Britain, or a chorographicall description of the most flourishing kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Ilands adioyning, out of the depth of antiqvitie : beavtified with mappes of the severall Shires of England / written first in Latine by William Camden ; Translated newly into English by Philémon Holland.

  • William Camden
Date:
1610
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Britain, or a chorographicall description of the most flourishing kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Ilands adioyning, out of the depth of antiqvitie : beavtified with mappes of the severall Shires of England / written first in Latine by William Camden ; Translated newly into English by Philémon Holland. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    175/1348 page 147
    | | NORMANS. 14.7 1 Lee a nr Oe EN 1.1 A time, he was vexedat the heart that England which be had in conceit and hope already wal gt lowed c devoured, was thus caught away out of his very chawes. Forthwith therefore by E advice of bis counfell & friends, be difpatcheth Embaffadors to Herold ,withinftructions to | put him in mind of the promifes and fiipulation paft; but withall,in bis name 10 make claime tothe crowne. Harold , after [ome pau[e and deliberation upon the point , rcturneth this anfwere: As touching the promies of King Edward, William was tounderitand, that 1 the Realme of England could not be given by promi[e , neither ought be to be tied unto the t fatd promife , feeing the kingdome was fallen unto him by election and not hy right of inhe- I ritance. And asfor bis owne ftipulation , extorted and wrung it was from then a prifa- wp ner , by force and by guile , in feare of perpetuallimprifonment , to the hinderance of the ^ Englifh common-wealth and prejudice of the State, and therefore void : which neither ought he, if he could, nor might if he would,make good, fince it was done without the Kings | privitie andconfent of the peopl:. «And a very hard and unreafonable demandtt was of his, that he fhould renounce and furrender unto a Norman Prince, ameere firanger and of forrein linage that kingdome wherein he wasinvefted with fo great affent of all forts. With this anfwere William was not wellpleafed , and he thought that Harold thereby fought flars | ting holes for to hide bis perjurie. Others therefore he fent out of hand in Embajfage about a | the fame matter, who (bould admeni|h him, how religioufly be bad bound bim[elfe by o ith, | and that forfworne per[ons fhould be fure of finall perdition at Gods hands, and rep: ochfull E C Dame among men. But when as now the daughter of William affianced unto Harold in the covenant the very firength and knot of the forefaid flipulation ) was by Gods appointmnt taken away by death, the Embaffadours were with leffe courtefie entertained, and received none other anfwere than before. So that now by this time , there was nothing ike to follow but open warre. Harold riggeth and prepareth his navie , muftereth and preffeth fouldiers and placeth firong garifons along the fea coafts inconvenient places,and provideth allthings jn readines which were thought needfull and meet for to beat backeth: Norman forces » | Howbeit, the fir/t tempefl of warre, befide the expectation of all men, arofe from T offo the a | brother in wholebloud of Harold: He being aman of aproud,hautie and fell beart ruled in great authority a qood while over Northumberland , but growing outragious in cruelty to D his inferiors, in pride toward his Soveraign’, ind in hatred to his brethren , was outlawed PH by Edward the Confe[for, and fo withdrew bimfelfe into France, and now by the advice of Baldwine Earle of Flanders , and perfwafion of William Duke of Normandie s it feemeth i |). probable , (For Toffo and Williammaried two daughters of Baldwine Earle of Flanders ) | beginneth to trouble bis brother with open warre,wbom a lane time he deadly hated.From | | Flanders betocke fea with a fleet of 60. rovers-fhips , wajleth the ifle of Wight e annoys eth the fea-coaft of Kent : but terrified at the coming of the kings navic, he fet up [aile & di- : recting bis cour]e taward the more remote parts of Eng land, landeth in Lincolne[bire and thercharrieth the Countrey : where Ethwin and Marcar give bim battell: but being dif- | compted and put to flight, into Scotland be goes , fromthence to renew his forces and foto r E warre afrefo. Now were all mens minds beld in fufpenfe with the expettation of atwo- feldwarre , of theone fideout of Scotland,of the other out of Normandie : and fo much the | | more, becan e at the feafl of Eafter, there was fecne about a fevennight together ablafing ee : Starre of an bideous anafearefullforme , which turned mens minds already troubled and ' | perplexed,( asit falleth out in aturbulent time ) to the forefecling of (ome unluckie events. But Harold carried an heedfull.eieto all parts of his kingdome, and the fouth coast he for- zifiedwith garifons. Leffefearehe bad from Scotland and'T ofto, becaufe* Malcolm king. Mateclm. ofthe Scots was (ore difquieted with civill difjenfions. Meane while, Wiliam much bufted Ba he : ix his mindabout Enc land , cafting.about what cour[e to take, ever and anon communicated he : with bis Captaines about the point whom hefawcheerefull, and full of forward hopes : E Butyall the difficulty was howto make money,for defraying the charges of fo great ayarres / For,when in apublike affembly of all the flats of Normandie,it was propounded as touching | a fubjidie, anfmere veas made, That im the former warre againft the French , their wealth was fo muchempaived , thatifanew warre fhould come upon them. they were hardly able 1 10 bold and defend their owne: That they wereto locke rather unto the defence of their E! proper po[feftons , thun ta invade tbe territories of ethers : and this war dna 3 pA any snougn
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