Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-05-23
Anc,en, and modern conquest.

A few dave since we denied that any part of
Eng ini, or any PARTON OF the English race.
were ever subiugated, in the sense in which the
dominant party now proposes to subjugate the
South. We are answered 10y The Sentinel and
Madison Journal with a quotation from Angus
tin Thierry's eulogy of the Norman invasion.
Th,t history is a mere glOri6catipn of French
deeds, aud is not regarded rs impartial authority
upon the subject either in France or England.
Michelet. ~aIIUsler French author is a~djudged less
partial. but still partial TO his own race and blood.
We might rs well accept Il history of this war
from Stanton. t"r truth, as 20 look for truth in
the generalities Of any OF these French histo-
rians. as TO the so-called Norman conquest.
No doubt Stanton considers the SOuth-at
least "a greater proportion of it-already subju-
gated, thoug.. we are not The rell masters OF a
square rod of its territory, or a bakers dozen of
the Southern people The Norman historians,
who treat The victory Of William as a conquest,
looked through the same sort of goggles At
this day, all England rightly regards the notion
that William subjugated the country as a "yul-
gar error" And so il is.
Pages might be quoted from written history
favoring both aspects of the question, but there
are certain general Iacls admitted by every cred
table writer, which determine the whole question
better than the dictum of any historian When
the Battle of Hastings was fought, William pro-
claimed an intention, not to reyolutionize and
destroy the local institutions Of the country, but
to defend and protect them. During his whole
subsequent life he never acted upon any other
preteuse. He took a solemn oath TO protect
every English right and law. He took this oath
not once, but twice. Every act of his as king
was done under the form Of English law. The
SAxons never lost a legal right which they en-
joyed before. Trial BY jury was not a Norman,
but a Saxon right, which William twice swOre to
preserve. He did not make the mass Of the
English people seris-he found them so. The
battle OF Hastings was fought against him. not
by the mass VI the people, but by Saxon mobiles
and their immediate retaiuers His domesday
book was but an inventory OF the NATIONAL prop
erty for the purposes Of royal revenue, similar
to The assessment rolls of our time he did not
coniscate the property of the nation, but only OF
those found In arms sgaiust him Even in
that he did not succeed. Though he died
in the plentitude Of his power, he was
refused the poor privilege Of burial upon
coufscated estate, by its original owner. and the
burial was delayed at the grave until the so Was
paid for by his family in hard silver. IL is true
that his reign was a reign OF oppression, in which
enc race was robbed and plundered by a more
powerful. more enlightened and more crafty race.
But the spirit of resistance was constant aud i'm
! perishable There was no suhjugation The
Sa xon conquered in the end No Norman in
stifution was ever planted ON British soil. Sax-
on blood, Saxon laws aud Saxon language reign
triumphant still. Supreme military power, con-
tinuous expressions, and continual sacrifices. eren
though accompanied by constant efforts at com.
promise, failed to subdue the spirit OF the nation
or establish any ~laDdm1rk of Norman supremacy.
As Hume says, "a long trail of time gradually
united the two nations and made them Que peo--
pie, but the Norman passed under the Saxon
government, while the former left no trace of his
power save a faint token Of remembrance 10 the
popular language and manners as gradually
affected by social intercourse.