The king goes to Carrick; he upbraids Cuthbert]

Thys wes in ver quhen wynter tid
With his blastis hidwys to bid
Was ourdryvyn and byrdis smale
As turturis and the nychtyngale
5 Begouth rycht sariely to syng
And for to mak in thar singyng
Swete notis and sounys ser
And melodys plesand to her
And the treis begouth to ma
10 Burgeans and brycht blomys alsua
To wyn the helynd of thar hevid
That wykkyt wynter had thaim revid,
And all gressys beguth to spryng.
Into that tyme the nobill king
15 With his flote and a few mengye
Thre hunder I trow thai mycht be,
Is to the se oute off Arane
A litill forouth evyn gane.
Thai rowit fast with all thar mycht
20 Till that apon thaim fell the nycht
That woux myrk apon gret maner
Sua that thai wyst nocht quhar thai wer
For thai na nedill had na stane,
Bot rowyt alwayis intill ane
25 Sterand all tyme apon the fyr
That thai saw brynnand lycht and schyr.
It wes bot aventur thaim led
And thai in schort tyme sa thaim sped
That at the fyr aryvyt thai
30 And went to land but mair delay.
And Cuthbert that has sene the fyr
Was full of angyr and off ire,
For he durst nocht do it away
And wes alsua doutand ay
35 That his lord suld pas to se.
Tharfor thar cummyng waytit he
And met thaim at thar aryving.
He wes wele sone brocht to the kimg
That speryt at him how he had done,
40 And he with sar hart tauld him sone
How that he fand nane weill luffand
Bot all war fayis that he fand,
And that the lord the Persy
With ner thre hunder in cumpany
45 Was in the castell thar besid
Fullfillyt of dispyt and prid
Bot ma than twa partis off his rowt
War herberyt in the toune without,
'And dyspytyt you mar, schyr king,
50 Than men may dispyt ony thing.'
Than said the king in full gret ire,
'Tratour, quhy maid thou than the fyr?'
'A schyr,' said he, 'Sa God me se
The fyr wes nevyr maid for me,
55 Na or the nycht I wyst it nocht,
Bot fra I wyst it weill I thocht
That ye and haly your menye
On hy suld put you to the se,
For-thi I come to mete you her
60 To tell perellys that may aper.'

[The king decides to stay to attack Percy's men in a village by Turnberry]

The king wes off his spek angry
And askyt his pryve men in hy
Quhat at thaim thocht wes best to do.
Schyr Edward fryst answert tharto
65 His brodyr that wes sua hardy,
And said, 'I say you sekyrly
Thar sall na perell that may be
Dryve me eftsonys to the se.
Myne aventur her tak will I
70 Quhethir it be esfull or angry.'
'Brother,' he said, 'sen thou will sua
It is gud that we samyn ta
Dissese or ese or payne or play
Eftyr as God will us purvay.
75 And sen men sayis that the Persy
Myn heritage will occupy,
And his menye sa ner us lyis
That us dispytis mony wys,
Ga we and venge sum off the dispyte,
80 And that may we haiff done als tite
For thai ly traistly but dreding
Off us or off our her-cummyng,
And thocht we slepand slew thaim all
Repruff tharoff na man sall
85 For werrayour na fors suld ma
Quhether he mycht ourcum his fa
Throu strenth or throu sutelte,
Bot that gud faith ay haldyn be.'
Quhen this wes said thai went thar way,
90 And to the toune sone cummyn ar thai
Sa prevely but noyis making
That nane persavyt thar cummyng.
Thai skalyt throu the toun in hy
And brak up duris sturdely
95 And slew all that thai mycht ourtak,
And thai that na defence mocht mak
Full petously gan rar and cry,
And thai slew thaim dispitously
As thai that war in full gud will
100 To venge the angyr and the ill
That thai and thairis had thaim wrocht.
Thai with sa feloun will thaim soucht
That thai slew thaim everilkan
Owtane Makdowell him allan
105 That eschapyt throu gret slycht
And throu the myrknes off the nycht.
In the castell the lord the Persy
Hard weill the noyis and the cry,
Sa did the men that within wer
110 And full effraytly gat thar ger,
Bot off thaim wes nane sa hardy
That ever ischyt fourth to the cry.
In sic effray thai baid that nycht
Till on the morn that day wes lycht,
115 And than cesyt into party
The noyis the slauchtyr and the cry.
The king gert be departyt then
All hale the reff amang the men
And dwellyt all still thar dayis thre.
120 Syk hansell to that fokk gaiff he
rycht in the fyrst begynnyng
Newlingis at his aryvyng.

[A kinswoman gives him news and forty men]

Quhen that the king and his folk war
Aryvyt as I tauld you ar,
125 Aquhile in Karryk leyndyt he
To se quha freynde or fa wald be,
Bot he fand litill tendyrnes,
And nocht-forthi the puple wes
Enclynyt till him in party,
130 Bot Inglismen sa angrely
Led thaim with daunger and with aw
That thai na freyndschip durst him schaw.
Bot a lady off that cuntre
That wes till him in ner degre
135 Of cosynage wes wonder blyth
Off his aryvyng and alswyth
Sped hyr till him in full gret hy
With fourty men in cumpany
And betaucht thaim all to the king
140 Till help him in his werraying,
And he resavyt thaim in daynte
And hyr full gretly thankit he,
And speryt tythandis off the queyne
And off his freyndis all bedene
145 That he had left in that countre
Quhen that he put him to the se.
And scho him tauld sichand full sar
How that his brothyr takyn war
In the castell off Kyldromy
150 And destroyit sa velanysly
And the erle off Athall alsua
And how the queyn and other ma
That till his party war heldand
War tane and led in Ingland
155 And put in feloun presoune,
And how that Cristole off Setoun
Wes slayn, gretand scho tauld the king,
That sorowful wes off that tithing
And said quhen he had thocht a thraw
160 Thir wordis that I sall you schaw.
'Allace,' he said, 'For luff off me
And for thar mekill lawte
Thai nobill men and thai worthy
Ar destroyit sa velanysly
165 Bot and I leyff in lege-powyste
Thar deid rycht weill sall vengit be.
The king the-quhether off Ingland
Thocht that the kynrik off Scotland
Was to litill to thaim and me
170 Tharfor he will it myn all be.
Bot off gud Cristole off Setoun
That wes off sa nobill renoun
That he suld dey war gret pite
Bot quhar worschip mycht provyt be.'

[Percy is rescued from Turnberry castle]

175 The king sichand thus maid his mayn
And the lady hyr leyff has tayn
And went hyr hame till hyr wonnyng
And fele sys confort the king
Bath with silver and with mete
180 Sic as scho in the land mycht get.
And he oft ryot all the land
And maid all his that ever he fand
And syne drew him till the hycht
To stynt better his fayis mycht.
185 In all that tym wes the Persy
With a full sympill cumpany
In Turnberys castell lyand,
For the King Robert sua dredand
That he durst nocht isch furth to fayr
190 Fra thine to the castell off Ayr
That wes then full off Inglismen,
Bot lay lurkand as in a den
Tyll the men off Northummyrland
Suld cum armyt and with strang hand
195 Convoy him till his cuntre.
For his saynd till thaim send he,
And thai in hy assemblyt then
Passand I weyne a thousand men
And askyt avisement thaim amang
200 Quhether that thai suld dwell or gang,
Bot thai war skownrand wonder sar
Sa fer into Scotland for to far,
For a knycht, Schyr Gawter the Lile
Said it wes all to gret perile
205 Sua ner thai schavalduris to ga.
His spek discomfort thaim sua
That thai had left all thar vyage
Na war a knycht off gret corage
That Schyr Roger off Sanct Jhon hycht
210 That thaim confort with all his mycht,
And sic wordis to thaim gan say
That thai all samyn held thar way
Till Turnbery, quhar the Persy
Lap on and went with thaim in hy
215 In Ingland his castell till
Foroutyn distroublyne or ill.

[Douglas decides to visit his lands]

Now in Ingland is the Persy
Quhar I trow he a quhile sall ly
Or that he schap hym for to fayr
220 To werray Carryk ony mar,
For he wyst he had na rycht
And als he dreid the kyngys mycht
That in Carrik wes travailland
In the maist strenth off the land,
225 Quhar Jamys off Douglas on a day
Come to the king and gan him say,
'Schyr, with your leyve I wald ga se
How that thai do