18 THE HISTORY OF
earl of Athol, forced him to yield it and himſelf to the King. Mean time, Philip Frazer took the caſtle of Forfar: and the King, purſuing this victory, reduced all the north to his obedience; and joining with the lord James Douglas, returning from the South with his two captives, he took St. Johnſtoun by ſurprizal: from thence he paſſed into Lorn, the Lord whereof had ambuſhed two thouſand men, on the ſide of a ſteep hill, where the King behoved to enter through a narrow paſſage: but Sir James Douglas, with Sir Alexander Frazer; and Sir Andrew Gray, climbing the hill, came ſuddenly on their backs, and put them to flight. John of Lorn fled into England by ſea: his father, Lord Alexander M'Dougal, yielded himſelf and the caſtle of Dunſtaſſnage to the King.
By theſe means, all on the north ſide of Forth was reduced to obedience; Sir Edward, his brother, in the mean time, who by long and hard fighting, had conquered Galloway, James Douglas, by a ſtratagem, ſurpriſed the ſtrong caſtle of Roxburgh on the Faſten's-even, while all the garriſon (after the cuſtom of the time) were feaſting and playing the riot. The report whereof, ſo whetted the valiant Thomas Randal newly reſtored to his uncle's favour, and made earl of Murray, that having beſieged the caſtle of Edinburgh for ſome months, he ſet himſelf by all means to carry the ſame, which he obtained by a narrow paſſage up through the rock, diſcovered by him; by which he and ſundry ſtout gentlemen ſecretly paſſed up, and ſcaling the wall, after long and dangerous fighting, made themſelves maſters of the place. The garriſons of Rutherglen, Lanerk, Dumfries, Air, Dundee, and Bute, hearing this, yielded up theſe caſtles, which were all razed. The iſle of Man, alſo returned to the obedience of the crown of Scotland. Sir Edward Bruce, having beſieged Stirling caſtle three months, agreed with the captain, Sir Philip Moubray, that if the king of England did not reſcue him within 12 months thereafter, the caſtle ſhould be yielded to king Robert. Albeit this ſeemed a raſh provocation of ſo mighty a King as Edward Longſhanks; (but far degenerate from his valour,) having not only England and Ireland and many Engliſhed Sects, with the duchy of Guienne Bourdeaux, and other parts of France ſubject to him, but alſo the low countries ſtrictly confederate with him: ye king Robert prepared himſelf to encounter him in the
