Page:Life and adventures of Sir William Wallace, General and Governor of Scotland (2).pdf/2

HISTORY OF SIR WILLIAM WALLACE. THE hiſtory of Sir WILLIAM WALLACE, with the other of the valiant King ROBERT BRUCE, which followeth upon the end of it, and of which this is an abridgement, was written in Latin by Mr. John Blair, chaplain to Wallace, and turned into Scots metre by one called Blind Harry, in the days of King James IV. and the hiſtory of Bruce was written by Mr. John Barbour, archdean of Aberdeen, a learned man, in the days of K David Bruce and Robert Stewart, and both together contain a relation of the moſt famous war that ever fell out in the iſle of Britain, fought moſt valiantly for the ſpace of 40 years, between the two realms of Scotland and England; the one unjuſtly purſuing; the other conſtantly defending the liberties of their country. During which broils, there happened great alterations, both in the general ſtate of this kingdom, and in the overthrow and advancement of particular families, the one for betraying, the other for maintaining their country's freedom and welfare.

That the whole hiſtory may be more clear, we have thought good, in a ſhort introduction, to ſet down the cauſes, occaſions, and the moſt memorable paſſages of this war.

In the year 1285, Alexander the IIId. king of Scotland, being ſuddenly taken away by a fall from his horſe at Kinghorn, without any iſſue of his body, and in him the whole poſterity of his father Alexander the II. and grandfather William the Lyon, being extinct, the right of the crown fell to the heirs of David earl of Huntington and Garioch, youngeſt brother to William the Lyon, He had left three daughters, the eldeſt Margaret, married to Allan Lord of Galloway; the ſecond, Iſabel, to Robert Bruce, (ſirnamed the noble,) Lord of Annandale and Cleveland: the youngeſt, Ada, married Henry haſting an Engliſhman; who having no juſt title to the crown the contention reſted betwixt the poſterity of the two eld daughters; for Allan, Lord of Galloway, leaving no ſon by his wife Margaret; his eldeſt daughter Dornagilla Galloway, married John Baliol, a man of great power at lands both in Scotland, England and France, and bare him John Baliol afterwards King. Robert Bruce, by his wife Iſabel of Huntington, had Robert Bruce who came to be earl of Carrick, by marrying Martha, heritrix the