In Northumberland þer first þei bigan,

& alle pat com tille hand, pei slouh & ouer ran
To Flandres tille Edward tipinges men him sent,
þat Scottis com in hard, pe North is nere alle brent,"
& more salle git be lorn, bot if we haf socoure.
Nouht standes pam biforn, toun, castelle, ne toure.
þe kyng for po tipinges was noyed greuoslie,
To conseil þe lordynges he cald þat wer him bi.
Whan þei had alle cast per conseil vp & doun,
be kyng was at þe last avised on þis reson,
þat nede behoued him grante to clerke & baroun,
& hold þam pe conante of ilk peticioun.
Bi letter he pam sent, & grantid þer asking,
Alle þat reson ment of ilk maner þing.
Bi letter & bi mouth he praied pam of socoure,
& þat he myght & couth, þat wer to þer honoure,
He granted at þer wille, if bei wild socoure him,
Ageyn þe Scottis ille, þat bere pam now so brim,

THE bisshop of Canterbire þerof pâyed was he,
For him and alle his schire pis gift gaf fulle fre,
To sauc pe pape statute, þat þem bihoued defende,
Of holy kirke's frute he gaf þe kỷng þe tende,
Gadred with clerkis hand, & kept to þat viage,
Wendand to Scotland, biteched it þe baronage,
be lond forto saue, & holy kirke's dignite,
þis grantid he þam to haue Roberd of Winchelse.
be clergie of pe North þe fifte pený suld gyue,
Whan þe barons ferd forth, in pes þat þei mot lyue,

De carta libertatis.

!

& grantid þam self at þe first gynnyng,
Whan þe kyng asked half of alle þer moble þing.
Now er at on assent þe barons & þe clerkis,

pe Scoutis bold pam schent, of per conseil now herkis De consilio pe Scottis vnderstode, þat holy be clergie

Scottorum.

Disputacio
Cleri.

Were alle in wille gode, to help þe kynge's partie,
& pe barons also in luf with him wild dele,
For he had grantid þer to be Chartré forto sele,
& after þat selyng alle suld þei come

þe barons & þe kyng, & tak of þam hard dome
What did pe Scottis po, bot þis conseil þei ches?
To Striuelyn suld þei go, in manere of pes,
Sir Marmeduk biseke, his wrath forto asuage,
& to pam mak him meke, for luf & for ostage.

I

þei suore per Cristendam, if þat he wild com oute,
Withouten any gram tille bei wild loute,

Bope loude & stille, in nesch & in hard,

2

& to pes with gode wille geld þam tille Edward.
Sir Marmeduk out cam, he trosted on per fayth,
To him & his þei`nam, & smertly did þam graÿth
Toward Dun Bretaýn, & him in prison þer sperd,
His frendes were vnfayn, for non wist how he ferd.
bei did pat treson, if þam felle any chance,
For him bei mot eftson of pers make deliuerance.

¶ þe clergie of þe South mad a disputesoun,

& openly with mouth assigned gode resoun,

I Et
en lour baptesme
promistrent & ioraint, Si
hors volsift [vel vousint] ve-

þat scape ne mot bifalle, ne forto wrath þe pape,
Bot for him & vs alle myght it better schape.
In alle pis speking com pe tresorere

Fro Edward our kyng, to schewe pe chartere here.
'He spak vnto be clergie, "ge barons þat here be,
"þe kyng fulle curteislie gretis zow wele bi me,
"&sais, þat he wille Inglond alle ese,

" & pat ze ask in skille gour hertes forto pese,

þe chartre of franchise conferm it gow he salle,

& of pe first assise as his fader gaf it alle.

be Chartre was red on hi, in Westminstere & schewed,

Ilk poynt bi & bi, to lerid & to lewed.

þe bisshop of Canterbire in comon alle o liche
Schewed it in ilk schire, alle his bisshop riche.

Whan þei pe Chartre in alle had schewed day bi day,
Sir Roger þe erle Marschalle, of Herford þe erle Umfraỷ,
At gork þei tok on hand, þer parlement to sette,

þe hie folk of pe land, þer alle togidere mette.

be erle Jon of Surray com with grete powere,'

Of Gloucestre stoute & gay Sir Rauf þe Mohermere,

* & his wif dame Jone, whilom Gilberde's of Clare,

po banerettis ilkone fro Douer to Durham ware.

amender, Cum jadis puruist
le Rey Henry son peer. La
chartre fu monstre & leu a
Wemonster, &c. MSS. Gall.

'Cil vers la clergye comenca parler, Et a les barouns issi [vel ency] nouncier, A nous li Reis vos sires bee de gentyl qoer De sa sey-Oue Jone la Countesse sa gnorye, tut Engleterre eyser, La chartre des fraunchises Vous volt confermer, De la foreste le assise [vel lassise]

lige mulier, Et trestouz lý
altre, qe portent baner, De
Douer a Dureme i venent
volenter, &c. MSS. Gall.

Ecce Thesaurarius venit.

Ecce comi

tiva baronum apud Eboracum.

At þe kirke of Saynt Petir þe day of Saint Agnes,
þe bisshop on his mitere of Carlele it says.
He stode vp in pulpite, pe office forto do,
þer Chartre he red it bituex pe erles tuo,
& cursed alle po, þat þe Chartre brak,

Or stroied or did ouht fro oný poýnt þer in spak.
After pis sentence gyuen, tille armes alle þat myght,
Was it no lenger dryuen, to Scotlond alle þam dight.
In alle Northumberland, þer þe Waleis had bene,
Alle was in þe kynge's hand, pe Scottis wer non sene.

IN alle pis nesch & hard, euer lasted þe distance
Bituex kyng Edward, & pe kyng of France,
Bot it was delâied tille a day cérteyn

Of right dome set & saied, how pes mot be pleŷn.
þei consentid bope, þorgh conseil of þe pape,
Το pese þam tuo wrope, with sight he wild schape.
porgh mariages was hoping of pe pes,

þat were certeyn stages, þat bobe parties ches.
þe kýng on suld haue, a may was in spekýng,
Tille his sonne suld men saue, Philip douhter ging.

Rex misit IN alle pis ordenance our kyng sent messengers

nuncios ad

Romam. pat kewe be greuance, wyse men barons pers,

Unto pe courte of Rome, pe pape to schew bat cas,
How wondere chances come, & who did most trespas,
Of Inglis & Frankis who was most culpable,

In þe pape leuès alle pis, to mak mende & mak alle stable.

1 To while pape Boniface duellid opon pis,

To gyue dome porgh grace, to mende bope per mýs, þe kyng tok his consaile, & home to Ingland went. Gode wynde in his saile Jhesu Criste him lent.

pe erles of Scotlond þat atteynt wer of treson,
be kyng him self willand, deliuerd pam fro prison.
pise wer of per gest, as I kan names fynde,
pe erle of Menetest was of Edward kynde,
be erle of Ascetelle, Sir Jon þe Comyn,
Badenauh sonne I telle, & pretty of þer couýn,
Alle pise & wele mo atteýnt of traýtorie,
þe kyng lete þam go of his curteisic,
Withouten siluere or golde, or any oþer treuage,
þer penance was, pei suld go in pilgrimage.
1 Here of þis wikked hals, pat our kyng gaf leue,
To France þei zede po fals, to Philip wild þei cheue,
Bisouht him of socoure & auancement,

To maynten þam in stoure, pei madhir per present,
Scotlond of him to hold ener withouten ende,
If he in luf wold as lord vnto pam lende.

PHILIP gaf respons, & bad þam go þer way,
"ge ere foles Bretons, disceit is pat ge say.
"þe pape me defendes with bulle pat bindis hard,
"To renne on po landes, pat longes tille Edward.
"To whils at oure trewe duellis on jugement,
"For me salle neuer be newe no fals compassement,

'There is a little stroke over the i in the MS. which shews

Rediit in
Angliam,
& incarce-
ratis Scottis
dedit licen-

ciam & li-
bertatem
exeundi.

Ecce de

falsitate

Scottorum.

that him is to be read.

F 3

Con