Page:History of King Robt. Bruce (1).pdf/7

 7 KING ROBERT BRUCE.

the greatest cruelty. This news reached Bruee at Rathlin, and reduced him almost to despair. But an incident took place about this time which greatly encouraged the king to persevere in endeavouring to free his beloved country from English oppression. Having reecived the last unpleasant news from Scotland, he was lying on his wretched bed one morning, and deliberating with himself whether he had not better resign all thoughts of the Scottish crown, and transport himself and brothers to the Holy Land to fight against the Saracens, by which he might in some measure atone for the murder of Comyn. But, on the other hand, he thought it would both be criminal and cowardly to relinquish the cause of his country and his right to the crown. While he was in this state of mind, and doubting what path he should pursue, he happened to look up to the roof of the cabin in which he lay, and pereeived a large spider, which, hanging at the end of a long thread of its own spinning, was endeavouring, as is its custom, to swing itself from one beam in the roof to another, for the purpose of fixing the line on which it meant to stretch its web. It made the attempt again and again without suceess; and at length Bruce counted that it had endeavoured six times to carry its point, and had as often failed in the attempt. He thought that he had fought six battles against the English and their allies, and that the poor persevering spider was exactly in the same situation with himself, having as often attempted, and still disappointed at what it aimed at. “Now," thought Bruce, "as I have no means of knowing what is best to be done, I will be guided by the luck which shall attend this spider. If it shall make another effort to fix its thread, and shall be successful, I will venture a seventh time to try my fortune in my native land; but if it shall fail, I will go to the wars in Palestine, and never return to my native land again." While forming this resolution, the spider made another exertion with all the strength it could muster, and succeeded in fastening its thread on the beam which it had so often in vain attempted to reach. Beholding the spider's success, Bruce resolved to try his own fortune; and as he never gained a victory before, so he never sustained any considerable defeat afterwards.

On the approach of spring, Sir James Douglas and Sir Robert Boyd left the king and passed over to Arran, which lies at the mouth of the Clyde. A few days' afterwards, Bruce arrived from Rathlin with a fleet of 33 small galleys, and, having landed, inquired at a woman whom he met, what armed men were in the island? She said there had lately arrived a body of armed strangers, who had defeated the governor of the castle of Brathwick, had slain him and most