Archbishop of Rouen, and confirmed the marriage of William and Matilda, on condition-for when did Rome fail to impose conditions if in her power to exact them ?-that the royal pair each built and endowed an abbey, as the price of the dispensa

tion.

It is to this decree that Caen owes it noblest monuments—the stately abbeys of St. Stephen and the Holy Trinity: the former erected and endowed by William for a fraternity of monks, of which, as a recompense for his services, he made his messenger and adviser the first abbot; the latter by Matilda, for a community of nuns.

Its royal and munificent foundress was afterwards buried there.

Guy of Burgundy, and his confederate, Mauger-disappointed in the result of their scheme-gave up the contest. The earl retired to his dominions, where he lived in security; not so the ambitious priest-who remained exposed to the vengeance of his insulted nephew and sovereign.

Men must have had a strange idea of religion in those days, when it was universally believed that an offering to God or the church-no matter by what oppressive or unjust means that offering was obtained--could atone for the most fearful crimes. Perhaps they considered that, as heaven was a particeps criminis, absolution followed as a matter of course.

The ground on which the abbey of St. Stephen was to be erected, was taken possession of by William without the least regard to the claims of the owners, only one of whom—a valiant knight, named Fitz-Arthur-ventured to remonstrate: it is needless to say-as the sequel will show-without success.

In order to give greater solemnity to the foundation of the abbey, the Duke of Normandy had summoned the prelates and most considerable of his vassals to the ceremony. Amongst those who attended, Mauger, trusting to his priestly character, had the presumption to present himself. A dark smile lit the countenance of William, as he witnessed the arrival of his ambitious relative. Matilda refused to receive him--woman-like

she felt the insult offered to her, by the doubts thrown upon the legality of her marriage, and could not conceal her resentment. The foundations for the walls were already dug, and blessed by the clergy. Just as the foundation stone was about being lowered to its resting-place, a knight, holding an infant by the hand, stepped from the crowd to forbid the ceremony. It was the lord of the land upon which the edifice was to be built--a Norman gentleman, named Fitz-Arthur.

"I protest," he said, "in the presence of my brother nobles and vavasours, against this act of spoliation! Beausire," he added, addressing the duke, “you cannot offer to heaven the inheritance of my fathers."

William was so incensed at this act of boldness, that he commanded his guards to drive the speaker from the assembly. Before his orders could be complied with, both he and his infant son stooped and grasped a handful of the soil.

"Bear witness all," said the outraged gentleman, " that I and my boy have each taken a handful of the earth, in token of our lawful claim to its possession! I leave it to heaven and your conscience, duke," he added, "to see that it is satisfied!" So saying, he withdrew from the spot, content with having thus publicly protested against the robbery.

As the Archbishop of Rouen was about to quit the ground, a priest advanced into the circle, and read from a parchment a citation for him to appear before a convocation of the bishops of Normandy, at Lisieu, to answer certain charges there and then to be advanced against him.

The haughty prelate fired at the insult.

"There can be no convocation, sir priest," he said, "without my sanction! Am I not primate of Normandy?"

Without replying directly to the question, the ecclesiastic read a second document, which proved to be a brief from the Pope, authorizing the duke to call such a convocation, and giving the assembly full power to examine and judge all who might be accused of offence against the canons of the church, without respect to the rank they held in it.

Mauger felt that he was lost; for his pride and insolence had long rendered him unpopular with the clergy. Without a word, he retired from the ground, and that very night set out for Rouen, to concert the means of defence against the charges which he knew would be brought against him.

Deeply mortifying as it was to his pride to appear as a criminal before a body of men over whom, by right of office, he should preside, the Papal rescript left him no choice but to submit. William, thanks to the counsels of Lanfranc, had found the means to attack him with his own weapons; and his discomfiture was complete.

Although, in the general corruption of the church in the eleventh century, nothing was more common than for the great dignitaries to deal with the property of their sees as if it were their own, still it was forbidden by the canons.

It was clearly proved against the archbishop that he had sold the plate and consecrated vessels from many of the religious establishments in his diocese, to supply his luxury and extravagance. He was found guilty, and deposed, by men whose hands, in all probability, were no cleaner than his own; and Maurilliers was elected to the archbishopric in his place.

The council in which the deposition of Mauger took place was held at Lisieu, in 1055. Their decision materially strengthened the influence of the sovereign.

No sooner was the sentence reported to William, than he imparted it to his consort, to whom he knew the intelligence would be most grateful; for it is not to be concealed, that the first of our English queens-however illustrious she may be considered as the patroness of arts and learning-possessed a most unforgiving disposition, when once offended.

We say the first of our English queens, because Matilda was the first wife of an English sovereign who assumed the title of Regina. Previous to the conquest, the Saxons styled the wives of their monarchs, their ladies or companions. The word queen, or "cwene," is Saxon, and signifies a peer, or equal; and appears to have been applied indiscriminately to males and females.

The duchess received the intelligence of her enemy's disgrace with intense satisfaction; and, kissing her husband, bade him remember the oath he had taken, and avenge her on the Saxon Brihtric, as he had done upon the Norman Mauger.

William renewed his promise, and kept his word.

About this time Matilda gave birth to her eldest son, who was called, after his grandfather, Robert. The choice of name seems to have been in accordance with the adventurous, unsettled life of the prince, for, like his ancestor, he became a wanderer in the Holy Land, and his death was almost as obscure as his.

The birth of Robert was followed by that of Richard, William Rufus, and six daughters. The royal pair occupied themselves in the education of their children; and, whatever might have been Matilda's first predilection for the fair-haired Saxon who had scorned her love, there is little doubt but that the affection she entertained for William was permanent and sincere.

CHAPTER VIII.

A pirate, preying on the spoils of those
Cast by the tempest on some barren shore.

CREON.

THE influence which Matilda exercised in the councils of her husband produced the most beneficial effect, as far as Normandy was concerned. Born and reared in Flanders-in the eleventh century, and for several succeeding ages, the most industrious and commercial country-she perfectly comprehended the advantage of trade to a nation. By her enlightened advice, William devoted his energies to the encouragement of commerce; and his subjects soon experienced the benefits of his new policy.

Shortly after his marriage, he intrusted the reins of government to his duchess, and made a visit to England, whose childless sovereign-Edward the Confessor-had, in gratitude for the

hospitable reception he had received during his misfortunes and exile at the court of Normandy, promised to make William his heir.

Some writers have contended that the promise was not given till after the union of the duke and Matilda; other very grave authorities are of the contrary opinion; and we are inclined to their view of the question. By all accounts, William was most honorably received by the sainted king; who dismissed him with many costly gifts and tokens of his friendship.

There is very little doubt that even at this period the designs of the Duke of Normandy upon England were well known to his father-in-law, Baldwin, and more than suspected by Harold, the rightful heir to the English crown. During the exile of Earl Godwin and his family, Tostig, his second son, espoused Matilda's sister, Judith; and from that moment became one of the most ardent conspirators against the rights of his brother, Haroid.

In 1065, Harold-having been shipwrecked at the mouth of the river Maye, on his way to Normandy-was arrested by the Earl of Ponthieu, in whose dominions he had landed, and held prisoner by that petty sovereign, in the hope of obtaining a large ransom for his release.

The misfortune of the English prince was the advantage of William, who compelled the Earl of Ponthieu to resign his prey; and received Harold and his attendants at the court of Normandy, where he was lavish in his attentions and flatteries.

Although received as a guest, the unlucky Saxon was virtually the prisoner of the wily host, who seized the occasion to inform him of his having been adopted by Edward the Confessor to succeed him on the English throne; and even extorted from him an oath that, on the death of that monarch, he (Harold) should acknowledge him.

On this occasion it was that William practised the ruse which Lanfranc had employed towards himself, when he swore to grant Matilda's three requests, before she consented to become his wife. Instead, however, of the consecrated host, the wily Norman caused the most venerated relics to be concealed be