Wallace appeared; and as the cavalcade4 of noble Southrons who had lately commanded beyond the Tay, followed him, Murray glanced his eye around, and said with a smile to De Warenne, “You see, sir earl, how we Scots keep our word!” and then he added, “you leave Stirling to-morrow, but these remain till Lord Douglas opens their prison-doors.”
“I cannot but acquiesce5 in the justice of your commander’s determination,” returned De Warenne, “and to comfort these gentlemen under their captivity6, I can only tell them that if anything can reconcile them to the loss of liberty, it is being the prisoners of Sir William Wallace.”
After having transferred his captives to the charge of Lord Mar2, Wallace went alone to the chamber7 of Montgomery, to see whether the state of his wounds would allow him to march on the morrow. While he was yet there, an invitation arrived from the Countess of Mar, requesting his presence at an entertainment which, by her husband’s consent, she meant to give that night at Snawdoun, to the Southron lords before their departure for England.
“I fear you dare not expend8 your strength on this party?” inquired Wallace, turning to Montgomery.
“Certainly not,” returned he; “but I shall see you amidst your noble friends, at some future period. When the peace your arms must win, is established between the two nations, I shall then revisit Scotland; and openly declare my friendship for Sir William Wallace.”
“As these are your sentiments,” replied Wallace, “I shall hope that you will unite your influence with that of the brave Earl of Gloucester, to persuade your king to stop this bloodshed; for it is no vain boast to declare, that he may bury Scotland beneath her slaughtered9 sons, but they never will again consent to acknowledge any right in an usurper11.”
“Sanguinary have been the instruments of my sovereign’s rule in Scotland,” replied Montgomery; “but such cruelty is foreign to his gallant12 heart; and without offending that high-souled patriotism13, which would make me revere14 its possessor, were he the lowliest man in your legions, allow me, noblest of Scots, to plead one word in vindication15 of him to whom my allegiance is pledged. Had he come hither, conducted by war alone, what would Edward have been worse than any other conqueror16? But on the reverse, was not his right to the supremacy17 of Scotland acknowledged by the princes who contended for the crown? And besides, did not all the great lords swear fealty18 to England, on the day he nominated their king?”
“Had you not been under these impressions, brave Montgomery, I believe I never should have seen you in arms against Scotland; but I will remove them by a simple answer. All the princes whom you speak of, excepting Bruce of Annandale, did assent19 to the newly offered claim of Edward on Scotland; but who, amongst them, had any probable chance for the throne, but Bruce or Baliol? Such ready acquiescence20 was meant to create them one. Bruce, conscious of his inherent rights, rejected the iniquitous21 demand of Edward; Baliol accorded with it, and was made king. All our chiefs who were base enough to worship the rising sun, and, I may say, condemn22 the God of truth, swore to the falsehood. Others remained gloomily silent; and the bravest of them retired23 to the Highlands, where they dwell amongst their mountains, till the cries of Scotland called them again to fight her battles.
“Thus did Edward establish himself as the liege lord of this kingdom; and whether the oppresion which followed were his or his agents’ immediate24 acts, it matters not, for he made them his own by his after-conduct. When remonstrances25 were sent to London, he neither punished nor reprimanded the delinquents26, but marched an armed force into our country, to compel us to be trampled27 on. It was not an Alexander nor a Charlemagne, coming in his strength to subdue28 ancient enemies, or to aggrandize29 his name, by vanquishing30 nations far remote, with whom he could have no affinity31! Terrible as such ambition was, it is innocence32 to what Edward has done. He came, in the first instance, to Scotland as a friend; the nation committed its dearest interests to his virtue33; they put their hands into his and he bound them in shackles34. Was this honor? Was this the right of conquest? The cheek of Alexander would have blushed deep as his Tyrian robe; and the face of Charlemagne turned pale as the lilies, at the bare suspicion of being capable of such a deed.
“No, Lord Montgomery, it is not our conqueror we are opposing; it is a traitor35, who, under the mask of friendship, has attempted to usurp10 our rights, destroy our liberties, and make a desert of our once happy country. This is the true statement of the case, and though I wish not to make a subject outrage36 his sovereign, yet truth demands of you to say to Edward, that to withdraw his pretensions37 from this exhausted38 country, is the restitution39 we may justly claim-is all that we wish. Let him leave us in peace, and we shall no longer make war upon him. But if he persist (which the ambassadors from the Prince of Wales announce), even as Samson drew the temple upon himself, to destroy his enemies, Scotland will discharge itself upon the valleys of England; and there compel them to share the fate in which we may be doomed40 to perish.”
“I will think of this discourse,” returned Montgomery, “when I am far distant; and rely on it, noble Wallace that I will assert the privilege of my birth, and counsel my king as becomes an honest man.”
“Highly would he estimate such counsel,” cried Wallace, “had he virtue to feel that he who will be just to his sovereign’s enemies must be of an honor that will bind41 him with double fidelity42 to his king. Such proof give your sovereign; and, if he have one spark of that greatness of mind which you say he possesses, though he may not adopt your advice, he must respect the adviser43.”
As Wallace pressed the hand of his new friend, to leave him to repose44, a messenger entered from Lord Mar, to request the regent’s presence in his closet. He found him with Lord de Warenne. The latter presented him with another dispatch from the Prince of Wales. It was to say, that news had reached him of Wallace’s design to attack the castles garrisoned45 by England, on the eastern coast. Should this information prove true, he (the prince) declared that, as a punishment for such increasing audacity46, he would put Lord Douglas into closer confinement47; and while the Southron fleets would inevitably48 baffle Wallace’s attempts, the moment the exchange of prisoners was completed on the borders, an army from England should enter Scotland, and ravage49 it with fire and sword.
When Wallace had heard this dispatch, he smile and said, “The deed is done, my Lord de Warenne. Both the castles and the fleets are taken; and what punishment must we now expect from this terrible threatener?”
“Little from him, or his headlong counselors,” replied De Warenne; “but Thomas Earl of Lancaster, the king’s nephew, is come from abroad with a numerous army. He is to conduct the Scottish prisoners to the borders, and then to fall upon Scotland with all his strength, unless you previously50 surrender, not only Berwick, but Stirling, and the whole of the district between the Forth51 and the Tweed, into his hands.”
“My Lord de Warenne,” replied Wallace, “you can expect but one return to these absurd demands. I shall accompany you myself to the Scottish borders, and there made my reply.”
De Warenne, who did indeed look for this answer, replied, “I anticipated that such would be your determination, and I have to regret that the wild counsels which surround my prince, precipitate52 him into conduct which must draw much blood on both sides, before his royal father’s presence can regain53 what he has lost.”
“Ah, my lord,” replied Wallace, “is it to be nothing but war? Have you now a stronghold of any force in all the Highlands? Is not the greater part of the Lowlands free? And before this day month, not a rood of land in Scotland is likely to hold a Southron soldier. We conquer, but it is for our own. Why then this unreceding determination to invade us? Not a blade of grass would I disturb on the other side of the Cheviot, if we might have peace. Let Edward yield to that, and though he has pierced us with many wounds, we will yet forgive him.”
De Warenne shook his head; “I know my king too well to expect pacific measures. He may die with the sword in his hand; but he will never grant an hour’s repose to this country till it submits to his scepter.”
“Then,” replied Wallace, “the sword must be the portion of him and his! Ruthless tyrant54! If the blood of Abel called for vengeance55 on his murderer, what must be the vials of wrath56 which are reserved for thee?”
A flush overspread the face of De Warenne at this apostrophe; and forcing a smile, “The strict notion of right,” said he, “is very well in declamation57, but how would it crop the wings of conquerors58, and shorten the warrior’s arm, did they measure by this rule!”
“How would it, indeed!” replied Wallace; “and that they should is most devoutly59 to be wished. All warfare60 that is not defensive61 is criminal; and he who draws his sword to oppress, or merely to aggrandize, is a murderer and a robber. This is the plain truth, Lord de Warenne.”
“I have never considered it in that light,” returned the earl, “nor shall I turn philosopher now. I revere your principle, Sir William Wallace; but it is too sublime63 to be mine. Nay64, nor would it be politic65 for one who holds his possessions in England by the right of conquest to question the virtue of the deed. By the sword my ancestors gained their estates; and with the sword I have no objection to extend my territories.”
Wallace now saw that De Warenne, though a man of honor, was not one of virtue. Though his amiable66 nature made him gracious in the midst of hostility67, and his good dispositions68 would not allow him to act disgracefull in any concern, yet duty to God seemed a poet’s flight to him. Educated in the forms of religion, without knowing its spirit, he despised them; and believing the Deity69 too wise to be affected70 by mere62 virtuous71 shows of any kind, his ignorance of the sublime benevolence72, which disdains73 not to provide food even for the “sparrow ere it falls,” made him think the Creator of all too great to care about the actions of men; hence, being without the true principles of good-virtue, as virtue, was nonsense to Earl de Warenne.
Wallace did not answer his remark, and the conference soon closed.
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1
citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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cavalcade
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| n.车队等的行列 | |
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acquiesce
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| vi.默许，顺从，同意 | |
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captivity
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| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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8
expend
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| vt.花费，消费，消耗 | |
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9
slaughtered
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
usurp
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| vt.篡夺，霸占；vi.篡位 | |
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usurper
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| n. 篡夺者, 僭取者 | |
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12
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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patriotism
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| n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义 | |
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revere
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| vt.尊崇，崇敬，敬畏 | |
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vindication
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| n.洗冤，证实 | |
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conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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supremacy
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| n.至上；至高权力 | |
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fealty
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| n.忠贞，忠节 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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acquiescence
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| n.默许；顺从 | |
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21
iniquitous
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| adj.不公正的；邪恶的；高得出奇的 | |
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22
condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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23
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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remonstrances
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| n.抱怨，抗议( remonstrance的名词复数 ) | |
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delinquents
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| n.（尤指青少年）有过失的人，违法的人( delinquent的名词复数 ) | |
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27
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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subdue
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| vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制 | |
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29
aggrandize
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| v.增大，扩张，吹捧 | |
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vanquishing
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| v.征服( vanquish的现在分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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affinity
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| n.亲和力，密切关系 | |
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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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shackles
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| 手铐( shackle的名词复数 )； 脚镣； 束缚； 羁绊 | |
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traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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pretensions
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| 自称( pretension的名词复数 )； 自命不凡； 要求； 权力 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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restitution
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| n.赔偿；恢复原状 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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41
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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42
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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43
adviser
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| n.劝告者，顾问 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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45
garrisoned
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| 卫戍部队守备( garrison的过去式和过去分词 )； 派部队驻防 | |
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46
audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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47
confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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48
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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49
ravage
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| vt.使...荒废，破坏...；n.破坏，掠夺，荒废 | |
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50
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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51
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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52
precipitate
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| adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物 | |
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53
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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54
tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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55
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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56
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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57
declamation
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| n. 雄辩，高调 | |
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58
conquerors
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| 征服者，占领者( conqueror的名词复数 ) | |
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59
devoutly
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| adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地 | |
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60
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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61
defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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64
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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politic
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| adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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68
dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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69
deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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71
virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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72
benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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disdains
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| 鄙视，轻蔑( disdain的名词复数 ) | |
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