The Bruce

by John Barbour

And quhen at thai has seyn the Kyng,
Thai war joyfull of thair metyng: 284
And askit how he eschapit was,
And he thaim tald all haill the cas;
How the five men him presit fast,
And how he throu the wattir past, 288
And how he met the thevis thre,
And how he slepand slayn suld be,
Quhen he walknyt, throu Goddis grace;
And how his fostyr-brothir was 292
Slayne, he tald thame halely.
Than lovyt thai God all comonly,
That thair lord wes eschapit swa.
Than spak thai wordis to and fra, 296
Till at the last the Kyng can say;
“Fortoun has travalit us this day,
“That scalit us sa suddandly.
“Our fayis this nycht sall trastly ly;” 300
For thai trow we so scalit ar[†] *301
*And fled [to-waverand] her and thar,
*That we sall nocht thir dayis thre
All to-giddir assemblit be *304
*Tharfor this nycht thai sall trastly.
“But wachis, tak thair eis and ly.
“Quharfor, quha knew thair herbery,
“And wald cum on thame suddanly,
“With few menyhe mycht soyn thame scath, 304
“And yhet eschape withouten vath.”
‘Perfay,’ quoth James of Douglas,
‘As I com hiddirward, per-cas
‘I com so neir thair herbery, 308
‘That I can bring yhow quhar thai ly.
‘And wald yhe speid yhow, yheit or day
‘It may sa happyn that yhe may
‘Do thame a gretar scath weill soyn 312
‘Than thai us all the day has done,
‘For thai ly scalit as thame lest.’
Than thocht thai all it wes the best
To speid thame to thaim hastely; 316
And thai did swa in full gret hy,
And com on thame in the dawyng,
Richt as the day begouth to spryng.

Here the King and his Company come hastily upon their Enemies, and slay Many.

1307 Sir Aymer praises Bruce

So fell it that a cumpany 320
Had in toune tane thair herbry,
Weill fra the host a myle or mair;
Men said that thai twa thousand war.[†]
Thar assemblit the nobill Kyng. 324
And soyn eftir thair assemblyng,
Thai, that slepand assalyheit war,
Rycht hyduisly can cry and rar;
And othir-sum, that herd the cry, 328
Ran furth rycht swa effraytly,
That sum of thame all [nakyt] war,
Fleand to-waverand heir and thair;[†]
And sum thair armys with thaim drew: 332
And thai without mercy thame slew;
And swa cruell vengeans can ta,
That the twa part of thame and ma,
War slayn rycht in that ilk sted; 336
Till thar host the remanand fled.
The host, that herd the noyis and cry,
And saw thair men sa wrechidly
Cum nakit, fleand heir and thair, 340
Sum haill, and sum woundit sair,
In-to full gret affray thai rais,
And ilk man to his baner gais:
Swa that the host wes all on steir. 344
The Kyng and thai that with hym weir,
Quhen thai on steir the host saw swa,
Toward thair warrand can thai ga,
And tharin swith cummyn ar thai. 348
And quhen Schir Amery herd say
How that the Kyng thar men had slayn,
And how thai turnit war agane,
He said, “Now may we cleirly se 352
“That nobill hert, quhar-evir it be,
“Is hard till ourcum throu mastry.
“For quhar a hert is rycht worthy
“Agane stoutnes it is ay stout; 356
“And, as I trow, thair may na dowt
“Ger it all out discumfit be,
“Quhill body liffand is and fre;[†]
“As be this melle may be seyn. 360
“We wend Robert the Bruce had beyn
“Swa discumfit that, be gud skill,
“He suld nouthir haff hert no will
“Swilk juperdy till undirta; 364
“For he wes put at undir swa
“That he wes left all hym allane,
“And all his folk war fra hym gane;
“And he wes sa fortravalit, 368
“To put of thame that hym assalit,
“That he suld haf yharnit restyng
“Mair than fechtyng or travalyng.[†]
“Bot his hert fillit is of bownte, 372
“Swa that it vencust may nocht be.”

Here Sir Aymer passes to Carlisle.

On this wis spak Schir Amery.
And quhen thai of his cumpany
Saw how thai travalit had in vane, 376
And how the Kyng thar men had slane,
That at his larges wes all free,[†]
Thame thoucht it wes a nyste
For to mak thair langer duellyng, 380
Sen thai mycht nocht anoy the Kyng;
And said that to Schir Amery,
That umbethoucht hym hastely
That he to Carleill than wald ga, 384
And a quhill thar-in sojorn ma;
And haf his spyis on the Kyng,
To knaw alwais his contenyng.
For quhen that he his poynt mycht se, 388
He thoucht that with a gret menyhe
He suld schute on hym sodanly.
Tharfor, with all his cumpany,
Till Ingland he the way has tane, 392
And ilk man till his hous is gane.
In hy till Carleill went is he.
And thar-in thynkis for to be
Till he his poynt saw of the Kyng, 396
That than with all his gaderyng
Wes in Carrik, quhar umbestount
He wald went with his men till hount.

Here the King meets three Traitors.

1307 Bruce taunts the Bowmen

Swa hapnyt it that on a day 400
He went till hunt, for till assay
Quhat gammyn wes in that cuntre.
And swa hapynt that day that he
By a wode-syde to sett is gane, 404
With his twa hundis, hym allane;
Bot he his swerd ay with hym bare.
He had bot schort quhill syttyn thare,
Quhen he saw fra the wode cumand 408
Thre men with bowis in thar hand,
That toward hym com spedely;
And he persavit that in hy,
Be thair effeir and thair havyng, 412
That thai lufit hym na kyn thyng.
He rais and his leysche till him drew he,
And leit his houndis gang all fre.
God help the Kyng now for his mycht! 416
For bot he now be wis and wicht,
He sall be set in mekill pres.
For thai thre men, withouten les,
War his fayis all utrely: 420
And had wachit so besaly,
To se quhen thai vengeans mycht tak
Of the Kyng [for Jhone Cumynys sak],
That thai thoucht than thai laser had; 424
And, sen he hym allane wes stad,
In hy thai thoucht thai suld him sla:
And gif that thai mycht chevis swa,
Fra that thai the Kyng had slayn, 428
That thai mycht wyn the wode agayn,
His men, thai thoucht, thai suld nocht dreid.
In hy towart the Kyng thai yheid,
And bend thair bowis quhen thai war neir; 432
And he, that dred in gret maneir
Thar arowis, for he nakit was,
In hy ane spekyng to thame mais,
And said; “Yhe aucht to shame, perde, 436
“Syn I am ane and yhe ar thre,
“For to schut at me on fer.
“Bot haf yhe hardyment, cum ner
“With yhour swerdis me till assay; 440
“Wyn me on sic wis gif yhe may;
“Yhe sall weill mair all prisit be.”
‘Perfay,’ quod ane than of the thre,
‘Sall no man say we drede the swa, 444
‘That we with arrowis sall the sla.’

With that thair bowis away thai kest,
And com on fast, but langar frest.
The Kyng thame met full hardely, 448
And smat the first so rigorusly,
That he fell ded doun on the greyn.
And quhen the Kyngis hounde has seyn
Thai men assale his mastir swa, 452
He lap till ane and can hym ta
Richt be the nek full felonly,
Till [top our taill] he gert hym ly.
And the Kyng, that his swerd up had, 456
Saw he so fair succour hym maid,
Or he that fallyn wes mycht rys,
He hym assalyheit on sic wis,[†]
That he the bak strak evyn in twa. 460
The thrid, that saw his fallowis swa
Forouten recoveryng, be slayne,
Tuk till the wod his way agane.
Bot the Kyng followit spedely; 464
And als the hound that wes hym by,
Quhen he the man saw gang hym fra,
Schot till hym soyn, and can him ta
Richt be the nek, and [till hym dreuch]; 468
And the Kyng, that wes neir eneuch,
In his risyng sik rowt hym gaf,
That stane-ded till the erd he draf.