townsmen had bent seven or eight pieces of ordnance in the market-stead. Wherefore the Lord EURE—part of his company being into three bands divided, and abiding at three several coasts of the same town, to the end that there might be three entries at one time made into the town—appointed and devised that the gunners, which had battered certain places plain and open, should enter in one side, and the kernes on another side, and Sir RALPH EURE'S, of the third side. But it fortuned that, even upon the approachment of the men to their entries, the Scots fled from their ordnance, leaving them unshot, into the woods thereabout, with all other people in the same town. In which flight was slain above the number of 160 Scots, having for that recompense thereof, the loss of six Englishmen only. The people thus fled, and the town given to Englishmen by chance of war: the gunners burned the Abbey, the Grey Friars, and divers bastel and fortified houses, whereof there were many in that town: the goods of the same town being first spoiled, which laded, at their departing, 500 horses; besides seven pieces of ordnance.
In their return likewise, as they passed, burning divers places, towers and castles: as the Tower of Calling Craige, the Castle of Sesforth, Otterburn, Cowboge, Marbottle church, with many other like; until they came to a place called Kirkyettham, being ten miles from certain villages within English ground, named Hetton, Tylmouth and Twysell, which appeared to them burning. For the which cause Sir RALPH EURE and the Captain of Norham, accompanied with 500 horsemen, rode in such haste towards the fire, that at what time the said Sir RALPH did set upon the Scots which had burned the village, he had not with him above 200 horsemen. Nevertheless the Scots, upon the only sight of the standards, used for their defence their light feet, and fled in so much haste that divers English horses were tired in the pursuit: but overtaken there was a great number, whereof many were slain, partly by the fierceness of the Englishmen, partly by the guilty cowardice of the Scots. And truly to speak in a few words; in this act doing, reason will scarcely suffice to persuade the truth: insomuch that there were divers Englishmen whereof every man had eight or nine prisoners, besides such as were slain whose number
