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" suffered a greater loss in any action ; nor one 

 " which seemed to threaten more inevitable ruin to 

 " their country."* 



The patriot chieftain, Sir William Wallace, com- 

 manded a body of the Scottish troops on that fatal 

 day ; and it was on that occasion, after the general 

 rout of the army, that retiring behind the banks of 

 the Carron, with the little band which his military 

 skill and presence of mind had enabled him to keep 

 together, he had the noted interview with the young 

 Bruce. Here, aa he marched leisurely along the 

 banks of that small river, which protected him from 

 the enemy, the young Bruce, who had hitherto ser- 

 ved in the English army, distinguishing the Scottish 

 chief, as well by his majestic port, as by the intre- 

 pid activity of his behaviour, called out to him and 

 demanded a conference. He represented to Wal- 

 lace the fruitless enterprize in which he was en- 

 gaged ; and endeavoured to bend his inflexible 

 spirit to submission under superior power : but that 

 hero soon convinced him of his own degraded situ- 

 ation in enlisting under the banners of the enemies 

 of his country ; and inspiring the bosom of the 

 young prince with the same generous sentiments 

 which animated his own, determined him to break 

 his engagement with Edward, and to seize the first 

 opportunity of embracing the cause of his oppressed 

 country. 



* Vide Hume's Hist, of England, vol. ii. p. 13 ; where 

 the chief incidents of this disastrous battle, but more es- 

 pecially the memorable interview between Wallace and 

 Bruce, are eloquently detailed; and a few pages after, 

 the melancholy termination of the life of that gallant, 

 wise, and Tirtuous, hero upon, the scaffold ; owing to the 

 jealous policy of Edward. 



