The Bruce

by John Barbour

In this tyme now that Umphrevele,
As I bair yhow on hand eir-quhil,
Com till the King of Ingland,
The Scottis messingeres thar he fand
Of pes and rest to haf tretis. 145
The King wist Schir Ingerame wes wis,
And askit his consell thair-to,
Quhat he wald rede him for till do.
For him, said he, thoucht herd to ma
Pes wyth King Robert Bruce his fa, 150
Quhill that he of him vengit war.
Schir Ingerame till hym maid ansuar
And said, “He delt sa curtasly
“With me, that on na wis suld I
“Giff consell till his merring.” 155
‘The behufis neid-way,’ said the King,
‘To this thing heir say thine avis.’
“Schir,” said he, “sen yhour willis is
“That I say, wyt yhe sekirly,
“For all yhour gret chevelry, 160
“Till deill with hym yhe haf no mycht.
“His men ar worthyn all sa wicht
“For lang usage of gret fechting,
“That has beyne norist in sic thing,
“That ilk yheman is sa wicht 165
“Of his, that he is worth a knycht.
“Bot and yhe think yhour weir to bring
“Till your purpos and gud liking,
“Lang trewis with hym tak sall yhe.
“Than sall the mast of his menyhe, 170
“That ar bot sympill yhemanry,
“Be distrenyheit all comonly
“To wyn thair met with thair travale.
“And sum of thame neid mon thame call
“With plewch and harrow for to get, 175
“And othir ser craftis, thair met;
“Swa that thair armyng sall worth ald,[†]
“And sall be rottyn, distroyit, or sald;
“And feill, that now of weir ar sle,
“In-till a lang trewis sall de, 180
“And othir in thair sted sall ris
“That sall cun litill of sic mastris.
“And quhen thai thus disusyt ar,
“Than may yhe move on thame yhour wer,
“And sall richt weill, as I suppos,[†] *185
“Bring yhour entent to gud purpos.” *186
Till this assentit thai ilkane. 185
And eftir syne [war trewis tane],
Betuix the twa Kyngis, that wer
Talit to lest for thretten yheir:[†]
And on the marchis gert thame cry.
The Scottis men kepit thame lely, 190
[Bot Inglis men apon the se]
Distroyit, throu gret iniquite,
Marchand-schippis, that saland war
Fra Scotland to Flandris with war,
And distroyit the men ilkane, 195
And till thar oys thar gude has tane.
The King send oft till ask redres,
Bot nocht thar-of redres ther wes;
And he abaid all tyme askand.
The trewis on his half gert he stand 200
Apon the marchis stabilly,
And gert men kep thame lelely.

The Death of Good Sir Walter Steward.

In this tyme that the trewis war
Lestand on marchis, as I said ar,
[Walter Steward], that worthy was, 205
At Bathket a gret seknes tais.[†]
His evill it wox ay mair and mair,
Quhill men persavit by his fair,
That hym worthit neyd to pay the det
That na man for till pay may let. 210
Schrevyn, and als repentand wele,
Quhen all wes done him ilke deill
That nedit Cristin man till haf,
As gud Crystyn the gast he gaf.
Than mycht men heir folk gret and cry, 215
And mony a knycht and ek lady
Mak in apert richt evill cher;
Sa did thai all that evir thair wer:
All men hym menyt comonly,
For of his elde he wes worthy. 220
Quhen thai lang tyme thar dule had maid,
The cors to Paslay haf thai had,
And thar with gret solempnite,
And with gret dule, erdyt wes he.[†]
God, for his mycht, his saull he bring 225
Quhar joy ay lestis but endyng!

Eftir his ded, as I said air,
The trewis that swa takyn war,
For till haf lestit thretten yheir,
Quhen [twa yheir of thame passit weir], 230
And ane half, as I trow, alsua,
Kyng Robert saw men wald nocht ma
Redres of schippes that war tane,
And of the men als that war slane;
Bot continuit thair mavite 235
Quhen evir thai met thame on the se.
He send and acquyt hym all planly,
And [gaf the trewis up] oppinly.
And, in vengeans of this trespas,
The gud Erll of Murreff, Thomas, 240
And [Donald Erll of Mar] alsua,
And James of Douglas with thaim twa,
And James Steward, that ledar wes,
Eftir his gud brother disses,
Of all his brothir men in weir, 245
He gert apon thar best maner
With mony men bown thaim to ga
[In Ingland], for to burne and sla.
And thai held furth soyn till Ingland—
Thai war of gud men [ten thousand]— 250
Thai brynt and slew in-to thair way;
Thair fais fast distroyit thai.
And swagat furthward can thai fair,[†]
Till [Wardill] quhill thai cummyn war.
That tyme Edward of Carnavarane, 255
[The King, wes ded], and laid in stane;
And Edward, his sone, [that wes yhyng],
In Ingland crownyt wes for Kyng,
And surname had of Wyndissoyr.
He had in France beyn of befor 260
With his moder dame [Isabell];
And [wes weddid], as I herd tell,
Till a yhoung lady fair of face
That the Erllis douchter was
Of Hennaut; and of that cuntre 265
Broucht with him men of gret bounte.
[Schir Johne of Hennaut] wes thar leder,
That was richt wis and wicht in wer.

JUNE, 1327 The Scots in Weardale

And that tym that Scottis men war
At Wardale, as I said yhow ar, 270
[In-to York] wes the new maid King,
And herd tell of the distroying
That Scottis men maid in his cuntre.
A gret host till him gaderit he:
He wes weill [neir fifty thousand]. 275
Than held he northwarde in the land
In haill battale with that menyhe.
[Auchtene yheir] ald that tyme wes he.
The Scottis men all [Cokdaill].
Fra end till end thai heryit haill, 280
And till Wardaill agane thai raid.
Thar discurriouris that sicht has had[†]
Of cummyng of the Inglis men,
To thair lordis thai tald it then.
Than the lord Douglas, in a lyng, 285
Raid furth for till se thair cummyng;
And saw that [sevyn battellis] war thai,
That com rydand in gud aray.
Quhen he that folk behaldin had,
Toward his host agane he raid. 290
The Erll sperit giff he had seyne
The Inglis host; “Yha, Schir, but weyne.”
‘Quhat folk ar thai?’ “Schir, mony men.”
The Erll his ayth has suorn him then,
‘We sall ficht with thame, thouch thai war 295
‘Yheit ma eftsonis than thai ar.’
‘Schir, lovit be God,’ he said agane,
‘That we have sic ane capitane,
‘That swa gret thyng dar undirta.
‘Bot, be Saint Bryde, it beis nocht swa, 300
‘Giff my consaill may trowit be.
‘For fecht on na maner sall we
‘Bot be it at our avantage.
‘For me think it war nane outrage[†]
‘Till fewar folk aganys ma 305
‘Avantage, quhen thai ma, to ta.’
As thai war on this wis spekand,
Our ane hye rig thai saw rydand,
Toward thame evyn, a battell braid;
Baneris displayit enew thai had. 310
And ane othir come eftir neir:
And rycht apon the sammyn maner
Thai com, quhill seven battellis braid
Out-our that high ryg passit had.
The Scottis men war thar liand 315
On [north half Wer], toward Scotland.
The daill wes strekit weill, I hicht;
On athir syde thar wes ane hicht
Till the wattir doune, sum-deill stay.
The Scottis men in gud aray, 320
On thair best wis buskit ilkane,
[Stude in the strynth] that thai had tane;
And that wes fra the wattir of Wer
A quartir of ane myle weill ner:
Thai stude thar battell till abyd. 325

AUG., 1327 Attack by the English Archers

The lord Dowglas has seyn thair fair,[†]
And men, that richt weill horsit war
And armyt, a gret cumpany,
Behynd the battell prevely
He gert hufe, to byd thair cummyng: 345
And quhen he maid to thame taknyng,
Thai suld com prikand fast, and sla
With speris that thai mycht our-ta.
Donald of Mar thar chiftane was,
And [Archbald with hym of Dowglas]. 350
The lord Dowglas toward thaim raid;
A gown on his armyng he had,
[And traversit alwayis up agane]
Thame neir his battell for till trayne.
And thai, that drunkyn had of the wyne, 355
Com ay up endlang in a lyne,
Quhill thai the battell com so neir
That arrowis fell emang thaim seir.
Robert of Ogill, a gud squyer,
Com prekand than on a courser, 360
And on the archeris cryit agane,
“Yhe wat nocht quha mais yhow that traine!
“It is the lord Dowglas, that will
“Sum of his playis ken yhow till.”
And quhen thai herd spek of Dowglas, 365
The hardyest affrayit was,
And agane returnit halely.
His takyn maid he than in hy;[†]
And the folk that enbuschit war
So stoutly prekit on thame thar, 370
That weill thre hundreth haf thai slayne,
And till the wattir hame agayne
The remanand all can thai chas.
[Schir Williame of Erskyn] that was
Newlingis makyn knycht that day,[†] *375
Weill horsit intill gud aray, *376
Chassit with othir that war thar 375
Sa fer-furth, that his hors him bar
Emang the lump of Inglis men,
That with strang hand he tane wes then.
Bot of hym weill soyn chaynge wes maid
For othir that men takyn had. 380
Fra thir Inglis archeris wer slayne,
Thai folk raid till thar host agane.
And richt swa did the lord Douglas;
And quhen that he reparit was,
Thai mycht emang thair fayis se 385
Thair palyheownys soyne stentit be.
Than thai persavit soyne in hy
That thai that nycht wald tak herbery,
And schap till do no mar that day.
Tharfor alsua thame herbreit thai, 390
And stentit palyheownys soyn in hy;
Tentis and luggis als thair-by
Thai gert mak, and set all on raw.
Twa novelreis that day thai saw,[†]
That forrouth in Scotland had beyn nane: 395
[Tymbrys for helmys] wes the tane,
That thame thoucht than of gret bewte,
And alsua wounder for to se;
The tothir [crakkis war] of wer,
That thai befor herd nevir eir. 400
Of thir twa thyngis thai had ferly.
[That nycht] thai wachit stalwardly:
The mast part of thame armyt lay,
Quhill on the morne that it wes day.

AUG., 1327 The English try an Ambush

[The Inglis men] thame umbethoucht, 405
Apon quhat maner that they moucht
Ger Scottis leve thair avantage;
For thame thoucht foly and outrage
To gang up to thame till assale
Thame at thar strynthis in playn battale. 410
Tharfor of gud men ane thousand,
Armyt on hors bath fut and hand,
Thai send, behynd thair fayis to be
Enbuschit in-till a vale:
And schup thair battellis, as thai wald 415
Apon thame till the fechting hald.
For thame thoucht Scottis men sic will
Had, that thai mycht nocht hald thaim still:
For thai knew thame of sic corage,
That thai trowit strenth and avantage 420
That suld leyff, and meit thame planly;
Than suld thar buschement hastely
Behynd prek on thame at the bak;
Sa thoucht thai weill thai suld thaim mak
For till repent thame of thair play. 425
Thair enbuschement furth send haf thai,
That thame enbuschit prevaly.
And on the morn, sum-deill airly,
In-till the host syne trumpit thai,
And gert thair battell braid aray; 430
And, [all arayit] for to ficht,
Thai held toward the wattir richt.
Scottis men, that saw thame do swa,
Bown on thair best wis can thaim ma;
And in battell planly arayit, 435
With baneris to the wynd displayit,
Thai left thair strynth, and all planly
Com doune to meit thame hardely,
In als gud maner as thai mowcht,
Richt as thair fayis befor had thoucht. 440
Bot the lord Dowglas, that ay-quhar
Set out wachis heir and thar,
Gat wit of thair enbuschement.
Than in gret hy soyn is he went
Befor the battellis, and stoutly 445
He bad ilk man turn hym in hy,
Richt as he stud, and turnit swa
Up till thair strynth he bad thaim ga,
Swa that na let thar-in be maid.
And thai did as he biddin had, 450
Quhill to thair strynth thai com agayn.
Than turnyt thai thame with mekill mayn,
And stude reddy to giff battale,
Giff thair fayis wald thame assale.
Quhen Inglis men has seyn thaim swa 455
Toward thar strynth agane up ga,
Thai cryit hey, “Thai fley thar way!”
Schir Johne de Hennaut said: “Perfay,
“Yhone fleying is richt degyse.
“Thair armyt men behynd I se, 460
“And thair baneris, swa that thai thar
“Bot turne thame as thai standand war,
“And be arayit for the ficht,
“Gif ony pressis thame with mycht.
“Thai haf seyne our enbuschement, 465
“And agane to thar strinth ar went.
“Yhone folk ar governyt wittely;
“And he that ledis thame war worthy
“For a-vis, worschip, and wisdome,
“To governe the empyre of Rome.” 470
Thus spak that worthy knycht that day;
And the enbuschement, fra that thai
Saw that thai swa discoverit war,
Toward thar host agane thai far.
And the battell of Inglis men, 475
Quhen thai saw thai had falit then
Of thar purpos, to thair herbery
Thai went, and lugit thame in hy.
On othir half richt swa did thai,
Thai maid no mar debat that day. 480