At Striuiling castell at ane seig he la,
Neirby that tyme as my author did sa ;
Inexpugnabill that castell wes and strang.
About the hous quhen that he la so lang,
And of his purpois culd no way prevaill,
Greit schame he thocht thairin gif he suld faill;
Thairfoir he thocht ane subtill way with slicht
To wi[n] the hous, sen he culd nocht throw
mycht.
Ane Scottis man that captane wes that da,
The quhilk to name wes callit Philip Mowbra,
Ane Scot he wes and of the Scottis blude,
This ilk Edward greit riches, land and gude,
Promittit him with mekle vther thing,
To him that castell and he wald resigne,
Als with his bruther king Robert sould be
Treittit moir tender with humanitie,
No euir he wes into all kynd of thing
Treittit or chereist with Edward that king.
The quhilk petitioun he did sone deny;
"For all the gold that war wnder the sky,
"Wald I be fals to him," agane said he,
"Or ony leid that lipnis into me."
This ilk Edward syne efter quhen he knew,
Ane vther way his purpois did persew,
And said to him, as I sall to 3ow sa,
He sould be assurit for ane 3eir and da,
With this conditioun sua that tyme that he
Within that space gat nocht help and supple
Out of Ingland fra Edward that wes king,
The hous to him gif that he wald resing.
Quhairof the captane wes richt weill content,
And suddantlie thairto gaif his consent,
And bandis maid for to obserue and keip
As tha haif said, with aithis sworne deip.
Quhairat the king his bruther that him louit,
Displesit wes sic folie [he] hes prouit;
Full weill he wist that sic ane potent prince,
As king Edward, in falt of his defence,
Wald nocht lat him tak sic ane lak and schame,
To brek the tryist that wes maid of his name.
3it neuirtheles thocht he wes nocht content,
As he had said, siclike he gaif consent
To euerie poynt promittit wes him till,
Withoutin fraude or falsheid to fulfill.
For thair supple his actione to defend,
His friendis war, and for that samin quhy,
In sic ane neid tha wald him nocht deny.
Fra Holland, 3eland, and Irland also,
Fra Britane, Gascone, and fra Hanego,
Fra Flanderis, Freisland, and fra Picardy,
Fra Braband, Burgone, and fra Normondy,
To king Edward come mony wordy wycht,
On fit and hors all into armour bricht;
In that beleif, gif conqueist wes Scotland,
As he befoir had gart thame wnderstand,
To euerie man efter his facultie
Richt equallie it sould diuydit be,
As he had seruit to haif reward,
Sum be maid lord, and vther sum be maid lard,
In heretage ay for to bruke and joy;
And all the Scottis ilkane till destroy,
So in Scotland that neuir ane be sene,
Within Scotland as tha had neuir bene.
In that beleif rycht mony come him till,
Without wage, of frie motiue and will,
Sum to wyn gold, and vther sum to wyn geir,
Sum to wyn land, and sum honour in weir,
With wyffe and barne, and all thair vtencell,
As tha in Scotland euir mair sould duell.
Sic multitude, as my author did mene,
Into this warld wes neuir hard no sene.
Sevin scoir of thousandis than weill tald and ten,
Of forcie freikis quhilk war all fit men,
Ane hundretht thousand [also] of horssmen,
Quhen he lykit, he had with him till go,
Of ringat-rangat, and of pepill gude,
Inmensurabill war in that multitude,
Of bairdis and boyis, and knaifis makand
And carriage men the quhilk war out of nummer, With wyfe and barne, and mony laborus men, Quhilk brocht with thame bayth guiss, [and] gryce, and hen,
And houshald geir siclike as ilk man hed,
With all thair cleithing baith on bak and bed; 49,700 In that beleif, without ony ganestand,
For to remane and duell ay in Scotland.
Sex hundretht thousand quhat of ill and gude
Contenit war into that multitude,
Without ordour, as eith is for to ken,
Quhair wyfe and barnis ar mixt amang men,
And men of weir amang the pepill rude,
Quhair neuir ane ane vther wnderstude,
Of sindrie langage and of diuerss toung,
Quhilk causit ilkane vther till impung,
Quhen nane of thame ane vther culd record,
Without ordour and oft like to discord.
This king Edward and all his men of gude,
That had sic hoip into thair multitude,
But grace of God, with sic power and nummer
To conqueis Scotland withoutin ony cummer,
So wes weill sene, as efterwart did preif,
In Goddis grace quha puttis nocht beleif,
In halie Scripture richt oft as I reid,
Of his purpois cumis bot hulie speid.
King Edward than quhilk hes brocht to the
bordour
That multitude without reull or ordour,
Syne pertlie passit with thame all ouir Tueid,
Out throw the Mers and Loutheane syne zeid,
Without refute of ony or returne,
Onto ane water callit Bannokburne,
Neirby Stirling, and thair he did remane;
Syne plantit doun his palzeonis on ane plane.
To counsall syne this king Edward is gone,
With his lordis and nobillis euirilkone,
For to devyss be thair auctoritie,
Quhat deid king Robert he sould mak to de;
As he had bene than takin in to hand,
In his power fast festnit into band.
He that fischis sa far befoir the net
As he did than, richt litill gude will get.
Also this tyme that I haif said 3ow heir,
This king Edward he brocht with him ane freir,
Ane versifier, and of the habite quhite,
Of his ordour callit ane Carmelite.
In Lating toung ane metrost wes he,
In sic science thocht he wes nocht rycht sle,
3it neuirtheles he wes haldin that tyme
Ane cunnyng clerk culd mak sic verss and ryme.
This freir he brocht thair for to heir and se,
On to that feild ane witnes for to be
Of his triumph, his victorie and gloir,
And syne in vers to put into memoir,
To notifie efter to euirilk man,
Of his conqueiss and how he Scotland wan.
HOW KING ROBERT THE BRUCE BOWNIT HIM TO
BATTELL BALDLIE AGANIS KING EDWARDIS
GREIT MULTITUDE, TRAISTAND IN GOD THAT
HE WALD BE GUDE, QUHAIRFOIR OF HIM
LITILL AW HE STUDE.
Robert the Bruce vpoun the tother syde,
Of litill pryce held all his pomp and pryde,
And dreid him nocht for all his multitude,
For-quhy richt weill he knew and wnderstude
Thair lichlines but diligence and cuir,
Agane thair partie that tha held so puir,
Of litill pryce, thair power wes so small,
Suld be the caus of thair rewene and fall.
Siclike also he knew rycht weill that cace,
Tha put no help nor hoip in Godis grace,
As tha thairof had na mister nor neid,
Of strenth and power did so far exceid,
Quhilk causit thame thair awin selfis till ouirluke.
Be sic takynis conjectering he tuke
He had no caus to dreid or to be rod,
And put his hoip into the help of God.
Bald as ane boir syne to debait his rycht,
With threttie thousand worthie men and wycht,
In the prospect of king Edward richt plane,
On ane fair feild richt equall him forgane,
Planetit his palzeonis pertlie in the tyde,
And baldlie thair schupe to remane and byde,
For all thair bost, onto the latter end,
And tak sic chance as God wald to him send,
With greit beleif and curage in his hart.
The Inglismen vpoun the tother part,
Richt greit mervell and wounder ilk man hed,
With sic power so pertlie him he sped
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