214 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

chap. accession os Edward, they were delivered foriii. ever stem the dominion of foreigners; but theysoon sound, that this evil was not yet entirelyremoved. The king had been educated in Nor-mandy ; and had contracted many intimacies withthe natives of that country , as well as an affectionfor their manners The court of England wassoon filled with Normans , who, beingdistinguish-ed both by the favour of Edward, and by adegree of cultivation superior to that which wasattained by the English in those ages , soon ren-dered their language, customs, and laws fashion-able in the kingdom. The v study of the brenchtongue became general among the people. Thecourtiers affected to imitate that nation in theirdress, equipage, and entertainments: Even thelawyers employed a foreign language in theirdeeds and papers " : But above all, the churchfelt the influence and dominion of those strangers:Ulf and William, two Normans , who hadformerly been the king’s chaplains , were createdbishops of Dorchester and London. Robert, aNorman also , was promoted to the fee of Canter-bury ", and always enjoyed the highest favourof his master, of which his abilities rendered himnot unworthy. And though the king’s prudence,or his want of authority, made him confer almostall the civil and military employments on the

17 Ingulf, p. 62.

" Ibid.

" Chron. Sax. p. l6r.