Scottish Text Society publications > Old series > Actis and deidis of the illustere and vailzeand campioun, Schir William Wallace, Knicht of Ellerslie

INTRODUCTION.
xxi
“ Scots vvha hae,” he remarks: “ I have borrowed the last
stanza—
‘ Lay the proud usurpers low !
Tyrants fall in every foe !
Liberty’s in every blow ! ’—
from the common stall edition of ‘Wallace’:—
‘ A false usurper sinks in every foe;
And liberty returns with every blow; ’—
a couplet worthy of Homer.”
HARRY’S ACCOUNT OF WALLACE.
I shall now endeavour to state briefly the conclusions I
have arrived at, after studying Harry’s account of his hero,
and comparing it with contemporary documents. My con¬
clusions will offend all those who blindly believe that the
Minstrel’s story is veritable history ; while they may fail
to satisfy those who, though willing to abandon some or
many of Harry’s tales, yet expect to find that in the main
his poem is a trustworthy guide to the history of Wallace.
A third class, masters of scientific methods, and eager
to apply these to all difficult historical problems, may
complain that Harry has not been put out of court altoge¬
ther ; but although he must plead guilty to certain charges
—exaggerations, errors as to dates, anachronisms, &c.—yet
as the embodiment of the traditional account of Wallace,
he is entitled to be treated with all respect, and his evi¬
dence accepted where there is no prima facie proof that
his statements are baseless or absurd. The method I have
adopted in my study of “Harry” is to take certain well-
defined dates, such as the sack of Berwick, the battle of
Stirling Bridge, the commission to Scrimgeour, the battle