prese wish and consent, did duly appoint John Balliol to be king of Scotland, as we then found that he had the best right, on the proper principles of succession, to be considered the heir to àie kingdom. And those prelates, earls, barone, communities, and other inhabitants of that kingdom, expressly heard, approved, and' accepted our sentence, and, in accordance with our mandate, admitted John to be their king, by virtue of this our sentence. And the aforesaid John, king of Scotland, did us due and customary homage for his kingdom aforesaid, and took an oath of fealty to us, and from that time forth was present in our parliaments and councils, coming at our command as our subject, like other subjects of our kingdom ; and he was in all things obedient and submissive to our decrees and orders, as being those of his superior lord ; until the aforesaid John, king of Scotland, and the prelates, earls, barons, nobles, communities, and other chief inhabitants of that kingdom, did, of preconceived, prearranged, and preconcerted malice, devise treason against us, uniting in council and friendship with our capital and notorious enemies, and making agreements, conspiracies, and confederacies to strip us and our heirs of our hereditary rights, and, contrary to their own act of homage and the due rights of our kingdom, they wickedly fell into the crime of lése majesté, and took an oath of fidelity to our enemies. But when these circumstances had, by private information and common rumour, come to our ears, we, wishing to provide beforehand against future dangers which might very probably arise to us, our kingdom, and the inhabitants of our kingdom, from these and other sources, for the security of our kmgdom marched to the borders of the two countries, several times commanding the said John, then king of Scotland, to come to us at certain places on the aforesaid borders, to discuss the circumstances above mentioned and others affecting the state, tranquillity, and peace of both kingdoms. But he, despising our commands, and persisting in his treason, turned his attention, in a hostile manner, to warlike preparations, in concert with the bishops, prelates, earls, and barons of the kingdom of Scotland, and also with other foreign hired forces, against us, our kingdom, and the inhabitants of our kmgdom, and proceeding to hostile aggressions and attacks, he invaded our kingdom, and by himself and his followers ravaged some towns of our kingdom of England, and laid them waste, and burnt them, slaying our subjects, and