Quhat fignifyis yone schene scheild ?" said the senyeour, "The lufly helme, and the lance, all ar away,
The brym blast that he blew, with ane stevin stour?"
Tha faid fir Spynagrus with speche, "the futh' fall I say.
Yone is ane freik in his forte, and fresch in his flour,
To fe that his fchire weid be ficker of affay ;
He thinkis provese to preve, for his paramour,
And prik in your presence, to purchese his pray.
Forthi makis furth ane man, to mach hym in feild,
That knawin is for cruel,
That for the maistry dar mell,
With fchaft and with scheild."
Than wes the king wondir glaid, & callit Gaudifeir;
Quhilum in Britane that berne had baronyis braid;
And he gudly furth gais, and graithit hif geir,
And bufkit hym to battell, without mair abaid;
That wy walit, I vis, all wedis of veir,
That nedit hym to note, gif he nane had.
Bery broune wes the blonk, burely and braid,
Wpone the mold, quhare thai met, before the myd-day;
With lufly lancis and lang,
Ane faire feild can thai fang,
On ftedis stalwart and strang,
Gaudifeir and Galiot, in glemand steil wedis,
As glauis glowand on gleid, grymly thai ride;
Wondir fternly thai steir on thair stent stedis,
Athir berne fra his blonk borne wes that tide.
Thai ruschit vp rudly, quha sa right redis ;
Out with fuerdis thai fwang fra thair schalk fide;
Thair with wraithly thai wirk, thai wourthy in vedif,
Hewit on the hard steil, and hurt thame in the hide.
Sa wondir frefchly thai frekis fruschit in feir,
Throw all the harnes thai hade,
Baith birny and breist-plade,
Thairin wappynis couth wade,
Thus thai faught vpone fold, with ane fel fair,
Quhill athir berne in that breth bokit in blude;
Thus thai mellit on mold, ane myle way and maire,
Wraithly wroht, as thei war witlefe and wode;
Baith thai fegis, forfuth, fadly and fair,
Thoght thai war aftonait, in pt ftour stithly thai ftude.
The feght fa felly thai fang, with ane fresch fair,
Quhil Gaudifeir and Galiot baith to grund yhude;
Gaudifeir gat vp agane, throu Goddis grete mightis ;
Abone him wichtely he wan,
With be craft' that he can;
Thai louit God and fanct An,
pe king and his knightis.
Than wes Galiot the gome hynt in till ane hald ;
Golagrus grew in greif, grymly in hart,
And callit fchir Rigal of Rone, ane renk that wes bald,-
"Quhill this querrell be quyt, I cover neuer in quert !
With wailit wapnis of were, evin on yone wald,
On ane fterand steid, that sternly will stert,
I pray the, for my faik, that it be deir fald;
Was neuer fa vnsound set to my hert!"
That gome gudly furth gays, and graithit his gere;
Blew ane blast of ane horne,
As wes the maner beforne;
Scheld and helm has he borne.
The king crovnit with gold this cumpas wele knew,
And callit fchir Rannald', cruell and kene,—
"Gif ony preffis to this place, for proves to perfew,
Schaip the evin to the schalk, in thi fchroud fchene."
The deir dight him3 to the deid, be the day dew;
His birny, and his bafnet, burnist full bene;
Baith his horse, and his geir, wes of ane hale hew,
With gold and goulis fa gay graithit in grene;
Ane schene scheild, & ane schaft, that scharply was sched;
Thre ber-hedis he bair,
Quhen the day can daw, deirly on hight,
And the fone in the fky wes fchynyng fo fchir,
Fra the caftell thair come cariand ane knight,
Clofit in clene fteill, vpone ane courfyr.
Schir Rannald to his riche steid raikit full riht',
Lightly lap he on loft, that lufly of lyre;
Athir laught has thair lance, that lemyt fo light,
On twa stedis thai straid, with ane sterne schiere.
Togiddir freschly thai frekis fruschit, in fay;
Thair fperis in fplendris fprent,
On fcheldis fchonkit & fchent,
Euin our thair hedis went,
Thai lufly ledis belife lightit on the land,
And laught out fuerdis, lufly and lang;
Thair stedis ftakkerit in pe ftour, and ftude stūmerād,
Al to-ftiffillit and stonayt, the strakis war sa strang!
Athir berne braithly bet with ane bright brand;
On fute freschly thai frekis feghtin thai fang;
Thai hewit on hard fteil, hartly with hand,
Quhil the spalis, and the sparkis, fpedely out fprang.
Schir Rannald raught to be renk ane rout wes vnryde;
Clenely in the collair,
Fifty mailyeis & mair,
Euin of the fchuldir he schair,
Thus thai faucht on fute, on the fair feild;
The blude famyt thame fra, on feild quhare thai foūd ;
All the bernys on the bent about that beheild,
For pure forow of that fight thai fighit vnsound;
Schire teris fchot fra schalkis, fchene vndir scheild',
Quhen thai foundrit ane fel fey to the grund;
Baith thair hartis can brift, braithly but beild,
Thair wes na ftaluart vnftonait, fo fterne wes be ftoud!
Schir Rannaldis body wes broght to the bright tent;
Syne to the castel of stone,
Thai had fchir Regal of Rone;
With mekil murnyng and mone,
Thus endit the auynantis, with mekil honour,
Yit has men thame in mynd, for thair manhede;
Thair bodeis wes beryit baith in ane hour;
Set fegis for thair faullis to fyng and to reid.
Tha Gologrus graithit of his me, in glifnand' armour,—
Ane fchir Louys the lele, ane lord of that leid;
Ane vthir heght Edmond, that prouit paramour;
The thrid heght fchir Bantellas, the batal to leid;
The ferd wes ane weryour, worthy and wight,
His name wes fchir Sanguel,
Cumly and cruel ;
Thir four, treuly to tell,
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