Class "IlA^_i^ Book ^l__ 5 trepid nephew ; counselled him to keep it secret, con j eluding that " for such fishing sports you may pay I dearly, if it should be known." " Uncle," said the j undaunted Wallace, "I will push my fortune now ^ where I can expect success, since I can no long{>r i evade the eye of mine enemies, I will try the English j. geldings how they ride." The good old man con- isented, and gave him a purse of gold. Wallace kneeled 'down and humbly took his leave, and the ( aged knight holdinc him by the hand- said in Inve 22 THE LIFE OF and aflcction, " when that is done send for more, I pray my dear nephew, and God speed." Firm to his resohition he spared neither great nor small of the English, who fell in his way. For those heroic actions he was out-lawed by them and com- pelled during the inclement winter of 1207, to live in tlic fields, the woods, the mountains and the dens of the earth, where he wandered exposed to all the hard- ships and privations that human nature could possibly sustain. Tiie ardent love of freedom, and his im- placable hatred of tJie English oppressors of his coun- try, harrowed up all the passions of his soul, and as an eagle hunting for his prey, he panted for revenge upun their heads. He lost no opportunity to attack them by surprise, while he lurked in the woods and mountains. / WAILAi.E KILLS THt BULLY WITH ONE STHOKE OK HIS OWN STAFF, IN AT RE. After the angling exploit, Wallace withdraw a lit- tle while to Ochter-iiouse and Longland-wood, to avoid the fury of his enemies. When the rumour of his fishing sport was supposed to iiave vanished, he repaired to the town of Ayre, in disguise, to rocon- noiter his enemy's security and exposures. Ke alight- ed from his horse in Eonglandwood, and gravely walked to tlie cross in the town of Ayre, where Lord Percy commanded the garrison of Englishmen; ap- peared nothing daunted; walking briskly round, and Viewed all the barbarous crew, wallowing in luxuries SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 23 and the spoils of his country. Wallace could scarce restrain his passion and youthful ardour against the cruel invaders and oppressors of his beloved country. But to divert his attention from manifesting his hatred to the enemy, Wallace went to see a huge English clown, who boasted greatly of his matchless strength, and who challenged the Scots at the bearing of bur- dens, and blows on his body. As Wallace approached him to see the sport, " I will bear a greater burden," said the prince of sots, '* than any three good sturdy Scots, or I will permit and bear a blow with a staff like a stage dancer's pole for one single groat from tlve hand of the strongest Scot." He could not re- frain from laughing at the temerity of the fool, and . said to the Champion of the Southerons, " I am ready ' and willing for one Scot's blow, to give an English I slnlliiig." The v/retch immediately accepted of the money and soon reaped the fruits of his folly ; for I Wallace being actually endowed with the strength of I four ordinary Scots, gave him such a blow on the back that clave his rig bone, and he instantly sunk , in death. A solemn silence prevailed like a calm be- j fore a storm, for a few minutes, till the guards of the 'town were informed of the death of their Champion. I The Southerons armed with swords and spears im- I mediately surrounded him ; but still he appeared un- I dismayed in this perilous situation, he cocked his steel ; bonnet and began to defend himself by the same staff j with which he killed the churl. At the first blow he 1 dashed out the brains of one, struck another's bayonet and killed him. The staff was split and riven by its collision with the steel of his enemy ; but happily he had a sword concealed within th^ skirt of his gar» 24 THE LIFE OF ment, which he immediately drew with awful grace and majesty and swung the trubly steel to clear his way towards his steed. In cutting through the host of numerous, foes he was sorely pressed in the rear by two strenuous warriors. His anger was kindled, and like a lion in liis strengtii lie turned his eyes and swunj his v/eighty Claymore, slew the foremost, and clav< the second down through the body. Five South*^ erons were laid dead upon the ground, all killed b] one bold Scot, in the midst of hundreds of his em mies. In the mean time Wallace having cleared and" forced his way, mounted his trusty steed and scs^il- pered off to Longlandwood, pursued by compaoies of horse and foot. In tli.^ thicket of the r/ood he eluded the search and sight of his enemies, and was supplied with provisions and all necessaries from Ochter-house, during his concealment in Long'- landwood. Wallace having become impatient m his •lurking place, and being desirous of reviewing the garrison of the enemy, returned in disguise to A^-'^e. But ah! it proved a fatal day, I wish to Jove th^t!>.S had staj^ed away. WALLACF. KII.I.S I.OltD PIKRCV's s'TKWARTI AND IS TARE PRIPOXKU. As Sir Ronald Crawford's servant was buying Hsh for his master in the market of Ayre, Lord Percy's steward came and assaulted him in terms of the great- est disdain. "Scot," said the steward, "for whom buyest thou these fish thou carriesf." The servant SIR WILLIAM WALLACE, 25 answered, "Sir, for the Sheriff of A yre." J" By hea- ven's king," the steward rudely swore, "my lord shall have them, and thou mayest purchase more." Wallace overhearing the conversation, was incensed with the insultin.'^ rudeness and insolence of tills pi- rating steward over the humble Scots servant, and could no longer restrain his indignation; " wh}^ such rudeness, tell the reason why?'' demanded Wallace, and the haughty steward's blood began to boil with rage and he replied, " go hence thou saucy Scot, with speed, I mock thee and thy sheriff," and smote Wal- lace with.his hunting-staff; but alas! for the poor de- voted steward, better for him that he had kissed the foot of the Scot, and asked his pardon, for Wallace drew his mighty claymore and despatched him in the twinkling of an eye. In an instant a crowd assem- bled and eighty of the guards, well armed, surround- ed Wallace, wlio stared at them and never uttered a word ; but boldly drew his daring claymore and dash- ed through the ranks of his compassing enemies, transfixed the foremost through the body, cut the leg of the second at the knee and severed the head from the body of the third in the three resistless sweeps of his tremendous claymore. Thus he raged like a lion among his enemies, cutting his way towards the gate ; but alas! the enemy were strongly posted at the gate with swords and spears to prevent his escape. Then in desperation he hewed them down like Silly sheep, and even when they environed him with countless numbers he stalked through them like a living statue of iron, and placed himself at a wall near the sea, where none dare approach him, until the whole gar- 26 THE LIPE OF rison Issued forth to overpower and capture a single Scots warrior. They mounted on a dyke and broke down the wall, which defended Wallace's back, and left him no other shift but to fight or die. His soul was fired with double rage and he suddenly hewed down great numbers of his surrounding enemies, and fiercely passed through them. But ah ! unlucky hour and fatal day ; his broad claymore broke ofl' at the hilt, and the small dagger that was in his possession was not sufficient to cope with English spears and lengthy swords. He slew three of them with his dagger before they could over- power him with their numbers, swords, bayonets, and spears. The command was given not to slay him, but to take him alive, that they might starve him in a loathsome dungeon until they should bring him to' a cruel and ignominious death, which, says the histo- rian, resembled the prison of Hell. All Scots patri- ots and his personal friends wept for the fall of their mighty chieftain ; all mourned the fate of their beloved Wallace ; in vain did piteous tears flow from the eyes of a mourning people ; none was able to release the hopes and glory of the nation ; and the weeping and the lamentation of the wives and children, as well as the patriots of Scotland, were sufficient to rend a heart of stone. Alas ! said they, can life endure to see our VVallace imprisoned and massacreed by the cruel enemies of our country ? the flower of youth in sweet and tender age, pine in a loathsome dun- geon ? can we survive the death of our deliverer and protector ? and who in Scotland is left to defend her rights, liberties and her laws," SIR WILLIAM WALLACE- 27 THE WIPBISONMENT AND ESCAPE OF WALLACE AT AYKE, IN AN EXTRAORDLNARY MANNER. During Wallace's imprisonment, the Southerons fed him on herrings and water, and offals of their shambles in the manner they would feed their dogs and swine, until death was pictured in his beauteous clay ; all his vital spirits done and his soul sunk with- in him. Whereupon in expectation of immediate death he solemnly addresses the God o( Mercy and Justice, imploring his pardon and favour on the foot- ing of the propitiation of Jesus Chfist, the Saviour of the world, in the following strain " O my God, may it please thee to receive my soul into the arms of thy sovereign mercy, or quickly loose me from the bands of this death, as seemeth good unto thy glorious Ma- jesty. Give not up this oppressed nation into the hands of their cruel enemies, deliver them by thy ,«niighty hand and rescue them by thine arm from the snares of their malicious foes," &c. Having uttered this prayer he turned his lamentation on the great cause of his defeat, saying " O brittle sword, thy me- tal was not true, the breaking of thy blade threw me into this dungeon and subjected thousands of gallant Scots ; 1 trusted to thee, alas ! thou hast failed me ; I thought to have avenged the blood of my gallant fa- ther and noble uncle, and beloved brother upon the Southerons, who massacreed them at Lochmabcn ; but alas ! for my dear country, which is doomed by this mischance to oppression and slavery." A cruel flux of the belly came on and consumed the poor re- mains of strength in the person of Wallace, and re- 28 THE LIFE OF diiced him to the brink of the grave. When they saw that Wallace would soon die, they commanded the executioner to brinjf him to the sentence of the law. The jailor having come and found Wallace, already dead, returned in great haste and reported his death. They all concluded to throw him over the casile wall as they do with the bodies of their dead dogs. But mysterious Providence, ever mindful of her favourites, 'directed his fall in a soft place without the wall, so that his bones were not broken. There Wallace lay motionless and apparently lifeless, until the news of his death and disgraceful funeral had reached the ears of his old nurse who lived in Ayre, and came run- ning to ask permission to bear away the corpse of Wallace to burial. And having obtained permission, she carried his body home to her own house, bathed it in warm water, and to her great surprise and joy she felt his heart began to beat or flutter, and saw his eyes open in her presence. She immediately laid hira on a soft bed and caused her daughter to suckle him with her own milk, until he recovered strength, and was able to walk out to meet bis enemies. All this time she nourished him with good nutri- ment and good solace, weeping in the presence of his enemies, and rejoicing in the presence of his friends, to quiet the one and console the other. — Thomas the rhymer, at that time prophecied in an- cient Scottish rhyme, and v/as held in great estima- tion. He came to the pari h priest to talk of the troubles and calamities of their country, and just when Thomas was there, the priest's servant returned from the market of Ajre, and told, that he had seen good 3'oung Wallace cast for dead over the castle wall. — The priest replied with a her.vy heart, " I hope to sec SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 29 the Southerons smart for that cruel deed on the life and body of noble Wallace." Thomas observed the news were bad, and added," Wallace is not dead," and paused in pensive thought, *' The God, who hath made the world, and brings all things to pass for his own glory, if Wallace be dead, dooms Thomas to live no more." The priest sent his servant to the woman's house to know for certainty of the life or death of Wal- lace. The servant prayed to be introduced into the chamber where Wallace lay, and the woman led him up stairs and shewed him Wallace alive. The ser- vant, as soon as he saw the majesty of his person, re- turned in great haste, and told his master and Thomas the glorious news of Wallace's life, health and safety. Then Thomas began again to prophecy of the great- ness and glory of Wallace, that he would sweep the Southerons from the land, that thousands would fall at his right hand, that he should thrice deliver Scot- land, and be the scourge of Southerons : *hen cheer up, ye Scots, cast off your care, and believe what he should now declare. BATTLE OF LOUDOUN-HILL, Fought by Wallace to revenge the slaughter of his Father and Brother, As soon as Wallace recovered from his sickness produced by his imprisonment, he sent his nurse and her daughter who suckled him, with the rest of the family to EUerslie, and prepared himself for war. — In all his preparations he could not find a sword to please him, except an old rustv blade which stood in C 2" go THE LIFE OF the corner of the house, none seemed to be worth the I carryinj?. He drew it out of the scabbard and found th:it it would bite keenly, and was wondeifully pleas- ed with it, sayinj?, " Faith thou shalt go with me, till I ciJii procure a better," and immediately proceeded to Kichardtown to procure a horse and armour, that he mi^ht be able to encounter the English Knights, who were all clothed in steel and accoutred with shi- ning arms. As he ventured to travel to Richardtown, three Southerons riding into Ayre, met him, Longcastle and two yeomen, who attempted to bring him back to Ayre ; but Wallace drew back and would not be compelled to return. They turned furiously upon him, and despitefully accosted him, saying, " Thou Scot, stay, for surely thou art a spy or some thief, that darest not show your face." Wallace answered, " Sir, for God's sake let me alone, I am sick :" Long- casde replifd in compulsatory language, *' By George, thy countenance prognoisticates something odd ! to Ayre, thou shalt go with me," pulling out his glittering sword to compel him to return. W allace, who knew not fear, also drew his rusty blade, and with a single^ but a dreadful blow, cut off Longcastle's head ; the yeomen then ruslied on him with the utmost fury ; but Wallace stood like a post of iron and smote the foremost on the head and clove it down to the neck ; whereupon the other fled to tell the doleful news. But Wallpce, knowing that his escape would reveal his proceedings, pursued him, and gave him such a blow on the ribs, that all his lungs and entrails hui>g out of his body. He then seized their horses and their ar- mour, their swords and their purses, the lawful spoil iSiu WILLIAM WALLACE. 31 of a well fought' field, mounted one of their horses, and rode on to Riclmrdlown. There Sir Richard Crawford rejoiced to see his nephew, and Sir Ronald soon joined the joyful com- pany with his cheeks bedewed with tears. Sir Ron- ald held Wallace by the hand and kissed him in the joyful extacy of his soul, '• Welcome, wetcome, my dear nephew," said he, '"' welcome home to me ! thanks be to God who has brought thee out of prison and has rescued thee from the cruel hands of thy mortal enemies." All his kinsfolks, his mother and friends, assemblcc! wiili y^shd hearts to see beloved Wallace, who v/as dead and is alive again. Robert Boyd and a great number of his dearest friends and companions from all parts convened to rejoice with them on the re-appearance of their promising Chief- tain. As soon as Wallace obtained a select band of faith- ful companions in v/ar, he proceeded in the month of July, to Maclilein iMuirjin order to wait an opportuni- ty to avenge the death of his father, brother, uncle, &c. The three sons of Sir Richard, Adam, Richard, Sim- eon, all brave and bold ; Robert Boyd, Cleland, and Edward Little accompanied Wallace as chiefs in this expeditioh. At Machline Muir they were informed that Fenwick was on his route to Ayre, conveying waggons loaded with provisions and rich spoils from Carlisle. The soul of Wallace was elevated to hear of this noble purvey, and he inwardly strained to catch the prize. To Loudoun, then, these seven no- ble warriors, with forty-three at their command, all clothed in bright armour and accoutered with glitter 32 THE LIFE OF ing claymores, briskly rode, and lodged all night in Loudoun's braes, where they were informed by a ft^ue- hearted Scot near Loudoun, that the provision wag- gons of Fenwick were in Annadale, and that the ad- vanced guard liad passed on to Ayre. Wallace know- ing the course of their route, immediately ordered his worthy Scots to move at break of day to an advanta- geous ground, to lie in ambush for the approach of Fenwick, sending out two of their number to recon- noitre the plains. The Scots soon returned, and re- ported the coming of their enemies. All their hor- ses were turned loose, with a determination to con- quer or die ; and they fell on their knees to implore the God of power to protect them and the broken rights of Scotland. Prayers being ended, V/allace addressed his men to the following effect, " Here was my dear father and brother slain ! I shall be avenged on the head of the traitor that committed the felon deed," and commanded them to advance upon the hill. Fenwick saw them, and cried, " Yonder is Wallace ! I know him well : he lately broke our pri- son, and shall soon be captured again ; I shall not permit him to speak — his head will please our king better than gold, lands, or earthly things," and order- ed his servant to stop his carriage until he should clear the way of his enemies. Nine score he led in bright burnished harness, and fifty on horseback. — The Scots on foot, armed with good claymores, and caps of steel, met them on the hill ; and oh ! to see the fury of the tremendous combat ! steel clashing against steel— legs and arms, brains and entrails cov- ering all the plain, and the dying enemies lying wel- tering in their gore. Fenwick, never doubting SIR WILLIAM *VALL\ri:. 33 victory, attempted to ride down tiie band of Scots by a furious onset ; but Wallace, first in fight, m^t them fell and keen, with his immovable company of youths, and transfixed the foremost of the enemy : then all swords were drawn on either side, and were wielded in dire array. The Englishmen surrounded the Scots on every side thinking; to bear them down by their horses and their numbers ; but the close little band of Scots stood impenetrable, and repulsed all the at- tacks of their enemies. When Fenwick then saw their unexpected repulse, and the fields died with the blood of his men, he advanced on a prancing; steed, clothed in bright armour ; wielding the dreadful spear, with dismal gloom and dashed into the thick- est of the fight in fury. Wallace s^aw the murderer of his parent and brother, and became as outrageous as a hungry lion ; he flew at him, and with a deadly blow sheared av/ay his thigh. 'Ere he was dead the enemy bore so close and keen, that poor Robert '^oyd was almost overpowered by the number of his foes ; but Wallace saw the unequal struggle of his noble companion, turned in again and rescued him from danger, and chased them through the plain. There Adam Wallace and Beaumont cut a Southeron Squire of great renown through the middle, and before night there was not a Southeron to dispute the field of battle. Three Scots Warriors fell in battle on that awful day ; one hundred Southerons lay dead around them and four score escaped bj'^ flight, leaving all their convoy a prey to the victorious Scots. The convoy consisted of gold, harness, horses, vic- tuals, wines, even ten score of harnessed horses, be- sides provender and other things. 34 THE Lira OF The vanquished Southerons fled to Ayre, and told Lord Piercy of their dismal disaster ; how Wallace hanged their men on the trees of Clyde's wood, what niimhers were slain in battle, &c. which greatly raised the fears and dread of Piercy respecting the power and vengeance of Wallace, and induced him to make over" lures of peace. THE ENGLISH MAKE I^EACE WITH WALLACE. In order to have time to receive reinforcements, and effect his destruction, devised a plot to ensnare him during the peace. Wallace having won a glorious victory over the enemies of his country, and avenged the blood of his kindred on the heads of their murderers, retired to the green wood of Clyde with his adventurous compa- nions. Piercy in the mean time, proceeds to Glasgow, and summoned a council of the Lords tempoialto de- vise how they might ensnare Wallace by some deep stratagem ; for not one of their ten thousand men would go out against the mighty chieftain of Scotland, on account of the general rumour and dread of his name and power. In this secret council of war, Sir Aymer Vallance, the false and murderous knight of Bothwell, proposed a bloody plot to entrap and mas- sacre him, by employing his 'nearest relations to in- fluence him to a truco, by imposing upon his goodness and gentleness, especially through the persuasion ot Sir Ronald Crawford, his beloved uncle. They thrtatcned to confiscate all his lands, and to carry SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 35 him to the prison of London ; which the good old knight repelled by urging: the impossibility of the un- dertaking, on the consideration of their having de- stroyed the kindred of Wallace. And when they could not prevail by menaces on Sir Ronald Craw- ford to use his influence to bring Wallace to conclude a peace, they promised him the Sheriffdom of Ayre. Alas! fair promises of honour and advancement over- came the good old knight, and he undertook the me- diation on the conditions proposed by Piercj\ Sir Ronald then proceeded to the woods of Clyde, and drew near Wallace as he dined and feasted on the dainties and luxuries of their spoils, sat down and shared their merriment. After dinner, Sir Ronald declared his errand, " Nephew, said he, take my ad- vice and counsel, make a truce for a season with the Southerons, otherwise all th}'' kindred will be slain.'' Wallace replied, " I shall make no peace with the oppressors of my country and the murderers of her sons." But Robert Boyd, to save the worthy knight, moved for peace; Cleland and Adam Wallace se conded the motion, and Wallace reluctantly agreed to proclaim peace, in hopes of future opportunities of liberating his country from the cruel yoke of their enemies, and they parted sadly on the plain. This happened in the month of August, 1296, in the 20th year of the age of Wallace. WALLACE KILLS THE BUCKLER PLAYER IN THE TOWN OF AVRK. Wallace could not rest contented at Crosbie with Sir Ronald Crawford, to see his country's wrongs 3s THE LIFE OF unredressed. He longed to see the town of Ayre, and he selected fifteen men, and proceeded to it in disguise. At the gate they met an EngHsh Fencer, boasting of the weapon, with a buckler in his hand. Wallace stood to see the play, and while he remained there, the Fencer rhallonged him to fight ; " Scot, said he, darest thou try a stroke ?* ' '' Yes,'' said Wal- lace, '• smite 015, thy motion I defy," and immediate- ly swung his oreadful claymore at his head, and clove it down to his shoulders, and returned to his men without the least concern. The women halloo- ed, *•' our Fencer is dead ! our Fencer is slain !" and in a few moments fierce men in arms encompassed them ; eight score now att:ic'ved sixteen, but Wal- lace ever fearless and foremost, with one dreadful blow, shattered the brains of the one opposed to him through his helmet, swung his awful claymore through the body of another, and cleared a space to wield resistless weapons ; so did all his brave men, and great was the slaughter made among their assailants, ere reinforcements could bo sent from the castle. — Wallace saw their design to surprise him, ordered his men to cut through their enemy's ranks, and hewing heads and brains asunder, wheeled round his men, appeared in the rear, and cleared a way for escape from their merciless enemies. The great hero and his men mounted tiieir horses and galloped off to Longlandwood, leaving *29 Sontherons dead in the gates of the city. Three kinsmen of lord Piercy, who were clothed iu bright armour, paid the great debt of nature on that fatal day. Piercy then imme- diately accused Sir Ronald Crawford of a breach of faith, in a letter, because Wallace, he said, had not SIR WILLIAM WALLACE ^7 kept the peace. Wallace stayed seventeen days at Crosbie with his uncle, and promised to keep the peace, until the truce was ended. Sir Ronald showed him the letter of Piercy, and intreated him to remain qui- etly with him in his house ; but the soul of Wallace was fired with passion against the cruel tyranny of the Southerons, who possessed his country. WALLACE WINS THE PSFX OR FORT OF GARGUNNOCK. In September, the English Peers convened in Coun- cil at Glasgow, and good Sir Ronald Crawford Sher- iff of Ayre, behooved to be nraoncj: them. So he pro- j ceeded on his journey to Ghisgow, accompanied by ' William Wallace his nephew, and three servants. — On their waj^, they met a convoy of three horsemen < and two footmen, with Piercy's baggage, who rob- ' bed Sir i^onaWs servants upon the plain of all their I master's property; and Sir Rcmald himself never op- j posed then) for the sake of peace ; but Wallace saw j the foul deed, and could not forgive the injury. He I withdrew from the company of Sir Ronald, burning * with anger^ and vowing vengeance within his own I breast, to waylay the rapacious monsters, who had perpetrated the robbery. He overtook them near Cathcart, and attacked them, brandishing his great claymore. The first sweep he made with his sword, severed the head from the shoulders of the foreman ; three more of his companions quickly shared the fate of death by his claymore, and the fifth fled in great consternation. Wallace seized all their baggage and goods, and escaped into Lenox, leaving his friends to lament his absence, where he was courteously receiv ed by Malcom, the great Earl of Lenox. But Wallace could not remain idle while his native \and groaned under a foreign yoke ; grieved for their miserable condition, and resolved to raise an army to combat the enemies of his beloved country in the field. Stephen of Ireland, an exile of his country, entered into a league with Wallace ; so did Faudon, a man of dreadful size and aspect, of iniquitous eyes, never smiled, and was fearful to the sight, who delighted in blood and battery. With these and other sixty brave Scots warriors, he marched northward, and surprised the garrison on Gargunnock hill, in the dead of the night ; killed the watchmen, the captain and all the men in arms, only saving the women and children, and divided all the gold and provisions among his brave companions, wlio regaled themselves for four days in freat profusion, on the spoils of their enemy; but Wallace fought for Scotland, and for glory. In the fifth day after the reduction of this fortified store house, they pursued their march across the Teth and Em, in order to discover the motions, strength, or weakness of their enemies, and lodged in Methvin forest, where they could subsist upon hunting, and would not be compelled to fast and fight, as they had done in many places of resort. WALLACE EXTERS ST. JOHNSTOUN, SLATS THE CAPTAIN, AND WINS TUE CASTLE OF KINCLEVEN. He obtained admittance into the town, in disguise, ¥rith seven men, in the following manner. Having •rrived ^t the jjate, and demanded permission to en- SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 39 ter, he was refused admittance^ until the Provost was sent for to examine the strangers. When he saw Wallace, a tall strong man, he fixed his eyes upon him, suspected his huge appearance, and enquired whether they were all Scotsmen. Wallace readily answered, " we are not only all Scotsmen, but, as it is time of peace, there is.no cause to reftise us admis« sion.'' " This I grant," said the Provost, " and men of peace should always be well treated ; but pray, tell me your name, and from what part of the coun- try you are come?" Wallace answered," my name is William Malcom, we come from Ettrick Forest, in the South, to seek better employment in the North, and to see the country." The Provost then apolo- gised for his suspicious inquiries, adding that he meant no harm by his questioning of them, excusing himself by saying, " that so many reports had been circulated about one William Wallace, born in the West, who was slaying or destroying the English wherever he could find them, therefore, as he was a tall, strong man, it was necessary to know those whom they admitted into the town." Wallace professed to know nothing about William Wallace, and desired the Provost not to mention such a hated name ; and he was not only admitted into town, but had an mn provided for him and his men, until they should find employment, and were provided with every thing the place afforded. He often invited Englishmen to drink with him, on purpose to discover their number and strength of the place; his grgat business being to spy out their positions, in order to surprise them, or burn the town. 4„ THE LIFE OF Wallace could not venture to set it in flames, on ac count of the difficulty of escape ; but then he disco- vered, that Sir James Butler, an aged knight, who kept the cas'ife of Kincleven, resided in town, with Sir John, his son, an under captain to Sir Gerard Her- on, then commandjr of the garrison; and was about to return to that strong hold, with a guard of 90 well armed horsemen, chosen men of valour. Wallace on hearing this report of Sir James's return to Kincleven castle, hastened off to Mithvinwood, blew his martial horn and all his intrepid warriors quickly assembled round him, all blooAiing in good health, and ready for action, at tiie command of their leader. He then marched his well armed tittle band from the woods in a valley along the banks of the sweet winding Tay, and, at a short distance from Kincleven lay in ambush among the bushes, and sent spies in diflerent directions, to reconnoiter their approach. — Some of them soon returned and brought the informa- tion, that four men on horse back had just passed, who appeared as the forerunners of the main body. The prudent Wallace commanded his men to remain still concealed, while he himself went to obtain more certain intelligence. At length he saw them coming in a dense column, four score and ten gallant soldiers, headed by Sir James Butler, and thanked Heaven, that they were not stronger, and prepared to attack them. The English could not conceive what they were, and were greatly surprised at such an appearance, and could not conjecture their intention, till they ap- proached near, when they perceived the hostile de- sign of Wallace and his warriors. The English brandished their dreadful spears, and rushed upon the SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 41 Scots, in the hopes of tramphng- them under foot, or running them down with their horses. They were boldly and unexpectedly repulsed, and several ©f their men and horses were slain, Butler alighted from his horse and marshalled his men, in order to defend themselves against a furious enemy. A fierce and sanguinary contest ensued, and a few of the Scots fell under the strong arm of the English captain.— Wallace beheld this omen, became enraged, forced his way through the combfiting throng, attacked him, and hewed hh head in pieces, in presence of his brave warriors. Then wheeling around, laid many of the English on the ground in all directions. Stephen of Ireland and his invincible Scots, also performed their dutj^ and stretched three score of the English on the ground ; the rest tied in confusion to the castle of Kincleven. The few men who were left as a garrion to defend the place, opened the gate to receive their flying com- panions ; but Wallace and his men following them so close, entered the same gate with them, seized the castle, shut the gate, drew the bridge, and permhted no one to go out or come in, except according to his pleasure. The women and children he saved, re- tained them for some days, and then permitted them to depart, with such effects as they chose, to carry along with them. Meantime his men were employed, during five knights, in conveying all the provisions and necessaries which they found in the castle, to the Short-Wood shaws. He then committed the castle to the flames, abandoned it, and wisely retired to the wood for shelter in case of future danger. Lady But- ler hastened to Perth, and informed Sir John, hex wn D2 « THE LIFE OF of ihe fate ol bis father, and their misfortunes. Sir John was stiini,^ to the heart with grief, and fired with indignation, commanded all the men in Perth and its vicinity, to arms, and repaired to the Short- Wood shaws, in search of the Scots, under the command of William Wallace, of dreaded name and valour. THE BATTLE OF THE SliORT-WOOD SHAWS. As soon as the Southerons in St. Johnstown or Perth, heard of the fatal disaster and fall of their gar- rison at Kincleven, the vowed vengeance on the head of the Scots. Sir John Butler, the son of Sir James Butler of Kincleven, whom Wallace had slain, a val- iant chief, was sent with a thousand men of war, to the Short-Wood shaw, to avenge the blood of his father and the other brave men, who died in that awful af- fray. Butler was impassioned with double rage and spirit of revenge, and poured his men into the shaw in multitudes; archers, spearmen, and swordsmen, with dreadful din of war, resolyed to exterminate the little band of Scots, who lodged in the wood. But Wallace heard them npproach undismayed, drew up his men in form of battle best calculated to defend themselveSjSofewin numbers,againsta thousandstrong. The Southerons advanced in awful front, supposing to cut the Scots to pieces in a few minutes, and a tre- mendous combat began, the like of it never was seen on the pleasant green banks of the Tay, where such deeds were done, such feats performed, and such glo- ries won, that no human pen can represent, in verse SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 43 3r in prose, arms meeting arms, swords clashing against swords, spears crashing against long'' clay- mores, heads and limbs flying asunder, and brains and entrails flowing forth in the presence of the in- vincible Scots. The Scots were formed into a dense ring, and presented a. circular front, like a wall of iron, that nothing could penetrate, nor could a suffi- cient number of their weaker bodied foes engage to overpower them. As for Wallace, he laboured hard, and often pierced through their ranks, and laid many dead upon the ground, dealing blows of destruction among his enemies. He carefully sought for young Buder through and through the ranks, and at last he eyed him breathing vengeance against his enemy, de- fended underneath a bowing tree. Intent he muster- ed all his strength, fiercely struck at Buder, cut down the branch and felled the champion dead on the spot. Loran of Cowrie saw his companion fall dead, under the mighty claymore of Wallace, was enraged and I flew at him in a tremendous fury : but Wallace par- I ried off the dreadful blow, and with a sweep of his I claymore stretched theyounker dead at his feet. Then \ the valiant Scots fought nobly all that day, and repel- led their enemies at every onset, till they in shame j withdrew, and left the Scots in possession of the I field of battle. Astonishing to tell, that sixty Scots j should defeat a thousand Southerons, and only leave • seven of their number dead on the field, while full six j score of their opponents la^' dead around them. — \ Wallace having won the battle of the Short-Wood ' shaws, fearing that the enemy would receive reinforce- j ments, and attack them, wearied with the long and desperate contest, withdrew into Methvin wood, and thence retired to Elcho-Park. 44 THE LIFB OF WALLACE BETRATED BT HIS LEMAX IN ST, JOHNSTOWX, AXD ESCAPF.?. While his invincible warriors Remained in Elcho- Park, Wallace was moved with a desire to revisit his sweetheart in the town of Perth ; and consequently discruised himself in a friars gown, and proceeded to. see the facinating dame ! Having spent the night jnt pleasure, he made a promise to come another day and returned to his men. In the mean time, the Southerons having obtamea information of Wallace's dalliance with the maid, bribed her with gold to betray him into their hands' whrn he returned. According to his promise he returned on the day appointed, incontinent into her chamber of death and danger. Having finished their dalliance, the thought of losing such a trusty, kind and honourable love, struck her with remorse, and she immediately disclosed the nefarious plot to him with weeping, and prayed him to make his escape. He pardoned all her crime with a parting kiss, wiped the tears olT her ffice and forgot the fault of weakness and necessity. He clothed himself in her garments and makes for the gate with all haste and speed. He passed all the watch unsuspected excepting two, who wondered at the amazing size and manly appearance, pursued him until they were out of the reach ol the cry of their companions, when V/allace in his Leman's gown, turned round and smote them dead at his feet, hastened to his men, musing on the dan- ger of trusting womankind. He immediately placed his sentinels with orders not to leave their post that night on pain of death ; for he well knew that his dis^ appointed enemies would pursue him. SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 4S THE BATTLE OF ELCHO-PARK, AND OK TAT. Kills Faudon ; sees his apparation in a dream — pro- ceeds to Lochmaben—wins the castle of Crawford, and slays the captain. The Southerons being enraged at the escape of \ Wallace, pursued him with six hundred men, well armed with harness, sword and spear, to beset him in his lurking place in the wood of Elcho. Before them, they sent a famous blood-hound of wondrous scent, to trace the footsteps and hold of Wallace in the , woods. Tliree hundred surrounded the woods, un- ider their captain, Sir G_erard Heron, and three liun- |dred scoured it by the guidance of their blood-hound, (under th^ command of (Sir James) Butler, who land- 'ed on Wallace and his brave companions, standing in larms, not one to seven of their enemies. ' It was impossible to flee from his surrounding foes. They resolved to conquer or die on the field of battle. \ The mighty chief unsheathed his conquering clay- I more, besought the aid of Hekven, and gave the dread command. Fierce he met his invading foes, and dealt his fatal blows like lightning. The tempered edges clashed with horrid din on coats of steel, whence fiery sparkles flashed to brighten the flame of I war : but the massy armour's and the defensive shields , yielded to the nervous arm of matchless Wallace, I who, like some awful torrent from a lofty hill, filled ] all the valley with the wreck of war. He hewed a J lane through the martial press, and slew all who dared oppose him. Forty of the enemy lay upon the ground for their temerity ; and fifteen of the brave and vali- ant Scots yielded up their life in defence of their coun- 46 THE LIFE OF try. The martial hero cut his way through his ene- mies, rescued all his surviving companions, and es- caped towards Toy, in hopes to find a pass, ere his pursuing enemies could overtake them. But alas ! no pass could be found, and an infuriated enemy pressed hard upon their rear. " We shall rather die upon the plain, said Wallace, than sink a single drop of Scottish blood in the relentless flood, without revenge : let us stand and be avenged even in our death." Having heard the breathings of their chieftain, they stood with renewed courage in their own defence. Butler advanced in dread array, bathed in blood, and panting for revenge, and rushed upon the Scots with' all his warlike host. Deaths were soon exchanged on every side. — The youthful captain of the noble Scots exerted all his martial fire, run through their ranks and mowed them down like grass, while he himself stood invulnerable in a coat of mail, and raging in his unequal strength. But as he strewed the field with numerous bodies of his enemies, he saw with grief and pain, many of his few companions lying bleeding on the ground, with their shields and good claymores dyed with the blood of their assailants. Wallace saw no way of relief except in the death of Butler, their captain, whom he keenly sought from place to place through all the throng, and Butler as carefully declined to meet his eye ; beneath an aged oak, amidst strong guards he avoided the fatal blow of his claymore. Stephen of Ireland, and faithful Kierly stuod firm with Wallace, and dealt their fatal blows on the heads of their surrounding enemies. Sixty more of the Ent^hsh cr Southerons lay dead or weltering in their gorf', on the green banks of Tay ; SIR WILLIAM WALLACE: 47 and nine more of the intrepid Scots resigned their breath that day in defence of their liberty. Sixteen now survived to accompany their chief and to flee for their lives, after a day of laborious contests.— They escaped in the night from between two con- fused parties of Butler's men, unobserved in their flight, and fled to the craggy woods of Dupline. I As they eluded the siglit of their enemies, tlie Southerons sent their blood-hound after them, who quickly traced them out, and brought them in each other's view. The enemies pursued on fleet coursers ; but the Scots depended on their nimble feet. Over two miles I of rising ground they had to pass, before they could ( arrive at any place of strength, or elude the eyes of I their numerous enemies. But alas ! ill-fated Faudon tired, and would not proceed further, even on the per- I suasion and help of his faithful companions. Wal- I lace fearing his becoming a traitor as he felj into the j hands of his enemies, urged him with words of love, 1 but all in vain. The chieftain became indignant at ' the designing treachery, reluctantly drew his claj^- more, and slew the intending traitor. The blood of ; Faudon stopped the hound and saved the lives of the sixteen survivors. Having despatched the traitor, I the rest mounted the rocks like springing deers. I The Southerons having been guided by the slow I hound, come to the body of Foudon, and supposed I that the Scots had been killing each other. 1 While they crowded about the dead body of Fau- don, Kierley and Stephen of Ireland, mingled among them in the night. Kierley drew lais dagger and thrust it into the bosom of Gerard Heron, as he stoop- ed to see the body of Faudon, directing it upwards 48 THE LIFE 01- beneath his armour to his vitals, and laid him dead beside the departed traitor. They cried, " Treason, treason !" in doleful shrieks, being convinced that the audacious claymore of Wallace had pierced the heart of their chieftain. The two brave Scots escaped im- pending doom, in the midst of the confusion and gloom of the night. Butler changed colour with grief and rage when he saw Sir Gerard Heron gasping on the ground. He immediately sent some of his men to inter the slain, some to search the woods, some to scour the plain, and others remained with him to guard the passes till the return of day. Wallace, in the mean time, pas- sed through the woods, in grief about the absence of his two brave men, Stephen and Kierly, and ai rived safely at Gaskhall, where pressing hunger rendered them bold enough to take two good sheep from a neigbouring fold, and to roast them for supper. There Wallace, in a dream, thought he heard the sound of the loudest horn, and sent all his men, one by one, to learn who should blow the horn of war. None re- turned to their chieftain, and, as the noise grew louder and louder, his soul v/as racked with grief and pain about the absence of his companions. The dreadful sound increased in louder roar, and made the warrior tremble. He snatched his daundess claymore, col- lected in his strengdi and moved to the gate, where the frightful appearn-nce of Faudon stood, holding his bleeding head in his hand. Wallace drew a cross and stood, when at that moment, Faudon threw his bloody head at Wallace, who seized it by the hair and returned it to its owner. He awoke and flew om at the window, and fl^^d along the river. Then SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 49 Wallace had to wander alone, bewildered in his thoughts and overwhelmed with grief and black ideas revolving in his mind, all the gloomy night. On the return of day Butler awoke, and proceeded to the plains, and there saw poor Wallace laying, sighing and moaning for his companions, demanded his buis- ness there, with contracted brow, and spurred his fiery horse. Wallace, unmoved, sustained the mighty shock of the furious warrior, and aimed a fatal blow, and cut his enemy to the ground ; then he instantly seized and mounted his horse, and scampered along the plains, to evade unequal combat. A soldier saw his leader fall, and launched his whistling spear at the flying chief, but missed his mark. Yet the enemy intercepted his flight and surrounded the unfortunate chief. Brave Wallace stood, collect- ed all his soul, saw them raging and panting for his blood, drew his dreadful claymore, dealt fate around, swept his bloody way, stretched three warriors dead, and left their chieftain dying on the ground. But the enemy poured in upon him, successive troops, con- densed into a crowd, and bend all their united for^o to bear the chieftain down. The invincible Wallace I retires, intrepid and serene, and Parthian like, wound- j ing as he retreated, unsouling twenty of his foes I as he withdrew, to adorn tlie scene of war. I Our glorious warrior, now weak and faint, pursued his gloomy way in dreary wilds, through fens, bogs, < and bushes, towards the Forth. But alas ! his weary steed sunk to the ground and died upon the plain, and Wallace was compelled to walk on foot without one glimpse of day. He stood on the gloomy banks of tbQ surging flood alone, loosed his massyj armour, E so .THE LIFE OF plunged into it, crossed the stream, and lodged in a thicket, near a widow's house, the following night. But ere he slept, he despatched two maids, his hostess' two daugiiters to Gaskiiall to search for his beloved companions, and find out their fates. Next morning, as Wallace repugned the tempta- tions of a priest to ensnare him witli submission to the power of Edward, Stephen and Kierly arrived in great haste, and rehearsed to tlseir chief all the diffi- culties whicli they experienced during his absence. Tears of Joy bedewed the cheeks of those warriors, while they mutually told their adventures and dan- gers, in the midst of their cruel enemies. But as Wallace was about to leave that place, the widow came and oflered her two sons as volunteers in his service, that they might learn, under his guar- dianship, the art of war. The mighty chief, with his faithful band of warriors, set out, adorned with horse and arms, for the heath of Dunduff, wliere brave Sir John Graham held possession under the tyranny of Edward. He had a bold young son, who was en- dowed by nature and education to excel in war. The g6od old knight caused his gallant son to swear al- legiance to Wallace on his drawn claymore, and to follow him wlierever glory and virtue should lead him. Three days Wallace remained in the house of Sir John Graham, and on tlie fourth he set out with his gallant young pupils to teaeh them the glorious art of war. He bent his course to his nephew's at Kil- bank, that he might collect some warriors, before he should again venture in the field against a powerful and numerous enemy The noble night of Kilbank, SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 51 his nephew, received every soul as a welcome guest, and enjoyed the love of all. Meanwhile, the news of the famous deeds of Wal- lace, and his increasing j;lcry, reached the ears of Piercy, who again attempted to corrupt Sir Ronald Crawford by promises, or to force him by menaces, to influence Wallace to a submission to the govern- ment of the usurper ; but the mighty chief employed his active thoughts in preparing for war. He dis- patched a messenger to Clair and Boyd, to call them to arms in defence of their liberties and their laws.- Thenews quickly spread, and all his friends, inured to war and bred to feats of arms, convened in gather- ing swarms arounil their chieftain. Wallace was transported with joy and all his cares decreased among such a company of faithful friends, who only wailed to receive his commands. Just as the chief was about to enter on his cam- paign or expedition against the enemies of his coun- try, he was controlled by the chains of love, that re- tarded the brilliant course of his warfare. The charming fair lived in Lanerk, very near his native place, Ellerslie, where she was admired by all for the matchless beauties which adorned her person. Wai lace beheld the pleasant flame, and can we refuse our Hero the pleasures of nature and desire of his soul A great struggle occupied the mind of Wallace ; the love of the fair and the love of his country rolling in his bosom, and he could no longer conceal the pangs of this conflict, " Wl^.at ! shall I give up my heart to, love and destroy all my future schemes of war ; shall I thus lose myself in pleasant dreams, while Scotland claims my bosom I No, I stifle this inglorious flame, 52 THE LIFE OF and erase her image from my remembrance ; rise glo ry rise ! assume thy wonted charms, carry me into thine arms, and drown each thought in the loud alarms of war ; my duty and my country call me hence, adieu, fair Marion, adieu." As the love-struck hero moved away, a maid arrived from his lovely fair with an invitation to visit her habitation. " Marion sends her compliments and would be glad to behold the bravest son of his country." The chief was amazed and cried impatiently, "I go," and proceeded through a secret back path to her house. There the lovely pair regaled themselves with a sweet converse, and concluded the match. t •' But liis duty called him to the field, And love to conquest now must yield, ♦' sweet maid," he cried, " again " I'll come to thee, When the loud trumpet sounds to victory." He urged his course to Lochmaben, where his en- emy, full grown in arrogance and glorying in pow- er, Clifford, the inhuman youth commanded, and vaunted in his inhuman conquests over the land. — Wallace had scarce reached the devoted town when Cliflbrd began to brand the Scots with contumelies. He pursued the haughty lord, pierced his heart with his awful claymore, and left the town to warn his faithful friends of the expected enemy ; who immedi- ately on the death of tlieir chief pursued them. The enemy appeared in burnished arms, and shot their arrows with certain speed and aim and wounded John Blair, his worthy chaplain. Vv allace saw him bleed and turned in awful rage to meet his foes. Having or- dered an attack, his little band rushed upon their ene- SIR WILUAM WALLACE. S3 niies and received their adverse shock ; none of ei- ther side dare seek a base retreat, until the English ar- my was thinned with numerous slain, and the whole field covered with multitudes of dead. Yet still their new troops advanced in thickening crowds, which covered the fields around with the clangor of war. — Ivloreland too, the flower of arms, moved to the field with lightning in his eyes ; his armour yielded bla- zing splendour, his plume nodded from a distance, and increased tlie tide of war ; martial terror gloom- ed upon his brows as his boiling rage glowed in his heaving bosom. Keen in arms the mighty chief meditated the ruin of the Scots, and his very appearance seemed to raise the hopes of the Southeron's, as it swelled the tide of war. • Tiie dauntless Scots could not even attempt to flee, they were closely wedged on every side, and ful- ly resolved to win or die. Both sides assaulted, and vied each odier in tremendous feats, thickened the combat, and thinned the field. Wallace rode thun- dering through the tempest of tiie conflict, distinguish- ed by the orby shield, and sought the dreaded More- land. His glancing eye caught the raging chief, and at him aimed the ponderous blade, which cut his neck in two, and severed his head from his body. Wal- lace then seized his horse and wheeled around to re- vive the thunder of the war. The chieftain of the Scots, as if inspired by heaven with more than hu- man might, inclined the scale of light to victory with his own arm. Heaps on heiips expired on every side, and all the verdant grass v;as dyed with human gore. At last the Souiherons lost their courage on the death of their champioji, and fled to the castle, where fierce 54 THE LIFE OF Gravestock reigned in abandoned pride and ease, de- riding: all their terrors and scorning all their fears. As soon as fierce Gravestock perceived the defeat and death of Moreland, he commanded all his men in arms to issue forth to the field, and meet the approach- ing Scots. He again revived the tempest of war ; while Wallace had withdrawn from the bloody scene of victory to rest his wearied limbs. But he soon re- turned to his brave companions, and determined the fate of the day. The Soulherons saw him rise, like a lion in his full strength casting an iron glare, and cursed the fearful sight. " Oh, don% they cried, anticipate our doom ! return, return ; don't brave the impending fate ! yonder he comes ; behold the godlike chieftain, whose mighty arm alone sweeps the field !" " Ha ! ye dastards ! cried Gravestock, their intrepid General, with a frown of rage, and spur- red his horse, his strength owes its being to your fears alone." Wallace's horse sunk under him, and his rider be- :ng overcome by fatigue, could not tempt the rising tumult of the roaring war, which rolled along in fierce encounters. Meantime, immortal Graham, as if des- patched by Heaven, advanced with a brave retinue of warriors. He joined the battle and raised the clamorous shouts and cries through all the field. Gra- ham rushed through the war and swept the standing field, as if some fierce tide, bounding in the thickest, of the fight. Wallace, on foot, cuts his bloody path, and braving death, he stems the flood of war ; he fights in wearied ardour, besmeared with blood and dust, and reaped the field, where dread and fate ap- peared to mow his intrepid followers. Thus all hi5 SIR WILLIAM WALLACE: 55 brave companions urged the course and repulsed their foes in foul disgrace. The champion from the front of battle retreats, and Wallace urged the chase, as if he gained new strength, to cut their chieftain down ; but swift Graham, quick as lightning, vieti with his noble leader, and swept the rabble down. " Away, cried Wallace, why dis- grace thy sword ? fly at yon fleeing chief and reap a nobler lleld :" and as the youthful heroes shot along the ranks in rapid haste, the new fired Graham sought Gravestock retreating oft' tlie field. The mighty Scot raised his claymore, as TiL^htning in the air, and clave nis monstrous head. No force could imoede its de- scena'ing motion, nor prevent tne yawning chasm that efiused his gushing soul. Wallace, meanwhile, strewed the bloody ground with corses of the dead, and finished the burning chase. The brave warriors now meet, and unite with kind intercourse of souls, each pleased with the view of his victorious friends panting after a well fought day. — All t!ie victors headed by Wallace, sat down at night to meditate new toils of war, among the heaps of slain ; and ere morning directed their march to Lochmaben, to explore the town in the shades of night. As they approached the gate, they found the keep- er watching alone, and aimed a random blow, and laM him dead in silence. His following band ad- vanced in haste, and surprised the house, whence clamour, shrieks and cries issued to rend* the skies : naught but groans of wretches resounded through all the apartments of the fortress, where mirth and pride had reigned. 66 THE LIFE OF The victors, now wearied with toils of war, gladly reclined to satiate the calls of nature, on the spoils of their opulent enemies. The sated warriors left the humble town, and bent their rapid course toward the flowing Clyde, to repose in sleep their exhausted limbs. The ^od of sleep soon embraced ti.em in the retired vale, and eased tlicm of the bloody toils of da5\ The restless warrior dreamed of an unsubdued fortress where the enemies triumphed, and ere it wns day they were awoke with the sound of the martial horn of their ciiieftain : all determined to level its proud walls with the ground, before they could return to rest. Wallace, in front, advanced with eager speed to- wards the devoted town, where their enemies wal- lowed in luxuries and raised their drunken mirth. — The enraged chief gave the dreadful order to assail the gates, to guard the passes and invest the fortress with united force. The eager warriors combined their powers and ruslied upon their foes. Wallace sought the house, where the sottish captain sat, and hurled him headlong to the shades of night. His men, witii vieing rnge, mingled their blood with their feast, and their bodies lay in grinning death, and wel tering in their gore, Graham, meantime, scaled the piles of the fort, plied his hands to fling the brands, in order to con- sume the lofty roof, which soon descended in volumes of fire to scorch their trembling foes. Ah ! wh;it shrieks within and yellings of despair, blended with the horror, to consummate tlie fiery death. The roof, turret, and all around, tumbiod M the ground like a burst of thunder, and crushed the wreiris?3 underneatli SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. S7 its burning columns. Thus the great fortress appear- ed, on the dawn of day, in heaps of smoking ruins, and half burnt bodies of their fallen enemies, lying in piles of ashes ! ! ! WALLACE RETURNS TO LANERK, Marries Marion — removes her from the seat of war goes to fight against Hesilrig and Thorn. The conquering hero, having swept the country of his numerous foes in many briUiant victories, re- turned in guise to Lanerk, to espouse his loving Ma- rion, and to refresh his sense with the social plea- I sures of connubial nature. Moved with the soft flame I of love to see his lovely Marion, he forgot the dan- ( ger of his enemies' being posted in the bosom of liis country, being resolved to wed his intended spouse and consummate the future days of his life with the 'joys of hymen. The happy pair did not long enjoy the connubial \ blessings of peace and sweet intercourse together in I Lanerk; for wiiile he remained with his Marion dur- ing the months of April, May and June, the Souther- Ions gained ground, and re-occupied all the principal 'towns and forts of the country, and the martial soul of I Wallace was roused, and he could no longer restrain jthe fire that burned in his heart, to rescue his country from the tyranny of a cruel usurper. Love and hon- our alternately ruled his passions for some time, and ilhe anxiously staid with Marion ; but the love of his S^ iME LIF£ OF country and of glorj^, at length overcame all the Jove of his beloved consort, and he again sets out to vindi- cate the rights of Scotland. But, oh ! what a parting was realized on that so- lemn occasion ! can any one depict the strength and purity of tlie love of those two benign bosoms, when the youthful Wallace parted with his Marion, his lov- ing, beautiful, young spouse, to head the Scottish war- riors ! can prose or poesy paint the motions of their united souls on that day, when this faithful pair ex- pressed their grief to each other, and soothed the pas- sions of each other's breast ; he desirous to carry his wife beyond tiie hazards of war, she imploring him to take her along with him, mutually wishing security from the cruel rapine and plunderof their oppressors, who raged in lusts and wallowed in spoils. " Will you go, said Marion, will you go where tlie alarms of war call you, and where battles rage, and leave me exposed to every wilful enemy? See Hesil- rig appears in lustful rage, he will deride my passions and insult my fears ; he shows no mercy nor quarter: I shall sink beneath the blow of this cruel warrior. The wife of Wallace cannot be long concealed, and I shall die in your absence. Oh ! take me with you ! whatever shoul happen to us, I am willing to live or die with thee." " Cease, cease, to grieve, said Wallace. Oh, Ma- rion ! If just Heaven has ordained my safe return, I shall see you again, and if He has otherwise deter mined, He will protect you, or carry you into the mansions of bliss." A long and moving colloquy ensued between them and continued with equal conflict until the break of day, when yomi^^ Wuliace went out to the fields. SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 59 implored the aid of Heaven on his arduous under- taking, blew his martial horn, and assembled his fol- lowers to go out to the fields of victory. The English soon perceived their danger, and ob- served the progress of the war, and prepared for fierce encounter under the command of Hesilrig and Thorn. One thousand strong ; all savage warriors, armed with swords, spears, and javelins, made head against the Scots, and a sanguinary combat ensued. Stern ven- geance frov/ned on the brows of the warriors, and fired by different passions, the two nations joined in battle. The guilty invaders armed with pride and ambition, the patriotic Scots boldly attempted to clieck the tyrant's reign, and maintain their freedom. All the plains were soon covered with arms, and the countless arrows flew from well stored quivers, until the Scots being overpowered with numbers, withdrew in the silence of the night, to Cartline Craigs, in or- der to Save his little band of heroes, and to wait im- patiently the- rise of day. In that solemn night, the cruel Hesilrig having heard that Marion had concealed Wallace, proceeds to the residence of innocent Marion, and demands of her, information of the lurking place of Wallace, her be- loved husband. He threatened her with instant death [ if she did not reveal his secret abode. The trembling j young Marion shed tears of fear and sorrow in vain, ! while his huge sword waved around her head, and I menaced her immediate destruction. The cowardly I Hesilrig disregarded her prayers and her tears, ab- I jured all ties of honour, and relentlessly plunged his ruthless sword into her heaving bosom ! ! ! Alas ! Ma- I rion sunk beneath the traitor's sword, the sword of a $0 THE LIFE OF disappointed lover, and the pale hand of deatn sealed up her closing eyes ! Alas for Marion ! stretched on the cold ground, and her offspring doomed never to see the light of day ! Alas for pregnant Marion, cruelly murdered by the enemy of her husband and her coun- try, and her promising race concealed forever in nature's womb. Quick as on the wings of the wind, the unhappy news reached the ears of loving Wallace, and chil- led his heart with the dismal catastrophe of his dear Marion. All his warriors sympathized in tears of sorrow ; Graham with all his mourning band could not withstand the shock ; but Wallace beheld their tears and bade them cease to weep for departed Ma- rion. " Why all this waste of ^ears, cried the noble Wallace; will they recall her fleeting shade? Let tears give way to nobler toils of war, and swords per- form in strictest justice, what words would express. Hear me, O brave Graham, thou companion of my arms ! to thee I swear, that this claymore shall not be sheathed till I revenge the death of my dearest, dearest Marion ! Heavens ! what toils of death and war, rivers of floating blood, and hills of slain, shall mark our course; and for her sake ten thousand shall welter on the plain.'' While thus the chieftain spoke, his melancholy troops gazed on him to catch the sound of war with pleasing anguish. Fierce vengeance steeled every warrior's heart, martial fire bent every bow, and pas- sion nerved every hand of those true hearted Scots. *' Come, says the chief, to yonder Lanerk let us wing our course in the silence of the nig^ht, and let us surprise those murderers in their sleep, that V€n- SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 6l geance may overtake them : justice requires blood for biood." They obeyed his command and marched to Lan- erk, and ere it was day, entered the devoted town, where the English lay in perfect security. Wallace divided his men into two hostile bands and pointed out the places of attack ; the one to storm the castle where Hesilrig- lay, and the other under the command of Sir John Graham to burn down their dwelhngs. To Hesilrig's chamber Wallace winged his intended course. He threw a liuge stone on the gate and broke the bars, bolts, and brazen hinges, entered Hesilrig's apartment, surprised him in the dead of night, and hurled him headlong to the shades of death, as lie stood trembling, and saw the injured man advance, holding his huge claymore in his hand, and uttering w.ords of inexorible vengeance. " And thou thought- est, traitor, the here hero cried, that I would be re- miss, or unable to resent the cruel injury done to me and the Scots, in spilling the precious blood of Mari- on." As thus he spoke he raised his claymore and swung the ponderous steel on his head. The felon sunk to the ground and breathed out his guilty soul. Meantime, Sir John Graham commands his men to throw fire-brands on the roofs and guard the pas- ses. Thorn saw, in dire amazement, the ruinous blaze that was to embrace him and his followers in the arms of death, but could not avert his doom. On the dawn of morning, the victors ^awthe heaps of slain, and many half-burned bodies of their ene- m||s, in piles of smoking ruins. " Enough, cried Sir John Graham, enough, Wallace ; Albion's ensign is freed, and flitters in the wind ; Scotia is redeeraetj F 62 p THE LIFE OF with heaps of dead.'' But the hero naa no sooner won one victory, than he bent his way to some more glorious field, reserved for the plains of Biggar. THE BATTLE OF BIGGAR. Wallace had no sooner avenged the blood of deai Marion on the head of Hesilrig and his guiltj^ crew in unhappy Lanerk, the death place of the fair and beautiful Marion Braid foot, heiress of Lammington, than he quickly leads liis victorious bands to the plains of Biggar. There he saw, while his men lay encamp- ed on a rising ground, his numerous enemies stretch- ed out in wide array along the plain, and his heart biggened with the glorious sight, as if some scene of victory had presented to his view. In the morning watch, every soldier roused with the sound of the clarion eagerly seized his ready shield, drew his broad claymore, and strode along the field in a dense column, to meet their assailants. From right to left, the wings extended, condensed, and closed to the thickening combat. As the soldiers thus were gathered into martial clouds, with hearts beating high, waiting the least command, and death stood lingering in their lifted hands ; Wallace viewed with a skilful eye the weak- nesSv of his enemies, saw with joy the impassioned as- pect of his men, and thus addresed them : " To day, my friends, let us fight the battle of our country ; let us hazard unequal fight, in the cause of our wives and our children ; let our claymores be deeply drenched in the blood of the enemies and op- SIR WIIXIAM WALLACE. G3 pressors of Scotlandj and then our toils will soon be over in glorious victory. Around our heads, guar- dian angels stand to guide the javelins in our hands, and to direct our claymores to Edward's heart. Let glorious liberty inspire our souls ; let injuries steel our hearts ; and let cruel Edward's tent be our mark in this impending combat." As thus he spoke, the love of glory fired every heart, and the love of liberty armed every soul, and quick as lightninfc the Scots legion descended the brow of the hill to attack their foes marshalled on the plain. The enemies saw them descend in torrents, rushing in massy steel to meet them, in closest ranks, and were surprised at the swiftness of the descend- ing war. The Scots received the first onset of their numer- ous enemies in the form of a circle, which seemed as impenetrable as a wall of iron, and then urged their way towards the monarches tent. There was tlie dreadful conflict of warriors, there a thousand lay bleeding on the plain ; swords, shields, claymores gnd spears, lay mingled in confusion, and the field was reaped by the Scots on that awful day. Tlie orby shield of Wallace was distinguished from a dis tance to tempest the field, and floated in the midst of the throng. Imperious death attended his claymore, and certain doom was designed for the usurper. But fierce Kent employed his dreadful spear in anotlier part of the contest, and destroyed as many of the Scots. On his bounding courser he bore away his lord over heaps of dead, and the little band of Scots could scarcely withstand the mighty sweep of the hand of that invader. S4 THE LIFE OF Wallace saw his men retreat on his approach, hast- ed in fury to the fainting squadron, heaved his orby shield, resolved in arms to meet the dreaded enemy, and spread destruction all around him, in equal con- flict. The battle lasj^ed long, and the fortune of the day hung long uncertain in furious suspense. But at length, Wallace mustering all his strength, forced his bloody way, and smote fierce Kent, and stretched him lifeless on the ground. Then the king fled from the field, and the Scots pursued him till the going down of the sun, when the Caledonian victors regaled- themselves with the wine and spoils of the enemy's camp. Longcastle saw with grief the foul retreat of his men, attempted to rally, and encourage them to return upon the Scots in the dead of the night, and to sur- prise them while they lay drunk with the wine of their camp. " W hence does our hearts feel this cow- ard terror, defeat never stained our conquering arms, said Longcastle, stay, take courage ; why ignobly flvje ? bravely conquer or bravely die. We can ea- sily vanquish yon handful of Scots now absorbed in luxury." Then Longcastle gave the command and led them to the fight, in hopes to surprise the Scots, under the darkness of the night. But the alert Scot- tish watchmen descried their rallying enemies, and quickly informed Wallace their chieftain, who as a lion in full strength, arose, blew the clarion to arms, and summoned all his warriors to battle. At this critical moment, a deep morass divided the two armies. They eagerly view each other, and mar- tial passions impassioned either host. The English Duke was unable to restrain his fury, encouraged his SIR WILLlAM WALLACE: 65 troops, and ventured to tread the faithless ground on his fiery steed. All plunged at once into the morass and thousands sunk to rise no more. Those who strug- gled to the other side, only met a change of death ; the fiery Scots soon deprived them of breath. Longcastle gained the dry ground and stood upon the shoal. Graham saw him, raised his claymore, and received the rising enemy. Back sunk the cour- ser and overlaid his lordly rider. Thus proud Ed- ward lost the important day, and to his kingdom led his host away. Thus Wallace, having returned thanks to propi- tious Heaven, proceeded to reduce the castle of Dum- barton, which was situated on a rock on the banks of the rapid rolling Cree. They marched all that day, and reposed themselves in the evening, but ere it was day, Wallace sounded the clarion, disposed his troops under bravo Kierly and himself, and in the si- lence of the gloomy night, strained up the steep rock, slew the centinel as he lay sleeping at the eastern gate, entered the casde, and dispatched every opponent. All gave way ; some leaped over the walls, and tum- bled down the steep and sunk into the deep below ; others bravely attempted to repel their assailants and met their fate under the hewing sweep of the Scot- tish claymores. Ten thousand cries seemed to rend the sky, from their confused enemies : cries of mercy and cries of revenge mingled in their crowd, amidst yells and groans of fallen warriors, while the slogans of" Wallace and freedom," " Scotland and Liberty," re-echoed from the Scottish lines to seal the impend- ing doom of their enemies. F2 66 THE LIFE OF Thus sunk the strength of the proud Southerons in the strong hold of Dumbarton, and thus fell the op- pressors of Scotland. The English then sued for peace, and agreed to ratify the treaty of Ruthington vesa, at Ruthenglen, church for one year in February, 1297, in order to have time to recruit their strength, and again attempt the conquest of the country. HOSTILITIES RECOMMENCED. Wallace hums the barns of Ayre, drives Bishop Beck from Glasgow, and kills Lord Piercy. Good Wallace thus concluded a truce for one whole year with his treacherous enemies ; but ere one month had elapsed, they plotted the ruin of the Scot- tish warriors, and determined, by awful murder, to enchain the country. The King of England proceeded to Scotland and held a council at Carlisle, of his captains, in June, 1297. No Scot was there except the traitor, Sir Aymer de Vallance, who had deserted their cause in former times. In this council they consulted how they might cut off all the Barons of Ayre, and there- by involve the invincible Wallace in the general mas- sacre. Sir Amyer de Vallance, deeply versed in the mys- teries of Pluto, proposed a scheme to ensnare the chiefs of Scotland, and involve their lives ; a plot which hell could never have contrived ; an advice, SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 6/ which belzebub could not have given, that will ever stamp the character of consenting Southerons with everlasting infamy. He advised them to appropriate the four barns of Ayre for a Justice Ayre or general council of tiie Scottish Barons, to call them all to it, un- der the pretence of settling the affairs of the nation on receiving a scheduleof their estates, that quiet pos- session might be granted tliem under the great seal ot Lord Aymer de Vallance, the Deputy Warden of Scotland, who had just arrived at Ayre, and there to despatch them as they entered one by one, into the barns. Lord Arnulf, a cruel and bloody justice to whom Hell could not produce a match, undertook to dis- patch the Scottish Nobles, in the bloody Barns of Ayre. Sir Ronald Crawford went to Ayre, and dread- ing no harm entered the Barns, where the pretended Council sat ; and on the 18th of June 1297, was im- mediately hoisted up to a Baulk. The Wallaces, Crawfords, Kennedys, Blairs, Mont- gomeries, Campbells, Barclays, Boyds, Stewarts, and many other brave Barons of Scotland had the same fate in those sanguinary Barns of Ayre, and their massacred bodies were piled up in heaps in the cor- ners of those slaughter houses. The way and man- ner in which the Southerons executed this horrid deed were by placing strong men to keep the entry, to al- low one only to enter at a time, to slip a running cord over each of their heads as they entered singly, and by placing men in another part of the barn to haul I the rope the moment it snared its victim, whose car- ! cass was successively thrown into the opposite cor- I ner ! great numbers, even eighteen score of Nobles ec fcTHE LIFE OF and landed men entered, none came out alive ! many noble warriors and heroes were betrayed and hanged on that day of mourning ! such forms of massacre was never invented before in any nation under the canopy of weeping Heaven ; such a deed was never heard of in the world ! and to crown their sanguinary barba- rity, all their bodies as naked as they were born, were cast out in heaps to the public view, and exposed in black derision ! Ah ! dreadful work of man ! kind Heaven ! shall our hosts now sleep ? while our old men, women and children chaunt their coronachs over the bodies of the massacred Chiefs! shall our country endure such cruel massacre of her sons without resisting the injury ? No ; good Robert Boyd assembled twenty men of W allace-s party, and com- manded them in his absence. Kierley, Cleland, Stephen of Ireland and others fled to Longlandwood, with sorrowful hearts, after they had appointed a good woman, his old nurse Elspa, to inform Wallace of the treachery and massacre in the bloody Barns of Ayre, as soon as he should arrive in town, so that he might escape the snare laid for him by the cruel Southerons. Wallace hastened to Ayre, and, as he passed along, the woman loudly called him, and said, " Nothing but breach of faith are within these walls, our Bar- ons and Knights were hanged like beasts to a tree as they entered the Barns.*' Wallace wept for the loss of his dear relations, the Wallaces and Crawfords, and asked her, whether his uncle Sir Ronald Craw- ford was butchered there. " Yes,'' said the faithful matron, "I saw him cast out dead and naked, I kiss- ed his pale lips, covered his boby with a cloth, and wept. Thou art his sister's son, revenge his death SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 6» I pray thee, with all thy might and haste ; I shall as- sist you, as much as a woman can do in the case of retributive justice." Then he enquired of her of Robert Boyd, William Crawford, Adam Wallace, &c. ana scampered off to Longlandwood and mourn- ed for his dear friends. Meantime Lord Arnulf sent fifteen well harnessed Englishmen and a Macer to bring him back to law. They rode furiously to Wallace, who turned upon them with his broad claymore in his hand. The first of his numerous enemies he cut asunder through the middle ; the next received a fatal blow ; the third he clave down through the body ; the fourth he levelled to the ground ; and the fifth he felled dead on the spot. Three men who were with him killed another five of the enemy, and the rest fled to tell their lord how 'ten men out of fifteen were killed by four Scots, con- •' eluding that all would have shared the same fate, if jthelr horses had not carried them away in full speed, land that the Scots were so fierce and strong, that every stroke laid one of tliem dead on the field. The Southeions all concluded that Wallace must jhave been in that encounter, and a Knight answered, '( if Wallace hath escaped this justice Ayre, then all ithat we have done is in vain." Arnulf replied, " what would ye do if there were many enemies, when "lyou seem to be frightened at one man, and although (he was there I would count the matter light, who stays liere shall be a Knight in these realms, and I shall 'deal out the lands of Scots dispatched yesterday, to Itrue Englishmen in the morning.'* 1 The Southerons all repaired to their quarters. — Tour thousand men lodged in the town and Barns of to THE LIFE OF Ayre that night, after they had gorged themselves with plenty of meat, wine a«d ale. Supposing no danger from the Scots, they placed no sentinels at the gates, fell into a profound sleep, by the bumpers they had taken, after the labours and toils of that bloody day in the Barns, and were laying in security. As soon as the faithful matron saw them laying in this unguarded state, she ran with some men to Long- landwood, to inform Wallace of their drunken and naked condition. " Yon bloodhounds, she said, are all drunken and could not see a Scotsman in their company.'' "If that be true,'' answered Wallace, " its time to move and set a fire unto their dwellings." Three hundred choice men by this time had rallied round his standard, v/illing and ready to spend the last drop of their blood " for Wallace and Freedom." Wallace called a council of war and consulted with them what course they should take to be avenged of the deaths of their nobles and relations. They first cast lots betv/een five of their company, viz. William Wallace, Boyd, Crawford, Adam Wallace and Auchinleck, ap- pealing to the court of Heaveii to decide who sliould be theirCommanderin the attack which they meditated. — The lot fell on William Wallace, even the third time. He dien rose, and drawing his sword, solemnly vow- ed to the Almighty Disposer of Events, that he should be avenged on their cruel oppressors, for the death of his kindred Scots, whose blood was shed in the Barns of Ayre. " I shall make tliem all pass through the flames, before I either eat, drink or sleep," said the Chieftain, and he kept his vow. The faithful matron chalked ail the doors where the English lay ; Wallace sent twenty m^n to fasten SIR \Vn>LIAM WALLACE: 71 all their doors with osiers ; sent fifty more to lie in ambush at the gates of the castle, to kill all who might attempt to escape, and the rest he commanded to sur round the Barns, and not to allow a Southeron to escape on pain of death. The women brought fire and flax, and all combustibles to them, and the sol- diers set fire to their houses and the Barns and raised a huge conflagration over the heads of his mortal enemies. Wallace then called out to Lord Arnuif, *' execute your law against us who live and have escaped your judgment, deal not our land, for faith that is not fair, thy cruel bloodshed confess and mourn, take now thy choice whether to hang or burn.*' None escaped this fiery ruin, lord or nighty and all were burned or buried in the smoking ruins. When the huge roofs fell in among them, O what an awful and lamentable noise of shrieks and groans of consuming warriors. Some sought the doors and were cut down by the surrounding Scots, or driven back into the fire, to learn to be hangmen there. Friar Drumlaw, Prior of Ay re, had seven score of men lodged upon him that night. As soon as he found them to be all asleep, he caused seven of his brother Friars, to command the English armour and choose their swords, and led them from house to house where the Southerons lay, and dispatched them in their sleep. Five thousand died that night by fire and sword. O what a night of justest vengeance was that in which the Castle and Barns of Ayre were burned ! Wallace and his men assembled after the burning of the English garrison, and he skid to them, " You know, my friends, that Justice Court was also ap- pointed for Clydesmen at Glasgow, in presence of n THE LIFE OF Bishop Beck and Lord Piercy, let us wing our course towards that town and surprise our enemies who have murdered our Ivindred." He left the Burgesses to watch the house of Ayre with vigilance, and having refreshed themselves he ordered their march to Glas- gow on the choicest of English horses, now all cavalry, three hundred strong, to attack their ruthless enemies. They passed the Bridge of Glasgow, before their ene- mies knew of their coming ; but Lord Piercy muster- ed his men in good order and prepared for a fierce contest with the Scots'* warrior, Bishop Beck and Piercy led a thousand men in bright armour to the approaching combat. Wallace advanced in head of his men and reconnoitred his enemies, and returned with the grand plan of the attack in his mind. He divided his men into two squadrons, harnessed them and called true Auchinleck, saying, " Uncle, before we attack these adversaries, I ask you whether j'ou will attack thera in the rear or tail, or gallop up in front, kneei down and receive the Prelate's benison." *' I will not be ambitious, quoth Auchinleck, yourself may take his blessing for me. That is the post of honour, and your right, I shall bear up his tail with all my might.'' " Since we must part, it will be wrong to stay too long from us, said Wallace, your men must not regard their numbers. March on j^oitr squadron fast, for God's sake, elude the view of the Southerons in marching round to the rear through the north-east raw." Adam Wallace, and Auchinleck marched briskly with seven score of men up the back part of the town, and Wallace and Boyd with two hundred and sixty men galloped up ia sight of the enemy, along the plain street. SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 73 The English wondered how there were so few of them, and an ensign of Beck and Piercy demanded of them what they were, when a fierce encounter im- mediately commenced with dreadful din on either side. The hardy Scots bravely fought and heaped the streets with slain enemies. They peirced their plates with their claymores and brought them down at every blow. ^, The dust rose like smoke around the combatants, darkened the sun, and ascended to the clouds. Lord Piercy 's men were expert warriors and fought most vahantly with Wallace and Boyd for some time, but in good time, Adam Wallace and brave Auchinlcck boldly rushed upon the rear of the enemy, with broad claymores, and galled them se- verely. The Southerons faced about and received the Scots warmly, but the Scots in front and rear, made such slaps or chasms among the ranks of their enemies as never yet had been seen in any fight. The Scottish claymores swept the field, and Wal- lace amidst the throng, swung his long and heavy clay- more, and at Piercy aimed a dreadful blow and clave his head in pieces, and Bishop Beck saw his men fail and led them off in confusion through a wood and marched them off to Bothwell. The English left seven hundred dead on the field of battle. Then Wallace pursued the fugitives to Bothwell ; but Aymer de Vallance, escaped in flight from that tremendous contest and defeat. The followers of Sir William Wallace soon ac- quired 4he form of an army, after such signal victo- ries, and many of the nobles of Scotland ; joined G 74 THE LIFE OF him. Among others, Robert, Bishop of Glasgow ; Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick ; James Stewart, Lord Steward of Scotland ; Sir John Stewart, his brother ; Sir Andrew Murray, of Bothwell ; Sir- William Douglass, of Glasgow ; Robert Boyd ; Lord Campbell, of Argyle ; Richard Lundie, &c. To defeat their attempts to liberate themselves from tyranny, Edward sent an army of 40,000 men to sup- press them. The Scots met them at Irvine, protected by a lake in front and entrenchments on the flanks. This lit- tle band was under the command of four Captains, equal in power over their divisions ; Bishop of Glasgow, William Douglass, Andrew Murray and William Wal- lace for they were not yet disposed to confer the chiet command on Wallace, and they became so divided in their sentiments, that they accommodated matters with the enemy, on receiving an indemnity for all past offences. The treacherous Southerons, however, bioke the agreement, confined the Bishop to Rox-. burgh Castle, and Sir William Douglass to the Cas- tle of Berwick. But the brave soul of Wallace could never permit him to compromise with the English, he only despis-*^ ed to quarrel with the other captains who were of higher rank, and prudently withdrew with all his vol- untary band and fell upon the rear of the English army, retreating through Galloway took three hun- dred men and their baggage. Wallace then retired to Dunduff to refresh his men, and remained with good Sir John Graham five days, in the summer sea- son, teljingf him all that had befallen them in Ayre SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 75 and Glasgow, even until he received tidings from some true-hearted Scots, that Buchan, Athol, Mon- teith and Lorn had marshalled all their forces against faithful Argyle, in the cause of the usurper Edward. Campbell, of Argyle, kept his heritage of Lochlow, in spite of Edward's power and the bloody sword of Macfadzean, who was promised the possession of Ar- gyle, &c. on event of their conquest. Edward prom- ised the lands of Lorn to John, in case of the dispos- session of Duncan the lawful proprietor of the lands. In hopes to acquire great possessions, even of five Lordships, Macfadzean mustered anarm3''of vilerun- nagates consisting of fifteen thousand malefactors and exiles, mostly' from Ireland, who spared neither man, woman nor child in their march through the devoted villages and districts of Caledonia, "Burn, Destroy and Kill," were the constant commands of that san- guinary Macfadzean. As soon as Campbell understood, that Macfadzean entered Lochlow, he placed three hundred men in Craigmuir and held that place of strength against all the powers of Edward and the army of Macfadzean. He broke down the bridge across the river Forth, and defended the ford that none should pass over at any place, except at a narrow place, between two rocks where four men could not pass over in front, Mac- fadzean attempted to pass. At this juncture, Duncan of Lorn went off in quest of Wallace to succour the men of. Argyle against the merciless host of Mac- fadzean. Gilmichael, a brave footman, accompanied Dun- can to guide him in the way to Wallace, Earl Mal- com, hostess to Wallace, with his brave men and 76 THE LIFE OF Sir John Graham and Richard of Lundie, assembled their several forces, marched with him, and disputed the field against bloody Macfadzean and his merci- less crew. WALLACE KILLS MACFAUSEAN. Wallace then marched to view the savage host of Macfadzean, low, posted in Lochlo\\, passed to the north of Stirling Castle where the cruel Ruickby commanded in the service of Edward. Wallace looked back to Earl Malcom and said, " what would you think of reducing this fortress by some stratagem, and clear the country behind us of these oppressors.'' Sir John Graham immediately agreed with him in the propriety of the undertaking, and he divided his men so that the English could not discover their strength ; placed Earl Malcom to he in ambush, while he and Sir John Graham, with one hundred brave Scots warriors rode through the town in noble order, passed the Castle and made towards the bridge. Ruickby saw them with great impatience, and caused seven score of archers to sally forth, pur- sue and engage them : but Wallace never felt fear and slew the foremost with his spear. Sir John Gra- ham also transfixed the first he met ; but broke his spear into the second in front. Then he drew his gallant claymore to receive a host of archers which crowded on him and killed his horse. SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 77 Wallace saw the jeopardy of good Sir John Gra- ham, fighting on foot, lighted from his horse, with some other brave men in armour, and repulsed their numerous enemies, which had hoped to escape into the Castle. But noble Earl Malcom started from his ambush and marched his men between them and the Castle, and then made tremendous havoc among their surrounded enemies. Many English nobles fell that day, and the Scots chieftain winged his course towards Ruickby, and severed his head from his shoulders with one sweep of his claymore. His two sons and 30 men escaped and re-entered the Castle. The Lennox' men would not leave the Castle, but besieged it with great vigilance, while Wallace pro ceeds to meet cruel Macfadzean, against whom he had sworn revenge, vowing that he would never sleep sound nor rest contented, till he should dispatch that wicked tyrant and murderer of our men, women and children. Two thousand brave and valiant Scots warriors assembled to Wallace at Stirling bridge and rode with him to Argyle, under the guidance of Dun- can of Lorn. Meantime Ruickby's sons concluded to capitulate to the noble Earl Malcom, on condition that he would spare their lives and let them return to their native land. Wallace still continues his march, with all his force to encounter Macfadzean, foot and horse, by the direction of Gilmichael, the spy, whom Duncan of Lorn had sent to lead them tothe ranks of the enemy. But his men began to faint in their forced marches, ^ little beyond Strathsillon, and he left the feebler G 2- 78 THE LIFE OF men to follow the rest of the army as they were able to accomplish the journey. Wallace then divided his men, numbered five hun- dred stout Westland men to fight under himself; five hundred to fight under Sir John Graham ; five hun- dred to fight under Lundie, the captains of their seve- ral hosts; and five hundred had loitered behind, — They marched over a high mountain into Gendoher, met their spy and Lord Campbell, with three hun- dred valiant, chosen men, and mutually encouraged each other never to dread their foes, who were then half naked and almost destitute of arms. Then to Lochdocher the}^ marched with a design to surprise their enemy. An out-spy and Gilmichael seized on his person, and brought him into the posses- sion of the Scots, and he never returned to tell Mac- fadzean the news. The men are now forced to alight and to turn their horses loose, and Wallace cried, " let us see who walks best on^ foot, and traverse mosses, moors, craigs and woods. ^' So along the banks of the river, three in front, he led his men, until all had pas- sed up the craggy mountains, eighteen hundred brave Scots, and surprised Macfadzean and his numerous host in front, and drove them with great havoc into confusion. They soon rallied again, and collecting all their banditti strength, they rushed upon the val- iant Scots, who received them with their dreadful claymores, repulsed them and drove them back more than five acres breadth with great slaughter. Wallace made a space of the reaped field about a rood of land, and Sir John Campbell, Lundie, Adam SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 79 Wallace and Robert Boyd signalized themselves in the sanguinary contest, and as Captains of the Scots, encouraged their brave men, in the front of the bat- tle. The conflict lasted for two hours, and seemed long to hang in some uncertainty of success on either side, until the Scots chiefs condensed their warriors and pressed forwards in dense columns, making fear- ful chasms in the Irish ranks under cruel Macfadzean, and drove them over craggy rocks, into the flood be- low, where two thousand sunk to rise no more. The Scots under Macfadzean laid down their arms, and on their knees loudly cried for mercy and quar ter. " They are our own blood, said Wallace, we are bound to give penitents generous quarters, but these foreign murderers of our men, women and children, deserve no mercy ; blood calls for blood." But Mac- fadzean escaped with fifty men to a stone cave under Craignmir. Duncan of Lorn desired permission of Wallace to go with a detachment of brave men to visit the cave, who, when they arrived killed! the fil>) men and brought the head of Macfadzean on a spear Lord Campbell placed the bloody head of Macfad zean on lofty Craigmuir, in honour of Ireland. 80 THE LIFE OF THS VIRTUOUS SCOTS SWORK FIDELITY TO WALLACE. In a Council at Ardchatton proclaimed Jiim Regent or IVarden of Scotland, or Viceroy in Bruce^s ah' sence. Restores Duncan to his heritage of Lorn. Wallace took Stirling Castle ; recovered Argyle and Lorn, Perth, Cooper of Angus, and Glanies, demolished the Castle of Forfar, Brichinhin and Montrose, surprised Dunnoter and garrisoned it, entered Aberdeen while in flames, and proceeded to besiege the Castle of Dundee. Wallace accepted of the names and tides of Re- gent, not out of ambition or desire to rule, but because it was a title of honour and great responsibility con- ferred on him by his countrymen out of their pure love and benevolence. In this office he behaved so valiantly, that in a short time, by a brave army of true hearted Scots, he recovered all the places of strength in the kingdom, and reduced the bordermen on the south of Scodand to peace and oraer. They flocked to Wallace from all parts of the land and acknowledged the victorious hero as Warden, and he governed the kingdom with great honour and strictjustice and mercy, and fought the battles of liis country, in defence of her liberties, as long as he found his services useful to the state and the nation. Having recovered Lorn , he advanced Duncan to that heritage, which his brother's son had forfeited on account of his enlisting himself under the banner of Edward to fight against his country, and in these times of success acknowledged the brave Wallace as their Governor-General, and wise in the Cabinet and SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 81 field. Noble Sir John Ramsay came to him with sixty fierce warriors, who had never been vanquished in the field at any former conflict with ihe English, in Strochane while he lay there and held Roxburgh, as the terror of the Saxon invaders. Having thus settled Argyle, Lorn, Dunkeld, &c. he proceeded to reduce the Saxon garrison in Saint Johnston, where many brave Scots were confined as taptives. The chieftain called Ramsay to him and disclosed his design on that fortress, saying, " In bon- ny St. Johnstown, which is situate on the banks of the river Tay, the Saxons rule with the arbitrary sway of lawful native lords. There I have set cap- tives at liberty ; there I have made the Saxons for Scotsmen die; but methinks I am not sufficiently avenged, till I kill ten thousand more, or expel them from our country. I wish to surprise its garrison, or battle down its proud walls, and level them with the ground." Ramsay, in council as wise, as brave in the field, answered, " that town cannot stand out long ; the walls are low, the surrounding ditch narrow, although deep, our men will soon fill it, storm the place, and humble the pride of the garrison." Wal- lace was pleased with the decision, and the rode to Dunkeld, to prepare all their battering rams, and machines of war. All things being ready, they carried tliem all down the liver, with the best workmen they could hire, unto the devoted town. All their host assembled in St. Johnston, on the day that the machines arrived. In a very few hours the ditches were filled with earth and stones, in many places, and in others, floats of 82 THE LIFE OF light timber were thrown across, the warriors quietly passed,raised batterics,and advanced to batter thewalls. Sir John Graham, Ruthven, and Sir John Ramsay beseiged the bridge, and Wallace surrounded the town. The Saxons made a desperate resistance. — They fought with new engines, casting large stones over the walls, upon the heads of the Scots. But Wallace forced his way, and passed over the walls' with a thousand men. At tlie same moment, Sir John Graham and Ramham opened a breach and entered at the turret gate, and cut to pieces all who opposed them. Tiien a dreadful cry was rais- ed in the town, and two thousand of the Soutlierons were put to the sword in the street. Sir John Stewart saw that the town was lost, and fled like a coward with sixty men in a barge towards Dundee, and left his host to die by the Scottish claymores. Wallace remained four days in Saint Johnston, peopled it with Scots, and left Ruthven captain of the garrison, to keep the place. Then he marched off to reduce the Abbey of Cooper of Angus. The Ab- bot fled on his approach. So did the English in Gla- mis, Forfar, Breechin, Montrose, Mearns, &c. and collected themselves to the number of four thousand in Dunnoter Castle. When Wallace arrived at Dunnoter, he offered tliem their lives, on condition they would leave the kingdom, but unfortunately they would not believe the sincerity of the Scots, and did not accept the over- tures of merey ; so he set fire to the church and burn- ed them in it ; the rest of them rushed out over the . rocks, and fell headlong into the sea below. Not one remained alive ! Wallace then marched on to* SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 83 Aberdeen, seized all the goods and ba{?ga|?e of the Enghgh in then- sliips, which were ready to sail ; burned the ships on the water. The enemy them- selves burned the town but sparedthepriests,womenand children, whom they always saved in their conquests. After these dreadful exploits of retribution, he marched on to Buchan to surprise Beaumont, who, when he heard of the approach of Wallace fled to the Sloins, entered a ship, and returned to England. To Cromarty he winged his awful course, slew many of the Southerons, returned to Aberdeen, and pro- ceeded to Dimdee. WAI-'.ACE LEAVES THE SIEGE OF THE CASTLE OK VVUhT.t. Defeats Crcssingham at Stirling ; causes the harons to swear allegiance to their king and country under his regency ; appoints 7vise goverjior^,\ skillful captains^ sheriffs, Szc. to govern the people in Bruce^s absence and regulates the affairs of the nation. Sir William Wallace, the Governor General, thought \i prudent to raise the siege of the castle of Dundee, land march in all hnste to Stirling- to await the ap- proach of Cressingham and Warren, who advanced Iwith6(>,000 men horse and foot,to re-conquer Scotland. I The traitor. Earl Patrick, joined the enemy at Tweed, and all marched to Stirling. Wallace re- Iceived information of their coming, marched his men through St. Johnston, reviewed them in SherifTmuir, land encouraged them in the language of a true pa- triot ; so did Sir John Graham, in the ardour of his 84 THE LIFE OF soul. " We have performed greater feats in the field, said he, with a smaller force, and made a stronger enemy yield, than the enemy that now comes to in- vade our country, murder our old men and children, deflour our virgins, pollute our wives and reduce us to chains and slavery." " Who fight, said Wallace, for just and righteous ends, God always sends them assistance. Then, though the enemy were ten thou- sand more, let us beat them as we have hitherto done, I purpose to contrive and set a snare for our enemies at Stirling bridge, and we will ensnare those fat loons to their destruction." Wallace sends information every where to acquaint his friends that he would fight the Southerons on Tuesday at Stirling bridge. On Saturday he rode up to the bridge, place watches that no person might see or know what was going on with it. Then he ordered the good and skillful carpenter, John Wright to saw the boards which joined the bridge in two by the middle trest, to nail it on cornal bands, and to fill up the chasms with clay that nothing could appear. He desired John Wright also to place the other end of the bridge on wooden rollers, in such a nice man- ner, that loosing one pin would precipitate the whole fabric in the gulf below. This being done he caus- ed the carpenter to sit in a close cradle below the bridge, giving him strict orders to loosen the pin on the moment of time in which he should blow his horn. The day of battle arrived, and the English advanc- ed with all their force, full fifty thousand strong, six to one Scots warrior, yet the hearts of their chiefs SIR WILLIAM WALLACE: 85 knew no fear, and their men never shrunk. Ten thousand of the enemy surrounded the castle hill, thinking to possess fields and cattle at their will and pleasure ; but the Scots kept close together ,on a plain field on the other side of the castle. Then Hugh Cressingham led the vanguard on (o battle with twenty thousand fierce warriors ; Earl Warren with thirty thousand brought up the rear.— Cressingham passed the bridge with twenty thousand, and the Scots began to tnink it high time to blow the horn, but Wallace strode along the field leading on his men, till he saw Warren's host thicken on the bridge, when he snatched the horn from Jop, and blew both loud and shrill, and v/arned John Wright to strike out the pin. Down sunk the bridge, men and horses, in the watery abyss below ! Oh ! what a fearful cry ascended to salute the ears of their aston- ished companions on either bank of the Forth, which separated the English army at that awful juncture ! Wallace, with his nine thousand hardy Scots, made a furious attack on the 20,000 under Oessingham, who had passed over before the bridge was let down, and repelled them five acres breadth in foul disgrace : Ramsay, Lundie, Boyd, and Graham made dreadful havoc among the retreating English. Wallace on foot, goes amongst the very thickest of I his foes, with his huge claymore and orby shield, in j search of Cressingham. He saw him, and sheared I his bloody way among the throng. He swung his I dreadful claymore, and notwithstanding the armour or coat of mail of his fierce adversary, felled him dead on the spot, and none could rescue him, H 86 THE LIFE OF When the English saw their commander slain, and ten thousand of their companions lying dead on the field, they fled in great confusion in every direction, and seven thousand were driven into the Forth to rise no more. When Warren's men saw the appaling fate of their companions, and the unbroken ranks of the dauntless Scots, they fled to Dunbar, without one stroke of the sword. Then Wallace sent his cavalry in close pursuit cf the enemy, and killed prodigious numbers of them, no less than 30,000 fell of the English on that fatal day; while very iew of the Scots were killed, and none of note, except Andrew Murray, who was a true-hearted Scot. Wallace, in order to secure the peace of the king- dom, and fortify them against foreign invasion, by uniting all parties and conciliating them to his regen- cy, took an oath of all the Scottish barons, of allegi- ance to be faithful to their king and country, and to acknowledge her Warden in protecting the kingdom during Bruce's absence. Even Sir John Monteith, Lord of Arron, readily took the oath to stand faithful to Wallace in the cause of freedom. All those who would not comply, he punished severely ; some he condemned and executed as traitors ; some he impris- oned, and others he banished the kingdom, and his fame was heard throughout ail the kingdoms of Eu- rope. After settling the aflairs of the nation, Wallace re turned and took the castle of Dundee by a stratagem and gave the English captains their libertv. So that SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 87 in the course of ten days, no captain remained among them, except in the castle of Roxburgh and of Ber- wick, which Wallace intended to reduce, as soon as he could safely leave the cabinet to grace the field. Chrystal Seaton, a Baron of grear fame who never deserted his country during their struggle for freedorp posted himself v/ith 40 men in ledburgh wood, and har- assed the English on all sides the fastness. And when he perceived that Heabotlle, the English captain who commanded ledburgh, fled from the castle with seven score of men, for fear of Wallace, he sallied forth from the wood, slew the captain and most of his men, took all their riches and stores, which they expected to carry with them to England. Seaton then placed Ruthven with a garrison in the castle, and marched into Lothian. Scotland then enjoyed peace and traquillity for five ' months, under the regency of the brave Wallace. A CONVENTION OF THE STATES CALLED, To settle all the affairs of the kingdom, at St. Johns- town — Corspatrick refuses to acknowledge Wal- lace regent ; mocks the summons to attend the Covnention ; Wallace discomfits him in battle and expels him from the kingdom. Corspatrick mocked the summons of the Lords of the Convention, and would not appear among them as one of them in the defence ofScotland underWallace. 88 THE LIFE OF "We have great needjansweredOorspatrick to the call, now of a king, when VValJace reigns as governor. I am king of Kyle : I cannot understand how I should swear allegiance to him, I never held a furrow of land from him. I am as free to reign in this realm, Lord of my own lands, as aoy lord, prince or king ; I also possess great lands in England, and no subject can demand fealty of me. I deride your call." On reading Corspatrick's disdainful answer, Wal- lace could not be silent, and thus addressed the Lords of the Convention : " My Lords, tlioe can be none but one king who can, at once, reign over this realm. If Earl Patrick takes such ways and is thus allowed to insult the states, I plainly see that we are in a worse condition than we were in before ; 1 am, therefore, of opinion, that he ought to be made to do homage to his lawful king." &c. They all agreed that submission was absolutely necessary ; and Wallace, the commander in chief of the forces, took his leave of them and marched away to Kinghorn with 200 men. He received additional troops under brave Seaton and Robert Lauder at Mus- selburgh and Lyle, with 20 men at Lintown, and marched past Dunbar in pursuit of Corspatrick. — The Earl marshalled nine hundred in the field of Tnnerwick, as Wallace advanced with four hundred strong, and furiously attacked Earl Patrick's host.— The conflict was long and bloody, but Earl Patrick, was forced at last to retreat from the lield of battle. ( Wallace pursued him with three hundred men, by Cockburn , and passed on to the Bunkle-wood ; but Corspatrick fled to Norham, and thence into England. SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 89 Wallace then marched to the west to raise more troops, in order to prepare for the return of the Eng- lish, whom he suspected to invade Scotland and be avenged on him. Corspatrick and Bishop Beck, meantime, raised all the men of Northumberland, in compliance with the orders of King Ed ward, who also ordered Robert Bruce to proceed against Wallace and his country, having I made him believe that Wallace had assumed his throne. Thus from Oyss to the Tweed passed an army of 30,000 men. A squadron of ships were sent from the Thames : to watch Dunbar and act in concert with their land 1 forces. Corspatrick beseiged Dunbar which was then I commanded by Chrystal Seaton. Wallace in good I time returned with five thousand brave Scotsmen to I rescue noble Seaton. He halted all that night at Yes- j ter, where Bay joined him with fifty good experienced j horsemen, and counselled Wallace to give Corspat- rick battle immediately. I Ccrpatrick and Beck ordered their men to lay in \ ambush near Spotsmuir. so that Wallace knew not of I the stratagem. At last W^allace discovered Cors- ^ Patrick marching furiously over a plain field with d j very great host. The Scots thought themselves too I few to engage 20,000 men, and deemed it prudent to I retire to some place of strength, or to go and collect I more warriors. Wallace said, " that would be a j dangerous chance and expedient, while a furious ene- I my is rushing upon us. I will never flee as long as I have one against their four : there are twenty here this very day that would encounter them though 3 H 2 90 THE LIFE OF was absent ; if such be numerous, we are strong let us up and fight thorn ; they wont stand long." A dreadful conflict ensued, and five thousand of the English fell at the first onset, and the rest were put in great confusion, but Earl Patrick encouraged and rallied his men to renew the combat ; but Wal- lace and Ramsay, Graham and Lundie, Seaton and Adam Wallace, Hay and Lyle, Boyd and Barclay, Baird and Lauder, pressed so furiously on them, that they were obliged to retire with great slaughter. Just as the English began to flee, Bishop Beck caused his ten thousand men to sally from their am- bush, and to attack and surround the Scots on every side. When AVallace saw them so quickly appear, he deemed it expedient to retreat in close columns, but they were so completely surrounded, that they had to cut their way through them. The dreadful Patrick soup-ht Wallace through all the throng, and wounded him even through his coat of mail. Wallace then mustered all his strength, and aimed a blow at him ; it missed him but clave Maitland down. Wallace was then completely surrounded by the English, and his horse being slain, was left alone on foot. Earl Patrick commanded his men to bear him down with spears, but like a champion brave, stood qn his feet and hewed oft' their heads and scorned to yield. — Meantime the Scots missed Wallace and understood that he was alone or taken, and bold Graham, Lau- der, Lyle, Hay, Ramsay, Lundie, Boyd, and Seaton, brought five hundred horsemen, rescued their beloved chieftain, and rode off' to the main body. Two thou- SIR WILLIAM WALLACE: 91 sand more of the English fell in the second encoun- ter ; and the Scots, in all, lost only 500 men, and not one chief was slain in that battle. After this glorious yictory, all the country flock- ed to the standard of Walhice ; Crawford of Ed- inburgh brought four hundred men, all i-n briglit armour ; Sir WiUiam Douglass also came with four score brave men, and others came from Tiviotdale and Jedburgh, and soon made up two thousand brave warriors, who immediately proposed to pursue their enemies, retreating on Lammermuir, in that same night and to be avenged on them. Wallace ordered his army to march in two divisions, three thousand under the command of Graham, Seaton, Lauder and Hay, and three thousand five hundred under his^own, with Douglass, Ramsay, Barclay, Boyd, Lundie, and Adam Wallace, who at the rising of the sun, surprised the English, unprepared to fight, rushed upon them furiously with their broad claymores, and cut them to pieces. Just as the English were engaged with Wallace under Beck, Sir John Graham led on his men from the ambush, and on his approach, ten thousand of them fled with Corspatrick and Beck and Bruce, to Norham house. The Scots pursued and made great havoc among them. 20,000 English perished that day by the sword i Wallace, on his return to St. Johnston, passed over Corspatrick's lands, took away all bis goods and demol ished his castles, even to the number of twelve, within the Merse and Lothian. He then marched through Edinburgh and landed in Perth, and informed the 92 THE LIFE OF barons of all his battles and successes, and received the thanks of the states, and dealt the rebels' lands to those who deserved them in fighting the battles of their country. ALLACE MARCHES INTO ENGLAND, Remains there nine months and returns without battle. Wallace having established the affairs of the king- dom in a secure slate, he entered England in the be- ginning of November, with an army of forty thousand Scots, all volunteers, on purpose to obtain provisions for tliem during the cold winter, because famine was endured, by a long and desolating invasion. He began at the river Tweed to march his army, and spared neither man nor beast ; burned all tow.ns in Northumberland, even Durham was committed to the flames. Churches, abbeys, priories, convents, women and children were spared ; corn and cattle became their lawful prey, in return for what they had done to Scotland. All the inhabitants of Northumberland fled with their families and goods to New-Castle, on the ap- proach of the Scots firmy, who ravaged the country between Tyne and Derwent, for the space of 20 days, and sent much spoil home to their famishing country- men. SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. D3 Wallace then marched to Carlisle, and summoned the city to surrender ; but, on refusal, he turned his attention to attack Berland, Allerdale and the country as far as Cockermouth, because he had no battering engines to beat down its proud walls. He next march- ed to New-Castle, and wTien passing the village of Kyton, the inhabitants confiding in the impossibility of Wallace reaching them, who were surrounded with water, insulted the Scots with opprobrious language as objects of derision, but Wallace and his men swam through the water, burned down their village, turned their laugh into mourning, and they fled with preci- pitation in every direction. He burned the towns of New-Castle and Durham, but the castles were left un- reduced for want of battering rams. Wallace next marched to York, slew all men in ' arms who opposed them, and burned the city, carry- I ing off the spoils. Always as he passed, he levelled t small forts and castles with the ground. ' He spent fifteen days about the walls of York, ' and there Edward sent a knight to entreat him to I cease from burning and slaying, promising that he would give him batUe in fifteen days. Wallace an- I swered, "I will desist both from fire and sword for I forty days, if Edward will keep his promise and meet me on the field." Edward did set his hand and seal to this promise, and Wallace marched off the second day after, and pitched his tents in the northwest near Northallertown, and proclaimed peace for forty days. There Sir Ralph Raymont attempted to surprise Wallace and cut them to pieces. But ^ome of his spies got information of the stratagem and revealed it 94 THE LIFE OF to Wallace, He then called Richard Lundie and Hugh Hay, and commanded them to proceed in front with three thousand men, and there to lay in ambush in profound silence and secrecy and drew up his host in noble array. Raymont then advanced with seven thousand liorsenien, but the Scots sallied forth from their ambush and attacked them furiously in the rear and laid three thousand of them dead at the first on- set, with Ralph Raymont, their commander,and forced the rest to flee. Wallace pursued them to Milton, killed great numbers of them, and seized the town with all its riches and stores, regaled his men with English wine, ale, beef and bread, then burned the town, levelled its walls, and returned to his camp, which he then caused to be fortified, with a deep ditch around them. Edward, then at Pumfret, sent to Wallace, pro- mising to give him battle, on condition he would be crowned king of the Scots, and thereby become his equal, but Wallace could not be caught in that net. Sir A. Campbell and Earl Malcom and the rest, agreed that he should be crowned ; but Wallace ab- solutely refused, saying, " it would be presumtuous ; I would be a rogue to usurp the crown — I will fight for my king and my country, and God above will re- ward me in the end." Woodstock counselled the nation, in Parliament, not to go out and meet VVallace, for they would be defeated ; concluding, that the best method was to starve liim out, by withholding all grain and cattle from his grasp. SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 95 Forty days being now expired, no English army appeared, and Wallace burned down North-allentown and proceeded to besiege York, spreading destruc- tion through York wherever he went, saving women, children and holy places. 8IE0E 09 TORK. Wallace commanded his eight captains, Lauder Malcom, Boyd, Campbell, Ramsay, Graham, Craw- ford, and Auchenleck, at the head of four divisions, itwo to each division, and the four divisions to attack ithe four gates of the city, with a thousand Scots arch- 'ers for evei'y gate. Seventeen thousand English then ^appeared on the walls, boldly using the bow and spear, jfuriously sallying out to repel them, but received ? warm reception from the Scots, and were driven back jwithin their walls. They then cast faggots of fire, ^red hot bars of iron, stones, burning pitch, and every ^prodigious thing, to gall the besiegers, who on the first day, only burned the bulwarks of the town, and past the turrets down. j Next morning at break of day they encompassed the walls in the same manner, and galled the besieged severely with their arrows, set fire to every gate, but |:ould not reduce the town that day, and they retired fit night. Meantime, in the dead of the night, the English, un- ler the command of Sir Wra Morton and Sir Wm. 9G THE LIFE OF Lees, made a furious sally out with five thousand men, on Eari Malcom, in order to surprise them and cut them to peices. Wallace, as he rode around watching the motions of the enemy, saw them coming and blew his mar- tial horn, roused all his warriors, who lay in their harness, and led them to meet the enemy, with their claymores. Wallace rode briskly up and made a grand charge, and drove them again within their walls, leaving Sir John Morton dead upon the ground, with 1200 of his men to grace the field of battle. Next day the Scots for the third time surrounded the town and assaulted the gates. — Just when their provisions were done, the English, not knowing the condition of the Scots, beat a parley. Wallace ap- peared and asked them what they meant by it. — The major in the name of the rest, promised to pay a ransom if the Scots would v/ithdraw. Wallace re- plied, '' we value not your gold — j^our king promised to give us battle ; let him act faithfully. The major answered very corteously, " He is the king, and we are but subjects ; take the gold and retire." Wallace consulted with his captains and officers, who agreed to take the gold, because victuals were scarce, the place strong, themselves fatigued ; and to return to tiieir native land, with booty. Wallace said, " I shall not be content, except tliey let the Scots banners wave upon the walls in sight of both armies, from eight in the morning till twelve at noon*" They received five thousand pounds of Englisli gold, paid down in specie to their army that day, and plenty of provisions were conferred upon them for SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 97 the twenty days they remained in York city after J the capitulation. As they marched homeward, they burned all Myld- ■Inme, levelling' the towers, killing the deer in the for- . ests, and breaking down parks and buildings:. — ■ Wallace then turned on the opulent Shire of Ilich- mond 5 burned Ramswatch and killed Fechew, the I captain, and five hundred men. ^ Wallace then caused the widow of Fechew to car- |ry her husband's head to London, and tell Edward, that Wallace had sworn by all the Fates, to be nt I London gates ; and that he would march with fiif 1 And sword through the south-west of England. ^ They spared the whole country of Saint AlhnnV, J on account of the friendship of the Prior. ( I |TIIF. QUF.FM OK ENGLAND FROCEEDS TO WALLACE WITH OVF.RTURI S OF PEACE. I After the parliament of England concluded on i making overtures of peace to conquering WiUacc, Ino man could be found to be the embassy on such a Icommission ; but the Queen offered her services, and Iwas commissioned to treat for peace. As soon as Wallace saw the Queen with a glorious retinue of females and priests, and had finished the 'usual ceremony of receiving his illustrious guest, he asked her, " Madam, how do you like our encamping [here ?" The Queen answered, " Sir, very well 5 but 98 THE LIFE OF we need 5?^our friendship— God grant we may speed in this our errand.'' Then Wallace withdrew and called a council of war, and warned them against the subtleties of wo- man and the dangers of treating with such a person- age, in point of fidelity and confidence. After thala they served up a handsome dinner and the Queen^ treated all the Scottish captains with every rich dainty. Wallace, after the council had decided on their conduct in this affair, calmly asked her what she in- tended in her journey ? " Peace," answered the Queen, " we have no other thought, this raging war has wrought our destruction, grant it, Sir, for his sake that died for us." " Madam," said Wallace, " you ask no peace but for your own selfish ends, which can never compensate for the injustice done to our royal prince, in case of the arbitration between him and Baliol, his competitor, and for the other injuries done to the people in invading and laying waste the country." Hesilrig's cruelty, the hanging of our ba- rons, the repeated violations of treaties, &c. at the rehearsal and remembrance of which Wallace and the j Queen wept. " Wallace," she said, " we shall cease ! from this kind of discourse," and told three thousand pounds of English gold down, in His presence. Wal- lace then said " Madam, I will not grant you peace in the absence of your king ; with ladies, Madam, I cannot make a truce lest your false king break it ;" so the conference broke up and she returned to telli of the greatness of the Scot's hero and his brave ar- my, and counselled parliament to send able men tc treat with the chieftain of Scotland. SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 99 Lords Clifford, Beaumont; and Woodstock, came commissioned to treat with Wallace, and the last ti these debated very subtly, but Wallace told him plain- ly that he used sophisms, and that they should restore Roxburgh and Berwick, their king Robert, Randell, Lord Lorn, Earl Buchan, Gumming, Soules, &c. so they concluded a peace for five years. Thus AVallace delivered Scotland the first time from the English yoke, but they behaved so artfully that the nation should not see their king during the lifetime of Wallace. WAIXACE INVITED TO THE COURT 0# FRANCE. Leaves Lord James Stewart, Steward of Scotland, Governor in his absence. Wallace, on tlie invitation of the king of France proceeded with fifty men to that kingdom. But they had not been more than two days at sea, before they saw sixteen sail of heavy ships bearing down upon them, having red colours flying, and the master of the vessel apprehended them to be pirates, under the personal command ofRedReaver,the tyrant ofthe seas, as they really happened to be the same monsters, who spared no lives for gold and other property, said the master; and their commander delights in blood and rapine. 100 THE LIFE OF Wallace encouraged him and enquired into the marks whereby he could distinguish him among his men. " At first sight you will ken him," said the master, " and will soon distinguish him from his men ; a handsome proper man as there is in all France, and of a manly Scot's countenance, taller than any of his men a great deal, clothed with scarlet above a coat of mail, the foremost ship that pursues us, so he sails and you will quickly know it. He will enter first himself to enter our ship. There is a bar of blue in a shining shield, the badge of a christian, a band of white desiring nj'e the field, and the red betokens blood and hardihood." Wallace ordered the shipmaster and seamen to go below, and then commanded his fifty men to lie close down upon deck, all clothed in bright armour, as an ambush to deceive the ph'ates, aiid ordered William Crawford, whom he placed at the haulyards to haul down the sails when he should hail them, and Cleland to lay the helm along the board at the same moment. The Red Reaver came along side, and they re- ceived the salute " Strike dogs, or ye shall die," and they immediately hauled down the sails. The Red Reaver entered foremost and fearless, but Wallace (rappled him by the gorget and threw him down up- -n deck, and his mouth and nose produced blood in bundance. The Red Reaver looked about with his visage pale ; saw Wallace draw his dagger, and cried for mercy in the Latin language, and Wallace took all his weapons and spared his life, and caused him to swear on his word, that he should never fight against them or any other nation, that he should command SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 101 all his men in the rest of his ships to cease from firing and war. The Red Reaver then held up a glove, and all his men ceased immediately from firing, and Wallace took them all into Rochelle, during their voyage to Rochelle, the conversafion turned on the way in which the Red Reaver first entered on a pirating life. " What countryman," said Wallace, " art thou ?'' " A Frenchman, Sir, and my father too;" answered Red Reaver. " How camest thou to this way of life ?" " By mischance, Sir, it was from a great strife ; at Court I killed a man, and was obhged to flee my country, I seized an English ship at Bordeaux, and set out a pirating, and thus I have lived on ra- pine and blood these sixteen years. I have conquer- ed many, but in spite of fate, I am vanquished by one. Thus I confess to my eternal disgrace, my bloody life. " But pray, Sir," continued Red Reaver, " what is your name, that you, with your own single valiant hand, have commanded me all my sixteen sail ; sure none except the Scots champion, brave Wallace, could thus have baffled me and all my fourteen hun- dred men. None whom I know should dare to en- counter me, and I should esteem it a great honour to serve in his war." Then Wallace smiled, and an- swered modestly, " Scotland has need of many such as thee, what is thy real name?" said Wallace, Thomas of Loungeville," answered Red Reaver. — *' Well deserve thy name, yea, our strife shall end here," answered Wallace, "if thou "wilt repent and mend thy life, I will ever be thy faithful friend ; I am that same Wallace whom thou dost now see." Then Loungeville fell down upon his knees, as if Wallace 12 162 THE LIFE OF had been a crowned head, saying:, " I am pleased much more that I have fallen into your hands, than that I had gotten sixty score of florins." Wallace con- cluded, " that since you have by chance fallen into my hands, and since the king- has sent for me, 1 will tell him that I want y«iir peace and pardon for my reward." Loungeville said, " if you could obtain my pardon, I would most faithfully serve thee ail my days." But generous Wallace would take no ad- vantage of his situation, and only desired mutual friendship. Wallace proceeded to the king of France with Thomas of Loungeville, and obtained pardon for him and all his men, and the king even knighted him on the spot, and henceforth he went and fought with Wallace in all his succeeding wars in Guienne and in Scotland. VTALLACE ARRIVES AT THE FRENCH COURT, AND CONQUERS GUIENNE. Philip, king of France, received Wallace most courteously, and honourably, and all his nobles vied with each other in marks of respect to the Scots hero. Wallace then requested permission to make war upon the English at Guienne, and he in seve- ral great battles conquered them, and drove them out of that territory, and restored it to its original propr:- SIR WILLIAM WALLACt:: 103 etorsj but the kinj^ to reward his services, made him Lord of all Guienne, as John Blair writes. When the English parliament heard of Wallace's fighting for Philip of France, they pretended that he had broken the peace, and that they would again in- vade Scotland by sea and by land, and reduce it to a Roman province. So they sent a great army of foot and horse, and a fleet of many sail, who in conjunc- tion took Bothwell Castle, Saint Johnston, Dundee, and all the country from Cheviot to the sea, plunder- ing and murdering men, women and children, and all the old friends of Wallace, who governed the realm in his absence, were forced to flee and hide them- selves ; so the sanguinary Edward made a second conquest of Scotland. Adam Wallace, Robert Boyd, Lundie, John Gra- ham, and Hugh Hay, however, with about fifty men, soon commenced a defensive war, by intercepting their provisions, and cutting of straggling parties, they first surprised fourscore of the guard of provi- sions coming to Bothwell Castle, and killed sixty of them, and took all their gold and goods, while five Scots only fell in the engagement. Meantime Guth- rie sent to Wallace, and intreated him to come home, and fight again for their laws and liberties. Wallace soon appeared again on the field, in de- fence of their injured rights, and in vengeance of the slaughtered sons of his native Caledonia. For he landed at Montrose with his brave companions, and Longueville, and was joined by Sir John Ramsay, Ruthven, Bissott, Barclay, and others, making a 104 THE LIFE OF martial company of three hundred men, whom he marched to Ochter house, determined to liberate his country or die in the cause of freedom. WALLACE RE-TAKES 8T. JOHNSTON BT STRATAGEM. With his small band, Wallace marched speedily to Perth, a place of great importance, in the heart of the kingdom, admitting of communication from Eng- land by sea. As he lay in ambush in the vicinity watching an opportunity to surprise the English, it fortunately happened that six English servants came forth with empty carts, to convey hay into the town. Wallace instantly slew the servants, and arrayed themselves with the upper garments, loaded the carts with hay, and as many as could, secreted themselves in the loads of hay, and six drove the carts, the rest lay in ambush very near, to seize every opportunity that might be given them to enter the town. In this disguise they entered the town, and Wallace slew the sentinel or porter, and secured the gates for the en- trance of his brave men, who immediately appeared and spread destruction in every quarter among the surprised English, which so terrified the rest, that Sir John Stewart, the governor, fled out at the gate to Methun wood, a hundred took refuge in the church, but the superstition of Wallace did not induce him en such an occasion to spare their lives, even in the SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. lOA sacred sanctuary. By tlils success Wallace acquired much booty, and a place of great importance in point of future conquests. WALLACE MARCHES INTO FIKK, Conquers the English at Blackironside, reduces Lockkven and Ayrth, and delivers the most part of the country. Wallace then marches into Fife, and was attacked by Sir John Stewart from the Ochile-hills. The Scots being few in number were greatly alarmed at this sudden surprise and deemed it best to flee and get across the Tay, to receive assistance from their brave companions, who knew nothing of their danger. But Wallace saw they were all dead men if they at- tempted to flee, so he counselled them to be posted in the wood of Blackironside, and to raise a strong bar- rier of trees to keep them from being overpowered and borne down by numbers. Stewart and Vallance, with their numerous host, attacked them, and surrounded the wood at the same time with great bravado, thinking to kill the one hun- dred Scots rebels without any trouble, Wallace thus addressed his men " take courage lads, and bravely show your face, the wood we will hold as long as we can stand, to the last man we will fight for it sword 106 THE LIFE OF in hand, the right is ours, let us up to it manfully, 1 will free this land once more before I die," which did so enga-g:e their hearts to him, and raised their spirits that many were for rushing upon the enemy in the open plain, but Wallace wisely restrained their ar- dour. Wallace's forty good archers galled the Eng- lish horse on every side in a most effectual manner ; and the rest were spearmen who desired nothing but honour and glory in war defended their posts with valour and undauntedness, leaving a space for the English to enter ; in order to get an advantage of them entering in at a narrow pass. The whole bodys of EngUsh made a second grand attack with the reso-^' lution to conquer and kill every one of the Scots, but they were again repulsed with great slaughter, 180 of them laid dead on the field, then Stewart caused his men to sound a retreat and consulted what was next to be done. He charged Vallance to watcli all night, and keep Wallace into Cooper ; but Vallance would not fight all day and watch all night, so a dispute arose between the two English commanders. Wallace took the advantage of thi^ dispute and called on Vallance to come over to them and promised him a Lordship in the land. Vallance chose rather to take his chance with the Scots, than to venture his life in tho hands of the enraged Stew- art and Edward, so he came over with two hundred men. By this time, too, brave Ramsay and Ruthven came with three hundred men to Blackironside, and the whole band of Scots consisted of five hundred and sixty men, while Stewart drew up two thousand men on the plain ; the Scots advanced boldly and SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 107 attacked them, defeated and killed all but a few fugi- tives on the field of battle. Wallace himself cut Stewart down with his great claymore. Then Ruth- ven marches to Perth and takes it ; Sir John Ramsay took Cooper of Fife ; Wallace and Crawford, Guth- erie, Loungeville, and Richard took Lindores without any opposition, all the English having fled before them. One company of English still remained in Loch- leven, and Wallace could not rest, until he reduanl it also ; so he marched off *»n the middle of the night with eighteen chosen men, whom he ordered to r^^- main on the Loch, while he, himself, would swim with his sword to the castle and bring away their boat to carry them over. They having obtained the boat, soon reached the Castle and boldly attacked it with sword in hand, and spared none, excepting women and children. They remained eight days there and receivci Ramsay with all his men, when they repaired to Perth where good Bishop Sinclair met him and counselled him to pro- ceed with all alacrity : and .Top was sent to the north for supplies, and John Blair to the \>est in Priest's garments to warn their friends in the west ; and the people flocked to the standard of Wallace frc.m every quarter of the land. Wallace then proceeded with fifty men and took Ayr;h by suiprise, killed Thomas Weir, the captain, and one hundred men, even all that were in the garrison, and delivered his uncle from chains. Before morning they had all the spoils conveyed away to Tor wood, in the neighborhood, and marched off to Dumbarton. 108 THE LIFE OF Wallace and his men arrived at Dumbarton be- fore break of day. He called upon a widow of his acquaintance who entertained them in a close barn with the greatest secrecy. She presented her nine sons to Wallace to increase the number of his warriors, and made him a present of one hundred pounds. Meantime he caused her to mark all the doors where the South- erons lodged and then marched alibis men in solemn silence unto the gate where they securely slept. An English captain and nine of his messmates were still drinking and vaunting about their strength, one said, " Had I Wallace, I would think nothing to engage with him ;" another said, " I would tie Sir John Gra ham," a third said " I v/ill fight Boyd" and so on, and Wallace walks in among the midst of them and salut- ed them handsomely all round, "' I am come from my travels, gerrfles," said he, " I long to see your conquest of the Scots, some of your good cheer I would wish to have." Then the Captain gave him a very saucy answer, saying, " Thou seomest to be a Scot, likely to be a spy, and mayest be one of Wallace's compa- ny, which, if thou be, nothing shall protect thee from being hanged. Wallace thought it then good time to draw his dreadful claymore, and he cut off his head at one stroke, killed another, and burned a third into the fire, and Kierly and Stephen came in and killed all the rest. And then by the guidance of a hostler, he set fire to the buildings where the rest of the Eng lish slept, and burned them all to death, and proceed- ed to reduce Roseneath Casde. The night following the fall of Dumbarton, Wal- lace proceeded from Dumbarton Cave, whither hs SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 109 retired for rest, after the burning the English there, to Roseneath where he surprised and killed eighty of them returning from a wedding, entered the castle along with the fugitives, and slew all the garrison, and having feasted a i'ew days on the spoils, burned and abandoned it. He then marched to Falkland to meet Earl Malcom, 'Richard Lundie, Sir John Gra- ham, Adam Wallace, Barclay, Boyd, &c. and to keep his yool and holy days. Then he heard of the de cease of his good old mother, and despatched Jop and Mr. Blair to bury her decently, and proceeded to the liberation of his country from a foreign yoke. eiR WILLtAM DOUGI^AS WINS THE CASTI.E OF SANQUHAR BY A STRATAGEM, And rescued by Wallace from falling inlo the hands of their cruel enemies. Although Sir William Douglass was constrained to submit to the English, and to marry an English lady, he took the castle of Sanquhar by stratagem, put every man to the sword, inclosed himself in the cas- tle, and sent a messenger to entreat Wallace to bring him speedy relief. Meantime Wallace began to march south, and, in his route, cut dff Ravendale, an English captain, with two hundred men, in the vici nity of the Castle of Kilsvth ; in the same route be K no THE LIFE OF burned the towns of Linlithgow, Dalkeith and New- Castle, expelling the English from every place of strength. He proceeded then to Peebles, where he received reinforcements of one hundred men under Lauder and Seaton, who has just issued from the Bass, and forty or fifty more widi Hugh Hay, and sixty with Rutherford, making an army of eight hun- dred strong. By this time the English had beseiged sir William Douglas in Sanquhar, and just as he was about to proceed on his conquering march, Dickson, Douglas' messenger, arrived, and requested speedy assistance of Wallace. Without a moment's delay, Wallace marched to his aid. The English who be- sieged the castle flew when they heard the approach of WilUam Wallace, with the greatest precipitation. Wallace being informed of their flight, pursued them with three hundred horsemen, overtook and routed them at Closeburn with great slaughter. During the pursuit their horses failed, but the men like lions and hinds, pursued them on foot, till the English diappeared ; even five hundred dead bodies were strewed through the fields. Wallace immedi- ately after these successes, received continual fresh troops, horses and men. Currie, Johnston, Kirkpat- rick and Halliday, with seven score of new men, joined him at Closeburn. Then he rode to Dumfries, and proclaimed peace to all who would assist against the Southerons, for the English had almost all left the kingdom, and the places of strength were again occu- pied by Scotsmen. While Wallace was besieging Dundee, the last place he had to reduce, Edwarl being convinced of SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. Ill the impossibility of conquering Wallace and the Scots by dint of arms, plotted how he njight ensnare him by bribes, promises or honours, which gained the sub- mission of others, &c. All his pretences, &;c. were in vain. Wallace answered Edward's emissaries in the following words, "I owe my life to, and will wil- lingly lay it down for my country, although all other Scotsmen should submit to the king, 1 never will give obedience or yield allegiance to any power, except to the king of Scodand, my rightful sovereign." King Edward finding no stratagem could succeed to draw Wallace into the snare, he sent Lord Woodstock with ten thousand men to march to Stirling bridge, to secure that pass, until he should come up with the main body, but Wallace heard of Woodstock's com- ing, and drew up his eight thousand on Sheriffmuir, where the two armies joined battle, and the Scots fought most furiously, and cut ten thousand English down on the sp6t, for they would not flee, not one of them escaped the claymore that day, and all their horses, silver, gold, arms and other spoils, were a rich booty to the surviving Scots, who then retired beyond the bridge and broke down all the passes, and pro- ceeded to secure Dridfoord against the enemy. Wal- lace then received more reinforcements with Earl Malcom, Sir John Graham, Stewart, of Bute, Cum- mings, of Badanoch, making an army of 30,000 strong, who marched to Falkirk, to meet Edward's host of one hundred thousand warriors. But, alas, Gumming instigated Stewart to dispute the right of being commander in chief with Wallace, claiming the right to lead the vangUi^rd, and fled with his ten 112 i THE LIFE OF thousand, and Wallace withdrew his ten thousand, and left Stewart to encounter the whole English army, who cut them all to pieces, but not without the tre- mendous loss of thirty thousand killed on the field of battle. By this time Wallace was surrounded, and was compelled to cut his way through Bruce's host, and there the Scots again stretched eight thousand South- erons on the field as they cut their way through them, and proceeded to the Torwood. Wallace, Graham ,and Lauder remained behind the army with three hundred men, and attacked the enemy's wing, and there killed three hundred more ; but they were at tacked by thirty thousand under Bruce, and were so entangled in rescuing each other, and fighting their retreat, that they lost Sir John Graham, and were forced to swim across Carron river, leaving in all, ten thousand more of their enemies dead on the field. Next day he proceeded to the field, discovered the body of Graham, and entombed him under the fol- lowing Epitaph : " Mente Monuque potens et Vallacjidus Achates Conditurhic Gramius hello, inter fectus ahAngUsP Wallace proceeded then to Linlithgow, and sur- prised the English in their tents, killed ten thousand of them, and the rest fled, losing three thousand in the flight ; but the Scots pursued them out of the land, and then returned to Edinburgh. Thus Wal- lace delivered Scotland a second time from the Eng- lish yoke. SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. . 113 ^ WALLACB MEETS THE PARLIAMENT, Jnd resigns Jiis commission and returns to France^ conquered John Lijnn at sea and the country oj Guienne. On account of some jealousies Wallace resigned the command of the Army, and the office of Governor General of Scotland, and retired to France, where he received great honours and praise. He embarked with eighteen of his brave followers at Dundee, and as they steered along the English coast about the Humber, they saw a sail bearing down upon them. They soon discovered with fear that it was John Lynn, the cruel and bloody pirate of the seas. Wal lace sent all the trembling cowards below, and steered the ship himself. Jolin of Lynn with seven score of rogues came along side, galled the Scots with guns befure they clasped, but when they clasped the Scot- tish spears made dreadful havoc among them for near- ly an hour ; the merchants too in their woollen har- ness, behaved themselves like gallant men in that fight, killed or drowned all the seven hundred men and took their gold &c. The King knighted Wallace as soon as he arrived in France, and gave him gold to sup- port the war in Guienne against the English, where he marched with 10,000 men, and laid waste all Gui- enne, conquered it in five pitched battles, and was made Lord of that land. K 2 THE LIFE OF WALLACE StHPRISED, BDT CONQTTERS THE TRAITORS After he had made a conquest of Guienne, he iv- ed like a prince at Shenion, until a proud knight T)f France boldly claimed sundry lands and an office in Guienne as his hereditarj^ right which were then in Wallace's hands, and contrived a hellish plot to cut him off, and then to obtain re-possession of his lands. Pretending good services to Wallace, he made an ap pointment to meet him with fifteen men each at a certain place. The treacherous knight, knowing the strength and valour of the Scots and his own deep design, brought forty armed men and placed them in ambush, to sally forth as soon as the dispute should begin in order to destroy him. Then the knight ar- rived and began to speak in an angry tone, saying, " Thou dost possess my lands by no good right." — " I have no lands," Wallace replied, " but what the king gave me, and what 1 have won in peril of my life from the English in a bloody contest." " Then," answered the knight sternly, " thou shalt here resign them or die, by the powers divine," and drew his sword and the whole ambush rushed out and surprised the Scots. '• Are these the thanks," said brave Wal- lace, " I receive from your hands, for restoring of your native lands ? Although I and these my men want armour, sixteen against your fifty-five, what then ? Here's a claymore made of the truest steel, which thy deserving neck shall shortly feel," and with one single SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 115 Stroke cut down the treacherous knight and bid him to purchase a grave for himself. Then the fifty-five Gallic warriors surrounded Wallace and his fifteen men, who like brave Scots, with noble hearts and true, fought boldly and cut down heaps of Frenchmen. — The knight's brother fought long and bravely, but they were all cut down at last. In sight of this bloody contest nine Frenchmen were mowing hay, who, when they saw their countrymen worsted and stretch- ed on the plain advanced with all speed, each armed with a sharp scythe, and made a dreadful attack, as if nothing could impede their fury. Wallace, as soon as h*^ descried the scythe men coming, immediately advanced in head of his men towards the clowns. — The first of them made a dreadful cut at Wallace, but he being strong, tight and swift, overleaped his scythe, and cut his head from his shoulders with a back stroke of his claymore. He jumped over the next fellow's scythe, and clave his shoulder more than half a yard. He leaped over the third's scythe, and killed him also, and the fourth he clave through the body, and the fifth he pursued and slew also. So having despatched five and put the other four to flight, he returned to his brave men who had, by that time, slain forty-nine of the Frenchmen — and seven fled oft' the field of battle. The King of France was exceedingly glad at the success and victory of Wallace over such a treacher- ous murderer, and invited him earnestly to remain at court as one of his own household, and live happy and secure under his royal protection. Wallace ac- 116 THE .LIFE OF cepted the offer, and remained two years at the French court, being diverted with princely sports, in favour with kings, lords, and ladies. WALLACE dSULTED BY TWO CHAMPIONS, Fights and kills them both. While Wallace lived at the French court, two Gal- lic Champions, who mortally haled the Scots, always passing their satirical jokes on Scotsmen and Scotland, so enraged our brave champion, that he could no longer endure such insults. These two champions used always to walk linked in each others arms, and it happened one day that Wallace was in a large hall, where none did wear arms, and was grossly insulted by them, and he asked them, " What means all this hatred, when our nations live in firm alliance and friendship ? Did we deserve good words for our good deeds ? What would you say of your proud enemies, when you talk so of your friends ? They disdainfully replied in their own language, " The EngUsh are our foes, we own, but the Scots for false- hood are known every where ;" at which Wallace was so enraged, that he gave one of them a founder- ing blow and made his nose bleed profusely ; the SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 117 Other tnen struck at Wallace, supposing his compan- ion dead on the floor, but Wallace clasped him so hard, that his soul departed from his body ; the other had recovered by this time, and again encountered him with fury, but Wallace dashed out his brains up- on a pillar, saying " Let them take that for their pains — what the devil ailed the carles, they were to blame; it would have been long before I would ever have troubled them. Let all young persons learn from this example how to bridle their tongues.'' Many of the great lords of France were displeased at this unfortu- nate conflict, became jealous, and hated Wallace; but the king exonerated him from all blame on this occa- sion, and none durst cast a saucy look at him. WALLACE AND THE KING DECEIVED BY THE LORDS, WAS LED TO FIGHT THE LION. As the king loaded Wallace with marks of respect and honour, his nobles became envious, hateful and malicious towards him, and two of them plotted hel- lishly, to effect the destruction of the brave Scots hero, to be avenged on him for the death of the two champions, their near relations, and to sacrifice the life of the Scot in an ignominious manner. These two squires come to the king, forged a he, saying, " this Scot brags and boasts, and says, that he would 118 THE LIFE OF undertake to [fight your lion, if you will freely give him your permission, and he has desired us to ask your leave, we are sure he will have a difficult task." The King replied with great concern, " I am sorry he desireth such a thing, yet I will not deny what- ever favour he may ask me while he is in France." They then went to Wallace, fabricated another story, saying, ' Wallace, the king commands you fight his lion without further commands.' Wal- lace replied, * whatever is the will of the king, I will most gladly fulfil with all my strength," then in- stantly repaired to court. A lord at court, when he saw Wallace there, most foolishly asked him, if he durst fight the fierce lion ? he answered, yes, trulj', if the king would have me to do so, or with yourself, I fear none of the two, let cowards from kings courts be all debarred, I may be worsted, but never shall be dared, so long as my nostrils retain the breath of life or Scottish blood circle in my veins, like a true Scot I will fight and scorn to flee; for why, 1 know that man is made to die." Then the king granted that Wallace might fight the lion, v/ithout knowing the conspiracy laid against the life of the Scot, and brought harness for Wallace, but he said, no, I leave that to the field, Almighty God only shall shield me, since this is but a beast and not a man, with what I have I will fight as I can, and will encounter him single as I go, though this foe is a fierce, strong, rapacious, cruel and relentless enemy. Then he wrapped his mantle round one hand and took his claymore in the other, and proceeded to the place where the lion raged iu SIR WILLIAM WALLACE: 119 expectation of blood. Wallace then thrust his cover- ed arm into the lion's mouth, drew a stroke from neck to heel and cut him through the body, and then call- ed aloud to the king;, " Pray, Sire, is thi*. your whole desire thus to expose me to the rage and will of your fierce lion ; have you any more to kill? Cause them to bring them forth ; such beasts I will quell and will obey you so long as I dwell in France. But now 1 take leave forever of France, some greater action I may soon achieve. At Shemon, sir, I thought the other year that you would have had other business for me here, than to fight a cruel savage beast, therefore I shall return to ancient Scotland once more." The king perceiving Wallace in anger, meekly replied, " It was your own desire, else by the faith of a most Christian king, I never would have allowed any such a tiling, for men of honour asked it in your name, so you or they are only to blame." Wallace replied, " I vow to the great God, this seems to me a thing most strange ; by all that is good, I know no more of it than a child unborn, this is a trick devised by some of those who are my secret and malicious enemies." — The king called the two squires and caused both their heads to be cut off on the judgment of their own confession. — Wallace perceiving himself to be envied by the French lords and having received a letter from the Scottish Barons entreating him to return, so he took his leave of the king and court, and proceeded, loaded with gold and jewels, to Scotland to fight for the rights and liberties of his native country. All the lords and ladies about the court grieved and wept on the de- 120 THE LIFE OF parture of the Scots champion, hero, and knight ; but no Scotsmen of note 'returned with him, only Lon gueville, who would never leave him. WAtLACE ARRIVES AT THE MOUTH OF ERNE, In the river Tay^ fights the battle of Elcho Park. Wallace having arrived at the mouth of the Erne, he marched quietly with eighteen valiant men, to Elcho-Park: on his way he called at Crawford's house, his consul's, who embraced and kissed him with joy and gladness of heart, and secured his men till they were rested, refreshing them with food and drink, until Crawford proceeded to Perth to buy pro- visions, when the English noticed his buying of more provisions than usual, and seized him and laid h\n\ in prison ; but after questioning him, let him go, and then armed eight hundred men, and dogged Craw- ford home. Crawford arrived and warned Wallace to flee, " for I greatly fear says he the rogues are at ray heels ; I will give you all the assistance I can give, I myself shall be the twentieth man." No sooner had the Scots issued forth in armour, than eight, hundred English came in sight, and Butler at their head. — SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 121 When Wallace saw their numbers, he withdrew to Elcho Wood, and there fortified a pass with lono- trees across the path where they could enter, and on either side the place was naturally fortified by a close thicket of hollens, that defended them in the flanks and rear. Then he addressed his men as follows : "The wood is thick, its breadth and length is small, if we had food enough, we cfJuld keep the strength' meantime let us bravely fight as long as we can stand, for our old native country; come, let us to it, either do or die; ere they gain the pass, we shall lay some of their bellies to the wind/' By this time Butler had Crawford's house surrounded, seized his wife, and vowed to burn her to death, if she did not tell where the Scots warriors had gone. Wallace having issued from the thicket to reconnoitre his enemies,and see the fate of his cousin's family, just when they were about to burn Mrs. Crawford, called aloud to them to "stay their hand, for here am I, and own myself your foe- why should ye torment an honest, innocent woman ^ come forth to me and we will end the strife; it were a prodigious sin to kill the female Scot, art thou a christian .;> tell me yea or nay; in all my victories, 1 always saved the priests, women and children." But- ler threw his face, bit his lip, and heaved with venom and spite, when he saw brave Wallace in his pres- ence. Then the English fiercely marched after him, as he retired to his place of strength in the thicket, and attacked the Scots boldly at the pass, which was nobly defended, and were repulsed with the loss of fifteen men Jiilled on the first onset. They made a aecond and more desperate attack in three divisions, 112 THE LIFE OF at three different points at the same moment. Wal lace saw their divisions advance, and ordered his Longuevilie with six men, Crawford with six, to keep the weakest parts of the strength, and Wallace kept five with himself to meet Butler at the pass. — Wallace then allowed some men to come in, on pur- pose to ensnare them. Seven men entered, looked very timid, and were immediately cut down ; but Butler withdrew from the entrance when he saw the fate of his men, and Longuevilie and Crawford made so grand a defence, that the enemy were forced to retire for the night. Butler set his watches, and retired to feast on good provisions, while the wearied Scots had only water to drink ; but Wallace, with cheerful countenance, and encouraging words, made a single night of fasting ea- sy to them, and before morning, under the cover of a thick fog, sallied out upon the English, killed Butler and thirty of his men, carried wounded Crawford off the field, retired to Methven wood, marched off to Birnam wood, and thence to Athol and Lorn, where they were reduced to the last extremity by famine. There, as Wallace slept alone in the woods, (for he had retired from his men, and had fallen asleep,) five sanguinary assassins, who had been bound, on pain of death, to take Vv^allace, d'^ad or alive, drew near and attempted to bind Wallace ; but he rose like a lion in his full strength, daslied the brains out of the first against a tree, despatched the other three with the dead man's sword, and two fled. The en- raged champion pursued and smote them both to the ground. Wallace having found a boy with some 'SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 123 provisions on the hill, and having fed his men with them, he marched directly to Rannoch plains where he found the castle commanded by Scotsmen, who received him into the fort, and promised to obey his commands, and swore allegiance to Robert Bruce un- der Wallace. The lord of the castle sent his three valjant.sons, and twenty other brave warriors to fight the batdes of their country, under the renowned chtef- tain of Scotland, who there displayed the Scottish banner, and marched through the country to recruit his army. He landed at Dunkeld, put all the garri- son to the -sword, feasted five days on good provi- sions, took all their gold and jewels, and returned agam to the north, considering themselves too few to besiege the town of Perth. In Ross, Bute, Argyle, Buchan, Murray, &c. he collected an army of seven thousand men, and march- ed straight to Aberdeen. The English all fied on the approach of the invincible Wallace. Clement, the brave knight of Ross, came to Wallace with a gallant company of warriors ; Sir John Ramsay, also joined h.m, with many others, and he then deemed his pow er sufficient to place and keep judges over the land, and establish garrisons in all strong holds. 124 THE LIFE OF SIEGE OF PERTH. Wallace having thus settled the goverhment of the kingdom, proceeded immediately to reduce the castles remaining in the hands of the English. He first be- sieged Perth, and took it b}^ storm, killing 1080 in tlie breach of, and round the walls, and garrisoned it by Scotsmen. Sinclair, Lundie, Lindsay, Boyd, Adam Wallace, Seaton, Lauder, Dundas, Scott, &c. fought with Wallace in that engagement. Wallace then proceeds to the south, where he found that Edward Bruce had arrived from Ireland with fifty men of his mother's relations, and had al- ready taken Kirkcudbright with a garrison of nine score : Wigtown castle he had also reduced, and joined Wallace most cheerfully, and then marched with him to Lochmaben, where Wallace like a true and faithful Scot, resigned the command of the army to him, promising to crown him king of Scotland, if his brother Robert did not come home to possess his throne. Prince Edward Bruce remained in Lochmaben, but Wallace proceeded to Cummock ; so Scotland was the third time delivered by the brave and faithful Wallace, and then had rest from wars and ravages of their enemies. SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 125 MONTEITH BETRAYS WALLACE. When king Edward found it impracticable to con- quer and subjugate Scotland as long- as Wallace lived, he called Aymer de Vallance to him, and consulted with him how he might betray him by his own friends. Edward promised to give him any thing he should ask, except his queen and crown, if he would tak« Wallace dead or alive. Vallance then proceeded to Bothwell to execute the hellish plot. He promise. in Edward's name, to give John Montieth the Earl- dom of Lennox and three thousand pounds of Eng- lish gold. " Fy,'^ said Monteith, " it would be a mighty shame, yea, you and I would be very blame- able, if we betrayed a man who had done so great services to his king and country ; he is of our nation too, and is the governor of the land, and captain gen- eral of our forces ; for my part 1 declare, come weel^ come woe, I never will condescend to treat him so.'' Vallance replied, " if you did understand what a shedder of Christian blood he is, you would not plead for him, but rather contribute to break his power ; be- sides the king has no desire to take away his lif., but to confine him so that both nations might ease from war, and that he should not disturb the Cf mo": peace." The poor souled Monteith began tnen to aver when he heard that he was not to be massacred, an». having formerly wished him in Edward's power prf>- L 2 UQ THE, LIFE OF vided he would spare his hfe, he half resolved to take the bribe. Vallance when he saw Monteith thrown into hesitation, employed all his deep cunning and Satanic art to induce him to accept of the bribe, and told him down three thousand pounds of English gold, saying " this yon shall have and Lennox at your will, if you will now fulfil the king's desire," — Monteith could no longer resist the temptation, he re- ceived the gold and bound himself to carry Wallace and put him securely into the hands of the Eng- lish ! ! ! Vallance merrily scampered off to London and left Montieth to fulfil his horrid contract ! Edward sent private letters to Monteith, urging him to execute quickly what he had undertaken. Monteith read over the letter and then called his sister's son, and caused him to swear to conceal the plot : " go" said Monteith, " and wait on Wallace as a domestic, and when a fit opportunity occurs, be sure to embrace it, and call me and I will secure him." The villain promised to fulfil all his commands. Meantime, as the God of Providence would have it, Wallace wrote to Robert Bruce to come into Scot- land and receive quiet possession of his throne and kingdom. Bruce returned a letter promising to meet Wallace on Glasgow muir on the first of July. So Wallace proceeded to Glasgow muir, and none un- derstood where he went but Kierly, and the young traitor in Wallace's service, who on the eighteenth night warned Monteith, who caused sixty men to march from Dumbarton and to lurk near Glasgow town, and sent out a spy to notice the house where SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 127 Wallace resided. Karbreston, or the cottage of Lum- loch was its name, and as Wgillace and Kierly went to sleep, the young fellow went out and informed his uncle of the fit time to secure him. Then Monteith called his sworn traitors to surround the iiouse, slew Kierly and seized upon Wallace, wlio rose like a lion ; but ail ! his claymore, his dagger, and all were pre- viously stolen away by his treacherous servant, and lie could find nothing to use in his own defence ex- cept a bench by which he killed two of the traitors. At last Monteith spoke subtily to Wallace, and told him that the English surrounded the house, and that it would be in vain to make any resistance, a single man unarmed against a host of armed men under Clif- ford. Th(^y will save your life, so make no resis- tance, but come along to Dumbarton with me, and you will be as safe as at home ; we have come to save your life, see we have no weapon ; and Wal- lace believing all he said in the house submitted to their will, on condition that Monteith would fulOl iiis promise to save his life. " Only as a prisoner the English must see you" said Monteith " bound with cords, else they will take you from me." So tiiey cunningly slipped cords on his hands, and bound them down with counter cords underneath, and led him bound to Solwaysands, and there delivered him into Vallance's and Clifford's hands, who first con- fined him in Carlisle prison, and afterwards conveyed him to the Tower of f^ondon. As he passed through England, great nudtitudes of men, women and chil- dren, assembled from all quarters of the land, to gaze upo>n the illustrious prisoner. 128 THE LIFE OF ' During his imprisonment tiiere he occupied his fcw remaining days in holy devotion, especially delight- ing in his Psalter ; and before his execution made his bequest to Helen Mar, his second wife, and bequeath- ed his private property to the brave Lanerkers, who first fought for their country, in the following words : " As the first who stemmed with me the torrent, which with God's help we so often laid into a calm, I mention to you my faithful Lanerkers. Many of them bled and died in the conquest ; and to their orphans, with the children of those who j'et survive, I consign all the world's wealth that yet belongs to William Wallace ; Ellerslie and its estates are theirs. To Bruce, my sovereign and my friend, the loving com- panion o{ the hour in which 1 freed you, my Helen, from the arms of violence ! to him I bequeath this heart, knit to him by bands more dear even than loy- alty. Bear it to him ; and when he is summoned to his Heavenly throne, then let his heart and mine fill up one urn. To Lord Ruthven, to Bothwell, to Scrymgeour, and Kirkpatrick, I give my prayers and blessings." He was then conducted to the house of William Delect in Fen church-street, and the day following, the 23d of August 1305, was brought to Westmin- ster on horseback, accompanied with knights, the mayor, sheriff, and aldermen, and was placed on the south bench of the great Hall, crowned there in de- rision with a laurel, while Sir Peter Malory, the Chief Justice, impeached him with treason ; to which he boldly replied : " I never was a traitor, nor could I be to the king of England." He impeached him also SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 129 with burning towns, levelling castles, killing the Eng- lish, &c. but Wallace considered these things all right in case of national war. But innocence became guilt at the bar of envy and malice, and all his heroic virtues were declared capital crimes, and he was tried by the laws, and hanged, drawn and quartered by the administrators of injustice in England. His head was fixed on London bridge, and the four quarters of his body were placed on the gates of the four principal cities of his native country! These acts of betraying, condemning, and butcher ing the greatest statesman, the best general, the most intrepid soldier, the most feeling benefactor of man- idnd that ever graced the annals of the world, incen- sed the Scottish nation beyond all bounds. The brave, the generous, the disinterested William Wallace, the deliverer of his country, was thus betray- ed and butchered. This was the greatest misfortune tiiat could ever have befallen Scotland ; it was inex- pressibly afilictingto his friends and honest defenders ; and who could have been so base as not to befriend the restorer of their liberties ? even every peasant in the country, every shepherd on the hill, commisser- ated the fate of Wallace, and their hearts burned whh a desire of avenging his blood on the head of Ed ward. As for Monteith, all men, his friends and enemies, t^onsidered him the basest of the human race, whose criminality will adhere to his name and family as long as Scotland is a nation. He became a traitor to his best friend ! a traitor to his country ! a betrayer of innocent blood ! an assassin in heart and practice ! and the ignominy of his treachery will be reflected on his 130 THE LIFE OF happy posterity, while the annals of Scottish history record his deed ! Hence the poet expresses the feel- ings of the nation upon the sad event of his death: " Envious death, which ruins all, Hatii wrought this sad lamented fall , Of Wallace ; and no more remains Of him, than what an urn contains; We ashes for our Hero have. He for his armour a cold grave ; He left the earth, too low a state, And by his acts overcome his fate ; His soul death had not power to kill ; His noble deeds the world do till With lasting trophies of his name. O ! hadst thou virtue lov'd or fame Thou couldst not have exulted so, Over a brave, betray'd— just foe, Edward ! nor seen those limbs exposM To public shame — fit to be clos'd As relics, in a holy shrine, But now the infamy is thine : His end crowns him with glorious bays, And stains the brightest of thy praise. O false IMonteith I your honour's gone, Your fame is lost, the deed is done I A traitor to your country's son, The bravest e'er her laurels won. You did him cast in London Tower, In Edward's hands' and Edward's power; Innocent blood you offer'd free, A sacrifice for Liberty. SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. 131 You the price of blood receivfjd, The bravest of the brave deceived ; Now infamy will haunt your name, As traitor's everlasting shame. Few princes have had the honour of such an illus- trious captain, or such an opportunity to immortalize their fame, by an act of genercfus magnanimity, either to treat him with kind hospitality, or to liberate him with princely greatness. Few Princes could have been so base, mean and sanguinary, as to exult over a betrayed, a renowned and unconquered enemy, and to massacre him in cold blood, except that very Ed- ward, who has subjected his countrymen to the endu- rance of those torments of internal remorse and shame, which proclaim the mean, dastardly, cruel, and un- gen'-rous spirit of one of the kings of England, in all sucreding ages. " Three things," says John Blair, " unite to im- mortalize the fame of noble Wallace ; his own inno- cence ; the tyranny of Edward ; and the treachery of Monteith." Cruel tyranny usually defeats her own purposes. The ignoble and barbarous manner in which Wallace Iwas treated, in instituting a mock trial by foreigners, ^fixing his divided body to the city gates of his native country, for which he bled and died, roused every ispark of Caledonian valour and independence i exas- perated the nation and animated them to revenge, and excited all the friends and admirers of Wallace to raUy round the standard of Bruce, to avenge the 132 THE LIFE OF death of Wallace, to shake off the yoke of such an in- exorible tyrant, and to fill the Scottish throne with a lawful sovereign. The innocence of the purest of mortals on earth could have no chance or protection in ihe presence of such an avaricious and sanguinary JMonarch ; and the treachery of a traitor, who betrays innocent blood and affects the happiness of a liberal nation can never be forgiven; it entails the greatest infamy on the name of his posterity, while tlie remembrance of his crime, harbours in the minds of the nation. tB N '29