UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES r HE BRUCE. VOLUME I. 90*1 8 THE BRUCE; O R, THE HISTORY OF ROBERT KING OF SCOTLAND. "VVRITTEN IN SCOTTISH VERSE BY JOHN BARBOUR. THE PIRSTGENUINE EDITION, PUBLISHED FROM A MS. DATED 1489; WITH NOTES AND A GLOSSARY BY J. PINKERTON. VOLUME I. LONDON: PRINTED BY H. HUGHS, *OR C, NICOL, BOOKSELLER TO HIS MAJESTT, M.DCC.XC. PK 183-3 PREFACE. TH E publication of ancient monuments of their poetry feems now to intereft moft na- tions. In France the beft poets of the fifteenth century were publifhed at Paris, in the year 1723 *. Since which time, not to mention editions of the Roman de la Rofe^ a work completed in the end of the thirteenth century, have appeared the poems of Thibaut king of Navarre, who wrote in the be- ginning of the thirteenth century ; and the fongs of Raoul de Coucy, compofed in the twelfth, about the year 1190. Barbazan has alfo given fpecimens of the mort romances in verfe, or tales : and M. Le Grand has publiihed a goud tranflation of the beft * Oeuvres de Villon, written about 1450. Farce de 1'Avocat Pathelin, about 1450. Poefies de Coquillart, 1470. Martial d'Auvergne, 1480, 2 vols. Oeuvres de Jean Ma- rot, 1500. And the Poefies de Guillaume Cretin, 1510. Legende de Pierre Faifeu, by Bourdigne, 1531. The works of Allain Chartier, which are large, written about 1440, were publifhed by Du Chefne, Paris, 1617, 4to. It is furprizing, however, that the poems of Froiffart, the only poet, it is believed, France has of the fourteenth century, fhoukl ftill remain MS. The fifteenth century i* barren of poetry in Italy and England, a 3 he 453971 vi PREFACE. he could find, from the twelfth century to the fif- teenth, in 5 vols. I2mo. with prefaces, in which he (hews the great fuperiority of thefe fabliaux^ which originated in the northern parts of France, to the infipid love-fongs of the Provencal trouba- dours, the offspring of the fouth ; and goes fo far as to fay, that all the great poets, and moil of the great men of France, have been born in the nor- thern parts of that kingdom. Any reader may .indeed judge, by comparing his very curious and interefting work with the account and tranflation of the works of the troubadours, publifhed by 1'Abbe Millot, that one of thefe old tales full of incident, imagination, and life, is worth all the drawling efforts of the Provencal mufe, the life- lefs daughter of metaphyfical loye. In Spain, the late publication by Sanchez * {hews that this kind of literature is not totally neglected. Italy needs not be mentioned, as the publication of her ancient poets has been conftant and perpetual: but the Filojlrato and Tefeide of Boccace (hould be reprinted. In Germany diffe- * This very curious work is intituled, Coleccim de Poejlas Caftellanas anterior es al Siglo XY. &c. For D. Thomas Antonio Sanchez, Bibliotecario de S. M. En Madrid, for Don Jntonio de Sancba: 1779 1782, 3 vols 8vo. publifhed. The firft volume contains the poem of the Cid ; and pre- fixt is a letter of the marquis de Santillana, written about 34.55, on the origin f Spanim poetry, with long notes by the editor, forming almoft a hiftory of Spanifh poetry pre- ceding the year 1400 ; and well written, if we except fome oddities, as the examination whether Adam fpoke firft in verfe or profe, &c. The Inquifition ftill exiits in Spain I Vol. ii. contains the poems of Berceo. Vol. iii. Alexander the Great. All are accompanied with gloffaries. rent PREFACE. vii rent productions of this fort have lately been given : and in Denmark the poetical Edda, containing the oldeft Icelandic poetry, has at laft appeared in print. Nor has England neglected this ftudy, as the Reliques of Ancient Englifh Poetry, the late excellent edition of Chaucer's Tales, and other Works in this line may teftify. The poem now prefented to the reader for the firft time, in it's genuine ancient drefs, has al- ready gone thro' about twenty editions in Scot- land fince the year 1616, in which the firft edition which can be difcovered, was printed at Edin- burgh, i2mo. But all thefe editions are moder- nized; and it was impoffible to judge of the real ancient poem from them. The editor, zealous to give an edition of this interefting work, the moft ancient production of the Scotifli mufe extant, in the very language, and orthography, of it's author, had recourfe to a manufcript written in the year 1489, preferved in the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh ; a collection which does great honour to that refpeclable fociety, and to their country. The fociety having, with much politenefs, per- mitted a copy to be taken for publication, the editor was equally fortunate in the condefcending affiftance of the Earl of BUCHAN, a nobleman well known as the founder of the ScotiQi Society of Antiquaries ; and as the friend of the ancient li- terature, and prefent welfare and honour of his country. This public-fpirited peer caufed the tranfcript to be taken under his own eye; and accompanied it with this atteftation : " I David " Steuart, Earl of Buchan, have compared this " tranfcript of the MS. dated 1489, in the Law- si 4 " yers* viii PREFACE. " yers' Library at Edinburgh, with the original, * s and find it to be a true copy, having corrected " fuch errors as I have been able to obferve, in " the courfe of a very minute inveftigation and " comparifon ;" (figned) " BUCHAN :" and da- ted, " Edinburgh, September 2yth, 1787." The tranfcript, taken literatim from the MS. has been fent to the prefs, as it came ; and printed from with the utmoft exadtnefs, even to the re- tention of fmall errors, which might eafily have been amended. The only alteration from the ori- ginal is the divifion into Twenty Books, with their arguments, now adopted and given for the firft time; but which injures not a particle of the original text, and is an improvement, which, it is believed, every reader will approve : for the peru- fal of fuch a long work of about 1 2,000 verfes, without any paufe, or illuftration, would have proved tirefome to the moft patient reader; not to mention the fuperior clearnefs which fuch a di- vifion, and analyfis, lend to a work of length, and the univerfal practice of ancient and modern times in fuch cafes. It is indeed much to be wifhed that divifion, and argument, were more attended to in all publications of old language, Naevius and Ennius, the moft ancient Roman poets, compofed their long works in one entire piece ; and anti- quity has been fo idle as to let us know that Lam- padio firft divided the poem of Naevius into books, and Vargunteius that of Ennius. Some old edi- tor has indeed given riming titles of chapters to large divifions of this poem ; but they are ill-placed, and ill-chofen : and, in fpite of Mr. Hume's Hif- tory, every man of reading muft know that a chapter, PREFACE. * chapter, or caput, is the proper name of a fhort divifion, properly treating of but one bead, or in- cident. The original MS. from it's orthography, ap- pears to have been copied from one co-eval with the author ; for the fpelling is more barbaric, and uncouth, than that of a copy of Winton's Chronicle, written about the year 1410, in the Cotton Li- brary. At the end of this edition the reader will find fac-fimilia of the MS. particularly of the co- lophon, which is in thefe words : " Flnltur codi- cellus de virtutibus et aSlibus belHcofijfimi viri domi- ni Robertl Broyfs quondam Scottorum Regis illuf- trijjlmi raptim jfcriptus per me Johannem Ramfay ex juJJ'u venerabilis et circumfpefJi viri vere magiftri Symonis Lochmaleny de Ouchternunnfe vlcarii bene digni Anno Domini Millefimo Quadringentefimo Oc- tuagefimo Nona." " Here ends the book of the virtues, and acts, of the moft warlike man, the lord Robert Bruce, fometime king of Scotland, written at different times by me John Ramfay, at the command of a venerable and prudent man, and real mafter, Simon Lochmaleny, moft worthy vicar of Ouchternunnfe, in the year of our Lord One Thoufand Four Hundred and Eighty-nine." The name Locbmaleny is fo uncommon, that it feems unknown in any other Scotifli record ; and Ouchternunnfe the editor cannot find. The fame MS. contains the life of Wallace, by Henry the minftrel, written about 1470 ; and tho' it be a mere wild romance, while this poem of Bar- bour's is moftly real hiftory; and far inferior in every merit to this ; yet, for the fake of the lan- guage, and manners, it would be worth while to print x PREFACE. print it from the MS. But this the editor mud leave to fome gentleman refiding in Scotland, and curious in fuch matters. It is with no fmall pleafure that the editor has at laft procured the genuine publication, and, by the fpirit and liberality of the bookfeller, the ele- gant publication, of the oldeft monument of the Scotifli language. A monument which may well bear company with the beft early poetry which any modern country can boaft. Perhaps the editor may be accufed of nationality, when he fays that, taking the total merits of this work together, he prefers it to the early exertions of even the Italian mufe, to the melancholy fublimity of Dante, and the amorous quaintnefs of Petrarca, as much as M. Le Grand does a fabliau to a Provencal ditty. Here indeed the reader will find few of the graces of fine poetry, little of the Attic drefs of the mufe : but here are life, and fpirit, and eafe, and plain fenfe, and pictures of real manners, and perpetual incident, and entertainment. The language is re- markably good for the time ; and far fuperior, in neatnefs and elegance, even to that of Gawin Douglas, who wrote more than a century after. But when we confider that our author is not only the firft poet, but the earlieft hiftorian of Scotland, who has entered into any detail, and from whom any view of the real ftate and manners of the country can be had ; and that the hero, whofe life he paints fo minutely, was a monarch equal to the greateft of modern times ; let the hiftorical and poetical merits of his work be weighed together ; and then oppofed to thofe of any other early poet of the prefent nations in Europe. It PREFACE. xi It is indeed pofterior in time to the earlieft po- etry of moft modern nations ; but it muft be con- fidered that Scotland hardly had one writer till the thirteenth century*; and this poem was written in the fourteenth. If we pafs over the Slavo- nic nations f of Europe, whofe poetry is little known ; and the Celtic, and Finnifh, concerning whofe poetry all we know at prefent is, that what fome regard as ancient is certainly very modern ; we may confider the reft of Europe as divided in- to two grand languages, the Gothic of Germany, the Netherlands, and the Northern kingdoms ; and the corrupted Latin of France, Spain, Italy. The Engliih forms a medium between thefe two grand divifions ; a circumftance which contributes much to it's energy, and richnefs, for it has chofen from either the words which are moft expreflive, and which beft accord with it's genius. In the Go- thic divifion of Europe the monuments of nation- al poetry extend to very early times. The earlieft riming poet in any modern language, as Mr. Tyr- whit remarks, is Otfrid, a German, about the year 870 : from which period there are remains of * See the editor's Enquiry into the Hiftory of Scotland preceding the year 1056, Part vi. chap. z. f Le Clerc, in his Hi/loire de la Ruffle, Paris, 1783, 5 vols. 4-to. has in vol. iv. or i. of" the modern part, given a good idea of Ruffian literature. Ruffian fongs exift as old as the tenth century : they have burdens, and are mucli in the Aliatic ftyle. Neftor, the firft Ruffian hiitorian, was born in 1056 : but from 1223 till the fifteenth century, there are no Ruffian writers. The editor cannot fpecify any colk&ion of old Ruffian or of Polilh poetry. German 3ri PREFACE. German poetry almoft of every century *. The poetical Edda, compiled in the thirteenth century, contains fome pieces of Scandinavian poetry furely as old as the ninth century. Of Anglo-Saxon, or Englifh, poetry, a fpecimen might be produced of every century, fince the eighth. There is in the Cotton Library a noble fpecimen of Anglo- Saxon poetry of the tenth century, being a romance on the wars between Denmark and Sweden ; and it is much to be wifhed that it were publifhed, with a tranflation. It is to be obferved that rime is not known in Anglo-Saxon poetry till the ele- venth century, as Mr. Tyrwhit {hews : and in Scandinavian poetry, it appears not till the twelfth, as is clear from Snorro's Hiftory, written in the thirteenth, in which numerous fpecimens of the works of the northern fcalds are adduced. Whe- ther rime originated from the Arabs, among whom poetry of this kind appeared even before Maho- met, and, upon their conqueft of Spain in the year 7i2f, fpred firft to France, and thence to the * Mabillon has publiflied a beautiful German fong, writ- ten in the year 883. See in the Memoirs of the Academy of Infcriptions, vol. x!i. an account, by the Baron Zurlauben, of a MS. containing poems by Swabian minftrels, from about the year noo till 1330. But poems of the eleventh century- are very rare both in Gothic and Romance. f The Saracens did not feize Sicily till the year Sz8 ; and they held it for about 230 years, or till 1058. Ac- cording to Crefcimbeni, the Italian poetry pafled from the troubadours to the Sicilians. The firft Italian poet is Ciullo d'Alcamo, a Sicilian, about the year 1200, of whom only a fong is extant, Rofafrefea aulwtijjima, &c. PREFACE. xiii the reft of Europe, as Salmafius and Huet think ; or whether it began among the monks of Italy, in the eighth century, as fome others fuppofe ; for thefe are the only two opinions, which now divide the literati upon this fubjecl: ; certain it is that this mode of verification may be regarded as foreign to the genuine idiom of any European language, and of very late appearance in moft. Whence they who believe in the riming Welch poetry, afcribed to Talieflin and other bards of the fixth century, may enjoy their own credulity. To pafs to the Southern or Latin divifion of Europe, the key to all the languages of which is the Latin tongue, as the key to the other half is the German, our firft attention is due to France. The Latin language ufed in thefe countries may be ftrictly called Latin, tho' gradually corrupting, till the tenth century. About that period the La- tin of different countries began to aiTume different forms, and to branch out into diftindt and deter- minate dialects. It is in vain therefore to expect French, Italian, or Spanifli poetry, preceding the tenth century. Nay, France can hardly fhew a fpecimen of her poetry, preceding the twelfth cen- In 1150 lived Guittone d'Arezzo. The earlieft Italian ro- mances are in profe, beginning after the year 1 300 : the firlt in verfe are the Filoflrato and Tefeide of Boccace, about 1350. The next worth notice is the Morgan te of Luigi Pulci, 1460. Let me here remark that Cervantes was not the firft who turned the romances into ridicule. This work of Pulci, and the Orlando Inamorato of Berni, were written with the fame intention ; and in this century Car- teromaco has purfued and completed the plan in his Ricci- ardeito. VOL. L a 7 tury, Klv PREFACE. tury, of which period long romances are extant ; and it is furprizing that none of thefe genuine old romances have been publifhed in their original drefs *. Italy can, it is believed, mew little or no poetry till the thirteenth century, her poetry being borrowed, as is faid, from that of the troubadours, who began about the year uoo, and continued till 1300; and the fourteenth century has Dante and Petrarca. In Spain, a country vying with Italy in every branch of literature, there is no poetry extant more ancient than the Life of Rodrigo de Bevar, more known by the epithet of the Cid, written in about 3800 long lines, by an unknown author, near fixty years after the death of that hero, or in the year 1160; and firft publifhed by San- chez, in the year 1779. The next poet is Gon- zalo de Berceo, about 1220, who wrote lives of faints, and other pious works, in ftanzas of four alexandrine lines, to the fame rime j a mode of * Le Roul, or the Hiftory of Normandy, by Wace, fo called from Rollo the firft duke, would form about 300 pages 4-to. double columns. This poet, however, gives no account of Rollo, William I. nor Richard I. ; becaufe their wars were againft France. From Richard II. A. 996, he is full and curious, but fabulous. All of Rollo is j Ai jeo de Roul lunges cunte, E de fun riche parent!, De Normandie que il cunquift, E des proefces que il i fift ; E de Guiileaume Lunge Efpee, Auum leftoire avant menee, Tant que Flameng cum a felun Le tuerent par traifun ; De Richard fun fiz auum dit, &c. MS. Reg. 4; c. xi. poetry PREFACE. xv poetry generally prevalent in Spain till the year 1400. Then follows the long poem of Alexander the Great partly tranflated from Gualter, by Juan. Lorenzo of Aftorga, about the year 1250, in the fame difagreeable ftanza. In the fame century king Alfonfo the Wife wrote poems, not to men- tion his books of philofophy, and code of laws in profe : and in Portugal under king Dionis, himfelf the earlieft Portuguefe poet, lived Vafco Lobeira, the author of the famous romance of Amadis de Gaula. The profe chronicles of Spain, in Spanifli, alfo begin in this century. The four- teenth century produced in Spain Juan Ruiz, the archprieft of Hita, a pious rimer ; the Jew Don Santo, a moral one ; Don Juan Manuel, the bio- grapher in verfe of the Conde Lucanor ; and him of the Conde Fernan Gonzalez ; Pero Gomez ; the hiltorian of Alfonfo XI. in verfe ; Pero Lopez de Ayala, who wrote his fatire on courts in Eng- land, in prifon ; and toward the end of this, or beginning of next, century, Mofen Jordi, and Mofen Febrer. The fifteenth century has excel- lent Spanifh poets, Villafandino, Juan de Mena, Jorge Manrique, Aufias March, who wrote in the Valencian dialeft, the famous marquis of San- tillana, Diego de St. Pedro, who wrote the Carcel de Amor, and Juan Alonfo de Baena, who compiled the lyric poems of his predeceflbrs under the ufual tide of Cancionero^ MS. in the Efcurial. To this century alfo moft of the fhort Spanifli romances belong ; and particularly thofe in the hiftory of the civil wars of Granada. When we confider that the poetry of even the moft xvl PREFACE. moft fouthern, and civilized, countries of Europe begins thus lately, we fhall rather wonder, that a country fo remote, and uiftant from civilization, as Scotland, can boaft of fo refpe&able a poem as this at fo early a period. Indeed the hero feems to have infpired the author ; and hardly have ever great actions been performed, without fome au- thor's arifmg to celebrate them. Chaucer, our poet's great cotemporary, was little known to fame, when Barbour wrote in 1375, as he tells us himfelf, B. xiii. v. 700 ; and he never mentions, and perhaps had not heard of, that celebrated writ- er. Certain it is that Chaucer afforded no model to Barbour ; who feems to have had no fubje&s to imitate, but the old metrical romances, to which he refers. Let us not however reafon from this that his poem is itfelf romantic ; for, tho' two or three fictitious incidents are furely admitted in the firft feven books, the truth of all, or moft, of the reft can be evidenced from the beft hiftorians, Englifh and Scotifli : and the reader who wifties to be convinced of this, without much trouble, has only to compare the hiftory of king Robert I. in Dalrymple Lord Hailes's valuable Annals of Scot- land, with our author's account. His writing in verfe is no argument againft the veracity of his facts. In moft countries hiftory has firft been written in verfe. In all countries memory is more ancient than writing ; and poetry than profe. Greece, as is well known, had early poetical hif- torians. The poem of Naevius on the firft Punic war, written about 238 years before Chrifr, was the earlieft known among the Romans ; and the beginning PREFACE. xvii beginning of it puts us in mind of the harfh ortho- graphy of Barbour ; Quei terrai Latiai hemones tuferunt Vires frudefque Poinicas fabor. The next poet was Ennius, who about thirty years after wrote in heroic verfe, (not in the SaturniuS) or a kind of Iambic, as Naevius did, refembling the fhort quick verfe of our Barbour) the annals of Rome ; and afterward the acts of Scipio Africanus. In modern Europe, the Saxon poet of the life of Charlemagne is well known, and the hiftory of the Britons was tranflated into French verfe from Geoffrey of Mon mouth, by Wace in the twelfth century ; and a hiftory of Normandy was given by the fame writer, in the fame ftyle. Not to mention the hiftory of France in French rime of the thirteenth century; nor the Englifti hiftories of Robert of Glocefter, Robert de Brunne, &c. the earlieft native hifto- rian of Sweden is a chronicler in rime, about the year 1360. Our Winton wrote a vaft hiftory of the world, with Scotifh affairs intermixt, about the year 1420, but is a bad Ennius after our ex- cellent Naevius Barbour: tho' it be remarkable, that as Ennius omitted the firft Punic war becaufe Naevius had written it, fo Winton does the life of Robert I. As to any account of our author, little can be added by the editor to what he has already faid in another place *, except fome curious information, * Lift of Scotifh poets, prefixt to Ancient Scotifh Po- ems from the Maitland MS. London, 1786, p. Ixxix. ' VOL. I. b from xviii PREFACE. from Winton's Chronicle, concerning another work of his. It being proper and neceflary, how- ever, to give fome account of our poet here, it is hoped the reader will excufe a repetition of the information formerly given, tho' not in the fame words. JOHN BARBOUR feems to have been born a- bout the year 1326. In 1357 it appears, from a paflport publifhed by Rymer, dated the I3th day of Auguft that year, that he was then archdeacon of Aberdeen. This paflport permits him to go to Oxford, there to place three fcholars to purfue their ftudies, and fcholaftic exercifes. By a deed, dated the 1 3th of September in the fame year, alfo publifhed by Rymer, we find our author appointed by the bifliop of Aberdeen one of his commiilion- ers, to meet at Edinburgh concerning the ranfom of David II. king of Scotland, then a prifoner in England. In 1365 Rymer gives us the title of another paflport for John Barbour, archdeacon of Aberdeen, to go thro' England, with fix knights in company, to St. Denis, near Paris. All we find further evidenced relating to our author is that he died aged, in the year 1396, as we learn from the chartulary of Aberdeen. He informs us himfelf, B. xiii. ver. yco, that he wrote this poem in the year 1375 ; and about 1440 Bower or Bowmaker, the continuator of f'ordun's hiftory of Scotland, gives him this praife, lib. xii. c. 9. fpeaking of king Robert I. " Ma- gifter Johannes Barbarii Arcbidiaconus Aberdenenfis in lingua nojlra materna y diferte et luculenter fatis y ipfa ejus particularia gt/lflj necnon multum eleganter^ feroravit." To PREFACE. xix To thefe particulars the editor now adds the following, from Winton's metrical chronicle, writ- ten between the years 1410 and 1420 *. This NINUS had ane fon alfua, Schir DARDANE, Lord of Fregia, Of quhome the ARCHDENE futtely Has maid proper Genealogie, Till ROBERT, our fecond king, That Scotland had in governing. MS. Edit. p. 63. And fpeaking of the progrefs of the Scots from Ireland : Bot be the BRUTE, yitt BARBAR fayis Of Erifchry all uthir wayis j That GURGUNT BADRUK quhile was king, And Brettane had in gouerning, &c. p. 81. Agreeable to Geffrey of Monmouth, lib. i. c. 20. Again, Of BRUTUS' lynnage wha will heir He luik the treteis that BARBEIR Maid intill a Genealogy, Reyt weil, and mair perfytly Than I can in any wife, With all my wit for til devife. p. 129. * From a MS. in the editor's poffeflion, compared with three old ones, and prepared for the prefs by Robert Seton, I7H- b 2 Again, xx PREFACE. Again, fpeaking of Brennus and Belinus ; Thai reid the BRUTE, and thai fall fee Ferleis feir of thair bounte. p. 184. Again, OCTAVYUS than into thai dayis As of BRUTE the ftoryefayis, Of all Brettanc haill was king. p. 329. The following paflage, not immediately to the purpofe, is inferted on account of its fmgula- rity : Bot of the BRUTE the ftorye fayis That Lucius HYBER in his dayis Was of the hie ftait procuratour, Nouthir callit king na empryour. Fra blayme wes than the author quyte, As he before him fand, to wryte j And men of gude difcretioun Suld excufe and loifF HUCHEONE, That cunnand was in literature. He maid a gret geft of ARTHURE : And the awenturis of GAWANE : And the 'piftill als of fueit SUSANE. He was curious in his ftyle, Fayr, and facund, and fubtile, And ay to plefance had delyte ; And maid in metyr meit his dyte, Littill or nocht neverthelefs Wawerand fra the futhfaftnes. Had he callit Lucius procuratour, Qhair that he callit him empryour, &c. P- 3 6 4. And PREFACE. xxi And HUCHONE of the Aule Ryall Intill his geft hiftoriall. Jb. Sen HUCHEONE of the Awle Ryall Intill his geft hiftoricall. Ib. HUCHEONE baith, and the author. Ib. There is every reafon to believe that the BRUTE, in the pafTages above quoted, after p. 184, is quite different from Harbour's Genealogy of the kings of Scotland, in which the lineage of Brutus was given, as appears from the paflage p. 129, above: and is either Geffrey of Mon- mouth's book, or Wace's Le Brut. Of Hutcheon the editor knows nothing. He once fufpe&ed that the ftiort hiftory of Scotland, in profe, down to the end of Robert the Second's reign, to be found at the end of Winton, and which is a curious re- main of old Scotifh profe, was the book of Bar- bour above mentioned ; but there is no mention of Dardanus or of Brutus in it : and he believes that Barbour's work is loft. To return to the prefent work, Winton not only repeatedly quotes it, but omits the whole reign of Robert I. as Barbour had already written it in the fame metre which he ufes. In book viii. chap. 139, p. 601, Winton begins to give long extracts from Barbour's poem. He there prefents us with an extract from B. i. ver. 37 170. After a long and often fabulous ac- count of the controverfy between Balioland Bruce, and the fentence of Edward, he fays, p. 627, Bot luik quhat followit eftirwart; How ROBERT our king recoverit his land, That occupyit with his fayis he fand j And xxii PREFACE. And it reftoryt in all fredome, Quyt till his airis of all thraledome j Quha that lykis that till witt To the BRUYSE' buke I thaim remitt. Quhair maifter JOHNNE B ARBEIR, Archdene Of Aberdene^ as mony has feyne, His deidis deitit mair vertuufly, Than I can think in all ftudy ; Haldand in all leill futhfaftnes, Set all he wrait nocht his prowes. VVinton then gives an account of the Cummins, and of the Bruces, and of the affairs of Scotland down to the year 1304, at which year, p. 680, he fcys, The Archdekin in BRUGES buke, &c. and quotes B. i. ver. 187, &c. Then in p. 682 he gives another extract from B. i. ver. 483, to B. ii. ver. 36, with flight omifltons, additions, and alterations. After which, p. 686, he fays, Quhat eftir this the BRUCE ROBERT In all his tyme did eftirwert, The Archdene of Abirdene In BRUCE'S buke has gart be fene, Mair wyflie tretit into wryte, Than I can think in all my wyte. Thairfore I will now thus lychtly Ourpafs att this tyme his flory. Winton then, chap. 157, excufes the lamenefs of his work, and recapitulates the years till David II.: chap 158 has the betraying of Wallace by Menteith, 1305; and the dedication of the new cathedral of St, Andrews, 1318 j both very briefly PREFACE. xxiii told. Chap. 159 bears the birth of king David II. 1320, and the depofition of Edward II. of England, 1326, by his reckoning. Chap. 160 gives the wedding of David II. 1328, and the death of Robert I. Chap. 161 begins the reign of David II. at length. Tho' Winton's work will not bear a total publication, it would be worth while to publifh this latter part, from Da- vid II. till 1414, as forming with Barbour a chain of memoirs in Scotifh verfe, for the hiftory of Scotland, almoft down to the commencement of our memoirs in Scotifli profe, in the hiftory of Lindfay of Pittfcottie. The fpace from 1414 till 1437, when Lindfay begins, might be fupplied from Bellenden's tranflation of Boethius, which varies from the original, and of which Lindfay's work was meant to be a continuation, as we learn from himfelf. This part of Winton and Bellen- den would form two large oflavo volumes. This preface {hall be clofed with one little re- mark, to wit, that the name of THE BRUCE is given to this poem, as its genuine ancient name, as appears from the lift of ancient Scotilh. poems in Wedderburn's Complaint of Scotland, I549> an ^ from the above paflages of Winton *. * It is worth obfervation that, tho' the edition of this work 1616 be the oldcft discovered, yet there muft have been at lead one more ancient : for Gordon, in his Hiflorie of Bruce, a poem printed at Dort 1615, 4to. mentions this poem, as " the old printed book," in his preface; where he alfo fpeaksof a MS. on vellum, containing a poetical life of Bruce by Peter Fenton, a monk of Melrofe, written ia 1369 ; from which he borrows fome incidents. It ended, as Gordon's, with the battle of Bannocburn. The MS. bc longed to Donald Farquharfou. ENN1UM SICUT SACROS VETUSTATE LUCOS ADOREMUS, IN QUIBUS GRANDIA ET ANTIQUA ROBORA NOW TANTAM HABENT SPECIEM, QUANT AM RELIGIONEM. 3JJINTILIAN. THE BRUCE B U K E I. VOL. I. ARGUMENT. Proeme. Stait of Scotland at the deth of ALEXANDER III. Stone of DOUGLAS. The hiftorie beginis with the cunand maid between ROBERT DE BRUYSE, afterward King, and Schir JOHN CUMIN. Trait or y of CUMIN, quha betrays ROBERT //'/ EDWARD I. of Eng- land. B R U C E. B U K E I. to rede ar delitabill, Suppofe that thai be nought but fabill; Than fuld ftoryfe that futhfaft wer, And thai war faid on gud maner, Have doubill plefance in herying. The fyrft plefance is thair carping, And the 'tothir thair futhfaftnes, That fc.hewys the thing rycht as it was ; And fuch thyngs that ar likand Tyll manys herying ar plefand. Thairfor I wald fayne fet my will, Giffmy wyt mycht fuffice thairtill, To put in wryt a futhfaft ftory That it leil ay furth in memory Ba 10 Swa 4 THE BRUCE: Swa that na tyme of lenth it let, 15 Nor ger it haly be forget. For auld ftoryfe, that men redys, Repraifents to thaim the dedys Of ftalwart folk, that lywyt ar, Rycht as thai than in prefence war. 20 And certes thai fuld weill have pryfe That in thair tyme war wyght and wyfe ; And led thair lyff in gret trawaill, And oft, in hard ftour of bataill, Wan rycht gret price off chewalry, 25 And war woydyt off cowardy. As was King ROBERT off Scotland, That hardy was of hart and hand, And gud Schyr JAMES OFF DOUGLAS, That in hys tyme fa worthy was, 30 That off hys price, and hys bounte, Into far lands renownyt wafe he. Off thaim I thynk this Buk to ma : Now God gyff grace that I may fwa Tret it, and bryng it till endying, 35 That I fay nought bot futhfaft thing. When ALEXANDER the King was deid, That Scotland haid to fteyr and leid, Ver. 37. Alexander III. died 16 March 1286. Margaret his grand-daughter reigned till 1290 : an inter-regnum followed, till 30 November 1292, when John Baliol was crowned; who was depofed by Edward I. of England, in 1296. Another inter-regnum fucceeded, till 27 March 1306, when Robert the Great, the hero of this poem, aicended the throne. The B U K E I. 5 The land fax yer, and moyr perfay, Ley defolat after hys day. 40 Till that the Barnage at the laft Aflemblyt thaim, and fayndyt faft To choyfe a king, thair land to fter, That offawnceftry cumyn wer Off kings, that aucht that roawtie, 45 And mayft had rycht thair king to be. Bot Enwy, that is fa feloune, Maid amang thaim great defcenfeoun, For fum wald haiffthe BALLEOLL king, For he was cumyn off the offspryng 50 Off hyr that eldeft fyftir was. And othir fum nyt all that cafe ; And faid that he thair king fuld be , That war in als ner degre, And cumyn war of the neift male, 55 And in branch collaterale : Thai faid fucceflion of kyngrik. Was nocht to lawer feys lik ; For ther mycht fucced na female, Quhill foundyn mycht be ony male, 60 Thow that in hir ewyn defcendand, Thai bar all other wayis on hand ; For than the neyft cumyn off the feid, Man or woman, fuld fucceid. Ver.6i, 62. Sic MS. E litions read, with equal obfcurity, That were in line even defcendand ; They bear all otherwife in handi B 3 Be 6 T J4 E BRUCE! Be this refoun that part thought hale, 65 That the Lord of Anandyrdale, ROBERT the BRWYSE Erie off Carryk, Oucht to fucceid to the kynryk. The Barownys thus war al difcord, That on na maner mycht accord : 70 Till at the laft thai all concordyt, That all thair fpek fuld be recordyt Till Schyr EDUUARD off Tngland King, And he fuld fwer that, hot fenyeyng, He fuld that arbyter difclar, 75 Of thir twa that I tauld off ar, Quhilk fucceid to fick a hycht, And lat him ryng that had the rycht. This ordynance thaim thocht the befly For at that tyme was pefe and reft 8a Ver. 68. David Earl of Huntingdon, grandfon of David I. was the fource of the claimants, Baliol and Bruce. The former was grandfon of Margaret, eldeft daughter of Earl David ; the latter was fon of Ifabella, the fecond daughter. Sir David Dalrymple,- to whofe valuable labours on Scotifh hiftory thefe notes will often be indebted, has fhewn that Baliol was undoubtedly the legal heir of the Scotilh crown. Barbour, in fpeaking of Bruce as the male heir only, oppofes him to Dervorgil, the mother of Baliol, who was alive. Baiiol was fon of Dervorgil, daughter of Margaret, daughter of Earl David. Bruce was fon of Ifabella. But it is clear that Margaret, and her daughter Dervorgil, and their defcendants-t muft have enjoyed the crown before Ifabella, or any of her defendants. Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, competitor with John Baliol, was grandfather of our hero. Betwyx B U K E I. 7 Betwyx Scotland and Yngland bath, And thai couth not perfawe the fkaith, That towart thaim was apperand ; For that as the King off Yngland Held fwylk freyndfhip, and cumpany 85 To thair king, that was fwa worthy, Thai trowyt that he, as gud nyghbur, And as freyndfome compofitur, Wald hawe jugyt in lawte. Bot otherwayis all yheid the gle* 90 A! blynd folk full off all foly! Haid ye unbethocht you enkerly, Quhat perell to you mycht apper, Ye had not wrocht on that maner. Haid ye tane keip how at that King 95 Alwayes, forowtyn fojournying, Trawayllyt for to wyn fenyhory, And throw his mycht till occupy Lands, that war till him marcheand, As Walls wa?, and als Ir eland > IOO That he put to fwylk thrillage, That thai, that war off hey perage, Suld ryn on fute, as rebaldaill. Quhan he wald our folk affaill Durft nane of Walls in bataill ride, 105 Nor yhet fra ewyn fell abyd, Caftell or wallyt toune within, That he ne fuld lyff and lymys tyne. B 4 Into 8 THE BRUCE: Into fwilk thrillage thaim held he, That he ourcoine throw his powfte. lio Ye mycht fe he fuld occupy Throw flycht, that he ne mycht throw maiftiry. Had ye tane kep quhat was thrillage, And had confideryet hys ufage, That grypyt ay, hot gayne gevyng, 115 Ye fuld, forowtyn his demyng, Haff chofyn yow a king, that mycht Have haldyn veyle the land in rycht. JValys enfample mycht have bein To yow, had ye it forowfein, 120 That be othir will him chafty, And wyfe men fayes he is happy. For unfayr things may fall perfay, Alfe vveill to morn, as yhiflirday. Bot ye traiftyet in lawte, 125 As fympile folk, but malvyte, And wyft not quhat fuld eftir tyd : For in this warld that is fa wyde, Is nane determynat that fall Knaw things that ar to fall, 133 Bot God, that is off maift powefte, Refewyt till his maiefte, For to knaw, in his prefcience, Off allryn tyme the mowence. Tn this maner affentyt war 135 The Barowns, as I faid you ar. And 35 U K E 1. C) And throch thair aller hale aflent, Meffingers till hym thai fent, That was than in the haly land, On Saraceny's warrayand. 14.0 And fra he wyft quhat charge thai had, He bufkyt hym, but mar abad, And left purpos that he had tanej And till Ingland agayne is gane. And fyne till Scotland word fend he, 145 That thai fuld mak ane aflemble, And he in hy fuld cum to do In all things, as thai wrayt him to. Bot he thocht weill, throuch thair debate, That he fuld flely fynd the gate 150 How that he all the fenyhowry, Throw his gret mycht, fuld occupy. And to ROBERT the BRWYCE faid he, Gyffyow will hald in cheyffoff me, " For evirmar, and thyne offspryng, 155 " I fall do fwa yow fall be king." ' Schyr,' faid he, c fa God me lave, * The kynryk I yharn I not to have, * Bot gyff it fail off rycht to me ; * And gyff God will that it fa be j 160 * I fall als frely in all thing Hald it, as it affer to king. Ver. 139. A iniilake. Edward was in England. He return- ed from the Holy Laud in 1272, or eighteen years before this time. 'Or jo TtfE 'BRUCE: Or as myn eldrs forouch me * Hald it in freyaft rowate.' The tothir wreyth him, and fwar 165 That he fuld have it nivir mar : And turnyt him in wreth away. Bot Schyr IHON the BALLEOLL perfay Aflentyt till him, in all his will, Quharthrouch fell eftir mickill ill. 170 He was king hot a little quhile, And throuch gret futelte and ghyle, For litill enchefone, or nane, He was areftyt fyne and tane. And degradyt fyne was he 175 Off honour and offdignite. Quhythir it was throuch wrang or rycht, God wat it, that is maift off mycht. Quhan Schyr EDOUARD, the mychty King, - Had on this wyfe done his likyng 180 Off JHONE the BALLEOLL, that fwa fone "Was all defawtyt and undone, To Scotland went he than in hy, And all the land gan occupy : Sa hale that bath caftell and toune 185 War intill his pofleflione, Fra Weik anent Orkenay^ To Mullyrfnivk in Galloway, And itufFyt all with Inglife men ; SchyrrefFys and bailyheys maid he thaia, 190 Ver, 183. July 1296. And B U K E I. II And allryn othir officers, That for to gowern land afFers, He maid of Ing/is nation. That worthyt than fa rych fellone, And fa wykkyt, and cowatoufe, 10,5 And fwa hawtane, and difpitoufe, That Scott smen mycht do nathing That ever mycht pleyfe to thair liking. Thair wyffs wald thai oft forly, And thair dochtrys difpitufly ; 2OO And gyfFony offthaim thairat war wrath, Thai watyt hym wele with gret fkaith. For thai fuld fynd fone enchefone, To put him to deftru&ione. And gyfF that ony man thaim by 205 Had ony thing that was worthy, As horfe, or hund, or othir thing, That war plefand to thair liking, With rycht or wrang it have wald thai. And gyfFony wald thai withfay, 2Inoch, a branch of the pow- erful family of Cumin ; as was the earl of Buchan at this time. C 4 4 All 24 THE BRUCE; c All hale my land fall yours be ; * And lat me ta the ftate on me : 4 And bring thys land out of tbyrllage. c For thair is nothir. man, na page, 500 * In all thys land bot thai fall be * Fayn to mak thaimfelvys fre.' The Lord die BRWISE hard hys carping, And wend he fpak bot futhfaft thing. And, for it likit till his will, 505 He gave his affent fone thairtill : And faid, " Sen ye will it be fwa, " I will blythly upon me ta " The ftate, for I wate that I have rycht ; " And rycht mayfe oft the feble wycht." 510 The Barownys than accordyt ar, And that ilk nycht writyn war Thair endenturs, and athyis maid, To hald that thai forfpokyn haid. Bot off all things wa worth trefoune ! 515 For thair is nothir duk ne baroune, Na erle na prynce, na king off mychr, Thoch he be nivir fa wyfe na wicht, For wyt, worfchip, price, na renoun, That ivir may wauch hym with trefoune. 520 Wis not all 'Trey with .trefoune tane, Quhen ten yers off the wer wis gane ? Thain flayn wis mone thoufand Off thaim withowt, throw flrenth of hand ; As B U K E I. 25 As DARES in hys buk he wrate, 525 And DYTS that knew all thair ftate, Thai mycht not haiff beyn tane throw mycht, Bot trefoune tuk them throw hyr flycht. And ALEXANDIR the Conquerowr, That conqueryt Babylonys tour, 530 And all this warld off lenth and breid, In twal yher, throw his douchty deid, Wis fyne deftroyit throw pufoune, In hys awyne houfe, throw gret trefoune. Bot or he deit hys land delt he ; 535 To fe hys dede wis gret pite. JULUS CESAR als that wan Bretane and Fraunce^ as douchty man, Slffryk, Arrabe, Eglpt^ Surry y And all Europe halyly, 54.0 And for hys worfchip and ualour Off Rome wis fryft maid Empirour ; Syne in hys capitole wis he, Throw thaim off hys confaill prive, Slayne with pufoune, rycht to the ded ; 545 And quhen he faw thair wis na rede, Hys eyn with hys hand clofit he, For to dey with mar honefte. Ver. 539. Surry is Syria. Ver. 545. for pufoitne, the editions rightly red bodkins, that is daggers : might his quietus make With a bare bodkin. Shakfp. Hamlet. Als 26 THE BRUCE: Als ARTHUR that, throw chevalry, Made Bretane maiftris and lady 550 Off twal kinricks that he wan ; And alfua, as a noble man, He wan throw bataill Fraitnce all fre, And Lucius Tier wencufyt he, That thain off Rome wer Empirour ; 555 Bot yeit, for all hys gret valour, MODREYT hys fyftirs fon hym flew. And gud men als ma then inew, Throw trefoune, and throw wikkitnes. The BROICE bers thairoff witnes : 560 Sa fell off this conand making, For the CUMIN raid to the King Ver. ^4.9. Our poet here, as xifual in his time, blends the moft childifh fables with hiftory. This account of Arthur is borrowed from Geoffrey of Monmouth ; and it appears from Winton that Barbour wrote a book on this fubjecl. Arthur is now known to be a non-exiftence, being a mere epithet given by the Welfh to Aurelius Ambrofuis, Art-uir, 1 The Great Man.' Giidas was cotemporary with the mock Arthur, 530, but knew nothing of him, tho' in his Epiftle (Gale Script. An^l.) he mentions five kings of Bri- tain in his time. Nennius, who wrote 858, fays nothing of Arthur, the chapter concerning him being an addition after the word?, explicit opus Nennii. In fhort, till Geoffrey wrote, 1150, Arthur was unknown. Arthurs Seat, Ar- tlur^s Routid Table, &c. are all names derived from the romances, and tournaments ; and unknown, till the thir- teenth and fourteenth centuries. Arthur was the Fingal, the Roland, of Wales j nay, of Britain, after Geoffrey's time. Off B U K E I. 27 Off Ingland, and tald all this cafe; Bot, I trow, not all as it was. Bot the endentur till him gaf he, 565 That foune fchawyt the iniquite : Quharfor fyne he tholyt ded, Than he couth fet thairfor na rede. Quhen the King faw the endentur, He wer angry out of mefur, 570 And fwour that he fuld wengeance ta Off that BRWYSE, that prefumyt fwa Aganys him to brawle or ryfe, Or to confpyr on fie a wyfe. And to Schyr IHON CUMYN faid he 575 That he fuld, for his lawte, Be rewardyt, and that hely : And he him thankit humyly. Than thoucht he to have the leding Off all Scotland^ but gane faying, 580 Fra at the BRWYSE to ded war browcht. Bot oft failyes the ful's thoucht : And wife mcnys etling Cumys not ay to that ending That thai think it fall cum to, 585 For God wate weill -quhat is to do. Off his etlyng rycht fwa it fell, As I fall aftirwarts tell, He tuk hys leve, and hame is went. And the King a parlyament 590 Gert 28 THE BRUCE: Gert fet thaireftir haftely ; And thydder fomownys he in hy The Barownys of his roalte. And to the Lord the BRWYSE fend he, Bydding to cum to that gadryng. 595 And he that had na perfawyng OfF the trefoune, na the falfet, Raid to the King but langir let. And in Lundon him herberyd he, The fyrft day of thair affembly".; , . 600 Syne on the morn to court he went. The King fat into parlyament, And forouch hys cunfaill prive, The Lord the BRWYSE thair callyt he, And fchawyt him the endentur, 605 He wis in full gret aventur To hym h/s lyff; bot God of mycht Preferwyt hym till hyer hycht, That wald not that he fwa war dede. The King betaucht hym in that fteid 6 10 The endentur, the feyle to fe, And afltyt gyff it enfelyt he ? He lukyt the feyle entently, And anfvveryt till him humyly, And fayd, a How that I fimpell be, 615 " My feyle is not all tyme with me ; " Ye have ane othir it to ber, " Quarfor gyfF that your wills wer, Ver. 615. The editions read throw that. Ver. 617. The fame read / have. Iafk B U K E I. 29 " I afk you refpyt for to fe " This lettir, and thairwith awyfit be, 620 " Till to morn that ye be fet : " And then, forowtyn langer let, " This lettir fall I entyr heyr, u Before all your cunfaill planer ; u And thairtill into borwch draw I 625 " Myn herytage all halily." The King thoucht he was traiil enewch, Sen he in borwch hys lands drewch : And Jet hym with the lettir pafle, Till cntyr it, as forfpokin was. 630 THE END OF BUKE I. THE THE BRUCE B U K E II. ARGUMENT. ROBERT fees to Scotland) and kills CUMIN' at Dumfrcis. DOUGLAS meits him ntir Locbma- ban^ and tbay Iccum fiker freinds. ROBERT is crounit at Scone gangs to Perth, and challanges Schir AYMER DE VALLANGE, JFardan of Scotland^ to battle is refufit, and. ludges in Methven Park is entrely defait be Scbir AY- MER retr ait's to the Grampian Hills gats to Aberden^ quhar the ^htene, and utber ladeis meit him. 'Pralft ofltiite and wimen^ enfarnpiled fra Theban Jtbrle. The Inglis advauncing, the King agane rttraits futh-weji to the Grampian kills. [ 33 1 THE B R U C E, B U K E II. THE BRWYSE went till hys innys fwyth, Bot wyt ye weile he wis full blyth, That he had gottyn that refpyt. He callit his marfchall till him tyt, And bad him luk on all maner ; 5 That he ma till hys men gud cher ; For he wald in hys chambre be, A weill gret quhile in priuate, With him a clerk forowtyn ma. The marfchall till the hall gan ga, 10 And did hys Lordys comanding. The Lord the BRWYSE, but mar letting, Gert priuely bryng ftedys twa, He and the clerk forowtyn ma, Lap on, forowtyn perfawing, 15 And day and nycht, but foiournying, Thai raid ; quhill, on the fyfte day, Cumyn till Loucbmaban ar thai. Hys brodyr EDUUARD thai thair fand, That thoucht ferly it tak on hand, VOL. I. D That 34 THE BRUCE: That thai come hame fa priuely : He tald hys brodyr halyly How that he thair foucht was, And how he chapyt wis throw cafe. Sa fell it in the famyn tyd, 25 That at Drumfrefe, rycht thair befide, Schir IHONE the CUMYN, foiournyng maid, The BRWYSE lap on, and thydir raid ; And thoucht forowtyn mar letting, For to qwyt hym hys cifcouerying. 30 Thyddir he raid, but langar let, And with Schyr IHONE the CUMYN met, In the Frersj at the hye awter, And fchawyt him, uith lauchand cher, The endentur : fyne with a knyff 35 Rycht in that fted hym reft the lyfF. Schyr EDUUARD CUMYN als wis flayn, And oddirs mony ofF mekill mayn. Ver. 26. Dumfries, the celebrated Cajirum Pucllarum : Dun, mons, caftellum ; Fre, puella nobilh : See the Gloflaries of Wachter, Verelius, &c. Edinburgh is erroneoufly thought the Caftrum Puellarum, as i: was thought the Cajira Alata, tho' the later be Inverncfs. Nothing can be more rifible than to fee Irifh etymologifts tell us, that Dun Edin, the Irifh name of Edinburgh, implies Cajira Alata j but, if they had feen Ptolemy, and known that Invernefs was the Cajira Alata, doubt kfs they would have told us that Invernefs was Irifh for Cajira Alata. Ver. 33. The church of Minorites, or Gray Friars. Ver. 37. Sir Robert Cumin, not Sir Edward. But for this, and other particulars concerning this affair, fee Annals of Scotland, I. 201. Not B U K E II. 35 Not for this yeit fum men fayis, That that debat fell othirwayis : 40 Bot quhatfaevyr maid the debate, Thair throuch he deyt, weill I wat. He myfdyd that gretly but wer, That gave na gyrth to the awter. Thairfor fa hard myfcheiffhym fell, 45 That I've herd never in Romanys tell, Off man fa hard frayit as wis he, That eftirwart com to fie bounte. Now agayne to the King ga we ; That on the morn, with hys barne, 50 Sat intill hys parleament; And eftir the Lord the BRWYSE he fent, Rycht till his in with knychtys kene. Quhen he oft tyme had callit been, And hys men eftir hym afkit thai, 55 Thai faid that he, fen yhyiftirday, Duelt in hys chambyr ythanly, With a dark with him evirly. Than knokyt thai at hys chambyr, thair, And quhen thai hard nane mak anfuer, 60 Thai brak the dur, hot thai fand nocht, The quheyir the chambre hale thai foucht. Ver. 44. GyrtJj is a fanctuary in Icelandic. To give no gyrth, implies, ' to rcfnfe the place that privilege.' Ver* 49. Edward of England. Ver. 58. Clericus, a Clergyman? As fuch alone could write, they were the ufual fecretaries of the time. D 2 Thai 36 THE BRUCE: Thai tauld the King than hale the cafe, And how that he efchepyt was. He wis of hys efchap fary ; 65 And fwair in ire, full ftalwartly, That he fuld drawyn and hangyt be. He menaufyt as he thocht, bot he Thoucht that fuld pafe ane oythir way. And quhen he, as ye hard me fay, 70 Intill the kyrk Schyr IHONE haid flayn, Till Loucbmabane he went againe ; And gert men with hys lettres ryd, To freynds upon ilic fid, That come to hym with thair mengye, 75 And hys men als afTemblyt he : And thocht that he wald mak hym king. Our all the land the word gan fpryng, That the BRWYSE the CUMYN had flayn; And amang othyrs leltres ar gayn 80 To the Byfchop of Andro-ivfe towne, That tauld how flayn wis that baroune. The lettre tauld him all the deid, And he till hys men gert reid, And fythyn faid thaim fekyrly, 85 * I hop THOMAS prophecy * OffHERsiLDOjWNE, wervfyd be * In hym j for fwa our Lord help me ! Ver. 86. Thomas Rymour, of Ercildon, a famous poet in his time, 1276, and author of the Romance ofTriftram, now unfortunately loft. He was already, 1304, celebrated as a prophet,.as Orpheus, Linus, and other early poets. < I haiff B U K E II. 37 < I haiff gret hop he fall be King, ' And haifF this land all in leding.' 90 JAMES ofFDowGLAs that ay quhar Allways befor the Byfchops char, Kad weiil hard all the lettre red, And he tuk alfita full gud hed To that the Byfchop had faid. 95 And quhen the burdys doun war laid, Till chamyr went thai then in hy ; And JAMES of DOWGLAS priuely Said to the Byfchop, l Schyr, ye fe * How Inglifmen^ throw thair powfte, 1 03 4 Dylheryeys me ofF my land, * And men has gert you undirftarid, 4 Als that the Erie off Carryk 4 Clamys to govern the kinryk : 4 And, for yon man that he has flayn, 105 ' All Inglifmen ar hym agayn, 4 And wald dilheryfe him blythly, 4 The q'uethyr with hym duell wald I. < Thairfor, Schyr, gyff it war your will, 4 1 wald tak with hym gud and ill : IIO 4 Throw hym I trow my land to wyn , 4 Magre the CLYFFURD, and hys kyn.' The Byfchop hard, and had pite, And faid, " Swet fon, fa God help me ! " I wald blythly that yow war thair, 115 " Bot at I not reprowyt war. Ver. 96. When the tables were removed. D 3 "On 453971 38 THE BRUCE: " On thus tnaner weile wyrk ye may, " You fall tak Ferrand my palfray, " And for thair is na horfe in this land " Swa fwycht, na yeit fa weill at hand, 120 " Tak hym as off thine awyne he wid, tc As I had gevyn thairto na reid. " And gyff hys yhemar oucht gruchys, *' Luk that yow tak hym magre his ; " Swa fall I weill afibnyeit be. 125 " Mychty God, for hys powlte, " Graunt, that he that yow pafle to, " And yow in all tyme fa wciil to do, " That ye yow fra your fays defend !" He taucht hym filvir to defpend, 130 And fyne gaiff hym gud day, And bad him pafe furth on his way, For he ne wald fpek tiil he war gane. The DOWGLAS than hys way has tane Rycht to the horfe, as he hym bad ; 135 Bot he that hym in yhemfell had, Than warnyt hym difpitoufly ; Bot he that wreth hym encrely, Fellyt him with a fuordys dynt. And fyne, forowtyn langar ftynt, 140 The horfe he fadylt haftely, And lap on hym delybritly, Ver. 130. Perhaps raucbt, reached to him, held out to him. Ver. 139. That is, knocked him down with the back of Jus fword, or with it undrawn. And B U K E II. 39 And paflyt furth but leve taking. Der God, that is off Hevyn King ! Saufr" him, and fcheld hym fra hys fayes ! 145 AH hym alane the way he taes Towart the towne of Lcucbmabane ; And, a litill fra Aryk Sianc y The BRWYSE with a gret rout he met, That raid to Scone for to be fet 150 In kings ftole, and to be king. And quhen DOWGLAS faw hys cumyng, He raid, and hailfyt hym in hy, And lowtyt hym full curtafly ; And tauld hym haly all hys ftate, 1 55 And quhat he was, and als how gat, The CLYFFURD held hys hereta'ge : And that he come to mak homage Till hym as till hys rychtwife King, And at he boune wer, in all thing, 160 Ver. 150. Scone, the refidence of our ancient kings. Towns of the fame name are frequent in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. In the Saxon dialed! of the Gothic, it is Sheen, the old name of Richmond. Both words imply Jbining, fpltndid. The chief palace of our Pikifh monarchs was at For- teviot, when: Kenneth died 860, according to our pld chro- nicles publifhed by Innes, in that beft work, on pur anti- quities, his Critical Efiay. Forteviot is fouth of the river Ern, oppofite to Dupplin. See Fordun, xiii. 23. It is a pity that the fite and remains of the palace of Forteviot are not invefligated. Perhaps curious antiquities may be found burbd there. A work on the hiitory and antiquities of Perthlhire would be very acceptable. D 4 To 40 THE BRUCE: To tak with hym the gud and ill. And quhen the BRWYSE had herd hys will, He refawyt him in gret daynte, And men, and armys, till hym gaff he. He thoucht weile he fuld be worthy, 165 For all hys eldrs war douchty. Thus sat maid thai thair aquentance, That nivir fyne, for na kyn chance, Depertyt quhill thai lyffand war ; Thair frendfchip woux ay mar and mar ; 170 For he ferwyt ay lelely, And the toddyr full willfully, That wis bath worthy, wycht, and wyfe, Rewardyt him weile hys feruice. The Lord the BRWYSE to Glafcow raid, 175 And fend about hym, quhill he haid Off hys freynds a gret menyhe. And fyne to Scone in hy raid he, And was maid king but langer let, And in the kings ftole wer fet : 180 As Ver. 175. According to Jocelin, in his Life of St. Ken- tegern, the old name of Glafgow was Cathnres. In the fame production are feveral curious anecdotes concerning this city. The ftory of the queen of Strath-Clyde's ring, and the falmon, which make part of the arms of Glafgow, mews that even heraldry is indebted to the Lives of Saints, the chief erudition of the middle ages. *- tf' * Ver. 1 80. The famous ftone was fent into England by Edward I. fo that the king's Jfcol here implies a regal chair. The him churchmen, old fathers of our hiftory, (as all our prieits came from lona, or Icolmkill) fabled that this ftone came B U K E II.' 4* As in that tyme wis the maner. Bot off thair noble gret affer, Thair feruice, na thair roalte, Ye fall her na thing now for me ; Owtane that he off the barnage 185 That thyddir com, tok homage : And fyne went our all the land, Frends, and frendfchip purchefand, To maynteyin that he had begunyn. He wyft, or all the land war wounyn, 190 He fuld find full hard barganyng With hym that wis off Ingland King : For thair wis nane off lyff fa fell, Sa pantener, na fa cruell. And quhen to EDUUARD King was tauld, 195 How at the BRWYSE, that wis fa bauld, Had broucht the CUMYN till ending, And how he fyne had maid hym King, Owt off hys wyt he went weill ner j And callyt till hym Schyr AMER 200 The came from Ireland. But I find no trace of fuch a practice in Ireland ; while in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, all the old kings were placed on a {tone, in the midft of a plain, and crowned in view of the people. Such ftones were called Moraften. See Olaus Magnus, Loccenius, Mallet, &c. &c. Robert the Great (if ever king deferved that title) was crowned 27 March 1306. Ver. 200. Aymer deVallange, Earl of Pembroke. The reader mull not be furprized at this period to find nobles more frequently defigned by their names than by their ti- tles. Titles had only become hereditary in the eleventh century. 41 THE BRUCE. The WALLANG, that was wyfe and wycht, And off hys hand a worthy knycht, And bad hym men of armys ta, And in hy till Scotland ga, And byrn, and flay, and raife dragoun : 205 And hycht all Fyfe in waryfoune, Till hym that mycht othir ta or fla ROBERT the BRWYSE, that was his fa. Schyr AMER did as he hym bad, Gret chewalry with hym he had ; 21 With hym was PHILIP the MOWBRAY, And INGRAM the UMFRAWELL per fay, That was bath wyfe and awerty, And full of gret chewalry ; And off Scotland the maift party 215 Thai had intill thair cumpany. For yheit then mekill off the land Was intill Inglifmenys hand. Till Perth then went thai in a rout, That then was wallyt all about 220 With century. The firft Earls were merely fheriffs ef counties ; and the popular mouth was not yet accuftomed to the in- novation. Ver. 205. I know not the meaning of dragoun : the edi- tions feem rightly to read dungeouu, that is, keeps or forts to bridle the rebels. Ver. an. Of the Mouhrays, a Norman race, there were powerful families both in England and Scotir.nd. The name is 1H11 common in the later country. X r er. aiz. Inghiram de Umfraville. Ver. 219. A town nottcl in the old annals of war, and now B U K E II. 43 With fcile towrs, rycht hy battulyr, To defend gyff it wer aflaylit. Thairin dwellyt Schyr AMERY, With all hys gret chewalry ; The King ROBERT wyft he wer thair, 225 And quhat kyn chyftanys with him war, And affemblyt all hys mengye ; He had feyle off full gret bounte, Bot thair fayis wer mar than thai, Be fifteen hundred, as I've hard fay. 3133 The quhere he had thair, at that ned, Full feill that war douchty of deid ; And barownys that war bauld as bar. Twa Erles alfua with hym war, Off LENYVAX and ATHOLL war thai ; 235 EDUUARD the BRWYSE was thair alfa, THOMAS now for the arts of peace. It feems to have been the Vifta- ria of the Romans, according to Ptolemy's map. It i needlefs to inform the reader, that the Bertha of Hector Boyce never exifted, but in that forger's brain. If Mr, Pennant had feen Innes'sEfTay, or at all known the charac- ter of Hector, he would not have ftained his amiable pages with many an error from that fabiilift. Ver.a35 2 4- Thefe heroic friends of Bruce are Malcom, fifth Earl of Leny-vax t or Lennox, now part of Dunbartoa- fhire. John of Strathbogie, tenth Earl of Athol, a country noted as a ejrand. divifion of Scotland from early times : (Defer. Albania apud Innes). Edward the king's brother. Thomas Rondel, afterward Earl of Moray. Hew Hay, brother of Gilbert Hay, of Errol ; a family palpably of Norman extract, de la Haye, ' cf the hedge,' in fpite of Boyce's fables concerning it, and Douglas. Such families ftaiul 44 THE BRUCE: THOMAS RANDELt, and HEW DE LE HAY, And Schyr DAUID the BERCLAY, FRESALE, SUMMIRWILE, and INCHMERTYN; IAMES of DOWGLAS thair wis fyne, 240 That yheyet than wis hot litill of mycht : -j And othir fele folk forfye in fycht, Bot I cannot tell quhat thai hycht. 3 Thoucht thai war quheyn thai war worthy, And full of gret chewalry. 245 And in bataill, in gud aray, Befr Saint Ibonyjloun com thai, And bad Schyr AMERY ifch to fycht ; And he, that in the mekill mycht Traiftyt off thaim that wis hym by, 250 Bad hys men arme thaim haftily. Bot Schyr INGRAM THE UMFRAWILL Thoucht it war all to gret perill In playne bataill to thaim to ga, Or quhill thai war arrayit fa. 255 And till Schyr AMER faid he, * Schyr, giff that ye will trow to me, Ye fall not ifche thaim till affaile, * Till thai ar purwayt in bataill ; ftand in no need of fiftions to adorn them. David Barclay, of Cairns in Fife. Alexander Frefal, (or Frafer in modern fpelling,) brother of Simon Frafer, of Oiiver-caftle. Wal- ter de Somerville, of Linton and Carnwath. David of Inchmartin. James Baron Douglas. See Ann. cf Scotl. II. 2. Ver. 247. Saint John's town is well known to be ano- ther name for Perth. 4 For B U K E II. 45 < For thair ledar is wycht and wyfe, 260 4 And off hys hand a noble knycht is ; 1 And he has in hys cumpany * Mony a gud man, and worthy, 4 That fall be hard for till affay, * Till thai ar in fa gud aray. 265 1 For it fuld be full mekill mycht, 4 That now fuld put thaim to the flycht : 4 For quhen folk ar weill arayit, 4 And for the bataill weill purwait, 4 With this that thai all gud men be, 270 4 Thai fall fer mar be awife, 4 And weill mar for to dreid, than thai 4 War fet fum dele out off aray. 4 Thairfor ye mayfe fay thaim till 4 That thai may this nycht, and thai will, 275 4 Gang herbery thaim, and flep and reft ; 4 And at to morn but langar left 4 Ye fall ifch furth to the bataill, 4 And fecht with thaim, but gyff thai faile. 4 Sa till thair herbery went fall thai, 280 4 And fum fall went to the forray, 4 And thai that duellis at the logyng, * Sen thai cum owt off trewelling, 4 Sail in fchort tyme unarmyt be. 4 Then on owr beft maner may we, 285 * With all owr fayr chewalry, 4 Ryd towart thaim rycht hardyly ; 4 And thai that wenys to reft all nycht 4 Quhen thai fe us arayit to fycht, 4 Cum and 46 THE BRUCE: * Cumand on thaim fa fudanly, 290 c Thai fall affiriyit gretumly. * And or thai cumyn in bataill be, * We fall fpeid us frva gat that we < Sail be all redy till affembill. ' Sum man for eryneft will trymbill, 295 ' Quhen he aflayit is fudanly, 4 That with awifement is douchty.* As he awyfit now have thai done ; And till thaim utouth fend thai fone, And bad thaim herbery thaim that nycht, 300 And on the morn cum to the fycht. Quhen thai faw thai mycht no mar, To wart Meffayn then gan thai far ; And in the woud thaim logyt thai : The thrid pert went to the forray ; 305 And the lave fone unarmyt war, And Ikalyt to loge thaim her and ther. Schyr AMER then, but mar abaid, With all the folk he with him haid, Ifchyt in forcely to the fycht, 310 And raid intill a randoun rycht, Ver. 304.. Meffayn, the vulgar pronunciation of Mctb--vcn. The tb, fo familiar to the Goths, Saxons, Icelanders, Greeks, as to form but one letter, is apt to be corrupted by fome nations into d. But the Ruffians corrupt it to /, fay- ing Feodor for Tbeodor; as the Engliih change^ to f, in laugh. Methven is a village between Tibber-moor and Al- mond-river, not far from Perth, on the north-weft. The B u K E n. 47 The flrawcht way towart Mejfen. The KING, that wis unarmyt then, Saw thaim cum fwa enforcely, Then till hys men gan hely cry, 3 ] 5 " Till armys fwyth, and malcys you yar ! *' Her at our hand our fayis ar !" And thai did fwa in full gret hy; And on thair horfe lap haftily. The KI*G difplayit hys baner, 320 Quhen that hys folk alTemblyt wer, And faid, " Lordings, now may ye fe " That yone folk all, throw futelte, *' Schapis thaim to do with flycht, " That at thai drede to do with mycht. 325 u Now I perfawe he that will trow *' His fa, it fall hym fum tyme row. " And noucht for this, thoucht thai be fele, " God may rychc weill our werds dele ; Ver. 320. The banner of Scotland, as may be fuppofed ; the lion with a treffure of fpear-heids, facetioufly called fleurs delis, tho 1 ufed by William the Lion, A. D. 1165, as appears from his feal, while the fleur de Us is only known in the time of Philip the Hardy, king of France, A. D. 1270, and was taken from the gold coins of Flo- rence, with that flower ; in imitation of which florins were coined in France, aiter a long ceilation of gold coinage. See Le Blanc, Mcnnoyes de Trance, c. It appears, from Sir George Mackenzie's book on heraldry, that Bruce's own arms were an Orle, fo called from Onila, ' a little border ;" and ii a treffure within a fhield, the field appearing in the middle. Ver. 322. This fpcech is not devoid of ibldierly elo- quence. "For 48 THE BRUCE: 44 For multitud mayfe na vi&ory; 330 K As men has red in mony ftory, 41 That few folk has oft wencufyt ma. " Trow we that we fall do rycht fua. 41 Ye are ilkan wycht and worthy, " And full of gret chewalry ; 335 " And wate rycht weill quhat honour is. 41 Wyrk yhe then apon fwylk wyfe, *' That your honour be favvyt ay. " And a thing will I to you fay, " That he that deis for hys cuntre 340 41 Sail herbryit intill hewyn be." Quhen this wis faid thai faw cumand Thair fayis ridand, ner at the hand, Arayit rycht awifely, Willfull to do chewalry. 345 On aythir fyd thus war thai yhar, And till sflernble all redy war. Thai ftrawcht thair fpers, on aythir fyd, And fwa ruydly gan famyn ryd, That fpers at fo frufchyt war, 350 And feyle men dede, and woundyt far, The blud owt at thair byrnys breft. For the beft, and the worthieft, That wilfull war to wyn honour, Plungyt in the ftalwart ftour, 355 And routs ruyd about thaim dang. Men mycht haifffeyn into that thrang Knychts B U K E II. 49 Knychts that wycht and hardy war, Undyr horfe feyt defpulyt thair } Sum woundyt, and fum all ded, 360 The grefe woux off the blud all rede. And thai that held on horfe in hy Swappyt owt fwerds fturdyly; And fwa fell ftrakys gave and tulc, That all the reuk about thaim quouk. 365 The BRUYSE'S folk full hardely Schawyt thair gret chewalry : And he hymfelff^ atour the lave, Sa hard and fa hewy dints gave, That quhar he come thai maid hym way. 370 Hys folk thaim put in hard aflay, To ftynt thair fais mekill mycht, That then fo fayr had off the fycht, That thai wan feild ay mar and mar : The KINGS fmall folk ner wencufyt ar. 375 And quhen the KING hys folk has fcne Begyn to faile, for proper tene, Hys aflenyhe gan he cry, And in the flour fa hardyly Ver. 378. The enfenyie, or affenyie, is the word of war. lUwas generally the name of the leader, as A Bruce I A Bruce ! Douglas ! &c. Sometimes that of the chiefs refi- dence, or of a noted viftory gained by his anceftors. The errand word of France, when the oriflamme, or royal ban- ner, was difplayed, was Saint Dennis I of England, Saint George ! I know not if Saint Andrew was. ever ufed in Scotland. VOL. I. E He 5O THE B H U C E t He rufchyt, tha.t all the femble fchuk : 380 He all till hewyt that he ourtuk ; And dang on thaim quhill he mycht drey. And till hys folk he cryt hey, " On thaim ! On thaim ! Thai feble faft ! " This bargane nevir may langar laft !" 385 And with that word fa willfully He dang on, .and fa hardely, That quha had fene hym in that fycht Suld hald hym for a douchty knycht. Bot thoucht he wU flout and hardy, 390 And othyrs als oft* hys cumpany, Thair mycht na worfchip thair awailye ; For thair fmall folk begouth to failye, And fled all fkalyt her and thar. Bot the gude at. enchaufyt war, 395 OfF ire abide, and held the ftour To conquyr thaim endles honour. And quhen Schyr AMER has fene The fmall folk fle all bedene ; And fa few abid to fycht j 400 He releyt to hym mony a knycht, And in the ftour fa hardyly, He rufchyt with hys chewalry, Ver. 384.. The king, as appears from the fequel, only ufes thefe words to encourage his men, for the foe was far from drooping. That E U K E II. 51 That he rufchyt his fayis ilkane. Schyr THOMAS RAN DELL thair wis tane, 405 That then wis a young bacheler ; And Schyr ALEXANDIR FRASEYR j And Schyr DAVID the BREKLAY, INCHMERTYNE, and HEW DE LE HAY, And SOMIRWEIL, and othyr mas 410 And the KINO hymfelff alfua, Was fet untill full hard afTay, Throw Schyr PHILIP the MOWBRAY, That raid till hym full hardyly, And hynt hys rengye, and fyne gane cry, 415 Help ! help ! I have the new maid King !" With that come gyrdand, in a lyng, CRYSTALL of SEYTOUN, quhen he fwa Saw the KING fefyt with hys fa, And to PHILIP fie rout he raucht, 420 That thocht he wis off rnekill maucht, He gert hym gal ay difyly, And haid till erd gaue fullyly. Ne war he hynt hym by hys fted Then off hys hand the brydill yhed j 425 Ver. 4.05. Randel, to fecure his life, turned Englifh- tnan,' as the phrafe of the times was ; that is, he for a time acceded to the Englim inteiieft. But he foon after returned to his duty, as the fequel will fhew. Ver. 418. Chriftopher Seton, of Seton, anceftor of the Duke of Gordon, Earl of Winton, Earl of Dunfermlin, and Vicount Kinglton. Annals, II. . E 2 And 51 THE BRUCE: And the KING hys eflenye gan cry, Releyt hys men that war hym by, That war fa few that thai na mycht Endur the forfe mar off the fycht. Thai prikyt then out off the prefe j 430 And the KING that angry was, For he hys men faw fie hym fra, Said then, " Lordings, fen it is fwa " That wre runnys again us her, " Gud is we pafs off ther daunger, 435 " Till God us fend eftfone hys grace ; " And yeyt man fall, giff thai will chace, u Quyt thaim combat fum dele we fall." To this word thai aflentyt all, And fra thaim walopyt owyr mar ; 440 Thair fayis alfua wery war, That off thaim all thai chafeyt nane : Bot with prifoners, that thai had tane, Rycht to the towne thai held thair way, Rycht glaid and joyfull off thair pray. 445 That nycht thai lay all in the toun, Ther was nane off fa gret renoun, Ver. 416. The king's prefence of mind and courage are here very confpicuous. Inftead of concealing himfelf, or defponding, he proclaims who he is j and endeavours to rally and protect his fcattered band. Ver. 4.34.. Editions read weir j perhaps ure. Na B U K E II. 53 Na yeit fa hardy off thaim all, That durft hcrbery without the wall. Sa dred thai far the gayne cumyng 450 OffSchyr ROBERT, the douchty King. And to the King off Ingland fone, Thai wrate haly as thai haid done ; And he wis blyth off that rything, And for difpyte bad draw and hing 455 All the prifoners, thoucht thai war ma. Bot Schyr AMER did not fwa ; To fum bath land and lyff gaiff he, To leve the BRWYSE fewte, And ferve the King off Ingland^ 460 And off hym for to hald the land : And werray the BRWYSE as thair fa. THOMAS RANDELL was ane off tha, That for hys lyff become thair man. Off othyrs, that war takyn than, 465 Sum thai ranfowmyt, fum thai flew, And fum thai hangyt, and fum thai drew. In this maner ROBERT was The BRWYSE, that mekill murning mayfe For hys men that war flayne and tane. 470 And he was als fa will off wane, That he trowyt in nane fekyrly, Owtane thaim off hys cumpany ; Ver. 463. Randel, as after feen, became very faithful to hit new friends, to whom gratitude attached him. E 3 That 54 THE BRUCE: That war fa few that thai mycht be Five hunder ner off all mengye. 475 Hys brodyr alwayis was hym by, Schyr EDUUARD, that was fa hardy; And with hym was a bauld baroun, Schyr WILYAM THE BOROUNDOUN; The ERLE of ATHOLE als was thair. 480 Bot ay fyn that difcomfyt war, The ERLE off the LENEUAX wis away, And was put to full hard aflay, Or he met with the KING agayn : Bot all ways, as a man of mayn, 485 He maynteinyt him full manfully. The KING had in hys cumpany JAMES alfua of DOWGLAS, That wycht, wyfe, and worthy was ; Schyr GILBERT DE LE HAY alfua; 490 Schyr NELE CAMBELL, and othyrs ma. That I thair namys can not fay, As utelauys went mony day ; Ver. 479. This name of Borundon does not, I believe, occur in any other monuments of our hillory. Perhaps he was a foreigner, a Fleming. Ver. 491. Niel Campbell, predeceflbr of the noble houfe of Argyle. This name, Niel, is latinized Nigellus by the barbarous writers of the time ; but is really the Scandina- vian Nial, which parted to Ireland and Scotland with the Danes. The great houfe of Campbell is of Norman ex- traft : and the highland fenachies, fo utterly fabulous in molt other genealogies, allow this, Dreand B U K E II. ' 55 Dreand in the Month thair payne ; Eyte flefch, and drank water fyne. 495 He durft not to the planys ga, For all the cummov/nys went hym fra ; That for thair liff war full fayn To pafs to the Inglis pes agayn : Sa fayrs ay cummounly ; 500 In cummownys may nane affy : Bot he that may thair warrand be. Sa fur thai then with hym, for he Thaim fra thair fais mycht nocht warrand : Thai turnyt to the tothyr hand. 505 Bot threldome, that men gert thaim fele, Gert thaim ay yarne that he fur wele. Thus in the hyllis levyt he, Till the maift pert off hys menye Wer rewyn, and rent, na fchoyne thai had, 510 Bot as thai thaim off hydys mad. Ver. 494. Editions read, Dreeing in the mountains payne. The Month, or Mountb, is a term in our old writers for two great chains of mountains ; one in Caithnefs, Mons Mound dvvidit Cathanejiam per medium : Defer. Albaniae, apud Inncs, fcript. cir. 1180: the other the famous Grampian chain, reaching from the top of Lochlomond into Aberdeen- fhire. The later is here meant; the Month is the Mons Grampius of Tacitus. The name feerhs from Gram, Ice- landic, a warrior}* hence all warlike works are called Grams Dikes, from that twenty miles north of London, even to the north of Scotland. E 4 Thairfor 56 THE BRUCE: Thairfor thai went till Abyrdeyne^ QuhairNELE the BRWYSE come, and theQyEYN, And otbiyr ladyis fayr, and farand, Ilkane for luff off thair hufband ; 515 That for leyle luff, and loawte, Wald pertenerys off thair paynys be. Thai chefyt tyttar with thaim to ta Angyr, and payn ; na be thaim fra. For luff is off fa mekill mycht, 520 That it all paynys maks licht. And mony tyme mafe tender wycht Of fwilk ftrenthtes, and fwilk mycht, That thai may mekill paynys endur, And forfakis nane auentur 525 That euer may fall, withthy that thai Thairthrow fuccur thair luffys may. / Men redys when Thebes wis tane, And King ARISTAS men war flane, Ver. 512. Aberdeen, the Dl Into diffayt maid hys anfuer; And faid till hyr thir thre werfs her. " Rex met in bello, tumullque carebit bonore^ " FERRANDUS, Comitiffa, tuus, mea cara Ml- " nerva, 250 11 Parifiis veniet, magna comitante caterva." Ver. 241. Jane, daughter of Baldwin IX. earl of Flan- ders, married Ferrand prince of Portugal, who thus became earl of Flanders. He took arms againft Philip Auguftus king of France j and the emperor Otho IV. afliiting him, in 1214 was fought the famous battle of Bourines, in which the emperor and earl were defeated, and the later carried captive to Paris and confined in the Louvre. This -B U K E IV. $07 , This wis the fpek he maid, perfay ; And is in Inglis toung to fay, The King fall fall in the fechting, * And fall faile honour off erding ; 255 And thy FERAND, Mynerve my der, " Sail rycht to Paryfs went, but wer j " Folowand hym gret cumpany " Off nobill men, and off worthy." This is the fentence off this faw, 260 That the Latyn gan her fchaw. He callyt hyr hys der Minerwe, For Minerwe ay wis wont ferwe Hym, till fche leffyt at hys diuifs ; And for fche maid the famyn feruice, 265 Hys A^inerwe hyr callyt he : And als, throw hyr futelte. He callyt hyr der, hyr tyll diffaiff, That fche the tyttar fuld confaiff Off hys fpek the undyrftanding, 270 That maft plefyt till hyr liking. This dowbill fpek fwa hyr diflawyt, That throw hyr foly the ded reffawit ; For fche wis off hyr anfuer blyth, And till hyr fone fche tauld it fwith. 275 And bad hym till the bataill fped, For he fuld wid-tory haiff bot dred. And he, that herd hyr fermonyng, Sped hym in hy to the fechting j Quhar ic5 THE BRUCE: Quhar he difcomfyt wis, and fchent; 280 And takin, and to Paryfs fent. Bot in the fechting not forthy The King, throw hys chewalry, Wis laid at the erd, and lawit bath ; Bot his men helpyt hym weill rath. 285 And quhen FERANDS modyr herd How hyr fone in the bataill ferd ; And at he fwa wis difcomfyt ; Sche rafyt the ill fpyryt als tyt. And afkyt quhy he gabyt had 290 Off the anfuer that he hyr mad ? And he faid he had faith futh all ; I faid the, that the King fuld fall u In the bataill ; and fay did he. , tc And failyed erding, as men may fe. 295 " And I faid that thy fon fuld ga " To Paryfs, and he did richt fwa ; * Followand fie a mengye, " That neuir, in his lyfftyme, he " Had fie a mengye in leding. 300 " Now feis yow I mad na gabbing." The wyff confufyt wis perfay ; And durft na mar than till hym fay. Thus gat, throw dowbill undyrftanding, That bargane come till fie ending, 305 That the ta part diflawyt was. K-ycht fa gat fell that in thys cafs : At B U K E IV. 109 At Jerufplem trowyt he Grawyn in the Burch to be ; The quethyr at Burch into the Sand jio He fwelt rycht in hys awn land. And quhen he to the dede wis ner, The folk that at Kyldromy wer Come with prifoners that thai had tane, And fyne to the King are gane. 315 And for to comfort hym thai tauld How thai the caftell to thaim yauld : And how thai till hys will war brocht, To do off that quhateuir he thocht ; And afkyt quhat men fuld off thaim do. 320 Than lukyt he angryly thaim to, He faid grynnand, " hyngs and drawys." That wis wondir of fie fa wis, That he, that to the dede wis ner, Suld anfuer apon fie maner; 325 Forowtyn menyng and mercy. How mycht he traift on hym to cry, That futhfaftly demys all thing To haiff mercy for hys cryng, Off hym that, throw hys felony, 333 Into fie poynt had na mercy ? Hys men hys maundment has done : And he deyt thareftir fone : And fyne wes eftir brocht till berynes. Hys fone fyne King eftir wes. 335 To no THE BRUCE: To the King ROBERT agayne ga we, That in Raucbtyne, with hys mengye, Lay till wintir ner wis gane ; And off that ile hys mete has tane. JAM YS of DOWGLAS wis angry, 340 That thai langir fuld ydill ly. And to Schyr ROBERT BOID faid he, and weill may fall 350 " Amang thaim in fum thing we fall." Schyr ROBERT faid, I grant thartill. 4 Till her mar ly war litill fkill : * Tharfor till Aran pafs will we, * For I knaw rycht weill the cuntre, 355 4 And the caftell rycht fwa knaw I. c We fall come thar fa priwily, 4 That thai fall haiff na perfawyng, 4 Na yheit wittyng off owr cummyng. * And we fall ner enbufchyt be, 360 * Quhar we thar outecome may fe. 4 Sa fall it on na manir fall, * Bot fcaith thaira on fum wyfs we fall. With B u K E iv. rri With that thai bufkyt thaim anane : And at the KING thair leiff has tane, 365 And went thaim furth fyne on thair way. Into Kyntyr fone cummyn ar thai : Syne rowyt alwayis by the land, Till that the nycht wis ner on hand, Than till Arane thai went thar way, 370 And fawfly thar arywyt thai. And in a glen thair galay drewch, And fyne it halyt weill inewch ; Thair takyll, airs, and thair fter, Thai hyde all on the famyn maner. 375 And held thair way rycht in the nychr, Swa that or day wis dawyn lycht, Thai war enbufchyt the caftell ner, Armyt apon the beft maner. And thoucht thai wate war, and wery, 380 And for lang faftyng all hungry, Thai thocht till hald thaim all preve, Till that thai weill thair poynt mycht fe. Schyr IHON the HASTINGS, at that tid, With knychts oft" full mekill prid, 385 And fquyers, and yemanry, And that a weill gret cumpany, Was in the caftell of Bratbwik. And oftfyfs quhen it wald hym lik, He went till huntyng with his menye. 390 And fwa the land abandownyt he, That 114 THE B R U C : That durft nane warne to do hys will. He was into the caftell ftill, The tyme that JAMES offDowcLAs, As Ik haifftauld, enbufchit was. 395 Sa hapnyt that tyme, throw chance, That with wiftalis and purweyance, And with clething, and with armyng, The day befor, in the ewynnyng, The under wardane ariuyt was, 400 With thre bats, weill ner the place Quhar that the folk I fpak off ar Preuily enbufchyt war. Syne fra the bats faw thai ga Off Inglis men threty and ma, 405 Chargit all with fyndry things ; um bar wyne, and Cum armyngs. The remanent all chargyt wer With things off fyndry maner. And othyr fyndry yeid thaim by, 410 As thai war maiftyrs, ydilly. Thai that enbufchyt war, that faw All forowtyn dreid or aw, Thair enbufchy on thaim thai brak ; And flew all that thai mycht ourtak. 415 The cry raifs hidwyfly, and hey : For thai, that dredand war to dey, Hycht as befts gan rar and cry. Thai flew thaim forowtyn mercy ; Swa B U K E IV. IIj Swa that, into the famyn fted, 420 Weill ner forty ther war dede. Quhen thai, that in the caftell war, Hard the folk fa cry and rar, Thai ifcheyt furth to the fechting. \ BotquhentheDowGLAsfawthaircummyng, 425 Hys men till hym he gan rely j And went till meit thaim haftyly. And quhen thai off the caftell faw Hym cum on thaim, forowtyn aw, Thai fled, forowtyn mar debate. 430 And thai thaim folowyt to the yate ; And flew off thaim, as thai in paft ; Bot thai thair yate barryt faft, That thai mycht do at thaim na mar ; Tharfor thai left thaim ilkane thar, 435 And turnyt to the fe agayne, Quhar that the men war forowth flayn > And quhen thai, that war in the bats, Saw thair cummyng ; and faw how gats, Thai had difcumfyt thair menye, 440 In hy thai put thaim to the fe, And rowyt faft with all thair mayne : Bot the wynd wis thaim agayne, That fwa hey gert the land-bryfs ryfs, That thai moucht weld the fe nawyfs. 445 Than thai durft not cum to the land, Bot hald thaim thar fa lang hobland, VOL. I. I That 114. THE BRUCE: That off the thre bats drownyt twa. And quhen DOWGLAS faw it was fwa, He tuk armyng, and cleything, 450 Wi&alis, wyne, and othyr thing, That thai fand thar : and held thair way Rycht glaid and joyfull off thair pray. Quhen thus JAMES off DOWGLAS, And hys men, throw Godd's grace, 455 War relewyt with armyng, And with widtall, and clething, Syne till a ftrenth thai held thair way ; And thaim full manly gouernyt ay. Till on the tend day, that the KING, 460 With all that war in hys ledyng, Arywyt into that countre, With threty fmall galayis and thre. The KIN-G arywyt in Arane\ And fyne to the land is gane, 465 And in a toune tuk hys herbery. And fperyt fyne fpeceally, Gyff ony man couth tell tithand Off ony ftrang men in that land. *' Yhis," faid a woman, " Schyr, perfay, 470 " Off ftrang men 1 kan yow fay, bot he kills the traitours. THE BRUCE. B U K E V. A HIS wis in ver, quhen winter tid, With hys blafts hydwyfs to bide, \Vas ourdrywyn : and birds fmale, As turtule and the nychtyngale, Begouth rycht fariolly to fyng ; 5 And for to mak in thair fingyng Swete nots, and fownys fer, And melodys plefand to her. And trees begouth to ma Burgeans, and brych blomys alfua, 10 To wyn the helying off thair hewid, That wykkyt wyntir had thaim rewid. And all greflys begouth to fpryng. Into that tyme the nobill KING, With hys flote, and a few mengye, 15 THRE HUNDIR I trow thai mycht be, Ver. i. Spring, 1307. Ver is Icelandic as well as Latin for fpring. The description is pretty. VOL. I. K Is 130 T*HE BRUCE: Is to the fe, oute off drane, A litill forouth ewyn gane. Thai rowyt faft, with all thair mycht, Till that apon thaim fell the nycht, 20 That woux myrk apon gret maner, Swa that thai wyft not quhar thai wer. For thai na nedill had, na ftane j Bot rowyt alwayis intill ane, Styrand all tyme apon the fyr, 25 That thai faw brynand lycht and fchyr. It was hot auentur thaim led : And thai in fchort tyme fa thaim fped, That at the fyr arywyt thai ; And went to land hot mar delay. 30 And CUTBERT, that has fene the fyr, Wis full off angyr, and off ire j For he durft not do it away ; And wis alfua dowtand ay Thai hys lord fuld pafs to fe, 35 Tharfor thair cummyn waytit he : And met thaim at thair arywing. He wis weile fone broucht to the Ki NG, That fperyt at hym how he had done. And he with far hart tauld hym fone, 43 How that he fand nane weill lyffand, Bot all war fayis, that he fand. And that the Lord the PERSY, With ner thre hundir in cumpany, Was B U K E V. 131 Was in the caftell thar befid, 45 Fullfellyt off difpyt and prid. Bot ma than twa parts off hys rowt War herberyt in the toune without ; " And difpytyt yow mar, Schir KING, *' Than men may difpyt ony thing." 50 Than faid the KING, in full gret ire, * Tratour, quhy maid yow than the fyr ?' " A ! Schyr," faid he, " fa God me fe ! " The fyr wis newyr maid for me. u Na, or the nycht, I wyft it not ; 55 " Bot fra I wyft it weill I thocht u That ye, and haly your mengye, " In hy fuld put yow to the fe. " Forthy I cum to mete yow her, " To tell perills that may apper." 60 The KING wes off hys fpek angry, And afkyt hys priwe men, in hy, Quhat at thaim thocht wes beft to do. Schyr EDUUARD fryft anfueryt tharto, Hys brodyr that wis fwa hardy, 65 And faid ; " I fay yow fekyrly Thar Ver. 45. The caftle of Turnberry in Carrick, the pa- trimonial country of Bruce, whofe anceltors were earls of Carrick ; and who thence expected to find the people there more attached to him, than thofe of any other part of Scotland, Ver. 65. Prince Edward's character will appear to the reader, from the account of his actions in Ireland detailed in K i this 132 THE BRUCE: " Thar fall na perill, that may be, " Dryve me eftfonys to the fe. " Myne auentur her tak will I, " Quhethir it be esfull or angry." 70 4 Brodyr,' he faid, i fen yow will fua, * It is gud that we famyn ta, ' Diflefe or efe, or payne or play, 1 Eftyr as God will us purway. * And fen men fay that the PERSY 75 * Myne heritage will occupy ; * And hys menye fa ner us lyis, ' That us difpyts mony wyfs ; ' Ga we, and wenge fum off the difpyt. ' And that may we haifFdone als tite ; 80 ' For thai ly traiftly, but dreding * Off us, or off owr her cummyng. * And thouch we fleping flew thaim all, ' Repruff tharof na man fall. * For werrayour na forfs fuld ma, 85 ' Quheythir he mycht ourcum his fa * Throw ftrenth, or throw futelte ; Bot that gud faith ay haldyn be/ Quhen this wis faid thai went thair way ; And to the toune fone cummyn ar thai, 0,3 Sa priwily, but noyifs making, That nane perfawyt thair cummyng. this poem, to have been bold to excefs, and untempered by the prudence which fhines in that of his brother the king. Ver. 87. Dolus an virtus, quis in bofle reyuirit. Thai B U K E V. 133 Thai fkalyt throw the towne in hy ; And brak up durs fturdely, And flew all that thai mycht ourtak ; 95 And thai, that na defence moucht mak, Full petowfly gan rar and cry - 3 And thai flew thaim difpitowfly. As thai that war in full gud will To wenge the angyr, and the ill, IOO That thai, and thairs, had thaim wrocht ; With fa feloun will thaim foucht, That thai flew thaim euir ilkane, Owtane MAKDOWELL hym allane, That efchapyt, throw gret flycht, 105 And throw the myrknes off the nycht. In the caftell the Lord the PERSY Hard weill the noyis, and the cry : Sa did the men, that within wer, And full effraytly gat thair ger. I IO Bot off thaim wis nane fa hardy, That euir ifchyt fourth to the cry. In fie effray thai baid that nycht, Till on the morn, that day wes lycht ; And than fefyt into party 115 The noyis, the flawchtyr, and the cry. The KING gert be depertyt then All hale the reff%mang the men, And duellyt all ftill thar dayis thre. Sic hanfell to that folk gaiff he, 120 K 3 Rycht 134- THE BRUCE: Rycht in the fyrft beginnyng, Newlings at hys arywyng. Quhen that the KING, and hys folk, war Arywyt, as I tauld yow ar, A quhill in Karryk leyndyt he, 125 To fe quha freynde, or fa, wald be, Bot he fand litill tendyrnefs. And nocht forthy the puple wes Inclynyt till hym in party j Bot Ingllfs men fa angrely 130 Led thaim with daunger, and with aw, That thai na freyndfchip durft hym fchaw. Bot a lady off that cuntre, That wis till hym in ner degre Off cofynage, wis wondir blyth 135 Off hys arywyng ; alfwyth Sped hyr till hym, in full gret hy, With fourty men in cumpany : And betaucht thaim all to the KING, Till help hym in hys werraying. 140 And he refawyt thaim in daynte, And hyr full gretly thankyt he j And fperyt tythands off the QUEYNE, And off hys freynds all bedene, That he had left in that countre, 145 Quhen that he put hym to the fe. And fche hym tauld, fichand full far, How that hys brothyr takyn war In ' B U K E V, 135 In the caftell off Kyldromy, And deftroyit fa welanyfly : 150 And the Erie of ATHALL alfua. And how the QUEYNE, and othyr ma, That till hys party wer heldand, War tane, and led in Ingland^ And put in feloun prifoune. 155 And how that CRISTOLE ofFSETotm Was flayn, gretand fche tauld the KING, That forowfull wes off that tithing. And faid, quhen he had thocht a thraw, Thir words, that I fall yow fchaw. 160 " Allace," he faid, " for luff off me, " And for thair mekill lawte, " Thaife nobill men, and thaife worthy, u Ar deftroyit fa welanyfiy ! " Bot and I leyffin lege powyfte, 165 ** Thar deid rycht weill fall wengyt be. " The King the quheyr off Ingland " Thocht that the kynryk off Scotland " Was to litill to thaim, and me, " Tharfor he will it myn all be. 170 untre for to fe ; 30 That thai left not with hym fexty. And quhen the Gallowatfs wyft futhli That he wis with fa few mengye, Thai maid a priwe aflemble Offweill twa hundir men, and ma, 35 And flewth-hunds with thaim gan ta. For thai thocht hym for to furprifs ; And giff he fled on ony wyfs, To folow hym with the hunds fwa, That he fuld not efchaip thaim fra. 40 Thai fchup thaim, in an ewynning, To furpryfs fedanly the KING. And till hym held thai ftraucht thair way. Bot he, that had hys wachis ay On ilk fid, off" thair cummyng, 4.5 Lang or thai come, had wytting : And how fele that thai mycht be. Tharfor he thocht, with hys mengye, To B U K VI. 159 To withdraw hym out off the place, For the nycht weill fallyn was. 50 And for the nycht he thocht that thai Suld not haiff ficht to hald the way, That he war paffyt, with hys menye. And as he thocht rycht fwa did he. And went hym down till a morrafs, 55 Our a wattyr that rynnand was ; And in the bog he fand a place Weill ftrait j that weill twa bow-drawcht was Fra the wattyr, thai paflyt haid. He faid, " Her may ye mak abaid, 60 " And reft yow all a quhill, and ly. " I will ga wach all priuely, " Gifflk her oucht offthair cummyng; " And giff I may her ony thing " I fall ger warn you, fa that we 65 " Sail ay at our awantage be. The KING now takys hys gate to ga ; And with hym tuk he fergeands twa. And Schyr GILBERT DE LE HAY left he Thar, for to reft with hys menye. 70 To the wattyr he come in hy, And lyfnyt full ententily Giff he herd oucht off thair cummyng : Bot yheit mpcht he her na thing. Endlang the wattyr than yeid he 75 On aythyr fid gret quantete, . And 160 THE BRUCE: And faw the brayis hey ftandand, The wattyr how throw flik rynnand : And fand na furd that men mycht pafs, Bot quhar hymfelwys paflit was. go And fwa ftrait wes the upcummyng, That twa men mycht not famyn thring, Na on na maner prefs thaim fwa, That thai togyddir mycht lang to ga. And quhen he a langir quhill had bene thar, 85 He herknyt, and herd as it war A hund's queftionyng on fer, That ay come till hym ner and ner. He ftude ftill, for till herkyn mar, And ay the langer he wis thar, 90 He herd it ner and ner cummand ; Bot he thocht he thar ftill wald ftand, Till that he herd mar takynnyng. Than, for a hund's queftiounyng, He wald not wakyn hys menye. 95 Tharfor he wald abid, and fe Quhat folk thai war; and quhethir thai Held towart hym the rycht way ; Or paflyt ane othyr way fer by. The moyne wis fchynand clerly ; 100 Sa lang he ftude, that he mycht her The noyis off thaim that cummand wer. Ver. 87. A hound's quefting is the eager yell he utters, when in que/i of his prey. Then B U K E TI. l6l Then hys twa men in hy fend he To warne, and wakyn hys menye. And thai ar furth thair wayis gane; 105 And he left than all hym allane. And fwa flude he herknand, Till that he faw cum at hys hand The hale rout, intill full gret hy. ' Than he unbethocht hym haftily HO Giff he held towart hys menye, That, or he mycht reparyt be, Thai fuld be pafiit the furd ilkane. And than behuffyt he chofs ane Off thir twa, othyr to fley or dey. 1 15 Bot hys hart, that wes flout and hey, Confaillyt hym hym allane to bid, And kep thaim at the furds fid ; And defend weill the upcummyng ; Sen he wes warnyft off armyng, 120 That he thair arowys hurt not dreid. And giff he war off gret manheid, He mycht ftunay thaim euirlkane, Sen thai ne mycht cum bot ane and ane. And did rycht as hys hart hym bad. 125 Strang outrageoufs curage he had, Quhen he fa ftoutly, him allane, For litill ftrenth off erd, has tane To fecht with twa hunder and ma ! Tharwith he to the furd gan ga. 130 Ye*. I. M And 1 62 THE BRUCE: And thai, apon the tothyr party, That faw hym ftand thar anyrly, Thrangand intill the wattyr rad, For off hym littill dout thai had ; And raid till hym, in full gret hy. 135 He fmate the fyrft fa wygorufly With hys fper, that rycht fcharp fchar, Till he doun till the erd hym bar. The lave corne then, intill a randoun, Bot hys horfs, that wes born down, 140 Combryt thaim the upgang to ta. And quhen the KING faw it wis fwa, He ftekyt the horfs, and he gan flyng, And fyne fell, at the upcummyng. The laiff with that come with a fchout ; 145 And he, that ftalwart wes and ftout, Met thaim rycht ftoutly at the bra ; And fa gud payment gan thaim ma, That fyvefum in the furd he flew. The lave then fumdele thaim withdrew, 150 That dred hys ftrakys wondre far, For he in na thing thaim forbar. Then faid ane, " Certs we ar to blame, " Quhat fall we fay quhen we cum hame, " Quhen a man fechts agayne us all ? 155 " Quha wyft euir men fa foully fall " As we, giffthat we thus gat leve ?" With that all haile a fchout thai geve ; , B U K E VI. 163 And cryit, " On hym ! he may not lafl ! " With that thai preflyt hym fa faft, 160 That had he not the better bene, He had bene dede withowtyn wen. Bot he fa gret defence gan mak, That quhar he hyt ewyn a ftrak, Thar mycht na thing agayn ffand. 165 In litill fpace he left Hand Sa fele, that the upcummyn wes then Dyttyt with flayn horfs and men. Swa that hys fayis, for that flopping, Mycht not cum to the upcummyng. 170 A ! der God ! quha had then bene by, And fene how he, fa hardyly, AddrefTyt hym againe thaim all, 1 wate weill that thai fuld hym call The beft that levyt in hys day. 175 And giff I the futh fall fay, I herd neuir in na tyme gane Ane ftynt fa mony hym allane. Suth is quhen to ETHIOCLES Fra hys brodyr POLNICES 180 Was Ver. 179. The author, fenfible that the ftory he has juft told has more the air of fable than any other incident of hi* work, attempts to vindicate it, by giving us a fimilar exploit of Tydeus, from the Thebais of Statius, lib. ii. Statiu* was a favourite poet both with our author and with Chaucer, who, in his Houfe of Fame, puts Statius before Homer. Ma A better 164 THE BRUCE: Was fend THEDEUS in meflage, To afk haly the heritage Off 'Thebes till hald for a yer. For thai twynis off a byrth wer, Thai ftrave, for ayther king wald be ; 185 Bot the barnage off thair countre Gert thaim affent on this maner, That the tane fuld be king a yer ; And then the toythir, and hys menye, Suld not be fundyn in the toune, 10,3 Quhill the fyril brodyr regnand wer. Syne fuld the tothyr regne a yer ; And then the fyrfl leve the land, Quhill the tothyr war regnand. Thus ay a yer fuld regne the tane ; 195 The tothyr a yer fra that war gane. To aflc halding off this affent Wis THEDEUS to Thebes fent. And fwa fpak for POLNICES, That off Thebes ETHIOCLES 200 Bad hys conftabill with hym ta Men armyt weill, and furth ga, A better apology would have been that the panoply of a knight gave him vaft advantage over a multitude llightly armed. When an army of French peafants arofe againlt the nobles, it is well known how few knights defeated them . Ver. 190. This line rimes not, except by founding the final e. Editions read better : Suld not be found in that countiic. To B U K E VI. 165 To met THEDEUS in the way, And flay hym but langer delay. The conftabill hys way is gane, 205 And nine and fourty with hym tane, Swa that he with thaim maid fyfty. Intill the ewennyng, priuely, Thai fet enbufchement in the way, Quhar THEDEUS behowyt away 210 Betwix ane hey crag and the fe. And he, that off thair mawyte Wyft na thing, hys way has tane, And towart gret bargane is gane. And as he raid into the nycht, 215 Sa faw he, with the monys lycht, Schynnyng off fcheldys gret plente ; And had wondre quhat it mycht be. With that all hale thai gaiff a cry, And he, that hard fa fuddanly 220 Sic noyis, fum dele affrayit was. Bot in fchort tyme he till hym taes His fpyryts, full hardely; For hys gentill hart, and worthy, Afliiryt hym into that nede. 225 Then with the fpurs he ftrale the fled, And rufchyt in amang thaim all. The fyrft he met he gert hym fall j And fyne hys fwerd he fwappyt out, And roucht about hym mony rout, 230 M 3 And 166 THE BRUCE: And flew fex-fum full {one, and ma ; Than under hym hys horfs thai flaw. And he fell ; but he fmertly raifs, And ftrykand rowen about hym maifs ; And flew off thaim a quantite. 235 Bot wowndyt wondre far was he. With that a litill rod he fand, Up towart the crag ftrekand ; Thyddir went he, in full gret hy, Defendand hym full douchtely, 240 Till in the crag he clam fumdell ; And fand a place enclofyt weill, Quhar nane bot ane mycht hym aflaill. Thar ftud he, and gaiff thaim bataill ; And thai afTaylyt euir ilkane ; 245 And oft fell, quhen that he flew ane, As he doun to the erd wald dryve, He wald ber doun weill four or fyve. Thar ftud he, and defendyt fwa, Till he had flayne thaim half, and ma. 250 A gret ftane then by hym faw he, That throw gret a mawyte, Wes lowfyt redy for to fall. And quhen he faw thaim cummand all, He tumblyt doun on thaim the ftane ; 255 And aucht men thar with it has flayne, And fwa ftonayit the remanand, That thai war weill ner retreand. Then B U K VI. 167 Then wald he prifone hald na mar, Bot on thairh ran with fuerd all bar. 260 And hewyt, and flew, with all hys mayn, Till he has nine and fourty flayn. The conftabill fyne gan he ta, And gert hym fwer, that he fold ga Till King ETHEOCLES, and tell 265 The awentur that thaim befell. THEDEUS bar hym douchtyly That hym allane ourcome fyfty. Ye, that this redys, cheyfs ye, Quhethyr that mar fuld pryfit be 27 The KING, that, with awifement, Undirtuk fie hardyment As for to ftynt, hym ane, bot fer, The folk that twa hunder wer ; Or THEDEUS that fuddanly, 275 For thai had raiflyt on hym the cry, Throw hardyment that he had tane, Wane fyfty men all hym allane. Thai did thair deid baith on the nycht ; And faucht bath with the mone lycht. 28 Bot the KING difcomfyt ma j And THEDEUS then ma gan fla; Now demys quhethyr mar lowing Suld THEDEUS haiffj or the KING. M 4 la i68 THE BRUCE: In this manner, that Ik haiff tauld, 285 The KING, that flout wis and bauld, Wis fechtand on the furd's fyd, Giffand and takand rowts reid. Till he fie martyrdom thar has maid, That he the furd all ftoppyt haid, 290 That nane off thaim mycht till hym rid ; Thaim thocht than foly for to byd ; And halely the flycht gan ta, And went hamwarts quhar thai come fra. For the KINGS men, with the cry, 295 Walknyt full affrayitly, And come to fek the lord thair KING. The Gallon ay -men hard thair cummyng ; And fled, and durft abid na mar. The KINGS men, that dredand war 300 For thair lord, full fpedyly Come to the furd ; and fone in hy Thai fand the. KING fyttand allane, That off hys baffynet has tane, To awent hym, for he wis hate. 305 Then fperyt thai at hym off his ftate ; And he tauld thaim all haill the cafs, Howgate that he affailyt was ; And how that God hym helpyt fwa, That he efchapit hale thaim fra. 310 Then lukyt thai how fele war ded, And thai fand lyand in that fted Fourtene, B U K E VI. 169 Fourtene, that war flayne with hys hand. Then louyt thai God faft, all weildand, That thai thair lord fand hale and fer. 315 And faid thaim byrd on na maner Dred thair fayis, fen thair chyftane Wis off fie hart, and off fie mayne, That he for thaim had undertane With fwa fele for to fecht allane. 320 Sic words fpak thai off the KING. And for hys hey undertaking Ferlyit, and yarnyt hym for to fe, That with hym ay wes wont to be. A ! quhat worfchip is perfyt thing ! 325 For it mayfs men till haiff loving, Giff it be folowit ythenly. Bot pryce off worfchip not forthy Is hard to wyn. For gret trewaill, Oft to defend, and oft affaill, 330 And to be in thair deds wyfs, Gers men off worfchip wyn the pryfs. And may na man haiff worthyhed, Bot he haiff wyt to fter hys deid j - And fe, quhat is to leve or ta. 335 Worfchip extremyteys has twa. Fule-hardyment the formoft is, And the tothyr is cowartyfs. And thai ar bath for to forfak. Fule-hardyment all will undertak, 340 Als 170 THE BRUCE: Als weill things to leve as ta. And cowardyfs dois nathing fwa ; Bot utterly forfakis all. Bot that war wondir for to fall, Na war faute off difcretiouru 345 For this has worfchip fie renoun, That it is mene betwixt thais twa, And takys that is till underta ; And levys that is to leve. For it Has fa gret warnifhing off wyt, 350 That it all perills weile gan fe, And all awantage that may be. I wald till hardyment hald haly, With this away war foly ;' For hardyment with foly is wice. 355 Bot hardyment that mellyt is With wyt, is worfchip ; ay perde', For, bot wyt, wojfchip may not be. This nobill KING, that we off red, Mellyt all tyme with wyt manheid. 369 That may men by this melle fe ; Hys wyt fchawyt hym the ftrait entre Off the furd, and the ufchyng alfua, That, as hym thocht, wis hard to ta Apon a man, that war worthy. 365 Tharfor hys hardyment haftily Thocht it mycht be weill undretane, Sen at anys mycht aflaili bot ane. Thus B U K E VI. 171 Thus hardyment gouernyt with wyt, That he all tyme wald famyn knyt, 370 Gert hym off worfchip haiff the pryce ; And oft ourcum hys ennymyis. The KING in Carrik duellyt ay ftill : Hys men affemblyt faft hym till, That in the land war trewailland, 375 Quhen thai off this deid herd tithand. For thai thair ure wald with hym ta, Gyff that he eft war affaylyt fwa. Bot yeit the JAMES off DOWGLAS In Dowglafdaile trawailland was, 380 Or ellys weill ner hand tharby, In hyddillys fumdeill priuely. For he wald fe hys gouerning, That had the caftell in keping. And gert mak mony juperty, 385 To fe quhethyr he wald ifche blythly. And quhen he perfawyt that he Wald blythly ifche with hys menye ; He maid a gadring priuely Off thaim that war on hys party ; 390 That war fa fele, that thai durft fycht With THYRWALL, and all the mycht Off thaim that in the caftell war. He fchupe in the nycht to far To Sandylands ; and ner tharby 395 He hym enbufchyt priuely, And 172 'THE BRUCZ: And fend a few a trane to ma ; That fone in the mornyng gan ga, And tuk catell, that wis the caftell by, And fyne withdrew thaim haftily 400 Towart thaim that enbufchit war. Than THYRWALL, forowtyn mar, Gert arme hys men, forowtyn baid ; And ifchyt with all the men he haid : And folowyt faft eftir the cry. 405 He wis armyt at poynt clenly, Owtyn hys hede was bar : Than, with the men that with hym war, The catell folowit he gud fpeid, Rycht as a man that had na dreid ; 410 Till that he gat off thaim a fycht. Than prekyt thai with all thair mycht, Folowand thaim owt off aray ; And thai fped thaim fleand, quhill thai Forby thair bufchement war paft : 415 And THYRWALL ay chafTyt faft, And than thai that enbufchyt war Ifchyt till hym, bath les and mar, And rayffyt fudanly the cry. And thai that faw fa fudandly 429 That folk come egyrly prikand Rycht betwix thaim and thair warand, \ Thai war into full gret effray. And, for thai war owt off aray, Sum off thaim fled, and fum abad. 425 Ami DOWGLAS, that thaj with hym had A gret B U K E VI, 173 A gret menye, full egrely Affaylyt, and fcalyt thaim haftily : And in fchort tyme ourraid thaim a, That wiele nane efchapyt thaim fra. 433 THYRWALL, that wis thair capitane, Wis thar in the bargane flayne : And off hys men the maift party. The lave fled full effrayitly. DOWGLAS hys menye faft gan chafe ; 435 And the flears thair wayis tays Till the caftell, in full gret hy, The formaft entryt fpedyly. Bot the chaffers fped thaim fa faft-, That thai ourtuk fum off the laft, 440 And thaim forowtyn mercy s;an fla. And quhen thai off the caftell fwa Saw thaim fla off thair men thaim by, Thai fparyt the yatts haftily ; And in hy to the wallis rane. 445 JAMES off DOV/GLAS' menye than Sefyt weill haftily in hand That thai about the caftell fand ; To thair refett then went thair way. Thus ifchyt THYRWALL that day. 450 Quhen THYRWALL on this maner Had ifchit, as I tell yow her, JAMES 174- THE BRUCE: JAMES offDowGLAS, and hys men, Bufkit thaim all famyn then, And went thair way towart the KING 455 In gret hy j for thai herd tithing That off WALENCE Schyr AMERY, With a full gret chewalry, Baith off Scott s and Inglifs men, With gret felny war redy then 460 Affemblyt for to fek the KING, That wis that tyme with hys gadring, In Cumnok) quhar it ftraitaft was. Thyddir then went JAMES off DOWGLAS ; And wis rycht welcum to the KING. 465 And quhen he had tauld that tithing, How that Schyr AYMER wis cummand For till hunt hym owt off the land With hund and home, rycht as he war A woulff, a theyff, or theyffs fer. 470 Than faid the KING, " It may weill fall, " Thoch he cum, and hys power all, " We fall abid in this cuntre ; " And giff he cummys we fall hym fe." The KING fpak apon this maner. 475 And off WALENCE Schyr AYMER Aflemblyt a gret cumpany Off nobill men, and off worthy, Ver. 463. Cumnock caftle and village are in the nioft eaftern part of Ayr-fhire, near the head of the river Nith. Ver. 476, About the month of April 1307. Off B U K E VI. 175 Off Ingland, and off Lowthiane. And he has alfua with hym tane 480 IHONE offLoRNE, and all hys mycht: That had off worthy men, and wycht, With hym aucht hundir men, and ma. A flouth hund had he thar alfua, Sa gud that change wald for nathing. 485 And fum men fayis yeit, that the KING As a traytour hym noryft had, And fa mekill off hym he maid, That hys awyn hands wald hym feid. He folowit hym quhareuir he yeid ; 490 Sa that the hund hym folowit fwa, That he wald part na wyfs hym fra. Bot how that IHON off LORN hym. had, Ik herd never mentioun be mad. Bot men fayis it wis certane thing 495 That he had hym in hys fefing ; And throw hym thocht the KING to ta; For he wyft he hym luffyt fwa, That fra that he mycht anys fele The KINGS fent, he wyft rycht weill 503 That he wald chaung it for na thing. Thus IHON of LORNE hattyt the KING For IHON CUMMYN hys emys fak. Mycht he hym aythir fla, or tak, He wald not pryfs hys lyff a ftra, 505 Sa that he wengeance off hym mycht ta. The 176 THE BRUCE: The wardane then, Schyr AMERY, With this IHONE in cumpany, And othyrs of gud renoun alfua, THOMAS RANDELL wis ane off tha, 516 Come intill Cumnok to fek the KING, That wis weill war off thair cumming. And wis up in the ftrenthys then, And with hym weill four hundir men. Hys brodyr that tyme with hym was, 515 And alfua JAMES off DOWGLAS. Schyr AMERYS rowte he faw, That held the plane ay, and the law ; And in hale bataill always raid. The KING, that na fuppofyn had 520 That thai war. ma than he faw thar, To thaim, and nothyr ellys quhar, Had ey ; and wrocht unwittily. For IHON of LORIME full futelly Behind thocht to fuppryfs the KING. 525 Tharfor, with all hys gadring, Aboute ane hill held the way, And held hym into cowert ay ; Till he fa ner cum to the KING, Or he perfawit hys cumming, 530 That he wis cummyn on hym weill ner. The tothyr oft, and Schyr AYMER, Ver. 510. Afterward the celebrated earl of Moray. He was the king's nephew j but in the Englifli intereft, and his bitter enemy for fome time after he was taken prifoner, fighting for his uncle's caufe, in the battle of Mcthven. Preflyt B U K E VI. 177 PrefTyt apon the tothyr party. The KING was in gret japerty, That wis on athyr fid umbefet 535 With fayis, that to fla hym thret. And the leyft party off the twa Was ftarkar than he, and ma. And quhen he faw thaim prefs hym to, He thocht in hy quhat wis to do j 54.0 And faid, " Lords, we haiff na mycht, " As at thys tyme to ftand and fycht. " Tharfor departs we in thre, " All fall not fa affailyit be : " And in thre parts hald our way." 545 Syne till hys priwe folk gan he fay, Betwix thaim into priuete, In quhat fted thair repayr fuld be. With that thair gate all ar thai gane, And in thre parts thair way has tane. 550 IHONE off LOR NE come to the place, Fra quhar the KING departyt was. And in hys trace the hund he fet, That then, forowtyn langer let, Held ewyn the way eftir the KINO, 555 Rycht as he had off hym knawing. And left the tothyr partyfs twa, As he na kep to thaim wald ta. And quhen the KING faw hys cummyng, Eftir his rowte intill a ling, 560 VOL. I. N He 178 THE BRUCE: He thocht thai knew that it was he : Tharfor he bad till hys menye Yeit then in thre depertyt thaim fone ; And thai did fwa forowtyn hone ; And held thair way in thre partyfs. 565 The hund did thar fa gret maiftrys, That held ay forowtyn changing, Eftre the rowte quhar wes the KING. And quhen the KING had fene thaim fwa All in a rowte eftir hym ga, 570 The way, and folow nocht hys men, He had a gret perfawyng then That thai knew hym. For this in hy He bad hys men rycht haftily Scaile ; and ilk ane hald hys way 575 All hymfelff; and fwa did thai. Ilk man a fundry gate is gane. And the KING with hym has tane Hys foftyr brodyr, forowtyn ma, And famyn held thar thai twa. 580 The hund folowyt alwayis the KING, And changyt for na deperting ; Bot ay folowit the KINGS trace, Bot waweryng, as he paflyt was. And quhen that IHON ofFLoRNE faw 585 The hund eftre hym draw, And folow ftrak eftre thir twa, He knew the KING wis ane off tha. And B u K E vr. 179 And bad fyve off hys cumpany, That war rycht wycht men and hardy, 590 And als of fute fpediaft war, Off all that in thair rowte war, Ryn eftre hym, and hym ourta, And lat hym nawyfs pafs thaim fra. And fra thai had herd the bydding, 595 Thai held thair way eftre the KING. And folowyt hym fa fpedely, That thai hym weill fone gan ourhy. The KING, that faw thaim cummand ner, Wis anoyit in gret maner, 600 For he thocht, giff thai war worthy, Thai mycht hym trawaille and tarry, And hald hym fwa gate tariand, Till the remanand com at hand. Bot had he dred but anerly 605 Thaim fyve, I trow all fekyrly He fuld haiff had na mekill dred. And till hys falow, as he yeid, He faid, " Thir fyve ar faft cummand : " Thai ar weill ner now at owr hand. 6iO " Sa is thar ony help at the ? Bot fell in flep, and rowtyt hey. Now is the KING in gret perille : For flep he fwa a litill quhile, He fall be ded, forowtyn dreid. 195 For the thre tratours tuk gud heid, That he on flep wis, and hys man : In full gret hy thai raifs up than, And drew thair fuerds haftily ; And went towart the KING in hy, 20* Quhen that thai faw hym flepe fwa, And flepand thocht thai wald hym fla. The KING upblinkit haftily, And faw hys man flepand hym by, And faw cummand the tothyr thre. 205 Deliuerly on fute gat he ; And drew hys fwerd owt, and thaim mete. And as he yeide hys fute he fet Apon B U K E VII. 193 Apon hys man, weill hewily. He waknyt, and raifs difsly : 2IO For the flep maiftryt hym fwa, That or he gat up ane off tha, That come for to flaw the KING, Gaiff hym a ftrak in hys ryfing, Swa that he mycht help hym na mar. 215 The KING fa ftraitly ftad was thar, That he wis neuir yheit fa ftad. Ne war the armyng that he had, He had bene dede, forowtyn wer. Bot not for thy on fie maner 220 He helpyt hym, in that bargane, That the thre tratours he has flane, Throw Godds grace, and hys manheid. Hys foftyr brodyr thar wis deid. Then wis he wondre will offwayne, 225 Quhen he faw hym left allane. Hys foftyr brodyr menyt he ; And wary it all the tothyr thre. And fyne hys way tuk hym allane, And rycht towart hys tryft is gane. 230 The KING went furth way, and angrely; Menand hys man full tendrely. And held hys way, all hym allane, And rycht towart the houfs is gan, Quhar he fet tryft to meit hys men; 235 It wis weill in with nycht be then. VOL, I. O He 194 THE BRUCE: He come fone in the houfs, and fand The houfswyff on the benk fittand, That afkyt hym quhat he was, And quhence he come, and quhar he gas. 240 " A trawailland man, dame," faid he, " That trawaillys her throw the cuntre." She faid, * All that trewailland er, < For ANE hys fak, ar welcum her.' The KING faid, " Gud dame quhat is HE, 245 tc That gers yow haiff fik fpecialte " To men that trawaillis ?" ' Schyr, perfay,' Quoth the gud wyfF, c I fall yow fay ; 4 The KING, ROBERT the BRUYSS, is he, 1 That is rycht lord off this cuntre. 250 * Hys fayis now hald hym in thrang ; 1 Bot I think to fe or echt lang, ' Hym lord and KING our all the land, 1 That na fayis fall hym withftand.' " Dame, luff yow hym fa weill ?" faid he. 255 * Ya Schyr,' faid fche, < fa God me fe !' " Dame," faid he, " lo hym her yow by ; For Ik am he, I fay the foithly." * Ha !' faid the dame, c and quhar ar gane ' Your men, quhen yow ar thus allane ?' 260 *< At this tyme, dame, Ik haiff na ma." Sche faid, c It may na wyfs be fwa. * Ik haiff twa fonnys, wycht and hardy ; 4 Thai fall becum yowr men in hy.* As B U K E VII. IQ5 As fche deuifit thai haiff done. 265 Hys fuorne men become thai fone. The wyff fyne gert hym fyt, and etc. Bot he has fchort quhill at the mete Syttyn, quhen he hard gret ftamping Abowt the houfs. Then, but letting 270 Thai ftert up, the houfs for to defende. Bot fone eftre the KING has kend JAMES off DOWGLAS : then wis he blyth, And baid oppyn the durs fwyth : And thai cum in, all that thar war. 275 Schyr EDUUARD the BRUCE wis thar; And JAMES alfua ofFDowcLAs, That wis efchapyt fra the chace, And with the KINGS brothyr met. Syne to the traift that thaim was fet 280 Thai fped thaim, with thair cumpany, That war ANE HUNDIR and weill FYFTY. And quhen that thai haiff fene the KING, Thai war joyfull off thair meting. And afkyt how that he efchapyt was ? 285 And he thaim tauld all hale the cafs ; How the fyve men hym preflyt fair, And how he throw the wattir paft j And how he met the thewis thre, And how he flepand flane fuld be, 290 Ver. 272. The narration is abrupt, Douglas iurely fpoke before the king knew him. O 2 Quhen 196 THE BRUCE: Quhen he waknyt, throw Godds grace j " And how hys foftyr brodyr was Slayne ; he tauld thaim all haly. Than lowyt thai God communly, That thair lord wis efchapyt fwa. 295 Than fpak thai words, ta and fra, Till at the laft the KING gan fay, " Fortoun us trawaillyt faft to day, 44 That fcalyt us fa fedanly. 44 Our fayis to nycht fall ly traiftly, 302 4C Bot wachys, tak thair efe and ly. "1 44 Quharfor, quha knew thair herbery, > 44 And wald cum on thaim fedanly, j 44 With few mengye, men mycht thaim fcaith, 44 And efchaip forowtyn waith." 305 4 Perfay,' quoth JAMES offDowcLAS, 4 As I come hyddyrwart, per cafs 4 1 come fa ner thair herbery, 4 That I can bring quhar thai ly. 4 And wald yow fpeid yow yheit or day 312 4 It may fwa happyn, that we may 4 Do thaim a greter fcaith weile fone 4 Than thai us all day has done. 4 For thai ly fcalyt, as thaim left.' Than thoucht thaim all it wes the beft 315 To fpeid thaim to thaim jiaftily. And thai did fwa in full gret hy, And come on thaim, in the dawing, Rycht as the day begouth to fpring. B U K E VII. 197 Sa fell it that a cumpany 320 Had in a toune tayn thair berbery, Weile fra the oft a myle, or mar. Men faid that thai twa hundir war. Thar aflemblyt the nobill KING. And fone eftre thair afTembling 325 Thai that flepand aflayllyt war, Rycht hidwyfly gan cry, and rar ; And other fum, that herd the cry, Raifs fa rycht effrayitly, That fum off thaim nakit war, 330 Fleand to warand, her and thar ; And fum hys armys with hym drew. And thai forowtyn mercy thaim flew. And fa crwyll wengeance gan ta, That the twa parts of thaim, and ma, 335 War flayne, rycht in that ilk fted. Till thair oft the remanand fled. The oift that hard the noyis and cry, And faw thair men fa wrechytly, Sum nakit, fleand her and thar, 34.0 Sum all hale, fum wawndyt far ; Into full gret effray thai raifs, And ilk man till hys baner gayis. Swa that the oyft wes all on fter. The KING, and thai that with hym wer, 345 Quhen on fter the oyft faw f\va, Towart thair warand gan thai ga. O 3 And 198 THE BRUCE: And thar in fawete come thai. And quhen Schyr AYMER herd fay How that the KING thair men had flayne j 350 And how thai turnyt war agayne j He faid, * Now may we clerly fe 4 That nobill hart, quhar euir it be, * It is hard till ourcum with mayftry. 4 For quhar an hart is rycht worthy 355 1 Agayne ftoutnes it is ay ftout. 4 Na, as I trow, thar may na dowte 4 Ger it all owt difcomfyt be, * Quhill body lewand is and fre. 1 As be this melle may be fene. 360 * We wend ROBERT the BRUCE had bene 4 Swa difcumfyt, that be gud (kill 4 He fuld neuir haiffhaid hart, ne will, * Swilk juparty to underta. 4 For he put was at undre fwa 365 4 That he was left all hym allane, 4 And all hys folk war fra hym gayn. 4 And he fa gat for trawaillyt, 4 To put thaim off that hym afiailyr, 4 That he fuld haiffyarnyt refting 370 4 This nycht, atour all othyr thing, 4 Bot hys hart fillyt is off bounte, 4 Swa that it wencufyt may not be.' On this wyfs fpak Schyr AMERV. And quhen thai off hys cumpany 375 Saw B U K E VII. 199 Saw how thai trawaillyt had in wayn, And how the KING thair men had flayn, And that hys men wes gane all fre ; Thaim thocht it was a nicete, For to male thar longer duelling, 380 Sen thai mycht not anoy the KING. And faid fua to Schyr AMERY j That unbethocht hym haftcly That he to Carlele wald ga, A quhill tharin fojourn ma, 385 And haifFhys fpyis on the KING, To knaw alwayis hys cuntenyng. And quhen that hys poynt mycht fe, He thocht that, with a gret menye, , He fuld fchute apon hym fedanly. 390 Tharfor, with all hys cumpany, Till Ingland he the way has tane, And ilk man till hys houfs is gane. In hy till Carlele went is he. And tharin thinkis for till be, 335 Till he hys poynt faw off the KING ; Quha then with all hys gadring Wis in Carryk^ quhar he was wont, He wald went with hys men till hunt. Sa happynyt that, on a day, 400 He went till hunt, for till aflay Ver. 379. Nicete is folly, perhaps from the French nials. The meflage was not nice. Shak. Rom. and Jul. O 4 Quhat 200 THE BRUCE: Quhat gamyn wis in that cuntre. And fwa hapnyt that day that he By a woud-fyd to hunt is gane, With hys twa hundys hym allane. 405 Bot he hys fuerd ay with hym bar. He had but fchort quhill fittyn thar, Quhen he faw fra the woud cumand Thre men, with bowys in thair hand, That towart hym come fpedely. 410 And he that perfawyt that in hy, Be thair affer and thair hawing, That thai luffyt hym na kyn thing ; He raifs, and hys leyfche till hym drew he, And leyte hys hunds gan all fre. 415 God help the KING now, for hys mycht! For bot he now be wyfs and wycht, He fall be fet in mekill prefs. For thir thre men, forowtyn lefs, War hys fayis all uterly. 420 And wachyt hym fa befyly, To fe quhen thai wengeance mycht tak Off the KING, for IHON CUMYN his fak. And thai thocht than thai leyfur had ; And, fen he hym allane wes ftad, 425 In hy thai thocht thai fuld hym fla. And giff that thai mycht chewyfs fa, Fra that thai the KING had flayne, That thai mycht wyn the woud agayn, Hys B U K E VII. 201 Hys men thalm thocht thai fuld not dreid. 430 In hy towart the KING thai yeid, And bent thair bowys, quhen thai war ner; And he, that dred on gret maner Thair arowys, for he nakyt was, In hy a fpekyng to thaim maes. 435 And faid, " Yow oucht to fchame, parde, " Sen Ik am ane, and yow ar thre,