The History of the Norman Conquest of England

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1876. Excerpt: ... 1 In the Provisions of Oxford (Select "comites et barones" alternate with such Charters, 378 et seq.) such phrases as as " le comrnun dc Englctcrre." And now the goal of our tale is reached. The people of England, chastened and strengthened by a momentaryoverthrow, have risen again. They have changed their conquerors into brethren; they have changed the Norman barons into the front rank of the united English nation. It remained to put the finishing stroke to the work. Under Richard, John, Henry, the body of the nation had been fast waxing more and more English; but its head was still alien. Save that he reverenced the ancient saints of England, save that he gave the names of English saints and heroes to his sons, we might have said that Henry of Winchester was more of an alien at heart than Henry of Le Mans. But with him the days of foreign kingship are ended. It might seem to be the formal wiping out of the foreign Conquest, when England had again a King bearing the name, not only of the English saint to whom Norman and Englishman looked back with such fantastic reverence, but of his own forefather and model, the unconquered founder of the English kingdom. Some reckoning of lawyers or courtiers has taught us to speak of our great Edward as the first of his name. Men of his own day, with better remembrance of the true history of his kingdom, hailed him as Edward the Third and Edward the Fourth, fourth among the Kings of the English, third among the Emperors of Britain.1 In him we had a King indeed. Before him we had Kings who had indirectly wrought us good by their vices, by their weaknesses, by their very absence from among us. Now we have once more a King to rule us with wisdom, valour, and goodness, like the noblest of the native Kings of the elder sto...