eir King, his dead corps was despoyled of
them, either through the greedy desire of prey (as the manner of
the field is) or to be the first bringer of such happy news, in
hope of a princely reward, upon which purpose many times the body
is both mangled and dismembred, and so was this King after his
death by a base souldier gasht and hackt into the legge, whom Duke
William rewarded for so unsouldier like a deed, cashiering him for
ever out of his wages and warres. So that Harold, lying stript,
wounded, bemangled, and goared in his bloud, could not be founde
nor knowne till they sent for a woman named Editha (for her passing
beautie surnamed Swan-shals, that is, Swan's-necke), whom hee
entertained in secret love before he was King, who by some secret
marks of his body, to her well knowne, found him out, and then put
into a coffine, was by divers of the Norman nobilitie honourably
brought unto the place afterward called Battle Bridge, where it was
met by the nobles of England, and, so conveyed to Waltham, was
there solemnly and with great lamentation of his mother, royally
interred, with this rude epitaph,[111] well beseeming the time,
though not the person.
"Goodwine, the eldest son of the King Harold, being growne to some
ripenesse of years in y^e life of his father, after his death and
overthrow by the Conquerour, took his brother with him and flew
over into Ireland, from whence he returned and landed in
Somersetshire, slew Edmoth (a baron sometimes of his fathers) that
encountered him, and taking great preyes in Devonshire and
Cornwell, departed till the next yeare; when, comeing again, he
fought with Beorn and Earle of Cornwall, and after retired into
Ireland, and thence went into Denmarke to King Swayn, his
cosen-german, where he spent the rest of his life.
"Edmund, the second sonne to King Harold, went with his brother
into Ireland, returned with him into England, and was at the
slaughter and overthrow of Edmoth and his power in Somersetshire,
at the spoyles committed in Cornwall and Devonshire, at the
conflict with the Cornish Earle Beorn, passed, repassed with him in
all his voyages, invasions, and warres, by sea and by land, in
England and Ireland; and at the last departed with him from Ireland
to Denmarke, tooke part with him of all
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