"
"And is this the manner, King Edward, that you treat your friend, once
your preserver?"
"The vassal," replied Edward, "who presumes upon the condescension of
his prince, and acts as if he were really his equal, ought to meet the
punishment due to such arrogance. You saved my life on the walls of
Acre; but you owed that duty to the son of your liege lord. In the
fervor of youth I inconsiderately rewarded you with my friendship, and
the return is treason." As he concluded he turned from Lord Carrick;
and the marshals immediately seizing the earl, took him to the keep of
the castle.**
**These speeches are historically true; as is also Edward's
after-treatment of the Earl of Carrick.
His son, who had been sought in the Carrick quarters, and laid under an
arrest, met his father in the guard-chamber. Carrick could not speak;
but motioning to be conducted to the place appointed for his prison,
the men with equal silence led him through a range of apartments which
occupied the middle story, and stopping in the furthest, left him there
with his son. Bruce was not surprised at his own arrest; but at that
of his father, he stood in speechless astonishment until the guards
withdrew; then, seeing Lord Carrick with a changing countenance throw
himself on the bed (for it was in his sleeping room they had left him),
he exclaimed, "What is the meaning of this, my father? Has any charge
against me brought suspicion on you?"
"No, Robert, no," replied the earl; "it is I who have brought you into
this prison, and into disgrace; disgrace with all the world, for having
tacitly surrendered my inheritance to the invader of my country.
Pages:
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
846
847
848
849
850
851
852
853