Reges atque duces dira impelluntur in arma,
Imperiúmque sibi miserorum cæde lucrantur.
O cæci, ô miseri, quid? bellum pace putatis
Dignius aut melius? nempe hôc nil terpius, & nil
Quod magis humanâ procul à ratione recedat.
Ouid. Candida pax homines, trux decet ira feras.
K. Stephan maketh hast to rescue the north parts.
The Scots retire.
K. Stephan burnt the south parts of Scotland. But to our storie. King Stephan hearing of this pitifull spoile, hasted forward with great iournies to the rescue of the countrie. The Scots put in feare of spéedie comming to encounter them, drew backe into Scotland: but he pursued them, and entring into their countrie burned and destroied the south parts of that realme in most miserable maner. Whilest king Stephan was thus about to beat backe the forren enimies, and reuenge himselfe on them, he was assailed by other at home, & not without the iust vengeance of almightie God, who meant to punish him for his periurie committed in taking vpon him the crowne, contrarie to his Robert earle of Glocester. oth made vnto the empresse and hir children. For Robert erle of Glocester, base brother vnto the empresse, and of hir priuie councell, sought by all meanes how to bring king Stephan into hatred, both of the Nobles and commons, that by their helpe he might be expelled the realme, and the gouernment restored to the empresse and hir sonne.
Such earnest trauell was made by this earle of Glocester, that manie of his freends which fauoured his cause, now that king Stephan was occupied in the north parts, ioined with him in conspiracie against their Bristow taken. souereigne. First the said earle himselfe tooke Bristowe; and after this diuerse other townes and castels there in that countrie were taken by him and others, with full purpose to kéepe the same to the behoofe of Sim. Dun.
Talbot.
Matt. Paris.
Louell. Painell. Fitz-John. Fitz-Alain. the empresse and hir sonne. Amongst other William Talbot tooke vpon him to defend Hereford in Wales: William Louell held the castell of Gary: Paganell or Painell kept the castell of Ludlow: William de Moun the castell of Dunestor: Robert de Nicholl, the castle of Warram: Eustace Fitz-John, the castle of Walton; and William Fitz-Alain, the castle of Shrewesburie.
When word hereof came to king Stephan, he was maruellouslie vexed: for being determined to haue pursued the Scots euen to the vttermost limits of their countrie, he was now driuen to change his mind, and thought it good at the first to stop the proceedings of his enimies at home, least in giuing them space to increase their force, they might in processe of Simon Dun. Matth. Paris. The castle of Douer deliuered to the quéene. Polydor. time growe so strong, that it would be an hard matter to resist them at the last. Herevpon therefore he returned southward, and comming vpon his enimies, recouered out of their hands diuers of those places which they held, as Hereford, and the castle of Shrewesburie. About the same time one Walkeline yéelded the castle of Douer vnto the quéene, who had besieged him within the same.
Now king Stephan knowing that the Scots were not like long to continue Thurstan archbishop of Yorke made lieutenant of the north ports. in quiet, returned northwards againe; and comming to Thurstan the archbishop of Yorke, he committed the kéeping of the countrie vnto his charge, commanding him to be in a redinesse to defend the borders vpon any sudden inuasion. Which thing the couragious archbishop willinglie vndertooke. By this meanes king Stephan being eased of a great part of his care, fell in hand to besiege the residue of those places which the rebels kept: but they fearing to abide the danger of an assault, fled away, some into one part, and some into another; whom the kings power of horssemen still pursuing and ouertaking by the way, slue, and tooke no small number of them prisoners in the chase. Thus was the victorie in maner wholie atchiued, and all those places recouered, which the enimies had fortified.
The Scots eftsoones inuade Northumberland. In like maner when king Dauid heard that the king was thus vexed with ciuill warre at home, he entred England againe in most forceable wise: and sending his horssemen abroad into the countrie, commanded them to waste and spoile the same after their accustomed maner. But in the meane time he purposed with himselfe to besiege Yorke: which citie if he might haue woone, he determined to haue made it the frontier hold against king Stephan, and the rest that tooke part with him. Herevpon calling in his horssemen from straieng further abroad, he marched thitherwards, and comming neere to the citie, pitched downe his tents.
Archbishop Thurstan raiseth a power to fight with the Scots. In this meane while the archbishop Thurstan, to whom the charge of defending the countrie cheefelie in the kings absence apperteined, called togither the Nobles and gentlemen of the shire and parties adioining, whom with so pithie and effectuall words he exhorted to resist the attempts of the Scots (whose cruell dooings could kéepe no measure) that incontinentlie all the power of the northparts was raised, Sim. Dunel. Capteines of the armie. and (vnder the leading of William earle of Albermarle, Walter Espeke, William Peuerell of Nottingham, and two of the Lacies, Walter and Gilbert) offered euen with perill of life and limme to trie the matter against the Scots in a pight field, and either to driue them out of the countrie, or else to loose their liues in the quarel of their prince.
It chanced at this time, that archbishop Thurstan was sicke, and Rafe bish. of Durham supplieth the roome of the archbishop. therefore could not come into the field himselfe, but yet he sent Rafe bishop of Durham to supplie his roome, who though he saw and perceiued that euerie man was readie enough to encounter with their enimies; yet he thought good to vse some exhortation vnto them the better to encourage them, in maner as here ensueth.
Matth. Paris. Sim. Dun. "Most noble Englishmen, and ye right valient Normans, of whose courage the Frenchman is afraid, by you England is kept vnder, by you Apulia dooth flourish, and vnto you Jerusalem and Antioch haue yéelded their subjection. We haue at this present the rebellious nation of Scotland (which of right ought to be subiect to the crowne of England) come into the field against vs, thinking for euermore to rid themselues of their submission, and to bring both vs and our countrie into their bondage and thraldome. Now albeit I see in you courage sufficient, to beat them backe from any further attempt; yet least when you shall come to the triall, by any manner of chance, you should loose any péece thereof, I lamenting the state of my countrie (whose gréeuances I wish you should redresse) doo meane to vse a few words vnto you, not for that I would exhort you to doo any man wrong, but rather to beat them backe which offer to doo you iniurie. Consider therefore that you shall here fight with that enimie, whom you haue oftentimes vanquished, and oftentimes offending in periurie, haue oftentimes most worthilie punished: whome also (to be bréefe) raging after the maner of cruell robbers, wickedlie spoiling churches, and taking awaie our goods, you did latelie constreine to lurke in desert places and corners out of sight. Against this enimie (I say) therefore worthie of reuengement for his so manifold outrages, shew yourselues valiant, and with manlie stomaches driue him out of our confines. For as far as I can perceiue, the victorie is yours, God surelie will aid you, who cannot longer abide the sinnes of this people. Wherefore he that looseth his life in so iust a quarell (according to the saieng of our sauiour) shall find it. Let not their rash and presumptuous boldnesse make you afraid, sith so manie tokens of your approoued valiancie cannot cause them to stand in doubt of you. You are clad in armour, and so appointed with helmet, curase, greiues, and target, that the enimie knoweth not were to strike and hurt you. Then sith you shall haue to doo with naked men, and such as vse not to weare any armour at all, but more méet for brablers and ale-house quarrellers than men of warre vsed to the field: what should you stand in doubt of? Their huge number is not able to stand against your skilfull order and practised knowledge in all warlike feats and martiall discipline. A rude multitude is but a let, rather than a furtherance to atchiue the victorie. A small number of your worthie elders haue oftentimes vanquished great multitudes of enimies." As the bishop was thus speaking to the English armie, and before he grew to an end of his exhortation, the Scots approched with their battels, & first certeine of their bands of horssemen were sent afore, to take the higher ground: which when the Englishmen perceiued, they staied not till the enimies should begin the The Englishmen set vpon the Scots. battell, but straightwaies caused their trumpets to sound, and so giue the onset.
The Scots were as readie to encounter with them, so that the battell began to be verie hot, and euen at the first out flew the arrows, and then the footmen ioined, who fought most fiercelie on both sides. The Scots of Lodian disorder the Englishmen. Simon Dun. Matth. Paris. Herewith a wing of them of Lodian, which were in the Scotish vauntgard, brake in vpon the vauntgard of the English: but yet closing togither againe, they kept out the enimies, and casting about with a wing, compassed the Scotish horssemen round about, and panching their horsses, they slue a great number, and constreined the residue to retire. Which thing when their felowes in the other wing saw, their hearts began to faint, and by and by betooke them to their heeles.