The very thought come o'er his face, And, by the uplifting of his brow, 5 Tell where the bolt would strike, and how. But 'twas no sooner thought than done- "Make way for liberty!" he cried; 15 And thus made way for liberty. Swift to the breach his comrades fly- Thus Switzerland again was free; 25 Thus death made way for liberty. NOTES AND QUESTIONS Biographical and Historical Note. James Montgomery (1771-1854), a Scotch poet and journalist, was the son of a clergyman. When a mere boy he began to write poetry. After he grew up he established a newspaper, which he edited for more than thirty years. His works include many religious poems, but he is more widely known for his patriotic "Arnold Winkelried" is his most stirring poem. verse. The story is that on July 9, 1386, there was a battle between the Swiss and the Austrians at Sempach, Switzerland. The Austrian troops were well armed and well trained. Since the cavalry could not manage their horses in the mountain pass, they dismounted and stood shoulder to shoulder, forming a solid mass with their spears projecting. The Swiss mountaineers were unable to break through this formation until Arnold Winkelried rushed forward, grasped as many spears as he could reach with his outstretched arms, pressed them into his body, and falling, bore them down with him to the ground. His companions rushed into the opening thus made in the Austrian lines, and won a victory which secured the independence of Switzerland. This battle took place more than 1700 years after the brave Leonidas gave up his life in the cause of Greek freedom. In the intervening years there had been many struggles between strong rulers who made their subjects fight to gain power or lands for them, and men who wanted freedom and opportunity. The powerful and tyrannical rulers were always seeking to conquer the free peoples. Discussion. 1. Who cried, "Make way for liberty"? 2. In what way did the Austrians resemble a wall? 3. What does the poet mean by comparing them to a wood? 4. Who were the "hovering band"? For what were they fighting? 5. Why do you think men are better fighters when they are fighting for freedom than for other causes? 6. What tells you that the Swiss were not accustomed to war? 7. What lines tell you that the Austrians were well disciplined? 8. What gave the Swiss courage to face so strong a foe? 9. Find lines in the third stanza which tell that each of the Swiss felt that victory depended on him alone. What effect had this thought on their efforts? 10. In what respects is the story of Arnold Winkelried like the story of Leonidas? 11. Find in the Glossary the meaning of: phalanx; impregnable; annihilate; trump; rumination; anticipate; instantaneous. new-found strength, 229, 9 ignoble yoke, 229, 10 point for assault, 230, 6 Phrases for Study unbroken line of lances, 230, 8 immortal date, 230, 20 every freeman was a host, 230, 22 turn the scale, 230, 24 each unto himself was he, 230, 25 TALES OF A GRANDFATHER SIR WALTER SCOTT ROBERT THE BRUCE* Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, and John Comyn, usually called the Red Comyn, two great and powerful barons, had taken part with Sir William Wallace in the wars against England; but, after the defeat of Falkirk, being fearful of losing their great 5 estates, and considering the freedom of Scotland as beyond the possibility of being recovered, both Bruce and Comyn had not only submitted themselves to Edward, and acknowledged his title as King of Scotland, but even borne arms, along with the English, against such of their countrymen as still continued to resist the 10 usurper. But the feelings of Bruce concerning the baseness of this conduct are said, by the old tradition of Scotland, to have been awakened by the following incident. In one of the numerous battles or skirmishes which took place at the time between the English and their adherents on the one side, and the insurgent, 15 or patriotic, Scots upon the other, Robert the Bruce was present, and assisted the English to gain the victory. After the battle was over, he sat down to dinner among his southern friends and allies, without washing his hands, on which there still remained spots of the blood which he had shed during the action. The Eng20 lish lords, observing this, whispered to each other in mockery, "Look at that Scotchman who is eating his own blood!" Bruce heard what they said, and began to reflect that the blood upon his hands might be indeed called his own, since it was that of his brave countrymen who were fighting for the independence of 25 Scotland, whilst he was assisting its oppressors, who only laughed at and mocked him for his unnatural conduct. He was so much shocked and disgusted that he arose from table, and, going into a neighboring chapel, shed many tears, and asking pardon of God for the great crime he had been guilty of, made a solemn *See Silent and Oral Reading, page 40. 5 vow that he would atone for it by doing all in his power to deliver Scotland from the foreign yoke. Accordingly, he left, it is said, the English army, and never joined it again, but remained watching an opportunity for restoring the freedom of his country. Now, this Robert the Bruce was a remarkably brave and strong man; there was no man in Scotland that was thought a match for him except Sir William Wallace; and now that Wallace was dead, Bruce was held the best warrior in Scotland. He was very wise and prudent, and an excellent general. He was gen10 erous, too, and courteous by nature; but he had some faults, which perhaps belonged as much to the fierce period in which he lived as to his own character. He was rash and passionate, and in his passion he was sometimes relentless and cruel. Robert the Bruce had fixed his purpose, as I told you, to 15 attempt once again to drive the English out of Scotland, and he desired to prevail upon Sir John the Red Comyn, who was his rival in his pretensions to the throne, to join with him in expelling the foreign enemy by their common efforts. With this purpose, Bruce posted down from London to Dumfries, on the borders 20 of Scotland, and requested an interview with John Comyn. They met in the church of the Minorites in that town, before the high altar. What passed betwixt them is not known with certainty; but they quarreled, either concerning their mutual pretensions to the crown, or because Comyn refused to join Bruce in the pro25 posed insurrection against the English; or, as many writers say, because Bruce charged Comyn with having betrayed to the English his purpose of rising up against King Edward. It is, however, certain that these two haughty barons came to high and abusive words, until at length Bruce, who I told you was extremely pas30 sionate, forgot the sacred character of the place in which they stood, and struck Comyn a blow with his dagger. Having done this rash deed, he instantly ran out of the church and called for his horse. Two gentlemen of the country, Lindesay and Kirkpatrick, friends of Bruce, were then in attendance on him. See35 ing him pale and agitated, they inquired what was the matter. "I doubt," said Bruce, "that I have slain the Red Comyn." "Do you leave such a matter in doubt?" said Kirkpatrick. "I will make sicker!"-that is, I will make certain. Accordingly, he and his companion Lindesay rushed into the 5 church, and made the matter certain with a vengeance, by dispatching the wounded Comyn with their daggers. This slaughter of Comyn was a most rash and cruel action; and the historian of Bruce observes that it was followed by the displeasure of Heaven; for no man ever went through more misfortunes than 10 Robert Bruce, although he at length rose to great honor. The commencement of Bruce's undertaking was most disastrous. He was crowned on the twenty-ninth of March, 1306. On the nineteenth of June, the new King was completely defeated near Methven by the English Earl of Pembroke. Robert's horse 15 was killed in the action, and he was for a moment a prisoner. But he had fallen into the power of a Scotch knight, who, though he served in the English army, did not choose to be the instrument of putting Bruce into their hands, and allowed him to escape. Driven from one place in the Highlands to another, starved out 20 of some districts, and forced from others by the opposition of the inhabitants, Bruce attempted to force his way into Lorn; but he found enemies everywhere. At last dangers increased so much around the brave King Robert that he was obliged to separate himself from his Queen 25 and her ladies; for the winter was coming on, and it would be impossible for the women to endure this wandering sort of life when the frost and snow should set in. So Bruce left his Queen, with the Countess of Buchan and others, in the only castle which remained to him, which was called Kildrummie, and is situated 30 near the head of the river Don in Aberdeenshire. The King also left his youngest brother, Nigel Bruce, to defend the castle against the English; and he himself, with his second brother Edward, who was a very brave man, but still more rash and passionate than Robert himself, went to Rachrin, an island near Ireland, 85 where Bruce and his few followers passed the winter of 1306. |