precipitous, but affording ground capable of being made very defensible. Here the Scots army were to meet the enemy; indeed, nowhere else could they do so; and Bruce occupied himself in fortifying the position.

Had

To the right it was well protected by the brawling rivulet, the Bannock Burn, which gave its name to the contest. the Scots only had to choose the strongest post and meet an attack, it would have been a simple affair; but there was a tract of flat ground through which an army might pass to the gate of Stirling Castle, and that must be seen to. This tract was therefore honeycombed with pits, and the pits were covered with branches strewn with the common growth of the neighbourhood. This was done, not with the childish expectation of catching the English troops in a trap, but to destroy the ground for cavalry purposes.

The battle has been thus described by Scotland's latest and most able historian, Mr. John Hill Burton :--

it is easy to believe that the army carried into Scotland might be, as it was said to be, a hundred thousand in all. The efficient force was, however, in the mounted men, and these were supposed to be about equal in number to the whole Scottish army. This great host was apparelled with unusual magnificence. Had it been assembled for some object of courtly display, it would have been a memorable exhibition of feudal splendour. The countless banners of all colours and devices, and the burnished steel coats of the many thousand horsemen glittering in the summer sun, left impressions of awe and admiration which passed on from generation to generation.

"There are efforts, not always successful, to describe the exact division and disposal of the Scots army.

It seems more

Its

important to keep in view the general tactics on which its leader was prepared with confidence to meet so unequal a force. It was the same that Wallace had practically taught, and it had just 'On the 23d of June 1314, recently helped the Flemings to the two armies were visible to their victory of Courtrai. each other. If the Scots had, leading feature was the receiving as it was said, between thirty charges of cavalry by clumpsand forty thousand men, it square or circular-of spearmen; was a great force for the and simple as it was, it was recountry at that time to fur-volutionizing the military creed nish. Looking at the urgency of Europe by sapping the uniof the measures taken to draw versal faith in the invincibility out the feudal array of England, of mounted men-at-arms by any to the presence of the Welsh other kind of troops. Bruce and Irish, and to a large body had a small body of mounted of Gascons and other foreigners, men, but he was not to waste

them in any attempt to cope with the English cavalry; they were reserved for any special service or emergency.

'For the hopes of Scotland, the great point was that the compact clumps of spearmen should be attacked upon their own ground. But there was a serious danger to be met beforehand. Holding the approaches to the castle of Stirling from the east was far more difficult than holding the ground of the main army. If any body, however small, of the English army could force this passage, and could reach the castle gate or the sloping parts of the rock, the primary object of the invasion would be accomplished. The castle would be relieved, and the English army, no longer bound to attack the Scots on their own strong ground, could go where it pleased; and, in fact, this movement, so dangerous to the Scots, had been wellnigh accomplished.

way of the English horsemen, forming a clump with spears pointing forth all over it like the prickles of a hedgehog. The horse attacked them furiously in front without breaking them, then wheeled round and round them, vainly assailing them from all points. From a distance, the little party seemed doomed, and Douglas hastened with his followers to their rescue; but as he approached, the aspect was more cheering. It was not so certain that they were to be beaten, and chivalry forbade him to give unnecessary aid. The assailants had suffered heavy loss. Sir Will d'Eyncourt, an illustrious English knight, was counted among the dead; and the horsemen, breaking up into confusion, had to retreat to the main army.

"This was followed by a short and memorable passage at arms. King Robert was riding along the front of his line on a small horse or hackney, conspicuous by a little gold circlet round his head, to mark his rank. An English knight, Henry de Bohun, rode forward into the space between the two armies, after the fashion of a challenger to one of the single combats which at that

'It was the duty of King Robert's nephew, Randolph, with a party told off for the purpose, to guard the passage. The king observed that a party of eight hundred horse under Clifford were making a circuit, evidently with the purpose of reach-time gave liveliness to the ining the passage, and that no tervals between the serious busipreparations were made to re- ness of battle. Bruce accepted ceive them. He pointed this the challenge. He, warding off out to Randolph, with a severe his enemy's charge, and wheelrebuke for his negligence. Burn- ing round, cleft his skull with ing to redeem his honour, he a small battle-axe, the handle ran on with a body of spearmen, of which went to pieces. who planted themselves in the

'His followers blamed him

The English army contained a large body of archers, whose motions on foot and in their lines were not impeded by the difficulties of the ground. A detachment of these wheeled round and took up a position where they could rake the com

for so rashly risking the safety of the army in his own, and he had nothing to say in his defence. Yet it was not so flagrant as it might be, if the like were done in our days. One so thoroughly trained to personal warfare as Bruce, must have known the extent of his own re-pact clumps of Scots spearmen. sources, and might be able to calculate on the next to certainty of killing his man, and on the inspiring influence of such an act. 'We can easily believe what is said of this incident shooting a feeling of despondency and apprehension through the English host. It was nothing in itself, but it was an evil portent.'

At daybreak on the 24th of June, the Scottish army gathered round an eminence, on which Maurice, Abbot of Inchaffray, celebrated mass, and harangued his hearers on the duty of fight ing for the liberty of their country. At the close of his discourse they answered with a loud shout, and the Abbot, barefoot, and with a crucifix in his hand, marched before them to the field of battle. As soon as they were formed, he again addressed them; and as he prayed, they all fell upon their knees. They kneel,' exclaimed some of the English; 'they beg for mercy.' 'Do not deceive yourselves,' said Ingelram de Umfraville; they beg for mercy, but it is only from God.'

This was a kind of force becoming every year more formidable. It was destined to be the strongest arm of the English army, and on many memorable occasions it inflicted heavy punishment on the Scots. It is difficult to realize the power and precision with which the masters of the art could send a cloth-yard shaft. They could pick out one by one the chinks and joints in the finest suit of Milan mail. To spearmen on foot, it was hopeless to contend with them-only cavalry could drive them off. Here, then, was a use for Bruce's small reserve of cavalry. It charged the archers and dispersed them, and now the clumps of spearmen had to resist the onset of the English cavalry.

These soon found how judiciously the ground had been prepared for them. They were parcelled out in ten battles or battalions, but there was not room to move these separately on the narrow ground available for cavalry, and the whole seemed to their enemy thrown 'Shortly afterwards, the English into one unorganized mass, or army advanced to the charge."scheltum," as they called it. There was a preparatory move- The spearmen stood against the ment very perilous to the Scots. charge of the horsemen firm as a