8. At last, Harold came, and a battle was fought near Hastings, on the 14th of October, 1066, where the king and two of his brothers, with a great many of the English nobles, were slain, and the conqueror from that day looked upon himself as the master of the country. 9. But the English had seen enough of the Normans to know that they should be very badly treated if they once suffered a Norman government to be established, so they resolved to do their utmost to prevent it, and thus the Normans had to fight for every town, and castle, before it was given up to them. 10. William had marched to London, and laid siege to it, soon after the battle of Hastings, and the people having submitted to him, he was crowned in Westminster Abbey, on Christmas day. 11. A few of the English nobles went to offer their submission, that is, they agreed to obey him as their king, since he had promised that all who did so should be permitted to enjoy their rank and property undisturbed. 12. But it was only a few who trusted to these promises, and they were deceived in the end, for it is almost certain that the Conqueror intended, from the first, to take every thing from the English to give to the Normans. 13. I mean the English lords; for he meant to make the common people remain on the estates to which they belonged, that the new masters might have vassals and slaves to cultivate their lands. 14. Now the poor people did not like this any more than the nobles themselves, so they fought bravely for their masters in many places; but it was all to no purpose; for, at the end of seven years, the Normans were in possession of all the land in the country, and most of its former lords had either been killed, or were reduced to such a state of poverty and wretchedness that it is melancholy to think of. 15. I will not attempt to describe the sufferings of the people during that long period, but you may imagine how very miserable they must have been, for the Normans got the better of them all over the country, and took delight in robbing and insulting their unhappy victims. 16. I told you that the design of the Conqueror was to take all the land, and divide it among his followers, except what he chose to keep for himself, as crown lands. 17. Now there were many Saxon ladies who possessed estates, in consequence of their fathers or brothers having been killed at the battle of Hastings; and most of these heiresses were compelled, against their will, to marry Norman lords, who thus gained lands as well as brides. 18. Then the estates of all those who had not submitted to the king were declared to be forfeited, and William gave them to the Normans, or, more properly speaking, he gave the Barons leave to take them by force; so the English lords had to fight for their houses and lands, and many were killed, and many fled to other countries.