m Caen. It was very hotly
contested. King Henry, unhorsed by a lance-thrust, ran a risk of his
life; but he remounted and valiantly returned to the melley. William
dashed in wherever the fight was thickest, showing himself everywhere as
able in command as ready to expose himself. A Norman lord, Raoul de
Tesson, held aloof with a troop of one hundred and forty knights. "Who
is he that bides yonder motionless?" asked the French king of the young
duke. "It is the banner of Raoul de Tesson," answered William; "I wot
not that he hath aught against me." But, though he had no personal
grievance, Raoul de Tesson had joined the insurgents, and sworn that he
would be the first to strike the duke in the conflict. Thinking better
of it, and perceiving William from afar, he pricked towards him, and
taking off his glove struck him gently on the shoulder, saying, "I swore
to strike you, and so I am quit: but fear nothing more from me."
"Thanks, Raoul," said William; "be well disposed, I pray you." Raoul
waited until the two armies were at grips, and when he saw which way
victory was inclined, he hasted to contribute thereto. It was decisive:
and William the Bastard returned to Val des Dunes really duke of
Normandy.

He made vigorous but not cruel use of his victory. He demolished his
enemies' strong castles, magazines as they were for pillage no less than
bulwarks of feudal independence; but there is nothing to show that he
indulged in violence towards persons. He was even generous to the chief
concocter of the plot, Guy of Burgundy. He took from him the countships
of Vernon and Brionne, but permitted him still to live at his court, a
place which the Burgundian found himself too ill at ease to remain in, so
he returned to Burgundy, to conspire against his own eldest brother.
William was stern without hatred and merciful without kindliness, only
thinking which of the two might promote or retard his success, gentleness
or severity.

There soon came an opportunity for him to return to the king of France
the kindness he had received. Geoffrey Martel, duke of Anjou, being
ambitious and turbulent beyond the measure of his power, got embroiled
with the king his suzerain, and war broke out between them. The duke of
Normandy went to the aid of King Henry and made his success certain,
which cost the duke the fierce hostility of the count of Anjou and a four
years' war with that inconvenient neighbor; a war full of dangerous
inc