Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Now king Stephan hearing of his enimies arri|uall, with all hast possible got his armie on foot, and comming suddenlie towards the place where his e|nimies were pitched,K. Stephan constreineth him to raise his siege. he caused duke Henrie to raise his siege, and following after, offered him battell. But duke Henrie, knowing that his enimies were far more in number than he was at that present, and also conceiuing with himselfe that by prolonging of time his owne power would increase, absteined from fighting, and kept him within the closure of his campe. ¶ Thus haue some written, but other au|thors write, Wil. Par [...]. that Henrie kept himselfe indeed with|in his campe, and refused to giue battell, but yet re|moued not his siege, till the king departed from thence, after he saw he could not haue his purpose, and then did duke Henrie win the castell of Malmes|burie, or rather the maister tower or chéefe dungeon EEBO page image 60 of that castell. For as (Simon of Durham writeth) he had won by assault the other parts and lims of the castell before king Stephan came to remoue him. Simon Dun. Ger. Dor.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 This tower that thus held out, was in the keeping of one capteine Iordan, who escaping foorth came to the king, informing him in what state he had left his men within the tower: wherevpon the king (making all the power that he was able) set forward, and com|ming to Circiter, lodged there one night, and in the morning purposing to raise the siege, or to fight with his enimies (if they would abide battell) marched foorth towards Malmesburie. But vpon his approch to the dukes campe, the daie following his comming thither,A sore storme. there rose such a hideous tempest of wind and raine, beating full in the faces of king Stephans people, that God seemed to fight for the duke, who in respect of the number of people was thought too weake to deale with the strong and puissant armie of the king: howbeit the storme being on his backe, and beating extremelie in king Stephans mens fa|ces, they were not able to hold their weapons in their hands, in somuch that he perceiued he could not passe the riuer that ran betwixt the armies: where|vpon constreined in that sort through the violent rage of that cold and wet weather, he returned to London full euill appaied, in that he could not satis|fie his expectation at that present.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 The tower that duke Henrie had hardlie besieged immediatlie herewith was surrendred vnto him, & then making prouision for vittels and other things, to the reliefe of them that kept the castell of Wal|lingford,The castell of Wallingford. he hasted thither, and finding no resistance by the way, easily accomplished his enterprise. There were diuerse castels thereabouts in the countrie fur|nished with garisons of the kings souldiers, but they kept themselues close, and durst not come abroad to stop his passage. Shortlie after he besieged the castell of Cranemers,The castell of Cranemers. and cast a trench about it, so as his people within Wallingford castell might haue free libertie to come foorth at their pleasure: but as for those within the castell of Cranemers, they were so hardlie holden in, that there was no waie for them to start out.