Edwd. II. or who would trust him. Therefore, on the arrival of the army at York, it broke out into mutiny, and had Mutiny of to be disbanded. A.D. 1318. the army. A.D. 1319. Edward goes to Scotland in person and lays siege to Berwick. In the beginning of the following year, A.D. 1319, Edward again gathered together his army, and in September laid siege to Berwick, commanding the army in person. The first assault was made on the 7th of the month. Early in the morning the trumpets of the English were heard, and the besiegers advanced in various bodies, well provided with scaling ladders, with pickaxes for mining, and under cover of squadrons of archers and slingers. About noon, the English ships sailed up the river Tweed, on which Berwick is situated, and tried to carry the town from the rigging of one of the vessels. The top-masts were manned with soldiers, and so also was one of her boats, which was drawn up half-mast high. To the boat was attached a kind of drawbridge, intended to be dropt upon the wall, and to afford a passage from the ship to the town. The walls, which were only a spear's length in height, afforded little defence against these preparations, but the Scots, animated by a feeling of confidence, inspired by long success, repulsed the enemy from the land side, while the ship, left high and dry by the ebbing tide, was set on fire by a party of the enemy who had descended from the walls.33 The English drew off, but only to make preparations for a more desperate assault. They determined to undermine the walls; and, for this purpose, a huge machine called a sow was constructed, covered by a strong roofing of hides and boards, and holding within its bosom large bodies of armed soldiers and miners. To cooperate with this machine, moveable scaffolds, high enough to overtop the walls, and capable of holding A.D. 1319. armed men, were erected, and a number of ships were Edwd. II. fitted out like the vessel which had been burnt, but their top castles were full of archers. The Scots on their side were not idle. Great machines, called catapults, were made for hurling forth huge stones, and others for throwing heavy darts, winged with copper. Iron chains, with grappling hooks, and piles of faggots, mixed with bundles of pitch and flax, were also kept in readiness for defence. At length all was ready for the second assault, and early in the morning of the 13th of September, the English made their attack. To the sound of trumpets and war horns, they resolutely advanced, but, after a struggle, which lasted. from sunrise to noon, they were beaten back. Edward Failure of now ordered the sow to be advanced, and the English the siege of engineers, knowing that a single heavy stone from the great Scotch catapult, well aimed, would certainly be fatal, dragged it forward with great speed. Twice was the aim taken, and twice it failed. The first stone flew over the machine, the second fell short of it; the third, an immense mass, which passed through the air with a loud booming noise, hit it directly in the middle, with a dreadful crash, and shivered it into a thousand pieces. Such of the miners and soldiers who escaped death, rushed out from amongst the fragments, and the Scots, raising a shout, cried out that the English sow had farrowed her pigs. The machine was now set on fire, and the English attack was quite repulsed. 34 Berwick. obliges Although twice beaten off, it is likely that Edward Bruce would have made another attempt to take Berwick, Edward to but Bruce determined to compel him to raise the raise the siege, by invading England, and making an attempt to take prisoner the Queen, who was then at York. siege. A.D. 1319. Ecwd. II. Randolph and Douglas were sent into England with this object, at the head of 15,000 men. It is to be feared that Lancaster was really a traitor, for it appears that Bruce was in secret correspondence with him, and with others about the Queen's person. 35 Bruce's schemes nearly succeeded, but they became known to the Queen through a Scottish prisoner, who fell into the hands of the English, and the Queen escaped. Randolph and Douglas, disappointed at their failure, ravaged the country. Unsuccessful of the English to the Almost all the military strength of the English was resistance collected together before Berwick, but the Archbishop of York, and the Bishop of Ely, did their best to raise a force to resist the invaders. A motley force of Randolph 20,000 men was gathered together. Multitudes of Douglas. priests and monks, their armour covered with white invasion of and Truce be land and surplices, train bands, and armed citizens, led by the Mayor of York, swelled the array. The result was what might be expected. They were utterly routed, and only escaped complete destruction by the approach of night. When the news of the disaster reached the camp before Berwick, Lancaster, basely and perhaps treacherously, deserted the King's army with all his followers, and the siege was therefore raised. Edward made a spirited attempt to intercept Douglas and Randolph on their return, but they escaped him entirely, and reached Scotland loaded with booty. Eighty-four towns and villages were burnt and pillaged by Randolph and Douglas in this expedition. A two years' truce, to commence from Christmas, tween Eng A.D. 1319, was at length agreed on between the two Scotland. Kingdoms, but, notwithstanding this, the Archbishop of York and the Bishops of London and Carlisle continued to excommunicate Bruce and his barons Edwd. II. every Sunday and festival day throughout the year. Quarrels between the King and the Barons. 36 A.D. 1319. summons When the King returned towards the South of Edward England, he summoned a council to meet at North- the barons. ampton on the 1st August. At this assembly the barons imputed the King's want of success to his acting without the advice of the Earl of Lancaster, and it was agreed between the King and the barons, that "a standing council of certain bishops, earls, and barons should constantly remain with the King, to advise him in all matters of public concern, until the next Parliament." 62 ment of advise the At the following Parliament, held at York, three Appointweeks after Michaelmas, it was agreed that two bishops, standing one earl, and one baron, or banneret, of the House council to of Lancaster, "should in his name, and for him, be King. present and remain with the King, in their turns, according to the four quarters of the year, to deliberate with, and advise him, in due manner, and that they might deliberate and advise about all considerable matters out of Parliament, until a Parliament should otherwise determine concerning them." 63 spensers. There appears, however, to be no evidence that The Dethis arrangement was ever acted on, for the King was now influenced wholly by the two Despensers, the younger of whom was appointed Chamberlain to the King, by the Parliament at York. The Scots break the In the following year, A.D. 1320, the Scots broke A.D. 1320. the truce, invaded England, and penetrated as far as York, without meeting with any formidable resistance. truce. In the summer, (on the 19th June, A.D. 1320) Edward Edwd. II. went to Amiens to do homage, in person, to Philip A.D. 1320, the Fifth, surnamed le Long, or the Tall, for the Duchy of Aquitaine. His father, and Edward's Evil influ ence of the De spensers. Mourners watching the Bier of Philip IV. father-in-law, Philip the Fourth (le bel, or the fair), On his return to England, the barons broke out into renewed discontent at the King's favouritism towards the two Despensers, "who now governed the |