Mes pour ce que lauandict roy de Ang. ne puist nulle manier conusance faire ne a complier sauns iugement, ne iugement doit estre sauns execution, ne execution ne peult il faire duement, sauns la possession, & seysine de mesme la terre, & de chasteaux. Nous volons, otrions, & grantons, qu'il come souereine seigneur, a parfaire les choses auant dictes, ait la seysine de toute la mesme terre, & de chasteaux de Escoce, tant que droyt soit feit & perfourme, as demandans en tiel maniere, que auant ceo qu' il eit le seysine auant dict face bone seurte, & suffisante as demandants & as gardiens, & a la commune du reaume d' Escoce, a faire la reuersion de mesme le reaume, & de chasteaux, oue toute la royauté, dignité, seignourie, franchises, coustomes, droitures, leys, vsages, & possessions, & touz manieres des apurtenances, en mesme le estate, quils estoient quant la seysine luy fust bailleé, & liuereé a celuy que le droyt emportera par iugemēt de sa royauté, sauue au roy d' Anglterre le homage de celuy, qui serra rey. Yssint quela reuersion soit feit dedans les deux moys apres le iour que le droyt sera trieé & affirme. Et que les yssues de mesme la terre en le moyne temps resceus, soient sauuement mis en depos & bien gardées par la main le chamberleyn d' Escoce que ore est, & de celuy qui serra assigne a luy de par le rey d' Angleterre, & de sous leur seaus sauue renable sustinance de la terre, & des chasteaux & des ministres du royaume. En testimoigne de cestes choses auandicts, nous auons mis nos seaules a ceste escript. Fait & donné a Norham le mecredie prochein apres l'Ascension, l'an de Grace, 1291.
[The same in English.]
To all them that these present writings shall sée or heare, Florence earle of Holland, Robert le Bruce lord of Annandale, Iohn de Balioll lord of Galloway, Iohn Hastings lord of Abergeuenny, Iohn Comin lord of Badenaw, Patrike de Dunbarre the earle of March, Iohn de Vescy in stead of his father, Nicholas de Sules, William de Ros, send gréeting in our lord. Bicause that of our good will and common assent, without all constraint, we doo consent and grant vnto the noble prince the lord Edward, by the grace of God king of England, that he as superiour lord of Scotland, may heare, examine, define and determine our claimes, chalenges, and petitions, which we intend to shew and prooue for our right, to be receiued before him as superiour lord of the land, promising moreouer, that we shall take his déed for firme and stable, and that he shall inioy the kingdome of Scotland, whose right shall by declaration best appeare before him.
Whereas then the said king of England cannot in this manner take knowledge, nor fulfill our meanings without iudgement, nor iudgement ought to be without execution, nor execution may in due forme be doone without possession and seizine of the said land and castels of the same; we will, consent, and grant, that he as superiour lord to performe the premisses may haue the seizine of all the land and castels of the same, till they that pretend title to the crowne be satisfied in their suit, so that before he be put in possession and seizine, he find sufficient suertie to vs that pretend title, and to the wardens, and to all the communaltie of the kingdome of Scotland, that he shall restore the same kingdome with all the roialtie, dignitie, seigniorie, liberties, customes, rights, lawes, vsages, possessions, and all and whatsoeuer the appurtenances, in the same state wherein they were before the seizine to him deliuered, vnto him to whome by right it is due, according to the iudgement of his regalitie, sauing to him the homage of that person that shall be king: and this restitution to be made within two moneths after the daie in the which the right shall be discussed and established, the issues of the same land in the meane time shall be receiued, laid vp, and put in safe kéeping, in the hands of the chamberlaine of Scotland which now is, and of him, whome the king of England shall to him assigne, and this vnder their seales, reseruing and allowing the reasonable charges for the sustentation of the land, the castels and officers of the kingdome. In witnesse of all the which premisses, we haue vnto these letters set our seales. Giuen at Norham the wednesday next after the feast of the Ascension of our Lord, in the yeare of Grace, 1291.
Rich. Routh.
These two letters the king of England sent vnder his priuie seale vnto diuerse monasteries within his realme, in the 19 yéere of his reigne, that in perpetuall memorie of the thing thus passed, it might be registred in their chronicles. Thus by the common assent of the chéefest of the lords in Scotland, king Edward receiued the land into his custodie, till by due and lawfull triall had, it might appéere who was rightfull heire to the crowne there. The homage or fealtie of the nobles of Scotland was expressed in words as followeth.