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

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INTRODUCTION.
France, the ally of John Baliol, and at this time at war
with King Edward.
The Cottonian MS. (Brit. Mus., Claud. D. vi. fol. 163)
shows that Wallace with five companions passed into France,
was taken prisoner at Amiens, and detained there while
the French king wrote to Edward offering to send him his
mortal foe, Wallace, the conqueror of Scotland. Edward
replied, thanking him a thousand times, and earnestly
asking him to keep him in custody. To understand this
document, we must remember that meanwhile the Pope
had deserted the Scottish cause, and was anxious to obtain
a settlement of the quarrel between Edward and Philip by
a marriage between Edward and Philip’s sister. This took
place next year ; Philip obtained Flanders, and Edward Scot¬
land—that is, Philip deserted the Scots, his allies, in order
to obtain Flanders from Edward. But Wallace seems
not to have been discouraged by Philip’s treachery, but
to have appealed to the Pope himself. How Philip man¬
aged the diplomacy of the matter is a puzzle, but one
thing is certain, he gave Wallace a letter to the following
effect: “ Philip, by the grace of God, King of the French,
to my beloved and faithful agents at the Roman Court,
greeting and love. We command you to request the
Supreme Pontiff to hold William the Waleis of Scotland,
knight, recommended to his favour in those things which
he has to despatch with him. Given at Pierrefont, on
Monday after the P'east of All Saints. Endorsed, the
fourth letter from the King of France.” This letter was
found in the Tower of London by the learned editor of the
‘ Wallace Papers,’ and is undoubtedly genuine. It proves
that Wallace contemplated going to Rome in order to
obtain the aid of the Pope. Whether he ever visited Rome