THE SCENE: After unjustly executing one of his commanders (Faudon), William Wallace finds his crime staring him in the face — when Faudon’s headless corpse begins to harass him.
THE TEXT: The noise continued still, and drew more near,
The horrid din disturb’d the chieftain’s ear.
The awful sound increas’d still more and more,
Louder and louder swell’d the dreadful roar,
Which made him tremble who ne’er shook before.
But soon his dauntless sword he did collect,
Then, sword in hand, with daring front erect,
Mov’d to the gate, where, to his odd surprise,
The frightful Faudon stood before his eyes,
Holding his bloody head in his right hand.
Soon Wallace drew a cross, and made a stand.
At him the apparition threw its head,
But Wallace caught it by the hair with speed,
And threw it back. Yet dreadful was his fright;
For well he knew it was some hellish spring,
That mock’d his sword. Straight up the stairs he flew,
And soon himself out of a window threw;
Thence up the river hastily he ran,
Never so affrighted since he was a man.
Backwards he turn’d his eyes from whence he came,
And thought he saw the tow’r all in a flame;
While on the top did frightful Faudon stand,
With a prodigious rafter in his hand.
But whether vested with compacted airIn
Faudon’s shape some demon did appear,
Or, if the ling’ring soul, expelled with pain,
Strove to reanimate the corpse again,
Leave we to those who, with unweari’d eye.
Explore the latent depths of dark philosophy.
– The Life and Heroick Actions of the Renoun’d Sir William Wallace, Blind Harry, 15th Century AD
