2.Having reduced some castles by the Tweed，James of the Iron Belt，as he wascalled from a chain which he wore around his waist，took up a well-chosen position on Flodden Hill，west of the Till，which runs northward to the Tweed.The Earl of Surrey was moving from Newcastle to meet him there.It was customary in those days to send heralds and challenges from leader to leader；and crooked old Surrey despatched Red Cross with a challenge to fight on the next Friday.
3.James accepted the challenge；but many of his nobles objected to meeting the English in battle at that time.Among them were Lord Lindsay，whomJames in a fury threatened to hang on his own castle-gate；and Archibald Bell-bthe-Cat，the old Earl of Angus，whom the King roughly desired to go home，if he were afraid.The old man could not prevent the tears from starting to his eyes at this unkind rebuff；and，turning away，he said in a weak and sorrowfula The Iron Belt.-Before James came to the throne，he had been forced to take part with the rebellious nobles of Scotland against his father，James III.The latter was killed in the struggle，and James took this so much to heart that he resolved to punish himself by wearing a heavy belt or chain of iron around his waist all his life.
b Bell the Cat.-Archibald Douglas，Earl of Angus，was so called from an incident in the reign of JamesIII.That King was much addicted to favourites.His nobles held a meeting to consider how the favouritesmight be kept at a distance and made harmless.One of them told a story of the mice resolving to tie a bell to the cat’s neck in order to warn them of her approach，and suggested a similar treatment of the favourites.The difficulty that arose was，Who was to bell the cat？“I will bell the cat，”said Angus；and the name stuck to him ever afterwards.
voice，“My age renders my body of no use in battle，and my counsel is despised；but I leave my two sons and the vassals of Douglas in the field：may old Angus‘s foreboding prove unfounded.”
4.The two armies were brought into a position very close to each other byaa movement which they both made towards Branxton Hill.
Before the Scots
descended from the slope of Flodden，they set fire to the relics of their camp，and then began to move under cover of the smoke；and till this blew away，neither army knew where the other one was.But when this gray curtain，lifted by the wind，disclosed to each the enemy at the distance of only a quarter of a mile，it was clear that there must be a battle at once.
5.At four in the afternoon the cannon on both sides began to fire.The aim of the English gunners was truer than that of their Scottish foemen，who were driven from their posts by the accuracy and quickness of the shooting.With their long pikes the left wing of the Scottish army broke the part of the English lines opposed to them，and repelled every attack of the English horse.But the broadswords of the Highlanders on the right wing failed to win a similar success.
6.Then the centres met with a terrific shock；and a number of cross movements took place，which resulted in King James and his men being so surrounded that all thought of escape was impossible.Nothing remained but to die fighting，and to lie where the death-blow came.
7.The great tragedy of the day was the death of gay and gallant James.Twoarrows struck him，and the sweeping cut of a “brown bill，”which somewhat resembled a scythe-blade on a pole，cleft his skull.Over his body，which lay within a spear’s length of where Surrey stood，there was a terrible fight of Scottish and English knights；but the falling darkness enabled the Scots to make good their retreat from the scene of disaster and defeat.Flodden was indeed a Field of Blood.
中文阅读
1.苏格兰国王詹姆士四世在他内弟当政期间入侵英格兰，其动机复杂而阴暗。整个战争的过程和最后的悲惨结果也让人们扼腕浩叹。
2.在夺取特威德河沿岸一些城堡之后，狮链王b詹姆士在弗洛登山上挑了个好位置驻扎了下来。之所以叫他狮链王，是因为他老是在腰间拴着一根像链子一样的腰a Branxton Hill -A hill near Flodden，where the battle was fought.
b 狮链王：在他即位以前，他曾被迫参与苏格兰贵族反对他父王詹姆士三世的叛乱，其父在这场斗争中被杀，这让他一直耿耿于怀，他决定对自己施以惩罚，于是在腰间拴了一根很沉重的腰带或者说是一根拴狮子用的铁链，终身都没有取下来。
带。此地位于梯尔河以西，梯尔河的河水向北缓缓而流，最后注入特威德河。萨里伯爵已率军从纽卡斯尔出发，准备前往此地与他交战。在当时，交战双方首领互派信使向对方下战书是很普通的事情。老奸巨猾的萨里给詹姆士下了一封战书，还送去一个红色十字架，要他在下周五开战。
3.詹姆士接受了挑战，但是他旗下的许多贵族却拒绝在此时与英国交战。这其中就有林德赛勋爵，詹姆士盛怒之下威胁要将他在大门上吊死；还有年老的安格斯伯爵“给猫拴铃铛a”的阿奇博尔德，詹姆士表示要是害怕出战的话就让他告老还乡。被如此断然拒绝，这位老臣止不住老泪纵横，悲怆地说：“我这么大的岁数让我在战场上成了废物，而我的忠告也被这样直接漠视；我还是把我两个儿子和我们道格拉斯家族的家臣都留下，但愿我不祥的预感是杞人忧天吧。”
4.由于两军都向布兰克斯顿山b转移，最后双方距离越来越近。苏军在下山前将自己营寨放火点燃，一时浓烟滚滚，苏军便在此掩护下继续转移布阵，在烟雾散去之前，双方谁也看不见谁。但这烟幕不一会儿就被大风吹散，双方相互一览无余，而且距离不过四分之一英里，很显然，战斗必须开始了。
5.下午4点钟，双方的加农炮开始向对方开火。由于苏军目标暴露更突出，加之英军的攻击更有准度和速度，很快苏军就被打退。但是左翼苏军发挥他们的长矛优势，很快又将对面的英军防线击溃，同时击退了试图上前的英军骑兵部队的每一次进攻。不过手持大刀的苏军右翼却未能取得同样战绩。
6.于是两军中部正面遭遇，不得不展开一场恶战，相互穿插混战也在所难免。没多久詹姆士及其部下就被包围得严严实实插翅难飞了。事已至此，只能背水一战，生死关头即将呈现。
7.惨剧终于还是来了，英勇的詹姆士阵亡。他先是身中两箭，然后被横斩过来的长戟，一端是一个大镰刀头一样的兵器，将他头盖骨劈为两半。在他遗体旁，萨里伯爵持枪而立，双方骑士又进行了数番恶战；但是夜幕渐渐降临，苏军难以挽回大局，只得在一片惨象中撤退了。弗洛登被称为流血原野，可谓名副其实。
a 给猫拴铃铛：此为安格斯伯爵阿奇博尔德·道格拉斯的绰号，之所以这么叫是因为詹姆士三世时期的一个插曲。当时国王迷信自己的宠臣，贵族们召开会议讨论如何让他与这些宠臣保持距离并且不让他们对国家构成危害。有人讲了一个关于老鼠给猫拴铃铛的故事，老鼠们打算这样做了之后就可以在猫靠近时得到警报，但问题是谁去给猫拴呢？安格斯伯爵回答说“我去拴”，于是这个绰号就给他安上了。
b 布兰克斯顿山：弗洛登不远处的一座小山，战斗就是在此进行的。
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EDINBURGH AFTER FLODDEN
弗洛登战役后的爱丁堡
battered，bruised；dinted.beacons，signal fires.chivalrous，heroic.corselet，breastplate.dinted，bruised；indented.doffed，did off；put off.grisly，frightful.
harness，armour.
mischance，misfortune.piteous，mournful.riven，rent；torn.shattered，shivered.tidings，news.
valiant，brave.visage，face.wistfully，earnestly.
1.News of battle！news of battle！-Hark！‘tis ringing down the street；And the archways and the pavement Bear the clang of hurrying feet.News of battle！who hath brought it？