Interea ante alios dux piperlarius heros

Præcedens magnamque gerens cum burdine рурат,
Incipit Harlai cunctis sonare batellum.

Polemo-Middinia.

Bishop Gibson, however, is pleased here to observe, in a note, " Vestigium hujus vocis est in Islandica hardlya, et per contractionem, harla, perquam, valde, fortiter."

THE

BATTLE OF HARLAW.

I.

FRAE Dunideir as I cam throuch,
Doun by the hill of Banochie,
Allangst the lands of Garioch,
Grit pitie was to heir and se,
The noys and dulesum hermonie,
That evir that dreiry day did daw,*
Cryand the corynoch † on hie,
"Alas, alas, for the Harlaw."

* Daw, dawn.

Corynoch, an air of lament.

II.

I marvlit what the matter meint,
All folks war in a fiery fairy,*

I wist nocht quha was fae or friend,
Zit quietly I did me carrie,

But sent the days of auld king Harrie,
Sic slauchter was not hard nor sene;
And thair I had nae tyme to tairy,

For bissiness in Aberdene.

III.

Thus as I walkit on the way,
To Inverury as I went,

I met a man, and bad him stay,
Requesting him, to mak me 'quaint
Of the beginning and the event,
That happenit thair at the Harlaw;
Then he entreated me tak tent, +
And he the truth sould to me schaw.

*Fiery fairy, bustle, consternation.

Tak tent, take care.

Sen, since.

IV.

Grit Donald of the Yles did claim
Unto the lands of Ross sum richt,
And to the Governour he came,

Them for to haif gif that he micht; Quha saw his interest was but slicht, And thairfore answerit with disdain;

He hastit hame baith day and nicht, And sent nae bodword back again.

V.

But Donald, richt impatient

Of that answer Duke Robert gaif, He vowd to God Omnipotent,

All the hale lands of Ross to haif; Or ells, he graithed ‡ in his graif, He wald not quat his richt for nocht, Nor be abusit lyk a slaif,

That bargain sould be deirly bocht.

* Bodword, message, reply.

+ Hale, whole.

Graithed, dressed, here buried.

VI.

Then haistylie he did command,
That all his weir-men* should convene,

Ilk ane well harnisit frae hand,†

To meit, and heir quhat he did mein; He waxit wrath, and vowit tein‡ Sweirand he wald surpryse the north, Subdew the brugh of Aberdene, Mearns, Angus, and all Fyfe, to Forth,

VII.

Thus with the weir-men of the Yles,
Quha war ay at his bidding boun, ||
With money maid, with forss and wyls,
Richt far and near, baith up and down;
Throw mount and muir, frae town to town,
Allangst the land of Ross he roars,

And all obeyed at his bandoun, ¶
Evin frae the north to suthren shoars.

* Weir-men, men of war, warriors.

+ Frae hand, immediately.

Tein, anger, revenge.

|| Boun, ready.

Bandoun, command; à son bandoun, Fr.