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 |
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| CXXXVII. | CHAPTER CXXXVII. |
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 | CHAPTER CXXXVII. The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun |  |
164
CHAPTER CXXXVII.
Off þe lauchfull successiounOff Bruss or Ballioll to þe crovne.
[A]lexander oure king wes deid
That Scotland had to steire and leid;
The land sex ȝere, and mare perfay,
Wes desolat eftir his day;
Till þat þe barnage at þe last
Assemblit þaim, and fayndit fast
To cheiss a king þare land to steire,
That of ancestry cummyn wer
Off kingis þat aucht þat ryalte,
And mast had richt þar king to be.
That Scotland had to steire and leid;
The land sex ȝere, and mare perfay,
Wes desolat eftir his day;
Till þat þe barnage at þe last
Assemblit þaim, and fayndit fast
To cheiss a king þare land to steire,
That of ancestry cummyn wer
Off kingis þat aucht þat ryalte,
And mast had richt þar king to be.
Bot envy, þat is sa felloun,
Maid amangis þaim descencioun;
For sum wald haif þe Ballioll king,
For he wes cummyn of þe ofspring
Off hir þat eldest sister wes;
And other sum nyte all þat cas,
And said at he þare king suld be
That wes in als neire degre,
And cummyn als of þe narrest male
As be branche collaterall.
For þai said successioun of kinrik
Wes nocht to lawere feis like,
As duchery, erldome or barony,
Or ony lawere fee; forthy
Thai said succeid suld na female,
Till funding mycht be ony male
Off þat blude ryall, to þat he
Were ferrare cummyn be a gre,
As ȝe may fynd writtin in þis buke,
All thir nixt followand quha will luke.
Maid amangis þaim descencioun;
For sum wald haif þe Ballioll king,
For he wes cummyn of þe ofspring
Off hir þat eldest sister wes;
And other sum nyte all þat cas,
And said at he þare king suld be
That wes in als neire degre,
And cummyn als of þe narrest male
As be branche collaterall.
For þai said successioun of kinrik
Wes nocht to lawere feis like,
As duchery, erldome or barony,
Or ony lawere fee; forthy
166
Till funding mycht be ony male
Off þat blude ryall, to þat he
Were ferrare cummyn be a gre,
As ȝe may fynd writtin in þis buke,
All thir nixt followand quha will luke.
174
[T]han þe estatis of Scotland,
Till þare kinrik wes þus vacand,
Assemblit and assentit haill
Throu þare alleris haill counsell,
And maid a compromyssioun
To put þis in þe discretioun
Off Edward, king of Ingland,
That oblist him be faithfull band
Off aith and treuth and lele lawte
The richt to gere declarit be,
Off þe lauchfull successioun
Off Scotland for to ioiss þe crovne,
Off þe Balliole, and of Robert
The Broiss, þat regnyt eftirwart;
As wes commyttit for to be
Declarit, forþi besy wes he
To get knawlege of þis resoun,
Quha suld fall þat successioun,
Than in France to þe presedentis,
And to lordis of þe Parliamentis,
And to seire vthir þat were þen
Kend þare all vthir wysest men,
And to þe Vniuersite
Off Pariss, þis case wrait he:
Till þare kinrik wes þus vacand,
Assemblit and assentit haill
Throu þare alleris haill counsell,
And maid a compromyssioun
To put þis in þe discretioun
Off Edward, king of Ingland,
That oblist him be faithfull band
Off aith and treuth and lele lawte
The richt to gere declarit be,
Off þe lauchfull successioun
Off Scotland for to ioiss þe crovne,
Off þe Balliole, and of Robert
The Broiss, þat regnyt eftirwart;
As wes commyttit for to be
Declarit, forþi besy wes he
To get knawlege of þis resoun,
Quha suld fall þat successioun,
Than in France to þe presedentis,
And to lordis of þe Parliamentis,
176
Kend þare all vthir wysest men,
And to þe Vniuersite
Off Pariss, þis case wrait he:
Off a kinrik a king of det,
Nocht crovnyt, na vntit, bot sympilly set
In to þat sete be sum personis
Off bischopis, erllis, or of baronis,
Off þe estatis of his land,
Sa to be as a king regnand,
Deit, but aire of his body
Gottin to succeid lynyaly.
This king in fee and heretage
That kinrik held, and maid homage
Till a gretare king of mycht,
That wes his ourelord of rycht.
And quhen þis king all þus wes deid,
For to succeid in till his steid
Thare come twa men, baith he and he,
Sayand þat aire þai aucht to be
To þe kinrik, to beire þe crovne,
And bruke it in possessioun.
Nocht crovnyt, na vntit, bot sympilly set
In to þat sete be sum personis
Off bischopis, erllis, or of baronis,
Off þe estatis of his land,
Sa to be as a king regnand,
Deit, but aire of his body
Gottin to succeid lynyaly.
This king in fee and heretage
That kinrik held, and maid homage
Till a gretare king of mycht,
That wes his ourelord of rycht.
And quhen þis king all þus wes deid,
For to succeid in till his steid
Thare come twa men, baith he and he,
Sayand þat aire þai aucht to be
To þe kinrik, to beire þe crovne,
And bruke it in possessioun.
This ilk kinrik, þus vakand,
The ourelord tuke in till his hand,
Till þat he mycht clerely knaw
Quha suld succeid till it of law.
Than forouth þis king, þat wes þen
Ourelard of it, come twa men,
That cousingis were collaterall
To þe king deid, nocht lyneall.
The first proponit þus in forme faire,
And said at he wes narrest aire
Befor þe toþer to beire þe crovne,
Principally be this ressoune:
A king callit Malcome Canmor,
That ȝit lestis in gud memor,
Quhen he as king þe kinrik led,
Had a broþer of lauchfull bed,
And þat broþer had dochteris twa
Lauchfull, and “þe first of þai
But dout,” he said, “my moder baire;
Quharfor but weire I am narrare
Than ony oþer to beire þe crovne
Be richt richt of successioun
Off þis kinrik now vakand.”
The toþer herd, at by couþ stand;
Quhen þus for his part he had done,
He maid þis ansuere scharp and sone:
“That ȝe haif said, I haif herd weill,
And has consauit it ilk deill.
I grant,” quod he, “þe antecedens;
Bot I deny the consequens.
At þat lord had dochteris twa,
I grant, and at þe first of þai
In hir first birth ȝour moder baire
I grant; bot ȝe said forthirmare,
That ȝe þarfor suld bere þe crovne.
Bot þat wald noþer law, nor ressoun:
For quhy, successioun of kinrik
Is nocht to laware feis like;
Ȝour moder and I in evinlik gre
Descendand fra þe stok ar we;
And be law suld na female
Succeid, gif þare be ony maill
Funding of evinlik gre
For to posseid þat ryalte.
The eldest sister ȝour moder baire;
My moder, hir sister, wes ȝoungare;
Sa to þe stok I am nevow;
Pronewow ȝe ar. Be þat allow
Ȝe ar nocht sa neire to þe crovne
As I be richt of successioun.
My lady, ȝour gudame, wes my ant;
The eldest sister scho wes, I grant;
Scho baire ȝour moder, þat wes woman;
Bot my moder first baire þe man.
Be ȝe crovnyt king, and nocht I,
Than am I wrangit gretumly.
The law of ciuile na cannoune
Giffis for ȝoure part na ressoun;
Na ȝit na custome in na kinrik
Makis ȝour part na myn evinlik,
That þe female in evinlik gre
Preferrit to þe male suld be,
Na of þe maill þe pronevow
Suld be preferrit to þe nevow.
Ioiss ȝe þe croune sa, and nocht I,
Wrangit I call me richt hely.”
The ourelord tuke in till his hand,
Till þat he mycht clerely knaw
Quha suld succeid till it of law.
Than forouth þis king, þat wes þen
Ourelard of it, come twa men,
That cousingis were collaterall
To þe king deid, nocht lyneall.
178
And said at he wes narrest aire
Befor þe toþer to beire þe crovne,
Principally be this ressoune:
A king callit Malcome Canmor,
That ȝit lestis in gud memor,
Quhen he as king þe kinrik led,
Had a broþer of lauchfull bed,
And þat broþer had dochteris twa
Lauchfull, and “þe first of þai
But dout,” he said, “my moder baire;
Quharfor but weire I am narrare
Than ony oþer to beire þe crovne
Be richt richt of successioun
Off þis kinrik now vakand.”
The toþer herd, at by couþ stand;
Quhen þus for his part he had done,
He maid þis ansuere scharp and sone:
“That ȝe haif said, I haif herd weill,
And has consauit it ilk deill.
I grant,” quod he, “þe antecedens;
Bot I deny the consequens.
At þat lord had dochteris twa,
I grant, and at þe first of þai
In hir first birth ȝour moder baire
I grant; bot ȝe said forthirmare,
That ȝe þarfor suld bere þe crovne.
Bot þat wald noþer law, nor ressoun:
For quhy, successioun of kinrik
Is nocht to laware feis like;
Ȝour moder and I in evinlik gre
Descendand fra þe stok ar we;
180
Succeid, gif þare be ony maill
Funding of evinlik gre
For to posseid þat ryalte.
The eldest sister ȝour moder baire;
My moder, hir sister, wes ȝoungare;
Sa to þe stok I am nevow;
Pronewow ȝe ar. Be þat allow
Ȝe ar nocht sa neire to þe crovne
As I be richt of successioun.
My lady, ȝour gudame, wes my ant;
The eldest sister scho wes, I grant;
Scho baire ȝour moder, þat wes woman;
Bot my moder first baire þe man.
Be ȝe crovnyt king, and nocht I,
Than am I wrangit gretumly.
The law of ciuile na cannoune
Giffis for ȝoure part na ressoun;
Na ȝit na custome in na kinrik
Makis ȝour part na myn evinlik,
That þe female in evinlik gre
Preferrit to þe male suld be,
Na of þe maill þe pronevow
Suld be preferrit to þe nevow.
Ioiss ȝe þe croune sa, and nocht I,
Wrangit I call me richt hely.”
Quhasa þis thing will vnderstand,
Off þe Bruss þare wes liffand
Fra þat tyme to þis Robertis thre;
And þe eldest þan wes he
That maid þis altercatioun
In his richt of successioun.
Nevo in Inglis to haif vndone,
Is noþer broþer na sister sone;
Bot fra þe stok evinlely
Personis discendand lynyaly
In þe toþer, or þe thrid, gre,
Nevow, or pronevow, suld be,
As for to call þe sonnys sone;
Off þe dochtir sa to be done
Hir sone may be callit nevow;
This [is] of þat word þe vertew.
Off þe Bruss þare wes liffand
Fra þat tyme to þis Robertis thre;
And þe eldest þan wes he
182
In his richt of successioun.
Nevo in Inglis to haif vndone,
Is noþer broþer na sister sone;
Bot fra þe stok evinlely
Personis discendand lynyaly
In þe toþer, or þe thrid, gre,
Nevow, or pronevow, suld be,
As for to call þe sonnys sone;
Off þe dochtir sa to be done
Hir sone may be callit nevow;
This [is] of þat word þe vertew.
Quhen on þis wiss þire personis twa,
The Bruss, þe Ballioll, baith were þai,
Befor Edward of Ingland king
Had maid on þis wiss þar carping,
The effect oure þe se he wrait,
To haif counsall of þis debait.
Bot he maid fals suggestioun;
Full fals wes his relatioun,
And þaim enformyt full falsly,
Settand þe cace full swikfully;
Quhen he said þat in heretage
Oure kinrik wes haldin for homage
Aucht till a king of gretare mycht,
He said þare fals and na thing rycht.
The kinrik þat he þat taill of maid,
As he in France þan writtin had,
Withoutin dout wes ay mare fre
Than wes þe kinrik þat held he.
He was neuer worth, na all his kyn,
The fredome fra þat realme to wyn.
He savit ill his honeste,
To sclander swa a kinrik fre.
Had he thocht on his grantschir Iohne,
Quhat he did in his tyme þan gone,
Quhen he rebellit þe pape of Rome,
And of him held syne his kingdome,
He suld haif worthin reid for schame,
Oure kinrik fre for to defame.
The Bruss, þe Ballioll, baith were þai,
Befor Edward of Ingland king
Had maid on þis wiss þar carping,
The effect oure þe se he wrait,
To haif counsall of þis debait.
Bot he maid fals suggestioun;
Full fals wes his relatioun,
And þaim enformyt full falsly,
Settand þe cace full swikfully;
Quhen he said þat in heretage
Oure kinrik wes haldin for homage
Aucht till a king of gretare mycht,
He said þare fals and na thing rycht.
The kinrik þat he þat taill of maid,
As he in France þan writtin had,
Withoutin dout wes ay mare fre
Than wes þe kinrik þat held he.
184
The fredome fra þat realme to wyn.
He savit ill his honeste,
To sclander swa a kinrik fre.
Had he thocht on his grantschir Iohne,
Quhat he did in his tyme þan gone,
Quhen he rebellit þe pape of Rome,
And of him held syne his kingdome,
He suld haif worthin reid for schame,
Oure kinrik fre for to defame.
| CHAPTER CXXXVII. The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun | |