The Sun.
London, England, 1830-05-20 00:00:00

THE BATTLE OF FALKIRK.

Day broke on the army of Ent-viand moving
onward to Linlithgow in one long and variegated
column. To those whom sanctity of character,
or local situation, enabled to await its approach,
the spectacle, which was now at hand, must have
been fearfully interesting. Since the days of the
Romans, the present army was perhaps the
largest that had traversed the plains of Scotland.
Many alterations had been introduced about
this time into Europe by the crusaders ; and
Edward, who was no inapt scholar in the mili-
tary art, had, during his residence in Palestine,
and his expeditions to France, availed himself
of every invention that came under his observa-
tion. His army, therefore, might justly be con-
sidered as the most perfect in discipline, equip-
ment, and feudal splendour, that Christendom
could boast of at the time. As it approached, it
seemed to lengthen, the interminable array issu-
ing, as it were, from some inexhaustible source •
on the verge of the horison its glittering mazes
oce4sionally appearing and disappearing among
the inequalities of the road, might be aptly com-
pared to the undulating movements of one of
those enormous serpents that figure in the
pages of romance, some of whose coils are at
4 • •
times seen while its extremities are concealed
amid the darkness of the den from whence it is
represented as issuing forth. Most of the inha-
bitants fled before the unwelcome intruders, ex-
cept a few Carmelite friars, who stopped to gaze
on the warlike pageant,
The confused hum of this living mass in-
creased as it advanced, till the deserted walls of
Linlithgow resounded to the braying of clarions,
the thundering of kettle-drums, and the prancing
of war-steeds in flowing caparisons, bestrode by
warriors mailed to the teeth, having long two-
handed swords depending from their girdles,
while their right hands held lances, and their left
supported triangular shields painted with the
various devices of their families.'

Tradition asserts, that this grand army took a
whole clay to deploy through the town of Linlith-
gow ; but the advanced guard came in sight of
the Scottish outposts early in the day. The latter
occupied the ridge of a hill ; and as the English
marched up to attack them, a. thick mist inter-
vened, and prevented the intended rencounter.
When the day cleared up, the Scottish army
was discovered in the distance, taking up their
positions and preparing for battle. Their num-
bers did not exceed 30,000—not a third part of
the force opposed to them ; and aware of the im-
mense advantages which Edward possessed, and
extremely averse to risk the safety of the country
on the issue of a single battle, the Guardian
would gladly have protracted the warfare, by re-
tiring farther to the north. Divisions, however,
prevailed among the leaders of the Scots ; and,
before they could agree on the measures neces-
sary to be adopted, the near approach of the
English, and the great superiority of the latter
in cavalry, rendered retreat extremely hazardous.
The Scottish army, which consisted princi-
pally of spearmen and lancers, was arranged in
four divisions or schiltrons. Those in.the centre
held their long spears perpendicular, and stood
ready to fill up a vacancy, while each intervening
rank gradually sloped their weapons till they
came to a level. The front rank kneeling, and
the whole closely wedged together, presented to
the enemy the appearance of four enormous
im-
penetrable porcupines, the space between each
being filled up with archers.
Edward, on seeing these dispositions for battle,
hesitated to give orders for the attack, and pro.
posed that his followers should pitch their tents,
and allow the soldiers and horses time for rest
and refreshment. This was opposed by his
officers, as being unsafe in
i their present situa-
tion,—a small rivulet only intervening between
the two antics. " What, then, would you ad-
vise ?" exclaimed Edward. An immediate

the west. While thus employe.
squadron under the Bishop of Du.
to get in front of the enemy. B.
on observing the formidable appear
opponents, wished to delay the chart,
ported by the column under the corm.
the King. " Stick to thy mass, Bishop," .
Ralf Basset of Drayton, " and teach us in,
what to do in the face of an enemy." " On,
' then," said Bek, " set on in your own way ;we
are all soldiers to-day, and bound to our duty.''
Instantly they rushed forward, and soon became
engaged with. the first schiltron, which was al-
most simultaneously attacked on the opposite
quarter by the first division which had cleared
the morass. The cavalry of the Scots, and a
large body of the vassals of John Cumyn,
itrt-
mediately wheeled about, and left the field with.
out awaiting the attack. The sehiltrons of
spearmen, however, stood firm, and repulsed all
the efforts of their numerous and heavy-arme'd
assailants, who recoiled again and again from
before the mass of spears which their enemies
presynted. Baffled in their attack, the cavalry
of Edward charged upon the archers, who, less
able to stand their ground against the weight
of their mail-clad adversaries, gave way. In the
confusion, Sir John Stewart, of Bonkill, bro-
ther to the Steward of Scotland, was thrown to
the.ground, while attempting to rally his vassals,
the archers of Selkirk ; and though many of
them rushed forward to his assistance, their ex-
ertions were in vain :—their gallant leader fell,
surrounded by the bodies of his faithful tenantry.
Though heavy squadrons of cavalry were con-
tinually pushed forward against the Scottish
spearmen, still the latter maintained their ranks,
and displayed such admirable discipline and
stubborn resolution, that Edward, convinced of
the inability of breaking their array, suspended
the charges of his horsemen, and ordered all his
archers and slingers to advance.
The formation of the Scottish schiltrons was
admirably adapted for defence ; and had they
been supplied with a sufficient body of cavalry
to have protected them from the assaults of the
archers, they might have kept their ground, in
defiance of every effort of the enemy. But, de-
serted by their own cavalry, they now stood
helplessly exposed to a storm of missiles which
assailed them in all directions ; for though those
in the centre bravely pressed forward to fill up
the chasms in front, cloud after cloud of arrows,
mingled with stones, continued to descend
among their ranks with increasing and deadly
effect, till the ground was encumbered around
them ; while their former assailants sat with
their horses on the rein, ready to burst in upon
them at the first opening that would offer. The
Scots at last became unsteady, under the inces-
sant and murderous discharge of the English
artillery. The cavalry then dashed forward, and
breaking in upon their ranks, completed the
confusion.

Wallace now saw that retreat was the only ex-
pedient left by which he could save the remnant
of his countrymen ; and having, with incredible
efforts, rallied a number of his most determined
adherents, he attacked the foremost of the pur-
suers, and by that means covered the retreat of
the fugitives. In one of these efforts, he ad-
vanced alone from the midst of his little band,
and, with a single blow, slew Sir Brian le Jay, a
Knight Templar of high military renown, who had
shown himself most active in harassing the re-
treating Scots. The death of this Templar, which
took place in Callender Wood, damped the
ardour of his companions, and enabled the Scots
to make good their retreat. Sir John Graham,
however, giving way to a gallant but imprudent
ardour, advanced too far amongst the enemy,
where lie was surrounded and slain ; and Wal-

lace, after repeated endeavours to revenge the
death of his. friend, rejoined his followers. This
he effected with great difficulty, from the influx
of the tide, and the weakness of his horse,
which is said to have been so worn out with
the fatigues of the day, and the wounds it had
received, that the noble animal expired as soon
as it had placed its master beyond the reach of
his pursuers.
In this sanguinary conflict, 15,000 Scots are
said to have been left on the field ; the most dis-
tinguished of whom were Sir John Graham of
Dundalk, Sir John Stewart of Bonkill, and
Macduff, grand-uncle to the Earl of Fife. The
extent of the English loss, from the stubborn
opposition of their enemies, must also have been
considerable. After the battle, Wallace fell back

on Stirling, which he burnt, in order to prevent
it from falling into the hands of the English.—
Constable's Miscellany, Vol. LIV., Life of Sir
William Wallace.