POLITICAL HISTORY 



done to make the position secure, the English soldiery gave themselves 

 up to feasting, song, and minstrelsy, singing of their past victories, 

 drinking to each other and shouting defiance of the enemy. In the 

 rival camp the sterner temperament of the Normans, influenced by the 

 semi-religious character given to their enterprise and the genuine piety 

 of their leader, found expression in prayer : the princely bishops Odo 

 of Bayeux and Geoffrey of Coutances, with other lesser priests and 

 monks, went through the host administering the consolations of religion 

 to all.' 



When the morning of Saturday, October 14, dawned, William 

 briefly addressed his troops, and then set them in motion. As they rode 

 over the brow of Telham hill the English forces came into view on the 

 ridge below. In the centre waved the national standard, the dragon of 

 Wessex, and Harold's personal ensign of the fighting man : here were 

 stationed Harold himself, his brothers Gurth and Leofwine, and 

 probably Leofric, the aged Abbot of Peterborough, and iElfwig, abbot 

 of Winchester, with the house-carls — the picked troops of the army.' 

 All along the brow of the ridge ran a line of heavy-armed infantry in 

 close order, shoulder to shoulder and shield touching shield, forming a 

 defensive wall, a living rampart ^ ; behind them were the light-armed 

 troops and rustic levies, many with no better weapons than clubs and 

 stones, and in the foreground were probably a number of skirmishers. 



On Telham hill the Norman knights put on their armour, and 

 once again the Duke showed his freedom from superstition, for in 

 putting on his coat of mail the forepart was turned hindmost ; careless 

 of the ill-omen he lightly said that it but signified that he who was now 

 a Duke should be turned round into a King, and mounted forthwith 

 upon his Spanish war-horse.* As he gazed upon his enemy's array he 

 vowed that if God would grant him the victory he would build a great 

 abbey where Harold's standard flew.^ Then he and his host rode on ; 

 on the left were the Breton cavalry under Alan of Brittany and Ralph 

 of Wader of Norfolk, on the right were the French mercenaries with 

 William Fitz-Osbern, Eustace of Boulogne, and probably Roger of 

 Montgomery.^ In the centre — where the consecrated banner was borne 

 by Toustain of Bee — rode William himself and his brothers Odo, bishop 

 of Bayeux, and Count Robert of Mortain, with many others whose 

 names are famous in English history.^ 



As soon as the troops had reached the lower ground the gallant 

 minstrel knight Taillefer^ spurred forward, chanting the deeds of Char- 

 lemagne and the song of Roland and of Roncesvalles, tossing his 

 sword in the air and catching it again as he rode on ; then dashing upon 

 the English skirmishers he struck down two, but fell beneath the axe of 

 a third. The overture was finished, and now the curtain rose on the 



• Freeman, op. cit. 451. ' Ibid. 475-6. » Round, op. cit. 346. 



* Freeman, op. cit. 455-6. ^ Ibid. 457. 



Although a story of his personal conflict with a gigantic Englishman is related by Wace (ibid. 

 494), some doubt exists whether he was actually present at the battle. 

 7 Ibid. 458-66. 8 Ibid. 478. 



487 



