abbot vnder Suerties came vnto him and being demanded wherefore he alone did offer that opposition against him with a confident countenance he returned answere that he had done no more then in conscience and by Nature he was bound to doe and that if the residue of the Clergie had borne the like minde hee should neuer haue pierced the land so farre Well answered the Duke I know that your Clergie is powerfull indeed but if I liue and prosper in my affaires I shall gouerne their greatnesse well ynough Assuredly nothing doeth sooner worke the conuersion or subuersion of a State then that any one sort of Subiects should grow so great as to be able to ouerrule all the rest Besides this disposition of the Clergie diuers of the Nobilitie also did nothing fauour King Harold or
his fat belly did beare so hard vpon the pommell of his saddle that hee tooke a rupture in his inner parts And so ouercharged with sickenesse and paine and disquietnesse of minde hee returned to Roan where his sickenesse increased by such dangerous degrees that in short time it led him to the period of his dayes During the time of his sickenesse hee was much molested in conscience for the blood which hee had spilt and for the seueritie which he had vsed against the English holding himselfe for that cause more guilty before God then glorious among men Hee spent many good speeches in reconciling himselfe to God and the world in exhorting others to vertue and Religion He gaue great summes of money to the Clergie of Meux and of some other places in France to repaire the Churches which a little before he had defaced To some Monasteries he gaue tenne markes of gold and to others sixe To euery Parish Church hee gaue fiue shillings and to euery Borough Towne a hundred pounds for reliefe of the poore Hee gaue his Crowne with all the ornaments therto belonging to the Church of Saint Stephen in Caen which hee had founded for redeeming whereof King Henry the first did afterwards giue to the same Church the Mannour of Brideton in Dorcetshire Hee reteined perfect memorie and speach so long as he reteined any breath Hee ended his life vpon the ninth day of September full both of honour and of age when hee had reigned twenty yeeres eight moneths and sixteene dayes in the threescore and fourth yeere of his age So soone as he was dead the chiefe men that were about him went to horse and departed forthwith to their owne dwellings to prouide for the safety of themselues and of their families and estates For all men were possessed with a marueilous feare that some dangerous aduentures would ensue The seruants and inferiour Officers also fled away and to double the basenesse of their disposition tooke with them whatsoeuer was portable about the king his Armour plate apparell household-stuffe all things were held as lawfull bootie Thus the dead body was not onely abandoned but left almost naked vpon the ground where it remained from prime vntil three of the clocke neither guarded nor regarded by any man In the meane time the Religious persons went in procession to the Church of S. Geruase there commended his soule to God Then William Archb. of Roan commaunded that his body should be caried to Caen to be there buried in the Church of S. Stephen But hee was so forsaken of all his followers that there was not any found who would vndertake either the care or the charge At the last Herlwine a countrey Knight vpon his owne cost caused the body to be embalmed and adorned for funerall pompe then conueyed it by coach to the mouth of the Riuer Some and so partly by land and partly by sea brought it to Caen. Here the Abbot with the Couent of Monks came foorth with all accustomed ceremonies to meet the corps to whom the whole multitude of the Clergie and Lay-people did adioyne But when they were in the middest of their sad solemnities a fire brake out of a certaine house and suddenly embraced a great part of the towne Hereupon the Kings body was once againe abandoned all the people running from it in a headlong haste some to saue their goods others to represse the rage of the flame others as the latest nouelty to stand and looke on In the end a few Moncks returned and accompanied the Hearse to the Abbey Church Afterward all the Bishops and Abbots of Normandy assembled to solemnize the funerall And when the diuine Office was ended and the coffin of stone set into the earth in the presbytorie betweene the Quire and the Altar but the body remained vpon the Herse Guislebert bishop of Eureux made a long Sermon wherein hee bestowed much breath in extolling the honourable actions of the King In the end he concluded That forsomuch as it was impossible for a man to liue much lesse to gouerne without offence First by reason of the multitude of a Princes affaires Secondly for that he must commit the managing of many things to the conscience and courtesie of others Lastly for that personall grieuances are many times beneficiall to the maine body of State in which case particular either losses or harmes are more then manifoldly recompenced by the preseruation or quiet of the whole If therefore any that were present did suppose they had receiued iniurie from the King he desired that they would in charitie forgiue him When the Bishop had finished his speach one Anselme Fitz-Arthur stood vp amongst the multitude and with a high voice said This ground whereupon wee stand was sometimes the floore of my fathers house which that man of whom you haue spoken when he was Duke of Normandie tooke violently from my father and afterward founded thereon this Religious building This iniustice hee did not by ignorance or ouersight not vpon any necessitie of State but to content his owne couetous desire Now therefore I doe challenge this ground as my right and doe here charge you as you will answere it before the fearefull face of Almightie God that the body of the spoiler be not couered with the earth of mine inheritance When the Bishops and Noble men that were present heard this and vnderstood by the testimony of many that it was true they agreed to giue him three pounds presently for the ground that was broken for the place of burial and for the residue which he claimed they vndertooke he should be fully satisfied This promise was performed in short time after by Henrie the Kings sonne who onely was present at the Funerall at whose appointment Fitz-Arthur receiued for the price of the same ground one hundred pounds Now when the body was to be put into the earth the sepulchre of stone which stood within the graue was hewen somewhat too strait for his fat belly whereupon they were constrained to presse it downe with much strength By this violence whether his bowels burst or whether some excrements were forced out at their natural passage such an intolerable stinck proceeded from him as neither the perfumes that smoaked in great abundance nor any other meanes were able to qualifie Wherefore the Priests hasted to finish their office and the people departed in a sad silence discoursing diuersly afterward of all these extraordinarie accidents A man would thinke that a sepulchre thus hardly attained should not easily againe bee lost But it happened otherwise to this vnquiet King not destined to rest either in his life or after his death For in the yeere 1562. when Castilion tooke the Citie of Caen with those broken troupes that escaped at the battaile of Dreux certaine sauage Souldiers of diuers nations led by foure dissolute Captaines beate downe the Monument which King William his sonne had built ouer him and both curiously and richly adorned
that as he rode in chase hee was hanged vpon the bow of a tree by the chaps others more probably doe write that he perished by a fal from his horse He was buried at Winchester with this inscription Hic iacet Richardus filius Wilielmi senioris Berniae Dux William did succeed next to his father in the Kingdome of England To Henry the King gaue at the time of his death fiue thousand pounds out of his treasure but gaue him neither dignitie nor lands foretelling that hee should enioy the honour of both his brothers in time and farre excel them both in dominion and power Whether this was deuised vpon euent or whether some doe prophesie at their death or whether it was coniecturally spoken or whether to giue contentment for the present it fell out afterward to be true For hee succeeded William in the Kingdome of England and wrested Normandie out of the possession of Robert Of these two I shall write more fully hereafter His daughter Cicelie was Abbesse of Caen in Normandie Constance was married to Allen Fergant Earle of Britaine Adela was wife to Stephen Earle of Blois to whom she bare Stephen who after the death of Henry was King of England Margaret was promised in marriage to Harold she died before hee attained the Kingdome for which cause he held himselfe discharged of that oath which he had made to the Duke her father Elianor was betroathed to Alphonso King of Gallicia but she desired much to die a Virgine for this she daily prayed and this in the end she did obtaine After her death her knees appeared brawnie and hard with much kneeling at her deuotions Assuredly it will be hard to find in any one Familie both greater Valour in sonnes and more Vertue in daughters In the beginning of this Kings reigne either no great accidents did fall or else they were obscured with the greatnesse of the change none are reported by the writers of that time In the fourth yeere of his reigne Lanfranke Abbot of Caen in Normandie but borne in Pauie a Citie of Lumbardie was made Archbishop of Canterbury And Thomas a Norman and Chanon of Bayon was placed in the Sea of Yorke Betweene these two a controuersie did arise at the time of their consecration for prioritie in place but this contention was quieted by the King and Thomas for the time subscribed obedience to the Archb. of Canterbury After this they went to Rome for their Palles where the question for Primacie was againe renued or as some affirme first moued before Pope Alexander The Pope vsed them both with honorable respect and especially Lanfrank to whom he gaue two Palles one of honour and the other of loue but their controuersie he referred to be determined in England About two yeeres after it was brought before the King and the Clergie at Windsore The Archbishop of Yorke alleadged that when the Britaine 's receiued the Christian faith in the time of Lucius their King Eleutherius then Bishop of Rome sent Faganus and Damianus vnto them who ordeined 28. Bishops and two Archbishops within the Realme one of London and the other of Yorke Vnder these the Church of Britaine was gouerned almost three hundred yeeres vntill they were subdued by the Saxons The Saxons remained Infidels vntill Gregorie Bishop of Rome sent Augustine vnto them By his preaching Ethelbert King of Kent was first conuerted to the Christian faith By reason whereof Augustine was made Archbishop of Douer by appointment of Pope Gregorie who sent vnto him certaine Palles with his letter from Rome By this letter it is euident that Gregorie intended to reduce the Church of the Saxons to the same order wherein it was among the Britaines namely to be vnder twelue Bishops and two Archbishops one of London and the other of Yorke Indeede he gaue to Augustine during his life authority and iurisdiction ouer all Bishops and Priests in England but after his decease he ioyneth these two Metropolitanes in equall degree to constitute Bishops to ouersee the Church to consult and dispose of such things as appertaine to the gouernement thereof as in former times among the Britaines Betweene these he put no distinction in honour but only as they were in prioritie of time and as he appointeth London to be consecrated by no Bishop but of his own Synod so he expresseth that the Bishop of Yorke should not bee subiect to the Bishop of London And albeit Augustine for the reason before mentioned translated the Sea from London to Douer yet if Gregorie had intended to giue the same authoritie to the successours of Augustine which hee gaue vnto him he would haue expressed it in his Epistle but in that he maketh no mention of his successours he concludeth or rather excludeth them by his silence The Archbishop of Canterbury alleaged that from the time of Augustine vntill the time of Bede which was about 140. yeeres the Bishops of Canterburie which in ancient time said he was called Douer had the Primacie ouer the whole land of Britaine and of Ireland that they did call the Bishops of Yorke to their Councels which diuers times they kept within the Prouince of Yorke that some Bishops of Yorke they did constitute some excommunicate and some remoue He alleaged also diuers priuiledges granted by Princes for the Primacie of that Sea diuers graunted from the Apostolike Sea to confirme this dignitie in the successours of Augustine that it is reason to receiue directions of well liuing from whence we first receiued directions of right beleeuing therfore as the Bishop of Canterbury was subiect to the Bishop of Rome because hee had his faith from thence for the very same cause the Bishop of Yorke should be in subiection to the Bishop of Canterbury that like as the Lord said that to all the Bishops of Rome which hee said to S. Peter so that which Gregorie said to Augustine hee said likewise to all his successours And whereas much is spoken of the Bishop of London what is that to the Archbishop of Canterbury For neither is it certaine that Augustine was euer resident at London neither that Gregorie appointed him so to be In the end it was decreed That Yorke for that time should be subiect to Canterburie that wheresoeuer within England the Archbishop of Canterburie should hold his Councell the Archbishop of Yorke should come vnto it with the Bishops of his Prouince and be obedient to his decrees that when the Archbishop of Canterburie should decease the Archbishop of Yorke should goe to Canterburie to consecrate him that should succeed that if the Archbishop of Yorke should decease his successour should goe to Canterbury or to such place as the Archbishop of Canterburie should appoint there to receiue his Consecration making first his oath of Canonicall obedience And thus was the contention for this first time taken vp but in succeeding times it was often renued and much busied the Clergie of the Realme In the ninth yeere of the
be not satisfied and apt to breake forth into dangerous attempts Of those who any wayes declared themselues in his fauour or defence some were despoiled of their goods some were banished the Realme others were punished with losse of their eyes or of their eares or of some other part of their bodie William d'Owe was accused in a Councell holden at Salisbury to bee a complice of this Treason And albeit he challenged his accuser to the combate yet his eyes were pulled out and his stones cut off by commandement of the King And yet some authours affirme that he was ouercome in combate before For the same cause the King commanded William Aluerie to be hanged a man of goodly personage and modest behauiour the Kings â—…ewer his Aunts sonne and hiâ—… godfather Before his execution hee desired to be whipped through manie Churches in London he distributed his garments to the poore and bloodied the street as he went with often kneeling vpon the stones At the time of his death he tooke it vpon the charge of his soule that he was cleere of the offence for which he suffered And so committing his innocencie to God and to the world his complaints he submitted himselfe to the Executioners hands leauing an opinion in some a suspition in many that others also died without desert For the king gaue an easie eare to any man that would appeach others for his aduantage whereby it sometimes happened that offenders were acquited by accusing innocents He was liberall aboue measure either in regard of his owne abilities or of the worthinesse of the receiuers Especially hee was bountifull if that terme may be applyed to immoderate lauishing to men of warre for which cause many resorted to him from farre Countries for entertainement To winne and retaine the fauour of these hee much impouerished his peaceable people From many he tooke without iustice to giue to others without desert esteeming it no vnequall dealing that the money of the one should bee aduentured and expended with the blood of the other He much exceeded in sumptuousnes of diet and of apparell wherewith great men vse to dazel the eyes of the people both which waies he esteemed the goodnesse of things by their price It is reported that when his Chamberlaine vpon a certaine morning brought him a new paire of hose the King demaunded what they cost and the Chamberlaine answered three shillings Hereat the King grew impatient and said What heauie beast doest thou take these to be conuenient hose for a King Away begger and bring me other of a better price Then the Chamberlaine departed and brought a farre worse paire of hose for a better could not at that time bee found and told the king that they cost a marke The king not onely allowed them for fine enough but commended them also as exceeding fit Assuredly this immoderate excesse of a King is now farre exceeded by many base shifting vnthrifts In building his expences were very great He repaired the Citie and Castle of Caerlile which had been wasted by the Danes 200. yeres before Hee finished New castle vpon Tine Many other Castles he erected or repaired vpon the frontiers of Scotland many also vpon the frontiers and within the very brest of Wales Hee much enlarged the Towre of London and enuironed it with a new wall Hee also built the great Hall at Westminster which is 270. foote in length and 74. foote in breadth And when many did admire the vast largenes thereof he would say vnto them that it was but a bed chamber but a closet in comparison of that which he intended to build And accordingly he layd the foundation of another Hall which stretched from the Riuer Thames to the Kings high street the further erection wherof with diuers other heroicall enterprises ceased together with his life Thus partly by reason of his infinite plots and inuentions and partly by his disorders and vnbrideled liberalities he alwayes liued at great charges and expences which whilest the large treasure lasted which his father left him were borne without grieuance to the subiects But when that was once drained he was reduced to seeke money by extraordinary meanes So many hard taxes were laidvpon the people partly for supplie to his owne necessities and partly to imitate the policie of his father that the people being busied how to liue should reteine small either leisure or meanes to contriue innouations For this cause he was supposed vpon purpose to haue enterprised many actions of charge that thereby he might haue colour to impose both imployments and taxations vpon the people And because the riches of the clergie at that time were not onely an eye-sore vnto many but esteemed also by some to bee very farre aboue due proportion Hee often fleeced them of great summes of money For which cause it is euident that the writers of that age who were for the most part Clergie men did both generally enueigh against him and much depraue his particular actions He withheld his annuall paiment to the Sea of Rome vpon occasion of a Schisme betweene Vrbane at Rome and Clement at Rauenna He claimed the inuestiture of Prelates to be his right Hee forbade Appeales and entercourse to Rome For which and other like causes he had a very great contention with the Clergie of his Realme especially with Anselme Archbishop of Canterbury The seedes of this contention were cast when Anselme was first receiued to his Sea For at that time two did striue for the Papacie of Rome Vrbanus and Guibert called Clement the third some Christian States fauouring the one and some the other King William inclined to Clement the third and with him the Realme generally went but Anselme did fully goe with Vrbane making so his condition before he did consent to accept his dignitie When he was elected and before his consecration the King demanded of him that such lands of the Church of Canterbury as the King had giuen to his friends since the death of Lanfranck might still be held by them as their lawfull right but to this Anselme would in no case agree Hereupon the King stayed his consecration a certaine time but at length by importunitie of the people hee was content to receiue his homage and to giue way to his consecration Not long after the Archbishop desired licence of the king to goe to Rome to receiue his Pall which when the King refused to grant he appealed to the Sea of Rome Now this was the first Appeale that euer before had been made in England For Appeales were not here in ordinarie vse vntil after this time vnder the reigne of King Stephen when Henrie Bishop of Wint. being the Popes Legate brought them in Wherefore the King offended with this noueltie charged Anselme with breach of his fealtie and oath Anselme answered that this was to be referred to the iudgement of a Councell whether it bee a breach of allegiance to a terrene Prince if a man appeale to the
of Warwicke the Hospitall of Kepar the Priorie of Osney neere Oxeford the Hospital of S. Crosse neere Winchester the Priorie of Norton in Cheshire with diuers others The King also founded and erected the Priorie of Dunstable the Abbey of Circester the Abbey of Reading the Abbey of Shirebourne Hee also changed the Abbey of Eley into a Bishops Sea he erected a Bishopricke at Caerlile placed Chanons there and endowed it with many honours These and many other Religious buildings either done or helped forward or permitted and allowed by the King much encreased the affection of the Clergie towards him Now to draw the loue of the common people he composed himselfe to a sober ciuilitie easie for accesse faire in speach in countenance and behauiour kind his Maiestie so tempered with mildnèsse and courtesie that his Subiects did more see the fruits then feele the weight of his high estate These were things of great moment with the vulgar sort who loue more where they are louingly intreated then where they are benefited or happely preserued He eased them of many publicke grieuances Hee restored them to the vse of fire and candle after eight of the clocke at night which his father had most straitly forbidden Punishments of losse of member vsed before he made pecuniarie Hee moderated the Law of his brother which inflicted death for killing any of the Kings Deere and ordeined that if any man killed a Deere in his owne wood the wood should be forfeited to the King He permitted to make enclosures for Parkes which taking beginning in his time did rise to that excessiue encrease that in a few succeeding ages more Parkes were in England then in all Europe beside He promised that the Lawes of K. Edward should againe be restored but to put off the present performance he gaue forth that first they should be reuiewed and corrected and made appliable to the present time And albeit in trueth they were neuer either reuiewed or corrected yet the onely hope thereof did worke in the people a fauourable inclination to his part Whilest the King did thus Immure himselfe in the state of England as well by ordering his affaires as by winning the hearts of the people vnto him Duke Robert was returning from Palestine by easie and pleasurable iourneys vsing neither the celeritie nor forecast which the necessitie of his occasions did require Hee visited many Princes by the way and consumed much time in entertainments and other complements of Court Hee tooke to wife as he came Sibell the daughter of Roger Duke of Apulia and Earle of Cicill vvho was a Norman and the great portion of money which he receiued for her dower he loosely lauished foorth amongst his followers of whom he receiued nothing againe but thankes when he scattered rather then gaue and pitie when he wanted At the last he arriued in Normandie and foorthwith was sollicited out of England by letters from many who either vpon conscience or discontentment fauoured his Title and especially from Radulph Bishop of Durham who had lately escaped out of prison a man odious ynough to vndoe a good cause that he would omit no time that hee would let fall no diligence to embarke himselfe in the enterprise for England that he had many friends there both powerfull and sure who would partake with him in his dangers although not in the honour atchieued by his dangers that therewith the peoples fauour towards the King did begin to ebbe and that it was good taking the first of the tide Hereupon he shuffled vp an Armie in haste neither for number nor furniture nor choise of men answerable to the enterprise in hand Then he crossed the Seas landed at Portesmouth and marched a small way into the Countrey vainely expecting the concourse and ayd which had bene assured him out of England But King Henry had made so good vse both of his warning and time to prouide against this tempest that hee did at once both cut from the Duke all meanes of ayd and was ready to encounter him in braue appointment Hereupon many who were vnable by Armes to relieue the Duke by aduise did to him the best offices they could For they laboured both the King and him to a reconcilement The King with respect of his new vnsettled estate the Duke with respect of his weakenesses and wants both with regard of naturall duetie and loue knit betweene them by band of blood So after some trauaile and debatement a peace was concluded vpon these Conditions That Henry should reteine the kingdome of England and pay to his brother Robert 3000. markes yeerely That if either of them should die without issue the suruiuour should succeed That no man should receiue preiudice for following the part of the one or of the other These conditions being solemnely sworne by the king and the Duke and twelue Noble men on either part the Duke returned into Normandie and about two yeeres after went againe into England to visit the King and to spend some time with him in feasting and disport At which time to requite the Kings kind vsage and entertainment but especially to gratifie Matild the Queene to whom he was godfather he released to the King the annuall payment of 3000. markes But as a wound is more painefull the day following then when it was first and freshly taken so this loose leuitie of the Duke which was an exceeding sad and sore blow to his estate was scarce sensible at his departure out of England but most grieuous to him after hee had remained in Normandie a while whereby many motions were occasioned as well in the one place as in the other The Duke complained that hee had bene circumuented by his brother the King that his courtesies were nothing else but allurements to mischiefe that his gifts were pleasant baites to couer and conuey most dangerous hookes that his faire speaches were sugred poysons that his kinde embracements were euen to tickle his friends to death Robert Belasme Earle of Shrewsbury a man of great estate but doubtfull whether of lesse wisedome or feare tooke part with the Duke and fortified the Towne and Castle of Shrewsbury the Castles of Bridgenorth Tichel and Arundel and certaine other pieces in Wales against King Henry And hauing drawen vnto him some persons of wretched state and worse minde whose fortunes could not bee empaired by any euent hee entred Stafford-shire and droue away light booties of cattell being prepared neither in forces nor in courage to stay the doing of greater mischiefe But neither was this sudden to the King neither was he euer vnprouided against sudden aduentures Wherefore encountring the danger before it grew to perfection and strength he first brought his power against the Castle of Bridgenorth which was forthwith rendred vnto him The residue followed the example which in enterprise of armes is of greatest moment and submitted themselues to the Kings discretion Onely the Castle of Arundel yeelded vpon condition that Robert Belasme their Lord