ENGLAND. 
5Gj 
Tome learned Chriftian tlieologlans and fome Jewifli rab¬ 
bles, and bade them fairly difptite the points of their re¬ 
ligion before him. lie was perfectly indifferent, lie faid, 
which fltould prevail ; be had his ears open to both, and 
he would embrace that doctrine, which, upon compa. 
rifon, fliould be found fupported on the mod folid argu¬ 
ments. 
In this manner Rufus proceeded, carelefs of approba¬ 
tion or cenfure, and only intent upon extending his domi¬ 
nions, either by purchafe or conqueft. The earl of Poic- 
tou and Guienne, having alfo engaged in the croifade, 
had gathered an immenfe army for that expedition, but 
wanted money to forward his preparations. He had re- 
courfe, therefore, to Rufus, and offered to mortgage all 
his dominions for a very inconsiderable fum. The king 
accepted this offer with his uftial avidity, and had pre¬ 
pared a fleet and an army to take poffeflion of the rich 
provinces thus configned to his trufl. But a fatal acci¬ 
dent put an end to all his ambitious projects, and left a 
monarch even deffitute of a friend to perform the laft fad 
office to his remains. His favourite amufement was hunt¬ 
ing. The New Foreft, which had been depopulated for 
that purpofe, was generally the fcene of liis fport; and 
there he ufualiy fpent thofe hours which were not em¬ 
ployed in bufinefs of a more ferious nature. One day, 
as he was mounting his horfe in order to take his cnfto- 
rnary amufement, lie is faid to have been flopped by a 
monk, who warned him, from fome dreams he had the 
night before, to abftain from that day’s diverfion. Ru¬ 
fus, fmiling at his fuperftition, ordered him to be paid 
for his zeal, but defired him to dream better dreams in 
future. Thus, fetting forward, he began the chafe, at¬ 
tended by Walter Tyrrel, a French knight, famous for 
archery. Towards fun-fet, they found themfelves fepa- 
rated from the reft of their retinue ; when a ftag bounded 
out from a thicket. Rufus, drawing his bow, wounded 
the animal, yet not fo mortally but that it fled. He 
checked his horfe, and had raifed his hands to guard his 
eyes from the fun-beams, when Tyrrel let fly an arrow 
at the frag, which, glancing from a tree, (truck the king 
in the bread, and pierced him to the heart. Fie dropt 
dead inftantaneoufly; and Tyrrel, terrified at the acci¬ 
dent, put fpurs to his horfe, haftened to the fea-fhore, 
embarked for France, and joined the croifade that was 
then fetting out for Jerufalem. The body, being after¬ 
wards found by fome woodmen, was put into a collier’s 
cart, and conveyed to Winchefter, a diftance of about 
feventeen miles; where it was interred in the choir of 
the cathedral. A raifed grey (tone, without any infcrip- 
tion, frill marks the grave of Rufus; and an ornamented 
cheft, on the contiguous wall of the choir, contains the 
bones of his brother Richard, who likewife perifhed in 
the New Foreft, from being gored by the flag he was 
hunting. 
There are various opinions as to the death of Rufus, 
although what is written above is generally credited. 
Eadmer gives it as a received opinion, that he fell with 
an arrow in his hand, and mortally wounded his bread. 
Suger, in his Life of Lewis the Fat, affirms that Tyrrel 
had, with folemn oaths, averred to him that he was not 
even in that part of the foreft where the king fell, nor 
faw him there on the day of his death. And John of 
Salifbury, comparing the death of William to that of 
Julian the apoftate, fays, that it was equally doubtful (at 
the time when he wrote) by whom either of them was 
killed. Yet there is in the New Foreft a ford called 
Tyrrel’s Ford ; there is an eftate too called Avon Tyr¬ 
rel, and if (as the tradition of the foreft affirms) thefe 
lands have been liable to pay a yearly fine to the exche¬ 
quer of feventeen (hillings on account of the above-men¬ 
tioned ford having been (hewn to the regicide by the then 
owner of the eftate, there can be no doubt of Tyrrel’s at 
lead: prefuming himfelf guilty. A monument (which ftill 
exifts) was erected on the fpot where Rufus fell, by lord 
Delaware, who avers that he had feen the oak on which 
Vol. VI. No. 373. 
the arrow had glanced. In the infeription it is recorded, 
that a peafant named Purkifs drove the cart which con¬ 
veyed the royal body to Winchefter; and it is remark¬ 
able that two families' of the faid name ftill occupy cot¬ 
tages near the fpot, and that within the laft century an 
axle-tree and wheel were preferved by one of thefe cot¬ 
tagers, which tradition aflerted to have belonged to the 
very cart above-mentioned. 
William Rufus, in perfon, was fliort and fat, with eyes 
of different colours. He inherited all his father’s vices, 
without his few virtues. He was a perfidious, encroach¬ 
ing, and a dangerous, neighbour; an unkind and unge¬ 
nerous relation ; a rapacious and prodigal prince. How¬ 
ever, there remain to this day fome noble monuments of 
of his public fpirit; the Tower, Weftminfter-hall, and 
London bridge, were all built by him, and are evidences 
that the treafures of government were not wholly ex¬ 
pended in vain. William Rufus was (lain in the thir¬ 
teenth year of his reign, A. D. 1100, and the fortieth of 
his age; and, as he never was married, he left no legi¬ 
timate ilfue behind him. But there were (till two competi¬ 
tors for the crown ; Robert, who had engaged in the holy 
war, and Henry, the youngeft brother, who continued at 
home. Had Robert been in Normandy when Rufus died, 
there is no doubt, from the popularity of his character, 
and from the treaty formerly concluded between the two 
brothers, but that he would have been elected without 
oppofition. This valiant prince having led his followers 
into Paleftine, and there diftinguiflied himfelf by his cou¬ 
rage and generality, after the taking of Jerufalem, began 
to think of returning home, and of enjoying in tranquil¬ 
lity that glory which he had won in the field againft the 
infidels. But, inftead of taking the diredt road to Eng¬ 
land, he pafted through Italy, where he fell in love with 
Sibylla, daughter of count Converfano, a lady of cele¬ 
brated beauty ; and, marrying her, he lavifhed away, in 
luxuriant repofe, thofe hours which fliould have been 
employed in the recovery of his kingdom. 
In the mean time Henry, who had been hunting in the 
New Foreft when his brother was (lain, took the earlieft 
advantage of the occafion, and haftening to Winchefter, 
refolved to fecure the royal treafure, which he knew to 
be the beft afliftant in feconding his aims. William de 
Breteuil, who had the care of the treafury, informed cf 
the king’s death, oppofed himfelf boldly to Henry’s pre¬ 
tentions. He ventured to a flu re Henry, that the money in 
his cuftody, as well as the crown, belonged to his elder bro¬ 
ther, and that he was refolved to continue firm in his juft 
allegiance. The difpute was on the point of producing 
blooddied, when feveral of Henry’s partizans arriving, 
compelled Breteuil to ftirrender the treafure, with a part 
of which they, in all probability, hoped to be rewarded 
for their fervice. Without lofing time, he now haftened 
to London, where lie procured himfelf to be proclaimed 
king, and inftantly proceeded to the exercife of the royal 
functions. The barons, as well as the people, acquiefced 
in a claim which they were unprepared to relift. Henry 
eafily forefaw, that, to fecure his uftirped title, his fubjects. 
were to be indulged, and that his power could only find 
fecurity in their affections. His firft care, therefore, was 
to make feveral cortceffions in their favour. He granted 
them a charter, eftablilhing the churches in pofleflion of all 
their immunities; abolifhing thofe cxceffivc fines which 
tiled to be exacted from heirs; granting his barons, and 
military tenants, the power of bequeathing their money 
by will ; remitting all debts due to the crown; offering 
a pardon for all former offences, and promifing to con¬ 
firm and obferve all the laws of Edward the Confedor. 
Thefe conceflions pleafed the clergy and the people, 
while the king, who meant only to obferve them while 
his power was in difpute, boafted of the lenity of his go¬ 
vernment. Still farther to ingratiate himfelf with the 
people, Henry expelled from court all the minifters of 
his brother’s debauchery and arbitrary power; he drip¬ 
ped Ralph Plambard of his dignity, who had been his 
7 E brother’s 
