The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-02

ment are guaranteed, was the Duke of Normandy and Rouen was his capital He was the strongest of all the dukes of Normandy. He was a rough soldier, but was one of the greatest men In history. and his acts and bis example have been effective for all times. He regenerated England. He gave the na- tion an army, navy, commerce trade art and architecture, schools and u1i- versailles and directed the development of British habits, and customs and character. He was the real author the British constitution.
 It is an interesting fact that the first Jews who settled in England fol- lowed him from Rouer. They were Al- ready the capitalists of the continent. whose finest castles, chateaus ana ca- thedrals owed their existence to Jew lsh loans. Having no right to possess land, their wealth was always In gold in ready money, which was very use- full to the kings both in peace and in war William 1he Conqueror made them his agents to collect his revenues in money rather than in kind. as had been the custom of his predecessors He established them in London as they had been elsewhere in EuroNe in Jew ries' or g11ettos.
 The Conqueror crossed the channel one night with 700 transport galleys, his barons carrying with them barrels of wine and spits of meat as Well as coats of mail and stacks of spears and Seine from Rouen. It was built and fitted out by his wife, Matilda, and sho called it the Mora" In that ship hs sailed. Within six months he returned to France. His beloved wife received him at ROuen and give him an account of the manner in which she had ad- ministered the government during hfa absence. She was as remarkable woman as he was a man, and they were very congenial. His heart was broken when she died in 10ss, and four years later his iron frame broke down. While he was lying in bed st Rouen King Philip tested at the funeral aspect of the candles which surrotwded tha bulky inv &d William, who was never amiRbIe and had no sense of hu- nor, became very angry. He swors one of those terrible paths which always stirred his soldiers hearts and declared that he would light hundred thcus- and candies if he pleased. and at the expense of Philip, too.
 The next year he tried to carry out his threat. He devastated his rivals country with fire and sword, but upon his return from battle his horse stun bled, and the man whose blood was never shed by his enemies was mortal- ly wounded by the high iron pommel of his own saddle. He was borne as far as the priory of St. Gervaise by his soldiers, and for several days lay in terrible pain, but he was not too Ill to dispose of his wealth and author ity, giving much treasure to the build Ing churches both In France and Eng- land and dividing his territory between his soIfs He left the throne of Eng land in the hands of God"
 After releasing and pardoning ait prisoners in his lringdom, he ordered the great bell of the cathedral to be tolled At the first stroke he offered up a prayer and died September g. 1OS7. The corpse of the Copquernr was floated down the Seine to Caen to be buried beside his wife, but when tha procession reached the abbey the monks objected to the burial, so seven feet of ground was sought, as for a common churl, and the body of ons of the greatest men in history was fin ally laid to rest. In 1T93 his tomb and its contents were destroyed by