Upon fubjects equally trivial, he fent fix dif- Edward, to whom these transactions were no fecret, endeavoured to ward the threatened blow, by being the first aggreffor; and accordingly fummoned John to perform the duty of a vaffal, and to fend him a fupply of forces against an invafion from France, with which ftate he had for fome time been at variance. He alfo fummoned him to furrender fome of his principal forts, and to appear at a parlia ment which was held at Newcastle. None of these commands, as he well forefaw, being C 3 com complied with, he refolved to enforce obedience by marching a body of thirty thousand foot, and four thousand horse, into the heart of the kingdom of Scotland. As the Scottish nation had little reliance on the vigour, or the courage of their king, they had affigned him a council of twelve noblemen to affift; or more properly speaking, to fuperintend his proceedings. They raised an army of forty thoufand men for the prefent emergency, and marched them away to the frontiers, which Edward was now preparing to attack. But fome of the most considerable of the Scottish nobility, among whom were Robert Bruce and his fon, endeavoured to ingratiate themselves with Edward by an early fubmiffion, which ferved not a little to intimidate thofe who ftill adhered to their king. The progrefs, therefore, of the English arms was extremely rapid; Berwick was taken by affault; Sir William Douglas, the governor, made prisoner, and a garrifon of feven thoufand men put to the fword. Elated by thefe advantages, Edward dispatched the earl Warenne, with ten thoufand men, to lay fiege to Dunbar; and the Scotch, fenfible of the importance of that place, advanced with their whole army, under the command of the earls Mar, Buchan, and Lenox, to relieve it. Although the fuperiority of numbers was greatly on their fide, yet courage and discipline was entirely on that of the English. The conflict was of fhort continuance; the Scots were foon thrown into confufion, and twenty thousand of their men were flain upon the field of battle. The castle of Dunbar, with all its garrifon, furrendered the day following; and Edward, who was now come up with the main body of his army, led them onward into the country to certain conqueft. The castles of the greatest strength and importance opened their gates to him almost without refiftance; and the whole fouthern part of the country acknowleged the conqueror. The northern parts were not fo eafily reducible, being defended by the inacceffible mountains, and intricate forefts, that deform the face of that country. To make himself master of this part of the kingdom, Edward reinforced his army with numbers of men levied in Ireland and Wales, who, being used to this kind of defultory war, were beft qualified to feek, or pursue the latent enemy. But Baliol made these preparations unneceffary; he found that a ready fubmiffion was more fafe and easy than a fierce refiftance drawn out among mountainous deferts, and those folitudes, made. ftill more dreadful by famine. He haftened, therefore, to make his peace with the victor, and expreffed the deepest repentance for his former difloyalty. To fatisfy him ftill further, he made a folemn refignation of the crown into his hands; and the whole kingdom foon after followed his example. Edward thus master of the kingdom, took every precaution to fecure his title, and to abolish thofe diftinctions, which might be apt to keep the nation in its former independence. He carefully deftroyed all records and monuments of antiquity, that infpired the people with a spirit of national pride. He carried away a ftone, which the traditions of the vulgar pretended to have been Jacob's pillow, on which all their kings were feated, when they were anointed. This, the ancient tradition had affured them, was the mark of their government; and wherever it was placed, their command was always to follow. The great feal of Baliol was broke; and that unhappy monarch himself was carried as a prisoner to London, and committed to cuftody in the Tower. Two years afterwards he was reftored to his liberty, and banished to France, where he died in a private ftation, without making any further attempts to reinftate himself upon the throne; happier perhaps in privacy, than if gratified in the purfuits of ambition. The ceffation which was given to Edward by thofe fucceffes, in his infular dominions, induced him to turn his ambition to the continent, where he expected to recover a part of those territories that had been ufurped from his crown, during the imbecillity of his predeceffors. There had been a rupture with France fome time before, upon a very trifling occafion. A Norman and English ship met off the coaft, near Bayonne; and having both occafion to draw water from the fame spring, there happened a quarrel for the preference. This fcuffle, in which a Norman was flain, produced a complaint to the king of France, who defired the complainant to take his own revenge, and not bring fuch matters before him. This the Normans did fhortly after; for feizing the crew of a fhip in the channel, they hanged a part of them, together with fome dogs, in the prefence of all their companions. This produced a retaliation from the English cinque-ports; and the animofity of the merchants on both fides being wrought up to fury, the fea became a fcene of piracy and murder. No quarter was given on either fide; the mariners were deftroyed by thousands; and at last the affair became too serious for the fovereigns of either fide to continue any longer unconcerned fpec tators. |