THE
FAMOVS
HISTORIE
OF
the
Renouned
and
Valiant
Prince
ROBERT
surnamed
the
BRVCE
King
of
SCOTLAND
c&
.
&
of
Sundrie
Other
valiant
knights
both
Scots
and
English
.
Enlarged
with
an
addition
of
the
Scottishe
Kinges
lineallie
discended
from
him
to
Charles
now
Prince
,
together
with
a
note
of
the
beginninges
of
the
most
parte
of
the
antient
and
famous
Nobilitie
of
Scotland
.
A
Historye
both
pleasant
and
profitable
set
forthe
and
done
in
heroik
verse
by
PATRICK
GORDON
Gentleman
.
At
Dort
Printed
by
George
Waters
.
1615.
THeit
is
sindrie
Errours
askepd
both
in
the
Orthographe
and
want
of
single
letters
.
But
inspetiall
their
is
two
falts
to
my
knowledge
in
the
vears
the
first
in
the
2.
cap.
the
5.
Line
of
the
last
vears
to
witt
.
Reed
shours
of
blood
in
sindrie
pearts
had
beene
The
2.
is
in
the
thrid
cap
the
3.
vers
and
the
2.
line
to
witt
.
Wheir
was
the
wounted
Loyaltie
now
gone
This
with
sindrie
vther
salts
as
but
,
whear
it
is
teaine
for
without
,
(
and
vther
Scots
words
which
I
haue
rather
chusd
to
pas
,
then
loise
a
sound
runing
line
)
I
dout
not
but
the
reader
will
excuse
in
respect
that
this
book
was
Printed
in
ane
vther
contrey
wheir
the
setters
did
not
vnderstand
the
Langage
.
To
the
most
Honorable
and
most
Accomplished
Erles
,
William
Erle
of
Angus
,
and
William
Erle
of
Morton
.
RIght
honorable
&
noble
Lords
presuming
on
the
accustomed
myldnes
and
affabelitie
for
the
which
your
L.
L.
haue
not
beene
a
litle
famous
,
It
hath
imboldned
me
to
lay
the
barren
feild
of
my
Vnfructfull
braine
before
the
powerfull
Sune
,
of
your
Perfections
,
whoes
beams
may
Illuminat
the
dark
sheddowes
,
Dispers
the
gros
Vapores
,
and
rype
the
enrypened
Ears
,
that
so
you
may
receaue
the
increas
of
this
my
second
Harvest
,
nether
deserveth
such
a
rare
&
excellent
Fruer
.
anie
les
then
such
a
fair
and
confortable
Summer
,
being
the
glorious
actiones
of
that
Illustrus
and
generus
Bruce
,
which
haueing
bred
in
so
sweet
and
ferteill
a
Soyll
,
hath
made
me
ambitiouslie
greeddie
therwith
to
inrich
my
barrén
fielde
,
hoping
that
my
insuffitiencie
(
if
once
supported
by
the
vnremouable
pillers
of
your
Vertues
)
shall
be
able
to
resiste
the
stormie
Tempests
of
wind-blasting
Sicophants
,
and
beat
bak
the
swerms
of
Poisone
,
sucking
Wasps
,
so
that
the
Seed
preserued
by
your
means
onlie
,
shall
yeeld
all
aeges
the
tymlie
Harvest
of
your
L.
L.
Eternall
glorie
,
I
being
bound
by
such
admirable
worth
&
vndeserued
courtessie
for
euer
to
Rest.
Your
L.
L.
most
affectioned
and
humble
servand
Patrick
Gordon
.
The
preface
or
rather
an
aduertisment
to
the
Reader
before
he
read
this
Poem
of
some
spetiail
points
to
be
obserued
in
the
whole
worke
with
the
vse
of
some
partes
seeming
Fabolus
therein
.
FEaring
to
be
taxt
of
ambitious
arragance
for
daring
to
midle
with
so
rare
a
work
I
am
onlie
armd
with
the
natural
dewtie
which
I
owe
to
my
countrey
the
vant
of
good
wil
in
the
more
excellent
Spreits
but
aboue
al
the
neuer
enough
praised
verteus
of
that
most
admirable
Prince
Robert
Bruce
ambitiously
desiring
to
immitat
him
,
whose
vnquensable
loue
&
burning
zeale
towards
his
Contrey
was
such
,
as
he
being
a
Prince
Roialy
discended
delicately
brought
vp
,
beloued
and
honoured
of
all
men
,
of
larlge
and
great
reueneues
both
in
England
and
scotland
:
so
that
it
was
thoght
he
had
more
contentment
of
mynd
and
more
blisings-heaped
on
him
by
heavens
then
any
liveing
in
his
dayes
:
Yet
such
was
his
loue
to
the
libertie
of
his
countrey
,
as
forseaking
his
reveneues
,
leaveing
his
wyf
&
cheldren
,
abandoning
al
his
royel
delicasies
,
plesurs
,
and
delights
,
he
betook
him self
to
armes
wherein
when
fortune
hade
crosd
him
so
far
as
it
is
sead
he
lost
thertin
Battels
before
he
wan
one
,
so
that
heauens
seemd
to
threattin
wengence
for
the
wilfull
refusall
of
thees
former
blisings
and
first
was
he
crosd
with
mis-fortun
in
warr
,
the
lose
of
his
brotheren
,
his
wife
and
daughter
being
taken
presoners
,
at
which
tyme
his
brotheren
was
cruallie
execute
his
freinds
become
al
his
enameis
and
being
persueit
both
of
scots
and
English
was
forsd
in
great
miserie
and
powertie
the
speace
of
thrie
yeare
to
keip
the
montains
wher
herbs
was
his
dentiest
meaits
and
watter
his
strongest
wyne
not
withstanding
that
he
might
still
haue
bene
restored
to
al
his
former
digniteis
and
much
more
,
if
he
could
haue
suffered
to
behold
his
countreyes
miserie
,
as
they
saw
his
,
but
such
was
his
meachles
loue
to
them
althogh
they
hatted
him
that
still
he
lamented
their
caus
more
then
his
owin
,
&
in
his
manie
soroufull
discourses
wold
alwayes
repeat
these
wersses
following
.
Ni
me
Scotorum
Libertas
prisca
moveret
Non
mala
tot
paterer
orbis
ob
Imperium
Robertus
Brusius
.
THeis
verses
written
and
subscribed
with
his
owin
hand
in
his
Manuall
book
which
he
alwayes
careed
about
with
him
was
extent
within
thes
feew
years
,
but
to
sett
downe
all
his
workes
and
fortitude
of
mynd
ware
to
tedious
,
seing
you
shal
find
manie
of
them
in
the
historie
following
and
altho
the
old
printid
book
besyds
the
owtworne
barborous
speiches
was
so
euill
composd
that
I
culd
bring
it
to
no
good
method
till
my
loveing
freind
Donald
farchersone
(
a
worthie
gentil
man
whoes
name
I
am
not
asham'd
to
expres
for
that
he
was
a
restles
suter
to
me
to
taik
this
work
in
hand
)
broght
me
a
book
of
virgine
parchement
which
he
hade
found
amongst
the
rest
of
his
books
is
was
old
&
torne
almost
inlegeable
in
manie
places
vanting
leaves
yet
hade
it
the
beginning
and
hade
bein
sett
doune
by
a
monk
in
the
abey
of
melros
called
Piter
fenton
in
the
year
of
god
(
one
thousand
th●ie
hundreth
sixtie
nyne
,
which
was
a
year
before
the
death
of
King
Dauid
Bruce
,
it
was
in
old
ryme
like
to
Chaucer
but
vanting
in
manie
parts
and
in
special
from
the
field
of
Bannochburne
fourth
It
wanted
all
the
rest
almost
,
so
that
it
could
not
be
gotten
to
the
pres
,
yet
such
as
I
could
reid
thereof
hade
manie
remarkable
taillis
worthie
to
be
noted
,
and
al
so
probable
agreing
with
the
trewth
of
the
historie
as
I
haue
foloued
it
alsweil
as
the
other
theris
onlie
two
partes
seeming
sabolous
the
first
is
the
Baliols
Visioune
which
as
it
is
of
small
consequence
&
doth
no
euil
,
Royall
maiestie
or
seeme
to
hinder
so
blessed
a
pace
of
the
which
it
seameth
that
the
heauins
has
called
him
to
be
the
happie
instrument
,
my
intensione
is
onlie
to
eternize
his
predicessors
&
his
own
glorie
being
bound
both
by
naturall
love
and
dewtie
to
imploy
my
whole
Indeuors
theirto
:
nether
doo
I
their
in
wrong
the
English
but
rather
to
my
power
exstolle
their
valour
and
with
more
●mildnes
modifie
that
which
our
wryters
most
sharplie
haue
wretin
Therby
to
extinguish
(
if
it
be
posibill
)
the
euil
opinion
that
hath
bein
so
long
ingreftid
in
the
hearts
of
manie
by
reading
of
thoes
old
historeis
hoping
yat
this
my
work
may
haply
mak
thois
that
tretith
of
the
sam
mater
to
be
forgotin
by
tyme
being
onlie
desirous
to
steir
vp
euerie
manes
mind
to
the
following
of
glorious
actions
:
with
that
most
praise
worthie
and
admirable
wonder
of
mankind
that
heauen
ordeaned
Sidnie
who
sayeth
that
the
hearing
of
the
Martiall
feats
of
arms
betuixt
the
Perfie
and
the
Douglas
stierd
vp
his
spierit
to
the
search
of
glorious
actionis
:
and
as
for
the
Kinges
discendit
of
the
Bruce
,
Queene
Marie
:
As
for
anie
other
poetik
floures
I
haue
presumde
on
Aristotill
his
opinioune
,
who
saieth
that
how
trew
soeuer
the
historie
be
,
it
ought
not
to
be
formed
in
Poesi●
without
invention
,
wharin
that
excellent
and
wise
Philosopher
hath
said
must
trew
for
with
invention
the
Poet
must
bew●isie
his
work
of
invention
he
frammeth
the
curious
winding
knots
of
his
Garding
of
invention
he
composeth
his
colours
:
of
invention
buddeth
his
diuersitie
of
odo●iferous
flouris
,
as
the
onlie
ornaments
of
his
whole
framm
,
of
invention
he
forgeth
links
to
make
as
it
wer
a
chaine
of
his
work
,
theirby
making
euerie
parte
to
depend
and
hang
vpon
vther
,
and
so
winding
the
reader
in
his
laborinth
delighteth
the
mynd
without
paine
,
which
vtherwaises
should
be
a
vallaie
full
of
diches
wheer
the
traveller
shold
be
forceed
to
leap
from
on
banck
to
an
vther
heaveing
no
bridges
to
go
ouer
at
his
pleasiur
&
those
are
the
things
wherof
thou
courtous
reader
should
be
aduertest
;
wishing
the
alwayes
to
reed
my
work
to
an
end
before
thou
take
offence
&
the
if
nether
the
willingnes
to
pleas
nor
onwillingnes
to
displeas
can
satisfie
let
my
first
fault
be
forginen
for
Ign●rance
sake
and
I
never
shall
intend
a
second
,
So
shall
I
euer
rest
.
Thy
silent
Friend
P.
G.