Part 32

Allace, Scotland, to quhom sall thow compleyn! Allace, fra payn quha sall the now restreyn! 1110 Allace, thi help is fasslie brocht to ground, Thi [best] chyftane in braith bandis is bound! Fol. 121 b Allace, thow has now lost thi gyd off lycht! Allace, quha sall defend the in thi rycht? Allace, thi payn approchis wondyr ner, 1115 With sorow sone thow mon bene set in feyr! Thi graciouss gyd, thi grettast gouernour, Allace, our neir is cumyn his fatell hour! Allace, quha sall the beit now off thi baill? Allace, quhen sall off harmys thow be haill? 1120 Quha sall the defend? quha sall the now mak fre? Allace, in wer quha sall thi helpar be? Quha sall the help? quha sall the now radem? Allace, quha sall the Saxons fra the flem? I can no mar, bot besek God off grace 1125 The to restor in haist to rychtwysnace; Sen gud Wallace may succour the no mar. The loss off him encressit mekill cair. Now off his men in Glaskow still at lay, Quhat sorow raiss, quhen thai him myst away? 1130 The cruell payn, the wofull complenyng, Tharoff to tell it war our hewy thing, I will lat be, and spek off it no mar; Litill riherss is our mekill off cair: And principaly quhar redempcioun is nayn, 1135 It helpys nocht to tell thar petous mayn; The deid tharoff is yeit in remembrance, I will lat slaik off sorow the ballance. Bot Longawell to Louchmabane couth pass, And thar he hecht, quhar gud prince Eduuard was, 1140 Out off Scotland he suld pas neuirmor; Loss off Wallace socht till his hart so sor. The rewlm off France he wowit he suld neuir se, Bot weng Wallace, or ellis tharfor to de. Thar he remaynd, quhill cummyn off the king; 1145 With Bruce in wer this gud knycht furth can ryng. Remembrance syn was in the Brucys buk; Secound he was quhen thai Saynct Jhonstoun tuk; Folowed the king at wynnyng off the toun; The Bruce tharfor gaiff him full gret gardoun. 1150 All Charterys land the gud king till him gaiff; Charterys sen syn off his kyn is the laiff. Quhar to suld I [fer] in that story wend? Bot off my buk to mak a fynaill end: Robert the Bruce com hame on the ferd day 1155 In Scotland, eft Wallace was had away, Till Louchmabane, quhar that he fand Eduuart, Quharoff he was gretlie reiossyt in hart: Bot fra he wyst Wallace away was led, So mekill baill with in his breyst thar bred, 1160 Fol. 122 a Ner out off wytt he worthit for to weyd. Eduuard full sone than till hys brothir yeid. A sodane chance this was in wo fra weill. Gud Eduuard said; “This helpys nocht adell: “Lat murnyng be, it may mak na remeid; 1165 “Ye haiff him tynt, ye suld rawenge his deid. “Bot for your causs he tuk the wer on hand, “In your defens; and thryss has fred Scotland, “The quhilk was tynt fra ws and all our kyn: “War nocht Wallace, we had neuir entryt in. 1170 “Merour he was off lauta and manheid: “In wer the best that euir sall power leid. “Had he likyt for till haiff tane your croun, “Wald nane him let that was in this regioun. “Had nocht beyne he, ye suld had na entress 1175 “In to this rewlm, for tresoun and falsnes. “That sall ye se; the traytour that him sauld, “Fra yow he thinkys Dunbertane for till hauld; “Sum confort tak, and lat slaik off this sorou.” The king chargyt Eduuard, apon the morou, 1180 Radress to tak off wrang that wrocht him was. Till Dallswyntoun he ordand him to pas, And men off armys; gyff thai fand Cumyn thar, Put him to ded; for na deid thai suld spar. Thai fand him nocht. The king him selff him slew 1185 In till Drumfress, quhar witnes was inew. That hapnys wrang our gret haist in a king, Till wyrk by law it may scaith mekill thing. Me nedis heroff na forthyr for till schaw; How that was done it was knawin to yow aw. 1190 Bot yong Douglace fyrst to the king can pas, In all hys wer bath wicht and worthi was. Nor how the king has tane on him the croun; Off all that her I mak bot schort mencioun: Nor how lord Soullis gaiff Berweik toun away; 1195 How eftyr syn sone tynt was Galloway; How Jhon off Lorn agayn his rycht king raiss; On athir sid how Bruce had mony fais; How bauld Breichin contrar his king coud ryd, Rycht few was than in wer with him to byd: 1200 Nor how the north was gyffyn fra the gud king, Quhilk maid him lang in paynfull wer to ryng. Ay trew till him was Jamys the gud Douglace, For Brucis rycht baid weill in mony place; Wndyr the king he was the best chyftayn. 1205 Bot Wallace raiss as chyftane him allayn; Tharfor till him is no comparisoun, As off a man, sauff reuerence off the croun. Bot sa mony as off Douglace has beyn Gud off a kyn, was neuir in Scotland seyn: 1210 Fol. 122 b Comparisounys that can I nocht weill declar. Off Brucis buk as now I spek no mar. Master Barbour, quhilk was a worthi clerk, He said the Bruce amang his othir werk. In this mater prolixit I am almaist; 1215 To my purpos breiffly I will me haist, How gud Wallace was set amang his fayis. To London with him Clyfford and Wallang gais; Quhar king Eduuard was rycht fayn off that fang. Thai [haiff] him stad in till a presone strang. 1220 Off Wallace end my selff wald leiff, for dredis To say the werst; bot rychtwysnes me ledis. We fynd his lyff all swa werray trew, His fatell hour I will nocht fenye new. Menteth was fals, and that our weill was knawin: 1225 Feill off that kyn, in Scotland than was sawyn, Chargyt to byd wndyr the gret jugement, At king Robert ackyt in his parlement. Tharoff I mak no langar contenuans. Bot Wallace end in warld was displesans; 1230 Tharfor I cess, and puttis it nocht in rym. Scotland may thank the blyssyt happy tym At he was born, be prynsuall poyntis two. This is the fyrst, or that we forthyr go; Scotland he fred, and brocht it off thrillage, 1235 And now in hewin he has his heretage; As it prewyt be gud experians. Wyss clerkyss yeit it kepis in remembrans, How that a monk off Bery abbay than, In to that tym a rycht religiouss man; 1240 A yong monk als with him in ordour stud, Quhilk knew his lyff was clene, perfyt, and gud. This fadyr monk was wesyd with seknace, Out off the warld as he suld pass on cace. His brothyr saw the spret lykly to pass; 1245 A band off him rycht ernystly he coud ass, To cum agayn, and schaw him oft the meid, At he suld haiff at God for his gud deid. He grantyt him, at his prayer to preiff To cum agayn, gyff God wald geiff him leiff. 1250 The spreyt, changyt out off this warldly payn, In that sammyn hour cum to the monk agayn. Sic thing has beyn, and is be woice and sycht. Quhar he apperyt, thar schawyt sa mekill lycht, Lyk till lawntryns it illumynyt so cler, 1255 At warldly lycht tharto mycht be no peyr. A woice said thus; “God has me grantyt grace “That I sall kep my promess in this place.” Fol. 123 a The monk was blyth off this cler fygur fayr; Bot a fyr brand in his forheid he bayr, 1260 And than him thocht it myslikyt all the lawe. ‘Quhar art thow, spreyt? ansuer, sa God the sawe.’ “In purgatory.” ‘How lang sall thow be thair?’ “Bot halff ane hour to com, and litill mair. “Purgatory is, I do the weill to wit, 1265 “In ony place quhar God will it admyt. “Ane hour of space I was demed thar to be; “And that passis, supposs I spek with the.” ‘Quhy has thow that, and all the layff so haill?’ “For off science I thocht me maist awaill. 1270 “Quha pridys tharin, that laubour is in waist, “For science cummys bot off the haly Gaist.” ‘Eftir thi hour, quhar is thi passage ewyn?’ “Quhen tym cummys,” he said, “to lestand hewin.” ‘Quhat tym is that? I pray the now declar.’ 1275 “Twa ar on lyff mon be befor me thar.” ‘Quhilk twa ar thai?’ “The verité thow may ken. “The fyrst has bene a gret slaar off men. “Now thai him kep to martyr in London toun “On Wednyssday, befor king and commoun. 1280 “Is nayn on lyff at has sa mony slayn.” ‘Brodyr,’ he said, ‘that taill is bot in wayn; ‘For slauchtyr is to God abhominabill.’ Than said the spreyt; “Forsuth, this is no fabill. “He is Wallace, defendour off Scotland, 1285 “For rychtwyss wer that he tuk apon hand. “Thar rychtwysnes is lowyt our the lawe; “Tharfor in hewyn he sall that honour hawe. “Syn, a pure preyst, is mekill to commend; “He tuk in thank quhat thing that God him send. 1290 “For dayly mess, and heryng off confessioun, “Hewin he sall haiff to lestand warysoun. “I am the thrid, grantyt throw Goddis grace.” ‘Brothir,’ he said, ‘tell I this in our place, ‘Thai wyll bot deym, I othir dreym or rawe.’ 1295 Than said the spreyt; “This wytness thow sall hawe. “Your bellys sall ryng, for ocht at ye do may, “Quhen thai hym sla, halff an hour off that day.” And so thai did, the monk wyst quhat thaim alyt; Throuch braid Bretane the woice tharoff was scalyt. 1300 The spreyt tuk leyff at Goddis will to be. Off Wallace end to her it is peté: And I wald nocht put men in gret dolour, Bot lychtly pass atour his fatell hour.

On Wednysday the fals Sotheroun furth brocht, 1305 Till martyr him as thai befor had wrocht. Rycht suth it is, a martyr was Wallace, Fol. 123 b Als Osauold, Edmunt, Eduuard, and Thomas. Off men in armes led him a full gret rout. With a bauld spreit gud Wallace blent about: 1310 A preyst he askyt, for God at deit on tre. King Eduuard than cummandyt his clergé, And said; “I charge, apayn off loss off lywe, “Nane be sa bauld yon tyrand for to schrywe. “He has rong lang in contrar my hienace.” 1315 A blyst byschop sone, present in that place, Off Canterbery he than was rychtwyss lord, Agayn the king he maid this rycht record; And [said]; ‘My selff sall her his confessioun, ‘Gyff I haiff mycht, in contrar off thi croun. 1320 ‘And thou throu force will stop me off this thing, ‘I wow to God, quhilk is my rychtwyss king, ‘That all Ingland I sall her enterdyt, ‘And mak it knawin thou art ane herretyk. ‘The sacrement off kyrk I sall him geiff; 1325 ‘Syn tak thi chos, to sterwe or lat him leiff. ‘It war mar waill, in worschip off thi croun, ‘To kepe sic ane in lyff in thi bandoun, ‘Than all the land and gud at thow has refyd. ‘Bot cowatice the ay fra honour drefyd. 1330 ‘Thow has [thi] lyff rongyn in wrangwis deid; ‘That sall be seyn on the, or on thi seid.’ The king gert charge thai suld the byschop ta; Bot sad lordys consellyt to lat him ga. All Inglissmen said, at his desyr was rycht; 1335 To Wallace than he rakyt in thar sicht. And sadly hard his confessioun till ane end. Hvmbly to God his spreyt he thar comend; Lawly him serwyt with hartlye deuocioun Apon his kneis, and said ane orysoun. 1340 His leyff he tuk, and to West monastyr raid. The lokmen than thai bur Wallace but baid On till a place, his martyrdom to tak; For till his ded he wald na forthyr mak. Fra the fyrst nycht he was tane in Scotland, 1345 Thai kepyt him in to that sammyn band. Na thing he had at suld haiff doyn him gud; Bot Inglissmen him seruit off carnaill fud. Hys warldly lyff desyrd the sustenance, Thocht he it gat in contrar off plesance. 1350 Thai thretty dayis his band thai durst nocht slaik, Quhill he was bundyn on a skamyll off ayk, With irn chenyeis that was bath stark and keyn. A clerk thai set to her quhat he wald meyn. “Thow Scot,” he said, “that gret wrangis has don, 1355 “Thi fatell hour, thow seis, approchis son. “Thow suld in mynd remembyr thi mysdeid, “At clerkis may, quhen thai thair psalmis reid “For Crystyn saullis, that makis thaim to pray, “In thair nowmyr thow may be ane off thai; 1360 “For now thow seis on fors thou mon decess.” Fol. 124 a Than Wallace said; ‘For all thi roid rahress, ‘Thow has na charge, supposs at I did myss; ‘Yon blyst byschop has hecht I sall haiff blis; ‘And trew [I] weill, that God sall it admyt: 1365 ‘Thi febyll wordis sall nocht my conscience smyt. ‘Conford I haiff off way that I suld gang, ‘Maist payn I feill at I bid her our lang.’ Than said this clerk; “Our king oft send the till; “Thow mycht haiff had all Scotland at thi will, 1370 “To hald off him, and cessyt off thi stryff; “So as a lord rongyn furth all thi lyff.” Than Wallace said; ‘Thou spekis off mychty thing. ‘Had I lestyt, and gottyn my rychtwyss king, ‘Fra worthi Bruce had rasauit his croun, 1375 ‘I thocht haiff maid Ingland at his bandoun. ‘So wttraly it suld beyn at his will, ‘Quhat plessyt him, to sauff thi king or spill.’ “Weill,” said this clerk, “than thow repentis nocht: “Off wykkydness thow has a felloun thocht. 1380 “Is nayn in warld at has sa mony slane; “Tharfor till ask, me think thow suld be bane, “Grace off our king, and syn at his barnage.” Than Wallace smyld [a] litill at his langage. ‘I grant,’ he said, ‘part Inglissmen I slew 1385 ‘In my quarrel, me thocht nocht halff enew. ‘I mowyt na wer bot for to win our awin; ‘To God and man the rycht full weill is knawin. ‘Thi frustyr wordis dois nocht bot taris me, ‘I the commaund, on Goddis halff, lat me be.’ 1390 A schyrray gart this clerk sone fra him pass; Rycht as thai durst, thai grant quhat he wald ass. A Psaltyr buk Wallace had on him euir; Fra his childeid fra it wald nocht deseuir. Bettyr he trowit in wiage for to speid. 1395 Bot than he was dispalyeid off his weid. This grace he ast at lord Clyffurd that knycht, To lat him haiff his Psaltyr buk in sycht. He gert a preyst it oppyn befor him hauld, Quhill thai till him had done all at thai wauld. 1400 Stedfast he red, for ocht thai did him thar: Feyll Sotheroun said, at Wallace feld na sayr. Gud deuocioun sa was his begynnyng, Conteynd tharwith, and fair was his endyng; Quhill spech and spreyt at anys all can fayr 1405 To lestand blyss, we trow, for euirmayr. I will nocht tell how he dewydyt was In fyve partis, and ordand for to pass; Bot thus his spreit be liklynes was weill. Off Wallace lyff quha has a forthar feill, 1410 May schaw furth mair with wit and eloquence; For I to this haiff don my diligence, Eftyr the pruff geyffyn fra the Latyn buk, Quhilk Maister Blayr in his tym wndyrtuk, In fayr Latyn compild it till ane end; 1415 With thir witnes the mar is to commend. Byschop Synclar than lord was off Dunkell, He gat this buk, and confermd it him sell Fol. 124 b For werray trew; thar off he had no dreid, Himselff had seyn gret part off Wallace deid. 1420 His purpos was till haue send it to Rom, Our fadyr off kyrk tharon to gyff his dom. Bot Maistir Blayr, and als Schir Thomas Gray, Eftir Wallace thai lestit mony day, Thir twa knew best off gud Schir Wilyhamys deid, 1425 Fra sexteyn yer quhill nyne and twenty yeid. Fourty and fyve off age Wallace was cauld, That tym that he was to [the] Southeroun sauld. Thocht this mater be nocht till all plesance, His suthfast deid was worthi till awance. 1430 All worthi men at redys this rurall dyt, Blaym nocht the buk, set I be wnperfyt. I suld hawe thank, sen I nocht trawaill spard; For my laubour na man hecht me reward; Na charge I had off king nor othir lord; 1435 Gret harm I thocht his gud deid suld be smord. I haiff said her ner as the process gais; And fenyeid nocht for frendschip nor for fais. Costis herfor was no man bond to me; In this sentence I had na will to be, 1440 Bot in als mekill as I rahersit nocht Sa worthely as nobill Wallace wrocht. Bot in a poynt, I grant, I said amyss, Thir twa knychtis suld blamyt be for this, The knycht Wallas, off Craggé rychtwyss lord, 1445 And Liddaill als, gert me mak [wrang] record. On Allyrtoun mur the croun he tuk a day, To get battaill, as myn autour will say. Thir twa gert me say that ane othir wyss; Till Maister Blayr we did sumpart off dispyss. 1450

Go nobill buk, fulfillyt off gud sentens, Supposs thow be baran off eloquens. Go worthi buk, fullfillit off suthfast deid; Bot in langage off help thow has gret neid. Quhen gud makaris rang weill in to Scotland, 1455 Gret harm was it that nane off thaim ye fand. Yeit thar is part that can the weill awance; Now byd thi tym, and be a remembrance. I yow besek, off your beneuolence, Quha will nocht low, lak nocht my eloquence; 1460 (It is weill knawin I am a bural man,) For her is said as gudly as I can: My spreyt felis na termys asperans. Now besek God, that gyffar is off grace, Maide hell and erd, and set the hewyn abuff, 1465 That he ws grant off his der lestand luff.

EXPLICIT VITA NOBILISSIMI DEFENSORIS SCOTIE, VIDELICET WILLIELMI WALLACE MILITIS, PER ME JHOANNEM RAMSAY, ANNO DOMINI MILLESIMO QUADRINGENTESIMO OCTUAGESIMO OCTAVO.[A]

[A] Two or three words, apparently eucharistic, which have been added here, are mutilated in the MS.

NOTES ON WALLACE.

NOTES ON THE FIRST BOOK.

_His forbearis, quha likis till wndrestand,_ _Of_ hale _lynage, and trew lyne of Scotland_, &c.--V. 21.

Of _auld_ linnage, &c. Edit. 1594; _olde_, 1620; _old_, 1648, 1673, and 1714.

_Go reid the_ fyrst _rycht lyne of the fyrst Stewart._ MS.--V. 34.

But both the rhyme and sense point out the word in Roman characters as an error of the copier. It also disagrees with all the copies I have seen, except that of 1714.

_Till hald of hym the_ toun.--V. 64. MS.

This is obviously another error, and opposed to all the copies.

_And thar he gat_ ymage _of Scotland swne._ MS.--V. 116.

It is _homage_ in all the copies, except that of Perth.

_And Bruce, out of Scotland._--V. 134.

All the copies before that of 1714 connect this with v. 140;--

That office than he brukyt bot schort tyme.

The editor of the first edition I have seen might have overlooked the six intervening lines, by fixing his eye on the conclusion of v. 134, which closes with the same words as that of v. 140--_of Scotland_. But the sense requires these lines; as no _office_ was given to Bruce, but merely his heritage.

_Schir Ranald knew weill a mar quiet sted,_ _Quhar Wilyham mycht he bettir fra thair fede,_ _With his wncle Wallas of_ Ricardtoun, _Schir Richard hecht, that gud knycht off renoun._--V. 353.

“Riccartoun is evidently a corruption of Richardtoun. It is generally supposed to have been so called from a Sir Richard Wallace, who lived in the vicinity of the village, and who is said to have been uncle to the celebrated patriot, Sir William Wallace. Of his house no vestige now remains; the place, however, where it stood is well known. The village of Riccartoun is within one English mile of the market-place of Kilmarnock.” V. Riccartoun, Stat. Acc. V. 117.

_And with the swerd_ awkwart _he him gawe._--V. 407.

In Edit. 1594,--ane _ackwart_ straik him gaif.

This is followed by subsequent editions. The line, as it stands in MS., is both clumsy and nonsensical. But perhaps Blind Harry used this for athwart; as it occurs in the same sense, II. 109.

_Went till his eyme, and tauld him of this_ drede. MS.--V. 437.

Of the _deid_, Edit. 1594. Of the _deed_, Edit. 1620.

This is more in character, than to suppose that Wallace, after so chivalrous an achievement, should run to his uncle, and tell him in what terror he was for the vengeance of the English. The term here used, indeed, seems to reduplicate on the phrase which occurs v. 434, “this worthi werk.”

NOTES ON THE SECOND BOOK.

Aboundandely _Wallace amang thaim yeid;_ _The rage of youth maid him to haf no dreid._--V. 27.

This is most probably for _abandounly_; signifying, “without regard to danger,” as it is indeed explained in the following line. In Edit. 1594, it is rendered,--All but _abaissing_; 1620 and 1648, _abasing_.

_He bar a_ sasteing _in a boustous poille._--V. 33.

A _sting_ signifies a pole; but this _sasteing_ must have been something fixed in a larger _poille_ or pole. Norw. _sjaastang_ is explained, “a pole wherewith skins are taken off or laid on smoky vents.” _Sjaa_ itself signifies the skin taken from the stomachs of animals, of which parchment is made. V. Hallager Ordsamling. But as Scottish _say_ signifies a water bucket, this may refer to the pole used for carrying it. The following definition might seem to throw light on this singular term. “_So_ or _soa_, a tub with two ears to carry on a _stang_.” Ray’s Collection of North Country Words. The term was most probably pronounced _saysting_; as _a_, in our old writers, must often have been sounded _ai_.

_The Aperse of Scotland left in cayr._--V. 170.

In MS. it is,--_Prophesye out_ Scotland is left, &c.

As this has no meaning, I have altered it, according to the reading of Edit. 1594, 1620, and 1648:

The _Apersie_ of Scotland is in greit cair.

Celimus _was maist his geyeler now._--V. 234.

In editions _Cellinus_. In MS. the initial letter is wanting, as is generally the case in MSS. which were afterwards to be illuminated. But from the copies it appears probable that it was _C_. This name is certainly given figuratively, or in reference to some jailor, celebrated in the romances then in vogue. Or could the Minstrel allude to _Celaeno_, one of the fabled harpies? If so, _Cellinus_ would perhaps be the original reading.

_Thomas Rimour in to the_ Faile _was than,_ _With the mynystir, quhilk was a worthi man:_ _He wsyt offt to that religiouss place._--V. 288.

This passage has been strangely misunderstood. So early as 1594 it had been made to bear quite a different meaning:--

Thomas Rymour _withouttin faill_ was than With the minister, &c.

This error has been followed in subsequent editions. In Edit. Perth, 1790, it is, _in to the ayle_; although it had been properly given, _in to the Faile_, Edit. 1714.