victoriously on the horns of the proud, having repressed the murmurs of the rebellious, and all the nobles of the kingdom of Scotland having surrendered themselves to his will, aud being wholly subdued, had still one very strong castle remaining, which required to be subdued, namely, that of Stirling. So the king marched against it, and immediately prepared to besiege it. But the defender of the castle, a very gallant knight, by name William Olifant, seeing how great the king's army was, and that he and his men were surrounded, sent an embassy, requesting of the king that he might be allowed to send John de Soulis into France to his master, to enquire whether he was, voluntarily and without assistance, to surrender the castle to the king, or to defend it against him as long as he could. But the king replied, " By no means ; let him consider by himself whether he thinks it better to defend the castle than to surrender it to us." Having received this answer, William remembered the oath which he had taken to his master, who was at that time in France with some of the Scots, and turned his thoughts to making a defence. But as he had no allies at hand, nor any one from whom he could obtain assistance, he prepared by himself to resist the king's power as well as he could ; and he considered that he should not displease the king by defending the castle against him, because he had never done him homage or sworn fealty to him personally. But that he, together with his master, had fraudulently invaded the territories of another, and seized the king's castle, he either never considered, or would not understand, so as to act rightfully. Then the king of England exhorted his followers to fight vigorously, replying, that after the jleath of Alexander, king of Scotland, the earls and barons had elected him their superior lord, doing him homage, and swearing fealty to him, taking their corporal oaths of allegiance to him, for all the men of full age, and for all the minors of the kingdom, present and future, so that, when the rights of all who claimed the kingdom had been discussed before him, that claimant might receive the crown whom he should judge to have the best right to the kingdom. And they, guarding their own interests for the future, in order that the king of England might not establish anything as the titular lord of the kingdom, and of the king of France, but as their invited lord and real possessor of the realm, they gave him peaceful seisin for forty