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 flee, 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 chase:  wherevpon the Normans (perceiuing now that all things came to passe as they desired) speedilie returned, and casting themselues togither quicklie into arraie, began to charge them againe afresh, and [Sidenote:  A sore foughten battell.  King Harold slaine.] so hauing them at that aduantage, they slue them downe on euerie side.  The Englishmen on the other part fought sore, and though their king was beaten downe among them and slaine, yet were they loth to flee or giue ouer; so sharpe was the battell, that duke William himselfe had three horsses slaine vnder him that day, and not without great danger of his person.

[Sidenote:  Wil.  Malm. Matth.  West.] Some of the Englishmen got them to the height of an hill, and beate backe the Normans that forced themselues to win the hill of them, so that it was long yer the Normans could preuaile, being oftentimes driuen downe into the botome of the vallie beneath.  At length the [Sidenote:  The Englishmen put to flight.] Englishmen, perceiuing themselues to be ouermatched and beaten downe on euerie side, and therevnto greatlie discouraged with slaughter of their king, began first to giue ground, and after to scatter and to run away, so that well was he that might then escape by flight.  When [Sidenote:  Chron. de bello. Wil.  Geme. The Normans fall into a ditch.] they had fought the most part of all that saturday, the Normans followed the chase with such eger rashnesse, that a great number of them falling with their horsses and armour into a blind ditch (shadowed with reed and sedges which grew therein) were smouldered and pressed to death, yer they could be succoured or get anie reliefe.  The next day the Normans fell to gathering in the spoile of the field, burieng also the dead bodies of their people that were slaine at the battell, giuing licence in semblable manner to the Englishmen to doo [Sidenote:  Giral.  Camb.] the like.