Page:Life of the celebrated Scottish patriot Sir Wm. Wallace.pdf/17

Rh army was not far distant, and being 30,000 strong, were sufficiently powerful, if their leaders had been united; but there were three eommanderscommanders [sic],―John Comyn, John Stewart, and William Wallace; and when the army was drawn out in three lines in order of battle, a dispute arose who should lead the first line against the enemy. The one would not yield to the other, and before the matter was settled, the English, with their banners unfurled, advanced rapidly towards them. Comyn and his men retreated without attempting to fight. Sir John Stewart and his vassals fought bravely, and died henourablyhonourably [sic]. Unable to rescue Stewart or to withstand the enemy, and the Earl of Carrick having nearly surrounded him, WallaeeWallace [sic] retreated, and passed the small river Carron, whiehwhich [sic] the enemy dared not pass in his preseneepresence [sic]. By this dexterous manœuvre, he not only saved his own men, but also those of Stewart who fled to him, and by keeping himself in the rear, cut off several of their pursuers. During the pursuit, while WallaeeWallace [sic] and BrueeBruce [sic] stood on different sides of the water of Carron, Bruce addressed him, "I am greatly surprised, Sir William, that you should ever entertain the idea of attaining the Scottish crown." "No," interrupted WallaeeWallace [sic], "my thoughts never soared so high: I only mean to deliver my country from oppression and slavery, and support a cause which you have abandoned. But pause in time; if you have but the heart, you may win a erowncrown [sic] with glory, and wear it with justice. I eancan [sic] do neither; but this I will do, I will live and die a free-born subjeetsubject [sic]." The conference was suddenly interrupted by the approach of a hostile body of horse, but it made a deep impression on the mind of BrueeBruce [sic].

The number of English present at the engagement is stated at 90,000 men, while the SeottishScottish [sic] army did not amount to 30,000. The loss on both sides was