8.8. The peeres are in doubt to whome the rule of the land should be committed, why they durst not that Edgar Edeling should vn|dertake it though he was interessed to the same, how William duke of Normandie pretended a right to the crowne, Harold the sonne of earle Goodwine crowned, proclaimed, and consecrated king; his subtill and adulatorie meanes to win the peoples fauour; duke William sendeth am|bassadors to Harold to put him in mind of a promise passed to the said duke for his furtherance to obteine the crowne; Ha|rolds negatiue answer to the said ambassage, as also to the ma|rieng of the dukes daughter which was Harolds owne voluntarie motion; he prouideth against the inua|sions of the enimie as one doubting after|claps, a blasing starre of seuen daies continuance. The eight Chapter.

The peeres are in doubt to whome the rule of the land should be committed, why they durst not that Edgar Edeling should vn|dertake it though he was interessed to the same, how William duke of Normandie pretended a right to the crowne, Harold the sonne of earle Goodwine crowned, proclaimed, and consecrated king; his subtill and adulatorie meanes to win the peoples fauour; duke William sendeth am|bassadors to Harold to put him in mind of a promise passed to the said duke for his furtherance to obteine the crowne; Ha|rolds negatiue answer to the said ambassage, as also to the ma|rieng of the dukes daughter which was Harolds owne voluntarie motion; he prouideth against the inua|sions of the enimie as one doubting after|claps, a blasing starre of seuen daies continuance. The eight Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 _KIng Edward being thus departed this life,Harold. the péeres of the land were in great doubt & perplexitie to whome they might best commit the roiall gouernement of the realme.K. Edward departed this life An Christi 1065, after the account of the church of England. For there was not anie among them that had iust title thereto,Matth. West. Polydor. or able and apt to take the charge vpon him. For although Edgar surnamed Edeling, the sonne of Edward the outlaw,Edeling, that is, a noble man, and such one as is come of the kings bloud. that was sonne of Edmund Ironside, was at the same time latelie come into England, with his mother and sisters out of Hungarie where he was borne: yet for that he was but a child, & not of sufficient age to beare rule, they durst not as then commit the gouernement of the realme vnto him, least (as some haue thought) his tendernesse of age might first bréed a contempt of his person, and therewith minister occasion to ciuill discord, wherby a shipwracke of the estate might en|sue, to the great annoie and present ouerthrow of such as then liued in the same. But what conside|ration soeuer they had in this behalfe, they ought not to haue defrauded the yoong gentlemen of his law|full right to the crowne. For as we haue heard and séene, God, whose prouidence and mightie power is shewed by ouerthrowing of high and mightie things now and then, by the weake and féeble hath gouer|ned states and kingdomes oftentimes in as good quiet and princelie policie by a child, as by men of age and great discretion.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 But to the purpose, beside the doubt which rested among the lords, how to bestow the crowne, the ma|nifold and strange woonders, which were séene and heard in those daies, betokening (as men thought) some change to be at hand in the state of the realme, made the lords a [...]raid, and namelie bicause they stood in great doubt of William duke of Normandie, who pretended a right to the crowne, as lawfull heire appointed by king Edward, for that he was kin to him in the second and third degree.Dukes of Normandie. For Richard the first of that name duke of Normandie, begot Ri|chard the second, and Emma; which Emma bare Edward by hir husband Ethelred. Richard the se|cond had also issue Richard the third, and Robert, which Robert by a concubine had issue William, sur|named the bastard, that was now duke of Norman|die, and after the death of his coosine king Edward, made claime (as is said) to the crowne of England.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Whilest the lords were thus studieng and consul|ting what should be best for them to doo in these doubts, Harold, the son of Goodwine earle of Kent, proclaimed himselfe king of England:Harold pro|claimed king of England. the people being not much offended therewith, bicause of the great confidence and opinion which they had latelie conceiued of his valiancie. Some write (among whome Edmerus Edmerus. is one) how king Edward ordeined before his death, that Harold should succéed him as heire to the crowne, and that therevpon the lords im|mediatlie after the said Edwards deceasse, crowned Harold for their king, and so he was consecrated by Aldred archbishop of Yorke, according to the custom and maner of the former kings, or (as other affirme) he set the crowne on his owne head without anie the accustomed ceremonies,Matth. West. in the yéere after the birth of our sauiour 1066, or in the yéere of Christ 1065, after the account of the church of England (as before is noted.)

Compare 1577 edition: 1 But how and whensoeuer he came to the seat roiall of this kingdome, certeine it is, that this Ha|rold in the begining of his reigne, considering with himselfe how and in what sort he had taken vpon him the rule of the kingdome, rather by intrusion than by anie lawfull right, studied by all meanes which way to win the peoples fauour, and omitted no occasion whereby he might shew anie token of bountious liberalitie,Harold sée|keth to win the peoples hearts. gentlenesse and courteous be|hauiour towards them.Sim. Dunel. The gréeuous customes al|so and taxes which his predecessors had raised, he ei|ther abolished or diminished: the ordinarie wages of his seruants and men of warre he increased, and further shewed himselfe verie well bent to all vertue and goodnesse, whereby he purchased no small fauor among such as were his subiects.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Whilest Harold went about thus to steale the peoples good willes,An ambassage from N [...]mandie. there came ouer vnlooked for sundrie ambassadours from William the bastard duke of Normandie, with commission to require him to remember his oth sometime made to the said William in the time of his extremitie, which was, that he the said Harold should aid him in the obtei|ning of the crowne of England, if king Edward should happen to die without issue. This couenant he made (as it is supposed) in king Edwards daies, when (by licence of the same Edward, or rather (as Edmerus writeth) against his will) he went ouer in|to Normandie to visit his brethren, which laie there EEBO page image 197 as pledges.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Howbeit at this present,K. Harolds answer. Harolds answer to the said ambassadors was, that he would be readie to gratifie the duke in all that he could demand, so that he would not aske the realme, which alreadie he had in his full possession. And further he declared vnto them (as some write) that as for the oth which he had made in times past vnto duke William,E [...]dmerus. the same was but a constreined & no voluntarie oth, which in law is nothing;Matth. West. since thereby he tooke vpon him to grant that which was not in his power to giue, he being but a subiect whilest king Edward was li|uing. For if a promised vow or oth which a maid ma|keth concerning the bestowing of hir bodie in hir fathers house, without his consent, is made void; much more an oth by him made that was a subiect, and vnder the rule of a king, without his souereignes consent, ought to be void and of no value. He alled|ged moreouer, that as for him to take an oth to deli|uer the inheritance of anie realme without the ge|nerall consent of the estates of the same, could not be other than a great péece of presumption, yea al|though he might haue iust title therevnto; so it was an vnreasonable request of the duke at this present to will him to renounce the kingdome, the gouer|nance whereof he had alreadie taken vpon him, with so great fauor and good liking of all men.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Duke William hauing receiued this answer,Duke Willi|am eftsoones sendeth to king Harold. and nothing liking thereof, sent once againe to Harold, requiring him then at the least-wise, that he would take his daughter to wife, according to his former promise; in refusing whereof he could make no sound allegation, bicause it was a thing of his owne mo|tion, and in his absolute power, both to grant and to performe. But Harold being of a stout courage, with proud countenance frowned vpon the Norman am|bassadors, and declared to them that his mind was nothing bent as then to yéeld therevnto in any ma|ner of wise. And so with other talke tending to the like effect he sent them away without anie further answer. The daughter of duke William whome Ha|rold should haue maried, was named Adeliza, as Gemeticensis saith,Gemeticensis. and with hir (as the same author writeth) it was couenanted by duke William, that Harold should inioy halfe the realme in name of hir dower.Wil. Malm. Howbeit some write that this daughter of duke William was departed this life before the comming of these ambassadors, and that Harold therevpon thought himselfe discharged of the oth and couenants made to duke William, and therefore sent them away with such an vntoward answer.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 But howsoeuer it was,Polydor. after the departure of these ambassadors, king Harold (doubting what would insue) caused his ships to be newlie rigged, his men of warre to be mustered, and spéedilie put in a readinesse, to the end that if anie sudden inuasion should be made and attempted by his enimie, he might be able to resist them. ¶About the same time also, and vpon the 24 of Aprill (whilest Harold was making prouision to withstand the Norman force) there appeared a blasing starre, which was séene not onelie here in England, but also in other parts of the world, and continued the space of seuen daies.Rog. Houed. Simon Dun. This blasing starre might be a prediction of mischéefe im|minent & hanging ouer Harolds head; for they ne|uer appeare but as prognosticats of afterclaps. To be resolutelie instructed herein, doo but peruse a trea|tise intituled; A doctrine generall of comets or bla|sing starres published by a bishop of Mentz in La|tine, and set foorth in English by Abraham Fleming vpon the apparition of a blasing starre séene in the southwest, on the 10 of Nouember 1577, and dedi|cated to the right worshipfull sir William Cordell knight, then maister of hir maiesties rolles, &c.