No langar thair that tyme he wald remane,
Bot sone in Ingland sped him hame agane.
Ane plesand ladie that tyme and ane fair,
[On]to the erle of Carrik that wes air,
In Affrica that deid wes of the new
In that same weir of quhome befoir I schew,
So hapnit hir at hunting for to be
In ane forrest with mony semelie tre.
That samin tyme it hapnit als but faill,
Robert, the bruther that lord wes of Annandaill,
Greit lordschip als he had into Ingland,
Quhilk callit wes the erldome of Cleland;
Nepos he wes, I bid nocht for to roun,
To gude Dauid erle wes of Huntlyngtoun,
And sone also to Issobell the fair,
Erle Dauidis dochter and his youngest air,
Father he wes most reuerend and conding,
To Robert Bruce of Scotland syne wes king;
That samin tyme quhair that the tryst wes set,
With this ladie thair at the hunting met,
The quhilk to hir of paramouris that spak,
Quhilk causit hir of him sic plesour tak,
And hamelines, syne efter at the last,
With him that nicht to Tibber castell past.
Syne efter that this ladie he did wed
Onto his wyffe and brocht hir to his bed,
Quhilk callit wes than Martha to hir name,
In all hir tyme wnblekkit wes with blame.
Schort efter this, or thair about neir hand,
This Edwardis brether come into Scotland,
Thair sister sone and hir awin self to se;
Quhome Alexander with humanitie
Ressauit hes, with greit kyndnes betuene,
And all honour micht to sic men pertene.
This beand done, sone efter that belyve
Passit with thame to Lundoun and his wyfe,
Hir' brutheris crowning thair that tyme to se,
Quhair that tha saw richt greit statenitie
Of dansing, singing, sporting, and greit pla,
Witht greit triumph of torment euerilk da,
Quhair that thair justit mony nobill man.
Amang thame thair wes ane greit Normond than,
In all that rout had nother pier no maik,
No Inglisman mycht stryve aganis his strak.
Ane Scottisman rycht stout, hardie and zing,
Callit Ferquhar, that same tyme with our king,
Of nobill blude, quhilk borne wes into Ross,
Ane plesand man than baith on fit and hors,
With greit blythnes of all the Scottis than,
Manlie on hors this ilk Norman he wan.
This ilk Ferquhar, syne efter to record,
For his reward maid erle of Ross and lord.
That samin tyme Alexander oure king,
Onto his sone Alexander the zing,
All Huntlingtoun resignit in his hand,
Quhilk to king Edward hes maid aith and band
For tha landis, as wont wes of befoir.
This beand done, withoutin ony moir,
No langar thair at that tyme wald remane,
Rycht sone in Scotland syne come hame agane.
That samin tyme, I hard my author tell,
Into Scotland ane greit discord thair fell:
The erle of Athoill, that wes just and trew,
To dant the theuis biggit of the new
Into Athoill ane strang castell that tyde,
The quhilk to name wes callit [than] Blairbryde.
The men of gude that duelt neirhand about,
Of him that tyme tha had sic dred and dout,
Throw that castell that wes so strang of stone,
At his plesour he suld dant thame ilkone;
And for that caus all into ane intent,
To big that hous maid greit impediment.
Ane man of gude that callit wes to name
Regenald Chene, of honour and greit fame,
And officiar als of the kingis hous,
Bening he wes without ony rebous,
Into Dunkell, as my author remordit,
The pairteis baith at thair plesour accordit.
Be this mater wes endit so and done,
Ane mair discord thair followit efter sone
Betuix tua nobillis of ane rycht ald stok,
Johne of Cuming and Walter Bullok,
Wes for Menteith quha heretour sould be.
Johnne of Cuming alledgit it wes he
Wes eldest maill, and als the narrest air
To the last erle as eith wes till declair.
Thair richtis bayth on arbetrie wes done:
Deliuerit wes syne efter that richt sone,
That Walter Bullock the ane half suld haif,
And Johnne of Cuming siclike all the laif,
And of tha landis callit erle and lord;
Betuix thame tua thus endit that discord.
The princes all in Europ than that was,
That samin tyme tha purposit for to pas
Vpone the Turkis in the halie land;
So had tha done as I richt wnderstand,
War nocht invy that sic scisma began,
Quhilk stoppit thame of that way as than.
OFF THE DECEIS OF THE QUENE AND
3OUNGEST SONE, DAUID; AND HOW THE KING
PASSIT IN INGLAND, AND BROCHT HAME ANE
DUIKIS DOCHTER FOR HIS SONE TO WED,
AND OF THE DEITH OF HIM AND HIS SISTER
MARGARET, QUENE OF NORROWA.
heir me mene,
In this same tyme now that 3e
In Couper castell deit the gude quene;
Hir 3oungest sone, callit Dauid, also
Sone efter hir he tuik his leif till go.
The king thairfoir quhilk his successioun dred
Or it sould faill, thairfoir in haist he sped,
Ane fair ladie, I can nocht tell hir name,
Out of Ingland in Scotland brocht hir hame,
Ane duikis dochter to his sone to wed:
And so he did, syne brocht hir to his bed.
The secund zeir he send vpoun ane da
His dochter Margaret on to Norrowa,
Quhair gude Hungo, of Norrowa that wes king,
He[s] weddit hir with rob royall and ring,
Quhilk to the pepill wes blythnes and jo;
Sone efter syne thair follouit als greit wo.
3oung Alexander weddit of the new,
But schort quhile syne as I heir to 30w schew,
But ony child than gottin of his wyffe,
Departit hes out of this present lyfe.
3oung Margaret als of Norrowa that wes quene, King Hungois wyff that same tyme as I mene, Scho tuke hir leif out of this lyfe to go,
Except ane dochter without barnis mo.
Alexander that wes so will of reid,
Quhen that he knew that wyfe and barnis wer deid,
Dreidand full soir his successioun suld faill,
With all the counsall of the lordis haill,
Sone out of France ane fair ladie gart bring,
And weddit hir that same tyme with ane ring, 46,875
With greit triumph and sic honour and gloir,
Semdill wes sene in Scotland sic befoir.
At that mariage, tak tent and I sall tell,
So greit ane wounder on ane nycht befell.
Efter supper with mony torchis licht,
Quhair present war rycht mony gudlie wicht,
This king and quene in courtlie carraling,
Rycht mony lade led wes in that ring,
So plesand makand [of] sic play and sport;
Or euir tha wist ane laithlie lene tramort,
Into the figure that tyme of ane man,
But flesche or blude, haiffand nocht ellis than,
Bot like ane bogill all of ratland banis,
Into that ring come hindmest for the nanis.
Richt greit effeir thairof tuke ald and zing;
And as tha stude to farlie on that thing,
So laithlie wes thair in the candill lycht,
Richt suddantlie it vaneist out of sicht.
Quhat that it wes or quhairfoir it come thair,
Juge ze zour self for I can sa na mair.
This nobill king, as my author did sa,
In dansing, singing, and sic sport and pla,
Remanit thair with lordis mony one,
Quhill fyftene dais of the feist wes gone.
I haif hard tell in mony jest and ryme,
All erthlie blythnes lestis bot ane tyme;
Rycht oft it is sene that efter ouir greit jo,
Wnwittandlie thair followis als greit wo.
HOW KING ALEXANDER DEIT RYDAND AT KING-
ORNE, AND OF THRE CUNNING MEN, ANE
CALLIT MICHELL SCOT.
Ouir suith exempill that tyme hapnit heir;
Sone efter syne, within les nor ane zeir,
I can nocht tell than quhither at evin or morne,
This nobill king than rydand at Kingorne,
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