240 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

This answer was no other than William ex-pected; and he had previously fixed his resolutionof making an attempt upon England. Consultingonly his courage , his resentment, and his ambition,he overlooked all the difficulties , inseparable froman attack on a great kingdom by such inferiorforce, and he saw only the circumstances, whichWould facilitate his enterprise. He considered,that England, ever since the accession of Canute,had enjoyed profound tranquillity, during a periodof near fifty years; and it would require time forits soldiers, enervated by long peace, to learndiscipline, and its generals experience. He knew,that it was entirely unprovided with fortifiedtowns, by which it could prolong the war; butroust venture its whole fortune in one decisiveaction against a veteran enemy, who, being oncemaster of the field, would be in a condition toover-run the kingdom. He saw that Harold ,though he had given proofs of vigour and bravery,had newly mounted a throne, which he hadacquired by faction, from which he had excludeda very ancient royal family, and which was likelyto totter under him by its own instability, muchmore if ffiaken by any violent external impulse.And he hoped, that the very circumstance of hiscrossing the sea, quitting his own country, andleaving himself no hopes of retreat; as it wouldastonish the enemy by the boldness of the enter-prise, would inspirit his soldiers by despair, androuse them to sustain the reputation of the Normanarms.

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