Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/106

 94 CHRONICLE OF THE SAGA IX. consecrated king of England, it appeared to liim that he had a better right to the kingdom of England than Harald, by reason of the relationship between him and King Edward.* He thought, also, that he had grounds for avenging the aifront that Harald had put upon him Avith respect to his daughter. From all these grounds William gathered together a great army in Normandy, and had many men, and sufficient trans- port-shipping. The day that he rode out of the castle to his ships, and had mounted his horse, his wife came to him, and wanted to speak with him ; but when he saw her he struck at her with his heel, and set his spurs so deep into her breast that she fell down deadf; and the earl rode on to his ships, and went with his ships over to England. His brother. Archbishop Otto, was with him; and when the earl came to England he began to plunder, and take possession of the land as he came along. Earl William was stouter and stronger than other men ; a great horseman and warrior, but somewhat stern; and a very sensible man, but not considered a man to be relied on. Chapter King Harald Godwinsson gave King Harald Sigurds- Faii of son's son Olaf leave to go away, with the men who King had followed him and had not fallen in battle ; but Godwins- he himself turned round with his army to go south, son. £q^ YiQ had heard that William the Bastard was over- whelming the south of England with a vast army, and was subduing the country for himself. With King Harald went his brothers Swend and Gyrder, and Earl Walthiof. King Harald and Earl William and mother of Edward the Confessor, was a sister of William, and that he, as uncle of Edward, was nearer than Harald in relationship; hut this is evidently an error of Snorro. William's father was Robert Longspear, son of Richard ; and Emma was Richard's daughter, and aunt, not sister, of William. f This story is false, or relates to some concubine ; for William's queen, Matilda, was crowned in London.
 * The relationship here alluded to is that Emma, the wife of Ethelred