Of sic wisdome as God had to him lent,
He left to thame thair in his testament.
And in the first he did to thame commend
His sone Dauid to gyde and to defend,
Bot aucht zeir ald so tender wes of zouth,
Sen tha till him most kyndlie war and couth,
Quhill passit war of 3outh the rakles rage,
And grow to wisdome and perfitar age.
Syne secundlie he gaif thame in command,
Neuir to affixt ane set feild to Ingland,
Or zit battell, for oucht that euir mycht be,
Bot byde alway quhill tha thair tyme mycht se,
And tak thair vantage ay quhen tha thocht best.
Thridlie also, gif tha wald leve in rest,
Tak no moir peax with Ingland as efferis,
Bot to the space extending of thre zeiris;
"And quhen ze haif maist of thair humanitie,
"In peax and rest and greit tranquillitie,
"Traistand to 30w that tha will do no deir,
"Erast be war and provyde than for weir;
"Of thair nature tha ar baith fals and slidder,
"Thair word and thocht accordis nocht togidder,
"Gladlie will sa the thing nocht for till do."
The last command syne that he gaif thame to,
Neuir to mak ane greit lord of the Ylis
To be extollit with sic staitlie stylis,
The quhilk ma caus divisioun and discord,
Into this regioun be thair so greit ane lord,
Haiffand sic strenth and micht within himsell,
Agane his king richt oft for to rebell.
Syne finallie, quha that wald tak on hand
To bair his hart onto the Halie Land
Efter his deid with reverence and honour,
And offer it syne on to the sepultour
Of Christ Jesu, with all humilitie,
Neirby that place intumulat to be.
Schir James of Douglas that wes bald and wycht,
In all his tyme wes nocht ane better knicht,
Neir by the king in [to] the tyme did stand,
Rycht plesandlie he tuke that thing on hand;
Quhilk he completit efter in schort space,
As I sall schaw 30w quhen tyme cumis and place.
All beand done as I haif said 30w heir,
Than of his regnne the fyve and tuentie zeir,
He tuke his leve out of this lyfe till go,
Than of oure Lord ane thousand zeir also,
And thre hundreth, with tuentie als and nyne.
Intumulat in Drumfermling wes syne,
With all honour micht till ane prince pertene,
Ben in the queir sum thing inwith his quene.
My self wald irk, my pen wald tyre to wryte,
And insufficient also for to dyte,
Thocht I suld leve ane hundreth zeir onlyve,
His nobilnes and vertu till discryve.
And greit Homeir had bene ane Scottis man,
And in his tyme als levand had bene than,
And knawin had the deidis of the Bruce,
I wait of him he had maid far mair ruce,
And ouir the warld spred als far his fame,
As of Achill quhometo he gaif sic name.
Full weill I wait, rycht so alsua wait ze,
That Homeir maid of Achill mony lie,
For affectioun compellit him thairto ;
Quhilk neidit nocht him of the Bruce till do,
Haiffand of him so suith mater in deid;
Sayand the suitht, neuir ane word he leid
Him to prefer, so duchtie wes and fyne,
Aboue Achill and all the nobillis nyne.
Loving to God of his excellent grace,
He[s] grantit me to compleit in this place,
Quhilk endis heir withoutin wordis mo,
The fourtene buik and his deidis also.
HOW DAUID BRUCE, KING ROBERTIS SONE AND
AIR, WES CROVNIT KING OF SCOTTIS, AND
HOW AND QUHAIRFOIR ERLE THOMAS RANDELL
WAS CHOSIN GOVERNOUR QUHILL HE COME TO
PERFITE AGE.
Quhen than completit wes king Robertis dais,
His sone Dauid, as that my author sais,
Far within eild, of tender age and zing,
Wes crownit than of Scotland to be king.
Becaus he wes of sic 3outhheid ane cheild,
And vnabill in [to] sic tender eild
To gyde ane realme, or thairof to haif steir,
Erle Thomas Randell wes his cousing deir,
With haill consent that tyme chosin wes he,
Off all Scotland the governour to be.
Quhilk gydit Scotland, as my author sais,
Foure 3eir befoir into king Robertis dais,
Haiffand the cuir of all thing moir and les,
Quhen that king Robert wes in greit seiknes.
This ilk Thomas, the quhilk that did exceid
All vther chiftane in his tyme I reid,
As bricht Phebus into the hour of none
Dois into licht the sternis or the mone,
Considdering weill the greit dampnage of weir,
The greit distructioun of riches and geir,
And slauchter als of mony nobill man,
To leve in peax he thocht it best as than,
Onto that Scotland did agane restoir
To the awin strenth quhilk in the weir befoir
Wes waistit all, befoir as ze ma heir,
In weir and battell lang and mony zeir.
And for that caus quha lykis for to luke,
The peax befoir that this king Edward tuk
With king Robert, as ze haif hard in plane,
Gude erle Thomas hes renewit agane.
Richt as he wes into the tyme of weir,
Wyss and expert in nothing for to leir,
Also he schupe him in the tyme of peice
Justice till vse and wrangis to gar ceis;
And judgis maid, quhome of that men stude aw,
In sindrie partis for to keip the law,
And for correctioun of vices and cryme,
Rycht mony lawis maid into that tyme.
In the first than sic ane law maid he,
That bard, or fuill, or menstrall sould nocht be
Within his boundis thoillit to byde in,
That had no craft thair leving for to wyn:
No ydill man, as that my author sais,
Within Scotland wald thoill into his dais.
Also he hes gart ordane than, but leis,
Provyde for weir into the tyme of peice,
Of hors and harnes and all vther geir,
Gif efterwart it hapnit to be weir;
As kyndlie is, ze wait 3our self to be,
Quhairof tha sould haif na necessitie.
Ane law he maid according to the richt,
That men sould leve thairout baith da and nycht
Thair plew yrnis for ony dreid or blame,
As tha war wont, and nocht to turs thame hame ;
And gif sa was that ony theif thame staw,
Into that cace than he maid sic ane law,
The man that aucht the pleuche withoutin fenze
Sould to the schiref pas richt sone and plenze;
And the schiref, withoutin ony moir,
The pryce of thame sould to that man restoir
That aucht the pleuch, and that the irnis lost, 51,525
And seik the theif syne on his awin cost
Quhill he war fund, thocht it war neuir so lang,
Syne on ane gallous mak him for to hang.
Tak tent this tyme, and ze sall heir me tell
Of this newis quhat efterwart befell.
Throw couetusnes, the quhilk dois mekle skayth,
Ane husband man, richt fals and gredy bayth,
Quhen that he knew that maid wes sic ane law,
Vpoun ane nycht his awin pleuch irnis staw,
Baith sok and some, culter and sle-band,
Syne passit to the schiref of the land,
And maid complant of that wrang and offence.
The schiref than hes maid him recompence
Of gude money to by pleuch geir agane.
This gredy carle thairof that wes richt fane,
Throw gredines, withoutin dreid or aw,
That samin graith sone efterwart he staw,
Syne to the schiref maid ane new complaynt.
The schiref thairof that culd get na cant,
Greit wounder had quha playit had that palk; 51,545
Syne quietlie ilk nycht he hes gart walk
That carlis pleuch, vnwittand of him self,
Thinkand it war sum elrische man or elfe
So quietlie away the pleuch geir staw.
That samin carle, but dreid of God or law,
Come the thrid nycht, as 3e sall wnderstand,
To steill his irnes, and wes tane reid hand;
Syne to the schiref had that tyme wes he,
And for that stouth condampnit wes to die,
And sic pykrie that he had vsit lang,
Syne on ane gallous maid wes for to hang.
This governour of greit auctoritie,
Ane greit nummer of officiaris held he,
Gif hapnit so that ony wald mak pley,
Sic power hed micht none thame disobey.
Of pursevantis quhair that tha stude na aw,
No for thair charge wald nocht cum to the law,
This multitude, in magir of thair will,
Throw strenth and force richt mony brocht thairtill,
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