Wallace; or, the Life and Acts of Sir William Wallace, of Ellerslie. active 1470-1492 Blind Hary
maist party.
Schir Jamys Butler, ane agit cruell knycht,
Kepyt Kynclewyn, a castell wondyr wycht.
His sone Schyr Jhon than duelt in to the toune,395
Vndyr capteyn to Schyr Garrard Heroune.
The wemen alss he wysyt at the last;
And so on ane hys eyne he can to cast,
In the south gait, of fassoun fresche and fayr.
Wallace to hir maid preualye repair.400
So fell it thus, of the toun or he past,
At ane accorde thai hapnyt at the last.
Wallace with hyr in secré maid him glaid.
Sotheren wist nocht that he sic plesance haid.
Offt on the nycht he wald say to him sell;405
“This is fer war than ony payn of hell,
“At thus, with wrang, thir dewillis suld bruk our land,
“And we with force may nocht agayne thaim stand.
“To tak this toune my pouer is to small,
Fol. 18 a
“Gret perell als on my self may fall.410
“Set we it in fyr, it will wndo my sell,
“Or loss my men; thar is no mor to tell.
“Yhettis ar closs, the dykis depe with all.
“Thocht I wald swyme, forsuth so can nocht all.
“This matir now herfor I will ourslyde;415
“Bot in this toun I may no langar byde.”
Alss men tald him quhen the captayne wald pass
Hayme to Kynclewyn, quharoff glaid he wass.
His leiff he tuk at heris of the toune;
To Meffane wode rycht glaidly maid him boune.420
Hiss horn he hynt, and bauldly loud can blaw,
Hiss men him hard, and tharto sone couth draw.
Rycht blyth he wass, for thai war all in feyr;
Mony tithingis at him thai wald nocht speyr.
He thaim commaunde to mak thaim redy fast.425
In gud array out of the woode thai past;
Towart Kynclewyn thai bownyt thaim that tid.
Syn in a waill that ner was thar besid,
Fast on to Tay his buschement can he draw.
In a dern woode thai stellit thaim full law;430
Set skouriouris furth the contré to aspye.
Be ane our nowne thre for rydaris went bye.
The wach turned in to witt quhat was his will;
He thaim commaund in couert to bide still:
“And we call, Feyr! the houss knawlege will haiff;435
“And that may sone be warnyng to the laiff.
“All forss in wer do nocht but gouernance.”
Wallace was few; bot happy ordinance
Maid him fell syiss his aduersouris to wyn.
Be that the court of Inglissmen com in,440
Four scoyr and ten weill graithit in thar ger,
Harnest on horss, all likly men of wer.
Wallace saw weill his nowmir was na ma;
He thankit God, and syne the feild couth ta.
The Inglissmen merweild quhat thai suld be;445
But fra thai saw thai maid [thaim] for mellé,
In fewtir thai kest scharpe speris at that tide;
In ire thai thoucht atour the Scottis to ryd.
Wallace and his went cruelly thaim agayne.
At the fyrst rusche feill Inglissmen war slayne.450
Wallace straik ane, with hiss gud sper of steill,
Throw out the cost; the shafft to brak ilk deyll.
A burnyst brand in haist he hyntis out;
Thryss apon fute he thrang throuch all the rout.
Stern horss thai steik, suld men of armyss ber;455
Sone wndir feit fulyeid was men of wer.
Butler lychtyt him self for to defend,
Witht men of armyss quhilk war full worthi kend.
On athyr syde feill frekis war fectand fast.
Fol. 18 b
The captayne baid, thocht he war sor agast.460
Part of the Scottis be worthines thai slew:
Wallace was wa, and towart him he drew.
His men dred for the Butler bauld and keyn.
On him he socht in ire and propyr teyn;
Vpon the hed him straik in matelent:465
The burnyst blaid throu his basnett went.
Bathe bayne and brayn he byrst throw all the weid;
Thus Wallace hand deliuerit thaim off dreid.
Yeitt feill on fold was fechtand cruelly:
Stewyn of Irland, and all the cheualry,470
In to the stour did cruelly and weill;
And Kerlé alss with his gud staff of steill.
The Inglissmen, fra thar cheftayne was slayne,
Thai left the feild and fled in all thair mayn.
Thre scoyr war slayne or thai wald leif that steid.475
The fleande folk, that wist of no rameid,
Bot to the houss thai fled in all thair mycht;
The Scottis folowit, that worthi war and wycht.
Few men of fenss was left that place to kepe,
Wemen and preistis wpon the wall can wepe:480
For weill thai wend the flearis was thar lord;
To tak him in thai maid thaim redy ford,
Leit doun the bryg, kest wp the yettis wide.
The frayit folk entrit, and durst nocht byde:
Gud Wallace euir he folowit thaim so fast,485
Quhill in the houss he entryt at the last;
The yett he wor, quhill cumin was all the rout
Of Ingliss and Scottis; he held na man tharout.
The Inglissmen, that won war in that steid,
With outyn grace thai bertnyt thaim to deid.490
The capteynis wiff, wemen, and preistis twa,
And yong childer, forsuth thai sawyt no ma;
Held thaim in closs eftir this sodeyn cass,
Or Sothron men suld sege him in that place;
Tuk wp the bryg, and closyt yettis fast.495
The dede bodyes out of sicht he gart cast,
Baith in the houss, and with out at war dede;
Fyve of hys awne to beryniss he gart leid.
In that castell thar