Besyd that castell, on a croft,
They stended pallionis ther;
Then spak a man that had bein oft
In jeopardie of warr:
"My lord, zour foes they ar to fear,125
Thoughe we war neuir so stoute;
Thairfoir comand some man of warre
To watche the rest about."
Be this was done, some gentillmen
Of noble kin and blood,130
To counsell with thir lordis begane,
Of matteris to concluide:
For weill aneughe they understood
The matter was of weght,
They had so manie men of good135
In battell for to fight.
The firstin man in counsall spak,
Good Errol it was he;
Who sayis, "I will the vaneguard tack
And leiding upone me.140
My Lord Huntlie, come succour me,
When ze sie me opprest;
For fra the feild I will not flie
So long as I may last."
Thair at some Gordones waxed wraithe,145
And said he did them wrong;
To lat this lord then they warre leath
First to [the] battell gange.
[The meiting that was them amonge,]
Was no man that it hard,150
Bot Huntlie, with ane troupe full stronge,
Bed into the reir guarde.
Thir wer the number of thair force
Thir lordis to battell led:
Ane thousand gentillmen on horss,155
And some fotemen they had;
Thrie hundreth that schot arrowes bred,
Four scorr that hagbutis bore:
Thir war the number that they had
Of footmen with them suire.160
[This worthy chevalrie]
All merchand to the field;
Argyll, with ane great armie,
Upone ane hill had tane beild,
Aboyding them [with] [speare and scheild],165
With bullettis, dartis, and bowes;
The men could [weill thair wapones weild];
To meit them was no mowes.
When they so near uther war come,
That ilk man saw his foe,170
"Goe to, and assay the gaime," said some;
Bot Capitane Ker said, "No:
First lat the gunes befoir us goe,
That they may break the order":
Quoth both the lordis, "Lat it be so,175
Or euer we goe forder."
Then Androw Gray, upone ane horss,
Betuixt the battillis red;
Makand the signe of holy cross,
In [manus] tuas he said.180
He lighted thair [the] gunes to led,
Quhill they cam to the rest;
Then Capitane Ker unto him sped,
And bad him shuit in haist.