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Gangerso…called；　they　say；　because　his　legs　were　so　long　that；



when　on　horseback；　he　touched　the　ground　and　seemed　to　gang；　or



walk。　　He　and　his　Norsemen　had　taken　their　share　of　France；　and



called　it　Normandy　to　this　day；　and　meanwhile；　with　that　docility



and　adaptability　which　marks　so　often　truly　great　spirits；　they　had



changed　their　creed；　their　language；　their　habits；　and　had　become；



from　heathen　and　murderous　Berserkers；　the　most　truly　civilised



people　of　Europe；　andas　was　most　natural　thenthe　most　faithful



allies　and　servants　of　the　Pope　of　Rome。　　So　greatly　had　they



changed；　and　so　fast；　that　William　Duke　of　Normandy；　the　great…



great…grandson　of　Rolf　the　wild　Viking；　was　perhaps　the　finest



gentleman；　as　well　as　the　most　cultivated　sovereign；　and　the



greatest　statesman　and　warrior　in　all　Europe。







So　Harold　of　Norway　came　with　all　his　Vikings　to　Stamford　Bridge　by



York；　and　took；　by　coming；　only　that　which　Harold　of　England



promised　him；　namely；　〃forasmuch　as　he　was　taller　than　any　other



man；　seven　feet　of　English　ground。〃







The　story　of　that　great　battle；　told　with　a　few　inaccuracies；　but



told　as　only　great　poets　tell；　you　should　read；　if　you　have　not　read



it　already；　in　the　〃Heimskringla〃　of　Snorri　Sturluson；　the　Homer　of



the　North：











High　feast　that　day　held　the　birds　of　the　air　and



the　beasts　of　the　field；



White…tailed　erne　and　sallow　glede；



Dusky　raven；　with　horny　neb；



And　the　gray　deer　the　wolf　of　the　wood。











The　bones　of　the　slain；　men　say；　whitened　the　place　for　fifty　years



to　come。







And　remember；　that　on　the　same　day　on　which　that　fight　befell



September　27；　1066William；　Duke　of　Normandy；　with　all　his　French…



speaking　Norsemen；　was　sailing　across　the　British　Channel；　under　the



protection　of　a　banner　consecrated　by　the　Pope；　to　conquer　that



England　which　the　Norse…speaking　Normans　could　not　conquer。







And　now　King　Harold　showed　himself　a　man。　　He　turned　at　once　from



the　North　of　England　to　the　South。　　He　raised　the　folk　of　the



Southern；　as　he　had　raised　those　of　the　Central　and　Northern　shires；



and　in　sixteen　daysafter　a　march　which　in　those　times　was　a



prodigious　feathe　was　entrenched　upon　the　fatal　down　which　men



called　Heathfield　then；　and　Senlac；　but　Battle　to　this　daywith



William　and　his　French　Normans　opposite　him　on　Telham　hill。







Then　came　the　battle　of　Hastings。　　You　all　know　what　befell　upon



that　day；　and　how　the　old　weapon　was　matched　against　the　newthe



English　axe　against　the　Norman　lanceand　beaten　only　because　the



English　broke　their　ranks。　　If　you　wish　to　refresh　your　memories；



read　the　tale　once　more　in　Mr。　Freeman's　〃History　of　England；〃　or



Professor　Creasy's　〃　Fifteen　Decisive　Battles　of　the　World；〃　or



even；　best　of　all；　the　late　Lord　Lytton's　splendid　romance　of



〃Harold。〃　　And　when　you　go　to　England；　go；　as　some　of　you　may　have



gone　already；　to　Battle；　and　there　from　off　the　Abbey　grounds；　or



from　Mountjoye　behind；　look　down　off　what　was　then　〃The　Heathy



Field；〃　over　the　long　slopes　of　green　pasture　and　the　rich　hop…



gardens；　where　were　no　hop…gardens　then；　and　the　flat　tide…marshes



winding　between　the　wooded　heights；　towards　the　southern　sea；　and



imagine　for　yourselves　the　feelings　of　an　Englishman　as　he



contemplates　that　broad　green　sloping　lawn；　on　which　was　decided　the



destiny　of　his　native　land。　　Here；　right　beneath；　rode　Taillefer　up



the　slope　before　them　all；　singing　the　song　of　Roland；　tossing　his



lance　in　air　and　catching　it　as　it　fell；　with　all　the　Norse



berserker　spirit　of　his　ancestors　flashing　out　in　him；　at　the



thought　of　one　fair　fight；　and　then　purgatory；　or　Valhalla



Taillefer　perhaps　preferred　the　latter。　　Yonder　on　the　left；　in　that



copse　where　the　red…ochre　gully　runs；　is　Sanguelac；　the　drain　of



blood；　into　which　（as　the　Bayeux　tapestry；　woven　by　Matilda's　maids；



still　shows）　the　Norman　knights　fell；　horse　and　man；　till　the　gully



was　bridged　with　writhing　bodies　for　those　who　rode　after。　　Here；



where　you　standthe　crest　of　the　hill　marks　where　it　must　have



beenwas　the　stockade　on　which　depended　the　fate　of　England。



Yonder；　perhaps；　stalked　out　one　English　squire　or　house…carle　after



another：　　　tall　men　with　long…handled　battle…axesone　specially



terrible；　with　a　wooden　helmet　which　no　sword　could　piercewho



hewed　and　hewed　down　knight　on　knight；　till　they　themselves　were



borne　to　earth　at　last。　　And　here；　among　the　trees　and　ruins　of　the



garden；　kept　trim　by　those　who　know　the　treasure　which　they　own；



stood　Harold's　two　standards　of　the　fighting…man　and　the　dragon　of



Wessex。　　And　here；　close　by　（for　here；　for　many　a　century；　stood　the



high　altar　of　Battle　Abbey；　where　monks　sang　masses　for　Harold's



soul）；　upon　this　very　spot　the　Swan…neck　found　her　hero…lover's



corpse。　　〃Ah；〃　says　many　an　Englishmanand　who　will　blame　him　for



it〃how　grand　to　have　died　beneath　that　standard　on　that　day！〃



Yes；　and　how　right。　　And　yet　how　right；　likewise；　that　the　Norman's



cry　of　DEXAIE！〃God　Help！〃and　not　the　English　hurrah；　should　have



won　that　day；　till　William　rode　up　Mountjoye　in　the　afternoon　to　see



the　English　army；　terrible　even　in　defeat；　struggling　through　copse



and　marsh　away　toward　Brede；　and；　like　retreating　lions　driven　into



their　native　woods；　slaying　more　in　the　pursuit　than　they　slew　even



in　the　fight。







But　so　it　was　to　be；　for　so　it　ought　to　have　been。　　You；　my　American



friends；　delight；　as　I　have　said　already；　in　seeing　the　old　places



of　the　old　country。　　Go；　I　beg　you；　and　look　at　that　old　place；　and



if　you　be　wise；　you　will　carry　back　from　it　one　lesson：　　　That　God's



thoughts　are　not　as　our　thoughts；　nor　His　ways　as　our　ways。







It　was　a　fearful　time　which　followed。　　I　cannot　but　believe　that　our



forefathers　had　been；　in　some　way　or　other；　great　sinners；　or　two



such　conquests　as　Canute's　and　William's　would　not　have　fallen　on



them　within　the　short　space　of　sixty　years。　　They　did　not　want　for



courage；　as　Stamford　Brigg　and　Hastings　showed　full　well。　　English



swine；　their　Norman　conquerors　called　them　often　enough；　but　never



English　cowards。　　Their　ruinous　vice；　if　we　are　to　trust　the　records



of　the　time；　was　what　the　old　monks　called　accidia＇Greek　text＇



and　ranked　it　as　one　of　the　seven　deadly　sins：　　　a　general　careless；



sleepy；　comfortable　habit　of　mind；　which　lets　all　go　its　way　for



good　or　evila　habit　of　mind　too　often　accompanied；　as　in　the　case



of　the　Angle…Danes；　with　self…indulgence；　often　coarse　enough。　　Huge



eaters　and　huger　drinkers；　fuddled　with　ale；　were　the　men　who　went



down　at　Hastingsthough　they　went　down　like　heroesbefore　the



staid　and　sober　Norman　out　of　France。







But　those　were　fearful　times。　　As　long　as　William　lived；　ruthless　as



he　was　to　all　rebels；　he　kept　order　and　did　justice　with　a　strong



and　steady　hand；　for　he　brought　with　him　from　Normandy　the　instincts



of　a　truly　great　statesman。　　And　in　his　sons'　time　matters　grew



worse　and　worse。　　After　that；　in　the　troubles　of　Stephen's　reign；



anarchy　let　loose　tyranny　in　its　most　fearful　form；　and　things　were



done　which　recall　the　cruelties　of　the　old　Spanish　CONQUISTADORES　in



America。　　Scott's　charming　romance　of　〃Ivanhoe〃　must　be　taken；　I



fear；　as　a　too　true　picture　of　English　society　in　the　time　of



Richard　I。







And　what　came　of　it　all？　　What　was　the　result　of　all　this　misery　and



wrong？







This；　paradoxical　as　it　may　seem：　　　That　the　Norman　conquest　was　the



making　of　the　English　people；　of　the　Free　Commons　of　England。







Paradoxical；　but　true。　　First；　you　must　dismiss　from　your　minds　the



too　common　notion　that　there　is　now；　in　England；　a　governing　Norman



aristocracy；　or　that　there　has　been　one；　at　least　since　the　year



1215；　when　Magna　Charta　was　won　from　the　Norman　John　by　Normans　and



by　English　alike。　　For　the　first　victors　at　Hastings；　like　the　first



conquistadores　in　America；　perished；　as　the　monk　chronicles　point



out；　rapidly　by　their　own　crimes；　and　very　few　of　our　nobility　can



trace　their　names　back　to　the　authentic　Battle　Abbey　roll。　　The



great　majority　of　the　peers　have　sprung　from；　and　all　have



intermarried　with；　the　Commons；　and　the　peerage　has　been　from　the



first；　and　has　become　more　and　more　as　centuries　have　rolled　on；　the



prize　of　success　in　life。







The　cause　is　plain。　　The　conquest　of　England　by　the　Normans　was　not



one　of　those　conquests　of　a　savage　by　a　civilised　race；　or　of　a



cowardly