Scottish Text Society publications > Old series > Actis and deidis of the illustere and vailzeand campioun, Schir William Wallace, Knicht of Ellerslie

INTRODUCTION.
XXXI
That Scottis men mycht do na thing
That evir mycht pleys to thar liking.
Thar wyffis wald thai oft forly,
And thar dochtrys dispitusly
And gyff ony tharat war wrath,
Thai watyt hym well with gret scaith ;
For thai suld fynd some enchesone
To put hym to destructione.
And gyff that ony man thaim by
Had ony thing that wes worthy,
As hors, or hund, or othir thing,
That pleasand war to thar liking,
With rycht or wrang It have wald thai.
And gyff ony wald thaim withsay,
Thai suld swa do, that thai suld tyne
Othir land or lyff, or leyff in pine.
For thai dempt thaim efter thair will,
Takand na kep to rycht na skill.
A ! quhat thai dempt thaim felonly !
For gud knychtis that war worthy,
For littil enchesoun or than nane,
Thai hangit be the nekbane.
Alas ! that folk, that evir wes fre,
And in fredome wount for to be,
Throw thar gret myschance and foly
War tretyt than sa wykkytly,
That thar fays thar lugis war :
Quhat wrechitnes may man have mar.”
And then follows the noble passage beginning—
“ A ! fredome is a noble thing !
Fredome mays man to haiff liking,” &c.
This picture of the oppression of the English is given,
not from Harry, but Barbour, whose claims to historical
accuracy have not been disputed. Edward, by the high¬
handed tyranny of his agents, made the Scots a nation.
Scotland was before his aggression a united but hetero-