第21章 THE CITY GAMES(1)

The next evening the armourer, at Walter's request, continued his narrative.

"Soon after the tournament we began to fight again with Scotland.For some years we had had peace with that country, and under the regency a marriage was made between David, King of Scotland, son of Robert the Bruce, and the Princess Joan, sister to our king, and a four years' truce was agreed to.""But why should we always be fighting with Scotland?" Walter asked.

"That is more than I can tell you, Walter.We were peaceful enough with them until the days of Edward I; but he set up some claim to the throne of Scotland, the rights of which neither I nor anyone else, so far as I know, have ever been able to make out.The fact was he was strong, and thought that he could conquer Scotland.The quarrels between her nobles - most of them were allied by blood with our own and held possessions in both kingdoms - gave Edward an excuse to interfere.Scotland was conquered easily enough, but it was a hard task to hold it.Sir William Wallace kept the country in a turmoil for many years, being joined by all the common people.He inflicted one heavy defeat upon us at Stirling, but receiving no support from the nobles he was defeated at Falkirk, and some years afterwards was captured and executed here.His head you may see any day over London Bridge.As he fought only for his country and had ever refused allegiance to our king, it seems to me that his fate was a cruel one.Then when all appeared quiet, Robert Bruce raised Scotland again, and was crowned king.There was war for many years, but at last, at Bannockburn he inflicted such a defeat upon us as we have never had before.After that there were skirmishes and excursions, but Edward II was a weak prince, and it seemed that the marriage of David and the Princess Joan would bring about a permanent peace between the two countries; but it was not to be so.""Many of the English nobles held claims by marriage or grants upon lands in Scotland.They had, of course, been driven from these when the English were turned out by Bruce.By the terms of the marriage treaty in 1328 it was agreed that they should be reinstated.It was a foolish clause, because it was plain that the King of Scotland could not take these lands again from the Scotch nobles who had possession of them, many of them being well-nigh as powerful as himself.At this time Edward Baliol, son of the great rival of Robert Bruce, was in England.He still claimed the throne of Scotland as his right.Round him gathered a number of the English nobles who claimed lands in Scotland.The king offered no hindrance to the gathering of this force, for I doubt not that he was glad to see dissension in Scotland, which might give him some such pretext for interference as that which Edward I had seized to possess himself of that country.At first Baliol was successful, and was crowned at Scone, but he was presently defeated and driven out of Scotland.The Scots now made an eruption across the frontier as a retaliation for Edward's having permitted Baliol to gather a force here for his war against Bruce.King Edward was on the point of starting for Ireland, and he at once hastened north.He defeated the Scots at Halidon Hill, captured Berwick, and placed Baliol upon the throne.Bruce fled to France, where he was supported and encouraged by the French king.""The ill feeling between Edward and Phillip of Valois had gone on increasing ever since the former had been compelled to take the oath of allegiance to the latter, but outwardly the guise of friendship was kept up, and negotiations went on between the two courts for a marriage between the little Prince of Wales and Joanna, daughter of the French king.""The aid which Phillip gave to Bruce increased the bad feeling, and Edward retaliated for Phillip's patronage of Bruce by receiving with the greatest honour and courtesy Robert of Artois, a great feudatory of France, who had been banished by King Phillip.For a time, although both countries were preparing for war, peace was not broken, as Edward's hands were full in Scotland, where Baliol having bestowed immense possessions upon the English nobles who had assisted him, the country again rose in favour of Bruce.