SIR WILLIAM WALLACE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 28 June 1924, Page 16

SIR WILLIAM WALLACE.

STIRRING ADDRESS IN HAWERA. The following is the text of an address on the great Scottish, patriot given by Mr L. A. Taylor at the meeting .of the Scottish Society on Tuesday night: “The year 1286 was a fateful one in the history of Scotland, for it was in that year that Alexander 111., the last of a line of illustrious kings, met his death while riding along the cliffs of Fife. He left no direct succession to the crown. His daughter Mary had married Kiiig Eric of Nor- j way, but she died / leaving Margaret, the Maid of Norway, who died while on the way to Scotland. England was ruled at this time by Edward I. He had subdued Ireland, and was filled with a desire to acquire Scotland, thus making him master of the whole of the British Isles. There were several claimants to the Scottish Crown, but the two whose 1 claims were most clamant were Robert Bruce, grandfather of Robert Bruce, afterwards the King of Scotland and victor at Bannockburn, and John Baliol. Bishop Fraser, of St. Andrew’s, suggested that in order to prevent bloodshed between the two fierce Scotsmen King Edward should be called in as arbitrator. One of the conditions of the, agreement laid down by Edward was that the successful candidate should become subject to the English suzerainty. The decision was in favour of Baliol, but Edward treated the new Scottish King with contumely, and called him up to London on all sorts of pretexts. For three years Baliol was practically a prisoner, but he managed to make an arrangement with the French king to aid him in throwing off the yoke of England. Edward promptly took an army to Scotland, took Berwick, routed the Scots at Dunbar, and seized the Castles of Edinburgh and Stirling. Baliol surrendered, and acknowledged Edward as liege lord. The latter then garrisoned the Scottish town with his troops, and put his followers in the castles of the Scots nobility. This series of events saw the advent of Sir William Wallace, a knight of Elderslie, near bv Paisley. Nothing much is known of Wallace except that he was nurtured by the priest of Dunipace, who fanned the flames of patriotism in the bosom of the ardent youth. One phrase in particular was impressed on the youngster, and it was this: ‘I tell thee a truth—the noblest—the most desired—the best is liberty. Never live, my son, under the bonds of slavery.’ We know that Wallace was possessed of a magnificent physique and a commanding presence. AYilliam Wallace’s leap into i the arena of strife was caused by the foul murder of his wife hy Hazelrigg, Sheriff of Lanark, who was an officer of Edward. Bereft of wife and home. Wallace raised his standard and gathered a band of Lanark men about him. He exacted the full penalty from Hazlerigg for the murder of his wife. The clarion call went out, and all Scotland rallied to the cause of liberation. Sir Andrew Moray, Sir James Stewart, and a few other nobles also joined up, and the Castle of Dumbarton was first taken. Then the English garrison was surprised at Ayr, and the victorious force swept the South of Scotland. Edward, living under the impression that he had subjugated Scotland, sent up an army of 60,000 men under his ablest generals to crush the rising.

Wallace by great exertions returned, and took up his position below Stirling Castle. In the battle whicn ensued the English were defeated, and Scotland was freed from the toils of the tyrant. The success of Wallace’s arms had drawn together a great host of Highland chiefs—Ross, Gordon, Erskine,’Lindsay, and a dozen others — and amidst the fervid acclamations of the people the Crown of Scotland was offered to him. The chiefs knelt to him, hut he raised them up and assured them that he had consulted only the interests of Scotland, and not his own, and that he could not for the country’s sake accept the honour which they desired to bestow on him. ‘Were I tb_ accept the crown, then later on jealousy would be created in the breasts of the nobles who have refused to come in and join ns.’ I, an unknown man, with none of the blood of the Alexanders in my veins, would not be allowed to remain long. He reminded them that the hereditary instinct was so -'.strongly implanted in the bosoms of Scotsmen that many would not submit to lie ruled by one who could not trace his relationship to the family of Alexanders. These patriotic protestations were basely construed by a certain section of the Scottish nobility. This man, said they, refuses the kingship because he would govern us as an unlimited dictator; and if we are to have the heel on our necks let it be that of one of our own choosing. A short period of peace followed, and our l\ero showed that his administrative ability had a peaceful as well as a warlike turn. The crofters returned to their holdings. Wallace opened up the ports for trade. He organised a raid into England to recover in kind some of the substance of which his country had been despoiled. Edward sent another army northwards, and it came into conflict with the patriot army near Falkirk, when, to the eternal shame of Scotland, onethird of this army, comprising all. the cavalry, went over to the enemy, and the blood of 10,000 patriots was spilt upon the ground. As to what occurred then for about two years no 'authoritative history exists.' Legend has it that Wallace went to Europe and so far as Rome to ask the Pope to intervene on the part of his oppressed country. It is said that he was impelled to go to Europe to search for a youug Scottish noblewoman who had been abducted by an English aristocrat. Suffice it to say that he was back in Scotland in 1304, inspiring and elevating the minds of the people to place the cause of a united country .above their own personal aggrandisement. His betrayal I soon followed. A certain section of historians has not failed to point out that the national hero of Scotland owed that betrayal to a Scot, and another section has not failed to try to prove that Sir John Monteith was not guilty of selling the preserver of his country for tainted silver. But ft is incontestiblv proved that Sir John became i wealthy at the expense of his country’s i shame. For fear of a popular uprising j Wallace was quickly hurried to London, and the trial, a travesty of justice, was enacted. To the charge that he was a rebel he replied that, as he had never owed allegiance to Edward, he could not be treated as a rebel, but as an honourable foe. His head adorned one of the pillars on a bridge over the Thames; bis body was quartered, and separate pieces were sent to decorate the walls of the Castles of Perth, Stirling, Jedburgh, and Berwick. But the spirit of Wallace was indestructible; it lived to animate Bruce, who on the 24th June, 1314. crumpled up the power of England at Bannockburn. It lived to unite the whole of Scotland,

noble and common, under Robert Bruce; it lived on to teach Scots that their native country, lie it composed of hard rock and barren moor, yet demanded their homage; it lived so that when Blind Harry the Minstrel wrote; SOD years later, an epic poem on the life of Wallace, that poem became the secular Bible of Scotsmen; that spirit lived to inspire our national poet to write the lines which are sung bv Scotsmen the world over—‘Scots wha hae wi Wallace bled.’ ”