The 15th of May, we dislodged our camp out of the town of Leith; and set fire in every house, and burnt it to the ground.
The same night, we encamped at a town of the Lord SEATON'S where we burnt and razed his chief castle, called Seaton, which was right fair; and destroyed his orchards and gardens, which were the fairest and best in order that we saw in all that country. We did him the more despite, because he was the chief labourer to help their Cardinal out of prison: who was the only [sole] author of their calamity.
The same day, we burnt a fair town of the Earl BOTHWELL, called Haddington, with a great nunnery and a house of friars.
The next night after, we encamped besides Dunbar, and there the Scots gave a small alarm to our camp; but our watches were in such a readiness that they had no vantage there, but were fain to recoil without doing any harm.
That night, they looked for us to have burnt the town of Dunbar; which we deferred till the morning, at the dislodging of our camp: which we executed by 500 of our hackbutters, being backed with 500 horsemen. And by reason that we took them in the morning—who, having watched all night for our coming, and perceiving our army to dislodge and depart, thought themselves safe of us, were newly gone to their beds: and in their first sleeps closed in with fire —the men, women and children were suffocated and burnt.
That morning [the 17th] being very misty and foggy, we had perfect knowledge by our espials, that the Scots had assembled a great power, in a strait [pass] called "the Pease." The chiefs of this assembly were the Lords SEATON, HUME and BUCCLEUCH: and with them the whole power of the [Scotch] Marches and Teviotdale. This day in our marching, divers of their prickers [scouts] by reason of the said mist gave us alarm, and came so far within our army, that they unhorsed one between the Vanward and the Battle; being within two hundred feet of the Lord Lieutenant. At that alarm, one of their best prickers, called JOCK HOLLY BURTON was taken: who confessed that the said Scottish lords were ready at the passage [pass] with the number of 10,000 good men. And forasmuch as the mist yet continued and did not break, being past noon, the Vanward being within a mile of the said passage, entering into dangerous ways for an army to march in such weather that one could
