The Bruce is a long Scots narrative poem by John Barbour, written in the late 14th century. It celebrates the deeds of Robert the Bruce and his companions in the Scottish struggle for independence, blending history, chivalry and adventure. It is worth listening to as a major medieval verse chronicle and a founding work of Scottish literature.
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Cover of the original edition (Project Gutenberg, public domain).
Text source: gutenberg.org · The work is in the public domain.
Opening of the book
THE BRUCE
BY
JOHN BARBOUR
AǡŕƒŠŧĵŕLjƿ Ljż AœŧǡŠŧŧƿ
EDITED FROM THE BEST TEXTS
WITH LITERARY AND HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION, NOTES AND
APPENDICES, AND A GLOSSARY
BY
W. M. MACKENZIE, M.A., F.S.A. (SŕLjǵ.)
AUTHOR OF “AN OUTLINE OF SCOTTISH HISTORY,” ETC.
LONDON
ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK
1909
PREFACE
1. MSS. and Editions.
The poem The Bruce, by John Barbour, is preserved in only two manuscripts, one in the library of St. John’s College, Cambridge, and the other in the Advocates’ Library, Edinburgh. The former is hereafter denoted by the letter C, the latter by E. Of these E alone is complete in the sense of having both beginning and end; the first three Books and Book IV. 1-56 are missing in C. On the other hand, C bears to have been completed in 1487, E in 1489. Other things being equal, the earlier MS. must, of course, be preferred. Here, however,
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