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fleet, and boldly sailed up the Thames, towards London. The king was then persuaded by the rest of the English nobles to restore Godwin to his possessions, and to banish the Normans, who all left the country as secretly as they could, for fear of being torn to pieces by the populace.

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Soon after this, earl Godwin died suddenly, as he was sitting at table with the king. Godwin had married a daughter of Canute the Great; and Harold, his eldest son, who was quite as ambitious as his father, had set his heart on succeeding Edward, who had no children, in the throne of England. But the king, who was aware of his ambitious designs, and desirous of defeating them, sent into Hungary, for the long-forgotten prince, Edward the Exile, son of Edmund Ironsides, to England. The prince obeyed the summons; but died a few months after his arrival, leaving a son named Edgar Atheling.

The death of Edward the Exile strengthened Harold yet more in his hopes; and on the death of Edward the Confessor, which took place in 1066, he was crowned king. He did not, however, find the throne a peaceable possession; for William, duke of Normandy, immediately asserted his own claim to it, under pretence that Edward the Confessor had left him the kingdom in his will. William, in aid of his own preparations, excited Halfager, king of Norway, and Tosti, the brother of Harold, to make a descent in the north of England.

Harold gained near York a great victory over these invaders; but was then obliged to make a speedy march to the south coast, to oppose the duke of Normandy, who had landed, with a great army, in Pevensey Bay, in Sussex, on the 28th of September, 1066. On the 14th of October was fought the great battle of Hastings, a battle that completely changed the fate of England. Harold was killed by a wound in the eye from an arrow, and William gained a signal victory.

Why were the Normans expelled from England?

What successor did Edward provide?

Who succeeded Edward the Confessor, and who claimed the crown? When was the battle of Hastings?

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1041

......

1066...

4.... Edwy, 16.... Edgar,

...

Edward the Martyr,
Ethelred the Unready,
Edmund Ironsides,

THE DANISH LINE.

18.... Canute the Great.

Harold Harefoot,

2.... Hardicanute,

sons of Canute.

SAXON LINE RESTORED.

27.... Edward the Confessor, son of Ethelred the Unready.

Harold, son of earl Godwin, usurped the crown, though Edgar Atheling, grandson of Edmund Ironside, was the natural heir.

The Saxons continued in the country after the conquest, and were much more numerous than the Norman settlers: the present inhabitants of England, therefore, are chiefly of Saxon descent: and their language, and many of their habits and customs, sufficiently declare their origin.

It does not appear that the social and moral character of England was much changed during the period of one hundred and sixty-five years, which elapsed from the death of Alfred to the battle of Hastings. During the greater part of that time the English were in such a continual state of warfare with the Danes, that they did not make much progress in any peaceful arts. Books were so very scarce and dear, that they were only to be found in royal libraries.Paper was not then invented, and it was not possible to pro

Are the present inhabitants of England chiefly of Saxon origin? During 167 years what was the improvement of the English people?

cure parchment enough for a great supply of books. Besides this, there were only manuscripts, (printing not being invented at that time,) and but few people could write. Some, however, of the few manuscripts remaining to us in the Saxon character, are very beautifully and carefully written.

The Saxons had also another difficulty in the way of their acquiring knowledge. They had not any signs, or characters, to express numbers, except the Roman letters M. D. C. V. I., which are at this time occasionally in use: and till the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, &c. were brought into Europe by the Saracens, by whom, it is said, they were invented, there was great difficulty in learning and practising arithmetic.

The Danish kings were not more friendly to learning than their Saxon predecessors. Some of both respected learned men. Edward the Confessor liked to have them about him. Canute was a pagan when he came to England, but he became a Christian. The Danes and Saxons resembled each other very much in dress and language: but the Saxons, though equally brave and warlike, appear to have been a less savage and more social people than the Danes.

The style of dress among the Saxons was quite different from that in present fashion. The loose dress called a carter's frock, very much resembles the tunic which was worn by the Saxons. These tunics were bound in round the waist with a belt, and usually came no lower than the knee; only kings and nobles wore them down to the feet. People of rank wore, over the other, a short tunic, or surcoat, made of silk, and richly embroidered and ornamented: a linen shirt, also, shaped much like a modern shirt, was now an indispensable part of dress amongst the higher orders of people.

The poor people wore no shirt, and had only a tunic made of coarse materials. The slaves wore an iron collar round the neck, and were clad in tunics open at the sides. According to the pictures we have of the Saxons, they

What prevented the Saxons from readily acquiring arithmetic? Did the Danes and Saxons regard learning, and did they resemble each other?

What was the Saxon style of dress generally?
What was the dress of the poor people?

E

appear generally to have gone bare-headed; though they occasionally wore fur caps. The hair was worn long, and parted on the forehead, and hung in straight locks on each side of the face. The beard was shaven on the upper lip, and top of the chin: the rest grew long, and was kept very smooth and neat, and was usually divided in the middle, and hung down in two points. Their shoes came up high, and were more properly a sort of buskin.

The Saxon women wore a linen under dress, with long tight sleeves; and over that a wide robe, or gown, fastened round the waist by a belt, and long enough to conceal the feet. Their head-dress was a square piece of linen, or silk, so put on as to conceal the hair and neck, showing only the face. It ought to be remembered, to the honor of the Saxon ladies, that, while the men were continually adopting new fashions in their dress, there was in 300 years little or no change in that of the women. Both sexes wore mantles, more or less splendid, according to their rank, and a profusion of gold ornaments, fringes, and bracelets.

Loose trowsers were worn by the men: but this, perhaps, was more a Norman fashion, being introduced with many other changes by Edward the Confessor, whose early education had made him much attached to the Norman dress and customs. Amongst other changes he caused his nobles to be called barons, instead of by the old Saxon name of theyn, or thane.

The title of Confessor has nearly the same meaning with that of Saint, and was conferred on Edward by pope Alex. ander III. about a century after his death.

CHAP. VI.

WILLIAM I.

[Years after Christ, 1066–1087.]

By the fatal termination of the battle of Hastings, in which Harold was killed, and William of Normandy com

How did the Saxon women dress?

What changes of fashion were brought into England by Edward the Confessor, and why was he called so?

Did the English bestow the crown without hesitation upon William of Normandy?

pletely victorious, the English were thrown into the utmost consternation. Some of the nobles assembled in London to deliberate on placing Edgar Atheling on the throne; but before they could come to any settled determination, the Conqueror was already at their gates. Some of the nobles fled into the north; but the rest, and amongst them Edgar Atheling, came out to meet the duke of Normandy, and offered him the vacant throne; which he, with a little pretended hesitation, accepted.

William the Conqueror was crowned at WestA. D. 1066. minster, on Christmas-day. During the ceremony, the English, to show their satisfaction in their new king, set up loud shouts of applause. The Norman guards, who were stationed on the outside of the abbey, hearing a great noise, and not understanding what it meant, thought the English were insulting their prince. In the sudden passion into which this notion betrayed them, they set fire to some neighbouring houses, which, being of wood, burnt furiously. A violent tumult ensued, which, though it arose only from a mistake, caused much ill-will between the two nations; and there was some difficulty in pacifying it.

William, however, began his reign with so much prudence and moderation, that his new subjects thought they had great reason to be satisfied: but afterwards, when he built castles at Norwich, Winchester, Hereford, and London, and garrisoned them with Normans, they began to feel themselves oppressed.

On an occasion offered by his going into Normandy, they broke out into open rebellion, but without success: and William, on his return, did what was right in his own eyes, without much regard to the feelings of his subjects, and compelled them to absolute submission. Many years passed in unavailing struggles on the part of the English to throw off the Norman yoke, and in reiterated acts of oppression on the part of the Conqueror, who deprived the Saxon nobles of their estates to bestow them on his Norman followers.

William deposed the English bishops, and filled their places with Normans, or other foreigners: one of these,

Did the English proceed to open rebellion against William?
How did William govern the church affairs?

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