The Bruce
by John Barbour
★4.1/5
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About This Book
Excerpt from The Bruce, or the Book of the Most Excellent and Noble Prince, Robert De Broyss, King of ScotsThe Second Part will contain the text (books XI — XX), the Notes, and a Glossarial Index. The best authority for the true text of The Bruce is the ms. In St John's College, Cambridge this was used to some extent by Professor Cosmo Innes, but has never till now been printed. As the first 25 leaves of this ms. Are, unfortunately, missing, the portion at the beginning, down to 1. 56 of Book IV, on p. 78, is printed from the Edinburgh ms, collated with Hart's edition and occasionally with An...
Chapters (392)(click to expand)
- THE BRUCE
- PREFACE
- 1. MSS. and Editions.
- 2. The Scribes.
- 3. The Present Edition.
- CONTENTS
- INTRODUCTION
- 1. “The Bruce” as Romance.
- 2. John Barbour.
- 3. Historic Value of “The Bruce.”
- BOOK I.
- How the Lords of Scotland took the King of England to be Arbiter at the last.
- The First Rising of Lord Douglas.
- The Scots are likened to the Holy Maccabees.
- BOOK II.
- How the Bruce avoided King Edward’s Deceit.
- Here John Comyn and Others are Slain in the Friars’ Kirk.
- Here the King of England seeks for Robert Bruce, but does not find Him.
- Here Robert Bruce sends Letters for an Assembly.
- The Douglas meeting with King Robert.
- The Crowning of King Robert.
- The First Speaking of King Robert with Sir Aymer.
- The Lodging of King Robert in the Park of Methven.
- The Battle of Methven and the First Discomfiture of King Robert
- Here the King and his Men Suffer Great Want.
- Here King Robert with his Men goes as far as Aberdeen.
- BOOK III.
- Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.
- How the King slew the Three Men that swore his Death.
- The Pains of King Robert among the Mountains.
- How the King passed over Loch Lomond.
- How the King passed to the Sea, and how the Earl of Lennox was chased.
- Here the Earl of Lennox is followed by Traitors.
- BOOK IV.
- How the Queen and Other Ladies were taken and imprisoned and her Men slain.
- How Prince Edward of England besieged Kyldrumy.
- Here the King of England collects his Men in Scotland.
- How King Edward died in Burgh-in-Sand.
- The Lines about the War of Bosbek.
- How James of Douglas passed into Arran.
- The Coming of King Robert Bruce to Arran.
- How the King sent his Man to spy in Carrick who were to him Friendly.
- Of the Fire the King saw Burning.
- Here the King’s Hostess foretells what is to be, and gives him her Two Sons.
- BOOK V.
- Of the King’s Handseling in Carrick at his First Arrival.
- Here the King secretly enters the Town and slays All.
- A Certain Lady, a Relative of the King, comes to him with Forty Men.
- Here Henry Percy flies to England.
- The Passing of James of Douglas to Douglas-dale, his Heritage.
- Here James of Douglas slays them in the Kirk.
- Here makes he “the Douglas Larder.”
- Here Clifford builds the Castle again.
- How one Man and his Two Sons undertook to slay King Robert.
- Here the English Knight fees a Traitor.
- Here King Robert is in Great Peril.
- Here the Noble King slays three Traitors, Himself, Alone.
- BOOK VI.
- Here Galloway Men seek him.
- Here he fights alone against Two Hundred.
- How Douglas slew Thirlwall.
- Here Sir Aymer and John of Lorn follow King Robert with a Sleuth-hound.
- Here Five Chosen Men are sent to take the King.
- BOOK VII.
- How John of Lorn sought the Good King Robert Bruce with the Sleuth-hound.
- Here the Sleuth-hound lost his Scent.
- Or else he was Slain with an Arrow.
- How the Three Men that bare the Wedder Sheep thought to have slain King Robert Bruce.
- Here Three Traitours meet the King, with a Wedder.
- Here he slew the three traitors.
- Here the King goes to his Tryst.
- Here meets he with his Company.
- Here the King and his Company come hastily upon their Enemies, and slay Many.
- Here Sir Aymer passes to Carlisle.
- Here the King meets three Traitors.
- Here Sir Aymer sets the King in Great Jeopardy.
- How Sir Aymer Valence sent the Woman to spy King Robert in Glentrool.
- Here were Fifteen Hundred discomfited with Few Scots.
- BOOK VIII
- Here Sir Aymer urges a Fight on the Plain.
- Here King Robert provides for Advantage in the Place where they should Fight.
- Here Sir Aymer comes with his Host in Sight.
- Here King Robert meets him with Few.
- Here King Robert wins in Plain Battle.
- Here Sir Aymer passes to England.
- How the Good King Robert the Bruce passed North beyond the Mounth.
- Here Sir James wins Many Men, and makes First a Train on the Castle.
- BOOK IX
- How Good King Robert lay Sick in Inverury.
- Here the Earl of Buchan gathers against the King.
- Here the Earl of Buchan flies, and Sir David Brechin yields himself to the King.
- Here the King burns all Buchan, and gets the Castle of Forfar and destroys it.
- How Good King Robert the Bruce besieged the Town of Perth.
- Here he gets it with Jeopardy.
- Here All Scots obey the King except Lorn.
- Here Sir Edward Bruce is much commended.
- Here Sir Edward Bruce discomfits the Englishmen at Cree.
- Here he discomfits far more manfully, that is to say, Fifteen Hundred with Fifty.
- Sir Edward Bruce in a Year won Thirteen Castles.
- Here Sir James Douglas meets with Sir Alexander Stewart, Lord Bonkill.
- Here Sir James Douglas comes to the King with Sir Alexander Stewart and Thomas Randolph.
- BOOK X
- Here the King passes against John of Lorn.
- Here the King meets with John of Lorn’s Company.
- Here the King besieges and wins Dunstaffnage Castle.
- How Earl Thomas Randolph became Man to the Good King Robert the Bruce.
- The winning of the Castle of Roxburgh by the Douglas through the Sleight of John Ledhouse.
- Here Sir Thomas Randolph besieges Edinburgh.
- The winning of the Castle of Edinburgh by Good Earl Thomas Randolph.
- BOOK XI
- The winning of Stirling by Sir Edward the Bruce, though the Battle was set over a Year and a Day, betwixt him and Sir Philip the Mowbray.
- How good James of Douglas asked of King Robert the Bruce Leave to go to support Earl Thomas Randolph.
- BOOK XII.
- The Battle of Bannockburn.
- BOOK XIII.
- How the Yeomen and the Poor Men made of Sheets the Manner of Banners in Support of King Robert the Bruce and his Folk.
- How Good Douglas chased the King of England after the Battles of Bannockburn.
- BOOK XIV.
- How the Earl of Carrick passed into Ireland to win it, and with him Earl Thomas Randolph and Sir Philip the Mowbray, Sir John Stewart, Sir John Soulis, and Ramsay of Ochterhouse.
- The Withletting of the Pass of Endnellan
- BOOK XV.
- How the King of Ireland called Edward came upon the Scotsmen
- How King Robert Bruce passed through the Tarbats, and won the Isles.
- The Battle betwixt the Lord Douglas and the Lord Nevill of England.
- BOOK XVI.
- How King Robert the Bruce passed in Ireland with his brother Edward.
- How the Good Douglas slew the Earl Richmond of England.
- How Good King Robert the Bruce came Home again from Ireland.
- BOOK XVII.
- The Winning of the Town of Berwick by the Scots Men, through the Means of Sim of Spalding.
- How Walter Stewart was assailed in Berwick by the King of England.
- BOOK XVIII.
- How Sir Edward the Bruce was slain in Ireland.
- How King Edward came again to Scotland with his Power, to Edinburgh, after the Death of Good Sir Edward the Bruce in Ireland.
- How the Good King Robert the Bruce followed King Edward of England South into his own Land.
- BOOK XIX.
- How the Lord Soulis thought through Treason with his Accomplices to have put down Good King Robert the Bruce, and how he was warned by a Lady.
- The Death of Good Sir Walter Steward.
- How the Fox played with the Fisher.
- BOOK XX.
- How Good King Robert the Bruce crowned his Young Son David and Dame Johann, his Spouse.
- Death of Robert Bruce, King of Scotland.
- NOTES
- BOOK I.
- BOOK II.
- BOOK III.
- BOOK IV.
- BOOK V.
- BOOK VI.
- BOOK VII.
- BOOK VIII.
- BOOK IX.
- BOOK X.
- BOOK XI.
- BOOK XII.
- BOOK XIII.
- BOOK XIV.
- BOOK XV.
- BOOK XVI.
- BOOK XVII.
- BOOK XVIII.
- BOOK XIX.
- BOOK XX.
- APPENDICES
- APPENDIX A THE SITE OF THE BATTLE OF BANNOCKBURN
- APPENDIX B BRUCE’S SPEECH AT BANNOCKBURN
- APPENDIX C THE NUMBERS AT BANNOCKBURN
- APPENDIX D THE THROWING OF THE HEART
- APPENDIX E THE “ALEXANDER” AND THE “BRUCE”
- APPENDIX F MR. BROWN’S “SOURCES” FOR THE “BRUCE.”
- APPENDIX G LANGUAGE AND ORTHOGRAPHY
- APPENDIX H GRAMMAR
- Nouns
- Proper Nouns.
- Adjectives.
- Numerals.
- Pronouns.
- Verbs.
- Adverbs.
- Prepositions.
- Conjunctions.
- GLOSSARY
- LIST OF PRINCIPAL WORKS IN REFERENCES
- LINENOTES
- FOOTNOTES
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