Next DAVID on the scaffold yields his breath, His Queen the politic usurper sends Next, SCOTIA, thou wert doom'd to know BALIOL and BRUCE from civil feud, Whose title was "maist faire, and gude," And EDWARD's arbitrary arbitration The * Edward the Second, born at Caernarvon Castle. Welch had promised, it is said, to be satisfied with a native prince, who could not speak a word of English, and this ruse of Edward's perfectly succeeded.-Vide The Chapter of Welch Princes at the end of this reign. VOL. I. And And, EDWARD being then at war with France,* 'Gainst England BALIOL ventures to advance; But England made a sudden truce With France, and gain'd the aid of BRUCE,† And luckless BALIOL lost his land.‡ And SCOTIA too had bow'd her down * Edward was delighted when Baliol, by refusing to go and pay homage, gave him pretence to subdue Scotland. "Ha," said he, "Le fol felon tal folie fait! S'il ne voulut venir à nous, nous "viendrons a lui."-" Is he then so great a fool! Well, if he will "not come to me, I must e'en go to him." FORDUN. The wife of Bruce, while at the English court, had the following odd attendant allowed her: “a footboy, sober, and not 66 riotous, to make her bed." RYMER'S FÆdera. She had also three men and three women servants, three greyhounds, plenty of fish and game, and the fairest house in the manor. J. P. ANDREWS. At the battle of Dunbar, where Baliol was taken prisoner, and Edward became possessed of the national regalia, together with the fatal stone, on which was engraven, Ni fallat fatum, Scoti quocunque locatum, Anglice. Or fate's deceived, and heav'n decrees in vain, Or where they find this stone, the Scots shall reign." CAMB-WALS. But But WALLACE, far-famed WALLACE, rose, The terror of invading foes. "Scots wha hae wi WALLACE bled," Cou'd ye my feeble muse inspire, Where English chiefs were fain to yield, And from his native shelt'ring rocks, Till Fortune, fickle, worthless, blind, The patriot to his foe resign'd, The savage foe by honour unconfin'd, Again bids" hangman's hands" pollute the brave, And dooms an HERO to a Traitor's grave. COMYN next leads the plaided warriors on, Who greatly scorn'd to give invasion place: 66 In this reign WICKLIFFE lived, and ROGER BACON : One preach'd reform, Rome thunder'd, he preach'd louder; * He called the God of MERCY (a most ill-applied attribute) to witness that he would utterly exterminate the Scotch revolters, which oath was rendered more solemn (according to the strange romantic turn of the age) by the presence of two milk white swans with trappings of gold, which were brought into Westminster-abbey on this occasion, and had their part in the sacred rites of the day. SPEED. The The second, or historians are mistaken, From nitre found the way to make gunpowder; But BACON was of fellow men a lover, Nor would the death-fraught recipe discover: That poetry in progress was but slow, These lines of "Adam Davie," serve to show, (Adam was Marshall styled of Stratford Bow). "To our Lord Jhesu Christe in heaven, I, to-day, shew mine swyven ;* "That ich motte,† in one nycht, "Of a knyghte of myche mycht, "His name is y hole, ‡ Syr Edward the Kyng, "Prince of Wales, Engelonde, the fair thynge. "Me motte that he was armed well, "Both with yrne and with stele; "And on his helm that was of stele, "A coroune of gold becomen him wele; "Before the shryne of St. Edward he stood, 'Myd glad cheere, and mylde of mood." Dream. † Dreamed. Called As |