gilt Burgenets, and on their Bodies a triple gilt Habergeon; Swords with gilt Hilts girded to their Waftes, a Battle-Ax (after the manner of the Danes) on their left Shoulder, a Target with gilt Boffes born in their left Hand, a Dart in the right Hand, and their Arms bound about with two Bracelets of Gold of fix Ounces Weight. But as Hardicanate was revelling and caroufing at Lambeth, in a folemn Affembly and Banquet, he fuddenly fell down dead. The Day of whofe Death, inftead of Laments, was annually celebrated amongst the common People, with open Paftimes in the Streets. Which time (being the 8th of June) is called Hoctide, or Hux

A. D. 1042.

Edfine, A. B. of Cant.

tide, fignifying a Time of Scorn and 1042. Contempt, which fell upon the Danes by his Death. He was buried at Winchester, A. D. 1042.

About four Years before the Danes firft coming into England (which was near the Year of our Lord 789) Showers of Blood fell from Heaven, and bloody Croffes were therewith marked upon Mens Garments, "Tis faid alfo, that after the Danes had feated themselves in England, whilst the English were drinking, they would ftab them, or cut their Throats; to prevent which, when the Englishman drank, he requested the next Sitter-by to be his Surety or Pledge: Hence our Custom of pledging one another, 'tis faid.

Dward the Confeffor, the Son of King Ethelred and Queen Emma, was born at flip, and after his Father's Death, was for his Safety fent unto the Duke of Normandy, his Mother's Brother; but upon the Death of Hardicanute, the Englib Nobility, difdaining all Danish Subjection, invited Edward to return into England, and to execute the kingly Office. He was crowned at Winchester by Edfine, Archbifhop of Canterbury, A. D. 1042.

He remitted that heavy Tribute of Forty thousand Pounds yearly, gathered by the Name of Dane-gilt, which had been paid for Forty Years Continuance out of the Lands of all, the Clergy excepted; becaufe (fay our ancient Laws) the King repofed more Confidence in the Prayers of the Holy Church, than in the Power of Armies. Then from the divers Laws of the Mercians, Weft-Saxons, Danes, and Nor

thumbrians, he felected the beft, and made them one Body certain, and written in Latin. His Reign

was

more spent in Peace, and Works of Piety, than in Wars and Blood: Only fome flight Troubles happened from the Danes, Irish, and Welch, and alfo from Earl Goodwin and his Sons, who being very powerful and proud, caufed fome Moleftations in the State. But the Sins of the People, which were then great, procured other Judgments inftead of War: For in the Month of January, there fell a great Snow, which covered the Ground to the Midft of March, whereby Cattle and Fowls in abundance perished. And in the next Year following, a strange and terrible Earthquake happened, and withal fuch Lightnings, as burnt up the Corn growing in the Fields, whereby an exceffive Dearth enfued.

The King, by the Inftigation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Goodwin, Earl of Kent, dealt rigo

roully

1066. roully with his own Mother, depriving her of all her Jewels, and Robert, other Subftance, and committing A. B. of her to fafe Cuftody in the Abby of Cant. Worwell. And moreover, put her to undergo that over-hard Law, Ordalium, which was to pafs over nine Plowshare Irons, red glowing hot, barefoot and blindfold. By which Trial fhe is faid to have acquitted herfelf; infomuch that fhe having paffed them over before fhe knew it, cried, and faid, O good Lord, when ball I come to the Place of my Purgation? The King, her Son, hereupon received her into Favour again; and the, in Memory of her Deliverance from this fiery Trial, gave nine Manors (according to the Number of Plowfhares) to the Minfter of Winchefter (wherein the had that Trial) and adorned the fame with many rich Ornaments. And the King repenting of the Wrong he had done her, bestowed on the fame Place the Ifle of Portland. The Caufes objected against Queen Emma, and for which the fuffered the Lofs of her Goods, were her Marriage with Canute, the capital Enemy of England, and her neglecting to fuccour Edward and his Brother in their Exile. The Matter objected against her, for which the underwent the Ordalium, was Incontinency of Body with Alwin, BiThop of Winchefter.

Of this King it is ftoried, that as he lay in his Bed, in an Afternoon, with the Curtains drawn about him, a certain pilfering Courtier came into his Chamber, where finding the King's Casket open (which Hugoline, his Chamberlain, had forgot to fhut) he took out as much Coin as he could conveniently carry, and went away; he did the like a fecond Time; came again the third Time; when the King fpake to him, and bad him fpeedily be packing whilst

he was well, adding, that if Hugoline fhould come and take him there, he should not only lofe all he had gotten, but alfo ftretch an Halter. And when Hugoline came, and miffing the Money, was greatly troubled, the King wifhed him not to be grieved; For (faith he) the Man that bath it hath more Need of it than we have. When this devout King, lying on his Death- Bed, perceived thofe about him to weep and lament, he said unto them, If ye loved me, ye would not weep, but rejoyce, because I go to my Father, with whom 1 fhall receive the Foys promised to the Faithful, not through my Merits, but by the free Mercy of my Saviour, who fheweth Merry on whom he pleafeth. He died A. D. 1066, and with great Laments was buried at Westminster. He is faid to be the firft King that cured that Difeafe, commonly called the King's Evil. This King, of a little Monaftery dedicated to St. Peter at Westminster, made a moft beautiful and large Church, and founded St. Margaret's Church ftanding by ; and this he did for the Discharge of his vowed Pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He founded alfo the College of St. Mary Otery in Devon, and removed the Bishop's See from Cridington to Exeter.

He married Edith, the Daughter of Earl Goodwin; which Earl took Bread and eat it, in Witness that he was not guilty of the Death of Prince Alfred; but as foon as he had received the Bread, he was choaked at the Table before the King at Windsor.

upon his own Head, without all Ceremony and folemn Celebration, none either greatly approving or diapproving his Prefumption, fave only for the Omiffion of the Manner and Form of Coronation. But now Harold, to gain and retain the Love of all, lightened the Burthens of Cuftom and Tribute that his Predeceffors had laid upon the People; was liberal to the Churchmen, repaired their Monafteries, new built that at Waltham in Effex: He created young Edgar Earl of Oxford, and held him in fpecial Favour. And to all Men was affable and kind, whence he much faftened the Hearts of his Subjects unto himself. But this tranquil Eftate was quickly difturbed by the Norman Duke, who firft fent his Embaffage, claiming Right to the Kingdom of England by the Promife of King Edward, and his ratifying the fame with the Confent of the State, and by Harold's own Oath given to the Duke, for keeping the Kingdom on his Behalf; and then (upon Harold's fighting the Embaffy) he made Preparation for gaining of England by Force. But e'er Duke William with his Normans arrived on the English Shore, Harfager, King of Denmark, invaded the Land (with whom Tofto, the cruel Earl of Northumberland, Harold's Brother, join. ed) against whom Harold marched, and at a Bridge called Stamford, (where he was to pafs over) one Dane made good, for a Time, the Bridge againit his whole Hoft, and with his Ax flew forty of his Men, himself at laft being flain with a Dart. When the English had gained the Bridge, and were reduced into their Ranks, Harold moft boldly fet upon the Danes in their Camp, vanquished them, and flew Harfager and Tolo, with many

other Perfons of Note, and gained 1066. an exceeding rich Booty, both of Gold and Silver; then feized on their great Navy.

And now William the Norman, being well furnished with a vast Fleet of Ships well mann'd, Store of Money drawn from his People, the Pope's Benediction, who had fent him a confecrated Banner, an Agnus Dei, and one of the Hairs of St. Peter, with a Curfe to all that fhould oppofe him: Thus prepared, the Duke arrived at Pevensey in Suffex, Sept. 28, where when he came to Land, his Foot chanced to flip, and he fell into the Mud, and all mired his Hands; which Accident was prefently construed for a lucky Prefage: For now, (faid a Captain) O Duke, thou haft taken Poffeffion and boldeft of that Land in thine Hand, whereof shortly thou shalt become King. But the Duke thus landed, he fet Fire on his Fleet, thereby to cut off all Occafion or Hope from his Men of returning. And from Pevensey he marched to Haftings, divulging, as he went, the Caufe of his coming, which was, for the obtaining of his Kingdom; it being, as he faid, his by Donation from Edward; giving withal a fevere Charge to his Soldiers not to wrong any of their Perfons, who in a fhort Time after were to become his Subjects. To Harold he fent his Meffenger, demanding the Kingdom,and Harold's Subjection. But Harold returned him this Answer by the fame Meffenger, That unless he forthwith departed the Land, he would make him fenfible of the Strokes of his juft Dif pleasure. And with a brave and undaunted Mind, the valiant Harold advanced his Forces into Safex, pitching his Camp within Seven Miles of his Eneiny. When the Armies were come near together,

E

and

Stigand, A. B. of

Cant.

1066. and ready to engage, the Norman Duke to fave the Effufion of Christian Blood, as he faid, fent a Monk as a Mediator for Peace, with Of fers to Harold of thefe Conditions; either wholly to refign the King. dom to him, or in Sight of the Armies to try the Quarrel with him in fingle Combat, or to stand to the Arbitrament of the Pope. To whom Harold anfwered, That it fhould the next Day be tried with more Swords than one. The next Day was the Fourteenth of October, which Harold ever accounted Fortunate, because his Birth-Day, and with Hopeful Affurance, defired greatly the Approach of the fame. His Soldiers likewife, too confident of Victory, spent the Night in Revellings. The Morning being come, they both marshalled their Battles. The Kentish Men Harold placed with their heavy Axes, or Halberts, in the Van (for by ancient Custom they had the Front belonging to them.) Then the Battles joined, both Parts bravely fighting; but the Norman perceiving, that by true Valour he could not vanquish the Englife, betook himself to a Stratagem, commanding his Men to retreat; yet withal to keep in good Order; which the English feeing, fuppofed that they had fled, and thereupon purfued their Enemy fo rafhly, that they put themselves into Disorder. Which Opportunity William took hold of, fo that facing about, and charging them fiercely, when difranked, he made a great Slaughter of the English. Yet would not any of the remaining English fly the Field, but manfully fought it out, till fuch time that Harold, wounded into the Brains with an Arrow,

through the Left Eye, fell down Dead. With Harold died his Brethren Gyrth and Leofwine, with moft of the English Nobility. And of the Soldiers were flain Sixty Seven Thoufand, Nine Hundred Seventy and Four; fome fay an Hundred Thousand. The Conqueror had Three Horfes flain under him, yet loft not a Drop of Blood by the Enemy. He won his Battle with the Lofs only of 6013 Men. It was fought in Suffex, Seven Miles from Haftings, upon Saturday the 14th of October, A. D. 1066. The Englife, after this Lofs, had defigned to have made Edgar Atheling King, and to have took the Field again against the Conqueror; but the Earls of Yorkshire and Cheshire, Edwin and Morcar the Queen's Brothers, plotting fecretly to get the Crown to themfelves, hindered the Defign.

The Body of King Harold, difpoiled of his Ornaments, and by a bafe Soldier mangled and hacked in the Leg (for which the Conqueror cafhiered him for ever) after much Search, was found among the dead Bodies, and by the English Nobles conveyed to Waltham in Effex, where it was folemnly and royally interred.

A little before the Fight, a dreadful Comet appeared.

Tofto, Earl of Northumberland, in Spight to his Brother Harold, flew all Harold's Servants; and cutting them Piece-meal, falted fome of their Limbs, and caft the reft into Veffels of Meat and Wine, fending his Brother Word, that he had furnished him with powdered Meat against his Return.

This he did at Harold's House when he was abfent.

NOR