Page:The reign of William Rufus and the accession of Henry the First.djvu/199

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playing any. The policy of the Conqueror had kept his sons dependent on himself, without governments or estates. We have a picture of Rufus in his youthful days, as the young soldier foremost in every strife, who deemed himself disgraced, if any other took to his arms before himself, if he was not the first to challenge an enemy or to overthrow any enemy that challenged his side. Above all things, he had shown himself a dutiful son, cleaving steadfastly to his father, both in peace and war. His filial zeal had been increased after the rebellion of his brother, when the hope of the succession had begun to be opened to himself. By his father's side, in defence of his father, he had himself received a wound at Gerberoi. Such was his character beyond the sea;

adversarios rex Rufus vicerit." So again Wace (14496);
 * [Footnote: promptior surrexit," and William of Malmesbury (iv. 306), "Quomodo

"Por devise del nom k'il out, Ki à son pere ressemblout, Kar chescun Willame aveit nom, Out li filz poiz Ros à sornom."

Presently (14513) he is "li reis Ros." The use of the nickname in this way was the more easy, because Rufus was a real name which had been borne by other men, while nobody had ever been called Curthose. See on the name Martel, N. C. vol. ii. p. 280; vol. v. p. 569.

I do not know that any one except Matthew Paris has turned the Red King into a Red Dragon. He does so twice. Hist. Angl. i. 97, "Rex Willelmus, qui a multis rubeus draco cognominabatur;" and again,i. 167,"Rex Willelmus, draco rubeus—sic enim eum appellabant propter tyrannidem."]