Polychronicon Ranulphi Higden maonachi Cestrensis; together with the English translations of John Trevisa and of an unknown writer of the fifteenth century.

Capitulum vicesimum nonum.

WHANNE Harald was i-set up in þe kyngdom, and þouȝt not on þe covenantes þat were i-made bytwene hym and William, he hilde [huld, γ.] hym self discharged [deschargide, β.] of þe ooþ, for William his douȝter þat he had i-spoused was dede wiþ ynne age of wedlok, and also for William was occupied wiþ werres in londes þat were nigh hym. Bote William warnede hym of covenant i-broke and melled manas [medled manassis, β.; medled menaces, Cx.] wiþ praiers. Harald seide þat a nyce folie covenant schulde nouȝt be i-holde, and nameliche þe byhest of oþer men [menne, γ.] kyngdom wiþ oute comyn [comune, Cx.] assent of alle þe sena|toures þere a lewed [lewide, β.] oth schulde be i-broke, nameliche while it was compelled to be i-swore for nede in a nedeful [nedfol, γ.] tyme. In þe mene tyme William arayeþ al þat nedeþ [arayed . . . neded, Cx.] for þe iornay, and geteþ [gate, Cx.] assent of þe lordes of his lond, and purchaseþ [purchased, Cx.] favour of Alisaundre þe pope wiþ a banere þat hym was i-sent. Þese [þues, γ.] were þe causes why duke William axede and chalanged [axide and chalangide, β.] Enge|lond

aȝenst Harald; þe deeþ of Aluredus þat was his cosyn, þe sone of Emma, on Aluredus [he] [From Cx.] had i-procured [yprocred, γ.] his deth; þe secounde þe excilynge of Robert archebisshop of Caunterbury; þe þridde cause was for kyng Edward hadde byhote duke William þat he schulde [a scholde, γ.] be kyng after hym ȝif he deide wiþ oute children, [chyldern, γ.] and Harald was i-swore to fulfille [volvulle, γ.] þat heste. [byheste, β.; commaundement, Cx.] Henricus, libro 6^o. Þe lordes of Normandie counsaillede [counsailde, α.] among hem self [silf, β,; hamsylf, γ.] what were best to doo of þis iornay, and William þat was þe dukes sewere, þe sone of Osbert, coun|saillede to leve and forsake þe iornay, boþe for scarsite of fiȝtinge men and for strengþe, hardines, and sternesse, [steernesse, α.; stiernesse, Cx.] and cruelnesse [sturnnes and cruwelnes, γ.] of enemyes. Þe oþer lordes were glad here of, and putte here [her, β.] answere [onswere, α.] and here wordes uppon þis [þes, γ.] William his mowþ al as he wolde seie. [sygge, γ.] Whanne he come to fore þe duke, he seide þat he was redy to þe iornay, and alle þe oþere lordes; þanne myȝt nouȝt þe lordes wiþ drawe hem for schame. Willielmus de Regibus, libro 3^o. Whanne duke William and his men were longe i-taried in Seynt Valerik [Waleryes, Cx.] his haven, for þe wynd was aȝenst hem, þe peple [pupel, γ.] grucched, [grucchide, β.] and seide þat

it was a woodnesse to chalange by strengþe oþer men [menne, γ.] lond, and nameliche while God stroof aȝenst hem, and [God] [From α., γ., and Cx.] most graunte hem good wynd ȝif þey schulde seille. Duke William make brynke [brynge, α. and Cx.] out seint Valericus his [Waleryus, Cx.] holy body, and sette hym þeroute forto have wynde. Anon likynge wynd filled [vulde, γ.] the sailles; [seilles, α.] þanne duke William com toward Engelond after Michelmasse day, and londede at Hastynge in a place [plas, γ.] þat hatte Pevenessey. [Peveneseye, γ.] In his goynge out of his schip he slood [slode, β. and Cx.; a slod, γ.] wiþ his oon foot, [o voot, γ.] and stiked in þe sond, [soond, β.] and þe knyȝt þat was next cried to hym [anon] [From α. and Cx.] and seide: "Now sire eorle, þu holdest Engelond, þu schalt riȝt newliche [neulich, γ.] be kyng." Þanne he chargede þa þei schulde take no prayes, and seide þat he moste spare þinges [þingis, β.] þat schulde be his owne; and he lefte so þe [þe] om. α., γ., and Cx.] fiftene dayes. Harold come fro the werre of Noreganes and herde [hurde, γ.] tyþinges here of, and hiȝed ful [wel, α. and Cx.] faste, [hyede wel vast, γ.] and hadde but fewe [veaw, γ.] kniȝtes aboute hym, for he hadde i-lost meny stalworth men in þe raþer bataille, and he hadde nouȝt i-send for more help, and þey [þeyȝ, α. and γ.; þouȝ, β.; though, Cx.] he hadde, men were wrooþ, and wolde have

wiþ drawe hem, for þey moste have no part of þe [part of þe] om. Cx.] prayes at þe bataile of þe [þe] om. α. and Cx.] Norganes; but Harald sent forþ spies for to awaite [and see] [þese, α. and Cx.] þe nombre and þe strengþe of his enemyes. Duke William took þe [þese, α. and Cx.] spies, and hadde [ladde, α.; ledde, Cx.] hem aboute his tentes and his pavylons, and fedde [vedde, γ.] hem riȝt realliche, and sent hem to Harold aȝen. Þanne þey tolde Harald tiþinges, and seide þat al þat were in duke William his oost were preostes, for þey hadde boþe [boþe] þe, γ.] chookes [the chekes, Cx.] and boþe lippes i-schave. En|glisshe men þat tyme usede þat [þe, α. and γ.] heer of hire overlippes to [to] om. Cx.] schede [yschedde, β.] and nouȝt i-schore. "Nay," quod Harald, "þey beeþ no preostes, but þei beeþ wel stalworþ [stalword, γ; strong, Cx.] knyȝtes," "Þanne," quoþ Gurth, Harald his ȝongest broþer, "why wilt þu unware fiȝte with so meny orped men? we swore [swoor, α.] hym nevere non oþe; þanne it is better þat þu þat art i-swore to hym, wiþ drawe þe for a tyme, and lete us þat beeþ nouȝt i-swore fiȝte for þe contray. And ȝif we haveþ [habbeþ, γ.] þe maistrie, wel it is; and ȝif we beeþ overcome, þe cause and þe querel is sauf to þe." ȝit duke William sente a monk to Harald, and profred hym þere þre weyes, oþer [þat] [From α., γ, and Cx.] he schulde holde þe kyngdom freliche [freliche . . . kyngdom] om. α., γ., and Cx.] for a certeyn trbute, oþer holde þe kyngdom of duke William,

and regne under [undyr, γ.] hym, oþer þey tweyne schulde fiȝte to gidre [to gidre] om. α. and β.] eiþer wiþ oþer in þat querel, in siȝt of boþe oostes, nameliche while kyng Edward was dede þat hadde i-graunted hym Enge|lond, ȝif he deide wiþ oute heire, and by counseile and assent of Stigandus þe archebisshop [and] [From α., β., and γ.] of þe orles [erles, γ.] Godwyn and Syward; in token þerof Godwyn, and Syward [and Syward] om. Cx.] his sone, and his nevew, were i-sent to duke William. But Harolde wolde nouȝt assente to þe monkes message, but seide þat þe cause schulde be dereynede by dent [dynt, α. and Cx.] of swerd, and prayed oonliche þat God schulde deeme bytwene hem tweyne. Þanne the oostes in eiþer side come to þe place of þe bataille in þe day of seint Calixte þe pope, þe fourtenþe day of Octobre, in a Satirday, in þe place [plas, γ.] þere þe abbay of Bataille is i-buld. As we beeþ i|formed, [enformed, α., β., γ., and Cx.] þe nyȝt tofore þe bataille, Englisshe men ȝaf hem to songe and to drinke [drynke and woke al nyȝt, γ.] alnyȝt, and wook [and wook alnyȝt, α.] [al nyȝt]. [From Cx.] Erliche amorwe foot men wiþ her axes made a greet strengþe of schildes, and sette hem to gidres, and hadde i-had þe maistrie ne hadde [nadde, α., β. and γ.; ne had be that, Cx.] þe Normans i-feyned to flee. Kyng Harald stood on his feet [veet, γ.] by his baner wiþ his tweie breþeren: þat baner was afterward i-sent to þe pope. Þe Normans þe nyȝt tofore þe bataile schroof [schrof, β. and γ.; shrofe, Cx.] hem of her synnes, and were i-houseled erliche amorwe. Foot men and archeres were i-set in þe bataille, and þanne knyȝtes wiþ wynges [whynges, γ.] in eiþer side. Duke

William confortede hym [hym] his men, β. and Cx. .; hys men, γ.] to þe bataile, and was war þat his habergeon [haberioun, α. and β.; haburion, γ.; haberion, Cx.] was i-torned yn and out, and amended þat hap wiþ a bourde, and seide þe strengþe of an erldome schal torne into a kyngdom. Henricus. Bote or [ar, γ.] þe scheltroms [scheltrons, α. and β.; er that the shiltrons, Cx.] com to gidres, oon of þe Normans side, [syde, α.] þat heet Talyfer by his name, cast his swerd and pleide tofore þe oostes, and slowȝ þe bane|rer [banyour, α., β., γ., and Cx.] of Englisshemen þat cam aȝenst hym, and dede [dude, γ.] eft þe same of anoþer; also he slowȝ þe þridde, and was i-slawe hym self. Þanne anon þe scheltrons smyte to gidres wiþ Rolond [Roulandes, β.; Roland, γ.] his song, þat was bygonne in þe Normans side. Þe bataille dured from underne of þe day to evesong [eveson, γ.] tyme, and never noþer partie wolde wiþ drawe. Bote þe dukes archers hadde here forþ, þanne þe duke made a tokene to his men þat þei schulde feyne to flee. And by þat wile Englische men were begiled, and disarayed hem as it were for to pursewe, [pursywe, γ.] and to rese on her enemyes; bote whan þe [þe] om. α.] Englische men [were so out of aray, þe Normans arrayed hem eft, and tornede aȝen uppon þe Englische men] [From α., γ., and Cx.] þat outrayed, [outrayed] were out of aray, α., γ., and Cx.] and chased hem in every side.

At þe laste Haralde was i-hit [smyten, Cx.] wiþ an arwe, and lost his oon eyȝe, [on ye, γ.] and was i-hurt in þe brayn and fil [on þe breyn and vul, γ.] downe in þat place. And oon of þe knyȝtes [smote hym] [From β. and Cx.] in þe þigh while he lay þere: þerfore William put þat knyȝt out of þat [þat] om. Cx.] chivalrie, for he hadde i-doo an unkonnynge dede. Þat day William lost þre þe beste hors þat he hadde, and tweie [were, α., γ., and Cx.] i-stiked riȝt under hym; but he bare hym so þat no blood come out of his body. Whanne þe victorie was i-doo, William buried his men þat were i-slawe, and graunted his enemyes to doo þe same who þat wolde, and sente Harald his body to Harald his moder wiþ oute eny mede, [myde, γ.] as sche [heo, β.; hue, γ.] hadde i-prayed, and sche buried hym at Waltham in þe abbay of chanouns þat Harald hadde i-founded. ℞. Bote Giralde Cambrensis in his book þat hatte Itinerarius wolde mene þat Harald hadde many woundes and loste his left yȝe [ye, γ.; lyft eye, Cx.] wiþ a strook of an arwe, [arewe, γ.] and was overcome, and scapede to þe contray of Chestre, and lyvede þere holily, as me troweþ, an ankers lyf in Seint Iames celle faste [vaste, γ.] by Seint Iohn his chirche, and made a gracious ende, and þat was i-knowe by his laste confessioun; and þe comyn [commune, Cx.] fame accordeþ in þat citee to þat sawe. Also Aluredus

Rivallensis [in] [From Cx.; and MS.] seint Edward his lyf, capitulo 26^o in þe ende, þere [he] add. β.] seiþ þat Harald oþer deide wrecchedly, oþer he askapede, and was i-kept to do verray [worþy, α. and Cx.] penaunce. ℞. Þanne whanne king Haraldes deeþ was i-knowe, þe erles of Norþhum|berlond and of Mercia, Edwyn and Markarus, þat hadde wiþ|drawe hem self [hamsylf, γ.] from Harald for streytenes of places, oþer more verrayliche [vereylich, γ.] for wreþþe þat þe prayes were nouȝt i-deled at þe bataile of Noregane, þei [hy, γ.] come to Londoun, and took [her] [From β. and Cx; here, α. and γ.] suster Algitha, Harald his wif, and sent hire to Chestre; and þei and Aluredus [Aldredus, α. and Cx.] archebisshop of ȝork and þe Londoners byhet [byhyte, γ.] þat þei wolde make Edgar Adlyng kyng, and fiȝte for hym; but for þe drede of William encresed þey wiþ drow hem, and fulfilled [folvullede, γ.] nouȝt þat þey hadde byhote. And alle þese [þues, γ.] wiþ oþere noble men come to William and ȝaf hym plegges, and swoor hym fewte and dede hym suerte. [surte, γ.]

Explicit liber sextus.