William duke of Normandie hauing knowledge after what maner K. Harold
was busied in the north parts of his realme, and vnderstanding that
the south parts thereof remained destitute of due prouision for
necessarie defense, hasted with all diligence to make his purueiance
of men and ships, that he might vpon such a conuenient occasion set
forward to inuade his enimie. And amongest other of his friends, vnto
whome he laboured for aid, his father in law Baldwine earle of
[Sidenote: _Ia. Meir_. Baldwine earle of Flanders aided duke William
to conquere England. _Wil. Geme._]
Flanders was one of the chiefest, who vpon promise of great summes of
monie and other large offers made, did aid him with men, munition,
ships, and victuals, verie freelie. The French king also did as
much for his part as laie in him to helpe forwards this so high an
enterprise. Wherefore when all things were now in a readinesse, he
came to the towne of S. Valerie, where he had assembled togither an
huge nauie of ships, to the number (as some authors affirme) of
[Sidenote: The chronicles of Normandie haue 896 ships.]
three hundred saile; and when he had taried there a long time for a
conuenient wind, at length it came about euen as he himselfe desired.
Then shipping his armie which consisted of Normans, Flemings,
Frenchmen, and Britains, with all expedition he tooke the sea, and
[Sidenote: Duke William landed at Peuensey, now Pemsey.]
directing his course towards England, he finallie landed at a place in
Sussex, ancientlie called Peuensey, on the 28 day of September, where
he did set his men on land, & prouided all things necessarie to
incourage and refresh them.
At his going out of his ship vnto the shore, one of his féet slipped
as he stepped forward, but the other stacke fast in the sand: the
which so soone as one of his knights had espied, and séeing his hand
wherevpon he staied full of earth, when he rose, he spake alowd and
said: "Now sir duke, thou hast the soile of England fast in thy hand,
& shalt of a duke yer long become a king." The duke hearing this tale,
laughed merilie thereat, and comming on land, by and by he made his
proclamation, declaring vpon what occasion he had thus entered the
realme.
[Sidenote: _Hen. Hunt._]
[Sidenote: 1]
The first and principall cause which he alleged, was for to
chalenge his right, meaning the dominion of the land that to him was
giuen and assigned (as he said) by his nephue king Edward late ruler
of the same land.
[Sidenote: 2]
The second was, to reuenge the death of his nephue Alured or
Alfred the brother of the same king Edward, whome Goodwine earle of
Kent and his adherents had most cruellie murthered.
[Sidenote: 3]
The third was to be reuenged of the wrong doone vnto Robert
archbishop of Canturburie, who (as he was informed) was exiled by the
meanes and labor of Harold in the daies of king Edward.
Wherein we haue to note, that whether it were for displeasure that the
[Sidenote: _Wil. Lamb._ The pope fauored duke Williams enterprise.]
pope had sometime conceiued for the wrong doone to the archbishop,
or at the onlie sute of duke William, certeine it is that the pope, as
then named Alexander the second, fauored this enterprise of the duke,
and in token thereof sent him a white banner, which he willed him to
set vp in the decke of the ship, wherein he himselfe should saile.
In déed (as writers report) the pope with his cardinals, and all the
whole court of Rome had king Harold euer in great hatred and disdaine,
[Sidenote: _Matth. West._]
because he had taken vpon him the crowne without their consent,
or anie ecclesiasticall solemnitie or agréement of the bishops. And
although the pope and his brethren the said cardinals dissembled
the matter for the time, yet now beholding to what end his bold
presumption was like to come, with frowning fortune they shewed
themselues open aduersaries, inclining streightwaies to the stronger
part, after the manner of couetous persons, or rather of the réed
shaken with a sudden puffe of wind.
[Sidenote: _Gemeticensis_.]
Duke William at his first landing at Peuensey or Pemsey (whether
you will) fortified a péece of ground with strong trenches, and
leauing therein a competent number of men of warre to kéepe the same,
he sped him toward Hastings, and comming thither, he built an other
fortresse there with all spéed possible, without suffering his
souldiers to rob or harrie the countrie adioining, saieng that it
should be great follie for him to spoile that people, which yer
[Sidenote: _Wil. Malm._]
manie daies to come were like to be his subiects. K. Harold being as
yet in the north parts, and hearing that duke William was thus landed
in England, sped him southward, and gathering his people togither
out of the countries as he went forwards, at length came néere his
enimies: and sending espials into their campe to vnderstand of what
[Sidenote: _Matth. West._]
strength they were; the vnskilfull messengers regarding smallie
their charge, brought woord againe of nothing else, but that all
[Sidenote: Normans berds shauen. _Wil. Malm._ _Hen. Marle._]
duke Williams souldiers were priests. For the Normans had at that time
their vpper lips and chéekes shauen, whereas the Englishmen vsed to
suffer the haire of their vpper lips to grow at length. But Harold
answered, that they were not priests, but wether-beaten and hardie
souldiers, and such as were like to abide well by their capteine.
[Sidenote: Girth would not haue his brother king Harold fight himselfe.
_Gemeticensis_.]
In the meane season, Girth one of Harolds yoonger brethren
(considering that periurie is neuer left vnpunished) aduised his
brother not to aduenture himselfe at this present in the battell, for
so much as he had beene sometime sworne to duke William, but rather to
suffer him and other of the nobilitie to incounter with the said duke,
that were not bound to him by former oth, or otherwise: but Harold
answered that he was free from anie such oth, and that in defense
of his countrie he would fight boldly with him as with his greatest
enimie. ¶ Where (by the waie) would be noted the conscience which
Girth a yoonger brother made of an oth, not concerning himselfe
directlie, but his elder brother Harold, who had sworne the same;
meaning nothing lesse than the performance therof, as the sequele of
his dooings to his discredit and vndooing euidentlie declared, which
euents might séeme countable to him as due punishments and deserued
plagues inflicted vpon him and others, for his sake; sith he made no
reckoning of violating a vow ratified with an oth to a prince of
no small puissance, who afterwards became a whip vnto him for his
periurie; a sinne detested of the heathen, and whereof the poet
notablie speaketh, saieng:
[Sidenote: _Tibul, lib. 1_.]
Ah miser, & si quis primò periuria celat,
Sera tamen tacitis poena venit pedibus.
* * * * *
_After peace offered & refused on each side, both armies meete in the
field, the order of the Englishmens attire & araie, the maner how the
Normans were placed to fight in battell; the dissolute and droonken
behauior of the Englishmen the night before the incounter farre
differing from the Normans deuout demenour; duke Williams speech vpon
occasion of wrong putting on his armour, the battell betwixt him and
king Harold is valiantlie tried, the English by duke Williams politike
stratagem are deceiued, king Harold slaine, his armie put to flight
and manie of them slaine after a long and bloudie incounter, manie
of the Normans pursuing the English ouerhastilie procure their owne
death, they take the spoile of the English, the dead bodies of both
armies are licenced to be buried; the differing reports of writers
touching the maner of Harolds death, a description of his person, his
ambition did him much hurt and hinderance, the number that were slaine
on both sides, his bodie buried at Waltham, nothing dispraisewoorthie
in him but his ambitious mind, a view of his valiantnesse in a
conflict against the Welshmen, his rigorous or rather pitilesse
handling of them, his seuere law or decree touching their bounds, they
are vtterlie subdued, and (by the kings leaue) the Welshwomen marrie
with the Englishmen, the Saxon line ceasseth, how long it lasted, and
how long it was discontinued by the inuasion of the Danes._