For little enchésoun1 or than nane,
They hangit by the neck-bane.
Also that folk, that ever was free,
And in freedom wont for to be,
Through their great mischance and folly,
Were treated then sae wickedly,
That their faes their judges were:
What wretchedness may man have mair?
Ah, Freedom is a noble thing!
Freedom makes man to have liking;2
Freedom all solace to man gives;
He lives at ease that freely lives!
A noble heart may have nane ease,
Ne ellis nocht3 that may him please,
Gif freedom faileth: for free liking
Is yearnèd1 o'er all other thing;
Nor he that aye has livèd free
May nocht know weell the property,5
The anger, ne the wretched doom,
That is couplit to foul thirldom.
But, gif he had assayed it,
Then all perquere he should it wit,
And should think freedom mair to prize
Than all the gold in the warld that is.
JAMES OF DOUGLAS.
In Paris near three year dwellit he;
And then come tidings o'er the sea
That his father was done to dead."
Then was he wae, and will of rede,8
And thocht that he wald9 hame again,
To look gif he through ony pain
Micht win again his heritage
And his men out of all thrillage.10
To Saint Andrews he come in hie11
Whare the Bishop full courteously
Receivit him:...
A weell great while there dwellit he.
All men lovit him for his bounty;
3 Nor anything else.
6 Exactly.
7 William of Douglas was ejected from his lands in Cheviotdale by Edward I., and died a prisoner in England. The Douglas estates were given to the Cliffords of Cumberland.
For he was of full fair effere,1
Wise, courteous, and debonair:
Large2 and loving als3 was he,
And o'er all thing loved lealty.
Lealty to love is gretumly :
Through lealty lives men righteously;
With ae virtue and lealty
A man may yet sufficient be;
And but lealty may nane have price
Whether he be wicht or he be wise.
For where it failès, nae virtue
May be of price, ne of value,
To mak a man sae good that he
May simply callit good man be."
He was in all his deedès leal;8
For him dedeignit9 nocht to deal
With treachery ne with falset.10
His heart on high honour was set,
And him contenit11 in sic mannere
That all him lovit that were him near.
But he was nocht so fair that we
Should speak greatly of his beauty.
In visage was he somedeal grey
And had black hair, as I heard say:
But of limmis12 he was weell made,
With banès13 great and shulders braid.14
His body was weell made, leanie,
As they that saw him said to me.
When he was blythe he was lovely,
And meek and sweet in company;
But wha in battle micht him see
All other countenance had he.
In speech y-lispit he somedeal;
But that sat him richt wonder weell.
BRUCE KILLS THE THREE MACKINDROSSERS.
For twa brethir15 were in that land
That were the hardiest of hand
That were intill all that countree:
And they had sworn, gif they micht see
1 Appearance.
5 Without.
9 Deigned.
loved greatly.
8 Honest, true. 13 Bones.
The Bruce, where they him micht o'ertae
That they should die or then him slay.
Their surname was Mackindrosser;
That is als meikle1 to say here
As the Door-ward's Sons, perfay.2
Of their cousin the third had they;
That was richt stout, ill, and feloun.
When they the king of good renown
Saw sae behind his meinie3 ride,
And saw him turn sae mony tide,
They abaid' till that he was
Entered in ane narrow place,
Betwixt a loch-side and a brae,
That was sae strait, I undertae
That he micht nocht weell turn his steed.
Then with a will till him they gaed;
And ane him by the bridle hint,8
But he raucht9 till him sic a dint,10
That arm and shulder flaw him frae.
With that, ane other gan him tae
By the leg, and his hand gan shoot
Betwix the stirrup and his foot.
And, when the king felt there his hand,
In his stirrups stithlyll gan he stand,
And strack with spurs the steed in hie ;12
And he lansit forth deliverly, 13
Sae that the tother failit feet;
And nocht forthy11 his hand was yet
Under the stirrup, maugré his.
The third, with full great haste, with this,
Richt till the brae-side he gaed,
And stert1 behind him on his steed.
The king was then in full great press.
And syne him that behind him was,
Despite his will him gan he rase16
Frae behind him: though he had sworn,
He laid him even him beforn.
Syne with the sword sic dint him gave
That he the head till the harnis17 clave.
He rushit doun, of blood all red,
As he that stound felt of dead.18
1 As much as to say "the sons of
3 Attendants. 4 So many times.
the doorkeeper."
5 Waited.
9 Fetched him. 13 Nimbly.
6 Hill.
10 Blow.
14 Nevertheless.
And then the king in full great hy
Strack at the tother vigorously,
That he after his stirrup drew,
That at the first strak he him slew.
On this wise him delivered he
Of all those felon fayis1 three.
THE MEETING OF BRUCE AND LENNOX ON LOCH LOMOND.
The King, after that he was gane,
To Loch Lomond the way has tane,2
And come there on the third day.
But there-about nae boat fand they
That micht them o'er the water bear.
Then were they wae3 on great manner;
For it was far about to gae,
And they were into doubt alsae,
To meet their faes that spread were wide.
Therefore endlang the lochis side
Sae busily they socht and fast,
Till James of Douglas at the last
Fand a little sunken bate1
And to the land it drew full hate ;5
But it sae little was that it
Micht o'er the water but three-some flit.6
They send thereof word to the King,
That was joyful of that finding;
And first into the boat is gane
With him Douglas. The third was ane
That rowit thein o'er deliverly,
And set them on the land all dry,
And rowit sae oft sythes to and frae,
Fetchind aye ower twa and twa,
That in a nicht and in a day
Comin out o'er the loch are they;
For some of them could swim full weell,
And on his back bear a fardele.9
Sae, with swimming and with rowing,
They brocht them o'er and all their thing.
The King, the whilès, merrily
Read, to them that were him by,
6 Carry across only three at one time.
Romance of worthy Ferambrace,
That worthily o'er-comin was
Through the richt douchty Oliver;
And how the Dukes of Paris1 were
Assiegit intill Egremor,
Where king Lavine lay them before
With mae thousands than I can say.
The good King upon this manère
Comfort them that were him near,
And made them gamin3 and solace
Till that his folk all passit was.
When they were passit the water braid,
Suppose they fele of fayis had,1
They made them merry and were blythe.
Nocht forthy full felè sythè
They had full great defauteR of meat;
And therefore, venisoun to get,
In twa parties are they gane.
The King himself was intill one,
And Sir James of Douglas
Into the other party was.
Then to the hicht they held their way,
And huntit lang while of the day,
And socht shawis, and setis set;
But they gat little for to eat.
Then happenit at that time percase9
That the Earl of the Lennox was
Amang the hillis near thereby.
And, when he heard sae blaw and cry,
He had wonder what it micht be;
And on sic manner speerit10 he
That he knew that it was the King.
And then, for-outen11 more dwelling,
With all them of his company
He went richt till the King in hie,
Sae blythe and sae joyfúl that he
Micht on nae manner blyther be.
For he the King weened12 had been dead...
Therefore into full great daintie
The king full humbly halsit13 he;
And he him welcomed richt blythely,
And askit him full tenderly.
1 This is Pinkerton's reading: the MS. has Duk Peris. Although they had many foes. 5 Nevertheless, full many times. 6 Want. 7 Groves.
|