122. The Oath of Allegiance.

There William the Conqueror finished his work. There not only every
baron, but every baron's free vassal or tenant, from Cornwall to the
Scottish borders, bowed before the King and swore to be "his man"
(S86). By that act England was made one. By it, it was settled that
every landholder in the realm, of whatever condition, was bound first
of all to fight in behalf of the Crown, even if in so doing he had to
fight against his own lord.[1] The barons broke this oath in the next
reign (S130), but the moral obligation to keep it still remained
binding.

[1] See SS86, 150; see also the Constitutional Summary in the
Appendix, p. v, S6. Even if the men should disregard this oath of
allegiance, they could not help feeling that the principle it
represented had been acknowledged by them.

123. What William had done.

A score of years before, William had landed, seeking a throne to which
no law had given him any claim whatever (S67).[2] But Nature had
elected him to it when she endowed him with power to take, power to
use, and power to hold. Under Harold, England was a kingdom divided
against itself (S71). It was fortunate for the country that William
came; for out of chaos, or affairs fast drifting to chaos, his strong
hand, clear brain, and resolute purpose brought order, beauty, safety,
and stability. We may say, therefore, with an eminent Fernch
historian, that "England owes her liberties to her having been
conquered by the Normans."[3]