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 And as soon as the ordinance was thus withdrawn and set forwards, I commanded the captains and soldiers to set fire in the toun, which being so raised in sundry parts, the soldiers fell into such a sudden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