bled, quartered at a neighbouring village which the Scots had burnt. Here they found forage for their horses.

29th, Marched over an uneven country until noon, when they discovered some villages lately burnt by the Scots. There they found corn and grass, and remained all day.

30th, Marched without receiving any intelligence of the Scots.

2

31st, Marched again until about three o'clock in the afternoon, when Thomas Rokesby, an esquire, brought certain accounts that the Scots were encamped about nine miles off, on the side of a hill. He reported, "That the Scots had made him prisoner; but on hearing his business, dismissed him, and said, that they had been on that ground for eight days, as ignorant of the motions of the English as the English of theirs, and that they were ready and desirous to fight." The English army halted at Blanchland upon the river Derwen, * a place belonging to the Cistertians.

1st August, with Rokesby for their guide, they advanced towards the Scottish army, and came in view of it about mid-day. The Scots were drawn up in three bodies on the side of a hill, having the river Were in front, and their flanks secured by rocks and precipices.

The English dismounted and advanced, hoping

* Froissart says, v. i. p. 20. "Une Blanche abbaye qu'on nommoit du temps du Roi Artus, la Blanche lande." By the days of King Arthur, he means from time immemorial. The place still retains its ancient name.

that the Scots would abandon their advantageous position, and cross the river; but the Scots moved not. Then the King sent a message to Randolph and Douglas the Scottish generals, of this import, " Either suffer me to pass the river, and leave me room to range my forces, or, do you pass the river, and I will leave you room to range yours, and thus shall we fight on equal terms." This message, of itself, would have determined the Scottish generals to remain on the defensive; and, therefore, they made answer in scorn, "We will not accept of either proposal; we have burnt and spoiled the country on our road hither, and here are we fixed during our pleasure; if the King of England is offended, let him come and chastise us."* The English troops, although destitute of every accommodation, remained on their arms until morning. The Scots, after having placed their guards, returned to their camp. During the night, they kept great fires constantly burning, and sounded horns without ceasing; "as if," says Froissart,

* This message and the answer resemble not the manners and style of modern times; they may seem uncouth and improbable to readers, who suppose that soldiers always thought and expressed themselves as they do in our days, after much of the ancient pedantry of war has been exploded.

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† Barnes, Edward III. p. 13. says, They made so many and so great fires of English wood, as if they designed thereby to provoke their enemies, by wasting so prodigally that fuel of which they themselves had so little." This observation is ridiculous, and betrays gross ignorance. The intention of the Scots in lighting up great fires, and in sounding horns throughout the night, was, probably, in order to call in the parties who were occupied in pillaging the country. It is said in Scala Chron. ap. Leland, T. i. p. 551. "At this tyme Archibald Douglas toke great prayes in the bishopricke of Duresme, and encountered with a band of Englishmen at Darlington, and killed many

"all the fiends of hell had been there." And in this manner did both armies pass the night.*

2d August, The armies were again drawn out, as on the former day. Some English parties crossed the river, and skirmished with the Scots; but the English commanders saw that the Scots could not be provoked to quit their fastnesses; and therefore they called in the parties.

3d, Matters remained in the same situation. The English received intelligence that the Scots had no provisions left but cattle, which they slaughtered from day to day. The English resolved to keep the Scots closely blockaded in their camp, expecting soon to reduce them by famine.

3

4th, On the morning they perceived, with astonishment, that the Scots had decamped during the night. The Scots took post somewhat higher up the river Were, in ground still stronger, and of more difficult access, than what they had occupied before, and amidst a great wood. The English placed themselves on a hill opposite to the enemy :

of them." This must have happened while Edward III. was in the neighbourhood of the Tine.

* Froissart says, v. i. p. 21. "Furent logés cette nuict, qui fut la nuict St Pierre, à l'entree d'Oaust de l'an 1327, jusqu'au lendemain, que les seigneurs ouirent messe." The festival of S. Petri ad vincula, (1st August), is here meant. But it is not certain whether la nuict S. Pierre means the eve of St Peter, (31st July), or the night of his festival (1st August). Latinity of the lower ages, sometimes means eve. not whether la nuict has a like sense in French. stance of hearing mass next day would lead us to suppose that eve is here meant. If so, we must hold that the English remained about Haidon one day less, and about Stanhope Park one day more, than this journal supposes.

Knyght. 2552.

Nox, in the But I know The circum

This was near the place called Stanhope Park. Douglas, with two hundred horsemen, crossed the river at some distance from the English camp. When he approached the out-guards, he cried, "Ha! St George, no ward," (guard); and thus, under the appearance of an English officer of distinction making the rounds, he came undiscovered at dead of night to the royal quarters. His companions called out " A Douglas, a Douglas! English thieves, you shall all die!" overthrew whatever opposed them, and furiously attacked the King's tent. The King's domestics made a brave stand to protect their sovereign. His chaplain, and others of his household, were slain; and he himself with difficulty escaped. Douglas, thus disappointed of his prey, rushed through the enemies, and retreated with inconsiderable loss.*

5th, A Scottish knight was brought in prisoner. Having been strictly questioned, he acknowledged that general orders had been issued for all men to hold themselves in readiness to march that evening, and to follow the banner of Douglas. The English concluded that the Scots had formed the plan of a night attack: All preparations were made for opposing them; the army was drawn up in order of battle, great fires lighted, and strict guard kept.

6th, On the morning two Scottish trumpeters were brought in prisoners. They reported, that the Scottish army had decamped before midnight,

* Froissart says, that Douglas and his party "en tua lui et sa compaignie, avant qu'ils cessassent, plus de trois cens." And " perdit aucuns de ses gens à la retraite, mais, ce ne fut mie grandement;" vol. i. p. 20, 21.

and were already many miles on their march ; and that they, the trumpeters, had been left by the Scottish commanders to convey this intelligence to the English. The English were unwilling to credit this strange and unwelcome report. Suspecting a stratagem, they continued in order of battle for several hours longer, and still hoped and looked for the appearance of the enemy; at length some scouts having crossed the river, returned with certain intelligence that the Scottish camp was totally deserted.

In the Scottish camp there were found five hundred beeves, all slaughtered; * three hundred caldrons made of skins, and fixed upon stakes, in which there was meat ready for boiling, and a still greater quantity of meat prepared for roasting;+ there were also found upwards of ten thousand old brogues made of leather, with the hair on. The Scots left behind them five English prisoners, all naked, and bound to trees. Some of them had their legs broken.‡

* Froissart supposes that the Scots killed the beeves, lest they should fall alive into the hands of the English, as if it had been of any importance whether the Scots killed the cattle on one day, or left them to the English to be killed on the next. It is plain that they were killed, and a great quantity of meat prepared for dressing, that the soldiers might not suspect the intention of their commanders to retreat. Had the daily preparations for supplying the army been omitted, every man in the camp would have discovered the cause, and it would have been in the power of a single deserter to reveal it to the English.

† Froissart says, " plus de mille hastiers," which is translated by Barnes " a thousand spits:" hastier imports a machine on which three or four spits might be hung, one above another.

‡ "En y avoit aucuns qui avoyent les jambes toutes rompues