The inquiry occupied a pretty long time-more than a year.While it was going on,King Edward took the opportunity of making a journey through Scotland,and calling upon the Scottish people of all degrees to acknowledge themselves his vassals,or be imprisoned until they did.In the meanwhile,Commissioners were appointed to conduct the inquiry,a Parliament was held at Berwick about it,the two claimants were heard at full length,and there was a vast amount of talking.At last,in the great hall of the Castle of Berwick,the King gave judgment in favour of John Baliol:who,consenting to receive his crown by the King of England's favour and permission,was crowned at Scone,in an old stone chair which had been used for ages in the abbey there,at the coronations of Scottish Kings.Then,King Edward caused the great seal of Scotland,used since the late King's death,to be broken in four pieces,and placed in the English Treasury;and considered that he now had Scotland (according to the common saying)under his thumb.
Scotland had a strong will of its own yet,however.King Edward,determined that the Scottish King should not forget he was his vassal,summoned him repeatedly to come and defend himself and his judges before the English Parliament when appeals from the decisions of Scottish courts of justice were being heard.At length,John Baliol,who had no great heart of his own,had so much heart put into him by the brave spirit of the Scottish people,who took this as a national insult,that he refused to come any more.
Thereupon,the King further required him to help him in his war abroad (which was then in progress),and to give up,as security for his good behaviour in future,the three strong Scottish Castles of Jedburgh,Roxburgh,and Berwick.Nothing of this being done;on the contrary,the Scottish people concealing their King among their mountains in the Highlands and showing a determination to resist;
Edward marched to Berwick with an army of thirty thousand foot,and four thousand horse;took the Castle,and slew its whole garrison,and the inhabitants of the town as well-men,women,and children.
LORD WARRENNE,Earl of Surrey,then went on to the Castle of Dunbar,before which a battle was fought,and the whole Scottish army defeated with great slaughter.The victory being complete,the Earl of Surrey was left as guardian of Scotland;the principal offices in that kingdom were given to Englishmen;the more powerful Scottish Nobles were obliged to come and live in England;the Scottish crown and sceptre were brought away;and even the old stone chair was carried off and placed in Westminster Abbey,where you may see it now.Baliol had the Tower of London lent him for a residence,with permission to range about within a circle of twenty miles.Three years afterwards he was allowed to go to Normandy,where he had estates,and where he passed the remaining six years of his life:far more happily,I dare say,than he had lived for a long while in angry Scotland.
Now,there was,in the West of Scotland,a gentleman of small fortune,named WILLIAM WALLACE,the second son of a Scottish knight.He was a man of great size and great strength;he was very brave and daring;when he spoke to a body of his countrymen,he could rouse them in a wonderful manner by the power of his burning words;he loved Scotland dearly,and he hated England with his utmost might.The domineering conduct of the English who now held the places of trust in Scotland made them as intolerable to the proud Scottish people as they had been,under similar circumstances,to the Welsh;and no man in all Scotland regarded them with so much smothered rage as William Wallace.One day,an Englishman in office,little knowing what he was,affronted HIM.
Wallace instantly struck him dead,and taking refuge among the rocks and hills,and there joining with his countryman,SIR WILLIAM DOUGLAS,who was also in arms against King Edward,became the most resolute and undaunted champion of a people struggling for their independence that ever lived upon the earth.
The English Guardian of the Kingdom fled before him,and,thus encouraged,the Scottish people revolted everywhere,and fell upon the English without mercy.The Earl of Surrey,by the King's commands,raised all the power of the Border-counties,and two English armies poured into Scotland.Only one Chief,in the face of those armies,stood by Wallace,who,with a force of forty thousand men,awaited the invaders at a place on the river Forth,within two miles of Stirling.Across the river there was only one poor wooden bridge,called the bridge of Kildean-so narrow,that but two men could cross it abreast.With his eyes upon this bridge,Wallace posted the greater part of his men among some rising grounds,and waited calmly.When the English army came up on the opposite bank of the river,messengers were sent forward to offer terms.Wallace sent them back with a defiance,in the name of the freedom of Scotland.Some of the officers of the Earl of Surrey in command of the English,with THEIR eyes also on the bridge,advised him to be discreet and not hasty.He,however,urged to immediate battle by some other officers,and particularly by CRESSINGHAM,King Edward's treasurer,and a rash man,gave the word of command to advance.One thousand English crossed the bridge,two abreast;the Scottish troops were as motionless as stone images.Two thousand English crossed;three thousand,four thousand,five.Not a feather,all this time,had been seen to stir among the Scottish bonnets.Now,they all fluttered.
'Forward,one party,to the foot of the Bridge!'cried Wallace,'and let no more English cross!The rest,down with me on the five thousand who have come over,and cut them all to pieces!'It was done,in the sight of the whole remainder of the English army,who could give no help.Cressingham himself was killed,and the Scotch made whips for their horses of his skin.