Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

Col. 1.

And of thair reif and ryding wald nocht rest,
Bot mair and mair ilk da tha war oprest;

And no remeid tha culd get of that thing,

Quhill it wes schawin to gude Williame the king.
Quhilk to the Scottis that tyme gaif command, 43,120
Remanand war into Northumberland,

And all the laif vpoun the bordour syde,
With haill power in Ingland for to ryde,
And haistelee revenge thame of thair skaith.
And so tha did with fyre and blude than
bayth,

Ouir all the bordour of Ingland so braid,

43,125

Baith tuik and slew, and rycht greit heirschip maid.
Becaus it wes so lait than of the zeir,

Also the sessoun drawand wes so neir,

43,135

That men suld wyn baith thair corne and hay, 43,130
Thairfoir as than tha thocht best to delay
Farder to pas, and of thair purpois blin,
Quhill efterwart that thair cornis war wyn.
And so tha did as it wes rycht weill knawin,
Passit all hame for to defend thair awin,
Till efterwart quhill tha mair lasar hed,
Tha war content that tyme as tha had sped.
Syne efterwart quhen thair laubour wes done,
All winter ouir with licht of sone and mone
Baith brint and slew, rycht mony slew and
chaist,

Quhill [all] the bordour of Ingland la waist.
In symmer syne quhen fair flouris will spred,
This king Williame with all power he hed,

Lib. 13, f.2006. Quhilk gydit wes with mony lord and knycht
Bodin for battell all in armour bricht,
In that purpois richt pertlie to persew,
Northumberland agane for to reskew.
Gude Gillecrist, of Angus that wes lord,
Quhome of befoir ze hard me oft record,

43,140

43,145

Quhilk in his tyme that helpit oft in mister,
And weddit had also the kingis sister,
Als with his fais greitlie ay wes dred,
At his gyding the vangard than he hed.
Ane greit nobill neir of the kingis blude,
Callit Rannald, that wes ane man of gude,
The secund wyng vpone the tother syde,
The nobill king gaif this Rannald to gyde.
The middill ward he tuke him self on hand,
Syne enterit sone into Northumberland;
So greit power with him that tyme he hed,
That all the pepill far fra him than fled.

The king of Ingland callit wes Henrie,

Remanand wes that tyme in Normondie,

Quhairfoir of Ingland that tyme les and moir,
The pepill all king Williame dred rycht soir,
And of his cuming quhen tha knew and wist,
Gatherit richt sone his power to resist,
Ouir all Ingland that tyme bayth far and neir.
And quhen tha saw thair power wes no peir
Till his power in ordour and in strenth,
Than to postpone the battell to moir lenth,
That tha mycht haif moir lasar tyme and space,
For to convene togidder in ane place,
Tha soucht king Williame with ane subtill wyle,
With giftis grit gif tha mycht him begyle.
Syne send to him ane herald that did proffer
Gold infinit in kistis and in coffer,

For to ressaue at set place and at da,
Out of the boundis for to pas his wa.
Quhen this herald had schawin thair his will,
This king Williame1 sic ansuer maid him till;
Sayand, for gold, as it suld rycht weill pruif,
His mynd wes nocht sic battell for to muif;

'In MS. Malcome.

43,150

43,155

43,160

43,165

43,170

43,175

43,180

No zit, he said, as weill wait mony man,
It wes nocht he tha weiris first began.

His will wes nocht bot to debait his richt,

43,185

Quhilk tha, he said, with greit falsheid and slicht,

Gart brek the peax the weiris to begin.

"And quhen ze se na vantage thair to win,

"Bot mair and mair greit danger, skayth and 43,190

lak,

"Now ar ze fane sic men[d]is for to mak.

[ocr errors]

3it neuirtheles," he said, "ze sall find me
"Into this cace nothing cruell to be,

"So that tha will all dampnage les and moir,
"Redres agane that tha haif tane befoir,
"And frelie syne, without stop or ganestand,

[ocr errors]

Resigne agane ouir all Northumberland. "This beand done, withoutin ony leis,

43,195

"Of me ze sall haif baith fauour and peace :
"Se to thame self gif tha will nocht do so."
With this ansuer he tuke his leif to go,
No langar thair as than he wald remane,
Syne to the lordis passit hame agane,
And all his ansuer did to thame reherss,
Ilk word be word as I haif put in verss,
And all his credence richt so to thame schew.
The lordis all weill be his ansuer knew
He wald nocht stop of his malice and yre,

43,200

[ocr errors]

43,205

Col. 2.

Quhill he of thame had gottin his desyre,

As [he] befoir proponit had thame till,

43,210

The quhilk that tyme tha doucht nocht. to fulfill.
Also thairto perfitlie than tha' wist

His greit power tha micht nocht weill resist,

Thair king being that tyme in Normondy.

Ane counsall maid than for that samin quby,

43,215

In MS. he.

Quhairin tha fand ane fals and subtill wyle,

How that tha sould this king Williame begyle;
And how it wes tak tent and
зе
sall heir.
To him tha send that tyme ane messingeir,
Promittand him quhat that he list to haue,
Quhat euir it wes at his plesour to craue.
All his desir that he had to thame schawin,
Bot ask and haif, for all suld be his awin;
And mekill moir nor euir wes on the mold,

43,220

As men wald sa, greit montanis of fyne gold; 43,225
Beseikand him to hurt thame in nothing,

Quhill tha agane gat ansuer fra the king,
Than suld he haif all his desir but lane.
Oft syis fair hechtis makis fuillis fane;
So did it him that tyme throw thair dissait,
And all his wisdome come him syne to lait;
All this tha dyd hydand the veritie,
Quhill efterwart that tha thair tyme mycht se.
This king Williame giffand sic traist thairtill,
Into his camp richt quietlie la still;

43,230

43,235

Farder ane fit that tyme he wald nocht steir,
Traistand richt sone gude tydenis to heir;
He thocht him self sicker out of ony dreid,

To watche and walk trowand thair1 wes na neid.

The Inglismen seand that it wes so,
Richt quietlie tha dressit thame till go
Towart his oist wnder scilence of nycht,
On wittand than of ony Scottis wicht.
Than equallie diuydit hes thair men
In tua partis, the ane half in ane glen.

43,240

43,245

Richt clois wes laid, ane counter for to mak,
Ane signe wes maid behind the Scottis bak.
The tother half, sone as the da wes licht,
Tha gart apeir into the Scottis sicht,

In MS. that.

In gude ordour with mony pynsall proude,
And schalmes schill with bugillis blawand loude.
Quhen bayth the feildis reddie wer till june,
Gaif thame command all for to fle rycht sone
In gude ordour onto the same effect,

To caus the Scottis out of ordour brek,
For fercenes than to follow on the chace:

43,250

43,255

Rycht weill tha knew it was thair commoun cace.
And so it wes as ze sall wnderstand,
As tha diuysit efter come till hand.

And of thair oistis sone efter the da,

43,260

Neir by the place quhair that king William la,
Apperit pertlie thair into his sicht,

With helmis cleir and mony basnet brycht;

Col. 1.

43,265

With speir and lance weill schrowdit wnder scheild,
In gude array evin reddie for the feild.
Quhome of the Scottis at the first luke.
Astoneist war, and richt greit terrour tuke,

To se thame thair with so greit bost and schoir,
Heirand no word of sic thing of befoir,

Trowand alway tha had bene traist and trew.

43,270

Quhairby richt weill tha wnderstude and knew,
That thair fair hechtis befoir that maid thame fane,
Translatit wes in sic ane subtill trane.

Lib. 13, f.201. Thairfoir in hy with all the haist tha ma,
Out of the tentis that tyme quhair tha la,
Richt mony wy that waponis weill culd weild,
Fordwart than furth thairfoir to gif thame feild.
And as tha war reddie than for to june,
The Inglismen richt suddantlie and sune
Turnit thair bak out of the feild, and fled

In gude ordour with all the speid tha hed.

The Scottis, so it hapnit vpoun cace,
Without ordour fast followit on the chace,

43,275

43,280

1 In MS. and all.

« AnteriorContinuar »