Quhair this Hugo with all his power la.
Neir Stirling brig syne efter on ane da,
In plane battell togidder thair tha met,
With brandis bricht quhair mony berne wer bet,
And mony burdoun vpoun breistis brak,
And mony bald man borne doun on his bak.
This gude Wallace quhilk had of Scottis cuir,
Like ane wod lyoun in that feild he fuir;
Stalwart and strang, als stark as ony aik,
Ane Inglisman he slew at euirilk straik:
Sa mony man he maid that da to de,
That force it wes the Inglismen to fle.
Quhen this schir Hew the lieutennande wes slane,
Na bute it wes the laif for to remane,
Bot suddantlie out of the feild syne fled.
The Scottismen quhilk efter thame' fast sped,
Into that chace of bernis that war bald
Tha tuke and slew alss mony as tha wald;
The laif that fled sleipit that nicht wnsound,
For-quby in Forth tha war almaist all dround.
Quhen this wes done with greit triumph and
gloir,
This gude Wallace quhair that he wes befoir,
Wnto the seig he sped him sone agane,
No langar thair that tyme he wald remane.
The Inglismen that war within the hous,
Quhilk of befoir war baith cruell and crous,
Quhen that tha knew how Wallace than had sped,
Gaif ouir the hous so soir that tyme tha dred.
Of Scottis als rycht mony men of gude,
Befoir that tyme incontrare Wallace stude,
No dreid tha had of Wallace violence,
Sic strang strenthis haiffand for thair defence;
Syne quhen tha hard of his greit victorie,
To him tha send fra all pairt suddantlie,
Promittand him richt glaidlie with thair hart,
In that purpois ay for to tak his part;
And all the strenthis that tyme but ganestand,
Deliuerit hes into gude Wallace hand;
Quhairin that tyme he hes gart put anew
Richt nobill men that war bayth traist and trew,
So souer als in all tyme at ane sailze,
And weill he wist tha wald nocht to him failze.
This beand done skaillit his men ilkone,
With his freindis to Stirling syne is gone.
It hapnit syne into that samin zeir,
All kynd of victuall wes so scant and deir,
Quir all Scotland with sic penuritie,
That mony one had greit necessitie
Of meit and drink that wes thair lyvis fude,
And mekle thing that mycht haif done thame gude.
HOW WALLACE PUNEIST HIS ADUERSARIS THAT
WALD NOCHT HIM OBEY; SYNE PASSIT IN
AND BRYNT AND SLEW
This samin tyme gude Wallace as we reid,
For to releif thair mister and greit neid,
Ouir all partis of Scotland far and neir,
He causit hes richt mony to compeir,
With haill purpois in Ingland for to pas,
And thair to tak quhair that aneuc[h] thair
Of all victuall thair wes aneuch but want,
Quhairof in Scotland bayth wes deir and scant.
That samin tyme thair wes that maid him pley,
Men in the north that wald him nocht obey,
No zit compeir that tyme at his command;
Thairfoir Wallace without ony demand,
To his purpois or he wald forder pas,
Richt suddantlie quhair that tha same men was,
Or euer tha wist, in handis hes thame tane,
Syne for thair tressoun hangit thame ilkane ; 47,940
Quhilk causit hes the laif with better will
That samin tyme for to obey him till.
This beand done as ze haif hard me sa,
With all his power efter on ane da,
He enterit sone into Northumberland,
Without[in] stop quhair he gat no ganestand,
Baith brint and slew with greit heirschip of gude,
To the New Castell vpoun ane tyme that stude.
The Inglismen that duelt into that land
Sic dreddour tuke tha fled fra hand to hand,
And left behind thame all riches and geir,
Of gude Wallace tha tuke so greit effeir,
That neuir man durst in his gait remane,
To saue him self ilk man wes than full fane.
Into that land ane lang quhile thair tha la,
Syne at thair plesour efter brocht awa
The riches all befoir him that he fand,
Quhen he had brynt and hereit all that land,
With hie triumph, with honour and greit gloir,
And greit loving of ilk man les and moir,
With greit riches of gold and vther gude,
Of stoir and fie ane meruelus multitude,
That samin tyme, but ony stop or sturt,
Come hame agane withoutin harme or hurt.
HOW KING EDWARD HEIRAND OF WALLACE AND
OF HIS VICTORIE COME HAME OUT OF FRANCE,
AND SEND ANE HERALD TO WALLACE, AND OF
WALLACE ANSUER TO HIM AGANE.
This king Edward, that tyme being in France, 47,965
Quhen he hard tell of the vnhappie chance
Of his liegis and the triumph and gloir
Of gude Wallace, he sped him hame thairfoir
Into Ingland withoutin ony hune;
Ane herald syne to gude Wallace send sone,
Quhilk schew to him his chairgis all belyve,
In lichtlie langage and richt pungetywe.
Sayand, how durst he be so bald for blame
In his kinrik, quhen that he wes fra hame,
To wirk sic wrang with greit crudelitie,
On his pepill without auctoritie ?
Quhilk efterwart to him sould be deir bocht;
Rycht weill he wist, he said, that he durst nocht
For all Europe committit had sic cryme,
Had he at hame bene in the samin tyme.
This gude Wallace befoir thame all in plane,
Sic ansuer maid as ze sall heir agane.
"Gude freind," he said, "thow sall say to thi
"That all sic bost sall bais me in nothing, "Na thinkis neuir to be at his command; "Of him this da alss litill aw I stand, "As he him self dois of the leist ane knaif "In all Scotland amang ws heir we haif. Quhair he speiris how durst I be so bald "Within his boundis to wirk so as I wald, Lib. 14, f.219b." I did nocht sic thing for crudelitie. "Bot of injuris for to revengit be,
"And greit harmis be his collusioun,
"That he to Scotland wrocht hes with tressoun.
"Thairfoir," he said, "mak it to him kend,
"Quhill that I leif I think for to defend
"Kinrik and croun, at all power and micht;
Quhy sould I nocht quhen that we haif sic richt?
"And quhair he sais and he had bene at hame, "That I durst nocht, for dreid of him and
"To be so bald, thocht I had bene ane king,
"Within his boundis to haif wrocht sic thing;
"Off my behalf say thow to him agane,
"Will God or Pasche with all my power plane
"Within his boundis I salbe on breid,
"For ony aw I stand of him or dreid;
"Quhither that he be than at hame or nocht,
"That is ane thing rycht litill in my thocht."
This messinger, quhen he had said his will,
To king Edward he come and said him till
Of his ansuer the fassoun all in feir,
Ilk word be word as I haif said 30w heir.
On euerie syde, as my author did sa,
Tha bownit baith for to be at that da.
The da syne come quhair at the tryst wes set, 48,015 Thir bernis bald togidder thair tha met,
With stalwart men that war bayth strang and
In Ingland far that tyme bezond the mure.
Rycht mony grome that gudlie wes and gay,
On euerie syde war put in gude array;
This ilk Wallace on ane plane quhair he stude,
Put all his men into ane ordour gude,
With baneris braid displeyit vpoun hicht,
And mony standart that war brodin bricht;
And mony pynsall that war panetit proude,
And mony schalme that schouttand war full loude,
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