The Bruce
Of all the land; quhar men mycht se
So gret aboundans cum off fe,
That it war woundir till behald.
The King, that stout wes, stark and bald, 112
Till Dunstaffynch richt suddanely
He past, and segit it sturdely
And assalyheit, the castell to get.
And in schort tyme he has thame set 116
In sic thrang, that tharin war than,
That, magre tharis, he it wan,
And a gud wardane thair-in set,
And betaucht hym bath men and met, 120
Swa that he thair lang tym mycht be,
Magre thaim all of that cuntre.
Schir Alexander of Argill that saw
The King distroy up, cleyn and law, 124
His land, send tretis to the King,
And com his man but tarying;
And he resavit him till his pes.
But Johne of Lorn his son yheit wes 128
Rebell, as he wes wont to be,
And fled with schippes to the see.
[113-115: E has--
_sturdely
A sege set; and besyly
Assaylit_, etc.]
[118: C _is wan_ (S), which is certainly wrong.]
[126: E _mar duelling_.]
[Sidenote: 1313] _William Bunnock’s Stratagem_]
Bot thai that left apon the land
War to the King all obeysand; 132
And he thar homage all has tane;
Syne toward Perth is passit agane,
To play hym thair in-to the playn:
Yheit Lowdyan wes him agayn. 136
And at Lythkow wes than a peill,
Mekill and stark, and stuffit weill
With Inglis men, that wes reset
Till thaim that with armouris or met 140
Fra Edinburgh wald to Strevilling ga,
And fra Strevilling again alsua;
And till the cuntre did gret ill.
Now may yhe heir, gif that yhe will, 144
Interludys and juperdys,
That men assayit on mony wis,
Castellis and pelis for till ta.
And this Lithkow wes ane of thai; 148
And I sall tell how it wes tane.
In the cuntre thar wonnyt ane
That husband wes, and with his fee
Oftsis hay to the peill led he. 152
Wilyhame Bunnok to nayme he hicht,
*That stalward man wes in-to ficht.
He saw sa hard the cuntre stad,
*That he gret noy and pite had
Throu fortrassis that war then
Governit and led with Inglis men, 156
Thai travalit men outour mesur.
He wes a stout carle and a sture,
And of him-self dour and hardy,
And had frendis wonnand hym by, 160
And schew till sum his prevate;
That apon his covyn gat he
Men that mycht ane enbuschement ma,
Quhill that he with his wayn suld ga 164
Till lede thaim hay in-to the peill.
Bot his wayn suld be stuffit weill:
For aucht men armyt in the body
Of his wayn suld syt prevaly, 168
And with hay helyt be about.
And hym-self, that wes dour and stout,
Suld by the wayn gang ydilly;
And ane yheman, wicht and hardy, 172
Befor suld dryf the wayn, and ber
Ane hachit, that war scharp to scher,
Undir his belt; and quhen the yhet
Wes opnyt, and thai war thar-at, 176
Quhen he herd hym cry sturdely,
“Call all! Call all!” than hastyly
He suld stryk with the ax in twa
The hede-soyme; than in hy suld thai, 180
That war within the wayn, cum out,
And mak debat, quhill at thar rout,
That suld neir by enbuscht be,
Cum for to manteyme the melle. 184
[*154, *156: E omits. In C and H.]
This wes in-till the harvist tyde,
Quhen feldis, that war fair and wyde,
Chargit with corne assoverit war;
For syndri cornys that thai bair 188
Woxe rype to wyn to mannys fude;
And the treis all sammyn stude
Chargit with froytis on syndri wis.
That sammyn tym, as I devis, 192
Thai of the peill had wonnyn hay,
And with this Bunnok spokin had thai
To leid thair hay, for he wes neir;
And he consentit but dangeir, 196
And said that in-to the mornyng
Weill soyn ane fudyr he suld bring,
Farer and greter, and weill mor
Than eny he broucht that yher befor: 200
And held thaim cunnand sekirly.
For that nycht warnyt he prevaly
Thaim that in the wayn suld ga,
And bad the buschement be alsua. 204
And thai so grathly sped thaim thar,
That or day thai enbuschit war
Weill neir the peill, quhar thai mycht heir
The cry alsoyne as ony weir, 208
And held thame swa still but stering,
That nane of thame had persavyng.
[192: E and H have _In this swete tyme_.]
[Sidenote: 1313] _Linlithgow Castle is Taken_]
And this Bunnok fast can him payn
Till dres his menyhe in his wayn; 212
And all a quhile befor the day,
He had thaim helit with the hay;
Than maid he him to yhok his fee,
Till men the sone schynande mycht se. 216
And sum that war within the peill
War yschit, on thair awn unseill,
To wyn thair harvist neir thar-by.
Than Bunnok, with the cumpany 220
That in his wayn closit he had,
Went on his way but mair abaid,
And callit his wayn toward the peill.
And the portar, that saw hym weill 224
Cum neir the yhat, it opnyt soyn:
And than Bunnok, forouten hoyn,
Gert call the wayn deliverly.
And quhen it wes set evinly 228
Betuix the chekys of the yhet,
Swa that men mycht it spar na gat,
He cryit, “Theif! Call all! Call all!”
And he than leyt the gadwand fall, 232
And hewit in twa the soym in hy.
Bunnok with that deliverly
Raucht till the portar sic ane rout
That blude and harnys bath com out. 236
And thai that war within the wayn
Lap out belif, and soyn has slayn
Men of the castell that war by.
Than in a quhill begouth the cry: 240
And thai that neir enbuschit war
Lap out, and com with swerdis bar,
And tuk the castell all but payn,
And thame that tharin wes has slayn. 244
And thai that war went furth beforn,
Quhen thai the castell saw forlorn,
Thai fled to warrand to and fra;
And sum till Edinburgh can ga, 248
And till Strevilling ar othir gane,
And sum in-to the way war slayn.
[230: C has _And he that wald no longer let_.]
How Earl Thomas Randolph became Man to the Good King Robert the Bruce.
Bunnok on this wis, wyth his wayn,
The peill tuk, and the men has slayn; 252
Syne taucht it to the Kyng in hy,
That hym rewardit worthely;
And gert doun driff it to the ground;
And syne our all the land can found, 256
Settand in pes all the cuntre,
That till hym obeisand wald be.
And quhen a litill tym wes went,
Eftir Thomas Randale he sent, 260
And with hym so weill tretit he,
That he his man hecht for till be.
And the king him soyn forgaf:
Ande, for till hye his stat, hym gaf 264
Murref, and tharof Erll hym maid
And othir syndri landis braid
He gaf him in-till heritage.
He knew his worthy vassalage, 268
And his gret wit and his avis,
His trast hart and his leill servis.
Tharfor in hym affyit he,
And maid him rych of land and fee, 272
As it wes certis richt worthy.
*For, and men spek of him trewly,
*He was so curageous a knycht,
*So wis, so worthy, and so wycht,
And of so soverane gret bounte,
That mekill of him may spokin be.
Therfor I think of hym to reid, 276
And till schaw part of his gud deid,
And till discryve yhow his fassoun
With part of his condicioun.
He wes of mesurabill stature, 280
And portrait weill at all mesure,
With braid visage, plesand and fair,
Curtas at poynt, and debonar;
And of richt sekir contenyng. 284
Laute he lufit atour all thing;
Falsade, tresoune, and felony,
He stude agayne ay ythandly.
He hyet honour and larges, 288
And ay mantemyt richtwisnes.
In cumpany solacious
He wes, and thar-with amorus.
And gud knychtis he lufit ay. 292
For gif that I the suth sall say,
He wes fullfillit of all bunte,
And off all vertuis maid wes he.
I will commend him heir no mar, 296
Bot yhe sall weill heir forthirmar
That he, for his dedis worthy,
Suld weill be prisit soveranly.
[*274-*276: In E, but omitted by Pinkerton.]
[Sidenote: 1314] _Randolph besieges Edinburgh Castle_]
Qwhen the King wes thus with him saucht, 300
And gret lordschippis had him betaucht,
He wex so wis and avise,
That his land first weill stablist he;
And syne he sped him to the were, 304
Till help his eym and his effere.
With the consent of the gud Kyng,
Bot with a sympill apparalyng,
Till Edinburgh he went in hy, 308
With gud men in-till cumpany,
And set a sege to the castele,
That than wes warnyst wondir wele
With men and vittale at all richt, 312
So that it dred no mannis mycht.
Bot this gud Erll nocht-for-thi
The sege tuk full apertly:
And presyt the folk that thar-in was 316
Swa that nocht ane the yhet durst pas.
Thai may abyde thar-in and et
Thair victaill, quhill thai oucht mai get:
Bot I trow thai sall lettit be 320
To purchas mair in the cuntre.
[305: E _in his myster_.]
[316: C _wes_ (S).]
[319: C _mycht get_ (S).]
That tym Edward, of Ingland Kyng,
Had gevin the castell in keping
Till Schir Peris Lumbard a Gascoun. 324
And quhen thai of his warnysoun
Saw the sege set thair stithly,
Thai mystrowit hym of tratory,
For that he spokin had with the King. 328
And, for that ilk mystrowing
Thai tuk him and put in presoun;
And off thair awne nacioun
Thai maid a constabill thaim to leid, 332
Richt war and wis and wicht of deid.
And he set wit and strinth and slicht
To kepe the castell at his mycht.
But now of thame I will be still, 336
And spek a litill quhill I will
Of the douchty lord Dowglas,
At that tym in the Forest was.
Quhar he full mony a juperdye, 340
And fair poyntis off chevelry,
Previt, als weill be nycht as day,
Till thame that in the castellis lay,
Off Roxburgh and Jedworth; bot I 344
Will let fele of thame pas forby.
For I can nocht rehers thame all,
And thouch I couth, trow weill yhe sall,
That I might nocht suffice thar-to, 348
Sa mekill suld be thair ado.
Bot thai that I wat wittirly,
Eftir my wit rehers sall I.
The winning of the Castle of Roxburgh by the Douglas
through the Sleight of John Ledhouse.
[Sidenote: FEB. 27, 1314] _The Scots are taken for Oxen_]
This tym that the gud Erll Thomas 352
Assegit, as the lettir sais,
Edinburgh, James of Douglas
Set all his wit for till purchas
How Roxburgh throu subtilite 356
Or ony craft, mycht wonnyn be;