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THE WARRENNES. 293
large, of great power, and very destructive, so that whenever the stones
entered, neither iron cap nor wooden target could save from a blow; as
well as the individual acts of heroism are tersely and graphically described,
and the poem concludes with the capitulation of the garrison, to
the number of sixty, who were beheld with much astonishment ;
but they
were kept and guarded
till the King commanded that life and limb should
be given them, and ordered to
each of them a new garment.
Earl Warrenne seems to have commanded the second squadron on this
occasion, and he is thus described by the poet: "John, the good Earl of
" Warren, held the reins to regulate and govern the second squadron, as he
" who well knew how to lead noble and honourable men. His banner was
" handsomely chequered with gold and azure." The Scotch, fairly unnerved
by Edward's successes, seem to have implored the protection of the Pope,
upon which Boniface addressed a haughty letter to Edward, and claimed the
kingdom of Scotland. Winchelsea, Archbishop of Canterbury, arrived
while the King was still encamped at Caerlaverock, bearing this document,
and presented
it to Edward in the presence of the nobles and Prince ot
Wales, with a few words of suitable
admonition, observing that Jerusalem
would not fail to protect her citizens, and to cherish, like Mount Zion,
those who trusted in the Lord. Edward broke out into a paroxysm of
wrath, and swearing a great oath, exclaimed,
" I will not be silent or at rest,
" either for Jerusalem or Mount Zion, but so long as there is breath in my
" nostrils will defend what the world knows to be my right." The Archbishop
retired, but was soon sent for by the King, who, in milder and
more dignified terms, assured him of his respect for the Pope, but that he
could not give an answer to such a grave letter without holding a council
with his nobility. On his return to England he summoned a Parliament
at Lincoln, February i2th, 1300, and caused the Pope's bull to be read to
the earls and barons assembled. After great debates, a spirited reply was
drawn up to the Pope, with one hundred and four seals appended to it,
denying that Scotland had ever belonged to the Church of Rome, asserting
that it was an ancient fief of the crown of England, that the Kings of
England had never answered for their rights or temporalities to any
ecclesiastical judge ; adding that they would not permit the King, even if
he were willing, to do such an unheard-of thing, or so far to forget his royal
rights, and humbly and reverently entreating his Holiness to permit the
King to possess his rights in peace, without diminution or disturbance.
The first seal is that of the Earl of Warrenne. Two authentic transcripts
of this document are preserved at the Heralds' College, and it was engraved
by the Society of Antiquaries, 1729, and printed in the Archceologia. It is
most valuable to the antiquary, as showing the arms of those days, and is
frequently referred to throughout this book.
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