The Bruce
Suld weddit be; and Erll Thomas,
And the gud lord als of Douglas, 70
In-till his stede ordanit he
Devysouris of that fest till be;
For ane male-es tuk hym so sare,
That he on na wis mycht be thar.
His mail-eis of ane fundyng 75
Begouth; for, throu his cald lying,
Quhen in his gret myschef wes he,
Him fell that herd perplexite.
At Cardros all that tym he lay;
And quhen neir cummyne wes the day 80
That ordanit for the wedding wes,
The Erll and the lord Dowglas
To Berwik come with mekill fair,
And broucht yhoung Davy with thame thair.
And the Queyne and Mortymer, 85
On othir party cummyn wer
With gret affeir and rialte,
The yhoung lady, of gret bewte,
Thidder thai broucht with rich affeir.
The wedding have thai maid richt ther 90
With gret fest and solempnite,
Thair mycht men myrth and gladschip se:
For full gret fest thai maid richt thar,
And Inglis men and Scottis war
To-gidder in joy and in solas: 95
Na felloune spek betuix thame was.
[Sidenote: JULY 12, 1328] _The Marriage of Prince David_]
The fest a weill lang tyme held thai;
And quhen thai buskit till fair away,
The queyn hes left hir douchter thar
With gret riches and ryall far. 100
I trow that lang quhill no lady
To hous wes gevin so richly.
The Erll and the Lord Dowglas,
Hir in dante resavit has,
As it wes worthy, sekyrly; 105
For scho wes syne the best lady
And the farest, that men mycht se.
Eftir this gret solempnite,
Quhen on bath halfis levis wes tane,
The queyne till Ingland hame is gane, 110
And had with hir the Mortymer.
The Erll and thai that levit wer,
Quhen thai a quhile hir convoyit had,
Toward Berwik agane thai raid,
And syne, with all thar cumpany, 115
Toward the King thai went in hy,
And had with thame the yhoung Davy,
And als dame Johane the yhoung lady.
The Kyng maid thame fair welcummyng,
And eftir, but lang delaying, 120
He has gert set ane parliament,
And thiddir with mony men is went.
For he thoucht he wald, in his liff,
Croune his yhoung sone and his wif
At that parliament, and swa did he; 125
With gret fair and solempnite,
The kyng Davy wes crownyt thar,
And all the lordis at thar war, *127
*And als of the comminite,
*Maid hym manrent and fewte.
And forouth that thai crownit war, *130
The King Robert gert ordane thar,
Gif it fell that his sone Davy
Deit, but air male of his body 130
Gottyn, Robert Stewart suld be
Kyng, and bruk all the rialte
That his douchter bar, Marjory.
And at this tailyhe suld lelely
Be haldin, all the lordis swar, 135
And it with selys affermyt thar.
And gif it hapnyt Robert the Kyng
To pass till God, quhill thai war yhyng,
The gud Erle of Murref, Thomas,
With the lord alsua of Dowglas, 140
Suld have thame in-to governyng,
Quhill thai had wit to steir thar thing;
And than the lordschip suld thai ta.
Heir-till thar athis can thai ma.
And all the lordis that wes thar 145
To thir twa wardanys athes swar
Till obeis thame in-to lawte,
Gif thame hapnyt wardanys to be.
[*127-*130: Found in C, E, H, but omitted by Pinkerton.]
[131: C _Robert Stiward_ (S).]
[134: C _tale_ (S). H _tailyie_.]
[Sidenote: MAY-JUNE, 1329] _The Mission of the King’s Heart_]
Quhen all this thing thus tretit wes,
And affermyt with sekirnes, 150
The king till Cardross went in hy;
And thar hym tuk sa felonly
The seknes, and him travalyt swa,
That he wist him behufit ma
Of all this liff the commoune end, 155
That is the ded, quhen God will send.
Tharfor his lettres soyne send he
For the lordis of his cuntre,
And thai com as he biddyn had.
His testament than has he maid, 160
Befor bath lordis and prelatis;
And till religioune of seir statis,
For heill of his saull, gaf he
Silvir in-to gret quantite.
He ordanit for his saull richt weill. 165
And quhen at this wes done ilk deill,
“Lordingis,” he said, “swa is it gane
“With me, that thar is nocht bot ane
“That is, the ded, withouten dreid,
“That ilk man mon thole on neid. 170
“And I thank God that has me sent
“Spas in this liff me till repent.
“For throu me and my warraying
“Of blud thar has beyne gret spilling,
“Quhar mony sakles men wes slayne; 175
“Tharfor this seknes and this payne
“I tak in thank for my trespas.
“And my hert fyschit fermly was,
“Quhen I wes in prosperite,
“Of my synnys till savit be 180
“To travell apon Goddis fayis.
“And sen he now me till hym tais,
“That the body may on na wis
“Fulfill that the hert can devis,
“I wald the hert war thiddir sent, 185
“Quhar-in consavit wes that entent.
“Tharfor I pray yhow evir-ilkane,
“That yhe emang yhow cheis me ane
“That be honest, wis, and wicht,
“And of his hand ane nobill knycht, 190
“On Goddis fayis myne hert to bere
“Quhen saull and cors disseverit er.
“For I wald it war worthely
“Broucht thar, sen God will nocht that I
“Have power thiddirward till ga.” 195
Than war thair hertis all so wa,
That nayne mycht hald hym fra greting.
He bad thame leiff thair sorowyng;
For it, he said, mycht nocht releif,
And mycht thaimself gretly engreif. 200
And prayit thame in hy till do
The thyng that thai war chargit to.
Than went thai furth with drery mude.
And emang thame thai thoucht it gude
That the worthy lord Dowglas 205
Quham in bath wit and worschip was *206
*Suld tak this travaill apon hand;
*Heir-till thai war an accordand.
*Syne till the Kyng that went in hy
*And tald hym at thai thoucht trewly,
That the douchty lord Dowglas *211
Best schapen for that travell was.
And quhen the King hard at thai swa
Had ordanit hym his hert till ta,
That he mast yharnit suld it haf,
He said, “Sa God him-self me saff! 210
“I hald me richt weill payit that yhe
“Has chosyn hym; for his bounte,
“And his worschip set my yharnyng,
“Ay sen I thoucht till do this thyng,
“That he it with hym thar suld ber. 215
“And sen yhe all assentit er,
“It is the mar likand till me.
“Lat se now quhat thar-till sayis he.”
And quhen the gud lord of Dowglas
Wist at the Kyng thus spokyn has, 220
He com and knelit to the Kyng,
And on this wis maid him thanking.
‘I thank yhow gretly, lorde,’ said he,
‘Of mony large and gret bounte,
‘That yhe haf done till me feill sis 225
‘Sen fyrst I come to yhour servis.
‘Bot our all thing I mak thanking,
‘That yhe so digne and worthy thing
‘As yhour hert, that illumynyt wes
‘Of all bounte and worthynes, 230
‘Will that I in my yheemsell tak.
‘For yhow, Schir, will I blithly mak
‘This travell, gif God will me gif
‘Laser and space so lange till liff.’
The Kyng him thankit tendirly. 235
Than wes nane in that cumpany
That thai ne wepit for pite;
Thair cher anoyus wes to se.
[*206-*211: E omits, apparently on account of double termination
_Douglas_. In C H.]
Death of Robert Bruce, King of Scotland.
[Sidenote: JUNE, 1329] _The Sorrow for the King’s Death_]
Quhen the Lord Dowglas, on this wis,
Had undirtane so hye empris, 240
As the gud Kyngis hert till ber
On Goddis fayis apon wer,
Prisit for his enpris wes he.
And the Kingis infermite
Woxe mair and mair, quhill at the last 245
The dulfull dede approchit fast.
And quhen he had gert till hym do
All that gud Cristin man fell to,
With werray repentans he gaf
The gast, that God till hevin couth haf, 250
Emang his chosyn folk till be
In joy, solace, and angell gle.
And fra his folk wist he wes ded,
The sorow rais fra sted to sted.
Thair mycht men se men rif thar hare, 255
And cumly knychtis gret full sar,
And thar nevis oft sammyn driff,
And as wode men thair clathes rif,
Regratand his worthy bounte,
His wit, strynth, and his honeste; 260
And, our all, the gret cumpany
That he oft maid thame curtesly.
“All our defens,” thai said, “allas!
“And he that all our confort was,
“Our wit, and all our governyng, 265
“Is brought, allas! heir till ending.
“His worschip and his mekill mycht
“Maid all that war with him so wicht,
“That thai mycht nevir abaysit be,
“Quhill forouth thame thai mycht him se. 270
“Allas! quhat sall we do or say?
“For in liff quhill he lestit ay,
“With all our fais dred war we:
“And in-till mony fer cuntre
“Of our worschip ran the renoune: 275
“And that wes all for his persoune.”
With sic wordis thai maid thair mayne;
And sekirly wonder wes nane:
For better governour than he
Mycht in na cuntre fundyn be. 280
I hop that nane that is on lif
The lamentacioune suld discrif
That thai folk for thair lord maid.
And quhen thai lang thus sorowit had,
And he debowalit wes clenly, [293] 285
And bawlmyt eyne full richly,
And the worthy lord Dowglas [295]
His hert, as it forspokyn was,
Has resavit in gret dantee,
With gret fair and solempnite [298] 290
Thai have him had till Dunfermlyne, [285]
And hym solempnly erdit syne,
And in a fair towne in the queyr.
Bischoppes and prelatis that thar weir
Assolyheit hym, quhen the servis 295
Wes done as thai couth best devis; [290]
And syne, apon the toder day,
Sary and wa ar went thar way. [292]
[273: E _our nychtbowris_. H _faes_.]
[285-298: The arrangement here is from C H. E sets differently and
illogically. The numbers in brackets follow Pinkerton.]
[Sidenote: JULY-AUG., 1330] _Douglas reaches Spain_]
Quhen at the gud King beriit was,
The Erll of Murreff, Schir Thomas, 300
Tuk all the lande in governyng;
All obeysit till his bidding.
And the gud lord of Dowglas syne
Gert mak ane cas of silvir fyne
Anamalyt throu subtilite: 305
Thar-in the Kyngis hert did he,
And ay about his hals it bare,
And fast him bownyt for his fare.
His testament devisit he,
And ordanit how his land suld be 310
Governit, quhill his agane-cummyng,
Of frendis; and all othir thing,
That till him partenit ony wis,
With sa gude forsicht and sa wis,
Or his furth-passyng, ordanit he, 315
That na thing mycht amendit be.
And quhen that he his leif has tane,
To schip till Berwik is he gane;
And with ane nobill cumpany
Of knychtis and of squyary, 320
He put him thar in-to the se.
A lang way furthwarde salyt he;
Betuyx Cornwale and Bretanyhe