On ilka nycht thai spoilyeid besylé.500
To Schortwode schaw leide wittaill and wyn wicht,
And houshald ger, baithe gold and siluer brycht.
Women, and thai that he had grantyt grace,
Quhen him thoucht tyme, thai put out of that place.
Quhen thai had tayne quhat he likit to haiff,505
Straik doun the yettis and set in fyr the laiff;
Out off wyndowis stanssouris all thai drew;
Full gret irne wark in to the wattir threw;
Burdyn duris and lokis, in thair ire,
All werk of tre, thai brynt wp in a fyr:510
Spylt at thai mycht, brak brig and bulwark doune.
Fol. 19 a
To Schortwode schawe in haist thai maid thaim boune;
Chesyt a strenth, quhar thai thar lugyng maid,
In gud affer a quhill thar still be baid;
Yit in the toune no wit of this had thai.515
The contré folk, quhen it was lycht of day,
Gret reik saw ryss, and to Kynclewyn thai socht:
Bot wallis and stane, mar gud thar fand thai nocht.
The captennis wiff to Sanct Jhonstoun scho yeid,
And to Schyr Garrate scho tauld this felloune deid;520
Alss till hyr son quhat hapnyt was be cass.
Than demyt thai all that it wass wicht Wallas;
Off for tyme thar he spyit had the toune.
Than chargyt thai all, thai suld be redy boune.
Harnest on horss in to thair armour cler,525
To seik Wallace thai went all furth in feyr,
A thousand men weill garnest for the wer,
Towart the woode rycht awfull in affer,
To Schortwode schaw, and set it all about,
Wytht fyve staillis that stalwart was and stout;530
The sext thai maid a fellon range to leid,
Quhar Wallace was full worthi ay in deid.
The strenth he tuk, and bade thaim hald it still,
On ilka syde, assailye quha sa will.
Schyr Jhon Butler in to the forrest went535
With twa hundreth, sor mowit in his entent;
His fadris dede to wenge him giff he mocht,
To Wallace sone with men of armyss socht.
A cleuch thar was, quharoff a strenth thai maid
With thuortour treis, [and] bauldly thar abaid.540
Fra the ta side thai mycht ische till a playne,
Syn throuch the wode to the strenth pass agayn.
Twenty he had that nobill archaris war,
Agayne sewyn scoyr of Ingliss bowmen sar.
Four scoyr of speris ner hand thaim baid at rycht,545
Giff Scottis ischit to help thaim at thair mycht.
On Wallace sett a bykkyr bauld and keyn;
A bow he bair was byg and weyll beseyn,
And arrouss als, bath lang and scharpe with aw;
No man was thar that Wallace bow mycht draw.550
Rycht stark he was, and in to souir ger,
Bauldly [he] schott amang thai men of wer.
Ane angell hede to the hukis he drew,
And at a schoyt the formast sone he sleu.
Yngliss archaris, that hardy war and wicht,555
Amang the Scottis bykkerit with all thair mycht;
Thar awfull schoyt was felloun for to byd,
Off Wallace men thai woundyt sor that tid.
Few off thaim was sekyr of archary;
Bettyr thai war, and thai gat ewyn party,560
In feild to byde, othir with suerd or speyr.
Fol. 19 b
Wallace persauit his men tuk mekill deyr:
He gart thaim change, and stand nocht in to steid;
He kest all wayis to saiff thaim fra the dede.
Full gret trauaill vpon him self tuk he;565
Off Sothron men feill archaris he gert de,
Off Longcaschyr bowmen was in that place.
A sar archar ay waytit on Wallace,
At ane opyn, quhar he vsyt to repair:
At him he drew a sekir schot and sar,570
Undyr the chyn, throuch a coler of steill,
On the left side, and hurt his halss sumdeill.
Astonaide he was, bot nocht gretlye agast;
Out fra his men on him he folowit fast;
In the turnyng, with gud will hass him tayne575
Vpon the crag, in sondyr straik the bayne.
Feill of thaim ma na freyndschip with him fand;
Fyfteyn that day he schot to dede of hys hand.
Be that his arrous waistyt war and gayne;
The Ingliss archaris forsuth thai wantyt nayne:580
With out thai war thar power to ranew,
On ilka side to thaim thai couth persew.
Wylyham Loran com with a boustouss staill,
Out of Gowry, on Wallace to assaill;
Neuo he was, as it was knawin in playn,585
To the Butler befor that thai had slayn;
To wenge his eyme he come with all his mycht.
Thre hundreth he led of men in armyss brycht;
To leide the range on fute he maid him ford.
Wallace to God his conscience fyrst remord,590
Syne comfort thaim with manly contenance;
“Yhe se,” he said, “gud schiris, thar ordinance;
“Her is no choss, bot owdir do or de.
“We haiff the rycht, the happyar may it be,
“That we sall chaipe with grace out of this land.”595
The Loran, by that, was redy at his hand.
Be that it was eftir nown of the day,
Feill men of witt to consaill sone yeid thai.
The Sothron kest scharply at ilka side,
And saw the wood was nothir lang no wide.600
Lychtly thai thought he suld hald it so lang:
Fywe hundreth maid throu it on fute to gang,
Sad men off armess that war off eggyr will;
Schyr Garratis self with out the woode baid still.
Schyr Jhon Butler the ta sid chesyt he,605
The tothyr Loran with a fell menyhe.
Than