3 o6 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

chap. of weather, or by a mistake in their course 1 :

IV. And foreseeing that his conquest of England

might still be attended with many difficulties andwith much opposition, he deemed it necessary,before he should advance farther into the country,to make himself master of Dover, which wouldboth secure him a retreat in case of adversefortune, and afford him a safe landing-place forsuch supplies as might be requisite for pushing hisadvantages. The terror diffused by his victory at• Hastings was so great, that the garrison of Dover,though numerous and well provided , immediatelycapitulated; and as the Normans, rustling in totake possession of the town , hastily set fire tosome of the houses, William, desirous to conciliatethe minds of the English by an appearance oflenity and justice, made compensation to theinhabitants for their losses '.

Tiie Norman army, being much distressed witha dysentery, was obliged to remain here eightdays; but the duke, on their recovery , advan-ced with quick marches towards London , andby his approach increased the confusions , whichwere already so prevalent in the English counsels.The ecclesiastics in particular , whose influencewas great over the people , began to declare inhis favour ; and as most of the bishops anddignified clergymen were even then Frenchmenor Normans , the pope’s bull, by which his enter,prize was avowed and hallowed , was no\y

1 Cul. Piefav. p. 204. 1 Ibid,

I