Page:Life and adventures of Sir Wm. Wallace.pdf/18

                            (  18  ) same, guessing the meaning of the propine, caused by night, shoes three horses backward, and posted a- way from court with two in his company, and on the fifth by (the way being deep in winter,) arrived at. his own castle of Lochmaben. where he found his brother Edward, with Robert Fleeming, James Lind- say, Robert Kilpatrick, and Thomas, Charters, who told him how Wallace was betrayed by Sir John Monteith, and the Cumming faction a few - days be- fore.

Immediately thereafter they intercepted a mes- senger with letters from Gumming to King Edward, desiring that Bruce should be dispatched m haste', lest being a nobleman much favoured by the com- mons he should raise greater stirs.

The treachery of John Cumming, before only sus- pected, was hereby made manifest, which so incen- sed the Lord Bruce, than riding to Dumfries, and finding Cumming at the mass of the Grey Friars, after he had shewn him his letters, in impatience, he stabbed him with his dagger ; and others who were about him doing the like, not only dispatched him, but also his cousin Sir Edward Cumming, and others who assisted him

This slaughter fell out on the 9th of February, in the year 1306, as we now account.

The Bruce thus rid of the enemy, found a great number as it were rising out of his ashes, even the whole puisant name of Cumming, with their allies! the earl of March, the Lord of Lorn, the lord of Abernethey, the lord of Brechin, the lord Soules, the most part of the north, and all Galloway followed the Cummings : the earl of March, tde Lord William Soules commanded the Merse. with Berwick and the Border; all which they yielded to King Edward