Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1869 edition. Excerpt: ...matters, led to acrimonious feelings between the parties. The English chroniclers make it thus appear, by way of palliating the defeat at Stirling, that there was disunion between the leaders, and our Scottish historians implicitly believe them. But when our own chroniclers speak of disunion among the Scots leaders, as at Falkirk, the statement is gravely doubted, if not contradicted. The day of the great contest approached. Fifty thousand of the English repaired to the bridge to meet the Scots, the remainder of their army being stationed at the castle, for both the field and strength they expected to take without much trouble. They were fifty to one compared with the Scots, who So says the Minstrel; but Tytler makes the army under Wallace amount to forty thousand foot and one hundred and eighty horse. This is assuredly an exaggeration; such a force could hardly he raised in the Lowlands of the north of Scotland, whence his followers were at that time chiefly drawn. At Fal abode on the north, side of the river. Hew of CresBingham led the van of the English, some twenty thousand strong. Earl Warren had the second division, consisting of thirty thousand. Cressingham at once took the bridge, and when his division was over, Wallace was urged by some of his friends to blow the horn; but he refrained a little till Warren's host "thik on the bryg he saw." Then taking the horn from Jop, he blew the expected blast, when instantly the carpenter struck out "the rowar," and down with a crash went the bridge and all that were upon it. A hideous cry arose as both man and horse tumbled into the river. The Scots now assailed the division which had passed over with great impetuosity. Wallace, Graham, Boyd, Ramsay, and Lundin, were...