Thus came things to passe in sundrie places with so good successe as duke Henrie could wish, wherevpon meaning to follow the steps of prosperous fortune, he marched foorth to Stamford, [Sidenote: Stamford was taken. _Simon Dun._ _Ger. Dor._ Gipswich or Ipswich besieged.] and taking the towne at his first comming laid siege to the castell. Now they that had it in keeping sent messengers to king Stephan, requiring rescue, but the same time he had laid siege to the castell of Gipswich, which Hugh Bigot kept against him: and bicause he wold not depart from that siege till he had the castell giuen vp into his hands (which came at last to passe) in the meane time the castell of Stamford was yéelded vp to duke Henrie, [Sidenote: _N. Triuet._] who immediatelie therevpon departed from Stamford eastward, meaning to come to the succour of his fréends besieged at Gipswich or Ipswich (as it is commonlie called) not vnderstanding as yet that they had surrendred the hold: but hauing knowledge by the way what was happened, [Sidenote: Notinghàm.] he returned and marched streight to Notingham, and got the towne easilie; for they within the castell had set it on fire, therefore he besieged the castell standing vpon the point of a stéepe craggie rocke, and was furnished with a strong garison of men, and all things necessarie for defense, so that it could not easilie be woone. [Sidenote: Duke Henrie raiseth his siege from Notingham. _Polydor._] When duke Henrie had assaied all the waies how to take it, and saw that he could not preuaile, he minded to loose no more time: but raising his siege from thence, he ranged abroad to get other places into his possession, and finallie came to his mother, and laie at Wallingford. K. Stephan in the meane time being strong in the field, sought time and place to haue Henrie at some aduantage, who in his yoong yeares (as yet not hauing tasted any misfortune) he thought would rashlie attempt some vnaduised enterprise. [Sidenote: The miserie of this land in time of the ciuill warre.] ¶ But whereas the realme of England had béene now manie yeares miserablie turmoiled with ciuill warre (which the verie heathen haue so detested, that they haue exclaimed against it with a kind of irksomnesse; as: [Sidenote: _Hor. lib. car. 1. ode. 35._] Eheu cicatricum & sceleris pudet, Fratrúmque: quid nos dura refugimus Aetas? quid intactum nefasti Linquimus? vnde manus iuuentus [Sidenote: _Idem. lib. car. 2. ode. 1._] Metu deorum continuit? quibus Pepercit aris? iam litui strepunt, Iam fulgor armorum fugaces Terret equos equitúmque vultus) Wherein (besides millians of extremities) honest matrones and mens wiues were violated, maids and virgins rauished, churches spoiled, townes and villages robbed, whole flocks and heards of shéepe and beasts destroied (wherein the substance of the realme cheeflie consisted) and men without number slaine and murthered, it pleased the goodnesse of almightie God