CHAPTER XXXIX.

BATTLE OF HASTINGS.

"'Tis better to die at the head of the herd,

Than to perish alone, unmourned, uninterred;

To be bound with the brave amid summer's last sheaves,

Than be left, the last ear that the reaper's hand leaves;

'Tis better to fall grasping arrow and bow,

Amid those whom we love, than be slave to a foe;

For life is the target at which Death's shafts fly,

If they miss us we live--if they hit us we die."

ROYSTON GOWER.

Elated by the victory which a hasty march and a sudden surprise had

enabled him to obtain more easily over the Norwegians, the brave Harold

again, without a day's delay, proceeded to advance rapidly in the

direction of the Norman encampment, wearied and thinned as his forces

were by the late encounter; hoping by the same unexpected manoeuvre

and headlong attack, to overthrow at once this new enemy. So sanguine

was the Saxon king of obtaining the victory, that he commanded a fleet

of seven hundred vessels to hasten towards the English Channel, and

intercept the enemy's ships if they should, on his approach, attempt

to return to Normandy. The force thus despatched, to remain idle and

useless upon the ocean, greatly diminished the strength of the army

which Harold was about to lead into the field. Added to this, many

had abandoned his standard in disgust, because he prohibited them

from plundering the Northmen, whom they had so recently conquered--an

act of forbearance which, when placed beside his generous dismissal

of the vanquished, shows that Harold, like Alfred, blended mercy

instead of revenge with conquest. Too confident in the justice of his

cause--brave, eager, impetuous, and burning with the remembrance of the

wrongs which he had endured, while he lay helpless at the foot of the

Norman duke in his own country, the Saxon king hastened with forced

marches to London; where he only waited a few days to collect such

forces as were scattered about the neighbourhood, instead of gathering

around him the whole strength of Mercia, and the thousands which he

might have marshalled together from the northern and western provinces.

Those who flocked to his standard came singly, or in small bands;

they consisted of men who had armed hastily, of citizens who lived in

the metropolis, of countrymen who were within a day or two's march

of the capital, and even of monks who abandoned their monasteries to

defend their country against the invaders. Morkar, the great northern

chieftain, who had married Harold's sister, mustered his forces at the

first summons, but long before he reached London, Harold was on his

way to Hastings. The western militia, and such straggling bands as we

have already described, were all that made up for the losses he had

sustained at York--for the many who had deserted him because he forbade

them to plunder the Norwegians--and the numbers whom he had so unwisely

sent away to strengthen the fleet--so that the Saxon king, by his

precipitate and ill-timed march, reached the battle-field with a tired

and jaded force, which scarcely numbered twenty thousand; and with

these he was compelled to combat a practised and subtle leader, who had

sixty thousand men at his command, and who, excepting their plunder and

forages in the surrounding neighbourhood, had already rested fifteen

days in their encampment. The haste that Harold made was increased by

the rumours he heard of the ravages committed by the Normans. It was

to put a check to the sufferings which his countrymen were enduring

in the vicinity of the Norman encampment, that caused the Saxon king

to ride at the head of his brave little army, and to leave London in

the twilight of an October evening; and, though so ill prepared, to

endeavour to check the insolence of the rapacious invaders. Harold

possessed not the cool cunning and calculating foresight of his crafty

adversary, but trusted to the goodness of his cause; no marvel then

that he evinced the impatience which is so characteristic of a wronged

and brave Englishman. It is on record, that the Norman duke forbade

his soldiers to plunder the people, but his future conduct is marked

by no such forbearance, and we have proof that the inhabitants in the

neighbourhood of the encampment abandoned their houses and fled; nor is

it probable, for a moment, that such a rabble as he had brought over

would rest, for fifteen days, without molesting the English, whose

country had already been divided, in promise, amongst them.

Harold found the Norman outposts stationed at some distance from

Hastings, and therefore drew up his forces on the range of hills which

stand near the site of Battle-abbey. It is said the altar of the abbey

was afterwards built on the very spot where the Saxon king planted his

standard. Duke William drew up his army more inland, and occupied the

opposite eminence. The features of the country have undergone so many

changes, that it would almost be impossible to point out the identical

hills on which the opposing armies took up their stations, although it

seems pretty clear that the place which still bears the name of Battle

was that on which the struggle took place. The hills on which the Saxon

forces stood arrayed were flanked by a wood. A great portion of this

they felled, to strengthen their position by palisades and breastworks,

and redoubts, formed by stakes, hurdles, and earth-works, which they

hastily threw up, although the soldiery were wearied with their rapid

march from London. Messengers had already passed between Harold and

William. The latter had offered the Saxon king all the lands beyond

the Humber, if he would abandon the throne; or, if he preferred it,

to leave the matter to the pope, or to decide the quarrel by single

combat. Harold answered, that the God of battles should decide between

them. It is said that the Saxon king offered the Norman a large sum

to quit the kingdom: but it is difficult to reconcile such a statement

with that of his having despatched seven hundred vessels to prevent

the invaders from escaping. A whole day is said to have been wasted in

useless messages; and, at length, the Norman went so far as to offer

Gurth, Harold's brother, the whole of the lands which had been held by

earl Godwin. These, with such as extended beyond the Humber, and which

he was willing that the Saxon king should retain, would have left the

wily Norman in possession of a much greater portion of England than he

was able to obtain until long after that sanguinary struggle had been

decided. Harold was firm to his country. He rejected all offers of

concession, and was resolved either to rid England of so dangerous an

enemy, or perish in the field, and by his example to show those into

whose hands the freedom of England might be entrusted, that if he could

not conquer he would die as became a brave Saxon, in the defence of his

country. Harold seems to have been well aware that the battle would be

boldly contested; for when the spies he had sent out to reconnoitre

returned with the tidings, that there were more priests in the Norman

encampment than soldiers--they having mistaken for monks all such as

shaved the beards, and wore the hair short--he smiled, and said, "They

whom you saw in such numbers are not priests, but warriors, who will

soon show us their worth:" a clear proof that he well knew the valour

of the Norman chivalry.

When duke William found that Harold was resolved to fight, he, as a

last resource, sent over a monk to renew his offer, and to proclaim

that all who aided him were excommunicated by the pope, and that he

already possessed the papal bull which pronounced them accursed. Many

of the English chiefs began to look with alarm on each other when

they heard themselves threatened with excommunication. But one of

them, according to the Norman chronicle, boldly answered, "We ought

to fight, however great the danger may be; for the question is not

about receiving a new lord, if our king were dead--the matter is far

different. This duke has given our lands to his barons, knights, and

people, many of whom have already done homage for them. They will

demand the fulfilment of his promises: and were he to become our king,

he would be compelled to give to them our lands, our goods, our wives

and our daughters; for he has beforehand promised them all. They have

come to wrong both us and our descendants--to take from us the country

of our ancestors;--and what shall we do, or where shall we go, when we

have no longer any country?" After such an answer as this, the Norman

must have been satisfied that all further attempts at concession were

useless--that his real motives were unveiled, that they knew he had

abandoned England to the mercy of the armed marauders, who were already

drawn up to "kill and take possession,"--and that the army opposed to

him consisted of men who were resolved to conquer or die. Nor was he

mistaken; for, by the time that the messengers had regained the Norman

encampment, the Saxons had vowed before God, that they would neither

make peace, nor enter into treaty with such an enemy, but either

drive the Normans out of England, or leave their dead bodies in the

battle-field.

We wonder not that men who had formed such a resolution should spend

the night in chaunting their ancient national songs, and in pledging

each other's health, as they passed the cup from hand to hand for the

last time--that the bravest of this sworn brotherhood in arms should

boast how they would hew their way into the enemy's ranks on the

morrow--that many had made up their minds that they should fall--that

they had recounted the number of battles they had fought in, the

omens they had witnessed, and which foretold their deaths, (for such

superstitions were firmly believed by our Saxon ancestors)--that with

such feelings as these the ale cup circulated until that clear, cold

October midnight had rolled into the heavens all its host of stars.

Their talk would be of victory or death--of the hard blows that would

be dealt before the moon again climbed so high up the blue steep of

midnight--of the friends who were far behind--of the many who, in the

face of such an enemy, would be certain to fall;--and, ever and anon,

a few stragglers would come dropping in, and welcome recognitions

be given. The Normans, who had no new arrivals to pledge, betook

themselves to confessing their sins, and preparing for the death they

so richly merited. They who were about to bleed for the defence of

their country, had already offered up their hearts on freedom's holy

altar--the blow only had to be struck, and the blood to flow, and the

sacrifice was ended. They had sworn in solemn league, that liberty was

to them dearer than life, and such a vow had divested death of all

its terrors. In the defence of their homes, their wives, and their

children, they had come forth resolved to leave them free or perish.

The valley beneath yawned like a newly made grave, and many a brave

Saxon, as he looked into it, knew that there "the wicked would cease

from troubling, and the weary be at rest." They who had made up their

minds to die in such a cause needed no confession to men--they had

registered their vows in heaven; and if the Recording Angel might be

pictured as looking down upon the Saxon encampment, it would be with

a face pale with pity, and a tear-dimmed eye. What true English heart

would not sooner have pledged the healths of the brave Saxons on that

eventful night, as they were assembled around their watch-fires, than

have bowed amongst the guilty Normans?--have shared death in the

glorious halo which the former threw above the grave, rather than have

groped their way thither amid the groans and sighs of that great band

of meditative murderers, who must have trembled as the hour of danger

and death drew nearer.

Gurth had endeavoured in vain to dissuade his brother Harold from

taking part in the combat. The Saxon king was deaf to all intreaties;

he was too brave to abandon a field, and give up a kingdom with which

he had been entrusted, because an oath had been extorted from him

on the relics. Such an act would have consigned his name to endless

infamy. The morning sun found Harold beside his standard, in the centre

of his brave Saxons, which the enemy outnumbered by nearly four to one,

besides possessing a formidable army of cavalry; the Saxons appear to

have been wholly without such a force, for no mention is made of their

horsemen.

It was on Saturday morning, the 14th of October, nearly eight hundred

years ago, when the grey dawn, which many a sleepless eye had so

anxiously watched, broke dimly over the rival armies, as they stood

ranged along the opposite heights; and as the faint autumnal mist

passed away, the sun rose slowly upon the scene, and gilded the arms of

the combatants, falling upon the large white horse on which the bishop

of Bayeux was mounted, as, with a hauberk over his rochet, he rode

along the Norman ranks, and arranged the cavalry. The Norman duke, not

less conspicuous, was seen mounted on a Spanish charger, accompanied

by Toustain the Fair, who bore in his hand the banner which the Roman

pontiff had consecrated; the duke wore around his neck a portion of the

relics on which Harold had sworn; for he well knew that the remains

of dead men strangle not. His face was flushed; in his haste he had

at first put on his hauberk the wrong way; some had remarked that it

was an evil omen, and, as yet, he had scarcely regained his composure,

though there was a restlessness about his eyes which bespoke great

excitement--he sat gallantly in his saddle--the haughty charger neighed

and curvetted as it sniffed the morning air. He divided his army into

three columns, and these solid bodies he flanked with light infantry,

who were armed with bows, and steel cross-bows. The adventurers he left

to the command of their own leaders, placing himself at the head of his

own Norman soldiers. When all was ready for action, he addressed them

nearly as follows--for the meaning has been better preserved than the

precise words he uttered.

"Fight your best, and put every one to death; for if we conquer, we

shall all be rich. What I gain, you gain; if I conquer, you conquer;

if I take the land, you will share it: know, however, that I am not

come here merely to take that which is my due, but to revenge our whole

nation for the felon acts, perjuries, and treason of these English.

They put to death the Danes, men and women, on the night of Saint

Brice. They decimated the companions of my relation Alfred, and put

him to death. On, then, in God's name, and chastise them for all their

misdeeds."[23]

There is scarcely throughout the whole range of English history a more

cruel and merciless command to be found than this which issued from the

lips of the vindictive Norman. Slay, spare not, and take possession,

is the sum and substance of his speech. As for his pretended sympathy

for the Danes, we have proof that after the battle they were doomed to

share the same misery and death which alighted upon the Saxons. But

unerring justice at last avenged these wrongs, and there were but few

death-beds more melancholy than that of William the Norman. On the

opposite hill the Saxons were also ranged ready for the combat. They

were drawn up in a compact, wedge-like body behind their palisades

and trenches; the foremost rank, which consisted of the warlike men

of Kent, standing shoulder to shoulder, and shield to shield. Beside

the Saxon standard stood Harold and his two brothers, Gurth and

Leofwin, supported by the most renowned of the Saxon chiefs. They were

surrounded by the brave citizens of London, a select portion of whom

formed the king's body-guard. As the Normans advanced, they uttered

their war-cry of "God help us! God help us!" To which the Saxons

answered, "The Holy Cross! The Cross of God!" The staff which supported

the Saxon banner was planted in the ground, for on that day there

remained not an idle hand to bear it. On its folds were emblazoned

the figure of a man in combat, woven in threads of gold and jewels,

which glittered in the morning sun. A Norman, named Taillefer, who on

that day played the part of both warrior and minstrel, advanced first,

chaunting the ballad of Charlemagne and Roland; and as he continued to

sing, and urge his charger onward, he threw up his sword in the air,

and caught it in his right hand, while the Norman chivalry joined in

the burthen of the song. The minstrel obtained permission to strike

the first blow, and, having slain one Saxon, and felled another to

the ground, he was, while in the act of attacking a third, himself

mortally wounded. Before the ranks closed, William glanced his eye up

the neighbouring slope, which was filled with armed men, and inquired

of a warrior who rode near him, if he knew which was the spot that

Harold occupied. The soldier pointed to where the Saxon standard was

stationed near the summit of the hill, as being the spot most likely to

be occupied by the English king. William appeared surprised that Harold

was present at the conflict, muttered something about the oath which

he had extracted from him, and said that his perjury would be that day

punished.

The Saxons had no cavalry; all who had joined Harold on horseback,

dismounted, to fight on foot, following the example which the king

himself had set them. The general action was commenced by the archers

first discharging their arrows, and the cross-bowmen their heavy headed

bolts; but these the Saxons either received upon their shields, or

they fell nearly harmless upon the defences they had hastily thrown

up; no effect was produced: scarcely a wavering motion was seen along

the front of that impenetrable phalanx. The Norman infantry armed with

lances, and the well-mounted cavalry next advanced, to the very foot

of the Saxon trenches; but the Saxons hewed off the heads of their

javelins, and cut through the Norman coats of mail with a single blow

of their heavy battle-axes. They had also prepared themselves with

heavy stones, which they hurled at the invaders. Many of the Normans

fell in the first charge; but all their attempts to carry the redoubts

were useless: they might as well have wheeled up their horses against

the great cliffs which overlook our sea-girt coast, and tried to bear

them down, as to make any impression upon that brave band, who stood

shoulder to shoulder, as if they were consolidated into one mass.

Breathless and wearied, the Normans fell back again upon the main body,

which was commanded by the duke, who had beheld with astonishment the

impenetrable front which the Saxons presented.

Having recovered from the disorder, the duke commanded a large body

of archers to advance, and instead of shooting forward to discharge

their arrows higher in the air, so that in their descent they might

gall the Saxons by wounding them in the face, neck, or shoulders. This

discharge was seconded by the advance of the infantry and cavalry,

without producing any serious effect. A few of the Saxons were wounded

by this manoeuvre, but the cavalry were still unable to break through

the English line, and when they again retreated, they were driven into

a deep ravine, the edge of which appears to have been covered with

the natural growth of brushwood, and here many of the Norman chivalry

perished; for the Saxons pursued them, and with their heavy battle-axes,

which they wielded with both hands, speedily put to death such as they

had unhorsed, who were unable to escape. Up to this time the Saxons had

succeeded in beating off the enemy. The left wing of the Norman army

gave way, and were pursued by the English. Terror and dismay reigned

in the ranks of the invaders--all was confusion and flight; and to add

to the consternation, a rumour ran along the line, that duke William

was slain. But the duke himself appeared at this critical moment,

and turned the tide of battle. It is very probable that, during this

confusion and retreat, the horse which the duke rode was killed under

him, and that some of the soldiers who witnessed his fall, spread the

tidings that he was slain.

Behold him again mounted--his helmet off--his teeth clenched--his brows

knit together--and his countenance burning with high indignation, as

with his weapon he strikes at his own soldiers, who are hurrying past

him in the retreat and confusion, exclaiming, in a voice of thunder,

which rings out above the clang of arms, and the groans of the wounded

and the dying--"I am here--look at me--I still live--by the help of God

I will yet conquer--what madness induces you to fly?--what way is there

for you to escape?--they whom you are driving and destroying, if you

choose, you may kill like cattle--you fly from victory--you run upon

ruin--and if you retreat will all perish." Between each sentence he

struck at those who continued to rush past him with his lance, until,

having checked many of the fugitives, he placed himself helmetless

at their head, and compelled the Saxons to hasten back again to the

main body of their army. Although many of the English fell in this

charge, they gained an advantage over their enemies, and there is but

little doubt, had they continued to act upon the defensive, confining

themselves to their entrenchments, or only sallying out when they saw

the Norman line giving way, that weak as they were in numbers, they

would at last have obtained the victory; for in spite of this desperate

charge, headed by the duke himself, and all the force that he could

bring to bear upon the front of the Saxon army, they remained firm

as a rock, and not a breach could be made in that wall of iron-armed

and lion-hearted Englishmen. The archers continued to discharge their

arrows in the air, but where they alighted no gap was visible--there

was the same firm front--the same wedge-like mass--the unaltered array

of shields--the deep range of firm figures rising above one another,

which displayed neither fear nor defeat, but stood grim, unmoved, and

resolved; strong pillars, that can neither be made to bend nor bow,

until the building which they support is destroyed, and they themselves

lay broken and shapeless amid the ruins. Such was the power duke

William had still to contend with.

The battle had already lasted above six hours; it was now three

o'clock, and all the success the Normans had hitherto obtained was

when they so suddenly rallied, and drove back the Saxons within

their entrenchments. Wearied with the stubborn resistance which they

displayed, the duke had at last recourse to a stratagem, and ordered

a thousand horse, under the command of Eustace, count of Boulogne, to

advance to the edge of the Saxon lines, assail them, and then suddenly

retreat as if in disorder. This manoeuvre was successful; numbers of

the Saxons rushed out eagerly in the pursuit. Another body of Norman

horse stood ready to dash in between the Saxons and separate them from

the main body, who still stood firm behind the entrenchments. They were

also hemmed in by the enemy's infantry, and thus jammed between horse

and foot, they had no longer room to wield their heavy battle-axes,

which required both hands; and few of that brave band, who had so

rashly sallied out upon the Normans, lived to boast of the deeds which

they had achieved. Not one surrendered--no quarter was given--none

asked--there was no eye, excepting the enemy's, to look upon their

valorous deeds--no one to record the brave defence they made: Death

alone was able to vanquish them, and there they lay, grim and silent

trophies of his victory. Many a Saxon thane distinguished himself by

his individual prowess, and one among the rest achieved such deeds with

his battle-axe, that the dead lay piled around him like a wall--but

the long lances of the Normans at last reached him; he fell, and not

even his name has been preserved. Twice or thrice was this manoeuvre

repeated towards the close of the day, and each time accompanied with

the same success; for the Saxons now burned to revenge the death of

their countrymen--they rushed out of their entrenchments--they attacked

the Normans hand to hand--they plunged into the very thickest of the

danger. Those who were wounded still fought with one hand resting upon

their shields, while those who were dying strove with their last breath

to animate their countrymen. It is not certain whether Harold was slain

before or after the attack was made upon the Saxon standard. It was,

however, late in the day when he fell; his brain pierced by a random

arrow which one of the Norman archers had shot, which goes far to prove

that his death took place before the enemy had broken through the

Saxon fortifications. He had distinguished himself by his bravery and

firmness throughout the day; had placed himself in the most dangerous

positions, and by his personal exertions set an example of valour and

vigilance to his soldiers.

After the Normans had broken through the entrenchments, the English

still closed firmly around their standard, which was defended to the

last by the brothers of Harold, Gurth and Leofwin, and many of the

English thanes; who, though hemmed round by the enemy, resolved not to

resign their banner, while an arm remained capable of striking a blow

in its defence. Once Robert Fitz-Ernest, a Norman knight, approached

so near that he was within a few inches of grasping it, when he was

laid dead by a single blow from a battle-axe. A score of the Normans

then pledged themselves solemnly to carry off the standard, or perish.

It was in this struggle that both the brothers of Harold fell. Nor was

the Saxon ensign torn down, and the banner which had been consecrated

by the pope raised in its place, until many of the Norman knights were

slain, who had sworn to achieve so perilous a triumph. The sun was

setting as the Saxon standard was lowered. It was the last hard-fought

field over which the banner of Alfred floated; though many a contest

afterwards took place between the invaders and the English--yet this

was the great struggle.

"The wreck of the English army," says Thierry, "without chief and

without standard, prolonged the struggle till the end of the day, until

it was so dark and late, that the combatants only recognised each

other by their language. Then, and not till then, did this desperate

resistance end. Harold's followers dispersed, many dying upon the

roads of their wounds, and the fatigue of the combat. The Norman horse

pursued them, granting quarter to none." During the day, the duke of

Normandy had three horses killed under him, and though he himself

escaped without a wound, his helmet bore the dint of a heavy blow he

had received from a battle-axe, that, but for the finely tempered steel

of which the casque was made, would have left him to sleep his last

sleep on the same battle-field where Harold the Saxon reposed. Many of

the Saxons dispersed, and escaped through the woods which lay in the

rear of their broken encampment. They were pursued by the Normans, but

wherever a little body of the defeated had congregated they made a

stand, and many a Norman fell that night in the moonlight combat, or

returned wounded and bleeding to the camp, who had escaped the edges

of the Saxon battle-axes during the day. "Thus," says an old writer,

"was tried by the great assize of God's judgment in battle, the right

of power between the English and Norman nations; a battle the most

memorable of all others; and howsoever miserably lost, yet most nobly

fought on the part of England."

"If," says Sharon Turner, "William's wishes had been fulfilled, and

he had appeared in England a month earlier than he did, he would have

invaded Harold before the king of Norway attacked him, and perhaps

have shared his fate. For if the English king, with the disadvantages

of a loss and desertion of his veteran troops, of new levies of an

inferior force was yet able to balance the conflict with William's

most concentrated, select, and skilfully exerted strength, until night

was closing; if the victory was only decided by his casual death, how

different would have been the issue if Harold had met him with the

troops which he marched against the Norwegians! But Providence had

ordained that a new dynasty should give new manners, new connexions,

and new fortunes to the English nation."

Alas! for them--not us. Better would it have been had the whole Saxon

race perished in the battle-field, than that a remnant should have

survived to groan beneath the weight of the Norman yoke. They were

alone happy who perished in the combat. We feel more pity for those

who were left behind, and had to endure the miseries that followed,

than we do for the dead, though all have, ages ago, been at rest. They

have ceased "moaningly to crave household shelter;" the "wintry winds"

will sweep over their graves no more, for even the last hillocks that

covered their remains are swept away, and they have, centuries ago,

mingled dust with dust; on the wide field not a human bone can now be

found, of "those who fought and those who fell."

The solemn Sabbath day that dawned upon that battle-ground saw the

Norman Conqueror encamped amidst the living and the dead. And when he

called over the muster-roll which had been prepared before he left

the opposite coast, many a knight, who on the day when he sailed, had

proudly answered to his name, was then numbered with the dead. The

land which he had done homage for was useless to him then. He had

perilled his life, and a few feet of common earth was all the reward

that death allotted to him. The conqueror had lost nearly a fourth

of his army--a number, from all we can gather, equal to the whole of

the Saxon force engaged in the field. Those who survived received for

their share of the victory the spoils of the slaughtered Saxons. The

dead body of Harold is said to have laid long upon the field before

any one ventured to claim it, but at length his mother, the widow of

Earl Godwin, ventured forth, and craved permission to bury it. It is

said that she offered to give the Norman duke the weight of his body

in gold, but that he sternly refused to grant her request; and, in

his savage triumph, exclaimed, "He shall have no other sepulchre than

the sand upon the sea-shore." He, however, relented at last, says

Thierry, "if we are to believe an old tradition, in favour of the monks

of Waltham abbey, which Harold had founded and enriched. Two Saxon

monks, Osgod and Ailrik, deputed by the abbot of Waltham, demanded and

obtained permission to transport the remains of their benefactor to

their church. They sought among the mass of slain, despoiled of arms

and clothes, examining them carefully one after the other, but could

not recognise the body of him they sought, so much had his wounds

disfigured him. Despairing ever to succeed in their research unaided,

they addressed themselves to a woman whom Harold, before he became

king, had kept as a mistress, and intreated her to assist them. She

was called Edith, and surnamed the Beauty with the Swan's Neck. She

consented to accompany the two monks, and was more successful than they

in discovering the corpse of him whom she loved."

[Illustration: _Discovery of the body of Harold._]

Although the Saxon throne was for ever overthrown, many a struggle took

place, and many a concession was made, before England was wholly in the

hands of the Normans. Here, however, the gates of history close upon

our Saxon forefathers for a long period. Their language has outlived

that of the Conqueror's; and we shall find that our island again became

Saxon, and that the laws of Edward the Confessor had to be restored

before the country could be tranquillized:--

"For freedom's battle once begun,

Bequeathed by bleeding sire to son,

Though baffled oft, is ever won."

=The Anglo-Saxons.=

THEIR RELIGION.

We have already described the paganism of the Saxons, both as it

existed on the Continent, and after their arrival in England; and we

must now glance briefly at their change to Christianity, and the early

modes of worship which they adopted. When they landed in England,

they found the Britons generally worshippers of the True Divinity.

Christianity had become grafted and grown, and overpowered and bore

down the remains of druidism, on which it was first planted. The

idolatry that existed had assumed a more classic form; and instead of

the grim wicker idols of the druids, the sightly forms of the heathen

gods, which the Romans worshipped, had usurped their places. Among

the ancient Cymry who had not come into such close contact with the

Roman conquerors, the old druidical forms of idolatry still lingered;

though through them we are enabled to catch faint glimpses of the

Deity, and to discover a slow, but sure approach towards the Creator.

We have already shown how the Saxon invasion checked the progress

of Christianity--how the churches were overthrown, and the priests

massacred, until pope Gregory sent over Augustin, who succeeded in

converting the Saxon king, Ethelbert, to the religion of Christ. How

Paulinus accompanied Edilburga into Northumbria, and Edwin, the king

of the Deira and Bernicia, became a convert to the holy faith. We

have shown how the abbey of Croyland rose up amid the wild marshes

of Lincolnshire, and the gospel sound was carried through the vast

territory of Mercia, until at last the whole of the Saxon Octarchy

bowed before the image of the dying Redeemer. To the forms of worship

which were adopted in these ancient Christian churches, we must now

turn.

A rude wooden cross, planted by the roadside, a humble cell scooped

out of the rock, or a wattled shed, thatched with the tufted rushes or

the broad-leaved water-flags, first marked the places of worship of

the primitive Christians. Some came over, and settled down upon waste

and lonely places; their piety and peaceful habits soon attracted the

attention of the neighbouring peasantry, and of the chief, who granted

them permission to reside and build upon the soil; allowed them to fell

timber in the adjacent forest, or to hew stone from the distant quarry.

Nor were they long in procuring assistance; many came and laboured for

the love of God; they dug foundations; they mixed cement; the trees

were sawn, and squared into beams; a forge was erected, and, as the

blue smoke curled above the landscape, the clattering of the brawny

smith was heard upon the anvil, as, with his "buck-horn fist," he

shaped the iron which bound together beam and rafter. At length a tower

rose up above the wild waste of marshes, and morning, and evening, and

often at intervals during the day, the little bell was heard to toll;

and as the sound fell upon the wayfarer's ears who journeyed past, he

thought of life, and death, and heaven. Vast estates were at length

given to them; they received rich donations, houses, and lands, and

forests, which were secured by grants and charters, and attested by the

signatures of kings. These bequests were made from love--and fear--a

hope to escape future punishments, and by the intercession of the

priests to enter heaven.

Thus was a door thrown open, into which good and evil were

promiscuously admitted. The truly pious, and the hardened sinner,

received alike encouragement--bells were rung, and masses said, no

matter for whom, as long as the altar was piled high with treasure--and

mankind were at last wrongfully taught, that forgiveness could be

purchased by wealth. Still the knee had to be bended, and prayers

offered up, penances performed, and fastings endured, before the

conscientious priest promised to intercede for the sinner. Then instead

of the wooden cross, the naked walls, and the floor strewn with rushes,

woven tapestry, and glaring pictures, graven images, and relics of

saints, costly vessels of gold and silver, rich vestments and dazzling

gems, and all the glitter and pomp which had hitherto been confined to

courts, or borne in triumphal processions, were called up to decorate

the buildings dedicated to God. In place of the lowly dwelling,

scarcely distinguishable from the thatched hut of the peasant that rose

above the waste, mighty fabrics were erected by skilful architects,

whose roofs seemed to rest on the rim of the horizon, and the traveller

looked in vain for those beautiful openings in the landscape which had

so long been familiar to his eye. Mighty barons, who had distinguished

themselves in many a hard-fought field, became abbots; kings laid aside

their costly robes, their crowns, and sceptres, put on the grey homely

serge of the pilgrim, and, with staff in hand, journeyed weary miles

to kneel before the shrines of saints, and either left their bones to

moulder in a foreign land, or returned home again to die in the quiet

solitude of the cloister--leaving miles of hill and vale, and wood and

river, to enrich the revenues of the grey abbey in which they expired,

amid the shady sadness of long-embowered aisles.

These religious houses were happy havens for the poor and needy, the

hungry, the wretched, and the oppressed. They became landmarks to the

sick, storm-tossed, and rain-drenched wayfarer. All who came thither

were sheltered and relieved; none were sent away empty-handed, for

spiritual and bodily comfort were alike administered to all. They

were the only resting places where the traveller could halt, and

find refreshment and welcome, where his steed was stabled, his wants

attended to, and where, without charge, he was dismissed on the morrow

with a prayer and a blessing. Nor did their works of charity end here:

they sent out missionaries to other countries, to the benighted land

from which their ancestors first came, over the sounding billows, to

many a shore whose echoes had never yet rung back the holy hallelujah.

Although there were many things in their ancient forms of worship which

in us awaken a sigh or a smile, we must remember that religion was

then in its infancy--that they had but few guides, but few books to

instruct them. There were but few able to translate the gospels from

the Latin into the Saxon tongue; such versions as they were enabled to

make were crude and incorrect, and many of the priests were incompetent

to instruct them in points of faith. They ventured but little further

in their instruction than to teach that the soul was immortal, and

lived in a future state, where the good were rewarded, and the evil

punished; that Christ died for our salvation--that the dead arose, and

the faithful and just would at last be admitted into eternal glory.

Into the more intricate mysteries of our religion they ventured not.

Every priest was commanded to read the gospels, and to study well the

Holy Book, that "he might teach his people rightly, who looked up to

him." Several valuable MSS. of the translation of the gospel into the

Saxon language, which were written between the reigns of Alfred and

Harold, are still in existence. Although they used the cross as the

sign of their salvation, they were taught not to reverence the wood,

but to bear in mind His form who had suffered upon it. They held relics

in high veneration; and though the remains of good and holy men cannot

be contemplated without awakening a religious feeling, they carried

their reverence to a superstitious excess; for by them they believed

that the greatest miracles could be worked, and that they were the only

safeguards against disease, magic, and witchcraft. The priests were

only allowed to celebrate mass when fasting; nor, unless in cases of

sickness, was this ceremony to be held anywhere but upon the altar in

the church; and to this altar no woman was permitted to approach during

its celebration; neither dogs nor swine were allowed to come within the

enclosure that surrounded the holy edifice. The purest of bread, wine,

and water, were only to be used in celebrating the Eucharist, and the

sacramental cup was to be formed of gold, or silver, glass, or tin;

and none made of earth or wood were permitted to be used. The altar

was always to be kept clean, and covered; and the mass-priest was to

have his missal, his psalter, his reading-book, penitential, numeral,

hand-book, and singing-book. He was also to learn some handicraft, and

to abolish all witchcraft. Each priest performed his allotted duty; the

ostiary guarded the church doors, and tolled the bell; the exorcist

drove out devils, and sprinkled houses which were infested with witches

and foul fiends, with abyssum; the lector read the gospels to the

congregation; the acolyth held the tapers while the lector read; the

deacon attended on the mass-priest, placed the oblations on the altar,

baptized children, and administered the Eucharist to the people; the

sub-deacon had charge of the holy vessels, and waited at the altar

while the mass-priest preached and consecrated the Eucharist. The

bishop was looked up to as a comforter to the wretched, and a father

to the poor; the priests were forbidden to carry their controversies

before a lay tribunal, and when they could not settle it amongst

themselves, it was left to the decision of the bishop. The high-born

were taught not to despise those that were lowly; they were ordered

to teach youth with care--to give alms, and chaunt holy hymns during

the distribution; to humble themselves, and to become examples of

mildheartedness. Many of the penances they inflicted were severe; he

who was guilty of any heinous offence, was to lay aside his weapons,

travel barefooted many weary miles, nor seek household shelter during

the night. He was to pay no regard to his dress, nor to enter a bath,

neither might he eat flesh, nor taste strong drink, but fast, watch,

and pray, both by day and night. The wealthy, however, might evade the

heaviest penances, by giving alms; and the following extract will show

to what useful purposes the church applied these penalties:--

"He that hath ability may raise a church to the praise of God, and

if he has wherewithal, let him give land to it, and allow ten young

men, so that they may serve in it, and minister the daily service. He

may repair churches where he can, and make folk-ways, with bridges

over deep waters, and over miry places; assist poor men's widows,

step-children, and foreigners. He may free his own slaves, and redeem

the liberty of those who belong to other masters, and especially the

poor captives of war. He may feed the needy, house them, clothe and

warm them, and give them baths and beds."

Thus did our pious ancestors make crime administer to the wants of

the poor; they filtered the pure waters of charity from these corrupt

sources, and displayed a wisdom which our modern legislators have yet

to be taught.

GOVERNMENT AND LAWS.

When the Saxons first landed in England they could have had no previous

knowledge of the Roman laws, which were then in existence in our

island; for the government of the conquerors had long overthrown the

primitive customs which were in use among the ancient Britons before

the landing of Julius Cæsar. We have already shown that the earliest

of our Saxon invaders were led on by some military chief, who claimed

his descent from Odin, and was acknowledged as leader by the consent

of his followers, also allowed the largest share of the plunder or

captives which were taken in war. Thus it would naturally follow, that

when they came to settle down upon the soil which they had conquered,

the power of the military chief would soon be acknowledged, and that

to him would be given the greatest portion of the land; while amongst

his followers such shares would be distributed as were considered

proportionate to their rank. After having conquered and divided the

land, they would naturally unite together to defend the possessions

they had won, and the chief, or his descendant,--if found worthy of

being still retained at their head, by his wisdom or valour--would,

either in peace or war, continue to hold the title and power of ruler;

and thus would governments be formed, thrones established, and laws

made by the wealthy and powerful, to keep their followers and captives

in subjection. Nor would it be probable in all instances that the

conquered were made captives. Many by their valour and opposition would

still present a formidable front to the invaders; and as both parties

would in time grow weary of a continued system of attack or defence,

concessions would be made, peace agreed upon, the land divided, vows

sworn, and penalties fixed, to be paid by those who first broke the

treaty. In such cases, war would not be entered into by either party

without their first stating the grievances. This, again, would lead to

discussions, assemblies, accusations, defences; times and places would

be allotted for meeting; and so courts and tribunals were formed; and

thus in all countries did law and civilization commence. We have shown

how England was at first divided into separate kingdoms; how chief

after chief came over, fought, conquered, and established a separate

state, until the Octarchy was formed; and that when the whole island

was occupied, the Saxon kings began to make war upon each other,

until state after state was subdued, and one king at last reigned

over all. That governors had to be placed over different divisions

of this vast extent of territory; that these, again, placed officers

over the sub-divisions: thus there were earls or aldermen, sheriffs,

or shrieves, officers to each hundred or tithing; headboroughs,

frankpledges, who attended the court-leet which was held at given

periods, and accounted for all grievances or violations of the law.

The first laws made would naturally be those which protected persons

and property,--to punish acts of violence and theft, and to prevent

personal vengeance being inflicted. Thus, murder might be compounded

for, under certain circumstances, at a fixed penalty, and every portion

of the body injured had its price, from the leg to the little finger,

even down to the hair, tooth, or nail. The loss of an eye and a leg

appears to have been considered the most important, and was punished by

a fine of fifty shillings. To lame a person only, the sum exacted was

thirty shillings. To wound, or strike such a blow as caused deafness,

twenty-five shillings; for fracturing the skull, twenty shillings;

for cutting off the little finger, eleven shillings; tearing off the

hair, ten shillings. For tearing off a nail, or driving out a tooth,

the penalty was one shilling; but if a front tooth, the charge was six

shillings. Robbery was punished according to the rank of the party

plundered. If a freeman committed robbery, he forfeited all his goods

and his freedom; if he was taken in the fact, and the stolen property

found in his hand, the king had the option of killing him, of selling

him, or receiving the value of his Were, which was the sum at which his

life would have been rated had he been murdered. Even the life of the

king had its Were or value. One hundred and twenty pounds was the price

fixed to be paid as the penalty for the murder of a king. A noble's,

a bishop's, an alderman's, a thane's, a servant's, had each its fixed

penalty, according to the rank of the deceased,--from that of the king,

as above named, to the humblest hind, whose life was rated at thirty

shillings. Besides the Were, there was another protection, called the

Mund. This seems to have been a penalty paid for disturbing the peace

of a man's household; or, as Sharon Turner has observed, "it was a

privilege which made every man's house his castle." The Saxons had also

their bail or sureties. Thus, when a man had committed homicide, he

had to find borh, or sureties for the payment of the penalty. The time

allowed for payment is not mentioned, excepting in one case, where it

appears to have been limited to forty days. The head of every tithing,

or ten families, also appears to have been responsible for those under

his jurisdiction or keeping, as we have previously shown in the reign

of Alfred. He who had no surety, or borh, or could not pay the penalty

for the crime committed, or had no kinsman to redeem him, either became

a slave, or might be slain, according to the nature of the offence.

Their mode of trial was very simple, and their general method of

arriving at the innocence or guilt of the party accused appears to have

been influenced by the number and respectability of the witnesses who

swore for or against the prisoner. Thus, if a man stood charged with

any offence, and he could bring the given number of persons to swear

that he was innocent, the prisoner was acquitted, unless the accusing

party could produce a greater number of witnesses to swear against

him, and show clearer proofs of his guilt. When this was the case, the

offender either submitted to the punishment or underwent the trial of

ordeal, or, as it was considered, submitted to the "judgment of God."

The ordeal consisted either of hot water or hot iron; in some cases

the iron weighed three pounds, and was to be carried nine paces. The

ordeal appears to have taken place in the church; if the trial was

to be by hot iron, a number of men were allowed to enter the church,

and, being ranged on each side, the priest sprinkled them with holy

water; they were then to kiss the Gospel, and were signed with the

cross. The priest afterwards read a prayer, and during this period

the fire was not to be mended, and if burnt out the iron still rested

upon the staples to cool, so that in no instance could it be red-hot;

the paces were measured by the feet of the accused, and it has been

computed that the hot iron would hardly remain in his hand beyond

two seconds. Whether the culprit moved rapidly or walked slowly, or

threw the iron upon the floor, or placed it on some allotted spot, we

cannot tell; though there is but little doubt that means were taken to

render the trial as short as possible. When the ordeal was by water,

it was sufficient if four witnesses stepped forward to state that

they had seen it boiling; whether the vessel was of iron, copper, or

clay, a stone was placed in it, which the accused with his bare hand

and arm had to take out; the vessel was shallow or deep, according to

the nature of the offence he stood charged with; in some cases he had

only to plunge in his hand to take out the stone, in others his arm to

the elbow. As in the ordeal by heated iron, the same ceremonies were

observed, and during the time that elapsed in praying and sprinkling

the witnesses the fire was not allowed to be mended; while the act took

place, a prayer was offered up to God to discover the truth. When the

trial was over, the hand or arm was bound up, and the bandages were not

removed until the expiration of three days. It does not appear that the

marks of burning or scalding were the tests of guilt; it was only when

the wounds were found foul and unhealed that the accused was pronounced

guilty; if they looked healthy and well, and were nearly healed, it was

considered a proof of innocence. It will be readily imagined that few

who were guilty would willingly undergo such a trial, for it must be

borne in mind that punishment still followed; and when the signs were

unfavourable, there can be but little doubt after so solemn a ceremony

that the penalty the accused was doomed to suffer must have been

severe. It could, however, like homicide, be compounded for; and

capital punishment seems seldom to have taken place amongst the Saxons,

unless the crime was committed in open day, and the culprit was caught

in the fact, or under such circumstances as were considered too clear

to need any trial; in such cases, vengeance was generally taken on the

spot, and the robber or murderer was either hanged upon the nearest

tree, or slain where he was captured--no evidence was required,--no

defence was allowed.

[Illustration: _Trial by Ordeal._]

There were two other forms of ordeal, called the cross and the corsned;

the former consisted of two pieces of wood, which were covered over,

one bearing the mark of the cross; if the accused drew this, he was

considered innocent; if the piece that was unmarked, guilty. The

other consisted in swallowing a piece of bread which the priest had

blessed; if it stuck in the throat, or the culprit turned pale, or

trembled, or had a difficulty in swallowing it, he stood condemned.

Besides fines, many of the punishments they inflicted were severe; they

used the whip and the heated brand, mutilated the face, imprisoned,

banished, sentenced the guilty to slavery, or doomed them to suffer

imprisonment, while their capital punishments appear to have been

hanging and stoning to death. The land was divided into what was

called "folkland" and "bocland." The folkland was such as belonged to

the king and the people; that which was held by agreement or charter

was called "bocland," or land made over by agreement of the book, or

some written instrument, though conveyances of land were sometimes

made by the delivery of an arrow, a spear, or any other object. The

king had, however, his bocland or private property, as is proved by

the will of king Alfred; and the word folkland in time was changed to

crownland, which, no doubt, means that the wastes and commons which

the people were allowed to make use of, and were not private property,

were considered to belong to the king or the state. Boclands appear

originally only to have been granted during the life of the holder.

It was the work of time and the change of events which caused them to

become hereditary. The Saxons were divided into many classes or ranks;

first stood the king, then the earls, nobles, or chiefs; then came

the other class of small landed proprietors; and below these another

grade, whom we may term freemen; the theows, ceorls, or villains, came

last, and were slaves of the soil; if the estate changed hands, the

theow went to the next owner; on no account could he remove from the

land; he was, however, protected, and, so long as he did his duty,

could not be removed by the owner; neither could more than a regular

portion of labour be exacted from him; but we have before alluded

to his privileges in the laws of Ina. The ceremonies used at their

witenagemotes, guilds, moots, and other courts, are matters of law

rather than subjects suited to a narrative and picturesque history of

England.

LITERATURE.

We have no proof that the early pagan Saxons possessed an alphabet, or

had any acquaintance with a written language, until the introduction

of Christianity; for, unlike the Britons, they had not the enlightened

Romans to instruct them. Even as late as Alfred's time, we have shown

that but few of the English chiefs could either read or write; and

we find Wihtred, king of Kent, as long after the Saxon invasion as

the year 700, unable to affix his signature to a charter, but causing

some scribe, who had probably drawn up the document, to add as an

explanation to the royal mark, that "I, Wihtred, king of Kent, have put

this sign of the holy cross to the charter, on account of my ignorance

of writing." As the Saxons were the avowed enemies of the ancient

Cymry, and came amongst them only to slay, destroy, and take possession

of the land, it is easy to account for the length of time that must

have elapsed before the Britons would impart the knowledge they had

gathered from the Romans to their Saxon conquerors.

One of the earliest histories we possess is that to which the name

of Gildas is affixed, who appears, however, to have belonged to the

Cymry, and to have had a brother at that period who was celebrated

as one of the Welsh bards. To him we have already alluded; also to

Nennius, who is said to have been one of the monks of Bangor, and to

have had a narrow escape from the massacre, in which so many of his

brethren perished. To his early history of Britain we have before

alluded. Columbanus, a celebrated Irishman, who died in Italy about

the year 615, appears to have been well acquainted with both the Greek

and Hebrew languages. Literature at this period seems to have been

confined principally to the monasteries; and towards the close of the

sixth century, we find Aldhelm, an abbot of Malmsbury, celebrated for

his Latin writings. "But his meaning," says Sharon Turner, "is clouded

by gorgeous rhetoric: his style an endless tissue of figures, which he

never leaves till he has converted every metaphor into a simile, and

every simile into a wearisome episode." But the venerable Bede's is the

most distinguished name amongst the early Anglo-Saxon writers. He also

wrote in Latin, and his ecclesiastical history of England still stands

as the chief authority, whence we derive the clearest knowledge of the

manners and customs of the early Anglo-Saxons. He was born about 670,

or 680, at a village named Yarrow, which stands near the mouth of the

Tyne, and was educated at the neighbouring monastery of Wearmouth. He

was acquainted with Egbert, the learned archbishop of York, to whom he

addressed a letter, which is still extant. Egbert left behind him a

famous library, mention of which is made by the celebrated Alcuin, who

proposed to Charlemagne that the boys he was educating should be sent

out of France, to "copy and carry back the flowers of Britain, that

the garden might not be shut up in York, but the fruits of it placed

in the paradise of Tours." Though both writing in the same language,

and about the same period, no two authors out of the thousands who have

since lived and written, have ever exhibited a greater contrast in

the style of composition than that which exists between the writings

of Aldhelm and Bede. "The style of Bede," says Turner, "in all his

works, is plain and unaffected. Attentive only to his matter, he had

little solicitude for the phrase in which he dressed it; but, though

seldom eloquent, and often homely, it is clear, precise, and useful."

Alfred was the first who translated the works of Bede into Saxon, and

made them familiar to his subjects. Alcuin, who speaks so highly of

the library collected at York by the archbishop Egbert, was sent on an

embassy by Offa, surnamed the Terrible, to Charlemagne. Alcuin was a

pupil of Bede's, and a native of Northumbria; and while he resided in

France, he was instrumental in persuading the emperor to collect many

valuable manuscripts. His works seem to have been written for the use

and instruction of his friend and patron, the emperor Charlemagne; and,

though highly valuable in their day, they lack that living spirit which

was infused into the writings of Bede.

But few of the civilized nations of Europe possess works which will

bear comparison with those produced by our early Saxon writers; nor has

any other of the Gothic tribes, from which our old Germanic language

sprung, a literature of so old a date, that in any way approaches to

the perfection attained by the early Anglo-Saxons. What we possess

is wonderful, considering the short time that elapsed from the first

introduction of letters amongst the Saxons, to the troubles which

followed the Danish invasion, when so many monasteries and libraries

were destroyed by those illiterate but brave barbarians. The first

business of the Saxons, after they had ceased fighting, and settled

down in England, would be to build and plant; and much time and

labour would be required in erecting their habitations, preparing a

supply of food, and defending their possessions in a new and hostile

country, before they would be enabled to find leisure to direct their

thoughts to literature, or do anything more than establish those civil

institutions which were necessary for the protection of the colony.

They had that work to do which we find ready done to our own hands;

fields to inclose, and roads to make; and even the monks to whom we are

indebted for our earliest writings were at first compelled to assist

in building the monasteries they wrote in, and to cultivate the waste

lands which lay around them: yet, in spite of these drawbacks, what

wonderful progress was made in literature by the close of the reign of

Alfred! Though illiterate, the early Saxons were a highly intelligent

race: look at the speech of the chieftain we have already quoted in the

reign of Edwin, the king of Deiri--the beautiful and applicable imagery

of the bird, the warm hall it enters in winter, and the cold and

darkness, which is compared to death, that reigns without; all evince a

fine appreciation of the true elements which constitute poetry; yet we

have no doubt in our own minds that this heathen orator could neither

read nor write. When the Saxons once turned their attention to letters,

none of the barbarous nations excelled them--the progress made during

the reign of Alfred, we again repeat, is marvellous.

Nothing can be more primitive than our Anglo-Saxon poetry. Every line

bears the stamp of originality. The praise of brave warriors is ever

the subject. It has always been the same. They but extolled what then

stood highest in their estimation--the brave--the giver of rewards--the

terror of enemies--the leader of battles are but the plaudits of men

put into metre--the natural outbreak of admiration. Watch a fond mother

when alone, talking to her infant--nature is still the same--she

addresses it as her darling, her dearest, her life, her delight; and

when she has exhausted every endearing epithet--uttered every fond

word that her heart dictated, she evinces her affection by caresses.

To what lengths could we extend the comparison! But neither mother

nor child in those days called forth the lavish praises which were

expended on a brave chieftain. We need only refer to the extracts we

have already given in the body of our history, from the Welsh bards,

to prove this. The literature in no country was ever built upon so

original a foundation as that of the Anglo-Saxons. Their language at an

early period was enriched by the Danish: their habits resembled those

of the sea-kings. Long before the Norman conquest, they had melted into

one; the sea-horses, and the road of the swans, were to them familiar

images; there was a sublimity about the ocean, and the storm, and the

giant headlands, which they felt and understood; and had we the space,

we could fill pages with proofs of this grand poetical appreciation--of

this natural inspiration. The Saxon ode which celebrates Athelstan's

victory at Brunanburg bears evidence of the fiery spirit which the

Scandinavians diffused. Neither drew from the classic stores of Rome or

Greece.

Their homilies and graver works scarcely come within the compass of our

history; they require more serious treatment than we are able to bestow

upon them. Those attributed to Alfric are now on the eve of becoming

widely known; and we doubt not but that, in the course of time, the

study of the Anglo-Saxon language will be pursued by every man who

aspires to literature. A few days' attention to it, renders the reading

of Chaucer easy; and although it may be long before the student is

enabled to decypher an old Saxon manuscript, yet he will be rewarded

by the facility with which he will get through our early stores of

black-letter lore.

Ballads were sung in the English streets before the time of Alfred. Our

music and singing-parties are nothing new. More than a thousand years

ago, the harp sounded in the festal hall, accompanied by the voice of

the singer. Look at the beauty of the following extract. It is an old

Saxon ditty, and was known long before the Normans invaded England.

Read it; then turn to some of our specimens of modern versification.

The exile is banished from his friends, and encounters many hardships.

He is doomed to dwell in a cave within the forest; and thus he

complains:--

This earthly dwelling is cold, and I am weary;

The mountains are high up, the dells are gloomy,

Their streets full of branches, roofed with pointed thorns;

I am weary of so cheerless an abode.

My friends are now all in the earth--

The grave guards all that I loved;

I alone remain above, and thitherward am I going.

All the long summer day I sit weeping

Under the oak tree, near my earthly cave,

And there may I long weep.

The exile's path still lies through a land of troubles;

My mind knows no rest--it is the cave of care.

Throughout life has weariness ever pursued me.

This passage wants but the polish of Shakspere, and to be uttered by

his own mournful monarch, king Richard the Second, to be worthy of a

place in his immortal writings.[24]

ARCHITECTURE, ART, AND SCIENCE.

That the Saxons possessed considerable skill in architecture before

they took possession of England, we have already shown in our

description of the Pagan temple, which was erected in their own

country.[25] It is also on record, that the Christian missionaries

sent over by Pope Gregory, converted the heathen temples, which they

found already erected in our island, into churches, destroying only

the idols they found therein; but whether these edifices were erected

by the Britons or Romans, or by the Saxons themselves, it is difficult

to decide. All we know for a certainty is, that the church in which

Augustin and his monks were located on their arrival at Canterbury was

called an ancient British temple, and was probably built by the first

Christians who were converted by the Romans. The earliest churches

which the Saxons erected after their conversion to Christianity were

formed of wood, and covered with thatch; and even as late as the time

of Chaucer, we find mention of the sacred edifices being roofed with

the same substance. The celebrated cathedral of Lindisfarne could

boast of no costlier material than sawn oak and a straw roof, until

Eadbert, the seventh bishop, removed the thatch, and threw over the

rafters a covering of lead. The minster of York, founded by Edwin,

after his marriage with Edilburga, the daughter of Ethelbert, was built

of stone; and as early as 669, we find mention of the windows being

glazed. Prior to this period, the windows consisted of mere openings

in the walls, through which the light was admitted; they were called

eye-holes, and were protected by lattice-work, through which the birds

flew in and out, and built inside the fabric; nor was there any other

means of keeping out the rain and snow, excepting by lowering down the

simple linen blinds. The few remains we possess of Saxon architecture

display great strength and solidity without grace. The columns are low

and massy, the arches round and heavy, seeming as if they formed a

portion of the bulky pillars, instead of springing from them with that

light and airy grace which is the great beauty of Gothic architecture.

Their chief ornament in building appears to have been the zig-zag

moulding which resembles sharks' teeth. The very word they used in

describing this form of ornament also signified to gnaw or eat; and

from the Saxon word fret, or teeth work, the common term of fret-work

arose. Towards the close of the seventh century, the celebrated

bishop Wilfrid, who had visited Rome, made great improvements in

ecclesiastical architecture. He brought with him several eminent

artists from Italy; and as he stood high in the favour of Oswy, king

of the Deiri and Bernicia, he was enabled to reward his architects

liberally. He restored the church which Paulinus founded at York. But

the most celebrated edifice he raised, appears to have been the church

at Hexham, of which the following description is given by Richard,

who was the prior of Hexham, and who wrote while the building still

existed about the close of the twelfth century:--"The foundations of

this church," says prior Richard, "were laid deep in the earth for the

crypts and oratories, and the passages leading to them, which were then

with great exactness contrived and built under ground. The walls, which

were of great length, and raised to an immense height, and divided into

three several stories, or tiers, he supported by square and various

other kinds of well-polished columns. Also, the walls, the capitals of

the columns which supported them, and the arch of the sanctuary, he

decorated with historical representations, imagery, and various figures

in relief, carved in stone, and painted with a most agreeable variety

of colours. The body of the church he compassed about with pentices

and porticoes, which, both above and below, he divided, with great and

inexpressible art, by partition walls and winding stairs. Within the

staircases, and above them, he caused flights of steps and galleries

of stone, and several passages leading from them, both ascending and

descending, to be artfully disposed, that multitudes of people might

be there, and go quite round the church, without being seen by any

one below in the nave." Prior Richard goes on further to state, that

he also caused several altars to be erected to the blessed saints.

In 767, the church of St. Peter's at York having been either damaged

or destroyed by fire, was rebuilt by archbishop Albert, assisted by

the celebrated Alcuin. Here, also, we find mention of lofty arches,

supported on columns, of vaultings, windows, porticoes, galleries, and

altars, richly ornamented. What additions the genius of Alfred made to

the architecture of the period we know not. We have, however, already

shown that he set apart a great portion of his revenue to the building

and repairing of churches. But he lived amid stormy times, when the

strengthening of military fortresses was of more consequence to the

welfare of his kingdom than the erection of costly edifices; and during

the ravages of the Danes the fine arts appear not to have made any

advance.

We have scarcely any records of the domestic architecture of the

Saxons, but may safely infer, from the simple style of their early

churches, that their houses were built of wood, and thatched with

reeds, and we have proof that timber houses continued until a

comparatively modern period.

Of their painting and sculpture we know but little: the horn of Ulphus,

which is still preserved, is beautifully carved; and we find mention of

the tomb of the bishop of Hexham having been richly decorated. Their

paintings seem to have been imported from Rome, and were principally

pictures of saints and martyrs, which appear to have formed the most

attractive ornaments in their churches. Their illuminated missals we

have already alluded to. The Saxon ladies were skilful embroiderers,

weavers, and spinners, arts in which the daughters of Edward the Elder

excelled. Even the celebrated St. Dunstan, with all his surliness,

deigned to draw patterns for his fair countrywomen to copy in their

embroidery. Among other costly gifts, mentioned in a Charter relating

to Croyland Abbey, granted by a king of Mercia, we find a golden veil,

on which was enwrought the famous siege of Troy. Many of the initial

letters, already mentioned, are of the most intricate patterns, scroll

is interlaced within scroll, chain-like links, and heads of birds and

serpents, running into the most beautiful flourishes, and compelling us

to admit that the Saxons were either excellent copyists, or gifted with

considerable invention.

Their musical instruments consisted of horns, trumpets, flutes, drums,

cymbals, a stringed instrument not unlike the violin, which was played

upon with a bow, and the harp; and in their churches organs which must

have shaken the sacred buildings with their powerful tones. Dunstan

was celebrated for his skill upon the harp; he also made an organ with

brass pipes, and made several presents of bells to the Saxon churches.

From the description given of a harp in an old poem, it was made of

birch-wood, with oaken keys, and strung with the long hairs pulled from

the tails of horses. The cymbals were formed of mixed metals, and when

played, struck on the concave side, as they are now; and Bede dwells

upon their beautiful modulation in the hands of a skilful player. He

describes the drum as having been made of stretched leather, fastened

on rounded hoops, and which emitted a loud sound when struck--he

mentions tones, and semi-tones, and thus concludes his remarks on the

power of music: "Among all the sciences this is the more commendable,

pleasing, courtly, mirthful, and lovely. It makes men liberal,

cheerful, courteous, glad, and amiable--it rouses them to battle--it

exhorts them to bear fatigue, and comforts them under labour: it

refreshes the mind that is disturbed, chases away headache and sorrow,

and dispels the depraved humours, and cheers the desponding spirits."

We find the Saxon organs described as rising high, some having gilded

pipes, and many pairs of bellows; one especially is pointed out by the

monk Wolfstan, as having stood in Winchester cathedral. "Such a one,"

says the monk, "had never before been seen." "It seems to have been a

prodigious instrument," says Sharon Turner, in a note to his History

of the Anglo-Saxons. "It had twelve bellows above, and fourteen below,

which were alternately worked by seventy strong men, covered with

perspiration, and emulously animating each other to impel the blast

with all their strength. There were four hundred pipes, which the hand

of the skilful organist shut or opened as the tune required. Two friars

sat at it, whom a rector governed. It had concealed holes adopted to

forty keys; they struck the seven notes of the octave, the carmine of

the lyric semi-tone being mixed. It must," adds the learned historian,

"have reached the full sublime of musical sound, so far as its quantity

produces sublimity."

In arithmetic, they simply studied the division of even numbers,

separating them into those "metaphysical distinctions of equally equal,

and equally unequal," though they seem to have attained something

approaching to perfection in calculation. In natural philosophy, Bede

was far in advance of many of the Roman writers. In astronomy, they

drew their information from such Greek and Latin treatises as chanced

to fall into their hands. They believed that comets portended war,

pestilence, and famine, and all those evils which the ignorant still

attribute to their appearance in the present day. Of geography they

knew but little, until the work of Orosius was translated by our own

Alfred. They trusted to cure diseases by charms, though they were

not without physicians, herbs being what they principally used for

medicine; and, no doubt, many of our village herb-doctors, who trust to

the full or wane of the moon, for finding the healing virtues in their

favourite plants, are fair samples of the early Saxon practitioner

in the same art; and that many such old books, as "The Gentlewoman's

Closet," &c., contain the genuine recipes used by the Saxons. From a

rare original work, in our possession, we quote the following, whose

counterpart may be found in many a valuable Saxon MS.: "The sixth and

tenth days of March shalt thou draw out blood of the right arm, the

eleventh day of April, and in the end of May, of which arm thou wilt,

and that against a fever; and if thou dost, neither shalt thou lose thy

sight, nor thou shalt have no fever so long as thou livest!" He who

fell sick on the first day of the month, was supposed to be in danger

for three days after; on the second day, would get well; on the third,

was to be ill for twenty-eight days; on the fourth, to escape; on the

fifth, to suffer grievously; on the eighth, "if he be not whole on the

twelfth day, he shall be dead." And so on for every day throughout the

month and year.[26]

COSTUME, MANNERS, CUSTOMS, AND EVERYDAY LIFE.

Of the every-day life and domestic manners of our Anglo-Saxon

forefathers, we possess considerable information, partly from written

records, such as charters, wills, grants, and leases, but more

especially from the drawings which we find in the ancient manuscripts

which are still preserved. Amongst the higher classes we discover

that the walls were hung with tapestry, ornamented with gold and rich

colours, for the needles of the Saxon ladies seem ever to have been

employed in forming birds, animals, trees, and flowers, upon the

hangings which were so necessary to keep out the wind that must have

blown in at every chink of their wooden apartments. Their garments were

loose and flowing, that of the men consisting of a shirt, over which

they wore a coat or tunic, open at the neck and partly up the sides,

having wide sleeves which reached to the wrists; and as this was ample

enough to be put on by slipping it over the head, (not unlike the

common frock worn by our carters or peasantry,) it was occasionally,

and no doubt always in cold weather, to make it sit closer, confined

to the waist by a girdle or belt. Over this they occasionally wore a

short cloak, which was fastened to the breast by a brooch or loop;

they also wore drawers or long hose, which were bandaged crosswise,

from the ankle to the knee, with strips of coloured cloth or leather.

Their shoes, which were open at the front, were secured by thongs; and

though the poorer classes are sometimes represented as bare-legged,

yet they are seldom drawn without shoes, which are generally painted

black, while many of them wear the short stocking or sock. That their

shoes were made of leather is expressly stated by Bede, who describes

St. Cuthbert, as often keeping on his shoes for months together, and

that it was with difficulty he could be persuaded to take them off, to

permit his feet to be made clean. Hats or caps they seem rarely to have

worn, although there are one or two instances in which they appear.

They seem generally to have gone bareheaded, excepting when in battle;

then they wore a pointed helmet. In nearly all the early illustrations,

we find the hair worn long, parted in the middle, and falling down

upon the neck and shoulders. The beard is also long and forked. Silk

garments were not uncommon amongst the nobles: as early as the time of

Ethelbert, king of Kent, mention is made of a silk dress. We also read

of a coronation garment, which was made of silk, and woven of gold

and flowers. In the churches the altars were generally covered with

silk, and at his death, the body of the venerable Bede was enclosed

in a silken shroud. The Saxon noblemen seem to have been lavish in

their ornaments, and to have worn costly bracelets on their arms, and

rings upon their fingers--the ring appears to have been worn upon the

third finger of the right hand--it was called the gold finger, and the

penalty for cutting this off was greater than for amputating any of

the other fingers. Furs of the sable, beaver, fox, martin, and other

animals, were also worn, and amongst the poorer classes the skins of

lambs and sheep.

The costume of the Saxon ladies seems to have varied but little,

excepting in length, from that worn by the men. The gunna, or gown,

which was worn over the skirt or kirtle, was of the same form as the

tunic already described; it was a little shorter than the kirtle, which

reached to the feet--the latter being covered by shoes similar to those

already mentioned. The women, however, wore a head-dress, formed of

linen or silk, which looks not unlike the hood of comparatively modern

times. It was called the head-rail, and besides forming a covering for

the head, was made to enfold the neck and shoulders, not unlike the

gorget which we see in ancient armour, in appearance; but formed by

throwing fold over fold--making the face appear as if it looked out

from a close-fitting helmet or gorget. Nor were the Saxon ladies at all

deficient in ornaments. They had their cuffs and ribbons, necklaces and

bracelets, ear-rings and brooches, set with gems--were quite adepts

at twisting and curling the hair; and, as it is the historian's duty

to tell the whole truth, we are compelled to confess, that at this

early period they were also guilty of painting their cheeks, so that

England has long had its rouged, as well as its rosy daughters. We read

also of pale tunics, of dun-coloured garments, of white kirtles--and,

in the Anglo-Saxon illustrations, we see robes of purple bordered

with yellow, of green striped with red, of lilac interlaced with

green, crimson striped with purple, all showing that a love of rich

and pleasing colours was, above a thousand years ago, common to the

ladies of England. Gloves appear to have been rarely worn. The sleeve

of the tunic was made long enough to be drawn over the hand in cold

weather; where the glove is represented, the thumb only is separate,

the remainder of the fingers are covered, without any division, like

the mits, or mittens, worn by children at the present day. The military

costume we have already described: nor does it appear to have undergone

any alteration until after the Norman Conquest. They wore helmets, had

wooden shields covered with leather, rimmed, and bossed with iron, had

a kind of ringed armour to defend the breast, and such weapons as we

have frequently made mention of in our descriptions of the battles.

Turning to their furniture, we find, that besides benches and stools,

they had also seats with backs to them, not unlike the chairs or

sofas of the present day. Many of these are richly ornamented with

the forms of lions, eagles, and dragons; and no better proof need be

advanced than this profusion of carved work, to show, that in their

domestic comforts they had stepped far beyond the mere wants and common

necessaries of life, and made considerable progress in its refinements

and luxuries. Their chairs and tables were not only formed of wood

richly carved, but sometimes inlaid with gold, silver, and ivory. Nor

were the eating and drinking vessels of the nobles less costly. Mention

is made of gold and silver cups, on which figures of men and animals

were engraven; and the weight of some of these was from two to four

pounds. They covered their tables with cloths; had knives, spoons,

drinking-horns, bowls, dishes, but in no instance do we meet with a

fork. The roast meat or fowl appears to have been served on long spits;

each guest cut off what he approved of, and then the attendant passed

on to the next, who also helped himself--the bread and salt standing

ready for all upon the table. The Saxons were hard drinkers--mead,

wine, and ale flowed freely at their feasts; and it seems to have

been a common custom for the guests to have slept in the apartment

where the feast was held; for we read of the tables being removed,

of bolsters being brought into the hall, and the company throwing

themselves upon the floor, their only covering being their cloaks or

skins, while their weapons were suspended from the boarded walls over

their heads. Bedsteads were, however, in use, though they appear to

have been low; the part where the head rested was raised like the end

of a modern couch; beds, pillows, bed-clothes, curtains, sheets, and

coverlets of linen and skins, are occasionally mentioned in the old

Saxon wills, where we also find both the words sacking and bolster. The

bed-pillows appear occasionally to have been made of plaited straw;

and in one place we find mention of bed-curtains formed of gilded

fly-net, but what this may have been we are ignorant of. We read also

of candlesticks, hand-bells, and mirrors, being made of silver. Glass

appears to have been used more sparingly, though it is mentioned by

Bede as being "used for lamps and vessels of many uses." The use of the

bath is also frequently named; and we find them using frankincense,

pepper, and cinnamon, and other spices.

England, at this period, abounded in woods, and the chief meat of the

Saxons appears to have been the flesh of swine. Swine are frequently

mentioned in wills. They were given in dowries, bequeathed to abbeys

and monasteries, together with the land on which the swine fed. Oxen

and sheep they used more sparingly; and it is very probable that they

were not at this period so plentiful as swine. Deer, goats, and hares,

and several varieties of fowl, were also used for food. Of fish, the

eel appears to have been the most abundant. Eels were often received

in payment of rent; estates were held by no other form than that of

presenting so many eels annually; and eel-dykes are mentioned as

forming the boundary lines of different possessions. Herrings, salmon,

sturgeons, flounders, plaice, crabs, lobsters, oysters, muscles,

cockles, winkles, and even the porpoise, is named amongst the fish

which they consumed. Cheese, milk, butter, and eggs, were among the

common articles of the food of the Saxons. They used also both wheat

and barley bread, and had wind and water mills to grind their corn.

They appear to have been great consumers of honey; and amongst their

vegetables, beans and colewort are frequently mentioned. In their

soups they used herbs; and amongst their fruits we find pears, apples,

grapes, nuts, and even almonds and figs were grown in the orchards

which belonged to the monasteries. Salt was extensively used; and they

seem to have slaughtered numbers of their cattle in autumn, which

they cured and salted for winter consumption; and from this we might

infer that there was a scarcity of fodder during the winter months.

They boiled, baked, and roasted their victuals as we do now. Mention

is made of their ovens and boiling vessels, and of their fish having

been broiled. To eat or drink what a cat or dog had spoiled, they were

compelled afterwards to undergo a penance; also, if any one gave to

another any liquor in which a mouse or a weazel had been found dead,

four days' penance was inflicted; or if a monk, he was doomed to sing

three hundred psalms. There seem to have been ale-houses or taverns at

a very early period; and we find a priest forbidden to either eat or

drink in those places where ale was sold. So plentiful does animal food

appear to have been, that a master was prohibited from giving it to his

servants on fast-days; if he did, he was sentenced to the pillory.

Beginning with their in-door sports and pastimes, we find games similar

to chess and backgammon amongst their social amusements, while gleemen,

dancers, tumblers, and harpers, contributed to their merriment. In the

early illuminations we see jugglers throwing up three knives and balls,

and catching each alternately, just as the same feat is performed

in the present day. The Saxons were also great lovers of the chase.

Alfred, as we have shown, was a famous hunter; and Harold received his

surname of Harefoot through his swiftness in following the chase. Boars

and wild deer appear to have been their favourite game, and sometimes

they hunted down "the grey wolf of the weald." Wolf-traps and wolf-pits

are often mentioned in the Saxon records. England was not in those

days cursed with game-laws. Every man might pursue the game upon his

own land, and over hundreds of miles of wood and moor-hill, dale and

common, without any one interfering with him. There was no exception

made, only to the spot in which the king hunted, and this restriction

appears only to have been limited to the time and place where he

followed the chase. When the royal hunt was over, the forest was again

free. The Saxons hunted with hawks and hounds; and Alfred the Great

wrote instructions on the management of hawks. Nets, pits, bows and

arrows, and slings, were also used for capturing and destroying game.

The women were protected by many excellent laws; and violence offered

to them was visited by such severe pains and penalties as make us

ashamed of the justice which the insulted female obtains in modern

times when she seeks redress. The first step towards marriage consisted

in obtaining the lady's consent, the second that of her parents or

friends; the intended husband then pledged himself to maintain his

wife in becoming dignity; his friends were bound for the fulfilment of

his engagement. Next, provision was made for the children; and here,

again, the husband had to find sureties. Then came the morgen-gift, or

jointure, which was either money or land, paid or made over the day

after the marriage. Provision was also made in case of the husband's

death, but if a widow married within twelve months of her widowhood

she forfeited all claim to the property of her former husband. The

marriage ceremony was solemnized by the presence of the priest, who

having consecrated their union, prayed for the Divine blessing to

settle upon them, and that they might live in holiness, happiness, and

prosperity. Women had property in their own right, which they could

dispose of without the husband's consent; they were also witnesses at

the signing of deeds and charters. In the Saxon manuscripts we never

meet with the figures of women engaged in out-of-door labour; this was

always done by the men, although the wealthy classes had their slaves

of both sexes. To women the household occupation seems solely to have

belonged. Alfred the Great wrote the following beautiful description of

the love of a wife for her husband:--"She lives now for thee, and thee

only; hence she loves nothing else but thee. She has enough of every

good in this present life, but she has despised it all for thee alone.

She has shunned it all because she has not thee also. This one thing

is now wanting to her; thine absence makes her think that all which

she possesses is nothing. Hence, for thy love she is wasting; and full

nigh dead with tears and sorrow." Who can doubt but that this passage

describes his own feelings, when he wandered hungry and homeless

about the wilds of Athelney, and thought of her he had left weeping

in solitude behind? It is one of the many beautiful original passages

which are found in his Boethius, for Alfred was no mere translator, but

enriched his author from the storehouse of his own thoughts.

While pagans, the Saxons frequently burnt the bodies of their dead,

but this custom they for ever abandoned after they became converts to

Christianity. Their first mode of interment appears to have been a

grave, in which they placed the body without any covering excepting

the earth which was thrown over it. Sometimes the body was rolled in

a sheet of lead; and at Swinehead's Abbey, in Lincolnshire, several

skeletons have been dug up lately, wrapped round with the same

material, but without any vestige of a coffin appearing; though this

is no proof of wooden coffins not having been used at the period

of interment, which through the lapse of long centuries may have

decayed and mingled with the soil. Stone coffins were commonly used

by the wealthy, and but few were at first allowed to be buried within

walled towns. By degrees the churches began to be used as places of

sepulture, though only men distinguished for their piety and good

works appear at first to have been buried in these ancient edifices.

After a time, the churches and church-yards became crowded with

graves, and then the bodies were removed to some distance for burial.

The passing-bell was rung at a very early period; it is mentioned by

Bede, and there is but little doubt that the custom dates from nearly

the first introduction of Christianity. The clergy, on the death of

a person, received a payment, called the "soul-scot," which at times

amounted to an immense sum; even land was left by the dead, that

prayers might be offered up for the welfare of the soul; and thus

in early times the churches were enriched. The burial of Archbishop

Wilfred, in the eighth century, is thus described by Eddius:--"Upon a

certain day, many abbots and clergy met those who conducted the corpse

of the holy bishop in a hearse, and begged that they might be permitted

to wash the body, and dress it honourably, as befitted its dignity.

This was granted; and an abbot named Baculus then spread his surplice

on the ground, and the brethren depositing the body upon it, washed it

with their own hands, then, dressing it in the ecclesiastical habit,

they carried it along, singing psalms and hymns as they proceeded.

When they approached the monastery, the monks came out to meet it, and

scarcely one refrained from shedding tears and weeping aloud. And thus

it was borne, amid hymns and tears, to its final resting-place, the

church which the good bishop had built and dedicated to St. Peter." The

Saxons had also gilds or clubs, in which the artizans, or such as seem

to have consisted of the middle classes, subscribed for the burial of a

member, and a fine was inflicted upon every brother who did not attend

the funeral. Thus, above a thousand years ago, were burial societies

established in England--a clear proof of the respect which the Saxons

paid to their dead.

Savill & Edwards, Printers, 4, Chandos-street, Covent-garden.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

BY WILLIAM HARVEY, ESQ.

1. CONVERSION OF ETHELBERT _Frontispiece._

2. COMBAT BETWEEN ROMANS AND BRITONS 22

3. CARACTACUS CARRIED CAPTIVE TO ROME 33

4. VORTIGERN AND ROWENA 67

5. ALFRED DESCRIBING THE DANISH CAMP 180

6. ALFRED RELEASING THE FAMILY OF HASTINGS 188

7. DUNSTAN DRAGGING KING EDWIN FROM ELGIVA 224

8. THE WELSH TRIBUTE OF WOLVES' HEADS 232

9. CANUTE REBUKING HIS COURTIERS 262

10. HAROLD SWEARING ON THE RELICS OF THE SAINTS 300

11. DISCOVERY OF THE BODY OF HAROLD 338

12. TRIAL BY ORDEAL 346

FOOTNOTES:

[1] History of Scotland, vol. i. p. 9.

[2] Turner's "Anglo-Saxons," to which I am indebted for many of the

facts recorded in this chapter.

[3] Turner's Anglo-Saxons, vol. i. p 293.

[4] A Catholic History of England. By William Bernard Mac Cabe.

Carefully compiled from our earliest records, and purporting to be a

literal translation of the writings of the old chroniclers, miracles,

visions, &c. from the time of Gildas; richly illustrated with notes,

which throw a clear, and in many instances a new light on what would

otherwise be difficult and obscure passages.

[5] Thierry's Norman Conquest; Turner's Anglo-Saxons, and the early

English Chronicles.

[6] Thierry's Norman Conquest.

[7] Turner's "Anglo-Saxons," vol. 2, p. 248. Although we differ from

this honest and able historian in many of the inferences he has drawn

from undisputed facts, we believe no writer ever sat down with a firmer

determination to do justice to the memory of the dead than Sharon

Turner.

[8] At page 277 of Turner's "Anglo-Saxons," vol. ii., is the

commencement of a long and valuable note on the ancient lives of St.

Dunstan, which are still extant.

[9] Thierry's Norman Conquest. European Library edition. Vol. I. pages

82 and 83.

[10] Turner's Anglo-Saxons, page 325, vol. ii. Edition, 1836.

[11] William of Malmsbury.

[12] Thierry's "Norman Conquest," p. 134, European Library edition.

[13] Thierry's "Norman Conquest."

[14] Thierry's "Norman Conquest," vol. i. p. 148.

[15] Miss Strickland's Lives of the Queens of England, vol. i. pp.

6, 49, 70. For the love and affection which is said to have existed

between William and Matilda, we must refer our readers to the above

work, to which we are indebted for these revolting facts.

[16] Thierry's Norman Conquest, vol. i. p. 151.

[17] Thierry, vol. ii. p. 154.

[18] Thierry's "Norman Conquest."

[19] Turner's Anglo-Saxons, vol. ii. p. 396.

[20] Thierry's Norman Conquest, vol. i. p. 160.

[21] "Lives of the Queens of England," by Agnes Strickland, vol. i. p.

31, 37.

[22] "Lives of the Queens of England," by Agnes Strickland vol. i. p.

31, 37.

[23] Thierry's Norman Conquest, vol. i. p. 175.

[24] I had marked several passages in the translated poems of Beowulf,

Judith, Cedmon, &c., which would require but little alteration to

insure them a place amongst our choicest extracts; but am compelled

to omit them, as they would occupy too much space, and scarcely be in

keeping with the character of the present work.

[25] See p. 61.

[26] "A Groat's worth of Wit." No date.

* * * * * *

Transcribers' note:

Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant

preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed.

Simple typographical errors were corrected; occasional unpaired

quotation marks were retained.

Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained.

Two occurrences of "strown" retained; text mostly uses "strewn".

Two occurrences of "Welch" retained; text mostly uses "Welsh".

Text uses both "before-time" and "beforetime"; both retained.

Text uses various forms of "villan" and "villain"; all retained.

Text mostly uses various forms of "Vikingr", rather than "Viking".

Text uses both "Scearston" and "Scearstan"; both retained.

Text uses both "witenagemot" and "witena-gemot"; both retained.

Text uses both "William of Malmsbury" and "William of Malmesbury";

both retained.

Text mostly uses "Shakspere", so two occurrences of "Shakspeare" were

changed by Transcriber for consistency.

Page 43: "Constantine, Chlorus" should not contain the comma.

Page 51: "martrydom" was printed that way.

Page 56: "tatooing" was printed that way.

Page 142: "recal" was printed that way.

Page 160: "marish" may be a misprint for "marsh".

Page 176: "secresy" was printed that way.

Page 235: Unmatched quotation mark in paragraph ending "no ruin

occurred."

Page 250: "develope" was printed that way.

Page 311: "instal" was printed that way.

Page 319: Unmatched quotation mark in paragraph ending "as well as he

could."

Page 360: "muscles" and "weazel" were printed that way.