In this season vittels were so scant and déere, and wheat and other graine brought to so high a price, that the poore people were constreined thorough famine to eat the flesh of horsses, dogs, and other vile beasts, which is woonderfull to beléeue, and yet for default there died a great multitude of people in diuers places of the land. Foure pence in bread of the courser sort would not suffice one man a daie. Wheat was sold at London for foure marks the quarter and aboue. Then after this dearth and scarsitie of vittels insued a great death and mortalitie of people, so that what by warre of the Scots, and what by this mortalitie and death, the people of the land were woonderfullie wasted and consumed. O pitifull depopulation! Edward Bruce before the feast of Easter returned againe into Ireland, with the earle of Murrey and other noble men of Scotland, hauing with them a great armie, and besieged the castell of Knockfergus, and after they went to another castell where they tooke a baron prisoner: & there Edward Bruce laie for a season. Also Richard earle of Vlnester lay in saint Maries abbie by Dublin, where the maior and communaltie of the citie tooke him, and put him in prison within the castell of Dublin. They also slue his men, and spoiled the abbie. After this the foresaid Edward Bruce went to Limerike, after the feast of saint Matthew the apostle, and there soiourned till Easter was past. [Sidenote: Iohn fitz Thomas erle of Kildare.] [Sidenote: _Croxden._] In the meane while Roger de Mortimer the kings deputie arriued at Waterford with a great armie, by reason whereof Edward le Bruce for feare departed, and got him into the vttermost parts of Vlnester, and Iohn fitz Thomas was made earle of Kildare. Also Occoner of Conneigh, and manie other Irishmen of Connagh and Meth were slaine néere to Aurie by the Englishmen of those parts. There was a great slaughter also made of the Irishmen néere vnto Thistildermote, by the lord Edmund Butler, and an other also at Baliteham of Omorth by the same Edmund. The lord deputie deliuered the earle of Vlnester out of prison, and after Whitsuntide banished out of Meth sir Walter Lacie, and sir Hugh Lacie, giuing their lands awaie from them vnto his knights, and they went ouer into Scotland with Edward Bruce, who returned thither about that time. The death still increased as by some writers it should appeare. [Sidenote: An. Reg. 11.] [Sidenote: _Ri. Southwell._] [Sidenote: 1318.] [Sidenote: Berwike betraied to the Scots. Castels woon by the Scots.] [Sidenote: Northalerton and Bourghbridge burnt.]