第 5 页

by helped to cover him when two or three arrows flew at him together.

This was a daily exercise, and even after the month's regular work

was over some of the men came up every day to shoot, until Wulf had

attained such coolness and skill that he could in the great majority

of cases cut the shafts in two with his sword.

But the whole day was by no means given up to warlike exercises.

Wulf rode out with the steward inspecting the houses and farms,

learning what there was to be learned of the rude processes of

agriculture, investigating the complaints of the depredations

committed by errant herds of swine or by neighbours' cattle and

sheep, seeing what was required in the repairs of farmhouses, and

learning from Egbert to discriminate between those who were unable

to pay their dues owing to misfortune, illness, or murrain among

the animals, and those whose Josses were due to their own sloth or

carelessness. Upon these visits, too, the arms of the tenants were

inspected to ascertain that they could properly fulfil their service

if summoned to take the field.

The lands embraced by Wulf's feof were of considerable extent,

reaching down to the sea, where they were some eight miles broad,

and running back twelve miles beyond Steyning. Several small hamlets

lay within it, and in case of war he could summon more than three

hundred men to his banner. Several of the neighbouring thanes rode

in as soon as they heard that Wulf had returned to fill his father's

place at Steyning, and these visits were duly returned. But accustomed

as Wulf had been to the orderliness of the court of the ascetic

King Edward the rude manners and nightly revelry of these rough

thanes by no means pleased him, so that he was glad when the visits

were over, and he could remain quietly at home, where he was not

without frequent guests.

The most regular of his visitors was the prior of the monastery at

Bramber, which had been founded by the piety of one of Wulf's

ancestors. The prior had, though Wulf was ignorant of it, received

a letter from Earl Harold asking him to befriend Wulf, to encourage

him to keep up the studies he had followed at Waltham, and to see

that he did not fall into the drinking habit so common among the

Saxons. The priest was well fitted for the mission. He was by no

means a strict disciplinarian, but the monastery had the reputation

of being one of the best managed in Sussex, and among the monks

were many of good blood. He was passionately fond of art, and

encouraged its exercise among the monks, so that the illuminated

missals of Bramber were highly prized, and added largely to the

revenues of the monastery.

The prior had been one of the monks at Waltham, and owed his elevation

to the influence of Earl Harold with the late thane of Steyning.

He was well taught in all the learning of the day, and having been

for a time at Westminster, knew more of court life than the majority

of the priors of isolated monasteries, and could suit his conversation

to his hearer. Harold had said in his letter, "The lad has good

parts. He is somewhat full of mischief, and has got into a scrape

here by a quarrel with a Norman page, and by failing somewhat in

the respect due to William of London, who took his compatriot's

part with too much zeal. But Wulf is shrewd, and benefited greatly

by his stay at Waltham, and both for the lad's own sake and for my

friendship with the good thane, his father, I would fain that he

grew up not only a sturdy Englishman, as to which I have no manner

of doubt, but one who may some day play his part at court, and be

a worthy friend and counsellor of an English king. Therefore I pray

you, father, to keep an eye on the lad, and spare him what time you

can from your duties. Tell him not that I have written to you, for

it is the nature of youth to be averse to anything that looks like

guardianship."

Such a request from Earl Harold was regarded by the prior as an

order, and a few days after Wulf was installed at Steyning the prior

rode over on his palfrey, accompanied only by the almoner of the

convent.

"Peace to you, my son," he said, as Wulf bowed respectfully to him,"

I have called not only as the prior of the monastery founded by the

piety of one of the thanes of Steyning, but to welcome one who was

a pupil at Earl Harold's college of Waltham, in which I at one time

was a preceptor. Not when you were there, for I was installed here

just before your good father's death."

"I left there two years since," Wulf said, "in order to be one of

Earl Harold's pages; but I have not forgotten my reading, for the

earl insists that his pages give two hours a day to study."

"Tis a good rule," the prior said, "for learning is like a weapon,

it soon becomes rusted when thrown aside. You will, I hope, continue

the habit."

"I should wish to do so, father, but there are no manuscripts here."

"In that at least I can supply your wants," the prior said. "My

monastery has a good library, and it will be quite at your service,

and also my advice in any matters that may concern you. My almoner

here, brother John, knows pretty well the circumstances of most of

your people, and may be able to tell you where your alms may be

well bestowed, and where they would do more harm than good. The

worthless are ever the most importunate, and for every honest man

in need there are twenty rogues abegging."

The ice once broken, the prior came over frequently. His conversation

was bright and interesting. He himself was engaged in writing a

history of the Saxon and Danish monarchs from the times of Alfred,

and had stores of anecdotes of people and events of whom Wulf had

before heard only vague traditions from the wandering singers and

story-tellers who travelled the country, and were welcome guests

in every household. As Wulf was urged by the prior to come over

whenever time hung on his hands, his visits to the monastery were

naturally very much more frequent than those of the prior to Steyning.

Sometimes he would sit in the private apartment of the prior, but

more often he spent his time studying the rare manuscripts, or

watching the monks at their work of copying and illuminating. If

he went in the evening he generally sat in the refectory, where the

monks for the most part spent their evening in talk and harmless

amusement, for the strict rules and discipline that prevailed in

monastic establishments on the Continent had been unknown up to

that time in England, although some of the Norman bishops were doing

their best to introduce them into the establishments in their

dioceses,--a proceeding that caused great discontent, and was

strongly opposed by the English monks. These had, hitherto, regarded

monastic life as one of work for the good of the poor, and as

affording for those who wished it a tranquil retirement from the

trials of the world. Moreover, it offered special attractions to

those of quiet and studious tastes, since the monasteries provided

the architects and the painters, the teachers and the writers, and

it was here alone that learning was maintained and fostered.

Consequently, at Bramber there was none of that monastic asceticism

that prevailed abroad, and later became the rule in England also.

During the day the monks had their pursuits according to their

tastes. There were those who worked in the copying and painting

room. There were some who drew plans for churches or the dwellings

of the wealthy, and who sometimes went out and superintended the

carrying out of their designs. Some were in charge of the garden,

where the work was chiefly done by the lay servitors, and where the

herbs and simples were grown that were used in the concoction of

the medicines distributed among the sick, and highly prized throughout

the country round. Two or three were skilled in music, and these

taught and conducted the choir, while two acted as teachers to

youths, the sons of thanes and others, who, moved by the ardour

with which their earl advocated learning, intrusted their sons to

the monks for education. Then when the day's work was done, and

vespers sung in the chapel, the monks gathered in the refectory.

The conversation was of a bright and varied description, and as

Wulf moved about from group to group he listened to the talk with

far greater pleasure than he had ever derived from that at court,

and largely increased his knowledge in many respects.

National matters were discussed with keen interest, for the monks

were all English, and viewed with bitter hostility the elevation

of foreigners to the chief dignities of the church, not only because

they were foreigners, but because they introduced innovations of

all kinds, and sought to reduce the Church of England to subjection

to Rome, whereas previously it had been wholly independent of Papal

authority. In secular matters, too, there were dangers that threatened

the tranquillity of the country. Chief among these were the turbulence

and ambition of Tostig, and the menace to the kingdom by his extensive

earldom of Northumbria with its alien Danish population, which was

rendered more serious by his alliance with the kings of Norway.

Then, too, it was doubtful whether the great central earldom of

Mercia could be relied upon to act cordially with the West Saxons;

Griffith of Wales was still restless and turbulent; and lastly,

there was the ever-present menace of the Norman duke. Had England

been united it could have laughed at the pretensions of the Duke

of Normandy; but with Northumbria ready at any moment to break into

civil war, and with Mercia doubtful, the claim of Normandy, however

shadowy and indefensible, could not but be considered as a grave

element of danger.

Listening to the talk of the monks Wulf learned much more as to the

actual situation than he had done in the court of the Normanized

king, and his feelings of patriotism became more and more developed

and strengthened, while he applied himself with even greater ardour

to his military exercises, as he recognized more fully the necessity

that might arise for every West Saxon to be ready to take his place

in the line of battle. The evenings that he spent at home were by

no means dull. It was only in considerable towns that there were

inns for the accommodation of travellers. Everywhere else these

were dependent upon hospitality, and no door was ever closed in

their faces. It was seldom that less than five or six travellers

rested for the night at Steyning, and often that number was largely

exceeded. Besides the wayfarers there were the professional wanderers,

the minstrels, the story-tellers, and occasionally a troupe of

buffoons.

All these were welcome, for they brought the news from without; the

last rumours in London concerning the quarrels of the earls; the

movements of the Danish ships that were harrying the coast, and

those of the vessels Earl Harold despatched to cope with them; the

prices of wool and hides in the chief markets; and even reports of

what was happening beyond the seas. Leaving the dais, Wulf would

go down and listen to the talk of the travellers, or, when they

were of a degree above the common, have them up beside him, and

question them as to their journeyings, the places they had visited,

and the personages they had seen. Thus his hours were fully occupied

from morning until night. He found far less time than he had expected

for sport, and although he occasionally went out with his falcons

or hunted the stag in the forest, which covered a wide extent of

country beyond the hills, it was but seldom that he could find

leisure for these amusements.

"It seems to me that you are always doing something, Wulf," Osgod

said one day. "It is not at all the sort of life I should have

thought a young thane would live. Why, you work many more hours a

day than I did in my father's forge. It is either books, or the

affairs of the tenants, or visiting the monastery all day when you

are not at work with your sword exercises. When I have done with

my work with Leof I like to lie down in the sun and take it quietly,

and I cannot understand how you can be for ever on foot."

"I have so many things to do, Osgod; there is so much to learn, and

I do not wish to grow up a mere beer swiller like Edmund of Angmering

or Ethelred of Arundel. Their lives are, as far as I can see, no

whit higher or more worthy than that of their own serfs, from whom

they differ only that they eat more, drink more, and sleep on softer

beds. Earl Harold expects better things than that of me, and I want

to make myself worthy of being one of those in whom he can place

confidence and on whom he can depend in case of trouble. I have

heard him say how bad it is for England that our thanes are, in

learning and culture, so far behind the nobles of other countries,

and that if England is ever to take her place among great nations

it must be by her thanes first raising themselves to the level of

the nobles abroad, who are the counsellors of their kings. I can

never hope to be anything like Earl Harold, who is the wisest and

greatest of Englishmen, but I do hope so to fit myself that some

day he may think me worthy of trust and confidence."

"Well, master," Osgod said lazily, "every one to his liking. I

hope to be a good soldier and your true servant, but as for all

this thinking and learning it would weary me to death."

CHAPTER III.

AT COURT.

Two months after Wulf had gone down to Steyning one of Harold's men

brought a short letter from the earl himself. "I am glad to hear,

Wulf," it began, "from my steward, Egbert, that you are applying

yourself so heartily to your work. I have also good accounts of you

from the Prior of Bramber, who sometimes writes to me. He is a good

and wise man, as well as a learned one, and I am right glad to hear

that you are spending your time so well. I told you that you should

hear if there was any alteration in your affair. Some change was