Now for the matter it selfe, touching the effusion of bloud, wherewith a mill might well haue béene dri|uen for two daies space; Hector Boe [...]us, pag. 29 [...] [...] impress. P [...]|sij [...] à Iacob [...] Puys, 1574 Hector Boetius his owne words are these; Riui sanguinis toto oppido adeo fluxere, vt cumaestu decurrente min [...]r aqua quàm ad molendina cir|cumagenda fuerit, adiuuante aquam sanguine aliqua circum|agi sponte coeperint. Which place, Bellenden hath inter|preted after this manner; So lamentabl' slauhter wes throw all the parts of the toun, that ane mill might ha [...]f gaue two daies ithandlie be stremis of blude. Now examine Graftons words by Bellenden, and Bellendens by Boetius (besides that, marke what Grafton annexeth to the report of this slaugh|ter, who saith that he will not inforce the credit ther|of vpon any man, but counteth it a Scotish lie rather EEBO page image 299 than a matter of truth) and then conclude according to equitie, that Grafton is altogither excusable and fautlesse, and Buchanans curious & furious challenge reproueable. But admit Grafton had fetcht his re|port from Boetius, as he had it from Bellenden; see|meth it a lie or an vnlikelihood, that the bloud gush|ing out of the bodies of 25000, or (as Hector Boetius saith) 7000, would not increase to a streame suffici|ent & able to driue a mill or two about, without any water intermingled therwithall? The Latine copie hath Riui sanguinis, riuers of bloud, noting by the word the abundance and also the streaming course of the same, which was able with the violent current there|of to beare awaie the verie bodies of the slaine. To conclude this matter, & to set our Englishman by the truth, and let the Scot go with his lieng toong, which I would he had had the modestie to haue tempered, & to haue proffered a practise of that which himselfe pa|raphrasticallie preacheth and teacheth others to ob|serue, saieng;

(Linguae obseraui claustra fraeno, pertinax

In paraph. su|per psal. 39. Obmutui silentio,

Ac temerè ne quid os mali profunderet,

Verbis bonis clausi exitum.)

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 And now to the storie. K. Edward remaind at Ber|wike 15 daies,K. Edward fortifieth Berwike. & caused a ditch to be cast about the towne of 80 foot in breadth, & of the like in depth. In the meane time,A scotish frier sent to king Edward. about the beginning of Aprill, the warden and reader of the frier minors of Rockes|borough called Adam Blunt, came vnto him with letters of complaint from king Iohn, for the wrongs doone and offered vnto him and his realme, as well in claiming an vniust superioritie, and constreining him to doo homage by vndue and wrongfull meanes, as also by inuading his townes,The Scotish king renoun|ceth his ho|mage and fe|altie vnto the king of En|gland. slaieng and robbing his subiects: for the which causes he testified by the same letters, that he renounced all such homage and fealtie for him and his subiects, as he, or any of them owght for any lands holden within England. The king hearing the letters red, receiued the resignation of the homage, and commanded his chancellor, that the letter might be registred in perpetuall memorie of the thing.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 The earles of Scotland before remembred, being assembled togither with their powers at the castell of Iedworth,The Scots inuade the English borders. entred into England the eighth of A|prill, and with fire and sword did much hurt in the countries as they passed. In Riddesdale they besie|ged the castell of Harbotell by the space of two daies,Harbotell. but when they could not preuaile, they remoued, and passing foorth by the east part of the riuer of Tine, tho|rough Cokesdale, Riddesdale, and Northumberland, vnto Hexham, they did much mischéefe by burning and harrieng the countries. Rich. South. At Hexham they spoi|led the abbeie church, and got a great number of the cleargie, as well moonks, priests, as scholers, and o|thers, whom they thrust into the schoolehouse there, and closing vp the dores, set fire on the schoole, and bur|ned all them to ashes that were within it. It is won|derfull to read, what beastlie crueltie the Scots vsed in that road which they made at that time in two se|uerall parts.The earle of Boghan. For the earle of Boghan, with them of Galloway, entred by Cumberland in like manner as the other did in Riddesdale, burning and murthe|ring all that came in their waie.The crueltie of the Scots. For whereas all those that were of able age and lustie to get awaie, fled, & escaped their hands; the aged & impotent crea|tures, women in childbed, and yoong children that could not shift for themselues, were vnmercifullie slaine, and thrust vpon speares, and shaken vp in the aire, where they yéelded vp their innocent ghosts in most pitifull wise.