e
bards sung songs of his victory, at every village in Wales; and so
formidable did his position become that the Lords of the Marches wrote
to the king, saying that the matter had gone altogether beyond them,
and that his presence, with an army, was urgently needed.

Even in Ludlow, extra sentries were placed upon the walls, the garrison
was kept in a constant state of vigilance, and mounted men were
stationed, miles out, to bring in the news of the approach of any
hostile force.

"'Tis a thousand pities," Sir Edmund said, when the news of the defeat
of the Flemings reached him, "that these fellows did not send news to
me, a day or two before they undertook this business; for in that case
I would have myself headed a force of a couple of hundred of my best
men-at-arms, and joined them at some spot in the mountains; and had we
been there, you may be sure that Glendower would never have fought his
way out. The Flemings are doubtless stout fighters, as they have proved
over and over again, in their own country; but they are all unused to
mountain warfare, or to fight with wild men, and were doubtless scared
by the shrill cries with which the Welsh always advance to battle.
Doubtless, too, these men Glendower keeps with him are his best
fighters, and they knew that, if they did not succeed in making their
way out, no mercy would be shown to them, seeing that they have shown
none themselves. Had the battle been on a plain, I doubt not that the
Flemings would have stood against many times the number of Welshmen
that Owen had with him; but this hill warfare was altogether strange to
them, and of course they had not the habit of quickly rallying, and
meeting the attack, that is second nature with our men-at-arms. The
affair is serious, and unless the king comes hither with an army,
Glendower is likely to have it all his own way on his side of the
border; and, ere long, there won't be an Englishman left west of the
Severn."

However Henry, when informed of the danger, lost no time in assembling
another great army; and in the beginning of June advanced into Wales,
and ravaged a wide extent of country, carrying his arms into
Cardiganshire, and destroying the Abbey of Strata Florida, one of the
most venerable and famous abbeys in Wales. Founded in 1164, it was
burnt down in 1294, during the wars of King Edward the First with the
Welsh, but was soon rebuilt. Here Llewellyn, in 1237, convened all the
chieftains of Wales to take t