[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
[Sidenote: The order of the Englishmen.]
Hastings, whereas the abbeie of Battell was afterward builded. The
Englishmen were all brought into one entire maine batell on foot, with
[Sidenote: _Matth. West._]
huge axes 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
[Sidenote: The arraie of the Normans.]
battels, as first 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._ _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_. 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
[Sidenote: The policie of duke William to disorder his enimies.
_H. Hunt._ _Wil. Malm._]
before hand vpon 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. 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._ _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_. _Wil. Geme._ 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
[Sidenote: _Wil. Malm._ _Hen. Hunt._ _Matth. West._]
is not to be credited, bicause of the vnlikelihood of the thing
it selfe, 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
[Sidenote: _Floriac._ _Simon Dun._]
that place, after he 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
[Sidenote: _Henr. Hunt._ _Polydor_.]
renowmed and honored of all men, yet through his pride and
ambition he lost the harts of manie. There were slaine in this
[Sidenote: The chronicles of Normandie haue of English men slaine
67974, and of Normans 6013.]
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
[Sidenote: _Ex 6. libro Polycraticon, side de nugis curialium_.
_John Sarisb._]
writers 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._