And quhen the King of Ingland,
That [yheit at Biland] wes liand,
Saw his men discumfyt planly,
He tuk his way [in full gret hy], 480
And southwardis fled with all his mycht.
The Scottis men chast hym herd, I hycht,
And in the chas has mony tane.
The king quytly away is gane,
And the mast part of his menyhe. 485
Walter Stewart, that gret bounte
Set ay on hye chevelry,
With fyve hundreth in cumpany,
[Till Yorkis yhettis] chas can ma,
And thair sum of thair men can sla, 490
And abaid thair quhill neir the nycht,
To se gif ony wald ysche to ficht.
And quhen he saw [nane wald cum out],
He turnyt agane with all his rout,
And till the host is went in hy, 495
That than tane had thair herbery
In-till the abbay of Biland
And [Riveus] that wes by neir hand.[†]
Thai delt emang thame that war ther
[The King of Inglandis ger], 500
That he had levit in-to Biland;
All gert thai lepe out our thar hand,
And maid thame all glaid and ek mery.
And quhen the King had tane herbery,
That broucht till him the presoneris 505
All unarmyt, as it efferis;
And quhen he saw Johne of Bretane
He had at hym richt gret disdeyne;
For he wount wes to spek hely
At hayme, and our dispitfully; 510
And bad haf him away in hy,
And luk he kepit war stratly,
And said, “War it nocht that he war
“Sic a catiff, he sulde by sair
“His wourdis that war sa angry;” 515
And mekly he hym cryit mercy.
Thai led him furth, forouten mair,
And kepit hym weill ay quhill thai war
Cummyn hame to their awne cuntre.
[Lang eftir] syne ransonyt wes he 520
For tuenty thousand pund to pay,
As I haf herd mony men say.
OCT., 1322 The Scots return with much Plunder
Qwhen that the King this spek had maid,
The Franche knychtis, that tane men had,
Wes broucht richt thar byfor the King; 525
And he maid thame fair welcummyng,
And said; “I wat richt weill that yhe,
“For yhour gret worschip and bounte
“Com for till se the fichting heir.
“For sen yhe in the cuntre war, 530
“Yhour strinth, yhour worschip, and yhour mycht
“Wald nocht thoill yhow escheve the ficht.
“And sen that caus yhow led thar-till,
“And nouthir wreth na evil will,
“As frendis yhe sall resavit be, 535
“Quhar welcum heir all tym be yhe.”[†]
Thai knelit, and thankit him gretly,[†]
And he gert tret thame curtasly;
And lang quhill with him thaim had he,
And did thaim honour and bounte. 540
And quhen thai yharnyt to thair land,
To the King of Fraunce in presand
He sent thaim quit, [but ransoun fre],
And gret gyftis to thaim gaff he.
His frendis thusgat curtasly 545
He couth ressave, and hamely,
And his fais stoutly to-stonay.
At Biland all that nycht he lay.
For thair victor all blith thai war.
And on the morn, forouten mair, 550
Thai haff furthwarde tane thair way.
So fer at that tyme travalit thai,
[Byrnand, slayand, and distroyand],
Thair fayis with thair mycht noyand,
Quhill [to the Wald] cummyn war thai. 555
Syne northwarde tuk thai hame thar way;
And distroyit, in thair repair,
[The vale haly of Beauvare].
And syne with presoners and catele,
Riches, and mony fair jowele, 560
[Till Scotland] tuk thai hame thar way,
Blith and glad, joyfull and gay.
And ilk-man went to thair repair,
And lovit God thame fell so fair,
That thai the King of Ingland, 565
Throu worschip and throu strinth of hand,
And throu thair lordis gret bounte,
Discumfit in his awne cuntre.
BOOK XIX.
How the Lord Soulis thought through Treason with his Accomplices to have put down Good King Robert the Bruce, and how he was warned by a Lady.
AUG., 1320 The Conspiracy against King Robert
Than wes the land a quhile in pes;[†]
Bot covatis, that can nocht ces
Till set men apon felony,
Till ger thame cum till senyhory,
Gert lordis of full gret renoune 5
Mak
Agane Robert, the douchty King;
Thai thoucht till bring him till ending,
And for till bruke, eftir his dede,
The kynrik, and ryng in his sted. 10
[The lord of Sowlis], Schir Wilyhame,
Of that purchas had mast defame;
For principall tharoff wes he,
Bath of assent and cruelte.
He had gert be with him syndri: 15
Gilbert [Male-herbe], Johne of Logy,[†]
Thir war the knychtis I tell of heir,
And Richard Broune als, a squyeir;
And gud Schir [David the Brechyne]
Wes of this deid arettit syne, 20
As I sall tell yhow forthirmair.
Bot thai ilkane discoverit war
[Throu ane lady], as I herd say,
Or till thair purpos cum mycht thai.
For scho tald haly to the King 25
Thair purpos and thair ordanyng,
And how that he suld haf beyn ded,
And Sowlis ryng in-till his sted;
And tald him werray takynnyng
That this purches wes suthfast thing. 30
And quhen the King wist it wes swa,
Sa sutell purchas can he ma,
That he gert tak thame evirilkane.
And quhar the lord Sowlis wes tane,
Thre hundreth and sexte had he 35
Of squyeris, cled in his liverye,
At that tyme in his cumpany,
Outane knychtis that war joly.
In-to Berwik than takyn wes he;
Than mycht men all his menyhe se 40
Sary and wa; for, suth to say,
The king leit thame all pass thar way;
And held thame that he takyn had.
The lord Sowlis syne eftir maid
[Playn granting] of all that purchas. 45
A parliament tharfor set thar was,
And thiddir broucht thir menyhe war.
The lord Sowlis has grantit thar
The deid in-to [plane parliament].
Thar soyn eftir he wes sent 50
[Till his penans till Dumbertane],
And deit in that tour of stane.
1320 Umfraville returns to England
Schir Gilbert Maleherbe, and Logy,
And Richard Broune, thir thre planly
War with ane assis than ourtane. 55
Tharfor [thai drawin war] ilkane,
And hyngit and hedit als thar-to,
As men had demyt thame till do.
And gud Schir David the Brechyne
Thai gert challans richt stratly syne; 60
And he grantit that of that thing
Wes maid till hym discoveryng,
Bot he thar-till gaf na consent.
And for he helit thair entent
And discoverit it nocht to the King, 65
That he held of all his halding,
And had maid till him his fewte,
Jugit to hang and draw wes he.
And as thai drew him for to hyng,
The pepill ferly fast gan thring, 70
Him and his myscheiff for to se,
That to behald wes gret pite.
Schir Ingerame Umphravell, that than
Wes with the King as [Scottis man],
Quhen he that gret mischeif can se, 75
“Lordis,” he said, “quhar-to press yhe?
“To se at myscheiff sic a knycht,
“That wes so worthy and so wicht,
“That I haf seyn ma pres to se
“Him for his richt soverane bounte, 80
“Than now dois for till se him heir!”
And quhen thir wordis spoken weir,
With sary cher he held him still
Quhill men had done of him thar will.
Syne, with the leiff of the King, 85
He broucht him menskfully till erding.
And syne to the King thus said he;
“A thing, pray I yhow, grant to me;
“That is, that yhe of all my land,
“That in-to Scotland is lyand, 90
“Wald gif me leiff till do my will.”
The King than soyne has said him till,
‘I will weill graunt that it swa be;
‘Bot tell me quhat anoyis the?’
He said agane, “Grant me mercy, 95
“And I sall tell yhow it planly.
“Myne hert giffis me no mor to be
“With yhow duelland in this cuntre.
“Tharfor, bot at it nocht yhow greiff,
“I pray yhow hertly of yhour leiff. 100
“For quhar sa richt worthy a knycht,
“And sa chevelrus and sa wicht,
“And sa renownit of worschip syne
“As gud Schir David the Brechyne,
“And sa fulfillit of all manheid, 105
“Wes put to sa felloune a ded,[†]
“My hert forsuth may nocht gif me
“Till duell, for na thing that may be.”
The King syne said; ‘Sen thou will swa,
‘Quhen-evir thou likis thou may ga,[†] 110
‘And thou sall haiff gud leiff thar-to
‘Thi liking of thi land till do.’
And he him thankit gretumly,
And of his land, in full gret hy,
As him thoucht best, disponit he. 115
Syne at the King of gret bounte,
Befor all thai that with him war,
He tuk his leyff for evirmair;
And went in Ingland to the King,
That maid him richt fair welcummyng, 120
And askit him of the north tithing.
And he him tald all, but lesing,
How thai knychtis distroyit war.
And all as I tald till yhow air;
And of [the Kyngis curtasye], 125
That levit him debonarly
Till do of his land his liking.
In that tyme war send fra the King
Of Scotland messingeris to tret
Of pes, gif that thai mycht it get, 130
As thai [oftsis] befor war send,
Quhar that thai couth nocht bring till end.
For the gud King had in entent,
Sen God sa fair grace till him sent,[†]
That he had wonnyn all his land 135
Throu strinth of armys till his hand,
That he pes in his land wald ma,
And all the landis stabill swa,
That his air eftir hym suld be
In peis, gif men held thair laute. 140
MAY-JUNE, 1323 A Thirteen Years’ Truce