Character of the English and Nor

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mans. From the fame.

HERE is a remarkable paffage in William of Malmfbury upon the different characters of the English and Normans. He fays, that, before the latter had obtained poffeffion of England, learning and religion were brought to fo low a ftate in that kingdom, that most of the clergy could hardly read divine fervice; and if, happily, any one of them underfood grammar, he was admired and wondered at by the reft as a prodigy. The English nobility were very deficient in the external duties of piety; it being cuftomary among them, even for those who were married, to hear matins and mafs faid to them in their bed-chambers, before they were up, and as faft as the priest could poffibly hurry them over; instead of attending divine fervice, with proper folemnity, in churches or chapels. Many of them were guilty of the unnatural inhumanity of felling their female laves, whom they kept as their concubines, when they were big with child by them, either to public proftitution, or to perpetual flavery in foreign lands. They were alfo univerfally addicted to drunkennefs, and continued over their cups whole days and nights, keep. ing open house and fpending all the income of their eftates in riotous feafts, where they eat and drank to excefs, without any elegant or magnificient luxury. Their houfes were generally fmall and mean, their garments plain, and fuccinct: they cut their hair short, and fhaved their faces, except the upper lip; wearing no ornament,

but heavy bracelets of gold on their arms, and painted figures, that were burnt into the skin, on fome parts of their bodies. The Normans, on the contrary (as the fame author informs us) affected great finery and pomp in their cloaths; and were delicate in their food, but without any excefs. They fpent little in houfe-keeping, but were very expenfive and mag. nificient in their buildings, making that their chief pride, and introducing a new and better mode of architecture into this ifland. Nor did they only difplay this magnificience in their own private houses; but embellished all the kingdom with churches and convents more fplendid and elegant than thofe of the English. They are alfo commended, by the abovementioned hiftorian, for establishing here a more decent and more regular form of religion; but yet it is certain, that, by admitting new doctrines of popery, to which the Anglo-Saxon church had never affented, they further corrupted the purity of the Christian faith in this ifland. He adds, that they were faithful to their liege lords, if they were not ill ufed; but that, on occafion of the lighteft offence given to them, they broke their allegiance, that being accustomed to a military life, and hardly knowing how to live without war, they made it with ardour; but, if they could not fucceed by open force, they understood equally well how to employ both fraud and bribery: whereas the English had only a rafh and impetuous valour. He likewife tells us, that the Normans were apt to fell juftice; that they were full of emulation, ambition, and envy; that they frequently

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themselves oppreffed their vaffals, but bravely defended them againft all others; willingly intermixed with the people they had conquered, and of all nations in the world were the kindeft to foreigners, putting them upon an equal foot with themselves, if they came to fettle among them.

Such is the picture drawn by William of Malmbury of the English and Normans compared and contrafted together and no writer of thofe times was better qualified than he to form a true judgment of their good and ill qualities, or more impartial between them; for he had very good fenfe, with much knowledge of the world, and was equally related in blood to both nations. Nevertheless the diverfity, which he has obferved in their manners, did not remain till the times in which he wrote. He tells us himfelf, that the English foon accommodated themfelves to thofe of the Normans, after they had been forced to fubmit to their government, except in one article, namely, their temperance in eating and drinking; but, inftead of learn ing that, they communicated to them their own habits of drunkennefs and immoderate feafting, which continued for many ages the national vices of their common pofterity.

In weighing the merits of each people, as here defcribed, it will be found that the Normans were greatly fuperior to the English in politenefs and knowledge; and it may therefore be thought, that, by a mixture with them, the latter received fuch improvements, as were a fufficient compenfation for the many evils brought upon them

in other refpects. It must also be confeffed, that, fo long as the Anglo Saxons were masters of England, that kingdom was of no account in the fyftem of Europe; but grew to have weight and authority on the continent under the government of the Normans, both from the dominions which the princes of that race poffeffed in France, and from their active am. bition, which, feconded by the enterprifing and warlike difpofition of all their nobility, rendered the English name refpected and il luftrious abroad. But whether this honour was not purchafed too dear, by the lofs of that peace, which the fituation of England, efpecially if united with Scotland and Wales, might have fecured to it under the government and island. policy of the Saxons, may well be difputed. Refides the conftant expence of blood and treasure, one great mifchief, occafioned by it, was the taking off the attention of many of our kings from the important objects of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce. Yet, on the other hand, it is certain that foreign wars, by exercifing the valour, increafe the ftrength of a nation, which, remaining long unemployed, is very apt to decay, and fink into an infirm and effeminate foftnefs; particularly where the people are much ad, dicted to commerce; the mercantile fpirit prevailing over the military more than is confiftent with the fafety or virtue of a state, To keep up the energy of both thefe fpirits in a proper degree, and without prejudice to each other, is a very important and very difficult part of political wif dom, which has been performed in

few

few governments, either ancient or modern.

Character of Harold. fame.

manners.

the reign of a very weak prince moft happy to the English; victory attended his arms on the borders; liberty and peace were maintained by him at home. There was much dignity, gracefulnefs, and ftrength in his perfon; he had a courage and refolution which nothing could daunt, an eafy flow of natural eloquence, animated by a lively agreeable wit, and elevation of fentiments with popular Befides all the luftre he drew from his political and military talents, in which he had no equal among his own countrymen, his character was embellished, and rendered more amiable, by a generous fpirit, and a heart in which humanity tempered ambition. It does not appear that his virtues were difgraced by the mixture of any vice or weaknefs, which could dishonour him in the eyes of the public. Upon the whole, he was worthy of the crown he afpired to; which is confeft even by writers no way dif. pofed to judge of him too favourably, and ftill better proved by all his behaviour after he was on the throne.

vernor, but had learnt from their ancestors to fecure to themselves either liberty or death." Such a language, by a man of a defpotic temper, would certainly have been deemed an unpardonable aggravation of their offence; but Harold refpected it, admitted their plea, and even rendered himself their advocate with the king, (to whom his entreaties were commands) that they might have for their governor the perfon they defired, Morcar, the younger brother of Edwin earl of Mercia, whofe father and grandfather had been dangerous enemies to his father and himself: a moft laudable act, and which fhews that he was worthy to rule a free kingdom! It may indeed be thought, that policy joined with generofity and with juftice, in dictating to him this extraordinary conduct; for, befides the hearts of the people, he gained by it a connexion with two powerful no. bles, who never forgot the obligation, and whofe warm adherence to him must have greatly contributed to raise him to the throne.

Character

of William the Firft. From the fame.

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having

having been dazzled fo much by the more fhining parts of it, that they have hardly feen his faults; while others, out of a strong deteftation of tyranny, have been unwilling to allow him the praise he deferves.

He may with juftice be ranked among the greateft generals any age has produced. There was united in him activity, vigilance, intrepidity, caution, great force of judgment, and never-failing prefence of mind. He was very ftrict in his difcipline, and kept his foldiers in perfect obedience; yet preferved their affection. Hav. ing been, from his very child. hood, continually in war, and at the head of armies, he joined to all the capacity that genius could give, all the knowledge and skill that experience could teach, and was a perfect mafter of the mili. tary art, as it was practifed in the times when he lived. His conftitution enabled him to endure any hardships; and very few were equal to him in perfonal strength: which was an excellence of more importance than it is now, from the manner of fighting then in ufe. It is faid of him, that none but himself could bend his bow. His courage was heroic, and he poffeffed it, not only in the field, but (which is more uncommon) in the cabinet; attempting great things with means that to other men appeared unequal to fuch undertakings, and fteadily profecuting what he had boldly refolved; being never difturbed or disheartened with difficulties, in the purfuit of his enterprizes; but having that noble vigour of mind, which, inftead of bending to oppofition, rises against it, and feems

to have a power of controlling and governing fortune itself.

Nor was he lefs fuperior to pleasure than to fear. No luxury foftened him, no riot difordered, no floth relaxed. It helped not a little to maintain the high refpect his fubjects had for him, that the majefty of his character was never let down by any incontinence or indecent excefs. His temperance and his chaftity were conftant guards, that fecured his mind from all weakness, fupported its dignity, and kept it always, as it were, on the throne. Through his whole life he had no partner of his bed but his queen: a moft extraordinary virtue in one who had lived, even from his earliest youth, amidst all the licence of camps, the allurements of a court, and the feductions of fovereign power! Had he kept his oaths to his people as well as he did his marriage vow, he would have been the best of kings; but he indulged other paffions of a worfe nature, and infinitely more detrimental to the public, than thofe he reftrained. A luft of power, which no regard to juftice could limit, the most unrelenting cruelty, and the most insatiable avarice, poffeffed his foul. It is true indeed, that among many acts of extreme inhumanity fome fhining inftances of great clemency may be produced, that were either effects of his policy, which taught him this method of acquiring friends, or of his magnanimity, which made him flight a weak and fubdued enemy; fuch as was Edgar Atheling, in whom he found neither fpirit nor talents able to contend with him for the crown. But where he had no ad

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vantage nor pride in forgiving, his nature difcovering itfelf to be utterly void of all fenfe of compaffion; and fome barbarities, which he committed, exceeded the bounds that even tyrants and conquerors prefcribe to themfelves.

Moft of our ancient hiftorians give him the character of a very religious prince; but his religion was, after the fashion of thofe times, belief without examination, and devotion without piety. It was a religion that prompted him to endow monafteries, and at the fame time allowed him to pillage kingdoms; that threw him on his knees before a relic or crofs, but fuffered him unrestrained to trample upon the liberties and rights of mankind.

As to his wifdom in government, of which fome modern writers have fpoken very highly, he was indeed fo far wife, that, through a long, unquiet reign, he knew how to fupport oppreffion by terror, and employ the propereft means for the carrying on a very iniquitous and violent adminiftration. But that which a. lone deferves the name of wifdom in the character of a king, the maintaining of authority by the exercife of thofe virtues which make the happiness of his people, was what, with all his abilites, he does not appear to have poffeft. Nor did he excel in thofe foothing and popular arts, which fome times change the complexion of a tyranny, and give it a fallacious appearance of freedom. His government was harsh and defpotic, violating even the principles of that conftitution which he himself had established. Yet fo far he

a

But

performed the duty of a fovereign, that he took care to maintain good police in his realm; curbing licentioufnefs with a ftrong hand, which, in the tumultuous ftate of his government, was a great and difficult work. How well he performed it we may learn even from the teftimony of a contemporary Saxon hiftorian, who fays, that during his reign a man might have travelled in perfect fecurity all over the kingdom with his bofom full of gold, nor durft any kill another in revenge of the greatest offences, nor offer violence to the chastity of a woman. it was a poor compenfation, that the highways were fafe, when the courts of juftice were dens of thieves, and when almost every man in authority, or in office, ufed his power to opprefs and pillage the people. The king himfelf did not only tolerate, but encourage, fupport, and even fhare thefe extortions.. Though the greatnefs of the ancient landed eftate of the crown, and the feudal profits to which he legally was entitled, rendered him one of the richest monarchs in Europe, he was not content with all that opulence: but by authorifing the fheriffs, who collected his re venues in the feveral counties, to practife the moft grievous vexations and abufes, for the raising of them higher by a perpetual auction of the crown lands ; fo that none of his tenants could be fecure of poffeffion, if any other would come and offer more; by various iniquities in the court of exchequer, which was entirely Norman; by forfeitures wrongfully taken; and laftly, by arbitrary and illegal taxations, he