CHAPTER XXII.
It was about one o'clock on the 4th of August, 1265, when Simon deMontfort--having the King upon his right hand, with Lord le Despenser,the high justiciary, on the monarch's right, the Earl of Monthermer andLord Ralph Basset, on his own left, and some four or five and twentyknights and gentlemen following close upon his steps--rode out from thehighway leading from Evesham to Alcester, upon that ever renownedplain, where the truncheon of power was to be wrested from his graspfor ever.
The country was for the most part open, but there was a little wood andsome rising ground to the right, a rivulet running along across thepatch of common land which the road now traversed, and a cultivatedfield with its hedgerow on the left. About a quarter of a mile from thepoint at which the highway issued from between the banks, was a stonepost, marking the spot where three roads, coming down from some slighthills in front, met and united in the one along which De Montfort hadmarched from Evesham. For nearly the same distance beyond, these roadsmight be seen crossing the common, and then, plunging amongst woods andhedges, they ascended the gentle slope opposite.
The day was not so fine as the preceding one; clouds were gathering inthe sky; the air was heavy and oppressive; the horses either languid orimpatient, and everything announced that the sun would go down instorms. A small advanced guard had been sent forward to reconnoitre thecountry in front, and, the head of the column of the army was about ahundred yards behind the general and his companions; but no detachmenthad been on this, as on the preceding day, thrown out to examine thefields to the left of the line of march.
De Montfort's brow was calm and serene; he hoped, ere many hours wereover, to unite his forces to those of his eldest son, and then, turningupon his enemy, to terminate the contest at a blow. Ere he had reachedthe stone at the crossing of the roads, however, three or fourhorsemen, at headlong speed, came down from the rising ground in front,and in a moment after the whole advance-guard were seen in fullretreat.
"What is this?" asked De Montfort, spurring on his horse to meet thefirst of the men-at-arms who was approaching. "What news bring you insuch haste?"
"My lord, there is a mighty power coming down upon you," cried the man;"we saw them from the edge of the slope beyond--full twenty thousandmen."
"Did you see their banners?" demanded De Montfort.
"No," answered the Messenger; "there were banners in plenty, but Imarked not what they were."
"You are speedily alarmed," said the Earl, in a cold tone. "Hugh deMonthermer," he proceeded, speaking to the young Lord, who was closebehind, "gallop up that hill there to the right, and bring us word whatyour keen eyes can see. I will ride on to the other slope, and judgefor myself."
Hugh was away in a moment, and De Montfort continued, turning in thesaddle--"My kind friend, Monthermer--my good Lord Ralph--I beseech you,array the men as they issue forth from between the banks. These thatare coming must be the forces of my son from Kenilworth, but it is aswell to be prepared. My Lord le Despenser, I leave you to entertain hisMajesty--I will be back directly. Some of you gentlemen follow me;" andspurring on at full speed, he crossed the little rivulet, and ascendedthe first slope of the ground beyond.
He there paused, for some minutes, watching attentively the countrybefore him, through which, upon the left-hand road, was advancing alarge body of men, under numerous banners. At length, he seemedsatisfied, turned his horse, and rode back at an easy canter to thespot where the old Earl of Monthermer and Lord Ralph Basset werearraying the spearmen, archers, and crossbowmen, who had by this timecome forth upon the common, while the men-at-arms were only beginningto appear, taking up a position behind the infantry.
"It is as well," said De Montfort, speaking, as they returned, to oneof the gentlemen who had followed him--"it is as well to put them inarray, for we shall halt here for an hour, while the men refreshthemselves. You saw those banners?"
"Yes, my lord," replied the knight; "I marked that of your son, andthat of the Earl of Oxford."
"We will give them a cheer when they come up," continued De Montfort;and he rode on to the Earl of Monthermer, saying--"It is my son,Monthermer; I see his banner, and Oxford's likewise. But here comesyour nephew. Who is this he is driving down before him, at the point ofthe lance? A crossbowman, it seems."
"My lord--my lord!" cried Hugh de Monthermer, as he came up--"preparefor instant battle. Prince Edward's army is within a mile, and Mortimeris coming up on the right-hand road!"
"What! to the right?" exclaimed De Montfort. "How came he there?--Well,let them come! they will meet more than they expected. My son is on theleft. Advance our wing, my good Lord of Monthermer, that we may joinwith him more easily."
"My lord, you are deceived," said Hugh, eagerly; "the banners you haveseen are not your son's."
"But----" cried De Montfort.
"Speak, sirrah!" exclaimed Hugh, turning sternly to the crossbowman,whom he had driven down before him; "speak, and let the Earl hear thetruth. Such bitter tidings should only come from the lips of an enemy.Speak, I say. My lord, this is one of Gloucester's archers; he willtell you more."
"Let him, then," said the Earl. "Who are these, marching against me,sirrah?"
"Prince Edward, Roger Mortimer, and Gilbert de Clare," replied the man."Your son, my lord--kill me if you will, but it is the truth--your sonwas surprised in his bed, at Kenilworth, his army routed and dispersed,thirteen barons displaying their own banners were taken, and as manymore were slain. The banners you have seen were captured by the Prince,and are hung out but to deceive you."
"And my son?" asked De Montfort, gazing earnestly in the man's face."What of my son?"
"He escaped, my lord," replied the archer, "he escaped, and threwhimself into the castle."
"Take him to the rear," said De Montfort. "Lo! where they come! Amighty power, indeed!! How orderly--how firm!--The boy learnt that fromme. Now, God have mercy on our souls--for our bodies are PrinceEdward's!"
He added the latter words in a lower voice, but so as to be distinctlyheard by the gentlemen around him. A moment after, he raised his headproudly, saying, "However, he must be met boldly, and we must do ourduty as knights and gentlemen. Every one who is willing to do so maythis day conquer high renown, if he wins no other prize; but shouldthere be any one who fears to fight and fall with De Montfort, he hasfull leave to go; for I would not have it said, when men shall talk ofthis glorious, though perhaps disastrous day, that there was one cowardamongst all those who did battle at Evesham. Let us make the best ofour array, my Lord of Monthermer. Yonder wood is a point thatmust be maintained. Hugh, line the hedges of that little field witharchers--place me there our stout foresters from Sherwood: it is apoint of much importance. Take up your post beyond them there with yourmen-at-arms--have some archers and slingers in your front, and keep theground between the further hedge and those scrubby bushes and hawthorntrees, amongst which their horsemen cannot act. I put you in a post ofdifficulty and danger, young gentleman, but I know that you will acquityou well; and now for the rest of our array. The enemy are halting fortheir own arrangements, but still we must lose no time."
Thus saving, he rode slowly along towards the wood, giving his ordersas he went, and ranging his men for battle; while Hugh de Monthermerproceeded to execute the commands he had received. Every post was soonfilled up, and before two o'clock the adverse armies were completelyarrayed facing each other; but, alas, that of Prince Edwardoutnumbering the force opposed to him in the proportion of two to one!
Nearly in the centre of De Montfort's line was the Earl of Leicester,and at a little distance the weak and false King Henry, cased incomplete armour, and riding a strong black charger; for on both sidesthe royal standard was displayed, and in a brief consultation amongstthe principal nobles, it had been judged necessary, as the King's namewas used in all public acts by the Lords Commissioners, to let thesoldiers see him actually in arms on their behalf. Neither had Henryhimself appeared in the least unwilling to play this par
t, for althoughsurrounded by a number of guards, he still entertained the hope ofescaping in the hurry and confusion of battle.
In the right of the same army was placed the gallant young Henry deMontfort, a godson of the King, and, like Hugh de Monthermer, aplayfellow of Prince Edward; for in those dire civil wars, as is everthe case, all the sweet relationships of life were torn asunder, andthe hearts that loved each other the best were frequently armed foreach other's destruction.
In the left wing was the banner of Monthermer, and under it fought, notonly the regular retainers of the house, but the yeomen and forestersof Yorkshire and Nottingham. The slingers, as usual, were thrownforward about a hundred and fifty yards before the rest of the army,closely supported by the lighter pikemen, and taking advantage of everybush and brake which might give them shelter, while they dischargedtheir missiles at the enemy. Behind them were some thousands of Welshfoot, who had been engaged as auxiliaries by De Montfort, and then camethe lines of sturdy English archers and regular spear-men, supported bythe men-at-arms.
It was a fine array to look upon, and stern and firm seemed the frontof De Montfort's battle; but the vast superiority of the enemy'snumbers cast a shadow, as it were, upon the spirits of the soldiery,while in the hearts of the leaders was nothing but the certainty ofdefeat and death. Had it been any other body, perhaps, that opposedthem but an English force, had any other generals commanded the adverseparty but Edward and Gloucester, their confidence in their own courageand in their great leader might have taught them to look with hope evento the unequal struggle before them. The troops, however, by whom theywere outnumbered were English soldiers, the chiefs who led the enemywere famous for their warlike skill and courage, and all were freshfrom victory, and elated with recent success.
Upon the field of battle the banners which had been assumed to misleadDe Montfort were cast by, and those of the different leaders themselvesdisplayed. The troops of Mortimer and the Lords Marchers were on theright, the division of Gloucester on the left, and the command ofEdward himself in the centre. In the army of the Prince, hope andexultation were in every bosom, confidence was strong, and, amongst theforeign favourites of Henry III. who were ranged in that force, theburning thirst for revenge upon him who had overthrown their fortunes,and well-nigh driven them from the land, added fierceness to theircourage, and a savage joy at the thought of the coming vengeance.
After the array was complete, a stern and gloomy silence pervaded thewhole line of De Montfort. Each man thought of to-morrow, of the homethat he might never see again, the children left fatherless, thewidowed wife, the promised bride, the sweet, warm relations of domesticlife, soon to be torn by the bloody hand of war.
Yet none but the auxiliaries thought of flying: not one dreamt ofavoiding the fate before him, for each man there arrayed came with afirm conviction of right and justice on his side; Each believed that hewas fighting for the deliverance of his country from foreigndomination; each came ready to die for the liberty and the freedom ofthe people of England. They were determined, resolute, unshaken, butthey were without hope, and therefore in stern silence they awaited theonset of the foe.
On the other side, for some time, nothing was heard but cheerfulsounds, the leaders' shouts, the repeated blasts of the clarion and thetrumpet, till at length, amongst them also, a momentary solemn pausesucceeded, giving notice that the battle was about to begin. They hunglike a thunder-cloud upon the edge of the slope, and that temporarycalm but preceded the breaking forth of the tempest.
The heavy masses then, for a moment, seemed to tremble; and then a fewmen ran forward from the ranks, slinging, even from a distance at whichno effect could be produced, large balls of stone or lead at the frontof De Montfort's line. Others followed quick, in irregular masses; andthen, moved on, somewhat more slowly, but in fine and soldierly order,the whole of Edward's overpowering force.
A pin might have been heard to drop in the host of De Montfort, sostill was the expectant silence with which they awaited the attack ofthe immense army which seemed not only about to assail them at once infront, but lapping over at both extremities, to crush either flankunder the charge of its numerous cavalry.
The skilful dispositions of the great Earl, however, had secured themagainst that danger; and the wood on the right hand, which he hadfilled with archers and foot spearmen, defended one wing, while thehedges and low hawthorn trees, near which he had planted Hugh deMonthermer and the bowmen of Sherwood, were a protection to the left.
Nevertheless, the latter point was one of considerable danger, andEdward marked it as the weakest part of De Montfort's line. Scarcelyhad the first movement in the prince's army taken place, when a strongbody of horse, following close upon a band of crossbowmen, wasobserved by Hugh de Monthermer marching straight against his post,headed by the banner of Bigod Earl of Norfolk; and leaving hismen-at-arms for a moment, he galloped to the spot where his friendRobin stood, saying in a low voice, "Here will they make their firstattack, Robin, in order to turn our flank."
"Let them come!" replied Robin Hood, "we will give a good account ofthem. We have planted stakes for their horses, my lord, so if you haveto charge, mark well the gaps."
"I see--I see!" cried Hugh de Monthermer, "but as it is a great objectto put them in disarray, send them a flight from your bowstrings assoon as the arrows will tell."
"Ours will tell now!" said Robin, and at the same time he raised hisbow above his head as a signal to his men.
At that instant a few balls dropping from the enemy's stingers, fellimpotent along De Montfort's line; but the next moment a hundred andfifty arrows shot into the air, scattered the crossbowmen in face ofHugh de Monthermer's band, and even caused considerable disarrayamongst the men-at-arms, from Norfolk.
A whole flight from Edward's army then darkened the air, but reachednot the opposite host; and the Earl of Monthermer, distrusting hisnephew's impetuosity, rode down to beg him on no account to charge tillthe battle had really begun.
It was not long ere such was the case, however. Onward, with increasingrapidity, came the force of the Prince; the arrows and the quarrels onboth sides began to work fearful havoc in the ranks; and themen-at-arms might be seen closing the barred aventaille, preparing toenter with each other into deadly strife. The arrows from theNottingham bows--unmatched throughout all England--did execution of afearful kind amongst the crossbowmen opposed to them. One went downafter another as they hurried forward; their ranks became thinner andmore thin; and at length, the men-at-arms behind them, finding that theliving as well as the dead and wounded encumbered without serving,called to them loudly to retire, that they themselves might advance tocharge. Before the retreat of the infantry could well be accomplished,the Earl of Norfolk gave the word; and with levelled lances thehorsemen sushed on, though repeated arrows from an unerring hand struckevery part of the Earl's own armour as he approached.
"At the horses!" cried the voice of Robin Hood, as the men-at-arms drewnear; and in an instant another flight, point blank, rattled like hailamongst the advancing cavalry. Five or six chargers instantly wentdown, and others, furious with pain, reeled and plunged, spreadingdisarray around.
Hugh de Monthermer was now about to give the order to advance, in orderto support the archers, and complete what they had done, but at thatinstant a cry of, "They fly--they fly!" came from the right; and,looking up the line, he perceived the whole body of Welsh auxiliariesrunning from the field in rout and disarray. The panic of any largebody of an army, we are told, generally communicates itself more orless, to the whole; but such was not the case upon the presentoccasion. A shout of indignant anger burst from the other troops as theWelsh went by, for it was forgotten that they were not fighting fortheir country's safety or deliverance, like the rest of that host; butevery one made way for them to pass, and, filling up the open space asfast as possible, presented a still sterner face than before to theadvancing enemy.
One of the chief defences of the centre, however, was now gone: it waslike an outwork f
orced; and a charge of men at-arms taking place onboth sides, the whole line was speedily engaged.
From the firm front of the Nottingham archers, and the terrible,unceasing shower of arrows they kept up, the bands of the Earl ofNorfolk turned off in disorder, at the very moment he had led them upalmost to the stakes. Hugh de Monthermer, charging while they werestill in confusion, drove them back in complete rout; but the troops ofMortimer sweeping up; changed the fortune of the parties, and Hughknowing the absolute necessity of keeping firm the post he occupied,retreated unwillingly to his first position.
It was now that the Yorkshire spearmen, with the young franklin attheir head, did gallant service to the cause which they espoused.Advancing with their long lances, they kept the enemy at bay, and, inspite of charge after charge, made by Mortimer and others, maintainedtheir ground against the whole force of the Prince's right wing.
In other parts of the field, however, numbers were gradually prevailingagainst all that courage and resolution, could do. The _m?l?e_ hadbegun in all its fierceness, knight fought with knight, man opposedman, hurry and confusion were seen in all parts of the field, while theclang of arms, the blasts of the trumpet, the shouts of the combatants,the loud voice of the commanders, the galloping of horse, the groans ofthe dying, and the screams of men receiving agonizing wounds, offeredto the ear of heaven a sound only fit for the darkest depth of hell.
Charge after charge was poured upon the left wing of De Montfort'sarmy; but Mortimer, Bigod, and the Earl of Pembroke, in vain led downtheir horse against the gallant band of spearmen and archers. Each timethey approached, they were driven back, either by the fierce flights ofarrows, the long spears of Pontefract, or the encounter of themen-at-arms.
Once only was the line, between the hedged field we have mentioned andthe hawthorn trees, shaken for an instant by overpowering numbers; andthen the old Earl of Monthermer, seeing his nephew's peril, gallopeddown, at the head of a strong band of men-at-arms, and aided to repelthe enemy.
He paused one moment by his nephew's side ere he left him, saying; "Itwill be very glorious, Hugh, if we can maintain our ground till night.Farewell, my dear boy; do your devoir, and, if we never meet again onearth, God bless you!"
"I beseech you, sir," replied Hugh, "take care of your own invaluablelife; remember, you are as much aimed at by the enmity of theforeigners as even De Montfort."
"I will never fall alive into their hands," replied the old Earl, "butI quit not this field, so long as there is light to wield the sword."
Thus saying, he rode away to a spot where the battle was thickening,round the banner of De Montfort itself; and his presence thereapparently aided to restore the field; for, shortly after, the wholeforce of Prince Edward withdrew for a short space, like a tiger thathas been disappointed of its spring, and hung wavering upon the edge ofthe slope, as if collecting vigour for a new charge.
At the same time, the sky overhead, which, as I have before said, hadbeen threatening during the whole morning, grew darker and darker, soas to be more like that of a gloomy November evening; than the declineof a summer's day.
The pause which had taken place seemed a part of Edward's plan forbreaking the firm line of his adversary, as it was more than oncerepeated during the battle; but it was never of long duration. The nextinstant his trumpets blew the charge, and down came the thunderingcavalry, pouring at once upon every part of De Montfort's army. On theEarl's side, too, after a rapid flight of arrows from the archers, themen-at-arms advanced to meet the coming foe, and again the battle wasurged hand to hand.
It were vain to attempt a picture of the various deeds that were donethat day in different parts of the field, for seldom in the annals ofwarfare has a combat taken place in which such acts of prowess andstern determination were displayed on either part. Edward himself,Mortimer, Gloucester, the Earl of Ashby and his son, Bigod, andValence, and a thousand others of noble birth and high renown fought,both as generals and soldiers, with personal exertions and valour,which could only be displayed in a chivalrous system of warfare; whileon the other, De Montfort, Monthermer, Le Despenser, Basset, St. John,Beauchamp, De Ros, put forth energies almost superhuman tocounterbalance the disadvantage of numbers, and to wrest a victory fromthe hand of fate.
In one place, Humphrey de Bohun was struck down by one of Edward'smen-at-arms; and a peasant with an oucin was preparing to dispatch him,ere he could rise, when William de York came to his rescue, and slewthe foot soldier; but, even as De Bohun rose and regained his horse,his deliverer was killed by a quarrel from a crossbow.
In another part, the King himself was assailed, and wounded by one ofhis own son's followers, who had even shortened his lance to pin him tothe earth, as he lay prostrate before him, when throwing back hisaventaille, the monarch exclaimed, "Out upon thee, traitor.--I am Henryof Winchester, thy king: Where is my son?"
As he spoke, a knight, taller, by a head, than any man around, andclothed from the crown to the heel in linked mail, sprang to the groundbeside him, and thrusting the soldier fiercely back, raised the monarchfrom the ground, exclaiming, "Mount, mount, my father, and away! Cometo the rear, and let your wound be searched.--Give me your horse'srein.--You at least are free, and that is worth a victory."
The King sprang on his horse, and Edward led him by the bridle to therear of his own army.
Almost at the same moment, on the left of De Montfort's line, Alured deAshby and Hugh de Monthermer met in full career; the former chargingthe well-known shield of Monthermer with animosity only the morefierce, perhaps, because he knew that it was unjust; the latter meetinghim unwillingly, though compelled by circumstances to do his knightlydevoir. His very reluctance, however, made him more calm and thoughtfulthan his fiery assailant; and, aiming his lance right at the crest ofhis adversary, in order to cast him from his horse and make himprisoner, rather than kill him, he galloped on with a wary eye. Theyoung lord of Ashby's spear, charged well and steadily, struck fullupon the shield of his opponent, pierced through the plate of steel andtouched the hauberk; but stopped there, without even shaking him in thesaddle, and broke off in splinters; while Monthermer's lance, catchingthe steel casque just above the aventaille, hurled his adversary to theground, bruised, but unwounded.
Several of Monthermer's followers instantly ran up on foot to seize thediscomfited knight, and make him prisoner; but a charge of fresh troopsdrove them back, and Alured de Ashby remounting his horse, rode awaywith no light addition to his former hatred for Hugh de Monthermer.
The momentary retirement of Edward from the field now caused another ofthose pauses in the battle, which have been already mentioned. Hisforces once more withdrew for a short space, slowly and sullenly, thearchers on either side continuing to discharge their arrows, thoughwith but little effect. About the same time, a flash somewhat faint,but blue and ghastly, came across the sky, and then the low mutteringof distant thunder.
"Ha!" said Robin Hood, who was standing by the side of Hugh deMonthermer at the moment; "that trumpet will be but little attended toto-day. Heaven's voice too rarely is."
"Too rarely, indeed!" replied Hugh. "Have you lost many men, Robin?"
"Well-nigh two score, I fear," answered Robin Hood. "Poor Brown wasrash, and ventured beyond the stakes with his little band ofMansfield-men. They are all gone; but we have filled up the gap."
"Can you still maintain your post?" demanded Hugh.
"With God's will and the help of the blessed Virgin, we shall do verywell here," said Robin; "but I fear, my lord, for the centre and theright. Look up there, just in the second line, where there are so manygathering to one spot. Some great man is hurt there."
"My uncle was there a moment ago," exclaimed Hugh; "I fear it is he!"
"No, no, my lord!" replied an old knight of the house of Monthermer,who was on his horse close by; "my lord, your uncle is safe. I haveseen him since the last charge, though he seems resolved to lose hislife."
"I do beseech you, Sir John Hardy," said Hugh, "if we lose the day,look
to my uncle, and force him from the battle, should it be needful."
"You stay on the field then, my lord, I suppose?" asked the old knight.
"I do," answered Hugh.
"Then, I stay too," replied Sir John Hardy.
"Nay, that is folly," cried Robin Hood. "Let each man fight so long asfighting may avail; but when the day is clearly lost, the brave man,who would spill his best blood to win it, then saves the life that Godgave him to do God service at another time. But, see--all the leadersare gathering to that point! You had better go, my lord, and bring ustidings. We will ensure the ground till your return."
"Command the troop then till I come back, Sir John," said Hugh, andriding along the front of the line, under a shower of arrows from theenemy, he approached the spot--where, sheltered from the sightof the adversary's lines by a thick phalanx of foot spearsmen andmen-at-arms,--was collected a group of noblemen of the first rank,seeming to hold a council round the royal standard, which was thereerected.
When Hugh came near, however, he saw that the occasion was a sadderone. His uncle, the Lords of Mandeville, Basset, Crespigny, Beauchamp,and Le Despenser, were standing dismounted round the famous Earl ofLeicester, who was stretched upon the ground, with his head andshoulders supported by the knee and arm of a monk. Deep in his breast,piercing through and through the steel hauberk, was buried the head ofa broken lance, and in his right was a cloth-yard arrow. He had justconcluded, what seemed his confession, in extremis; and the good manwas murmuring over him in haste the hurried absolution of the field ofbattle. His countenance was pale; the dull shadow of death was upon it;the lips were colourless and the nostrils widely expanded, as if itcaused an agonizing effort to draw his breath; but the eye was stillbright and clear, and--while the man of God repeated the last words--itrolled thoughtfully over the faces of all around, resting with ananxious gaze upon those with whom he was most familiar.
"Draw out the lance," he said, speaking to the surgeon of hishousehold, who stood near.
"If I do, my lord," replied the leech, "you cannot survive tenminutes."
"That is long, enough," said de Montfort. "My boy Henry is gone; I sawhim fall, and I would not be much behind him. Draw it out, I say, Icannot breathe and I must needs speak to my friends. Le Despenser; makehim draw it out; I shall have time enough for all I have to do."
Unwillingly, and not without a considerable effort, the surgeon torethe head of the lance out of the wound; but, contrary to hisexpectation; very little blood followed. The Earl bled inwardly.
He seemed to feel instant relief, however, saying--"Ah, that iscomfort! keep that steel, my friend, as the instrument that sent DeMontfort to heaven. Now mark me, lords and nobles," he continued, in afirm voice--"mark me and never forget, that at his last hour, going tomeet his Saviour in judgment, De Montfort declares that those whoaccuse him of ambition do belie him. I say now, as I have said ever,that my every act and every thought have been for my country's good. Imay have been mistaken--doubtless, have been so often; but that myintentions have been pure, I do most fervently call Heaven to witness.So much for that; and now, my friends, I am fast leaving you. My sun,like yonder orb, is setting rapidly: I for ever--he to rise again. Hemay yet shine brightly on the cause I can no longer support, but itmust be upon another field, and upon another day. Preserve yourselvesfor that time, my friends, I exhort, I beseech you! Basset, Monthermer,Le Despeuser, this battle is lost; but you may yet, as night is coming,effect your retreat in safety. It is no dishonour to quit a well-foughtbut unequal field. Show, a firm face to the enemy; gather all our poorsoldiers together; retire as orderly as may be till night covers you,then disperse, and each man make the best of his way to his ownstronghold. Monthermer, you shake your head!"
"I have sworn, De Montfort," said his old friend, kneeling down andgrasping his hand, "not to quit this field so long as there is light inyonder sky to strike a stroke, and I must keep my vow."
"You are going, my noble friend," said Lord Ralph Basset--"you aregoing on a journey where you must have companions. I am with you,Leicester, and that right soon."
"Good bye, De Montfort," said Lord le Despenser. "Go on; I will notmake you wait. We shall meet again in half an hour."
A faint smile came upon the lip of the dying man. "Must it be so?" heasked. "Well, then, range your men! Upon them altogether! and let thetraitors, who have betrayed their country, make such a field, thatEvesham plain shall be sung and talked of so long as liberty is dear tothe hearts of Englishmen.--Hark, they are coming!" he continued, in afaint voice, with his eye rolling languidly from side to side.
"No, my lord, that is thunder," said the surgeon.
"Ha!" replied De Montfort, vacantly, "thunder!--I am very thirsty."
Some one ran and brought him a little water from the stream. It seemedto refresh him; and, raising himself for an instant upon his arm, hegazed around with a countenance, full of stern enthusiasm, exclaimingaloud, "Do your devoir!" and with those words he fell back into thearms of the priest, a corpse.
A dozen voices, replied, "We will!" and each man springing on hishorse, regained the head of his band. Just as Edward's troops were oncemore in movement to advance, the word was given along the whole of theconfederate line, the trumpets blew to the charge, and the army, whichhad held its firm position up to that hour, rushed forward to meet theadversary like a thunder-cloud rolling down a hill.
The sun, at the same moment, touched the edge of the horizon, shiningout beneath the edge of the stormy canopy that covered the greaterpart of the sky, and blending its red descending light with thethunder-drops which were now pattering large and thick upon the plainof Evesham. The whole air seemed flooded with gore, and the clouds onthe eastern side of the heavens, black and heavy as they were, assumeda lurid glare, harmonizing with the whole scene, except where part of arainbow crossed the expanse, hanging the banner of hope, light, andpeace, in the midst of strife, destruction, and despair.
Such was the scene at the moment when the two armies met in the direshock of battle; and fierce and terrible was the encounter, as, soonbroken into separate parties, they fought hand to hand, dispersed overthe plain. In one of these confused groups, leading on a small body ofarchers, with Robin Hood by his side, was the young Lord of Monthermer.
"My lord, my lord," said Sir John Hardy, riding up, "your uncle isdown--wounded, but not dead!"
"Bear him from the field, Sir John," replied Hugh. "Robin, I beseechyou, look to him. Bear him from the field--bear him from the field!"
"What, ho! Monthermer!" cried a loud voice, from a party Of spearmencoining at full speed. "Down with your lance; surrender to the Prince!"
"If the Prince can take me!" replied Hugh, charging his lance atEdward's shield, and driving his spurs deep into his horse's sides.
"Hold back--hold back!" shouted Edward to his own men. "Hold back,every one, upon your lives!" and meeting the young lord in full career,both their lances were shivered in a moment, as if in some mock combatof the tilt-yard.
Hugh de Monthermer's sword sprang from the sheath in a moment, whileEdward cried--"Yield thee, Hugh--yield thee!" but a number of men onfoot had ran up; and, suddenly, the young knight received a violentblow from a mallet on the side of his head, while, at the same instant,his horse, gashed deep in the belly by the broad sword of acrossbowman, staggered and and fell prone upon the plain. A dozenspears were at his throat in a moment; but Edward shouted once more, tostand back; and springing to the ground, he bent over the young knight,exclaiming, "Now, Hugh, rescue, or no rescue--do you surrender?"
"I have no choice, my lord," replied the other; "I am in your hand."
"Take him to the rear," said Edward; "but use him with all kindness, asyour Prince's friend. Now, my lords," he continued, remounting hishorse, "methinks the field is ours, and there is scarcely light tostrike another blow. Well has the fight been fought, and it is butjustice to our enemies to say, that never was greater valour, conduct,and chivalry, displayed in any land than by them this day. S
ome onesaid De Montfort is dead. Have the tidings been confirmed?"
"They are certain, my lord," replied one of his attendants. "The Lordde Vesci, who is taken sorely wounded, saw him die."
"He was a great man," said Edward. "Now spur on and clear the plain;but be merciful, my friends. Remember, they are brave men andfellow-countrymen."
Thus speaking the Prince advanced again, and having seen that no partyremained in active contention with his forces, but that all were eitherdead, taken, or dispersed, he caused his standard to be pitched uponthe banks of the little rivulet we mentioned, his trumpets to blow therecal--and thus ended the famous battle of Evesham.
Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times Page 22