A new edition of the life and heroick actions of the renoun'd Sir William Wallace General and Governour of Scotland. Wherein the Old obsolete Words are rendered more Intelligible; and adapted to the understanding of such who have not leisure to study the Meaning, and Import of such Phrases without the help of a Glossary |
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| I. | CHAP. I. How WALLACE conquer'd the Land of Guyen and was made Lord thereof.
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 | CHAP. I. How WALLACE conquer'd the Land of Guyen and was made Lord thereof.
A new edition of the life and heroick actions of the renoun'd Sir William Wallace |  |
CHAP. I. How WALLACE conquer'd the Land of Guyen and was made Lord thereof.
In
Guyen
Wallace carried on the War,
And had the better of the English far.
In Five set Battles did them so defeat,
To Burdeous they all made their Retreat.
Wallace pursues, and did invest the Town
Full Twenty Days; broke Forts and Bulwarks down
But Victuals falling short, it did oblige
Him, and his Army to give o'er the Siege.
Then to the King in Pomp he went at last,
And gave Account of all the Action past.
Who did rejoice that Guyen Land was won,
And thanked Wallace for his Service done
By this Time came from Scotland an Express,
With a most Humble, but a neat Address,
Unto the King, beseeching him to send,
Good Wallace Home, his Country to defend,
From Rage, and Fury, of the Suthron Foe
Which did the Kingdom then all overflow;
And that he would advise him soon withal;
To take the Crown, and ease them of their Thrall.
Which they did suffer, from a King unjust,
Or else in short the Nation perish must.
This was the very Substance of the Thing,
Which the Address contain'd unto the King.
But yet the King concealed all was writ,
Lov'd not to part so soon with Wallace yet.
Who liv'd as great at Shemon, as a Prince,
And none more happy liv'd there ever since.
And had the better of the English far.
In Five set Battles did them so defeat,
To Burdeous they all made their Retreat.
Wallace pursues, and did invest the Town
Full Twenty Days; broke Forts and Bulwarks down
306
Him, and his Army to give o'er the Siege.
Then to the King in Pomp he went at last,
And gave Account of all the Action past.
Who did rejoice that Guyen Land was won,
And thanked Wallace for his Service done
By this Time came from Scotland an Express,
With a most Humble, but a neat Address,
Unto the King, beseeching him to send,
Good Wallace Home, his Country to defend,
From Rage, and Fury, of the Suthron Foe
Which did the Kingdom then all overflow;
And that he would advise him soon withal;
To take the Crown, and ease them of their Thrall.
Which they did suffer, from a King unjust,
Or else in short the Nation perish must.
This was the very Substance of the Thing,
Which the Address contain'd unto the King.
But yet the King concealed all was writ,
Lov'd not to part so soon with Wallace yet.
Who liv'd as great at Shemon, as a Prince,
And none more happy liv'd there ever since.
About this Time, a certain proud French Knight:
Did boldly claim an heritable Right:
Unto some Office, and to sundry Lands
Of Guyen, which was then in Wallace Hands.
Whither the Answer which the Monsieur got.
Pleas'd or displeas'd his Worship, I know not.
He an Appointment does with Wallace make,
Pretending Service under him to take.
But that was not what the great Rogue design'd,
For something else was in his Bloody Mind.
With Fifteen each, at the appointed Place
Meet, and salute with a becoming Grace.
But the false Knight his Treachrie soon display'd,
Had Fourty armed Men in Ambush laid;
Who all, so soon as he with Wallace met,
Had Orders to enclose him in their Net.
In Angry Mood then spoke the Gallick Knight,
Thou does possess my Lands by no good Right.
In modest Terms replyed Wallace brave,
I have no Lands but what the King me gave
And which I wan in perill of my Life.
From Suthron Foes in a most Bloody Strife,
Then said the Knight thou shalt them here Resign,
Or lose thy Life, by all that is Divine.
Then draws his Sword, whereby he soon Alarms.
The Ambush, which appear in glitt'ring Arms.
By which surprising, unexpected fight,
Wallace perceiv'd the Treach'ry of the Knight.
Are these the Thanks said he, I from your Hand
Get; for restoring of your Native Land.
Altho' I Armour want, as do my Men,
Tho' but Sixteen, 'gainst Fifty-Six, what then?
Here is a Sword made of the truest Steel,
Which thy deserving Neck shall shortly feel,
Then with one single Stroke cut down the Knave
And bade him purchase for himself a Grave.
At which the Fifty Five, fierce Gallicks then,
Environ'd Wallace and his Fifteen Men,
Who like brave Scots, with noble Hearts and true
Fought, and a great deal of the Frenchmen slew.
'Mongst whom was the Knight's Brother stout and strong,
Who fought it like a Fury very long.
And dealt his Blows about him very fast,
But was cut all in Peices down at last.
Closs by, Nine Frenchmen were a mowing Hay,
Who do advance with all the speed they may.
Each, a sharp Syth into his rustick Hand,
As if forsooth none might their Force withstand.
Nor was there any that could do it then,
Save only Wallace, that brave Prince of Men;
Who as soon as he could the Rogues descry,
Did leave his Men and then immediatly:
Most boldly, did towards the Clowns advance,
Mock'd such Machines and all the Syths in France
The first he met, ill may the Carle Thrive,
At Wallace with his Weapon made a Drive
Had it a hit him as it miss'd, I vow,
No doubt it would have cut his Body through.
But Wallace being hearty, brisk and blyth,
Most cliverly he overleap'd the Syth.
Then with his Sword gave such a backward Blow,
As kill'd the Fellow, a brave Rary-show
As in that Country e'er before was seen,
To see his Head hap, happing on the Green.
The next Clown's Syth he also jumped o'er,
And clove his Shoulder half a Yard and more.
Unto the Third most nimbly play'd the same,
Then at the Fellow such a Stroke did frame,
As gave him a prodigious Mortall Wound,
Till he gasp'd out his Last upon the Ground,
The Fourth he clove him cleanly thro' the Coast:
Let him take that, for all his Brag and Boast.
The Three first Syths, Wallace did overleap,
And by good Providence did thus escape.
Four Men he kill'd, one still at every Stroke,
Upon my Word it was a pretty Joke,
He that was last, was the first Man that fled,
Else he had got the cold Ground for his Bed.
Good VVallace then the Fifth does closs, pursue,
O'ertakes him quickly, and the Fellow slew.
Then marched back, to his own Men again,
Who Fourty Nine had of the Frenchmen slain.
Seven did escape, and fled with all their Might,
A marvellous, but true and bloody Fight,
Four of the Mowers did no more incline,
To stay, but scour'd, and left their Syths behind.
Or else of them there had been News belyve,
Such as perhaps, befell the other Five.
Thus was the Knight, and's Men, caught in the Net,
Which basely they had for brave Wallace set.
For most of all were kill'd, the Rest they fled,
At which the King he was exceeding glad
For Wallace sent, and pray'd him earnestly,
That he might one of his own Houshold be.
Where he might live in Peace, and rest secure,
Under the Covert of his royal Bow'r.
For well he knew that some envious were,
At Favours, which the King bestow'd him there.
No Wonder, for he rescu'd in few Days,
All Guyen Land to his immortal Praise.
In spite of all the Suthron's Force, and Pow'r,
Syn made them scamper off themselves, and scour.
And when he fairly did it thus reduce,
Did chase the Suthron all to Burdeous.
Then Two full Years remain'd at the French Court,
And was diverted with all princely Sport;
King, Lords and Ladies, much of him did make,
Both for his own, and ancient Scotland's Sake.
'Cause 'twixt the Kingdoms, there had been so long
A kind Alliance and a very strong.
Did boldly claim an heritable Right:
Unto some Office, and to sundry Lands
Of Guyen, which was then in Wallace Hands.
307
Pleas'd or displeas'd his Worship, I know not.
He an Appointment does with Wallace make,
Pretending Service under him to take.
But that was not what the great Rogue design'd,
For something else was in his Bloody Mind.
With Fifteen each, at the appointed Place
Meet, and salute with a becoming Grace.
But the false Knight his Treachrie soon display'd,
Had Fourty armed Men in Ambush laid;
Who all, so soon as he with Wallace met,
Had Orders to enclose him in their Net.
In Angry Mood then spoke the Gallick Knight,
Thou does possess my Lands by no good Right.
In modest Terms replyed Wallace brave,
I have no Lands but what the King me gave
And which I wan in perill of my Life.
From Suthron Foes in a most Bloody Strife,
Then said the Knight thou shalt them here Resign,
Or lose thy Life, by all that is Divine.
Then draws his Sword, whereby he soon Alarms.
The Ambush, which appear in glitt'ring Arms.
By which surprising, unexpected fight,
Wallace perceiv'd the Treach'ry of the Knight.
Are these the Thanks said he, I from your Hand
Get; for restoring of your Native Land.
308
Tho' but Sixteen, 'gainst Fifty-Six, what then?
Here is a Sword made of the truest Steel,
Which thy deserving Neck shall shortly feel,
Then with one single Stroke cut down the Knave
And bade him purchase for himself a Grave.
At which the Fifty Five, fierce Gallicks then,
Environ'd Wallace and his Fifteen Men,
Who like brave Scots, with noble Hearts and true
Fought, and a great deal of the Frenchmen slew.
'Mongst whom was the Knight's Brother stout and strong,
Who fought it like a Fury very long.
And dealt his Blows about him very fast,
But was cut all in Peices down at last.
Closs by, Nine Frenchmen were a mowing Hay,
Who do advance with all the speed they may.
Each, a sharp Syth into his rustick Hand,
As if forsooth none might their Force withstand.
Nor was there any that could do it then,
Save only Wallace, that brave Prince of Men;
Who as soon as he could the Rogues descry,
Did leave his Men and then immediatly:
Most boldly, did towards the Clowns advance,
Mock'd such Machines and all the Syths in France
The first he met, ill may the Carle Thrive,
At Wallace with his Weapon made a Drive
309
No doubt it would have cut his Body through.
But Wallace being hearty, brisk and blyth,
Most cliverly he overleap'd the Syth.
Then with his Sword gave such a backward Blow,
As kill'd the Fellow, a brave Rary-show
As in that Country e'er before was seen,
To see his Head hap, happing on the Green.
The next Clown's Syth he also jumped o'er,
And clove his Shoulder half a Yard and more.
Unto the Third most nimbly play'd the same,
Then at the Fellow such a Stroke did frame,
As gave him a prodigious Mortall Wound,
Till he gasp'd out his Last upon the Ground,
The Fourth he clove him cleanly thro' the Coast:
Let him take that, for all his Brag and Boast.
The Three first Syths, Wallace did overleap,
And by good Providence did thus escape.
Four Men he kill'd, one still at every Stroke,
Upon my Word it was a pretty Joke,
He that was last, was the first Man that fled,
Else he had got the cold Ground for his Bed.
Good VVallace then the Fifth does closs, pursue,
O'ertakes him quickly, and the Fellow slew.
Then marched back, to his own Men again,
Who Fourty Nine had of the Frenchmen slain.
310
A marvellous, but true and bloody Fight,
Four of the Mowers did no more incline,
To stay, but scour'd, and left their Syths behind.
Or else of them there had been News belyve,
Such as perhaps, befell the other Five.
Thus was the Knight, and's Men, caught in the Net,
Which basely they had for brave Wallace set.
For most of all were kill'd, the Rest they fled,
At which the King he was exceeding glad
For Wallace sent, and pray'd him earnestly,
That he might one of his own Houshold be.
Where he might live in Peace, and rest secure,
Under the Covert of his royal Bow'r.
For well he knew that some envious were,
At Favours, which the King bestow'd him there.
No Wonder, for he rescu'd in few Days,
All Guyen Land to his immortal Praise.
In spite of all the Suthron's Force, and Pow'r,
Syn made them scamper off themselves, and scour.
And when he fairly did it thus reduce,
Did chase the Suthron all to Burdeous.
Then Two full Years remain'd at the French Court,
And was diverted with all princely Sport;
King, Lords and Ladies, much of him did make,
Both for his own, and ancient Scotland's Sake.
'Cause 'twixt the Kingdoms, there had been so long
A kind Alliance and a very strong.
| CHAP. I. How WALLACE conquer'd the Land of Guyen and was made Lord thereof.
A new edition of the life and heroick actions of the renoun'd Sir William Wallace | |