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"While Robert
the Bruce was gradually getting possession of the
country, and driving out the English, Edinburgh, the principal town in Scotland,
with its strong castle, remained in possession of the invaders. Sir
Thomas Randolph was extremely desirous to gain this important place; but,
as you well know, the castle is situated on a very steep and lofty rock, so
that it is difficult or almost impossible even to get up to the foot of
the walls, much more to climb over them.
So while Randolph was considering what was to be done, there came to him a
Scottish gentleman, named Francis, who had joined Bruce's standard, and
asked to speak to him in private. He then told Randolph that in his youth
he had lived in the castle of Edinburgh, and that his father had then been
keeper of the fortress. It happened at that time that Francis had been
much in love with a lady, who lived in the part of the town beneath the
castle, which is called the Grassmarket.
Now, as he could not get out of
the castle by day to see his mistress, he had practised a way by night of
clambering down the castle rock on the south side, and returning at his
pleasure; when he got to the foot of the wall, he made use of a ladder to
get over it, as it was not very high at that point, those who built it
having trusted to the steepness of the crag; and for the same reason, no
watch was placed there. Francis had come and gone so frequently in this
dangerous manner, that, though it was so long ago, he told Randolph he
knew the road so well that he would undertake to guide a small party of
men by night to the bottom of his wall; and as they might bring ladders
with them, there would be no difficulty in scaling it. The great risk was
that of being discovered by the watchmen while in the act of ascending the
cliff, in which case every man of them would perish.
Nevertheless, Randolph did not hesitate to attempt the adventure. He took
with him only thirty men and came one dark night to the foot of the rock,
which they began to ascend under the guidance of Francis. The men were
obliged to follow in a line a path fitter for a cat than a man. When they
were far up the crag, near the foundation of the wall, one of the soldiers
of the castle, willing to startle his comrades, suddenly threw a stone from
the wall and cried out "Aha, I see you well." The stone came thundering
down past the heads of Randolph and his men, who naturally thought
themselves discovered. If they had stirred, or made the slightest noise,
they would have been entirely destroyed; for the soldiers above might have
killed every one of them, merely by rolling down stones... But the English
passed on without further examination.
Then Randolph and his men got up, and came in haste to the foot of the
wall. They planted the ladder which they had brought, and Francis mounted first to
show them the way; Sir Andrew Grey, a brave knight, followed him, and
Randolph himself was the third man to get over. Then the rest followed.
When once they were within the walls, there was not much to be do, for the
garrison were asleep and unarmed, excepting the watch, who were speedily
destroyed. Thus was Edinburgh Castle taken in March 1313."
Written by
Sir Walter Scott in Tales of a Grandfather
