MAY-JUNE, 1329 The Mission of the King’s Heart
Quhen all this thing thus tretit wes,
And affermyt with sekirnes, 150
The king [till Cardross went] in hy;
And thar hym tuk sa felonly
The seknes, and him travalyt swa,
That he wist him behufit ma
Of all this liff the commoune end, 155
That is the ded, quhen God will send.
Tharfor his lettres soyne send he
[For the lordis] of his cuntre,
And thai com as he biddyn had.
His testament than has he maid, 160
Befor bath lordis and prelatis;
And till religioune of seir statis,
For heill of his saull, gaf he
Silvir in-to gret quantite.
He ordanit for his saull richt weill. 165
And quhen at this wes done ilk deill,
“[Lordingis],” he said, “swa is it gane
“With me, that thar is nocht bot ane
“That is, the ded, withouten dreid,
“That ilk man mon thole on neid. 170
“And I thank God that has me sent
“Spas in this liff me till repent.
“For throu me and my warraying
“Of blud thar has beyne gret spilling,
“Quhar mony sakles men wes slayne; 175
“Tharfor this seknes and this payne
“I tak in thank for [my trespas].
“And [my hert fyschit fermly was],
“Quhen I wes in prosperite,
“Of my synnys till savit be 180
“[To travell apon Goddis fayis].
“And sen he now me till hym tais,
“That [the body may on na wis]
“Fulfill that the hert can devis,
“I wald the hert war thiddir sent, 185
“Quhar-in consavit wes that entent.
“Tharfor I pray yhow evir-ilkane,
“That yhe emang yhow [cheis me ane]
“That be honest, wis, and wicht,
“And of his hand ane nobill knycht, 190
“[On Goddis fayis] myne hert to bere
“Quhen saull and cors disseverit er.
“For I wald it war worthely
“Broucht thar, sen God will nocht that I
“Have power thiddirward till ga.” 195
Than war thair hertis all so wa,
That nayne mycht hald hym fra [greting].
He bad thame leiff thair sorowyng;
For it, he said, mycht nocht releif,
And mycht thaimself gretly engreif. 200
And prayit thame in hy till do
The thyng that thai war chargit to.
Than went thai furth with drery mude.
And emang thame thai thoucht it gude
That the worthy lord Dowglas 205
Quham in bath wit and worschip was[†] *206
*Suld tak this travaill apon hand;
*Heir-till thai war an accordand.
*Syne till the Kyng that went in hy
*And tald hym at thai thoucht trewly,
That the douchty lord Dowglas *211
Best schapen for that travell was.
And quhen the King hard at thai swa
Had ordanit hym his hert till ta,
That he mast yharnit suld it haf,
He said, “Sa God him-self me saff! 210
“I hald me richt weill payit that yhe
“Has chosyn hym; for [his bounte],
“And his worschip set my yharnyng,
“Ay sen I thoucht till do this thyng,
“That he it with hym thar suld ber. 215
“And sen yhe all assentit er,
“It is the mar likand till me.
“Lat se now quhat thar-till sayis he.”
And quhen the gud lord of Dowglas
Wist at the Kyng thus spokyn has, 220
He com and knelit to the Kyng,
And on this wis maid him thanking.
‘[I thank yhow gretly, lorde],’ said he,
‘Of mony large and gret bounte,
‘That yhe haf done till me feill sis 225
‘Sen fyrst I come to yhour servis.
‘Bot our all thing I mak thanking,
‘That yhe so digne and worthy thing
‘As yhour hert, that illumynyt wes
‘Of all bounte and worthynes, 230
‘Will that I in my yheemsell tak.
‘For yhow, Schir, will I blithly mak
‘This travell, gif God will me gif
‘Laser and space so lange till liff.’
The Kyng him thankit tendirly. 235
Than wes nane in that cumpany
That thai ne wepit for pite;
Thair cher anoyus wes to se.
Death of Robert Bruce, King of Scotland.
JUNE, 1329 The Sorrow for the King’s Death
Quhen the Lord Dowglas, on this wis,
Had undirtane so hye empris, 240
As the gud Kyngis hert till ber
On Goddis fayis apon wer,
Prisit for his enpris wes he.
And the Kingis infermite
Woxe mair and mair, quhill at the last 245
The dulfull dede approchit fast.
And quhen he had gert till hym do
All that gud Cristin man fell to,
With werray repentans he gaf
The gast, that God till hevin couth haf, 250
Emang his chosyn folk till be
In joy, solace, and angell gle.
And fra his folk wist [he wes ded],
The sorow rais fra sted to sted.
Thair mycht men se men rif thar hare, 255
And cumly knychtis gret full sar,
And thar nevis oft sammyn driff,
And as wode men thair clathes rif,
Regratand his worthy bounte,
His wit, strynth, and his honeste; 260
And, our all, the gret cumpany
That he oft maid thame curtesly.
“All our defens,” thai said, “allas!
“And he that all our confort was,
“Our wit, and all our governyng, 265
“Is brought, allas! heir till ending.
“His worschip and his mekill mycht
“Maid all that war with him so wicht,
“That thai mycht nevir abaysit be,
“Quhill forouth thame thai mycht him se. 270
“Allas! quhat sall we do or say?
“For in liff quhill he lestit ay,
“With all our fais dred war we:[†]
“And in-till mony fer cuntre
“Of our worschip ran the renoune: 275
“And that wes [all for his persoune].”
With sic wordis thai maid thair mayne;
And sekirly wonder wes nane:
For better governour than he
Mycht in na cuntre fundyn be. 280
I hop that nane that is on lif
The lamentacioune suld discrif
That thai folk for thair lord maid.
And quhen thai lang thus sorowit had,
And he debowalit wes clenly,[†] [293] 285
And [bawlmyt eyne] full richly,
And the worthy lord Dowglas [295]
His hert, as it forspokyn was,
Has resavit in gret dantee,
With gret fair and solempnite [298] 290
Thai have him had till Dunfermlyne, [285]
And hym [solempnly erdit syne],
And in a fair towne in the queyr.
Bischoppes and prelatis that thar weir
Assolyheit hym, quhen the servis 295
Wes done as thai couth best devis; [290]
And syne, apon the toder day,
Sary and wa ar went thar way. [292]
JULY-AUG., 1330 Douglas reaches Spain
Quhen at the gud King beriit was,
The Erll of Murreff, Schir Thomas, 300
Tuk all the lande in governyng;
All obeysit till his bidding.
And the gud lord of Dowglas syne
Gert mak ane cas of silvir fyne
Anamalyt throu subtilite: 305
Thar-in the Kyngis hert did he,
And ay about his hals it bare,
And fast him bownyt for his fare.
His testament devisit he,
And ordanit how his land suld be 310
Governit, quhill his agane-cummyng,
Of frendis; and all othir thing,
That till him partenit ony wis,
With sa gude forsicht and sa wis,
Or his furth-passyng, ordanit he, 315
That na thing mycht amendit be.
And quhen that he his leif has tane,
[To schip till Berwik] is he gane;
And with ane nobill cumpany
Of knychtis and of squyary, 320
He put him thar in-to the se.
A lang way furthwarde salyt he;
Betuyx Cornwale and Bretanyhe
He salit, and left [the Grunye of Spanyhe][†]
On north half hym; and held thar way 325
Quhill till [Savill the Graunt] com thai.[†]
Bot gretly war his men and he
Travaled with tempest on the se;
Bot, thouch thai gretly travalit war,
Haill and feir thai cummyn ar. 330
Thai arivit at gret Savill;[†]
And eftir, in a litill quhill,
Thar hors to land thai drew ilkane,
And in the toune has herbery tane.
He hym contenyt richt richly; 335
For he had ,
And gold eneuch for till despend.
[The Kyng] all soyne eftir hym send,
And him richt weill resavit he,
And profferit hym in gret plente 340
Gold and tresour, hors and armyng;
Bot he wald tak thar-of na thyng;
For, he said, he tuk that viage
To pass in-till his pilgrimage
On Goddis fais, that his travale 345
Micht eftir till his saull avale.
And sen he wist that he had were
With Sarazenis, he wald dwell ther,
And help him at his mycht lely.
The King him thankit curtesly, 350
And betaucht him gud men that were
Weill knawin of that landis wer,
And the maner thar-of alsua.
Syne till his innys can he ga.
Quhen that the King him levit had, 355
A weill gret sojourne thar he mad.[†]
Knychtis that com of fer cuntre
Com in gret rowtis hym to se,
And honorit him full gretumly.
And our all men mast soveranly, 360
[The Inglis knychtis] that war thar
Honour and cumpany him bar.
Emang thame wes ane strange knycht,
That wes haldyn so woundir wicht,
That for ane of the gude wes he 365
Prisit of all the Cristianite.
Sa fast till-hewyn wes all his face
That it our all neir wemmyt was.
Or he the lord Dowglas had seyne,
He wend his face had wemmyt beyne, 370
Bot nevir ane hurt in it had he.
Quhen he unwemmyt can it se,
He said that he had gret ferly
That sic a knycht and sa worthy,
And prisit of sa gret bounte, 375
Mycht in the face unwemmyt be.
And he ansuerd thar-till mekly,
And said, “Love God, all tym had I[†]
“Handis myne hede for till were.”
Quha wald tak tent to this ansuer[†] 380
Suld se in it undirstanding,
That, and he that maid askyng,
Had had handis to wer, his face,
That, for defalt of fens so was
To-fruschit into placis ser, 385
Suld haf, may fall, left haill and fer.
The gud knychtis, that than war by,
Prisit this ansuer gretumly;
For it wes maid with meke speking,
And had richt hye undirstanding. 390