The painfull march of king Edward with his armie.
The king on this fridaie, verie erlie in the morning, aduanced his standards and in good order of battell hauing diuided his armie into thrée wards, marched through the the plaines of Cotteswold. The daie was verie hot, and hauing in his armie aboue thrée thousand footmen, he trauelled with them and the residue thirtie miles and more. By all which waie, they could find neither horssemeat, nor mans meat, no not so much as water for their horsses, except one little brooke, of the which they receiued no great reléefe; for what with the horsses and carriages that passed thorough it, the water became so troubled, that it serued them to no vse: and still all that daie king Edward with his armie was within fiue or six miles of his enimies, he in the plaine countrie, and they among the woods.
Chiltenham.
King Edward had euer good espials, to aduertise him still what his enimies did, and which waie they tooke. At length he came with all his armie vnto a village called Chiltenham, like a fiue miles distant from Teukesburie, where he had certeine knowledge that his enimies were alreadie come to Teukesburie, and were incamped there, purposing to abide him in that place, and to deliuer him battell. King Edward therevpon made no long delaie, but tooke a little refection himselfe, and caused his people to doo the like, with such prouision of vittels as he had appointed to be conueied foorth with him for the reléefe of himselfe and his armie. This doone, he set forward towards his enimies, and lodged that night in a field not past thrée miles distant from them.
The ordering of king Edwards battell.
On the morrow being saturdaie, and fourth of Maie, he drew towards his enimies, and marshalled his armie, diuided into thrée battels in this sort. He put his brother the duke of Glocester in the fore-ward, and himselfe in the midle-ward. The lord Marques, and the lord Hastings led the rere-ward. Heerwith he approached the enimies campe, which was right hard to be assailed, by reason of the déepe ditches, hedges, trées, bushes, and cumbersome lanes, wherewith the same was fensed, both a front, and on the sides, so as the king could not well approach them to anie aduantage: and to be the better in a readinesse to beat backe the kings power, when he should come to assault them, they were imbattelled in this order.
The ordering of the lords hoast.
The duke of Glocester.
Teukesburie field.