The Scalacronica. 85 



The Earl of Pembroke arrived at the city of St. John (Pertli), 

 and tarried there a little. Robert de Bruys had collected against 

 the English all the forces of his adherents in Scotland and of 

 the wild men who were light in movement. He arrived before 

 the city of St. John with two large arrays and offered battle to 

 the said Earl and the English, remaining before the city from 

 morning till after high noon. The Earl kept himself quite quiet 

 until their departure, when, by the advice of the Lords of 

 Scotland, who were well-wishers to John Comyn and adherents 

 of the English, being with them in the said city, the Lords of 

 Mowbray, Abernethin, Brighen, and Gordon, with several others, 

 went out in two arrays. Their Scottish enemies had departed 

 and had sent foragers from their quarters to Methven. They 

 rallied as well as they could, and all went on horseback to fight 

 M"ith the English sortie. But the Scots were defeated. Here 

 Robert de Bruys was captured, Ijut he was allowed to escape by 

 John de Haliburton, when he discovered who he was. He had 

 not on a coat of armour, but a white shirt. Thomas Randolph, 

 nephew of Robert de Bruys, and afterwards Earl of Moray, was 

 captured at this same battle of Methven ; but at the prayer of 

 Adam de Gordon he was set free and lived in England until he 

 was afterwards retaken by the Scots. Many of his men being 

 killed or captured at this battle of Methven, Robert de Bruys 

 was pursued into Canty re by the English. They besieged the 

 castle in the country thinking that Robert was in it. When they 

 captured it they did not find him; but they found his wife there, 

 who was the daughter of the Earl of Ulster. His brother Neil 

 was also found there. Soon after the Earl of Athole, who had 

 escaped from the castle, was captured. The said Xeil was 

 hanged and drawn at Berwick, after judgment, with Alain 

 Durward and several others. Robert's wife was sent into Eng- 

 land under guard. The Earl of Athole was sent to London, 

 because he was the King of England's cousin, being the son of 

 his aunt Maude of Dover ; and because he was of the King's 

 blood, he was hanged upon a gallows 30 feet higher than the 

 others. 



In the same year the King made his son Edward, Prince 

 of ^^'ales, a Knight at Westminster, with a great number of other 

 noble young men of his realm, and sent him into Scotland wiih 



