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thefe fums were very great, yet they were by no means adequate to the wants of the ftate. New taxes were, therefore, arbitrarily impofed. Edward laid a duty of forty fhillings a fack upon wool; he required the theriffs of each county to fupply him with two thousand quarters of wheat, and as many of oats, without confidering the manner they were to be obtained. These he levied by way of loans, promifing to pay an equivalent, whenever the exigencies of the ftate were -lefs preffing. Such various modes of oppreffion were not fuffered without murmuring. The clergy were already difgufted to a man; the people complained at those extortions they could not refift; while many of the more powerful barons, jealous of their own privileges, as well as of national liberty, gave countenance to the general difcontent.

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The first symptoms of this fpirit of refistance appeared, upon the king's ordering Humphry Bohun, the conftable, and Roger Bigod, the marefchal of England, to take the command of an army that he proposed to fend over into Gascony, while he himself intended to make a diverfion on the fide of Flanders. But these two powerful noblemen refused to obey his orders, alleging, that they were obliged by their offices to attend him only in the wars, and not to conduct his armies. A violent altercation enfued. The king, addreffing himself to the conftable, cried out, "Sir earl, by God, you fhall either go, or be hanged." To which the haughty baron replied, "Sir king, by God, I will neither go, nor be hanged." This oppofition quite defeated his scheme for the conqueft of Guienne. He found he had driven prerogative a little too far; and with that prefence of mind which always brought him back, when he had the leaft gone beyond the line of discretion,

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he defired to be reconciled to his barons, to the church, and to his people. He therefore pleaded the urgent neceffities of the crown; and promised upon his return from Flanders, whither he was then going, to redress all grievances, to restore the execution of the laws, and to make his subjects compenfation for the loffes which they had fuftained. These profeffions ferved pretty well to allay the kindling discontents of the nation, during his abfence abroad, except that the enfuing parliament only the two noblemen, attended by a great body of cavalry and infantry, took poffeffion of the city gates, and obliged the king's council to fign the Magna Charta, and to add a claufe, to fecure the nation for ever against all impofitions and taxes, without the confent of parliament. This the council readily agreed to fign; and the king himfelf, when it was fent over to him in Flanders, after fome hesitation, thought proper to do the fame. These conceffions he again confirmed upon his return; and though it is probable he was averse to granting them, yet he was at laft brought to give a plenary confent to all the articles that were demanded of him. Thus, after the contest of an age, the Magna Charta was finally eftablifhed; nor was it the leaft circumftance in its favour, that its confirmation was procured from one of the greatest and boldeft princes that ever fwayed the English fceptre.

But though the confirmation of this charter was obtained without much violence, yet it is probable that the difturbance given by Scotland about the fame time, might have haftened its final execution. That fierce nation, which had A. D. been conquered fome time before with

fo much eafe, ftill discovered a spirit of 1297. independence, that no severity could reftrain, or defeats fubdue. The earl Warrenne had been VOL. II.

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left jufticiary in that kingdom; and his prudence and moderation were equal to his valour. He therefore protected the people with his justice, as he had fubdued them by his arms: but being obliged, by the bad ftate of his health, to leave that kingdom, he left the administration in the hands of two very improper minifters; the one, whofe name was Ormesby, was rigorous and cruel; the other, called Creffingham, was avaricious and mean. Under fuch an administration little ftability could be expected; and their injuftice foon drove this diftreffed people into open rebellion. A few of those who had fled into the most inacceffible mountains from the arms of Edward, took this opportunity to pour down and ftrike for freedom. They were headed by William Wallace, fo celebrated in Scottish ftory, the younger fon of a gentleman, who lived in the western part of the kingdom. He was a man of a gigantic ftature, incredible ftrength, and amazing intrepidity; eagerly defirous of independence, and poffeffed with the most difinterested spirit of patriotifm. To this man had reforted all thofe who were obnoxious to the English government; the proud, the bold, the criminal, and the ambitious. Thefe, bred among dangers and hardships themfelves, could not forbear admiring in their leader a degree of patience, under fatigue and famine, which they fuppofed beyond the power of human nature to endure; he foon, therefore, became the principal object of their affection and their efteem. His firit exploits were confined to petty ravages, and occafional attacks upon the English. As his forces encreased, his efforts became more formidable; every day brought accounts of his great actions; his party was joined firk by the defperate, and then by the enterprizing; at laft, all who loved their country came to take fhelter under his pro

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tection. Thus reinforced, he formed a plan of furprizing Ormefby, the unworthy English minifter, who refided at Scone; but though this tyrant efcaped the meditated irruption, yet his effects ferved to recompenfe the infurgents. From this time, the Scots began to grow too powerful for the English that were appointed to govern them; many of their principal barons joined the infurgents; Sir William Douglas was among the foremost openly to avow his attachment; while Robert Bruce more fecretly favoured and promoted the cause. To oppofe this unexpected infurrection, the earl Warrenne collected an army of forty thousand men in the north of England, and prepared to attack the Scots, who had by this time crofled the borders, and had begun to ravage the country. He fuddenly entered Annandale, and came up with the enemy at Irvine, where he furprized their forces, who, being inferior in number, capitulated, and promised to give hoftages for their future fidélity. Most of the nobility renewed their oaths, and joined the English army with reluctance, waiting a more favourable occasion for vindicating their freedom. Wallace alone difdained submission; but with his faithful followers, marched northwards, with a full intention to protract the hour of flavery as long as he could. In the mean time the earl Warrenne advanced in the purfuit, and overtook him where he was advantageously pofted in the neighbourhood of Stirling, on the other fide of the river Forth. The earl perceiving the favourable ground he had chofen, was for declining the engagement; but being preffed by Creffingham, a proud man, whose private revenge operated over his judgment, the old earl was at laft obliged to comply, and he paffed over a part of his army to begin the attack. Wallace

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Wallace allowing fuch numbers of the English to get over as he thought himself fuperior to, boldly advanced upon them before they were completely formed, and put them entirely to the rout. Part of them were pursued into the river that lay in the rear, and the reft were cut to pieces. Among the flain was Creffingham himself, whofe memory was fo extremely odious to the Scotch, that they flayed his dead body, and made faddles of his fkin. Warrenne retired with the remains of his army to Berwick, while his purfuers took fuch caftles as were but ill provided for a fiege. Wallace returned into Scotland, after having thus, for a time, faved his country, laden with an immenfe plunder, with which he for a while difpelled the profpect of famine that seemed to threaten the nation.

Edward, who had been over in Flanders, while thefe misfortunes happened in England, haftened back with impatience to restore his auA. D. thority, and fecure his former conquefts. 1297. As the difcontents of the people were not as yet entirely appeafed, he took every popular measure that he thought would give them fatisfaction. He reftored to the citizens of London a power of electing their own magiftrates, of which they had been deprived in the latter part of his father's reign. He ordered ftrict enquiries to be made concerning the quantity of corn, which he had arbitrarily feized for the ufe of his armies, as if he intended to pay the value to the owners. Thus having appeafed, if not fatisfied, all complaints, he levied the whole force of his dominions; and at the head of an hundred thousand `men, he directed his march to the North, fully refolved to take vengeance upon the Scots for their late defection.

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