some others began to climb it one dark night. When they were part of the
way up, and close to the wall of the castle, they heard a soldier above
them cry out--"Away, I see you," and down came stone after stone. Had
many more been thrown Randolph and his companions must have been dashed
to the ground and killed, for it was only on a very narrow ledge that
they had found a footing. But the soldier was only in joke, trying to
frighten his fellows. He had not really seen them at all, and he passed
on. When all was quiet again, the daring Scots climbed up till they
reached the top of the wall, and when they had fixed a rope ladder the
rest of their men came up. Then they fell upon the men of the garrison
and killed them, and the castle was taken by the Scots.

[Sidenote: A.D. 1314.]

But a greater loss awaited the English. Edward led an English army to
battle in Scotland; and at Bannockburn they met the force of the Scots
king. They fought till the field was slippery with blood, and covered
with broken armour and lances and arrows. Then at the last, as the
English began to waver, Bruce charged down on them with more soldiers
and utterly routed them. Edward with difficulty saved his life, and
throughout England there were bitter lamentings at the loss and shame
the country had suffered. Scotland was free from the English yoke, and
of all the great conquests the first Edward had won, only
Berwick-on-Tweed remained to the English.

Edward II. was never loved by his subjects. He made favourites of silly
and wicked persons, and so gave much offence to good folk. He was
wasteful and extravagant, and did not even try to govern the country
wisely and well, while his favourites made themselves hated more and
more by their dishonesty and wickedness. The last of his favourites was
named Despenser, and he was as much hated by the Queen Isabella as by
the lords and people of England. Despenser not only made himself hated
by the queen, but he managed also to make her dislike her husband, the
king, with whom she had long been on unfriendly terms. At last Isabella,
disgusted with her husband and his favourite, ran away to France, and
there, with the help of the Count of Hainault and other friends in
England, she raised an army and attacked and defeated her husband and
his favourite. The young Despenser was hanged on a gibbet fifty feet
high, and a Parliament was called to decide what should be done with the
king.

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