+Source.+--Continuation of _Matthew Paris_ (attributed to William
Rishanger), vol. iii., pp. 347-349. (Bohn's Libraries.)
Being then assured that a battle was imminent, the army of the Barons,
before sunrise, left the village of Fletching [about six miles distant
from Lewes], where a great portion of it had passed the night. Before
starting on the expedition, Earl Simon conferred the honour of
knighthood on Gilbert Clare. When they reached a place scarcely two
miles distant from the town of Lewes, Simon with his friends ascended an
eminence, and placed his car thereon in the midst of the baggage and
sumpter horses. There he displayed his standard, fastening it securely
to the car, and surrounded it with a large number of his soldiers. He
himself with his army took possession of the ground on both sides of
this place, and awaited the issue of events. In another car he had shut
up four citizens of London, who had conspired to betray him a short time
before, when he was passing the night at Southwark. This he did by way
of precaution. He then prudently arranged his forces, and ordered his
soldiers to fasten white crosses on their breasts and backs, above their
armour, that they might be known by their enemies, and to show that they
were fighting for justice. Early in the morning of that day the army of
the Barons surprised the King's followers, who had gone out to seek food
and fodder for their horses, and put a great many of them to death.
The King, being informed of the approach of the Barons, soon set himself
in motion with his army, and went forward to meet them with unfurled
banners, preceded by the royal ensign, which bore on it a dragon, as if
announcing itself the messenger of death. His army was divided into
three bodies; the first division was under the command of his eldest son
Edward, accompanied by William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, and John de
Warrenne, Earl of Surrey and Sussex. The second was commanded by the
King of Germany and his son Henry; whilst King Henry himself commanded
the third division. The army of the Barons was in four divisions; the
first of which was under the command of Henry de Montfort and the Earl
of Hereford; the second under Gilbert Clare, John Fitz John, and William
de Monchesnil; the third, composed of Londoners, was commanded by
Nicholas Segrave; and Earl Simon and Thomas Pelvedon led the fourth
division. Edward with his division rushed on the enemy with such
impetuosity that he forced them to retreat, many of them--report stated
the number of knights to amount to sixty--being drowned. The Londoners
were soon put to flight, and Edward, who thirsted for their blood owing
to the insult lately offered to his mother, pursued them for the
distance of four miles, and made a dreadful slaughter of them; but, by
his absence, he much weakened the King's forces. In the meantime, some
of the chiefs of the King's army, seeing the Earl's standard on the
hill, and thinking that the Earl himself was there, hastened thither
suddenly and slew the citizens of London who were shut up in the car,
not knowing that they were friendly to their cause. During all this
time, however, the Earl and Gilbert Clare were by no means idle, but
struck down and slew all who opposed them, directing their utmost
endeavours to take the King alive; and great numbers of the King's
adherents fell before them. John, Earl Warrenne, William de Valence, and
Guy de Lusignan, all uterine brothers of the King, Hugh Bigod, and about
three hundred armed knights, turned their backs and fled before the
fierce attacks of the Barons. Richard, King of Germany, Robert Bruce,
and John Comyn, who had brought a number of Scots with them, were made
prisoners. King Henry, also, after having his horse killed under him,
surrendered himself to Simon de Montfort, and was shortly afterwards
placed in the priory under a guard. Many of the Barons of Scotland were
slain on the spot on that day, and the foot-soldiers who had come with
them were slaughtered in great numbers. There were, moreover, made
prisoners, Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford; John Fitzallan, Earl of
Arundel; William Bardolf, Robert Tateshull, Roger Somerey, Henry Percy,
and Philip Basset. On the side of the King were slain the Justiciaries,
William Wilton and Fulk FitzWarren, the one falling in battle, the other
being drowned in the river. On the side of the Barons there fell Ralph
Hornigande, a Baron, and William Blund, the Earl's standard-bearer. It
was stated that the loss on both sides put together amounted to five
thousand men.
Edward, on returning with his companions in arms from the slaughter of
the Londoners, not knowing what had happened to his father, went round
the outside of the town and reached the Castle of Lewes; but not finding
his father there, he entered the priory, where he met with him and
learned what had passed. The Barons, in the meantime, made an assault on
the castle, but as the garrison made a vigorous defence, they withdrew;
Edward, on hearing of the daring bravery of the garrison, was much
inspirited, and, reassembling his troops, wished to try his fortune in
another battle. The Barons, on learning his determination, sent persons
to mediate for a peace, promising to come to some definite arrangement
to that effect on the morrow. On the morrow, therefore, by the
intervention of the Preacher and Minorite brethren, it was arranged that
on the sixth day following, Edward and Henry should deliver themselves
up to Earl Simon, in exchange for their fathers the Kings of England and
Germany, in the hope of obtaining peace and tranquillity, on condition
that due deliberation should be taken as to which of the statutes and
provisions ought to be observed to benefit the kingdom, and which ought
to be annulled, and that the spoil taken on both sides should be given
up without any ransom. On the Saturday following the King gave
permission to all who had joined his cause to return to their homes....
As for Edward, he was sent to the Castle of Wallingford for safety.
THE VIEWS OF THE KING AND OF THE BARONS CONCERNING THE GOVERNMENT OF
ENGLAND (1264).
+Source.+--_The Song of Lewes._ (_Political Songs of England from the
Reign of John to that of Edward II._, Camden Society, 1839.)
We are touching the root of the perturbation of the kingdom of which we
are speaking, and of the dissension of the parties who fought the said
battle. The objects at which these two parties aimed were different. The
King, with his, wished thus to be free; and so (it was urged on his
side) he ought to be; and he must cease to be King, deprived of the
rights of a King, unless he could do whatever he pleased. It was no part
of the duty of the magnates of the kingdom to determine whom he should
prefer to his earldoms, or on whom he should confer the custody of
castles, or whom he would have to administer justice to the people, and
to be Chancellor and Treasurer of the kingdom. He would have everyone at
his own will, and counsellors from whatever nation he chose, and all
ministers at his own discretion; while the Barons of England are not to
interfere with the King's actions, the command of the Prince having the
force of law, and what he may dictate binding everybody at his pleasure.
For every Earl also is thus his own master, giving to everyone of his
own men both as much as he will, and to whom he will; and although he be
a subject, the King permits it all. Which, if he do well, is profitable
to the doer; if not, he must himself see to it; the King will not hinder
him from injuring himself. Why is the Prince worse in condition, when
the affairs of the Baron, the knight, and the freeman, are thus managed?
Therefore they aim at making the King a slave, who wish to diminish his
power, to take away his dignity of Prince; they wish by sedition to
reduce captive into guardianship and subjection the royal power, and to
disinherit the King, that he shall be unable to reign so fully as
hitherto have done the Kings who preceded him, who were in no respect
subjected to their people, but administered their own affairs at their
will, and conferred what they had to confer according to their own
pleasure. This is the King's argument, which has an appearance of
fairness, and this is alleged in defence of the right of the kingdom.
Now let my pen turn to the other side:--let me describe the object at
which the Barons aim.... The adversaries of the King are enemies who
make war upon him, and counsellors who flatter the King, who seduce
their Prince with deceitful words, and who lead him into error by their
double tongues; these are adversaries worse than those who are perverse;
it is these who pretend to be good whilst they are seducers, and
procurers of their own advancement; they deceive the incautious, whom
they render less on their guard by means of things that please them,
whereby they are not provided against, but are considered as prudent
advisers.... And if such, by their conduct, should change the state of
the kingdom; if they should banish justice to put injustice in its
place; if they should call in strangers and trample upon the natives;
and if they should subdue the kingdom to foreigners; if they should not
care for the magnates and nobles of the land, and should place
contemptible persons over them; and if they should overthrow and
humiliate the great; if they should pervert and turn upside down the
order of things; if they should leave the measures that are best to
advance those that are worst;--do not those who act thus devastate the
kingdom?...
A wise Prince will never reject his people, but an unwise one will
disturb the kingdom. Wherefore, if a King is less wise than he ought to
be, what advantage will the kingdom gain by his reign? Is he to seek by
his own opinion on whom he should depend to have his failing supplied?
If he alone choose, he will be easily deceived, who is not capable of
knowing who will be useful. Therefore let the community of the kingdom
advise; and let it be known what the generality thinks, to whom their
own laws are best known. Nor are all those of the country so
uninstructed as not to know better than strangers the customs of their
own kingdom, which have been bequeathed from father to son. They who are
ruled by the laws know these laws best; they who experience them are
best acquainted with them; and since it is their own affairs which are
at stake, they will take more care, and will act with an eye to their
own peace. They who want experience can know little; they will profit
little the kingdom who are not stedfast. Hence it may be deduced that it
concerns the community to see what sort of men ought justly to be chosen
for the unity of the kingdom; they who are willing and know how, and are
able to profit it, such should be made the counsellors and coadjutors of
the King; to whom are known the various customs of their country; who
feel that they suffer themselves when the kingdom suffers; and who guard
the kingdom, lest, if hurt be done to the whole, the parts have reason
to grieve while they suffer along with it; which rejoice, when it has
cause to rejoice, if they love it....
From all that has been said, it may appear evident that it becomes a
King to see, together with his nobles, what things are convenient for
the government of the kingdom, and what are expedient for the
preservation of peace; and that the King have natives for his
companions, not foreigners nor favourites for his counsellors or for the
great nobles of the kingdom.