Page:Life of the celebrated Scottish patriot Sir Wm. Wallace.pdf/21

Rh lowed the soldiers to enter. Wallace awoke with the noise, but finding himself armless and surrounded by a great number of the enemy, he was induced, through a stratagem on Monteith's part, to accompany him as a prisoner to Dumbarton, where, he said, he would undertake for the safety of his person on the morrow. Next day, however, no Monteith appeared to prevent his being carried from the fortress.

Thus the brave and disinterested deliverer of his eountrycountry [sic] was seized, and afterwards conveyed to London. As he passed through England, great multitudes of men, women, and children assembled from all quarters to gaze on the illustrious prisoner. Arriving in London, he was conduetedconducted [sic] to the house of William Delect, in Fenchurch Street. The day following, August 23, 1305, he was brought on horse-back to Westminster, and accused of high treason. Wallace boldly replied, "That a traitor he never was, nor could be to the king of England." The burning of town, storming of castles, killing the English, and other acts of a similar nature, he frankly acknowledged, but these heroic deeds were declared capital crimes; and though the prisoner had never submitted to the laws of England, he was tried by them, and unjustly eondemnedcondemned [sic] to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. His head was fixed on London Bridge, and the four quarters of his body were placed on the gates of the principal cities of his native country.

It is much to be regretted, that we have not been favoured with an account of Wallaee'sWallace's [sic] behaviour during his trial, and on the seaffoldscaffold [sic]. From the time he was taken prisoner, till his death, he was entirely in the hands of the English, cousequentlyconsequently [sic] no Scotchman