Their Sotish heads cut from their trunks I sweaâ— Gainst eurie head a hundreth punds to set And think the dead good seruice to oure state Then wheir the Scotts encamped were they go A guard of horsmen did them their conuoy When greate and worthie Bruce their cause did knâ— He did receaue them with exceiding Ioy And when the battell endit was did sho Suche bountie high as ritche without annoy To Antuerp they returnd and bulded theiâ— In honor of the Scoots a Mansion fair Each Armie now for battel sterne prouids Each on their Lord and maker loudlie call Long time the Scotts in zealous pray'r abids Before the Lord in humble wise they fall That Faâ—th that Trueth that Right and Justice gidâ— In whicâ— they pray him to protect them all Whill heauins gold spangled Cannobe was spred And silent Morpheus broght them to their bed The Argument Both Armeis Ioyne in long and doubtfull fight And threttie thousand in the ditches die King Edwards deids encurage eurie knight And Scotts for to preuent their victorie Is forâ—d to Ioyne with them in Singill fight When th' Argentine greate Bruce hath kiâ—d they flie Their King abids and wold the flight restore But seis new aid and fless his foes before Caput 17. WHen bright Hiperionâ—s goldine carr arose Both armes soone were cled in glistring armes Whoe 's golden splendor gainst the Sune furth shoes Earthes lightning hote the Aers cold region warmes First eche braue Scot to diuine seruice goes No trumpets blast was heard nor drumes allarmes The sacrament they take to heaune vpfleis Eche humbled hearts best pleasing sacrafice The English squadrons marchd vnto the plaines And all the land with arms doth ouerflo A iust half moone their battells forme containes Sharp to eche point brod to the mids they gro In battells fiue their mightie Host remaines Two on the right and on the left hand two Of their greate King that in his battel large A hunderth thousand horsmen led to charge Greate Arrandell nixt him on his right hand The chairge ouâ—r fiftie thousand Archers bore Those English wer all come from English-land No brauer warriors could the earth restore Nixt vnto him did valiant Hairtfoord stand On horse and futt that led as many more From Scotland England France and Ireland broght With Sheilds with Launces Piks Swords they foght Nixt on the left hand valiaunt Oxfoord stood That fiftie thousand footmen broght to fight All these did seim approued Souldiors good With dairts sword Piks and vther Ingins wight And Glochester nixt him that thrists for blood Had in his battell many warlick knight Like to the vther wing his wing was pleac'd With arms and curage both alik ar greac'd In the greate battel with the King abod Henolts greate Erle and many Princes mo On his right hand that warlick campioun rode Whoe 's fame so much our all the world did go Of Argentine sir Giles that gaind abrod So many conquests our the pagane foe Greate Pembrokâ— Erle on his left band did stay His saiftie onlie in their valors lay And then greate Bruce came to the plane at last And this new moone thus for to perse essayis First brod behind his battells forme was cast Then stretched furth to a point Pirameid wayis Seuin thousand warriours in the vantgard past With the feirce knight in warr more bold then wvisâ— Whome Scotlands Stewart seconds in command His feirce and firie nature to withstand Manie braue knights vnto this battell drew Bold warlick ferce and men of worthie fame And then the second battell did ensew Morais stout Erle them led whoe 's famous name Shall neuer die and many weâ—lick crew With him whoe 's hearts did fleit in valors streame Their number like the first and these did be are Spears Piks and Suords and all Ingins of warr The conquering knight the third Batallione broght Seauin thousand also did this host containe Scoâ—lands greate Constabill vnto him soght Braue Hay and these that did with him remaine The Boid and vther Lords still worthie thoght But last of all did marche vnto the plaine The greatest battell which the King commands Wheir fourtein thousand armed warreors stands Many of all the noble men ware their And all these hosts on fut did march to fight To eurie battell did the King repair Whoe 's quik cleir eies send furth a cheirfull light His vâ—sard vp he mildlie doth declair The price of conquest punishment of flight And with a countenance which wold haue made Euen cowardis hardie thus into them said My friends quod he behold this glorious day Wheirin the heauins to croune ouâ—e Ioys hath sworne Let none of yow their multituds effray Gainst God and querrells Iust force seims forlorne In Scotland fiftie thousand yet doth stay Meit for the warre whome we haue all forborne And yow we chuisd whoe 's hearts could neuer fail-yow Nor could base fear of death at all assaill yow The worst of yow his Gentreis will declair And of his reputatioun still will bost A Gentleman may with a Lord compair But what is he if honor once be lost And heir on honor waiteth ritches fair These two that all the world so much do cost Which if yow wish do now but cair for fame He neuer deis that winns a famous name What is that armie whiâ—h yow now behold But eune a new raisd Babell of confusioun The Soldeors mistak their captans bold To colonels reull the captans mak intrusioun Thus eurie one by vther is controld And Iarring foundeth forth a ghostlie vifioun All kind of beasts wold in one heard confound Their reullers witt with their confused sound Besids they came oure natioun to distroy And from the earth to roote and rais oure name Look not by flight your life for to enioy But rather thousand torments most extreame Your Maids and Wyfs to death they shall convoy When in your sight they raueishd ar with shame Yee all must die and they inioy as theirs What yow haue buld or planted for your heyrs Then if yow wold preuent their crueltie And endles praise and endles wealth obtaine Let eurie one of yow mak one to die So one triumphand conquest shall we gaine As for ten thousand which among yow be We know such valor doth in them remaine Eche shall kill two and whoe of yow be is lost We sweare his Airs their wairds shall nothing cost Yea what I seik yow may performe at will For what at they a Chaos heap confuisde Naâ—ked or slightlie armd and wanting skill To till the ground and keip their flocks more vsd How can their King preuent their following Ill When feare and Ignorance hath teull abusde In danger who wants skill hath curage lost One coward disconforts a mightie host The English King his armie in array Thus by him self and by his Trinshmen spak If I were not so weill assuirde too day Of victorie and of these Dastards wrak An
His Sunne is at his Sommerr Sâ—lsteice lo And neids he must returne for to discend Fortun must Froune when she too long hath smilâ— Who surest hopeth oft is oft begâ—ld Yea tho he hed a hundreth Kingdoms more And could a hundâ—eth Englands bring to warr By heaune he shall haue Battell once before He come to Stirling if to come he dare This spak bold Edward whoe 's bold words restore The shining light of Gloreis darkned Starr In many hearts which to greate loue doth raise him His Brother in his heart doth greatlie praise him But grauelie thus agane the King began My Lords my captains and my chiftains all I gladlie wold we were assured when Oure foes should come and when oure troups recall For oure meane force must be made stronger then To catche occasioun and giue vantage small Then Douglas sai's my Lord let one be sent That warlie can perceaue whaat's their inten And surlie I my self the man must be â—yll slilie walk through all their squadrons braue A Frensh man of a Scot they all shall sie With Almans Frensh and Dutch I can disceaue I Knou their Lords and Princes of degrie Through all their camp the secrets I will haue Iyll raise my beard and bazane mak my face Iyll change my voice my gesture and my Grace Loth was the King that he should vndergo This fearfull task he for him self prouids But neids he wold be gone at last and so Disguised like a Frensh man forth he rids His face straik with ane oile no pairt did sho Of his first Grace his countenance it hids The accenâ—s hard of Frensh he sounds so right That eune the Frensh them selfs mistak their sight The worthie Bruce his tyme not idlie spent But forth to muster calls his men of warr Furth to the flourie banks of forth they went Vnto a pleasant Medou lairge and squair Deir Muse tho time hath in obliuion pent These wortheis names that heir did armour beit And made their of springs nams to differ fare Thou knows bothe what they were what they are But what they were were longsome to repeat Onlie as they ar now to vs vnfold That tho their names be some what changd of lait Yet we may know them for the of spring bold That yet remains stand not on points of stait But lat eche land eche prouince be enrold With their Lords name and these such Tinkior lend As mightie time nor age may efter spend Vnto the camp their worthie King forth goes Their King their Captane and their Gen'rall great Whill all the commoun soldeors arose With Ioyfull shouts and signs of Loue perfyit Pleasd with their salutatiouns sweit he shoes A cheirfull smyle their loue for to requyit Then gius command against the following morne Their glorious standarts should the plaine adorne No sooner Titan Butneist Neotuns vawe And spred his beams ou'r Earths enameld brest When forth the wortheis warlick bold and braue Came all in shining Steill their glistring crest Adorn'd with plums their armed horse whoe 's show With statlie prausing seemd with pryde possest Before their Lord he from a rocks proude height One eurie troup doune bent his curious sight Now Eduards Douglas Randolphs troups remaind About the King nor marchd they to the plaine And all on Douglas absence much complaind But most of all his owne men thoght in vaine A sight he of the English camp obtaind Nor feaâ—d he oght nor wold he turne againe Whome to his fortun leaue we now to sho These troups that martchd vnto the plaine belo From Skieland orknay Caittnes faire and wyde Furth stretcht to the great north theis cuntries lyes Came furth two thousand led in martiall pryde By two bold erlls of Antient families That long these cuntries lairge did wishe gyde And tho farr of they ly yet they aryiss To help their noblle prince ther minds so hautie Showing therby their faith loue zeall ther deutie Ross Sutherland Stranauer nixt to them As many men as braue as stout as strong Led by two worthie erlls of auntient fame Greate Sutherland and Ros right famous long Of Irish Scotts in clanns that keipt the name Fiue hundreth thrice their chieftans broght along From all these montane cuntreis north that ly And plesaunt shoirs that coasts the Irish sey Randolph broght forth all Morrays shire almost These wait on him he waits vpon the King The men of Buchane thogh their Lord was lost To shew their loue and duette forth did bring A thousand bold broght from that pleasant cost That still beholds the German Ocean spring For Graine a fertill land for pastor good The men a people of Bellonas brood From Marr two thousand came of warlik fame Led by that euer famous erlle of Marr Whoe 's faithfull heart whoe 's much redoubted name Yet neuer left his Prince in Peace nor Warr Whoe 's Starr of Glorie euer casts a beame Which still Illuminats both neir and farr The men of at holl then their Ensigne spred A thousand by their gallant erlle forth-led From Merns their came of Squiers and of knights A thousand warlick hardie fearles bold Led by their Erlle traind vp in marti'all fights Their erlle whoe 's worth my Muse can not vnfold Whoe 's great ancestors shind still glorious lights And whoe 's first father did the land vp hold From bondage wild for which they still command As onlie greate Lord Merschalls of the land But Angous heght the Region nixt that lyes A famous fertill fair and plesant land From which two thousand did in arms aryse Led by greate Lords that by them selfs command As Ogiluy and Brechin bold and wyse Montrois greate erlle that led a valiant band But he that led the most pairt of that host Was Crausurds mightie erlle who reuled most Nixt Goureis Carss a pleasant euntrie lyes Vpone the northerne banks of famous Tey And to the North the Eist and West aryse Pleasant grem hills vp to the cloudie sky That like a wall impregnable defyes The boasting foe or foragne enemie Streaching their ragid arms aloft ascending The pleasant plains from tempests still defending Wheir Barlie Wheat and all the sorts of Graine That pleasant cuntrie plentefullie yeilds In all the valeys meids and eurie plaine The frutfull Treis at strou'd through all the feilds The Regions round about that doth remane At still suppleid from thence wheir plentie weilds By heau'ne and nature greac'd with all things els That eu'ne the famous Normandie excel's The port or entres to this pleasant land Is strong Dundie weill cituat and fair Betuixt it and the German laek that stand Wheir as Tays mightie floud with murm'ring cair Like Tagus rolling our the golden sand Doth cast him self away as in dispair From this fair land came foorth a thousand good That in their cuntreis caus wold spend their blood By mightie Erroll wer these troups forth led
tri'd-him This was the one that should him tak or kill And furth before the host he doth aduance Toward the King he bent his course so ful He hops to mak him yeild beneth his lance But quiklie doth the King auoid this Ill And with a more then manlie countenance Gaue with his Brasen-staf so hudge a blo As kild the knight and brak the mass in two In th' English that hath sene their campeon fall Disdane and Wrath with Shame and feir contends Disdane and Wrath for dread Reuenge doth call But shame and fear bewrays their want of freends That they were thus allone now knew they all A spur to haist both shame and fear it lends Thus in amazement long they stand in dout If they should flie reteir or fight it out Yet heighe disdain did fearis faint strok rebatt Now they wold force the Scotts to fight or flie Eache to him self these words doth ruminat Oute number farr exceideth theirs we sie But lo their leader strenght repins their at Softlie reteir and keip your ranks quod he Oure last commissioun is expirâ— of right We had in chairge to martche but not to fight Wheir with the Scots so fircelie doeth persew As they war vrgd a forcd retreatt to take And scattered in disordered flight with drew When wislie Bruce his galland troups drew bake Ill to preuent deceate for to eschew He thinkst to tymlie fortune to awake Haist wanteth witt rashnes shall loose his winning And maks greate lose attend a fair beginning Now wer the Scots reteird and left their wrathe When all the Lords thus to their King doth say What may this natioun look for els but death What may this Kingdome look for but decay In yow consists oure being life and Breath Yow gone we die yow lost we 'r lost for ay Yet yow your self and ws in yow expose To Danger still and hazards all to lose To this was answer dah my Lords quod he I broke the brauest staf that eure was made I must confes O wisdome worth to flie On golden wings of fame for euer laid This answer seimd no answer for to be And yet theirin both wiâ—t and patience stayed He clois'd their mouthes ere half their speach was doâ—n For what he did vnkilld he could not shune Yea he the daunger braulie did awoid And Iust praise merits not vniust reproof He deimd no lose if he hade keipt his rod But all this tyme Randolph without releifâ— Inuirond with his mightie foes abod Which to the worthie Douglas breâ—d such greif That when the King refuisd him leaue to aid him To braek furth throu the camp in raige it made him But as he neirer to the Battell drew He saw the Englishe bands begin to reill O then quod he it wer noe freindschip trew To reaue the glorie thou deserus so weill Then stood he with his band a fare to view The will of Mars and works of cutting steil Mars blisd him oft that wapâ—ns first inuented But Pitie cursd and wishd him oft tormented At last he seis them wholl he put to flight And bak vnto their camp they haist with speed The Scots for to persew them seimd not light So werrie they so fant so much they bleid Many of them were wounded in the fight Tho none but one was kild and for that deid Thrie hundreth foes lay dead into the place Or eu'r their fellous wold the flight embrace Lo onlie heir trew valor might be seine Blew Theetis boundles arms did noght contein More worth in warr more strength more curage kein Then in thoes gallant English did remaine No falt in them no conquerours to haue bein One earth to striue with fortune is but vaine What Mars requeris was theiris without Intutione Only ou'r matcht in constant resolusione These loses throgh the English camp do flie Whill Terror fear and Conscience leads the way Confusioun follous after spedelie Of these when Curage hears he maks no stay Furth from the camp he stelleth secretlie And to the Scotts he came er braek of day But Pride and hâ—ighe Disdane behind abaid That all the world could to distructioun leid Yet heir and their in twoes and threis they go Their leaders conscience laâ—rge accusing thus He wold an antient natioun ouerthro A frie croune reaue O this is dangerus Joue fights for them Gods thundring wrath we kno What heart so bold but heaune maks timerus If heir we fall as we must surlie fall Heigh iustice dealls with vs with them and all Vthers that on Disdaine and Pride still fed Thus say tush Scotts what ar these Scotts to vs Meire dunces grose by simple outlaus led Wild sauage naked poore and barbarous Their Lord a montain climber â—aslie cled More like a cloune then King victorius A hundreth thousand doth adorne our hoast In whoe 's sterne face he darrs not look allmost No sooner we shall in the feilds appeir When they in Caues and Dens them selfs shall hide Gainst flights of Egills darres poore Crous compeir Or sillie sheip the dreadfull Lions bide Dare a poore band of cuntrie swans draw neir Vnto a world of martiall soldeors tride In bloodie fights no no if we but sight them Oure veray drums and trumpets shall affright them Thus brage the English whill two courteous knights Whois chaist ears still abhord vane glorious bosts Replied these Scotts whome your cleir day benights A handfull ay compaird with your greate hosts Poore sauge simple whom your neame afrights These many hundreth yeirs hath keipt these costs And throu the wordle haue wone a famous name Their trophes darkning oft your gloreis beame And sure these Crous do merit double praise That beat the Princelie Egills from their nest These scheip aboue all beasts them selfs doth raise That tear the Lions which disturb their rest If a poore band of fermors nou adais Of conquests wrong great Kings hath dispossest Eune in dispight of such great strenght so neir They merit most whoe 's worth doth most appeir As for the Bruce whome you so much disdaine And rather termis a ruffian then a roy We heir that he but with a simple traine Eune Englands mightie armeis doth distroy And tho the Scotts them selfs be him againe He conquers still a Greek in midst of Troy Ah if he be so worthles as you mak him Why trouble you all Europe thus to tak him In Brabant borne these knights were both that mak Their parte so good whome yet they neuer knew Such indignatioun heighe the English tak Both Sids leap furth to arms and wapins drew But soone commanders wise their furie brak And both wer broght to that greate Monarchs view Who when he hard what they had boldlie said This hauie punishment vpone them laid We chairge you quiklie from oure camp quod he And presentlie vnto the Scotts repare Their hinder what you can oure victorie Both with your counsail valour strenth and â—are And who soeuer too morrou lets vs sie