+Source.+--_Hamilton Papers_, No. 233.
Please it your highness to understand that I the Earl of Hertford with
Your Majesty's army here, marched out of this toun on Wednesday last,
towards Edinburgh, and being set forwards, came to me an herald and
trumpet from the provost and council of the toun, declaring on their
behalf that they would set open the gates and deliver the keys unto me
to do with the toun and them what I would, upon trust that I would be
good lord unto them and save their lives and goods without burning or
spoil of the toun, which should make no resistance unto me.
I told him forasmuch as they had before refused so to do, and had made
me resolute answer that unless I would capitulate with them in what
sort I would use them and their toun, they would not yield the same,
but make resistances, which I took for a final resolution, I would
therefore remain now at my liberty to do as I thought good when I came
there; and therewith I asked, whether they would also undertake and
promise for to deliver the castle? Whereunto he answered that it was
out of his power to deliver the castle, but for the toun which was in
their hands, it should be at my commandment. Whereupon I willed them
to return, and to say unto the said provost and council that if they
would render all to my will, they should forthwith avoid the toun of
man, woman and childe, and at mine entry into the toun, if they did
meet me and submit themselves, I would then do as I saw cause.
Whereupon he departed, and soon after when I came near to the toun,
the provost and others of the toun with him, came to me and required
me to be good lord unto them and their toun, which should be committed
unto me without resistance, trusting that I would save their lives and
goods, and not burn nor spoil their toun.
I made them in effect like answer as before I made to the herald, but
being much pressed by them for the safetie of them and their toun with
their goods as aforesaid, I willed them to return, saying that at mine
entry within the toun, upon their submission and delivery of the keys
as they offered, I would then use them with the more favour, as at my
coming to the gates of the toun I would further declare. They returned
with this answer, and I supposed verily that they would in this sort
have delivered and yielded the toun; but immediately after, as soon as
we were marched hard to the toun, the inhabitants of the suburbs
raised a fire and a great smoke in one or two of their own houses
betwixt us and the toun, and forthwith after, I had intelligence that
they would defend and withstand us to their power. Whereupon I the
said Earl caused me the Lord Admiral with the forward to march into
the toun, who passed through the suburbs to the principal port of the
toun, being an iron gate and well fortified with men and ordinance,
which they shot so fast that some of our men being killed in the
streets with the same, the rest began to shrink and retire, but that
the gentlemen and others of the foreward, your majesty's servants,
gave the onset and made so sharp assault and approach hard to the
gate, that they recovered one piece of their artillery, and by
violence drew it from them through the loops, where the same did lie
in the gate. Nevertheless the Scots shot out of their windows and
holes of their houses so fast with hand-guns, that our men being so
astonied therewith, shot again at adventure, and did more hurt to
their own fellows than to the enemys, whereby it chanced that one hit
my Lord William with an arrow above the cheek, but the stroke was so
faint and weakly shot that, thanked be God, it did him little or no
hurt at all. In fine the said lord Admiral having caused Sir
Christopher Morris to lay ordinance to the said gate, after three or
iiii shots of a culverin, the gate flew open and our men entered the
toun with such good courage, as all the enemies fled away, and many of
them were slain, we think about vi or vii score at the least. And
being thus entered within the toun, and our enemies discomfited,
although I the said Earl had before taken order, that after the
winning of the toun and the entry into the same, they should proceed
no farther, nor make assault to the castle, till upon a future advice,
yet when the said gate was thus won and opened with the ordinance, the
gunners of their own courage, without advice or commandment of me the
said Earl, and without the knowledge of one the Lord Admiral, made
forthwith an approach with their battery pieces to the Castle of
Edinburgh, and shot of a little while to the same; but the castle
being so strong and the approach so dangerous on all sides, that it is
not possible for men to stand to their pieces without utter
destruction, the Scots with their shot both of cannon and other pieces
out of the castle, slew our men and dismounted one of our pieces. So
that I the said Earl perceiving the same, caused Mr. Lee and the
Surveyor of Calais to view the approach, who said that the same was so
dangerous, as the castle seemed to be impregnable without a long
demour and tarrying upon it; for there could be, as they said, no case
devised for the approach, but that the same must needs be so open upon
the shot of the castle, as without the great loss of men it could not
be entered, the ground being of hard rock, so that there was no earth
to fill mounds with, nor yet to trench on, and notwithstanding all the
shot that Sir Christopher Morris made, which endured almost two hours,
the walls of the castle seemed so strong as they were little or
nothing battered or impaired with the same. Whereupon I the said Earl
caused him to retire and withdraw all his pieces of artillery saving
that which was dismounted, which could not be lead away, the place
being so dangerous, as men could not stand to mount the same again,
and therefore I caused him to break it with over charge. And as soon
as the ordinance was thus withdrawn and set forwards, I commanded the
captains and soldiers to set fire in the toun, which being so raised
in sundry parts, the soldiers fell into such a sudden rage and fear,
that what by reason of the shot out of the castle, which beateth full
upon the toun, and killed sundry of our soldiers, and again with such
exclamations and cryings out upon no ground or cause, they began to
flee so fast out of the toun, as by reason of the straight passage at
the gate, the throng and press was so great, that one of them was like
to destroy another; whereof was like to have grown some mischief and
confusion. And if the smoke had not been such in the toun as blinded
the Scots so that the same could not see the confusion and throng of
our soldiers, undoubted with their shot they might have slain a great
number of your people. But God be thanked, at last it was well
appeased with much ado, and having made a jolly fire and smoke upon
the toun, I the said Earl with Your Highness' army returned to our
camp in this toun. And in this enterprise we lost not in all past xx
men, but by reason of the said confusion amongst the soldiers the time
passed and night came so fast on, that we could not tarry so long upon
the burning of the toun throughout, as we would have done, though it
be metely well smoked, and therefore we left it for that time. But
yesterday arrived here the warden of the East and Middle marches, with
the horsemen to the number of four thousand at the least, and this day
I the said Earl have eftsoons visited the said toun of Edinburgh,
which had chosen them a new provost, and intending to make a new
resistance, had repaired the said chief port of the toun with stone
and earth and stood somewhat stoutly to their defence. Nevertheless
they were so well assaulted and quickly handled that the gate was soon
set upon with our artillery and the toun won once again. In which
assault were slain iiii or v hundred Scots, and but vii of our men
lacking, thanks be to God. So that we trust Your Majesty's Commission
given to me the said Earl for the burning of the said toun, is now
well executed, for the toun and also the Abbey of Holyrood house is in
manner wholly brent and desolate; which considering the dangerous
entry into the same town by reason of the shot of the castle, we found
to be a far more difficult and dangerous enterprise than before hath
been supposed.
And whiles the toun was thus brenning, and we standing upon the hill
without the toun to view the same, we might well hear the women and
poor miserable creatures of the toun make exclamation and cryings out
upon the cardinal in these words: "Wa worthe the Cardinal."[68] And
also your horsemen since their arrival here have ridden abroad in the
country and brent round about within v miles compass hereabouts and
have gotten good booties, both of cattle and also ready money and
plate to a good value and substance....
And finally, having made such devastation of the country hereabouts as
your majesty hath commanded, I shall then proceed to the execution of
the rest of my charge in our return home by land, which I trust shall
be accomplished to your highness' honour and contentment. Thus
Almighty God preserve your majesty in your royal estate most
felicitously to endure. At Leith the ixth of May. Your Majesty's
humble subjects and most bounden servants, E. Hertford, John Lisle,
Rafe Sadleyr.