1313 The Compact about Stirling
And quhen this cunnand thus wes maid,
Schir Philip in-to Ingland raid,
And tald the King all haill this tale,
How he a tuelf moneth all hale
Had, as it writtin wes in thair tale, 5
Till reskew Strevilling with battale.
And quhen he herd Schir Philip say
That Scottis men had set ane day
To fecht, and at sic space he had
Till purvay hym, he wes rycht glad; 10
And said, it wes gret succuddry
That set thame apon sic folye;
For he thocht to be, or that day,
So purvait, and in sic aray,
That thair suld na strinth him with-stand. 15
And quhen the lordis of Ingland
Herd at this day wes set planly,
Thai jugit it to gret foly,
And thoucht till haff all thair liking,
Giff men abaid thame in fechting. 20
Bot oft falyheis the fulys thoucht:
And wis mennis etling cumis nocht
Till sic end as thai weyn alwayis.
A litill stane oft, as men sayis,
May ger weltir a mekill wane. 25
Na manis mycht may stand agane
The grace of God, that all thing steris;
He wat quhat-to all thing efferis,
And disponis at his liking,
Eftir his ordinans, all thyng. 30
The winning of Stirling by Sir Edward the Bruce, though the Battle was set over a Year and a Day, betwixt him and Sir Philip the Mowbray.
Qwhen Schir Edward, as I yhow say,
Had gevyn sa [outrageous a day]
To yheld or reskew Strevilling,
Richt soyne he went on-to the King.
And tald quhat tretis he had maid, 35
And quhat day he thame gevyn had.
The King said, quhen he herd the day,
“That wes unwisly done, perfay;
“I herd nevir quhar so lang warnyng
“Wes gevin to so mychty ane Kyng 40
“As is the Kyng of England.
“For he has now in-till his hand
“Ingland, Irland, and Walys alsua,
“And [Akatane] yhet, with all tha
“That duellis undir his senyhory, 45
“[And of Scotland a gret party].
“And off tresour so stuffit is he,
“That he may wageowris haf plente.
“And we ar qwheyn agane so fele;
“God may richt weill our werdis deill, 50
“Bot we ar set in juperdy
“To tyne or wyn than hastely.”
Schir Edward said; ‘Sa God me reid!
‘Thouch he and all that he may leid
‘Cum, we sall fecht, all war thai ma.’ 55
Quhen the King herd his brothir swa
Spek to the battale so hardely,
He prysit hym in his hert gretly,
And said; “Brothir, sen swa is gane
“At this thing thus is undirtane, 60
“Schap we us tharfor manfully;
“And all that lufis us tendirly
“And the fredome of this cuntre,
“Purvay thaim at that time to be
“Bowne with all mycht that evir thai may; 65
“Swa that gif our fayis assay
“To reskew Strevillyng throu battale,
“That we of purpos ger thame faill.”
The assembling of the English host,
That with great power came and boast.
1314 The Preparations in both Countries
Till this all thai assentit ar,
And bad thair men all mak thaim yhare 70
For to be boune agane that day
On the best wis that evir thai may.
Than all, that worthi war to ficht
Of Scotland, set all haill thair mycht
Till purvay thame agane that day; 75
Wapnys and armowris purvayit thai,
And all that efferis to fichting.
And of Ingland the mychty Kyng
[Purvait hym on so gret aray],
That certis nevir I herd yheit say 80
That Inglis men mair aparaile
Maid, than thai did than for battale.
And quhen the tym wes cummyn ner,
He assemblit all his power.
And, but his awne chevelry, 85
That wes so gret it wes ferly,
He had of mony a fer cuntre
With hym gud men of gret bounte.
Of Frans ane worthy chevelry
He had in-till his cumpany; 90
The [Erll of Hennaut] als wes thar,
And wyth him men that worthy war;
Of Gascon and of [Almanyhe];
Of Duche als and of Bretanyhe[†]
He had wicht men and weill farrand, 95
Armyt clenly at fut and hand.
Of Ingland hale the chevelry[†] *97
He had thair gaderit so clenly, *98
That he left nane mycht wapnys welde,
Or worthy war to ficht in felde.
Of Walis als wyth hym had he,
And [of Irlande ane gret menyhe]; 100
Of Pouty, Aquytane, and Bayon
He had full mony of gret renoun.
[And of Scotland he had yheit then][†] *103
*A gret menyhe of worthy men.
*Quhen all thir sammyn assemblit war,
He had of fechtaris with hym thar. *106
[Ane hundreth thousand men and ma]:
And fourty thousand war of tha
[Armyt on hors], bath hede and hand. 105
And yheit of thai war thre thousand
Wyth helit hors in plate and mailyhe,
Till mak the front of the batailyhe
And fifty thousand of archerys[†]
He had, forouten hoblerys; 110
With men on fut and small rangale,
That yhemyt harnas and vittale
He had so fele it wes ferly.
[Of cartis] als that yheid thame by
So feill that, but all thai that bar 115
Harnas, and als that chargit war
Of palyheonys and [veschall] with-all,
And apparall of chalmyr and hall,
And wyne and wax, [schot] and vittale,
Four scor wes chargit with fewale.[†] 120
Thai war so fele quhar at thai raid,
And thar batalis war ek so braid,
And so gret rowme held thar charre,
That men that mekill host mycht se
Our-tak the landis so largely. 125
Men mycht se than, that had beyn by,
Mony ane worthy man and wycht,
And mony ane gayly armyt knycht,
And mony ane sturdy sterand steid
Arayit in-till so [ryche weid]; 130
[And mony helmys, and hawbyrschownys],
*Scheldis and speris, and pennownys,
And so mony a cumly knycht,
At semyt weill that in-to ficht
Thai suld vencus the warld all hale.
Quhy suld I mak to lang my tale? 135
JUNE, 1314 The English Host at Berwick
How Englishmen menaced at will
The Scots and dealt their lands till.
And quhen the Kyng his host has seyne 140
So gret, so gud men, and so cleyne,
He wes richt joyfull in his thoucht,
And weil presumyt thar wes nocht
In warld a Kyng mycht him withstand.
Hym thoucht all wonnyn till his hand, 145
And largely emang his men
The landis of Scotland delt he then.
Of othir mennis landis large wes he.
And thai, that war of his menyhe,
[Mannausit the Scottis] men halely 150
With gret wordis; but, nocht-for-thi,
Or thai cum all to thair entent,
Howis in haill clath sall be rent!