588 ENG l 
At the time of the conquelt, however, the Wellh fub- 
mittcd with extreme relu&ance ; and few nations ever 
bowed fo a foreign yoke witji greater indignation. The 
bards of the country, whole employment conlifted in re- 
hearfing the glorious deeds of their anceftors, were parti¬ 
cularly obnoxious to Edward, who, confidering that while 
they continued to keep the ancient flame alive, lie muli 
expedt no peace in his new acquilitions ; he therelore, 
from motives of favage policy, ordered them all to be 
maffacred. To ingratiate himfelf, however, with the 
Welfli barons, he left his queen to be delivered in the 
cattle of Caernarvon, and afterwards prefented the child, 
whom he named Edward, to the Wellh nobles, as a na¬ 
tive of their country, and as their future prince. The 
Welfli received him with acclamations of joy ; and ever 
lince the government of both nations has continued to 
flow in one uninterrupted channel. 
This important conquelt was quickly followed by ano¬ 
ther of much greater confequence. Alexander III. king 
of Scotland, had been killed by a fall from his horie, 
leaving only Margaret, his grand-daughter, heir to the 
crown, who died foon after him. The dea lt ot this 
princefs occalioned much doubt and difficulty in afcer- 
tainingthe lineal fucceflion to the Scottifn throne, which 
was now claimed by no lefs than twelve anxious compe¬ 
titors. The nation was divided into as many factions as 
there were diftindt claimants; but the guardians of the 
realm would not undertake to decide a difpute of fo much 
confequence : they therefore agreed to refer the contell 
to the determination of the king of England. The claims 
of all the candidates were at laft reduced to three, who 
were the del'cendants of the earl of Huntingdon by three 
daughters: John Mailings, who claimed in right of his 
mother, as one of the co-heirefles of the crown; John 
Baliol, who alleged his right, as being defcended from 
the eldeft daughter, who was his grandmother; and Ro¬ 
bert Bruce, who was the actual foil of the fecond daugh¬ 
ter. In this contell, which was referred to Edward, he 
aftedted the utmoft degree of deliberation; and, although 
he had long formed his plan, yet he directed every en¬ 
quiry to be made on the fubjedt, that he might be mailer 
of all the arguments that could be advanced on every 
fide of the queftion. In this invefligation he difcovered, 
that fome paflages in old chronicles might be produced 
to favour a claim of his own ; and therefore, without he- 
fitation, he advanced with a formidable army to the fron¬ 
tiers of Scotland. 
The Scottifli barons were petrified at this bold Hep of 
England ; and, though they felt extreme indignation, 
they had no alternative but to obey his fumincns to meet 
at the caltle of Norham, on the foiithern banks of the 
Tweed, where he convened the parliament of that coun¬ 
try. He there produced the proofs of his fuperior right 
to Scotland, which arofe out of the partial conquells 
made in.that country by his anceftors; but, above all, he 
claimed'the fovereignty in confequence of the homage 
and fealty performed by William lurnamed the Lion, to 
Henry II. for the whole kingdom of Scotland. To a 
propofition that appeared in itfelf fo unreafonable, no 
immediate anlwer could be given ; for, where all is de¬ 
fective, it is not eafy to fubmit to the combating a part : 
the barons, therefore, continued filent; and Edward in¬ 
terpreting this for a confent, addrefted hinifelf to the le- 
veral claimants of the crown; and, previous to his ap¬ 
pointing one of them as his vallal, he required their un¬ 
equivocal acknowledgment of his fuperior right. He 
naturally concluded that none of them would venture to 
refill his power : nor was he deceived ; he found them 
all equally obfequious to his will. Robert Bruce was 
the firft who made the acknowledgment, and the reft fol¬ 
lowed hi example. Edward being tints made the love- 
reign, he was next to conlider which of the candidates 
would be the fitted to be appointed under him. To give 
this deliberation the appearance of impartiality, an hun¬ 
dred commillioners were appointed, forty of them being 
, A M D. 
chofen by the candidates who were in the interefts of 
John Baliol; forty by thofe in the interefts o[‘ Robert 
Bruce; and twenty, who were chofen by Edward him¬ 
felf. Having thus fitted matters to his osn mind, he left 
the commillioners to fit at Berwick, and marched fouth- 
ward with his army, to free their deliberations from all 
(hadow of reftraint. The lubject of debate was, whether 
Baliol, who was delcended from the elder lifter, b t far¬ 
ther removed by one degree, was to be preferred before 
Brnce, who was actually the younger filler’s fon ? The 
commillioners unanimoufly concurred in affirming Baliol’s 
fuperior claim. Edward, therefore, pronounced their 
award in his favour; and that candidate, upon renewing 
his oath of fealty to Edward, was put in pofleffidn of the 
Scottilh kingdom, and all its fortreffes, in trull for the 
king of Engfand. 
Edward, inllead of gradually accuftoming the Scots to 
bear the Englilh yoke, and of Hiding into his new power 
by flow and imperceptible degrees, he began at once to 
exercife the iron arm of arbitrary power. A merchant of 
Gafcony had prefented a petition to him, importing that 
Alexander, late king of Scotland, was indebied to him in 
a large fum, which was Hill unpaid, notwithftanding all 
his folicitations to Baliol, the prefent king, for payment, 
Edward eagerly embraced this opportunity of fummon- 
ing the king of Scotland to appear at Weftminller, to 
anlwer in perfon the merchant’s complaint. Upon fub- 
jedts equally trivial lie fent fix different funtmonfes in 
one year ; fo that Baliol foon perceived he was poHelfed 
of the name, but not the authority, of a fovereign. De¬ 
termined, therefore, to fhake off the yoke of Edward, he 
revolted, and obtained the pope’s abfolution from his 
oaths of homage. To ftrengthen his hands, he entered 
into a treaty witli Philip the Fair, king of France, which 
commenced an union between thofe nations, which for 
two centuries difturbed the peace and the interefts of 
England. To confirm this alliance, the king of Scotland 
ftipulated a marriage between his eldeft ion, and the 
daugluer of Philip de Valois. 
Edward, to whom thefe tranfadlions were no fecret, 
endeavoured to throw all blame upon Baliol, by making 
him the firft aggrelfor; and accordingly fummoned him 
to perform the duty of a vallal, and to lend a lupply of 
forces again!! an expedted invafion from France. He alfo 
fummoned him to furrender his principal forts, and to 
appear at a- parliament which was to be holden at New- 
caltle. None of thefe commands being complied with, 
Edward refolved to enforce obedience by marching a 
body of thirty thoufand foot, and four thoufand horfe, 
into the heart of Scotland. In the mean time Baliol 
railed an army of forty thoufand men, and marched to 
the frontiers, which Edward was now preparing to at¬ 
tack. But fome of the mod conliderable of the Scottilh 
nobility, among whom were Robert Bruce and his fon, 
endeavoured to ingratiate themfelves with Edward by an 
early fubmiflion, which ferved not a little to intimidate 
thofe who adhered to Baliol. The progrefs, therefore, 
of the Englilh arms was extremely rapid; Berwick was 
taken by alfault, fir William Douglas made prifoner, and 
a garrifon of leven thoufand men put to the fword. Af¬ 
ter this fitccefs, Edward difpatched earl Warenne, with 
ten thoufand men, to lay fiege to Dunbar; and the Scots, 
fenfible of the importance of that garrifon, advanced with 
theii whole army, under the command of the earls of 
Mar, Buchan, and Lenox, to relieve it. Although the 
fuperiority of numbers was greatly on their fide, yet cou¬ 
rage and dilcipline remained only with the Englilh. The 
conflict was (hurt ; the Scots were foon thrown info con- 
fuliOn ; and, turning their backs, twenty thuuland of 
their men were llain in running from the field of battle. 
1 lie caftle of Dunbar fin rendered the day following; 
and Edward led on the main body of his army into the 
country to certain conquelt. The caltles of the greatell 
ftrength and importance opened their gates to him with¬ 
out refinance ; and the whole fouthern part of the coun¬ 
ty 
