Page:Life and adventures of Sir Wm. Wallace.pdf/9

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thereafter he took the castle of Stirling, recovered Argyll and Lorn, with the town of St. Johnstoun, and country about hence he travelled thro’ Angus and Mearns taking in all the strength till he came to Aberdeen, which he found forsaken by the English, who had fled by sea, with the lord Henry Beaumont, an English lord, who had married the heritrix of the earldom of Buchan, named Cumming.

Thus all the north country was reduced to the o- bedience of Wallace, except the castle of Dundee ; while he lay at the siege thereof, news came of the approach of the English army led by John earl of Warren and Surry, and Sir Hugh Cressingham with a great number of Northumberland men, and such of the Scots as held with England to the number of 30,000.

Wallace having with him 10,000 men hardened in arms met him beside Stirling, on the north side of the Forth which having no fords at that place, was passible only by a wooden bridge. This he on pur- pose had caused to be Weakened, so that the one half of the host being past, led by Cressingham, the bridge broke with the great weight, of their baggage.

Those who were come over, Wallace charged sud- denly, before they were put in order, and cut the most part in pieces, with their leader Cressingham, the rest seeking to escape were drowned in the wa- ter.

The earl of Warren, and these that escaped, were assailed by earl Malcom Lennox, captain of Stirling castle, and being hotly pursued by Wallace, hardly escaped, himself flying into Dunbar, a castle then be- longing to the earl of March.

In this battle fought the 13th of September, 1297, there died no Scotsmen of remark, but Andrew Mur-