before.  Neither the attendant nor the landlord would accept any remuneration for their services, and to our cordial thanks replied, “You are quite welcome.”  We now went to see the cottage museum, which was well filled with Roman relics of all kinds, arranged in such fashion as would have done credit to a very much larger collection.  The Roman remains stored here were described as “one of the most comprehensive collections of Roman relics in England,” and included ornaments and articles in glass, iron, and bronze.  There was also much pottery and tiles; also coins, images, and all kinds of useful and ornamental articles of the time of the Roman Occupation in Britain.  Besides self-coloured tiles, there were some that were ornamented, one representing the “Capitoli Wolf,” a strange-looking, long-legged animal, with its face inclined towards the spectator, while between its fore and hind legs could be seen in the distance the figures of Romulus and Remus, the founders of the city of Rome, who, tradition states, were suckled in their infancy by a wolf.

But my brother reminded me that none of these things were fit to eat, and that our breakfast would now be ready, so away we sped to our lodgings to get our breakfast and to pay our bill, and bid good-bye to our landlady, who was a worthy, willing old soul.  Just across the river, about a mile away, was the site of the “White Battle,” fought on October 12th, 1319—­one of the strangest and most unequal battles ever fought.  It occurred after the English had been defeated at Bannockburn, and when the Scots were devastating the North of England.  The Scots had burnt and plundered Boroughbridge in 1318 under Sir James Douglas, commonly known, on account perhaps of his cruelty, as the “Black Douglas.”  Even the children were afraid when his name was mentioned, for when they were naughty they were frightened with the threat that if they were not good the Black Douglas would be coming; even the very small children were familiar with his name, for a nursery song or lullaby of that period was—­

  Hush ye, hush ye, little pet ye,
  Hush ye, hush ye, do not fret ye,
  The Black Douglas shall not get ye.

Just before the “White Battle” the English Queen Isabel, wife of Edward II, had taken up her abode with a small retinue in the country near York, when an effort was made by the Scots to capture her; they nearly succeeded, for she only just managed to get inside the walls of York when the Scots appeared and demanded admittance.  This was refused by the aged Archbishop Melton, who had the bulwarks manned and the fortifications repaired and defended.  The Scots were enraged, as York was strongly fortified, and they shouted all manner of epithets to the people behind the walls; one of them actually rode up to the Micklegate Bar and accused the queen of all manner of immoralities, challenging any man to come forth and clear her fame.  The Archbishop in a stirring appeal called upon every man and youth to attack the