to withdraw his
fleet; then, after some delay, spent in punishing revolters in the
Welsh border, he attacked and took the city of York. The land in
Durham and Northumberland was still quite unsubdued, and some of
William's soldiers had fared badly in their attempts to take
possession. At the Christmas feast of 1068 William made a grant of the
earldom of Northumberland to Robert of Comines, who set out with a
Norman army to take possession. But he fared no better than his
predecessors had done. The men of the land determined to withstand
him, but through the help of Bishop AEthelwine he entered Durham
peaceably. But he let his men plunder, so the men of the city rose and
slew him and his followers. And now, says Freeman,[16] William "did
one of the most frightful deeds of his life. He caused all Northern
England, beginning with Yorkshire, to be utterly laid waste, that its
people might not be able to fight against him any more. The havoc was
fearful; men were starved or sold themselves as slaves, and the land
did not recover for many years. Then King William wore his crown and
kept his Christmas at York" (1069).

Now the Conqueror set barons in different parts of the country, and
each of them kept his own miniature court and celebrated Christmas
after the costly Norman style. In his beautiful poem of "The Norman
Baron" Longfellow pictures one of these Christmas celebrations, and
tells how--

"In the hall, the serf and vassal
Held, that night, their Christmas wassail;
Many a carol, old and saintly,
Sang the minstrels and the waits.

And so loud these Saxon gleemen
Sang to slaves the songs of freemen,
That the storm was heard but faintly
Knocking at the castle-gates.

Till at length the lays they chaunted
Reached the chamber terror-haunted,
Where the monk, with accents holy,
Whispered at the baron's ear.

Tears upon his eyelids glistened
As he paused awhile and listened,
And the dying baron slowly
Turned his weary head to hear.

'Wassail for the kingly stranger
Born and cradled in a manger!
King, like David, priest, like Aaron,
Christ is born to set us free!'"

[Illustration: MINSTRELS' CHRISTMAS SERENADE AT AN OLD BARONIAL HALL.]

According to Strutt, the popular sports and pastimes prevalent at the
close of the Saxon era were not subjected to any material change by
the coming of the Normans. But William and his immediate successors
restricted the