A.D. 1066.] WILLIAM LANDS AT HASTINGS. 329 justice of his cause by any rashness, he sent messengers to pope Alexander, to obtain the sanction of apostolical authority for his enterprise. After considering both sides of the question, the pope sent William a standard in token of his right ; on receiving which he called a council of nobles at Lillebone, and demanded the sentiments of each on the matter aforesaid. They all promised him their aid, and encouraged him to proceed in his enterprise; after which they broke up the council, agreeing in the month of August to assemble at the port of St. Valéry with horses and arms, in readiness to cross the sea. Accordingly, they all assembled at the time appointed, but the wind was unfavourable for conveying them over to England. T o procure a gale, the duke ordered the body of St. Valéry to bo brought out into the open air, and immediately their sails were filled with the wished for breeze. AU thereupon embarked, and made a rapid course to Hastings. In quitting his vessel, duke William slipped and fell; on which, a knight, who stood near, gave a happy turn to the accident by saying, " Duke, you have taken possession of England as its future sovereign." -he morrow after his death, at London, in a church which he had himself built after a new fashion ; and afterwards many, who built churches on the same plan, emulated the lavish expenditure of that work. In him at last ceased the line of English kings, which line is said to have continued uninterrupted, from the time of Cerdic the first king of the West-Saxons, for five hundred and seventy-one years, excepting when a few Danes reigned for some time as a punishment for the wickedness of the English nation. On the death then of the most holy king Edward in whom the line of the kings of England became extinct, the nobles of the kingdom were wavering in their choice of a ruler. For some were in favour of William duke of the Normans, some were for earl Harold son of Godwin, but others inclined to Edgar, Edward's son. But Edward was the son of Edmund Ironside, who was the natural descendant of a race of kings ; Edgar was the son of Edward, and to him the kingdom of England of right belonged ; but Harold, a crafty and shrewd man, who knew how dangerous it was to delay when aM things were ready, on the very day of the Epiphany on which Edward was buried, extorted the allegiance of the nobles, and claimed the kingdom for himself, adding to his other offences by assuming the crown without the anthority of the church ; and by this act he made enemies of pope Alexander and all the prelates of England. Harold also king of Norway, coming with a thousand ships to attack him, was defeated by the English king Harold, which raised his pride so that he became oppressive to his lubjects. Being now become a tyrant from a king he thought nothing of the agreement between himself and duke William which had been made and confirmed by oath. His feeling of security was also increased by the