Feudal England: Historical Studies on the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries - John Horace Round

I print these passages side by side:

William of Malmesbury	Wace
Premisit tamen qui numerum hostium et vires specularentur. Quos intra castra deprehensos Willelmus circum tentoria duci, moxque, largis eduliis pastos, domino incolumes remitti jubet. Redeuntes percunctatur Haroldus quid rerum apportent: illi, verbis amplissimis ductoris magnificam confidentiam prosecuti, serio addiderunt pene omnes in exercitu illo presbyteros videri, quod totam faciem cum utroque labio rasam haberent; ... subrisit rex fatuitatem referentinum, lepido insecutus cachinno, quia non essent presbyteri, sed milites validi, armis invicti. (§ 239)	Heraut enveia dous espies Por espier quels compagnies E quanz barons e quanz armez Aueit li dus od sei menez. Ia esteient a l'ost uenu, Quant il furent aparceu A Guillaume furent mene, Forment furent espoente. Mais quant il sout que il quereient E que ses genz esmer ueneient, Par tos les tres les fist mener E tote l'ost lor fist mostrer; Bien les fist paistre e abeurer, Pois les laissa quites aler, Nes volt laidir ne destorber. Quant il vindrent a lor seignor, Del duc distrent mult grant enor. Un des Engleis, qui out veuz Les Normans toz res e tonduz, Quida que tuit proueire fussent E que messes chanter peussent, Kar tuit erent tondu e res, Ne lor esteit guernon remes. Cil dist a Heraut que li dus Aueit od sei proueies plus Que chevaliers ne altre gent; De co se merueillout forment Que tuit erent res e tondu. E Heraut li a respondu Que co sunt cheualiers uaillanz, Hardi e proz e combatanz. 'N'ont mie barbes ne guernons,' Co dist Heraut, 'com nos auons.' (ll. 7101-34)

William of Malmesbury

Wace

Premisit tamen qui numerum hostium et vires specularentur.
Quos intra castra deprehensos Willelmus circum tentoria duci, moxque, largis eduliis pastos, domino incolumes remitti jubet.
Redeuntes percunctatur Haroldus quid rerum apportent: illi, verbis amplissimis ductoris magnificam confidentiam prosecuti, serio addiderunt pene omnes in exercitu illo presbyteros videri, quod totam faciem cum utroque labio rasam haberent; ... subrisit rex fatuitatem referentinum, lepido insecutus cachinno, quia non essent presbyteri, sed milites validi, armis invicti. (§ 239)

Heraut enveia dous espies Por espier quels compagnies E quanz barons e quanz armez Aueit li dus od sei menez. Ia esteient a l'ost uenu, Quant il furent aparceu A Guillaume furent mene, Forment furent espoente. Mais quant il sout que il quereient E que ses genz esmer ueneient, Par tos les tres les fist mener E tote l'ost lor fist mostrer; Bien les fist paistre e abeurer, Pois les laissa quites aler, Nes volt laidir ne destorber. Quant il vindrent a lor seignor, Del duc distrent mult grant enor. Un des Engleis, qui out veuz Les Normans toz res e tonduz, Quida que tuit proueire fussent E que messes chanter peussent, Kar tuit erent tondu e res, Ne lor esteit guernon remes. Cil dist a Heraut que li dus Aueit od sei proueies plus Que chevaliers ne altre gent; De co se merueillout forment Que tuit erent res e tondu. E Heraut li a respondu Que co sunt cheualiers uaillanz, Hardi e proz e combatanz. 'N'ont mie barbes ne guernons,' Co dist Heraut, 'com nos auons.' (ll. 7101-34)

The story is just one of those that William of Malmesbury would have picked up, and Wace has simply, in metrical paraphrase, transferred it from his pages to his own.

Yet another story, on which Mr Freeman looked with some just suspicion, is common to these two writers, and virtually to them alone. It is that of 'the contrast between the way in which the night before the battle was spent by the Normans and the English' (iii. 760). Wace, says Mr Freeman, 'gives us the same account' as William 'in more detail', while William 'gives us a shorter account'. I here again append the passages side by side, insisting on the fact mentioned by Mr Freeman, that Wace expands the story 'in more detail':

Itaque utrinque animosi duces disponunt acies.... Angli, ut accepimus, totam noctem insompnem cantibus potibusque ducentes.
. . . . .
Contra Normanni, nocte tota confessioni peccatorum vacantes, mane Dominico corpore communicarunt. (§§ 241, 242)

Quant la bataille dut ioster, La noit auant, c'oi conter, Furent Engleis forment haitie Mult riant e mult enueisie. Tote noit maingierent e burent, Onques la noit en lit ne jurent. Mult les veissiez demener, Treper e saillir e chanter. . . . . . E li Normant e li Franceis Tote noit firent oreisons E furent en afflictions. De lor pechiez confes se firent, As proueires les regehirent, E qui nen out proueires pres, À son ueisin se fist confes. . . . . . Quant les messes furent chantees, Qui bien matin furent finees.... (ll. 7349-56, 7362-8, 7407-8)

This brings me to my destination, namely, § 241 of the 'Gesta Regum'. We may divide this section into three successive parts: (1) the description of the way in which the English spent the night—which is repeated, we have seen, by Wace; (2) the array of the English, with which I shall deal below; (3) the dismounting of Harold at the foot of the standard. I here subjoin the parallels for the third, calling special attention to the phrases, 'd'or e de pierres (auro et lapidibus)' and 'Guil. pois cele victoire Le fist porter a l'apostoire (post victorium papae misit Willelmus).'

Rex ipse pedes juxta vexillum stabat cum fratribus, ut, in commune periculo aequato, nemo de fuga cogitaret. Vexillum illud post victoriam papae misit Willelmus, quod erat in hominis pugnantis figura, auro et lapidibus arte sumptuosa intextum.

Quant Heraut out tot apreste E co qu'il uolt out commande Enmi les Engleis est uenuz, Lez l'estandart est descenduz Lewine e Guert furent od lui Frere Heraut furent andui, Assez out barons enuiron; Heraut fu lez son gonfanon. Li gonfanon fu mult vaillanz, D'or e de pierres reluissanz. Guill. pois cele victoire Le fist porter a l'apostoire, Por mostrer e metre en memoire Son grant conquest e sa grant gloire. (ll. 7853-66)

The only part of § 241 which remains to be dealt with is the second. The two passages run thus: