the chiefest time of their Fruits spoiling all before him till he came to Paris where the King of France then was to whom he sent to shew him of his upsiting From thence he marched to Mentz which he wholly sackt where he caught the occasion of his Death by the strain of his Horse amongst the breaches from whence he was conveighed sick to Roan Anno Christi 1078. King William before his going into Normandy the more to assure himself and his successors of the English Crown on the East side of London built a strongly fenced Castle or Magazine for his Warlike Amunition which he entrenched with a long and deep Ditch 〈◊〉 now called the Tower of London the Surveyor of which worke was Gundulphus Bishop of Rochester the mortar of it being tempered with the blood of Beasts Then to fill his Coffers he imposed great Subsidies upon the Land causing an exact survey to be taken of the whole kingdom yea and of every particular part and commodity thereof so that there was not a Hide of Land Lake Water or Wast but he knew the value the Owners and Possessors together with the Rents and profits therof As also of all Cities Towns Villages Monasteries and Religious Houses Causing all the People in England to be numbered their Names to be taken with notice what every one might dispend by the year their substance money and Bondmen were recorded How many yoak of Oxen and plough-lands were in the Realm and what services they owed that held of him in Fee All which was certified by Oaths of the Commissioners This done he caused six shillings to be paid him for every Hide of Land The Book that cōtained this Survey was called the Roule of Winchester as being kept there at first But ever since it hath been called Doomsday Book because of the General and inevitable censure thereof and since it hath been kept in the Kings Exchequer at Westminster This grievous exaction made the English miserably groan under their present State whereby the King and his Normans were daily more hated and he on the contrary loved them so little that he fought by all means to bring the English Name and Nation to ruine He gave also further offence both to God and Man by depopulating the fruitful Country lying South from Salisbury to the Sea pulling down Towns and Villages with thirty six Parish Churches and so laid open all the Country for thirty miles space for wild beasts for his own Game in Hunting which place hath ever since been called the New Forrest He also imposed such severe punishments upon such as offended in hunting his Game that he was called the Father of wild Beasts But God's severe Judgment pursued him for his wickedness for in this Forrest Richard his second Son was gored by a Deer whereof he dyed Rufus an other of his Sons being taken for a Deer was shot thorow with an Arrow and slain Henry his Grandson by Robert Curtoise his Eldest Son eagerly pursuing a Deer was by a bough struck into the jawes and left hanging till he died Although King William at his Coronation had taken an oath to observe the Laws of King Edward then in use which oath he renewed at Barkhamsted yet did he abbrogate many of them and brought in the Norman Laws written in French commanding that all Causes should be pleaded and all matters of Form dispatched in French either on purpose to entrap men through ignorance of the Language or else to make the Normans Language predominant in this Kingdom which yet he could never effect there being not so much as any footsteps of that Language remaining in the English Tongue Forms of Judgment by Fire and Water called Ordeal formerly much used were now antiquated and shortly after quite abolished by the Pope as savouring too much of Paganism That of Combat continued longer but was of no ordinary use Actions both Criminal and Real began now wholly to be judged by the verdict of twelve men called by the name of Enquest And whereas the Bishops formerly dealt in Secular Causes and shared with the King in many Mulcts imposed on Delinquents now the King confined all the Clergy within the compass of their own Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction to meddle only in matters concerning mens Souls He set up Sheriffs in every Shire and Justices of Peace to punish Malefactors And lastly he ordainned his Councel of State his Chancery his Exchequer and his Courts of Justice which alwayes removed with his Court These places he furnished with Officers and assigned four Terms in the year for determining controversies amongst the People commonly held at Westminster As for his Provisionary Revenues his Tenants who held Lands of the Crown paid him no mony but only Corn and Victuals and a just note of the quality and quantity of everyman's ratement was taken through all the Shires of the Kingdom and leavied constantly for the maintenance of the Kings House One Law he made which was extreamly distastfull to the Gentry That whereas they might at their pleasure hunt take Deer which they found abroad in the woods now it was ordained that upon penalty of putting out their eyes none should presume to take or kill any of them the King preserving them for his own Game In the first year of his Reign he granted to the City of London their first Charter and Liberties in as Large a manner as they enjoyed them under King Edward the Confessor which he did at the request of William a Norman Bishop of London in grateful remembrance whereof the Lord Major and Aldermen upon their solemn days of their resort to Pauls do still walk to the Grave-stone where this Bishop lies interred Also this King was the first that brought the Jewes into England He also enacted a Law that whosoever forced a woman should lose his Genitals In his time the use of long Bows came first into England which as they were the weapons wherewith under this King France Conquered England so they were the weapons with which England under succeeding Kings conquered France This King also appointed a Constable at Dover Castle and a Lord Warden of the Cinque-Ports In short He ordained such good Laws and had them so well executed that a Girle might carry a bag of money all the Country over without danger of being rob'd And in his time the setting of Seals to Bonds and writings was first used In King William's time Stigand Archbishop of Canterbury was removed from his See and kept Prisoner during his Life in the Castle of Winchester and Lanfranc an Italian succeeded him who in a Synod at London removed the Bishops Sees from small Towns to Cities as from Silliway to Chichester from Kyrton to Exeter from Wells to Bath From Sherborn to Salisbury from Dorcester to Lincolne and from Lichfield to Chester and from thence again to Coventry He founded the Abbey of Battel in Sussex where
Wilhelmus Conquestor Rex Anglia Dux Norman etc. THE Life Death OF WILLIAM Surnamed The Conqueror King of ENGLAND and Duke of NORMANDY Who dyed Anno Christi 1087. By Samuel Clarke late Minister of Bennet-Finck London LONDON Printed for Simon Miller at the signe of the Star at the West end of St Pauls 1671. THE Life and Death of WILLIAM Sirnamed the CONQUEROUR KING of ENGLAND and Duke of NORMANDY Who dyed Anno Christi 1087. THE Normans issued out of Denmark and Norway the Inhabitants of which Countries in those times were so fruitful in the Procreation of Children that they were forced oft-times to send multitudes abroad to seek new habitations Amongst whom there was one Roul a great Commander attended with many lusty lads who in the dayes of King Alfrid first landed in England where finding no room empty nor any imployment was content upon some relief received to seek imployment else-where which he did against Rambalt Duke of Frize and Reiver Duke of Chaumont and Henalt with whom he often encountred and made great spoiles in their Countries Then passing along the Coast of France he entred the mouth of the River Seine and sackt all the Country up to Roan where the People having been a little before miserably spoiled by an other Invader were so terrified by the coming of these new Forces that the Archbishop of Roan by the peoples consent offered him the obedience of that City and Country upon condition that he would protect them and govern them according to the Laws of Christ and the customes of their Countrey For Charles the Simple the present King of France being otherwise embroiled about the right of his Crown neglected to defend them So that Roul shortly after attempted the Conquest of Paris itself and therein gave some notable overthrowes to some of the French Commanders So that King Charles was forced to buy his Peace by entering into alliance with and giving over to Roul his right to Normandy formerly called Nuestria And hereupon Roul turned Christian and was baptized by the name of Robert Thus he came to his Estate which he governed with such Judgment and equity that he left his Name honourable and his successours a firme foundation to build upon From him in a direct line descended six Dukes of Normandy that inherited that Dukedome the last of which was also called Robert who out of blind devotion resolving to visit Christ's Sepulchre acquainted his Nobles therewith They disswaded him all they could because he had no issue and Allaire Earl of Britaine and the Earle of Burgundy were already contending which of them should succeed him whereby their Country was like to become a Prey to the Souldiers from which he in conscience was bound to secure it The Duke told them that he had a little Bastard of whom he had great hopes whom he would invest with that Dutchy as his Heir and therefore he prayed them thenceforth to take him for their Lord. And said he To shew my trust in him I will make the Earl of Britaine his Governour and Seneschal of Normandy and the King of France shall be his Guardian and so I will leave him to God and your Loyalty Shortly after the Bishops and Barons did their homage to this base Son named William whom his Father begat on one Arlet a mean woman of Falaise And Duke Robert delivered the Child with his own hand to Henry first King of France whom he had greatly assisted in keeping his Crown against an other Competitor and therefore he might the more presume if good-turns done to Princes could weigh down self-respects to have found a faithful discharge of his trust He caused also young William to doe his homage for the Dutchy of Normandy to the King and so committed him to his Royal Faith and going his joruney he dyed in Asia William being then but nine years old Soon after the news of his Father's death the Nobles of Normandy by much intreaty gat him out of the French King's hand knowing that they having him amongst them would countenance his Counsellers and such as were in Office But they soon found that his Person without power did but increase their discord and factions For presently after his right was questioned by Competitors And first Robert de Tresny an experienced Souldier bringing a fair line from Roul intertained and feasted the chiefest men amongst them urging to them what a wrong it was to him that a Bastard and a Child should be preferred before him in the Dutchy which his Ancestors had gotten by their Valour and what a shame it was for the Normans to be governed by such an one And when words prevailed not he brought it to the tryal of the Sword in a great Battel in which by the valour of Roger de Beaumont he was defeated and himself and his two Brethren slain Not long after the King of France violating the trust that was reposed in him assisted in Person William Earl of Arques another pretender to the Dutchy descended also from Roul and brought to his aid a mighty Army yet Count Guifford Duke William's General by a stratagem training the French into an Ambush overthrew them and caused the King to return to Paris with great loss and dishonour and forced Arques to seek relief from the Earl of Bologne where yet he found little favour few regarding men that are overthrown and low This storm past a worse succeeds There lived with Duke William a young Lord of the like years called Guy descended also from Roul who coming to be sensible of his Interest was advised by some stirring spirits to put in for the Dutchy which they said was his right and but usurped by the Bastard And to promote his affairs there fell out a deadly feud between two of the greatest Lords Vicount Neel and the Earl of Bessin whose quarrel Duke William either did not or could not pacifie whereupon this Guy who was lately made Earl of Briorn and Vernon interposed to end this discord and by the advice of Grimolt de Plessis brought it to pass that both these great men turned the point of their malice against Duke William for not ending the difference and therefore conspired with Guy to murther him at unawares which also they had effected had not a Fool whom they suspected not noting their preparations got away in the night to Valogne knocking and crying at the Gates till he was admitted to the Dukes presence who was now about seventeen years old whom he willed presently to flee or he would be murthered The Duke seeing the Fool so affrighted contemns not the information but presently takes Horse and all alone posts towards Falaise his strongest place By the way his Horse was tired and at break a day coming to a Village called Rie it fell out that a Gentlemen was standing at his door ready to ride abroad of him the Duke enquired the next
succeeded his Father in the Dutchy of Normandy whereof he was dispossessed by his Brother Henry King of England at the Battel of Ednarchbray Anno. 1106. where being taken Prisoner his eyes were put out and he was sent to the Castle of Cardiff in Wales and after twenty years imprisonment died there William the elder surnamed Miser who in the right of Queen Maud was Earl of Flanders who died six years before his Father Richard was born in Normandy and as he was hunting in the new Forrest whilst he was young was slain by a Stag. William surnamed Rufus who succeeded his Father in the Kingdom of England Henry surnamed Beau-clerk or the Fine Schollar who after his Brothers Death came to be King of England and Duke of Normandy Cicily his eldest Daughter was by her Father made a Nun and afterwards was chosen Abbess in the Monastery built by her father in Caen. Constance his second Daughter was first married to Allain Earle of Little Britaine who was afterwards by King William made Earl of Richmond Alice his third Daughter was married to Steven Earl of Bloys Gundred his fourth Daughter was married to William Warren who was the first Earl of Surry in England Ella his fifth Daughter some say she dyed young Margeret his youngest Daughter who was contracted to Alphonso King of Galicia in Spain but dyed before the marriage was consummated There was one Randolph Peverel to whom Edward the Confessor was very bountifull because he had married his kinswoman the Daughter of Ingelrick a man of great Nobility among the English Saxons A Lady of that admirable beauty that with her looks she conquered the Conquerour William who desired nothing more than to be her Prisoner in Armes which to effect he begins to express a kind of love to the remembrance of her deceased Father Ingelrick enriching the Colledge of Martins Le Grand in London first founded by him and her Uncle Edward Then he honours and advances her two Brethren William Peverel Castellane or keeper of Dover Castle and Payne Peverel Baron of Bourn in Cambridgshire the Founder of Barnwell Abbey and Standard-bearer to Robert Duke of Normandy in the Holy War against the Infidels He prefers her kindred and Friends He sollicites her by the Messengers of the Devils Bedchamber his fly Enchanting Bawdes and comes sometimes himself like Jupiter in a Golden shower Thus by these forcible demonstrations of his love and unavoidable allurements especially from a King she was brought at length to his unlawfull Bed unto whom she bare a Son named William who was Lord of Nottingham and Founder of Lenton Abby The Lady his Mother touched with remorse of Conscience for her sin to expiate her guilt for such was the Doctrine taught in those dayes founded a College in Hatfield Peverel in Essex wherein setting apart all worldly imployments she spent the remainder of her dayes King William having once setled himself in the Kingdom divided a great part of it among his followers To Allen surnamed the Red Earl of Britain who came into England with him and was his Son in Law he gave the Honour and County of Edwin within the Province of York by his Charter in these words I William surnamed the Bastard King of England give and grant to thee my Nephew Allen Earl of Britain and to thy Heirs for ever all those Villages Towns and Lands which were late in the possession of Earl Edwin in Yorkshire with Knights Fees Churches and other liberties and customes as freely and as honourably as the said Edwin held them Given at the siege before York FINIS His Pedigree * or Rolls His Birth and Parentage He is made Duke of Normandy and commited to the French King He comes into Normandy His troubles by Competitors The King of France against him New troubles Treason against him A special Providence He retires to the French King His Valour and Victory His meekness His new troubles He recovers his Towns His Valour A new Conspiracy He calls a Parlament His Marriage He is envied by the French King who invades his Country The French beaten The King of France invades his Country again and is again beaten The King of France dies He goes into England His preparations His Policy His subtilty The affairs in England Herald made King An. 1066. His prudence and policy His opposition and successe His victory Duke William comes into England His policy The Battel between him and Herald Their mutual valour Herald slain Englands sins Duke Williams victory His Progress The English submit to him A stout Abbot He comes to London Is received with Joy His Coronation No Conquerour His Prudence The Kentish mens Policy * or Fitz-Osburne King William goes into Normandy Returns into England His Prudence and Policy The English rebel * or Malcolâ—â— He built 4 Castles Troubles out of Ireland In the West and North. England invaded by the Danes and Scots York burnt King William goes against them Woful devastations The King Conquers New discontents Ely taken King William's clemency Peace with Scotland A new Conspiracy Discovered Prevented His son Robert rebels Is reconciled to his Father New-Castle built Quarrels with France The French King jeers him His reveng His sickness The Tower built England surveied Dooms-day Book New forrest made Remarkable Judgments The Laws in French Bishops Power abated His houshold Provision The Charter of London renewed Bishops Sees Changed his works of Piety Pauls Church burnt and reedified Great Judgments He despoiles the Monasseries His last VVill. His Death Vanity of Vanties His Charecter His Wife His Sons His Daugters