John Barbour

Here you will find the Long Poem The Brus Book XV of poet John Barbour

The Brus Book XV

The Scots win a great battle at Connor] 

Quhen thai within has sene sua slayn 
Thar men and chassyt hame agayn 
Thai war all wa, and in gret hy 
'Till armys!' hely gan thai cry. 
5 Than armyt thaim all that thai war 
And for the bataill maid thaim yar 
Thai ischyt out all wele arayit 
Into the bataill baner displayit 
Bowne on thar best wis till assaile 
10 Thar fayis into fell bataill. 
And quhen Schyr Philip the Mowbra 
Saw thaim ische in sa gud aray 
Till Schyr Edward the Bruys went he 
And said, 'Schyr, it is gud that we 
15 Schap for sum slycht that may availe 
To help us into this bataill. 
Our men ar quhoyne, bot thai haf will 
To do mar than thai may fulfill, 
Tharfor I rede our cariage 
20 Foroutyn ony man or page 
Be thaimselvyn arayit be 
And thai sall seyme fer ma than we, 
Set we befor thaim our baneris, 
Yone folk that cummys out of Coigneris 
25 Quhen thai our baneris thar may se 
Sall trow traistly that thar ar we 
And thidder in gret hy sall thai rid. 
Cum we than on thaim at a sid 
And we sall be at avantag, 
30 For fra thai in our cariag 
Be entryt thai sall combryt be, 
And than with all our mycht may we 
Lay on and do all that we may.' 
All as he ordanyt done haf thai, 
35 And thai that come out of Coigneris 
Addressyt thaim to the baneris 
And smate with spuris the hors in hy 
And ruschit thaim sudandly. 
The barell-ferraris that war thar 
40 Cumbryt thaim fast that ridand war, 
And than the erle with his bataill 
Come on and sadly gan assaill, 
And Schyr Edward a litill by 
Assemblit sua rycht hardely 
45 That mony a fey fell undre fete, 
The feld wox sone of blud all wete. 
With sa gret felny thar thai faucht 
And sic routis till other raucht 
With stok with stane and with retrete 
50 As ather part gan other bet 
That it wes hidwys for to se. 
Thai mantemyt that gret melle 
Sa knychtlik apon ather sid 
Giffand and takand routis rid 
55 That pryme wes passyt or men mycht se 
Quha mast at thar abov mycht be, 
Bot sone eftre that prime wes past 
The Scottismen dang on sa fast 
And schot on thaim at abandoun 
60 As ilk man war a campioun 
That all thar fayis tuk the flycht, 
Wes nane of thaim that wes sa wicht 
That evyr durst abid his fer 
Bot ilk man fled thar wayis ser. 

[Slaughter in Connor; the prisoners and wounded] 

65 To the toun fled the mast party, 
And Erle Thomas sa egrely 
And his route chassyt with swerdis bar 
That amang thame mellyt war 
That all togidder come in the toun. 
70 Than wes the slauchter sa felloune 
That all the ruys ran of blud, 
Thaim that thai gat to ded all yhud 
Sua that than thar weill ner wer dede 
Als fele as in the bataill-stede. 
75 The fys Warine wes takyn thar, 
Bot sua rad wes Richard of Clar 
That he fled to the south countre, 
All that moneth I trow that he 
Sall haf na gud will for to fycht. 
80 Schyr Jhone Stewart a noble knycht 
Wes woundyt throu the body thar 
With a sper that scharply schar, 
Bot to Monpeller went he syne 
And lay thar lang intill helyne 
85 And at the last helyt wes he. 
Schyr Edward than with his menye 
Tuk in the toun thar herbery, 
That nycht thai blyth war and joly 
For the victour that thai had thar. 

[Siege of Carrickfergus Castle; a truce is broken by ships from Dublin] 

90 And on the morn foroutyn mar 
Schyr Edward gert men gang and se 
All the vittaill of that cite, 
And thai fand sic foysoun tharin 
Off corne and flour and wax and wyn 
95 That thai had of it gret ferly, 
And Schyr Edward gert halily 
Intill Cragfergus it caryit be, 
Syne thidder went his men and he 
And held the sege full stalwartly 
100 Quhill Palme Sonday wes passit by. 
Than quhill the Twysday in Pays wouk 
On ather half thai trewys touk 
Sua that thai mycht that haly tid 
In pennance and in prayer bid. 
105 Bot apon the Pasche evyn rycht 
To the castell into the nycht 
Fra Devillyne schippis come fyften 
Chargyt with armyt men bedene, 
Four thousand trow I weill thai war, 
110 In the castell thai entryt ar. 
The Maundveill auld Schyr Thomas 
Capitane of that menye was. 
Intill the castell prively 
Thai entryt for thai had gert spy 
115 That mony of Schyr Edwardis men 
War scalyt in the contre then, 
Tharfor thai thocht in the mornyng 
Till isch but langer delaying 
And to suppris thaim suddanly, 
120 For thai thocht thai suld traistly 
For the trewys that takyn war, 
Bot I trow falset evermar 
Sall have unfayr and evill ending. 

[The new force attacks the besieging Scots; Sir Neil Campbell wounded] 

Schyr Edward wist of this nathing 
125 For off tresoun had he na thoucht, 
Bot for the trew he levyt nocht 
To set wachis to the cast