been in your custodies: And nowe not purposing to vse your cōpanies any lōger, betake you to God: And quickly turnyng his horse about, put to the spurres and away wēt he. The other pricked after a pase, but yet came far inough behind, and ouertake him they could not. At last, when they sawe Roger Mortimer commyng from hys castell of Wygmore, accōpanied with many armed mē to meet him as before it was apointed, they returned agayne home as wise as they came forth. And when this the princes escape was diuulgated: much people came vnto hym out of euery quarter, with great ioye therof. Amōgest whom, the first was the earle of Glocester, and the other souldiers of the kynges, whiche had long now lyen at Bristow, and there aboutes. And within a shorte space he had a great and mightie host.

Whiche thing whe then earle Simond vnderstood, he much doubted and mistrusted him selfe: And sendyng into Wales, he gate from thence a great many mē and augmēted his power as strongly as he might, from euery part of Englād. MarginaliaThe Earle Simon sendeth about and in all hast gathereth a power.He sent also Simō hys son to þ^e noble mē of þ^e North partes, þ^t with all possible spede he might bring them w^t hym: who w^t a great company came with him, and at Kenelworth a while they stayd, and there pitched their tentes. But leauyng Kenelworth for a certein time they went to Winchester, and spoyled the same, & then returned agayne to Kenelworth. And when this by a certeine spiall was declared to Edwarde the kynges sonne, who then was at Wycester, whiche he had gottē after he came frō Glocester a litle before: prepared hym selfe with his souldiers, in the night season to go to the place where þ^e spye should bryng hym, which was into a deepe valley neare vnto the place, where Simon and his companie had pitched. MarginaliaThe fyrst enterprise of prince Edward after his escape by the meanes of a spye.And when in the mornyng they were very early about to arme them selues, and prepare their horses: they hard a great noyse of their enemyes cōming towardes them. Thē thinkyng, that they had prepared them selues agaynst their commyng, and so had been betrayed: they set forth in battaile aray marchyng forwarde, till that they met certein of their enemies strageling in long winges, thinking to haue gone a foraging and to haue sought for vitailes: whom they tooke, & with their fresh horses, newe horsed their souldiers that had their horses tyred with long trauel. And so marching forwarde, came very early in the mornyng vpon their enemyes, whom for the most part they found slepyng: and leyng lustely about thē: they slue diuers, some they toke, the reste they put to flighte, and fiftene of their chiefest ensignes they toke, and many other riches spoiles. But yong Simon him selfe lodged in the castell, who with a few with him escaped and fled. And this was the fourth day before the Nones of August. an. 1265.

But when Edward, hard that earle Simon was cōmyng toward Kenelworth, to ioyne with his sonnes batell: he marched forward to meete hym, the thyrd day after at Eusham. MarginaliaThe disposing of the princes battail against the earle Simond fought at Fulham.Where he deuided his host into thre battayles, he him selfe hauyng the leadyng of one, the duke of Glocester the second, and Roger Mortimer the thyrd, whiche came vpon their backes. The kyngs sonne Edward came Northward, as though he came from Kenelworth to Eusham, and because he would not be discreit, he caused hys own standerdes and ensignes to be taken downe, and yong Simons which he had taken before to be aduaunced. But the earle Simons Scurier, whose name was Nicholas, shewed the earle that such bandes and cōpanies were marchyng towardes him: who thinkyng the same to haue been Simon his sonnes power, not knowyng of the ouerthrow whiche he had had before gaue small credite therunto: till that the sayd Nicholas the better to vew and discree them, went vp to the Abbey steple of Eusham, where he might plainly discerne them all and their stāderds: For by this tyme, they were moūted the hill whiche they laboured to attaine, thynking tohaue that vantage, when they should giue their charge as they had purposed: and had also aduaunced agayne his owne standerdes, and pulled downe Simons, wherby they were the more easyer discreed and known. MarginaliaPrince Edwards host described, wherat the Earle was much abashed.Thē he cried aloud to the earle Simon and sayd, we are all but dead men: For it is not your sonne as you suppose that commeth, but it is Edward the kynges sonne, that commeth from one part: and the earle of Glocester, frō an other part, and Roger Mortimer from the third part. Then sayd the earle. The Lord be mercifull vnto our soules, for asmuch as our bodies and lyues are nowe in their handes: cōmaundyng that euery man should make him selfe ready to God, and to fight out the field for that it was their willes, to die for theyr lawes & in a iust quarell: And such as would depart, he gaue leaue to go their wayes that they should be no discomfiture to the rest.

Then came vnto him his eldest sonne Henry and comforted him, desiring him to haue no dispaire nor yet mistrust in the good succes of this victory, with other suche cherefull wordes. MarginaliaThe wordes of Earle Simonde to hys sonne.No my sonne sayth he, I dispayr not: but yet, it is thy presumption and the pride of the rest of thy brethren that haue brought me to thys ende ye see. Notwithstanding yet I trust, I shall die to God and in a righteous quarell. After wordes of comfort geuen to all his host, and the oration made as is the maner, they all armed themselues. The king also (whom the earle alwayes kept wyth hym) he armed in an armour of hys own. And thē deuiding their battailes, they marched toward their enemies: but before they ioined, the welchmē ran their ways, & thinking to scape ouer þ^e riuer of Dee, were there some drowned, and some slaine. Then when the battayles ioyned and came to handy strokes, wythin short space, manye of the Earles part fell and were slayn. MarginaliaK. Henry almost slain in the battel at length known by his voyce and reskued by hys sone.And the king himself being stroken at, cryed with a loud voyce to them saying: kill me not, I am Henrye your kyng. And with these the kinges wordes the Lord Adam Monhaut knew him, and saued him. At whose voyce and cry came also prince Edward his sonne, and deliuered hym to the garde and custodye of certayne knights. In the meane season, the earle Simō was hard bestead and beaten downe, & also slayn before Edwarde the prince came at him. Howbeit, before he fel, when as yet he fought for his life, and Henry his sōne and other noble men on his part were about him, he brake out in these wordes vnto his enemies saying: what, is ther no mercy and compassion wyth you? Who agayne answered, what compassion shoulde there bee shewed to traytors? Thē sayd he, the lord be merciful to our soules, our bodies are in your hands. And as soone as these wordes were spokē, MarginaliaEarle Simon, his sone and manie moo lordis and barons slayne at thys Battel of Eushem.they mangled his body, & deuided his members, and cut of his head, which head Roger Mortimer sent vnto his wyfe. And not far of from him also was slayne Henry hys eldest sonne, the Lord Hugh Spencer, the lord Radulph Basset, the Lord Thomas de Hestele, the lord Williā Maundeuile, the lord Iohn Bewchamp, the lord Guido Baillofer, the Lord Roger Rowley, and many other noble men besydes, with a great multitude of people the Lord knoweth how manye. This battayle was fought in the moneth of August and continued frō one of the clocke tyll it was night: in the which, was not so much as one man on the earles part of any estimation, fortitude, and courage, but in that battayle lost hys lyfe: more then the lord Iohn, who by the great grace of God escaped death. Neyther is this to be forgotten, that the same day being Tewsday, at that instant houre whē the battel began, which was at one of the clock at after noone: there was such a darknes ouer all, such thunder & such tempest: that the lyke before that tyme was neuer seene, being very fayre and calme weather both immediatly before and after, whiche seemed (saith mine autor) to geue a playne demōstration of that which afterward chaunced and followed.