372 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

C h a p. as attain the rank of baron of the realm ”. Theseiv. facts are so apparent from the whole tenor ofic 87 . the English history, that none would have beentempted to deny or elude them , were theynot heated by the controversies of faction; whileone party was absurdly afraid of those absurdconsequences , which they saw the other partyinclined to draw from this event. But it isevident, that the present rights and privileges ofthe people, who are a mixture of Fnglilh andNormans , can never be affected by a transac-tion, which passed seven hundred years ago;and as all ancient authors”, who lived nearestthe time, and best knew the state of the country,unanimously speak of the Norman dominion asa conquest by war and arms , no reasonableman , from the fear of imaginary consequences ,will ever be tempted to reject their concurringand undoubted testimony.

King William had issue, besides his three sons,who survived him, five daughters, to wit,(i.)Cicily , a nun in the monastery of Fescamp,afterwards abbess in the holy Trinity at Caen,where file died in 1127. ('-.) Constantia , married

” So late as the reign of king Stephen, the earl ofAlbemarle, before the battle of the Standard, addressedthe officers of his army in these terms, Proceres Angliaclarijjimi U genere 2\ T or7iia?tni , &c. See farther AbbasRieval, p. 339. etc. Al! the barons and military men ofEngland still called themselves Normans.

' See note [L] at the end of the volume.