BOOK VI.

3 _the Umphrevell._ See _Bk._ V. 483, 513, etc.

69 _Gilbert de la Hay._ See note on _Bk._ II. 237.

120 “Since he was provided with armour.”

121 _thurt._ “Needed.” The word occurs once in _Morte Arthure_, in the present impersonal: “Hym _thare_ be ferde (afraid) for no faces” (403). _Cf._ also _Bk._ VIII. 257.

128 _For litill strynth of erd._ “On account of a slight natural defence in the character of the ground.”

149 _fiff-sum._ “Five together.” The compound is still familiar in Scotland--_e.g._, a “three-some reel,” a “four-some” in golf. _Cf._ “sex-sum” in line 231.

179 The story is from the _Thebaid_ of Statius through some intermediate source which cannot now be identified. See _Appendix_ F, § iv.

195-6 “First the one should reign a year, then the other for a year from the expiry of the previous term,” and so on.

201 _his constabill._ Defined in the _Alexander_:

“That of the duke’s hoist all hale, Was _constabill_ and chief ledere” (73; 14, 15).

252 _the gret anciente._ “Through its great antiquity.”

314 “Then they praised greatly God the all-mighty.” The comparative _fastar_ is in _Bk._ XIII. 129.

316 _Thaim byrd._ “It behoved or was necessary for them.” (O.E. _byrian_, impersonal verb). _Cf._ “Sa _byrd_ al Galouya hyme honoure” (_Lives of the Saints, Ninian_, 932): “Me byrd be blyth” in same (_Martha_, 152). Frequent in the _Alexander_. _Cf._ on _Bk._ I. 381.

336 _Worschip extremyteis has twa._ Valour as a mean between two extremes is an Aristotelian notion (_cf._ line 347).

339 “And they are both to be avoided.”

341 “Things which should be left alone as well as those which should be done” (_cf._ lines 348-9).

463 _In Cumnok._ A town and parish in Kyle, Ayrshire.

481 _Johne of Lorn._ See note on _Bk._ III. 1.

483 _aucht hundreth men and ma._ On July 19, 1307, there is a command from Aymer de Valence, the King’s lieutenant, for aid to John of Lorn “guarding the town of Ayr and parts adjacent.” Lorn had 22 men-at-arms and 800 foot, so that Barbour’s statement is remarkably accurate, while his details enable us to fix the date of the events (_Bain_ ii., No. 1957).

484 _A sleuthhund._ Jean le Bel has a reference to some such occurrence as this, though he credits it to Edward I., and distorts the course of events. He explains that one time Edward had Robert Bruce chased through great forests for the space of three or four days, “by dogs and sleuth-hounds” (_par chiens et limiers_), and gives as his authority not only popular report (_ce dit on_), but also “an account composed by the said King Robert” (_et le treuve on en hystoire faitte par le dit roy Robert._ _Chronique_ i., chap. xxii.). Sleuth-hounds were common for police purposes: “That thar sal nane lat (obstruct) a sluthe hund passand or the men that are cumand with hym for to follow theyffis or to tak mysdvaris,” etc. (1289) (_Acta Parl. Scot._, I. 108). See on VII. 17.

487 _a strecour._ A fast runner, a dog for the chase; from the verb _streke_, to go rapidly (Skeat).

503 _his emys sak._ See note on _Bk._ III. 3.

507 _Schir Amery._ Valence is at Glenken, Kirkcudbrightshire, on July 24, and at Doon-side on July 31, 1307 (_Bain_ ii., Nos. 1958, 1959).

510 _Thomas Randale._ Thomas Randolph, on the English side. See note on _Bk._ II. 463.

558 “He would pay no attention to the others.”

650 _Out of dawis doyn._ “Done out of days”--_i.e._, killed.

657 _yhow ane._ “Yourself alone”--a rather awkward expression, but the reading in H supports E.

665-6 “As they did not fear me, I could do them much more harm.”