NOTES ON THE THIRD BOOK.
And fra the tyme that he of presoune four,
Gude souir weide dayly on him he wour:
Gude lycht harness, fra that tyme, wsyt he euir.—V. 83.
Instead of And fra the tyme, read, Ay fra the tyme, as in MS.
It is remarkable that in all the copies, without exception, as far as I know, it is somer or summer weid, or weed. Of what use could this have been to Wallace, when in “sodeyn stryff?” The term is the same with E. sure, i.e. secure armour, although light.
His face he kepit, for it was euir bar,—
In to his weid, and he come in a thrang.—V. 91.
I have pointed this passage according to what seems the sense. Having so many enemies, when he was accidentally “in a crowd, he muffled up his face,” that his features might not be recognised. Hamilton of Gilbertfield, although in many instances he has given an air of ridicule to this ancient poem, by the grossness of his phraseology, seems to have hit the true sense here, which is totally lost by the mode of punctuation in most of the editions. He renders it;—
His face, when he came in among strange folk,