It may be eafily fuppofed, that the Scots, even if united, were but ill able to refift fuch an army, commanded by fuch a king; but their own mutual diffentions ferved to render them ftill more unequal to the conteft, and to prepare Edward's way to an eafy triumph. The Scotch were headed. by three commanders, who each claimed an equal fhare of authority; these were the steward of Scotland, Cummin of Badenoch, and William Wallace, who offered to give up his command, but whofe party refused to follow any other leader. The Scotch army was pofted at Falkirk, and there proposed to abide the affault of the English. They were drawn up in three feparate divifions, each forming a complete body of pikemen, and the intervals filled up with archers. Their horfe were placed in the rear, and their front was fecured with pallifadoes.

Edward, though he faw that the advantage of fituation was against him, little regarded fuch a fuperiority, confident of his fkill and his numbers ; wherefore, dividing his force alfo into three bodies, he led them to the attack. Juft as he advanced at the head of his troops, the Scotch fet up fuch a shout, that the horse, upon which the king rode, tooft fright, threw and afterwards kicked him on the ribs, as he lay on the ground; but the intrepid monarch, though forely bruifed with his fall, quickly mounted again with his ufual alacrity, and ordered the Welch troops to begin the attack. These made but a feeble retiftance against the Scotch, who fought with determined valour; but Edward feeing them begin to decline, he advanced in person at the head of another battalion; and having pulled up the pallifadoes, charged the enemy with fuch an impetuofity, that they were no longer able to refift. In this diftrefs, Wallace did all that lay in the power of man to

fuftain

fuftain and avert the fhock; but the divifion commanded by Cummin quitting the field, both the divifions of the lord fteward, as well as that of Wallace lay expofed to the English archers, who at that time began to excel thofe of all other nations. Wallace, for a while, maintained an unequal conteft with his pikemen; but finding himfelf in danger of being furrounded, he was at last obliged to give way, and flowly to draw off the poor remains of his troops behind the river Carron. Such was the famous battle of Falkirk, in which Edward gained a complete victory, leaving twelve thousand of the Scotch, or as fome will have it, fifty thoufand, dead upon the field of battle, while the English had not an hundred flain.

A blow fo dreadful, had not as yet entirely crushed the fpirit of the Scotch nation; and after a fhort interval they began to breathe from their calamities. Wallace, who had gained

A.D. all their regards for his valour, fhew1299 ed that he ftill merited them more by his declining the rewards of ambition. Perceiving how much he was envied by the nobility, and knowing how prejudicial that envy would prove to the interefts of his country, he refigned the regency of the kingdom, and humbled himfelf to a private station. He propofed Cunimin as the properest person to fupply his room; and that nobleman endeavoured to fhew himself worthy of this pre-eminence. He foon began to annoy the enemy; and not content with a defenfive war, he made incurfions into the southern counties of the kingdom, when Edward had imagined him wholly fubdued. They attacked an army of the A. D. English lying at Roflin, near Edin

1302. burgh, and gained a complete victory. The renown of the Scottish arms foon began to fpead dismay among the English garrifons left in

that

that kingdom; and they evacuated all the fortrefses, of which they had for some time been put in poffeffion. Thus once more the tafk of conqueft was to be performed over again; and in proportion to their loffes, the Scotch feemed to gather fresh obstinacy.

But it was not eafy for any circumstances of bad fortune to reprefs the enterprizing spirit of the king. He affembled a great fleet and A. D. army; and entering the frontiers of Scotland, appeared with a force which 1303. the enemy could not think of refifting in the open field. The fleet furnished the land army with all neceffary provifions; while thefe marched fecurely along, and traverfed the kingdom from one end to the other, ravaging the open country, taking all the caftles, and receiving the fubmiffions of all the nobles. This complete conqueft emplo; ed Edward for the space of two years; but he feeined by the feverity of his conduct, to make the natives pay dear for the trouble to which they had put him. He abrogated all the Scottish laws and cuftoms; he endeavoured to fubftitute those of England in their place; he entirely razed or deftroyed all their monuments of antiquity; and endeavoured to blot out even the memory of their former independence and freedom. There seem. ed to remain only one obftacle to the final deftruction of the Scottish monarchy, and that was William Wallace, who ftill continued refractory; and wandering with a few forces from mountain to mountain, ftill preferved his native independence and ufual good fortune. But even their feeble hopes from him were foon disappointed; he was betrayed into the king's hands by Sir John Monteith, his friend, whom he had made acquainted with the place of his concealment, being furprized

by him as he lay afleep in the neighbourhood of Glafgow. The king, willing to strike the Scotch with an example of feverity, ordered him to be conducted in chains to London, whither he was carried amidst infinite crowds of fpectators, who flocked to fee a man that had often filled the whole country with confternation. On the day after his arrival, he was brought to his trial, as a traitor, at Westminster-Hall, where he was placed upon an high chair, and crowned with laurel in derifion. Being accused of various imputed crimes, he pleaded not guilty, and refused to own the jurifdiction of the court, affirming, that it was equally unjust and abfurd to charge him with treason against a prince whofe title he had never acknowledged; and as he was born under the laws of another country, it was cruel to try him by those to which he was a ftranger. The judges difegarded his defence; for confidering Edward as the immediate fovereign of Scotland, they found him guilty of high-treafon, and condemned him to be hanged, drawn, and quartered, the ufual punishment for fuch offences. This fentence was executed with the most rigorous punctuality; and his head and quarters were expofed in the chief cities of England. Such was the wretched end of a brave man, who had through a course of many years, with fignal perfeverance and conduct, defended his native country against an unjust invader.

Robert Bruce was among thofe on whom the cruel fate of Wallace had made the deepest impreffion. This nobleman, whom we have already feen as competitor for the crown, and whofe claims, though fet afide by Edward, were ftill fecretly purfued, was now actually in the English army. He never was fincerely attached to the English monarch, whom he was in fome measure compelled

compelled to follow; and an interview with Wallace, fome time before that champion was taken, confirmed him in his refolution to fet his country free. But as he was now grown old and infirm, he was obliged to give up the flattering ambition of being the deliverer of his people, and to leave it in charge to his fon, whofe name was Robert Bruce alfo, and who conceived the project with ardour. This young nobleman was brave, active, and prudent; and a favourable conjuncture of circumftances feemed to confpire with his aims. John Baliol, whom Edward had dethroned and banished into France, had lately died in that country; his eldest fon continued a captive in the fame place; there was none to difpute his pretenfions, except Cummin, who was regent to the kingdom; and he alfo was foon after brought over to fecond his interefts. He, therefore, refolved upon freeing his country from the English yoke; and although he attended the court of Edward, yet he began to make fecret preparations for his intended revolt. Edward, who had been informed not only of his intentions, but of his actual engagements, contented himfelf with fetting fpies round him to watch his conduct, and ordered all his motions to be strictly guarded. Bruce was ftill bufily employed in his endeavours, unconscious of being fufpected, or even of having guardians fet upon his conduct; but he was thought to understand his danger, by a prefent fent him, by a young nobleman of his acquaintance, of a pair of git fpurs, and a purfe of gold. This he confidered as a warning to make his efcape, which he did, by ordering his horfes to be fhod with their fhoes turned backwards, to prevent his being tracked in the fnow, which had fallen.