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ROBERT BRUCE, KING OF SCOTLAND
Many centuries ago, Scotland was ruled by a king named Robert Bruce. He was a wise king and a brave soldier. When the English army invaded Scotland, Bruce took up arms and led his people in the defence of their country.
Battle after battle was fought. Six times Bruce led his brave little army against the enemy, and six times his men were beaten. His army was scattered, and he was forced to go into hiding - in the woods or in lonely places in the mountains.
One rainy day, Bruce lay on the ground in a hut, listening to the sound of the rain on the roof. He was tired and sad, and ready to give up all hope. It seemed to him that it was no use trying to do anything any more.
As he lay thinking, he saw a spider over his head, trying to spin a web. He watched her as she toiled slowly and with great care. Six times she tried to reach the opposite wall to fix her thread, and six times she failed.
"Poor thing!" cried Bruce, "You, too, know what it is to fail."
But the spider did not lose hope. With still more care, she tried for the seventh time. Bruce almost forgot his own troubles as he watched her swing herself out upon the slender line. Would she fail again? No! The thread was carried safely from one wall to the other.
"I, too, will try a seventh time!" cried Bruce. He got up and called his men together. He told them of his plans, and sent them out with messages of cheer to his disheartened people. Soon there was an army of brave Scotsmen gathered around him. Another battle was fought. This time the Scots won and the English invaders were driven out of Scotland.
苏格兰国王罗伯特•布鲁斯
许多世纪以前，苏格兰由一位名叫罗伯特•布鲁斯的国王统治着。他是一位明智的君主，又是一位勇敢的战士。当英格兰军队侵略苏格兰时，布鲁斯拿起武器领导人民起来保卫自己的国土。
战斗一场接一场地打开了。布鲁斯带领着他那支勇敢但人数不多的军队六次抗击敌人，但六次都被打败了。他的军队溃散了，他自己也被迫躲藏起来，有时躲进森林里，有时躲到偏僻的山区。
一个下雨天，布鲁斯躺在一间茅屋的地上，听着雨打屋顶的声音。他疲倦而忧郁，简直不抱什么希望了。他觉得再做任何努力也没用。
他正躺在地上想着，忽见头上有一只蜘蛛在织网。他看着蜘蛛慢慢地、非常小心地织着网。它六次试图把吐出的丝接到对面的墙上，六次都失败了。
“可怜的小东西，”布鲁斯失声说。“你也尝到了失败是什么滋味。”
但是蜘蛛并没有灰心，它更加小心地试第七次。布鲁斯凝视着蜘蛛的身子，它挂在纤细的丝上摆向对面的墙，他几乎忘却了自己的烦恼。这次它会不会又一次失败？不！蜘蛛终于安全地将丝从这一面墙拉到了另一面墙。
“我也要试第七次，”布鲁斯叫道。他站了起来，把手下人召集在一起。他把自己的计谋告诉大家，然后叫他们奔赴四方，鼓动陷于绝望的人民。不久，在他周围集结了一支英勇的苏格兰队伍。接着，又打了一仗。这一次，苏格兰人胜利了，英格兰侵略者被赶出了苏格兰。
