to go home and thare be hanged." And so hie remaned
upoun his foote, and was tackin, whill the multitud fledd, and took the
greattar schame. The ennemeis perceaving the disordour, increassed in
courage. Befoir thei shouted; but then thei strok. Thei schote spearis
and dagged arrowis, whare the cumpanyes war thikest. Some reacuntaris
war maid, but nothing availled. The soldeouris caist from thame thaire
pickis, culveringis, and utheris weaponis fensable; the horsmen left
thair spearis; and so, without judgement, all man fled. The sea was
filling, and so the watter maid great stope; but the fear was such as
happy was hie that mycht gett a tackar. Such as passed the watter and
eschaped that danger, nott weill acquented with the ground, fell into
the Sollen Moss.[223] The entrie thairof was pleasing yneuch, but as
thei proceaded, all that took that way, eyther lost thare horse, or
ellis thame selfis and horse boith. To be schort, a greattar feir and
disconfiture, without cause, hes seldome bein sein. For it is said,
That whare the men war nott sufficient to tack the handis of
presonaris, some rane to houssis, and randred thame selfis to wemen.
Stout Oliver[224] was without strack tackin, fleing full manfully; and
so was his glorie (stincking and foolishe proudnes we should call it,)
suddandly turned to confusioun and schame. In that disconfiture war
tackin the two Erles foirsaid, the Lordis Flemyng, Somervaill, and many
otheris baronis and gentilmen, besydis the great multitud of servandis.
Worldly men may think, that all this came but by mysordour and fortoun,
(as thei terme it;) but whosoever has the least sponk of the knowledge
of God, may as evidentlie see the werk of his hand in this disconfiture,
as ever was sein in any of the battelles left to us in registre by the
Holy Ghost. [SN: 1. REG. 20.] For what more evident declaratioun have
we, that God faught against Benhadab, King of Aram, when he was
disconfited at Samaria, then that we have that God faught with his awin
arme against Scotland? In this formare disconfiture, thare did two
hundreth and thretty personis in the skyrmyshe, with sevin thousand
following them in the great battell, putt to flyght the said Benhadad
with thretty Kingis in his cumpany. But hear thare is, in this
schamefull disconfiture of Scotland, verray few mo then three hundreth
men, without knowledge of any back or battell to follow, putt to flight
ten thowsand men without resistance maide. Thare