1823.] Oppressions following the Conquest 



East Anglia, Egelric prelate of Sus- 

 several other bishops, and the 



395 



abbots of the principal monasteries, 

 were degraded all at once.f When 

 the sentence of degradation was pro- 

 nounced against them, they were com- 

 pelled to swear on the Gospel that they 

 considered themselves as deprived of 

 their dignities lawfully, and for ever ; 

 and tliat, whoever their successors 

 might be, tliey would not protest 

 against them.J They were then con- 

 ducted by an armed guard into some 

 fortress or monastery, which became 

 their prison.§ Those who had for- 

 merly been monks were forcibly taken 

 back to their old cloisters ; and it was 

 officially published, that, disgusted 

 with the world, it had pleased them to 

 go and re-visit the friends of their 

 3'outh. Thus it was that foreign power 

 mingled derision with violence. The 

 members of the Saxon clergy dared 

 not to struggle against their fate. 

 Stigand fled into Scotland ; Egelsig, an 

 Augustine abbot, embarked for Den- 

 mark, and was demanded as a fugitif 

 du roi, by a rescript from the Con- 

 queror.|| Onl^' one bishop, Egelwin 

 of Durham,1[ when on the point of 

 departing into exile, solemnly cursed 

 the oppressors of his country; and de- 

 clared them separated for ever from 

 the communion of Christians, accord- 

 ing to the grave and gloomy formula 

 ill which that separation was pro- 

 nounced. But the sound of these 

 words fell in vain on the ear of the 

 Norman: William had priests to give 

 the lie to priests, as he had swords to 

 ward off swords. 



There was then in Normandy a 

 monk of Lombard origin, called Lan- 

 franc, famed for his great knowledge. 

 This man had at lirst been violently 

 suspected by the Roman Church of 

 heresy; but had afterwards made sig- 

 nal protestations of orthodoxy and of 

 fidelity to the apostolical power. The 

 Pope, in order to assure his return to 

 the bosom of the church, and bind him 



• Suthsaxonum pontifex. (Fl. VVigor. 

 636.) 



t Sine culpa. (lb.) 



J Successor! calumniam illotiirum. (Ope- 

 ra: Lanfranci, 3()0.) 



$ In cMistodia. — In captione apud cas- 

 tollain. (Anglia Sacra, 108.) 



II In rcscripto fiigitivuni appcllat. 

 (Scriptorwt rrrum Danicarum, iii. 2a6.) 



f .Solus inter omne«, Egelwintis Ounel- 

 mensis. (Matt. I'aris, .*>.) 



by the ties of gratitude, was desirous 

 of raising him to a high ecclesiastical 

 dignity.* Alexander's legates pro- 

 posed him in the place of Stigand, as 

 archbishop of Canterbury ;t and the 

 conquerors, amongst whom he had the 

 reputation of a very able man, made 

 no objection whatever to this choice, 

 as they hoped much from Lanlrano 

 for the prosperity of their conquest. 

 Queen Matilda and the great men of 

 Normandy eagerly ha.stened his de- 

 parture,! fi'i'l ''6 was received with 

 joy by the Normans in England, who 

 hypocritically welcomed him as an 

 instructor, sent by God himself to re- 

 form (said they,) the bad morals of the 

 English people. § Lanfranc was ap- 

 pointed Archbishop by the election of 

 the foreign king and barons. When 

 he made his entry into the metropolis 

 which they had given him, he could 

 not help feeling sorrowful on behold- 

 ing the condition to which they had 

 reduced it.|| The church of Christ at 

 Canterbury had been plundered and 

 set fire to,^ and the new archbishop 

 found his altar almost buried iu the 

 ruins. 



At Whitsuntide a second council 

 was held at Windsor, w hen one of the 

 king's chaplains, named Thomas, was 

 appointed Archbishop of York, in the 

 room of Elred deceased. 'J'homas, 

 like Lanfranc, found his church de- 

 stroyed, with all its ornaments, char- 

 ters, titles, and privileges :** the 

 territory of his diocese laid waste 

 by fire and sword, and the very Nor- 

 mans who occupied it shuddering at 

 the sight of their own ravages, and 

 hesitating to settle on the lands which 

 they had taken.ft Thomas took pos- 

 session of the domains of the church 

 of York; but, either through disgust 

 or through nnitual terror, neither Nor- 

 man nor Saxon would farm them.Jt 



• Lanfranci Opera, 299. 



t Ibid. 



J Ord. Vitalis. 



§ Ad crnendationem monim. (Ibid.) 



II IMente contristatus est. (Eadmer, 7.) 



^ Incendio atque minis pocne nihili fac- 

 tam. (lb.) 



•* Incensa qiioque metropolis Ecclesia, 

 et oinanienta illius, et castas et privilegia 

 conibiista. (Stubbs, 1708.) 



tt Ipsis Norniansis in taiitnm animus 

 deficeret, ut. (lb.) 



Xi Neminem qui eos, formidine indi> 

 gena: gmtis et honorc vasta- sulitudinis, 

 susciperc auderct, invenerit. (lb.) 



