Qwhen Alysandyre oure kyng wes dede,
That Scotland had to stere{1} and lede,
The land sex yhere and mayr perfay{2}
Wes desolate efftyr his day.
The barnage{3} off Scotland, at the last,
Assemblyd thame, and fandyt{4} fast
To chess{5} a kyng, thare land to stere,
That off awncestry cummyn were
Off kyngis that aucht{6} that reawt{’e}{7},
And mast{8} had rycht thare kyng to be.
But inwy{9}, that is sa fellowne{10},
Amang thame mad dissensiown:
For sum wald have the Ballyolle kyng,
For he wes cumyn off that ofspryng
That off the eldest systere was;
And other sum nyt{11} all that cas,
And sayd, that he thare kyng suld be,
That wes in als nere{12} degre,
And cummyn wes off the nerrast male
In thai{13} brawnchys collateralle...
{Footnotes:
1: govern
2: more, by my faith
3: nobility
4: endeavoured
5: choose
6: possessed
7: royalty
8: most
9: envy
10: wicked
11: others denied
12: as near
13: those }
A! blynd folk, fulle off all foly,
Had yhe wmbethowcht{14} yowe inkkyrly{15}
Quhat peryle to yowe mycht appere,
Yhe had noucht wroucht on this man{`e}r.
Had yhe tane kepe{16}, how that that kyng
Off Walys, forowtyn sudiowrnyng{17},
Trawaylyd{18} to wyn the senyhowry{19},
And throw his mycht till occupy
Landys, that ware till hym marchand{20},
As Walys was, and als Irland,
That he put till sic threllage{21},
That thai, that ware off hey parage{22},
Suld ryn on fwte, as rybalddale{23},
Quhen ony folk he wald assale.
Durst nane of Walis in batale ryd,
Na yhit, fra evyn fell{24}, abyde
Castell or wallyd towne within,
Than{25} he suld lyff and lymmys tyne{26}.
Into swylk thryllage{27} thame held he
That he owre-come with his powst{e’}{28}.
{Footnotes:
14: bethought
15: especially
16: taken heed
17: without delay
18: laboured
19: sovereignty
20: bordering
21: such subjection
22: high rank
23: rabble
24: after evening
fell
25: but
26: lose
27: thraldom
28: power }