A.D. 12.'St.] UH! KAKI. MAKSHAI. TAKEN I'KIs'O.VKIC. ,'jh'J tile truce they demanded, they defied him, and would at once try hy force of arms which of the two parties was the strongest. The earl marshal however, urged on to it hy the advice of (icolirey de Mariseo and his other pretended friends, unwillingly refused the truce demanded, and frequently, hy means of the messengers, demanded that they should restore to hiin some of his castles which they had unjustly seized, and still retained possession of, for it seemed contrary to right for him to grant a truce when he had been robbed ; the Irish nobles however refused to do this, ami drawing up their troops in order of buttle, they proceeded to attack the marshal as if certain of gaining a victory. Geoffrey de Marisco on seeing this said to the Marshal, *' I advise you in guod faith to grant them the truce: for my wife is the sister of the noble Hugh ile bacy, and therefore 1 cannot fight on your side against him with whom 1 am allied by marriage." To this the marshal replied, " Vile traitor that you are, did I not hut just now by your advice refuse the truce, even against my own wish ί 1 should indeed seem a inali of a wavering mind if I were thus quickly to grant them what I refused but a little while since, for I should then appear to do so through fear more than from regard to them. For I am well aware that I am doomed to die this day ; hut it is better for me to die with honour in the cause of justice, than to ily from the Held and to endure the reproaches of my fellow knights for ever. Then seeing his brother Walter, a fine young man, he said to his followers, '"Take my brother to uiy castle near, and do not let the whole of my family perish in this battle ; for 1 trust in his bravery, if he attain the age of maturity, to show himself a brave knight." 'flic Irish nobles, fearing the prowess and during of the marshal, gave their own armour to the knights whom they had collected for the purpose of slaying this innocent man ; so that, although they wished to slay him, they might not appear to he participators in the deed. Of lin' l utlc, in which the munititi was taken prisoner. When the troops were drawn up. the carl marshal saw that there were a great many to engage with only a few, he however exhorted his nun to battle, asserting that he had undertaken this war for the sake of justice and the laws of England on account of the oppression of the l'oictevins, thinking that they all were faithful to him, when in fact they were traitors, lie then dashed boldly into the midst of the enemy, and forcing his way through them he opeue 1 a road for his knights with his sword, but only liftcin knights, his own retainers, followed him and citdea\· mod to dispeise their enemies. His sworn dependants ami knights on whoi ι he trusted, as had been pre-agrccd amongst these traitors, gave themselves up as prisoners to the enemies without force, without being wounded cither hy lance or sword, ns if they were friends glad to see one another ; some of them tied, without