[Sidenote: _Will. Malmes._]
Now it fortuned that both armies, as well the kings as the earles,
being prepared to battell, diuerse offers were made on each side
(before they fell to the conflict) for an vnitie to haue béene had
betwixt the two princes: but when no conditions of agreement could
take place, they forthwith prepared themselues to trie the matter by
dint of swoord. And so on the 14 day of October, being saturday, both
hosts met in the field, at a place in Sussex not farre from Hastings,
[Sidenote: The order of the Englishmen.]
whereas the abbeie of Battell was afterward builded. The Englishmen
were all brought into one entire maine batell on foot, with huge axes
[Sidenote: _Matth. West._]
in their hands, and paled a front with paueises, in such wise that it
was thought vnpossible for the enimie to breake their arraie. On the
other side, the Normans were diuided into seuerall battels, as first
[Sidenote: The arraie of the Normans.]
the footmen that were archers, and also those that bare gleiues and
axes were placed in the forefront, and the horssemen diuided into
wings stood on the sides in verie good order.
[Sidenote: _Hen. Hunt._]
[Sidenote: _Will. Malmes._]
All the night before the battell, the Englishmen made great noise and
slept not, but sang and fell to drinking and making of reuell &
pastime, as though there had beene no account to be made of the next
daies trauell. But the Normans behaued themselues warilie and
soberlie, spending all that night in praier and confessing their
sinnes vnto God; and in the morning earelie they receiued the
communion before they went foorth to the battell. Some write, that
when duke William should put on his armour to go to the field, the
backe halfe of his curasses by chance was set on before by such as
holpe to arme him: at which chance he tooke occasion of laughter,
saieng merrilie to them that stood by; "No force, this is good lucke,
for the estate of my dukedome shall be yer night changed into a
kingdome." Beside this, he spake manie comfortable woords vnto his
men, to incourage them to the battell. Neither was Harold forgetfull
in that point on his part. And so at conuenient time when both armies
were readie, they made forward each to incounter with other, on the
foresaid fouretéenth day of October, with great force and assurance.
[Sidenote: _Polydor._]
[Sidenote: The battell betwixt king Harold and duke William is begun.]
In the beginning of the battell, the arrowes flue abroad freshlie on
both sides, till they came to ioine at hand strokes, and then preassed
each side vpon his counter part with swoords, axes, and other hand
weapons verie egerlie. Duke William commanded his horssemen to giue
the charge on the breasts of his enimies battels: but the Englishmen
kéeping themselues close togither without scattering, receiued their
enimies vpon the points of their weapons with such fiercenesse and in
such stiffe order, that manie of the Norman horssemen were ouerthrowne
without recouerie, and slaine at the first brunt. When duke William
perceiued this inconuenience (as he that well and throughlie
vnderstood the skilfull points of warre as well as the best) he gaue a
signe to his men (according to an order appointed before hand vpon
[Sidenote: The policie of duke William to disorder his enimies.]
[Sidenote: _H. Hunt._]
[Sidenote: _Wil. Malm._]
anie such occasion) that they should giue backe, and make a
countenance as though they did flée, which was quicklie doone by the
Normans, and withall they imbattelled their footmen in a new order, so
that their horssemen shifted themselues on the wings, readie to rescue
the footmen if their arraie should happen to be disturbed.
By this wilie stratagem and policie of warre, the Englishmen were
deceiued: for they beholding the Normans somwhat shrinking backe to
bring themselues into the aboue said order, thought verelie that they
had fled, and therevpon meaning to pursue them before they should
recouer their ground, they brake their arraie, and began to follow the
chase: wherevpon the Normans (perceiuing now that all things came to
passe as they desired) spéedilie returned, and casting themselues
togither quicklie into arraie, began to charge them againe afresh, and
[Sidenote: A sore foughten battell.]
[Sidenote: King Harold slaine.]
so hauing them at that aduantage, they slue them downe on euerie side.
The Englishmen on the other part fought sore, and though their king
was beaten downe among them and slaine, yet were they loth to flée or
giue ouer; so sharpe was the battell, that duke William himselfe had
thrée horsses slaine vnder him that day, and not without great danger
of his person.
[Sidenote: _Wil. Malm._]
[Sidenote: _Matth. West._]
Some of the Englishmen got them to the height of an hill, and beate
backe the Normans that forced themselues to win the hill of them, so
that it was long yer the Normans could preuaile, being oftentimes
driuen downe into the botome of the vallie beneath. At length the
[Sidenote: The Englishmen put to flight.]
Englishmen, perceiuing themselues to be ouermatched and beaten downe
on euerie side, and therevnto greatlie discouraged with slaughter of
their king, began first to giue ground, and after to scatter and to
run away, so that well was he that might then escape by flight. When
[Sidenote: _Chron. de bello._]
[Sidenote: _Wil. Geme._]
[Sidenote: The Normans fall into a ditch.]
they had fought the most part of all that saturday, the Normans
followed the chase with such eger rashnesse, that a great number of
them falling with their horsses and armour into a blind ditch
(shadowed with reed and sedges which grew therein) were smouldered and
pressed to death, yer they could be succoured or get anie reliefe. The
next day the Normans fell to gathering in the spoile of the field,
burieng also the dead bodies of their people that were slaine at the
battell, giuing licence in semblable manner to the Englishmen to doo
[Sidenote: _Giral. Camb._]
the like. Of the death of Harold diuerse report diuerslie, in so much
that Girald Cambrensis saith, that after king Harold had receiued
manie wounds, and lost his left eie, he fled from the field vnto the
citie of Westchester, and liued there long after, an holie life, as an
anchoret in the cell of S. James, fast by S. Johns church, and there
made a godlie end. But the saieng of Girald Cambren. in that point is
not to be credited, bicause of the vnlikelihood of the thing it selfe,
[Sidenote: _Wil. Malm._]
[Sidenote: _Hen. Hunt._]
[Sidenote: _Matth. West._]
and also generall consent of other writers, who affirme vniuersallie
that he was killed in the battell, first being striken thorough the
left eie by the scull into the braine with an arrow, wherevpon falling
from his horsse to the ground, he was slaine in that place, after he
[Sidenote: _Floriac._]
[Sidenote: _Simon Dun._]
had reigned nine moneths and nine daies, as Floriacensis dooth report.
He was a man of a comelie stature, and of a hawtie courage, & albeit
that for his valiancie he was highlie renowmed and honored of all men,
[Sidenote: _Henr. Hunt._]
[Sidenote: _Polydor._]
[Sidenote: The chronicles of Normandie haue of English men slaine
67974, and of Normans 6013.]
yet through his pride and ambition he lost the harts of manie. There
were slaine in this battell, besides king Harold and his two brethren,
Girth and Leofrike, what on the one side and on the other, aboue
twentie thousand men.
The bodie of king Harold being found among other slaine in the field,
was buried at Waltham, within the monasterie of the holie crosse which
he before had founded, and indowed to the behoofe of such canons as he
had placed there, with faire possessions. Verelie (as some old writers
[Sidenote: _Ex_ 6. _libro Polycraticon, side de nugis curialium._]
[Sidenote: _John Sarisb._]
haue reported) there was nothing in this man to be in anie wise
dispraised, if his ambitious mind could haue beene staied from
coueting the kingdome, and that he could haue béene contented to haue
liued as a subiect. Among other manifest proofes of his high
valiancie, this is remembred of him, that being sent against the
Welshmen (as before is partlie mentioned) knowing their readie
nimblenesse in seruice, and how with their light armed men they were
accustomed to annoie and distresse those that should assaile them, he
likewise (to match them) prepared light armed men for the purpose, &
so being furnished with such bands of nimble men and light souldiers,
entered vpon the mounteins of Snowdon, and there remained amongst the
enimies for the space of two yéeres. He sore afflicted the Welsh
nation, tooke their kings, and sent their heads vnto the king that
sent him about his businesse, and proceeding in such rigorous maner as
might mooue the hearers to lament and pitie the case, he caused all
the male kind that might be met with, to be miserablie slaine: and so
with the edge of his swoord he brought the countrie to quiet, and
withall made this lawe; that if anie Welshman from thencefoorth should
presume to passe the limits ouer Offas ditch with anie weapon about
him, he should lose his right hand. To conclude, by the valiant
conduct of this chieftaine, the Welshmen were then so sore brought
vnder, that in maner the whole nation might séeme to faile, and to be
almost vtterlie destroied. And therefore by permission of the king of
England, the Women of Wales ioined themselues in marriage with
Englishmen. Finallie, héereby the bloud of the Saxons ceassed to
reigne in England after they had continued possession of the same,
from the first comming of Hengist, which was about the yéere of our
Sauiour 450, or 449, vntill that present yeere of king Harolds death,
[Sidenote: 1069.]
which chanced in the yéere 1069. So that from the beginning of Hengist
his reigne, vnto Harolds death, are reckoned 916 yéeres, or (after
some) 617, as by the supputation of the time will easilie appeere. By
all the which time there reigned kings of the Saxons bloud within this
land, except that for the space of twentie yéeres and somewhat more,
the Danes had the dominion of the realme in their possession: for
there are reckoned from the beginning of K. Swaines reigne (which was
the first Dane that gouerned England) vnto the last yéere of K.
Hardicnute (the last Dane that ruled heere) 28 yéeres, in which meane
space Egelred recouering the kingdome reigned 2 yéeres, then after him
his sonne Edmund Ironside continued in the rule one yéere; so that the
Danes had the whole possession of the land but 25 yéeres in all.
Touching this alteration, and others incident to this Iland, read a
short aduertisement annexed (by waie of conclusion) to this historie,
comprising a short summarie of the most notable conquests of this
countrie one after an other, by distances of times successiuelie.
* * * * *
_The rule of this realme by Gods prouidence allotted to duke William,
his descent from Rollo the first duke of Normandie downewards to his
particular linage, he was base begotten vpon the bodie of Arlete duke
Roberts concubine, a pleasant speech of hirs to duke Robert on a time
when he was to haue the vse of hir person, a conclusion introductorie
for the sequele of the chronicle from the said duke of Normandies
coronation, &c: with a summarie of the notable conquests of this
Iland._