[Sidenote: William duke of Normandie commeth ouer into England.]
[Sidenote: _Polydor._]
[Sidenote: K. Edwards promise to duke William.]
The foresaide William duke of Normandie (that after conquered this
land) during the time of Goodwines outlawrie, came ouer into this land
with a faire retinue of men, and was ioifullie receiued of the king,
and had great chéere. Now after he had taried a season, he returned
into his countrie, not without great gifts of jewels and other things,
which the king most liberallie bestowed vpon him. And (as some write)
the king promised him at that time, to make him his heire to the
realme of England, if he chanced to die without issue. ¶ Shortlie
after, or rather somewhat before, queene Emma the kings mother died,
and was buried at Winchester.
After that earle Goodwine was restored to the kings fauour, bicause he
knew that Robert the archbishop of Canturburie had beene the chéefe
procurer of the kings euill will towards him, he found means to weare
him out of credit, and diuers other specially of the Normans, bearing
the world in hand, that they had sought to trouble the state of the
realme, & to set variance betwixt the king and the lords of the
English nation: whereas the Normans againe alledged, that earle
Goodwine and his sonnes abused the kings soft and gentle nature, &
would not sticke to ieast and mocke at his curteous and mild
[Sidenote: The archbishop of Canturburie banished.]
procéedings. But howsoeuer the matter went, archbishop Robert was glad
to depart out of the realme, and going to Rome, made complaint in the
court there, of the iniuries that were offred him: but in returning
through Normandie, he died in the abbeie of Gemmeticum, where he had
bene moonke before his comming into England.
Diuerse others were compelled to forsake the realme at the same time,
both spirituall men and temporall, as William bishop of London, and
[Sidenote: Normans banished the realme.]
Vlfe bishop of Lincolne. Osberne named Pentecost, and his companion
Hugh, were constreined to surrender their castels, and by licence of
earle Leofrike withdrew thorough his countrie into Scotland, where, of
king Mackbeth they were honorablie receiued. These were Normans: for
(as partlie ye haue heard) king Edward brought with him no small
number of that nation, when he came from thence to receiue the crowne,
and by them he was altogither ruled, to the great offending of his
owne naturall subiects the Englishmen, namelie earle Goodwine and his
sonnes, who in those daies for their great possessions and large
reuenues, were had in no small reputation with the English people.
After that Robert the archbishop of Canturburie, was departed the
[Sidenote: Stigand archbishop of Canturburie.]
realme, as before ye haue heard, Stigand was made archbishop of
Canturburie, or rather thrust himselfe into that dignitie, not being
lawfullie called, in like manner as he had doone at Winchester: for
whereas he was first bishop of Shireborne, he left that church, and
tooke vpon him the bishoprike of Winchester by force, and now
atteining to be archbishop of Canturburie, he kept both Winchester and
Canturburie in his hand at one instant. This Stigand was greatlie
[Sidenote: _Ranul. Hig._]
[Sidenote: _Fabian._]
[Sidenote: Stigand infamed of simonie.]
infamed for his couetous practises in sale of possessions apperteining
to the church. He was nothing learned: but that want was a common
fault amongest the bishops of that age, for it was openlie spoken in
[Sidenote: What maner of men méet to be bishops in those daies.]
those daies, that he was méet onelie to be a bishop, which could vse
the pompe of the world, voluptuous pleasures, rich raiment, and set
himselfe foorth with a iollie retinue of gentlemen and seruants on
horsse-backe, for therein stood the countenance of a bishop, as the
world then went; and not in studie how to haue the people fed with the
word of life, to the sauing of their soules.
[Sidenote: _Polydor._]
King Edward now in the twelfth yeare of his reigne, hauing brought the
state of the realme quite from troubles of warre both by sea and land,
began to foresée as well for the welth of his subiects, as for
himselfe, being naturallie inclined to wish well to all men. He
therefore considered, how by the manifold lawes which had beene made
by Britaines, Englishmen and Danes within this land, occasion was
ministred to manie, which measured all things by respect of their owne
priuate gaine and profit, to peruert iustice, and to vse wrongfull
dealing in stead of right, clouding the same vnder some branch of the
lawe naughtilie misconstrued. Wherevpon to auoid that mischiefe, he
picked out a summe of that huge and vnmesurable masse and heape of
lawes, such as were thought most indifferent and necessarie, &
therewith ordeined a few, & those most wholesome, to be from
thenceforth vsed; according to whose prescript, men might liue in due
[Sidenote: The lawes of S. Edward instituted.]
forme and rightfull order of a ciuill life. These lawes were
afterwards called the common lawes, and also saint Edward his lawes;
so much esteemed of the Englishmen, that after the conquest, when the
Normans oftentimes went about to abrogate the same, there chanced no
small mutinies and rebellions for retaining of those lawes. But heére
is to be noted, that although they were called saint Edwards lawes,
they were for the more part made by king Edgar; but now by king Edward
restored, after they had bin abrogated for a time by the Danes.
[Sidenote: 1053. or 1054.]
[Sidenote: _Hector Boet._]
[Sidenote: _Polydor._]
[Sidenote: _Will. Malmes._]
[Sidenote: _Matth. West._]
About this time, earle Goodwine died suddenlie (as some haue recorded)
as he sat at table with the king: and vpon talke ministred of the
death of Alfred the kings brother, to excuse himselfe, he tooke a
peece of bread, and did eate it, saieng; God let me neuer swallow this
bread downe into my chest, but that I may presentlie be choked
therewith, if euer I was weetting or consenting vnto Alfreds death!
[Sidenote: _Ran. Higd._]
[Sidenote: _ex Mariano._]
and immediatlie therewith he fell downe starke dead. Other say, that
he ended his life at Winchester, where being suddenlie surprised with
sicknesse, as he sat at the table with the king vpon an Easter monday;
[Sidenote: _Simon Dun._]
[Sidenote: This is the likeliest tale.]
yet he liued till the Thursday following, and then died. His earledome
was giuen vnto his sonne Harold; and Harolds earledome, which was
Oxford, was giuen vnto Algar the sonne of Leofrike.
This Goodwine, as he was a man of great power, wise, hardie, and
politike; so was he ambitious, desirous to beare rule, and loth that
anie other person should passe him in authoritie. But yet, whether all
be true that writers report of his malicious practises to bring
himselfe and his sonnes to the chiefe seat of gouernement in the
kingdome, or that of hatred such slanders were raised of him, it may
of some perhaps be doubted; because that in the daies of king Edward
(which was a soft and gentle prince) he bare great rule and
authoritie, and so might procure to himselfe euill report for euerie
thing that chanced amisse: as oftentimes it commeth to passe in such
cases, where those that haue great dooings in the gouernement of the
common wealth, are commonlie euill spoken of, and that now and then
without their guilt. But truth it is, that Goodwine being in
authoritie both in the daies of king Edward and his predecessors, did
[Sidenote: _Hen. Hunt._]
manie things (as should appeare by writers) more by will than by law,
and so likewise did his sonnes; vpon presumption of the great
puissance that they and their father were of within the realme.
He had to wife Editha, the sister of king Cnute, of whome he begat
[Sidenote: _Polydor._]
thrée sonnes (as some write) that is to say, Harold, Biorne, & Tostie:
also his daughter Editha, whome he found meanes to bestow in mariage
[Sidenote: _Will. Malm._]
vpon K. Edward, as before ye haue heard. But other write, that he had
but one son by Cnutes sister, the which in riding of a rough horsse
was throwen into the riuer of Thames, and so drowned. His mother also
was stricken with a thunderbolt, & so perished worthilie (as is
reported) for hir naughtie dooings. She vsed to buy great numbers of
yoong persons, and namelie maids that were of anie excellent beautie
and personage, whome she sent ouer into Denmarke, and there sold them
to hir most aduantage. After hir deceasse (as the same authors record)
Goodwine maried another woman, by whome he had issue six sonnes,
Swanus or Swaine, Harrold, Tostie or Tosto, Wilnot, Girth, and
Leofrike; of whom further mention is & shall be made, as places
conuenient shall serue thereto.
* * * * *
_Edward earle of Northumberland discomfiteth Mackbeth the usurper of
the Scotish kingdome and placeth Malcolme in the same, a controuersie
whether Siward were at this discomfiture or no; his stout words when
he heard that one of his sonnes was slaine in the field, bishop Aldred
is sent to fetch home Edward the sonne of K. Edmund Ironside into
England; earle Algar being banished ioineth with the Welshmen against
the English and Normans, and getteth the victorie; Harold the son of
earle Goodwine putteth earle Algar & his retinue to their shifts by
pursute, pacification betweene the generals of both armies, their
hosts, Siward earle of Northumberland dieth; his giantlike stature,
his couragious heart at the time of his deceasse, why Tostie one of
Goodwins sonnes succeeded him in the earledome._