  The fourth battle in Ireland That Sir Edward won with strong hand. Qwhen thai within has seyn swa slane Thair men, and chassit hame agane, Thai war all wa, and in gret hy “Till armys!” hely can thai cry. Than armyt thame all at thar war, 5 And for the battale maid thame yhar. Thai yschit out, all weill arayit, In battale with baneris displayit; Bowne on thar best wis till assale Thair fayis in-to fell battale. 10 And quhen Schir Philip the Mowbray Saw thame ysche in sa gud aray, Till Schir Edward the Brus went he And said, “Schir, it is gude that we “Schape for sum slicht that may availl 15 “Till help us in this gret battaill. “Our men ar quheyn, bot thai haf will “Till do mair than thai may fullfill. “Tharfor I rede, our caryage, “Forouten ony man or page, 20 “By thame-selvyne arayit be; “And thai sall seyme fer ma than we. “Set we before thame our baneris; “Yhon folk that cummys out of Coigneris, “Quhen thai our baneris thair may se, 25 “Sall trow trastly that thair ar we, “And thidder in gret hy sall ryde. “Cum we than on thame at a syde, “And we sall be at avantage; “For, fra thai in our caryage 30 “And than with all our mycht may we “Lay on, and do all that we may.” All as he ordanit done haf thai. And thai that com out of Coigneris 35 Adressit thame to the baneris; And smat with spures the hors in hy, Ruschand emang thame sodanly. The barell-ferraris that war thar Cumrayd thame fast that rydand war. 40 That, quhen thai saw he wes so quhoyne, Thai thoucht with thame soyne till haf done, And assemblit full hardely. 365 Thar men mycht se men fecht felly, And richt ane cruell melle mak, And mony strakis giff and tak. 1316 Neville is jealous of Douglas The Douglass thair weill hard wes stad, Bot the gret hardyment that he had 370 Comfort his men apon sic wis, That no man thoucht on cowardis; Bot faucht so fast with all thar mayne, That thai feill of thair fayis has slayne. Than thai, yheit ure demanyt thaim swa, That Edmound de Cailow wes ded Richt in that ilk fechting-sted. And all the lave, fra he wes done, War planly thair discumfit sone; 380 And thai that chassit sum has slayne, And turnyt the prayis haill agane. The hardest fechting forsuth this wes That evir the gud lord of Dowglas Wes in, as of sa few menyhe. 385 For, had nocht beyne his gret bounte That slew thair chiftane in the ficht, His men till ded had all beyne dicht. He had in-till custum all-way, Quhen evir he com till hard assay, 390 To press hym the chiftane to sla; And hap him fell that he did swa, That gert him victor have feill sis. Quhen Schir Edmound apon this wis Wes ded, the gud lord of Douglas 395 Till the Forest his way he tais. His fayis gretly can hym dreid; The word weill fer sprang of this deid, Swa that in Ingland neir thar-by Men spak of it weill comonly. 400 Schir Robert de Nevell in that tyde Wonnyt at Berwyk, neir besyde The marchis, quhar the lord Dowglas In the Forest reparande was, And had at him full gret invy, 405 For he him saw so manfully Mak his boundis ay mar and mar. He herd the folk that with him war Spek of the lorde Dowglasis mycht, And how forsy he wes in fycht, 410 And how hym oft fell fayr fortoune. He wrethit him thar-at all soyne, “That evir is worth bot hym alane? “Yhe set hym as he war but peir: 415 “But I avow, befor yhow heir, “Gif evir he cum in-till this land, “He sall fynd me neir at his hand. “And giff I evir his baneir “May see displayit apon wer, 420 “I sall assembill on hym but dout, “All thouch yhe hald him nevir sa stout.” Of this avow soyne bodword was Brocht till Schir James of Douglas, That said, “Giff he will hald his hicht, 425 “I sall do swa he sall haf sicht “Of me and of my cumpany, “Yheit or oucht lang, weill neir hym by.” His reten new than gaderit he, That war gud men of gret bounte, 430 And to the marchis in gud aray Apon ane nycht he tuk the way; Swa that, in the mornyng airly, He wes, with all his cumpany, Before Berwyk; and thair he maid 435 Men to display his baner braid. And of his menyhe sum send he For till burne townys twa or thre, And bad thame soyn agane thame speid; Swa that on hand, gif thar com neyd, 440 Thai mycht be for the ficht redy. The Nevell that wist verraly. That Dowglas cummyn wes so neir, And saw all braid stand his baneir, Than with the folk that with hym wer, 445 (And he had a gret menyhe thar; For all the gud of that cuntre In-till that tyme with hym had he; Swa that he with hym thar had then Weill may then wes the Scottis men) 450 And said; “Lordyngis, it war my will “Till mak end of the gret deray “That Dowglass makis us ilk day. “Bot me think it speidful that we 455 “Abyde, quhill his men scalit be “Throu the cuntre to tak the pray: “Than fersly schute on hym we may, “And we sall have thame at our will.” Thus all thai gaiff consent thar-till, 460 And on the hill abaid huvande. The men fast gadderit of the land, And drew till hym in full gret hy. The Douglas than, that wes worthy, Thoucht it wes foly mair till byde. 465 |
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