Foure English ships lost.
Abington.
On the same thursdaie, king Edward with his armie passed the riuer of Twéed, and so entring into Scotland, sent to the burgesses of Berwike, offering them peace vpon certeine conditions, and staied a whole day for an answer: but when he could haue none that liked him, nor that sounded in anie thing to peace, he approched the towne, and lodged in the monasterie of Caldestreime. His armie consisted as some write of foure thousand men of armes on horsbacke, and thirtie thousand footmen, besides fiue hundred men of armes on horssebacke, and a thousand footmen of the bishoprike of Durham. At the same time, there came foure and twentie English ships, the mariners whereof, beholding where the English armie was placed in battell raie, vpon a plaine, the king making there certeine knights, they thought his meaning was to haue giuen forthwith an assalt, and so entring the hauen, and approching to the land, began to fight with the townesmen, where they lost foure of their ships, and were constreined to withdraw with the residue, with helpe of the falling water. Some haue written that they lost but thrée ships which were consumed with fire, and that the mariners and souldiers of one of those ships, after they had defended themselues by great manhood from the first houre of the daie, till eleuen of the clocke, escaped awaie, some by the bote of that ship, and some leaping into the water, were saued by the botes of other ships that made in to succour them.
Berwike woone.
This sir Richard Cornewall was brother to the erle of Cornewall.
Abington.
Caxton.
The rumor of the mariners attempt being bruted through the armie, the king passing forward towards the towne, got ouer a ditch, which the Scots had cast to impeach his passage, and so comming to the towne, wan it not losing any man of renowme, sauing sir Richard Cornewall, the which was slaine by a quarell which a Flemming shot out of a crossebowe, being in the red hall, which the merchants of Flanders held in that towne, and had fortified it in manner of a tower: but when they would not yéeld, and could not easilie otherwise be woone, the house towards euening was set on fire, and so they being thirtie in number were burned to death within it. Vpon the same night, the king lodged in the castell, which was yéelded vnto him by them that kept it, their liues and limmes saued, and receiuing an oth, that they should not from thencefoorth beare armour against the king of England, they were permitted to depart whither they thought good, their capteine sir William Dowglas excepted, whom the king still kept with him, till the end of the warres. Some write that there should be slaine of Scotishmen at this winning of Berwike, aboue the number of twentie thousand men, Abington saith 8000, but Richard Southwell saith 15000 at the least one with an other, with small losse of Englishmen, not past eight and twentie of all sorts. Yée may read more hereof in the Scotish historie.
Abraham Fleming.
R. Grafton, pag. 176.