arrows, and inflicting such heavy loss upon him that the duke felt
compelled to take the offensive.

Having foreseen that he might be obliged to do so, he had, early
in the morning, carefully examined the ground in front of him, and
had found some lanes by which he could make a flank attack on the
enemy. Moving his force down these lanes, where the trees and hedges
completely hid his advance from the Yorkists, he fell suddenly
upon Edward's centre, which, taken by surprise at the unexpected
attack, was driven in confusion up the hill behind it. Somerset
was quick to take advantage of his success, and wheeling his men
round fell upon the Duke of Gloucester's division, and was equally
successful in his attack upon it. Had the centre, under Lord
Wenlock, moved forward at once to his support, the victory would
have been assured; but Wenlock lay inactive, and Somerset was now
engaged in conflict with the whole of Edward's force. But even
under these circumstances he still gained ground, when suddenly
the whole aspect of the battle was changed.

Before it began Edward had sent two hundred spearmen to watch a
wood near the defenders' lines, as he thought that the Lancastrians
might place a force there to take him in flank as he attacked
their front. He ordered them, if they found the wood unoccupied,
to join in the fight as opportunity might offer. The wood was
unoccupied, and the spearmen, seeing the two divisions of their army
driven backwards, and being thereby cut off from their friends,
issued from the wood and, charging down in a body, fell suddenly
upon Somerset's rear.

Astounded and confused by an attack from such a quarter, and believing