CHAPTER II.
THE EARLY DAYS OF WILLIAM RUFUS.[1] 1087-1090.
Character of the accession of Rufus.
No formal election.
His general acceptance.
The way by which the second William became
fully established on the throne of his father has
some peculiarities of its own, which distinguish it
from the accessions of most English kings, earlier
and later. The only claim of William Rufus to the
crown was a nomination by his father which we are told
that his father hardly ventured to make. Of election
by any assembly, great or small, we see no trace. Yet
the new king is crowned, and he receives the national
submission at his crowning, with the fullest outward
national consent, with no visible opposition from any
quarter, and, as events proved, with the hearty good
will of the native English part of his subjects. Yet
the King is hardly established in his kingdom before
- ↑ There is not much to say about the authorities for this chapter. The main sources are those with which we have long been familiar, the Peterborough Chronicle, Orderic, Florence, William of Malmesbury. The last three of these increase in value at every step, as they become more and more strictly contemporary. So Henry of Huntingdon, beginning his seventh book in the second year of Rufus, formally puts on the character of a contemporary writer. Hitherto he had written from his reading or from common fame; "nunc autem de his quæ vel ipsi vidimus, vel ab his qui viderant audivimus, pertractandum est." But he still wisely kept the Chronicle before him. He is himself largely followed by Robert of Torigny (or De Monte—that is Abbot of Saint Michael's Mount) in his chronicle. From Robert we have also the so-called eighth book of William of Jumièges, which may pass as a History of Henry the First. He is not strictly contemporary for any part of our immediate story. Eadmer, so precious a few years later, gives us as yet only a few touches and general pictures. The French riming chroniclers are of some value later in the reign of Rufus; but we have hardly anything to do with them as yet. A crowd of accessory, occasional, and local writings have to be turned to as usual.
