As soon as he had taken the oath, some of the attendants lifted up the cloth of gold, and underneath was seen, not an altar, or a table, but a box or chest filled with relics and bones of saints. Harold was struck with dismay, and shuddered. Strange to say, he and all around thought the oath far more awful and sacred now than he had supposed it to be when he only swore on the New Testament; such was the feeling in those days about saints and relics. After this Harold was allowed to return to England. 25. Here he grew more and more in the favour of the people: His brother Tostig, Edward's favourite, had been made Earl of Northumberland. Though the gentle Edward was 1065. Tostig. so attached to him, Tostig was at heart a fierce and tyrannical man, and the people of Northumberland, who were a turbulent and warlike race, would not put up with him. They broke out in rebellion, and King Edward sent Harold to the north to settle matters, hoping that Tostig would be re-established in his dominion. But when Harold found that his brother had ruled cruelly and unjustly, and that the Northumbrians were resolved not to have him, and had even chosen another earl for themselves, he would not go to war for the sake of his brother; he allowed the Northumbrians to keep the earl whom they had chosen, and Tostig had to flee over the sea. Thus the people saw that Harold had their good at heart more than the greatness of his own family, and they honoured and trusted him more than ever. Westminster Abbey. 26. Edward's end was now drawing near. He was growing old, and there was one great thing he longed to see completed before he died, one great work on which his heart was set this was the building of Westminster Abbey. Though Westminster is now part of London, and we cannot tell when we pass from one into the other, in Edward's day it was some little distance off, and, more than that, it was an island. There were then beside the river Thames a great number of streams and little rivers running down from the hills round London, which are all buried alive now under the streets. There had long been a little old church standing upon this island, which, being covered with thickets and thorns, was called "Thorney Isle." 27. Here Edward, who had been used to see much grander buildings in Normandy than the English knew how to make, determined that he would build the finest church that had ever been seen in England, and he also built himself a palace there, where he might watch the work going on. The place where it stood is still called "Old Palace Yard." This new grand church, which was dedicated to St. Peter, was called the West Minster; the principal church in London itself was dedicated to St. Paul. There is very little of Edward's grand abbey left now, but a few strong foundations of the pillars, and perhaps a dark archway or two, are still there. And our beautiful Westminster Abbey, which has been called "the most lovely and loveable thing in Christendom," is on the same spot, and there may still be seen the "shrine" or sacred tomb of Edward the Confessor, the first of all the good or great or famous Englishmen who lie buried there. To see the minster finished and consecrated was his heart's desire. 28. There was still one more thing to do, to appoint his successor. He had no children; all the old royal family were dead and gone except one man, that son of Edmund Ironside who had been sent long ago to Hungary, and his children. Edward, perhaps, meant to make him king after his own death, for he sent for him from Hungary, and had him and his three children brought to England, just as he himself had been sent for by Harthacnut. Prince Edward arrived with his son, Edgar the Etheling, and his two daughters, but he died almost directly after reaching England. His son Edgar was a very weak, almost imbecile young man. Had he been like his grandfather, Edmund Ironside, most likely all the rest of our history would have been different. But every one could see that this poor, feeble, harmless young fellow was not fit to be king in troublous times, and that the struggle for the throne would be between William and Harold, two strong and vigorous men. William always maintained that his cousin had promised the kingdom to him, but it is certain that as poor Edward lay dying he said Harold was to be his heir. 1065. Death of Edward. 29. He was now at Westminster; it was Christmas time; the beautiful church was finished, and ready to be consecrated. He longed to have strength for that great and joyful day. It was fixed for December 28th, the Feast of the Innocents. But he was too ill and weak to be present, the queen had to take his place at the ceremony, and he only went into the church when he was carried there to be buried. 30. They tell us that when he was dying he said he "hoped he was passing from the land of the dead to the land of the living;" and the 'Chronicle' says, "St. Peter, his friend, opened to him the gate of Paradise, and St. John, his own dear one, led him before the Divine Majesty." LECTURE XV.-THE CONQUEST. Election of Harold. Battle of Stamford Bridge. Battle of Hastings. Coronation of William the Conqueror. His character. Effects of the Norman Conquest-on the English character-on the English language. 1065. King Harold. 1. Ir was evident that there would be a great contest for the crown at the death of Edward the Confessor. But, at least, in the minds of the English there was no doubt at all. Harold was elected on the very day Edward died. The next day, January 6, Edward was buried and Harold crowned in the new abbey at Westminster. No one thought of choosing the Etheling, Edgar, who was the only man left of the old royal family, but who was young and weak, and plainly unfit to govern. 2. Some historians call Harold a " usurper," because he was not of the royal house; but I think, being an Englishman, and chosen by the English people, he was as true a king as ever we had. He had already been king, in all but the name, through the last years of Edward the Confessor, and all the people knew him to be wise, just, brave, and merciful. He had, however, but little time to show how good a king he could be, and his short reign was full of troubles. Duke William. 3. It was not likely that William of Normandy, the proud, ambitious, and strong-willed man, was going to give up the great wish of his life without a struggle. It is said that when he first heard the news of Harold being made king he was "speechless with rage." However, he did not choose to show his fury at once; indeed, it would have suited him far better to come in peaceably than to have to fight for the kingdom. He accordingly began by sending messages to Harold, reminding him of the oath he had sworn, and summoning him to give up the kingdom to him who was Edward's heir. Harold must have bitterly lamented the one false step he had taken in swearing that oath which he never meant to keep. 4. But it could not be undone now. He sent back a straight forward message to the duke, that that oath had been extorted from him by fear of violence, and therefore it was not binding; and he also said very truly that he had had no right to make any oath or promise at all about the kingdom, which it had never been in his power to give away without the consent of the people and of the wise men, and that a rash oath ought to be broken. And he ended his answer by adding proudly that all the English people had heartily joined in giving the kingdom to him, and that he would not show himself so unworthy of their favour as to resign it, or to cease protecting them from foreign enemies; and, in short, that he would not give up the kingdom unless he gave with it his life. This was surely the answer of a true king, even though not of the royal blood. 5. But it was certain William would not be satisfied with that. He began forthwith to make preparations for seizing the crown of England by force, since he could not get it without. He made all the friends he could among the other princes and great potentates of the Continent, so as to get aid from their soldiers. But the principal ally he tried to secure was the Pope. 6. We may well wonder what concern the Bishop of Rome could have in this affair, so far away from Italy, and not a religious matter at all. But by this time the bishops The Pope. of Rome were very different indeed from what might have been expected from followers of St. Peter or of Christ. We all know Christ's charge to Peter, "Feed My sheep. Feed My lambs." St. Peter's successors did not always think much about the sheep or the lambs now. They wanted to be great lords and princes, higher than all the kings and emperors in the world. Even this, however, had its good side. In those wild times, when the princes of Europe were so proud, ambitious, and quarrelsome, when their only creed, as far as worldly affairs were concerned, seemed to be "That they should take who have the power, when they were always defying and robbing one another, it was a real benefit that there should be a bond of unity which kept the different states from falling all to pieces, a visible and, as they believed, divinely-appointed power, which in some sort they felt to be above them all, and to which they all owed some kind of obedience and duty. It may be owned, too, that in many cases the Popes did use their great influence in a wise and Christian way, by striving to teach their turbulent flock something of justice, peace, and pity; but when, as was often the case, the Pope was as proud, ambitious, and crafty as the princes, and so the very light was darkened, how great was the darkness! 7. Hitherto, as far as England was concerned, the Popes had not interfered much in anything beyond giving the pall to the archbishops, and getting all the money they could from them, and from the country in general. But now that they were determined to have a voice, and the loudest voice, in the governing of every kingdom, the Pope would be glad to get an opening like this for taking part in the affairs of England, and having something to say about who was to be king. 8. Of course Harold and the English never thought of asking the Pope's opinion, still less his permission; they settled things in the old free English way. Therefore there was no doubt the Pope would favour the Frenchman. He pronounced Harold accursed and excommunicated, and he sent William a consecrated banner and a hair of St. Peter. It was not till afterwards that he made known what he expected in return. 9. Meanwhile William went on with his preparations, collecting a great army, increasing the pay of his soldiers, and making grand promises to all. But all his fine army, all his ships, all his strong will, even the Pope's flag and St. Peter's hair, would hardly have prevailed against Harold and his Englishmen had it not been for an English traitor who turned against his country and joined with her enemies. This was no other Tostig. than Tostig, Harold's own brother, the same who had been driven out of Northumberland for his injustice and cruelty, and whom Harold had refused to support. 10. Tostig had taken refuge in Norway, and made friends with the king of that country, and the two now joined in invading the northern part of England, where they defeated the troops who opposed them and laid siege to York. Harold therefore, instead of watching the coast to prevent the Normans from landing, was obliged to march to the north to drive these invaders away. He tried at first to make peace with his brother, promising him forgiveness and rewards if he would submit. 11. But when Tostig asked what he would give to his friend, the King of Norway, Harold's messenger replied with scorn, "Seven feet of English ground for a grave; or, perhaps, as he is a tall man, a little more.' After Battle of this defiance there was no more thought of peace. A great battle was fought, and Harold conquered. Stamford |