BRUCE. 



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by visits to Tunis, Tripoli, Rhodes, Cyprus, Syria, and 

 several parts of Asia Minor, where, accompanied by 

 an able Italian draughtsman, he made drawings of the 

 ruins of Palmyra, Baalbec, and other remains of anti- 

 quity. These were deposited in the king's library at 

 Kew, and, in the language of boast and hyperbole, 

 which formed the great weakness of this able and ad- 

 venturous character, constituted " the most magnifi- 

 cent present in that line ever made by a subject to 

 his sovereign." Of his first travels he never published 

 an account. In June, 1768, he set out on his famous 

 journey to discover the source of the Nile. Proceed- 

 ing first to Cairo, he navigated the Nile to Syene, 

 thence crossed the desert to the Red sea, and, arriving 

 at Jidda, passed some months in Arabia Felix, ana, 

 after various detentions, reached Gondar, the capital 

 of Abyssinia, in February, 1770. In that country, he 

 ingratiated himself with the sovereign and other in- 

 fluential persons of both sexes, in the several capaci- 

 ties of physician, courtier, and soldier. On November 

 14, 1770, he obtained the great object of his wishes 

 a sight of the sources of the Nile. Claiming to be 

 the first European who had accomplished this inter- 

 esting discovery, his exultation was proportionate, 

 and he records it with singular strength of expression. 

 On his return to Gondar, he found the country en- 

 gaged in a civil war, and was detained two years 

 before he could obtain permission to leave the coun- 

 try. Thirteen months more were occupied in travel- 

 ling back to Cairo, in which journey he endured 

 excessive privations. He returned to his native 

 country in 1773, and retired to his paternal seat. He 

 married again, and maintained the character of an 

 elegant and hospitable host, and an amiable man in 

 private life, but capricious in his friendships, and 

 haughty to strangers. His long-expected travels did 

 not appear until 1790, in four large quarto volumes, 

 decorated with plates. These volumes are replete 

 with curious information concerning a part of the 

 world but little known to Europeans, and contain 

 much interesting personal adventure, and fine de- 

 scription. It is to be lamented that the authority of 

 the work, in regard to facts of natural history and 

 human manners, was questioned on its first appear- 

 ance ; for his statements have been more or less con- 

 firmed by all succeeding travellers who have come 

 near or touched upon his track namely, Salt, Coffin, 

 Pearce, Burckhardt, Brown, Clarke, Wiltman, and 

 Belzoni. Bruce, during the few remaining years of 

 his life, felt keenly the incredulity of the public, and 

 only hoped that his daughter would live to see the 

 time when the truth of all he had written would be 

 confirmed by subsequent observations. After escaping 

 the most momentous danger in a long peregrination 

 through barbarous countries, this most enterprising 

 traveller lost his life in consequence of an accidental 

 fall down stairs, as he was attending the departure of 

 some guests whom he had been entertaining. His 

 death took place in April, 1794. 



BROCK, Michael, a British poet of the last century, 

 distinguished for the plaintive elegance of his compo- 

 s : tions. He was born at Kinnasswood, in Kinross-shire, 

 Scotland, in 1746 ; and, his friends being persons in 

 low circumstances, he had to struggle with poverty, 

 which, together with constitutional disease, gave a 

 melancholy turn to his mind, and influenced the cha- 

 racter of his writings. For a short time, he was 

 engaged in the occupation of a village schoolmaster, 

 the fatigues of which probably shortened his life. 

 He became consumptive, and died in 1767. His 

 poems, which are few in number, were published by 

 the reverend John Logan, together with some of his 

 own, at Edinburgh, in 1770. One, composed on the 

 anticipation of his own death, is peculiarly affecting. 



BRUCE, Robert ; the competitor of John Baliol tor 



the throne of Scotland. On the death of Alexander 

 III., without any lineal descendent, the right to the 

 crown devolved on the descendents of David earl of 

 Huntington, who were, John Baliol descended from 

 his oldest daughter, and Bruce, descended, though 

 one generation nearer, from his second daughter. 

 Baliol, therefore, claimed as issue of the elder branch ; 

 Bruce as one degree nearer the common stock. If 

 the principle ot representation were regarded, the 

 former had the better claim; if propinquity were 

 considered, the latter was entitled to the preference. 

 The dispute was referred to the decision of Edward I. 

 of England, who decided in favour of Baliol ; and the 

 new king took the oath of fealty as vassal of Eng- 

 land. The oppressions of the English induced Baliol 

 and his countrymen to have recourse to arms, and 

 Bruce served in the army of Edward. Scotland was 

 depressed, her king imprisoned, her defenders reduced 

 slain, or made captive, when an obscure individual 

 arose to revenge her wrongs. William Wallace (q- v.), 

 having succeeded in delivering his country, was ac- 

 cused by Bruce of aspiring to the throne, and, in the 

 dreadful battle of Falkirk, B. was in the English 

 ranks. In the pursuit, Wallace had the celebrated 

 interview with him on the banks of the Carron. 

 Hume (ch. 13) relates that the interview was between 

 Wallace and the younger Bruce ; but the Scottish 

 historians Drummond, Lesly, Buchanan, &c.,give the 

 account as here stated. Wallace displayed such ele- 

 vation of sentiment, such disinterestedness of patriot- 

 ism, that Bruce melted into tears, and swore to em- 

 brace the cause of his oppressed country. 



BRUCE, Robert; the most heroic as well as the 

 most patriotic monarch which Scotland ever produced, 

 was born on the 21st of March, 1274. He was 

 grandson of the preceding. Seven years of alternate 

 resistance and submission, of wars and truces, had 

 passed, from the battle of Falkirk, when Edward I. 

 returned to London, in 1305, victorious for the third 

 time over Scotland, and delivered by treachery from 

 the dreaded Wallace. In his train, among other 

 Scottish nobles, were Robert Bruce and John Cumyn, 

 who, formerly rivals, now conspired to deliver them - 

 selves from the perfidious Edward. They agreed that 

 B. should be declared king, and that Scotland should 

 be summoned to arms. Cumyn betrayed his accom- 

 plice, who, without being informed of the discovery 

 of the plot, was ordered not to leave the court. He 

 received the first intimation of his danger by the 

 present of a pair of spurs and a purse of gold from 

 one of his friends ; and, understanding the hint, he 

 had his horses shod with their shoes inverted, that 

 the traces on the snow might baffle his pursuers, and 

 escaped to Scotland. He immediately assembled his 

 friends at Dumfries, and all the nobles, except Cumyn, 

 encouraged his resolution, and promised their aid. 

 Cumyn endeavoured to dissuade them from so des- 

 perate an undertaking ; and, after the assembly was 

 dismissed, he was attacked by B. in the cloisters of 

 the Grey Friars, and run through the body. B. was 

 soon after crowned at Scone. Being twice defeated, 

 he dismissed his troops, and retired to the Hebrides, 

 accompanied only by two friends. His wife was 

 carried captive to London, his three brothers were 

 hanged, and he himself was supposed to be dead, 

 when he reappeared in Scotland, collected an army, 

 put to the sword the English garrisons, and rallied all 

 Scotland under his banners. Edward set out to sub- 

 due the Scots, and was on the point of entering the 

 kingdom, vowing revenge, and secure of success, 

 when he sickened and died, enjoining it with his last 

 breath on his successor never to desist till he had 

 subjected all Scotland. Bruce defeated the English 

 at Bannockburn, near Stirling, and secured the inde- 

 pendence of his crown, June 24, 1314. The distracted 



