the First had made conquest of Wales, that moun- | What I shall tell you of him, is generally believed to tainous part of the island of Britain into which the be true. Britons had retreated from the Saxons, and where, until the reign of this artful and ambitious prince, they had been able to maintain their independence. In subduing Wales, Edward had acted as treacherously and inore cruelly than he had done in Scotland; since he had hanged the last Prince of Wales, when he became his prisoner, for no other crime than because he defended his country against the English, who had no right to it. Perhaps Edward thought to himself, that, by uniting the whole island of Britain under one king and one government, he would do so much good by preventing future wars, as might be an excuse for the force and fraud which he made use of to bring about his purpose. But, my dear child, God, who sees into our hearts, will not bless those measures which are wicked in themselves, because they are used under a pretence of bringing about that which is good. We must not do evil even that good may come of it; and the happy prospect that England and Scotland would be united under one government, was so far from being brought nearer by Edward's unprincipled usurpation, that the hatred and violence of national antipathy which arose betwixt the sister countries, removed to a distance almost incalculable the prospect of their becoming one people, for which nature seemed to design them. CHAPTER V. The Story of Sir William Wallace. I TOLD You, my dear Hugh, that Edward the First of England had reduced Scotland almost entirely to the condition of a conquered country, although he had obtained possession of the kingdom less by his bravery, than by cunningly taking advantage of the disputes and divisions that followed amongst the Scots themselves after the death of Alexander the Third. William Wallace was none of the high nobles of Scotland, but the son of a private gentleman, called Wallace of Ellerslie, in Renfrewshire, near Paisley. He was very tall and handsome, and one of the strongest and bravest men who ever lived. He had a very fine countenance, with a quantity of fair hair, and was particularly dexterous in the use of all weapons which were then used. Wallace, like all the Scottishmen of high spirit, had looked with great indignation upon the usurpation of the crown by Edward, and upon the insolences which the English soldiers committed on his countrymen. It is said, that when he was very young, he went a-fishing for sport in the river of Irvine, near Ayr. He had caught a good many trouts, which were carried by a boy, who attended him with a fishing-basket, as is usual with anglers. Two or three English soldiers, who belonged to the garrison of Ayr, came up to Wallace, and insisted, with their usual insolence, on taking the fish from the boy. Wallace was contented to allow them a part of the trouts, but he refused to part with the whole basket-full. The soldiers insisted, and from words came to blows. Wallace had no better weapon than the butt-end of his fishing-rod; but he struck the foremost of the Englishmen so hard under the ear with it, that he killed him on the spot; and getting possession of his sword, he fought with so much fury that he put the others to flight, and brought home his fish safe and sound. The English governor of Ayr sought for him, to punish him with death for this action; but Wallace lay concealed among the hills and great woods till the matter was forgotten, and then appeared in another part of the country. He is said to have had other adventures of the same kind, in which he gallantly defended himself, sometimes when alone, sometimes with very few companions, against superior numbers of the English, until at last his name became generally known as a terror to them. The English, however, had actually obtained possession of the country, and governed it with much rigour. The Lord High Justice Ormesby called all men to account, who would not take the oath of allegiance to King Edward. Many of the Scots refused this, as what the English King had no right to demand from them. Such persons were called into the courts of justice, fined, deprived of their estates, and otherwise severely punished. Then Hugh Cressing-business to wear so gay a dress, or carry so handham, the English Treasurer, tormented the Scottish people, by collecting money from them under various pretexts. The Scots were always a poor people, and their own native kings had treated them with much kindness, and seldom required them to pay any taxes. They were, therefore, extremely enraged at finding themselves obliged to pay to the English Treasurer much larger sums of money than their own good kings had ever demanded from them; and they became exceedingly dissatisfied. Besides these modes of oppression, the English soldiers, who, I told you, had been placed in garrison in the different castles of Scotland, thought themselves masters of the country, treated the Scots with great contempt, took from them by main force whatever they had a fancy to, and if the owners offered to resist, abused them, beat and wounded, and sometimes killed them; for which acts of violence the English officers did not check or punish their soldiers. Scotland was, therefore, in great distress, and the inhabitants, exceedingly enraged, only wanted some leader to command them to rise up in a body against the English, or Southern men, as they called them, and recover the liberty of their country, which had been destroyed by Edward the First. Such a leader arose in the person of WILLIAM WALLACE, whose name is still so often mentioned in Scotland. It is a great pity we do not know exactly the history of this brave man; for, at the time when he lived, every one was so busy fighting, that there was no person to write down the history of what took place; and afterwards, when there was more leisure for composition, the truths that were collected were greatly mingled with falsehood. VOL. VI.-C But the action which occasioned his finally rising in arms, is believed to have happened in the town of Lanark. Wallace was at this time married to a lady of that place, and residing there with his wife. It chanced, as he walked in the market-place, dressed in a green garment, with a rich dagger by his side, that an Englishman came up and insulted him on account of his finery, saying, a Scotchman had no some a weapon. It soon came to a quarrel, as on many former occasions; and Wallace having killed the Englishman, fled to his own house, which was speedily assaulted by all the English soldiers. While they were endeavouring to force their way in at the front of the house, Wallace escaped at a back-door, and got in safety to a rugged and rocky glen, called the Cartland Crags, all covered with bushes and trees, and full of high precipices, in the vicinity of Lanark, where he knew he should be safe from the pursuit of the English soldiers. In the mean time, the governor of Lanark, whose name was Hazelrigg, burned Wallace's house, and put his wife and servants to death; and by doing this, increased to the highest pitch, as you may well believe, the hatred which Wallace had always borne against the English. Hazelrigg also proclaimed him an outlaw, and offered a reward to any one who should bring him to an English garrison, alive or dead. On the other hand, Wallace soon collected a body of men, outlawed like himself, or willing to become so, rather than any longer to endure the oppression of the English. One of his earliest expeditions was directed against Hazelrigg, whom he killed, and thus avenged the death of his wife. He fought skirmishes with the soldiers who were sent against him, often defeated them, and at length became so well known and so formidable, that multitudes began to resort to his standard, until he was at the head of an army, with which he proposed to restore his country to independence. About this time is said to have taken place a memorable event, which the Scottish people call the Barns of Ayr. It is said, the English governor of Ayr had invited the greater part of the Scottish no- | Warren hesitated, for he was a skilful soldier, and bility and gentry in the western parts, to meet him he saw that to approach the Scottish army, his at some large buildings called the Barns of Ayr, for troops must pass over the long, narrow, wooden the purposes of friendly conference upon the affairs bridge; so that those who should get over first, of the nation. But the English Earl entertained the might be attacked by Wallace with all his forces, treacherous purpose of putting the Scottish gentle- before those who remained behind could possibly men to death. The English soldiers had halters come to their assistance. He therefore inclined to with running nooses ready prepared, and hung upon delay the battle. But Cressingham, the Treasurer, the beams which supported the roof, and as the who was ignorant and presumptuous, insisted that it Scottish gentlemen were admitted by two and two was their duty to fight, and put an end to the war at at a time, the nooses were thrown over their heads, once; and Warren gave way to his opinion, although and they were pulled up by the necks, and thus Cressingham, being a churchman, could not be so hanged or strangled to death. Among those who good a judge of what was fitting as he himself, an were slain in this base and treacherous manner, was, experienced officer. it is said, Sir Ranald Crawford, Sheriff of the county of Ayr, and uncle to William Wallace. When Wallace heard of what had befallen, he was dreadfully enraged, and collecting his men in a wood near to the town of Ayr, he resolved to be revenged on the authors of this great crime. The English in the mean while made much feasting, and when they had eaten and drank plentifully, they lay down to sleep in the same large barns in which they had murdered the Scottish gentlemen. But Wallace, learning that they kept no guard or watch, not suspecting there were any enemies so near them, directed a woman who knew the place, to mark with chalk the doors of the lodgings where the Englishmen lay. Then he sent a party of men, who, with strong ropes, made all the doors so fast on the outside, that those within could not open them. On the outside the Scots had prepared heaps of straw, to which they set fire, and the Barns of Ayr, being themselves made of wood, were soon burning in a bright flame. Then the English were awakened, and endeavoured to get out to save their lives. But the doors, as I told you, were secured on the outside, and bound fast with ropes; and, besides, the blazing houses were surrounded by the Scotch, who forced those who got out to run back into the fire, or else put them to death on the spot; and thus, great numbers perished miserably. Many of the English were lodged in a convent, but they had no better fortune than the others; for the Prior, as he was called, of the convent, caused all the friars to arm themselves, and attacking their English guests they put most of them to the sword. This was called the Friar of Ayr's Blessing. We cannot tell if this story of the Barns of Ayr be exactly true; but it is probable there is some foundation for it, as it is universally believed in that country. Thus Wallace's party daily grew stronger and stronger, and many of the Scottish nobles joined with him. Amongst those was Sir William Douglas, the Lord of Douglasdale, and the head of a great family often mentioned in Scottish history. There was also Sir John the Grahame, who became Wallace's bosom friend and greatest confidant. Many of these great noblemen, however, deserted the cause of the country on the approach of the Earl of Surrey, the English governor, at the head of a numerous and well-appointed army. They thought that Wallace would be unable to withstand the attack of so many disciplined soldiers, and hastened to submit themselves to the English, for fear of losing their estates. Wallace, however, remained undismayed, and at the head of a considerable army. He had taken up his camp upon the northern side of the river Forth, near the town of Stirling. The river was there crossed by a long wooden bridge, about a mile above the spot where the present bridge is situated. The English general approached the banks of the river on the southern side. He sent two clergymen to offer a pardon to Wallace and his followers, on condition that they would lay down their arms. But such was not the purpose of the high-minded champion of Scotland. "Go back to the Earl of Warren," said Wallace, "and tell him we value not the pardon of the King of England. We are not here for the purpose of treating of peace, but of abiding battle, and restoring freedom to our country. Let the English come on; -we defy them to their very beards!"" The English, upon hearing this haughty answer, called loudly to be led to the attack. The Earl of The English army began to cross the bridge, Cressingham leading the van, or foremost division of the army for, in those military days, even clergymen wore armour and fought in battle. The danger took place which Warren had foreseen. Wallace suffered a considerable part of the English army to pass the bridge, without offering any opposition; but when about one half were over, and the bridge was crowded with those who were following, he charged them who had crossed with his whole army, slew a very great number, and drove the rest into the river Forth, where the greater part were drowned. The rest of the English, who remained on the southern bank of the river, fled in great confusion, having first set fire to the wooden bridge, that the Scots might not pursue them. Cressingham was killed in the very beginning of the battle, and the Scots detested him so much, that they flayed the skin from his dead body, and kept pieces of it, in memory of the revenge they had taken upon the English Treasurer. Some say they made saddle-girths of this same skin, a purpose for which I do not think it could be very fit. It must be owned to have been a dishonourable thing of the Scots to insult the dead body of their enemy, and shows that they must have been then a ferocious and barbarous people. The remains of Warren's great army fled out of Scotland after this defeat; and the Scots taking arms on all sides, attacked the castles in which the English soldiers continued to shelter themselves, and took most of them by force or stratagem. Many Wonderful stories are told of Wallace's exploits on these occasions; some of which are no doubt true, while others are either invented, or very much exaggerated. It seems certain, however, that he defeated the English in several combats, chased them almost entirely out of Scotland, regained the towns and castles of which they had possessed themselves, and recovered for a time the complete freedom of the country. He even marched into England, and laid Cumberland and Northumberland waste, where the Scottish soldiers, in revenge for the mischief which the English had done in their country, committed great cruelties. Wallace did not approve of their killing the people who were not in arms, and he endeavoured to protect the clergymen and others, who were not able to defend themselves. "Remain with me," he said to the priests of Hexham, a large town in Northumberland, "for I cannot protect you from my soldiers when you are out of my presence.' The troops who followed Wallace received no pay, because he had no money to give them; and that was one great reason why he could not keep them under restraint, or prevent their doing much harm to the defenceless country people. He remained in England more than three weeks, and did a great deal of mischief to the country. Edward I. was in Flanders when all these events took place. You may suppose he was very angry when he learned that Scotland, which he thought completely subdued, had risen into a great insurrection against him, defeated his armies, killed his Treasurer, chased his soldiers out of their country, and invaded England with a great force. He came back from Flanders in a great rage, and determined not to leave Scotland till he had finally conquered that kingdom; so he assembled a very fine army, and marched into Scotland. In the mean time the Scots prepared to defend themselves, and chose Wallace to be Governor or Protector of the kingdom, because they had no king | numbers around him. Their bodies were afterwards at the time. He was now titled Sir William Wallace, distinguished among the slain, as being the tallest Protector or Governor of the Scottish nation. But and handsomest men of the army. although Wallace, as we have seen, was the best solder and bravest man in Scotland, and therefore the most fit to be placed in command at this critical period, when the King of England was coming against them with such great forces, yet the nobles of Scotland envied him this important situation, because he was not a man born in high rank, or enjoying a large estate. So great was their jealousy of Sir William Wallace, that they did not seem very willing to bring forward their forces, or fight against the Encush, because they would not have him to be general. This was base and mean conduct, and it was attended with great disasters to Scotland. Yet, notwithstanding this unwillingness of the great noblity to support him, Wallace assembled a large any; for the middling, but especially the lower classes, were very much attached to him. He marched boldly against the King of England, and met him near the town of Falkirk. Most of his army were on foot, because, as I already told you, in those days only the nobility and great men of Scotland Aught on horseback. The English King, on the contrary, had a very large body of the finest cavalry in the world, Normans and English, all armed in complete armour. He had also the celebrated archers of England, who were said to carry twelve Scotsmen's lives under their girdles; because they carried each of them twelve arrows stuck into their belt, and they were expected to kill a man with The spearmen of the Scottish army being thus thrown into some degree of confusion, by the loss of those who were slain by the arrows of the English, the heavy cavalry of Edward again charged, and broke through the ranks, which were already disordered. Sir John Grahame, Wallace's great friend and companion, was slain, with many other brave soldiers; and the Scots, having lost a very great number of men, were at length obliged to take to flight. This fatal battle was fought upon 22d July, 1298. Sir John the Grahame lies buried in the churchyard of Falkirk. A tombstone was laid over him which has been three times renewed since his death. The inscription bears, "That Sir John the Grahame, equally remarkable for wisdom and courage, and the faithful friend of Wallace, being slain in battle by the English, lies buried in this place.". A large oak tree in the adjoining forest was long shown as the spot where Wallace slept before the battle, or, as others said, in which he hid himself after the defeat. Nearly forty years ago, Grandpapa saw some of its roots; but the body of the tree was even then entirely decayed, and there is not now, and has not been for many years, the least vestige of it to be seen. every arrow. The Scotch had some good archers from the Fo- After this fatal defeat at Falkirk, Sir William Wallace seems to have resigned his office of Governor of Scotland. Several nobles were named guardians in his place, and continued to make resistance to the English armies; and they gained some advantages, particularly near Roslin, where a body of Scots, commanded by John Comyn of Badenoch, who was one of the Guardians of the kingdom, and a distinguished commander, called Simon Fraser, defeated three armies, or detachments, of English in one day. Nevertheless, the king of England possessed so much wealth, and so many means of raising soldiers, that he sent army after army into the poor oppressed country of Scotland, and obliged all its nobles and great men, one after another to submit themselves once more to his yoke. Sir William Wallace alone, or with a very small band of followers, refused either to acknowledge the usurper Edward, or to lay down his arms. He continued to mainThe English made the attack. King Edward, tain himself among the woods and mountains of his though he saw the close ranks, and undaunted ap- native country for no less than seven years after his pearance of the Scottish infantry, resolved neverthe- defeat at Falkirk, and for more than one year after ss to try whether he could not ride them down all the other defenders of Scottish liberty had laid with his fine cavalry. Accordingly, he gave his down their arms. Many proclamations were sent horsemen orders to advance. They charged accord-out against him by the English, and a great reward mg at the full gallop. It must have been a terri- was set upon his head; for Edward did not think ble thing to have seen these fine horses riding as he could have any sure possession of his usurped bard as they could against the long lances, which kingdom of Scotland while Wallace lived. At length were held out by the Scots to keep them back; and he was taken prisoner; and shame it is to say, a there was a dreadful cry arose when they came Scotchman, called Sir John Menteith, was the peragainst each other. However, the Scots stood their son by whom he was seized and delivered to the ground with their long spears; many of the foremost English. It is generally said that he was made priof the English horses were thrown down, and the soner at Robroyston, near Glasgow; and the traaders were killed as they lay rolling, unable to rise, dition of the country bears, that the signal made for owing to the weight of their heavy armour. But the rushing upon him and taking him at unawares, was, Scottish horse did not come to the assistance of their when one of his pretended friends, who betrayed infantry, but fled away from the battle. It is sup- him, should turn a loaf, which was placed on the posed that this was owing to the treachery or ill-will table, with its bottom or flat side uppermost. And of the nobility, who were jealous of Wallace. But it in after times it was reckoned ill-breeding to turn a must be considered that the Scotch cavalry were loaf in that manner, if there was a person named Tery few in number; and that they had much worse Menteith in company; since it was as much as to ars and weaker horses, than their enemies. The remind him that his namesake had betrayed Sir WilEnglish cavalry attempted again and again to dis- liam Wallace, the Champion of Scotland. perse the deep and solid ranks in which Wallace had Whether Sir John Menteith was actually the perstationed his foot soldiers. But they were repeat-son by whom Wallace was betrayed is not perfectly ety beaten off with loss, nor could they make their certain. He was, however, the individual by whom way through that wood of spears as it is called by the patriot was made prisoner, and delivered up to one of the English historians. King Edward then the English, for which his name and his memory commanded his archers to advance; and these ap- have been long loaded with disgrace. proaching within arrow-shot of the Scottish ranks, poured on them such close and dreadful volleys of arrows, that it was impossible to sustain them. It happened at the same time, that Sir John Stewart was killed by a fall from his horse; and the archers of Ettrick Forest, whom he was bringing forward to oppose those of King Edward, were killed in great Edward having thus obtained possession of the person whom he considered as the greatest obstacle to his complete conquest of Scotland, resolved to make Wallace an example to all Scottish patriots who should in future venture to oppose his ambitious projects. He caused Wallace to be brought to trial in Westminster-hall, before the English judges, and produced him there, crowned, in mockery, with a green garland, because they said he had been king of out-laws and robbers among the Scottish woods. He was accused of having been a traitor to the English crown; to which he answered, "I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject." He was then accused of having killed many men, and done much evil. He replied, with the same calm resolution, that it was true, he had killed very many Englishmen, but it was because they had come to subdue and oppress his native country of Scotland; and far from repenting what he had done, he declared he was only sorry that he had not put to death many more of them.' Notwithstanding that Wallace's defence was a good one, both in law and in common sense, (for surely every one has not only a right to fight in defence of his native country, but is bound in duty to do so,) the English Judges condemned him to be executed. So this brave patriot was dragged upon a sledge to the place of execution, where his head was struck off, and his body divided into four quarters, which, according to the cruel custom of the time, were exposed upon pikes of iron upon London Bridge, and were termed the limbs of a traitor. No doubt King Edward thought that by exercising this great severity towards so distinguished a patriot as Sir William Wallace, he would terrify all the Scots into obedience, and so be able in future to reign over their country without resistance. But though Edward was a powerful, a brave, and a wise king, and though he took the most cautious, as well as the most strict measures, to preserve the obedience of Scotland, yet his claim, being founded in injustice and usurpation, was not permitted by Providence to be established in security or peace. Sir William Wallace, that immortal supporter of the independence of his country, was no sooner deprived of his life in the cruel and unjust manner I have told you, than other patriots arose to assert the cause of Scottish liberty. CHAPTER VI. Of the Rise of Robert the Bruce. I HOPE, my dear child, that you have not forgotten that all the cruel wars in Scotland arose out of the debate between the great lords who claimed the throne after King Alexander the Third's death, which induced the Scottish nobility rashly to submit the decision of that matter to King Edward of England, and thus open the way to his endeavouring to seize the kingdom of Scotland to himself. You recollect, also, that he had dethroned John Baliol, on account of his attempting to restore the independence of Scotland; and that John Baliol had resigned the crown of Scotland into the hands of Edward as Lord Paramount. This John Baliol, therefore, was very little respected in Scotland; he had renounced the kingdom, and had been absent from it for fifteen years, during the greater part of which time he remained a prisoner in the hands of the King of England. It was therefore natural that such of the people of Scotland as were still determined to fight for the freedom of their country from the English yoke, should look around for some other king, under whom they might unite themselves, to combat the power of England. The feeling was universal in Scotland, that they would not any longer endure the English government; and therefore such great Scottish nobles as believed they had a right to the crown, began to think of standing forward to claim it. Amongst these, the principal candidates, (supposing John Baliol, by his renunciation and captivity, to have lost all right to the kingdom,) were two powerful noblemen. The first was Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, the grandson of that elder Robert Bruce, who, as you have heard, disputed the throne with John Baliol. The other was John Comyn, or Cuming, of Badenoch, usually called the Red Comyn, to distinguish him from his kinsman, the Black Comyn, so named from his swarthy complexion. These two great and powerful barons had taken part with Sir William Wallace in the wars against England; but, after the defeat of Falkirk, being fearful of losing their great estates, and considering the freedom of Scotland as beyond the possibility of being recovered, both Bruce and Comyn had not only submitted themselves to Edward, and acknowledged his title as King of Scotland, but even borne arms, along with the English, against such of their countrymen as still continued to resist the usurper. But the feelings of Bruce concerning the baseness of this conduct, are said, by the old tradition of Scotland, to have been awakened by the following accident. In one of the numerous battles, or skirmishes, which took place at the time between the English and their adherents on the one side, and the insurgent or patriotic Scottish upon the other, Robert the Bruce was present, and assisted the English to gain the victory. After the battle was over, he sat down to his dinner without washing his hands, on which there were spots of blood, which he had shed during the action. The English lords observing this, whispered to each other in mockery, "Look at that Scotsman, who is eating his own blood!" Bruce heard what they said, and began to reflect, that the blood upon his hands might be indeed called his own, since it was that of his brave countrymen, who were fighting for the independence of Scotland, whilst he was assisting its oppressors, who only laughed at and mocked him for his unnatural conduct. He was so much shocked and disgusted, that he arose from table, and going into a neighbouring chapel, shed many tears, and, asking pardon of God for the great crime he had been guilty of, made a solemn vow that he would atone for it, by doing all in his power to deliver Scotland from the foreign yoke. Accordingly, he left, it is said, the English army, and never joined them again, but remained watching an opportunity for restoring the freedom of his country. Now, this Robert the Bruce was a remarkably brave and strong man: there was no man in Scotland that was thought a match for him except Sir William Wallace; and now that Wallace was dead, Bruce was held the best warrior in Scotland. He was very wise and prudent, and an excellent general; that is, he knew how to conduct an army, and place them in order for battle, as well or better than any great man of his time. He was generous, too, and courteous by nature; but he had some faults, which perhaps belonged as much to the fierce period in which he lived as to his own character. He was rash and passionate, and in his passion, he was sometimes relentless and cruel. Robert the Bruce had fixed his purpose, as I told you, to attempt once again to drive the English out of Scotland, and he desired to prevail upon Sir John, the Red Comyn, who was his rival in his pretensions to the throne, to join with him in expelling the foreign enemy by their common efforts. With this purpose, Bruce posted down from London to Dumfries, on the borders of Scotland, and requested an interview with John Comyn. They met in the church of the Minorites in that town, before the high altar. What passed betwixt them is not known with certainty; but they quarrelled, either concerning their mutual pretensions to the crown, or because Comyn refused to join Bruce in the proposed insurrection against the English; or, as many writers say, because Bruce charged Comyn with having betrayed to the English his purpose of rising up against King Edward. It is, however, certain, that they came to high and abusive words, until at length Bruce, who I told you was extremely passionate, forgot the sacred character of the place in which they stood, and struck Comyn a blow with his dagger. Having done this rash deed, he instantly ran out of the church and called for his horse. Two gentlemen of the country, Lindesay and Kirkpatrick, friends of Bruce, were then in attendance on him. Seeing him pale, bloody, and in much agitation, they eagerly inquired what was the matter. "I doubt," said Bruce, "that I have slain the Red Comyn." "Do you leave such a matter to doubt ?" said Kekpatrick. "I will make sicker"—that is, I will make certain. Accordingly, he and his companion Lindesay, sing into the church, despatched the wounded Comyn with their daggers. His uncle, Sir Robert Cam, was slain at the same time. The slaughter of Comyn was a cruel action; and the historian of Bruce observes, that it was folhed by the displeasure of Heaven; for no man ever went through more misfortunes than Robert Frase, although he at length rose to great honour. After the slaughter of Comyn, Bruce might be called desperate. He had committed an action which was sure to bring down upon him the venBeace of all Comyn's relations, the resentment of the King of England, and the displeasure of the Church on account of having slain his enemy within consecrated ground. He determined, therefore, to then all defiance at once, and to assert his pretensions to the throne of Scotland. He drew his own flowers together, summoned to meet him such barons as still entertained hopes of the freedom of the country, and was crowned King at the Abbey of Scone the usual place where the Kings of Scotland assumed their authority. Every taing relating to the ceremony was hastily performed. A small circlet of gold was hurriedly made to represent the ancient crown of Scotland, whh Edward had carried off to England. The Earl of Fife, descendant of the brave Macduff, whose duty it was to have placed the crown on the King's head, would not give his attendance. But e ceremonial was performed by his sister, Isabella, Countess of Buchan, though without the consent ether of her brother or husband. A few barons, whose names ought to be dear to their country, joined Bruce in his attempt to vindicate the independence of Scotland. other, Bruce attempted to force his way into Lorn, but he found enemies every where. The M'Dou gals, a powerful family, then called Lords of Lorn, were friendly to the English, and putting their men in arms, attacked Bruce and his wandering companions as soon as they attempted to enter their country. The chief of these, M'Dougals, called John of Lorn, hated Bruce on account of his having slain the Red Comyn in the church at Dumfries, to whom this M'Dougal was nearly related. Bruce was again defeated by this chief, through force of numbers, at a place called Dalry; but he showed, amidst his mis fortunes, the greatness of his strength and courage. He directed his men to retreat through a narrow pass, and placing himself last of the party, he fought with and slew such of the enemy as attempted to press hard on them. Three followers of M'Dougal, a father and two sons, called M'Androssor, all very strong men, when they saw Bruce thus protecting the retreat of his followers, made a vow that they would either kill or make him prisoner. The whole three rushed on the King at once. The King was on horseback, in the strait pass we have described, betwixt a steep hill and a deep lake. He struck the first man who came up and seized his bridle, such a blow with his sword as cut off his hand and freed the bridle. The man bled to death. The other brother had seized him in the mean time by the leg, and was attempting to throw him from horseback. The King, setting spurs to his horse, made the animal suddenly spring forward, so that the Highlander fell under the horse's feet, and, as he was endeavouring to rise again, the King cleft his head in two with his sword. The father, seeing his two sons thus slain, flew at Robert Bruce, and grasped him by the mantle so close to his body, that he could not have room to wield his long sword. But with the heavy pommel, or, as others say, with an iron hammer which hung at his saddle-bow, the King struck his third assailant so dreadful a blow, that he dashed out his brains. Still, however, the Highlander kept his dying grasp on the King's mantle, so that, to be free of the dead body, Bruce was obliged to undo the brooch, or clasp, by which it was fastened, and leave that and the mantle itself behind him. The brooch, which fell thus into the possession of M'Dougal of Lorn, is still preserved in that ancient family as a memorial that the celebrated Robert Bruce once narrowly escaped falling into the hands of their ancestor. Robert greatly resented this attack upon him; and when he was in happier The commencement of Bruce's undertaking was circumstances, did not fail to take his revenge on most disastrous. He was crowned on 29th March, M'Dougal, or, as he is usually called, John of Lorn. 1306. On the 15th May he was excommunicated by The King met with many such encounters amidst the Pope, a sentence which excluded him from all his dangerous and dismal wanderings; yet, though the benefits of region, and authorized any one to almost always defeated by the numbers of the Enghim. Finalir, on the 19th June, the new King lish, and of such Scots as sided with them, he still completely defeated near Methven by the Eng-kept up his own spirits and those of his followers. Esh Earl of Pembroke. Robert's horse was killed He was a better scholar than was usual in those days, under him in the action, and he was for a moment a when, except clergymen, few people learned to read soner. But he had fallen into the power of a and write. But King Robert could do both very well; Seth knight, who, though he served in the Eng and we are told, that he sometimes read aloud to his an army, did not choose to be the instrument of companions to amuse them, when they were crossing Fang Brice into their hands, and allowed him to the great Highland lakes in such wretched leaky boats cape. The conquerors executed their prisoners as they could find for that purpose. their usual cruelty. Among these were some young men of the first Scotch families-Hay, cestor of the earls of Errol, Somerville, Fraser, 25 others, who were most mercilessly put to death. Bruce, with a few brave adherents, among whom was the young Lord of Douglas, who was afterParis called the Good Lord James, retired into the Brand mountains, where they were chased from space of refuge to another, placed in great danand underwent many hardships. The Bruce's now queen of Scotland, with several other ladies accompanied her husband and his few followers during their wanderings. There was no other way of providing for them save by hunting and fishing. It was remarked, that Douglas was the most active and successful in procuring for the fortunate ladies such supplies as his dexterity in facing or in killing deer could furnish to them. Driven from one place in the Highlands to an Edward was dreadfully incensed when he heard that, after all the pains which he had taken, and all the blood which had been spilled, the Scots were making this new attempt to shake off his authority. Though now old, feeble, and sickly, he made a cenn vow, at a great festival, in presence of all court, that he would take the most ample vence upon Robert the Bruce and his adherents; after which he would never again draw his sword na Christian, but would only fight against the ving Saracens for the recovery of the Holy the head of a powerful army. Land. He marched against Bruce accordingly, at At last dangers increased so much around the brave King Robert, that he was obliged to separate himself from the ladies and his queen; for the winter was coming on, and it would be impossible for the women to endure this wandering sort of life when the frost and snow should arrive. So he left his queen, with the Countess of Buchan and others, the only castle which remained to him, which was called Kildrummie, and is situated near the head of the river Don in Aberdeenshire. The King also left his youngest brother, Nigel Bruce, to defend the castle against the English; and he himself, with his second brother Edward, who was a very brave man, but still more rash and passionate than Robert himself, went over to an island called Rachrin, on the coast of Ireland, where Bruce and the few men that followed his fortunes passed the winter of 1306. In the mean time, ill luck castle of Kuldrummie was taken by the English, and seemed to pursue all his friends in Scotland. The |