418 MATTHEW OF WESTMTffSTEB. A.D. 1264. who ought of right to be named the first, inasmuch as, above all men who fought that day on the king's side, he deserved glory for the blows which he gave and inflicted. There were also many others, all the most powerful persons, as we may say, of the whole kingdom, and of the greatest renown for military exploits, some of whom were taken prisoners, and others sought safety in flight, so that two did chase ten thousand, the rest who remained being slain (alas the day !) to a man. Alas, for the miserable sight of the dying ! Alas, for the marvellous change of the fortunes of noble man 1 Now, then, let human presumption learn what is man, and what is the caused a great loss of the strength and power of both parties, because they were men of more mature age and of greater renown for war in the kingdom before mentioned, so that they did not believe that the enemy would dare to assail them ; but that day they found him too near, and so lost a great many of their men, not without great danger to the rest also, who did not escape so completely but that a great slaughter was made of them, especially through the charge which Edward made upon the Londoners. And it is said, that in this lamentable and miserable conflict five thousand men fell on each side. Among the rest there was a certain knight, the justiciary of the king, by name William de Wilton, and also Fulk Fitzwarren, one of the king's barons, who were both among the most eminent of those who were slain, one being killed by the sword, and the other drowned in the neighbouring river. And on the side of the barons there was the baron Radulph, Heringunder, and William Blund, the standard bearer of the earl of Leicester. Let a poet enumerate all the various occurrences of the day with more licence or at greater length, and dwell upon the différent kinds of death by which men fell, but brevity keeps us in by a stricter law, and does not allow us to say how each thing happened, but only what took place. slaughter of the Londoners, although the opposite party had gained a triumph over his father and his uncle, the king of the Romans, rallied his forces, and prepared to renew the battle and attack the enemy. When, therefore, the two armies had again drawn near one another, behold nearly all those who had been fighting on his side took to flight! Some of them, as it was said, were