election, and to bring him from thence into
England in deliuering pledges for more assurance, that no fraud nor
deceit was ment of the Englishmen, but that vpon his comming thither,
he should receiue the crowne without all contradiction. Edward then
aided by his coosine William duke of Normandie, tooke the sea, &
with a small companie of Normans came into England, where he was
[Sidenote: _Henr. Hunt._ _Wil. Malm._ The third of Aprill. 1043.]
receiued with great ioy as king of the realme, & immediatlie after was
crowned at Winchester by Edsinus then archbishop of Canturburie, on
Easter day in the yeare of our Lord 1043, which fell also about the
fourth yeare of the emperour Henrie the third, surnamed Niger, in the
12 yeare of Henrie the first of that name king of France, and about
the third yeare of Macbeth king of Scotland.

This Edward the third of that name before the conquest, was of nature
more meeke and simple than apt for the gouernement of the realme, &
therefore did earle Goodwine not onelie seeke the destruction of his
elder brother Alfred, but holpe all that he might to aduance this
Edward to the crowne, in hope to beare great rule in the realme vnder
him, whome he knew to be soft, gentle, and easie to be persuaded. But
whatsoeuer writers doo report hereof, sure it is, that Edward was the
elder brother, and not Alfred: so that if earle Goodwine did shew his
furtherance by his pretended cloake of offering his friendship vnto
Alfred to betraie him, he did it by king Harolds commandement, and yet
it may be that he meant to haue vsurped the crowne to him selfe, if
each point had answered his expectation in the sequele of things, as
he hoped they would; and therfore had not passed if both the brethren
had beene in heauen. But yet when the world framed contrarie
(peraduenture) to his purpose, he did his best to aduance Edward,
trusting to beare no small rule vnder him, being knowen to be a man
more appliable to be gouerned by other than to trust to his owne wit:
and so chieflie by the assistance of earle Goodwine (whose authoritie,
as appeareth, was not small within the realme of England in those
daies) Edward came to atteine the crowne: wherevnto the earle of
Chester Leofrike also shewed all the furtherance that in him laie.

[Sidenote: _Ran. Higd. ex Mariano_. _Alb. Crantz_.]
Some write (which seemeth also to be confirmed by the Danish
chronicles) that king Hardiknought in his life time had receiued this
Edward