[66] = a ten pounder.

[67] = a five pounder.

HERTFORD AND OTHERS TO HENRY VIII.

A. (May 9th, 1544.)

Source.—Hamilton Papers, No. 233.

Please it your highness to understand that I the Earl of Hertford with Your Majesty's army here, marched out of this toun on Wednesday last, towards Edinburgh, and being set forwards, came to me an herald and trumpet from the provost and council of the toun, declaring on their behalf that they would set open the gates and deliver the keys unto me to do with the toun and them what I would, upon trust that I would be good lord unto them and save their lives and goods without burning or spoil of the toun, which should make no resistance unto me.

I told him forasmuch as they had before refused so to do, and had made me resolute answer that unless I would capitulate with them in what sort I would use them and their toun, they would not yield the same, but make resistances, which I took for a final resolution, I would therefore remain now at my liberty to do as I thought good when I came there; and therewith I asked, whether they would also undertake and promise for to deliver the castle? Whereunto he answered that it was out of his power to deliver the castle, but for the toun which was in their hands, it should be at my commandment. Whereupon I willed them to return, and to say unto the said provost and council that if they would render all to my will, they should forthwith avoid the toun of man, woman and childe, and at mine entry into the toun, if they did meet me and submit themselves, I would then do as I saw cause.

Whereupon he departed, and soon after when I came near to the toun, the provost and others of the toun with him, came to me and required me to be good lord unto them and their toun, which should be committed unto me without resistance, trusting that I would save their lives and goods, and not burn nor spoil their toun.

I made them in effect like answer as before I made to the herald, but being much pressed by them for the safetie of them and their toun with their goods as aforesaid, I willed them to return, saying that at mine entry within the toun, upon their submission and delivery of the keys as they offered, I would then use them with the more favour, as at my coming to the gates of the toun I would further declare. They returned with this answer, and I supposed verily that they would in this sort have delivered and yielded the toun; but immediately after, as soon as we were marched hard to the toun, the inhabitants of the suburbs raised a fire and a great smoke in one or two of their own houses betwixt us and the toun, and forthwith after, I had intelligence that they would defend and withstand us to their power. Whereupon I the said Earl caused me the Lord Admiral with the forward to march into the toun, who passed through the suburbs to the principal port of the toun, being an iron gate and well fortified with men and ordinance, which they shot so fast that some of our men being killed in the streets with the same, the rest began to shrink and retire, but that the gentlemen and others of the foreward, your majesty's servants, gave the onset and made so sharp assault and approach hard to the gate, that they recovered one piece of their artillery, and by violence drew it from them through the loops, where the same did lie in the gate. Nevertheless the Scots shot out of their windows and holes of their houses so fast with hand-guns, that our men being so astonied therewith, shot again at adventure, and did more hurt to their own fellows than to the enemys, whereby it chanced that one hit my Lord William with an arrow above the cheek, but the stroke was so faint and weakly shot that, thanked be God, it did him little or no hurt at all. In fine the said lord Admiral having caused Sir Christopher Morris to lay ordinance to the said gate, after three or iiii shots of a culverin, the gate flew open and our men entered the toun with such good courage, as all the enemies fled away, and many of them were slain, we think about vi or vii score at the least. And being thus entered within the toun, and our enemies discomfited, although I the said Earl had before taken order, that after the winning of the toun and the entry into the same, they should proceed no farther, nor make assault to the castle, till upon a future advice, yet when the said gate was thus won and opened with the ordinance, the gunners of their own courage, without advice or commandment of me the said Earl, and without the knowledge of one the Lord Admiral, made forthwith an approach with their battery pieces to the Castle of Edinburgh, and shot of a little while to the same; but the castle being so strong and the approach so dangerous on all sides, that it is not possible for men to stand to their pieces without utter destruction, the Scots with their shot both of cannon and other pieces out of the castle, slew our men and dismounted one of our pieces. So that I the said Earl perceiving the same, caused Mr. Lee and the Surveyor of Calais to view the approach, who said that the same was so dangerous, as the castle seemed to be impregnable without a long demour and tarrying upon it; for there could be, as they said, no case devised for the approach, but that the same must needs be so open upon the shot of the castle, as without the great loss of men it could not be entered, the ground being of hard rock, so that there was no earth to fill mounds with, nor yet to trench on, and notwithstanding all the shot that Sir Christopher Morris made, which endured almost two hours, the walls of the castle seemed so strong as they were little or nothing battered or impaired with the same. Whereupon I the said Earl caused him to retire and withdraw all his pieces of artillery saving that which was dismounted, which could not be lead away, the place being so dangerous, as men could not stand to mount the same again, and therefore I caused him to break it with over charge. And as soon as the ordinance was thus withdrawn and set forwards, I commanded the captains and soldiers to set fire in the toun, which being so raised in sundry parts, the soldiers fell into such a sudden rage and fear, that what by reason of the shot out of the castle, which beateth full upon the toun, and killed sundry of our soldiers, and again with such exclamations and cryings out upon no ground or cause, they began to flee so fast out of the toun, as by reason of the straight passage at the gate, the throng and press was so great, that one of them was like to destroy another; whereof was like to have grown some mischief and confusion. And if the smoke had not been such in the toun as blinded the Scots so that the same could not see the confusion and throng of our soldiers, undoubted with their shot they might have slain a great number of your people. But God be thanked, at last it was well appeased with much ado, and having made a jolly fire and smoke upon the toun, I the said Earl with Your Highness' army returned to our camp in this toun. And in this enterprise we lost not in all past xx men, but by reason of the said confusion amongst the soldiers the time passed and night came so fast on, that we could not tarry so long upon the burning of the toun throughout, as we would have done, though it be metely well smoked, and therefore we left it for that time. But yesterday arrived here the warden of the East and Middle marches, with the horsemen to the number of four thousand at the least, and this day I the said Earl have eftsoons visited the said toun of Edinburgh, which had chosen them a new provost, and intending to make a new resistance, had repaired the said chief port of the toun with stone and earth and stood somewhat stoutly to their defence. Nevertheless they were so well assaulted and quickly handled that the gate was soon set upon with our artillery and the toun won once again. In which assault were slain iiii or v hundred Scots, and but vii of our men lacking, thanks be to God. So that we trust Your Majesty's Commission given to me the said Earl for the burning of the said toun, is now well executed, for the toun and also the Abbey of Holyrood house is in manner wholly brent and desolate; which considering the dangerous entry into the same town by reason of the shot of the castle, we found to be a far more difficult and dangerous enterprise than before hath been supposed.

And whiles the toun was thus brenning, and we standing upon the hill without the toun to view the same, we might well hear the women and poor miserable creatures of the toun make exclamation and cryings out upon the cardinal in these words: "Wa worthe the Cardinal."[68] And also your horsemen since their arrival here have ridden abroad in the country and brent round about within v miles compass hereabouts and have gotten good booties, both of cattle and also ready money and plate to a good value and substance....