[Criticism of the compact about Stirling Castle]

And quhen this connand thus wes mad
Schir Philip intill Ingland raid
And tauld the king all haile his tale,
How he a tuelf moneth all hale
5 Had as it writyn wes in thar taile
To reskew Strevillyne with bataill.
And quhen he hard Schyr Philip say
That Scottismen had set a day
To fecht and that sic space he had
10 To purvay him he wes rycht glaid,
And said it wes gret sukudry
That set thaim apon sic foly,
For he thocht to be or that day
Sa purvayit and in sic aray
15 That thar suld nane strenth him withstand,
And quhen the lordis off Ingland
Herd that this day wes set planly
Thai jugyt all to gret foly,
And thoucht to haiff all thar liking
20 Giff men abaid thaim in fechting,
Bot oft faillys the fulis thocht
And yeit wys mennys ay cummys nocht
To sic end as thai wene allwayis.
A litill stane oft, as men sayis,
25 May ger weltyr a mekill wayn,
Na mannys mycht may stand agayn
The grace off God that all thing steris,
He wate quhat till all thing afferis
And disponys at his liking
30 Efter his ordynance all thing.

[King Robert criticises his brother]

Quhen Schyr Edward, as I you say,
Had gevyn sa outrageous a day
To yeld or reskew Strevillyne,
Rycht to the king he went him syne
35 And tauld quhat tretys he had mad
And quhat day he thaim gevyn had.
The king said quhen he hard the day,
'That wes unwisly doyn, perfay.
Ik herd never quhar sa lang warnyng
40 Wes gevyn to sa mychty a king
As is the king off Ingland,
For he has now intill hand
Ingland, Ireland and Walis alsua
And Aquitayngne yeit with all tha,
45 And off Scotland yeit a party
Dwellis under his senyoury,
And off tresour sa stuffyt is he
That he may wageouris haiff plente,
And we are quhoyne agayne sa fele.
50 God may rycht weill oure werdys dele,
Bot we ar set in juperty
To tyne or wyn then hastely.'
Schyr Edward said, 'Sa God me rede,
Thocht he and all that he may led
55 Cum, wes sall fecht, all war thai ma.'
Quhen the king hard his broder sua
Spek to the bataile sa hardyly
He prisyt him in hys hart gretumly
And said, 'Broder, sen sua is gane
60 That this thing thus is undretane
Schap we us tharfor manlely,
And all that luffis us tenderly
And the fredome off this countre
Purvay thaim at that time to be
65 Boune with all mycht that ever thai may,
Sua giff that our fayis assay
To reskew Strevilline throu bataill
That we off purpos ger thaim faill.'

[Both sides prepare for an English invasion; King Edward's resources]

To this thai all assentyt ar
70 And bad thar men all mak thaim yar
For to be boun agayne that day
On the best wis that ever thai may.
Than all that worthi war to fycht
Off Scotland set all hale thar mycht
75 To purvay thaim agane that day,
Wapynnys and armouris purvayit thai
And all that afferis to fechting.
And in Ingland the mychty king
Purvayit him in sa gret aray
80 That certis hard I never say
That Inglismen mar aparaile
Maid than did than for bataill,
For quhen the tyme wes cummyn ner
He assemblit all his power,
85 And but his awne chevalry
That wes sa gret it wes ferly
He had of mony ser countre
With him gud men of gret bounte.
Of Fraunce worthi chevalry
90 He had intill his cumpany,
The erle off Henaud als wes thar
And with him men that worthi war,
Off Gascoyne and off Almany
And off the duche of Bretayngny
95 He had wycht men and weill farand
Armyt clenly bath fute and hand,
Off Ingland to the chevalry 97
He had gaderyt sa clenly 98
That nane left that mycht wapynnys weld 97
100 Or mycht war to fecht in feild, 98
All Walis als with him had he
And off Irland a gret mengne,
Off Pouty Aquitane and Bayoun
He had mony off gret renoune,
105 And off Scotland he had yeit then 103
A gret menye of worthy men. 104

[The appearance of the English host]

Quhen all thir sammyn assemblit war 105
He had of fechtaris with him thar 106
Ane hunder thousand men and ma 103
110 And fourty thousand war of tha 104
Armyt on hors bath heid and hand,
And of thai yeit war thre thousand
With helyt hors in plate and mailye
To mak the front off the batailye,
115 And fyfty thousand off archeris 109
He had foroutyn hobeleris,
And men of fute and small rangale
That yemyt harnays and vittaile
He had sa fele it wes ferly.
120 Off cartis als thar yeid thaim by 114
Sa fele that, but all thai that bar
Harnays and als that chargyt war
With pailyounys and veschall with-all
And aparaile of chambyr and hall
125 And wyne and wax schot and vittaile, 119
Aucht scor wes chargyt with pulaile.
Thai war sa fele quhar that thai raid
And thar bataillis war sa braid
And sua gret roume held thar chare
130 That men that mekill ost mycht se 124
Ourtak the landis largely.
Men mycht se than that had bene by
Mony a worthi man and wycht
And mony ane armur gayly dycht
135 And mony a sturdy sterand stede 129
Arayit intill ryche wede,
Mony helmys and haberjounys
Scheldis and speris and penounys, 132*
And sa mony a cumbly knycht 132
140 That it semyt that into fycht 133
Thai suld vencus the warld all haile.

[The dispositions of the English host; the march from Berwick]

Quhy suld I mak to lang my taile?
To Berwik ar thai cummyn ilkane
And sum tharin has innys tane
145 And sum logyt without the town ys 138
In tentis and in pailyounys.
And quhen the king his ost has sene
So gret and sa gud men and clene
He wes rycht joyfull in his thocht
150 And weile supposyt that thar wes nocht 143
In warld a king mycht him withstand,
Him thocht all wonnyn till his hand,
And largly amang his men
The land of Scotland delt he then,
155 Off other mennys thing larg wes he. 148
And thai that war off his menye
Manausyt the Scottismen hely
With gret wordis, bot nocht-forthi
Or thai cum all to thar entent
160 Howis in haile claith sall be rent. 153
The king throu consaile of his men
His folk delt in bataillis ten,
In ilkane war weile ten thousand
That lete thai stalwartly suld stand
165 In the bataile and stythly fycht 158
And leve nocht for thar fayis mycht.
He set ledaris till ilk bataile
That knawin war of gud governaile,
And till renownyt erlis twa
170 Off Glosyster and herfurd war tha 163
He gaf the vaward in leding
With mony men at thar bidding
Ordanyt into full gud aray.
Thai war sa chevalrous that thai
175 Trowyt giff thai come to fycht 168
Thar suld na strenth withstand thar mycht.
And the king quhen his mengne wer
Divisit intill bataillis ser
His awyne bataill ordanyt he
180 And quha suld at his bridill be, 173
Schyr Gilis Argente he set
Apon a half his reyngye to get,
And off Valence Schyr Amery
On other half that wes worthy,
185 For in thar soverane bounte 178
Out-our the lave affyit he.
Quhen the king apon this kyn wys
Had ordanyt as Ik her divis
His bataillis and his stering
190 He rais arly in a mornyng 183
And fra Berwik he tuk the way.
Bath hillis and valis hely thai
As the bataillis that war braid
Departyt our the feldis raid.
195 The sone wes brycht and schynand cler 188
And armouris that burnysyt wer
Sua blomyt with the sonnys beme
That all the land wes in a leme,
Baneris rycht fayrly flawmand
200 And penselys to the wynd wavand 193
Sua fele thar wer of ser quentis
That it war gret slycht for to divise,
And suld I tell all thar affer
Thar con tenance and thar maner
205 Thoucht I couth I suld combryt be. 198
The king with all that gret menye
Till Edinbyrgh he raid him rycht,
Thai war all-out to fele to fycht
With few folk of a symple land,
210 Bot quhar God helpys quhat ma withstand. 203

[Muster of the Scottish army; its size and commanders]

The king Robert quhen he hard say
That Inglismen in sic aray
And into sua gret quantite
Come in his land, in hy gert he
215 His men be somound generaly, 208
And thai come all full wilfully
To the Torwod quhar that the king
Had ordanyt to mak thar meting.
Schir Edward the Bruce the worthi
220 Come with a full gret cumpany 213
O