SCOTLAND. 29 i 



gt>.ret ; and Robert Bruce, grandfather to the great king Robert 

 B ice, grandson to the same earl of Huntingdon, by his youngest 

 daughter, Isabel; became competitors for the crown of Scotland. 

 Tnc iaws oi succession, which were not so well established in Europe 

 as they are a: present, rendered the case very difficult. Both parties 

 were almost equally matched in interest ; but after a confused inter- 

 regnum of some years, the great nobility agreed in referring the de- 

 cision to Edward I, ol England, the most politic and ambitious prince 

 of his age He accepted the office of arbiter : but having long had 

 an eye to the crown of Scotland, he revived some obsolete absurd 

 claims of its dependency upon that of England ; and, finding that 

 Baliol was disposed to hold it by that disgraceful tenure, he awarded 

 it to him ; but afterwards dethroned him, and treated him as a slave, 

 without Balioi's resenting it. 



After this, Etiward used many endeavours to annex the crown of 

 Sco tand to his own, which were often defeated ; and though for a 

 short time he made himself master of Scotland, yet the Scots were 

 ready to revolt against him on every favourable opportunity. Those 

 who were so zealously attached to the independency of their coun- 

 try, as to be resolved to hazard every thing for it, were indeed but 

 few, compared to those in the interest of Edward and Baliol, which 

 was the same: and for some time they were obliged to temporise. 

 Edward avaiied himself of their weakness and his own power. He 

 accepted of a formal surrender of the crown of Baliol, to whom he 

 allowed a pension, hut detained him in England ; and sent every no- 

 bleman in Scotland, whom he in the least suspected, to different pri- 

 sons in or near London. He then forced the Scots to sign instru- 

 ments, acknowledging their subjection to him ; and most barbarously 

 carried off or destroyed all the monuments of their history, and the 

 evidence of their independency : and particularly the famous fatidi- 

 cal or prophetic stone, which is still to be seen in Westminster Ab- 

 bey. 



These severe proceedings, while they rendered the Scots sensible 

 of their slavery, revived in them the ideas of their freedom; and 

 Edward, finding their spirits were not to be subdued, endeavoured to 

 caress them, and affected to treat thermon a footing of equality with 

 his own subjects, by projecting a union, the chief articles of which 

 have since taken place between the two kingdoms. The Scotch pa- 

 triots treated this project with disdain, and united under the brave 

 William Wallace to expel the English. Wallace performed actions 

 that entitled him to eternal renown, in executing this scheme. Be- 

 ing, however, no more than a private gentleman, and his popularity 

 daily increasing, the Scotch nobility, among whom was Robert Bruce, 

 the son of the first competitor, began to suspect that he had an eye 

 upon the crown : especially after he had defeated the earl of Surry, 

 Edward's viceroy of Scotland, in the battle of Stirling ; had reduced 

 the garrisons of Berwick and Roxburgh ; and was declared by the 

 states of Scotland their protector. Their jealousy operated so far, 

 that they formed violent cabals against the brave Wallace. Edward, 

 upon this, once more invaded Scotland, at the head of the most nu- 

 merous and best disciplined army England had ever seen ; for it con- 

 sisted of 80,000 foot, 3000 horsemen, completely armed, and 4000 

 light-armed ; and was attended by a fleet to supply it with provisions. 

 These, besides the troops who joined him in Scotland, formed an ir- 

 resistible body ; Edward, however, was obliged to divide it, reserv 



