such as should make any resistance unto His Grace's power sent thither for that purpose. And therefore being not sent to treat or capitulate with them, who had before time broken so many treaties:" he told them resolutely; "that unless they would yield up their town unto him frankly, without condition, and cause man, woman, and child to issue into the fields, submitting themselves to his will and pleasure; he would put them to the sword, and their town to the fire." The Provost answered, "that it were better for them to stand to their defence than to yield to that condition." This was rather a false practice of the Provost and the Heralds, thereby to espy the force and order of our camp, than for any zeal they had to yield their town; as it appeared afterwards. Whereupon commandment was given to the said Provost and Officers at Arms, upon their peril, to depart.
In the meantime, word was brought by a Herald of ours—whom the Lord Lieutenant had sent to summon the Castle—that the Earl BOTHWELL and the Lord HUME with the number of 2,000 horsemen were entered the town, and were determined to the defence thereof. Upon which knowledge, the Lord Lieutenant sent with diligence to the Vanward, that they should march towards the town. And Sir CHRISTOPHER MORICE, Lieutenant of the Ordnance, was commanded to approach the gate called the Cany gate [Canongate], with certain battery pieces: which gate lay so, that the ordnance must be brought up a broad street of the suburbs, directly against the said Cany gate; which was the occasion of the loss of certain of our gunners. And before that any battery could be made by the said ordnance, divers of the captains of the Vanward—the better to comfort their soldiers—assailed the said gate with such courage, that they repulsed the Scottish gunners from the loupes [embrasures] of the same, and there slew and hurt sundry of their gunners, and by force drew one piece of artillery out of one of the said loupes.
Our archers and hackbutters shot so hotly to the battlements of the gate and wall, that no man durst show himself at the defence of the same: by reason whereof, our gunners had good leisure to bring a cannon hard to the gate, which, after three or four shots, made entry to our soldiers; who at their breaking in, slew 300 or 400 Scots of such as were found armed. In the meantime, the Earl BOTHWELL
