Page:Life and adventures of Sir Wm. Wallace.pdf/10

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ray of Bothwel.

The English garrisons hearing of this discomfiture fled from all places, so that before rh<i last of Septem-. ber, all the straights of'Scotland, were recovered ex- cept Berwick and Roxburgh.

After those victories he held a parliament at St. Johnstoun, as warden of Scotland, and settled the whole country, caused the nobility to swear to be faithful to the state, till such times as they might consider who should be king : Earl Patrick Dunbar refusing to acknowledge the authority of such a par- liament, was chased out of Scotland; and because the year by-past the ground had not been manured and great famine threatened the land, Wallace assembled a great host, and entered England, where he remain- ed all the winter and the spring following, living u- pon the enemy’s provisions and enriching his soldiers by their spoil ; during which time the English durst never encounter him in open field, only at the first entry, King Edward with a great army of raw soldiers came against him in the plain of Stanmure; but per- ceiving the discipline & hardy resolution of Wallace’s host, before they came nearer than half a mile drew back his army and retired : Wallace, for fear of ambush, kept his soldiers in order, and pursued them not.

' Scotland thus enjoying perfect liberty, Wallace being earnestly requested by the French king, to the end that his special captains might be kept in mili- tary exercise during the peace, sailed over to France with 50 of them in his company.

He was encountered on the way by Thomas of Char- ters, who, with 16 sail infested the seas ; but boarding Wallace’s ship he was taken by him, and thereafter fought most valiantly under him, and King Robert