340 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. 



all celerity into Scotland, hoping to have overtaken 

 the Scottish King, and to have given him battle ; 

 but, not attaining him in time, sat down before the 

 castle of Ayton, one of the strongest places, then 

 esteemed, between Berwick and Edinburgh, which 

 in a small time he took. And soon after, the Scot 

 tish King retiring farther into his country, and the 

 weather being extraordinary foul and stormy, the 

 earl returned into England. So that the expedi 

 tions on both parts were, in effect, but a castle 

 taken, and a castle distressed ; not answerable to 

 the puissance of the forces, nor to the heat of the 

 quarrel, nor to the greatness of the expectation. 



Amongst these troubles, both civil and external, 

 came into England from Spain, Peter Hialas, some 

 call him Elias, surely he was the forerunner of the 

 good hap that we enjoy at this day ; for his embas- 

 sage set the truce between England and Scotland ; 

 the truce drew on the peace ; the peace the mar 

 riage ; and the marriage the union of the kingdoms ; 

 a man of great wisdom, and, as those times were, 

 not unlearned ; sent from Ferdinando and Isabella, 

 Kings of Spain, unto the king, to treat a marriage 

 between Catharine, their second daughter, and 

 Prince Arthur. This treaty was by him set in a 

 very good way, and almost brought to perfection. 

 But it so fell out by the way, that upon some con 

 ferences which he had with the king touching this 

 business, the king, who had a great dexterity in get 

 ting suddenly into the bosom of ambassadors of fo 

 reign princes, if he liked the men ; insomuch as he 



