Читать книгу War and Misrule (1307-1399) - Various - Страница 9

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Source.—Fabyan's Chronicle (ed. Ellis, 1811), 420.

In this vii year, for to oppress the malice of the Scots, the King assembled a great power, and by water entered the realm of Scotland and destroyed such villages and towns as lay or stood in his way. Whereof hearing, Robert le Bruce, with the power of Scotland, coasted towards the Englishmen, and upon the day of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, met with King Edward and his host at a place called Estryvelyn, near unto a fresh river, that then was called Bannockburn, where between the English and the Scotch that day was fought a cruel battle; but in the end the Englishmen were constrained to forsake the field. Then the Scots chased so eagerly that many of them were drowned in the fore-named river, and many a nobleman of England that day was slain in that battle, as Sir Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, Sir Robert Clifford, Sir Edmund of Morley, the King's steward, with other lords and barons to the number as witnesseth Guy de Columpna of xlii, and of knights and baronets to the number of lxvii, over xxii men of name, which that day by the Scots were taken prisoners, and the King himself from that battle escaped with great danger, and so, with a few of his host that with him escaped, came unto Berwick, and there rested him a season. Then the Scots inflamed with pride, in derision of Englishmen, made this rhyme as followeth:

"Maidens of England, sore may you mourn

For your lemans you have lost at Bannockbourn,

With a heave and a ho!

What weeneth the King of England

So soon to have won Scotland,

With a rumbelow!"[3]

This song was after many days sung in dances, in carols of the maidens and minstrels of Scotland, to the reproof and disdain of Englishmen, with divers others which I pass over.

FOOTNOTES:

[3] Christopher Marlowe introduced this ballad into his drama of Edward the Second (written about 1590), in Act II., Scene 2:

Lancaster. And thereof came it, that the fleering Scots, To England's high disgrace, have made this jig:

Maids of England, etc.