Manuscript: Faustina B. IX

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a quibus interceptus est cum inmenso gaudio. Cum quibus duobus diebus manens preproperat ad comitem glouer
nie propter liberacionem patris sui, ad quem cum venisset exceptus est ab illo cum decenti honore. Dum ergo con
ferunt adinuicem de detencione Regis apud Simonem ⁊ peteretur auxilium comitis ad liberacionem regis
mox spopondit comes se prestaturum regi totum suum exercitum, quem cum summa festinacione colle
gisset properat cum Eduuardo ⁊ marchiis eius ad liberacionem Regis contra Simonem. Erat autem tunc tem
poris Simon apud Herforthiam, ⁊ rex in detencione eius cum ipso. Cum ergo compertum fuisset Simoni, quod
Comes Glouernie erat in procinctu itineris sui cum exercitu suo veniens contra illum ad bellum indilate
⊗1\misit ad/ proceres qui in primo bello de fide baronum extiterant fideles. Que quidem missio cum
[innotuisset eisdem]2 proceribus ⁊ baronibus stupefacti de subita euasione Eduuardi mox conueniunt ad
Simonem ad diem certum apud Eusamiam. Simon uero cogitans de cautela necessaria in vno de
precipuis munimentis tocius Anglie reliquerat filium suum Simonem, silicet in Castello de Kellingis
wurthe cum multis nobilibus armatis, vt si contingeret Eduuardum Simoni patri obuiare ad
faciem Simon natus Simonis veniens ad tergum post Eduuardum expugnaret exercitum eius.
Quod factum fuisset nisi quidam miles proditor prodidisset Eduuardo prouidenciam maioris Simonis
in castello prefato de plurimis armatis factam. Que cum comperta fuisset Eduuardo, iam enim predixe
rat proditor ei, quod exituri erant armati ad huc die lucente de Castello ⁊ pernoctaturi in opido
iuxta posito misit eadem nocte plures de exercitu quem adunauerat armatos, ut comprehenderent ar
matos Simonis, qui vt dictum est die precedente de Castello exierant infauste fortunati vt dormi
rent per singulas domos opidi castello adiacentis, qui ideo exierunt de Castello vt postquam surrexissent
mane diluculo de lectis suis bene balneati, propter balneandos enim se elegerunt exire ex balnearum gracia
leuiores efficerentur ad bellandum die postera. In villa enim potuerunt habere vasorum copiam
ad balneandum se, quam vtique non bene potuerunt habere in castello. Et hec fuit racio exitus illorum de fortissimo
Simonis munimento, quorum exitum dum miles predictus proderet Eduuardo mencionem fecit ei de balneis eorundem
in uilla prouisis. Media igitur nocte clamor validissimus per totam villam factus est ab introeuntibus ar
matis Eduuardi super dormientes Simonis. Quem cum audissent ex clamore terribili supra modum
pauefacti nimirum timor ⁊ tremor formido ⁊ pauor irruit super eos, audientes strepitum equorum ⁊
armatorum terribiliter aduersum se clamancium ⁊ dicencium, Surgite surgite egredimini egredimini de
lectis vestris ⁊ venite foras proditores. Simonis inueterati pessimi proditoris seruientes. Mortui
inquiunt estis omnes per mortem Dei. Surgentes ergo miseri male proditi fugerunt omnes per retro domorum
derelinquentes post se equos suos, arma, pannos, ⁊ omnia que habuerunt in supellectili. Cer
neres ibi quosdam omnino nudos fugere, nonnullos braccas tantum habentes super se, quosdam vero camisias

Notes

1 JRD: Beginning of the line written over a patch now lost. Andersons (The Chronicle of Melrose, p. lxxiii) proposed misit nuncios ad as the missing text; but cf. next sentence, Que quidem missio innotuisset, which makes nuncios unnecessary.
2 JRD: Text partly obscured by an erasure; innotuisset eisdem suggested by Andersons, The Chronicle of Melrose, p. lxxiii.
and he was met by them on the way with great joy.1 Edward remained with his men for two days, and hurried on to the earl of Gloucester, concerned with the matter of his father’s release. When he reached him, he was received by the earl with the honour that was due to him. While they were discussing with each other the issue of the king’s detention at the hands of Simon, and the earl’s assistance was sought in the freeing of the king, the earl presently gave his assurance that he would offer the king his whole army; and when he had mustered it with the utmost speed, he made haste along with Edward and his marcher-men against Simon to free the king. Simon was at that time in Hereford; and the king was with him in his custody. When it was disclosed to Simon that the earl of Gloucester was armed and ready for his expedition with his army, and was on the way to do battle against him, he hurriedly ⊗ \sent/ word to the leading nobles who in the first war had been loyal to the barons’ cause. Indeed, when this message was made known to these chief nobles and barons, astounded by Edward’s unexpected escape, they soon afterwards joined Simon on a chosen day at Evesham. Now Simon, in considering the precautions necessary, allowed Simon his son to remain behind in one of the foremost fortresses of the whole of England, that is to say, in the castle of Kenilworth, with many armed nobles; so that if it should happen that Edward were to confront Simon the father head on, Simon son of Simon, coming upon Edward from the rear, would overpower his army. And this might have been accomplished, except that a treacherous knight betrayed to Edward Simon’s provision of a great number of soldiers in the aforementioned castle. When this provision was disclosed to Edward—for the traitor had by now informed him that the soldiers were going to leave the castle while it was still daylight, and would spend the night in the nearby town—he sent that very night a great number of soldiers from his assembled army so that they could attack Simon’s soldiers, who (as we have already said) had left the castle the day before, inauspiciously happy that they would be sleeping in the various houses of the town next to the castle. They left the castle with the purpose that, after rising early in the morning from their beds and being well bathed (for they chose to leave in order to have a bath), they would be made lighter and fresher to do battle the coming day, thanks to the benefit of the baths. For in the town they were able to make use of an ample supply of vessels to bathe themselves—such as they could certainly not so well enjoy in the castle. This, then, was the reason for their leaving Simon’s strongest fortress: and when the aforementioned knight betrayed their departure to Edward, he told him about the baths provided for them in the town. In the middle of the night, therefore, a very loud cry was raised through the whole town by Edward’s soldiers as they attacked Simon’s men while they slept. When Simon’s men heard it, they were frightened truly beyond measure by the terrifying noise, and fear and trembling, terror and dread fell upon them.2 They could hear the clattering of horses, and soldiers shouting at them horribly and saying, ‘Get up, get up! Get out!3 Get out of your beds and come outside, you traitors! You slaves of that obstinate and wicked traitor, Simon! By God’s death,’ they said, ‘you are all dead men!’ So, those wretched, evilly betrayed men all got up and fled by the rear of the houses, abandoning their horses, arms, clothing, and all the equipment they had. You might then have seen some men fleeing completely naked, others wearing just breeches, some indeed

Notes

1 JRD: The gift of the whole county of Chester with its castles and lands in North Wales was made to Edward in 1254, and he received the homage and fealty of the nobles of Cheshire and the men of North Wales in July 1256. See R. Stewart-Brown, ‘The End of the Norman Earldom of Chester’, EHR 35 (1920), 26–54 (at 52–3). On the earldom of Chester, see A History of the County of Chester. Volume II, ed. B. E. Harris (London, 1979).
2 JRD: Timor et tremor, cf. Ps. 54.6 (55.5); Judith 14.17–18 (14.19). PL184, col. 1012D (p. 690) Ad beatam uirginem deiparam sermo panegyricus (Attrib. Bernard of Clairvaux); formido et pauor, cf. Ex. 15.16.
3 JRD: Cf. Gen. 19.14.