Page:History of Sir William Wallace the renowned Scottish champion (1).pdf/15



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the Scots in their present position appeared more and more hazardous to all the English comman- ders, except Cressingham the treasurer, who ex- claimed "Let us fight, as is our bounden duty." The boisterous eloquenee of Cressingham prevail- ed, and the rest of the leaders yielded a reluctant assent, contrary to the advice also of one of Wallace's late perfidious associates, Sir Richard Lundin, who offered to point out a ford at a short distanee, by taking advantage of which they could fall on the rear and flanks of the enemy. Wallace, Exhorting followers solely to a- bide by his orders for the moment of attack, Wallace allowed about a third of the English army fairly to clear the bridge; when rushing down, while the others were defiling along the bridge, with an unlooked for and almost ineredi- ble impetuosity, the Scots precipitated themselves on their yet unformed ranks. The shock was like that of a mountain-torrent. The English seemed to have been, as it were, instantaneously swept off the earth. Thousands were slain on the field or drowned in the river: among the rest their rash adviser, Cressingham, whose dead body was treated with great indignity by the Scots, who abhorred him for the tyranny which he had always displayed against their country. A panie seized the English, who had witnessed this sudden