who should discover any symptoms of cowardice in the
ensuing battle. Lord Falconberg was sent to recover the post which had
been lost. He passed the river some miles above Ferrybridge, and, falling
unexpectedly on Lord Clifford, revenged the former disaster by the defeat
of the party and the death of their leader.

The hostile armies met at Touton, and a fierce and bloody battle ensued.
While the Yorkists were advancing to the charge, there happened a great
fall of snow, which, driving full in the faces of their enemies,
blinded them; and this advantage was improved by a stratagem of Lord
Falconberg's. That nobleman ordered some infantry to advance before the
line, and, after having sent a volley of flight arrows (as they were
called) amid the enemy, immediately to retire. The Lancastrians,
imagining that they were gotten within reach of the opposite army,
discharged all their arrows, which thus fell short of the Yorkists. After
the quivers of the enemy were emptied, Edward advanced his line and did
execution with impunity on the dismayed Lancastrians. The bow, however,
was soon laid aside, and the sword decided the combat, which ended in a
total victory on the side of the Yorkists. Edward issued orders to give
no quarter. The routed army was pursued to Tadcaster with great bloodshed
and confusion, and above thirty-six thousand men are computed to have
fallen in the battle and pursuit. Henry and Margaret had remained at York
during the action; but, learning the defeat of their army, they fled into
Scotland.

Scotland had never exerted itself to take advantage either of the wars
which England carried on with France or of the civil commotions between
the contending families. James I avoided all hostilities with foreign
nations. After the murder of that excellent Prince, the minority of
his son and successor, James II, and the distractions incident to it,
retained the Scots in the same state of neutrality. But when the quarrel
commenced between the houses of York and Lancaster, and became absolutely
incurable but by the total extinction of one party, James, who had now
risen to man's estate, was tempted to seize the opportunity, and he
endeavored to recover those places which the English had formerly
conquered from his ancestors. He laid siege to the castle of Roxburghe in
1460, and had provided himself with a small train of artillery for that
enterprise; but his cannon was so ill-framed that one of them burst as he
was f