History of the house and race of Douglas and Angus

84 HISTORY OF THE
and yet is contrary to the laws of histories, and the duty of
an historian, who ought (according to the oath of witnesses)
to tell all the truth, and nothing but the truth; seeing where
the truth is either adulterated or suppressed, the life of his-
tory is lost, which consists in particular circumstances truly
related. Neither do I see how this same king (in the end of
his life) can pertinently and justly be called courteous and
gentle, after such a fact, whereof few the like have fallen in-
to the hands of the cruellest tyrants that ever were recorded
in story. And, for my part, I think certainly that it is not
possible that one who is of a nature truly gentle and courte-
ous, should commit and be guilty of so foul a crime. It is a
perpetual blot and inexcuseable, and such as no wit can wash
away. So it is still, and so let it ever be branded and detested:
so it was by our governor the Lord of Galloway; and so much
did it move him, and so far stir up his noble indignation, that
he thought he could never be exonerated with credit, without
avenging' it, or spending his life in the quarrel; and so being
resolved to fight, he would never give ear to any counsel on
the contrary, nor alter his determination for any difficulty
that could be proposed. And now King Edward, after that
unpleasant spectacle, detested even by the English themselves,
had drawn up his army, and taken a hill to the west of Ber-
wick called Halidon-hill, a place very advantageous for him;
and the Scottish army did stand over against them in battle
array. The governor commanded to march up the hill, and
to invade the English where they stood, altogether against the
counsel of the best advised, who both before, considering the
inecmalties of the armies, both in number (they being but
few in respect of the English) and in experience, being for
the most part young and raw soldiers, not yet trained, had dis-
suaded him from fighting any at all; and now seeing the odds,
and inequality of ground, would gladly have opposed them-
selves thereunto. But all was in vain; he was so incensed
with that so detestable fact, that boiling with anger, and de-
sirous of revenge, and trusting to the goodness of his cause,
and to the forwardness of his army, who being inflamed in the