The Bruce

by John Barbour

The Battle betwixt the Lord Douglas and the Lord Nevill of England.

FEB. 14, 1316 Douglas attacks the Forayers

Qwhen the King on this maner 315
Dantit the Iles, as I tell her,
The gud Schir James of Dowglas
In-till [the Forest] duelland was,
Defendand worthely the land.
That tyme in Berwik wes wonnand 320
[Edmound de Cailow, a Gascoune],[†]
That wes a knycht of gret renoune;
And in-till Gascone, his cuntre,
Lord of gret senyheroy wes he.
[He had than Berwik in keping], 325
And maid ane preve gaddering,
And gat him
Of wicht men armit jolely.
And [the nethir end of Tevydaill]
He prayit doune till him all haill, 330
And of the Mers ane gret party;
Syne toward Berwik went in hy.
[Schir Adam of Gordoune], that than
Wes becummyne a Scottis man,
Saw thame swa [drif away thar fe], 335
And wend thai had beyn quheyn, for he
[Saw bot the fleand scaill, perfay],[†] *337
*And thame that sesyt on the pray.
*Than till Schir James of Douglas
In-to gret hye the way he tais; *340
*And tald how Inglis men thair pray
*Had tane; and syne went thar way
*Toward Berwik with all thar fee,
*And said they quheyn war; and gif he
Wald speid him, he suld weill lichtly
Wyn thame, and reskew all the ky.[†]
Schir James richt soyne gaf his assent *345
*Till follow thame, and furth is went,
*Bot with the men that he had thair,[†]
*And met hym by the gat but mair.
*Thai followit thame in full gret hy,
And com weill neir thame hastely; *350
*For, or thay mycht thame fully se,
*Thai come weill neir with thair menyhe.
*And than bath the forreouris and the scaill
*In-till knyt all haill,
*And wes a richt fair cumpany.
Befor thame gert thai driff the ky *356
With knavis and swanys, that na mycht
Had for till stand in feild to ficht. 340
The laiff behynd thame [maid a staill].[†]
The Dowglass saw thair purpos haill,
And saw thame of sa gud covyne,
And at thai war sa mony syne,
That thai for ane of his war twa. 345
“Lordingis,” he said, “sen it is swa
“That we haff chassit on sic maner,
“That we now cummyn ar so ner
“That we may nocht eschewe the ficht
“Bot gif we fowly tak the flicht, 350
“Lat ilk man [on his luf] than meyne,[†]
“And how he mony tyme has beyne
“In grat thrang, and come weill away.
“Think we till do richt swa this day;
“And tak we of this furde heir-by 355
“Our avantage, for in gret hy
“Thai sall come on us for to ficht.
“Set we than will, and strynth, and mycht
“For till meyt thame richt hardely.”
And, with that word, full hastely, 360
He hes displayit his baner;
For his fayis war cumand neir,
That, quhen thai saw he wes so quhoyne,
Thai thoucht with thame soyne till haf done,
And assemblit full hardely. 365
Thar men mycht se men fecht felly,[†]
And richt ane cruell melle mak,
And mony strakis giff and tak.

1316 Neville is jealous of Douglas

The Douglass thair weill hard wes stad,
Bot the gret hardyment that he had 370
Comfort his men apon sic wis,[†]
That no man thoucht on cowardis;
Bot faucht so fast with all thar mayne,
That thai feill of thair fayis has slayne.
And thouch [thai wer] be fer full ma 375
Than thai, yheit ure demanyt thaim swa,
That Edmound de Cailow [wes ded][†]
Richt in that ilk fechting-sted.
And all the lave, fra he wes done,
War planly thair discumfit sone; 380
And thai that chassit [sum has slayne],
And turnyt the prayis haill agane.
The hardest fechting forsuth this wes
That evir the gud lord of Dowglas
Wes in, as of sa few menyhe. 385
For, had nocht beyne his gret bounte
That slew thair chiftane in the ficht,
His men till ded had all beyne dicht.
He had in-till custum all-way,
Quhen evir he com till hard assay, 390
To press hym the chiftane to sla;
And [hap him fell] that he did swa,
[That] gert him victor have feill sis.
Quhen Schir Edmound apon this wis
Wes ded, the gud lord of Douglas 395
Till the Forest his way he tais.
His fayis gretly can hym dreid;
The word weill fer sprang of this deid,
Swa that in Ingland neir thar-by
Men spak of it weill comonly. 400
Schir Robert de Nevell in that tyde
Wonnyt at Berwyk, neir besyde
The marchis, quhar the lord Dowglas
In the Forest reparande was,
And had at him [full gret invy], 405
For he him saw so manfully
Mak his boundis ay mar and mar.
He herd the folk that with him war
Spek of the lorde Dowglasis mycht,
And how forsy he wes in fycht, 410
And how hym oft fell fayr fortoune.
He wrethit him thar-at all soyne,
And said, “Quhat weyn yhe, is thar nane
“That evir is worth bot hym alane?
“Yhe set hym as he war but peir: 415
“But I avow, befor yhow heir,
“Gif evir he cum in-till this land,
“He sall fynd me neir at his hand.
“And giff I evir his baneir
“May see displayit apon wer, 420
“I sall assembill on hym but dout,
“All thouch yhe hald him nevir sa stout.”

Of this avow soyne bodword was
Brocht till Schir James of Douglas,
That said, “Giff he will hald his hicht, 425
“I sall do swa he sall haf sicht
“Of me and of my cumpany,
“Yheit or oucht lang, weill neir hym by.”
His reten new than gaderit he,
That war gud men of gret bounte, 430
And to the marchis in gud aray
Apon ane nycht he tuk the way;
Swa that, in the mornyng airly,
He wes, with all his cumpany,
[Before Berwyk]; and thair he maid 435
Men to display his baner braid.
And of his menyhe sum send he
For till burne townys twa or thre,
And bad thame soyn agane thame speid;
Swa that on hand, gif thar com neyd, 440
Thai mycht be for the ficht redy.
The Nevell that wist verraly.
That Dowglas cummyn wes so neir,
And saw all braid stand his baneir,
Than with the folk that with hym wer, 445
(And he had a gret menyhe thar;
For all the gud of that cuntre
In-till that tyme with hym had he;
Swa that he with hym thar had then
Weill may then wes the Scottis men) 450
He held his way up till ane hill,
And said; “Lordyngis, it war my will
“Till mak end of the gret deray
“That Dowglass makis us ilk day.
“Bot me think it speidful that we 455
“Abyde, quhill his men scalit be
“Throu the cuntre to tak the pray:
“Than fersly schute on hym we may,
“And we sall have thame at our will.”
Thus all thai gaiff consent thar-till, 460
And on the hill abaid huvande.
The men fast gadderit of the land,
And drew till hym in full gret hy.
The Douglas than, that wes worthy,
Thoucht it wes foly mair till byde. 465
Toward the hill than can he ryde;
And quhen the Nevell saw at thai
Wald nocht pass furth to the forray,
Bot pressit till thame with thar mycht,
He wist weill than that thai wald ficht, 470
And till his menyhe can he say;
“Lordingis, now hald we furth our way.
“Heir is the flour of this cuntre,
“And ma than thai alsua ar we.
“Assemmyll we than hardely: 475
“For Douglas with yhon yhemanry,
“Sall haf [no mycht till us], perfay.”
Than in a frusche assemblit thai.
Than mycht men heir the speris brast,
And men dyng apon othir fast, 480
And blude brist out at woundis wyde.
Thai faucht fast apon athir syde;
For athir party can thame payne
Till put thair fais on-bak agane.

1316 The Fight between Douglas and Neville

The lordis of Nevell and Douglas, 485
Quhen that the fichting fellest was,
Met to-giddir richt in the pres.
Betuix thame than gret bargane wes;
Thai faucht felly with all thair maucht,
Gret rowtis athir till othir raucht. 490
Bot Douglas sterkar wes, I hicht,
And mair usit alsua to ficht,
And he set hert, and will alsua,
For till delyver him of his fa;
Quhill at the last, with mekill mayne, 495
Throu fors the Nevell has he slayne.
Than his ensenyhe he can hye cry,
And on the laiff so hardely
He ruschit, with all his menyhe,
That in-till schort tym men mycht se 500
Thair fayis tak on thame the flicht.
And thai thame chassit with all thar mycht.
[Schir Ralf the Nevell], in the chas,
And [the Baroun of Hiltoun] was
Takin, and [othyr of mekill mycht]. 505
Thar wes fele slayne in-to that fycht,[†]
That worthy in thar tyme had beyn.
And quhen the feld wes clengit cleyn,
Swa that thair fayis evirilkane
War slayn, or chassit away or tane, 510
Than gert he forray all the land,
And sessit all that evir he fand,
And brynt the townys in thar way;
Syne haill and feir haym cummyn ar thai.
The pray soyne emang his menyhe, 515
Eftir thar meritis, delit he,
And held no thing till his behuf.
Sic dedis aucht till ger men luf
Thair lorde, and swa thai did, perfay.
He tretit thame so wisly ay, 520
And with so mekill luf alsua,
And sic a countenans wald ma
Of thair deid, that the mast coward
Stoutar he maid than a libard;
With cherising thusgat maid he 525
His men wicht, and of gret bounte.

1316 The English dread of Douglas

Qwhen Nevell thus wes broucht to ground,
And of Cailow Schir Edmound,[†]
The dreid of the lorde Dowglas,
And his renoun, swa scalit was 530
Throu-out the marchis of Ingland,
That all that war thar-in duelland
Thai dred him as the devill of hell.
And yheit haf I herd oftsis tell,
That he so gretly dred wes than 535
That quhen wiffis wald thar childir ban,
Thai wald with rycht ane angry face,
Beteche thaim “to the blak Dowglas.”
*For, with thair taill, he wes mair fell
*Than wes ony devill in hell.
Throu his gret worschip and bounte,[†]
Swa with his fayis dred wes he 540
That thaim growyt till heir his name.[†]
He may at eis now duell at hame
A quhile, for I trow he sall nocht
With fais all a quhile be socht.
Now let him in the Forest be: 545
Of him no mair spek will we.
Bot of Schir Edward the worthy,
That with all his gude chevelry,
Wes at Cragfergus yheit liand,
To spek mair will we tak on hand. 550