Now he is come in our sight to fulfill the message sent by the herald, & now is come the time of our defense.
Howbeit in this matter standeth thrée mischéefs, one is our bounden duetie and allegiance that we owe to our souereigne lord king Lewes of France; the second the liues of vs, our wiues, children, and neighbors; the third how to defend the finall destruc|tion of this ancient citie, now likelie to fall, which citie was neuer conquered. Now our citie is whole, your liues in safetie, your goods your owne; deter|mine whether you will haue war or peace. Then the common people cried all; War, war, war. Then said the prouost, Take compassion of wiues and children and of the old folke; consider if you haue no quicke rescue, you cannot continue against yonder puis|sance, although your courages were neuer so great, this the wisest of the citie and I haue considered.
Then suddenlie was there in the councell a vaunt|parler, a botcher, which hearing this, called a great number of his affinitie, and went out of the councell and so out of the gates, and set fire of the suburbs on all sides. When the councell saw the minds of the commons, and that their waies might not be follo|wed, they comforted the people, and mainteined them for their defense.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 After this the king approched the citie with his whole armie, and they of the citie issued foorth to prof|fer the skirmish: but the archers beat them backe. Also the carriage men that came with the herbin|gers, saw where certeine wagons were entring the citie, vnto the which they ran, and tooke some of them. At this skirmish the horsse of the lord Iohn Graie was slaine vnder him, as he came to defend the car|riage men; but he himselfe had no hurt. The king with his battell planted his siege on the north side the citie. The earle of Shrewsburie with the fore|ward lodged toward the south side of the riuer,Tornaie be|sieged by king Henrie. and there laie that night. The lord Herbert with the rere|ward incamped himselfe on the west side, and beat the wals and towers of the citie with the great ordi|nance. The next daie after their comming thither, being the thrée and twentith of September, the earle of Shrewesburie with the fore-ward passed the riuer, & planted his siege on the southside of the citie, stret|ching to the east end, and bent his ordinance against the walles. And thus was the citie of Tornaie besie|ged on all parts.