Classic Poem

And the gud King held forth the way,
Betwix him and his man, quhill thay
Passit out throu the forest war.
Sin in the more thay enterit thar,
That was bath hye and lang and brad;
And or thay half it passit had,
Thay saw on side three men cumand,
Lik to licht men and waverand;
Swerdis thay had and axis als,
And ane of tham apon his hals
A mekill boundin wether bar.
Thay met the King and halsit him thar,
And the King tham thair halsing yald,
And askit tham quhether thay wald.
Thay said Robert the Bruce thay soucht,
For meet with him if that thay moucht;
Thair dwelling with him wald thay ma.
The King said: " If that ye will swa,
Haldis forth your way with me,
And I sall ger you soon him see."
Thay persavit by his speking
That he was the selven Robert King,
And chaungit contenance and late,
And held noucht in the first state;
For thay war fayis to the King,
And thoucht to cum into sculking,
And dwell with him quhill that thay saw
Thair point, and bring him then of daw.
Thay grantit till his spek for-thy.
But the King, that was witty,
Persavit well by thair having
That thay lufit him na thing,
And said: " Fellowis, ye mon all three,
Furthir aquent till that we be,
All by yourselvin forouth ga,
And on the samin wise we twa
Sall folow you behind well ner."
Quod thay: " Sir, it is na mister
To trow intill us any ill."
" Nane do I", said he, " but I will
That ye ga forouth thus, quhill we
Better with othir knawin be."
" We grant", thay said, " sin ye will swa";
And forth apon thair gate gan ga.
Thus yeed thay till the nicht was ner,
And then the formast cumin wer
Till a waist husbandes hous, and thar
Thay slew the wethir that thay bar,
And slew fire for to rost thair mete,
And askit the King if he wald ete,
And rest him till the mete war dicht.
The King, that hungry was, ik hicht,
Assentit till thair spek in hy;
But he said he wald anerly
At a fire, and thay all three
On na wise with tham tillgiddre be;
In the ende of the hous thay suld ma
An other fire: and thay did swa.
Thay drew tham in the hous end,
And half the wethir till him send;
And thay rostit in hy thair mete,
And fell richt freshly for till ete;
For the King well lang fastit had,
And had richt mekill travaill mad:
Tharfor he ete full egrely.
And quhen he had etin hastily,
He had to sleep sa mekill will
That he mot set na let thar-till;
For quhen the vanis fillit ar,
Men worthis hevy evermar,
And to slepe drawis hevynes.
The King, that all for-travaillit wes,
Saw that him worthit sleep needways.
Till his foster brother he says:
" May I traist in thee me to wak,
Till ik a litill sleeping tak?"
" Ya, sir", he said, " till I may dree."
The King then winkit a litill wee,
And sleepit not full encrely,
But gliffnit up oft sudanly;
For he had dreed of tha three men
That at the tother fire war then;
That thay his fais war he wist:
Tharfor he sleepit as fowl on twist.
The King sleepit but a litill than,
Quhen sic a sleep fell on his man
That he micht not hald up his ey
But fell in sleep and routit hey.
Now is the King in gret perile:
For sleep he swa a litill quhile,
He sall be ded foroutin dreed;
For the three traitoures tuk gud heed
That he on sleep was, and his man.
In full gret hy thay ras up than
And drew thair swerdis hastily
And went toward the King in hy
Quhen that thay saw he sleepit swa,
And sleepand thoucht thay wald him sla.
The King up blenkit hastily
And saw his man sleepand him by
And saw cumand the tother three.
Deliverly on fute gat he,
And drew his swerd out and tham met,
And as he yeed his fute he set
Apon his man well hevily.
He waknit and ras disily;
For the sleep maisterit him swa
That, or he gat up, an of tha
That com for to sla the King
Gaf him a strak in his rising,
Swa that he micht help him no mar.
The King sa straitly stad was thar
That he was never yet sa stad;
Ne war the arming that he had,
He had been ded foroutin wer.
But not-for-thy on sic maner
He helpit him in that bargain
That tha three traitoures he has slain,
Throu Goddes grace and his manhede.
His foster brother thar was dede.