Item, We gif and grantis you full power to augment, or diminische thir saidis heidis and Articles, as ye think the weall of the cause sall requyre in all pointis.
Johnne of Menteith.[130]
Andro of Rothess.
R. Boyd.
Williame Murray of Tullibardin.
Johnne Erskin of Dun.
James Hamyltoun.
Alexr. Gordoun.
Ard. Ergyle.
Glencarne.
Vchiltre.
James Haliburtoun.
Schort efter this Contract, war oure pledgeis delyverit to Maister Winter, Admirall of the Navye, that came to Scotland, a man of great honestie, sua far as ever we could espy of him, quha war saiflie convoyit to New Castell. And sua the Ingliss army began to assembill towardis the Bordour; quhairof the Frensche and Quene Regent assurit, thay began to distroy quhat thay could in the tounis and cuntrey about; for the haill victuallis they careit to Leith; the mylnes thay brak; the scheip, oxin, and kyne, yea, the horse of poore lauboraris, thay maid all to serve thair tyrannye. And, fynallie, they left na thyng quhilk the verray ennemeis could have devisit, except that thay demolischit not gentilmenis housses, and brunt not the tonne of Edinburgh: in quhilk poynt, God brydillit thair furye, to lett his afflictit understand that he tuik cair for thame.
The Crewell Fact of Martyckis.
Befoir the cuming of the land armye, the Frensche past to Glasgu, and distroyit the cuntrey thair about. Quhat tyrannye the Martyckis[131] usit upone ane poore Scottis suldiour, it is feirfull to heir, and yitt his fact may not be omittit. Silver wald thay gif nane to the poore men, and sua war thay slow to depairt of the toun; for albeit the drum struik, the enseingze could not be gottin. Thair was ane poore craftis man, quha haid bocht for his victuallis are gray laif, and was eitting ane morsell of it, and was putting the rest of it in his bosome. The tyranne cam to him, and with the poore catyveis awin quhynger first straik him in the breist, and after cast it at him, and sua the poore man, stagring and falling, the mercyless tyranne ran him through with his rapper, and thairefter commandit him to be hingit ower the stair. Lord, thow wilt yitt luik, and recompense sick tyrrannye; how contemptable that ever the persoun was!
The secunde of Aprile, the yeir of God, Jm Vc and threscoir yeiris, the army be land enterit in Scotland, the conducting quhairof was commitit to the Lord Gray,[132] quha haid in his company the Lord Scrope, Sir James Croftis, Sir Hary Peircey, Sir Francis Laike, with mony uthir capitaneis and gentilmen having charge, sum of futmen, sum of horsmen. The armye be land was esteimit to ten thowsand men. The Quene Regent past to the Castell of Edinburgh,[133] and sum utheris of hir factioun.[134] At Prestoun met thame the Duckes Grace, the Erle of Argyle, (Huntlie came not till that the seige was confirmit,) Lord James, the Erlles of Glencairne and Menteith, Lordis Ruthwen, Boyd, Ochiltre, with all the Protestantis gentilmen of the West Fyffe, Anguss, and Mearneis. Swa that for few dayis the armye was greit.
Efter the deliberatioun of twa dayis had at Enneresk,[135] the haill camp marchit fordwart with ordinance, and all preparatioun necessar for the seige, and came to Restalrig upoun the Palme Sunday Evin.[136] The Frensche haid put thamselffis in battell array upoun the Linkis without Leith, and had send furth thair skyrmissaris; quha begynning befoir ten houris, contyneuit skyrmissing till efter foure houris at efter none, quhan thair was gevin upone thame ane charge be sum horsmen of Scotland, and sum of Yngland. Bot because the principall Capitane of the horsmen of Yngland was not present, the haill troupis durst not charge; and swa was not the owerthraw and slawchter of the Frensche sa greit as it anis appeirit to haif bene; for the greit battell was anis at the trote; bot quhen thay persevit that the greit force of the horsemen stuid still, and chargeit not, thay returnit and gaif sum rescourse to thair fallowis that fled; and swa thair fell onlie in that defait about three hundreth Frenschmen. God wald nocht gif the victorie swa suddanlie, leist that man sould glorye in his awin strenth. The small victorie that was gottin, putt baith the Yngliss and Scottis in ower greit securitie, as the ischew declairit. The Frensche inclosit within the toun, the Yngliss armye began to plant thair palyeanis[137] betwix Leith and Restalrig.[138] The ordinance of the toun, and especiallie that quhilk lay upoun Sanct Anthonies Stepill[139] did thame greit annoyance: aganist quhilk place war bent aucht cannounis, quhilkis schott sa continewallie, and sua just, that within few dayis, that Stepill was condemnit, and all the ordinance that was on it dismontit, quhilk maid the Ynglismen sum quhat mair negligent than it became guid men of war to have bene; for persaiving that the Frensche maid na persute without thair wallis, they tuik oppinioun that they wald never ishe mair, and that maid sum of the Capitanis for pastyme, go to the toun:[140] the soldiouris, for thair ease, did lay thair armour besyde thame, and, as men without daingear, fell to the dice and cairtis. And sua, upoun the Pasche Mononday,[141] at the verray hour of noon, the Frenche ischeit baith on horse and fute, and with greit violence, enterit in to the Yngliss trynscheis, slew and putt to flycht all that was fund thairin. The watche was negligentlie keipit, and so was the succourse slow, and lang in cuming; for the Frenche, befoir that any resistance was made unto thame, approcheit hard to the greit ordinance. Bot than the horsmen troupit togidder, and the futemen gat thameselffis in array, and sua repulsit the Frenche back agane to the toun. Bot the slauchter was greit: sum sayis it doubill exceidit that quhilk the Frenche resavit the fyrst day. And this was the frute of thair securitie and oures, quhilk efter was remeidit; for the Ynglismen maist wyslie considdering thame selfis not abill to beseige the toun round about, devysit to mak montis at dyverse quarteris of it, in the quhilk thay and thair ordinance lay in as gude strenth as thay did within the toun. The common soldiouris keipit the trynscheis, and had the said montis for thair saifgaird and refuge, in case of any greiter persute than thay war abill to sustene. The patience and stowt curage of the Englismen, hot principallie of the horsmen, is worthy of all prayse: for, quhair was it ever hard that aucht thousand (thay never exceidit that number that lay in camp) sould beseige four thousand of the maist despairit throt-cuttaris that were to be found in Europe, and lye sua neir unto thame in daylie skyrmissing, the space of thre monethis and mair. The horsmen nycht and day keipit watche, and did sa valiantlie behaif thameselffis, that the Frenche gatt na advantage fra that day back to the day of the assault, quhairof we shall schortlie heir.
In this meanetyme was this uther Band made of all the Nobilitie, Barronis, and Gentilmen, professing Chryst Jesus in Scotland, and of dyveris utheris that joynit with us, for expelling of the Frenche army; amangis quham, the Erle of Huntlie was principall. The Band followis:—
[Ane Contract of the Lords and Barons, to defend the Liberty of the Evangell of Christ.][142]
NOTA.—HEIRUPONE CAME THE PERSUTE.[143]