Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 11.djvu/273

 ON THE LIFE AND DEATH OF EARL GODWINE. 237 The real authorities in this matter he within a small compass. The Saxon Chronicle and Florence of Worcester are the records to which we must look for our essential facts ; the Norman writers give us their version of them, and the Norman Survey helps us to many personal par- ticulars. William of Malmesbur}^ though certainly to be set on the Norman side, comes somewhere between the two classes, and often fairly sets before us both sides of the story. The Scandinavian writers are for the most part only valuable as showing how wonderfully little they knew of the affairs of a kindred kingdom. The later English writers, down to the chroniclers of the sixteenth and seventeenth century, however valuable for times nearer their own, are, with one or two exceptions, only useful to our present purpose, as showing how utterly the narrative was misconceived, and how carelessly, often dishonestly, one copied from another. Yet, for the reasons above stated, I have thought it desirable to make frequent references to them, though I must confess that my patience failed me more than once during the process. § L OF THE PARENTAGE OF GODWINE, AND HIS SERVICES UNDER CNUT. The first question to be discussed is no other than that of the parentage of Godwine himself. During the reigns of the sons of Cnut and that of Eadward the Confessor, Godwine appears as the most prominent and powerful man in England ; he appears also as the champion of the national party, the leader of the English movement, first against Danish, then against Norman domination, and yet at the same time as owing his honours to the favour of the Danish kings, and to his connection by marriage with their house. It may also be remarked, that in most of our records he comes on the stage in a rather singular manner, his position and power being rather assumed than directly stated, and no reference being generally made to his kindred or descent. What then Avas his lineage and ancestry 1 Two widely different stories present themselves for our acceptance. By far the more attractive of the two is the romantic tale which, on the authority of certain northern Sagas, codwiuc, a confirmed by a single MS. chronicle, has gained son. kccordiug acceptance with two of the most distinguished xhieiTy.