The Bruce

by John Barbour

AUG., 1327 The Scots shift to a New Position

Qwhen thai that day ourdrivyn had,
[Fyres in gret foysoune] thai maid,
Als soyne as the nycht fallen was.
Than the gud lord of Dowglas,
That spyit had a plas thar-by, 485
[Twa myle] fra thine, quhar mar trastly
The Scottis host mycht herbery ta,
And [defend thame bettir] alsua
Than ellis in ony place thar-by;
It wes , that halely 490
Wes enveronyt about with wall;
It wes neir [full of treis] all,
Bot a gret plain in-till it was;
Thiddir thoucht the lord Dowglas
[Be nychtyrtale] thair host to bryng. 495
Tharfor, forouten mair duelling,
Thai bet thair fyres and maid thame mair,
And syne all sammyn furth thai fair,
And till the park, without tynsele,
Thai come, and herbryit thaim richt wele 500
[Upon the wattir], and als neir
Till it as thai be forrouth weir.[†]
And [on the morn], quhen it wes day,
The Inglis host myssit away
The Scottis men, and had ferly, 505
And gert discurriouris hastely
Prek to se quhar thai war away.
And, by thair fyres, persavit thai
That thai in the park of Wardale
Had gert herbery thar host all hail. 510

AUG., 1327 A Night Attack on the English

Tharfor thair host but mair abaid
Buskit, and evin anent thaim raid,
And [on othir half the watter of Wer]
Gert stent thair palyheownys, als neir
As that befor stentit war thai. 515
[Aucht dayis] on bath halffis swa thai lay,
That Inglis men durst nocht assale
The Scottys men with playne battale,
For strinth of erd that thai had ther.
Thar wes [ilk day justyng of wer], 520
And scrymmyng maid full apertly,
And men tane on ather party.
And thai that tane war on a day
On ane othir changit war thai.
Bot othir dedis nane war done, 525
That gretly is apone till mone;
Quhill it fell, [on the nynt day],[†]
The lord Dowglas had spyit a way,
How that he mycht about thame ryd,
And cum apon the ferrest syd. 530
And at evyn him purvayit he,
And tuk with him a gude menyhe,
[Fyve hundreth] on hors, wicht and hardy;[†]
And [in the nycht], all prevely,
For-out noyis [so fer he raid], 535
Quhill that he neir enveremyt had
Thar host, and on the ferrer syd
Toward thame [slely can he ryd],
And half the men that with hym war
He gert in hand have suerdis bar; 540
And bad thaim [hew rapys] in twa,
That thai the pailyhownys mycht ma
To fall on thaim that in thaim war.
Than suld the laiff, that forouth ar,[†]
Stab doune with speres sturdely. 545
And, quhen thai herd his horne, in hy
To the wattir hald doun the way.
Quhen this wes said that I here say,
Toward thair fais fast thai raid,
That on that syd [no wachis] had. 550
And as thai neir war approchand,
Ane Inglis man, that lay bekand
Hym by a fyre, said to his feir,
“I wat nocht quhat may tyd us heir,
“Bot a richt gret growyng me tais; 555
“I dred me sair for the blak Dowglas.”
And he, that herd him, said, ‘Perfay,
‘Thou sall haf caus, gif that I may!’

With that, with all his cumpany,
[He ruschit on thame hardely], 560
And prowd palyheownys [doune he bare],
And with speris that scharply schar
Thai stekit men dispituisly.
The noyis weill soyn rais, and the cry;
[Thai stabbit, stekit, and thai slew]; 565
And mony palyheownys doun thai drew.
[A felloun slauchtir] maid thai thair,
That thai, that [liand nakit] war,
Hed na power defens to ma;
And thai but pite can thame sla. 570
Thai gert thame wit that gret foly
Wes, neir thair fayis for to ly,
Bot gif thai trastly wachit war.
The Scottis men war slaand thar
Thair fayis on this wis, quhill the cry 575
Rais throu the gret host comonly,
[That lord] and othir war on steir.
And quhen the Dowglas wist thai weir
Armand thame all comonly,
He blew his horne for till rely 580
His men, and bad thame hald thar way
Toward the wattir, and swa did thai;
And he abaid henmast, to se
That nane of his suld lefit be.
And, as he swa abaid hufand, 585
Swa come ane with a club in hand,
And swa gret rowtis till him raucht,
That, had nocht beyn his mekill maucht
And his richt soverane gret manhede,
In-till that plas he had beyne ded. 590
Bot he, that na tyme was affrayit,
Thouch he weill oft wes herd assayit,
Thou mekill strynth and gret manheid,
Has brocht the tothir on-to ded,
His men, that to the wattir doune 595
War rydyn in-till a randoune,
Myssit thar lord quhen thai com thar.
Than war thai dredand for him sar;
Ilkane at othir sperit tithing,
Bot yheit of hym thai herd no thing. 600
Than can thai consale sammyn ta,
That thai to sek hym up wald ga.
And, as thai war in sic affray,
A tutlyng of his horne herd thai.
And thai, that has it knawin swith, 605
War of his cummyng woundir blith,
And sperit at him of his abaid;
And he tald how a carll him maid
With his club richt ane felloune pay,
That met him stoutly in the way, 610
That, had nocht ure helpit the mair
He had beyn in great perell thair.[†]
Thusgatis spekand thai held thar way,
Quhill till thar host [cummyn ar thai],
That on fut, armyt, thame abaid, 615
For till help, gif thai myster had.
And, als soyne as the lord Dowglas
Met with the Erll of Murreff was,
The Erll sperit at hym tithing
How he had farn in his outyng. 620
“Schir,” said he, “we haf drawyn blude.”
The Erll, that wes of mekill mude,
Said, ‘And we had all thiddir gane,
‘We had discumfit thame ilkane.’
“It mycht haf fallyn weill,” said he, 625
“Bot sekerly enew war we
“To put us in yhon aventur.
“For, had thai maid discumfitur
“On us, that yhondir passit wer,
“It suld all stonay that ar heir.” 630

AUG., 1327 Douglas restrains Murray

The Erle said, ‘Sen that it swa is,
‘That we may nocht with juperdis
‘Our felloune fais fors assale,
‘We sal it do in playn battale.’
Lord Douglas said then; “Be Saint Bryd, 635
“It war gret foly, at this tyd,
“Till us with sic ane host till ficht,
“That [ilk day growis] of mycht,
“And [vittale has] thar-with plente.
“And in thar cuntre heir ar we, 640
“Quhar thar may cum us na succours;
“Herd is to mak us heir rescours;
“Na we may forra for to get met,
“[Sic as we haf] heir mon we et.
“Do we with our fayis tharfor 645
“That ar heir liand us befor,
“As I herd tell this othir yher
“How that a fox did with a fischer.”

How the Fox played with the Fisher.

‘How did the fox?’ the Erll can say.
He said; “A fischar quhilome lay 650
“Besyde a ryver for till get
“His nettis that he had thar set.
“A litill luge thar had he maid;
“And thar-within a bed he had,
“And ek a litill fyre alsua; 655
“A dure ther wes, withouten ma.
“[A nycht], his nettis for till se
“He rais, and thair weill lang duelt he.
“And quhen that he has done his ded,
“Toward his luge agane he yhed, 660
“And with licht of the litill fyre,
“That in the luge was byrnand schyre,
“In-till his luge a fox he saw,
“That fast can on a salmond gnaw.
“Than till the dure he went in hy, 665
“And drew ane swerd deliverly
“And said, ‘Reiffar, [thou mon heir out].’[†]
“The fox, that wes in full gret dout,
“Lukit about sum hoill to se;
“Bot nane ysche thar couth he se, 670
“Bot quhar the man stude sturdely.
“A lawchtane mantill than hym by,
“Lyand apon the bed, he saw;
“And with his teyth he can it draw
“Atour the fyre; and, quhen the man 675
“Saw his mantill ly byrnand than,
“Till red it ran he hastely.
“The fox gat out than in gret hy,
“And held his way his warand till.
“The man leit hym begilit ill, 680
“That he his salmond swa had tynt,
“And alsua had his mantill brynt,
“And the fox scathles gat his way.
“This ensampill I may weill say
“By yhon folk and us that ar heir; 685
“We ar the fox, and thai the fischer,
“That stekis forouth us the way.
“Thai weyne we may nocht get away,
“Bot richt quhar that thai ly; perde,
“All as thai think it sall nocht be. 690
“For I haf gert spy us a gat,
“Suppos that it be sum-deill wat,
“A page of ouris we sall nocht tyne.
“Our fayis, for this small tranontyne,
“Wenys we sall weill pryd us swa, 695
“That we planly on hand sall ta
“To gif thame oppynly battale;
“Bot at this tyme thair thoucht sall fale.
“For we to-morne heir, all the day,
“Sall mak als mery as we may, 700
“And mak us boune agane the nycht;
“And than ger mak our fyres bricht,
“And blaw our hornys, and mak fair
“As all the warld our awne it war,
“Quhill that the nycht weill fallyn be. 705
“And than, with all our harnas, we
“Sall tak our way hamward in hy.
“And we sall gyit be richt graithly
“Quhill we be out of thair danger,
“That lyis now enclosit her. 710
“Than sall we all be at our will,
“And [thai sall let thame trumpit ill],
“Fra thai wit weill we be away.”
To this haly assentit thai;
And maid thame gud cher all that nycht 715
Quhill on the morn that day was licht.

AUG., 1327 The Scots prepare to depart