Here Sir James Douglas meets with Sir Alexander Stewart, Lord Bonkill.
In all this tym James of Douglas 672
In the Forest travaland was,
And it throu hardiment and slicht
Occupyit, magre all the mycht
Of his feill fayis, the-quhethir thai 676
Set him full oft in hard assay.
Bot oft throu wit and throu bounte
His purpos to gud end brocht he.
In-till that tym him fell, throu cas, 680
A nycht, as he travaland was,
And thought for till have tan restyne
In a hous on [the wattir of Lyne];
And as he com with his menyhe 684
Neirhand the hous, swa lisnyt he,
And herd thair sawis ilke deill,[†]
And be that he persavit weill
At thai war strange men at thair 688
That nycht thar-in herberyit wair.
And as he thoucht it fell, per cas;
For of Bonkill the lord thar was,
[Alysander Stewart] hat he, 692
With othir ma of gret bounte,
[Thomas Randole] of gret renown,
And [Adame alsua of Gordoun],
That com thair with gret cumpany, 696
And thoucht in the Forest to ly,
And occupy it throu thar gret mycht,
Bath with travale and stallwart ficht,
To chas Douglas of that cuntre; 700
Bot othir wayis than yheid the gle.
1308 Randolph is Taken
For quhen James had witteryng
That strange men had tane herbreyng
In the place quhar he schupe to ly, 704
He till the hous went hastely,
And umbeset it all about.
Quhen thai within herd sic a rout
About the hous, thai rais in hy, 708
And tuk thair geir rycht hastely,
And schot furth, fra thai harnast war.
Thair fayis thaim met with wapnys bar,
And assalyheit richt hardely; 712
And thai defendit douchtely
With all thair mycht, till at the last
Thar fais pressit thame so fast,
That thair folk falyheit thame ilkane. 716
Thomas Randoll thar wes tane;
And Alexander Stewarde alsua
Wes woundit in a place or twa.
Adame of Gordoun fra the ficht, 720
Quhat throu slicht and quhat throu mycht,
Eschapit, and feill of his men;
Bot thai that war arestit then,
War of thair taking woundir wa; 724
Bot nedlyngis thame behufit be swa.
Here Sir James Douglas comes to the King with Sir Alexander Stewart and Thomas Randolph.
That nycht the gud lord of Douglas
Maid to Schir Alysander, that was
[His emys son], richt gladsum cheir: 728
Sa did he als, forouten weir,
Till Thomas Randole, for that he
Wes till the King in neir degre
Of blude, for his sister him bare. 732
And on the morn, forouten mare,
Toward the nobill King he raid,
And with him bath thai twa he had.
The King of his cummyng wes blith, 736
And thankit him tharof feill sith.
And till his nevo can he say,
“Thou has a quhill renyit thi fay;
“Bot thou reconsalit now mon be.” 740
Then to the King soyn anseurd he,
And saide, ‘Yhe chasty me, bot yhe
‘Aw bettir chastyit for till be.
‘For sen that yhe warrait the King 744
‘Of Ingland in-to playn fichting
‘Yhe suld pres till derenyhe yhour richt,
‘And nocht with voidre na with slicht.’
The King said; “Yheit may fall it may 748
“Cum, or oucht lang, to sic assay.
“Bot sen thou spekis so ryaly,
“It is gret skill at men chasty
“Thi prowd wourdis till at thou knaw 752
“The richt, and bow it as thou aw.”
The King, for-out mair delaying,
Send hym to be in ferm keping,
Quhar that he all a quhill suld be, 756
Nocht all apon his awn pouste.
BOOK X
Here the King passes against John of Lorn.
1308 John of Lorn occupies a Pass
Qwhen Thomas Randol, on this wis
Wes takyn, as I heir devis,
And send to duell in gud keping,
For the speke he spak to the King; 4
The gud King, that thoucht on the scath,
The dispit and felony bath,
That John of Lorne had till him done,
His host assemblit he than soyn, 8
And [toward Lorn] he tuk the way,
With his men in-to gude aray.
Bot Johne of Lorn of his cummyng,
Lang or he com, had witteryng; 12
And men on ilk syde gaderit he,
I trow [twa thousand] thai mycht be;
And send thame for to stop the way,
Quhar the King behufit to ga: 16
And that wes in [ane evill place],
That so strat and so narrow was,
That twa men sammyn mycht nocht ryde
In sum place of the hyllis syde. 20
The nethir half wes perelous;
For a schoir crag, hye and hyduous,
Raucht till the se, doun fra the pas.
On the owthir half ane montane was 24
So cumrous and ek so stay,
That it wes hard to pas that way.
[Crechanben] hecht that montane.
I trow that nocht in all Bretane, 28
Aye hyer hill may fundyn be.
Thar Johne of Lorne gert his menyhe
Enbuschit be abovyn the way;
For, gif the gud King held that way, 32
He thoucht he suld soyn vencust be;
And hym-self held hym [on the se],
Weill neir the pas with his galays.
Bot the King, that in all assays 36
Wes fundyn wis and averte,
Persavit thair subtilite,
And that he neid that gat suld ga.
His men departit he in twa; 40
And to the gud lorde of Douglas,
Quham in all wit and worschip was,
He taucht the archaris evirilkane.
And this gud lord has with him tane 44
Schir Alysander Freser the wicht,
And [Williame Wisman], a gud knycht,
And with thame gud [Schir Androu Gray]:
Thir with thair menyhe held thar way, 48
And clam the hill delyverly.
And, or thai of the tothir party
Persavit thame, thai had ilkane
The hicht abovyn thair fayis tane. 52