The Bruce
“Thouch he cum and his power all, 472
“We sall abyde in this cuntre;
“And gif he cumis we sall him se.”
[373: E _ay still_.]
[397: E _And send_.]
Here Sir Aymer and John of Lorn follow King Robert with
a Sleuth-hound.
[Sidenote: 1307] _Valence goes to hunt Bruce_]
The King spak apon this maner;
And of Vallanch Schir Amer 476
Assemblit a gret cumpany
Of nobill men and of worthy,
Of Ingland and of Lowdiane.
And he has alsua with him tane 480
Johne of Lorn and all his mycht,
That had of worthy men and wicht
With him aucht hundreth men and ma.
A sleuthhund had he thar alsua, 484
Sa gude that change wald for na thing.
And sum men sayis yheit that the King
As a strecour him nurist had,
And ay sa mekill of hym maid, 488
That with his hand he wald hym feyd.
He followit hym quhar-evir he yheid;
Swa that the hund hym lufit swa,
That he wald part na wis him fra. 492
Bot how that John of Lorn him had,
I herd nevir mencione be made.
Bot men sais it wes certane thing
That he had him in his sesing, 496
And throu hym thoucht the Kyng to ta;
For he wist he hym luffit swa,
That fra he mycht anys feill
The Kyngis sent, he wist rycht weill 500
That he wald change it for na thyng.
This John of Lorn hatit the King
For Schir John Cumyn his emys sak;
Micht he him outhir sla or tak, 504
He wald nocht pris his liff a stra,
With-thi he vengeans on hym mycht ta.
How Sir Aymer and John of Lorn
Chased the King with Hound and Horn.
[Sidenote: 1307] _Bruce divides his Men_]
The wardane than, Schir Amery,
With Johne of Lorne in cumpany, 508
And othir of gud renoune alsua,
Thomas Randale wes ane of thai,
Come in-till Cumnok to seik the King,
That wes weill war of thar cummyng, 512
And wes up in the strenthis then,
And with hym weill thre hundreth men.
His brothir that tyme with him was,
And alsua James of Douglas. 516
Schir Ameryis rout he saw,
That held the playn ay and the law,
And in haill battale alwayis raid.
The Kyng, that na supposing had 520
That thai war mair than he saw thair,
Till thame, and nouthir ellis-quhar,
Had ey, and wroucht unwittandly.
For Johne of Lorn full sutelly 524
Behynd thoucht to suppris the Kyng.
Tharfor with all his gaderyng,
About ane hill he held his way,
And held hym in-to covert ay, 528
Till he so neir com to the Kyng,
Or he persavit his cummyng,
That he wes cummyn on hym weill neir.
The tothir host and Schir Amer 532
Presit on the tothir party.
The Kyng wes in gret juperdy,
That wes on athir syde umbeset
With fayis that to slay hym thret, 536
And the lest party of thame twa
Was starkar fer na he, and ma.
And quhen he saw thame pres him to,
He thoucht in hy quhat wes to do, 540
And said, “Lordis, we haf no mycht
“As at this tyme for to stand and ficht.
“Thar-for departis us in thre,
“All sall nocht swa assalyheit be: 544
“And in thre parteis hald our way.”
Syne till his consall can he say,
Betuix thame in-to prevate,
In quhat stede thar repair suld be. 548
[511: From E. C has _That cum in Cumnok to seik the King_ (S), which
leaves the first group of subjects without a predicate. H has _Came
in_.]
[514: H _three_. E iiij, a stroke too many.]
With that thair gat all ar thai gane,
Ande in thre partis thair way has tane.
Than John of Lorn com to the plas
Quhar-fra the Kyng departit was, 552
And in his trais the hund he set,
That than, forouten langar let,
Held evyn the way eftir the Kyng,
Richt as he had of him knawing, 556
And left the tothir parteis twa,
As he na kepe to thame wald ta.
And quhen the Kyng saw his cummyng,
Eftir his route in-till a lyng, 560
He thoucht thai knew that it wes he:
Tharfor he bad till his menyhe
Yheit than in thre depart thame sone;
And thai did sua forouten hoyn, 564
And held thair way in thre parteis.
The hund did than sa gret mastris,
That he held ay, forout changing,
Eftir the rout quhar wes the Kyng. 568
[561: C has _he knew_ (S). E and H as text.]
And quhen the Kyng has seyn thaim sua
All in a rout eftir hym ta
The way, and follow nocht his men,
He had a gret persavying then 572
That thai knew him; for-thi in hy
He bad his men richt hastely
Scale, and ilk man hald his way
All be hym-self, and sua did thai. 576
Ilk man a syndri gat is gane,
And the King has with him tane
His forstir brothir, forouten ma,
And sammyn held thair gat thai twa. 580
The hund alwais followit the Kyng,
And changit nocht for na parting,
Bot ay followit the Kyngis tras,
But wavering, as he passit was. 584
And quhen that Johne of Lorn saw
The hund so hard eftir hym draw,
And followit straucht eftir thai twa,
He knew the Kyng wes ane of thai, 588
And bad five of his cumpany,
That war richt wicht men and hardy,
And als on fute spediast ware
Of all that in that rout war thar, 592
Ryn eftir hym, and him our-ta,
And lat him na wys pas thaim fra.
Here Five Chosen Men are sent to take the King.
And fra thai herd had the biddyng,
Thai held the way eftir the Kyng. 596
And followit hym so spedely,
That thai him weill soyn can our-hy.
The King than saw thame cumand ner,
And wes anoyit in gret maner, 600
For he thoucht, gif thai war worthy,
Thai mycht hym travale and tary,
And hald hym suagat taryand
Till the remanand suld cum at hand. 604
Bot had he dred bot anerly
Thame five, I trow all sekirly
He suld nocht haf full mekill dreid.
And till his fallow, as he yheid, 608
He said, “Yhon five ar fast cumand:
“Thai ar weill neir now at our hand.
“Swa is thair ony help with the?
“For we sall soyn assalit be.” 612
‘Yha, Schir,’ he said, ‘all that I may.’
“Thou sais weill,” said the Kyng, “perfay.
“I se thame cumand till us neir.
“I will na forthir, bot richt heir 616
“Byde, quhill that I am in aynd,
“And se quhat fors that thai can faynd.”
[594: From E. C has _And let hym na-wis pas yhow fra_ (S), passing
suddenly to direct speech. H has _you_.]
*How the King slew the five men
That John of Lorn sent to him then.
[Sidenote: 1307] _Bruce and Another against Five_]
[*: The rubric is from H, inserted at line 598. C runs on.]
The Kyng than stude full sturdely,
And the five soyn, in full gret hy, 620
Com with gret schoyr and mannasyng.
Thre of thame went on-to the Kyng;
And till his man the tothir twa
With swerd in hand can stoutly ga. 624
The Kyng met thame that till hym socht,
And till the first sic rowt he rocht,
That ere and cheik doun in the hals
He schare, and of the schuldir als 628
He ruschyt doun all desaly.
The twa, that saw sa suddanly
Thair fallow fall, effrayit war,
And stert a litill ouirmair. 632
The Kyng with that blenkyt him by,
And saw the twa full sturdely
Agane his man gret melle ma.
With that he left his awn twa, 636
And till thame that faucht with his man
A lowp richt lychtly maid he than,
And smat the hed of of the tane.
To mete his awn syne is he gane. 640
Thai com on hym rycht hardely.
He met the first sa egyrly,
That with his swerd, that scharply schare,
The arm he fra the body bare. 644
Quhat strakis thai gaf I can nocht tell,
Bot to the Kyng so fair befell,
That, thouch he travale had and payn,
He of his famen four has slayn. 648
His fostir brothir eftir soyn
The fift has out of dawis done.
And when the King saw that all fiff
War on that wis broucht out of lif, 652
Till his fallow than can he say,
“Thou has helpit richt weill, perfay.”
‘It likis yhow to say sua,’ said he,
‘Bot the gret part to yhow tuk yhe, 656
‘That slew four off the fyve, yhow ane.’
The Kyng said; “As the glew is gane,
“Bettir than thou I mycht it do,
“For I had mair lasair thar-to. 660
“For the twa fallowis that delt wyth the,
“Quhen thai me saw assalyheit with thre,
“Of me richt na kyn dout thai had;
“For thai wend I wes stratly stad. 664
“And for-thi that thai dred me nocht,
“Noy thaim fer out the mair I moucht.”
With that the Kyng lukyt hym by,
And saw of Lorn the cumpany 668
Neir, with thair sleuthhund fast cumand;
Than till a wod, that wes neir hand,
He went with his fallow in hy.
God sauf thame for his gret mercy! 672
[656: C _Bot till_ (S). E gives _the_. Skeat in his note suggests to =
too for _till_!]
[657: C has _That slew four or I slew ane_ (S). E as in text, and H
similarly.]
[661: C begins _The_ (S).]
BOOK VII.
How John of Lorn sought the Good King Robert Bruce with
the Sleuth-hound.
[Sidenote: 1307] _Bruce takes to the Water_]
The Kyng toward the wod is gane,
Wery, for-swat, and will of wayn.
In-till the wod soyn enterit he,
And held doun toward a vale 4
Quhar throu the wod a wattir ran.
Thiddir in gret hy went he than,
And begouth to rest hym thair,
And said he mycht no forthirmar. 8
His man said; “Schir, that may nocht be:
“Abyde yhe heir, yhe sal soyn se
“Five hundreth yharnand yhou to sla,
“And thai ar fele aganis twa; 12
“And, sen we may nocht deill wyth mycht,
“Help us all that we may wyth slycht.”
The King said; ‘Sen that thou will swa,
‘Ga furth, and I sall with the ga. 16
‘Bot I haf herd oftsis say,
‘That quha endlang a wattir ay
‘Wald wayd a bow-draucht, he suld ger
‘Bath the sleuthhund and the ledar, 20
‘Tyne the sleuth men gert him ta,
‘Pruf we gif it will now do swa.
‘For war yhon devillis hund a-way,
‘I roucht nocht of the layff, perfay.’ 24
Here the Sleuth-hound lost his Scent.
As he devisit thai haf done,
And enterit in the wattir sone,
And held on endlang it thar way,
And syne to the land yheid thai, 28
And held thair way as thai did ere.
And John of Lorn, with gret effere,
Com with his rout richt to the place,
Quhar that his five men slan was. 32
He menyt thame quhen he thaim saw;
And said, eftir a litill thraw,
That he suld wenge in hy thar blude: