usly they will
say, 'God thank you'; but in fighting one with another there is no
play nor sparing, and this is true, and that shall well appear by this
said rencounter, for it was as valiantly foughten as could be devised,
as ye shall hear.

[2] 'Which is called in the country Dalkeith.' The French has
'que on nomme au pays Dacquest,' of which the translator makes
'in the countrey of Alquest.'

[3] 'By both sides,' i.e. Scotch and English.

[4] 'When they have well fought.'

HOW THE EARL JAMES DOUGLAS BY HIS VALIANTNESS ENCOURAGED HIS MEN, WHO
WERE RECULED AND IN A MANNER DISCOMFITED, AND IN HIS SO DOING HE WAS
WOUNDED TO DEATH

Knights and squires were of good courage on both parties to fight
valiantly: cowards there had no place, but hardiness reigned with
goodly feats of arms, for knights and squires were so joined together
at hand strokes, that archers had no place of nother party. There the
Scots shewed great hardiness and fought merrily with great desire of
honour: the Englishmen were three to one: howbeit, I say not but
Englishmen did nobly acquit themselves, for ever the Englishmen had
rather been slain or taken in the place than to fly. Thus, as I have
said, the banners of Douglas and Percy and their men were met each
against other, envious who should win the honour of that journey. At
the beginning the Englishmen were so strong that they reculed back
their enemies: then the earl Douglas, who was of great heart and high
of enterprise, seeing his men recule back, then to recover the place
and to shew knightly valour he took his axe in both his hands, and
entered so into the press that he made himself way in such wise, that
none durst approach near him, and he was so well armed that he bare
well off such strokes as he received.[1] Thus he went ever forward
like a hardy Hector, willing alone to conquer the field and to
discomfit his enemies: but at last he was encountered with three
spears all at once, the one strake him on the shoulder, the other on
the breast and the stroke glinted down to his belly, and the third
strake him in the thigh, and sore hurt with all three strokes, so that
he was borne perforce to the earth and after that he could not be
again relieved. Some of his knights and squires followed him, but not
all, for it was night, and no light but by the shining of the moon.
The Englishmen knew well they had borne one down to the earth, but
they wist not who