Here Henry Percy flies to England.
1307 The Englishmen are Afraid
The Kyng thus sychand maid his mayn,
And the lady hir leif has tane, 176
And went hyr hame to her wonnyng.
And feill sis confort scho the Kyng
Bath with silver and with met,
As scho in-to the land mycht get. 180
And he oft ryot to the land,[†]
And maid all his that evir he fand;
And syne he drew him to the hicht,
To stynt bettir his fayis mycht. 184
In all that tym wes the Persy,
With a full sympill cumpany,
In Turnberyis castell lyand;
For the King Robert sua dredand, 188
That he durst nocht ysche out to fair,
Fra thine to the castell of Air,
That than wes full of Inglismen;
[Bot lay lurkand] as in a den, 192
To the men of Northumberland
Suld cum armyt, and with strang hand,
Till convoy him till his cuntre.
For his saynd till thame send he: 196
And thai in hy assemblyt then,
Passand, I trow, a thousand men,
And askit avisment thame emang.
Quhethir at thai suld duell or gang. 200
Bot thai war schonand wounder sair
So fer in Scotland for to fair.
For a knycht, [Schir Gawter the Lile],
Said it wes all to gret perell[†] 204
So neir the [schavalduris] to ga.
His spek discomfort thame all sua,
That thai had left all that viage,
Na war a knycht of gret corage, 208
That Schir Roger of Sanct Johne hicht,
That thame confort with all his mycht;
And sic wordis can till thame say,
That thai all sammyn held thair way 212
To Turnbery; quhar the Persy
Lap on, and went with thaim in hy
In-to Ingland his castell till,
Without distrowbilling or ill. 216
Now in Ingland is the Persy,
Quhar he, I trow, a quhill sall ly,
Or that he schap hym for to fair
To warray Carrik ony mar.[†] 220
For he wist that he had no richt;
And als he dred the Kyngis mycht,
That in Carrik wes travalland,
Quhar the mast strynth wes of the land. 224
Quhar James of Douglas, on a day,
Com to the Kyng, and can him say;
“Schir, with yhour leiff, I wald ga se
“How that thai do in my cuntre; 228
“And how my men demanit are.
“For it anoyis me wounder sare,
“That [the Clyffurd] sa pesabilly
“Brukis and haldis the senyhory, 232
“That suld be myn with alkyn rycht.
“Bot quhill I liff, and may haf mycht
“To lede a yheman or a swane,
“He sall nocht bruk it but bargane.” 236
The Kyng said; ‘Certis I can nocht se
‘How that thou yheit may sekir be
‘In-to that cuntre for to fair.
‘Quhar Inglis men sa mychty are; 240
‘And thou wat nocht quha is thi frend.’
He said, “Schir, neidwais I will wend,
“And tak aventur that God will giff,
“Quhethir sa it be till de or liff.” 244
The King said, ‘Sen that it is sua,
‘That thou sic yharnyng has to ga,
‘Thou sall pas furth with my blessing.
‘And gif the hapnys ony thing 248
‘That anoyus or scathfull be,
‘I pray the, speid the soyne to me;
‘Tak we sammyn quhat-evir may fall.’
“I grant,” he said; and thar-with-all 252
He lowtit, and his leyf has tane,
And is towart his cuntre gane.