Page:Life and adventures of Sir William Wallace, General and Governor of Scotland (2).pdf/4

THE HISTORY OF either by drawing the kingdom of Scotland under the direct ſubjection, or at leaſt under his homage, as lord paramount and ſuperior: Conſidering the difficulty to determine the queſtion at home, and the intereſt he had in bo parties, being (for a great part of their eſtates) his vaſſals and ſubjects: his great power alſo, having, beſides Ireland à great part of France under his dominion, and the low countries his aſſured confederates, gave him great encouragement; neither wanted he great friendſhip in Scotland having at that time, many of the greateſt noblemen in Scotland, vaſſals and feudaries to himſelf for many lands which they held in England, partly for great ſervices done t himſelf and his father, partly lying within Northumberland, and the border ſhires, then held by the Scots in f of England: Partly alſo by interchange of marriage an Ineceſſions between the two nations, which for a long tim had lived in great amity, as if it had been one kingdom And to make the controverſy more fearful, he ſtirred up other 8 competitors beſides Bruce and Baliol, Florence earl of Holland (deſcended of Ada) ſiſter to William t Lyon; Patrick Dumbar earl of March; Sir Walter Roſs Sir Nicolas Soules; Sir Roger Mandeville; Sir John Cumming of Badenoch, (theſe five were deſcended younger daughters of Allan, lord of Galloway) Sir William Viſcie, begotten upon king Alexander IId's baſtard daughter, but pretending to be ligitimate; and John Haſtings lord Abergaveny, deſcended of Ada, youngeſt daughter to prince David Huntington.

Edward, having thus prepared matters, came to Berwick and met with the ſtates of Scotland, to whom he promiſed to decide the controverſy according to equity; and that it might ſeem more likely, he brought from France, ſundry of the moſt famous lawyers of that age; he choſe alſo on of the ſtates of Scotland aſſembled, twelve of the wiſeſt and moſt honourable, to whom he joined the like number of Engliſh, as aſſeſſors to him in his arbitrament. At the meeting, by the doubtful anſwers of lawyers, and the number of new precedents, he made the matter more difficult and appointed a new convention at Norham, on the border, in the year following.

Difficulties thus increaſing, and the earl of Holland having on foot a great army, to take the crown of Scotland by force, (which their own ſtories affirm, to have landed