Braveheart? Huh!

[dm383]

Did think of entitling this"God & Country"...... still!

As part of my job, a colleague and I run a Walking Group for some of our clients. In the winter, we go to "Places of interest", 'cos the weather's SO horrible here!!

Today we took them to the Wallace Monument, which is, as you may imagine, a monument dedicated to the life & achievements of one of Scotland's most famous sons.

What follows is an excerpt from the "Declaration of Arbroath", signed in Arbroath Abbey in 1320, asserting Scotland's right to international recognition as an independent country. It is said to be a direct quote from Wallace; not QUITE what Mel Gibson said in the film, but you can see where the film speech came from!



"For, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on ANY condition be brought under English rule. It is in truth, not for glory, nor riches nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom ~ for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself".


I can tell you guys.... it brought a lump to this old cynics throat; which is why I thought I'd like to share it with you all.

DM


btw... I got a photo of Wallace's sword.... the blade alone measures 52 inches long; experts reckon this means Wallace had to be AT LEAST 6'6" tall to wield it properly..... just a WEE bit taller than Mel, huh?

DM

[jennaflower]

very interesting :)

I need to make more time to visit historical places around the world...

[Aqua]

Very cool DM!

[dicksbro]

That is really interesting, dm. You are a fountain of facts. Thank you.

DB

[LixyChick]

Oh wow dm! That is so very cool! Of all he said and that it brought a lump to your throat......I can say I got a shiver and a peculiar feeling of pride! Well.....it's not all too peculiar.....my maternal grandmother was from Scotland.....so I feel a kinship!

And....at the moment hubby is sleeping.....but I just know he'll have a great interest in that sword. He loved the movie.....and I know he'll appreciate the facts!

TY for sharing another interesting and thought provoking sentiment!

[dm383]

I must admit, I liked the film too, Lixy.... though I always had a wee bit of a problem with it historically, not the least of which was the sheer physical size of the man (compared, as I said, to Mel Gibson!)

One of the things the film did, very cleverly, was give the impression that alll the action took place over a long period of time, and in ALL of the battles depicted, Wallace was depicted as a grown man. His first battle took place when he was 16 years old, not quite "growed up", eh? In the film too (cos of literary licence I'm sure) we saw nothing of his three years spent in Europe prior to being captured by the English, where he spent another two years in captivity.... BEFORE they hung, drew and quartered him, at age 35!

That leaves roughly 14 years for all the action, and 3-4 of THEM were relatively peaceful, after he had been made a "Guardian of Scotland".

I'm getting AWFULLY waffly again......sorry!! Just thought you might like to know a wee bit more, Lixy! :)

DM

[dicksbro]

Wow. A great bit of historical info followed by a great bit more historical info. DM, I knew of many inaccuracies in the movie, but I hadn't realized William Wallace was only 16 in his first battle. Thanks for the input. ;)

[jseal]

dm383,

Freedom has always been worth the cost, although, at times, the personal cost can be high indeed.

[Steph]

Beautiful quote ~ honest men indeed!

I wouldn't worry about Mel's height too much. It's good that Wallace got some recognition in this day and age.

[Mae]

dm383 - Do you speak any Gaelic?

[Oldfart]

DM, the Wallace Sword is a "one and a half hander" which

eases back on the brute strength needed to use it. The blade is

narrower then a comparable English broadsword, making for a nimbler

weapon.

At about 6ft, Wallace would have been head and shoulders above

most of his men, a veritable giant like Henry VIII.