Historic%20Yorkshire

100
THE BATTLE OF THE STANDARD.
who fell he promised eternal happiness! He was not
able, on account of his extreme age,to be present on the
battle-field, but appointed Bishop Raoul, or Ranulf, the
Norman, as his representative. Ranulf, immediately
before the commencement of the strife, sought to rouse
the alreadyhigh-pitched courage of the Anglo-Normans
in the following stirring words: — " Illustrious chiefs of
England, be bold! Brave Normans, before whom bold
France trembles, to whomfierce England has submitted,
under whom Apulia has beenrestoredto her station, and
whosenames are famous at Antioch and Jerusalem ;here
are the Scots,who have done homageto you,undertaking
to drive you from your estates!"
On the Scottish side the battle had been merely prefaced
by a dispute as to which of the different bodies was
to be allowed to take the lead in the fight, a distinction
which was permitted to the bold men of Galloway,the
ancient Picts, though they were the worst clad of any of
the mountaintroops, and possessed no defensive armour
worthy of the name. Armed principally with long thin
pikes, the impetuous hill-men rushed madly upon the
ranks of the English, crying, as they swept down,
" Alban! Alban!" and makingfearful havoc,but far from
intimidating their intrepid mail-clad opponents. The
noted archers of Teviotdale did good service for King
David,but the skill of theEnglish archers soon evinced a
decidedsuperiority, and it became evident that the reckless
fighting of the Scots, however gallant and devoted,
must succumb to the steady, enduring firmness of the
Anglo-Normans. What could avail against such
resources as lay in the good yew bow; as Sir Walter
Scott says: —
To theright ear the cords they bring —
At once ten thousandbowstrings ring,
Ten thousand arrows flyI
Nor paused on the devotedScot
The ceaseless fury oftheir shot,
As fiercely and as fast.