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1307 Reasons for Vengeance

The King apon the tothir day

Can till his preve menyhe say;

“Yhe knaw all weill, and wele may se, 520

“How we ar out of our cuntre

“Banyst, throu Inglis mennys mycht;

“And that, that ouris suld be of richt,[†] “Throu thair mastrice thai occupy; 524 “And wald alsua, without mercy,[†] “Gif thai had mycht, distroy us all. “Bot God forbeid that it suld fall “Till us, as thai mak mannasyng! 528 “For than war thair na recoveryng. “And mankynd biddis us that we “To procur vengeans besy be. “For yhe may se we haf thre thingis 532 “That makis us amonestyngis “For to be worthy, wis, and wicht, “And till anoy thame at our mycht. “Ane is our liffis savite,[†] 536 “That suld on na wis savit be, “Gif thai had us at thair liking. “The tothir that makis us egging, “Is that thai our possessioune 540 “Haldis with strinth agane resoune. “The thrid is the joy that we abyde, “Gif that it hapyn, as weill may tyde, “That we haf victor and mastry 544 “Till ourcum thair felony. “Tharfor we suld our hertis rais, “Sua that na myscheif us abais; “And schape all-wayis to that ending 548 “That beris mensk and ek lovyng. “And tharfor, lordis, gif yhe se “Emang yhow that it spedfull be, “I will send a man to Carrik, 552 “To spy and speir how the kynrik, “Is led, or quha is frend or fa. “And gif he seis we land may ta, “On Turnberys snuke he may[†] 556 “Mak a fyre, on a certane day, “And mak taknyng till us, that we “May thair ariffe in-to saufte. “And gif he seis we may nocht swa; 560 “Luk on na wis the fyre he ma. “Swa may we thar throw haff wittering “Of our passage, or our duelling.”

To this spek all assentit ar. 564

And than the King, withouten mair,

Callit till him ane that wes preve,

And born of Carrik his cuntre:

And chargit him, in les and mare, 568

As yhe herd me devis it are;

And set him certane day to may

The fyr, gif he saw it wes sway

That thai had possibilite 572

To manteme were in that cuntre.

And he, that wes richt weill in will

His lordis yharnyng to fulfill,

As he that worthy wes and leill, 576

And couth secretis rycht weill conceil,

Said, he wes boune in-till all thing

For till fullfill his commaunding:

And said he suld do sa wisly, 580

That na repreif suld eftir ly,

Syne at the King his leif has tane;

And furth apon his way is gane.

Now gais the messinger his way, 584

That hat Cutbert, as I herd say.

In Carrik soyn arivit he,

And passit throu all the cuntre.

Bot he fand few thair-in, perfay, 588

That gud wald of his mastir say.

For feill of thame durst nocht for dreid,

And othir-sum rycht in-to ded

War fais to the nobill Kyng, 592

That rewit syne thair barganyng.

Bath hye and law, the land wes then

All occupyit with Inglis men;

That dyspitit, atour all thing, 596

Robert the Bruce the douchty Kyng.

Carrik wes gevyn than halely

To Sir Henry the lord Persy;

That in Turnberyis castell then 600

Wes, with weill neir thre hundreth men;

And dantit suagat all the land,

That all wes till hym obeysand.

This Cutbert saw thair felony, 604

And saw the folk sa halely

Be worthyn Inglis, rich and pure,

That he to nane durst hym discure.

Bot thoucht to leif the fyre unmaid, 608

Syne till his mastir to wend but baid,

And all thair covyne till hym tell,

That wes sa angry and sa fell.