n death of man and beast." So a poet of the same age:--

"There with long bloody hair a blazing star
Threatens the world with famine, plague, and war;
To princes death, to kingdoms many crosses,
To all estates inevitable losses;
To herdsmen rot, to plowmen hapless seasons,
To sailors storms, to cities civil treasons."

But a writer on comets in 1665 crowned all previous conjecture. "As if
God and Nature intended by comets to ring the knells of princes;
esteeming the bells of churches upon earth not sacred enough for such
illustrious and eminent performances."

No wonder that the comet in Harold's days was regarded with fearful
misgivings.

It did not, however, dismay him. Duke William, as may be supposed, did
not tamely submit to a usurpation of what he considered, or affected
to consider, his own dominions--a circumstance which we see an envoy,
probably from his party in England, makes him acquainted with. He
holds a council, seemingly an earnest and animated one, which
evidently results in the immediate preparation of a fleet; of which
the tapestry delineates the various stages and circumstances, from the
felling of the timber in its native woods to the launching of the
vessels, stored and fully equipped in arms, provisions, and heroes for
invasion and conquest.

William in this expedition received unusual assistance from his own
tributary chiefs, and from various other allies, who joined his
standard, and without whom, indeed, he could not, with any chance of
success, have made his daring attempt. A summer and autumn were spent
in fitting-up the fleet and collecting the forces, "and there was no
knight in the land, no good serjeant, archer, nor peasant of stout
heart, and of age for battle, that the duke did not summon to go with
him to England; promising rents to the vavassors, and honours to the
barons." Thus was an armament prepared of seven hundred ships, but the
one which bore William, the hero of the expedition, shone proudly
pre-eminent over the rest. It was the gift of his affectionate queen.
It is represented in the canvas of larger size than the others: the
mast, surmounted by a cross, bears the banner which was sent to
William by the Pope as a testimony of his blessing and approbation. On
this mast also a beacon-light nightly blazed as a _point d'approche_
of the remainder of the fleet. On the poop was the figure of a boy
(supposed to be meant for the conqueror's youngest son