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tempt they made on his frontiers; but they eluded his pursuit, and retired to their own country, without his being able to bring them to a decifive battle. Even then that bravery and conduct which afterwards immortalized his name, became confpicuous; for whilft the armies lay near each other, divided only by a river, which Edward found it impracticable to pafs, Douglas the Scottish general having obtained the watch-word, and furveyed exactly the fituation of the English camp, entered it fecretly in the night-time with a fmall but chofen body of troops. He advanced to the King's tent, with a view of killing or carrying off the young Monarch in the midst of his army: happily fome of Edward's attendants waking in that critical moment, they made refistance, and facrificed their lives for the fafety of their royal Master. The King himself had just time to fnatch his fword, and after making a valiant defence escaped in the dark. Douglas having loft the greatest part of his followers was glad to make a hafty retreat. Difappointed

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pointed in his scheme he did not think proper to await the refentment of the English, but taking advantage of the night, expeditiously decamped without notice; by this means the start of his enemies, and arrived without loss in his own country.

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During the King's minority, Mortimer, to enfure a continuance of his power, had confented to difavow the fuperiority of England over that kingdom, which Edward the First had taken fo much pains to affert.

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had also prevailed on the young King to give a bond for a confiderable fum to the Pope, who acted as mediator, to be paid if he violated the treaty within four years. For this and feveral other reafons, he thought it prudent to avoid at present an open rupture. However he fecretly encouraged Baliol, who laid claim to the crown of Scotland, now poffeffed by David Bruce a minor; and no fooner was the term of the truce expired, than he raised a confiderable force, and marched towards that kingdom.

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When he arrived on the borders of Scotland, he found himself attacked by Douglas the regent with an army much fuperior to his own; but he received them with fo much steadiness, that they were foon thrown into disorder; and on the fall of their general entirely routed. It is afferted by both the Scotch and English hiftorians, that in this battle fought at Halidown-Hill near Berwick, all the Nobles of diftinction among the Scots, with thirty thousand of their troops, were either flain or taken prifoners; whilft the lofs of the English amounted only to one Knight, one Efquire, and thirteen private soldiers: but these accounts are certainly much exaggerated, though the inequality was without difpute very great. After this decifive blow the Scottish Nobles had no other refource but inftant fubmiffion; and Edward leaving a confiderable body with Baliol, whofe caufe he now openly efpoufed, to complete the conqueft of the kingdom, he returned with the remainder of his army to England.

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The warlike inclinations of King Edward not permiting him to remain inactive, he now employed his thoughts on a more confiderable conqueft. On the death of Charles the Fair King of France, which happened when Edward was about fifteen years of age, he had formed pretenfions to the crown of that kingdom; and he now found leifure to affert them. It is true these pretenfions appear not to be very juftly founded, but many monarchs have mounted a throne, and transmitted it to their posterity on weaker claims, even fuppofing the cuf toms of the French, like the laws of the Medes and Perfians, to be unalterable.

As at this period the foundation was laid of that war which was carried on between France and England with great vigour for more than a century, and gave rife to that national animofity which remains yet unextinguished, it is neceffary to give my Readers an explicit account of the causes from whence it flowed, and the ground on which

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King Edward founded his claim, In all the preceding reigns fince the Conqueft, the hoftilities between the two crowns had been only cafual and temporary; and never being attended with any bloody or dangerous events, the traces of them were easily obliterated by the first treaty of pacification. The English nobility valued themselves on their French or Norman extraction, and affected to use the language of that country in all public tranfactions, as well as in fami liar conversation; but from this æra all amity between the two nations was destroyed, and an unfriendly rivalship established in its room.

It had long been a prevailing opinion, that the crown of France could never defcend to females: though it is uncertain at what age, or by which of their monarchs, this law, commonly termed the Salique law, was framed, yet, as it was fupported by ancient precedents, it had acquired equal authority with the most exprefs and pofitive laws of that kingdom. It is probable that

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