pet drowned their tiny warblings.

The army arose as one man. At first all was confusion, as when bees
swarm, which was rapidly reduced into order, as the leaders went up
and down with the standard bearers, and the men fell into their
ranks. When all was still the earl, the great earl, came forth,
armed cap-a-pie, mounted on his charger. The herald proclaimed
silence. The deep, manly voice was heard:

"Beloved brethren! We are about to fight this day for the liberty
of this realm, in honour of God, His blessed Mother, and all the
Saints, for the defence of our Mother Church of England, and for
the faith of Christ.

"Let us therefore pray to our Lord God, that since we are His, He
would grant us victory in the battle, and commend ourselves to Him,
body, soul, and spirit."

Then the Bishop of Worcester gave the Benediction, after which the
vast multitude arose as a man, took their places, and began their
onward march. Scouts of the royal army, out foraging, saw them, and
bore the tidings to King Henry and Prince Edward at the priory and
the castle, and the opposing forces arose in their turn.

Before the hour of prime, the earl, by whose side throughout that
day rode our Hubert, descried the towers of the priory from the
summit of a swelling ridge, and beheld soon after the army of the
prince issuing forth from the west gate, and that of the king from
the priory below. Earl Simon divided his forces into three parts:
the centre he placed under the young Earl of Gloucester, whom he
had that morning knighted; the right wing under his two sons, Simon
and Guy; the left wing was composed of the Londoners. He himself
remained at the head of the reserve behind the centre, where he
could see all the field and direct operations. There was no smoke,
as in a modern battlefield, to obstruct the view.

Prince Edward commanded on the right of the royal troops, and was
thus opposed to the Londoners, whom he hated because of their
insults to his mother {34}; and Richard commanded the left
wing, and was thus opposed to Simon and Guy, the sons of the great
earl. The centre was commanded by Henry himself, not by virtue of
his ability in the field, but of his exalted rank. The royal
standard of the Dragon was raised; a token, said folk, that no
quarter was to be given.

This was a sign for the attack, and it was begun by that
thunderbolt of war, Prince Edward, who charged full upon the
Londoners. The poor light-armed cits were ill p