Ane man of gude into tha samin dais,
Hecht James of Douglas, as my author sais,
Thocht he that tyme had no auctoritie,
3it neuirtheles his curage wes richt hie;
To bischop Williame Lambertoun tha dais,
Of Sanct Androis, as that my author sais,
This ilk squiar that callit wes Douglas,
Most secreit seruand in the tyme he was.
Quhen that he hard so greit loving and ruse,
And commendatione ilk da of the Bruce,
Rycht greit desyr and 3arning than had he,
Baith da and nicht in his seruice to be.
Syne to his lord the samin thing he schew,
Quhilk said agane, his purpois quhen he knew, 49,370
That he durst nocht gif him no leif thairtill,
And bad him do at his plesour and will,
And he suld be thairof hartlie content;
And larglie bayth gaif to him and lent
Siluer and go[1]d in his seruice to spend;
Syne all his tresur to king Robert send
With him that tyme, to help him in his weir,
And bad him self [than] other hors and geir,
Or oucht he had, tak at his awin hand,
Thocht he thairtill durst nocht gif him com-
mand.
All this wes done, as I haif said 30w so,
Betuix thame self richt secreit and no mo.
This young Douglas quhen he his tyme did se,
Airlie at morne tuke with him seruandis thre,
Quhilk louit him and he thame with his hart, 49,385 That reddie war ay for to tak his part;
Syne to the stabill of his lord he fuir,
And causit thame for to ding vp the duir;
The four best hors that war in all the stabill,
The quhilk he knew that war maist swyft and 49,390 abill,
To help in neid that suir war and trew,
Syne all the four out at the dur he drew.
The pamfra man that had the hors to keip,
That walknit wes that tyme out of his sleip,
Of all that thing richt litill wes content,
And schupe to stop and mak impediment,
Trowand richt weill it wes his lordis will,
That he sould mak impediment thairtill;
Thairfoir the Douglas out ane lang knyfe drew,
And suddantlie the pamfra man he slew.
All that he did into that ilk effect,
Or dreid his lord sould haldin be suspect,
And get the wyit of all that he had done.
He and his men richt suddantlie and sone
Lap on thair hors withoutin ony baid,
The narrest way syne to king Robert raid.
This ilk Douglas remanit ay syne still
With king Robert baith into gude and ill,
In his seruice, as ze ma efter reid
Baith of his wisdome and his nobill deid;
Quhairfoir his honour and his nobill fame,
His worthines, his wisdome and his name,
His duchtie deidis greitlie till advance,
Remanis still it in rememberance.
Of this Douglas discendit is sensyne,
Richt lineallie be rectitude and lyne,
Full mony lord and mony nobill knicht,
And mony berne that wes baith bald and wycht.
This king Robert, as ze haif hard me sa,
Grew to sic power euirilk da be da,
And of his purpois also did prevaill,
Wes none so bald that durst him mair assaill
In plane battell, Scottis or Inglisman,
The victorie sa oft of thame he wan.
Suppois my author tell nocht sic thing heir,
And I my self siclike hes nocht perqueir,
The mony battell, thocht tha war bot small,
Richt manfullie contrar his fais all
He wan that tyme, quha lykis for [to] luke
Ma find at lenth into the Brucis buke.
This ilk Edward, of Ingland that wes king,
Quhen that he knew and hard tell of sic thing,
How that king Robert in his weiris sped,
Abaissit wes richt greitlie than and dred,
Heirand his folk sa oft maid for to faill,
Or dreid the Bruce agane him suld prevaill.
For that same caus with greit power and mycht,
Sone efter that come to debait his richt
With ane greit armie to the bordour syde.
So hapnit him into the samin tyde,
Quhen he had passit with his armie throuch
Northumberland, wnto the toun hecht Brouch
Vpoun the bordour into Cumberland,
Four myll fra Carlill vpoun Sulwa sand,
Richt haistelie so tuke infirmitie,
That in that tyme na forder pas micht he,
Bot tuke his rest still in his bed and la.
Syne efterwart, as my author did sa,
It vexit him with sic crudelitie,
That euerie man wist weill that he wald die;
And for that caus the kirkmen to him spak,
Beseikand him his confessione to mak,
And mak him reddie also to ressaue
Sic sacrament as Crissin men sould haue.
For no requeist other of gude or ill
That micht be maid, wald he consent thairtill,
No zit na signe of contritioun wald schaw,
Bot crabitlie his visage on thame thraw,
And flit agane with greit anger and ire,
So that his toung thairof wald neuir tyre
To ban and sueir, that horribill wes to heir,
Quhill he had power of his toung to steir.
In this same tyme ze heir me now alledge,
Fiftie and fyve 3oung childer la in pledge,
Quhilk sonis war to Scottismen of gude.
The Inglis lordis quhen tha wnderstude,
That king Edward wes to depart rycht sone,
To wit his will thairof quhat sould be done,
That samin tyme quhair he la in his bed
Thir childer all befoir him in tha hed,
Askand at him with thame quhat tha suld
do;
And he agane sic ansuer maid thairto,
Qubair that he la almaist in the deid-thraw,
Girnand for ire he bad baith hang and draw.
And so tha did withoutin ony moir,
Thir 3oung childer that faillit neuir befoir,
That samin tyme with greit crudelitie
Vpone the gallous wes maid all to die.
That cruell tirrane, as my author sais,
With pen and ink, thocht he sould leve rycht
Sa mony vices in his persoun rang.
Thocht men wald say I sa this for invy,
Becaus he wes to Scotland ennimye,
It is nocht so, gude schiris, with 3our leif;
All that I sa his deidis dois weill preif
In all his tyme, as it wes rycht weill kend,
Quhilk previt weill into his latter end.
Thairfoir schiris, traist weill this tyme that I
Said nocht of him sic thingis for invie.
My author bot nocht for the veritie,
Zit neuirtheles as at that tyme said he,
Be as it will ane lesing or suith saw,
As he schew me so sall I to 30w schaw.
This king Edward in sic infirmitie,
As that he la into extremitie,
Richt as the saull did fra the bodie draw,
Ane Inglis knycht intill his visioun saw
Greit Lucifer, the maister feind of hell,
With mony feindis furius and fell,
Sum at the heid and sum [als] at the feit
Of king Edward thair ryving out the spreit,
Syne flew with it with mony reuthfull rair;
Judge ze zour self, for I can nocht tell quhair.
That knicht for fleitnes of that visioun,
Richt lang he la into ane deidlie swoun,
So paill of hew and wan as ony weid,
That ilk man trowit that he had bene deid.
Syne efterwart quhen he did convales
Of his swowning, he tald thame how it wes,
In his visioun how he hed hard and sene;
Syne efterwart, as my author did mene,
All warldlie honour and riches forsuik,
And syne on him religious habite tuik.
Quhen this Edward, that furius wes and fell,
Departit wes as 3e haif hard me tell,
His sone Edward efter that he wes deid,
Of Carnavirn succedit in his steid;
Ane vicius man withoutin dreid of God,
That fit be fit into his fatheris rod,
Evin quhair he left siclike thair he began.
To keip the conqueis that his father wan,
Into Drumfreis efter his fatheris deid,
He causit hes to compeir in that steid
The Scottis lordis that duelt in the south,
That keipit kyndnes to him and war couth,
As tha wer wont to his father beforne:
Syne causit thame befoir him to be sworne
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