Apon the morne, all prevaly,
Thai turst harnas and maid reddy;
Swa that, or evyn, all boun war thai.
Thair fayis, that agane thame lay, 720
Gert haf thair men that thar wes ded
In cartis till ane haly sted.
All that day caryand thai war
With cartis, men that slayne war thar.
That thai war feill men mycht weill se, 725
That in carying so lang sud be.
The hostis bath all that day wer
In pes; and quhen the nycht wes ner,
The Scottis folk, that lyand war
In-till the park, maid fest and far; 730
And [blew hornys and fyres maid],
And gert thame bryn bath bricht and braid,
Swa that thair fyres that nycht war mair
Than ony tyme befor thai war.
And quhen [the nycht wes fallyn] wele, 735
With all thair harnas ilke deill
All prevaly thai raid thair way.
Soyn in a mos enterit ar thai,
That had weill a lang myle on breid;[†]
Out-our that moss on fut thai yheid, 740
And in thair hand thair hors led thai.
It wes richt ane noyus way;[†]
And nocht-for-thi all that thar wer
Com weill outour it, haill and fer,
And tynt bot litill of thar ger, 745
Bot gif it war ony [summer]
That in the mos wes left liand.
Quhen all, as I haf born on hand,
Out-our the mos, that wes so braid,
War cummyn, a gret gladschip thai had, 750
And raid furth hamwarde on thar way.
And on the morn, quhen it wes day,
The Inglis men saw the herbery,
Quhar Scottis men war wount to ly,
All voyd; thai wonderit gretly then, 755
And send furth syndry of thar men
To spy quhar thai war gane away,
Quhill at the last thair tras fand thai,
That till the mekill mos thame had,
That wes so hidwis for till waid, 760
That aventur thame thar-to durst nane;
Bot till thar host agane ar gane,
And tald how that thai passit war,
Quhar nevir man wes passit ar.
Quhen Inglis men hard it wes swa, 765
In hy [till consale] can thai ta,
That thai wald follow thaim no mar.
Thair host richt than thai scalit thar,
And ilk man till his awn he raid.
AUG., 1327 King Robert sends a Relief
So fell it that, on [the sammyn day]
That the mos, as yhe herd me say,
Wes passit, the discurrouris that thar
Rydand befor the hostis war,
Of athir host has gottin sicht. 785
And thai, that worthy war and wicht,
At tha metyng justit of wer.
Ensenyheis hye thai cryit ther;
And be thair cry persavit thai,
That thai war frendis, and at a fay. 790
Than mycht men se thame glad and blith;
And tald it to thair lordis swith.
The hostis bath met sammyn syne;
Thar wes richt hamly welcummyne
Maid emang gret lordis thar; 795
Of thair metyng joyfull thai war.
The Erll Patrik and his menyhe
[Had vittale with thame] gret plente,
And thar-with weill relevit thai
Thar frendis; for, the suth to say, 800
Quhill thai in Wardall liand war,
Thai had defalt of met, bot thar
Thai war relevit with gret plente.
Toward Scotland, with gammyn and gle,
Thai went, and hame weill cummyn ar thai; 805
And scalit syne ilk man thar way.
The lordis ar went on-to the King,
That maid thame richt fair welcummyng.
For of thar come richt glad wes he;
And that thai sic perplexite. 810
For-out tynsale eschapit had.
Thai war blith all and mery made.
BOOK XX.
How Good King Robert the Bruce crowned his Young Son David and Dame Johann, his Spouse.
1327-28 A Treaty of Peace
[Soyne eftir] that the Erll Thomas
Fra Wardale thus reparit was,
The King assemblit all his mycht,
And left nane that wes worth to ficht.
[A gret host] than assemblit he, 5
And delt his host in parties thre.
A part [to Norhame] went but let,
And thair ane strat assege was set,
And held thame in, richt at thar dik.
The tothir part on to [Awnwyk] 10
Is went, and thar ane sege set thai;
And quhill at thir assegis lay
At the castellis, I spak of ar,
Apert assaltis maid thai thar:
And [mony fair gud chevelry] 15
Eschevyt wes full douchtely.[†]
The king at thai castellis liand
Left his folk, as I bare on hand,
And with the thrid ost held his way
Fra park to park, hym for to play, 20
Huntand as all his awn it war.
And till thame that war with him thar
[The landis of Northumbirland],
That next Scotland thar wes liand,
In fe and heritage gaf he, 25
And thai payit for the selys fee.
On this wis [raid he distroyand],
Quhill that the Kyng of Ingland,
Throu consell of the Mortymer
And his moder, at that tym wer 30
[Ledaris of hym], that than yhoung wes,
To Kyng Robert, till tret of pes
[Send messyngers], and swa sped thai
That thai assentit on this way,
Than a perpetuall pes to tak, 35
And thai a mariage suld mak
Of King Robertis sone, Davy,
That than bot [fiff yheir had scarsly],
And of dame [Johane als of the Tour],
That syne wes of full gret valour. 40
Sistir scho was to the yhoung King[†]
That Ingland had in governyng,
That than of eild had [sevin yher].
And [monymentis and lettrys ser],[†]
That thai off Ingland that time had, 45
That oucht agayn Scotland maid,
In till that tretys up thai gaff;
And [all the clame] that thai mycht haff
In-till Scotland on ony maner.
And King Robert, for scathes ser, 50
That he till thame of Ingland
Had done of weir, with stalward hand,
[Full twenty thousand pund] suld pay
Of sylvir in-to gude monay.
Quhen men thir thyngis forspokin had, 55
And, with selys and athis, maid
Fesnyng of frendschip and of pes,
That nevir for na chans suld ces;
The maryage syne ordanit thai
Till be at Berwyk, and the day 60
Thai have set quhen that it suld be;
Syne went ilk man till his cuntre.
Thus maid wes pes quhar wer wes air,
And syne the assegis rasit wair.
The Kyng Robert ordanit till pay 65
The silvir, and, agane the day,
He gert weill [for the mangery]
Ordane, quhen that his sone Davy
Suld weddit be; and Erll Thomas,
And the gud lord als of Douglas, 70
In-till his stede ordanit he
Devysouris of that fest till be;
For ane [male-es] tuk hym so sare,
That he on na wis mycht be thar.
His mail-eis of ane fundyng 75
Begouth; for, throu his cald lying,
Quhen in his gret myschef wes he,
Him fell that herd perplexite.
At [Cardros] all that tym he lay;
And quhen neir cummyne wes the day 80
That ordanit for the wedding wes,
The Erll and the lord Dowglas
[To Berwik] come with mekill fair,
And broucht yhoung Davy with thame thair.
And [the Queyne and Mortymer], 85
On othir party cummyn wer
With gret affeir and rialte,
The yhoung lady, of gret bewte,
Thidder thai broucht with rich affeir.
The wedding have thai maid richt ther 90
With gret fest and solempnite,
Thair mycht men myrth and gladschip se:
For full gret fest thai maid richt thar,
And Inglis men and Scottis war
To-gidder in joy and in solas: 95
Na felloune spek betuix thame was.
JULY 12, 1328 The Marriage of Prince David
The fest a weill lang tyme held thai;
And quhen thai buskit till fair away,
The queyn hes left hir douchter thar
With gret riches and ryall far. 100
I trow that lang quhill no lady
To hous wes gevin so richly.
The Erll and the Lord Dowglas,
Hir in dante resavit has,
As it wes worthy, sekyrly; 105
For scho wes syne the best lady
And the farest, that men mycht se.
Eftir this gret solempnite,
Quhen on bath halfis levis wes tane,
The queyne till Ingland hame is gane, 110
And had with hir the Mortymer.
The Erll and thai that levit wer,
Quhen thai a quhile hir convoyit had,
Toward Berwik agane thai raid,
And syne, with all thar cumpany, 115
Toward the King thai went in hy,
And had with thame the yhoung Davy,
And als dame Johane the yhoung lady.
The Kyng maid thame fair welcummyng,
And eftir, but lang delaying, 120
He has gert set ane parliament,
And thiddir with mony men is went.
For he thoucht he wald, in his liff,
Croune his yhoung sone and his wif
[At that parliament], and swa did he; 125
With gret fair and solempnite,
The kyng Davy wes crownyt thar,
And all the lordis at thar war,[†] *127
*And als of the comminite,
*[Maid hym manrent and fewte].
And forouth that thai crownit war, *130
The King Robert gert ordane thar,
Gif it fell that his sone Davy
Deit, but air male of his body 130
Gottyn, Robert Stewart suld be[†]
Kyng, and bruk all the rialte
That his douchter bar, Marjory.
And at this tailyhe suld lelely[†]
Be haldin, all the lordis swar, 135
And it with selys affermyt thar.
And gif it hapnyt Robert the Kyng
To pass till God, quhill thai war yhyng,
The gud Erle of Murref, Thomas,
With the lord alsua of Dowglas, 140
Suld have thame in-to governyng,
Quhill thai had wit to steir thar thing;
And than the lordschip suld thai ta.
Heir-till thar athis can thai ma.
And all the lordis that wes thar 145
To thir twa wardanys athes swar
Till obeis thame in-to lawte,
Gif thame hapnyt wardanys to be.