William's way. King of England he wished to be, King of England he planned to be at Edward's death, and King of England at last he was. It is said that he made Edward promise him the crown at his death; but this does not seem certain. However, one thing was clear: even if he did get the promise, there was no doubt that a living man's help was better than a dead man's promise; so William determined, if possible, to insure the former. He knew that upon Edward's death the crown might probably go to Harold; so he decided to make Harold promise to help him to obtain it instead. Now William was determined to make this promise as safe as he could You know that when witnesses come before a magistrate to tell him anything about a prisoner, they have to speak the truth, and to make it more certain that they will keep their word, they are obliged to take an oath; that is, to kiss the Bible, and to swear by the contents of it that they will only say what is true. William determined that Harold should do something of this sort. He did not make him kiss a Bible, but he made him take an oath to keep his word by something that was then considered as sacred as a Bible. But it was not a book by which Harold was to swear. covered with cloth. Harold did not know what was in the box, but he swore by the contents of it to help William, 1, upon Edward's death, to obtain the crown of England. It was a big box Then the duke drew aside the cloth which covered the box, and said, "You see by what you have sworn.' And what did the box contain? A few little bits of gold,, a few stones, some bones, a nail or two, a bit of wood, some rags, and a few other things, most of which you would have called rubbish. Why, then, were these things sacred? They were relics. A relic is something which has once belonged to a person now dead. Long ago people not only used to keep little things that had belonged to friends who had died, as remembrances of them, but they used to collect all manner of articles said to have belonged to holy men and women who were no longer alive. These holy people were called saints, and the things which had belonged to them were called relics. These relics were of all sorts; sometimes a bit of the dress. which the saint had worn, or an ornament belonging to him, or a bit of his hair. From collecting relics people began to consider them as very precious and valuable, and to be most eager to possess them, thinking that there was a sort of charm in everything that had once belonged to a saint. This idea caused a great deal of deception. Nails were sold at enormous prices which were said to be some of those which had fastened our Blessed Lord to His cross. Pieces of dress were shown which were reported to have belonged to the apostles. Every church had a store of relics, which the people used to go to look at, and to kiss, after service. And to swear by relics, and then to break your word, was considered the most dreadful sin. So William knew what he was about when he collected these relics and made Harold swear by them In 1066 Edward, as you know, died, and the English gladly chose Harold to succeed him. He thought nothing of his oath, when he really found that he might be a king, and, amidst much rejoicing, he was crowned. But William of Normandy did not mean to stand that; he collected an army, sailed to England, conquered the Saxons and killed Harold in a famous battle at Hastings. And then he said to the English people, "I am your king: first, because the kingdom was left to me by Edward; secondly, because might is right. Here I am, and here I mean to stay." And stay he did. He sent for his Norman barons or lords, and gave them the best lands, which he took from the English. William was a very clever man, and made some very good laws, though some of his plans were cruel enough. He cared for himself more than for any one else. He had a fancy for a good big place to hunt in, and so he turned out of their homes numbers of poor people who lived in a forest in Hampshire, in order that he might have a large hunting-ground. With all the pains he took to please himself, he had not a very happy reign. His son Richard was killed by a stag in this very forest, and the three other sons did nothing but quarrel with each other. At last, upon the king taking part with the younger ones, the eldest son, Robert, who was a passionate lad, ran away from home, collected an army, and came to fight his father. However, peace was made, and Robert, being penitent, was forgiven, although William never really liked him afterwards. In the year 1087 William had a quarrel with his old neighbours, the French, and a war broke out. The English soldiers took a French town,* and, by their * Mantes. master's orders, set fire to it. William was riding near the town afterwards, when his horse happened to tread upon a hot cinder, and began to plunge and rear. The king was so bruised that he had to be taken off his horse and carried to Rouen, a city of Normandy, where he died. The following story is told about the circumstances of his death. You must know, though, that he had made a law to the effect that a bell, called the curfew bell, should ring every night at eight o'clock, and that then all fires and lights were to be put out. THE CURFEW. IN each New England village Of long, long years ago, How they fought with shaft and bow. But here's another story New England sons may tell,. How he that bade the curfew. Heard an unbidden bell. And let the boy that listens Or the bell that rings for day. When William lay a-dying, But suddenly a bell tolled, He started from the swound, First glared, and then grew gentle, Then wildly stared around. He deemed 'twas bell at even To quench the Saxon's coal; But oh, it was a curfew To quench his fiery soul!! "Now prithee, holy father! What means this bell, I pray? Is it curfew time in England, As if it even might be "Ay, sire-thou art in Rouen, And 'tis the prayer-bell's chime, In the steeple of St. Mary's, That tolls the hour of prime!" |