HALLEY'S COMET 497 



on him to recall his promise to William, and to nominate him 

 (Harold) as his successor, or at least to allow the barons to 

 elect him king; on the day following Edward's death, Harold 

 was crowned King of England. 



The news was carried to William, who despatched messen- 

 gers to Harold demanding the crown and reminding him of 

 his oath. Harold refused point-blank to relinquish the position 

 to which he had been elected, and William decided upon the 

 invasion. 



It was not without anxiety that he took this step and started 

 to plan his preparations. He knew that he had nothing like 

 a sufficient quantity of ships for such an expedition, and, what 

 was of far more importance, he knew also the disinclination of 

 his barons and retainers to cross the sea in his service; but his 

 determination to avenge himself and pursue his right was not 

 shaken. William was not only determined, he was energetic 

 and resourceful. Ably seconded in one direction by the bold 

 and fearless Fitz-Osbern, and in the other by the wily Lanfranc 

 (destined later to become Archbishop of Canterbury), he left 

 no stone unturned in furthering the success of the projected 

 invasion. While Fitz-Osbern with lavish promises rallied and 

 encouraged the hesitating barons, and Lanfranc secured the 

 recognition by the Pope of the justice of the Duke's claim, 

 William busied himself in obtaining promises of co-operation, 

 or, where that was impossible, of strict neutrality, from the 

 rulers of the adjoining states and kingdoms. The blessing of 

 the Pope, accompanied as it was by the present of a sacred 

 gonfalon (or banner) and a ring containing a hair of the holy 

 St. Peter, had a tremendous effect in swelling the number of 

 William's followers. The expedition now assumed the character 

 of a crusade and attracted volunteers and mercenaries from the 

 greater part of Western Europe. 



This, we may assume, was the position of affairs in the 

 middle of April, when on the 18th (or, according to some 

 chroniclers, the 24th) a magnificent comet, now known to be 

 Halley's, suddenly blazed forth in the heavens with remarkable 

 splendour. It appears certain that this was regarded in Nor- 

 mandy and on the continent generally as a presage of William's 

 success, and it is not unreasonable to assume that it served to 

 supplement the additions to William's forces which the action 

 of the Pope had already so materially influenced. 



32 



