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The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun

printed on parallel pages from the Cottonian and Wemyss mss., with the variants of the other texts: Edited with introduction, notes, and glossary by F. J. Amours

expand sectionII, III, IV, V, VI. 


66

CHAPTER CXXXIII.

Off a cardynall callit Galo
That did to Scotland mekle wo.
A thousand iic. xv. ȝere
Eftir þe birth of oure Lord deire,
Quhen þat King William þus wes deid,
Alexander his sone in his steid
Succedit till him, and tuke þe crovne
Off Scotland, and full possessioun,
As his elderis befor had done,
With honour in þe kirk of Scone.
That ilk ȝere þare fell gret discord
Betuix þe baronis and þare lord,
Off Ingland Iohne þat wes king,
That þaim supprisit in gret thing,
And did þaim wrangis on mony wiss
Agane þar lawis and þare franchis.
And in þe tyme of þis distance
Thai tretit with þe king of France,
That he wald gif þaim his counsall,
And als his help and suppowall;
And þai suld all becum his men.
The king of France assentit þen,
And resauit þare fewte,
And ostage gret of þaim tuke he.
And quhen þat he had sagatis done,
Lowes, his aire and eldest sone,

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With navyne past to þe se,
And in Ingland aryvit he
With a gret multitud of men
Rycht weill arrayit for þe weire þen.
And oure King Alexander of Scotland
Raid throu Ingland wiþ strang hand
Straucht to Dovir on þe south se.
As at trist þare set met he
With Lowes þe kingis sone of France.
Thare maid þai speciall quayntance,
And all þe lordis on athir syde
Were blith and ioyfull at þat tyde;
And quhen þai had togidder bene
A weill lang quhile, wiþoutin weyne,
Oure King Alexander als fast
Hame toward his avne land past
With all his folkis; bot neuerþeles
The wayis befor him stoppit wes
With gret powere of Inglismen;
Bot ȝit ay throu þaim held he þen;
Throu Goddis grace and manheid he
Come hame haill in his avne cuntre,
And wan þe castell of Carlele;
And all þe toune of it rycht weill
He stuffit with men and wittaill,
And tuke þe cuntre till him haill.
A thousand twa hundreth ȝeris and sextene
Fra God wes borne of Mary clene,
Off Iohne þat tyme of Ingland king
The lif at New Wark tuke ending.

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And þan the pape Honorius
Herd at þe king of France wes þus
Hely muffit agane Ingland,
And þare throu him gret scaith takand.
A cardinall fra þe court he send
The rycht of it thare to defend;
Galo men callit þat cardynall,
Till Ingland he wes richt speciall;
And in till Ingland quhen he come
Chargeit sa fra the pape of Rome,
Haiffand þe papis full powere
In till thingis þat lefull were,
The King Iohne þan fand he deid.
Than hastely in till his steid
Henry he crovnit, þis Iohnis sone,
In Wynchester; bot, quhen þat wes done,
The king of Francis sone Lowes,
Throu strenth of armes and of priss,
And als throu Inglismenis fauour,
Off Lundonnun wan baith toune and toure.
Him self baid þarin duelland,
Bot his ost Lincolum lay segeand.
In to þat ost of gret powere
Baith Inglis and Franche togidder were
Bunding, as in ane opinioun,
And haly set to wyn þat toune.
Galo þis cardinall and legat,
That saw þar purpos þai on set,
With all þe king of Inglandis mycht
He schupe him to þe cete rycht,

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And with him þidder come bodely
The new crovnyt King Henry.
All with bolnyng, brag and bost,
Thai brak apon þe Franche ost,
And scalit all þat segis sone;
And eftir þat, but langere hone,
All þe Inglismen þat þare ware
Thai tuke or slew, or presonit saire;
And als a mychti erll of France
Hapnyt to be slane in þat chance.
And all þe Inglismen þat fled þin
Held to þe se; bot þe navyne
Off France wes won or þat þai come;
So were þare hertis out of home.
Thare wes þe admirall slane of þe flot,
And all þe laif in þat ryot,
That þai in to þai schippis fand,
Thai leit nocht ane pass to þe land,
Bot slang þaim smertly all oure burde;
For of þaim wald þai mak na hurde.
And eftir þat þare fell trete
With þir folkis þat away couþ fle,
That were native Inglismen;
And þusgatis it wes tretit þen
That lordis, and knychtis, and squyeris,
That had bene rebell in þai weris
Within þe tyme of þat distance
With þe kingis sone, Lowes of France,
Suld haif fully þe kingis pess
For all þat to þat day done wes,

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And suld haif full restitucionis
Off landis, gudis and possessionis,
That were þairis befor þan,
Or thai weris first began;
And Lowes þan suld ransound be.
This wes þe sovme of þat trete.
This Galo richt speciall
Till Ingland, as I tald ȝow haill,
Bot till Scotland full dispitiouss
He wes all tyme and invyouss.
He letteris out of Ingland send
To þe pape, to mak him kend
That Scotland wes richt rebellouss,
And violent and presumptuouss,
And þat of his auctorite
He mycht nocht gere þaim chastyit be.
And thus, throu his felloun counsall,
The paip wes þan amuffit haill
Agane þe kinrik of Scotland;
For he had gert him vnderstand
That bischopis, abbotis and prelatis,
And mony als of oþer statis
Cursit he gert denunsit be
Off þe papis auctorite;
And in sik fellony and dispite
All Scotland he gert interdite;
And þe king als of Scotland,
And all þe lordis of his land,
And mony oþer, at till him ware
Off his counsall familiar,

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Till ilk legat gert all þai
Be cursit and denunsit swa.
And of his sentence executouris
Off Ingland maid were twa priouris;
Off Durehame and Gysburne were þai
Titillit, were þire priouris twa.
Oure King Alexander þat tyme send
Famouss men, þat wiss were kend,
To þe pape, and þare gert he
All his preuiliegis renewit be,
That forouth þat his antecessouris
Had, and ioisit with honouris.
The archbischop of Ȝork þat ȝere,
Be auctorite and powere
Off þe pape, absolȝeit þen
Oure King Alexander and all his men.
Bot þe bischopis and þe clergy
Ȝit he leit in cursing ly,
All bot of Sanctandrois se
Bischop William, becauss þat he
Within þe kinrik wes of Frans
All þe tyme of þis distans,
That wes betuix þe realmes twa,
Scotland and Ingland were þai.
Off þis distres gret tretiss past
To þis legat at þe last.
His powere he committit þen
To twa discrete commendit men;
The tane wes pryoure of Durehame,
The toþer archden of Ȝork, be name
Maister Walter, and þir twa
Power and forme he gaif alsua,

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That all þe clergy of Scotland,
That in þat cursing wes lyand,
That had bot litill to mak dispens,
To bring þaim till his awne presens,
Quhare euer þai herd þir deputis ware,
Suld pass baireheid on þar feit baire,
And kneill, and ask in opin presens
To be assolȝeit of þat sentens,
And bynd þaim to halykirkis law.
Than first þe deputis suld þaim schaw
That neuer fra þin forþirmare
Be to þat legat contrare,
Bot gif it wer in þare defens,
Wndir þe pane of reincedens.
Thir deputis, þus chargeit, past
In till Scotland als fast
North on oure þe watter of Tay
Till Arbroith, and þare baid þai;
And þare gaif absolutioun,
As þai had in commissioun,
To clerkis þat come of þe north landis,
That socht to þaim in sic erandis,
Thai þat were pure and litill mocht,
And had bot litill to gif or nocht.
Thai he remyttit and set by;
Bot oþer þat were of mare mastry,

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As bischopis, abbotis and prelatis,
And rentit clerkis of hie estatis,
And þe kingis familieris,
That were of his counsall þai ȝeris,
That bunding wer in þat sentens,
He bad þaim cum till his presens,
For þai were bettir bodin to pay;
And assignyt þaim a set day,
And þat wes at North Allyrtoun,
To tak þare absolutioun.
And sum of þai he riche kend
For malice to þe court he send;
And oþer sum he absolȝeit þare,
That till him mast plesand ware,
That gaif him giftis or sic thing,
As [qwayntis], slichtis or fleching;
And þus he hantit his malice
Aganis Scotland on þis wiss.
A thousand twa hundreth and ane,
And thre and twenty fully gane,
Oure King Alexander on fre condite
Past in Ingland, and wes maryit
With Dame Iohne, þat faire lady,
The kingis sister, Schir Henry,
And syne brocht hame þat lady fre
With him in his avne cuntre.
On þat lady na child he gat.
Bot quhen scho deid wes, eftir þat
To wif he weddit Dame Mary,
Schir Ingramys dochter de Kowsy.

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Alexander þe thrid on hir he gat,
That nixt him king wes eftir þat.
Betuix Alexander oure secund king,
That Scotland had in gouernyng,
And þe kingis in Ingland,
That in his tyme were regnand,
Fra þat he first maryit was,
Wes ay quyet, rest and pess.
Kingis of pece forthy þai twa,
Alexander and Henry, callit wer þai.
This Alexander king of Scotland
Wes throu his kinrik travaland,
Haldand courtis and iustryis,
And chastyit rubbryis and rewryis.
A thousand twa hundreth and twenty
And twa to þai fullely,
Adam þan bischop of Catnes,
That forouth abbot of Melross wes,
For he warnyt his tendis þen
To be set till his awne men,
Off þaim thre hundreth in cumpany
Gaderit come on him sodanely.
Thai tuke him out, quhare at he lay,
Off his avne chalmer forouth day;
And all his body þai maid baire,
And dang him bundin wonder saire
In till þe nycht, or day couþ daw,
And slew þe monk als his fallow;
The child þat in his chalmer lay
Thai slew als, and syne eftir þai

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Woundit him fellonly, and syne
Thai closit him in his awne kechyn;
Thare in þare fellony and in þare ire
Thai brynt him vp, baiþ bane and lyre.
The Erll of Catnes wes nere by
Quhen þat þai did þis fellonly,
Bot he wes [nocht] in þat ilk place
Present, quhen þat þis done was,
And said, and he þarof had wit,
He suld, he said, haif lettit it;
Bot quheþer þat he said suth or less,
Off þat trespas he purgit wes,
And all þe mysdoaris þat he gat
All he did to dede for þat;
For of Scotland all þe clergy
Agane þe king þan raiss hely.
Had he nocht done þarof iustice,
Thai had him angerit on sum wiss,
As þai were purvait of þe law,
And þarof had þe king gret aw.
Forthy for travale lettit he nocht,
Na for na cost, till þai were brocht
All to dede and to iugement;
Thare wes bot few at away went.
The king þat ȝere till Argile wan,
That rabell wes till him þan;
For with his oste þarin baid he,
And tuke þe aith of þar fewte,

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And þare seruice and þare homage,
That of him held þar heretage;
Bot eschetis and all þe laif
To þe lordis of þe land he gaif.
Oure þe Month past he syne
And held his Ȝule at Abirdene.
Thare eftir he tuke his vyage
Till Canterbery in pilgrymage;
And wes resauit weill in all þar way,
And tretit worschipfully, suth to say;
And till his avne come hame agane;
Thareof his liegis were rycht fane.
Than oure þe Month he past als fast
For till hald lawis þar in haist,
And trespassouris in Mare and Ross
To chasty þaim wes his purposs.
The Erll of Catnes met him þare,
And come oure with him to Forfare.
A ryall Ȝule þare held þe king,
Quhare wanting wes of na gud thing.
Thare borowit þis erll all his land,
That lying had in þe kingis hand
Ay sen þe bischop of Catnes,
As ȝe [herde] forouth þis, slane wes.
A thousand twa hundreth twenty and nyne
Fra lichtare wes þe clene Virgyne,
Malcome, þat tyme Erll of Fyfe,
Endit þe dais of his lif;

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In till Culross his body lyiss,
His spirit in till Paradiss.
Off quhit monkis þat abbay
He foundit and dowit in his day.
Aire had he nane of his body;
His nevo, Malcome callit, forthy
Heretable stait in till his lif
Tuke þan of þe erldome of Fif
Eftir þat his eme was dede,
And sa wes erll in till his steid.
And þat Erll Malcome eftir syne
Weddit [a dochtir of] Schir Lewlyne,
That prince and lord wes in his dais
Off Walis, as þe story sayis.
A thousand twa hundreth and xxx. gane,
And to þat ȝit to rekin ane,
The King Alexander in Elgyne
Held his Ȝule, and come oure syne
Fra Elgyne vnto Munross,
Syne to Sanctandross of purposs.
Thare, eftir dedis sindry done,
Come till him Walter Alisone,
The Stewart of Scotland on þat wiss;
Thare maid þe king him his iustiss.
A thousand iic. and xxx. ȝere
And twa to þai to rekin cleire,
A mychti lord of oure kinrik,
Off Dunbar þe Erll Patrik,

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Deit, and his dais all done,
Nixt him wes erll Patrik his sone,
That callit wes a manfull knycht,
And in his dayis bald and wycht.
And in þe ȝere nixt followand
Dame Ermyger, quene of Scotland,
That wes oure King Williamis wif,
Deit, and endit þan hir lif.
Off Balmerynow in hir day
Off monkis scho foundit þe abbay,
And þare hir body with honour
Lyis in hallowit sepultoure.

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Oure King Alexander þan als fast
To meit þe king of Ingland past
At the New Castell apon Tyne,
In þe fest of þe sueit Virgyne,
That men callis hir Natiuite.
Thare togidder met he and he.
Thare wes oure king resauit weill,
And all his erandis ilk deill
At all poynt and liking lede,
Tretit weill and fully sped.
Thare wes þe quene, þis Alexanderis wif,
This Henryis sistir; forthy, but strif,
In all blithnes wes þat tyde
Baith Scottis and Inglis on ilk syde.
Behynd hir lord of leif scho baid,
And he hame in to Scotland raid.
In till pilgrimage can scho pass,
To Canterbery hir purposs was.
Thare scho deit, and wiþ honour
Wes laid in hallowit sepultour.
A thousand iic. and xxx. ȝere
And viii. to þai to rekin cleire,
The bischop William Malwysyne,
That of Sanctandrois monethis nyne

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And xxxv. winter he
With honour held þe bischopis se
Deit; in hallowit sepulture
His body laid wes with honour
Betuix honorable bischopis twa,
That his exequiis can ma,
Off Dunkelden and Dunblane,
And oþer prelatis mony ane.
In þe new kirk his body lyiss,
His spreit in till Paradiss.
And eftir þis William wes deid,
Thare succedit in his steid
Off Dunkelden þe bischap
Ioffray; bot till him þe pape
Wald nocht grant him his gud will;
Bot he gaif leif þe channons till
Agane to mak electioun,
For to cheiss ane oþer persoun.
Than chesit þai Dauid of Bernham,
Ane honest clerk and of gud fame,
Chawmerlane þat tyme of Scotland,
To quham þe pape wes wele willand.
And of Scotland of bischopis thre
Confermyt and sacrit þan wes he,
Off Glasgow, Brechyne and Catnes;
Thus þis Davy maid bischop wes.
That tyme þe bischop of Glasgow,
A man commendit of vertew,
[And] Schir Walter Alysone,
Iustice of Scotland þan, but hone

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Passit vpon deliuerance
Oure se togidder in to France,
For to se þare Dame Mary,
Schire Ingramys dochtir de Kowsy.
Thai held þaim weill payit of þat sycht,
And past syne to þare schippis rycht,
And brocht hir wiþ þaim in Scotland;
Scho wes faire and rycht plesand.
At Roxburcht Alexander oure king
To wif weddit þat lady ȝing;
Alexander þe Thrid on hir he gat,
That deit at Kingorne efter þat.
And or þat ilk ȝere wes done,
Edward wes borne, þis Henryis sone,
That syne wes king of Ingland,
In all his tyme a fell tyrand.