Rev. R. Jones oji the Battle of Floddeii Field. 373 



able damage was done to tlie castle. This lady lias been 

 accused of playing a deceitful part towards the king, for at 

 the time, she in all appearance seemed friendly to his cause, 

 she was carrying on a secret correspondence with the Earl of 

 Surrey, and giving him a full account of the Scotch army, the 

 castles they had assaulted and taken, the number and condi- 

 tion of the men, and the position of their camp on Flodden 

 Hill. 



England in the mean time had not been dormant ; she had 

 her emissaries and her spies in all parts, especially along the 

 Borders. From Berwick to Carlisle the Border prickers on 

 their fleet and wiry steeds were to be heard of, and many 

 passed over stealthily on foot to hear and to see what Scot- 

 land was doing. Even the movements in the Palace of Holy- 

 rood, and on the Borough Moor were not concealed from her ; 

 and, although the mode of travelling in those clays was not so 

 quick as with us, yet did intelligence of the army crossing the 

 Tweed reach the Earl of Surrey in a very short time, not- 

 withstanding he was then more than two hundred miles from 

 Coldstream. News from the North of England was greedily 

 sought after by men in the South, and the rumours of war 

 were the engrossing topics from the peasant to the prince. 



In the latter end of July, Surrey marched through the 

 streets of London, with a few hundreds of his retainers, on his 

 way to Yorkshire. The Castle of Pontefract was made the 

 rendezvous where many of the warriors were to meet. Here 

 plans were formed and orders given for summoning the horse 

 and foot soldiers to make all possible speed to meet him in 

 Newcastle. In this town he was joined by lord Dacre, who 

 commanded the horse. Sir William Bulmer, Sir Marmaduke 

 Constable, and many others belonging to the northern coun- 

 ties. Cheshire, Lancashire, Westmoreland, and Cumberland 

 sent their thousands from the West ; and Yorkshire, Durham, 

 and Northumberland from the East. At this critical time 

 Lord Thomas Howard, High Admiral of England, landed at 

 the mouth of the Tyne with 5000 soldiers sent from the army 

 in France by the king to assist in protecting his kingdom. 

 Before Surrey left Durham, the celebrated banner dedicated 

 to St. Cuthbert, was delivered to him by Bishop Ruthel, 

 whose childish superstition of its marvellous power is ridicu- 

 lously mentioned in the letter from which I have already 

 quoted. England was agitated throughout her northern 

 counties : the war feeling had kindled in the breast of her 

 warriors, and they had buckled on their armour, and put 



