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Landed, he refaying that they But these things

duke had taken poffeffion of England. ftrained his army from waste and spoil, ought to fpare what was their own. are related of Alexander and Cæfar, and I doubt thence borrowed by the monks to inlay their story. The duke for fifteen days after landing kept his men quiet within the camp, having taken the caftle of Haftings, or built a fortress there. Harold fecure the while, and proud of his new victory, thought all his enemies now under foot: but fitting jollily at dinner, news is brought him that duke William of Normandy with a great multitude of horfe and foot, flingers and archers, befides other choice auxiliaries which he had hired in France, was arrived at Pevensey. Harold, who had expected him all the fummer, but not so late in the year as now it was, for it was October, with his forces much diminished after two fore conflicts, and the departing of many others from him difcontented, in great hafte marches to London. Thence not tarrying for fupplies, which were on their way towards him, hurries into Suffex (for he was always in hafte fince the day of his coronation) and ere the third part of his army could be well put in order, finds the duke about nine miles from Haftings, and now drawing nigh, fent fpies before him to furvey the ftrength and number of his enemies: them difcovered fuch the duke causing to be led about, and after well filled with meat and drink, sent back. They not otherwife brought word, that the duke's army were most of them priests; for they faw their faces all over fhaven; the English then ufing to let grow on their upper lip large muftachios, as did anciently the Britons. The king laughing answered, that they were not priests, but valiant and hardy foldiers. Therefore faid Girtha his brother, a youth of noble courage and understanding above his age, "Forbear thou thyfelf to fight, who art obnoxious to duke William by oath, let us unfworn undergo the hazard of battle, who may juftly fight in the defence of our country; thou, referved to fitter time, mayft either reunite us flying, or revenge, us dead." The king not hearkening to this, let it might feem to argue fear in him or a bad cause, with like refolution rejected the offers of duke William

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fent to him by a monk before the battle, with this only anfwer haftily delivered, "Let God judge between us. The offers were thefe, that Harold would either lay down the fceptre, or hold it of him, or try his title with him by fingle combat in fight of both armies, or refer it to the pope. These rejected, both fides prepared to fight the next morning, the English from finging and drinking all night, the Normans from confeffion of their fins, and communion of the hoft. The English were in a ftrait difadvantageous place, fo that many, difcouraged with their ill ordering, fcarce having room where to ftand, flipped away before the onfet, the rest in close order, with their battleaxes and fhields, made an impenetrable fquadron: the king himfelf with his brothers on foot stood by the royal ftandard, wherein the figure of a man fighting was inwoven with gold and precious ftones. The Norman foot, most bowmen, made the foremost front, on either fide wings of horse fomewhat behind. The duke arming, and his corflet given him on the wrong fide, faid pleasantly, "The strength of my dukedom will be turned now into a kingdom." Then the whole army finging the fong of Rowland, the remembrance of whofe exploits might hearten them, imploring laftly divine help, the battle began; and was fought forely on either fide: but the main body of Englifh foot by no means would be broken, till the duke, caufing his men to feign flight, drew them out with defire of purfuit into open diforder, then turned fuddenly upon them fo routed by themfelves, which wrought their overthrow; yet fo they died not unmanfully, but turning oft upon their enemies, by the advantage of an upper ground, beat them down by heaps, and filled up a great ditch with their carcaffes. Thus hung the victory wavering on either fide from the third hour of day to evening; when Harold having maintained the fight with unfpeakable courage and perfonal valour, fhot into the head with an arrow, fell at length, and left his foldiers without heart longer to withstand the unwearied enemy. With Harold fell alfo his two brothers, Leofwin and Girtha, with them greateft part of the English nobility. His body lying dead a knight or foldier wounding

wounding on the thigh, was by the duke prefently turned out of military fervice. Of Normans and French were flain no small number; the duke himfelf that day. not a little hazarded his perfon, having had three choice horfes killed under him. Victory obtained, and his dead carefully buried, the English alfo by permiffion, he fent the body of Harold to his mother without ransom, though the offered very much to redeem it; which having received the buried at Waltham, in a church built there by Harold. In the meanwhile, Edwin and Morcar, who had withdrawn themfelves from Harold, hearing of his death, came to London; fending Aldgith the queen their fifter with all fpeed to Weft-chefter. Aldred archbishop of York, and many of the nobles, with the Londoners, would have fet up Edgar the right heir, and prepared themfelves to fight for him; but Morcar and Edwin not liking the choice, who each of them expected to have been chofen before him, withdrew their forces, and returned home. Duke William, contrary to his former refolution, (if Florent of Worcefter, and they who follow him* fay true,) wasting, burning, and flaying all in his way; or rather, as faith. Malmsbury, not in hoftile but in regal manner, came up to London, met at Barcham by Edgar, with the nobles, bishops, citizens, and at length Edwin and Morcar, who all fubmitted to him, gave hoftages and fwore fidelity he to them promifed peace and defence; yet permitted his men the while to burn and make prey. Coming to London with all his army, he was on Christmas-day folemnly crowned in the great church at Westminster, by Aldred archbishop of York, having first given his oath at the altar, in prefence of all the people, to defend the church, well govern the people, maintain right law, prohibit rapine and unjuft judgment. Thus the English, while they agreed not about the choice of their native king, were constrained to take the yoke of an outlandish conqueror. With what minds and by what course of life they had fitted themselves for this fervitude, William of Malmsbury fpares not to lay open. Not a few years

VOL. IV.

Sim. Dun.
S

before

Book VI. before the Normans came, the clergy, though in Edward the confeffor's days, had loft all good literature and religion, fcarce able to read and understand their Latin fervice; he was a miracle to others who knew his grammar. The monks went clad in fine ftuffs, and made no difference what they eat; which though in itself no fault, yet to their confciences was irreligious. The great men, given to gluttony and diffolute life, made a prey of the common people, abufing their daughters whom they had in fervice, then turning them off to the ftews; the meaner fort tippling together night and day, fpent all they had in drunkennefs, attended with other vices which effeminate men's minds. Whence it came to pass, that carried on with fury and rafhness more than any true fortitude or fkill of war, they gave to William their conqueror fo eafy a conqueft. Not but that fome few of all forts were much better among them; but fuch was the generality. And as the long fuffering of God permits bad men to enjoy profperous days with the good, fo his feverity ofttimes exempts not good men from their share in evil times with the bad,

If these were the caufes of fuch mifery and thraldom to those our ancestors, with what better clofe can be concluded, than here in fit feafon to remember this age in the midst of her fecurity, to fear from like vices, without amendment, the revolution of like calamities?

THE END OF THE SIXTH BOOK.

OF

TRUE RELIGION, HERESY, SCHISM,

IT

TOLERATION;

And what beft MEANS may be used against the

GROWTH OF POPERY*.

T is unknown to no man, who knows aught of concernment among us, that the increase of popery is at this day no fmall trouble and offence to greatest part of the nation; and the rejoicing of all good men that it is fo the more their rejoicing, that God hath given a heart to the people, to remember still their great and happy deliverance from popifh thraldom, and to efteem fo highly the precious benefit of his gofpel, fo freely and fo peaceably enjoyed among them. Since therefore fome have already in public with many confiderable arguments exhorted the people, to beware the growth of this Romifh weed; I thought it no less than a common duty, to lend my hand, how unable foever, to fo good a purpose. I will not now enter into the labyrinth of councils and fathers, an entangled wood, which the papifts love to fight in, not with hope of victory, but to obfcure the shame of an open overthrow: which yet in that kind of combat, many heretofore, and one of late, hath eminently given them. And fuch manner of difpute with them to learned men is useful and very commendable. But I fhall infift now on what is plainer to common apprehenfion, and what I have to fay, without longer introduction.

True religion is the true worship and fervice of God, learnt and believed from the word of God only. No man or angel can know how God would be worshipped and ferved, unlefs God reveal it he hath revealed and taught it us in the holy fcriptures by inspired minifters, and in the gofpel by his own fon and his apoftles, with ftricteft command, to reject all other traditions or ad

*Printed in the year 1673.

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