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Show QUEER QUIRKS I IN HUMAN i DESTINY ? I - i j. Dy HARRY R. CALKINS WNU Scrvtv. Wreck of the White Ship U IOH hopes of a mighty monarch A 1 nere blasted nnd England suffered suf-fered grievously for- ninny years because be-cause a fledgling prince once ch ose an unfortunate time for a spree. Henry I, king of England and duke of Normandy, was ready to return to England, when a mariner, Thomas Fltzstephens, begged him to make the voyage aboard his vessel, the White Ship, representing that his father had steered William the Conqueror to England. King Henry declined, but agreed that his son and heir, Prince William, should be Fltzstephens' passenger. pas-senger. The White Ship, at Trince William's' order, delayed Its sailing while the rest of the fleet departed. The prince then invited all hands to drink. Kev-elry Kev-elry ran high until midnight, when the White Ship finally sailed. The proud Fitzstephens, rather the worse for wine, deviated from the course and ran his vessel on the rocks Just outside the harbor. In the midst of the panic that followed, fol-lowed, Prince William and a few nobles were disembarked In the only small boat available, but the cries of his sister, the countess of Perch, touched the prince's heart and he returned re-turned for her. Hundreds of frantic passengers leaped for the small boat and It was swamped. Only one survivor, sur-vivor, a butcher of Kouen, lived to tell the story. King Henry heard the news and never smiled again. Before his death he named his daughter, Matilda, as his successor, though female succession succes-sion had never been recognized by Normans. Stephen, nephew of Henry, seized the throne and civil war ravaged rav-aged England. King Stephen proved too weak to govern nnd feudalism revived. Robbery, Rob-bery, rapine nnd cruel bloodshed prevailed pre-vailed for many years until, upon the death of Stephen, Henry II, son of Matilda, and descended on his father's side, according to legend, from a Breton woodcutter, ascended the throne as the first of tlte I'lantagenet rulers. |