HARK! DO YOU HEAR THE PIPE1 AND THE DRUM? "Now's the day and now's the hour; See! approach proud Edward's power- "Shall I leave Scotland now in such a plight? No, faith! not I, till I redress its right.”—Blind Harry. HUSH! hark! do you hear the bagpipe and drum? See! see how they stream o'er the Campsie Fells, For Freedom they fought, for Liberty bled, And England defied, with her mean borrowed 2 hounds, Proud Edward, who led them, swore while he reigned 1 The Highland bagpipe and the English drum were the martial characteristics of both nations. 2 At Bannockburn, besides the entire strength of the English army, Edward engaged an auxiliary force of foreign mercenaries to make the defeat of Bruce and subjugation of Scotland at this pitched and preparatory battle the more certain, as he thought. 1 But bloody and long was the Patriot strife,1 For the Lion fought hard for freedom and life; While the Border's wild cheer, and the bagpipe's loud hum, Soon silenced the roll of his proud English drum. Poor Tyranny's hounds fell fast 'neath his paws, The chains forged for Scotland lay where they fell, The blood that poured there served Freedom her turn, Then hurrah for the home of the brave and the free,-- The blood of that struggle cemented our isle, But little he recked that the patriot's knife, It is recorded in natural history that, when a lion and tiger meet in deadly strife, the encounter only ends in the death of one or both of the combatants. So characteristic of the deadly struggle so long carried on betwixt England and Scotland, and which only ended in the fraternal and eternal amity and union of both. 2 After wresting nearly the whole of Scotland from the English, Bruce was employed in reducing the Isle of Man also. On his return to Scotland in the autumn of 1314, he found his brother Edward besieging Stirling Castle, held by Sir Philip Mowbray. A treaty having been entered into by which Mowbray bound himself to surrender the castle if not relieved before the 24th June following, this stipulation, as is well known, produced the world-wide, famous battle of Independence and Freedom, known as the battle of Bannockburn, a battle of preparation on both sides, fought 24th June 1514, at which both kings were present-Bruce commanding the Scots in person. Edward was so confident of success that, as history states, he brought chains for his expected prisoners. But the English army of upwards of 100,000 was totally routed, leaving 30,000 dead on the field. The Scottish army did not number much more than the number slain of their enemies; their own loss was only about 5000-the complete triumph of Liberty over Invasion. And I have no doubt but that now every true-born Englishman is as proud of that noble stand against Invasion as the natives of the northern portion of the British Island. UP WITH SCOTLAND'S BANNER HIGH! "For under it most faithfully we'll fight, In the defence of brave old Scotland's right."-Blind Harry. "There warlike Bruce exerts his lawful might, UP P high! let Scotland's banner fly! Then let it fly, for it shall be The standard of the brave and free! Her rugged rocks and foaming rills, Can Truth deny her Wallace fame? No, never while her hills shall be For wild and shrill the curlew screams, Then high let Scotland's banner fly, Defiant, too, her moorcock crows, |