Chronicles (1 of 6): The Historie of England (8 of 8) - The Eight Booke of the Historie of England by Raphael Holinshed
page 59 of 73 (80%)
page 59 of 73 (80%)
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(considering that periurie is neuer left vnpunished) aduised his
brother not to aduenture himselfe at this present in the battell, for so much as he had beene sometime sworne to duke William, but rather to suffer him and other of the nobilitie to incounter with the said duke, that were not bound to him by former oth, or otherwise: but Harold answered that he was free from anie such oth, and that in defense of his countrie he would fight boldly with him as with his greatest enimie. ¶ Where (by the waie) would be noted the conscience which Girth a yoonger brother made of an oth, not concerning himselfe directlie, but his elder brother Harold, who had sworne the same; meaning nothing lesse than the performance therof, as the sequele of his dooings to his discredit and vndooing euidentlie declared, which euents might séeme countable to him as due punishments and deserued plagues inflicted vpon him and others, for his sake; sith he made no reckoning of violating a vow ratified with an oth to a prince of no small puissance, who afterwards became a whip vnto him for his periurie; a sinne detested of the heathen, and whereof the poet notablie speaketh, saieng: [Sidenote: _Tibul, lib. 1_.] Ah miser, & si quis primò periuria celat, Sera tamen tacitis poena venit pedibus. * * * * * _After peace offered & refused on each side, both armies meete in the field, the order of the Englishmens attire & araie, the maner how the |
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