When our lord the King was first graciously pleased to consent to rule in England, the two chiefs who most assured his throne were thy father and mine: often foes, they laid aside feud and jealousy for the sake of the Saxon line.

Now, since then, thy father hath strung earldom to earldom, like links in a coat-mail.

And, save Northumbria and Mercia; well-nigh all England falls to him and his sons: whereas my father remains what he was, and my father's son stands landless and penceless.
In thine absence the King was graciously pleased to bestow on me thy father's earldom; men say that I ruled it well.

Thy father returns, and though" (here Algar's eyes shot fire, and his hand involuntarily rested on his ateghar) "I could have held it, methinks, by the strong hand, I gave it up at my father's prayer and the King's hest, with a free heart.
Now, therefore, I come to my lord, and I ask, 'What lands and what lordships canst thou spare in broad England to Algar, once Earl of Wessex, and son to the Leofric whose hand smoothed the way to thy throne ?' My lord the King is pleased to preach to me contempt of the world; thou dost not despise the world, Earl of the East Angles,--what sayest thou to the heir of Leofric ?" "That thy suit is just," answered Harold, calmly, "but urged with small reverence." Earl Algar bounded like a stag that the arrow hath startled.
"It becomes thee, who hast backed thy suits with warships and mail, to talk of reverence, and rebuke one whose fathers reigned over earldoms [122], when thine were, no doubt, ceorls at the plough.

But for Edric Streone, the traitor and low-born, what had been Wolnoth, thy grandsire ?" So rude and home an assault in the presence of the King, who, though personally he loved Harold in his lukewarm way, yet, like all weak men, was not displeased to see the strong split their strength against each other, brought the blood into Harold's cheek; but he answered calmly: "We live in a land, son of Leofric, in which birth, though not disesteemed, gives of itself no power in council or camp.