SCOTLAND. 



joOjOoo men. The Scots at this time were befiegmg the 

 caftle of Stirling, and had compelled the governor to a ca- 

 pitulation, unlefs relieved by a certain day. Bruce, judging 

 that Edward would endeavour to fare this fortrefs, polled 

 his army at Bannockburn, about two miles to the fouthward, 

 where his right flank was protefted by a precipitous hill, and 

 his left by a deep morafs. This gallant band confilled only 

 of 30,000 combatants, but all of them men of tried courage, 

 determined to perifh or to enfure the liberties of their 

 country. The Englifh arrived in fight on the 24th of June, 

 and on the fame evening difpatched a body of horfe to pene- 

 trate to the cattle. Bruce ordered his nephew, Randolph, 

 earl of Murray, to intercept their march, and a furious en- 

 gagement enfued, which terminated in the total difcomfiture 

 of the invaders, and contributed greatly to the confidence of 

 the Scots. Early on the following day the Englilh king led 

 his army to a general attack. The ear! of Gloucefter, who 

 commanded the cavalry, rudied forward to the charge with 

 the utmoil impetuofity, and fell into the covered pits which 

 Bruce had formed in front of his line. The Scottilh ca- 

 valry, commanded by fir James Douglas, advanced upon 

 them, and after a prodigious flaughter, chafed them from 

 the field. Returning, they threw themfelves upon the rear 

 of the infantry, who were engaged by the Scottilh foot. 

 At this critical moment, the waggoners and fumpter boys of 

 the army, whom Bruce had fupphed with military ftandards, 

 appeared on the fummit of a neighbouring hill, and decided 

 the fortune of the day. The Englifh, fuppofing them to be 

 another army, were panic ftruck, threw down their arms, and 

 fled m the utmoit confufion. They were purfued by the 

 viftors as far as Berwick with iinmenfe lofs ; and the king 

 himfelf efcaped only by the fleetnefs of his horfe. The 

 Scots, befides an ineftimable booty, took many perfons of 

 quality prifoners, and above 400 gentlemen, all of whom 

 Robert treated with great humanity. Barton, a monk of 

 Scarborough, who had accompanied Edward to celebrate 

 his triumph, compofed a poem in honour of the viftory of 

 the Scots, as the price of his liberty ; and the ranfom of 

 the other prifoners brought a great acceflion of wealth to 

 the viftorious army. Such, fays an eminent hiftorian, " was 

 the great and decifive battle of Bannockburn, which fe- 

 cured the independence of Scotland, fixed Bruce on the 

 throne of that kingdom, and may be deemed the greateft 

 overthrow that the Enghlh nation, fince the conqueft, has 

 ever received. The number of flain on thofe occafions is 

 always uncertain, and is commonly much magnified by the 

 viftors. But this defeat made a deep impreflion on the 

 minds of the EngUfii, and it was remarked, that for fome 

 years no fuperiority of numbers could induce them to keep 

 the field againft the Scots." 



After this viftory the caftle of Stirling fuiTendered ac- 

 cording to agreement, and that of Berwick was taken by 

 afl'ault. Bruce likewife attempted to make himfelf mailer 

 of the town of Carlifle, but his efforts were baffled by the 

 bravery of its garrifon. In April 1315, he afiembled a 

 parliament at Ayr, to fettle the fucceffion to the crown, 

 ■which was declared to devolve to fir Edward Bruce, his 

 brother, in preference to the king's own daughter Margery, 

 who gave up her rights for the benefit of her country. Sir 

 Edward immediately paffed over into Ireland, to aid the 

 Irilh againft; the Englifh, and he was foon after followed by 

 the king himfelf, but the latter returned to Scotland in the 

 fame year. His brother, however, continued to purfue his 

 projeftsof conqueft, till his defeat and death in the battle at 

 Dundalk, which was fought in 1318. This event rendered 

 a new fettlement of the regal fucceflion neceffary, and ac- 

 cordingly a parliament met at Scone in December, and ac- 



knowledged as heir, Robert, the infant fon of Margery, 

 who had married the Stewart, and died in 131 6. But this 

 deftinatian of the crown was alfo rendered nugatory in the 

 firil inftance, by the birth of a fon to the king himfelf, in 

 1323. In the mean time the war continued to rage with 

 various fuccefs, and Robert difpatched Randolph as ambaf- 

 fador to France, to conclude a treaty offenfive and defenfive 

 with Charles IV. In March 1327, the Englifh government 

 agreed to acknowledge the kingfhip of Bruce and the inde- 

 pendence of Scotland, and paffed afolemn aft of parliament 

 to that effeft. The treaty of Northampton was the imme- 

 diate confequence, and fettled the peace between the con- 

 tending kingdoms as independent fovereignties. One of its 

 ftipulations was, that David, the infant fon of Robert, 

 fhould mary Jane, the fitter of the Englifh king. Bruce, 

 having thus obtained the confummation of his magnanimous 

 efforts, died in the year following, at the age of fifty-five. 



David I. now afcended the throne, which the abilities and 

 vigour of his father had re-eftablifhed, apparently on a firm 

 foundation. Randolph, earl of Murray, was declared 

 guardian to the young king ; but, unfortunately for the prince 

 and for Scotland, he died in 1332, the very year in which a 

 new competitor for the crown arofe in the perfon of Edward 

 Baliol, fon of that John who had fo meanly furrendered his 

 kingdom to Edward I. This pretender, with the fecret 

 fupport of the Englifh monarch, coUefted a confiderable 

 body of troops, and landed in Fifefhire. The new regent, 

 Donald, earl of Mar, haftened to oppofe this invafion, and 

 for that purpofe is faid to have muttered an army of 40,000 

 men. His imprudence and want of flvill, however, deflroycd 

 the advantages which fuperiority of numbers gave him over 

 his antagoniil. Both armies encamped oppofite to each 

 other, feparated only by the river Erne ; and the regent, con- 

 fiding in that fecurity, and the fmall force of the enemy, 

 neglefted all order and precaution. Baliol, apprized of this, 

 pafted the river in the night, penetrated into the camp of the 

 Scots, threw them into confufion, and purfued them from 

 the f.eld with great flaughter. BaUol, on this unexpefted 

 fuccefs, marched for Perth, and made himfelf matter of that 

 important ftation. Here he was befieged by the earl of 

 March and fir Archibald Douglas, but their efforts were 

 defeated, and Baliol was proclaimed king. David and his 

 betrothed queen were fent over to France, and the leaders 

 of his party fued for and obtained a truce from his compe- 

 titor, whofe power they were unable to rcfift. Thus did 

 Baliol, by a difplay of the moft chivalrous valour, feat him- 

 felf on the throne of Scotland. His reign, however, was 

 of fliort duration, for having difmifled the greater part of 

 his Englifh followers, he was attacked and defeated near 

 Annan, by fir Archibald Douglas, and other chieftains of 

 the Bruce faftion. By this difatter Bahol lott his kingdom 

 more rapidly than he had gained it. But in the interval he 

 had induced the Englifh king openly to fupport his caufe, by 

 offering to acknowledge his fuperiority, to renew the ho- 

 mage for his crown, and to efpoufe the princcfs Jane, whofe 

 marriage with David was not yet confummated. Edward 

 had eagerly embraced thefe offers ; and as the dethronement 

 of Baliol now rendered them ineffeftive, he refolved to rein- 

 ilate him in the pofTeflion of the crown, an enterprize which 

 he flattered himfelf would be eafy. Accordingly, he be- 

 fieged Berwick, which the governor, after a gallant defence, 

 agreed to furrender, unlefs relieved by a ccrtam day. The 

 regent being informed of this capitulation, was forced, con- 

 trary to his wifhes, to rifk the fate of the kingdom on the 

 iffue of one battle. He attacked the Englifh at Halydon 

 Hill, north of Berwick, and as he himfelf was flain at the 

 iirft onfet, his army was totally routed. The Enghfh 



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