What do the following primary sources tell us about English views of the Scots and the Scots' views of themselves?

The English and Scots had differing views on many things, chiefly their view on the Scottish people.  The English considered the Scots barbaric and cruel, while the Scots considered their heroes to be brave and noble.  The English think that the Scots are tyrannical, while the Scots pride themselves on withstanding barbarians wherever they go.

The English call William Wallace, a Scottish hero, "an outcast from pity, a robber, a sacrilegious man, an incendiary and a homicide, a man more cruel than the cruelty of Herod, and more insane than the fury of Nero."  They not only dislike Wallace, but don't respect him.  They consider Wallace below them, and make him sound more animal than human.

The English also insult Robert the Bruce, a man seen as a great king by the Scottish.  They make him seem dishonorable by writing, "...Bruce, drawing his sword, strikes the unarmed Comyn on the head."  By taking away his honor, they are proving themselves superior to the Scots.

The Scots, while they do not mention William Wallace or Robert the Bruce directly, see their people as enduring and strong leaders.  They say that their people "...dwelt for a long course of time in Spain among the most savage tribes, but nowhere could they be subdued by any race, however barbarous."  The Scots consider themselves brave and able to protect their people.


http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1307bruce.html
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1307bruce.html