This Oliueir that stude vpoun the wall,
In Scottis langage loude on him did call,
With so hie voce that he mycht rycht weill heir,
Sic plesour had at him that tyme to speir
Of his freindis in Scotland how tha fuir.
In sic talking ane lang quhile he tuke cuir;
Syne at the last this Johnne Dewar said he,
Promittand him, gif that sic thing micht be,
Lordschip and land, greit honour and eis,
This toun to thame so that he wald betreis.
This Oliueir sic ansuer maid him sone,
Of that conditioun said it suld be done,
So he wald caus thair erle Dauid, but leis,
All his offence remit and grant him peice;
And causs king Williame to him till restoir
The landis all he tuke fra him befoir.
The quhilk he hes than hecht him for till do,
His treuth in pledge promittit hes thairto;
And euirilkone till vther maid ane band,
Obleist and sworne wes ilkone be his hand;
Syne set ane tryst that nicht quhair tha suld meit,
At that same place thair purpois to compleit.
To king Richard quhen all this thing wes schawin,
Betuix thir tua how sic ane tryst wes drawin,
To erle Dauid he gaif richt sone command,
With his armie to tak that thing on hand.
This king Richart, as I think weill micht be,
Of all that ost had maist auctoritie,
For-quhy befoir it hapnit vpoun ane chance,
That gude Phillip, the nobill king of France,
Sic seiknes tuke he micht nocht thair remane,
Quhill into France he passit hame agane.
The erle Dauid, quhilk manlie on him tuke
The watche that nycht, in that same place he woik,
Quhair Oliueir with litill noy or dyn
Opnit the port and leit thame enter in.
Ouir all the toun syne sone and suddantlie
Greit slauchter maid, with mony schout and cry,
Of young and ald quhair thair wes na refuge,
Bayth gude and ill without sentence or juge,
Or zit lokman, but respect or remeid,
Richt cruellie tha pat thame all to deid.
In the morning syne be the da wes licht,
This king Richart with mony cruell knycht,
At his bidding with mony bald barroun,
So aufullie syne enterit in the toun,
With greit distructioun baith in fyre and blude.
Into the toun ane strang castell thair stude,
With greit travell quhilk tha seigit and wan,
And in thair travell loissit nocht ane man.
This beand done, the castell and the toun
Tha brint in ass, and kest the wallis doun.
Sua had tha done with mony townis mo,
Quhilk pitie wes, war nocht it hapnit so
For ambitioun, my author did record,
Amang thame self diuisioun and discord.
Quha had the wyit it wes richt ill to ken,
Quhither the Ingliss or the Frenche men.
The Inglismen thocht tha war most conding
For to prefer, becaus tha had thair king;
The Frenche men the contrair did conclude,
Becaus thair power and thair multitude
Richt far, in valour also and in deid,
The Inglismen at all tyme did exceid.
This royall ost of sic honour and fame,
Skaillit that tyme and ilk man passit hame.
King Richart with all his greit armie,
So stormested wes that tyme vpone the se,
That all his schippis drevin war fra vther,
Thair sum [but] saill and vther sum but ruther. 44,175
His awin schip wes drevin on ane sand
In Ytalie, quhair he him self tuke land.
The empriour, callit Henrie tha dais,
Be ane fals tratoure as my author sais,
Quhilk schew to him how that sic thing sould be, 44,180
Tuik this king Richart in captiuitie,
And keipit him in ane strang wallit toun,
Quhill efterwart he payit his ransoun.
The schip also that erle Dauid wes in,
Fra all the laif wes drevin far in twyn;
Intill Egipt, on ane craig by the cost,
This nobill schip with all the men war lost,
Except him self, as ze sall wnderstand,
With few vther come levand to the land.
And how it hapnit efter 3e sall heir,
How he wes tane than as ane presoneir,
And haldin thair, quhill efter on ane day
That he wes hed to Alexandria,
Quhair he wes keipit in ane presone strang;
Quhill efterwart, quhen he wes keipit lang,
The men of Vennus that tyme by the se
In merchandice thair hapnit for to be,
Quhilk lousit him out of that strang presoune,
Payand for him also ane greit ransoun.
Syne into Vennuis brocht him hame agane,
For his ransone quhair he did thair remane,
Quhill Inglismen come thair in merchandice,
Bocht him agane and pait the samin price
At his plesour syne maid him till pas fre
On hame agane out throw all Italie
To Flanderis, syne, as my author did sa,
Quhen he come thair, syne efter on ane da,
Quhair schip and men neirhand had all bene lost.
Quhat suld I langar tarie heir to tell?
That storme it wes so furius and fell,
Ouir wynd and waiv so fast it did thame dryve,
That euerie man in dreid wes of his lyve,
Seand the se so furius and enorme.
Gude erle Dauid, quhen strangest wes the storme,
Onto the Virgin Jesu Christ that buir
Ane vow he maid, syne put all in hir cuir,
Quhair euir scho brocht him saiflie to the land,
In hir honour that euirmoir suld stand
Ane tempill big of poleist stone and lyme.
Syne schort quhile efter in the samin tyme,
But sail or ruthir in the mirk midnycht,
And mvneles als withoutin ony licht,
Neirby Alectum at ane roche of stone,
Thair schip tuke land but skaith of ony one:
At that same place arryuit in the mirk,
Quhair now standis Sanct Nicolas kirk;
Syne at da licht tha passit all to land.
This erle Dauid thair with his awin hand
Foundit ane kirk in ane feild at that cost,
Quhilk in that tyme wes callit the Quhit Cross, 44,235
In to the honour of the Virgin puir,
Eternallie in that place till induir.
Than king Williame quhen that he knew that cace,
How his bruther tuke land into that place,
Throw help of God the quhilk he did imploir,
Sa oft had bene in greit perrell befoir,
As he had ryssin new fra deid to lyfe,
Als blyth he wes as ony be in hyfe.
This king Williame no tarie than maid he,
Intil all haist quhill he come to Dundie,
With his bruther erle Dauid quhen he met,
On gudlie wyiss ather hes vther gret.
This king Williame, for grit blythnes and jo,
He[s] hint his bruther in his armes tuo,
And kissit him as he ane barne had bene,
With bitter teiris bristand fra bayth his ene,
Quhylis for joy, quhylis for havines,
Quhen he rememberit of the greit distres
That he sufferit in mony sindrie part,
Sobbit full soir and sichit with his hart.
And syne agane, for greit blythnes and jo,
That he wes chaipit fra sic perrell so,
Both haill and feir, without ony harmes,
Richt tenderlie wald tak him in his armes,
Ane lang tyme so quhill all his pane wes past
And syne to him he said this at the last :
"Thankit be God that all thing hes in cuir,
"His blissit moder also that him buir,
"Of greit triumph and honour thow hes win, 44.270
"And greit perrell syne efter hes bene in,
"Of his greit grace hes brocht the haill and feir,
"Now hame agane in gude heill to ws heir.
"Quhairfoir we aucht the God omnipotent,
"Ilk da to luif with clene mynd and intent." 44,275 And mekle mair syne to his bruther1 deir,
He said that tyme na I will tell 30w heir.
This beand done as ze haif hard me sa,
Quhair present war the lardis all ane da,
This king Williame vnto his bruther gawe
Landis and fredome quhair he list to haue ;
Quhairwith this village dotit than hes he,
Quhilk he foundit that callit wes Dundie;
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