Scotland/Scots > Life of Sir William Wallace, Knight of Ellerslie, and Guardian of Scotland

CHAPTER XII.
Battle of Falkirk.—Conference betwixt Wallace and
Bruce.
The Scottish army consisted of three divisions,
of ten thousand men each, under the foremen-
tioned commanders; who, having placed their
pikemen in front, and filled up the space between
the three bodies with archers, saw with appre¬
hension the great superiority the English pos¬
sessed in cavalry. In order, therefore, to secure
themselves as much as possible from the impetu¬
osity of their charges, they placed palisadoes, tied
together with ropes, along the front of their line.
In this disposition, and on the brink of engag¬
ing, an imprudent and unfortunate disagreement
arose among the leaders. Stewart insisted upon
taking command of the army, being, as he con¬
ceived, entitled to that honour, as the represen¬
tative of his brother, who was Lord High Stew¬
ard of Scotland. Cumyn, claiming it in his own
right, on account of high birth, and near rela¬
tionship to the crown. And Wallace^ as Guar¬
dian of the kingdom, refused to admit the pre-