ursuit of glory, and in full confidence of securing his eternal
salvation.

The smallness of this sum, with the difficulties which William found
in raising it, suffices alone to refute the account which is heedlessly
adopted by historians, of the enormous revenue of the Conqueror. Is it
credible that Robert would consign to the rapacious hands of his brother
such considerable dominions, for a sum which, according to that account,
made not a week's income of his father's English revenue alone? or
that the king of England could not on demand, without oppressing his
subjects, have been able to pay him the money? The Conqueror, it is
agreed, was frugal as well as rapacious, yet his treasure at his death
exceeded not sixty thousand pounds, which hardly amounted to his income
for two months; another certain refutation of that exaggerated account.

The fury of the crusades during this age less infected England than the
neighboring kingdoms; probably because the Norman conquerors, finding
their settlement in that kingdom still somewhat precarious, durst
not abandon their homes in quest of distant adventures. The selfish,
interested spirit also of the king, which kept him from kindling in the
general flame, checked its progress among his subjects; and as he is
accused of open profaneness,[***] and was endued with a sharp wit,[****]
it is likely that he made the romantic chivalry of the crusaders the
object of his perpetual raillery.

[* W. Malms, p. 123. Chron. T. Wykes, p. 24.
Annal. Waverl p. 139. W. Heming. p. 467. Flor. Wigorn. p.
648. Sim. Dunelm, p. 222. Knyghton, p. 2364.]

[** Eadmer,p. 35. W. Malms, p. 123. W. Heming. p.
467.]

[*** Gul. Newbr. p. 358. Gul. Gemet. p. 292.]

[**** W. Malms, p. 122].

As an instance of his religion, we are told that he once accepted of
sixty marks from a Jew, whose son had been converted to Christianity,
and who engaged him by that present to assist him in bringing back the
youth to Judaism. William employed both menaces and persuasion for that
purpose; but finding the convert obstinate in his new faith, he sent for
the father, and told him that as he had not succeeded, it was not just
that he should keep the present; but as he had done his utmost, it
was but equitable that he should be paid for his pains; and he would
therefore retain only thirty marks of the money.[*] At another time,
it is said, he sent for some learned Christian theologians a