obliged to take refuge in the castle of Ayr. He, for some tune, blockaded this place; but retired at the approach of succours from England. These successes, j though in themselves limited, proved, in effect, of the utmost importance to Robert's cause, by conferring upon it that stability of character in men's minds which, hitherto, it had never attained. The death of Edward I., at this period, was another event which could not but favourably affect the fortunes of Scotland, fit the very moment when the whole force of England was collected for its invasion. That great monarch's resentment and hatred towards Bruce and his patriotic followers did not die with him. With his last breath, he gave orders; that his dead body should accompany the army in its march into Scotland, and j remain unburied until that country was totally subdued. Edward II. disregarded this singular injunction, and had the body of his father more becomingly disposed of in the royal sepulchre at Westminster.
Edward II., on his accession to the throne of England, soon proved himself but ill-qualified for the conduct of those great designs which his father's demise had devolved upon him. Of a weak and obstinate disposition, he was incapable of appreciating-, far less of acting up to the dying counsels and injunctions of his heroic father. His utter disregard for these was, indeed, manifested in the very first act of his reign; that of recalling his unworthy favourite Piers Gaveston from exile, who with other minions of his own cast was from that moment to take the place of all the faithful and experienced ministers of the late king, and exercise a sole and unlimited sway over the weak and capricious humours of their master. Edward by this measure laid an early foundation for the disgust and alienation of his English subjects. His management in regard to Scotland was equally unpropitious. After wasting much valuable time at Dumfries and Roxburgh in receiving the homage of the Scottish barons; he advanced with his great army as far as Cumnock in Ayrshire, from whence, without striking a blow r, he retreated into England, and disbanded his whole forces. A campaign so useless and inglorious, after all the mighty preparation spent upon it, could not but have a happy effect upon the rising fortunes of the Scottish patriots, while it disheartened all in Scotland who from whatever cause favoured the English interest. The English king had no sooner retired, than Bruce invaded Galloway, and, wherever opposed, wasted the country with fire and sword. The fate of his two brothers, who had here fallen into the hands of the chieftain Macdow al, most probably influenced the king in this act of severe retribution. The Earl of Richmond, whom Edward had newly created guardian, was sent to oppose his progress, upon which Robert retired into the north of Scotland, leaving Sir James Douglas in the south, for the purpose of reducing the forests of Selkirk and Jedburgh to obedience. The king, without encountering almost any resistance, over-ran great part of the north, seizing, in his progress, the castle of Inverness and many other fortified places, which he ordered to be entirely demolished. Returning southward, he was met by the Earl of Buchan at the head of a tumultuary body of Scots and English, whom, at the first charge, he put to flight. In the course of this expedition, the king became affected with a grievous illness, which reduced his bodily and mental strength to that degree, that little hopes were entertained of his recovery. Ancient historians have attributed this malady to the effects of the cold, famine, poor lodging and hardships, to which, ever since the defeat at Methven, the king had been subjected.
Buchan, encouraged by the intelligence which he received of the king's illness, and eager to efface the dishonour of his late retreat, again assembled his numerous followers; and being joined by Mowbray, an English commander, came up with the king's forces, then strongly posted near Slaines, on the east coast of Aberdeenshire, The royalists avoided battle; and beginning to be straitened
