The life of Sir William Wallace, the governor general of Scotland, and hero of the Scottish chiefs. By Peter Donaldson.

S1R WILLIAM WALLACE. 27
THE IMPRISONMENT AND ESCAPE OF WALLACE AT AVRE, IN AN
EXTRAORDINARY MANNER.
During Wallace's imprisonment, the Southerons
fed him on herrings and water, and offals of their
shambles in the manner they would feed their dogs
and swine, until death was pictured in his beauteous
clay; all his vital spirits done and his soul sunk within him. Whereupon in expectation of immediate
death he solemnly addresses the God of Mercy and
Justice, imploring his pardon and favour on the footing of the propitiation of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of
the world, in the following strain " 0 my God, may
it please thee to receive my soul into the arms of thy
sovereign mercy, or quickly loose me from the bands
of this death, as seemeth good unto thy glorious Majesty. Give not up this oppressed nation into the
hands of their cruel enemies, deliver them by thy
mighty hand and rescue them by thine arm from the
snares of their malicious foes," &c. Having uttered
this prayer he turned his lamentation on the great
cause of his defeat, saying " 0 brittle sword, thy metal was not true, the breaking of thy blade threw me
into this dungeon and subjected thousands of gallant
Scots; I trusted to thee, alas! thou hast failed me;
I thought to have avenged the blood of my gallant fag
ther and noble uncle, and beloved brother upon the
Southerons, who massacreed them at Lochmaben;
but alas! for my dear country, which is doomed by
this mischance to oppression and slavery." A cruel
flux of the belly came on and consumed the poor remains of strength in the person of Wallace, and re