The Bruce

by John Barbour

How the Good King Robert the Bruce followed King Edward of England South into his own Land.

OCT. 21, 1322 The Fight at Byland

The King of Ingland and his men,
That saw thair herbreouris then
Cum reboytit on that maneir 335
Anoyit gretly in hert thai wer,
And thoucht that it war gret foly
In-to the wode till tak herbery.
Tharfor [by Driburgh], in the playne,
Thai herbryit thame; and syne agane 340
Ar went [till Ingland] haym thar way.
And quhen the King Robert herd say
That thai war turnyt hame agane,
And how thair herbreouris war slane,
In hy his host assemblit he, 345
And went south [our the Scottis Se],
And till Ingland his way he tais.
Quhen his host all assemblit was,
[Auchty thowsand] he wes and ma,
And aucht battellis he maid of tha: 350
In ilk battell wes ten thousand.
Syne went he furth [on to Ingland],
And in hale rout followit sa fast
The Inglis King, quhill at the last
He com approchand [to Byland], 355
Quhar, at that tyme, thar [wes liand]
The King of Ingland with his men.
Kyng Robert, that had wittering then
That he lay thair with mekill mycht,
Tranontit swa on hym ane nycht, 360
That, be the morne that it wes day,
Cummyn in-till playn feld war thai,
Fra Biland bot ane litill space.
Bot betuix thaim and it thar was
[Ane craggy bra], strekit weill lang, 365
And up for to gang.
Othirwayis mycht thai nocht away
Till pass till Bilandis abbay,
Bot gif thai passit fer about.
And quhen the mekill Inglis rout 370
Herd at King Robert wes so neir,
The mast part of thame that thar weir
[Went to the path] and tuk the bra,
Thair thoucht thai thair defens to ma.
Thair baneris thair thai gert display 375
And thair battellis on breid aray,
And thoucht weill to defend the place.[†]
Quhen King Robert persavit has
That thai thame thoucht thair to defend,
Eftir his consell has he send, 380
And askit quhat wes best till do.
The lord Dowglas ansuerd thar-to,
And said, “Schir, I will undir-ta
“That in schort tyme I sall do swa,
“That I sall wyn yhon place planly, 385
“Or than ger all yhon cumpany
“Cum doun till yhow heir in this plane.”
The King than said till him agane,
‘Do than,’ he said, ‘and God the speid!’
Than he furth on his wayis yheid, 390
And of the host the mast party[†]
Put thame in-till his cumpany,
And held thar way toward the plas.
The gud Erll of Murreff, Thomas,
Left his battell, and in gret hy 395
Bot with thre men of his cumpany,[†]
Com till the lordis rout of Dowglas;
And, or he enterit in the plas,
Befor thame all the place tuk he;[†]
For he wald that men suld him se. 400
And quhen Schir James of Dowglas
Saw that he swagat cummyn was,
He prisit him thar-of gretly,
And welcummyt hym full humylly,[†]
And syne the place can sammyn ta. 405
Quhen Inglis men saw thaim do swa,
Thai lichtit and agane thame yheid.
Twa knychtis, that douchty war of deid,
[Thomas Ouchtre] ane hat to name,[†]
The tothir Schir Rauf of Cobhame,[†] 410
Com doune befor all thair menyhe.
Thai war bath of full gret bounte,
And met thair fais richt manly;
Bot thai war pressit gretumly.
Thair mycht men se men weill assale, 415
And men defend with stout battale,
And arrowes fle in gret foysoune,
And thai that owth war tummyl doune
[Stanis apon thame] fra the hicht.
Bot thai that set bath will and mycht 420
To wyn the peth, thame pressit swa,
That Schir Raulf of Cobhame can ta
The way richt till his host in hy,
And left Schir Thomas manfully
Defendand with gret mycht the plas, 425
Quhill that he swa supprisit was,
That [he wes tane] throu herd fechting.
And tharfor syne, quhill his ending,
He wes renownyt for best of hand
Of a knycht wes in all Ingland. 430
For this ilk Schyr Raulf of Cobhame,
In all Ingland he had the name
For the best knycht of all the land;
And for Schir Thomas duelt fechtand
Quhar Schir Raulf, as befor saide we, 435
With-drew him, prisit our hym wes he.

The discomfiting of Englishmen
At Bylands Path into the glen.

Thus war thai fechtande in the plas;
And quhen the King Robert, that was
Wis in his deid and averty,[†]
Saw his men ay swa douchtely 440
The peth apon thair fayis ta;
And saw his fais defend thame swa,
Than gert he [all the Erischry]
That war in-till his cumpany,
Of Argyle and the Ilis alsua, 445
Spede tham in hy on-to the bra:
He bad thame leiff the peth haly
And clym up in the craggis by,
And speid thame fast the hicht to ta.
And thai in gret hy has done swa,[†] 450
And clymb allgait up to the hycht,[†][†]
And leve nocht for thair fayis mycht.[†]
Magre thair fayis, thai bar thaim swa,
That thai ar gottyn[ aboun the bra].
Than mycht men se thame ficht felly, 455
And rusche thair fais sturdely.
And thai that till the pass war gane,
Magre thair fais, [the hycht has tane].
Than layd thai on with all thar mycht:
Thair mycht men se men felly ficht. 460
Ther wes ane perelus bargane:
For a knycht, hat Schir [Johne Bretane],
That lichtit wes abovyn the bra,
With his men gret defens can ma.
And Scottis men sa can assaill, 465
That gaf thame so felloune battale,
That thai war set in sic affray
That thai, that fle mycht, fled away.
Schir Johne of Bretane [thar wes tane],
And richt feill of his folk war slane. 470
Of Frans thar tane wes knychtis twa;
The [lord of Souly] wes ane of tha,
The tothir wes the marschall Bretane,
That wes a weill gret lord at hame.
The laiff sum deid and sum war tane, 475
The remanand thai fled ilkane.

OCT. 21, 1322 The King of England flies

And quhen the King of Ingland,
That [yheit at Biland] wes liand,
Saw his men discumfyt planly,
He tuk his way [in full gret hy], 480
And southwardis fled with all his mycht.
The Scottis men chast hym herd, I hycht,
And in the chas has mony tane.
The king quytly away is gane,
And the mast part of his menyhe. 485
Walter Stewart, that gret bounte
Set ay on hye chevelry,
With fyve hundreth in cumpany,
[Till Yorkis yhettis] chas can ma,
And thair sum of thair men can sla, 490
And abaid thair quhill neir the nycht,
To se gif ony wald ysche to ficht.
And quhen he saw [nane wald cum out],
He turnyt agane with all his rout,
And till the host is went in hy, 495
That than tane had thair herbery
In-till the abbay of Biland
And [Riveus] that wes by neir hand.[†]
Thai delt emang thame that war ther
[The King of Inglandis ger], 500
That he had levit in-to Biland;
All gert thai lepe out our thar hand,
And maid thame all glaid and ek mery.
And quhen the King had tane herbery,
That broucht till him the presoneris 505
All unarmyt, as it efferis;
And quhen he saw Johne of Bretane
He had at hym richt gret disdeyne;
For he wount wes to spek hely
At hayme, and our dispitfully; 510
And bad haf him away in hy,
And luk he kepit war stratly,
And said, “War it nocht that he war
“Sic a catiff, he sulde by sair
“His wourdis that war sa angry;” 515
And mekly he hym cryit mercy.
Thai led him furth, forouten mair,
And kepit hym weill ay quhill thai war
Cummyn hame to their awne cuntre.
[Lang eftir] syne ransonyt wes he 520
For tuenty thousand pund to pay,
As I haf herd mony men say.

OCT., 1322 The Scots return with much Plunder

Qwhen that the King this spek had maid,
The Franche knychtis, that tane men had,
Wes broucht richt thar byfor the King; 525
And he maid thame fair welcummyng,
And said; “I wat richt weill that yhe,
“For yhour gret worschip and bounte
“Com for till se the fichting heir.
“For sen yhe in the cuntre war, 530
“Yhour strinth, yhour worschip, and yhour mycht
“Wald nocht thoill yhow escheve the ficht.
“And sen that caus yhow led thar-till,
“And nouthir wreth na evil will,
“As frendis yhe sall resavit be, 535
“Quhar welcum heir all tym be yhe.”[†]
Thai knelit, and thankit him gretly,[†]
And he gert tret thame curtasly;
And lang quhill with him thaim had he,
And did thaim honour and bounte. 540
And quhen thai yharnyt to thair land,
To the King of Fraunce in presand
He sent thaim quit, [but ransoun fre],
And gret gyftis to thaim gaff he.
His frendis thusgat curtasly 545
He couth ressave, and hamely,
And his fais stoutly to-stonay.
At Biland all that nycht he lay.
For thair victor all blith thai war.
And on the morn, forouten mair, 550
Thai haff furthwarde tane thair way.
So fer at that tyme travalit thai,
[Byrnand, slayand, and distroyand],
Thair fayis with thair mycht noyand,
Quhill [to the Wald] cummyn war thai. 555
Syne northwarde tuk thai hame thar way;
And distroyit, in thair repair,
[The vale haly of Beauvare].
And syne with presoners and catele,
Riches, and mony fair jowele, 560
[Till Scotland] tuk thai hame thar way,
Blith and glad, joyfull and gay.
And ilk-man went to thair repair,
And lovit God thame fell so fair,
That thai the King of Ingland, 565
Throu worschip and throu strinth of hand,
And throu thair lordis gret bounte,
Discumfit in his awne cuntre.