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majesty, conveyed provisions to Fort Augustus and Fort William, and secured the person of Lord Lovat; but this cunning veteran found means to     escape. Charles being joined by Lord John Drummond, invested the castle of Stirling, in     which General Blakeney commanded; but his people not being much used to enterprises of this kind, they made very little progress in their operations. By this time a considerable body of forces was assembled at Edinburgh, under General Hawley, who determined to relieve Stirling Castle, and advanced to Linlithgow on the 13th of January. Next day his army rendezvoused at Falkirk, while the rebels were cantoned at Bannockburn. On     the 17th day of the month they began their march in two columns to attack the King’s forces, and had forded the water of Cawen within three miles of Hawley’s camp, before he discovered their in- tention ; but such was his obstinacy or contempt of the enemy, that he paid no attention to the repeated intelligence he received of their motions, being firmly persuaded that they would not ven- ture to hazard an engagement. Perceiving, however, that they had got possession of a rising ground to the southward of Falkirk, he ordered his cavalry to advance, and drive the enemy from