e realm
on high-born men--
on Harold himself,
the noble earl;
who in every season
faithfully heard
and obeyed his lord,
in word and deed;
nor gave to any
what might be wanted
by the nation's king.
This year also was Earl Harold hallowed to king; but he enjoyed
little tranquillity therein the while that he wielded the
kingdom.

((A.D. 1065. And the man-slaying was on St. Bartholomew's
mass-day. And then, after Michael's-mass, all the thanes in
Yorkshire went to York, and there slew all Earl Tosty's household
servants whom they might hear of, and took his treasures: and
Tosty was then at Britford with the king. And then, very soon
thereafter, was a great council at Northampton; and then at
Oxford on the day of Simon and Jude. And there was Harold the
earl, and would work their reconciliation if he might, but he
could not: but all his earldom him unanimously forsook and
outlawed, and all who with him lawlessness upheld, because he
robbed God first, and all those bereaved over whom he had power
of life and of land. And they then took to themselves Morkar for
earl; and Tosty went then over sea, and his wife with him, to
Baldwin's land, and they took up their winter residence at St.
Omer's.))

A.D. 1066. This year came King Harold from York to Westminster,
on the Easter succeeding the midwinter when the king (Edward)
died. Easter was then on the sixteenth day before the calends of
May. Then was over all England such a token seen as no man ever
saw before. Some men said that it was the comet-star, which
others denominate the long-hair'd star. It appeared first on the
eve called "Litania major", that is, on the eighth before the
calends off May; and so shone all the week. Soon after this came
in Earl Tosty from beyond sea into the Isle of Wight, with as
large a fleet as he could get; and he was there supplied with
money and provisions. Thence he proceeded, and committed
outrages everywhere by the sea-coast where he could land, until
he came to Sandwich. When it was told King Harold, who was in
London, that his brother Tosty was come to Sandwich, he gathered
so large a force, naval and military, as no king before collected
in this land; for it was credibly reported that Earl William from
Normandy, King Edward's cousin, would come hither and gain this
land; just as it afterwards happened. When Tosty underst