Herout soon after died, and went the way he deserved; whereupon the men of England assembled to consider about making a king in his place. They feared Edward who was the right heir, on account of the decimation of the Normans, and the murder of his brother Alvred; and at last they agreed to make Hardekenut king of England. So they sent for Hardekenut, the son of Emma and Kenut, and he repaired thither from Denmark, and the clergy crowned him: but he sent for Edward his brother, the son of Emma his mother, and kept him in great honour at his court, and was king over him only in name. Hardekenut was king twelve years, and then fell ill. He did not languish long, but soon died. His mother lamented over him exceedingly; but it was a great comfort to her that her son Edward was come; and he obtained the kingdom[8], the English finding no other heir who was entitled to the crown. Edward was gentle and courteous, and established peace and good laws. He took to wife Godwin's daughter, Edif[9] by name. She was a fair lady, but they had no children between them, and people said that he never consorted with her; but no man saw that there was ever any disagreement between them[10]. He loved the Normans very much, and held them dear, keeping them on familiar terms about him; and loved duke William as a brother or child. Thus peace lasted, and long will last, never I hope to have an end[11]. [Illustration] [Footnote 1: Canute died 12th November, 1035, or four months and a half after Duke Robert; so that Wace here retraces his steps to take up English affairs.] [Footnote 2: Ethelred, Edward and Alfred are spelt by Wace, Ewart and Alvred.] [Footnote 3: Harold.] [Footnote 4: Barfleur. This expedition took place in 1036. Hantone is Hampton, probably Southampton.] [Footnote 5: This port seems to have been Wissant, between Calais and Boulogne: see _William of_ _Jumieges_ and the _Encomium Emmæ_. Alfred went by land to the Boulognese.] [Footnote 6: Spelt Gwine by _Wace_.] [Footnote 7: Guildford, in Surrey.] [Footnote 8: Hardicanute died 10th July, 1042. Edward's conduct to his mother was not consistent with any sense of obligation towards her, nor indeed with his own generally received character. See an anecdote in _Roger Hoveden_, 1043.] [Footnote 9: Or Editha. 'Sicut spina rosam genuit Godwinus Editham.' Ingulfs account of her kindness, literary tastes, and liberality, in giving him money, as well as access to the royal larder, may be seen in his chronicle, and is quoted in the collection of Norman historians by _Mascres_. As to her matrimonial position with her husband, Wace's words are E ço alouent la gent, disant Ki charnelment od li ne jut, Ni charnelment ne la conut: Maiz unkes hom ne l'aparçut, Ne mal talent entrels ne fut. ] [Footnote 10: Wace seems not aware that Editha, at the time of the disgrace of her family, was stripped of all she had, and sent to a convent.]