Wallace having dictated his terms and sent his prisoners to England,
commenced the march that was to clear the Lowlands of the foe. His own
valiant band, headed by Scrymgeour and Lockhart of Lee,** rushed toward
his standard, with a zeal that rendered each individual a host in
himself. The fame of his new victories, seconded by the enthusiasm of
the people and the determination of the troops, soon made him master of
all the lately lost fortresses.
**The crusading ancestor of this Lockhart was the bringer of the famous
Lee penny from the Holy Land, and from his sprung the three brave
branches of the name--Lockhart of Lee, Lockhart of Carnwarth, and
Lockhart of Drydean.
Hardly four weeks were consumed in these conquests, and not a rood of
land remained south of the Tay in the possession of England, excepting
Berwick. Before that often-disputed stronghold, Wallace drew up his
forces to commence a regular siege. The governor, intimidated by the
powerful works which he saw the Scottish chief forming against the
town, dispatched a messenger to Edward with the tidings; not only
praying for succors, but to inform him that if he continued to refuse
the peace for which the Scots fought, he would find it necessary to
begin the conquest of the kingdom anew.
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