559 
ENGLAND. 
and monks, who drew them up, had chiefly their educa¬ 
tion there. We mult not, therefore, afcribe the laws 
and culloms which then prevailed over England, entirely 
to Saxon original, lince many of them were derived from 
the Britons and Romans. But, when the Saxon monarchy 
was no more, all culloms and laws, of whatever original, 
were call down into one common mafs, and cemented by 
thofe of Norman inftitution. The whole face of obliga¬ 
tion was altered, and the new matters inflifuted new modes 
of obedience. The laws wefe improved ; but the tafle 
of the people for polite literature and philosophy, for 
more than four hundred years after, was (fill to continue 
the fame. It appears furpriflng, that in fuch a variety 
of events, amid fo many improvements in military fcience, 
and fo many changes in the kingly government, that true 
politenefs and refined tafle, fliould not in all that time 
have received the fmalleft improvement. 
From WILLIAM, surnamed the CONQUEROR, 
to the Termination of the direct NORMAN 
LINE in KING STEPHEN. 
After the ftrength of England had been broken by the 
difaflrous battle of Haftings, very little remained in the 
choice of the inhabitants, but a tame fubmillion to the 
will of the conqueror; and William, fenfible of their con- 
fternation and terror, was careful not to lofe the fruits of 
victory by delay. Accordingly, after the pujfuit of the 
flying enemy, and a fliort refrefliment of his army, he fet 
forward on the completion of his defign ; and fitting down 
before Dover, took it after a flight refiftance, and forti¬ 
fied it with frefh redoubts. He then advanced by quick 
marches towards London, where his approach ferved to 
fpread new alarms. The inhabitants for feme time hefi- 
tated between their terrors and their loyalty ; but, call¬ 
ing their eyes on every fide, they faw no perlon of valour 
or authority fufficient to flip,port them in their independ¬ 
ence. Edgar Atheling, the rightful heir to the crown, 
was a weak and feeble prince, without courage or abi¬ 
lity ; all their other leaders were either deflroyed, or too 
remote to lend them afliftance. The clergy, who had a 
large fh ire in the deliberations, declared openly for a 
prince whofe pretentions were acknowledged, and whofe 
arms were blefl'd'd, by the holy fee. As loon, therefore, 
as William palled the Thames, at Wallingford, Stigand, 
the primate, made fubmillions to him in the name of the 
clergy ; and, before he came within fight of the city, all 
the chief nobility, and Edgar Atheling himfelf, who juft 
before had been proclaimed king, came into his camp, 
and yielded to his authority. The conqueror, though he 
had it in his power to dictate his own terms, rather than 
receive them, yet chofe to have his election conlidered 
rather as the will of his fubjefts, than as a meafure ex¬ 
torted from them. In order to give his claim the greater 
fantfion, he was crowned at Weftminfter by the archbi- 
Ihop of York, and took the oath i fual in the times of the 
Saxon and Danilh kings ; which was, “ to protect and 
defend the church, to oblerve the laws of the realm, and 
to govern the people with impartiality.” Having thus 
given confidence and new hopes to the vanquilhed Eng- 
lifli, Ids next care was to reward the brave adventurers 
who had followed his fortunes. He firft divided the lands 
of the Englilh borons who had oppofed him among' the 
Norman barons who had aflilled his enterprife ; and ftich 
as he could neither fupply with money nor lands, he ap¬ 
pointed to the vacant offices of the ftate. But, as there 
were Hill numbers unprovided for, he quartered them on 
the rich abbeys of the kingdom, until better means of¬ 
fered for their advancement. This, which gave no fmali 
umbrage to the clergy, was but little regretted by the 
people, who were pleafed to fee their own burthens light¬ 
ened, by having a part of them laid upon (boulders that 
were fuppofed much better able to bear them. 
But wliat gave confiderable alarm was, to fee him 
place all the power in the hands of his o\vn countrymen, 
and to fuffer them only to have polfellion of the fword, 
while he difarmed all the Englilh citizens. Hb never- 
thelefs introduced into England that ftridt execution ot' 
juftice, for which his adminiftration had been celebrated 
in Normandy ; he reftrained by fevere difeipline the info- 
lence of his troops ; he appeared folici ous to unite the 
Normans and the Englilh by intermarriages and alliances; 
he confirmed the liberties and immunities of London, 
and the other cities of England ; ..and fee me .I defirous of 
replacing every thing on the ancient eftablirtiment. Yet 
amidft this apparent confidence, he built citadels in Lon¬ 
don, Winchefter, Hereford, Oxford, and the towns heft 
fituated for commanding the kingdom, and trufted to the 
fword, rather than to their fubmillion, which he knew to 
be precarious. By this mixture of vigour and lenity, he 
had fo foothed or humbled the minds of the Englifh, 
that he thought he might fafely revifit his native coun¬ 
try, and enjoy the congratulations of his ancient fubjeifs. 
Accordingly he fet out for Normandy, leaving the admi¬ 
niftration in the hands of his brother Odo, hilltop of 
Baieux, and of William Fitz-OIborne ; and, that their 
authority might be lefs expofed to 'danger, he carried 
over with him the chief of the Engliflt nobles, who, while 
they ferved to grace his court by their magnificence, were 
in reality hoftages for the fidelity of the nation. 
During the abfence of William, affairs took a very un¬ 
favourable turn in England. It is probable, the Nor¬ 
mans, defpifing a people who had fo eafily fubinitted to 
the yoke, and envying their riches, were defirous of pro¬ 
voking them to rebellion. Be this as it jnay, their ar¬ 
rogance certainly multiplied difeontents and complaints 
every where ; and. fccret confpiracies were entered into 
againft the government. The inhabitants of Kent, who 
had firft fubmitted to the conqueror, were the firft that 
attempted to throw off his yoke ; and, encouraged by 
Ettftace count of Boulogne, who had been alfo dilgufted 
by the Normans, made an unfuccefsful attempt on Dover. 
Edric the forefter, whofe pofleffions lay on the banks of 
the Severn, provoked at the depredations of fomc Nor¬ 
man captains in his neighbourhood, formed an alliance 
with Blethyn and Rowallen, two Welfli princes'; and en¬ 
deavoured to repel force by force. The difaffeefcion of 
the Englifh daily increafed ; a fecret project was enter¬ 
tained to perpetuate a malfacre of the Normans, like that 
which had been formerly executed upon the Danes j-artd 
the animofity became fo general and natural, that the 
vaflals of earl Coxo having defired him to head them in 
an infurredtion, and finding him refolute in maintaining 
his fidelity to William, put him to death, as a traitor to 
his country. The return of the king, however, difeon- 
certed the plans of the confpirators ; and the confifcation 
of their eftates (fill farther enriched the Normans. Though 
highly irritated againft the Englifh, William dill pre- 
ferved the appearance of juftice in his oppreflions; he re- 
ftored to their inheritance fuch as had been arbitrarily 
expelled during his abfence ; ljut he feized this oppor¬ 
tunity of renewing the tax of Danegelt on the people, un. 
der pretence of being thereby better able to defend them. 
This tax rendered his government completely odious: 
the inhabitants of Exeter rofe in arms ; the people of De- 
vonlhire and Cornwall followed their example ; but Exe¬ 
ter was foon terrified into fubmiflion by the prefence of 
William. A citadel was ere fled to re ft rain in future their 
levity; and Devonlnire and Cornwall had juft implored 
the clemency of the fovereign, when a new and more for¬ 
midable infurredlion in the north excited the general at¬ 
tention, and feemed to threaten more important confe- 
quenees. At the head of this were Edwin and Morcar, 
two of the mod powerful cf the Englifh nobility, who 
had b'een encouraged by the alfura.nce of ftipport from 
th'cir nephew, Blethyn prince of North Wales, from Mal¬ 
colm king of Scotland, and from Sweyn king of Denmark, 
The brealt of Edwin was inflamed with private as well as 
public wrongs, and he accufed William of having broken 
his promife, of bellowing on him his daughter in mar¬ 
riage. Before the earls, however, could concert their 
meal'ures, or receive the foreign fuccoiirs they expedited, 
they were furprifed by the vigilance of the king. As 
