claim.' But we humbly conceive there was no occafion for a judicial determination, because it was in Stephen's breast, without confulting his peers, to have given the inveftiture to Henry; in which cafe David's renewing hoftilities must have been inexcufable. Speaking of the cruelties committed by the Scotch foldiers in England, his lordfhip fays, It feems ftrange that the huma nity, for which David was famous, did not refift fuch horrid acts: but he found it ufelefs to forbid what he could not pre. vent; the greater part of his army being impatient of difcipline, and having been drawn to his ftandard by the mere defire of plunder; particularly those who came out of Galloway, which' then contained all the country fituated to the fouth or fouthweft of the Clyde, from Glasgow as far as to the borders of England. The inhabitants of this region, being either a remainder of the Cumbrian Britons (as fome authors affirm), or (as others fay) of the trifh, planted there in ancient times, had been but lately fubjected to the dominion of Scotland, and paid that crown a very imperfect obedience, living under their own chiefs, and retaining ftill their own manners, which were favage and ferocious. Hence it was, that a province, which David claimed the poffeffion of in right of his fon, and fhould therefore have fpared for his fake, was almoft destroyed by an army which he himself commanded. Indeed thefe outrages hurt the whole party of Matilda, by the general hatred they excited in the English against her confederates." It is, perhaps, owing to overfight, that in this defeription his lordship forgets to mention, that the greatest part of Galloway, at the time he treats of, was peopled by the Pics, especially as Richard Prior of Hexham, whofe work lay before his lordship when he wrote the above quotation, tells us that the Pias formed one of the lines of David's army at the battle of Standard, and that they were commonly called Galwigians. The fame author even names them nine different times, by their proper name of Picts *. They are mentioned likewife as fuch in a letter of Radulf, archbishop of Canterbury, to pope Calixtus, about the year 1122 †. The noble author has deferibed the battle of Cuton-Moor with great impartiality; but it is furprizing that he should mention the erection of the standard as a contrivance of the Ric. Hagulftaden. apud X. Scriptor. Angl. col. 1322. L 24, 34. col. 316. n. 34. col. 317. l. 10. col. 318, n. 14, 24, 44. col. 319. n. 51. col. 291. n. 60. Picti qui vulgo Galweyenfes dicuntur. Idem. col. 316. n. 34. + Scriptor. Angl. col. 1746. n. 30. English 1 English generals to animate their countrymen against the Scots. Had he infpected the ancient hiftories of the continent, particularly those published by Muratori, he would have found that those kind of machines were at this time very common; and that there was not a petty state nor city in Italy which was without its standard. "We are inclined to believe, that the English hiftorians whom his lordship has followed, have magnified the lofs of the Scots in this defeat; and for this plain reafon, that David a few days after the battle reduced the ftrong caftle of Wark, which till then had always baffled his arms, and admitted of a negotiation for peace under the bishop of Oftia's agency. His lordship attributes those events to the remiffness of Stephen, though at the fame time, he acknowledges that Stephen and his council were very defirous of taking their revenge upon David. We are more willing to afcribe Stephen's not making a better use of his victory to his inability to improve it, and to the good condition of the Scotch army after the battle, especially as remiffness in the field was no part of Stephen's character.-His lordship's description of the battle of Lincoln is equally elegant and judicious. • Among the English nobility none was more powerful, none of more confequence to either of the parties, than Ranulph earl of Chester. He had married a daughter of the earl of Glocefter; but notwithstanding fo intimate a bond of alliance, he had hitherto avoided to engage with Matilda, because he had received many favours from Stephen. Yet that monarch had been forced to give him fome cause of discontent. The town of Carlisle and county of Cumberland had been granted to his father by William the Firft; but his intereft in them had lately been facrificed to the peace made with Scotland, at which he expreffed much refentment. The king fought to appease him by other grants of crown lands; and he appeared to be fatisfied with these compenfations, till from other incidents a new quarrel arofe between them. William de Raumara, half brother of the earl, enjoyed the earldom of Lincoln as part of the inheritance of Lucia their mother, who was fifter to Edwin and Morcar: but Stephen withheld from him the castle of Lincoln and kept it in his own hands, as belonging to the crown. Nevertheless the two brothers, having got into poffeffion of it by fraud and furprize, drove out the garrifon placed there by the king, who, though grievously offended, thought it neceffary to feem to forgive it, and before he departed out of the county of Lincoln, into which he had marched upon the news of this event, confirmed the claim of William de Raumara, and left them both, not only affured of his pardon, but even graced with new dignities and other marks marks of his favour. They fo much confided in these shews of reconciliation, or supposed it so dangerous for him to break with them, that they kept the caftle ill provided against a. fiege; which the citizens of Lincoln obferving, and being no friends to either of the earls, fent information to Stephen, that he might, by a fudden attack, take the caftle and the perfons of the two brothers therein, without any difficulty: offering to affift him themselves in this attempt. The king, neither fufficiently weighing the confequences, nor regarding how much his own honour might be hurt by fuch an at of hoftility done against those, to whom, just before, he had given new affurances and pledges of friendship, received the propofal with joy. The greater part of his forces was then quartered at London, or in the country about that city, where he had intended to hold his court at the Christmas festival now approaching. These were prefently drawn together; and his barons having been fummoned to meet him at Lincoln, on a day he appointed, the town was filled with his troops, and the castle invested, amidst the folemnity of the Christmas week, without regard to the religious ceffation of arms ufually obferved at that time, and before any intelligence of his design had been given to the earls. As they apprehended no danger, they had not even fent away their wives, whom they had lately brought thither, and whofe prefence much aggravated the distress they were in, at finding themfelves now befieged by Stephen. But the earl of Chefter efcaped out of the caftle by night, or (as fome authors fay) at the instant when the king was entering the town; and got fafe into Cheshire, where he raised all his vaffals, and even drew to his banner fome of the neighbouring Welsh. Yet not thinking this army fufficient to encounter with that of Stephen, he applied to the earl of Glocester, and, with ftrong proteftations of future fidelity and gratitude to , Matilda, implored him to join his troops to those which he had collected, and inftantly march to relieve the castle of Lincoln. The earl of Glocefter, concerned for the fafety of his daughter, and confidering it as a point of the utmost importance to fix the two brothers in the party of the empress, determined at once to comply with this request. A good body of his forces lying at Glocefter, he marched them out of that city; and, being joined on the road by the earl of Chester and his troops, advanced towards Lincoln; but concealed his real defign under other pretences, till he had led his army fo far into the enemy's country, that the difficulty of retreating made it neceffary for them to seek their safety in the good fuccefs of their arms. For he doubted their readiness to engage in the enterprize, if they had been told on what service they were to go, before they $ fet fet out. When they approached nigh to Lincoln, the castle was just on the point of furrendering, having with very great difficulty held out fix weeks, by the valour of the garrison. As foon as ever the king had intelligence of his coming, he immediately drew his forces out of the town, and ranged them on a plain, at a little distance from it, in order of battle, being no lefs defirous to fight than the enemy, whom he exceeded in number (as fome of the contemporary writers affirm) or at least had more knights and men at arms, in whom, at that time, the greatest strength of an army was thought to confift. Not far from the ground where he had thus taken poft, the earl of Glocefter was stopped in his march by the impediment of a ford, which being flooded and fwoln by a fudden rain that had fallen was become very dangerous. Nevertheless he refolved to pass it, and executed that réfolution, without any loss. One author fays, that Stephen detached a strong body of forces both horfe and foot, to oppofe him in his pallage, and that they were defeated: but, as William of Malmsbury, (who would scarce have omitted a circumftance which added to the glory of the earl of Glocefter, his patron) in defcribing the difficulties he met with on this occafion takes notice only of the depth of the waters, it may be presumed that no oppofition was made by the enemy. The royal army was drawn up in three bodies. That where the king erected his own standard, and which he commanded in perfon, he made very strong; but formed it entirely of foot; having cifmounted the beft of his cavalry, and placed them there in a compact battalion or phalanx, which. method had been lately and fuccefsfully practifed by his own generals at the battle of Cuton-moor. He was himself on foot at the head of them, having fent his horfe away to fome distance; as he had alfo fent thofe of all the men at arms who were in this divifion. The two other divifions were cavalry, which he advanced on the flanks before his foot. One of these was led by Alan earl of Dinan and of Richmond, with whom were joined the earls of Meulant, of Norfolk, of Surrey, of Pembroke, and of Northampton. The other was commanded by William of Ipres, and by the earl of Yorkshire and Albemarle, who had under his banner fome of those brave northern barons, by whofe affiftance he had triumphed over the Scotch. But both these bodies of horse were weak in their numbers: for the nobles, who came to ferve at the siege of Lincoln caftle, had brought with them few of their vaffals; and Stephen, in order to ftrengthen his main body, or center, had very much diminished the force of his wings. When the earl of Glocefter came up, and faw the difpofition made by the king, he likewife formed his order of battle in three divifions. One was entirely compofed of thofe barons and knights whom Stephen had deprived of their honours and lands: a remark able inftance of the unhappy state of thofe times! By whom they were commanded we are not told; but among them were feveral earls; and they made a moft formidable body of cavalry, all breathing revenge, and determined either to die, or regain their former poffeflions, that day. Another division was led by the earl of Chester, confifting of forces exercised in continual wars with the Welch, of which part were horse and part foot. These two bodies were placed over-against the king's cavalry, upon the flanks, and the earl of Glocefter commanded the center, which was opposed to that of Stephen. We have no certain account of what troops it was formed; but it feems to have had in it both horfe and foot, and to have chiefly confifted of his own vaffals, with whom he had taken Nottingham a little before. I do not find that he followed the example fet by the king, in making any of his horfemen difinount, to fight on foot. But befides thefe divifions there was a confiderable body of Welch, which he pofted at some distance upon the flank, wifely avoiding to mix thofe irregular forces with his line of battle, for fear that they fhould throw it into confufion. The two armies being thus marfhalled, they both were encouraged by military orations, according to the cuftom that prevailed in those days; but the impracticability of retiring with fafety was a ftronger incitement to the troops of the earl of Glocefter than any harangue. Fatigued as they were with a long and toilfome march, they boldly advanced to at: tack the king in his poft, without taking the leaft repofe or refreshment. The fight was begun by thofe he had stripped of their patrimonies. They fell with great fury upon the body of cavalry led by the earl of Richmond, and being too eager to lofe any time in tilting with their lances, as it was then the fashion for knights to do, threw them away, and came up to a clofe fight with their fwords; which fo daunted the enemy, that they made no refiftance: many were killed, and many taken; but the greater number of them fled; and among thefe all the earls who belonged to that divifion. While this was doing, William of Ipres and the earl of Albemarle cattacked and routed the Welch: but the earl of Chester, in that inftant, vigorously charging their troops, which the action with the Welch had thrown into disorder, they were entirely defeated. Thus, both his wings being beaten and diffipated, the king was left without horfe. The victorious troops did not purfue the flying fquadrons, but joined the earl of Glocefter; and, having furrounded the body of infantry in the center, where 4 Stephen |