e Scottish camp, challenging the enemy to
descend into the plain of Milfield, which lay towards the south; and
there, appointing a day for the combat, to try their valor on equal
ground. As he received no satisfactory answer, he made a feint of
marching towards Berwick; as if he intended to enter Scotland, to lay
waste the borders, and cut off the provisions of the enemy. The Scottish
army, in order to prevent his purpose, put themselves in motion; and
having set fire to the huts in which they had quartered, they descended
from the hills. Surrey, taking advantage of the smoke, which was blown
towards him, and which concealed his movements, passed the Till with his
artillery and vanguard at the bridge of Twisel, and sent the rest of his
army to seek a ford higher up the river.

An engagement was now become inevitable, and both sides prepared for it
with tranquillity and order.[*] The English divided their army into
two lines: Lord Howard led the main body of the first line, Sir Edmond
Howard the right wing, Sir Marmaduke Constable the left. The earl of
Surrey himself commanded the main body of the second line, Lord Dacres
the right wing, Sir Edward Stanley the left. The front of the Scots
presented three divisions to the enemy: the middle was led by the king
himself; the right by the earl of Huntley, assisted by Lord Hume; the
left by the earls of Lenox and Argyle. A fourth division under the earl
of Bothwell made a body of reserve. Huntley began the battle, and, after
a sharp conflict, put to flight the left wing of the English, and chased
them off the field: but on returning from the pursuit, he found the
whole Scottish army in great disorder. The division under Lenox and
Argyle, elated with the success of the other wing, had broken their
ranks, and, notwithstanding the remonstrances and entreaties of La
Motte, the French ambassador, had rushed headlong upon the enemy. Not
only Sir Edmond Howard, at the head of his division, received them with
great valor, but Dacres, who commanded in the second line, wheeling
about during the action, fell upon their rear, and put them to the sword
without resistance. The division under James and that under Bothwell,
animated by the valor of their leaders, still made head against the
English, and throwing themselves into a circle, protracted the action,
till night separated the combatants. The victory seemed yet undecided,
and the numbers that fell on each side were nearly equal, amount