Major gives nearly the same account with that of Blair. Speaking of Wallace, he says: “Anglorum insignes viros apud _horrea_ Aerie residentes de nocte incendit, et qui a voraci, flamma euaserunt ejus mucrone occubuerunt.” Fol. LXX.
There is also far more unquestionable evidence as to the cause of this severe retaliation than is generally supposed. Lord Hailes has still quoted Barbour as an historian of undoubted veracity. Speaking of Crystal of Seton, he says:--
It wes gret sorow sekyrly, That so worthy persoune as he Suld on sic maner hangyt be. Thusgate endyt his worthynes. And off Cranford als Schyr Ranald wes, And Schyr Bryce als the Blar, _Hangyt in till a berne in Ar_.
This tallies very well with the account given by the Minstrel.
_Four thousand haill that nycht was in till Ayr._ _In gret_ bernyss, _biggyt with out the toun,_ _The justice lay, with many bald barroun._
The testimony of the _Complaynt of Scotland_, a well known national work, written A. 1548, concurs. Speaking of the king of England, the writer says:
“Ony of you that consentis til his fals conques of your cuntre, ye sal be recompenssit as your forbears var at the blac perliament at _the bernis of Ayre_, quhen kyng Eduard maid ane conuocatione of al the nobillis of Scotland at the toune of Ayre, vndir culour of faitht and concord, quha comperit at his instance, nocht heffand suspitione of his tresonabil consait. Than thai beand in his subiectione vndir culour of familiarite, he gart hang, cruelly and dishonestly, to the nummer of sexten scoir of the maist nobillis of the cuntre, tua and tua ouer ane balk, the quhilk sextene scoir var cause that the Inglismen conquest sa far vithtin your cuntre.” Compl. Scotl. p. 144.
The author refers to this as a fact universally acknowledged among his countrymen, although, it must be recollected, no edition of the Life of Wallace was printed for more than twenty years after this work was written. He introduces it again, as a proof of treachery and cruelty, which still continued to excite national feeling.
“Doubtles thai that ar participant of the cruel inuasione of Inglis men contrar thar natyue cuntreye, ther craggis sal be put in ane mair strait yoik nor the Samnetes did to the Romans, as kyng Eduard did til Scottis men at the blac parlament at _the bernis of Ayr_, quhen he gart put the craggis of sexten scoir in faldomis of cordis, tua and tua, ouer ane balk, of the maist principal of them,” &c. Ibid. p. 159, 160.