A.D. 1069. enemies to contend with at the fame time, he entered into a private negotiation with Ofberne, the commander of the Danish army, and prevailed upon him, by a sum of money, and permiffion to plunder the fea-coafts, to return with his fleet and army into Denmark in the spring. The king then invested York with his army, and having taken it, and received Waltheof its governor into favour, he spent his Christmas in that city with the ufual folemnities 39. A. D. 10703 De folates the north of England. In the beginning of the year 1070, William marched northward with his army, deftroying and burning the whole country as he advanced, and putting all the inhabitants to the sword without mercy. In this cruel and deftructive manner he proceeded as far as Hexham, marking his way with blood and defolation. Many of the wretched inhabitants, who efcaped the fword by flying to the woods and mountains, perished by famine; in fo much that no fewer than one hundred thoufand men, women, and children, are faid to have been cut off by thefe two cruel enemies of mankind (fword and famine), in the space of a few months. In a word, William executed his threatened vengeance with fuch unrelenting severity, that the whole country between York and Durham was converted into a dreary defert, without houfes and without inhabitants, and remained in that condition about nine years 10. Edgar Athe 40 39 Orderic. Vital. p. 515. Chron. Saxon. p. 174. R. Hoveden, fol. 258. col. 2. 40 R. Hoveden, p. 258. col. 2. ling and his attendants feeing all loft, and dread- A.D. 1070. ing to fall into the hands of the enraged Conqueror, efcaped into Scotland by fea; only Cofpatric threw himself on the king's mercy, obtained his pardon, and for a fum of money was conftituted earl of Northumberland ". From this period, William feems to have been quite alienated from his English subjects, and to have refolved to deprefs and ruin them, that they might not be able to difturb his government. king of Northum Malcolm king of Scotland, fo nearly con- Malcolm nected with Edgar Atheling, intended to fup- Scotland port his cause, and affift the infurgents; but was invades too dilatory in his motions. At length, however, berland. he marched out of Cumberland, which was then under his dominion, into Northumberland, which he plundered with great feverity; and then returned into his own kingdom with much booty, and fo great a number of prifoners, that (if we may believe an ancient English hiftorian) there was hardly a village, or even a houfe in Scotland, in which you might not meet with an English flave or flaves +2. The two brothers, Edwin and Morcar, who had remained quiet during all the violent commotions of the preceding year, now difcovered, very unfeasonably, their fear or their difaffection by flying from the court. Morcar took fhelter in the ifle of Ely, where either by force or fraud he was taken, and thrown into prifon. Edwin 42 Id. ibid. p. 259. 1 R. Hoveden, p. 258. col. 2. A. D. 1071. Morcar revolt, and are fuppreffed. Edwin and A. D. 1071 attempting to make his escape into Scotland, the common afylum of the afflicted English of those times, was betrayed by three brothers his moft familiar friends, into the hands of the Normans, and after a brave defence, was killed with about twenty of his attendants. As this amiable, but unfortunate young nobleman, had been much beloved, he was greatly lamented, efpecially by his countrymen the English; and even the unrelenting William, who had been long inured to blood and flaughter, could not refrain from tears when he beheld his head presented to him by the traitors, in hopes of a reward; inftead of which he condemned them to perpetual exile 43. After the death of Edwin, and imprisonment of Morcar, all their great eftates were confifcated, and either vested in the crown or granted to the Normans". Still further to gratify his own avarice, and that of his followers, having received intelligence, that many of the wretched English had concealed their money and plate in monafteries, he commanded them to be strictly fearched, and these effects to be feized and confifcated wherever they could be found". A. D. 1072. expedition As Malcolm, king of Scotland, had given a kind reception to all the English exiles, and was into Scot- ever ready to affift them in their attempts against the Norman government, William, having now Jand. 44 Orderic. Vital. p. 522. 43 Orderic. Vital. p. 521. J. Brompt. col. 969. Chron. Saxon. P. 181. 45 Annal. Waverlien. p. 130. fup fuppreffed all the infurrections in England, re- A.D. 1072. folved on an expedition into Scotland. In confequence of this refolution he conducted an army into that country, where he was met by Malcolm at the head of an army of equal ftrength. After the two armies had faced each other several days, a negotiation was fet on foot, which terminated in a peace, by which Malcolm agreed to do homage to William for his lands in England, and William agreed to receive Edgar Atheling again into favour, and grant him an honourable establishment 46. On his return from Scotland, William deprived Cofpatric of the earldom of Northumberland, and bestowed it upon Waltheof, who was now become a great favourite, and to whom he had given his own niece Judith in marriage". vifits Nor By this peace with Scotland, and the reduc- A.D. 1073. tion of England to a state of tranquillity, Wil- William liam was now at liberty to make a fecond voyage mandy. to the continent, to fupprefs a revolt in the county of Maine, fomented by Fulk earl of Anjou, who had fome pretenfions to that county. Willing to allow the Normans fettled in England to enjoy fome repofe after fo many toils and dangers, he compofed the army which he carried with him chiefly of his English fubjects; who fighting with great bravery, in order to retrieve their national character for valour, and to 46 Annal, Waverlien. p. 130. Chron. Saxon. p. 181. 47 Orderic, Vital. p. 522. A.D. 1073 gain, if poffible, the esteem and favour of their fovereign, foon reduced the difputed country to his obedience. William fpent the whole of this, and the greatest part of the year 1074, in Normandy, enjoying the company of his family, and regulating the affairs of his dominions. While the Conqueror was thus employed in his native country, a confpiracy was forming against him in England, by fome of those Norman barons on whom he had heaped wealth and honours with a liberal hand. Roger earl of Hereford, fon and heir of William's great favourite Fitz-Ofberne, had promifed his fifter in marriage to Ralph de Guader earl of Norfolk, and applied to the king for his confent to their nuptials; which he, for reasons unknown to us, refufed. The two haughty barons were much enraged at this refusal, and, without regarding it, proceeded to the celebration of the intended marriage, and invited all the chief friends of both families to the marriage-feaft, amongst others Waltheof earl of Huntington, Northampton, and Northumberland, married to Judith the king's niece, the only Englishman who then enjoyed any confiderable degree of power, wealth, or royal favour. When the guests were heated with liquor at the nuptial banquet, politics were introduced; the two earls gave free vent to their difcontent and refentment against William, reprefenting him as an infamous baftard, an in 48 Chron. Saxon. p. 182. folent |