ENGLAND. 
564 
the dominions. It was in vain that Henry, the other 
brother, remcnftrated againft this aft of injuftice ; it w-as 
in vain that he took arms, and defended his little fortreTs 
on the coaft of Normandy againft their united ftrength. 
He was obliged to fubmit; and thus defpoiled of the 
fmall patrimony that was left him, he wandered about 
with a few 'attendants, and was often reduced to great 
poverty. It was in befieging the fortrefs of Henry, that 
a circumftance or two have been related, which ferve to 
mark the charafter of the two brothers. As William 
was on horfeback at fome diftance from the camp, he 
perceived two horfemen riding out from the caftle, who 
came up and attacked him. In the encounter the king’s 
Iiorfe being killed, it fell over, and lay upon him in fuch 
a manner that he could not difengage himfelf. His an- 
tagonift, while he remained in this (ituation, lifted up his 
arm to difpatch him ; when William exclaimed, in a me¬ 
nacing tone, “ Hold, villain 1 I am the king of England.” 
The two foldiers were ftruck with awe ; and, helping him 
up, accommodated him with one of their horles. Wil¬ 
liam was not ungrateful for this fervice'; he mounted the 
horfe, and, ordering the foldier to follow, took him into 
his fervice. Soon after Robert had an occafion to fliew 
ftill greater marks of generofity ; for, hearing that the 
garrifon was in great diftrefs for want of water, he not 
only ordered that Henry ftiotild be permitted to fupply 
himfelf, but alfo fent him fome pipes of wine for his own 
table. Rufus did not at all approve of this ill-timed ge¬ 
nerality ; but Robert anfwered his renioi (trances by fay¬ 
ing, “ Shall we fuft’er our brother to die with third? 
Where fltall we find another when he is gone ?” 
The'petty difcords that prevailed after this accommo¬ 
dation between Robert and Rufus, are unworthy the at¬ 
tention of hiftory. They indeed produced more real ca¬ 
lamities to the people, than fplendid iiivafions or bloody 
battles, as the depredations of petty tyrants are ever more' 
feverely felt by the poor, than the magnanimous enter- 
prifes of ambition. A rupture' enfued between Rufus 
and Malcolm, king of Scotland, in which the latter was 
ultimately defeated and (lain, by a party from Alnwick 
caftle. 
A new breach was made, A. D. 1093, between the bro¬ 
thers, in which Rufus found means to encroach ftill fur¬ 
ther upon Robert’s pofteffions in Normandy. An incur- 
fion from the Wellh, A. D. 1094, filled England with 
alarm ; but they were quickly repelled, and obliged to 
find refuge in their native mountains. A conlpiracy of 
the Norman barons in England alfo threatened ferious 
confequences ; but their fchemes were prevented and fruf- 
trated. Robert Mowbray, earl of Northumberland, who 
was at the head of this plot, was thrown into prifon, where 
lie died, after thirty years confinement. The cotinr of 
Eu, another confpirator, denying the charge, fought with 
his accufer, in prefence of the court, at Windfor, and be¬ 
ing worfted in the combat, was deemed guilty, and con¬ 
demned to be caftrated, and to have his eyes put out. 
Every confpiracy, thus detefted, ferved to enrich the 
king, who took care to apply to his own ufe thofe trea- 
fures that had been amafted for the purpofe of oppoling 
him. 
But thefe tranfient broils and treafons were now to¬ 
tally elipfed by the molt noted enterprifes that ever ex¬ 
cited the attention of mankind—the croifades, which were 
now firft projefted for the recovery of the Holy Land. 
See the article Croisaije, vol. v. p. 374. But in the 
midft of this religious ardour, which diffuied itfelf all over 
Europe, men were not entirely forgetful of their temporal 
concerns; for (ome, hoping a mure magnificent fettle- 
ment in the loft regions of Alia, fold their European pro¬ 
perty for whatever they could obtain, contented with re¬ 
ceiving any tiling for what they were predetermined to 
relinquifti. Among, the princes who felt and acknow¬ 
ledged this new fpirit of enterprife, was Robert duke of 
Normandy. The croifade was entirely adapted to his in¬ 
clinations and his circumftances; he was brave, zealous, 
covetous of glory, harafled by infurreftions, and, what 
was more than all, naturally fond of adventure. In or¬ 
der to raife money to defray the charges of fo expenfive 
an undertaking, lie offered to fell or mortgage Iiis duke¬ 
dom of Normandy to his brother Rufus for ten tlioufand 
marks; which fum was readily advanced by Rufus, whole 
ambition was ever upon the watch to enlarge his domi¬ 
nions. In this manner was Normandy once more united 
to England; and from this union, afterwards, arofe thofe 
numerous wars with France, which, for whole centuries, 
continued to depopulate both nation's, without once con¬ 
ducing to iiicreafe the power of either. Rufus was not 
a little pleaded with this acquifition; he made a voyage 
to his new dominion, and took pofteflion of it, A. D. 1095, 
according' to agreement with his brother. He alfo de- 
manded of the king o t France a part of the territory of 
Vexin, which' he pretended was an appurtenance to his 
duchy, and even attempted to enforce his claims by arms. 
But, though the cellion of Maine and Normandy greatly 
increafed the king’s territories, they added but little to 
his real power; for his new fubjefts' were compofed of 
men of a turbulent fpirit, and more ready todifpute than 
obey his-commands. Many were the revolts and infiir- 
reftioTis which he was obliged to quell in perfon ; and no 
fooner was the flame of one cqnf piracy fupprelFed, than 
another role out of its allies to give him frefli alarms. 
In the midft of thefe troubles, he found himfelf in¬ 
volved in a difagreeable difpute with Anfelm, archbiffiop 
of Canterbury, a prelate of a haughty dilpolition, and ex¬ 
tremely tenacious of the rights of the clergy. There was 
at that time a fchifm in the church, between Urban and 
Clement, who both pretended to the papacy ; and An¬ 
felm, who had already acknouledged Urban, was deter¬ 
mined, without the king’s confent, to introduce his au¬ 
thority into England. William, imitating his father’s 
example, had prohibited his fubjefts from recognizing 
any pope whom lie had not. previoufly approved ; lie was 
therefore highly incenfed at Anfelm’s conduft. A fy- 
nod was fummoned at Rockingham for depofing the pre¬ 
late ; bur, inftead of obeying the king, the members of 
it declared that none but the pope could inflift a cenfure 
on their primate. To this was foon after added a frefh 
offence. Anfelm being required to furnilh liis quota of 
foldiers for an intended expedition againft the Wellh, he 
fent them fo ill equipped, that Rufus threatened him 
with a profecution. As the refentments on both lides 
were increafed, their mutual anger proceeded to recri¬ 
mination ; and Anlelm, finding it dangerous to remain in 
the kingdom, delired permillion to retire to Rome. This 
requeft the king readily complied with ; but, to mortify 
the prelate, he fent an officer to fearch his baggage after 
lie was on-board, and to feize all his money, on pretence 
of a law which forbade the exportation of (ilver. Not 
content with this, lie ordered all li is temporalities to be 
confifcated, and aftually kept polfeffion of them the re¬ 
maining part of Ins life. 
This open infringement of what were deemed the rights 
of the church, ferved to exafperate the pope, as well as 
all the ecclefiaftics of his own dominions, againft him. 
Urban even menaced him with the fentence of excom¬ 
munication ; but he happened to be too earneftly engaged 
in the croifade, to attend to any other concern. Rufus, 
therefore, little regarded thofe cenfures, which he knew 
were inefteftual: lie had but little religion at belt; and 
the amazing infatuation of the times infpired him with 
no very high ideas of the wjfdom of its profefl'ors. It is 
reported of him, that he accepted fifty marks of a Jew, 
whofe fon had been converted to Chriftianity, and who 
engaged the king by that prefent to affift in bringing back 
the youth to Judaifm. William employed both menaces 
and perfuafion for that purpofe ; but, finding his efl'orts 
ineffedtual, he fent for the father, and informing him that 
the new convert was obftinute in his faith, he returned 
half the money, keeping the reft as a remuneration for 
his labour. At another time, he is laid to have fent for 
fome 
