Part 21

In Aperill the one and twenty day, The hie calend, thus Cancer, as we say, The lusty tym off Mayus fresche cummyng, Celestiall gret blythnes in to bryng; Fol. 76 a Pryncypaill moneth forsuth it may be seyn, 5 The hewynly hewis apon the tendyr greyn, Quhen old Saturn his cloudy courss had gon, The quhilk had beyn bath best and byrdis bon: Zepherus ek, with his suet vapour, He comfort has, be wyrking off natour, 10 All fructuouss thing in till the erd adoun, At rewllyt is wndyr the hie regioun: Sobyr Luna, in flowyng off the se, Quhen brycht Phebus is in his chemagé, The Bulys courss so takin had his place, 15 And Jupiter was in the Crabbis face: Quhen conryet the hot syng coloryk, In to the Ram, quhilk had his rowmys ryk, He chosyn had his place and his mansioun, In Capricorn, the sygn off the Lioun: 20 Gentill [Jupiter,] with his myld ordinance, Bath erb and tre reuertis in plesance; And fresch Flora hir floury mantill spreid, In euery waill, bath hop, hycht, hill, and meide: This sammyn tym, for thus myn auctor sayis, 25 Wallace to pass off Scotland tuk his wayis. Be schort awyss he schup him to the se, And fyfty men tuk in his cumpané. He leit no word than walk off his passage, Or Inglissmen had stoppit him his wiage: 30 Nor tuk na leiff at the lordis off the parlement; He wyst full weill thai wald nocht all consent To suffyr him out off the land to go. For thi onon, with outyn wordis mo, He gart forsé, and ordand weill his schip. 35 And thir war part past in his falowschip; Twa Wallace, was his kynnys men full ner, Craufurd, Kneland, was haldyn till him der. Off Kyrkcubré he purpost his passage; Semen he feyt, and gaiff thaim gudlye wage: 40 Thai wantyt nocht off wyn, wittaill nor ger; A fair new barge rycht worthi wrocht for wer. With that thai war a gudly cumpany Off waillit men, had wrocht full hardely. Bonalais drank rycht glaidly in a morow, 45 Syn leiff thai tuk, and with Sanct Jhon to borow. Bottis was schot, and fra the roch thaim sent; With glaid hartis, at anys in thai went; Wpon the schip thai rowit hastely. The seymen than, walkand full besyly, 50 Ankyrs wand in wysly on athir syd; Fol. 76 b Thair lynys kest, and waytyt weyll the tyd; Leyt salys fall, and has thair courss ynom: A gud gay wynd out off the rycht art com. Frekis in forstame, rewllit weill thar ger, 55 Ledys on luff burd, with a lordlik fer: Lansys laid out, to [luik] thar passage sound. With full sayll thus fra Scotland furth thai found; Salyt [haill] our the day and als the nycht. Apon the morn, quhen [that] the son raiss brycht, 60 The ship master on to the top he went; Sowthest he saw, that trublyt his entent, Sexten salis arayit all on raw, In colour reid, and towart him couth draw. The gliterand son apon thaim schawit brycht, 65 The se about enlumynyt with the lycht. This mannis spreit was in ane extasy, Doun went he sone, and said full sorowfully; “Allace,” quoth he, “the day that I was born! “With out rameid our lywys ar forlorn. 70 “In cursyt tym I tuk this cur on hand; “The best chyftayn, and reskew off Scotland, “Our raklesly I haiff tayn vpon me, “With waik power to bryng him throw the se. “It forsyt nocht, wald God I war torment, 75 “So Wallace mycht with worschip chaip wnschent.” Quhen Wallace saw, and hard this mannys mon, To comfort him in gud will is he gon. ‘Maister,’ he said, ‘quhat has amowit the?’ “Nocht for my selff, this man said petuislé. 80 “Bot off a thing I dar weill wndirtane, “Thocht all war heyr the schippis off braid Bertane, “Part suld we loss, set fortoun had it suorn. “The best wer man in se is ws beforn, “Leffand this day, and king is off the se.” 85 Wallace sone sperd, ‘Wait yow quhat he may be?’ “The Red Reffayr thai call him in his still. “That I him saw euyr, waryt worth that quhill! “For myn awn lyff I wald no murnyng mak; “Is na man born that yon tyran will tak. 90 “He savis nayn, for gold, nor othir gud, “Bot slayis and drownys all derffly in the flud; “He gettis no grace, thocht he war king or knycht. “This sextene yer he has doyn gret wnrycht. “The power is so strang he has to ster, 95 “May non eschaip that cummys in his danger. “Wald we him burd, na but is to begyn; “The lakest schip, that is his flot within, “May sayll ws doun on to a dulfull ded.” Fol. 77 a Than Wallace said; ‘Sen yow can no ramed, 100 ‘Tell me his feyr, and how I sall him knaw; ‘Quhat is hys oyss; and syn go luge the law.’ The schipman sayis; “Rycht weill ye may him ken, “Throu graith takynnys, full clerly by his men. “His cot armour is seyn in mony steid, 105 “Ay battaill boun, and riwell ay off reid. “This formest schip, that persewis yow so fast, “Hym selff is in, he will nocht be agast. “He wyll yow hayll, quhen that he cummys yow ner; “With out tary than mon yhe stryk on ster. 110 “Hym selff will entir fyrst full hardely. “Thir ar the syngnys that ye sall knaw him by; “A bar off blew in till his schenand scheild, “A bend off greyn desyren ay the feild. “The rede betakynnys blud and hardyment, 115 “The greyn, curage, encressand his entent; “The blew he beris, becauss he is a Crystyn man.” Sadly agayn Wallace ansuerd than; ‘Thocht he be crystynyt, this war no godlyk deid. ‘Go wndyr loft; Sanct Androw mot ws speid!’ 120 Bathe schip maistir, and the ster man also, In the holl but baid, he gert thaim go. His fyfty men with outyn langar rest, Wallace gart ray in to thar armour prest; Fourty and aucht on luffburd laid thaim law. 125 Wylyham Crawfurd than till him gert he caw, And said; “Thow can sumpart off schipman fair; “Thi oyss has beyn oft in the toun off Ayr. “I pray the tak this doctryn [weill] off me; “Luk at thow stand strekly be this tre, 130 “Quhen I bid stryk, to seruice be thow bayne; “Quhen I the warn, lat draw the saill agayne. “Kneland, cusyng, cum tak the ster on hand; “Her on the waill ner by the I sall stand. “God gyd our schip! as now I say na mar.” 135 The barge, be that, with a full werlik far; Him selff on loft [was] with a drawyn suord, And bad his ster man lay thaim langis the bourd; On loude he cryit; ‘Stryk, doggis, ye sall de.’ Crawfurd leit draw the saill a litill we, 140 The capdane sone lap in, and wald nocht stynt. Wallace in haist be the gorget him hynt, On the our loft kest him quhar he stud, Quhill neyss and mowth all ruschit out off blud. A forgyt knyff, but baid, he bradis out. 145 The wer schippis was lappyt thaim about. Fol. 77 b The mekill barge had nocht thaim clyppyt fast; Crawfurd drew saill, skewyt by, and off thaim past. The Reiffar criyt, with petous woice and cler, Grace off hys lyff, “for him that boucht yow der! 150 “Mercy,” he said, “for him that deit on rud, “Layser to mend! I haiff spilt mekill blud. “For my trespas I wald mak sum ramed.” Wallace wyst weyll, thocht he war brocht to ded; And off his lyff sum reskew mycht he mak. 155 A bettir purpos sone he can to tak; And als he rewyt him, for his lyff was ill. In Latyn tong rycht thus he said him till; ‘I tuk neuir man, that enemy was to me: ‘For Goddis saik thi lyff I grant to the.’ 160 Bathe knyff and suerd he tuk fra him onon; Wp be the hand, and as presoner, has him ton: And on his suerd scharply he gert him suer, Fra that day furth he suld him neuir der. ‘Commaund thi men,’ quoth Wallace, ‘till our pess; 165 ‘Thar schot off gown, that was nocht eith, to cess.’ The cast it was rycht awfull on athir sid. The Rede Reiffar commaundyt thaim to bid; Held out a gluff, in takyn off the trew. His men beheld, and weyll that senye knew, 170 Left off thar schot, that sygn quhen that thai saw, His grettast barge towart him couth [he] draw. “Lat be your wer, thir ar our freyndis at ane; “I traist to God our werst dayis ar gane.” He ast Wallace to do quhat was his will. 175 With schort awyss rycht thus he said him till; ‘To the Rochell I wald ye gert thaim saill; ‘For Inglissmen I wait nocht quhat may aill. ‘For thar, God will, is our purposs to be. ‘Skour weyll about for scoukaris in the se.’ 180 His commaund thai did in all the haist thai can. Wallace desyryt to talk mor with this man, Sadly he sperd; “Off quhat land was thou born?” ‘Off France,’ quoth he, ‘and my eldris beforn; ‘And thar we had sumpart off heretage: 185 ‘Yet fers fortoun thus brocht me in a rage.’ Wallace sperd; “How com thow to this lyff?” ‘Forsuth,’ he said, ‘bot throw a sudan stryff. ‘So hapnyt me, in to the kingis presens, ‘Our raklesly to do our gret offens. 190 ‘A nobill man, off gud fame and renoun, ‘That throw my deid was put to confusioun, ‘Dede off a straik; quhat nedis wordis mor? Fol. 78 a ‘All helpyt nocht, thocht I repentyt full sor. ‘Throw freyndys off the court I chapyt off that place, 195 ‘And neuir sen syn couth get the kingis grace: ‘For my saik mony off my kyn gert thai de. ‘And quhen I saw it mycht no bettir be, ‘Bot leyff the land that me behuffyt o neid, ‘Apon a day to Burdeous I yeid. 200 ‘Ane Ingliss schip so gat I on a nycht, ‘For sey lawbour that ernystfully was dycht. ‘To me thar semblyt misdoaris, and weill mo; ‘And in schort tym we multiplyit so, ‘That thar wes few our power mycht withstand. 205 ‘In tyranry thus haiff we rongyn lang. ‘This sexten yer I haiff beyn on the se, ‘And doyn gret harm; tharfor full wa is me. ‘I savit nayn, for gold nor gret ransoun, ‘Bot slew and drownyt in to the se adoun. 210 ‘Fawour I did till folk off syndry land; ‘Bot Franchmen no frendschip with me fand, ‘Thai gat no grace als fer as I mycht ryng. ‘Als on the se I clypyt was a king. ‘Now se I weyll that my fortoun is went, 215 ‘Vincust with ane; that gerris me sair rapent. ‘Quha wald haiff said, this sammyn day at morn, ‘I suld with ane thus lychtly doun be born, ‘In gret hething my men it wald haiff tayne. ‘My selff trowit till [haiff] machit mony ane: 220 ‘Bot I haiff found the werray playn contrar. ‘Her I gyff our roubry for euirmar; ‘In sic mysrewll I sall neuir armes ber, ‘Bot gyff it be in honest oyss to wer. ‘Now haiff I told part off my blyss and payn; 225 ‘For Goddis saik sum kyndnes kyth agayn. ‘My hart will brek, bot I wyt quhat thou be, ‘Thus outrageously that has rabutyt me. ‘For weill I wend that leyffand had beyn non, ‘Be fors off strenth mycht me as presoner ton, 230 ‘Except Wallace, that has rademyt Scotland, ‘The best is callyt this day beltyt with brand. ‘In till his wer war worschip for to wak, ‘As now in warld I trow he has no mak.’ Tharat he smylit, and said; “Frend, weill may be, 235 “Scotland had mystir off mony sic as he. “Quhat is thi naym? tell me; so haiff thow seill!” ‘Forsuth,’ he said, ‘Thomas off Longaweill.’ Fol. 78 b “Weyll bruk thow it! all thus stentis our stryff: “Schaip to pleyss God in mendyng off thi lyff. 240 “Thi faithfull freynd my selff thinkis to be; “And als my nayme I sall sone tell to the. “For chans off wer thou suld no murnyng mak; “As werd will wyrk, thi fortoun mon thou tak. “I am that man that you awanss so hie; 245 “And bot schort tym sen I come to the se: “Off Scotland born, my rycht name is Wallace.” On kneis he fell, and thankit God of grace; ‘I dar awow, that yoldyn is my hand ‘To the best man that beltis him with brand. 250 ‘Forsuth,’ he said, ‘this blythis me mekill mor, ‘Than off floryng ye gaiff me sexty scor.’ Wallace ansuerd; “Sen thou art her throw chance, “My purpos is, be this wiage, in France; “And to the king sen I am boun to pass, 255 “To my reward thi peess I think to ass.” ‘Pess I wald haiff [fane] of my rychtwiss king; ‘And no langar in to that realm to ryng, ‘Than to tak leyff, and cum off it agayn. ‘In thi seruice I think for to ramayn.’ 260 “Seruice,” he said, “Thomas, that may nocht be, “Bot gud frendschip, as I desir off the:” Gart draw the wyn, and ilk man mery maid; Be this the schippis was in the Rochell raid.