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

NOTES TO EIGHTH BOOK (967-1206).
435
noun. To say that Julius Caesar was twice put out of England by
force of arms is not, of course, consistent with Caesar’s own account
of his invasions of Britain; but probably there were old British ac¬
counts which represented his departures as defeats. To make Wal¬
lace greater than the great Julius is not bad even for Harry.
967. Artkour. Arthur.
991. Richmond, in Yorkshire. This was wasted in Bruce’s time by
the Scots. It lies north of Middleham.
1010. Fehew. Cp. vi. 363, where Fehew’s brother is men¬
tioned. He is there said to be Edward’s sister’s son. Fehew, I sup¬
pose, means Fitz-Hugh. There is a Henry Fitz-Hugh mentioned in
‘ Foedera,’ T. iii. 988-1000, as being the person appointed to arrest Hart-
cla, Earl of Carlisle, in 1322.
1009. Ramswaith. I cannot identify.
1082, 1083. Very brutal. Evidently Harry thinks such an action
quite legitimate retaliation. That he does so shows how fierce the
animosity between the two nations was.
1113. The queyn, &c. Evidently Harry is thinking of Edward’s
second wife; but she was not married to Edward until after this date.
If, as I have ventured to suggest, this invasion of Wallace’s is con¬
fused with some of those made into England in Bruce’s time, I would
point out that Walsingham, p. 112, says that, in 1319, during an in¬
vasion by Randolph and Douglas, there was a plot to carry off the Eng¬
lish queen from her residence near York. This is the nearest approach
to Harry’s story I can find, and it is very remote; but it maybe noted
that an English queen, living near York, was mixed up with a Scot¬
tish invasion during the War of Independence.
1147 means, whether for love or life, &c„ she did so.
1148. Even in this passage, where Harry’s tale passes all bounds of
probability, he solemnly tells us that he is giving what he found in
scriptour.
1170. St Alban’s is about thirty miles from London ! All other
accounts make Newcastle the farthest south place reached by Wallace.
1185. Harry seems to distinguish between Titan and Phoebus.
This is quite on a par with his other astrological or astronomical
efforts.
1186. Professor Veitch takes maid declayr to signify appeared
clearly. I am unable to find support for this; and besides, surely
the appearance of Phoebus would make the signs, not clear, but
disappear. In 1758 edition the line is, he maid declayr. All Harry’s
descriptions of the heavens make me think that he really was blind.
1188. Resours. See Glossary. Sprung up, F. resourdre—Veitch.
1189. Awaill. See Glossary.
\1§\. Rede. See Glossary. Voice—Veitch, ‘ The Feeling for Nature
in Scottish Poetry.’ I cel. roedd.
1206. Job in text should be Jop.