i74 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

C H AV-

JC87-'

Accession

■William

Rufus.

CHAP. V.

WILLIAM RUFUS.

of

Accession of William Rufus — Conspiracy against theKing — Invasion of Normandy — The Crusades-— Acquisition of Normandy — Quarrel withAnfclm , the primate — Death — and characterof William Rufus.

"WILLIAM , surnamed Rufus or the Red ,from the colour of his hair, had no soonerprocured his father’s recommendatory letter toLansranc, the primate , than he hastened to takemeasures for securing to himself the governmentof England. Sensible, that a deed so unformal,and so little prepared , which violated Robert’sright of primogeniture, might meet with greatopposition, he trusted entirely for success to hisown celerity; and having left St. Gervais, whileWilliam was breathing his last, he arrived inEngland, before intelligence of his father’s deathhad reached that kingdom '. Pretending ordersfrom the king, he secured the fortresses of Dover,Pevensey, and Hastings, whose situation renderedthem of the greatest importance ; and he gotpossession of the royal treasure at Winchester,amounting to the sum of sixty thousand pounds,by which he hoped to encourage and increase

' W. stlalir.es. v. T 20 . M, Paris, p. to.

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