it," said Harold.

"It is rumoured that he has passed to our uncle Sweyn."

"I foresaw it," said the King.

"And that Sweyn will aid him to reconquer England for the Dane."

"My bode reached Sweyn, with letters from Githa, before Tostig; my bode
has returned this day. Sweyn has dismissed Tostig; Sweyn will send fifty
ships, armed with picked men, to the aid of England."

"Brother," cried Leofwine, admiringly, "thou providest against danger ere
we but surmise it."

"Tostig," continued the King, unheeding the compliment, "will be the
first assailant: him we must meet. His fast friend is Malcolm of
Scotland: him we must secure. Go thou, Leofwine, with these letters to
Malcolm.--The next fear is from the Welch. Go thou, Edwin of Mercia, to
the princes of Wales. On thy way, strengthen the forts and deepen the
dykes of the marches. These tablets hold thy instructions. The Norman,
as doubtless ye know, my thegns, hath sent to demand our crown, and hath
announced the coming of his war. With the dawn I depart to our port at
Sandwich [232], to muster our fleets. Thou with me, Gurth."

"These preparations need much treasure," said an old thegn, "and thou
hast lessened the taxes at the hour of need."

"Not yet is it the hour of need. When it comes, our people will the more
readily meet it with their gold as with their iron. There was great
wealth in the House of Godwin; that wealth mans the ships of England.
What hast thou there, Haco?"

"Thy new-issued coin: it hath on its reverse the word PEACE." [233]

Who ever saw one of those coins of the Last Saxon King, the bold simple
head on the one side, that single word "Peace" on the other, and did not
feel awed and touched! What pathos in that word compared with the fate
which it failed to propitiate!

"Peace," said Harold: "to all that doth not render peace, slavery. Yea,
may I live to leave peace to our children! Now, peace only rests on our
preparation for war. You, Morcar, will return with all speed to York,
and look well to the mouth of the Humber."

Then, turning to each of the thegns successively he gave to each his post
and his duty; and that done, converse grew more general. The many things
needful that had been long rotting in neglect under the Monk-king, and
now sprung up, craving instant reform, occupied them long and anxiously.
But cheered and inspirited by the vigour and foresight of Harold, whose
earlier slowness of character seemed winged by t