FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51  
52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   >>  
rold banded together to drive out the Norman. Malcolm was a brave man, and had, it is said, captured so many Anglo-Saxons and brought them back to Scotland, that they had a very refining influence on that country, introducing the study of the yoke among other things with moderate success. [Illustration: WILLIAM WAS FOND OF HUNTING.] William hastily returned from Normandy, and made short work of the rebellion. The following year another outbreak occurring in Northumberland, William mischievously laid waste sixty miles of fertile country, and wilfully slaughtered one hundred thousand people,--men, women, and children. And yet we have among us those who point with pride to their Norman lineage when they ought to be at work supporting their families. In 1070 the Archbishop of Canterbury was degraded from his position, and a Milanese monk on his Milan knees succeeded him. The Saxons became serfs, and the Normans used the school tax to build large, repulsive castles in which to woo the handcuffed Anglo-Saxon maiden at their leisure. An Anglo-Saxon maiden without a rope ladder in the pocket of her basque was a rare sight. Many very thrilling stories are written of those days, and bring a good price. William was passionately fond of hunting, and the penalty for killing a deer or boar without authority was greater than for killing a human being out of season. In order to erect a new forest, he devastated thirty miles of farming country, and drove the people, homeless and foodless, to the swamps. He also introduced the curfew, which he had rung in the evening for his subjects in order to remind them that it was time to put out the lights, as well as the cat, and retire. This badge of servitude caused great annoyance among the people, who often wished to sit up and visit, or pass the tankard about and bid dull care begone. William, however, was not entirely happy. While reigning, his children grew up without proper training. Robert, his son, unhorsed the old gentleman at one time, and would have killed him anonymously, each wearing at the time a galvanized iron dinner-pail over his features, but just at the fatal moment Robert heard his father's well-known breath asserting itself, and withheld his hand. William's death was one of the most attractive features of his reign. It resulted from an injury received during an invasion of France. Philip, the king of that country, had said something derogatory regarding Wil
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51  
52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   >>  



Top keywords:

William

 

country

 

people

 

features

 

maiden

 

Norman

 
Robert
 

children

 

killing

 
Saxons

servitude

 

caused

 

greater

 

tankard

 
retire
 

authority

 
wished
 

annoyance

 

season

 

introduced


curfew
 

swamps

 

foodless

 

thirty

 

farming

 
homeless
 

forest

 

evening

 

lights

 

devastated


remind

 

subjects

 

reigning

 

withheld

 

attractive

 
asserting
 

moment

 
father
 

breath

 

derogatory


Philip

 
France
 

injury

 

resulted

 

received

 

invasion

 
proper
 

training

 
unhorsed
 
begone