upon a truce.  The English welcomed an armistice on any terms, but the Scots’ interest was in the continuance of the war, and they paid no attention to the papal proposal.  The result was a renewal of Bruce’s excommunication, and the placing of all Scotland under interdict.  Yet no papal censures checked Robert’s career or lessened his hold over Scotland.  Next year he showed greater activity than ever.  In April, 1318, he captured the town of Berwick by treachery.  Peter of Spalding, one of the English burgesses who formed the town guard, was bribed to allow a band of Scots to seize that section of the town wall of which he was guardian.  Then the intruders captured the gates and admitted their comrades.  Thus the last Scottish town to be held by the English went back to its natural rulers.  The English burgesses were expelled, though Bruce showed wonderful moderation, and few of his enemies were slain.  Berwick castle held out for a time, until lack of victuals caused its surrender.  In May the Scots marched through Northumberland and Durham into Yorkshire, burnt Northallerton and Boroughbridge, and exacted a thousand marks from Ripon, as the price of respecting the church of St. Wilfred.  They then spent three days at Knaresborough, and made their way home through Craven.

Such successes show clearly enough that the treaty of Leek was not signed a moment too soon.  It was, however, too late for any great effort against the Scots in 1318.  A strenuous endeavour was made to levy a formidable expedition for 1319.  In strict accordance with the ordinances, the parliament, which met at York in May of that year, agreed that there should be a muster at Berwick for July 22, and granted a liberal subsidy.  An insolent offer of peace, coupled with a promise of freedom of life and limb to Bruce, should he resign his crown, provoked from the Scots king the reply that Scotland was his kingdom both by hereditary right and the law of arms, and that he was indifferent whether he had peace with the English king or not.  On July 22, the feast of St. Mary Magdalen and the anniversary of Falkirk fight, the barons assembled at Newcastle.  Thomas of Lancaster was there with his brother Henry.  Warenne, newly reconciled with Lancaster by a large surrender of lands, also attended, as did Pembroke, Arundel, Hereford, and the husbands of the three Gloucester co-heiresses.  There was a braver show of earls than even in 1314.  An offer of lands, when Scotland was conquered, attracted a large number of volunteer infantry, while the cupidity of the seamen was appealed to by a promise of ample plunder.  In August the host and fleet moved northwards, and closely beset Berwick.