Tudor Books, Hall's Chronicle 1487

16th June 1487. When the place was apoynted and ordeined to trye the vttermost by stroke of battaile, the taykof erle set furth his army, and geuyng a token to his compaignie, set upon his aduersaries with a manly courage, desirynge his souldyours that daye to remembre his honoure, and' their awne lyues. And so both the armyes ioyned and fought earnestly and sharply, in Barouche that the Almaynes beynge tryed and expert menne in warres and marciall feates, were in all thynges, aswell in strengthe as pollecye egall and equyualent with the Englishemen: but as for Martyne Swarde theyr chiefe capitayne and leader, not many of the Englyshernen,, bothe for valyaunt courage of a stoute stomack and strengthe and agylyte of body was to be' compared or resembled with hys manhoode. Of the othersyde, the Iryshemen, although they foughte hardeiy and stucke to it valyauntly, yet because they were after the manner of theyr countrey almoste naked, without harneys or armure, they were stryken downe and slayne lyke dull and brute beastes, whose deathes and destructions was a great discouragynge and abashement to the residue of the company. Thus they fought for a space sa sore and so egrely of bothe partes, that no man coulde well iudge to whorne the victory was lyke to enclyne: But at length, the kynges forward beynge full of people and well fortefyed with wynges, whiche onely bothe beganne and contynued the fyght, set vpon the aduersaryes with suche a; force and violence, that fyrst they oppressed and kylled suche capitaynes one by one as resysted theyr myght and puyssaunce, and after that put all the other to fearfull %ght, thewhiche were eyther apprehended as captyues and prysoners in theyr flyght runnynge awaye, or elles slayne and brought to confusyon in a small moment. But when this battaile was fynished and fought oute to the extremytie, then it well apered what high prowes, what manly stomakes, what courageous hartes and what valyaunt courage was in the kynges aduersaryes. For there their chiefe capiteynes the erle of Lyncolne and the lorde Louell, Syr Thomas Broughton, Martyn swarde & the lord Gerardyne capiteyne of the Irishemen were slayne and founde dead. Howbeyt, some aflfyrme that the lorde Louell toke his horsse & would haue fled ouer Trent, but he was not hable to recouer the fartherside for the highnes of the banke and so was drowned in the ryuer. There were kylled at that battaile with their fyue capiteynes before reherced of that partye aboute foure thousand: Of the kynges parte there were not halfe of them which foughte in the forward and gaue the onset slayne or hurt: Then was Lambert the yonglynge which was falsely reported to be the dukes sonne of Clarence, and his master sir Richard Symond prieste bothe taken, but neither of them put to death, because that Lambert was but an innocet poore soule, a very chylde, and was not of an age to do any suche entreprice of his awnc deuyce, and the other was a priest, which yet to thentet he might rein? bre that the stone ofte tymes falleth on the head of hym that casteth it into y ayer, & that many a man maketh a rod for his awn tayle when he entendeth it for another, this priest for penaunce was comitted to perpetual pryson & miserable captiuitie. But this Lambert in coclusion was made the kynges faulkener, after that he had been a turne broche and executed such vile officies in the kynges kytchyn & suyllarye for a space. And thus was all the high •entrepryce that lady Margaret had deuised & set furthe at this tyme, turned to nought and brought to none effect, & to an euell coclusion. Of which chaunce, when she was aduertysed & enformed in the countrye of Flaundcrs, she was very sorye at the harte & much lamented and deplored, that her ymagined purpose sorted to suche an infortunate ende & effect, incontinently deuisyng, practisyng and ymagenyng some greate and more difficile enterpryce, by the which she might vexe and pevturbe yet once agayne the kyng of England and his whole region: Whiche purpose, euen as she inuented yt, so she set yt forwarde as shalbe shewed herafter plainly.

After that kyng Henry had thus asswaged and appeased these matters beynge of so great a moment and weight, with no great mocion, tumulte or trouble, & had not only escaped and defaced the apparant and ymminet perell with a small conflict, and no great daungerous brunt or ieopardy, but also repressed & suppeditate the cyuile dissencion and interior stryfe, in maner as he woulde haue wyshed it, he might thynke hym selfe at one tyme cleane ryd & delyuered from two euelles together, both from feare present & also that was to come. For certeynly when he pondred & diligently consydered his aduersaries (whose puissaunce he botli in nombreand force, farredid surmount and precell) at the very poynte so fiercely to ioyne and to byd him battaile, he much suspected & no lesse mistrusted that they had some preuy fautoures and secret coucelers (the which when tyme and place should requyre or expostulate) would with their strength, aide, succoure and assyst them agaynst him and his puyssaunse. But when he perceaued and sawe the hoost of his enemyes manifestly vanquished and put to flight, hecomaunded that no ma should kyll or sleye the Erie of Lyncolne, but that he should be brought to hym alyue, to thentent that he might shewe & bewraye bothe the foutayneand originall begynnyng, and also the confederates, aiders and comforters of his late practysed sedicious cospiracy. But the fame is, that the souldyours woulde not so do, fearynge least paradueture thesauyngof his only lyfe (as yt should hauc been in dcde) the lyfe of many other should haue been lost, or at the least in ieopardye. This battaile was fought on a saturdaye beyng the XVJ [16th] daye of luyn the yere of our lord thousand foure hundreth LXXXIX¹ and towarde thende of the second yere of the reigne of this kynge: In the •whiche yere also Thomas Burchier Archebishopp of Cauntourbury dyed, into whose rome Ihon Moorton late bishop of Ely, a manne of egall learnyng, vertue and pollecye with hys predecessours, whome Alexander of that name the. vi. bishop of Roome created Cardinall, and the kynge preferred hym to thoffyce of the highe Chauncclour of England: Now to returne to my purpose.

Note 1. 1489. The battle was fought in 1487.