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doubt upon any point regarding the history of our country, 
I turn to foreign writers to find what they say upon the 
subject. As at Brussels, I found a history there which told 
me that the camp of the Norwegians was near the Humber ; 
so, in Paris, I found a history which told me the locality 
of Standford Bridge. An English transcriber one or 
two hundred years after the event, would, if he found any- 
thing to militate against the received opinion of his day, 
most probably alter the text ; the foreign historian, with no 
semi-local knowledge, would copy his MS. faithfully. There, 
in this old history of Normandie, picked up haphazard with 
the hope I might find some point bearing upon my subject, 
I note the following (evidently, from the type, an extract) 
copied from other and more ancient chronicle ; and what do 
I find, but a corroboration which must carry conviction to 
every one unprejudiced that I am right ? Speaking of this 
battle and the death of Harold Hardrada and Tosti, “ Les 
chroniques font mention d’ un millant Norwegian qui defendit 
un pont , en un village nomine Poutfract lequel a lui seal 
empecha long temp les Anglais de passer. Cette dervute des 
Norvegiens eut lieu le 25 S eptembre, 1066, pres de la riviere 
d? er rente.” (Histoire de Normandie. Versailles, J. P. Jalabert.) 
Is it possible that I could have invented this, that I could 
by any sleight of hand have foisted what suited my purpose 
into a book published before I was born? from whatever 
work that author extracted that sentence, it must have been 
from a written tradition of generations past. I had accu- 
mulated proof sufficient without this : it caps the capital. 
May we not also find in the French chronicler a clue 
to the mistake ? “ Cette deroute eut lieu pres de la riviere 
d’ervente.” 
It is d’ (apostrophe) ervente : may it not have been written 
thus — “He went,” and as the river Went was not navigable, 
and, therefore, comparatively speaking, unknown, got con- 
