The winter of 1065 was marked by tremendous gales which destroyed churches and uprooted great trees. As King Edward the Confessor lay on his deathbed, he was visited by a strange and terrible dream which he insisted on relating to all those who had gathered around him. Two monks came to my deathbed and told me that because of the sins of its people, God had given England to evil spirits. I said to them "Will God not have mercy?" And they replied, "Not until a growing tree, cleft in two by a lightning storm that should come together of its own accord and grow green again. Only then will there be pardon." But no one paid much attention to the ravings of an old man. What was much more important was that Edward had touched Harold's hand.


1065年冬天，因为一场飓风教堂顷刻覆灭，大树拔根而起。国王忏悔者爱德华躺在床上奄奄一息，他做了一个奇怪而可怕的梦，他坚持认为这和他周遭的人都有关系。两名僧人走到我床前，告诉我，因为子民所犯下的罪，上帝已将英格兰交给了恶灵，我说，上帝不能原谅我吗？他们回答，"若被闪电劈裂的树，能复旧如初，并再得盎然绿意，方可得主的宽恕"。但是无人理会一个老人的疯言乱语，人们所看重的是，爱德华触摸了哈罗德的手。