"And no redres that 3e will mak thairfoir,
"Nocht worth ane scrunt of all that to restoir.

Thairfoir," he said, "sa to thi king but leis,

"Gif that he plesis for to leif in peice,

"And nocht to se bayth castell, tour and toun, 46,240 "Befoir his face distroyit and put doun,

"And all his kinrik, schortlie to conclude,

"Brocht to confusioun bayth with fyre and blude;
"Gif he list nocht sic thingis for to se,

"Ten thousand pundis of gude money send me, 46,245
"And all the Ylis ilkone be thair name
Gif ouir to me without ony reclame."
Onto the king this ansuer quhen tha schew,
Be thair relatione wnderstude and knew,
And be the ansuer in the tyme he maid,
Without battell he culd nocht weill evaid,
Decretit hes syne for to tak the feild.
With bernis big that waponis weill culd weild,
Ane greit armie all into armour bricht
He semblit syne richt sone into thair sicht.

46,250

Col. 2.

46,255

HOW THE KING OF SCOTTIS TUKE FEILD AGANIS
ACHO, KING OF NORROWAY, AND OF HIS
ORESONE MAID TO HIS LORDIS.

46,260

Vpone ane plane that tyme quhair that tha stude,
He put thame all intill ordour rycht gude;
To Walter Stewart amang all the laif,
At his gyding the vangard that da gaif;
He wes his oy that foundit the abba
Into Renfrow, that callit is Pasla;
The erle of Merche vpone the tother syde,
The tother battell gaif to him to gyde;
The mid battell of stalwart men and stuir,
Thairof him self the gyding tuke and cuir.

46,265

Quhen that wes done ascendit to ane hycht, Quhair euerie man mycht haif of him ane sycht; Befoir thame all syne with ane voce so cleir, He said to thame as I sall schaw 30w heir. "Wnto zow all," he said, "it is weill knawin, 46,270 "So wranguslie this tyme with oure awin

"We are invaidit, without causs or quhy, "For auerice, for malice and invye;

Quhairfoir, I traist, tha sall cum hulie speid,

"In sic querrell quhen that tha haif most neid. 46,275 Rycht weill ze knaw how our fatheris beforne,

зе

"Full mony da or ony heir wes borne,

Agane thair fatheris oft in stour tha stude, "Becaus thair querrell wes so just and gude,

"And in thame self so worthie men war than, 46,280 "The victorie euir of thame tha wan.

"Traist weill," he said, "we haif alss mekle rycht "As tha had than, and God als of greit mycht "As he wes than, and als greit equitie,

"And euir wes and euirmoir salbe,

"And equalie rewardis euerie deid.

46,285

Quhairfoir," he said, "we haif no causs to dreid, "Sen that our querrell is so just and trew, "Withoutin causs tha do on ws persew;

Quhairfoir greit God of his auctoritie, "Will nocht thoill thame wnpuneist for to be. "And sen it is that we haif all the richt, "I 30w beseik exerce our strenth and micht zour "For to defend our barnis and our wyffis,

46,290

3our freindis als, 3our landis and 3our lyffis, 46,295

3our king, 3our croun, or, schortlie to conclude, "Bondis to be into vyle seruitude

"To 3one pepill befoir zour face ze se, "Of barbour blude full of iniquitie;

"Ilk da with thame syne to be ouirthrawin, "Vsand 3ow all evin as ze war thair awin;

46,300

"Baith 3oung and ald, wyfe and barne betuene,
"Ilk da defoullit syne befoir 3our ene."
Siclike as this that tyme he did reherss,

And mekle mair than I will put in verss.
Acho siclike, vpoun the tother part,
Rycht circumspect he wes into that art,
And to his men into the samin sort,
He said to thame as I sall heir report:
3e my knychtis, baith stalwart and sture,
Forsuith," he said, "of 3ow I am richt suir,

"That ze ar all bayth manlie, wyss and wicht;

"In 3ow also sic strenth thair is and micht,

"And wisdome als, els, wit ze but weir,

зе

46,305

46,310

"So far fra hame I had nocht brocht 30w heir. 46,315 Lib. 13, f. 213. "Sic vertew als I knaw thair is in 30w,

Rycht litill dreid thairfoir I haif as now

"Of all zone folk befoir 3our face that standis,
"I haif sic hoip this da into 3our handis.
"For weill I wait, with litill noy or din,
Riches and gold aneuch heir may we wyn,
"Lordschip and land, honour and greit mycht.
"Quhairfoir," he said, "wald ze considder richt,
"Of all zone folk ze suld tak litill feir,
зе

"Without prattik or wisdome into weir.

"In thame is nother strenth or micht I ken,

For-quhy tha ar bot similitudis of men,

46,320

46,325

"And like schaddowis, to say the suith at schort,
Bayth pynd and puir like ony peild tramort.
"On thair bodie is nothing, to conclude,

"Bot skyn and bone, withoutin flesche or blude,

"For greit hungar that they haif had all zeir,

46,330

Bayth meit and drink so scant hes bene and deir.

"Dout nocht," he said, "without ony demand,

"Tha haif no strenth agane our straik to stand. 46,335 Gif so hapnis, as God forbid so be,

"Out of the feild heir at this tyme to fle,

Col. 1.

"Quhair suld we flie, lat se now to quhat place? "Haiffand our fa fechtand befoir oure face,

46,340

Behind oure bak the deip water and se, "Quhair we will droun to that place and we fle. "And sen we haif sic help in our awin handis, "And ma debait ws rycht weill with our brandis, "Greit skayth it war, dishonour and greit lak, "And we on ws this tyme sic part suld tak, "To cast fra ws oure harnes and oure geir, "And waponis alss that we vse into weir, "Out of the feild quhair we no perrell se, "So schamefullie to turne oure bak and fle,

46,345

Rycht haill and feir, withoutin wan or wound, 46,350 "On to zone se quhair we will all be dround. "Quhairfoir," he said, "think on your honour all, "I 30w beseik, quhat euir efter befall,

"So far fra hame heir in ane vncouth land, "Quhill ze haif strenth other to stryke or

46,355

stand."

THE ENTERING AND JOYINING OF THE FEILD.

Be this wes said the broderit baneris brycht

On euerie syde we[s] hevit vpoune hicht;
And mony pynsall panetit all with gold,
And mony standart streikit on the mold,
That worthelie war wrocht all with gold wyre,
Fra Phebus face that flammit as the fyre.
The schalmis schill schoutit with sic ane sound,
That with thair beir the braid erd did rebound;
The clarionis clynkit in the tyme so cleir,
The buglis blast wes aufull for to heir;

46,360

46,365

Rycht mony man, that waponis weill culd weild,

On euerie syde hes enterit in the feild,

With sic ane dous togidder that tha draif,

Quhill speiris brak and scheildis birst and raif.

46,370

Helmis war hewin and heidis that war wnder,
Schoulderis wer sched and schorne all in schunder;
Breistis war bet, bayth bludie maid and bla,
Sum leg, sum arme, the bodie cuttit fra;
Sum to the erd wes derflie drevin doun,

Sum in the deid-thraw la walterand in swoun.
Thir tua kingis forgane vther that faucht,
Sic routis rude ilkone on vther raucht
Into that feild, with egir will and gude,

46,375

Stalwart he wes wnder sic straikis stude.

The Scottis than in the vangard that faucht,

46,380

Col. 2.

As with thair captane that tyme tha war taucht,
So worthelie into the feild thame hed,

Quhill that thair partie turnit thair bak and fled.

Achois cousing, captane of that feild,

The laif all fled quhen that tha saw him
keild;

Most principall amang thame all wes he,
And nixt Acho of most auctoritie.

The Scottis than fast follouit on the chace;
Thair captane than, quhilk considderit the cace,
As tha war scaillit vp and doun the plane,
Ane trumpet blew and gatherit thame agane.
In gude array he brocht thame syne intill
Thir tua kingis quhair tha war fechtand still;
In gude ordour, alss fast as tha mycht frak,
He enterit in behind the Danis bak.
Tha bernis bald, withoutin ony baid,
So greit slauchter vpone tha Danis maid,
That force it wes to this Acho to fle,

46,385

46,390

46,395

Out of the feild than with ane few menzie.
The farrar wyng vpoune the tother syde,
The erle of Merche had in that tyme to gyde,
So lang tha faucht quhill tha war neir confoundit,
Him self also into the tyme soir woundit;

46,400