employ themselves; we marched directly towards the town of Leith; which before we could come to, we must of force [necessity] pass another passage, which also was defended a while with certain ensigns [companies] of footmen and certain pieces of artillery; who being sharply assailed, having three of the gunners slain with our archers, were fain to give place; leaving also their ordnance behind them, with which ordnance they slew only one of our men and hurt another.
And in this brunt, the victory being earnestly followed: the town of Leith was entered perforce and won with the loss only of two men of ours and hurt of three: where the Scots had cast great trenches and ditches purposely to have defended it. The same night, the army encamped in the said town of Leith; and by reason of the said ditches and trenches, we made there a strong camp.
The morrow, being the 5th of May, we caused our ships ladened with our great artillery and victuals to be brought into the haven; where we discharged the same at our pleasure. In the said haven, we found many goodly ships, specially two of notable fairness: the one called the Salamander given by the French king at the marriage of his daughter into Scotland; the other called the Unicorn, made by the late Scottish king [JAMES V.] The town of Leith was found more full of riches than we thought to have found any Scottish town to have been.
The next day, the 6th, the army went towards Edinburgh, leaving the Lord STURTON in Leith with 1,500 men, for the defence of the same. And the army being come near to Edinburgh; the Provost accompanied with one or two burgesses and two or three Officers at Arms, desired to speak with the King's Lieutenant; and—in the name of all the town —said, "that the keys of the town should be delivered unto his Lordship; conditionally, that they might go with bag and baggage, and the town to be saved from fire." Whereunto answer was made by the said Lord Lieutenant, "that whereas the Scots had so many ways fals[ifi]ed their faiths; and so manifestly had broken their promises, confirmed by oaths and seals, and certified by their whole parliament, as is evidently known unto all the world: he was sent thither by the King's Highness to take vengeance of their detestable falsehood, to declare and show the force of His Highness' sword to all
