A .D. 1304. SIEGE OF THE CASTLE OF STIRLING. 571 days, of all the castles, boroughs, marshalships, seneschalships, and all other properties aud rights which belong to the kingdom, in order that their proceedings might not turn out vain ; and that their actions might not be a mere nullity, as is more fully contained in their patent instrument drawn .up, with reference to this subject. Afterwards, their elected and crowned king, waging war against his liege lord, the king of England, was defeated and committed to prison ; and when a hundred thousand men and more had been slain in the war, at Berwick and Dunbar, and when many barons, earls, and knights of the kingdom of Scotland had been taken and put in prison in England, Edward became the conqueror and monarch of the two kingdoms, according to the laws of war. Then, having mercifully released them, and allowed them to return to their native country, when they again stirred up war, the king met them with a well-appointed army, and a second time made himself master of the kingdom of Scotland, with the edge of the sword slaying sixty thousand men of the Scots in battle near Falkirk. And the king said, " Since, now, for the third time, we have subdued in a warlike manner, with the club of our power, these sons of rebellion, and since there is no one who resists us, unless it be another Siba,1 the son of Botrius, now, then, my gallant comrades, preserve the titles of your glory, that having defeated this mischievous worm, your honour may be the more increased." These were the king's words, and his regiments and armies assented to and approved of them. Then the ârbalists are bent, machines are erected, engines for hurling stones are built. On the opposite side, a very strong and lofty castle stood, for it was built on a solid rock, near the sea-shore. To it there was only one entrance, and one exit ; but within there were gallant men, whom despair rendered braver. They fought on both sides vigorously, and those in the citadel derided the blows of the missiles which struck below, and hurled back attacks from their own engines on the English from their higher position, attacking them with terrible arrows from their arbaliets, and huge stones, with which they wounded many persons and killed others. And sometimes they made sallies out of the castle, and made great slaughter in the king's army. The king being enraged at this, ordered enormous engines to be erected, from which a 1 It appears that there must be some great corruption in the text here.