Chronicle and Romance: Froissart, Malory, Holinshed: (The Harvard Classics Series)
History
Chronicle and Romance: Froissart, Malory, Holinshed: (The Harvard Classics Series)
England -- Social life and customs -- 16th century; Great Britain -- History -- Edward III, 1327-1377
The same season about the end of this discomfiture there was an
English squire called Thomas Waltham, a goodly and a valiant man, and
that was well seen, for of all that night he would nother fly nor yet
yield him. It was said he had made a vow at a feast in England, that
the first time that ever he saw Englishmen and Scots in battle, he
would so do his devoir to his power, in such wise that either he would
be reputed for the best doer on both sides or else to die in the pain.
He was called a valiant and a hardy man and did so much by his
prowess, that under the banner of the earl of Moray he did such
valiantness in arms, that the Scots had marvel thereof, and so was
slain in fighting: the Scots would gladly have taken him alive, but he
would never yield, he hoped ever to have been rescued. And with him
there was a Scottish squire slain, cousin to the king of Scots, called
Simon Glendowyn; his death was greatly complained of the Scots.
This battle was fierce and cruel till it came to the end of the
discomfiture; but when the Scots saw the Englishmen recule and yield
themselves, then the Scots were courteous and set them to their
ransom, and every man said to his prisoner: 'Sirs, go and unarm you
and take your ease; I am your master:' and so made their prisoners as
good cheer as though they had been brethren, without doing to them any
damage. The chase endured a five English miles, and if the Scots had
been men enow, there had none scaped, but other they had been taken or
slain. And if Archambault Douglas and the earl of Fife, the earl
Sutherland and other of the great company who were gone towards
Carlisle had been there, by all likelihood they had taken the bishop
of Durham and the town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. I shall shew you how.
The same evening that the Percies departed from Newcastle, as ye have
heard before, the bishop of Durham with the rearband came to Newcastle
and supped: and as he sat at the table, he had imagination in himself
how he did not acquit himself well to see the Englishmen in the field
and he to be within the town. Incontinent he caused the table to be
taken away and commanded to saddle his horses and to sown the
trumpets, and called up men in the town to arm themselves and to mount
on their horses, and foot-men to order themselves to depart. And thus
every man departed out of the town to the number of seven thousand,
two thousand on horseback and five thousand afoot; they took their way
toward Otterburn, whereas the battle had been. And by that time they
had gone two mile[5] from Newcastle tidings came to them how their men
were fighting with the Scots. Therewith the bishop rested there, and
incontinent came more flying fast, that they were out of breath. Then
they were demanded how the matter went. They answered and said: 'Right
evil; we be all discomfited: here cometh the Scots chasing of us.'
These tidings troubled the Englishmen, and began to doubt. And again
the third time men came flying as fast as they might.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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