The Bruce
“Yhe wat nocht quha mais yhow that traine!
“It is the lord Dowglas, that will
“Sum of his playis ken yhow till.”
And quhen thai herd spek of Dowglas, 365
The hardyest affrayit was,
And agane returnit halely.
His takyn maid he than in hy;
And the folk that enbuschit war
So stoutly prekit on thame thar, 370
That weill thre hundreth haf thai slayne,
And till the wattir hame agayne
The remanand all can thai chas.
Schir Williame of Erskyn that was
Newlingis makyn knycht that day, *375
Weill horsit intill gud aray, *376
Chassit with othir that war thar 375
Sa fer-furth, that his hors him bar
Emang the lump of Inglis men,
That with strang hand he tane wes then.
Bot of hym weill soyn chaynge wes maid
For othir that men takyn had. 380
Fra thir Inglis archeris wer slayne,
Thai folk raid till thar host agane.
And richt swa did the lord Douglas;
And quhen that he reparit was,
Thai mycht emang thair fayis se 385
Thair palyheownys soyne stentit be.
Than thai persavit soyne in hy
That thai that nycht wald tak herbery,
And schap till do no mar that day.
Tharfor alsua thame herbreit thai, 390
And stentit palyheownys soyn in hy;
Tentis and luggis als thair-by
Thai gert mak, and set all on raw.
Twa novelreis that day thai saw,
That forrouth in Scotland had beyn nane: 395
Tymbrys for helmys wes the tane,
That thame thoucht than of gret bewte,
And alsua wounder for to se;
The tothir crakkis war of wer,
That thai befor herd nevir eir. 400
Of thir twa thyngis thai had ferly.
That nycht thai wachit stalwardly:
The mast part of thame armyt lay,
Quhill on the morne that it wes day.
[341: C _that fair_. Has E.]
[368: C _he thaim_ (S). H _then_. E seems to give the more probable
reading.]
[*375, *376: In C H. E omits.]
[394: E _noveltyis_.]
[Sidenote: AUG., 1327] _The English try an Ambush_]
The Inglis men thame umbethoucht, 405
Apon quhat maner that they moucht
Ger Scottis leve thair avantage;
For thame thoucht foly and outrage
To gang up to thame till assale
Thame at thar strynthis in playn battale. 410
Tharfor of gud men ane thousand,
Armyt on hors bath fut and hand,
Thai send, behynd thair fayis to be
Enbuschit in-till a vale:
And schup thair battellis, as thai wald 415
Apon thame till the fechting hald.
For thame thoucht Scottis men sic will
Had, that thai mycht nocht hald thaim still:
For thai knew thame of sic corage,
That thai trowit strenth and avantage 420
That suld leyff, and meit thame planly;
Than suld thar buschement hastely
Behynd prek on thame at the bak;
Sa thoucht thai weill thai suld thaim mak
For till repent thame of thair play. 425
Thair enbuschement furth send haf thai,
That thame enbuschit prevaly.
And on the morn, sum-deill airly,
In-till the host syne trumpit thai,
And gert thair battell braid aray; 430
And, all arayit for to ficht,
Thai held toward the wattir richt.
Scottis men, that saw thame do swa,
Bown on thair best wis can thaim ma;
And in battell planly arayit, 435
With baneris to the wynd displayit,
Thai left thair strynth, and all planly
Com doune to meit thame hardely,
In als gud maner as thai mowcht,
Richt as thair fayis befor had thoucht. 440
Bot the lord Dowglas, that ay-quhar
Set out wachis heir and thar,
Gat wit of thair enbuschement.
Than in gret hy soyn is he went
Befor the battellis, and stoutly 445
He bad ilk man turn hym in hy,
Richt as he stud, and turnit swa
Up till thair strynth he bad thaim ga,
Swa that na let thar-in be maid.
And thai did as he biddin had, 450
Quhill to thair strynth thai com agayn.
Than turnyt thai thame with mekill mayn,
And stude reddy to giff battale,
Giff thair fayis wald thame assale.
Quhen Inglis men has seyn thaim swa 455
Toward thar strynth agane up ga,
Thai cryit hey, “Thai fley thar way!”
Schir Johne de Hennaut said: “Perfay,
“Yhone fleying is richt degyse.
“Thair armyt men behynd I se, 460
“And thair baneris, swa that thai thar
“Bot turne thame as thai standand war,
“And be arayit for the ficht,
“Gif ony pressis thame with mycht.
“Thai haf seyne our enbuschement, 465
“And agane to thar strinth ar went.
“Yhone folk ar governyt wittely;
“And he that ledis thame war worthy
“For a-vis, worschip, and wisdome,
“To governe the empyre of Rome.” 470
Thus spak that worthy knycht that day;
And the enbuschement, fra that thai
Saw that thai swa discoverit war,
Toward thar host agane thai far.
And the battell of Inglis men, 475
Quhen thai saw thai had falit then
Of thar purpos, to thair herbery
Thai went, and lugit thame in hy.
On othir half richt swa did thai,
Thai maid no mar debat that day. 480
[Sidenote: AUG., 1327] _The Scots shift to a New Position_]
Qwhen thai that day ourdrivyn had,
Fyres in gret foysoune thai maid,
Als soyne as the nycht fallen was.
Than the gud lord of Dowglas,
That spyit had a plas thar-by, 485
Twa myle fra thine, quhar mar trastly
The Scottis host mycht herbery ta,
And defend thame bettir alsua
Than ellis in ony place thar-by;
It wes a park, that halely 490
Wes enveronyt about with wall;
It wes neir full of treis all,
Bot a gret plain in-till it was;
Thiddir thoucht the lord Dowglas
Be nychtyrtale thair host to bryng. 495
Tharfor, forouten mair duelling,
Thai bet thair fyres and maid thame mair,
And syne all sammyn furth thai fair,
And till the park, without tynsele,
Thai come, and herbryit thaim richt wele 500
Upon the wattir, and als neir
Till it as thai be forrouth weir.
And on the morn, quhen it wes day,
The Inglis host myssit away
The Scottis men, and had ferly, 505
And gert discurriouris hastely
Prek to se quhar thai war away.
And, by thair fyres, persavit thai
That thai in the park of Wardale
Had gert herbery thar host all hail. 510
[502: _that_ inserted by S for metre. C _forrouth_ (S). _Cf._ 515.]
[Sidenote: AUG., 1327] _A Night Attack on the English_]
Tharfor thair host but mair abaid
Buskit, and evin anent thaim raid,
And on othir half the watter of Wer
Gert stent thair palyheownys, als neir
As that befor stentit war thai. 515
Aucht dayis on bath halffis swa thai lay,
That Inglis men durst nocht assale
The Scottys men with playne battale,
For strinth of erd that thai had ther.
Thar wes ilk day justyng of wer, 520
And scrymmyng maid full apertly,
And men tane on ather party.
And thai that tane war on a day
On ane othir changit war thai.
Bot othir dedis nane war done, 525
That gretly is apone till mone;
Quhill it fell, on the nynt day,
The lord Dowglas had spyit a way,
How that he mycht about thame ryd,
And cum apon the ferrest syd. 530
And at evyn him purvayit he,
And tuk with him a gude menyhe,
Fyve hundreth on hors, wicht and hardy;
And in the nycht, all prevely,
For-out noyis so fer he raid, 535
Quhill that he neir enveremyt had
Thar host, and on the ferrer syd
Toward thame slely can he ryd,
And half the men that with hym war
He gert in hand have suerdis bar; 540
And bad thaim hew rapys in twa,
That thai the pailyhownys mycht ma
To fall on thaim that in thaim war.
Than suld the laiff, that forouth ar,
Stab doune with speres sturdely. 545
And, quhen thai herd his horne, in hy
To the wattir hald doun the way.
Quhen this wes said that I here say,
Toward thair fais fast thai raid,
That on that syd no wachis had. 550
And as thai neir war approchand,
Ane Inglis man, that lay bekand
Hym by a fyre, said to his feir,
“I wat nocht quhat may tyd us heir,
“Bot a richt gret growyng me tais; 555
“I dred me sair for the blak Dowglas.”
And he, that herd him, said, ‘Perfay,
‘Thou sall haf caus, gif that I may!’
[527: E _sevynd_. H _nynth_.]
[533: C _wes richt hardy_ (S). H as E.]
[544: E _folowit thar_.]
With that, with all his cumpany,
He ruschit on thame hardely, 560
And prowd palyheownys doune he bare,
And with speris that scharply schar
Thai stekit men dispituisly.
The noyis weill soyn rais, and the cry;
Thai stabbit, stekit, and thai slew; 565
And mony palyheownys doun thai drew.
A felloun slauchtir maid thai thair,
That thai, that liand nakit war,
Hed na power defens to ma;
And thai but pite can thame sla. 570
Thai gert thame wit that gret foly
Wes, neir thair fayis for to ly,
Bot gif thai trastly wachit war.
The Scottis men war slaand thar
Thair fayis on this wis, quhill the cry 575
Rais throu the gret host comonly,
That lord and othir war on steir.
And quhen the Dowglas wist thai weir
Armand thame all comonly,
He blew his horne for till rely 580
His men, and bad thame hald thar way
Toward the wattir, and swa did thai;
And he abaid henmast, to se
That nane of his suld lefit be.
And, as he swa abaid hufand, 585
Swa come ane with a club in hand,
And swa gret rowtis till him raucht,
That, had nocht beyn his mekill maucht
And his richt soverane gret manhede,
In-till that plas he had beyne ded. 590
Bot he, that na tyme was affrayit,
Thouch he weill oft wes herd assayit,
Thou mekill strynth and gret manheid,
Has brocht the tothir on-to ded,
His men, that to the wattir doune 595
War rydyn in-till a randoune,
Myssit thar lord quhen thai com thar.
Than war thai dredand for him sar;
Ilkane at othir sperit tithing,
Bot yheit of hym thai herd no thing. 600
Than can thai consale sammyn ta,
That thai to sek hym up wald ga.
And, as thai war in sic affray,
A tutlyng of his horne herd thai.
And thai, that has it knawin swith, 605
War of his cummyng woundir blith,
And sperit at him of his abaid;
And he tald how a carll him maid
With his club richt ane felloune pay,
That met him stoutly in the way, 610
That, had nocht ure helpit the mair
He had beyn in great perell thair.
Thusgatis spekand thai held thar way,
Quhill till thar host cummyn ar thai,
That on fut, armyt, thame abaid, 615
For till help, gif thai myster had.
And, als soyne as the lord Dowglas
Met with the Erll of Murreff was,
The Erll sperit at hym tithing
How he had farn in his outyng. 620
“Schir,” said he, “we haf drawyn blude.”
The Erll, that wes of mekill mude,