Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1914-01-19
MYSTERIES OF WAR.
Where is Robert sruce's Hearth


The most interesting story related
of Robert Bruce, the Scotch patriot,
aside from that OF the spider and its
industry, is the disposition of his
heart Bruce's life was so filled with
romance, that it was but natural that
it should contain something romantic
in its ending. AS the Scotch hero lay
on His deathbed in 1929 he entreated
Sir James Douglas, his dear and trust
ed friend, to carry his heart to Jeru.
salem, because he had not on account
of his war with England been able to
fulfill a vow which he had made to
assist in the crusade.
Sir James, weeping exceedingly 1t
is said, vowed on the honor of a
knight faithfully to discharge the trust
reposed in him After the kings death
his heart was taken from his body,
embalmed and enclosed in a silver
case. which by a chain Douglas sus-
pended to his neck, and then, having
provided a suitable retinue to attend
him. he departed for the Holy Land.
On reaching Spain Douglas found
the king of CASTLE holly engaged in
war with the Moors, and thinking any
contest with Saracens consistent with
the vow, he joined the Spaniards in
a battle against the Moors, but ignor-
ant of their mode OF fighting, was soon
surrounded by horsemen so that
escape was impossible.
In desperation Douglas took the
precious heart from his neck. and
threw it before him, shouting aloud,
"Pas on as thou vert wont; | wis
follow or die" He followed and was
Immediately struck to the earth His
dead body was found after the battle
lying over the heart of Bruce. It was
carried away by his friends and hon
orably buried in his own church OF
st. Bride at Douglas.
Bruce's heart, it is said, was en-
trusted to the charge of Sir Simon Lo-
card of Lee, who bore it back to Scot
land and deposited it beneath the altar
in Melrose Abbey. where, perhaps, 1t
still remains. No one is absolutely
sure of it, and by many persons it is
believed that the entire story of its
discovery in the battlefield and its con-
veyance back to Scotland is false.
On account of the heart incident Sir
Simon changed his name from Locard
to Lockheart and bore in his arms a
heart within fetterlock, with the
motto "Corda serrata pando." From
the same incident the Douglases bear
human heart, imperially crowned,
and have in their possession an an
cient sword emblazoned with two
hands holding a heart dated 1929, the
year in which Bruce died.
The reason why Melrose Abbey was
selected for the burial of Bruces heart
is that he had it rebuilt in the four
teenth century. after it was wholly de-
stroyed by Edward II. 1t is undoubt-
edly the finest ruin in Scotland Rob
ert Bruce's heart is supposed to have
been deposited in the east end of the
abbey, near the site OF the high altar.
For a time it was supposed that the
story of the Bruce heart was myth.
like so many other tales that have
been told of this famous ScOtchman,
but when his corpse was disinterred
in 1921 the breastbone was found sew
cred to admit of the removal of the
heart The Encyclopedia Britannica
credits Sir William Keith with having
recovered the heart in Spain. and not |
Sir Simon Locard
The standard English National Biog |
raphy states that the story may be ac-
cepted as authentic; but the words |
with which Douglas is said to have |
parted with it
Now passe thou forth before
AS thou was wont on field to bee,
And | shall follow or else die"
are an addition to the original verses
of Barbour.
The nersons resnonsible for the |
story Of Robert Bruce's heart are Bar,
bour, the poet and Froissart, the
who both give the narra-
tive of the deathbed scene, and though !
different in some details, these two
agree in the main. OF the
two one naturally incllnes to credit
the prose writer with greater accu,
racy as being free from the eXlgeucies
of rhyme and meter The chief DIFF
ference in them lies in the account Of