Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times
heard by the gentlemen around him. A moment after, he raised his head
proudly, saying, "However, he must be met boldly, and we must do our
duty as knights and gentlemen. Every one who is willing to do so may
this day conquer high renown, if he wins no other prize; but should
there be any one who fears to fight and fall with De Montfort, he has
full leave to go; for I would not have it said, when men shall talk of
this glorious, though perhaps disastrous day, that there was one coward
amongst all those who did battle at Evesham. Let us make the best of
our array, my Lord of Monthermer. Yonder wood is a point that
must be maintained. Hugh, line the hedges of that little field with
archers--place me there our stout foresters from Sherwood: it is a
point of much importance. Take up your post beyond them there with your
men-at-arms--have some archers and slingers in your front, and keep the
ground between the further hedge and those scrubby bushes and hawthorn
trees, amongst which their horsemen cannot act. I put you in a post of
difficulty and danger, young gentleman, but I know that you will acquit
you well; and now for the rest of our array. The enemy are halting for
their own arrangements, but still we must lose no time."
Thus saving, he rode slowly along towards the wood, giving his orders
as he went, and ranging his men for battle; while Hugh de Monthermer
proceeded to execute the commands he had received. Every post was soon
filled up, and before two o'clock the adverse armies were completely
arrayed facing each other; but, alas, that of Prince Edward
outnumbering 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 in
complete armour, and riding a strong black charger; for on both sides
the royal standard was displayed, and in a brief consultation amongst
the principal nobles, it had been judged necessary, as the King's name
was used in all public acts by the Lords Commissioners, to let the
soldiers see him actually in arms on their behalf. Neither had Henry
himself appeared in the least unwilling to play this part, for although
surrounded by a number of guards, he still entertained the hope of
escaping in the hurry and confusion of battle.
In the right of the same army was placed the gallant young Henry de
Montfort, a godson of the King, and, like Hugh de Monthermer, a
playfellow of Prince Edward; for in those dire civil wars, as is ever
the case, all the sweet relationships of life were torn asunder, and
the hearts that loved each other the best were frequently armed for
each other's destruction.
In the left wing was the banner of Monthermer, and under it fought, not
only the regular retainers of the house, but the yeomen and foresters
of Yorkshire and Nottingham. The slingers, as usual, were thrown
forward about a hundred and fifty yards before the rest of the army,
closely supported by the lighter pikemen, and taking advantage of every
bush and brake which might give them shelter, while they discharged
their missiles at the enemy. Behind them were some thousands of Welsh
foot, who had been engaged as auxiliaries by De Montfort, and then came
the lines of sturdy English archers and regular spear-men, supported by
the men-at-arms.
It was a fine array to look upon, and stern and firm seemed the front
of De Montfort's battle; but the vast superiority of the enemy's
numbers cast a shadow, as it were, upon the spirits of the soldiery,
while in the hearts of the leaders was nothing but the certainty of
defeat and death. Had it been any other body, perhaps, that opposed
them but an English force, had any other generals commanded the adverse
party but Edward and Gloucester, their confidence in their own courage
and in their great leader might have taught them to look with hope even
to the unequal struggle before them. The troops, however, by whom they
were outnumbered were English soldiers, the chiefs who led the enemy
were famous for their warlike skill and courage, and all were fresh
from victory, and elated with recent success.
Upon the field of battle the banners which had been assumed to mislead
De Montfort were cast by, and those of the different leaders themselves
displayed. The troops of Mortimer and the Lords Marchers were on the
right, the division of Gloucester on the left, and the command of
Edward himself in the centre. In the army of the Prince, hope and
exultation were in every bosom, confidence was strong, and, amongst the
foreign favourites of Henry III. who were ranged in that force, the
burning thirst for revenge upon him who had overthrown their fortunes,
and well-nigh driven them from the land, added fierceness to their
courage, and a savage joy at the thought of the coming vengeance.
After the array was complete, a stern and gloomy silence pervaded the
whole line of De Montfort. Each man thought of to-morrow, of the home
that he might never see again, the children left fatherless, the
widowed wife, the promised bride, the sweet, warm relations of domestic
life, soon to be torn by the bloody hand of war.
Yet none but the auxiliaries thought of flying: not one dreamt of
avoiding the fate before him, for each man there arrayed came with a
firm conviction of right and justice on his side; Each believed that he
was fighting for the deliverance of his country from foreign
domination; each came ready to die for the liberty and the freedom of
the people of England. They were determined, resolute, unshaken, but
they were without hope, and therefore in stern silence they awaited the
onset of the foe.
On the other side, for some time, nothing was heard but cheerful
sounds, the leaders' shouts, the repeated blasts of the clarion and the
trumpet, till at length, amongst them also, a momentary solemn pause
succeeded, giving notice that the battle was about to begin. They hung
like a thunder-cloud upon the edge of the slope, and that temporary
calm but preceded the breaking forth of the tempest.
The heavy masses then, for a moment, seemed to tremble; and then a few
men ran forward from the ranks, slinging, even from a distance at which
no effect could be produced, large balls of stone or lead at the front
of De Montfort's line. Others followed quick, in irregular masses; and
then, 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, so
still was the expectant silence with which they awaited the attack of
the immense army which seemed not only about to assail them at once in
front, but lapping over at both extremities, to crush either flank
under the charge of its numerous cavalry.
The skilful dispositions of the great Earl, however, had secured them
against that danger; and the wood on the right hand, which he had
filled with archers and foot spearmen, defended one wing, while the
hedges and low hawthorn trees, near which he had planted Hugh de
Monthermer and the bowmen of Sherwood, were a protection to the left.
Nevertheless, the latter point was one of considerable danger, and
Edward marked it as the weakest part of De Montfort's line. Scarcely
had the first movement in the prince's army taken place, when a strong
body of horse, following close upon a band of crossbowmen, was
observed by Hugh de Monthermer marching straight against his post,
headed by the banner of Bigod Earl of Norfolk; and leaving his
men-at-arms for a moment, he galloped to the spot where his friend
Robin stood, saying in a low voice, "Here will they make their first
attack, Robin, in order to turn our flank."
"Let them come!" replied Robin Hood, "we will give a good account of
them. We have planted stakes for their horses, my lord, so if you have
to charge, mark well the gaps."
"I see--I see!" cried Hugh de Monthermer, "but as it is a great object
to put them in disarray, send them a flight from your bowstrings as
soon as the arrows will tell."
"Ours will tell now!" said Robin, and at the same time he raised his
bow above his head as a signal to his men.
At that instant a few balls dropping from the enemy's stingers, fell
impotent along De Montfort's line; but the next moment a hundred and
fifty arrows shot into the air, scattered the crossbowmen in face of
Hugh de Monthermer's band, and even caused considerable disarray
amongst the men-at-arms, from Norfolk.
A whole flight from Edward's army then darkened the air, but reached
not the opposite host; and the Earl of Monthermer, distrusting his
nephew's impetuosity, rode down to beg him on no account to charge till
the battle had really begun.
It was not long ere such was the case, however. Onward, with increasing
rapidity, came the force of the Prince; the arrows and the quarrels on
both sides began to work fearful havoc in the ranks; and the
men-at-arms might be seen closing the barred aventaille, preparing to
enter with each other into deadly strife. The arrows from the
Nottingham bows--unmatched throughout all England--did execution of a
fearful kind amongst the crossbowmen opposed to them. One went down
after another as they hurried forward; their ranks became thinner and
more thin; and at length, the men-at-arms behind them, finding that the
living as well as the dead and wounded encumbered without serving,
called to them loudly to retire, that they themselves might advance to
charge. Before the retreat of the infantry could well be accomplished,
the Earl of Norfolk gave the word; and with levelled lances the
horsemen sushed on, though repeated arrows from an unerring hand struck
every part of the Earl's own armour as he approached.
"At the horses!" cried the voice of Robin Hood, as the men-at-arms drew
near; and in an instant another flight, point blank, rattled like hail
amongst the advancing cavalry. Five or six chargers instantly went
down, and others, furious with pain, reeled and plunged, spreading
disarray around.
Hugh de Monthermer was now about to give the order to advance, in order
to support the archers, and complete what they had done, but at that
instant a cry of, "They fly--they fly!" came from the right; and,
looking up the line, he perceived the whole body of Welsh auxiliaries
running from the field in rout and disarray. The panic of any large
body of an army, we are told, generally communicates itself more or
less, to the whole; but such was not the case upon the present
occasion. A shout of indignant anger burst from the other troops as the
Welsh went by, for it was forgotten that they were not fighting for
their country's safety or deliverance, like the rest of that host; but
every one made way for them to pass, and, filling up the open space as
fast as possible, presented a still sterner face than before to the
advancing enemy.
One of the chief defences of the centre, however, was now gone: it was
like an outwork forced; and a charge of men at-arms taking place on
both 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 of
Norfolk turned off in disorder, at the very moment he had led them up
almost to the stakes. Hugh de Monthermer, charging while they were
still in confusion, drove them back in complete rout; but the troops of
Mortimer sweeping up; changed the fortune of the parties, and Hugh
knowing 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 at
their head, did gallant service to the cause which they espoused.
Advancing with their long lances, they kept the enemy at bay, and, in