the Englishmen in the field and he to be within the town.  Incontinent he caused the table to be taken away and commanded to saddle his horses and to sown the trumpets, and called up men in the town to arm themselves and to mount on their horses, and foot-men to order themselves to depart.  And thus every man departed out of the town to the number of seven thousand, two thousand on horseback and five thousand afoot; they took their way toward Otterburn, whereas the battle had been.  And by that time they had gone two mile[5] from Newcastle tidings came to them how their men were fighting with the Scots.  Therewith the bishop rested there, and incontinent came more flying fast, that they were out of breath.  Then they were demanded how the matter went.  They answered and said:  ’Right evil; we be all discomfited:  here cometh the Scots chasing of us.’  These tidings troubled the Englishmen, and began to doubt.  And again the third time men came flying as fast as they might.  When the men of the bishopric of Durham heard of these evil tidings, they were abashed in such wise that they brake their array, so that the bishop could not hold together the number of five hundred.  It was thought that if the Scots had followed them in any number, seeing that it was night, that in the entering into the town, and the Englishmen so abashed, the town had been won.

      [5] The word ‘lieue’ is translated ‘mile’ throughout.

The bishop of Durham, being in the field, had good will to have succoured the Englishmen and recomforted his men as much as he could; but he saw his own men fly as well as other.  Then he demanded counsel of sir William Lucy and of sir Thomas Clifford and of other knights, what was best to do.  These knights for their honour would give him no counsel; for they thought to return again and do nothing should sown greatly to their blame, and to go forth might be to their great damage; and so stood still and would give none answer, and the longer they stood, the fewer they were, for some still stale away.  Then the bishop said:  ’Sirs, all things considered, it is none honour to put all in peril, nor to make of one evil damage twain.  We hear how our company be discomfited, and we cannot remedy it:  for to go to recover them, we know not with whom nor with what number we shall meet.  Let us return fair and easily for this night to Newcastle, and to-morrow let us draw together and go look on our enemies.’  Every man answered:  ’As God will, so be it.’  Therewith they returned to Newcastle.  Thus a man may consider the great default that is in men that be abashed and discomfited:  for if they had kept them together and have turned again such as fled, they had discomfited the Scots.  This was the opinion of divers; and because they did not thus, the Scots had the victory.

How sir Matthew REDMEN departed from the battle to save himself; and how sir James Lindsay was taken prisoner by the bishop of Durham; and how after the battle scurrers were sent forth to discover the country