sith you shall haue to doo with naked men, and such as vse not to weare
any armour at all, but more méet for brablers and ale-house quarrellers
than men of warre vsed to the field: what should you stand in doubt of?
Their huge number is not able to stand against your skilfull order and
practised knowledge in all warlike feats and martiall discipline. A rude
multitude is but a let, rather than a furtherance to atchiue the
victorie. A small number of your worthie elders haue oftentimes
vanquished great multitudes of enimies." As the bishop was thus speaking
to the English armie, and before he grew to an end of his exhortation,
the Scots approched with their battels, & first certeine of their bands
of horssemen were sent afore, to take the higher ground: [Sidenote: The
Englishmen set vpon the Scots.] which when the Englishmen perceiued,
they staied not till the enimies should begin the battell, but
straightwaies caused their trumpets to sound, and so giue the onset.

The Scots were as readie to encounter with them, so that the battell
began to be verie hot, and euen at the first out flew the arrows, and
then the footmen ioined, who fought most fiercelie on both sides.
[Sidenote: The Scots of Lodian disorder the Englishmen. _Simon Dun._
_Matth. Paris._] Herewith a wing of them of Lodian, which were in the
Scotish vauntgard, brake in vpon the vauntgard of the English: but yet
closing togither againe, they kept out the enimies, and casting about
with a wing, compassed the Scotish horssemen round about, and panching
their horsses, they slue a great number, and constreined the residue to
retire. Which thing when their felowes in the other wing saw, their
hearts began to faint, and by and by betooke them to their heeles.

The rumor of this flight being notified to the maine battell of the
Scotish men, where king Dauid himselfe was fighting with his enimies,
discomfited them also, in such wise, [Sidenote: The Scots put to