Said he to me , riding home : `` Thou hast gone far to conquer England this evening . '' I answered : `` England must be thine and mine , then . Help me , Hugh , to deal aright with these people . Make them to know that if they slay me De Aquila will surely send to slay them , and he will put a worse man in my place . '' `` That may well be true , '' said he , and gave me his hand . `` Better the devil we know than the devil we know not , till we can pack you Normans home . '' And so , too , said his Saxons ; and they laughed as we drove the pigs downhill . But I think some of them , even then , began not to hate me . ' ' I like Brother Hugh , ' said Una , softly . ` Beyond question he was the most perfect , courteous , valiant , tender , and wise knight that ever drew breath , ' said Sir Richard , caressing the sword . ` He hung up his sword -- this sword -- on the wall of the Great Hall , because he said it was fairly mine , and never he took it down till De Aquila returned , as I shall presently show . For three months his men and mine guarded the valley , till all robbers and nightwalkers learned there was nothing to get from us save hard tack and a hanging . Side by side we fought against all who came -- thrice a week sometimes we fought -- against thieves and landless knights looking for good manors . Then we were in some peace , and I made shift by Hugh 's help to govern the valley -- for all this valley of yours was my Manor -- as a knight should . I kept the roof on the hall and the thatch on the barn , but ... the English are a bold people . His Saxons would laugh and jest with Hugh , and Hugh with them , and -- this was marvellous to me -- if even the meanest of them said that such and such a thing was the Custom of the Manor , then straightway would Hugh and such old men of the Manor as might be near forsake everything else to debate the matter -- I have seen them stop the Mill with the corn half ground -- and if the custom or usage were proven to be as it was said , why , that was the end of it , even though it were flat against Hugh , his wish and command . Wonderful ! ' ` Aye , ' said Puck , breaking in for the first time . ` The Custom of Old England was here before your Norman knights came , and it outlasted them , though they fought against it cruel . ' ` Not I , ' said Sir Richard . '
I let the Saxons go their stubborn way , but when my own men-at-arms , Normans not six months in XXXXX , stood up and told me what was the custom of the country , then I was angry .
England English Hall Manor Normans Puck Saxons Una months nightwalkers