Whatever efforts the second Edward made by an army that numbered fully 100,000 men upon the sea or land, they were doomed to be crushed by borders. With it there followed a vast multitude of the memorable battle which was fought at Bannock attendants, in the hope of getting plunder. This burn on Monday, the 24th of June, 1314, and which prodigious host was composed not only of the crown secured for ever the independence of the Scottish vassals in England, Ireland, and Wales, but of them as mountaineers who might cope with the Scots. "But this policy," says Sir Walter Scott, "was not without its risks. Previous to the battle of Falkirk, the Welsh quarrelled with the English menat-arms, and the feud between them at so dangerous and critical a juncture was reconciled with difficulty. Edward II. followed his father's example in this particular, with no better success. They could not be brought to exert themselves in the cause of their conquerors; but they had an indifferent reward for their forbearance. Without arms, and clad only in scanty dresses of linen cloth, they appeared naked in the eyes of the Scottish peasantry; and after the rout at Bannockburn, were massacred by them Bruce was now master of all Scotland save the castle of Stirling, the blockade of which he had committed to his brother Edward, who concluded a treaty with the English governor, Sir Philip Mowbray, to the effect that the fortress should be surrendered, if not relieved before the festival of St. John the Baptist, which is celebrated on the 24th of June. King Robert was displeased with his brother for the impolicy of a treaty which permitted the King of England to advance with his collected forces, and compelled him to hazard a battle or raise a siege with dishonour. "What matter is it?" replied Edward Bruce, stoutly. "Let all England come, and we shall fight them were they more!" So King Robert agreed one side it was protected by a morass, known as to the treaty, and prepared to meet the English on the appointed day. He had collected his forces in the forest called the Torwood, midway between Stirling and Falkirk, to the number of only 30,000 men, and these were followed by about 20,000 more-camp-followers, gillies, women, and children. the New-miln Bog, the passage of which he knew to be dangerous and difficult. He formed his troops in four columns, apart from each other, yet sufficiently near to keep up communication. Three of these formed a front line facing the south-east, the direction by which the enemy must approach, and extending from the brook or "burn" called the Impoverished as the country was by long war, Bannock to the village of St. Ninian. The right the great deficiency of the Scotch army was cavalry, wing he protected by means of pits-the suggestion which, both in numbers and accoutrements, were of Sir Malcolm Drummond-dug where the ground totally unfit to cope with the English men-at-arms, was firm, a foot in breadth and three in depth, with though it was not every Englishman in those days a stake in each, and covered lightly with sods and that could afford body-armour; for the 130 English branches. Elsewhere were strewn iron calthrops knights who proposed to assist Dermot of Leinster-pieces of iron all disposed in a triangular form, in recovering his kingdom possessed only sixty so that while three of the pikes rest on the ground, coats of mail among them. Bruce knew, both from a fourth stands in a perpendicular direction, and his own experience and that of Wallace, that a body is especially calculated to lame horses. of Scottish infantry, armed with their long spears, and judiciously posted, could effectively resist all charges of cavalry; and he was not ignorant of the discomfiture of the French mounted men-at-arms, under the Constable and the Count of Artois, by the Flemish pikemen at Courtray, in 1304. He resolved, therefore, to fight the battle with his infantry; and "having reviewed his army, he was greatly delighted with the courageous appearance both of the leaders and common soldiers, and addressed them in a cheerful and encouraging manner, urging them to fight manfully in the coming battle, in defence of their lives, fortunes, and liberties, and the honour of his crown." The Highland clans, which had hitherto held aloof, or looked with grim disdain on the Lowland Scots-the Scoto-Normans and Anglo-Saxons-cutting each other's throats, viewing all as strangers and intruders alike, had now come down from their mountains and joined Bruce in some strength. Among these were twenty-one chiefs-viz., William, third Earl of Sutherland; Angus Macdonald, Lord of the Isles; Sir Malcolm Drummond, ancestor of the Dukes of Perth; Sir Neil Campbell, of Lochow and of Argyle; Sir John Grant, of Grant, who had been a prisoner of war in London in 1297; Sir Simon Fraser, of Oliver Castle, ancestor of the Lords of Lovat; Mackay, Macpherson, Cameron, Sinclair of Roslin, Ross, Macgregor, Mackenzie, and eight others; and, singular to say, the heirs of eighteen of these are still in possession of their estates. Three other chiefs, with their tribes-Macdougal, Cumming, and Macnab-were in the ranks of the English. The place selected by Bruce for the battle, and to bar the approach of the English to Stirling, was a piece of ground then known as the New Park, partly open and partly encumbered with trees; on On the 22nd, Bruce received tidings that the English were advancing from Edinburgh, and he immediately marched his forces from the Torwood to the positions he had assigned them two days before. The right wing was commanded by his brother Edward; the left was led by Douglas and the young Steward of Scotland; the centre by Thomas Randolph, the veteran Earl of Moray. The reserve, or fourth column, was led by Bruce in person. Angus of the Isles, his faithful friend and ally, was with him; and there was stationed his little body of cavalry, under Sir Robert Keith, the Mareschal of Scotland, to whom he assigned the particular duty of attacking and, if possible, dispersing the English archers. The royal standard was fixed in the stone which now marks the centre of the Scottish line, and is protected by an iron grating. In Bruce's rear lay a little valley. Above it rose a long, green ridge, now known as the Gillies' Hill, for thereon were all the camp-followers and baggage of his army. The airs to which the Scots are said by history and tradition to have marched to the field are now known as Bruce's Address" and "The Land of the Leal," a common Dead March with all Scottish regiments; but their instruments could have been only the bagpipe, harp, and kettle-drum. On the morning of the 23rd of June, the whole army heard mass, which was performed on the field by the aged and blind Maurice, Abbot of Inchaffray; and perhaps no grander sight can be imagined than the appearance of those 30,000 men, all ready to die for their country, on their knees before God in prayer. Then Bruce caused proclamation to be made that if any man was unprepared to fight and fall with honour, he might depart; but a wild shout responded, and no man quitted his ranks. Bannockburn.] RANDOLPH'S VICTORY. On the morning of St. John the Baptist, the 24th of June, the mighty and magnificent array of the English army, with all their spears and banners, was seen debouching from the vast wood which then stretched away towards Falkirk. The June sunshine fell brightly on their burnished arms. According to Barbour, they seemed to cover all the country far and wide, and the mail of the menat-arms "made the land seem all aglow." Innumerable white banners were waving in the wind, and the particoloured pennons of the knights floated above the glittering columns like a sea. The vanguard of the English, consisting of archers, billmen, and spearmen-comprehending most of the infantry-was now advancing fast, under the Earls of Gloucester and Hereford, who were covered by a heavy body of mailed cavalry as supports. All the remainder of the English troops were so hampered by the narrowness of the ground over which they were compelled by its nature to pass, that their formation of nine great columns seemed to the eyes of the Scots to form but one enormous mass, gleaming with flashes of armour, and shaded by the multitude of silken banners and pennons that floated over them in the soft summer wind. Edward in person commanded this vast array, surrounded by 400 chosen men, the very flower of his splendid chivalry. Immediately by his side rode Sir Aymer de Valence, who had defeated Bruce at Methven Wood, but was now to see a very different day; Sir Giles de Argentine, a Knight of St. John of Jerusalem, who had covered himself with glory in Palestine, and was accounted "one of the best knights that ever lived;" and Sir Ingram Umfraville (or Umphraville), a Scottish traitor, but a man of undoubted bravery. Once again the Scots, when they saw this mighty host rolling towards them like a human sea, joined in a universal appeal to Heaven for aid against the strength of their enemies; and, barefooted and bareheaded, the Abbot of Inchaffray passed along the line, with a crucifix in his hand, bestowing benediction and absolution on all sides, while the soldiers knelt before him. The traitor Umfraville suggested to Edward the policy of feigning a retreat, to lure Bruce from his strong position; but his council was heard with disdain, and on observing the Scots on their knees, "They crave mercy!" exclaimed Edward, joyously. "It is of Heaven, and not your Highness," replied Umfraville; "for on that field they will be victorious or die." Edward then commanded his trumpets to sound and an attack to be made, and about this time two striking episodes occurred. Previous to the appear 39 ance of the English army, on the 23rd, they had detached 800 horse under Sir Robert Clifford, with the double object of reaching Stirling Castle, and of thus releasing from his promise Sir Robert Mowbray, who might then, without dishonour, have made a sortie on the Scottish left wing. They made a great circuit by the low grounds bordering on the Forth, and had actually passed the Scottish left before the eagle eye of Bruce detected the glitter of spears, the flashing of armour, and a long line of dust rolling northward in the direction of Stirling. "See, Randolph," he exclaimed, "there is a rose fallen from your chaplet! Thoughtless man! you have permitted the enemy to pass." On this, Randolph hastened at the head of 500 spearmen to repair his fault, for such he deemed it. As he advanced into the plain, Clifford, interrupted in his progress towards Stirling, wheeled his horse to the left and at full speed attacked the party of Scots, who received his charge in close column. Before this wall of spears, Sir William d'Eynecourt, a distinguished knight, was unhorsed and slain. The English cavalry surrounded the little column, and charged it so furiously on every side that Sir James Douglas prayed the king's permission to succour his old comrade, Randolph. "You shall not stir a foot to help him," replied Bruce; "neither shall I alter my order of battle or lose the advantage of my position. Let him repair his error as he may." "In sooth I cannot stand by and see Randolph perish," urged Douglas; "therefore, with your leave, I must aid him." Bruce unwillingly consented; but on Sir James hastening to the assistance of his friend, he found the English detachment in complete disorder, and many horses galloping away with empty saddles. On perceiving this, “Halt,” cried Douglas; "these brave men have already repulsed the enemy, let us not diminish their glory by seeking to share it." While this affair took place, the English vanguard was still steadily advancing, but yet so distant that Bruce, who had not yet mounted his battlecharger, was still riding along his line mounted on a small hackney, to see that all were in their places. He carried a battle-axe in his hand, and wore a golden crown upon his helmet, which thus rendered him conspicuous alike to friend and foe as the king. At that moment there came galloping forward from the English vanguard, "a wycht knicht and hardy," named Sir Henry de Bohun, who bravely conceived the idea of terminating the strife at once and covering himself with honour. Couching his lance, he rode furiously at the king. Armed on all points and more heavily mounted, the encounter would have been most unequal, yet Bruce did not decline it, and rode forward to meet him in his full career. Just as they were about to close he swerved his hackney round, and as De Bohun's lance passed harmless, he clove his head and helmet in twain by one blow of his battleaxe, and laid him dead at his feet. The weapon was shivered by the violence of the stroke; and to those who blamed him for his temerity, he replied simply, "I have broken my good battle-axe." Led by Gloucester and Hereford, the English vanguard dashed with great bravery at the right wing of the Scots, under Edward Bruce. A rivalry between these two carls made their attack so precipitate as to diminish its effect. Firm stood the Scottish spearmen in their ranks, presenting a serried wall of steel which bore back the enemy. According to Barbour, there was a great crash of spears at the first shock; it could be heard at some distance, and many good knights were dismounted and slain, while their horses, stabbed and maddened with wounds, carried confusion to the rear. When the Earl of Moray saw the right wing thus successfully engaged, he brought up the centre to meet the main body of the English with such spirit that he began to gain ground upon them and to pierce their masses at push of spear, "so that his men appeared to be lost amid the multitude, as if they had been plunged into the sea." Now came on the Scottish left wing, under Walter, the Great Steward, and Sir James Douglas, so that the whole line was soon engaged in a wild and desperate hand-to-hand conflict with the enemy; and the ground on which they fought was fast becoming one crimson swamp. Again and again the splendid English cavalry strove by desperate charges to break the columns of Scottish spears, but every attack was repelled, horse and man went down before them; but now those archers, ever so fatal to the Scots, were coming on, and their shafts were beginning to make deadly gaps in the hitherto steady ranks. Their effect had already by sad experience been foreseen, and their attack had been prepared for by Bruce; so Sir Robert Keith, with only 500 chosen mounted men-at-arms, came swiftly round the flank of the morass, and as the multitude of archers had neither pikes or other long weapons wherewith to defend themselves against cavalry, they were almost immediately overthrown, huddled together, cut down, or dispersed in all directions, thus spreading confusion and disorder throughout the whole English Part fled to their main body and could not be induced to rally; while now the Scottish bow army. men, inferior in number and in skill to their English opponents, came into action, and, after galling the cavalry without opposition, made havoc among them with the short but heavy axes which Bruce had ordered them to wear. "It was awful," says Barbour, at this crisis, "to hear the noise of these four battles (ie., columns) fighting in a line; (when Bruce brought his reserve into action) the din of the blows, the clang of arms the shouting of war-cries; to see the flight of arrows, horses running masterless, the alternate rising and sinking of the banners, the ground streaming with blood, and covered with shreds of armour, broken spears, pennons and rich scarfs torn and soiled with blood and clay, and to listen to the groans of the wounded and the dying." The Scots were still gaining ground, and were pressing on the already wavering masses of the English, shouting from wing to wing, "On them! on them! They fail-they fail !" when at that most critical moment, and while the fortune of that day which was to live for ever in history yet hung in the balance, the Scottish camp-followers on the hill in rear of the reserve, prompted either by enthusiasm or a desire for plunder, suddenly came in sight, with such arms as they could collect, and with sheets and horsecloths displayed on poles as ensigns. This unexpected sight spread instant dismay among the already disheartened ranks of the English, and their whole line began to give way. The eagle eye of Bruce perceived the movement. He put himself at the head of the reserve, and raising his war-cry, fell with redoubled fury on the recoiling enemy, who now gave way in all directions, and then the slaughter became terrible. The deep ravine of Bannockburn, to the south of the field, lying in the direction taken by most of the fugitives, was literally choked and bridged over by the slain, the difficult nature of the ground retarding the fugitive horsemen till the Scottish spears were upon them. Others in great number rushed into the river Forth, and were there drowned miserably. In an attempt to renew the fight, the young Earl of Gloucester rede madly back upon the Scottish infantry, but was immediately unhorsed and slain, at a place still call the Bloody Faulds, though the Scots would gladly have saved his life; but on that day he wore no surcoat above his armour. Seeing all lost, the Earl of Pembroke and Sir Giles de Argentine seized the bridle of Edward, whose courage was undoubted, and forced him off the field. As soon as he was safe, Sir Giles bade him farewell; and adding, "It is not my wont to fly," he raised his war-cry of "Argentine !" and rushing back upon the Scottish spears was slain, to the |