ensey and Hastings,
that the last conquerors of this island landed on the 29th of September,
1066.

Harold was at York, rejoicing over his recent victory, which had
delivered England from her ancient Scandinavian foes, and resettling the
government of the counties which Harald Hardrada had overrun, when the
tidings reached him that Duke William of Normandy and his host had
landed on the Sussex shore. Harold instantly hurried southward to meet
this long-expected enemy. The severe loss which his army had sustained
in the battle with the Norwegians must have made it impossible for many
of his veteran troops to accompany him in his forced march to London,
and thence to Sussex. He halted at the capital only six days, and during
that time gave orders for collecting forces from the southern and
midland counties, and also directed his fleet to reassemble off the
Sussex coast. Harold was well received in London, and his summons to
arms was promptly obeyed by citizen, by thane, by socman, and by ceorl,
for he had shown himself, during his brief reign, a just and wise king,
affable to all men, active for the good of his country, and, in the
words of the old historian, sparing himself from no fatigue by land or
by sea. He might have gathered a much more numerous army than that of
William; but his recent victory had made him overconfident, and he was
irritated by the reports of the country being ravaged by the invaders.
As soon, therefore, as he had collected a small army in London he
marched off toward the coast, pressing forward as rapidly as his men
could traverse Surrey and Sussex, in the hope of taking the Normans
unawares, as he had recently, by a similar forced march, succeeded in
surprising the Norwegians. But he had now to deal with a foe equally
brave with Harald Hardrada and far more skilful and wary.

The old Norman chroniclers describe the preparations of William on his
landing with a graphic vigor, which would be wholly lost by transfusing
their racy Norman couplets and terse Latin prose into the current style
of modern history. It is best to follow them closely, though at the
expense of much quaintness and occasional uncouthness of expression.
They tell us how Duke William's own ship was the first of the Norman
fleet. It was called the _Mora_, and was the gift of his duchess
Matilda. On the head of the ship, in the front, which mariners call the
prow, there was a brazen child bearing an arrow with a bended bow. His