[Criticism of the compact about Stirling Castle]
And quhen this connand thus wes mad
Schir Philip intill Ingland raid
And tauld the king all haile his tale,
How he a tuelf moneth all hale
Had as it writyn wes in thar taile
To reskew Strevillyne with bataill.
And quhen he hard Schyr Philip say
That Scottismen had set a day
To fecht and that sic space he had
To purvay him he wes rycht glaid,
And said it wes gret sukudry
That set thaim apon sic foly,
For he thocht to be or that day
Sa purvayit and in sic aray
That thar suld nane strenth him withstand,
And quhen the lordis off Ingland
Herd that this day wes set planly
Thai jugyt all to gret foly,
And thoucht to haiff all thar liking
Giff men abaid thaim in fechting,
Bot oft faillys the fulis thocht
And yeit wys mennys ay cummys nocht
To sic end as thai wene allwayis.
A litill stane oft, as men sayis,
May ger weltyr a mekill wayn,
Na mannys mycht may stand agayn
The grace off God that all thing steris,
He wate quhat till all thing afferis
And disponys at his liking
Efter his ordynance all thing.
[King Robert criticises his brother]
Quhen Schyr Edward, as I you say,
Had gevyn sa outrageous a day
To yeld or reskew Strevillyne,
Rycht to the king he went him syne
And tauld quhat tretys he had mad
And quhat day he thaim gevyn had.
The king said quhen he hard the day,
‘That wes unwisly doyn, perfay.
Ik herd never quhar sa lang warnyng
Wes gevyn to sa mychty a king
As is the king off Ingland,
For he has now intill hand
Ingland, Ireland and Walis alsua
And Aquitayngne yeit with all tha,
And off Scotland yeit a party
Dwellis under his senyoury,
And off tresour sa stuffyt is he
That he may wageouris haiff plente,
And we are quhoyne agayne sa fele.
God may rycht weill oure werdys dele,
Bot we ar set in juperty
To tyne or wyn then hastely.’
Schyr Edward said, ‘Sa God me rede,
Thocht he and all that he may led
Cum, wes sall fecht, all war thai ma.’
Quhen the king hard his broder sua
Spek to the bataile sa hardyly
He prisyt him in hys hart gretumly
And said, ‘Broder, sen sua is gane
That this thing thus is undretane
Schap we us tharfor manlely,
And all that luffis us tenderly
And the fredome off this countre
Purvay thaim at that time to be
Boune with all mycht that ever thai may,
Sua giff that our fayis assay
To reskew Strevilline throu bataill
That we off purpos ger thaim faill.’
[Both sides prepare for an English invasion; King Edward’s resources]
To this thai all assentyt ar
And bad thar men all mak thaim yar
For to be boun agayne that day
On the best wis that ever thai may.
Than all that worthi war to fycht
Off Scotland set all hale thar mycht
To purvay thaim agane that day,
Wapynnys and armouris purvayit thai
And all that afferis to fechting.
And in Ingland the mychty king
Purvayit him in sa gret aray
That certis hard I never say
That Inglismen mar aparaile
Maid than did than for bataill,
For quhen the tyme wes cummyn ner
He assemblit all his power,
And but his awne chevalry
That wes sa gret it wes ferly
He had of mony ser countre
With him gud men of gret bounte.
Of Fraunce worthi chevalry
He had intill his cumpany,
The erle off Henaud als wes thar
And with him men that worthi war,
Off Gascoyne and off Almany
And off the duche of Bretayngny
He had wycht men and weill farand
Armyt clenly bath fute and hand,
Off Ingland to the chevalry
He had gaderyt sa clenly
That nane left that mycht wapynnys weld
Or mycht war to fecht in feild,
All Walis als with him had he
And off Irland a gret mengne,
Off Pouty Aquitane and Bayoun
He had mony off gret renoune,
And off Scotland he had yeit then
A gret menye of worthy men.
[The appearance of the English host]
Quhen all thir sammyn assemblit war
He had of fechtaris with him thar
Ane hunder thousand men and ma
And fourty thousand war of tha
Armyt on hors bath heid and hand,
And of thai yeit war thre thousand
With helyt hors in plate and mailye
To mak the front off the batailye,
And fyfty thousand off archeris
He had foroutyn hobeleris,
And men of fute and small rangale
That yemyt harnays and vittaile
He had sa fele it wes ferly.
Off cartis als thar yeid thaim by
Sa fele that, but all thai that bar
Harnays and als that chargyt war
With pailyounys and veschall with-all
And aparaile of chambyr and hall
And wyne and wax schot and vittaile,
Aucht scor wes chargyt with pulaile.
Thai war sa fele quhar that thai raid
And thar bataillis war sa braid
And sua gret roume held thar chare
That men that mekill ost mycht se
Ourtak the landis largely.
Men mycht se than that had bene by
Mony a worthi man and wycht
And mony ane armur gayly dycht
And mony a sturdy sterand stede
Arayit intill ryche wede,
Mony helmys and haberjounys
Scheldis and speris and penounys, *
And sa mony a cumbly knycht
That it semyt that into fycht
Thai suld vencus the warld all haile.
[The dispositions of the English host; the march from Berwick]
Quhy suld I mak to lang my taile?
To Berwik ar thai cummyn ilkane
And sum tharin has innys tane
And sum logyt without the town ys
In tentis and in pailyounys.
And quhen the king his ost has sene
So gret and sa gud men and clene
He wes rycht joyfull in his thocht
And weile supposyt that thar wes nocht
In warld a king mycht him withstand,
Him thocht all wonnyn till his hand,
And largly amang his men
The land of Scotland delt he then,
Off other mennys thing larg wes he.
And thai that war off his menye
Manausyt the Scottismen hely
With gret wordis, bot nocht-forthi
Or thai cum all to thar entent
Howis in haile claith sall be rent.
The king throu consaile of his men
His folk delt in bataillis ten,
In ilkane war weile ten thousand
That lete thai stalwartly suld stand
In the bataile and stythly fycht
And leve nocht for thar fayis mycht.
He set ledaris till ilk bataile
That knawin war of gud governaile,
And till renownyt erlis twa
Off Glosyster and herfurd war tha
He gaf the vaward in leding
With mony men at thar bidding
Ordanyt into full gud aray.
Thai war sa chevalrous that thai
Trowyt giff thai come to fycht
Thar suld na strenth withstand thar mycht.
And the king quhen his mengne wer
Divisit intill bataillis ser
His awyne bataill ordanyt he
And quha suld at his bridill be,
Schyr Gilis Argente he set
Apon a half his reyngye to get,
And off Valence Schyr Amery
On other half that wes worthy,
For in thar soverane bounte
Out-our the lave affyit he.
Quhen the king apon this kyn wys
Had ordanyt as Ik her divis
His bataillis and his stering
He rais arly in a mornyng
And fra Berwik he tuk the way.
Bath hillis and valis hely thai
As the bataillis that war braid
Departyt our the feldis raid.
The sone wes brycht and schynand cler
And armouris that burnysyt wer
Sua blomyt with the sonnys beme
That all the land wes in a leme,
Baneris rycht fayrly flawmand
And penselys to the wynd wavand
Sua fele thar wer of ser quentis
That it war gret slycht for to divise,
And suld I tell all thar affer
Thar con tenance and thar maner
Thoucht I couth I suld combryt be.
The king with all that gret menye
Till Edinbyrgh he raid him rycht,
Thai war all-out to fele to fycht
With few folk of a symple land,
Bot quhar God helpys quhat ma withstand.
[Muster of the Scottish army; its size and commanders]
The king Robert quhen he hard say
That Inglismen in sic aray
And into sua gret quantite
Come in his land, in hy gert he
His men be somound generaly,
And thai come all full wilfully
To the Torwod quhar that the king
Had ordanyt to mak thar meting.
Schir Edward the Bruce the worthi
Come with a full gret cumpany
Off gud men armyt weill at rycht
Hardy and forsy for to fycht,
Walter Stewart of Scotland syne
That than wes bot a berdles hyne
Come with a rout of noble men,
That men mycht be contynence ken.
The gud lord of Douglas alsua
Brocht with him men Ik underta
That weile war usit in fechting,
Thai sall the les haiff abaysimg
Giff thaim betid in thrang to be,
Avantage thai sall tittar se
For to stonay thar fayis mycht
Than men that usis nocht to fycht.
The erle off Murreff with his men
Arayit weile come alsua then
Into gud covyne for to fycht
And gret will for to manteym thar mycht
Outakyn other mony barounys
And knychtis that of gret renowne is
Come with thar men full stalwartly.
Quhen thai war assemblyt halely
Off fechtand men I trow thai war
Thretty thousand and sumdele mar,
Foroutyn cariage and pettaill
That yemyt harnayis and vittaill.
Our all the ost than yeid the king
And beheld to thar contenyng
And saw thaim of full fayr affer.
Off hardy contenance thai wer,
Be liklynes the mast cowart
Semyt full weill to do his part.
The king has sene all thar having
That knew him weile into sic thing,
And saw thaim all commounaly
Off sic contenance and sa hardy
Forout effray or abaysing.
In his hart had he gret liking
And thoucht that men of sa gret will
Giff thai wald set thar will thartill
Suld be full hard to wyn perfay.
Ay as he met thaim in the way
He welcummyt thaim with glaidsum far
Spekand gud wordis her and thar,
And thai that thar lord sa mekly
Saw welcum thaim and sa hamly
Joyfull thai war, and thocht that thai
Aucht weill to put thaim till assay
Off hard fechting or stalwart stur
For to maynteyme hys honur.
[King Robert proposes the division of his host]
The worthi king quhen he has sene
Hys ost assemblit all bedene
And saw thaim wilfull to fulfill
His liking with gud hart and will
And to maynteyme weill thar franchis
He wes rejosyt mony wys
And callyt all his consaile preve
And said thaim, ‘Lordis, now ye se
That Inglismen with mekill mycht
Has all disponyt thaim for the fycht
For thai yone castell wald reskew.
Tharfor is gud we ordane now
How we may let thaim of thar purpos
And sua to thaim the wayis clos
That thai pas nocht but gret letting.
We haiff her with us at bidding
Weile thretty thousand men and ma,
Mak we four bataillis of tha
And ordane us on sic maner
And quhen our fayis cummys ner
We to the New Park hald our way,
For thar behovys thaim nede away
Bot giff that thai will beneuth us ga
And our the merrais pass, and sua
We sall be at avantage thar.
And me think that rycht spedfull war
To gang on fute to this fechting
Armyt bot in litill armyng,
For schup we us on hors to fycht
Sen our fayis ar mar off mycht
And bettyr horsyt than ar we
We suld into gret perell be,
And gyff we fecht on fute perfay
At a vantage we sall be ay,
For in the park amang the treys
The horsmen alwayis cummerit beis,
And the sykis alssua that ar thar-doun
Sall put thaim to confusioune.’
[The four divisions and their commanders]
All thai consentyt till that saw
And than intill a litill thraw
Thar four bataillis ordanyt thai,
And till the Erle Thomas perfay
Thai gaiff the vaward in leding
For in his noble governyng
And in his hey chevalry
Thai assoueryt rycht soveranly,
And for to maynteyme his baner
Lordis that off gret worschip wer
Wer assygnyt with thar mengne
Intill his bataill for to be.
The toother bataill wes gevyn to led
Till him that douchty wes of deid
And prisyt off hey chevalry,
Thar wes Schyr Edward the worthy,
I trow he sall maynteyme it sua
That howsaever the gamyn ga
His fayis to plenye sall mater haf.
And syne the thrid bataill thai gaff
Till Walter Stewart for to leid
And to Douglas douchty of deid
Thai war cosyngis in ner degre
Tharfor till him betaucht wes he
For he wes young, bot nocht-forthi
I trow he sall sa manlily
Do his devour and wirk sa weill
That him sall nede ne mar yemseill.
The ferd bataile the noble king
Tuk till his awne governyng,
And had intill his cumpany
The men of Carrik halely
And off Arghile and of Kentyr
And off the Ilis quharof wes syr
Angus of Ile, and but all tha
He off the plane land had alsua
Off armyt men a mekill rout,
His bataill stalwart wes and stout.
He said the rerward he wald ma
And evyn forrouth him suld ga
The vaward, and on ather hand
The tother bataillis suld be gangand
Besid on sid a litill space,
And the king that behind thaim was
Suld se quhar thar war mast myster
And releve thar with his baner.
[The digging of pots by the roadside]
The king thus that wes wycht and wys
And rych avis
(John Barbour)
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Based on Topics: Man Poems, God Poems, War & Peace Poems, Youth Poems, Kings & Queens Poems, Power Poems, Space Poems, English Poems, Parties PoemsBased on Keywords: lete, mycht, strenth, thoucht, foly, intill, gert, mekill, wene, giff, thaim