Hawe chosyn yhowe a kyng þat mycht
Hawe haldyn welle yhoure land at rycht.
Walis ensawmpill mycht hawe bene,
To yhow, had yhe It before sene.
Quha will be oþir hym-selff chasty
Wyß men sayis, he is happy,
And perylowß thyngis may fall perfay,
Als well to-morne as yhystyr-day
Bot yhe trastyd in lawté,
As Sympil folk but mawvite,
And wyst noucht quhat suld efftyr tyde;
For in þis warld þat is sa wyd,
Is nane determyne may, na sall
Knaw thyngis þat ar for to fall:
For God, þat is off mast powsté
Reßerwyt þat till hys Maiesté.
4.—Barbour.The same passage from John Ramsay's transcription of the Brus, towards the close of the century (1489).[1]
Quhen Alexander þe king wes deid,
That Scotland haid to steyr and leid,
The land vj ȝer, and mayr perfay,
Lay desolat eftyr hys day;
Till þat be barnage at þe last
Assemblyt þaim, and fayndyt fast
To cheyß a king þar land to ster,
Þat off awncestry cummyn wer
Off kingis, þat aucht þat reawte
And mayst had rycht bair king to be.
Bot enwy, bat is sa feloune,
Maid amang bairn gret discencioun.
«» o « «
A! blynd folk full of all foly!
Haid ȝe wmbethocht ȝow enkrely,
Quhat perell to ȝow mycht apper,
Ȝe had nocht wrocht on that maner:
Haid ȝe tane keip how at þat king
Alwayis, for-owtyn soiournyng,
Trawayllyt for to wyn senȝhory,
And throw his mycht till occupy
Landis, þat war till him marcheand,
As walis was, and als Ireland;
- ↑ From Mr. Skeat's edition of the Brus for the Early Eng. Text Soc. The thorn (þ), which was by this time confounded in writing with y, and so printed in old books, Mr. Skeat prints th italic. It is here printed þ, the letter intended by the MSS.
