▁the ▁language ▁spoken ▁in ▁northern ▁England , ▁it ▁became ▁a ▁distinct ▁dialect ▁from ▁the ▁late ▁four teenth ▁century ▁on wards . ▁It ▁began ▁to ▁be ▁adopted ▁by ▁the ▁r uling ▁el ite ▁as ▁they ▁gradually ▁abandoned ▁French . ▁By ▁the ▁fif teenth ▁century ▁it ▁was ▁the ▁language ▁of ▁government , ▁with ▁acts ▁of ▁parliament , ▁council ▁records ▁and ▁tre as urer ' s ▁accounts ▁almost ▁all ▁using ▁it ▁from ▁the ▁reign ▁of ▁James ▁I ▁( 1 4 0 6 – 3 7 ) ▁on wards . ▁As ▁a ▁result , ▁G ael ic , ▁once ▁dominant ▁north ▁of ▁the ▁T ay , ▁began ▁a ▁steady ▁decl ine . ▁ ▁Development ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁surv iving ▁major ▁text ▁in ▁Sc ots ▁literature ▁is ▁John ▁Bar bour ' s ▁Br us ▁( 1 3 7 5 ), ▁composed ▁under ▁the ▁patron age ▁of ▁Robert ▁II ▁and ▁telling ▁the ▁story ▁in ▁ep ic ▁poetry ▁of ▁Robert ▁I ' s ▁actions ▁before ▁the ▁English ▁invasion ▁till ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁war ▁of ▁independence . ▁The ▁work ▁was ▁extremely ▁popular ▁among ▁the ▁Sc ots - spe aking ▁arist ocracy ▁and ▁Bar bour ▁is ▁referred ▁to ▁as ▁the ▁father ▁of ▁Sc ots ▁poetry , ▁holding ▁a ▁similar ▁place ▁to ▁his ▁contemporary ▁Ch au cer ▁in ▁England . ▁Some ▁Sc ots ▁ball ads ▁may ▁date ▁back ▁to ▁the ▁late ▁medieval ▁era ▁and ▁deal ▁with ▁events ▁and ▁people ▁that ▁can ▁be ▁trac ed ▁back ▁as ▁far ▁as ▁the ▁th ir teenth ▁century , ▁including ▁" S ir ▁Patrick ▁Sp ens