Now when Harold should returne into England, duke William deliuered [Sidenote:  Polydor.] him his nephue Hacune, but kept his brother Wilnote with him still as a pledge.  Then went earle Harold into England, and declared vnto king Edward what he had doone, who said vnto him; “Did not I tell thee that thou wouldest doo the thing whereof thou shouldest repent thee, and procure a mischiefe to follow vnto thy countrie?  But God of his mercie turne that euill hap from this realme, or at the least, if it be his pleasure, that it must needs come to passe, yet to staie it till after my daies!” Some by Harolds purposed going ouer into Normandie, doo gather, that king Edward foresaw the comming of the Normans; and that he meant nothing lesse, than to performe the [Sidenote:  When the promise was made by king Edward to make duke William his heire.] promise made vnto duke William, as to adopt him his heire, which promise should seeme to be made in time or his banishment, when he stood in need of friendship; as the maner of men in such cases is, to promise much, how so euer they intend to fulfill.  But rather it maie be thought, that king Edward had made no such promise at all, but perceiued the ambitious desire of duke William, and therefore would not that anie occasion should be ministred unto him to take hold of.  Wherefore, he was loth that Harold should go ouer vnto him, least that might happen, which happened in deed.

[Sidenote:  Hen.  Hunt. Matth.  West. Fabian.  Falling out between brethren.  The cruell dealing of earle Tostie.] In the foure and twentieth and last yeere of king Edward his reigne, or therabout, there fell variance betwixt the two brethren, earle Harold and earle Tostie at Windsor, where the court then lay, in so much that earle Harold caught Tostie by the haire of the head in the kings presence, and stroke him.  Heervpon, Tostie departing from the court in great anger, came to Hereford in the marches of Wales, where Harolds seruants were preparing for the kings comming to their maisters house, which seruants he tooke and slue, chopping them in peeces, and threw into this hogshead of wine a leg, into that barrell of sider an arme, into this vessell of ale an head:  and so into the lomes of meth and tubs of brine and other liquor he bestowed the parts of the dead carcasses of his brothers seruants, sending the king woord that he had prouided at his brothers manor, against his coming, good plentie of sowse & powdred meat, whatsoeuer he should find beside.

The rumor of this cruell deed sprang ouer all the realme, wherevpon the Northumbers, whome he had gouerned for the space of ten yeeres verie cruellie, tooke occasion to rebell against him, and slue his [Sidenote:  The Northumbers rebell against Tostie their earle.] seruants both Englishmen and Danes, spoiled his houses, and tooke awaie his horsses, his armour, and all other his goods and houshold stuffe.  The chiefest cause (as is remembred by some writers) that mooued the