In his absence quhilk tuke the cuir on hand,
Nane suld rebell aganis him in Scotland.
Quhen this wes done as ze haif hard me sa,
This king Edward sone efter on ane da,
With ane greit navin passit ouir the se
Richt on to France; and thair I lat him be,
And turne agane and of the Scottis tell,
Sone efterwart how that tha did rebell.
The Scottis lordis alss sone as tha knew
That king Edward, as I befoir heir schew,
Wes gone in France, withoutin ony baid
Ane generall counsall altogidder maid,
In that purpois all on ane da to die,
Or to reskew agane thair libertie.
Tuelf governouris, as ze sall wnderstand,
Lib. 14, f.218b. Tha maid that tyme for to defend Scotland;
The erle of Buchane bellicois and bald,
That schir Johnne Cuming to his name wes
Amang thame all of maist auctoritie,
And principall of all the laif wes he;
Of wisdome, manheid, honour and als mycht,
In Albione wes nocht ane better knicht.
That samin tyme, as my author did sa,
With greit power he passit on ane da
Far ouir the bordour in Northumberland,
And brint and slew without ony ganestand.
Baith riche and puir that tyme he sparit nocht, 47,735
All that tha fand away with thame tha brocht.
Syne seigit Carlill efter on ane da;
Lang at that seig without beleif tha la,
To wyn the toun, it wes so stark and strang,
And left the seig quhen tha had lyne thair
lang,
And wald nocht ly na langar thair in weir,
Come hame agane in Scotland haill and feir.
OFF WYSS, WICHT, WORTHIE, VAILZEANT WILLIAME
WALLACE, THE RESKEWAR OF SCOTLAND, AND
HOW HE INTERPRYSIT MONY DEID ON HAND.
My author sais that samin tyme thair was
Ane man of gude callit Williame Wallace,
Ane knichtis sone also [he was] and air,
And of his bodie baith plesand and fair,
And of his stature large and rycht weill maid,
With armes lang and schulderis brent and braid;
Of hie curage corsie and corpolent,
Manlie as Mars the god armypotent.
Moir strenth he had quhen that he list to
stryve,
Na in his tyme had vther four or fyve,
That wichtest war in Albione to waill.
Also he wes of greit wisdome but faill,
And to his freind rycht traist without fictioun, 47,755
And to his fa awfull as ane lyoun.
Aganis proude men richt pensit and he,
And of the puir compatiens with pitie,
And mercifull to all subjectit wicht,
That parit war of thair power and micht.
Gif all be trew of him my author sais,
Hector nor Achill nother in thair dais
Of vther men the strenthis did exceid,
As Wallace did into his tyme, I reid,
All vther men exceidit into strenth,
The veritie quha wald declair at lenth.
His manlines and wisdome alss thairwith,
Wes for to pryiss that tyme aboue his pith,
His fortitude and gude zeill to the croun,
With so greit kyndnes to his awin natioun.
Of him at me quha lykis for to speir,
Befoir this tyme that I sall sa 3ow heir,
Quhat that he did, or how that he began,
In his youthheid lang or he wes ane man,
I can nocht tell 30w bot gif that I wald lie,
For-quhy my author tald it nocht to me.
Of that mater quha lykis for to luke,
Thair sall ze find in[to] blind Hareis buke
The fassoun all declarit at greit lenth.
I can nocht say gif it hes ony strenth
Of suith fastnes or zit of veritie,
Thairfoir as now I will lat sic thing be,
And tell 30w furth the laif of him fra hand,
In my author befoir me as I fand.
This Williame Wallace, as my author sais,
Richt helplike wes into tha samin dais
To Scottismen war trub[1]it or opprest,
And Inglismen he lute tak litill rest,
Without fauour haifand at thame sic feid,
Of thame richt mony that he put to deid.
And for that caus ouir all bayth far and neir,
Tha drew to him that of his help did heir,
For traist refuge, for succour to him socht;
Quhome to that tyme that ony wrang wes wrocht,
Fra all partis so thik to him tha drew,
Quhill that his power eikit so and grew,
The Sutheroun all betuix Tay and Tueid,
Of him tha had [richt] greit effeir and dreid,
Sa oft of thame sa mony that he slew.
The Scottis lordis quhen tha kend and knew
That this Wallace, so walkryfe with gude zeill,
Sa afald wes ay for the commoun weill,
Knawand he had sic fortoun and gude chance,
Sic wit, sic wisdome and sic governance,
For no laubour wald nother irk nor tyre,
Sic plesour had, sic curage and desyre,
The libertie of Scotland to reskew,
Thairfoir of him sic vertu quhen tha knew,
The lordis all with thair auctoritie.
Of Scotland maid him governour to be;
With haill power baith for to heid and hing,
And justice gyde' as he had bene ane king;
Complaynt to heir and chargis to direct,
Faltowris to call and vices to correct.
The quhilk office with sic perfectione vsit,
Wes neuir none moir worthie to be rusit,
King or prince or ony vther one,
That euir buir office into Albione.
All Scottismen that gottin had greit thankis
Of king Edward, that callit wes Langschankis, 47,820
At his command that wald nocht sone compeir,
Ouir all Scotland rycht sone bayth far and neir,
He maid thame all als waldin as ane wand,
For to obey and byde at his command.
Quhen this wes done and endit wes sic pley,
And causit war all Scottis till obey
To gude Wallace, without ony ganestand,
He tuke purpois for to devoid Scotland
Of Inglismen and thair auctoritie.
And to redeme fredome and libertie,
With greit power he passit to the feild,
Of mony wy that waponis weill culd weild.
First at Dundie that same tyme he began;
With litill stryfe that strang castell he wan.
Montrois and Breichin that war strang and
wycht,
Thir thrie he wan throw his fortoun and mycht,
And left neuir ane levand vpone lyfe
Within tha strenthis, other man or wyfe.
Syne to Dunnotar forder furth is gone;
That strang castell vpone ane roche of stone,
With litill travell in that tyme he wan,
Quhair that he lossit nother lad nor man.
Quhen this wes done as ze haif hard me mene,
With haill purpois to pas to Abirdene,
Vpoun ane da he maid him reddie boun:
The Inglismen quhilk that war in the toun,
Rycht mony ane of thame thairin than was,
And quhen tha hard that cumand wes Wallace,
The strang castell that biggit wes of stone
Tha stuffit weill, syne all the laif ilkone
Spulzeit the toun of gold, riches and fie,
Syne with the spulzie passit to the se:
Of Wallace come tha durst nocht weill remane,
Bot sone in Ingland sped thame hame agane.
Quhen this wes' tald [on]to this ilk Wallace
He tuke purpois no forder for to pas,
Turnand agane, syne at lasȧr and lenth
Lib.14, f. 219. Seigit and wan rycht mony stalwart strenth,
Quhairin richt mony Inglismen slew he,
And mony mo in Ingland maid to fle.
Quhen this wes schawin with all the circumstance
To king Edward, that tyme quhilk wes in France,
His lieutennand withoutin ony moir,
Callit Hugo, of quhome I schew befoir,
In Scotland send for to debait his richt.
This gude Wallace that worthie wes and wicht,
That samin tyme, as my author did sa,
Seigand the castell of Couper he la,
Of this Hugo quhen that he hard and knew
With sic power wes cuming of the new,
With suir watchis set the hous about,
That none thairin but leif mycht wyn out.
With all the power syne with him he hed,
To Stirling that tyme richt sone he sped,
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