England in the Middle Ages 229 economy, envy their superiors, wish to excel their equals, and plunder their subjects, though they defend them from others ; they are faithful to their lords, though a slight offense alienates them. They weigh treachery by its chance of success, and change their sentiments for money. The most hospitable, however, of all nations, they esteem strangers worthy of equal honor with themselves; they also inter- marry with their vassals. They revived, by their arrival, the rule of religion which had everywhere grown lifeless in Eng- land. You might see churches rise in every village, and monasteries in the towns and cities, built after a style unknown before; you might behold the country flourishing with renovated rites; so that each wealthy man accounted that day lost to him which he had neglected to signalize by some munificent action. III. RULE OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR At Midwinter the king was at Gloucester with his "witan," and there held his court five days; and afterwards the arch- bishop and clergy had a synod three days. There was Maurice chosen bishop of London, and William, of Norfolk, and Robert, of Cheshire. They were all the king's clerks. After this the king had a great council, and very deep speech with his " witan " about this land, how it was peopled, or by what men ; then he sent his men over all England, into every shire, and caused to be ascertained how many hundred hides were in the shire, or what land the king himself had, and cattle within the land, or what dues he ought to have, in twelve months, from the shire. Also he caused to be written how much land his archbishops had, and his suffragan bishops, and his abbots, and his earls; and though I may narrate somewhat prolixly what or how much each man had who was a landholder in England, in land, or in cattle, and how much money it might be worth. So very narrowly he caused it to be traced out, that there was not one single hide, nor one yard of land, nor even it is shame to tell, though it seemed to him no shame to do 98. King William orders Doomsday Book to be drawn up. (From the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.)
