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riority of their influence. That influence flowed from 

 various fources ; but principally from their immenfe 

 revenue, derived partly from the vaft demefne of the 

 Saxon kings, long denominated *' the ancient demefne 

 of the crovv^n," partly from confifcations, and refervations 

 upon grants of lands confifcated, and partly from 

 exadlions. The fituation, at the moment, of the lay- 

 men who compofed the great council of the crow^n ; or, 

 as they arc now termed the peers of the realm (for happily 

 for us we have never had what in other countries of 

 Europe is called a nobility, forming a di{lin£l: ftate in 

 the government) alfo contributed to give extraordinary 

 influence to the crown. The Conqueror made their 

 ofiice hereditary, and their duties a fervice attached to 

 territorial poflefllons ; and they acquired by the alteration 

 that {lability which has fince enabled their body, on 

 various occafions, to hold the balance of the conftitution. 

 But they were chiefly Normans, looking to Normandy 

 as their native country, doubtful of their Englifli pof- 

 fefllons, and apprehenfive that oppofition to the exertion 

 of power by the crown might become dangerous to their 

 own eftablifhment. The death of the Conqueror fepa- 

 rated Normandy from England. The Norman-Englifh 

 were at firfl: alarmed by the feparation ; but they foon 

 began to confider England as their country, to look to 

 it's conftitution, examining it to admire it, and they 

 became Englilhmen, and delighted to be fo called. 



The opprefllons of Rufus difgufted all his fubjeds of 

 every defcription ; his death was confidered as a deli- 

 verance ; and the Saxon and Norman-Englifh alike 

 contributed to raife Henry (born in England, and bred 

 in Englifli habits) to the throne, in preference to his 

 elder brother. Confcious to what he owed his crown, 

 he fought to conciliate the affc6lions of the Englifli by 



marrying 



