THE BATTLE OF BANNOCKBURN.f NEXT year we celebrate the sexcentenary
of the most famous of Scottish battles, and it is only right to get our minds clear as to what actually happened. In this little book the learned editor of Barbour's Bruce sets himself to examine our evidence for the tactics of the fight. He takes as his basis the four fourteenth-century authorities—the Vita Edwardi Secundi (c. 1325), the Lanercost Chronicle (c. 1346), the Scalacronica (1355-7), and the Bruce (1376), and he completely upsets the accepted view of what happened on the Sunday and Monday. Bruce had his army stationed on the southern edge of the plateau of the New Park, with the Bannock running in front. On the Sunday the English made two isolated attacks on the Scots —one directly across the Bannock, in which de Bohun perished, and one by the Carse road to the east, which Randolph repulsed. The same night the English crossed the Bannock well to the east, and camped in the marshy piece of ground between that stream and the Forth. Next day, Monday, the Scots attacked, and did not wait to be attacked, as the ordinary account has it, and, finding their enemy on ground which made it impossible for horse to manoeuvre, drove them into a pen and completely routed them. Edward had actually turned Bruce's left flank, but the advantage was nullified by the impossible ground which he occupied. Mr. Mackenzie supports his case with a mass of evidence which we cannot reproduce, but we are bound to say that, in our opinion, his arguments are conclu- sive. Among other points, he estimates that in the battle Edward cannot have had more than 20,000, including 3,000 horse, and Bruce about 7,000 all told. He upsets a good many cherished legends, such as Bruce's use of staked pits and his personal contest with de Bohun. The important tactical
• The Complete Works of Friedrich Nietzsche: Vol. XVIII. "Index to the Complete Works." By Robert Guppy. London : T. N. Foulis. [6s. net.] f The Battle of Bannockburn: a Study in Mediaeval Warfare. By W. M. Mackenzie, M.A. Glasgow: XacLehose and Sons. [2s. 6d. net.] lesson of Bannockburn was that already learned at Courtrai, that foot properly handled could attack and defeat horse. The English were not slow to take the hint, and "Poictiers and Agincourt were won under the rock of Stirling." Mr. Mackenzie has produced a carefully reasoned and most lucid monograph, which should be of great interest to all students of Scottish history. In case of a reprint we would point out that on p. 98 " Monday" should be "Sunday."
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