of England is quite uncertain. We can say nothing of his doings
till he is actually afloat. And with the three mighty forms of
William and the two Harolds on the scene, there is something at
once grotesque and perplexing in the way in which an English
traitor flits about among them. The banished Tostig, deprived of
his earldom in the autumn of 1065, had then taken refuge in
Flanders. He now plays a busy part, the details of which are lost
in contradictory accounts. But it is certain that in May 1066 he
made an ineffectual attack on England. And this attack was most
likely made with the connivance of William. It suited William to
use Tostig as an instrument, and to encourage so restless a spirit
in annoying the common enemy. It is also certain that Tostig was
with the Norwegian fleet in September, and that he died at
Stamfordbridge. We know also that he was in Scotland between May
and September. It is therefore hard to believe that Tostig had so
great a hand in stirring up Harold Hardrada to his expedition as
the Norwegian story makes out. Most likely Tostig simply joined
the expedition which Harold Hardrada independently planned. One
thing is certain, that, when Harold of England was attacked by two
enemies at once, it was not by two enemies acting in concert. The
interests of William and of Harold of Norway were as much opposed
to one another as either of them was to the interests of Harold of
England.

One great difficulty beset Harold and William alike. Either in
Normandy or in England it was easy to get together an army ready to
fight a battle; it was not easy to keep a large body of men under
arms for any long time without fighting. It was still harder to
keep them at once without fighting and without plundering. What
William had done in this way in two invasions of Normandy, he was