Here you will find the Long Poem The Brus Book X of poet John Barbour
[Preparations for battle against John of Lorn] Quhen Thomas Randell on this wis Wes takyn as Ik her devys And send to dwell in gud keping For spek that he spak to the king, The gud king that thocht on the scaith The dispyt and felny bath That Jhone off Lorne had till him doyn His ost assemblyt he then sone And towart Lorn he tuk the way With his men intill gud aray. Bot Jhone off Lorn off his cummyng Lang or he come had wittering, And men on ilk sid gadryt he I trow twa thousand thai mycht be And send thaim for to stop the way Quhar the gud king behovyt away, And that wes in an evill plas That sa strayt and sa narow was That twasum samyn mycht nocht rid In sum place off the hillis sid. The nethyr halff was peralous For schor crag hey and hydwous Raucht to the se doun fra the pas, On athyr halff the montane was Sua combrous hey and stay That it was hard to pas that way. I trow nocht that in all Bretane Ane heyar hill may fundyn be. Thar Jhone off Lorne gert his menye Enbuschyt be abovyn the way, For giff the king held thar away He thocht he suld sone vencussyt be, And himselff held him apon the se Weill ner the pais with his galayis. Bot the king that in all assayis Wes fundyn wys and avisé Persavyt rycht weill thar sutelte, And that he neid that gait suld ga. His men departyt he in twa And till the gud lord off Douglas Quham in herbryd all worschip was He taucht the archerys everilkane And this gud lord with him has tane Schyr Alysander Fraser the wycht, And Wylyam Wysman a gud knycht And with thaim syne Schyr Androw Gray. Thir with thar mengne held thar way And clamb the hill deliverly And or thai off the tother party Persavyt thaim thai had ilkane The hycht abovyne thar fayis tane. [The battle beneath Ben Cruachan] The king and his men held thar way, And quhen intill the pas war thai Entryt the folk of Lorne in hy Apon the king raysyt the cry And schot and tumblit on him stanys Rycht gret and hevy for the nanys, Bot thai scaith nocht gretly the king For he had thar in his leding Men that lycht and deliver war And lycht armouris had on thaim thar Sua that thai stoutly clamb the hill And lettyt thar fayis to fulfill The maist part of thar felny. And als apon the tother party Come James of Douglas and his rout And schot apon thaim with a schout And woundyt thaim with arowis fast, And with thar swerdis at the last Thai ruschyt amang thaim hardely, For thai of Lorn full manlely Gret and apert defens gan ma. Bot quhen thai saw that thai war sua Assaylit apon twa partys And saw weill that thar ennemys Had all the fayrer off the fycht In full gret hy thai tuk the flycht, And thai a felloun chas gan ma And slew all that thai mycht ourta, And thai that mycht eschap but delay Rycht till ane water held thar way That ran doun be the hillis syd. It was sa styth and depe and wid That men in na place mycht it pas Bot at ane btyg that beneuth thaim was. To that brig held thai straucht the way And to brek it fast gan assay, Bot thai that chassyt quhen thai thaim saw Mak arest, but dred or aw Thai ruschyt apon thaim hardely And discumfyt thaim uterly, And held the brig haile quhill the king With all the folk off his leding Passyt the brig all at thar ese. To Jhone off Lorne it suld displese I trow, quhen he his men mycht se Oute off his schippis fra the se Be slayne and chassyt in the hill, That he mycht set na help thartill, For it angrys als gretumly To gud hartis that ar worthi To se thar fayis fulfill thhar will As to thaim selff to thoke the ill. [The taking of Dunstaffnage and the surrender of Alexander of Argyll] At sic myscheiff war thai of Lorn, `For fele the lyvys thar has lorne And other sum war fled thar way. The king in hy gert sese the pray Off all the land, quhar men mycht se Sa gret habundance come of fe That it war wonder to behauld. The king that stout wes stark and bauld Till Dunstaffynch rycht sturdely A sege set and besily Assaylit the castell it to get, And in schort tym he has thaim set In swilk thrang that tharin war than That magre tharis he it wan, And ane gud wardane tharin set And betaucht hym bath men and met Sua that he lang tyme thar mycht be Magre thaim all off that countre. Schyr Alerandir off Arghile that saw The king dystroy up clene and law His land send treyteris to the king And cum his man but mar duelling, And he resavit him till his pes, Bot Jhone off Lorne his sone yeit wes Rebell as he wes wont to be And fled with schippis on the se, Bot thai that left apon the land War to the king all obeysand. And he thar hostage all has tane And towart Perth agayne is gane To pla