Page:Life and adventures of Sir William Wallace, General and Governor of Scotland (1).pdf/8

 8  THE HISTORY OF The Englifh fearing the lofs of all, fubtilly took truce with Wallace for one year, beginning in Febru- ary. In June following, they proclaimed a Juftice eyre to be held at Glafgow and Air the 18th of that month, thinking to entrap Wallace and all his friends, and un- der colour of law, to cut them off at the day appointed. All landed men according to the cuftom, affembling to this court, the Englfh condemned them for felony, and hanged them prefently; amongft the reft, Sir Ron- ald Crawford, fheriff of Air, uncle to Wallace, Sir Bryce Blair, Sir Neil Montgomery, and many of the barons of Kyle, Cunningham, Carrick, and Clydefdale Thofe who efcaped by flight, advertifed Wallace, who chanced to come later than the reft. He affembling fuch of the country, as (detefting fo horrible a fact extremely hated the authors thereof, in the beginning of the night, fecretly entered into Air, fet fire to the place where the Englifhmen, after that fact, were fo curely fleeping, and fuffered none to efcape. The gar rifon of the caftle iffued forth to quench the fire, a ambufh, laid for the purpofe, entered the houfe an and made it fure. The next morning Wallace came to Glafgow, where the Lord Henry Piercy had retire from Air the day before; him he expulfed thence wit great flaughter. The victory he fo hotly purfued, the immediately thereafter he took the caftle of Stirling recovered Argyll, and Lorn, with the town of S Johnftoun, and country about; thence he travelling thro’ Angus and taking in all the ftrength u til he came to Aberdeen, which he found forfaken the Englifh, who had fled by fea, with the lord Hen- ry Beaumont, an Englifh lord, who had married heritrix of the earldom of Buchan, named Cummin Thus all the north country was reduced to the obe- ence of Wallace, except the caftle of Dundee; while lay at the fiege thereof, news came of the approach the Englifh army, led by John earl of Warren and S ny, and Sir Hugh Croffinngham with a great number Northumberland men, and fuch of the Scots as he with England, to the number of 30,000. Wall having with him 10,000 men hardened in arms, him befide Stirling, on the north fide of the ,For