New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-30
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
rprrNAN,s WILLIAM RUFUS.

4 he
-, he admitted that Mr.. Freeman writes
-, -, q very tremendous fashion. Alter having
11 oroucl rich material to fill five large oc'aNo
,oInmes with a history of the Norman 'ohl"os'' IL.
,,,w fills two like unto them with the h'S'ory Vi
.ho rcjrn of the first Norman's successor Pci'o" %
only thirteen years. or, II we add iho "iSV Pan "
IIcnrvs reign, with consideration Oh "u'ou n0
oloses his work of some twenty years. icV '"'s
LING is one as to whom it may safely DC sa'u 'n@'
the majority of intelligent reading people nave '"
Cor known little more than that he succeeded lhe
Conoueror although he was his second son. tn"'
Ia was n bad man and q bad king. even according
q, tbe notal and political standard of manly anu
ri,clv Qualities of those days that he butt west
minister Hall and that he was killed Willie TIC was
limiting in New Forest by Walter llre ohc VI i''
own attendants, who shot HIM Win a GUS"
and then fed 1t has been supposed 'n'' ,iVio
was really very little more 10 De s"'u "0ou' '"'
reion of William Rufus and that HIS Pcison"' n''
tory was only that OF a cruel, selfish hu"'o'"' ~
soldier. who spent his life IN email WaIt"'o VIZ"
HI. ,obouious mobiles in England and in Normandy
in sonobblng with churchmen and III the SroSSeS'
doharcberv And in general way there is mueh
eth this view of the Red King. as Mr. Freeman
lilies IN call him. His reign is not marked by any
srcb striking and important events as those whlch
DISTINGUISHED the reigps of his father, tie OCI-
oueror or Henry his brother between "h'ch HIS
own has somewhat the position OF a c0pulatNe cPh
iunction But Mr. Freemans way OF writing his
tory begins by going very far down Oeio" lnc SUI
face of things and goes on by close anu pa'ieht
study OF the significance of events discovered py
research that is much like the excavations which OF
late have revealed the hidden things oil Ureece' oi
Tovnt and Of Nineveh. Mr. Freeman is a scholar
md n great historian; but hrs and ABOVE al
things he Is an Englishman, an "AnGo-SaXoh
Il 10 pordOn necessary use OF
q Term for which we have little respect as he
bas). and his purpose is TO show the void now
England and Englishmen became the land and the
people that they are TO do which he has deVoteu
himself TO tie study of the foes of his ioreiathers
Uehas made himself the historian OF tile Normahs;
oul le intimates in his preface that now having
completed his task of showing what the NorhalS
were and what their influence was upon England
he PROPOSES following them into Sicily ana snow
ing what they did in the island which bore Wheh
tbev entered it. ana TO this day bears the marks OF
the effects produced upon it by Greece IN the paeS'
DAVIS Of her civilization 1t is to he hoped that he
will be able to do this in the large and poWerint
STYLE which has hitherto distinguished his historical
labors ran.
In Mr. Frccman's eyes the first importance OF the
reon of William Rufus is in the fact that he was
King of England by the choice of Englishmeh'
Norman and tho son of a Norman VINO hau Won inc
Throne of England by the sword. he took possession
of that throne not by election nor by inh'rllaUce'
but upon the mere nomination OF ITS dying usurpei'
vet he was confirmed and settled IN 1t by the
apparently spontaneous choice of the people the
English people, of England. At the death oil Ihe
Conqueror he and his three sons were IN Normandy.
If Robert. the eldest, had claimed the throne OF
England he would have been supported by the
Normans As his fathers heir and as their fitting
chief and reprosentative If Henry. the youngest
had sougbt it, he would have fOund the English ali
nnon his side for he was liked and if not an Eng
l,h prince he was born prince ia England ana
was in a measure what Mr.. Freeman calls MN WIN
much JUNCTION, " Che true h1thclng OF the three
brothers But neither the eldest nor the youngest
moved Immediately; and William, crossing quickly
TO England, placed himself in the hands OF Arch
bishop LanfIanc to whose Influence chiefly the
Conoueror looked for the establishment of his
second son and namesake upon the throne that ~
had seized. His hopes and expectations were not
disappointCd There appears to have been no
formal election: the proceeding was hasty
almost hurried: the nominee of the COnqucTor was
simply accepted because there was no one to dis
mute his right and because the Primate recognized
il and Lanfranc III the course OF a few days
crowned Rufus at the West Minister. Within three
weeks Of tile Conquerors death, his second son WAS
the crowned, arOinted and accepted kng OF Eng
land. And Vet tQCTe arose, dliiOnV i't"NN'"NN'o'
a peculiar juncture of affairs which Mr.. Freeman
regards with reason of the highest import IN 'he
political significance of The reign OF Fulns' for-
midable rebellion broke ont and the Red King was
Obliged TO fight for the crown to which lie had sue
ceeded so quickly and quietly. ii was not,
however, au English but Norman rebellion, LED
by his uncle, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux and Earl OF
Kent and William. strange 10 say, was SUBJ orted
against this rebellious power by the English, who
fought with him and for him Loyalty as Their KING
who by their faltIiulness and Their Nai0r gave MIN
the victory. and thus made him King OF England by
the choice and the triumphant arms Of EnCishmen.
Mr. Freeman insists strongly NJ on TINS remarkable
fact as evidence that England had then already
become one and individual and that her SOW
ereigns were then and thenceiOrward English Kings
of England and not Norman dukes holding the
English throne as an appanage. And indeed 1t Is
very interesting and imposing spectacle that he
presents to us and one full OF meanlng--the sight
OF men of English blood, some of whom had fought
under their own Harold agains. the COnqueroF, anu
all the rest sons of men who did 50 ilght OF might
so have fought throngng to the ranks OF the son
of that Conqueror, eager to support in HIM the
throne of England against rebels OF his own race
II show. as much of Mr.. Freeman's work has
shown before that the long accepted notions as to
the relations of Normans and Englshmen after the
Conquest are in many important respects almost
without foundation.
The Red King began his ftign by acts of gen
crosby that won the hearts of his English subjects
His oaths to do Justice and mercy and to defend the
rights of the Church would have been sworn by
any king; his promise to be guided ID his counsels
by Lanfranc was of more real Importance but his
use of the immense wealth which his father had
accumulated as the spOils of conquered England
was more TO the purpose lie went immediately TO
Winchester where the treasure was, ana began 10
scatter it over England again far and wide. Not
only was it distributed largely among the religions