[1] [2] [3] Then they all came to the gouernours tente, and the Earle of Arrane, an aunciente wiſe man ſpake for them al,The Earle of Arrane decla|reth to the go|uernor the mind of the Lordes. and ſayd. My Lord gouernor, by your will and commandement, here is aſſem|bled the maiſt of the nobilitie of Scotlande with their power, vpõ a pretẽce to enter within Eng|land, my Lords here wauld know the cauſe and quarrell why this warre is begun, gif it myghte pleaſe your goodneſſe it ſhould well ſatiſfie theyr mindes. The Duke ſtudied a little ſpace,The Dukes anſwere to the Erle of Arrane. and ſayde, this queſtion woulde haif bin demaunded ere now, for well you know, that I for very lufe I beare to the Realme of Scotland of ye whilke I haue my name, honor and liguage haife paſ|ſed the Seas from the noble Realme of Fraunce, into this Realme of Scotlande, and great cauſe there was for me ſo to do, to bring you to a vni|tie, when ye ware in diuiſion, by reaſon whereof, youre Realme was like to haue bin conquered and deſtroied. And alſo the king of France, by my ſuites & interceſſion, will ioyne with you in aide againſt ye Engliſh nation: and when this warre was determinate in the Parliamente, you made me Captayne, authoriſing me to inuade Eng|land with Banner diſplayde. Then was no de|maund made of the cauſe or quarrell, and that I haif done, is by your aſſente and agreemente, and that I will iuſtifie. But to anſwere youre de|maund, me thinke you haife iuſt cauſe to inuade England with fire, ſwoorde, and bloud, gif ye bee not forgetfull, and without you will beare diſ|honor and reproch for euer. For yee knowe, that this Realme of Scotland is our inheritance, as a portion of the worlde allotted to our nation and aunceſtors whome we ſucceede, then where may there bee better warre, than to maintayne thys our naturall inheritance? Is it not dayly ſeene, the greate inuaſions that the Engliſhmen on vs make, the greate manſlaughter and murders, with thefts and ſpoyles that they do daily? Is not this one cauſe of warre? to defend the coun|trie is the office of a king the honor of noble men, and the very ſeruice of chiualrie, and the dutie na|turall of the communaltie: for I thinke it a iuſt quarrell, gif we mighte conquere the Realme of England, and annex it to our owne Realme, for the great iniuries and wrongs done by that Na|tion to vs and our predeceſſors: for ſeene the be|ginning of our habitation in this Ile of Bryt|tayne, the Engliſhmen and we haue euer bin e|nemies, and vs haif they euer hated, and yet haue we euer withſtand them. Suppoſe, we at the laſt battell of Flodden by chance, loſt our ſoueraigne Lorde, and diuers noble men, whilke was rather by treaſon of the Lorde Chamberlayne than o|therwiſe, who woulde not relieue the kings army when he might. And yet I thinke we wanne the field, whilke murder all we noble men oughte to reuenge. Therefore I woulde that you ſhoulde couragiouſly aduance your ſelues in this quar|rell to get honor, and to be reuenged.The reply of a wiſe Coun|ſeller. Then one wiſe man that was preſident of the counſell aun|ſwered the gouernour, ſaying. My Lord, fortune of weir is led by him, that al leydes, and he ſtrikes the ſtrake, we can warke na miracles, and heare are the Lords of England ready to encoũter vs. [page 433] And gif wee inuade their Realme, ſurely they will fighte, for their power ſall encreaſe dayly, and oures will deminiſh. And gif is on graunt vs the victory (as I truſt he ſhall, [...] of wonne the field, for ready comming [...] Earle of Shreweſbury ſa [...]mi [...] [...]read in Fraunce as ye knawe wee, with an great puiſſant army, and there is no doubt, but the King of England [...]+fend or bring another army gif we ſhould cha [...]e to get the firſt battayle, and gif we get the ſecond field, that will not be without great loſſe of ma|ny nobles, by reaſon whereof, the Realme ſhall be weaker, and gif we be ouercommen, how ma|ny ſould be ſtayne, God knawes. They that [...] are worthy to be reputed as Traytors to the K. and ſo by wilfulneſſe and fule hardineſſe, the Realme may be in ieoperdie to be vndone. I ſay, while the king is within age, we aught to mo [...]e na weir, leaſt by weir, we maye bring him to de|ſtruction.The gouer|nours words as the preſi|dents reply. Then ſayd the valiant gouernour, here is an puiſſant army of Scotland, gif we returne, we ſall encourage our enimies. Therefore ſeene you thinke it not gude to inuade, my counſel is, that we camp ſtill on the bordures, while we ſee what the Engliſhmen pretends to doe againſte our Realme, to the which, the nobles conſented, and lay ſtill there in camp certayne dayes after. After this conference had betwixte the Nobles, and the gouernour, the Queene as then beeyng not with them, but aduertiſed of all the procee|dings and determinations, ſent word to the go|uernour,Meanes made for peace. and deſired him, that there might bee a treatie of peace had, and ſhee promiſed to get the Warden of the Engliſh marches to come to the gouernours camp, vpon pledges, wherevnto the gouernour condiſcended. Heerevppon the Lorde Dacres,The Lorde Dacres. Warden of the Weſt Marches of En|gland, came vnto the gouernours camp, and thi|ther alſo at that time, was the Queene hir ſelfe comen, & ſo vpon the eleuenth of September, an abſtinence of war was taken and couenanted, yt in the meane time, ye Duke and Queene ſhould ſend Ambaſſadors into England, to treate and conclude a reſolute peace.