Page:Robert the Bruce and the struggle for Scottish independence - 1909.djvu/100

70 supplied to the deceased King Alexander, to the amount of £2,000, and not paid for. Moreover, this summons was served upon King John in the most peremptory fashion, by the hands of the Sheriff of Northumberland. Besides this indignity, King John had, in the previous year, received Edward's commands to serve on the justice eyre of Yorkshire, just as if he had been any ordinary subject. John wrote to remonstrate against this duty being expected of him, but it does not appear that he obtained exemption, for events shortly took an acute turn.

On June 29th, Edward, whose orders always appeared under his title as Overlord of Scotland, commanded John, King of Scots, to join him in London, on September 1st, with eighteen of the magnates of Scotland, for operations against King Philip IV. of France. Now it was plainly intolerable, under any circumstances, that Scotland should be obliged to send forth her King, whom it had cost her so much trouble to get, and the flower of her chivalry, to fight the private quarrels of the King of England. But it happened to be peculiarly inconvenient at that particular moment, as King Edward was probably fully aware, for de Balliol (his reign was so short and inglorious that it is hardly necessary to refer to him as King John any more) had entered into secret negotiations with Philip. He had, no doubt, been convinced by the proceedings in the appeal cases that his relations with Edward could not endure very