7.14. Variance amongest the peeres of the realme about the roiall succession, the king|dome is diuided betwixt Harold the bastard sonne and Hardicnute the lawfullie begotten son of king Cnute late deceassed, Harold hath the totall regiment, the authoritie of earle Goodwine gardian to the queenes sonnes, Harold is proclaimed king, why Elnothus did stoutlie refuse to consecrate him, why Harold was surnamed Harefoot, he is supposed to be a shoomakers sonne, and how it came to passe that he was counted king Cnutes bastard; Al|fred challengeth the crowne from Harold, Goodwine (vnder colour of friendlie interteinment) procureth his retinues vt|ter vndooing, a tithing of the Normans by the poll, whether Alfred was interessed in the crowne, the trecherous letter of Harold written in the name of queene Emma to hir two sons in Normandie, wherevpon Alfred commeth ouer into Eng|land, the vnfaithfull dealing of Goodwine with Alfred and his people, teaching that in trust is treason, a reseruation of euerie tenth norman, the remanent slaine, the lamentable end of Al|fred, and with what torments he was put to death; Harold banisheth queene Emma out of England, he dege|nerateth from his father, the short time of his reigne, his death and buriall. The xiiij. Chapter.
Variance amongest the peeres of the realme about the roiall succession, the king|dome is diuided betwixt Harold the bastard sonne and Hardicnute the lawfullie begotten son of king Cnute late deceassed, Harold hath the totall regiment, the authoritie of earle Goodwine gardian to the queenes sonnes, Harold is proclaimed king, why Elnothus did stoutlie refuse to consecrate him, why Harold was surnamed Harefoot, he is supposed to be a shoomakers sonne, and how it came to passe that he was counted king Cnutes bastard; Al|fred challengeth the crowne from Harold, Goodwine (vnder colour of friendlie interteinment) procureth his retinues vt|ter vndooing, a tithing of the Normans by the poll, whether Alfred was interessed in the crowne, the trecherous letter of Harold written in the name of queene Emma to hir two sons in Normandie, wherevpon Alfred commeth ouer into Eng|land, the vnfaithfull dealing of Goodwine with Alfred and his people, teaching that in trust is treason, a reseruation of euerie tenth norman, the remanent slaine, the lamentable end of Al|fred, and with what torments he was put to death; Harold banisheth queene Emma out of England, he dege|nerateth from his father, the short time of his reigne, his death and buriall. The xiiij. Chapter.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 _AFter that Cnute was de|parted this life, Harold Matth. West. Wil. Malm. there arose much variance amongst the peeres and great lords of the realme about the succession. The Danes and Londoners (which through continuall fa|miliaritie with the Danes, were become like vnto them) elected Harold the base sonne of king Cnute,Contro [...]e [...]s [...] for the crown [...] to succéed in his fathers roome, hauing earle Leofrike, and diuerse other of the no|ble men of the north parts on their side. But other of the Englishmen, and namelie earle Goodwine earle of Kent, with the chiefest lords of the west parts, co|ueted rather to haue one of king Egelreds sonnes, which were in Normandie, or else Hardicnute the sonne of king Cnute by his wife quéene Emma,Simon Dun. which remained in Denmarke, aduanced to the place.The realme diuided be|twixt Harold and Harti|cnute. This controuersie held in such wise, that the realme was diuided (as some write) by lot betwixt the two brethren Harold and Hardicnute. The north part, as Mercia and Northumberland fell to Harold, and the south part vnto Hardicnute: but at length the whole remained vnto Harold, bicause his bro|ther Hardicnute refused to come out of Denmarke to take the gouernment vpon him.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 But yet the authoritie of earle Goodwine,The authori|tie of earle Goodwine. H. Hunt. who had the queene and the treasure of the realme in his kée|ping, staied the matter a certeine time, (professing himselfe as it were gardian to the yoong men, the sonnes of the quéene, till at length he was constrei|ned to giue ouer his hold, and conforme himselfe to the stronger part and greater number.) And so at Oxford, where the assemblie was holden about the e|elction, Harold was proclaimed king, and consecra|ted according to the maner (as some write.) But it should appeere by other, that Elnothus the archbi|shop of Canturburie, a man indued with all vertue and wisedome refused to crowne him:The refusall of the archbi|shop Elno|thus to conse|crate king Harold. for when king Harold being elected of the nobles and péeres, requi|red the said archbishop that he might be of him conse|crated, and receiue at his hands the regall scepter with the crowne, which the archbishop had in his cu|stodie, and to whome it onelie did apperteine to in|uest him therewith, the archbishop flatlie refused, and with an oth protested, that he would not consecrate anie other for king, so long as the quéenes children li|ued: for (saith he)
Cnute committed them to my trust and assurance, and to them will I kéepe my faith and loiall obedience. The scepter and crowne I héere lay downe vpon the altar, and neither doo I denie nor deliuer them vnto you: but I forbid by the apostolike authoritie all the bishops, that none of them presume to take the same awaie, and deliuer them to you, or consecrate you for king. As for your selfe, if you dare, you maie vsurpe that which I haue committed vnto God and his table.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 But whether afterwards the king by one meane or other, caused the archbishop to crowne him king, or that he was consecrated of some other, he was ad|mitted king of all the English people, beginning his reigne in the yéere of our Lord a thousand thirtie and six,1036 in the fouretenth yéere of the emperor Conrad the second, in the sixt yéere of Henrie the first, king of France, and about the seuen and twentith yéere of Malcolme the second, king of Scots. This Harold for his great swiftnesse,Harold why he is surna|med Harefoot. was surnamed Harefoot, of whome little is written touching his dooings, sauing that he is noted to haue béene an oppressor of his peo|ple, and spotted with manie notable vices.Harold euill spoken of. It was spoken of diuerse in those daies, that this Harold was not the sonne of Cnute, but of a shoomaker, and that his supposed mother Elgina,Ran. Higd. ex. Mariano. king Cnutes concubine, to bring the king further in loue with hir, feined that she was with child: and about the time that she should be brought to bed (as she made hir ac|count) caused the said shoomakers son to be secretlie brought into hir chamber, and then vntrulie caused it to be reported that she was deliuered, and the child so reputed to be the kings sonne.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 Immediatlie vpon aduertisement had of CnutesMatth. West. death, Alfred the sonne of king Egelred, with fiftie saile landed at Sandwich, meaning to challenge the EEBO page image 183 crowne, and to obteine it by lawfull claime with qui|etnesse, if he might; if not, then to vse force by aid of his friends, and to assaie that waie foorth to win it, if he might not otherwise obteine it. From Sandwich he came to Canturburie: and shortlie after, earle Goodwine feining to receiue him as a friend, came to meet him, and at Gilford in the night season ap|pointed a number of armed men to fall vpon the Normans as they were asléepe, and so tooke them togither with Alfred, & slue the Normans by the poll, in such wise that nine were slaine, & tenth reser|ued. But yet when those that were reserued, seemed to him a greater number than he wished to escape, he fell to and againe tithed them as before. Alfred had his eies put out, and was concueied to the Ile of Elie, where shortlie after he died.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 ¶How Alfred should claime the crowne to himselfe I sée not: [...]an. Higd. for verelie I can not be persuaded that he was the elder brother, though diuers authors haue so written, sith Gemeticensis, & the author of the booke called Encomium Emmae, plainlie affirme, that Ed|ward was the elder: but it might be, that Alfred be|ing a man of a stouter stomach than his brother Ed|ward, made this attempt, either for himselfe, or in the behalfe of is brother Edward, being as then ab|sent,Sée maister Fox acts and monuments, pag. 112. Simon Dun. and gone into Hungarie, as some write: but o|ther say, that as well Edward as Alfred ame ouer at this time with a number of Norman knights, and men of warre imbarked in a few ships, onelie to speake with their mother, who as then lay at Win|chester, whether to take aduise with hir how to re|couer their right heere in this land, or to aduance their brother Hardicnute, or for some other purpose, our authors doo not declare.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 But the lords of the realme that bare their good wils vnto Harold, and (though contrarie to right) ment to mainteine him in the estate, seemed to be much offended with the comming of these two bre|thren in such order: for earle Goodwine persuaded them, that it was great danger to suffer so manie strangers to the enter the realme, as they had brought with them. Wherevpon earle Goodwine with the as|sent of the other lords, or rather by commandement of Harold, went foorth, and at Gilford met with Al|fred that was comming towards king Harold to speake with him, accordinglie as he was of Harold required to doo. But now being taken, and his com|panie miserablie murthered (as before ye haue heard) to the number of six hundred Normans, Al|fred himselfe was sent into the Ile of Elie, there to remaine in the abbeie in custodie of the moonks, ha|uing his eies put out as soone as he entered first in|to the same Ile. William Malmesburie saith, that Alfred came ouer, and was thus handeled betwixt the time of Harolds death, & the comming in of Har|dicnute. Others write, that this chanced in his bro|ther Hardicnuts daies, which séemeth not to be true: for Hardicnute was knowne to loue his brethren by his mothers side too dearelie to haue suffered anie such iniurie to be wrought against either of them in his time.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 ¶Thus ye sée how writers dissent in this matter, but for the better clearing of the truth touching the time, I haue thought good to shew also what the au|thor of the said booke intituled Encomium Emmae wri|teth hereof, which is as followeth, When Harold was once established king, he sought meanes how to rid quéene Emma out of the way, and that secretlie, for that openlie as yet he durst not attempt anie thing against hir. She in silence kept hir selfe quiet, looking for the end o these things. But Harold remembring himselfe, of a malicious purpose, by wicked aduise tooke counsell how he might get into his hands and make away the sons of quéene. Emma; & [...] [...]e out of danger of all annoiance that by them might be procured against him. Wherefore he caused a letter to be written in the name of their mother Emma,A counterfet letter. which he sent by certeine messengers suborned for the same purpose into Normandie, where Edward and Alfred as then remained. The tenour of which letter here insueth.
7.14.1. The tenour of a letter forged and sent in queene Emmas name to hir two sonnes.
The tenour of a letter forged and sent in queene Emmas name to hir two sonnes.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 _EMmatantùm nomine regina filijs Edwardo & Alfredo materna im|pertit salutamina. Dũ domini nostri regis obitum separatim plangimus (filij charissimi) dúm dietim ma|gis magisque regno haereditatis vestrae priuamini, miror quid captetis consilij, dum sciatis intermis|sionis vestrae dilatione inuasoris vestri imperij fie|ri quotidiè soliditatẽ. Is enim incessanter vicos & vrbes circuit, & sibi amicos principes muneribus, minis, & precibus facit: sed vnum è vobis super se mallent regnare quàm istius (qui nunc ijs im|perat) teneri ditione. Vnde rogo vnus vestrum ad me velociter & priuatè veniat, vt salubre à me consilium accipiat, & sciat quo pacto hoc nego|tium quod volo fieri debeat, per praesentem quóque internuncium quid super his facturi estis reman|date. Valete cordis mei viscera.
7.14.2. The same in English.
The same in English.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 _EMma in name onelie queene to hir sons Edward and Alfred sen|deth motherlie greeting. Whilest we separatelie bewaile the death of our souereigne lord the king (most deare sonnes) and whilest you are euerie day more and more depriued from the king|dome of your inheritance, I maruell what you doo determine, sith you know by the delay of your ceassing to make some enterprise, the grounded force of the vsurper of your king|dom is dailie made the stronger. For incessant|lie he goeth from towne to towne, from citie to citie, and maketh the lords his friends by re|wards, threats, and praiers, but they had rather haue one of you to reigne ouer them, than to be kept vnder the rule of this man that now go|uerneth them. Wherefore my request is, that one of you doo come with speed, and that pri|uilie ouer to me, that he may vnderstand my wholesome aduise, and know in what sort this matter ought to be handled, which I would haue to go forward, and see that ye send mee word by this present messenger what you meane to doo herein. Fare ye well euen the bowels of my heart.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 These letters were deliuered vnto such as were made priuie to the purposed treason, who being fullie instructed how to bale, went ouer into Normandie, and presenting the letters vnto the yoong gentle|men, vsed the matter so, that they thought verelie that this message had béene sent from their mother, and wrote againe by them that brought the letters, that one of them would not falle but come ouer vn|to hir according to that she had requested, and with|all appointed the day and time. The messengers re|turning to king Harold, informed him how they EEBO page image 184 had sped. The yoonger brother Alfred, with his bro|thers consent, tooke with him a certeine number of gentlemen and men of warre, and first came into Flanders, where after he had remained a while with earle Baldwine, he increased his retinue with a few Bullognes, and passed ouer into England, but ap|proching to the shore, he was streightwaies descried by his enimies, who hasted foorth to set vpon him; but perceiuing their drift, he had the ships cast about, and make againe to the sea; then landing at an other place, he ment to go the next way to his mother.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 But earle Goodwine hearing of his arriuall,Goodwin was suspected to do this vnder a colour to be|tray him as by writers it séemeth. met him, receiued him into his assurance, and binding his credit with a corporall oth, became his man, and ther|with leading him out of the high way that leadeth to London, he brought him to Gilford, where he lodged all the strangers, by a score, a doozen, and halfe a score togither in innes, so as but a few remained about the yoong gentleman Alfred to attend vpon him. There was plentie of meat and drinke prepared in euerie lodging, for the refreshing of all the companie. And Goodwine taking his leaue for that night, departed to his lodging, promising the next morning to come againe to giue his dutifull attendance on Alfred.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 But behold, after they had filled themselues with meats and drinks, and were gone to bed, in the dead of the night came such as king Harold had appoin|ted, and entring into euerie inne, first seized vpon the armor and weapons that belonged to the strangers:Not onelie Goodwine but other such as king Harold appointed, took Alfred with his Normans which done, they tooke them, and chained them fast with fetters and manacles, so kéeping them sure till the next morning. Which being come, they were brought foorth with their hands bound behind their backs, and deliuered to most cruell tormentors, who were commanded to spare none but euerie tenth man, as he came to hand by lot, and so they slue nine and left the tenth aliue. Of those that were left aliue, some they kept to serue as bondmen, other for coue|tousnesse of gaine they sold, and some they put in pri|son, of whome yet diuerse afterwards escaped. This with more hath the foresaid author written of this matter, declaring further, that Alfred being con|ueied into the Ile of Elie, had not onelie his eies put out in most cruell wise, but was also presentlie ther murthered. But he speaketh not further of the ma|ner how he was made away, sauing that he saith he forbeareth to make long recitall of this matter, bi|cause he will not renew the mothers gréefe in hea|ring it, sith there can be no greater sorrow to the mo|ther than to heare of hir sonnes death.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 ¶I remember in Caxton we read, that cruell tormentors should cause his bellie to be opened, & ta|king out one end of his bowels or guts, tied the same to a stake wh ich they had set fast in the ground; then with néedels of iron pricking his bodie, they caused him to run about the stake, till he had woond out all his intrailes, & so ended he his innocent life, to the great shame & obloquie of his cruel aduersaries. But whether he was thus tormented or not, or rather died (as I thinke) of the anguish by putting out his eies, no doubt but his death was reuenged by Gods hand in those that procured it. But whether erle Goodwine was chéefe causer thereof, in betraieng him vnder a cloked colour of pretended fréendship, I cannot say: but that he tooke him and slue his companie, as some haue written, I cannot thinker it to be true, both as well for that which ye haue he [...] recited out of the author that wrote Encomium Em [...], as also for that it should séeme he might neuer be so [...] directlie charged with it, but that he had matter to alledge in his owne excuse. But now to other affaires of Harold.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 After he had made away his halfe brother Al|fred, Simon Dun. Quéene Em|ma banished. he spoiled his mother in law quéene Emma of the most part of hir riches, and therewith banished hir quite out of the realme: so that she sailed ouer to Flanders, where she was honourable receiued of earle Baldwine, and hauing of him honourable pro|uision assigned hir, she continued there for the space of thrée yeeres, till that after the death of Harold, she was sent for by hir sonne Hardiknought, that suc|céeded Harold in the kingdome. Moreouer, Harold made small account of his subiects, Polydor. Harold dege|nerateth from his father Hen. Hunt. degenerating from the noble vertues of his father, following him in few things (except in exacting of tributes and pai|ments.) He caused indeed eight markes of siluer to be leuied of euerie port or hauen in England, to the reteining of 16 ships furnished with men of warre,A name in a readinesse. which continued euer in a readinesse to defend the coasts from pirats. To conclude with this Harold, his spéedie death prouided well for his fame,Euill men, the longer they liue, the more they grow into miserie. bicause (as it was thought) if his life had béene of long con|tinuance, his infamie had been the greater. But after he had reigned foure yeeres, or (as other ga|thered) three yéeres and thrée moneths, he departed out of this world at Oxford,Wil. Malm. Hen. Hunt. Wil. Malm. & was buried at Win|chester (as some day.) Other say he died at Meneford in the moneth of Aprill, and was buried at West|minster, which should appeare to be true by that which after is reported of his brother Hardiknoughts cru|ell dealing, and great spite shewed toward his dead bodie, as after shall be specified.