And then Edward stretched out his hand and touched Harold. But was he giving him a blessing or a curse? Was this the hand of God making Harold king? Nobody knew for sure, but Harold had no qualms. Harold seized the crown. The question now was for how long would he keep it? And then, in the April sky, the hand of God showed itself as a comet, the hairy star, and everyone knew this was no blessing but an evil omen. The year was 1066. Historians like a quiet life and usually they get it. For the most part, history moves at a glacial pace, working its changes subtly.


后来，爱德华伸手握住了哈罗德。这究竟是祝福还是诅咒呢？还是上帝要借老国王之手把王位传给哈罗德？究竟何意，无人知晓。但哈罗德却无丝毫疑虑，抓住机会，登上了王位。现在的问题是，他能在这王位上坐多久。紧接着，在四月的某一天，一颗彗星传来了上帝的旨意，这颗扫帚星让所有人意识到，此非赐福，而是凶兆。时年1066。历史学家多爱平静的生活，也通常得偿所愿。多数时候，历史是在缓慢的进程中悄然变化着。