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The Anglo-Saxon polity limited the succession of the Crown to a particular house but allowed a latitude of choice within that house. The community was divided into Thames or gentry, Ceorls or freemen, and serfs. The ceorls tended to sink to the position known later as villeinage. The composition of the king's great council called the Witenagemot is doubtful.

Indeed, the working man of that day, if not one of the absolute theowes or slaves, was, physically speaking, better off, perhaps, than he has ever since been in England, more especially if he appertained to some wealthy thegn of pure Saxon lineage, whose very title of lord came to him in his quality of dispenser of bread ; and these men had been ceorls under Harold, son of Godwin, now banished from the land.

At last one of the ceorls rose up, and spoke with some hesitation: "I think, my lord, that they intend to avenge themselves upon the Dane folk." "Did they say anything about it to you or any other of my people?" "Yes; they tried to get two or three of us to join in the work, but when they found we would do nothing without your knowledge, they told us no more."

The rest of the FREEMEN were contented with the name of Ceorls, and had as sure a title to their own liberties as the Custodes Pagani or the country gentlemen had."

And we tilled the land, we tended the herds, and we kept the house till the Earl came back." "Ye had moneys then, moneys of your own, ye ceorls!" said the Norman, avariciously. "How else could we buy our freedom? Every ceorl hath some hours to himself to employ to his profit, and can lay by for his own ends.

Indeed, the working man of that day, if not one of the absolute theowes or slaves, was, physically speaking, better off, perhaps, than he has ever since been in England, more especially if he appertained to some wealthy thegn of pure Saxon lineage, whose very title of lord came to him in his quality of dispenser of bread ; and these men had been ceorls under Harold, son of Godwin, now banished from the land.

"Then," said Haco, halting at the threshold, "I will go across the woodland to your house, Harold, and prepare your ceorls for your coming." "I shall tarry here till Hilda returns," answered Harold, "and it may be late in the night ere I reach home; but Sexwolf already hath my orders. At sunrise we return to London, and thence we march on the insurgents." "All shall be ready.

These savings we gave up for our Earl, and when the Earl came back, he gave the sixhaendman hides of land enow to make him a thegn; and he gave the ceorls who hade holpen Clapa, their freedom and broad shares of his boc-land, and most of them now hold their own ploughs and feed their own herds. And so I have risen, as with us ceorls can rise."

And we tilled the land, we tended the herds, and we kept the house till the Earl came back." "Ye had moneys then, moneys of your own, ye ceorls!" said the Norman, avariciously. "How else could we buy our freedom? Every ceorl hath some hours to himself to employ to his profit, and can lay by for his own ends.

Princesses, royal widows, sometimes reigning queens, began to found monasteries, where they lived on terms of equality with the daughters of ceorls and bondmen; and perhaps it is fair to say that it was not the lowest in rank who made the greatest sacrifice. But the influence of these women did not cease with their retirement to the cloister.