Wales I. Edward L. their arms in the chapel of the Temple, while the A.D. 1306. young Prince performed the same ceremony in WestPrince of minster Abbey. The next morning, Edward knighted knighted, his son in the palace, and the Prince then conferred the same honour on the young esquires in the Abbey Church. After this they proceeded to the banquet, at which two swans, ornamented with golden net Wife and Daughter handing Armour to a Knight. (From Vetusta work, emblems of constancy and truth, were brought in. The King then made a solemn vow to set out for and makes Scotland, to avenge the death of Comyn, and afterwards to proceed to the Holy Land; and he made his son promise, that if he, the King, should die with Scot- before the journey, he would carry his body with a solemn Vow to continue the war he conquers him to Scotland, and not commit it to the earth until Edward I. he had conquered his enemies. The Prince and the A.D. 1306. barons promised faithfully to fulfil these commands, land until and they then separated to prepare for the expedi- it. tion. The army was soon on its way, and the King The himself, notwithstanding his infirmities, proceeded army by slow journeys to Carlisle.23c English invades Scotland. reverses. romantic Bruce was unfortunate in the early part of his Bruce career; he was defeated at Perth by the Earl of Pem- suffers broke; his friends were scattered, or taken prisoners; a price was set on his own head; and he and a few of his most faithful friends wandered about as outlaws. To narrate his romantic adventures would require a Bruce's volume in itself. He and his companions lived on the adventures. roots and berries of the woods; on the venison they procured by hunting; on the fish they caught in the rivers; and the skins of the deer and the roe furnished them with bedding. Their wives and daughters shared their perils and increased their difficulties. At last, he was nearly surrounded by his enemies, but managed to escape; the ladies were sent to a place of safety, and Bruce with but two or three friends endeavoured to gain the coast. On the borders of Loch Lomond, they were nearly Bruce overtaken; but, embarking in a frail and leaky boat, Ireland. they again escaped, and Bruce finally reached an island on the coast of Ireland. escapes to acts with followers. Edward, in the meantime, acted with the utmost Edward rigour to all who had taken part with Bruce, endea severity to vouring by his severity to frighten the Scotch into Bruce's submission. Bruce however, more fortunate than Wallace, was still supported by some faithful friends. In the spring he planned a return to Scotland, first A.D. 1307. sending his faithful friend, Sir James Douglas, to Bruce returns to Scotland. Again meets with misfortunes, and again retreats to the escape. Edward I. make a descent on the Isle of Arran, where he made himself master of the castle. Bruce soon followed him, and they then ventured to land in Scotland, where they surprised Turnberry Castle. Shortly after this, Douglas regained possession of his own castle by stratagem; he entered it in disguise, found his retainers ready to welcome his return, and planned an attack on the English, which proved successful. Bruce now however met with a disappointment which nearly caused his ruin. Some reinforcements which he expected from Ireland were unfortunately intercepted, and put to the mountains; rout, and Bruce was again a wanderer among the mountains attended by only sixty men. The English pursued him closely, and tried to hunt him his narrow down with bloodhounds. At night Bruce waited for his pursuers at a narrow gorge, where one man could defend himself against a multitude; he heard the baying of the hounds, and by the light of the moon he saw his enemies approach. One by one he slew his foemen as they came, till, at length, being joined by his little band, whom he had planted a little distance off, he put his enemies to flight. But Bruce was still obliged to keep concealed. retreat was discovered by means of a favourite bloodhound, which his enemy, the Lord of Lorn, made use of, knowing the dog would not fail to find his beloved master. Bruce again, however, escaped, and gained some successes over the English. His followers now gained more confidence, and determined to take the Defeats a first opportunity of trying their strength against the of English English in the open field. It was not long before he cavalry. had the wished-for opportunity, when he entirely routed a body of 3000 cavalry commanded by the Bruce has more success. large body His determines mand the army in but dies at Earl of Pembroke. Further successes followed, and Edward I. Edward, feeling that he was now opposed by a foe A.D. 1307. whose skill and courage demanded more than usual Edward care to overcome, determined to march in person to comagainst his enemy. But the effort was too great. In four days he proceeded only six miles, when his further progress was arrested by the hand of death. He expired at the small village of Burgh-on-theSands on the 7th July, A.D. 1307. His body was brought to Westminster and buried in the Abbey on the 27th October. Thus ends the history of the reign of King Edward the First, the greatest of the Plantagenets. No greater monarch had, up to the time of his reign, ever sat on the throne of England. His personal qualities were such as to entitle him to our esteem. He was person, BurghSands on on-the July 7, character. brave and wise, courageous, active, and energetic. His temper was rather despotic, and in his evasion of Summary the Forest Laws he was somewhat faithless. But of King's these are but small specks in the character of this great King; and we must admire him for his love of justice, for his improvement of the laws, for his uniting Wales and England into one kingdom, and for the peace and quiet which, by the wisdom of his government, was preserved in England during the thirty-five years of his reign. Wives and Children of Edward the First. He was married twice:— and issue. In June, A.D. 1254, he married Eleanor of Castile, His wives sister of Alphonso IV., by whom he had four sons, John, Henry, and Alphonso, who all died young, and Edward, born at Caernarvon, in Wales, on April 25th, Edward I. A.D. 1284, who succeeded him by the name of Edward the Second; and Issue by first wife. Issue by second wife. Nine daughters, Eleanor, married to the Earl of Bar, in France; Joanna of Acre (so called, because she was born there), married first to Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, and afterwards to Ralph Monthermer; Margaret, married to John, Duke of Brabant; the fourth and fifth died in childhood; Mary, a nun at Amesbury; Elizabeth, married first to John, Earl of Holland, and afterwards to Humphry de Bohun, Earl of Hereford. The eighth and ninth died in childhood. On September 12th, A.D. 1299, he married Margaret, sister of Philip the Fourth (surnamed the Fair), King of France, by whom he had two sons: Thomas de Brotherton, created Earl of Norfolk in A.D. 1313; and Edmund of Woodstock, created Earl of Kent in A.D. 1322; And one daughter, Eleanor, who died in her childhood. NOTE TO PAGE 255. Patent Roll, 19 Rie. II. p. 2 (m. 8) In behalf of the men called "Hakeneymen." The King to all and several the sheriffs, mayors, bailiffs, constables, provosts and other his faithful servants, to whom, &c.-greeting: Reginald Shrowesbury and Thomas Athekoc have prayed unto us, that whereas themselves and all others |