ir several counties. This money
was so skilfully employed by William that it rendered him better service
than he could have expected from the army. He engaged the French king
by new presents to depart from the protection of Robert; and he daily
bribed the Norman barons to desert his service; but was prevented from
pushing his advantages by an incursion of the Welsh, which obliged him
to return to England, tie found no difficulty in repelling the enemy;
but was not able to make any considerable impression on a country
guarded by its mountainous situation. A conspiracy of his own barons
which was detected at this time, appeared a more serious concern,
and engrossed all his attention. {1095.} Robert Moubray, earl of
Northumberland, was at the head of this combination; and he engaged in
it the count d'Eu, Richard de Tunbridge, Roger de Lacy, and many others.
The purpose of the conspirators was to dethrone the king, and to
advance in his stead Stephen, count of Aumale, nephew to the Conqueror.
William's despatch prevented the design from taking effect, and
disconcerted the conspirators. Moubray made some resistance; but being
taken prisoner, was attainted and thrown into confinement, where he died
about thirty years after. {1096.} The count d'Eu denied his concurrence
in the plot, and to justify himself, fought, in the presence of the
court at Windsor, a duel with Geoffrey Bainard, who accused him. But
being worsted in the combat, he was condemned to be castrated, and
to have his eyes put out. William de Alderi, another conspirator, was
supposed to be treated with more rigor when he was sentenced to be
hanged.

But the noise of these petty wars and commotions was quite sunk in the
tumult of the crusades, which now engrossed the attention of Europe, and
have ever since engaged the curiosity of mankind, as the most signal and
most durable monument of human folly that has yet appeared in any age or
nation. After Mahomet had, by means of his pretended revelations, united
the dispersed Arabians under one head, they issued forth from their
deserts in great multitudes; and being animated with zeal for their new
religion, and supported by the vigor of their new government, they made
deep impression on the eastern empire, which was far in the decline with
regard both to military discipline and to civil policy. Jerusalem,
by its situation, became one of their most early conquests; and the
Christians had the mortification to see the ho