and then the third , which was the greatest. Here was the Duke with his own people. When they saw the Normans come, you might see the English shudder, rouse their people, and stir themselves. Some redden ,others grow pale, they seize their arms, they lift their shields. The hardy exult, the cowards tremble. From far you could hear the great horns and the shock of lances, and the great blows of maces, and the great clashing of swords. Now , the English rushed on and now turned back, and those from beyond the sea assailed, and very often retreated . The Normans cry " Dex aie ! " (God help us). The English people cry " Ut! " (Out). There you might see between sergeants and men-at-arms of the English and the Normans great contests and melees, strokes of lances and thrusts of swords.
The Normans shout and taunt with words ; and very often each defies the other, but knows not what the other says. The hardy are staunch , the cowards fear. The Nor mans say the English bark , for they understand not their speech. To the assault the Normans push on, and the English well defend themselves. They pierce hauberks and cleave shields. Great blows receive, great blows repay. These go forward ; these retreat. They prove each other in many a way.
In the open was a fosse -- the Normans had their backs to it ; in deploying (belliant) they had passed it by unnoticed ; the English so harassed the Normans, so broke and routed them , that they drove them headlong into the fosse, horses -
