The Bruce

by John Barbour

AUG., 1322 The English invade Scotland

Edward the Bruce, as I said air,
Wes discumfit on this manare.
And quhen the feld wes clengit cleyne,
Sa that na resisteris wes seyne,
The wardane than, [Richard of Clare], 215
And all the folk that with him war,
Toward Dundawk has tane the way;
Swa that richt na debat maid thai
At that tyme with the Erischrye,
Bot to the toune thai held in hy. 220
And syne has send furth to the King,
That Ingland had in governyng,
Gib Harperis hed in-till ane kyt.
[Johne Mawpas] till the King had it.
[Quhilk] he resavit in gret dayntee;[†] 225
Richt blith of that present wes he;
For he was swa glad that he wes swa
Deliverit of sic felloune a fa.
In hert tharof he tuk sic pryde,
That he [tuk purpos] for to ryde 230
With a gret host in-till Scotland,
Till revenge hym, with stalward hand,
Of the tray, travaill, and of teyne
That done till hym thar-in had beyne.
And a [richt gret hoost] gaderit he, 235
And gert his schippes by the se
Cum with gret foysoune of vittale;
For at that tyme he thoucht all hale
For till distroy so cleyn Scotland[†]
That nane suld be thar-in liffand; 240
And with his folk, in gret aray,
Toward Scotland he tuk the way.
And quhen King Robert wist that he
Com on hym with sic ane menyhe,
He gaderit men, bath fer and neir, 245
Quhill sa feill till him cummyn weir,
And war als for till cum hym to,
That him weill thoucht he suld weill do.
He gert [with-draw all the catele]
Of Lowdiane, evirilk deill, 250
And till strynthis gert thame be send,
And ordanit men thame to defend.
And [with his hoost all still he lay]
[At Culros], for he walde assay
Till ger his fais throu fasting 255
Be feblist, and throu lang walking;
And fra he feblist had thair mycht
Assemmyll he wald with thame till ficht.

AUG.-SEPT., 1322 The Skirmish at Melrose

He thoucht till wirk apon this wis;
And Inglis men with gret mastris 260
Com with thar hoost [in Lowdiane],
And soyne [till Edinburgh] ar gane,
And thair abaid thai dayis thre.
[Thair schippes] that war on the se
Had the wynd contrar till thame ay, 265
Swa that apon no maner thai
Had power till the Fyrth till bring
[Thair vittale], till releiff the King.
And thai of the host that falit met,
Quhen thai saw that thai mycht nocht get 270
Thair vittalis to thame by the se,
Than send thai furth a gret menyhe
For till forray all Lowdiane;
Bot cattell haf thai fundyn nane,
Outane a kow that wes haltand,[†] 275
That in [Tranentis corne] thai fand;
Thai broucht hir till thair hoost agane.
And quhen the Erll of Warane
That cow saw anerly cum swa,
He askit gif thai gat no ma. 280
And thai haf said all till him, “Nay.”
“Than, certis,” said he, “I dar say
“This is the [derrest beiff] that I[†]
“Saw evir yheit; for sekirly
“It cost ane thousand pund and mar!” 285
And quhen the King and thai that war
Of his consell saw thai mycht get
Na catell till thar host till et,
That than [of fasting had gret payne],
Till Ingland turnyt thai hame agayne. 290
[At Melros] schupe thai for till ly,
And send befor ane cumpany,
Thre hundreth neir of armyt men.
Bot the lord Dowglas, that wes then
Besyde in-till the Forest neir, 295
Wist of thar com and quhat thai weir;
And with thame of his cumpany
In-till Melros all prevely
He hufit in-till ane enbuschement.
And a richt sturdy frer he sent 300
Without the yhet, thar com till se,
And bad him hald him all preve,
Quhill that he saw thame cumand all
Richt till the cunyhe of the wall,
And than crye hye, “Dowglas! Dowglas!” 305
The frer furth than his way he tais,
That wes derff, stout, and ek hardy;
His mekill hude helit haly
The armyng that he on hym had;
Apon a stalward hors he raid, 310
And in his hand he had a spere,
Abydand apon that maner
Quhill that he saw thame cumand neir.
And quhen the formast passit weir
The cunyhe, he cryit, “Dowglas! Dowglas!” 315
Than till thame all ane cours he mais,
And bare ane doune deliverly;
And Dowglas, with his cumpany,
Yschit apon thame with a schout.
And quhen thai saw sa gret a rout 320
Cum apon thame sa suddanly,
Thai war abaysit richt gretumly,
And gaf the bak but mar abaid.
The Scottis men emang thaim raid,
And slew all thaim thai mycht ourta; 325
Ane gret martirdome thair can thai ma.
And thai that eschapit unslayne
Ar till thar gret host went agane,
And tald thame quhat kyn welcummyng
Dowglas thaim maid at thair metyng, 330
Convoyand thame agane roydly,
And warnyt thame the playn herbery.

How the Good King Robert the Bruce followed King Edward of England South into his own Land.

OCT. 21, 1322 The Fight at Byland

The King of Ingland and his men,
That saw thair herbreouris then
Cum reboytit on that maneir 335
Anoyit gretly in hert thai wer,
And thoucht that it war gret foly
In-to the wode till tak herbery.
Tharfor [by Driburgh], in the playne,
Thai herbryit thame; and syne agane 340
Ar went [till Ingland] haym thar way.
And quhen the King Robert herd say
That thai war turnyt hame agane,
And how thair herbreouris war slane,
In hy his host assemblit he, 345
And went south [our the Scottis Se],
And till Ingland his way he tais.
Quhen his host all assemblit was,
[Auchty thowsand] he wes and ma,
And aucht battellis he maid of tha: 350
In ilk battell wes ten thousand.
Syne went he furth [on to Ingland],
And in hale rout followit sa fast
The Inglis King, quhill at the last
He com approchand [to Byland], 355
Quhar, at that tyme, thar [wes liand]
The King of Ingland with his men.
Kyng Robert, that had wittering then
That he lay thair with mekill mycht,
Tranontit swa on hym ane nycht, 360
That, be the morne that it wes day,
Cummyn in-till playn feld war thai,
Fra Biland bot ane litill space.
Bot betuix thaim and it thar was
[Ane craggy bra], strekit weill lang, 365
And up for to gang.
Othirwayis mycht thai nocht away
Till pass till Bilandis abbay,
Bot gif thai passit fer about.
And quhen the mekill Inglis rout 370
Herd at King Robert wes so neir,
The mast part of thame that thar weir
[Went to the path] and tuk the bra,
Thair thoucht thai thair defens to ma.
Thair baneris thair thai gert display 375
And thair battellis on breid aray,
And thoucht weill to defend the place.[†]
Quhen King Robert persavit has
That thai thame thoucht thair to defend,
Eftir his consell has he send, 380
And askit quhat wes best till do.
The lord Dowglas ansuerd thar-to,
And said, “Schir, I will undir-ta
“That in schort tyme I sall do swa,
“That I sall wyn yhon place planly, 385
“Or than ger all yhon cumpany
“Cum doun till yhow heir in this plane.”
The King than said till him agane,
‘Do than,’ he said, ‘and God the speid!’
Than he furth on his wayis yheid, 390
And of the host the mast party[†]
Put thame in-till his cumpany,
And held thar way toward the plas.
The gud Erll of Murreff, Thomas,
Left his battell, and in gret hy 395
Bot with thre men of his cumpany,[†]
Com till the lordis rout of Dowglas;
And, or he enterit in the plas,
Befor thame all the place tuk he;[†]
For he wald that men suld him se. 400
And quhen Schir James of Dowglas
Saw that he swagat cummyn was,
He prisit him thar-of gretly,
And welcummyt hym full humylly,[†]
And syne the place can sammyn ta. 405
Quhen Inglis men saw thaim do swa,
Thai lichtit and agane thame yheid.
Twa knychtis, that douchty war of deid,
[Thomas Ouchtre] ane hat to name,[†]
The tothir Schir Rauf of Cobhame,[†] 410
Com doune befor all thair menyhe.
Thai war bath of full gret bounte,
And met thair fais richt manly;
Bot thai war pressit gretumly.
Thair mycht men se men weill assale, 415
And men defend with stout battale,
And arrowes fle in gret foysoune,
And thai that owth war tummyl doune
[Stanis apon thame] fra the hicht.
Bot thai that set bath will and mycht 420
To wyn the peth, thame pressit swa,
That Schir Raulf of Cobhame can ta
The way richt till his host in hy,
And left Schir Thomas manfully
Defendand with gret mycht the plas, 425
Quhill that he swa supprisit was,
That [he wes tane] throu herd fechting.
And tharfor syne, quhill his ending,
He wes renownyt for best of hand
Of a knycht wes in all Ingland. 430
For this ilk Schyr Raulf of Cobhame,
In all Ingland he had the name
For the best knycht of all the land;
And for Schir Thomas duelt fechtand
Quhar Schir Raulf, as befor saide we, 435
With-drew him, prisit our hym wes he.

The discomfiting of Englishmen
At Bylands Path into the glen.

Thus war thai fechtande in the plas;
And quhen the King Robert, that was
Wis in his deid and averty,[†]
Saw his men ay swa douchtely 440
The peth apon thair fayis ta;
And saw his fais defend thame swa,
Than gert he [all the Erischry]
That war in-till his cumpany,
Of Argyle and the Ilis alsua, 445
Spede tham in hy on-to the bra:
He bad thame leiff the peth haly
And clym up in the craggis by,
And speid thame fast the hicht to ta.
And thai in gret hy has done swa,[†] 450
And clymb allgait up to the hycht,[†][†]
And leve nocht for thair fayis mycht.[†]
Magre thair fayis, thai bar thaim swa,
That thai ar gottyn[ aboun the bra].
Than mycht men se thame ficht felly, 455
And rusche thair fais sturdely.
And thai that till the pass war gane,
Magre thair fais, [the hycht has tane].
Than layd thai on with all thar mycht:
Thair mycht men se men felly ficht. 460
Ther wes ane perelus bargane:
For a knycht, hat Schir [Johne Bretane],
That lichtit wes abovyn the bra,
With his men gret defens can ma.
And Scottis men sa can assaill, 465
That gaf thame so felloune battale,
That thai war set in sic affray
That thai, that fle mycht, fled away.
Schir Johne of Bretane [thar wes tane],
And richt feill of his folk war slane. 470
Of Frans thar tane wes knychtis twa;
The [lord of Souly] wes ane of tha,
The tothir wes the marschall Bretane,
That wes a weill gret lord at hame.
The laiff sum deid and sum war tane, 475
The remanand thai fled ilkane.

OCT. 21, 1322 The King of England flies