586 



SCOTLAND. 



History, north of England, where the country from Carlisle to 

 s-p-Y^ 1 Newcastle was wasted with all the fury of revenge and 

 rapacity. 



Wallace was now invested with the title of governor 

 of Scotland, in name of king John ; and from that 

 period the spirit of jealousy and distrust inflamed the 

 Scottish nobles. 



A.D. 1298. During these transactions, Edward was in Flanders, 

 but upon his return to England, he summoned the 

 Scottish barons to a parliament at York. The Scots 

 disobeyed, and the incensed monarch advanced to the 

 borders. A body of English, commanded by Aymer 

 de Valloins, earl of Pembroke, landed in the north of 

 Fife. Wallace attacked and routed them in the forest 

 of Black Ironside. Edward now encamped between 

 Edinburgh and Linlithgow, while the Scots assembled 

 all their strength in the interior part of the country. 

 Robert Bruce and John Comyn of Badenoch advanced 

 to Falkirk at the moment that Edward had given or- 

 ders to his army to make a retrograde movement to- 

 wards the borders, in consequence of a mutiny among 

 the Welsh. 



Edward prepared to attack them. Wallace ranged 

 his infantry at the side of a small eminence in the 

 Panic of neighbourhood of Falkirk. The English were divided 

 Falkirk. into three lines ; Edward commanded the reserve ; his 

 chief dependence was upon his cavalry, which attacked 

 the Scottish infantry on both flanks at once. The 

 shock was gallantly withstood, but a total route ensued. 

 Wallace succeeded in securing his retreat with a faith- 

 ful band, and burnt the town and castle of Stirling. 

 Bruce, who had not been in the engagement, upon 

 hearing of the defeat of his countrymen, burned the 

 castle of Ayr, to prevent the pursuit of Edward, and 

 then retired. After reducing Bruce's castle of Loch- 

 maben in Annandale, the conqueror retired by the 

 western borders. Wallace was superseded as regent 

 by the bishop of St. Andrews, Robert Bruce, and John 

 Comyn, who were chosen regents in the name of 

 A.B. 1299. Baliol. They applied to the Pope and the king of 

 France for aid. The Pope wrote to Edward, com- 

 manding him to abstain from any further attempts up- 

 on Scotland, and asserted his claim as liege lord. 

 A. D. 1300. Edward and his parliament were inflexible, and the 

 pontiff judged it prudent to abate his claims; but by 

 the mediation of France a short truce was concluded 

 between the English and the Scots ; and a second 

 truce for one year was subsequently agreed upon. 

 After the expiration of it, Edward sent an army into 

 Scotland, but Comyn and Simon Eraser attacked and 

 A.D. 1302. defeated them successively. The Pope and the king 

 of France proved faithless allies to the Scots, and Ed- 

 ward, disengaged from foreign war, bent his whole 

 A.D. 1303. force to subdue Scotland. Unable to oppose the ene- 

 my, the Scots declined meeting them, and Edward 

 marched to the northern extremity of the kingdom, 

 ravaging the open country, reducing the castles, and 

 receiving the submission of the nobles. 



Stirling castle was the only fortress that remained in 

 possession of the Scots. Comyn assembled an army, 

 and encamped on the south bank of the Forth, to make 

 a final stand for the national liberty. Edward, having 

 discovered a ford, crossed the river at the head of hi3 

 cavalry, and the Scots fled in every direction. Bruce 

 surrendered him sell to the English warden. Comyn 

 and his followers submitted to the conquero?. Wallace 

 and Sir Simon Fraser were excluded from the capitu- 

 lation. 



By the comrr.and of Edward, a parliarcent assem- 



bled at St. Andrews, and sentence of outlawry was History. 

 pronounced against Wallace, Fraser, and the garrison "*~Y* 

 of Stirling castle. That fortress, after a defence of 

 three months, surrendered at discretion, and Wallace A. D. 1304- 

 was given up to the mercy of Edward. He was ar- 

 raigned at Westminster as a traitor, and executed. A. I). 1305. 

 Edward now proceeded to make a total settlement Defeat and 

 of the government of Scotland, and for the administra- execution 

 tion of justice to the people. Sheriffs were appointed ' ' 



in the different districts of the kingdom, and the an- 

 cient forms were preserved. An indemnity was 

 granted to the Scots under easy conditions, and fines 

 were imposed upon the delinquents. 



Scotland was now apparently reduced as a conquered 

 province under the dominion of Edward. Bruce, the 

 competitor of Baliol, had submitted to the decision of 

 Edward. His son had served under the English ban- 

 ners, and in Comyn and the earl of Carrick, the fac- 

 tions of Baliol and Bruce may be said to have revived. 

 Bruce had the address at first to soothe and amuse the 

 king ; but, escaping from England, he intercepted a 

 messenger who was the bearer of letters from Comyn 

 to the English king, advising his own immediate im- 

 prisonment or death. Bruce, thei'efore, repaired to 

 Dumfries, and obtaining an interview with Comyn 

 before the great altar in the church of the Minorities, 

 stabbed him and fled. 



The justiciaries were holding their court when this A.D. 1305. 

 event happened. They surrendered to Bruce ; and 

 were permitted to retire out of Scotland unmolested. 



Robert Bruce was crowned at Scone in the thirty- A.D. 1306. 

 second year of his age; but he had many serious ob- Robert 

 stacles to surmount in his progress to sovereign power ; Bruce, 

 yet no sooner was the royal standard displayed, than Kin 8 ot ' 

 multitudes hastened to fight for their country. 



When Edward was informed of the revolution in 

 Scotland, he appointed the earl of Pembroke to be his 

 deputy in that kingdom ; and vowed that he would 

 take vengeance on Robert Bruce. A messenger was 

 dispatched to the Pope, complaining of the slaughter 

 of Comyn and the violation of the sanctuary, on which 

 he issued an order to excommunicate Bruce and his 

 adherents. 



The first enterprise of the Scots against the English 

 was unsuccessful. Robert retired with the remains of 

 his party into Atholl ; thence to Breadalbane, where 

 he was attacked by the lord of Lorn, who had married 

 Comyn's aunt. The royalists were overpowered, but 

 effected their retreat. The king and Douglas passed 

 over Loch- Lomond, and the former, to elude the search 

 of his enemies, crossed over to the island of Rachlin in 

 Ireland. 



The queen and daughter of Bruce were delivered to 

 their enemies; Nigil> his brother, was condemned and 

 executed; the earl of Athol and Sir Christopher Sea- 

 ton experienced a similar fate ; Sir Simon Fraser was 

 beheaded at London, and his head placed on the point 

 of a lance, near the head of Wallace. Many other 

 Scotchmen of inferior rank were punished capitally ; 

 and the Cardinal Legate solemnly excommunicated 

 Bruce and his adherents at Carlisle. 



At the approach of spring, Bruce secretly crossed A.D, 1306. 

 over into the Isle of Arran, while Douglas passed into 

 Douglasdale ; and gaining possession of Douglas castle, 

 put the English garrison to the sword. 



The earl of Pembroke advanced into the west of 

 Scotland to encounter Bruce, but the latter was vic- 

 torious. Meanwhile Edward, who had wintered at 

 Carlisle, made preparations for quelling the insurrec- 



