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 }