An. Reg. 13. want of sufficient numbers of men in other places towards the north parts, the king caused much people to come vnto him out of the south and east parts of the realme, amongst the which the citie of London was constreined to find at their costs and charges two hundred men, sending them to Yorke, where the generall assemblie of the armie was made. From thence, after he had receiued his men from sundrie countries and good townes of his realme, he went to Berwike, & laid siege to the towne. In which meane time the Scots The king goeth to Berwike. The Scots come into the parts of Yorke. being assembled, came to the borders, passed by the English host, and entring into England, came in secreet wise downe into the marches of Yorkeshire, and there slue the people, and robbed them in most cruell wise.
Wherefore the archbishop of Yorke, meaning in time of such necessitie to doo his indeuour in defense of his countrie, assembled such power as he could get togither, of clearkes, moonks, canons, and other spirituall men of the church, with husbandmen and such other vnapt people for the warres: and thus with a great number of men and few warlike or discréet chéefeteins, he togither with the bishop of Elie, as then lord chancellour, Auesburie. came foorth against the Scots, and incountred with them at a place called Mitton vpon Suale, the twelfth day of October. Here as the Englishmen passed ouer the water The discomfiture of Mitton vpon Suale. Caxton. of Suale, the Scots set fire vpon certeine stacks of haie, the smoke whereof was so huge, that the Englishmen might not sée where the Scots laie. And when the Englishmen were once got ouer the water, the Scots came vpon them with a wing in good order of battell, in fashion like to a shéeld, egerlie assailing their enimies, who for lacke of good gouernement were easilie beaten downe and discomfited, without shewing any great resistance: Polydor. so that there were slaine to the number of two thousand and the residue shamefullie put to flight.
Auesburie.
The archbishop, the lord chancellor, and the abbat of Selbie, with helpe of their swift horsses escaped, and diuerse other. The maior of Yorke named Nicholas Fleming was Caxton. slaine, & sir William Diremin preest taken prisoner. Manie were drowned, by reason that the Scots had gotten betwixt the Englishmen and the bridge, so that the Englishmen fled betwixt that wing of the Scots and their maine battell, which had compassed the Englishmen about on the one side, as the wing did vpon the other. And bicause so manie spirituall men died in this battell, it was after named of manie writers The white battell. The king of England informed of this ouerthrow giuen by the Scots to the Northerne men, he brake vp his siege incontinentlie, and returned to Yorke.
Polydor.
Thus all the kings exploits by one means or other quailed, and came but to euill successe, so that the English nation began to grow in contempt by the infortunate gouernment of the prince, the which as one out of the right waie, rashlie and with no good aduisement ordered his dooings, which thing so gréeued the noblemen of the realme, that that they studied day and night by what means they might procure him to looke better to his office and dutie; which they iudged might well be brought to passe, his nature being The enuie of the lords towards the Spensers. not altogither euill, if they might find shift to remooue from him the two Spensers, Hugh the father, and Hugh the sonne, who were gotten into such fauour with him, that they onelie did all things, and without them nothing was doone, so that they were now had in as great hatred and indignation (sith
-------liuor non deerit iniquusboth of the lords and commons, as euer in times past was Peers de Gaueston the late earle of Cornwall. But the lords minded not so much the destruction of these Spensers, but that the king ment as much their aduancement, so that Hugh the sonne was made high chamberleine of England, contrarie to the mind of all the noblemen, by reason whereof he bare himselfe so hautie and proud, that no lord within the land might gainsaie that which in his conceit seemed good. 1320. In this thirteenth yeare of his reigne, in Iune king Edward went ouer into France, where at Amiens he found the French king, of whome he receiued the countie of Pontieu, Additions to N. Triuet. which the said French king vpon his comming to the crowne had seized into his hands, bicause the king of England had not doone to him his homage due for the same. The tenth of the ecclesiasticall liuings granted to the K. Also this yeare the pope granted to the king of England the tenth of ecclesiasticall reuenues for one yeare, as before that time he had likewise doone ¶ About this season, pope Iohn, being informed of the great destruction and vnmercifull warre which the Scots
Dulcibus & lætis, qui fel confundat amarum)
