Wars of the Irish Kings (34 page)

When those within [the city] saw their men killed like that, and driven home again, they were cast down and in great haste shouted aloud, “To arms!” Then all of them armed themselves and made ready for the battle. They came out, all well equipped, to the battle, banner displayed, prepared to the best of their ability to attack their foes in tough fighting. When Sir Philip Mowbray saw them come out in such good order, he went to Sir Edward Bruce and said, “Sir, it would be a good idea to prepare some deception which will do something to help us in this battle. Our men are few, but they are willing to do more than they can achieve. Therefore I suggest that our carts, without any man or boy, should be drawn up by themselves, so that they look like far more than we [are]. Let us stand our banners before them; yon folk coming out of Connor, when they can see our banners there, will believe for a certainty that we are there, and will ride thither in great haste. Let us come on them from the flank, and we shall have the advantage, for, when they have come to our carriage, they will be impeded and we can lay into them with all our might and do everything we can.”

They did exactly what he had ordered. The [men] who came out of Connor addressed themselves towards the banners, quickly striking their horses with spurs, rushing suddenly among [the banners]. The barrels that were there soon impeded them [as they] were riding. Then the earl with his force rode up and attacked closely, [while] Sir Edward, a little nearby, fought so very boldly that many a doomed man fell underfoot; the field soon grew wet with blood. They fought there with such great fierceness, and struck such blows on each other with stick, with stone and with [blow] returned, as each side could land on the other, that it was dreadful to see. They kept up that great engagement, so knight-like on both sides,
giving and taking violent blows, that it was past prime before men could see who might have the upper hand. But soon after prime was past the Scotsmen attacked so hard and assaulted them impetuously, as [if] each man was a champion, [so] that all their foes took to flight. None of them was so brave that he dared wait for his fellow, but each fled in their different ways.

The majority fled to the town. Earl Thomas and his force pursued so fiercely with drawn swords, that [they] were all mixed among them and came into the town all together. Then the slaughter was so ghastly that all the streets ran with blood. Those that they overtook [were] all done to death so that there were almost as many dead as on the battlefield ….

On the morrow, without delaying, Sir Edward had men go to survey all the victuals of that city. They found such a profusion there of corn, flour, wax and wine, that they were astonished at it; Sir Edward had it all carried to Carrickfergus. Then he and his men went there, pressing the siege very stalwardly until Palm Sunday had passed. Then both sides took a truce until the Tuesday in Easter week, so that they could spend that holy time in penance and prayer. But on the eve of Easter right to the castle, during the night, came fifteen ships from Dublin, fully laden with armed men—I’m pretty sure they numbered four thousand; they entered the castle. Old Sir Thomas Mandeville was captain of that company. They went into the castle secretly for they had managed to spy that many of Sir Edward’s men were then scattered in the country. For that reason they meant to sally out in the morning, without delaying longer, and to surprise [the Scots] suddenly, for they believed that they would lie trusting in the truce that they had taken. But I know that dishonesty will always have a bad and unpleasant conclusion.

Sir Edward knew nothing of [all] this, having no thought of betrayal, but despite the truce he did not fail to set watches on the castle; each night he had men watch it carefully, and Neil Fleming watched that night with sixty worthy and bold men. As soon as day grew clear those who were in the castle armed themselves, got ready, then lowered the drawbridge and sallied forth in large numbers. When Neil Fleming saw them, he hastily sent a man to the king and said to those near him, “Now I promise you, men will see who dares to die for the sake of his lord. Now carry yourselves well, for assuredly I will fight against their whole company. By fighting we shall hold them until our master is armed.” With those words, they fought; they were far too few,
perfay
, to fight with such a large force. But nonetheless with all their might they laid into [their foes] so boldly that all the enemy were greatly astonished that [the Scots] were all of such courage as if they had no fear of death. But their ruthless enemies attacked so that no valour could prevail. Then they were slain, one and all, so completely
that no one escaped. The man who went to the king to warn him about their sally, warned him with great speed.

Sir Edward was commonly called the king of Ireland. When he heard that such a thing was happening, he got his gear in very great haste; there were twelve brave men in his chamber who armed themselves with speed, then went through the middle of the town with his banner. His enemies, who had divided their men into three, were coming very close. Mandeville, with a great company, held his way down right through the town, the rest kept on either side of the town to meet those who were fleeing; they thought that all that they found there would die without ransom, every one. But the game went quite otherwise, for Sir Edward with his banner and his twelve men that I mentioned before, attacked all that force so strongly that it was extraordinary.

For Gib Harper [a minstrel, who will appear again] went in front of him, who was the doughtiest in his deeds then living in his position, made such way with an axe that he felled the first to the ground, and a moment afterwards recognised Mandeville among three by his armour, and struck him such a blow that he fell to the earth at once.

Sir Edward who was nearby him turned him over, and in that very place took his life with a knife. With that Fergus Ardrossan, who was a very courageous knight, attacked with sixty or more men. They pressed their foes so, that they, having seen their lord killed, lost heart and wanted to be back [in the castle]. All the time, as the Scotsmen could be armed, they came to the encounter and laid into their foes so, that they all turned tail, and [the Scots] chased them to the gate. It was a hard fight and bitter struggle there. Sir Edward killed by his own hand there a knight who was called the best and most generous in all Ireland; by surname he was called Mandeville, [but] I can’t say what his first name was. His men were pressed so hard that those in the donjon dared neither open the gate nor let down the drawbridge. Sir Edward, I promise, pursued those fleeing to safety there so hard that,
perfay
, of all those who sallied against him that day, not one escaped, [for] they were either taken or slain. For Macnacill then came to the fight with two hundred spear-men, killing all that they could overtake. This Macnacill won four or five of their ships by a trap and killed all the men [on them]. When this fighting came to an end Neil Fleming was still alive. Sir Edward went to see him; his dead followers lay around him all in a heap, on both sides, and he, in mortal pain, [was] about to die. Sir Edward was moved by his [fate] and mourned him deeply, lamenting his great courage and his valour in doughty deeds. He mourned so much that they were astonished, for in the usual way he was not accustomed to lament anything, nor would he listen to men making
lamentations. He stood by there until [Neil] had died, then he took him to a holy place and had him buried with ceremony [and] great solemnity. That’s how Mandeville sallied forth, but for sure deceit and guile will always come to an ill conclusion, as was obvious from this sally. They came out in time of truce, and in such a [holy] time as Easter day, when God rose to save mankind from the stain of old Adam’s sin. For that, great misfortune befell them, that each, as you heard me say, was killed or taken there and those who were in the castle were so alarmed at that time, being unable to see where help could [come from] to relieve them, that they negotiated and shortly thereafter surrendered the castle freely to [Sir Edward], to save their life and limb, and he kept his word to them as was right. He took the castle into his hands, provisioned it well and appointed a good warden to guard it, and he rested there for a time.

We shall speak no more about him now, but we’ll go to King Robert, whom we have left long unspoken of ….

[Robert Bruce, king of Scotland] took his way to the sea, taking ship at Loch Ryan in Galloway with his whole following; he soon arrived at Carrickfergus. Sir Edward was pleased by his coming, went down to meet him at once, welcoming him with warmth, as he did to all who were with [the king], especially Earl Thomas of Moray, who was his nephew. Then they went to the castle there and had a big feast and festivities. They stayed there for three days enjoying themselves.

King Robert arrived in Ireland in this way, and when he had stayed in Carrickfergus for three days, they consulted [and decided] that with all their men they would hold their way through all Ireland, from one end to the other. Then Sir Edward, the king’s brother, rode ahead in the vanguard; the king himself took up the rear, having in his company the worthy Earl Thomas. They took their way southward, soon passing Innermallan. This was in the month of May, when birds sing on each branch, mixing their notes with harmonious sound, because of the softness of that sweet season; leaves sprout on branches, blooms grow brightly beside them and fields are decked with fine-scented flowers of many colours; everything becomes happy and joyful.

When this good king took his way to ride southward, as I said before, the warden at that time, Richard Clare, knew that the king had arrived thus, and knew that he planned to take his way to the south country. He assembled from all Ireland burgesses and chivalry, hobelars and peasantry,
until he had nearly forty thousand men. But he still wouldn’t undertake to fight in the field with his foes, instead thinking up a stratagem whereby he with all his great company, would lie in ambush in a wood quite secretly beside the road by which their enemies would pass; [he would] allow the van to pass far by and then attack boldly upon the rear with all their men ….

Sir Edward rode well ahead with those who were of his company, paying no heed to the rear. When Sir Edward had passed by, Sir Richard Clare in haste sent light yeomen, who could shoot well, to harrass the rear on foot. Two of those who had been sent harrassed them at the side of the wood there shooting among the Scotsmen. The king, who had a good five thousand brave and hardy men with him then, saw those two shooting among them so recklessly and coming so close. He knew very well, without [any] doubt, that they had support close at hand, so he issued an order that no man should be so bold as to gallop to them, but [should] always ride in close order ready for battle, to defend themselves if men sought to attack. “For I’m sure,” he said, “that very soon we shall have to cope with more.”

But Sir Colin Campbell, who was nearby where those two yeomen were shooting boldly among them, galloped against them at full speed, soon overtaking one of them, [whom] he quickly killed with his spear. The other turned and shot again, killing his horse with one shot. With that the king came hastily, and in his annoyance gave Sir Colin such a bash with a truncheon in his fist, that he slumped on his saddle-bow. The king ordered him to be smartly pulled down, but other lords who were near him, calmed the king somewhat. He said, “The breaking of orders can lead to defeat. Do you think that yon wretches would dare attack so near us in our formation, unless they had support nearby? I know very well, without [any] doubt, that we shall have [much] to do very soon; so let each man look to being prepared.”

At that a good thirty and more archers came and so harrassed that they hurt [some] of the king’s men. The king then had his archers shoot to drive them back. With that they entered open ground and saw standing, drawn up against them in four divisions, forty thousand. The king said, “Now lords, show who is to be valiant in this fight. On them, without more delay.”

They rode so stoutly against them, and attacked so fiercely, that a great part of their foes lay [slain] on the ground at the encounter. There was such a breaking of spears as each [side] rode against the other, that it made a truly great crashing [noise]. Horses came charging there, head to head, so that many fell dead to the ground. As each [man] ran against another many a bold and worthy man was struck down dead to the ground; red blood gushed out of many a wound in such great profusion that the streams ran red with blood. Those who were wrathful and angry
struck others so hardily with drawn and sharp weapons, that many a brave man died there. For those who were hardy and brave, fighting face-to-face with their enemies, pushed to be foremost [in the fight]. You could see fierce fighting and a cruel struggle there. I’m sure that such hard fighting was not seen in the whole Irish war; although Sir Edward doubtless had nineteen great victories in less than three years, and in various of those battles he defeated twenty thousand men and more, [their] horse with trappings right to the feet. But at all times he was still [only] one to five when he was least [in numbers]. But in this engagement the king always had eight of his enemies to one, but he bore himself so [well] then that his good deeds and generosity so encouraged all his followers [and] the shakiest was bold. For where he saw the thickest press he rode so hardily against them that he always made space around him.

Earl Thomas the worthy was always close to him, fighting as though he were in a fury, so that, by their great valour, their men took such courage that they would avoid no danger, but exposed themselves [to danger] so stoutly, assaulting them so hardily, that all their foes were terrified. And [the Scots] who perceived well from the bearing [of the Irish] that they were avoiding the fight somewhat, then pushed on with all their might and pressed them, striking so hard that eventually they turned [to flee].

[The Scots], seeing them take to flight, pressed them then with all their might, and slew many as they were fleeing. The king’s men gave such chase that every one of them was scattered. Richard of Clare took the way to Dublin in a mighty hurry, with other lords who fled with him ….