Harold, Complete

ayed. Four meals a day, from earl to ceorl! "Happy times!" may sigh the descendant of the last, if he read these pages; partly s

al. Those giants of the sea, like all who pass from great vicissitudes of toil and repose, from the tempest to the haven, snatched with full hands every pleasure in their reach. With much that tended permanently to elevate the character of the Saxon, they imparted much for a time to degrade it. The Anglian learned to feast t

s free and noble; and this consciousness inspired not only that remarkable dignity of mien which Spartan and Norman alike possessed, but also that fastidious self-respect which would have revolted from exhibiting a spectacle of debasement to inferiors. And, lastly, as the paucity of their original numbers, the perils that beset, and the good fortune that attended them, served to render the Spartan

at hall of the palace. Below the dais were ranged three long tables for the knights in William's train, and that flower of the Saxon nobility who, fond, like all youth, of change and imitation, thronged the court of their Norm

the Duke's table, was, as related to his lord, invited by Edward to his own. No other guests were admitted to this board, so that, save Edward, all were Norman. The dishes were of gold and silver, the cups inlaid with jewels. Before each guest was a knife, with hilt adorned by precious stones, and a napkin fringed with silver. The meats were not placed on the table, but served upon small spits, and between every course a basin of perfumed water was borne round by high-born pages. No dame graced the festival; for

re preluded by no less an effort of lungs and memory than the entire songs bequeathed to us by King David! This day, however, Hugoline, Edward's Norman chamberlain, had been pleased to abridge the length of the prolix grace, and the company were let off; to Edward's surprise and displeasure, with the curt and un

what a Danish poet called the "sun of the night," (in other words, the fierce warmth of the wine,) had attained its meridian glow, that some slight disturbance at the doors of the hall, without which waited a dense crowd of the poor on whom the fragments of the feast were afterwards to be bestowed, was followed by the entrance of two strangers, for whom the officers appointed to marshal the entertainment made room at the foot of one of the tables. Both these new-comers were clad with extreme plainness; one in a dress, though not quite monastic

breaking out with greater vivacity from the faint restraint, as the tall man unceremoniously stretched across the board, drew towards himself an immense flagon, which (agreeably to the custom of arranging the feast in "messes" of four) had been specially appropriated to Ulf the Dan

intruder as the space on the settle would permit, "forgive the observation that you have damaged my mantle, you have grazed my foot, and you

he drew it still closer over his face, with a hand that might have spanned the breast of his

ng with demure courtesy across the

ips do but rudely enounce) of Saxon line and language; our Romance tongue he knoweth not. Pray y

ured high at the irony in the knight's speech, and turning rudely to the huge guest, who was now causing immense fragmen

anners; crave pardon of this Norman thegn, who will do

he unmannerly giant stretched out his arm within an inch of the Saxon's startled nose, and possessed himself of larks, broche, and all. He drew off two, which he placed on

ier! a man must go into strange parts if he wish to see monsters; but we are fortunate people," (and he turned to his Norman friend, Aymer, Quen 56 or C

m, informe, ingens,

is fellow intruder seemed agitated by the sound of the Latin; he lifted up his head suddenly, and showed lips glistening with white even teet

n ecclesiastic so eminent as I take you to be, from the modesty with which you conceal your greatness, cannot fail to draw upon

; "but I know well that Latin is only fit for monks and

less at eight years old had the Comments of Julius Caesar by heart?-and that it is his saying, that 'a king without letters is a crowned ass?' 58 When the king is an ass, asinine are his subjects

ecclesiastic, in Norman French, t

ie of Graville, which appertains to the head of his house, than may be conferred by an old tower on one corner of the demesnes so designated, with lands that would feed one horse and two villeins-if they were not in pawn to a Jew for moneys to buy velvet mantelines and a chain of gold. By birth, he comes from Mallet 59, a bold Norwegian in the fleet of Rou the Sea-king; his mother was a Frank woman, from whom he inherits his best p

low repressed voice, "were it not that Duke William sate yonder, thou shouldst have six inches o

interruption; "for the rest, he only resembles Achilles, in being impiger iracundu

ortunately, at that moment, the deep sonorous voice of William, accustomed to send its sounds down the

ast and the perfume to the wine: the lay of the minstrel. Beshrew me, but both Saxon and Norman are of kindred stock, and love to hea

ons looked up; and some of the more practised courtiers sighed wearily, fo

us and dirgelike voice chaunted a long and most tedious recital of the miracles and martyrdom of some early saint. So monotonous was the chaunt, that its effect soon became visible in a general drowsiness. And when Edward, who alone listened with attentive delight, turned towards the close to gather sympathising admiration from his distinguished guests, he saw his nephew yawning as if his jaw

tary recital, Count Wi

wed his head: then said, rather abruptly,

Wher

ect descent from Alfred: it is a na

great man, and reformed the

suddenly, loudly, mightily, as the blast of the trumpet upon the hush of the grave, rose a single voice. All started-all turned-all looked to one direction; and they saw that the great v

LAD OF

wave by wave, roll'd

t drifting down the we

in all the land a c

ailed a lord, a chil

the mitred monks, t

behind them strode the

I

hose barons bold, "in

Norman axe, as co

he pious monks, "by M

ows, glance aside, ag

e shavelings wept, whi

their scented feast,

I

, "Where thousands fai

on

is in the men that g

barons bold, 'tis ti

my pious monks, the w

with mass and rood t

h shepherd crook, en

V

e ocean coast, from M

hall be his bride, to

hristian cross, and sh

cannot keep, a fief f

s of the Church, the

fleece around the

he shaven monks, with

, Norman Rou stood

Archbishop then, a p

y wait thy word, what

fair as aught bene

o sow and reap?"-Thus

I

the ocean coast, from

child, as bride, to bi

hrist our God, and she

Church's son, a fief

arriors looked-to c

on the Franks, and

I

d thus he spoke, to

king bestows from E

foul or fair, a ba

ea-king's gods are tho

d tell thy chief to

a docile son, and

I

tream of Epte came R

at the King, enthrone

Charles's hand,-loud s

g Charles's eyes-the

the Bishop said, "tha

d stern the smile of t

X

as if the foot to s

tilts the throne, an

i

s Norman men-pale st

head as from the wind

adore a God, but

efore a foe let cowa

was chanted-produced amongst the Norman guests; less perhaps, indeed, the song itself, than the recognition of the minstrel; and as he close

cked our ears. Excuse his bold theme, for the sake of his bold heart, I pray thee; and since I know well" (here the Duke's face grew grave and anxious) "that nought save urge

ds of both were now thrown back, and discovered countenances in strange contrast, but each equally worthy of the attention it provoked. The face of the minstrel was open and sunny as the day; and that of the priest, dark and close as night. Thick curls of deep auburn (the m

somewhat narrow, and crossed with lines of thought; his mien composed, modest, but not without calm self-confidence. Amongst tha

ixed with pride and ire; but first addressing Taillefer, who now ga

r to mine eyes that thy rough song to my ears. Kneel, Taillefer, kneel to King E

e giant as the subject of his lay, said,

and so, with a look of profound humility, did the priest. Then both slowly rose, and at a si

lesiastic; "I know thee of old; and if the Church have sent me an en

he Normans. Gramercy, thou wilt welcome him, peradventure, better than me;

y two sparks of fire. "I guess, my proud Vavasours are mutinous. Retire, thou and thy comrade. Aw

so they seemed, bowed

whispered communications that had passed between the Duke and his subject

Duke, "my brother of Bayeux would settle it by argum

Odo!" said the King, turning to the bishop with more res

h such interpretations of the Roman Church as suit best with the Norman re

to escape, was too stately to testify that desire, the retirement of the royal party broke up the banquet; save, indeed, that a few of the elder Saxons, and more incorrigible Danes, still steadily kept their seats, and were finally dislodged from their later settlement