A.'TJ. 1066. WILLIAM THE ELDER. 135 returned to tlieir ships, having left there a hundred and fifty of their own men as hostages. But, on the fifth day after this, that is to say, on the seventh day before the calends of Octo-ber, being the second day of the week, Harold, king of the English, attended by many thousands of soldiers fully armed, arrived at York ; and, meeting the Norwegians at a place called Stamford Bridge, slew king Harold Harfager and earl Tosti with the edge of the~BWord, together with the greater part of their army, and, although it was most keenly contested, gained a complete victory : but to his son Olaf, and to Paul, earl of the Isle of Orkney, who had'been sent with part of the army to guard the ships, he gave liberty to return to their country with twenty ships and the remnant of their army, having first received from them hostages and oaths for their future good behaviour. WILLIAM THE ELDER. In the meantime, while these things were going on, and the king supposed that all his enemies were crushed, word was brought to him that William, duke of Normandy, had arrived with an innumerable multitude ^^Orsêmeri, slingers, archers, and^footràlid'that he had levied strong bodies of auxiliaries from the whole of England, having landed at a place which is called Penvesca.25 Upon this, the king with the greatest haste moved his army towards London ; and although he was well aware that in the two battles above-mentioned the bravest men of the whole of England had fallen, and that the centre of his army had not yet come up, he did not hesitate to meet the enemy with all possible speed in Sussex ; and, at the distance of nine miles from Hastings, where he had pitched his camp, on the eleventh day before the calends of November, being Saturday, and the day of Saint Calixtus the pope and Martyr, he engaged with them, before the third part of his army was drawn up ; but, as the English had been drawn up in a confined spot, many withdrew from his ranks, and but very few remained with him with undaunted hearts. Still, from the third hour of the day26 until nightfall, he made a most determined resistance against the foe, and 14 I'evensey. 26 Nine in the morning.