Wallace (extract)
Of our ancestors, brave true ancient Scots,
Whose glorious scutcheons knew no bars or blots;
But blood untainted circled ev'ry vein,
And ev'ry thing ignoble did disdain;
Of such illustrious patriots and bold,
Who stoutly did maintain our rights of old,
Who their malicious, invet'rate foes,
With sword in hand, did gallantly oppose:
And in their own, and nation's just defence,
Did briskly check the frequent insolence
Of haughty neighbours, enemies profest,
Picts, Danes, and Saxons, Scotland's very pest;
Of such, I say, I'll brag and vaunt so long
As I have power to use my pen or tongue;
And sound their praises in such modern strain
As suiteth best a Scot's poetic vein,
First, here I honour, in particular,
Sir William Wallace, much renown'd in war,
Whose bold progenitors have long time stood,
Of honourable and true Scottish blood.
BATTLE OF STIRLING BRIDGE
Edward I’s army under the command of John de Warenne
and Hugh de Cressingham planned to cross the River Forth at Stirling.
The narrow wooden bridge offered the safest river crossing as the
Forth widened to the east and the treacherous marshland of Flanders Moss
lay to the west.
BATTLE OF FALKIRK
The Welsh refused to attack so Edward sent in two groups of mounted knights.
They traveled around the schiltrons and charged but couldn’t break them.
Knights fell as their horses were impaled on Scots spears like kebabs.
At that moment,
when they should have joined the fight, the Scots nobles turned their horses
and rode away from the battlefield.
The English knights turned on the Scots bowmen,
cutting them down and killing their leader Sir John Stewart.
Edward recalled his cavalry and ordered his archers to loose.
The English longbow was a new and deadly weapon; its iron-tipped arrows
could pierce chainmail and padded armour. Flight after flight of arrows
rained down on the Scots and began to break the schiltrons. Edward sent his
knights to finish the Scots.
