Als was good Cristall of Setoun, And Robert Boyde of great renoun, And other feill men of meekle might. These lines are from H, and are not in E. See note. sturdely A sege set; and besyly Assaylit, etc. Saying that nouther life nor dead *209 To sik discomfort sould them lead That they sould eschew the feghting. In heart he had great rejoycing. *212 These lines in H only, not in C E. They do not fit into the text. Line *212 is a doublet of 209. Now ga we on them sa hardely, *131 And ding on them sa doughtely, That they may feele, at our comming, That we them hate in meekle thing: For great cause they have us made, *135 That occupied our landis brade, And put all to subjectioun: Your goodis made all theirs commoun: Our kyn and frendis, for their awne, Dispitteously hanged and drawne: *140 And wald destroy us gif they might. Bot, I trow, God, through his foresight, This day hes granted us his grace To wrek us on them in this place. *144 From H: not in C E. These remarks seem quite out of place. The spirit of animosity is not in harmony with the tenour of Bruce’s other speeches; the language at certain points is not Barbour-like; and the whole passage is thus of questionable authenticity. See Preface, pp. vii-viii. For his syde, throu the quhele on hicht, Vencust thar fais, wes mekill of mycht. H as in E. Till him a full gret chevelry Of squyaris, burges and yhemanry (S). But burgesses and yeomanry would not be chevelry, and H agrees with E. That he slew all he might ourtak And rudely rushed them abak.—In H only. Throughout England full cruelly, Burning and wasting right rigorously, When that they have heard tythings tell Of this great Siege that was sa fell: That they all skailed were and gane, Unto England hame againe: Sa that their folks relieved were And set now free from all danger. Skeat relegates this expansion of two lines to a footnote, and rightly. That into full gret danger wes, *903 Through strength of them that sieged hes. *904 And of their journey what progresse, *905 That thai have had, and with successe. *906 These, too, are from H only. Skeat brackets them in the text, but they are surely spurious. But flaikes in the wood they made Of wands, and them with them had: And sykes therewith brigged they: And sa had well their horse away, On sik wise, that all that there were, Came through the mosse baith haill and feire. And said, “God lent me hands to beare, Wherewith I might my head weere.” Thus maid he courteous answering, With a right hie understanding: That for default of fence it was, That sa evill hewen was his fall. But ere they joyned in battell, *421 What Dowglas did, I sall you tell. The Bruce’s Heart, that on his brest Was hinging, in the field he kest, Upon a stane-cast and well more: *425 And said, “Now passe thou foorth before, As thou wast wont in field to be, And I sall follow, or els die.” And sa he did withoutten ho, He faught even while he came it to, *430 And tooke it up in great daintie; And ever in field this used he. *432 *421-*432. In H only; not in C E. See Appendix D. |