The Chronicle of the Norman Conquest Part 5

[Footnote 12: WALTER GIFFARD, who will be further noticed hereafter.]

[Footnote 13: WILLIAM CRESPIN, son of Gilbert I. and eldest brother of Gilbert II. whom we shall meet at the battle of Hastings. Wace does not mention Roger de Mortemer, who was a prominent leader in this affair, according to Ordericus Vitalis, p. 657; and fell into disgrace with the Duke, on account of the favour shown by him to Raol de Montdidier, one of the French leaders. See note below on Hue de Mortemer.]

[Footnote 14: The Vexin.]

[Footnote 15: Mortain, in La Manche.]

[Footnote 16: The pays d'Hyemes or Exmes.]

[Footnote 17:

C'est une chose ke novele, Ki mult est errant et isnele, E ki bone novele porte Seurement bute a la porte.]

[Footnote 18: Mortuum-mare in the latin of the day. The chronicle of Normandy and Dumoulin cite the following verses, as popular on the subject of this battle:

Reveillez vous et vous levez, Francois, qui trop dormi avez!

Allez bientot voir vos amys, Que les Normans out a mort mys, _Entre Ecouys et Mortemer!_ La vous convient les inhumer.

But it seems admitted that the battle nevertheless was not at Mortemer-en-Lyons near Ecouys, where the abbey was, but at Mortemer-sur-Eaulne, in the arrondiss.e.m.e.nt of Neufchatel. Wace's account of the proclamation by the varlet--or herald, as others call him--(William of Jumieges naming him Ralf de Toeny), runs in the original thus:

La u li reis fu herbergiez, Ki en sun liet ert ja cochiez, Fist un home tost enveier, Ne sai varlet u esquier; En un arbre le fist munter E tute nuit en haut crier-- 'Franceiz! Franceiz! levez! levez!

'Tenez vos veies, trop dormez!

'Alez vos amiz enterrer, 'Ki sunt occiz a Mortemer!'

Li reis oi ke cil cria, Merveilla sei, mult s'esmaia; Par cels ke li plout enveia, Demanda lor e conjura S'il unt mile novele oe, De co ke cil en l'arbre crie.

Endementres k'al rei parloent, E des noveles demandoent, Eis vus! la novele venue E par tute terre espandue, Be tut li mielx de lor amiz Esteit a Mortemer occiz; E cil ki erent remez vif En Normendie erent chetif, Miz en anels et en gaoles.]

CHAPTER VI.

HOW THE KING OF FRANCE CAME AGAIN AGAINST DUKE WILLIAM, AND WAS DEFEATED AT VARAVILLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Duke William carried himself gallantly, and triumphed over all his enemies; he was loved for his liberality, and feared for his bravery. He conquered many and won over many, lavishing his gifts around, and spending much; till the French became very jealous of his chivalry; of the troops that he had, and of the lands he conquered. Their king moreover could never be reconciled to the Normans; but said that he would sooner perjure himself, than not have his revenge for the battle of Mortemer. Then under the advice of Giffrei Martel[1], before August, when the corn was on the ground, he summoned together all his barons, and the knights who held fiefs of him, and owed him service, and entered Normandy, pa.s.sing by Oismes[2], which they a.s.saulted without tarrying before it long. From thence they traversed all Oismes, and through the Beessin as far as the sea coast; burning the villages and bourgs, and ruining and plundering both men and women, till at length they came to St. Pierre-sor-Dive. The town was completely garrisoned by them, and the king lay at the abbey[3].

The duke was with his people at Faleise, when the news came, concerning the wrong the king was doing him; and it grieved him sorely. So he sent out and a.s.sembled his knights, and strengthened his castles, cleansing the fosses, and repairing the walls; being determined to let the open country be laid waste, if he could maintain his strong places. He could easily, he said, recover the open lands, and repair the injury done to them. So he did not shew himself at all to the French, but let them wander over the country, intending to give them scurvy usage on their return back from their expedition.

The king meantime went on with his project. He would go, he said, towards Bayeux, and ravage the whole of the Beessin, and on his return thence would pa.s.s by Varavile[4], and lay waste Auge and Lievin.

Accordingly the French overran the Beessin, as far as the river Seule[5]; and returned from thence to Caen, where they pa.s.sed the Ogne[6]. Caen was then without a castle, and had neither wall nor fence to protect it[7]. When the king left Caen, he proceeded homeward by Varavile, as he had proposed.

His train was great and long, so that it could not all be kept together; and the press was great to pa.s.s the bridge, every one wanting to be the foremost.

The duke, knowing some how or another all that was going on, and by what route the king would pa.s.s, hastened upon his track with the great body of troops that he led, and conducted his people in close order along the valley below Bavent[8]. All over the country he sent out word, and summoned the villains to come to his aid as quickly as they could, with whatever arms they could get. Then from all round the villains were to be seen flocking in, with pikes and clubs in their hands.

The king had pa.s.sed the river Dive, which runs through that country, together with all those of his host who had taken care to move quickly forward. But the baggage train was altogether, and far behind, extending over a great length. The duke, seeing that all who were thus in the rear were certain to fall into his hands, pressed on his men from village to village; and when he reached Varavile, he found those of the French there who remained to form the rear guard. Then began a fierce melee, and many a stroke of lance and sword. The knights struck with their lances, the archers shot from their bows, and the villains attacked with their pikes; charging and driving them along the chaussee, overwhelming and bearing down numbers. The Normans kept continually increasing in numbers, till they became a great force, and the French pressed forwards, one pushing the other on. The chaussee incommoded them very much, being long and in bad repair, and they were enc.u.mbered by their plunder. Many were to be seen breaking the line, and getting out of the track, who could not retrace their steps, nor reach the main road again.

The great press was at the bridge, every one being eager to reach it.

But the bridge was old, the boards bent under the throng, the water rose, and the stream was strong; the weight was heavy, the bridge shook and at length fell, and all who were upon it perished. Many fell in close by the bridge foot where the water was deep; all about harness was to be seen floating, and men plunging and sinking; and none had any chance of life save skilful swimmers.

The cry arose that the bridge was broken. Grievous and fearful was that cry, and no one was so brave or bold as not to tremble for his life when he heard what had happened, and to see that his hour of exultation was gone by. They see the Normans meanwhile pressing on from behind, but there was no escape; they go along the banks of the river, seeking for fords and crossings, throwing away their arms and plunder, and cursing their having brought so much. They go straggling and stumbling over the ditches, helping each other forward, the Normans pursuing and sparing no one, till all those who had not crossed the bridge were either taken prisoners, killed, or drowned. Never, they say, were so many prisoners taken, or such great slaughter made in all Normandy. And William glorified G.o.d for his success.

The river and the sea also swept away numbers, the king looking on in sorrow and dismay. From the height of Basteborc, he looked down and saw Varavile and Caborc; he beheld the marshes and the valleys, which lay long and broad before him, the wide stream, and the broken bridge; he gazed upon his numerous troops thus fallen into trouble; some he saw seized and bound, others struggling in the deep waters; and to those who were drowning he could bring no succour, neither could he rescue the prisoners. In sorrow and indignation he groaned and sighed, and could say nothing; all his limbs trembled, and his face burned with rage.

Willingly, he cried, would he turn back, and endeavour to find a pa.s.sage, if his barons would so counsel, but no one would give such advice. "Sire," said they, "you shall not go; you shall return another time and destroy all the land, taking captive all their richest men."

Then the king went back into France, full of rage and heaviness of heart, and never after bore shield or lance; whether as a penance or not I know not. He never again entered Normandy: nor did he live long, but did as all men must do; from dust he came, to dust he returned. At his death he was greatly lamented, and his eldest son Philip[9] was crowned king in his stead.

[Footnote 1: We have seen that after the battle of Mortemer, the king of France abandoned Jeffery Martel 'un quens d'Angou,' a deadly enemy to the duke. Wace narrates the feuds between them; and among the rest William's terrible revenge on those who, in defending Alencon, had annoyed him by allusions to his birth, crying out, 'La pel, la pel al parmentier!' These pa.s.sages of the chronicle we pa.s.s over as not material to our present purpose.]

[Footnote 2: Hyemes or Exemes, now in the arrondiss.e.m.e.nt of Argentan.]

[Footnote 3: The abbey of St. Pierre-sur-Dives was founded before 1040, by Lesceline, wife of William, count d'Eu.]

[Footnote 4: In the arrondiss.e.m.e.nt of Caen, near the Dives.]

[Footnote 5: A small river pa.s.sing near Bayeux to the sea at Bernieres.]

[Footnote 6: The Orne.]

[Footnote 7: Huet cites this pa.s.sage in his _Origines de Caen_. Quesnel (translated above _fence_) seems properly a wooden barricade, being derived from quesne, or chene.]

[Footnote 8: A little south of Varaville, along the Dives.]

[Footnote 9: Philip I. was, at Henry's death, in 1060, an infant of seven years old. Baldwin, count of Flanders, William's father-in-law, was Philip's guardian; having married Henry's sister. Wace calls her Constance, instead of Adela; but Constance was in fact the name of her mother, king Robert's queen. See Chap. VII.]

CHAPTER VII.

HOW WILLIAM PROSPERED, AND HOW HE WENT TO ENGLAND TO VISIT KING EDWARD; AND WHO G.o.dWIN WAS.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

The story will be long ere it close, how William became a king, what honour he reached, and who held his lands after him. His acts, his sayings and adventures that we find written, are all worthy to be recounted; but we cannot tell the whole. In his land he set good laws; he maintained justice and peace firmly, wherever he could, for the poor people's sake, and he never loved the knave nor the company of the felon.

By advice of his baronage he took a wife[1] of high lineage in Flanders, the daughter of count Baldwin, and the granddaughter of Robert king of France, being the daughter of his daughter Constance. Her name was Mahelt[2], related to many a n.o.ble man, and very fair and graceful. The count gave her joyfully, with very rich appareillement, and brought her to the castle of Ou[3], where the duke espoused her. From thence he took her to Roem, where she was greatly served and honoured.

At Caem the duke built two abbeys, endowing them richly. In the one, which was called SAINT STEPHEN, he placed monks; Mahelt his wife took charge of the other, which is that of THE HOLY TRINITY; she placed nuns there, and was buried in it as she had directed in her life, from the love which she had always used to bear towards it[4].

And the duke did what, I believe, no one before or after did. He sent[5]

for all his bishops to a.s.semble, with his earls, abbots, and priors, barons and rich vava.s.sors, at Caem, there to hear his commandment; and caused the holy bodies, wherever he could find them, to be brought thither, whether from bishopric or abbey, over which he had seigniory.

He had the body of St. Oain[6] taken from Roem to Caem in a chest; and when the clergy, and the holy relics, and the barons, of whom there were many, were a.s.sembled on the appointed day, he made all swear on the relics to hold peace and maintain it from sunset on Wednesday to sunrise on Monday. This was called THE TRUCE, and the like of it I believe is not in any country. If any man should beat another meantime, or do him any mischief, or take any of his goods, he was to be excommunicated, and amerced nine livres to the bishop. This the duke established, and swore aloud to observe, and all the barons did the same; they swore to keep the peace and maintain the truce faithfully.