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Most noble Englishmen, and ye right valiant Normans, Matth. Paris. Sim. Dun. of whose courage the Frenchman is a|fraid, by you England is kept vnder, by you Apulia dooth florish, and vnto you Ierusalem and Antioch haue yéelded their subiection. We haue at this pre|sent the rebellious nation of Scotland (which of right ought to be subiect to the crowne of England) come into the field against vs, thinking for euermore to rid themselues of their submission, and to bring both vs and our countrie into their bondage and thral|dome. Now albeit I see in you courage sufficient, to beat them backe from any further attempt; yet least when you shall come to the triall, by any manner of chance, you should loose any péece thereof, I lamen|ting the state of my countrie (whose gréeuances I wish you should redresse) doo meane to vse a few words vnto you, not for that I would exhort you to doo any man wrong, but rather to beat them backe which offer to doo you iniurie. Consider therefore that you shall here fight with that enimie, whom you haue oftentimes vanquished, and oftentimes offending in periurie, haue oftentimes most worthilie punished: whome also (to be bréefe) raging after the maner of cruell robbers, wickedlie spoiling churches, and ta|king away our goods, you did latelie constreine to lurke in desert places and corners out of sight. A|gainst this enimie (I say) therefore worthie of re|uengement for his so manifold outrages, shew your selues valiant, and with manlie stomaches driue him out of our confines. For as far as I can perceiue, the victorie is yours, God surelie will aid you, who can|not longer abide the sinnes of this people. Wherefore he that loseth his life in so iust a quarell (according to the saieng of our sauiour) shall find it. Let not their rash and presumptuous boldnesse make you afraid, sith so manie tokens of your approoued vali|ancie cannot cause them to stand in doubt of you. You are clad in armour, and so appointed with hel|met, curase, gr [...]iues, and target, that the enimie knoweth not where to strike and hurt you. Then sith you shall haue to doo with naked men, and such as vse not to weare any armour at all, but more méet for brablers and ale-house quarrellers than men of war vsed to the field: what should you stand in doubt of? Their huge number is not able to stand against your skilfull order and practised knowledge in all warlike feats and martiall discipline. A rude multitude is but a let, rather than a furtherance to atchiue the victo|rie. A small number of your worthie elders haue of|tentimes vanquished great multitudes of enimies.

As the bishop was thus speaking to the English ar|mie, and before he grew to an end of his exhortati|on, the Scots approched with their battels, & first cer|teine of their bands of horssemen were sent afore, to take the higher ground: which when the Englishmen perceiued,The English|men set vpon the Scots. they staied not till the enimies should be|gin the battell, but straightwaies caused their trum|pets to sound, and so gaue the onset.