SCOTLAND. 



tacked by Wallace, and either pufhed ir.to the river, or de- 

 ftroyed by the iword. Among the ilain was Creffingham 

 himfelf, whofe memory was fo hateful to the Scots, that they 

 flayed his dead body, and made girths of his ikin. The re- 

 mainder of the Englifti army precipitately retreated into 

 England. Wallace purfued, and reduced the fortrefies of 

 Berwick and Roxburgh ; Dundee and the other llrong holds 

 alfo capitulated, and thus was Scotland a fecond time freed 

 by the valour andconftancy of her patriotic champion. 



Wallace was now declared guardian of the kingdom by 

 the unanimous voice of his followers, and with the general 

 confent of the people, and under this title he direAed affairs 

 in the name of the captive Baliol. As the misfortunes of 

 war and an unfavourable fealoa had produced a famine, he 

 marched into England, laid walle the northern counties, and 

 returned luaded with Ipoils, and crowned with glory. 



Edward, who during thefe tranfaAions was profecuting 

 the war in Flanders, having concluded a truce with France, 

 hailened over to England, in the confident hope of recovering, 

 by his aftivity and vigour, the important conqueil of Scot- 

 land, whicli he always regarded as the chief advantage of his 

 reign. For this purpofe he aliembled an immenfe army, 

 with which he laid iiege to the callle of Dirleton. Wallace 

 in the mean time, fenlible of the jealoufy of the Scottilh 

 nobles, voluntarily refigned his authority as guardian to the 

 Stewart of Scotland, and Cumyn of Badenoch, men of emi- 

 nent birtli, under whom he hoped the great chieftains would 

 be more willing to fight in the defence of their country. 

 Thefe two commanders took poll at Falkirk, and deter- 

 mined tliere to await the allault of the Englifh. Wallace 

 alfo brought his troops hither, and placed them at the dif- 

 pofalof the regents. The refoluiion of the Scottilh chiefs 

 to rifle a general battle was highly agreeable to Edward, 

 whofe army was already much llraitencd for provifions, and 

 was in a Hate ot mutiny. He advanced therefore with great 

 rapidity to Falkirk, and immediately on his arrival led his 

 troops to the attack. Cumyn, with his divifion, fled on the 

 firlt onfet, and left that of the Stewart to be cut to pieces. 

 This cowardly conduft decided the fate of the day ; but in 

 the general route, Wallace's military Ikill enabled him to pre- 

 ferve his patriot bands entire. After a gallant refiflance he 

 retreated leifurely along the banks of the Carron, followed 

 by a corps of the Englifh army under the orders of 

 Bruce, who demanded a conference with the Scottilh hero, 

 in which the latter fully convinced him of his want of pa- 

 triotifm, in efpoufing the caufe of the oppreflor of his 

 country. 



Soon after this viftory, Edward returned to England, and 

 the Scots onve more rallied, and obtained many advantages 

 over the forces left behind by the Englifli monarch. Three 

 victories were gained in one day, and the renown of thefe 

 great exploits, feconded by the favourable difpofition of the 

 people, foon made the regent mailer of all the fortrefies in 

 the louth, and it became neceiiary for Edward to begin anew 

 the conqueil oi the kingdom. 



Tlie Englifh king accordingly prepared for that event with 

 his ufual activity and prudence. He aliembled both a great 

 fleet and army, and entering the kingdom, proceeded aimoit 

 to its furthell extremities, without encountering any oppoli- 

 tion. All the nobles, and even the regent himfelf, made 

 their fubmifiions to tlie conqueror. The only fortrefies 

 which did not immediately yield were thofe of Brechin and 

 Stirling. So gallantly, indeed, did the garrifon of the latter 

 defend their trull, that it was nearly demolilhed before 

 Edward, after a iiege of four months, was enabled to take 

 it by allault, an event which again placed the whole of 

 Scotlaiid under liis power. Still, however, he dillrulled 



the permanency of his fuccefs, for Wallace was yet alive, 

 iinfuUied in iiis charaftcr, and unfubdued in his fpirit. 

 Edward employed every art to difcover his retreat, and to 

 obtain pofleffion of his perfon ; and he at length fuceeeded, 

 through the treachery of fir John Monteith, whom Wallace 

 had always regarded as one of his bofom friendo. By him 

 he was arretted, and fent in fetters to London, where he was 

 tried as a traitor, though he had never made fubmifiions or 

 fworn fealty to England, and was executed on Tower-hill, 

 on the 23dof Augufl, 1305. Such was the unworthy fate 

 of the greatell hero and molt difinterefled patriot of his 

 own or perhaps of any other age. 



By this unjuft and barbarous treatment of the gallant 

 Wallace, Edward hoped to Ihike terror into the Scots, and 

 enfure their fubmiflion. Thefe calculations, however, were 

 foon fhewn to be erroneous. The execution of Wallace, and 

 the expofure of his mangled limbs in diiferent towns of the 

 kingdom, ferved only to inflame the refentment of hi» 

 countrymen. Even the noble?, whofe jealoufy of his in- 

 fluence had prevented his final fuccefs againfl the tyranny 

 wtiicli opprefled them, bewailed his fate, and vowed ven- 

 geance againfl his murderer. Bruce, in particular, became 

 more confirmed in his purpofe of afferting his rights, and 

 vindicating the hbertiesof his country. Flying to different 

 parts of the kingdom, he incited the people to rile againft 

 their oppre'lors, attacked and defeated the detached parties 

 of the Englifh, fecured the poiieflion of many fortrefies, 

 and having eitabhfhed his authority in moil places of the 

 fouth, proceeded to Scofle, where he was folemiily crowned 

 on the 27th of March 1306. 



Bruce having by repeated fuccefles driven all the Englifh 

 from Scotland, except fuch as fled to the few fortrefies fliU in 

 their hands, Edward difpatched Aylmer de Valence to crnfh 

 this new and formidable revolt. That nobleman advanced 

 without oppofition to Methuen,in Peilhfhirc, where lie found 

 the Scottilh forces encamped, attacked them before they 

 were aware of his approach, and gained a complete viftory. 

 The Scottilh king fought with great courage, but was at 

 lafl obliged to quit the field, and to feek fecurity for himfelf 

 and a few followers in the Wefleru iflands. All the prifoners 

 of note were executed as rebels, and many atts of outrageous 

 opprefTion were exercifed againit thole of inferior rank. On 

 the death of Edward, which happened in 1308, Bruce re- 

 folved again to try the fortune of war. He attacked and 

 brought under his dominion the territories of Argyle, and 

 thereafter took the fortrefies of Invernefs, Forfar, and 

 Brechin. By thefe exploits he gradually increafed his in- 

 fluence, and reconciled the barons to his caule. Indeed, 

 fucli was the alacrity with which the people in general 

 feconded his operations, that in three months the whole of 

 Scotland, except one or two fortified places, were wrefled 

 fnrm the tyranny of the Englifli. Edward, harafi'ed by 

 difl'entions at home, now found it neceflary to agree to a 

 truce, which, though it was only of fliort duration, enabled 

 Bruce to confolidate his power, and organize his govern- 

 ment. At its concluiion he entered England, and gratified 

 the revenge and cupidity of his followers by laying walle and 

 plundering the northern counties. Edward, in his turn, be- 

 came the afi'ailant during the fame year, and advanced be- 

 yond Edinburgh. But the want of provifions foon obliged 

 him to retire, without havijig gained any material advantage. 

 But though he abandoned Scotland for the prefent, he re- 

 folved to undertake it;< conqueil again at no diflant period. 

 With this view lie fummoncd the mofl warlike of his vafials 

 from Gafcony, enlilled numerous foreign troops into hii 

 fervice, and aflembling the whole military force of EngUnd, 

 marched towards the borders with an army compofed of 

 C 2 J 00,000 



