The Bruce

by John Barbour

The Winning of the Town of Berwick by the Scots Men, through the Means of Sim of Spalding.

The lordis of the land wes fayne
Quhen thai wist he wes cummyn agane,
And till him went in full gret hy,
And he resavit thame richt gladly,
And maid a fest and gladsum cher. 5
And thai so wondirly blith wer
Of his come, that na toung mycht say;
Gret fest and fair till him maid thai.
Quhar-evir he raid, all the cuntre
Gaderit in daynte him to se. 10

Gret gladschip than wes in the land;
All than wes wonnyne till his hand;
Fra [Redis Swyr] till Orkynnay
Wes nocht of Scotland fra his fay,
[Outaken Berwik] it allane. 15
That tyme thar-in wonnyt ane,
[That capitane wes] of the toune.
All Scottis men in suspicioune
He held, and [tretit thame richt ill];
He had ay at thame hevy will, 20
And had thame fast at undir ay.
Quhill that it fell, apon a day,
That ,
Thoucht it wes richt ane angry thing
Ay swagat till reboytit be; 25
Tharfor in-till his hert thoucht he,
That he wald slely mak covyne
With [the marschall], quhais cosyne
He had weddit on-till his wiff;
And as he thoucht he did beliff. 30
Letteris till him he send in hy
With a trast man all prevaly;
And set hym tym to cum a nycht[†]
With ledderis and gud men and wicht,
Till [the Kow-yhet] all prevely; 35
And bad him hald his trast treuly,
And he suld meit thame at the wall;
For his wach thar that nycht suld fall.
Quhen the marschall the letteris saw,
He umbethoucht him than a thraw; 40
For he wist, be him-selvin he
Micht nocht of mycht na power be
For till escheve so gret a thing:
And gif he tuk till his helping,
[Ane or othir suld wrethit be]. 45
Tharfor richt till the King yheid he,
And schawit him betuix thai twa
The lettir and the charge alsua.
Quhen that the King herd that this trane
Wes spokin in-to sic certane, 50
That him thoucht thar-in na fantys,
He said him; “Certis, thou wroucht has wis,
“That thou discoverit first till me;
“For gif thou had discoverit thee
“Till my nevo, the Erll Thomas, 55
“Thou suld disples the lord Douglas;
“And him alsua in the contrer.
“Bot I sall wirk on sic maner,
“That thou at thine entent sall be,
“And have of nane of thame magre. 60
“Thou sall tak kep weill to thi day,
“And with thame that thou purches may
“At evin thou sall enbuschit be
“In [Duns park]; bot be preve.
“And I sall ger the Erll Thomas, 65
“And the lord alsua of Dowglas,
“[Athir with ane quheyne of men],
“Be thair till do as thou sall ken.”

APRIL, 1318 The Scots enter Berwick secretly

The marschall than but mair delay
Tuk lief, and held on furth his way; 70
And held the spek preve and still,
Quhill [the day] that wes set him till.
Than of the best of Lowdyane
He with him till his trist has tane;
For schirreff thar-off than wes he. 75
Till Duns park with his menyhe
He come at evyn all prevely.
And syne, with a gude cumpany,
Soyne eftir come the Erll Thomas,
That wes met with the lord Douglas. 80
A richt fair cumpany thai war,
Quhen thai war met to-giddir thar.
And quhen the marschall the covyne
Till bath the lordis, lyne be lyne,
Had tald, thai went on furth thar way; 85
Fer fra the toune thar hors left thai.
Till mak it schort, swa thai wroucht than
That, but seying of ony man,
Outane Sym of Spaldyne allane,
That gert the deid be undirtane, 90
Thai set thair ledderis to the wall,
And, but persaving, com up all;
And held thame in ane nuke preve,
Quhill at [the nycht] suld passit be.
And ordanit that the mast party 95
Of thair men suld gang sarraly
With thar lordis, and [hald a staill],
And the remanand suld all haill
Scaill throu the toun, and tak and sla
The men that thai mycht our-ta. 100

APRIL, 1318 The Bravery of Sir William Keith

Bot soyn thar ordinans brak thai;
For, als soyn as it dawit day,
The twa part of thair men and ma,
All scalit, throu the toun to-ga;
Sa gredy war thai [till the gude], 105
That thai ran richt as thai war woude,
And sesit housis and slew men.
And thai that saw thair fais then
Cum apon thame suddanly,
Throu-out the toun thai rasit the cry, 110
And schot to-gidder heir and thair:
And ay, as thai assemblit war,
Thai wald abyde and mak debat.
Had thai beyn warnyt, weill I wat,
Thai suld haf sald thair dedis der; 115
For thai war gud men, and thai wer
Fer ma than thai war at thame soucht;
Bot thai war scalit sa at thai moucht
On na maner assemblit be.
Thar wes gret melleis twa or thre; 120
Bot Scottis men so weill thame bar
That thair fais ay ruschit war;
And cumrayit at the last war swa
That thai haly the bak can ta.
Sum [gat the castell], bot nocht all; 125
And sum ar slyddin our the wall,
And sum war in-to handis tane,
And sum war [in the bargane slane].
On this wis thame contenit thai,
Quhill it wes neir noyne of the day; 130
Than thai that in the castell war,
And othir that fled to thame thar,
That war a richt gret cumpany,
Quhan thai [the baner] saw sympilly
Swa standand, stuffit with sa quhoyn, 135
Thar yhettis haf thai opnyt soyn,
And yschit on thame hardely.
Than Erll Thomas, that wes worthy
And als the gude lord of Douglas,
With the few folk that with thame was, 140
Met thame stoutly with wapnys seir;
Thar men mycht se, that had beyn neir,
Men abaundoune thame hardely.
The Inglis men faucht cruelly,
And with all mychtis can thame payne 145
Till rusche the Scottis men agane.
I trow thai had swa done, perfay,
For thai war fewar far than thai,
Gif it ne had beyn ane new maid knycht,
That till his name Schyr [Wilyhame] hicht 150
Of Keth, and of the Gawlistoune
He hecht, throu difference of sur-noune,
That bair him sa rycht weill that day,
And put him till sa hard assay,
And sic dyntis about him dang, 155
That, quhar he saw the thikast thrang,
He prikit with sa mekill mycht,
And sua enforsaly can ficht,
That he maid till his menyhe way:
And thai that neir war by him ay 160
Dang on thair fayis sa hardely,
That thai haf tane the bak haly
And till the castell held thair way.
And at gret myscheiff enterit thai,
For thai war pressit thair so fast, 165
That thai feill lesit of the last;
Bot thai that enterit, nocht-for-thi,
Sparit thair yhettis hastely;
And in hy to the wallis ran,
For thai war nocht all sekir than. 170

The toune wes takyn on this wis
Throu gret worschip and hye empris;[†]
And all the gud that thai thar fand
Wes sesit smertly in-till hand.
Vittaill thai fand in gret fusionne, 175
And [all that fell till stuff of toune];
That kepit that fra distroying,
And syne has word send to the King.
And he wes of that tithing blith,
And sped him thiddirward full swith. 180
And as he throu the cuntre raid
Men gaderit till him, quhill he had
A mekill rout of worthy men.
And the folk that war wonand then
In-till [the Mers and Tevidaill], 185
And in the Forest als all haill,
And the est end of Lowdiane,
Befor that the King com, ar gane
To Berwik with a stalward hand,
That nane that wes that tyme wonand 190
On yhond half Tweid durst weill apeir.
And thai that in the castell weir,
Quhen thai thair fais in sic plente
Saw forrouth thame assemblit be,
And had na hope of reskewyng, 195
Thai war abasit in gret thing.
Bot thai the castell, nocht-for-thi,
Held thai fiff dayis sturdely,
Syne yhald it [on the sext day],
And [till thair cuntre syne went thai]. 200

Here Walter Stewart took of the King
Both town and castle in keeping.

Thus wes the castell and the toune
Till Scottis mennys possessioun[†]
Broucht: and [soyn eftir] the King
Com ridand with his gadering
Till Berwik; and in the casteill 205
He herbryit is, bath fair and weill
And all his gret lordis hym by.
The remanand all comonly
Till herbry in the toun ar gane.
The King has than till consell tane, 210
That he wald nocht brek doune the wall,
Bot castell, and the toune with-all,
Stuff weill with men and with vittaill
And alkynd othir apparaill
That mycht availl, or yheit mysteir 215
Till hald castell or toune of wer.

And Walter, Steward of Scotland,
That than wes yhoung and avenand,
And sone-in-law wes to the King,
Had sa gret will and sic yharnyng, 220
Neirhand the marchis for till be,
[At] Berwik to yhemsall tuk he;
And resavit of the Kyng the toune,
[Bath the castell and the dungeoune].

1318 Berwick prepared for Siege

The king gert men of gret nobillay 225
[Ryde in-till Ingland] for till pray,
That broucht out [gret plente of fee];
And [sum cuntreis trewit he]
For vittale, that in gret foysoune
He gert bring smertly to the toune, 230
Swa that bath toune and castell war
Weill stuffit for ane yheir and mair.
The gude Steward of Scotland then
Send for his frendis and his men,
Quhill he had with him, but archeris, 235
[But burges and botoblesteris],
Fiff hundreth men wicht and worthy,
That armys bar of ancistry.
[Johne Crab], a Flemyne, als had he,
That wes of gret subtilite, 240
Till ordane till mak aparale
For till defend and till assale
Castell of wer or than cite,
That nane slear mycht fundin be.
He gert [engynis and trammys] ma,[†] 245
And purvait [grec fyre] alsua;[†]
[Spryngaldis and schotis] on seir maneris
That till defend castell afferis,
He purvait in-till full gret wane.
Bot [gynis for crakkis] had he nane; 250
For in Scotland yheit than, but wene,
The oys of thame had nocht beyn sene
And quhen the toune apon this wis
Wes stuffit, as I heir devis,
The nobill King his way has tane 255
And ryddin toward Lowiane.
And Walter Steward, that wes stout,
He left in Berwik with his rout,
And ordanit fast for apparaill
Till defend gif men wald assaill. 260

AUG.-SEPT., 1319 Berwick beset by Land and Sea

Qwhen till the King of Ingland
Wes tald how that, with stalward hand,
Berwik wes tane, and stuffit syne
With men and vittale and armyne,
He wes anoyit gretumly; 265
And gert assembill hastely
His consale, and has tane to rede
That he his host wald thiddir leid,
And, with all mycht that he mycht get,
To the toune ane assege set, 270
And [gert dik thame] so stalwardly,[†]
That, quhill thame likit thair to ly,
Thai suld fer out the traster be.
And gif the men of the cuntre
With strynth of men wald thame assale, 275
At thair dykis in-to battale,
Thai suld avantage have gretly,
And [thouch all suth], for gret foly
War till assaill in-to fechting
At his dikis so stark a thing. 280
Quhen his consell on this maneir
Wes tane, he gert bath fer and neir
His host haly assemblit be:
A gret folk than with him had he.
[Of Lancister the Erll Thomas],[†] 285
[That syne wes sanctit], as men sais,
In-till his cumpany wes thar,
And all the erllis als that war
In Ingland worthy for to ficht,
And baronis als of mekill mycht, 290
With him to that assege had he:
And gert the schippes by the se
Bring schot and othir apparale,
With gret warnysing of vittale.
To Berwik with [all this menyhe], 295
With his bataillis arayit, come he;[†]
And till gret lordis, ilkane syndri,
[Ordanit ane felde] for thar herbry.
That men mycht se soyne palyheonis
Be stentit on syndry fassownys, 300
So feill that thai a toune maid thair
Mair than bath toune and castell war.
On othir half syne, on the se,
The schippis com in sic plente,
With vittale, armyng, and with men, 305
That [all the havyn wes stoppit] then.

And quhen thai that war in the toune
Saw thair fais in sic foysoune
By land and se cum sturdely,
Thai, as wicht men and richt worthy 310
Schupe thame for till defend thar stede,
That thai in aventur of dede
Suld put thame, or than rusche agane
Thar fais; for thair capitane
Tretit thame sa lusumly, 315
And thar-with-all the mast party
Of thame that armyt with hym wer,
War of his blude and [sib him ner],[†]
Or ellis thai war his allye.
Of sic confort men mycht thaim se, 320
And of sa richt fair contenyng,
As nane of thame had abasing.
On dayis arayit weill war thai,
And on the nycht weill wachit ay.
Weill sex dais thai swa abaid, 325
That thai na full gret bargane maid.