ions upon the English nobles who had assisted him, the country
again rose in favour of Bruce. During the three years that followed King
Edward was obliged several times to go to Scotland to support Baliol,
who held the crown as his feudal vassal. He was always successful in
the field, but directly his army recrossed the frontier the Scotch rose
again. In 1330 a new crusade was preached, and in October of that year
King Phillip solemnly received the cross and collected an immense army
nominally for the recovery of Jerusalem. Whether his intentions were
honest or not I cannot say, but certainly King Edward considered that
Phillip's real aim in creating so great an army was to attack England.
Whether this was so or not would need a wiser head than mine, Walter, to
tell. Certainly Phillip of Valois invited Edward to cooperate with
him in the crusade. The king in reply stated his belief that the
preparations were intended for war in Europe rather than in Asia; but
that if the King of France would agree to conclude a firm league of
amity between the two countries, to restore the castles and towns
of Aquitaine, whose surrender had been frequently promised but never
carried out, and would bind himself by oath to give no assistance,
direct or indirect, to Scotland, he would join him in his war for the
delivery of the Holy Land."

"I must say that King Edward's demands were reasonable, for it was clear
that he could not march away from England with his whole force and leave
Baliol unsupported against the assaults of his Scotch enemies, aided by
France. Phillip was willing to accede to the first two conditions; but
in regard to the third positively declined treating until David Bruce
should be restored to the throne of his father. Now, had the French king
openly supported Bruce from the first, none could have said that his
conduct in befriending a dethroned monarch was aught but noble and
generous; but he had all along answered Edward's complaints of the aid
afforded by Frenchmen to the Bruce by denials that he himself supported
him; and this declaration in his favour now certainly seemed to show
that he had at last determined openly to throw off the veil, and that
his great army was really collected against England. Robert of Artois
craftily seized a moment when the king's indignation against Phillip was
at the highest. At a great banquet held by King Edward, at which all
his warlike nobles were present, Robert entered, preceded b