Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 11.djvu/284

 248 ON THE LIFE AM) DEATH OF EARL GODWIXE. The later English chroniclers supply some very curious versions, chiefly grounded upon that of ^Malmesbury. l^roniton first talks of Godwine as marrying the daufflitcr of Cnut " by his first ^vife or mistress," '' by whom he was the father of Harold ; but afterwards he says, that " by his Danish wife Gytha, the sister of Svend, he had six sons, Swegen, Wulfiioth, Leufwine, Harold, Tostig, and Criffiny This last must be a confusion between Gyrth and Gruttydd C)f Wales. In like manner Hemingburgh gives Godwine a son " (rrifius,"'^ by which he seems to mean Gyrth. Knighton marries Godwine first to Cnut's sister, whom he accuses of gaining wealth by exposing young women to prostitution, apparently without selling them into Denmark, then to another wife, by whom he had six sons, Swegen, Harold, Tostig, Wulfnoth, Gyrth, and Lcofric. Those who may care to trace the progress of confusion among later writers, I should recommend to refer to Fabyan, 223; Holinshed, 18G, 1.01; Polydore Vergil, 15G, (and especially the English translation published by the Camden Society, 289, 356 ;) Duchesne, Histoire d'Angleterre,405 — 19 ; Ivapin, 423; Speed, 413 ; Brad}^ i. 131 ; Hay ward, Korman ivings, 48, M'ho represents Harold's claim to the throne as being that he was " borne of the daughter of Hardicanutus the Dane." These passages are wortliy of some attention as specimens of the way hi which the histor}' of this period has been written. It is really instructive to observe the manner in which, when two different stories are current in the early chronicles, the later copyists will combine both, apparently careless of the contradiction, or else jumble the two into something entirely different from either. Let us now see what real facts Ave can gather out of all this. The best authorities, Florence and thocwcku^.'''^ Domesday Dook, together with Ordericus Vitalis, call the mother of Harold Gytlia. Ordericus adds, that the other celebrated sons of Godwine were of PauHiiirmM, rcii(]H tin- IfttiTHhy the v;iy ; rcfirrcd to ill tlic Cluoiiiclc of i;ii(liil|iliiiH " cximlluitiiovim llriuM," the lincinl ihIiIm, Nil;- liiiii tin- kliiij'M •' Do iirimu iixoro hivo niiKiNiit will. hIhUt in iiiuiTiai.'"'. A II tliin Ixlnt; rlom-, 'i'liiil is, I hiipixmc, liy .Wfwvn, tlio Clint piitn tin- licHt fiici! n|((in tlio iniiltcr, i< |iiil<(i ini>iln r <jf H.-inild I., nut hy ritrcivi-N (ioilwino iim n hrntlii'i', nml riiiHt-H (^ni-i-n l-iniinn. him to the rnnk of " CoiimiiI." ^ < 'inn nxmr <t ilnnlmH liliiH Swcynii ct Homo Miirh Htory iiH tliin iniiHt nlun he ririlfo fii^^il ml coiniliin I'laiKlri-imcin, i. t.