The Chronicle of the Norman Conquest Part 12

These felonies, and many other which they have done to our ancestors, and to our friends who demeaned themselves honourably, we will revenge on them, if G.o.d so please. When we have conquered them, we will take their gold and silver, and the wealth of which they have plenty, and their manors, which are rich. We shall certainly easily conquer them, for in all the world there is not so brave an army, neither such proved men and va.s.sals, as are here a.s.sembled[6]."

Then they began to cry out, "You will not see one coward; none here will fear to die for love of you, if need be."

And he answered them, "I thank you well. For G.o.d's sake spare not; strike hard at the beginning; stay not to take spoil; all the booty shall be in common, and there will be plenty for every one. There will be no safety in peace or flight; the English will never love or spare Normans. Felons they were and are; false they were and false they will be. Shew no weakness towards them, for they will have no pity on you; neither the coward for his flight, nor the bold man for his strokes, will be the better liked by the English, nor will any be the more spared on that account. You may fly to the sea, but you can fly no further; you will find neither s.h.i.+p nor bridge there; there will be no sailors to receive you; and the English will overtake you and kill you in your shame. More of you will die in flight than in battle; flight, therefore, will not secure you; but fight, and you will conquer. I have no doubt of the victory; we are come for glory, the victory is in our hands, and we may make sure of obtaining it if we so please."

As the duke said this, and would have said yet more, William Fitz Osber rode up, his horse being all coated with iron[7]; "Sire," said he to his lord, "we tarry here too long, let us all arm ourselves. Allons!

allons!"

Then all went to their tents and armed themselves as they best might; and the duke was very busy, giving every one his orders; and he was courteous to all the va.s.sals, giving away many arms and horses to them.

When he prepared to arm himself, he called first for his good hauberk, and a man brought it on his arm, and placed before him; but in putting his head in, to get it on, he inadvertently turned it the wrong way, with the back part in front. He quickly changed it, but, when he saw that those who stood by were sorely alarmed, he said, "I have seen many a man who, if such a thing had happened to him, would not have borne arms, or entered the field the same day; but I never believed in omens, and I never will. I trust in G.o.d; for he does in all things his pleasure, and ordains what is to come to pa.s.s, according to his will. I have never liked fortune-tellers, nor believed in diviners; but I commend myself to our Lady. Let not this mischance give you trouble. The hauberk which was turned wrong, and then set right by me, signifies that a change will arise out of the matter we are now moving. You shall see the name of duke changed into king. Yea, a king shall I be, who hitherto have been but duke[8]."

Then he crossed himself, and straightway took his hauberk, stooped his head, and put it on aright; and laced his helmet and girt his sword, which a varlet brought him.

[Footnote 1: We make no attempt to translate Wace's Saxon; for which a previous examination of his original MS. not now in existence, would certainly be a necessary preliminary. The existing copies are obviously the work of French transcribers, wholly ignorant, no doubt, of the Saxon. The MS. of d.u.c.h.esne is said to read, for the two first words, 'bufler' and 'welseil,' Three of the words sound at least like 'wa.s.sail,' 'drink to me,' and 'drink health' or 'half.' In the appendix to M. Raynouard's observations on Wace, some suggestions are given from high English authority; but they throw very little light upon the matter. See _Jeffrey of Monmouth's_ story of Vortigern and Rowena.

_Robert de Brunne,_ in translating the pa.s.sage, makes Rowena give this explanation of the Saxon custom:

This is ther custom and ther gest Whan thei are at the ale or fest; Ilk man that loves where him think Sall say _wa.s.sail_, and to him drink.

He that bids sall say _wa.s.sail_; The tother sall say again _drinkhail_; That said _wa.s.sail_ drinkes of the cup, Kissand his felow he gives it up; _Drinkhail_, HE says, and drinkes thereof, Kissand him in bord and skof.

The king said, as the knight gan ken, _Drinkhail_, smiland on Rouwen; Rouwen drank as hire list, And gave the king, sine him kist.

Ther was the first wa.s.sail in dede, And that first of fame gede; Of that wa.s.sail men told grete tale, &c.]

[Footnote 2: JEFFERY DE MOUBRAY,--Molbraium in _Ordericus Vitalis_,--chief justiciary of England. See in Cotman's _Normandy_, vol.

i. p. 111, details concerning the munificent spirit of this prelate; and of the cathedral of Coutances, to the erection of which he dedicated his immense wealth. See also Ellis, _Domesday_, i. 400. The Moubray family at the conquest consisted of the bishop, his brother Roger, whom we shall find noticed below, and a sister Amy, married to Roger d'Aubigny, or de Albini, ancestor of the earls of Arundel. Roger Moubray's son Robert succeeded to the bishop's estates, comprising, it is said, 280 manors in England, and he became earl of Northumberland. At his disgrace not only his estates, but his wife pa.s.sed to his cousin Nigel d'Aubigny, Amy's son, whose descendants took the name of Moubray. The scite of the castle of Monbrai is in the arrondiss.e.m.e.nt of St. Lo. In the Norman Roll, red book of the Exchequer, we find 'Nigellus de Moubrai 5 mil. de honore de Moubrai, et de castro Gonteri: et ad servituum suum xi mil.

quart. et octav.']

[Footnote 3: ODO, the bishop of Bayeux; son of Herluin, the knight who married Arlette, William's mother.]

[Footnote 4: These transactions have been noticed in an earlier portion of our Chronicle, see page 35.]

[Footnote 5: Guildford.]

[Footnote 6: _Henry of Huntingdon_ puts quite a different speech into William's mouth, reminding the Normans of their capture and detainer of the king of France, till he delivered Normandy to duke Richard, and (as the chronicler states) a.s.sented to the stipulation, that in conferences between the king and the duke,--the latter should wear his sword, but the king not even a knife. L'_Estoire de Seint aedward le rei_ makes William use similar expressions, but on a different occasion, that of rallying his men.]

[Footnote 7:

A co ke Willame diseit, Et encore plus dire voleit, Vint Willame li filz Osber, _Son cheval tot covert de fer;_ "Sire," dist-il, "trop demoron, Armons nos tuit; allon! allon!"

Issi sunt as tentes ale, &c.

See the observations of M. Deville on this description, in _Mem. Ant.

Norm_. v. 81. Such an equipment of a horse at so early a period has no other authority, and is probably an anachronism. But it may be observed that Wace's description at least shows that the practice was already in existence in his day, which we believe could not be otherwise proved.]

[Footnote 8: This circ.u.mstance is also told by _William of Poitiers_. In the _Estoire de Seint aedward le rei_ the scene of the reversed hauberk is thus described;

Li ducs, ki s'arma tost apres, Sun hauberc endosse envers.

Dist ki l'arma, "Seit tort u dreit Verruns ke li ducs rois seit,"

Li ducs, ki la raisun ot, Un pet.i.t surrist au mot, Dist, "Ore seit a la devise Celui ki le mund justise!"]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CHAPTER XVII.

WHO WAS CHOSEN TO BEAR THE DUKE'S GONFANON IN THE BATTLE.

Then the duke called for his good horse; a better could not be found. It had been sent him by a king of Spain as a token of friends.h.i.+p[1].

Neither arms nor throng did it fear, when its lord spurred on. Galtier Giffart, who had been to St. Jago, brought it. The duke stretched out his hand, took the reins, put foot in stirrup and mounted; and the good horse pawed, pranced, reared himself up, and curvetted.

The viscount of Toarz saw how the duke bore himself in arms, and said to his people that were around him, "Never have I seen a man so fairly armed, nor one who rode so gallantly, or bore his arms, or became his hauberk so well; neither any one who bore his lance so gracefully, or sat his horse and manuvred him so n.o.bly. There is no other such knight under heaven! a fair count he is, and fair king he will be. Let him fight and he shall overcome; shame be to him who shall fail him!"

The duke called for horses, and had several led out to him; each had a good sword hanging at the saddlebow, and those who led the horses bore lances. Then the barons armed themselves, the knights and the lancemen[2]; and the whole were divided into three companies; each company having many lords and captains appointed to them, that there might be no cowardice, or fear of loss of member or life.

The duke called a serving man, and ordered him to bring forth the gonfanon which the pope had sent him; and he who bore it having unfolded it, the duke took it, reared it, and called to Raol de Conches[3]; "Bear my gonfanon," said he, "for I would not but do you right; by right and by ancestry your line are standard bearers of Normandy, and very good knights have they all been." "Many thanks to you," said Raol, "for acknowledging our right; but by my faith, the gonfanon shall not this day be borne by me. To-day I claim quittance of the service, for I would serve you in other guise. I will go with you into the battle, and will fight the English as long as life shall last, and know that my hand will be worth any twenty of such men."

Then the duke turned another way, and called to him Galtier Giffart[4].

"Do thou take this gonfanon," said he, "and bear it in the battle." But Galtier Giffart answered, "Sire, for G.o.d's mercy look at my white and bald head; my strength has fallen away, and my breath become shorter.

The standard should be borne by one who can endure long labour; I shall be in the battle, and you have not any man who will serve you more truly; I will strike with my sword till it shall be died in your enemies' blood."

Then the duke said fiercely, "By the splendour of G.o.d[5], my lords, I think you mean to betray and fail me in this great need." "Sire," said Giffart, "not so! we have done no treason, nor do I refuse from any felony towards you; but I have to lead a great chivalry, both soldiers and the men of my fief. Never had I such good means of serving you as I now have; and if G.o.d please, I will serve you: if need be, I will die for you, and will give my own heart for yours."

"By my faith," quoth the duke, "I always loved thee, and now I love thee more; if I survive this day, thou shalt be the better for it all thy days." Then he called out a knight, whom he had heard much praised, Tosteins Fitz Rou le blanc[6], by name, whose abode was at Bec-en-Caux[7]. To him he delivered the gonfanon; and Tosteins took it right cheerfully, and bowed low to him in thanks, and bore it gallantly, and with good heart. His kindred still have quittance of all service for their inheritance on that account, and their heirs are ent.i.tled so to hold their inheritance for ever.

William sat on his warhorse, and called out Rogier, whom they call de Montgomeri[8]. "I rely much on you," said he; "lead your men thitherward, and attack them from that side. William, the son of Osber[9], the seneschal, a right good va.s.sal, shall go with you and help in the attack, and you shall have the men of Boilogne and Poix[10], and all my soldiers[11]. Alain Fergant and Aimeri shall attack on the other side; they shall lead the Poitevins and the Bretons, and all the barons of Maine; and I with my own great men, my friends and kindred, will fight in the middle throng, where the battle shall be the hottest."

The barons and knights and lancemen[12] were all now armed; the men on foot were well equipped, each bearing bow and sword: on their heads were caps[13], and to their feet were bound buskins[14]. Some had good hides which they had bound round their bodies; and many were clad in frocks[15], and had quivers and bows hung to their girdles. The knights had hauberks and swords, boots of steel and s.h.i.+ning helmets; s.h.i.+elds at their necks, and in their hands lances. And all had their cognizances[16], so that each might know his fellow, and Norman might not strike Norman, nor Frenchman kill his countryman by mistake. Those on foot led the way, with serried ranks, bearing their bows. The knights rode next, supporting the archers from behind. Thus both horse and foot kept their course and order of march as they began; in close ranks at a gentle pace, that the one might not pa.s.s or separate from the other. All went firmly and compactly, bearing themselves gallantly; and in each host stood archers ready to exchange shots.

[Footnote 1: Sent perhaps on the occasion of the betrothment of William's daughter to the king of Gallicia, which has been before mentioned.]

[Footnote 2: 'Gueldon' is Wace's word here and elsewhere; which M.

Pluquet interprets--a peasant armed with a long lance or pike.]

[Footnote 3: RALF DE CONCHES, in the arrondiss.e.m.e.nt of Evreux,--sometimes called de Tony, or Toeny, which is in the commune of Gaillon, arrondiss.e.m.e.nt of Louviers,--son of Roger de Tony, hereditary standard bearer of Normandy. Ralf is a landholder in Domesday; Saham-Tony in Norfolk still records the name. His father founded the abbey of Conches. See Ellis, _Introduction to Domesday_, i. 493. In the Norman roll in the Red book of the Exchequer, we find, 'de honore de Conches et de Toeneio 44 mil. et 6 mil. quos Matheus de Clara tenet: preter hoc quod comes de Albamara, et comes Hugo Bigot, et Hugo de Mortuomari tenent de fdo illo: ad servitium vero regis nesciunt quot.']

[Footnote 4: WALTER GIFFART, lord of Longueville, in the arrondiss.e.m.e.nt of Dieppe, son of Osbern de Bolbec, and Aveline his wife, sister of Gunnor, the wife of duke Richard I. In reference to the allusions in the text to Walter Ginart's age, M. Le Prevost observes that it was his son, a second of the name, who lived till 1102, having been made earl of Buckingham. See _Introd. Domesday_, vol. i. 484; also vol. ii. 23, as to an Osbern Giffart. In the Norman roll of the Red book, 'De honore comitis Giffardi 98 mil. et dim. et quartem partem et 2 part, ad serv.

com.' He is also among the knights holding of the church of Bayeux '1 mil.']

[Footnote 5: William's customary oath. Wace has before said, vol. ii.

51:

Jura par la resplendor De, co ert surent sun serement.]

[Footnote 6: TURSTINUS FILIUS ROLLONIS vexillum Normannorum portavit: _Orderic. Vit._. Several Normans bore the name of Toustain or Turstin as a baptismal name: but it afterwards became the family name of a n.o.ble house in upper Normandy; who, in memory of the office performed at Hastings, took for supporters of their arms, two angels, each bearing a banner. A.L.P. Turstin Fitz-Rou received large English estates in England. Besides Turstin there is a Robert Fitz-Rou in Domesday, possibly his brother. See our subsequent note on Gilbert Crespin and his family, to which Turstin belonged; and see _Introd. Domesday_, i. 479, 497.]

[Footnote 7: Bec-aux-Cauchois, in the arrondiss.e.m.e.nt of Ivetot; not Bec-Crespin, in that of Havre.]