Читать книгу The Bruce - Barbour John - Страница 53

Here Henry Percy flies to England.

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1307 The Englishmen are Afraid

The Kyng thus sychand maid his mayn,

And the lady hir leif has tane, 176

And went hyr hame to her wonnyng.

And feill sis confort scho the Kyng

Bath with silver and with met,

As scho in-to the land mycht get. 180

And he oft ryot to the land,[†] And maid all his that evir he fand; And syne he drew him to the hicht, To stynt bettir his fayis mycht. 184 In all that tym wes the Persy, With a full sympill cumpany, In Turnberyis castell lyand; For the King Robert sua dredand, 188 That he durst nocht ysche out to fair, Fra thine to the castell of Air, That than wes full of Inglismen; Bot lay lurkand as in a den, 192 To the men of Northumberland Suld cum armyt, and with strang hand, Till convoy him till his cuntre. For his saynd till thame send he: 196 And thai in hy assemblyt then, Passand, I trow, a thousand men, And askit avisment thame emang. Quhethir at thai suld duell or gang. 200 Bot thai war schonand wounder sair So fer in Scotland for to fair. For a knycht, Schir Gawter the Lile, Said it wes all to gret perell[†] 204 So neir the schavalduris to ga. His spek discomfort thame all sua, That thai had left all that viage, Na war a knycht of gret corage, 208 That Schir Roger of Sanct Johne hicht, That thame confort with all his mycht; And sic wordis can till thame say, That thai all sammyn held thair way 212 To Turnbery; quhar the Persy Lap on, and went with thaim in hy In-to Ingland his castell till, Without distrowbilling or ill. 216

Now in Ingland is the Persy,

Quhar he, I trow, a quhill sall ly,

Or that he schap hym for to fair

To warray Carrik ony mar.[†] 220 For he wist that he had no richt; And als he dred the Kyngis mycht, That in Carrik wes travalland, Quhar the mast strynth wes of the land. 224 Quhar James of Douglas, on a day, Com to the Kyng, and can him say; “Schir, with yhour leiff, I wald ga se “How that thai do in my cuntre; 228 “And how my men demanit are. “For it anoyis me wounder sare, “That the Clyffurd sa pesabilly “Brukis and haldis the senyhory, 232 “That suld be myn with alkyn rycht. “Bot quhill I liff, and may haf mycht “To lede a yheman or a swane, “He sall nocht bruk it but bargane.” 236 The Kyng said; ‘Certis I can nocht se ‘How that thou yheit may sekir be ‘In-to that cuntre for to fair. ‘Quhar Inglis men sa mychty are; 240 ‘And thou wat nocht quha is thi frend.’ He said, “Schir, neidwais I will wend, “And tak aventur that God will giff, “Quhethir sa it be till de or liff.” 244 The King said, ‘Sen that it is sua, ‘That thou sic yharnyng has to ga, ‘Thou sall pas furth with my blessing. ‘And gif the hapnys ony thing 248 ‘That anoyus or scathfull be, ‘I pray the, speid the soyne to me; ‘Tak we sammyn quhat-evir may fall.’ “I grant,” he said; and thar-with-all 252 He lowtit, and his leyf has tane, And is towart his cuntre gane.

The Passing of James of Douglas to Douglas-dale, his Heritage.

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1307 Douglas sends for Dickson

Now takis James his viage

Toward Douglas, his heritage, 256

With twa yhomen, forouten ma;

That wes a sympill stuff to ta,

A land or castell for to wyn!

The-quhethir he yharnyt to begyn 260

To bryng his purpos till ending;

For gude help is in begynnyng.

For gude begynnyng and hardy,

And it be followit wittely, 264

May ger oftsis unlikly thing

Cum to full conabill endyng.

Sa did it her: bot he wes wis,

And saw he mycht, on nakyn wis, 268

Warray his fais with evyn mycht;

Tharfor he thoucht to wirk with slight.

In Douglasdaill, his awn cuntre,

Apon ane evynnyng enterit he, 272

And with a man wonnit thar-by,

That wes of frendis richt mychty,

And rich of mubill and catell,

And had been till his fader lele; 276

And till him-self, in his yhoutheid,

He had done mony thankfull deid.

Thom Dicson wes his name, perfay.

Till him he send and can him pray, 280

That he wald cum all anerly

For to spek with hym prevely.

And he but danger till him gais:

Bot fra he tald him quhat he wes, 284

He gret for joy and for pite,

And hym richt till his hous had he;

Quhar in a chalmer prevaly

He held him and his cumpany, 288

That nane of him had persaving.

Of mete and drink and othir thing,

That mycht thaim eis, thai had plente.

Swa wroucht he than throu sutelte, 292

That all the leill men of the land,

That with his fader wes duelland,

This gud man gert cum, ane and ane,

And mak him manrent evirilkane; 296

And he him-self first homage maid.

Douglas in hert gret blithnes had,[†] That the gud men of his cuntre Wald swa-gat bundin till him be. 300 He sperit the covyn of the land, And quha the castell had in hand. And thai him tald all halely; And syne emang thame prevaly 304 Thai ordanit, that he still suld be In hyddillis, and in prevate, Till Palme Sonday that wes neir hand, The thrid day eftir followand. 308 For than the folk of the cuntre Assemblit at the kirk wald be; And thai that in the castell were, Wald als be thar, thar palmys to bere, 312 As folk that had na dreid of ill; For thai thoucht all wes at thar will. Than suld he cum with his twa men. Bot, for that men suld nocht him ken, 316 He suld a mantill haf, ald and bare, And a flaill, as he a taskar war. Undir the mantill nocht-for-thi He suld be armyt prevaly; 320 And quhen the men of his cuntre, That suld all bown befor him be, His ensenyhe mycht heir him cry, Than suld thai, full enforsaly, 324 Richt in myddis the kirk assale The Inglis men with hard batale, Swa that nane mycht eschap thaim fra; For thar-throu trowit thai to ta 328 The castell, that besyde wes neir. And quhen this, that I tell yhow her, Wes devisit and undirtane, Ilkane till his hous is gane; 332 And held the spek in prevate, Till the day of thair assemble.

Here James of Douglas slays them in the Kirk.

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1307 Douglas! Douglas!

The folk apon the Sononday

Held to Sanct Brydis kirk thair way; 336

And thai that in the castell were

Ischit out, bath les and mare,

And went thair palmys for to bere;

Outane a cuke and a portere. 340

James of Douglas of thare cummyng

And quhat thai war, had wittering;

And sped him to the kirk in hy.

Bot, or he com, to hastely 344

Ane of his cryit, “Douglas! Douglas!”

Thomas Dicsone, that nerest was

Till thame that war of the castel,

That war all innouth the chancell, 348

And quhen he “Douglas!” sa herd cry,

Drew out his suerd, and fellely

Ruschit emang thame to and fra.

And ane othir forouten ma; 352

Bot thai in hy war left lyand.

With that Douglas com rycht at hand,[†] That than enforsit on thame the cry.[†] Bot thair chancer full sturdely 356 Thai held, and thaim defendit weill, Till of thair men war slayne sumdeill. Bot the Douglas so weill him bare, That all the men that with hym ware, 360 Had confort of his weill-doing; And he him sparit na-kyn thing, Bot prufit swa his foris in ficht, That throu his worschip, and his mycht, 364 His men sa kenly helpit he than, That thai the chanser on thame wan. Than dang thai on thame sa hardely, That in schort tym men mycht se ly 368 The twapart ded, or than deand. The laiff war sesit soyn in hand. Swa that of threttie wes levit nane,[†] Na thai war slane ilkane, or tane. 372

Here makes he “the Douglas Larder.”

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1307 Douglas burns his Castle

James of Douglas, quhen this wes done,

The presoners has tane alsone;

And with thame of his cumpany

Towart the castell went in hy, 376

Or ony noys or cry suld ris.

And for he wald thame soyn suppris,

That levit in the castell were,

That war but twa forouten mare, 380

Fiffe men or sex befor send he,

That fand all oppyn the entre;

And enterit, and the portar tuk

Richt at the yhat, and syne the cuk. 384

With that Douglas come to the yhet,

And enterit in forout debat,

And fand the met all reddy grathit,

With burdis set, and clathis layit.[†] 388 The yhettis than he gert thame spare, And sat and ete all at lasare. Syne all the gudis tursit thai, Thai thoucht that thai mycht haf away; 392 And namly wapnys and armyng, Silver, tresour, and ek clethyng. Vittalis, that mycht nocht tursit be, On this maner distroit he. 396 All the vittale outakin salt, As quhet, flour, meill and malt, In the wyne-sellar gert he bryng; And sammyn on the flure all flyng. 400 And the presoners that he had tane Richt tharin gert he hed ilkane; Syne of the tunnys the hedis out-strak: A foull melle thair can he mak. 404 For meill, malt, blude, and wyne, Ran all to-gidder in a mellyne That wes unsemly for to se; Tharfor the men of that cuntre 408 For sic thingis thar mellit were, Callit it “the Douglas Lardenere.” Syne tuk he salt, as I herd tell, And ded hors, and fordid the well; 412 And syne brynt all, outakyn stane; And is furth with his menyhe gane Till his reset; for him thocht weill, Gif he had haldin the casteill, 416 It suld have beyn assegit rath, And that him thoucht to mekill vath; For he na hop had of reskewyng. And it is to perelous thing 420 In castell till assegit be, Quhar that ane wantis of thir thre, Vittale, or men with thair armyng, Or than gud hop of reskewing. 424 And for he dred thir thingis suld fale, He chesit forthward to travale, Quhar he mycht at his larges be, And sua driff furth his destane. 428

On this wis wes the castell tane,

And slane that war tharin ilkane.

The Douglas syne all his menyhe

Gert in seir placis departit be; 432

For men suld les wit quhar thai war,

That yheid departit here and thar.

Thame that war woundit gert he ly

In-till hyddillis all prevely; 436

And gert gud lechis to thame bryng,

Quhill that thai war in-to helyng.

And him-self, with a few menyhe,

Quhile ane, quhill twa, and quhile thre, 440

And umquhile all hym allane,

In hyddillis throu the land is gane.

Sa dred he Inglis mennys mycht,

That he durst nocht weill cum in sicht; 444

For thai that tyme war all weldand

As mast lordis our all the land.

Here Clifford builds the Castle again.

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Bot tythandis, that scalis sone,[†] Of the deid Douglas had done,[†] 448 Com to the Cliffurdis ere in hy, That for his tynsale wes sary, And menit his men that he had slayne, And syne has till his purpos tane 452 To byg the castell up agane, Tharfor, as man of mekill mane, He assemblit gret cumpany, And till Douglas he went in hy. 456 And biggit up the castell swith, And made it rycht stalward and stith; And put thar-in vittale and men. Ane of the Thrill-wallis then 460 He left behynd hym capitane, And syne till Ingland went agane.