hts
played havoc among them, so that the rout was complete; but, not content
with victory, Prince Edward must glut his vengeance, and so he pursued
the citizens for miles, butchering great numbers of them, while many
more were drowned in attempting to escape across the Ouse.

The left wing of the royalist army, under the King of the Romans and his
gallant son, was not so fortunate, for they met a determined resistance
at the hands of Henry de Montfort.

The central divisions of the two armies seemed well matched also, and
thus the battle continued throughout the day, the greatest advantage
appearing to lie with the King's troops. Had Edward not gone so far
afield in pursuit of the Londoners, the victory might easily have been
on the side of the royalists early in the day, but by thus eliminating
his division after defeating a part of De Montfort's army, it was as
though neither of these two forces had been engaged.

The wily Simon de Montfort had attempted a little ruse which centered
the fighting for a time upon the crest of one of the hills. He had
caused his car to be placed there, with the tents and luggage of many of
his leaders, under a small guard, so that the banners there displayed,
together with the car, led the King of the Romans to believe that the
Earl himself lay there, for Simon de Montfort had but a month or so
before suffered an injury to his hip when his horse fell with him, and
the royalists were not aware that he had recovered sufficiently to again
mount a horse.

And so it was that the forces under the King of the Romans pushed back
the men of Henry de Montfort, and ever and ever closer to the car came
the royalists until they were able to fall upon it, crying out insults
against the old Earl and commanding him to come forth. And when they had
killed the occupants of the car, they found that Simon de Montfort
was not among them, but instead he had fastened there three important
citizens of London, old men and influential, who had opposed him, and
aided and abetted the King.

So great was the wrath of Prince Richard, King of the Romans, that
he fell upon the baronial troops with renewed vigor, and slowly but
steadily beat them back from the town.

This sight, together with the routing of the enemy's left wing by Prince
Edward, so cheered and inspired the royalists that the two remaining
divisions took up the attack with refreshed spirits so that, what a
moment before had hung in the balance, n