The history of Great Britaine under the conquests of ye Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans Their originals, manners, warres, coines & seales: with ye successions, lives, acts & issues of the English monarchs from Iulius Cæsar, to our most gracious soueraigne King Iames. by Iohn Speed.

HAROLD, THE SECOND DANISH KING RAIGNING INENGLAND, AND THE THIRTIE FIFT MONARCH OF THE LAND, HIS RAIGNE, AND ACTS. CHAPTER IIII.

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CANVTVS being dead, & Hardicanute his sonne by * 1.1 Queene Emma then in Denmarke; Harold his * 1.2 elder (but base brother) foreslowed not the op∣portunity * 1.3 offered; for see∣ing himselfe in his fathers life time neglected, and by will at his death, Eng∣land with that of Denmarke heaped vpon Hardicanut: as quicke in apprehension, as hee was of footman∣shippe * 1.4 (whereof arose the surname Hare-foot,) made strong his side by the Londoners, and Danes, Merci∣ans, & Northumbrians very many, yea and some great Personages amongst them, affecting his claime: but Goodwin of Kent who had the Queene and her treasure in keeping, stood in his way, pretending * 1.5 himself Guardian of her Children, & the will of Ca∣nutus, who appointed his sonne by her to succeede.

(2) The opposition grew strong, and the facti∣ons ripened, euen ready to seede, onely the linge∣ring of Hardicanute gaue leaue vnto Harold to bet∣ter his side by daily supplies, and the feares of ciuill sedition moued the Nobility to argue with wordes and not weapons, the title depending betwixt these two brethren. At Oxford they met, where the presence of the one, downe-peized the absence of the other, so that their voices went onely with Ha∣rold, and presently proclaimed and consecrated him King.

(3) He beganne his raigne the yeere of Christs * 1.6 humanity, 1036. and was very solemnly crowned at Oxford by Elnothus Archbishoppe of Canterbury, though for a time, hee was very vnwilling to per∣forme that seruice; for it is reported, that hee ha∣uing the regall scepter and Crowne in his custody, with an oath refused to consecrate any other for King, so long as the Queenes children were liuing; For (said he) Canutus committed them to my trust and assurance, and to them will I giue my faith and allegi∣ance. This Scepter and Crowne therefore I here lay downe vpon this Altar; neither doe I denie, nor deliuer them to you; but I require by the Apostolike authority, all Bishops, that none of them presume to take the same a∣way, neither therewith that they consecrate you for King: as for your selfe if you dare, you may vsurpe that which I haue committed to God on this his Table.

Notwithstanding that great thunder clappe was allai∣ed with the showres of golden promises, of his iust and religious Gouernment intended, though present experience manifested the contrary.

(4) For saith the auncient Writer of the booke called Encomium Emmae: Harold no sooner was esta∣blished * 1.7 King, but that he sought means how to rid Queen Emma out of the way, and that secretly, for openly hee durst not attempt any thing against her: Shee in silence kept her selfe quiet, looking for the issue of his designes. But Harold malitiously purposing, tooke counsell how hee might traine into his Haye the sonnes of Queene Emma, that so all occasion of dangers against him might at once for all bee cut off: many proiects propounded, this lastly tooke effect; that a letter should be counterfeited in Queen Emma's name, vnto her sonnes Edward and Alfred, to instigate them to attempt the crowne vsurped by Harold, a∣gainst their right, the tenure whereof we haue thought good here to insert.

(5)

Emma, Queene onely in name, to Edward and Alfred her sonnes, sendeth motherly gree∣tings. Whilest seuerally wee bewaile the death of our Soueraigne, my Lord and your Father, and your selues (deare sonnes) still more and more dis∣possessed from the Kingdome, your lawfull inhe∣ritance; I greatly maruaile what you determine to

doe, sith you know, that the delay of attempts giues the vsurper more leasure to lay his foun∣dation, and more safely to set thereon his in∣tended buildings; for incessantly hee posteth from towne to towne, and from City to Ci∣ty, to make the Lords and Rulers thereof his, either by threates, prayers, or present rewards. But this in priuate they signifie, that they had ra∣ther one of you their Natiues should raigne ouer them, then this vsurper & Danish stranger. Wher∣fore my desire is, that either of you secretly, and with all speed come vnto mee, whereby wee may aduise together what is to be done in this so great an enterprise: then whose good successe, I desire nothing more. Faile not therefore to send word by this my messenger, how you meane to proceed: and so fare yee well, my deerest bowels, & very inwards of my heart.

(6) These letters thus carried and cunningly de∣liuered, were digested as sauouring of no falshood; and by the bringers, others returned, that Alfred should come shortly ouer to attend his mothers designes: these, brought vnto Harold, the coastes were fore-laid, and longing expectation attended the prey. Alfred as forward to set on his voyage, made Baldwin Earle of Flanders his; and some few * 1.8 Bullogners increasing his Fleet, hee tooke the seas for England: where comming to shore, Earle Good∣win met him, and binding his assurance with his corporall oath, became his liege-man, and guide to Queene Emma; but being wrought firme for Ha∣rold, trecherously led these strangers a contrary way, and at Guilford lodged them in seuerall com∣panies, making knowne to the King what he had done: who forthwith apprehended them euen in their beds, and in the morning as chained prisoners, committing them to slaughter, contrary to the wonted manner of military decimation, did spare and exempt onely euery teath man for seruice or sale: Prince Alfred himselfe was sent prisoner to * 1.9 the Isle of Ely, where hauing his eyes inhumanely put out, liued not long after in torment and griefe.

(7) Some adde vnto the former, an other, much more horrible kind of cruelty, as that his belly was opened, and one end of his bowels drawn * 1.10 out, and fastned to a stake, his body pricked with sharpe needles, or poinards, was forced about till all his entrails were extracted, in which most sauage torture hee ended his innocent life.

(8) Harold thus freed from one, the other hee thought would no further attempt; and therefore * 1.11 the more boldly set himselfe against their mother Queene Emma, whose goods he confiscated, and ba∣nished her out of the Realme: who thus distressed, was honourably receiued, and for three yeeres space maintained by Baldwin Earle of Flanders.

(9) The Dane then seeing his hazards thus pre∣uented, sought so to secure himselfe, and with sixe∣teene shippes of the Danish Fleete kept the seas, which continued euer in a readinesse, and waffed from Port to Port; to the maintenance whereof, he charged the English with great paimēts, to their no lit∣tle grudge & repining; wherby he lost the loue of his subiects before it had well taken root in their hearts.

10) Neither yet held hee on long in these dis∣roiall courses, for that his speedy death did cut off the infamy of a longer life; and is said to haue died * 1.12 at Oxford in the moneth of Aprill, the yeer of Christ Iesus, 1040, after hee had raigned foure yeeres & some moneths: whose body was at first interred at Westminster, hauing beene neither in warres so har∣dy, nor in gouernment so prosperous, as his Father Canut before him had beene, not left behind him ey∣ther wife or children, to suruiue his person, or reuiue his name.

Notes

• * 1.1

  An. D. 1036.
• * 1.2

  Mat. Westminster.
• * 1.3

  Wil. Malms.
• * 1.4

  Peter de Iohan.
• * 1.5

  Henry Hunt.
• * 1.6

  Floriacensis.
• * 1.7

  Encom. Emma.
• * 1.8

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.9

  Rand Higden, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Polychr. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. cap. 21.
• * 1.10

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.11

  Henry Hunting.
• * 1.12

  Malmsb. Hen Hunting. Stow.