Читать книгу The Bruce - Barbour John - Страница 43

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Rex ruet in bello tumulique carebit honore Ferrandus, comitissa, tuus, mea cara Minerva, 250 Parisius veniet, magna comitante caterva. This wes the spek he maid, perfay; And is in Inglis for to say; “The king sall fall in the fichting, “And sall fale honor of erding; 255 “And thi Ferrand, Mynerff my deir, “Sall rycht to Paris went, but weir; “Followand him gret cumpany “Of nobill men and of worthy.” This is the sentens off the saw, 260 That he in Latyne can hir schaw. He callit hir his deir Mynerfe, For Mynerfe ay wes wont to serfe Him fullely at his devis. And for scho maid the samyn service,[†] 265 His Minerf hir callit he: And als, throu his gret sutelte, He callit hir deir, hir till dissaf,[†] That scho the titar suld consaf Of his spek the undirstanding, 270 That plesit mast to hir liking.

His doubill spek hir sua dissavit,

That throu hir feill the ded resavit;

For scho was of his ansuer blith,

And till hir sone scho tald it swith; 275

And bad him till the battale spede,

For he suld victor haf but drede.

And he, that herd hir sermonyng,

Sped hym in hy to the fichting;

Quhar he discumfit wes and schent, 280

And takyn, and to Paris sent.

Bot in the fechting nocht-for-thi

The kyng, throu his chevelry,

Wes laid at erd, and lamyt bath,

Bot his men horsit hym weill rath. 285

And quhen Ferrandis moder herd

How hir sone in the battale ferd,

And that he swa wes discumfit,

Scho rasit the evill spirit als tit:

And askit quhy he gabbit had 290

Of the ansuer that he hir mad.

And he said that he suth said all;

“I said the that the kyng suld fall

“In the battale, and sua did he;

“And falys erding, as men may se. 295

“And I said that thi sone suld ga

“To Paris, and he did he rycht sua;

“Followand him sic a mengyhe,

“That nevir, in his lif-tyme, he

“Had sic mengyhe at his leding. 300

“Now seis thow I maid na gabbing.”[†] The wif confusit wes, perfay, And durst no mair on-till him say.

JULY 7, 1307 Edward I. dies at Burgh-on-Sand

Thusgat, throu doubill undirstanding, 304

That bargane come to sic ending,

That the ta part dissavit was:

Richt sua-gat fell it in this cas:

At Jerusalem thus trowit he 308

Gravyn in the burch to be;

The-quethir at Burch in-to the Sand

He suelt rycht in his awne land.

And quhen he to the ded wes ner, 312

The folk, that at Kyldrummy wer,

Com with the presoners at thai had tane,

And syne unto the Kyng ar gane.

And for to confort him thai tald 316

How thai the castell to thame yhald;

And how thai to his will war brocht,

Till do of thame quhat-evir he thocht;

And askit quhat thai suld of thaim do. 320

Than lukit he angyrly thame to,[†] And said gyrnand, “Hangis and drawis.” It wes gret wounder of sic sawis; That he, that to the ded wes neir, 324 Suld ansuer apon sic maneir Forouten menyng of mercy, How mycht he trastly on hym cry, That suthfastly demys all thing 328 To haf mercy for his crying Of him that, throu his felony, In-to sic poynt had no mercy? His men his mandment has all done: 332 And he deit thar-eftir sone; And syne wes brocht till berynes: His son syne eftir kyng he wes.