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Quhilk quietlie in Catnes on ane da,
Or euir tha wist, come quhair tha schipis la
And suddantlie, with greit malice and yre,
Tha schippis all tha brint intill ane fyre;
And all the schipmen thairin that tha fand,
Tha slew thame all without ony demand;
Syne still remanit in the samin place,
Quhill efterwart as ze sall heir the cace.
As I haif said thir schippis beand lost,
That samin tyme king Williame with ane ost,
Or euir tha wist, come into Murraland,
Aganis quhome tha durst mak no ganestand;
With all the haist into the tyme tha hed,
Throw Ross to Catnes to thair schippis fled,
Trowand to fynd thair schippis at the schoir,
In the same place quhair tha left thame befoir.
Quhen tha come thair and fand it wes nocht so,
Remanit thair and durst na forder go;

Neirby ane wod tha ludgit all that nycht.

43,770

43,775

43,780

Syne on the morne be that the da wes lycht, 43,785
This king Williame come to the samin place,
The quhilk all nycht had follouit on the chace.
The men of weir that brint thair schippis befoir,
In gude array come raikand fra the schoir
Behind thair bak, and wald no langar byde ;
King Williame als vpoun the tother syde,
With mony man of greit nobillitie,

43,790

And gif thame nother tyme nor place to fle.

Than war tha lost thocht tha had bene far ma,
Thair wes nothing that tyme bot tak and sla.

43,795

Of thame that da slane war mony one,
And all the laif in handis alss wer tone;
Syne on ane gallous maid ilkone to die,
The maister men aboue the laif richt hie,
Gat sic reward as tha seruit to haif,
In tyme to cum quhairby that all the laif

43,800

Ane suith exempill by sic thing mycht tak,
Agane thair king sic insolence to mak.
This beand done with sic honour and fame,
With all his oist king Williame turnit hame;
On till Arbroth neirby his gait that la,
Quhair he befoir foundit that richt abba,
As he wes wont richt oft to do befoir,
Requeistit hes his werkmen les and moir,
With diligence ay to thair laubour gang,
Of all that werk that nothing suld go wrang.
Quhen this wes done as ze haif hard me tell,
Tak tent and heir quhat efterwart befell.
Sone efter that king Williame on ane day,
Than fra Arbroth rydand furth the way,
Besyde him saw ane ald man and ane hair,
Neirby the gait wes makand dykis thair,
Delfand full fast with ane spaid in his hand,
For febilnes scant on his feit mycht stand,
Befoir sic thing wes neuir wont till do,

43,805

43,810

43,815

43,820

Thocht neid and force compellit him thairto.

His tua sonis that war baith 3oung and fair,

Proper of persone, plesand and preclair,

In vyle habit siclike that tyme as he,

With spaid in hand war makand dykis all thre; 43,825

Tha thocht no ill to wirk and weir sic weid,

For to releif thair father of his neid.

This nobill king quhen he beheld tha thre,
Greit pitie had than of thair pouertie;
That agit man he thocht richt sone suld irk,
For falt of mister that so soir did wirk;
His tua sonis so plesand tha war and fair,
Thocht tha had bene ane prince or kingis air,
For so greit neid and mister that tha hed,
To wirk so soir in sic vile habit cled.
And as the king did luke on to thame so,
This agit man then and his sonis tuo,

Col. 2.

43,830

43,835

Onto the king come rakand on ane race,
Syne laulie doun befoir the kingis face,
On kneis fell. This aigit man and hair,
That sevintie zeir of age wes and far mair,
Richt piteouslie than with ane havie cheir,
Said to the king as I sall say 30w heir:
"O,1 royall prince! gif that thair be in the
"Mercie or reuth, as I traist weill thair be,
"Gentres or grace, or zit kyndnes withall,
"For Cristis saik that drank the bitter gall
Vpoun the croce, syne sufferit for to de,
"So greit kyndnes to mankynd than hed he,
"To rew on me and of my sonis tuo,
"And gif us leif at peice and rest till go

43,840

43,845

43,850

"Into this land oure lyvis to defend,

"With sic laubour onto oure latter end,

Quhairof," he said, "we may nocht irk no tyre.

"At the," he said, "we list nocht to desyre

43,855

Lordschip no land, gold, riches no gude;

"Bot gif us laif to wyn oure lyvis fude

"At sic laubour vnpersewit of the,

"Or ony vther of thy auctoritie."

Quhen that the king hard his desire and will,

43,860

Richt sone agane sic ansuer maid him till:
"Quhat hes thow done, or quhat man may

thow be,

"So piteouslie that askis grace at me?

"Tell me," he said "the caus how that it standis."

This agit man haldand vp baith his handis

Vnto the hevin for to imploir his grace,

43,865

Syne quhen he luikit in the kingis face,

Baith fit and hand trymlit for verra dreid

To schaw his mynd, quhill that grit force and neid

1 In MS. Or.

Compellit him aboue the tother part,

43,870

That tyme to schaw sic thing la in his hart.
Quaikand for dreid as ony leif of tre,
With piteous voce thir wordis than spak he:
"Vnhappiast this da levand am I

"Of ony one that euir wes borne, for-quhy
"Thocht I be now so law and wratchit wicht,
Sumtyme I wes of greit honour and micht;
"Haiffand all welth at grit plesour perfite,
Lordschip and land with riches infinite.
"I, Gillecrist, quhat causit me till dude,
"So cruellie into the kingis blude

"In my wodnes to wirk so mekle wrang,
"Withoutin caus my awin wyfe to gar hang!

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Syne for that caus maid exul to thy grace,

"Far furth to fle in Ingland fra thy face,

66

Quhair thair [bot] schort quhile I durst well

remane,

With my tua sonis sped me hame agane,

"In sic habit as thow thi self ma se,

43,875

43,880

43,885

43,890

"So disagysit wnknawin for to be.
"In wildernes syne euerilk symmer tyde,
Quhair we wnknawin micht remane and byde ;
"Sic wes oure lyfe, we had no vther bute,
"Withoutin fude bot grene herbis and frutt;
"Fameist for falt haiffand na vther fude,

66

66

Hunger and force compellit ws till dude. And I myself, so febill now and ald, "Full oft wes fane to drink the water cald, Quhairof richt oft I gat nocht half my fill, "Of riche wynis sumtyme had welth at will. "In wynter syne, quhen that the nycht grew

lang, "In frost and snaw, with wynd and weit amang, Hungar and cald, and wnkyndlie distres,

"That caus[it] ws to leif the wildernes

43,895 Lib.13, f.203b.

43,900

Col. 1.

"And draw to toun, as thow thiself hes sene,
"With sic laubour oure lyvis to sustene.
"Now haif I tald the haill maner and cace,
"Do as 3e will, I put me in zour grace."
Quhen this wes said, with sad and havie cheir,
Sobbit full soir that harme wes for to heir.
This humbill king, quhen he beheld and saw
Gude Gilcrist with hair alss quhit as snaw,
Werie forwrocht, and richt weilsum of wane,
Greit reuth in hart had for to heir his mane;
Quhen he considderit also of befoir

43,905

43,910

The greit wirschip, the honour and the gloir,
In mony jornay worthelie he wan,

43,915

In sic distres quhen that he saw him than,
For puir pitie and greit kyndnes betuene,
The bitter teiris brist frome baith his ene.
And fra his hors discendit haistelie,

43,920

And in his armes hint him vp in hy;

And said to him, "Gude Gilchrist, lat be

"All thi murning, and put thy traist in me.

"All thi offence that thow hes done befoir

"Heir I forgif the now and euirmoir.

43,925

"And thow thiself siclike salbe with me

"Familiar as thow wes wont to be.

"And for thi gilt I think the neuer to greif,

Thy pouertie also I sall releif."

Quhen this wes said and all thingis we[s] done, 43,930

Thre horss in haist the king has gart fet sone

To Gilchrist and to his sonis tuo,

With him till Forfair causit thame till go.

Syne on the morne befoir all that wes thoir,
All thingis wes done as I haif said befor
Be Gillecrist, the greit offence and cryme,
Frelie the king remittit in that tyme;
Als frie befoir as he wes wont to be,
To siclike honour and auctoritie.

43,935

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