In hir zouthheid quhen scho wes of most vaill,
Withoutin cheild other famell or maill.
King Alexander efter this wes done,
Agane in Scotland syne come hame rycht sone. 45,755
The nixt zeir syne efter he come hame,
Ane 3oung virgin, callit Marie to name,
The dochter wes to the erle of Gower than,
Callit Ingell, quhilk wes ane nobill man,
Than Alexander weddit to his wyfe,
In joy and blis with quhome he led his lyfe.
To him efter ane 3oung sone syne scho buir,
Hecht Alexander, quhilk dalie with greit cuir
Scho nureist hes in zouthheid of ane cheild,
Quhill that he come onto perfytar eild.
Sone efter syne, as 3e sall wnderstand,
This nobill king perlustrit all his land,
Justice and law amang thame till exers.
That samin tyme, my author dois rehers,
Patrik the erle of Athoill that wes than,
In Haddingtone, wnwist of ony man,
Or zit knawledge of ony erthlie wycht,
In his bed wes murdreist on the nycht;
Syne he and bed and all wes brint in ass,
And all the houss that nycht that he in was.
Thocht no man wist perfitlie in effect
Quha did the' deid, zit tua tha held suspect;
The tane of thame hecht Jon Bissart to name,
Quhilk of the deid buir all the wyte and blame,
And on his eme that tyme and on no mo,
The blame of all wes laid vpone tha tuo.
Quhairof tha come into the kingis will,
Becaus he hed no sicker preif thairtill,
Forfaltit thame than bayth of land and gude,
Syne baneist thame rycht far attouir the flude. 45,785
HOW THE PRELATTIS OF SCOTLAND CONVENIT AND
MAID ANE COUNSALL IN SANCT JOHNESTOUN.
This samin zeir as so hapnit befall
In Sanct Johnnestoun ane counsall generall;
Quhair all the prelattis of Scotland ilkone
Wes present thair; that da absent wes none.
That callit wes the counsall of clergie,
For to reforme all faltis war gone by;
All thing to cum with prudens to prouyde,
With gude ordour the kirk of Christ to gyde.
In that counsall richt mony gude statute
Wes maid that tyme, quhilk zit ar execute
Wnabrogat, as that my author sais,
Quhilk in the kirk ar keipit 3it thir dais.
Bayth with the king and the lordis consent
This thing wes done, quhair tha war all present.
Sone efter this now that ze heir me reid,
Lord of Argyle wes callit Somerleid,
The sone he wes of Somerleid that schrew
Quhome of befoir schort quhile I [to] 30w schew,
Into his tyme quhilk wes ane wickit man;
Quhair that he left this Somerleid began,
With reif and stouth, spulze and oppressioun,
Ane lang quhile so with greit transgressioun,
Ilk da be da the langar ay the war.
The erle of Merche syne, Patrik of Dumbar,
Send fra the king aganis him we reid,
In plane battell vincust this Somerleid;
Syne chaissit him ouir mony mont and plane,
Quhill that he wes richt joyfull syne and fane
To grant him grace; than, for the moir effecc,
Come with ane widey knyt about his neck,
Befoir the king quhair he had set the place,
On his kneis beseikand him of grace;
Quhill grantit wes for plesure of this lord.
Erle of Dumbar, of quhome I did record.
Quhen this wes done and brocht to sic ane
end,
Quhilk in the tyme wes greitlie to commend,
This ilk Henrie that king wes of Ingland,
Richt mony menis maid to brek the band
To Alexander befoir that he hed maid,
With sic desyr his kinrik to invaid,
Throw ill counsall that mony gaif him to,
Wist nocht rycht weill quhat that tha had ado.
And for to mak occasioun of sic thing,
Rycht mony wes gaif counsall to the king,
The samin castell that foundit wes on Tueid,
Quhilk of befoir, as ze aboue ma reid,
That king Williame gart cast doun and distroy,
To big agane the Scottis for to noy;
Into thair hart it wald be sic ane hoill, That weill tha wist tha ma nocht sic thing thoill.
All this wes done onto the same effecc,
To fynd ane caus the trewis for to brek.
So had tha done, as I richt wnderstand,
War nocht the lordis that tyme of Ingland,
The quhilk thairof knew sic danger and ill
Into that cace, wald nocht consent thairtill;
And causs[it] hes the king for to repent
That he had done, and changit his intent.
How LUES, KING OF FRANCE, SEND IN SCOTLAND
TO KING ALEXANDER FOR SUPPLE TO FECHT
IN HALIE LAND, QUHA SEND PATRIK, ERLE
OF MARCHE, AND WALTER STEWART OF DUN-
DONALD, WITH ANE GREIT ARMIE WITH THE
SAID KING OF FRANCE.
In this same tyme the nobill king of France,
Callit Lues, richt gritlie till advance,
Into Scotland that samin tyme send he
To Alexander for his help and supple;
Schawand to him his purpois wes till go,
That tyme to fecht aganes Christis fo,
Into Judea into the Halie Land.
Than Alexander withoutin ony demand,
The erle of Merche, bayth bellicois and bald,
And Walter Stewart lord of Dundonald,
With mony wy that worthie war and wicht,
Baith big and bald, all cled in armour brycht,
Wnder the gyding of thir lordis tuo,
To king Lues he maid that tyme till go.
In Egipt efter syne at thair defenss,
Part in battell and part in pestilens,
Departit all into that samin place.
Sone efter syne it hapnit vpone cace,
This king Lues with vtheris mony one,
Fechtand in feild with the Soldane wes tone.
Neirby this tyme that I haif schawin heir,
Quhen Alexander ane and fiftie zeir
Completit hes, and gane wes all his dais,
Than of his ring, as that my author sais,
Completit wes als threttie zeir and fyve,
He tuke his leif out of this present lyfe,
And of our Lord ane thousand and tua hunder, 45,870
Fourtie and nyne also for to eik wnder.
Within the se that tyme into ane yle
Fornent the cost, rycht straucht furth fra Argyle,
This Alexander, as that my author sais,
In that same place cloissit his latter dais.
With seruice sung and sacrifice of sence,
And all honour pertening to ane prence,
[Into Melross syne efter that wes he
Intumulat with greit solempnitie.]
HOW ALEXANDER WAS CROVNIT KING, AND HOW
THE LORDIS AMANG THAME SELFFIS THAIR-
FOIR DID MALING, AND HOW THE REALME
WAS GYDIT BE FOUR WYSS LORDIS.
Quhen so deceissit wes this nobill king,
That all his tyme so meik wes and bening,
Ane sone he had quhilk wes ane plesand cheild, 45,880
The quhilk that tyme wes nyne zeiris of eild.
Ane farar cheild doucht na man for to se,
Als Alexander to name callit wes he.
That samin tyme, as my author recordis,
Ane greit diuisioun raiss amang the lordis,
And speciallie for crowning of thair king.
Sum said that tyme that he wes all to zing
To crownit be, and also greit wnrycht,
Becaus he that tyme wes nocht maid [ane] knycht;
And vther sum the contrarie that thocht,
For sic ane caus that tyme stop wald tha nocht.
And had nocht bene Makduffe the erle of Fyffe,
With his wisdome that stoppit all that stryfe,
In that mater tha had fittit so far,
Sone efterwart I trow it had bene war.
Or ony thing in that mater wes done,
He hed the prince with greit triumph to Scone,
Quhair present wes thair lordis mony one,
And crownit him thair on the marbell stone.
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