foresaid fouretéenth day of October, with great force and assurance.

[Sidenote: _Polydor_. The battell betwixt king Harold and duke
William is begun.]
In the beginning of the battell, the arrowes flue abroad freshlie
on both sides, till they came to ioine at hand strokes, and then
preassed each side vpon his counter part with swoords, axes, and other
hand weapons verie egerlie. Duke William commanded his horssemen
to giue the charge on the breasts of his enimies battels: but the
Englishmen kéeping themselues close togither without scattering,
receiued their enimies vpon the points of their weapons with such
fiercenesse and in such stiffe order, that manie of the Norman
horssemen were ouerthrowne without recouerie, and slaine at the first
brunt. When duke William perceiued this inconuenience (as he that well
and throughlie vnderstood the skilfull points of warre as well as the
best) he gaue a signe to his men (according to an order appointed
[Sidenote: The policie of duke William to disorder his enimies.
_H. Hunt._ _Wil. Malm._]
before hand vpon anie such occasion) that they should giue backe,
and make a countenance as though they did flée, which was quicklie
doone by the Normans, and withall they imbattelled their footmen in a
new order, so that their horssemen shifted themselues on the wings,
readie to rescue the footmen if their arraie should happen to be
disturbed.

By this wilie stratagem and policie of warre, the Englishmen were
deceiued: for they beholding the Normans somwhat shrinking backe to
bring themselues into the aboue said order, thought verelie that they
had fled, and therevpon meaning to pursue them before they should
recouer their ground, they brake their arraie, and began to follow the