he first effort he made was to conquer Scotland. The English lords who
had lands in Scotland, finding that their rights were not respected under
the late peace, made war on their own account: choosing for their
general, Edward, the son of John Baliol, who made such a vigorous fight,
that in less than two months he won the whole Scottish Kingdom. He was
joined, when thus triumphant, by the King and Parliament; and he and the
King in person besieged the Scottish forces in Berwick. The whole
Scottish army coming to the assistance of their countrymen, such a
furious battle ensued, that thirty thousand men are said to have been
killed in it. Baliol was then crowned King of Scotland, doing homage to
the King of England; but little came of his successes after all, for the
Scottish men rose against him, within no very long time, and David Bruce
came back within ten years and took his kingdom.

France was a far richer country than Scotland, and the King had a much
greater mind to conquer it. So, he let Scotland alone, and pretended
that he had a claim to the French throne in right of his mother. He had,
in reality, no claim at all; but that mattered little in those times. He
brought over to his cause many little princes and sovereigns, and even
courted the alliance of the people of Flanders--a busy, working
community, who had very small respect for kings, and whose head man was a
brewer. With such forces as he raised by these means, Edward invaded
France; but he did little by that, except run into debt in carrying on
the war to the extent of three hundred thousand pounds. The next year he
did better; gaining a great sea-fight in the harbour of Sluys. This
success, however, was very shortlived, for the Flemings took fright at
the siege of Saint Omer and ran away, leaving their weapons and baggage
behind them. Philip, the French King, coming up with his army, and
Edward being very anxious to decide the war, proposed to settle the
difference by single combat with him, or by a fight of one hundred
knights on each side. The French King said, he thanked him; but being
very well as he was, he would rather not. So, after some skirmishing and
talking, a short peace was made.

It was soon broken by King Edward's favouring the cause of John, Earl of
Montford; a French nobleman, who asserted a claim of his own against the
French King, and offered to do homage to England for the Crown of France,
if he could obtain it through Eng