8.11. After peace offered & refused on each side, both armies meete in the field, the or|der of the Englishmens attire & arraie, the ma|ner how the Normans were placed to fight in bat|tell; the dissolute and [...] behauior of [...]. En|glishmen the night before the incounter farre deffering from the Normans deuout demenour; duke Williams speech [...]pon occasion of wrong putting on his armour, the battell, betwixt him and king Harold is valiantlie tried, the English by duke Williams politike strategem are deceiued, king Harold slaine, his armie put to flight and manie of them slaine after a long and bloudie incounter, manie of the Normans, pursuing the English ouerhastilie procure their owne death, they take the spoile of the English, the dead bodies of both armies are licen|ced to be buried; the differing reports of writers touching the maner of Harolds death, a description of his person, his ambi|tion did him much hurt and hinderance, the number that were slaine on both sides, his bodie buried at a Waltham, nothing dis|praise woorthie in him but his ambitious mind, a view of his valiantnesse in a conflict against the VVelshmen, his rigorous or rather pitilesse handling of them, his seuere law or decree touching their bounds, they are vtterlie subdued, and (by the kings leaue) the VVelshwomen marrie with the Englishmen, the Saxon line ceasseth, how long it lasted, and how long it was disconti|nued by the inuasion of the Danes. The eleuenth Chapter.

After peace offered & refused on each side, both armies meete in the field, the or|der of the Englishmens attire & arraie, the ma|ner how the Normans were placed to fight in bat|tell; the dissolute and [...] behauior of [...]. En|glishmen the night before the incounter farre deffering from the Normans deuout demenour; duke Williams speech [...]pon occasion of wrong putting on his armour, the battell, betwixt him and king Harold is valiantlie tried, the English by duke Williams politike strategem are deceiued, king Harold slaine, his armie put to flight and manie of them slaine after a long and bloudie incounter, manie of the Normans, pursuing the English ouerhastilie procure their owne death, they take the spoile of the English, the dead bodies of both armies are licen|ced to be buried; the differing reports of writers touching the maner of Harolds death, a description of his person, his ambi|tion did him much hurt and hinderance, the number that were slaine on both sides, his bodie buried at a Waltham, nothing dis|praise woorthie in him but his ambitious mind, a view of his valiantnesse in a conflict against the VVelshmen, his rigorous or rather pitilesse handling of them, his seuere law or decree touching their bounds, they are vtterlie subdued, and (by the kings leaue) the VVelshwomen marrie with the Englishmen, the Saxon line ceasseth, how long it lasted, and how long it was disconti|nued by the inuasion of the Danes. The eleuenth Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 _NOw it fortuned that both armies,Will. Malmes. as well the kings as the earles, being prepared to battell, diuerse offers were made on each side (before they fell to the conflict) for an vni|tie to haue béene had betwixt the two princes: but when no conditions of agreement could take place, they forth|with prepared themselues to trie the matter by dint of sword. And so on the 14 day of October, being saturday, both hosts met in the field, at a place in Sussex not farre from Hastings, whereas the abbeie of Battell was afterward builded.The order of the English|men. The Englishmen were all brought into one entire maine battell on foot, with huge ares in their hands, and paled a front with paueises, in such wise that it was thought vnpossible for the enimie to breake their arraie.Matth. West. On the other side, the Normans were diuided into seuerall bat|tels, as first the footmen that were archers, and also those that bare gleiues and axes were placed in the forefront,The arraie of the Normans and the horssemen diuided into wings stood on the sides in verie good order.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 All the night before the battell,Hen. Hunt. the Englishmen made great noise and slept not,Will. Malmes. but sang and fell to drinking and making of reuell & pastime, as though there had beene no account to be made of the next daies trauell. But the Normans behaued themselus warilie and soberlie, spending all that night in prai|er and confessing their sinnes vnto God; and in the morning earelie they receiued the communion be|fore they went foorth to the battell. Some write, that when duke William should put on his armour to go to the field, the backe halfe of his curasses by chance was set on before by such as holpe to arme him: at which chance he tooke occasion of laughter, saieng merrilie to them that stood by;

No force, this is good lucke, for the estate of my dukedome shall be yer night changed into a kingdome.

Beside this, he spake manie comfortable woords vnto his men, to incourage them to the battell. Neither was Harold forgetfull in that point on his part. And so at conue|nient time when both armies were readie, they made forward each incounter with other, on the foresaid fouretéenth day of October, with great force and as|surance.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 In the beginning of the battell,Polydor. the arrowes flue EEBO page image 200 abroad freshlie on both sides,The battell betwixt king Harold and duke William is begun. till they came to ioine at hand strokes, and then preassed each side vpon his counterpart with swoords, axes, and other hand wea|pons verie egerlie. Duke William commanded his horssemen to giue the charge an the breasts of his e|nimies battels: but the Englishmen kéeping them|selues close togither without scattering, receiued their enimies vpon the points of their weapons with such fiercenesse and in such stiffe order, that manie of the Norman horssemen were ouerthrowne without recouerie, and slaine at the first brunt. When duke William perceiued this inconuenience (as he that well and throughlie vnderstood the skilfull points of warre as well as the best) he gaue a signe to his men (according to an order appointed before hand vp|on anie such occasion) that they should giue backe,The policie of duke William to disorder his enimies. and make a countenance as though they did flée,H. Hunt. which was quicklie doone by the Normans,Will. Malm. and with|all they imbattelled their footmen in a new order, so that their horssemen shifted themselues on the wings, readie to rescue the footmen if their arraie should happen to be disturbed.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 By this wilie stratagem and policie of warre, the Englishmen were deceiued: for they beholding the Normans somwhat shrinking backe to bring them|selues into the aboue said order, thought verelie that they had fled, and therevpon meaning to pursue them before they should recouer their ground, they brake their arraie, and began to follow the chase: wherevp|on the Normans (perceiuing now that all things came to passe as they desired) spéedilie returned, and casting themselues togither quicklie into ar [...]ie, be|gan to charge them againe afresh, and so hauing them at that aduantage, they slue them downe on e|uerie side.A sore fough|ten battell. King Harold slaine. The Englishmen on the other part fought sore, and though their king was beaten downe a|mong them and slaine, yet were they loth to flée or giue ouer; so sharpe was the battell, that duke Wil|liam himselfe had thrée horsses slaine vnder him that day, and not without great danger of his person.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Some of the Englishmen got them to the height of an hill,Wil. Malm. and beate backe the Normans that forced themselues to win the hill of them,Matth. West. so that it was long yer the Normans could preuaile, being often|times driuen downe into the botome of the vallie be|neath. At length the Englishmen, perceiuing them|selues to be ouermatched and beaten downe on eue|rie side,The English|men put to flight. and therevnto greatlie discouraged with slaughter of their king, began first to giue ground, and after to scatter and to run away, so that well was he that might then escape by flight. When they had fought the most part of all that saturday, the Nor|mans followed the chase with such eger rashnesse,Chron. de bel|lo. that a great number of them falling with their hors|ses and armour into a blind ditch (shadowed with reed and sedges which grew therein) were smoulde|red and pressed to death,Wil. Geme. yer they could be succoured or get anie reliefe.The Nor|mans fall into a ditch. The next day the Normans fell to gathering in the spoile of the field, burieng also the dead bodies of their people that were slaine at the battell, giuing licence in semblable manner to the Englishmen to doo the like.Giral. Camb. Of the death of Harold diuerse report diuerslie, in so much that Girald Cam|brensis saith, that after king Harold had receiued manie wounds, and lost his left eie, he fled from the field vnto the citie of Westchester, and liued there long after, an holie life, as an anchoret in the cell of S. Iames, fast by S. Iohns church, and there made a godlie end. But the saieng of Girald Cambren. in that point is not to be credited, bicause of the vnlike|lihood of the thing it selfe,Wil. Malm. Hen. Hunt. Matth. West. and also generall consent of other writers, who affirme vniuersallie that he was killed in the battell, first being striken thorough the left eie by the scull into the braine with an arrow, wherevpon falling from his horsse to the ground, he was slaine in that place, after he had reigned nine moneths and nine daies, as Floriacensis dooth report. He was a man of a comelie stature, and of a hawtie courage,Floriac. & albeit that for his valiancie he was highlie renowmed and honored of all men,Simon Dun. yet through his pride and ambition he lost the harts of manie. There were slaine in this battell,Henr. Hunt. besides king Harold and his two brethren,Polydor. The chroni|cles of Nor|mandie haue of English men slaine 67974, and of Normans 6013. Girth and Leofrike, what on the one side and on the other, aboue twentie thousand men.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 5 6 The bodie of king Harold being found among o|ther slaine in the field, was buried at Waltham, within the monasterie of the holie crosse which he be|fore had founded, and indowed to the behoofe of such canons as he had placed there, with faire possessions. Uerelie (as some old writers haue reported) there was nothing in this man to be in anie wise disprai|sed, if his ambitious mind could haue beene staied from coueting the kingdome, and that he could haue béene contented to haue liued as subiect. Among o|ther manifest proofes of his high valiancie, this is remembred of him,Ex 6. libro Poly|craticon, siue de nugis curial [...]m. that being sent against the Welshmen (as before is partlie mentioned) know|ing their readie nimblenesse in seruice, and how with their light armed men they were accustomed to an|noie and distresse those that should assaile them,Iohn Sa [...]ish. he likewise (to match them) prepared light armed men for the purpose, & so being furnished with such bands of nimble men and light souldiers, entered vpon the mounteins of Snowdon, and there remained a|mongst the enimies for the space of two yéeres. He sore afflicted the Welsh nation, tooke their kings, and sent their heads vnto the king that sent him about his businesse, and proceeding in such rigorous maner as might mooue the hearers to lament and pitie the case, he caused all the male kind that might be met with, to be miserablie slaine: and so with the edge of his swoord he brought the countrie to quiet, and with|all made this lawe; that if anie Welshman from thencefoorth should presume to passe the limits ouer Offas ditch with anie weapon about him, he should lose his right hand. To conclude, by the valiant con|duct of this chieftaine, the Welshmen were them so sore brought vnder, than in maner the whole nation might séeme to faile, and to be almost vtterlie de|stroied. And therefore by permission of the king of England, the women of Wales ioined themselues in marriage with Englishmen. Finallie, héereby the bloud of the Saxons ceassed to reigne in Eng|land after they had continued possession of the same, from the first comming of Hengist, which was about the yéere of our Sauiour 450, or 449, vntill that present yeere of king Harolds death, which chanced in the yéere 1069.1069 So that from the beginning of Hengist his reigne, vnto Harolds death, are recko|ned 916 yéeres, or (after some) 617, as by the suppu|tation of the time will easilie appeere. By all the which time there reigned kings of the Saxons bloud within this land, except that for the space of twentie yéeres and somewhat more, the Danes had the domi|nion of the realme in their possession: for there are reckoned from the beginning of K. Swaines reigne (which was the first Dane that gouerned England) vnto the last yéere of K. Hardicnute (the last Dane that ruled heere) 28 yéeres, in which meane space E|gelred recouering the kingdome reigned 2 yéeres, then after him his sonne Edmund Ironside continu|ed in the rule one yéere; so that the Danes had the whole possession of the land but 25 yéeres in all. Tou|ching this alteration, and others incident to this I|land, read a short aduertisement annexed (by waie of conclusion) to this historie, comprising a short sum|marie of the most notable conquests of this coun|trie EEBO page image 201 one after an other, by distances of times succes|siuelie.