His Recantation. I.
A
Lace, how lang have I delayed,
To leave the laits of youth?
Alas, how oft have I essayed,
To
•…
aunt my lasciue mouth?
And make my vain polluted thought.
My pen, and speech prophaine,
Extoll the Lord, whilk made of nocht,
The heaven, the earth, and rain?
Skarse nature yet my face about,
Hir virile wob had spun,
When als oft as
Phoebea
stout:
Was set agains the Sun:
Zea, als oft as the sterie flames,
Arise and shine abroad,
I minded was with sangs and Psalms,
To glorify my God.
Bot ay ye cancred carnal kind,
Quhilk lurked me within,
Seduced my heart, withdrew my mind,
And maid me sclaue to sin.
My sensis, and my soul I saw,
Dehait a deadly strife,
Into my flesh I felt a law,
Gainstand the law of life.
Even as the falcon high, and hait,
Furth fleeing in the sky,
With wanton wings hir game to gai
•…
,
Disdaines her callers cry:
So led away with liberty,
And drowned in delight,
I wandered after vanity,
My vice I give the wight.
Bot (Lord) now from thy holy throne,
Bow down thy luifing eye,
At last I mourn, I make my mone.
I turn myself to thie.
Oh: If this fragile flesh unclean,
Had never had na lust,
Or that I had not formed bein,
Of filthy worms and dust.
Ah: if I never had been thrall,
To these infirmities,
Quhilk causes men so oft to fall,
In foolish fantasies:
Or had nocht had a sinful heart
Ingraffed in my breast,
Quhilk makes me from my God depart,
Ilk hour of day at least.
Then should I have from sin been fr
•…
,
And never seen the grave:
Bot (Lord) be merciful to me,
I knaw not what I crave.
Thy wonders are not wrought to please,
Mans foolish appetite,
Bot as seems gud into thine eyes,
And for thine own delight.
For to our wavering wit, thy warks,
Mayest secreit are not shawin,
And to what end thy wisdom marks,
To catiues is vnknawin,
Even things unpossible (think we)
Thy providence divine,
Brings them to pas as pleaseth thee,
And all the praise is thine.
Bot suffering Lord to anger slaw,
To mercy reddie bent,
Mair glad on sinners grace to shaw,
Nor they are to repent:
That
Zoar
sa
•…
'd for luife of
Lot,
And cause of Godly men,
Wald have remitted
Sodom's
spot,
That was to wraik in forty days,
Bot when they left their wicked ways,
Forgaue them fatherly:
That did not from thee plaint thine ears,
Nor yet the vile despise,
Of
Magdalene,
nor
Peters
tears,
Quha thee denied thrice.
Avert thy wraith, my soul relieve,
Within my body bun,
My grievous sins of grace forgive,
Throw Jesus Christ thy sun:
Thy holy sprit in me let rest,
To teach me what to crave,
For why? thy wisdom knawes far best,
Whereof I mister have.
Grant that these instruments of shame.
Quhilks daily do offend,
May serve and sanctify thy name,
Unto my livis end.
Bot sen so lang as in the race,
Of mortal men I rin,
I cannot of myself, alas?
Abstain fra vice and sin.
Zit never suffer me to fall,
So deeply in disdain,
That there na farther hope at all,
Of mercy may remain:
Or may be frustrate of the fude,
Whereof thy sain
•…
s are sure,
Or of that blist beatitude,
Which ever sall endure.
Oh, let me not the merits lose,
Of my redeemer dear,
Bot when I waill with weeping vos
•…
,
Lord, to my plaint give ear.
Ye though I oft decline from thee,
And grievously do fall,
Let Jesus bitter death ay be,
Ane recompense for all.
O mighty God? whilk for thy gloir,
May animat the stains,
And make the sowking babes adore,
Thy majesty atains:
That maid thy Prophets months reveill,
Thy mysteries grit to cum,
And did the tung inutile heill
Of
Zechariah
that was dum.
That gave thy servant
David
king,
A scepter for a staff,
Syne made him sacred Psalms to sing,
a hundredth and a half.
And thine Apostles preaching sweet,
With virtue did inspire,
And send them down thy holy spreit,
In cloven tungs of fire.
Lift up mine heart, my lips disclose,
My tendered tung untie,
Then sall my singing soul rejoice,
And flee above the sky:
Blis thou my work, be my support,
My teacher, and my guide,
Then sall my mouth thy praise report,
Through all the world so wide,
Then sall my sacred pen delight,
Induring all my days,
Thy wondrous works in verse to write,
Five hundred diverse ways:
Even on my iolie Lute, by night,
And trimling trible string,
I sall withal my mind and might,
Thy glory gladly sing.
Then they that sall thy puissance heir,
And tender clemency,
Sall moved be with lui
•…
e and fear,
To praise and worship thee:
Zee when my spirit is past away,
Among the godly gostes,
Yet sall the reader sigh, and say,
Blist be the Lord of hosts.
Of God's benefits bestowed
upon man. II.
MY soul is reueist up fra me, my reason is berest,
my sensis are astoneist all, my mind hir use hes left,
My memory is quite confusde, transported is mine heart,
My spreit is in ane ecstacy, as I were to depart:
When as the gracious gifts of God profoundly I perpend,
Beleifing ay to compass all, bot cannot find ane end:
I marvel mair the mair I muse, the mair I knowledge crave,
Of hid and holy things, the mair myself I do disceaue:
Mayest like a man qu
•…
ilk dost behald, the face of
Phoebus
bright,
And thinks through earnest luking lang, to perse it with his sight,
His optik beims trenspersis nocht, his ve wing is in vain,
The fers reflex his dimmed sight, repousis back again:
Sa when I cannot comprehend with weak & wavering thoght,
•…
or penetrat gods mighty warks, sa well & wisely wrought,
I am compelled then to cry, O Lord, thy gifts are good,
My dull capacity they pas, I am but flesh and blood.
Great God, thy gifts are infinite, even granted unto man,
Whereof a part I sall recite, as truly as I can:
Exhause my prayer and thy praise, shaw me thy lifelie light,
Thy benefits, and bounty baith, that I may sing aright.
When
Lucifer
the Prince of pride, first interprised evil,
And from his happy hie estate, was changed in a devil,
Great was the number, and the fall of his unhappy sect,
Quhilk fearfully from heaven to hell, the Lord he did deject:
Their was na light of day as yet, nor shining beims so clear,
The Moon yet in the firmament, nor sternis did nocht appear,
Their was na earth to foster fruits, nor for the fishes seyes,
Na subtle fire, nor hailsome air, to flurish flowers or treis,
Nor finally, man was not made, na beast nor creeping thing,
Na skaillie fishes in the fluds, nor foul that flies on wing,
With pure immortal creatures clear, and sangs of Angels bright
The majesty of God was praist, with louings loud on hight,
Bot yet his great beneficence, qubilk ever mair hes bein,
But mesor large and infinite, the heavens could not contain,
Abundantly deborded all, and flowing heir, and there,
Mayest plenticusly replenist all, extending everywhere,
Even be his wisdom, and his word, sa wondrouslie of nocht,
This machin round, this vniuers, this other world he wrocht:
He creat first the heaven, the earth, and all that is thairin,
The swelling seas, the fire, and air, sine man deuoid of sin.
Necessity it moved him nocht, nor hope of future gain,
Sic passions falls not in the Lord, but in his sicht ar vain:
Bot for his pleasure and his praise, his precepts to fulfill,
And last in peace for to possess, his high and holy hill,
A perfect comely corps of man, he made of earthly dust,
The other part like to himself, true, holy, wise, and just:
This lifely Image of the Lord, cannot defaced be,
Na creature the creator knawis, nor worship can, but he:
In earth nane this character hes, saif only man him sell,
Quhilk makes him master ou'r the beasts, & ou'r the devils in hell.
Than in his deadly visage wan, he braithed braith of life,
And gave him of a weaker sex, to pleasour him a wise,
Twa living and Immortal sauls, he blessed with his grace,
Syne placed them in
Paradise,
a peerles pleasant place,
What sall I all the gifts recount, qubilk cannot numbered be▪
Mair nor the glistering sternes of heaven, or sands into the sea?
Quhilk with the Lord endued hes, baith
Adam
and his kind▪
Sick beantie of the body rare, sick graces of the mind,
And for external benefits, all things hear under heaven,
To pleasour, and to profit man, bes he not freely gevin?
A seemly membred
microcosme
be number, and be weight,
Be measour, and proportion just, he maid erect and straight,
And every member maid to have a certain sympathy,
Amangs themselves, and with the heavens a decent harmony,
Quhilks dost their office execute, mayest promptlie but delay,
As Instruments and organis pressed, thy will for to obey:
Sa sharp the senses they are all, intrinsic, and without,
That easily man may discern of every darksom doubt:
The eyes sa reddie are to see, so bissie to behald,
With bemming blenks, & persing luiks what sa the fantasie wald
The ears erected ar to heir, and quickly to conceive
Ilk lively voice, Ilk speech, Ilk sound, & knawis then be the leave
The smelling nostrils quick of sent, they smell or they come neir
All odors, whilks the eyen, nor eirs, can neither see, nor heir.
Of every substance sapient, the sapor and the taist
If it be ather gude or bad, the mouth will try in haist.
The helping hands appointed ar to graip, to feill and tuitche,
And diligent in doing ar qubair ever they may reitche,
The Lord hes placed pith and strength within the bains & nerfs,
Agilitie into the blood 'whilk spilled the body sterfs.
The feit ar swift and members meit, for to sustain the rest,
And spedilie will pace and run where sa man likis best.
All this external qualities, and graces corporell,
Albeit they be batth great and gude, zit vthers dost excel,
How far the pure immortal soul in substance dost surpas,
The mortal, caduck, carnal corps (a lowrd and brukill mas:)
Als far the functions of the soul surmounts the bodyis micht,
The puissance, and perfection baith, the science, and the slight,
For all these actions lodge in man, dost from the soul proceid:
Quhilk once dissolved fra the corps, the body is but deed.
Even as the fire dost animat, and poussis in the air,
A weighty & material ball, rebounding here and their,
Bot when the flames extinguished are, down falls the machin round
Sa when the active soul is gain, the body goes to ground.
The mighty God he gave to man, a swift and agile thought,
Quhilk like a foul up through the skies, from earth to hevin hes sought,
A strong imagination
•…
ixt, ilk figure to consaue,
A quick revoluing reason rype to rewle all the laue,
A memory for to conserve, whilk like a the saure deep,
All things conceived in the heart, dost well retain and keep.
I wonder at the wit of man, whom God hes made so wise,
That all things speedefull for his use, he promplie can devise,
That can the present time observe, and call to mind the past,
Confer and prudently espy, the future cumming fast.
The natural course and causes all, of everything he knawes,
What moves the mighty thunderclaps, & windy tempests blaws
What makes the fearful flauches of fire, & lightnings in the skies
And why the shill and freesing frosts, the waters deep vpdryes,
And how the hard congealed ice, dissolved is again,
What forms the hail, the stormy snawes, & sounding showers of rain,
Why thik infectiue mists sa mark, ore hails the earth and air,
And why the silver drops of dew, down falls in wedder fair,
Why oft the earth, whilk of it self, is stable, firm, and steif,
With trimling and with awful quaiks, in twa is like to cleif,
Why many diverse he wes appeirs, into the heavenly bow,
And why the caging
Ocean
seas, dost only fleit and flow,
Why Sodainely the Sun by day, is private of his light,
And why the shining Moon at full, endures eclipse by night,
Why monthly the Moon renews hir hew, and horns so paill,
Why monethlie hir fowie face is round, & lightened haill,
Why whylome in the firmament, strange tailed sterns appeiris,
Why whilome sindrie shaps of beasts, and flaming strie speiris:
He knawes the wrestles course and race of all the planets seven,
The influence and order great, of all the host of heaven:
The form and fabrik of the earth, and ample vniuers,
He knawes the force of every flower, of every plant and gers,
The virtue of all kind of fruits, and every vegetal,
The properties of precious stanes. and metals mineral,
He knawes the strange instinctions all, of every brutall beast:
Of fishes and of flichtring fouls, and reptils which are least,
The ravenous and the raskall rout, wild, venomous, & tame,
The hideous monsters meruellous man knaws them be their name:
And to be short, he knows him self, & his original,
That he mon die, and after death the heaven inherit sall.
The Lord hes be his word, his will reveild unto his awin,
And made his counsel, & his court to mankind clearly knawne,
He
Adame
lent a libre will to follow what he list,
And with his holy spirit, and grace his chosen dost assist:
Man hes a fragrant fresh ingyne all science to invent,
A fair and flowing facund tung, till utter his intent,
And all are gifts, and graces great which with the living Lord,
But meriting a mortal man divinely hes decord.
I long to love thy larges (Lord) and prudent providence,
But now
•…
f force I mon proceed, Lord prosper my pretence.
How worthy are the sons of men, and
Adams
catiue kind,
That thou (great God) should them regard, or have so much in mind,
Such thing is fantasie to frame, & pansing vain procures
For what is all the vnivers, and living creatures?
All nothing worthy of themselves, but as thou list of love,
With graces them to dignify, and highly to promove:
Man is a wark which thou hes made, sa is the sun and moon,
Thou hes him placed above the rest, thy holy willbe done.
With earthly pleasures manifold, man compassed is about,
He pleased is in coming in, and glad in going out,
Ilk beautiful and pleasant sight, he pleasure hes to see,
In hearing hes he not delight all kind of facetie,
Ilk symphonie and seemly sound is pleasant to his eir,
Trew sapience and science baith, his heart delits to leir,
In smelling every savor sweet he pleasour hes perfect,
In taisting every dainty dish, he daily hes delight,
To reason he rejoicing hes, to learn, to teache, and talk,
He recreation takis to read, to run, to ride, and walk,
By nicht to lie and softly sleep, to rest and to repose,
His helper to behald and treit he suirly may reiose,
And as the Lord hes institute to kiss hir pleasant face,
Ane propagation for to make, in love hir to embrace.
The joy, the wealth, the mirth of man & pleasour to compleit,
All things beneth the voult of heaven ar sterned under feit,
He is mayest like ane God on earth, for God he gave him charge
Ou'r every bald and brutall beast, that feids in forests large,
ou'r every
•…
ing feathered fowl that swif
•…
st is of slight,
Ou'r every swimming finned fish with shining scales sa bright:
our every litil creiping thing, or other animant,
That in the sea, the fire, or air, or on the earth dost haunt:
the fires and hardy
Elephant,
the horses swift and strang.
as brutalls brave and bellicose, the battles from amang,
From dangers they his body beir, or where he list to pass,
The
Camel
bears his charges great, the
Mule
and simple Ass,
the busy beufs, laborious beasts they teill the fertile ground,
Least man with weariness, and wark in bondage suld be bound:
all venneson, and other wild they serve him at his neid,
The scheip, the nolt, & naughty worms they do him cleith & feid
the little friand fish in flude, and dentie volatil,
Quhilks shedds the waters, & the winds, he traps them at his will
Baith cruel and abased beasts that hants in banks and bewis,
In denns, deserts, or caverns deip, for pastime he persewis.
Not only ou'r the beasts on earth man's power dost extend,
But ou'r the
Dragon,
beast of beasts, a subtle serpent kend,
Above the devil his deidlie fa, and frowart suries fell,
God gave him might and moyen baith be force them to expel,
For thocht that enemy fell and fierce the state of man invyis,
And aye in wait him to deuore mayest like a Lyon lyis:
Yet all the fellon feinds of hell that trimble fast for fear,
And stoups when as the awful curs, & dreadful dume they hear,
Pronounced by the mouth of man, against that bailfull band,
The rebels nather dow, nor dare the word of God gain-stand,
The secreits of religious rites, the sacred sacraments,
The blist Evangel mayest of all, the tormentors torments.
But now fly far away, fra me ye cursed cateifs all,
Increduils hence ga hide you hie, the cluds are like to fall:
A mystery high and holy baith, I sing without delay,
Ye misbeleeuers bide abacke, fly (fugitiues) away.
My lips delights not now in lies, vain fictions I refuse,
The book of God sall be my guide, the holy ghaist my muse.
When subtle Satan had deceived, the tragile female
Eve,
Who made the sinles man consent, defended fruit to preue,
Till e it against the Lord's command, and greeuouslie offend,
He banished was from blis to baill, to hell and death but end:
The Lord of mercy mesourles, man to redeem again,
From Satan sin, and second death, from hell and endless pain:
Down sent the word, which with himself had coeternal bein,
In essence with the father God, and deity divine,
Which was before beginnings all, or times were yet begun,
Begotten of the father God, and called is his Son,
Be whom all kind of things were made, within the machin roun
•…
The only Son of God (I say) descended down to ground,
And for the foul offense of man, the father thought it good,
Be virtue of the holy gaist, to make him flesh and blood.
Sa great a wonder was not heard, sen first the world began,
The only son of God to be, both very God and man,
Even of a virgin to be borne, to suffer death and shame,
The sacrifice for manly sin, Christ Jesus is his name,
Which on the third day after death, arase forth of the grave,
And gloriously past up to heaven, the seed of man to save,
Where at the right and holy hand, of God
•…
mnipotent,
He intercessor sits for sick, as truly shall repent,
Quhilk puts their hope into his death, and praises God therefore,
They shall receive eternal life, and crowned be with glore:
All graces he will give to sick, as dost him fear and serve,
And all without desert, for what can worms and dust deser
•…
?
Na nothing (Lord) bot all proceids, and flowed first from thee.
O mortels: sen we merit not, yet let us thankful be,
Acknowledge what society sure, it pleaseth God to have,
With all the human kind and how, he loves it by the laue:
For men on earth the mark of God, & Image bright he bears,
And Christ in heaven the nature weak, of man be waild & wears,
Christ vanquished death, the devil & hell, & hes suppressed their heid,
He surely is the savior sweet, of sinful
Adams
seid.
Lord, lose not thy redeemed flock, Christ's death were then in vain
Bot let thy favor and thy grace, with mortals ay remain:
And thou (O man) with all the gifts, where with thou art endued,
Extoll the Lord, let ay his praise, and glory be renewed,
Thy domicile and dwelling place, Christ Jesus hes prepard
Above, whilk blis but end shall be thy last and best reward,
The word and covenant of the Lord, his promises are sure,
Mans joy and mercies of the Lord, forever shall endure.
But now my lips, and thou my Lute ming melody amang
Again unto the mighty God, go sing a newar sang,
Of the day Estivall. III.
O
Perfite light, whilk schaid away,
The darkness from the light,
And set a ruler ou'r the day,
Ane other ou'r the night.
Thy glo
•…
ie when the day forth flies,
Mair viuely dost appear,
Nor at midday unto our eyes.
The shining Sun is clear.
The shadow of the earth anon,
Remooues and draws by,
Sine in the East, when it is gone,
Appears a clearer sky.
Quhilk Sun perceaues the little larks,
The lapwing and the snyp,
And tunes their sangs like natures clarks,
Ou'r midow, mure, and stryp.
Bot every bais'd nocturnal beast,
Na langer may abide,
They hy away baith mayest and least,
Them selves in house to hide.
They dread the day fra they it see,
And from the sight of men.
To saits, and couars fast they flee,
And Lions to their ven.
Oure
Hemisphere
is poleist clein,
And lightened more and more,
While everything be clearly sein,
Quhilk seemed dim before.
Except the glistering astres bright,
Which all the night were clear,
Offusked with a greater light,
Na langer dost appear.
The golden globe incontinent,
Sets up his shining head,
And eu'r the earth and firmament,
Displayes his beims abread.
For joy the birds with boulden throts,
Agains his visage shein,
Takes up their kindelie music nots.
In woods and gardens grein.
Up braids the careful husbandman,
His corns, and vines to see,
And every tymous artisan.
In buith work busilie.
The pastor quits the slothful sleep.
And passis forth with speed,
His little camow-nosed sheep,
And rowtting kie to
•…
eede.
The passenger from perrels sure.
Gangs gladly forth the way:
Breife, every living creature,
Takes comfort of the day,
The subtle mottie rayons light,
At rifts they are in won,
The glansing thains, and vitre bright,
Resplends against the sun.
The dew upon the tender crops,
Lyke pearls white and round,
Or like to melted silver drops,
Refreshes all the ground.
The mystie rock, the clouds of rain,
From tops of mountains skails,
Clear are the highest hills and plain,
The vapors takes the vails,
Be garied is the saphire pend,
With spraings of scarlet hew,
And preciously from end till end,
Damasked white and blew,
The ample heaven of fabrik sure,
In cleanness dost surpas,
The crystal and the siluerpure,
Or clearest poleist glas.
The time sa tranquill is and still.
That na where sall ye find,
Saife on ane high, and barren hill,
Ane air of peeping wind.
All trees and simples great and small,
That balmie leise do beir,
Nor they were painted on a wall,
Na mair they mone or steir.
Calme is the deep, and purpour se,
Ye smuther nor the sand,
The walls that woltring wont to be,
Are stable like the land.
Sa silent is the cessile air,
That every cry and call,
The hills, and dails, and forest fair,
Again repeats them all.
The rivers fresh, the callor streams,
Ou'r rocks can softlie rin,
The water clear like crystal seames,
And makes a pleasant
•…
in.
The fields, and earthly superfice,
With verdure green is spread,
And naturally but artifice,
In party coulors cled.
The flurishes and fragrant flowers,
Throw
Phoebus
fostring heit,
Refresht with dew and silver showers,
Casts up ane odor swett.
The clogged busy bumming beis,
That never thinks to drown,
On flowers and flourishes of treis,
Collects their liquor brown.
The Sun mayest like a speedy post.
With ardent course ascends,
The beauty of the heavenly host,
Up to our Zenith tends.
Nocht guided be na
Phaeton,
Nor trained in a chyre,
Bot he the high and holy on,
Quhilk dost all where impire.
The burning beims down from his face,
Sa fervently can beat:
That man and beast now seeks a place
To save them fra the heat.
The brethles flacks draws to the shade.
And frechure of their
•…
ald,
The startling nolt as they were made,
Runnes to the rivers called.
The herds beneath some leaffie try,
Amids the flowers they lie,
The stabill ships upon the sey,
Tends up theirsails to dry.
The heart, the hynd, and fallow dear,
Are tapisht at their rest,
The fowls and birds that made thee bear,
Prepares their pretty nest.
The rayons dures descending down,
All kin
•…
lis in a gleid,
In city nor in borrough stowne,
May nane set forth their heid.
Back from the blew paymented whun,
And from ilk plaster wall:
The hot reflexing of the sun,
Inflams the air and all.
The labowrers that timellie rai
•…
All weary saint and weak:
For heat down to their houses gaise,
Noone-meat and sleep to take.
The callowr wine in cave is sought,
Men's brothing breists to cule:
The water called and clear is brought,
And sallets steipt in vle.
Sume plucks the honey plowm and peare,
The cherrie and the pesche,
Sume likes the rime, and
London
bear,
The body to refresh,
Forth of their
•…
keeps some raging bees,
Lyes out and will not cast,
Some other swarms hyves on the trees,
In knots togidder fast.
The corbeis, and the kekling kais,
May scarce the heat abide,
Halks prunzeis on the sunnie brais,
And wedders back, and side.
With gilted eyes and open wings,
The cock his courage shawes,
With claps of joy his breast he dings,
And twenty times he crawes.
The dow with whisling wings sa blew,
The winds can fast collect,
Hir pourpour pens turns money hew,
Against the sun direct.
Now noon is went, gain is mid-day,
The heat dost slake at last,
The sun descends down west away,
Fra three of clock be past.
A little cule of braithing wind,
Now softly can arise,
The warks throw heat that lay behind,
Now men may enterprise.
Furth fairis the flocks to seek their fude,
On every hill and plain,
Quhilk laborer as he thinks gude,
Steppes to his turn again.
The rayons of the Sun we see,
Diminish in their strength,
The schad of every tower and tree,
Extended is in length.
Great is the calm for every where,
The wind is sitten down,
The reik thrawes right up in the air,
From every tower and town.
Their firdoning the bony birds,
In banks they do begin,
With pipes of reides the iolie hirds,
Halds up the mirrie din.
The Maveis and the Philomeen,
The Stirling whissilles loud,
The Cuschetts on the branches green,
Full quietly they crowd.
The gloming comes the day is spent,
The Sun goes out of sight,
And painted is the occioent,
With pourpour sanguine bright.
The Skarlet nor the golden threid,
Who would their beawtie try,
Are nothing like the color reid,
And beauty of the sky.
Our West Horizon circuler,
Fra time the Sun be set,
Is all with rubies (as it wer)
Or Rosis reid ou'rfret.
What pleasour were to walk and see,
Endlang a river clear,
The perfect form of every tree,
Within the deep appear?
The Salmon cut of cruifs and creils,
Up hailed into skowts,
The bells, and circles on the weills,
Throw lowpping of the trouts.
O: then it were a seemly thing,
While all is still and calm,
The praise of God to play and sing,
With cornet and with shalme.
Bot now the birds with money schout,
Cals vt
•…
er be their name,
Ga Billie turn our gude about,
Now time is to go
•…
ame.
With belly fow the beatres believe,
Are turned fra the corn,
Quhilk soberly they hameward driur,
With pipe and lilting horn.
Throw all the land great is the gild,
Of rustik folk that cry,
Of bleiting sheep fra they be filled,
Of calves and rowting ky.
All laborers draws have at even,
And can till other say,
Thanks to the gracious God of heaven,
Quhilk send this summer day.
To his sorrowful soul, conso
lation. IIII.
Jmmortall Spirit, my best, mayest perfect parte,
Why dost thou thus thyself consume with caire?
O noble chieftain of my manly heart,
Why art thou thus with thought ou'r-set sa fair?
Why is thy grief augmented mair and mair?
Why art thou sad, and sorry to the dead?
Why art thou almaist drowned in deep despair,
And comfort nane can find, nor na remeid:
Hear in the flesh thou taistis the pains of hell,
Thou vthers helps (my soul) now cure thy sell.
My heart is faint, my flesh consumes away,
Within my veins the blood is skant and called,
My bains thy bow, my strength dost clean decay,
My hairs are schyre and gray, yer I be ald,
My march it melts, my febill limbs thy fauld,
My skin is dry, my hide hes lost the hew,
My force it faillis to do the thing I wald,
My beauty faids, my face is paill and blew,
My sight is dim, for sunken ar mine eyes
How in my head, and all throw thy diseis.
Into this life thow knawis their is na rest,
But daily pain, inconstancy and grief,
For when thow alwayis vois attend the best,
Perchance sall come the greatest new mischief:
Thow knawis thy stay, and only true rel
•…
efe,
Quhair thou in thrall hes comfort fund before,
Imbrace thy God with prayer and belief,
And in the end thow sall triumph with glore:
Beware, and wise thy fa
•…
s the nocht be gile,
Loss not thy right for suffering hear a while.
Thow hes not yet bein threttie yeirs and ane,
Into this fleshly prison resident,
And lo the half neereby the space is gane,
Quhilk to remain here nature hes thee lent,
Ye natures course the Lord he will prevent,
And call thee ham
•…
, if that he think it good:
Or if he length this life, hald thee content,
And be commander of the flesh and blood:
While thou art heart (my soul) see thou contend,
This point of time in worthy warks to spend.
Though thou a stranger be, and thinks great lang,
Anone thou sall pas to thy native land,
The highest judge he will revenge thy wrang,
His sentence sure the earth can nocht gainstand,
The day is near, the hour it is at hand,
The mighty God will come without delay,
Deliver sall his awin afflicted band,
And from thine eyes sall wipe the tears away:
Hope and reioise, for in the midst of strife,
Thou sall be sure of comfort in this life.
And in the ende when death would thee devore,
Hir mortal stang sall nocht take halde on thee,
Bot be hir means she sall the quite restore,
Unto thine awin eternal liberty,
With little pain thou sall dissolved be,
Furth of the bands of flesh where thou art bound,
Sine like a foul aloft sall swiftlie fly,
And leave the body breathles on the ground:
With agile wings thou sall transcend the sky,
In sepulchree the corps sall sleiping lie.
The angels sall with singing thee convoy,
Throw air and fire up to the heavens sa bright,
Where thou sall dwell in blis and perfect joy,
With happy sauls and messengers of light,
Free from the thoughts and sorrows of the night,
Uoide of all care, calamity and fear,
For of the Lord thou sall enjoy the sight,
In whom all grace, and pleasour sall appear.
With Christ thy head thou happy sall remain,
To judge the dead, while he return again.
O happy death to life the ready way,
The ende of grief, and salve of sorrows all,
O pleasant sleep thy pains they are bot play:
Thy coup is sweet, although it taste of gall,
Thou brings the bound, and wretched out of thrall,
Within the port sure from the stormy blast,
For after death na mischief may befall,
Bot woe, wan-chance, and perrels all are past,
Of kindly death nane suld affraied be,
Bot sick as hope for na felicity.
The day sall come when all the planets seven,
Sall lose their light, and mighty influence,
The glistering starnis, and powers of the heaven,
Their force sall fail, and haill magnificence,
The saints of God sall suffer violence,
The common course of mortal things sall stay,
The lively word sall get na audience,
For pity, love, and lawtie sall decay:
Then sall the Son of man be seen descend,
Quhilk to all things sall put a final ende.
It sall be then as in the days of
Noy,
When mortal men continued in their sin,
They build, they wed, they
•…
rinke, they live
〈◊〉
joy,
Into the ark while godly
Noy
went in:
Yet fear sall fall to hear the awful din,
To see the ende and sudden change of all,
The guilty minds avaisedly sall rin,
And wish the hills for fear on them to fall,
Bot vppright men shall clearly understand,
Their sure relief, and comfort is at hand.
The heavens above with noise shall pass away,
And be dissolved with hett consuming fire,
The elements sicklike that latter day,
Shall melt with heat and tyne their fair attire,
The sea and earth, and all this hail impire,
Sall be brunt up, and everything shall burn,
Contain'd theirin, flesh, body, bain, and lyre,
Man maid of ashe to ashes sall return:
Bot God the Lord, whose promissis are true,
For heaven and earth hes height us vthers new.
Who can devise? or yet he words express?
What heart can think? or high ingine invent?
The majesty the perfect holiness,
The glory great, the beauty excellent,
The shining light, the heavenly ornament,
The day, the way, or yet th'appointed place,
Of Christ's d
•…
scense, down throw the firmament,
When all his foes shall fall before his face?
No (Lord) our wit na higher can attain,
Nor be thy word is set before our eine.
As fiery flauches with sudden thundering thuds,
And glansing gleims, shines all the world throughout:
Sa sall the Lord appear into the cluds,
With leaming light, and with a sudden shout,
The angels clear shall compass him about,
With mighty sound the trumpets blast sall blaw,
The dead sall hear, and rise all in a rout,
And all that sleep in Christ sall thither draw:
Then thow (my soul) this body sall resume,
To meet the Lord and see the day of dume.
Sum says that
Pyrrha
women made of stains,
Aud men were formed be
Deucalion.
But certainly of deed corrupted bains:
A livelie corps that day sall rise anon,
Yea be the word, and wark of God alone,
As kindly corn cummes of the rottin seid,
Or flowers reverts that withered were and gone:
Sa sall all flesh reu
•…
ue that taisted deed,
Be sea or land, sen first the world began:
This may the Lord, whilk of dust creat man.
When all the dead obeyed hes the blast,
And clad themselves with immortality,
Then sall proceid the living at the last,
Quhilks sall not sleip, nor yet dissolved be,
But in ane clap and twinkling of ane ey
•…
,
They sall be changed, and all transformed new,
An substance pure, apt for eternity,
Cleane, incorrupt, and of ane heavenly hew:
Swa baith the quick and dead sall them prepare.
Syne mount and meit
Christ Jesus
in the air.
The judge mayest Just with justice sall proceid,
Quhair na defense, nor cautele, sall availl,
Na butie, blood, nor riches sall remeid,
But wealth and wit, friends, force, and all sall faill:
When all the world sal be convened haill,
Before the throne, that feirfull sight to se,
His a win elect the Lord sall then out-waill,
At his right hand whilks sall all planted be.
Then sall he say: Cum have your right reward,
My blessed flock whilk was for you prepard.
But at the left, and on the other hand,
In qua
•…
king dread, in misery and woe,
The
〈◊〉
troop of climinals sall stand,
To whom the dume sall be pronounced so:
O ye accu
•…
st into the hells ye go:
For ugly devils a just prepared
•…
ire,
Ye knew me not, therefore I know ye no,
Pas to be cast in everlasting fire:
In dying death ye weeping sall remain,
And gnashing teeth, into the endless pai
•…
e.
O tyrants proud, O stinking worms and dust,
O infidels and libertines prophain,
Ye obstinate and Judges mayest unjust,
Remord ye nocht to hear this speiking plain?
Or think y
•…
not that Christ shall cum again,
Though for a time he patiently you spair?
O brutall beists, your thoughts are false & vain,
Your punishment it is reserved their:
Watch and b
•…
ware the diet is vnkend,
Stoup & repent while ye have grace to mend.
Then thou my soul with great triumph and glore,
With saints assembled on the other side▪
Sall take the corps where thou was first before,
Unto the high and holy cietie wide,
With melody we sall all thither glide,
Sing and rejoice even as the Lord hes said,
Into that blis and lasting life to bide,
Prepaird for us before the earth was laid:
So when the Sun
•…
es finished everything.
To God mayest high he sall re
•…
it the ringe.
Bot now my heart within my bowdin breist
I feill reuert and wondrously reveif,
My soul siklike hir sorrowing she hes ceist,
And of my sang a perfect Joy can preif:
The life to come so firmly I believe,
That though all flesh to death were ready boun
I should be sure the Lord wald me relieve,
Thought all the world were turned up-side down:
Lord, hallowed be thy holy name divine,
For power, praise, the reign, and all is thine.
Thanks for deliverance of
the sick. V.
Q
•…
hy dost my silent tung repose, and hald her peace?
Quhy dost my voice, the worthy praise of God, from singing cease?
My
•…
outhfull lips that suld pronounce, ar closed night and day.
My mouth is sealed up as though▪ I had nothing to say,
Behald with money holocaust, and undeserved glore,
The pagane blind his mightles God, and idol dost adore:
The altar with the blood of beasts, is sprinkled be t
•…
e Jew,
He makes a smuike, and smelling sweet for payment of his vow.
And suld not I, an imp of
Christ,
rede
•…
ed from my sin,
Ane sacrifice of thanks present: But where sall I begin:
For why? our God in all respects, is infinite perfect,
Yea, more divine nor Man can think, conceive or yet indite,
All gude, all just, all wise and true, all merciful, and kind,
Almighty, strang, and liberal, all provident in mind.
Yet as I haight, so sall I hald, to magnify the Lord,
Quhilk h
•…
s the pyning patient, again to health restord.
The wonderful and diverse means cannot be fully shawin▪
Quhairby the Lord the wicked wraikes & conquisis his a win:
Be w
•…
ire, be want, be loss of friends, be grievous thought and care,
Be servitude, be lang exile,
•…
e sickness sharp and sare.
The Monarch great, the tirant proud, the liver insolent,
When
•…
e the mighty hand of God, as air dis
•…
ase is sent,
For all their force ano
•…
e they faint, they ar dejected law,
From all society and game, themselves they do withdraw:
Mayest like the Deare whilk wonted is, with gun, or deadly dart,
Flies from the heard to sum desert, where he may lie apart:
•…
ust, luxury,
〈◊〉
deintie fair, they raik not by a leik,
Na mi
•…
th nor earthly vanity,
〈◊〉
pleasant to the seek.
Quha wald not in his heavy plight, and cruel pining pain,
All worldly wealth and glore r
•…
nunce, to have his health again?
The bew
•…
full wald lose his hew, the strang wald quite his strength.
The rich his store his threasor great, and
•…
ertile lands of length:
The burning mayest ambitious breist, wald quite his noble fame,
And be content without renoum, to lead his lise at haine.
Bot all in vain the bir
•…
ist gold, nor heaps of silver bright,
The stately stains, the jewels rich, nor buildings huge of hight:
The brave dependers mon
•…
e ane, nor highest dignities,
May not their duyning master mend, nor yet his torment
•…
ase:
The precious drinks medicinal, sum sweet, sum bitter sower,
Nor minerals may not prolong his loathsome life ane hour:
Whome God a
•…
is be his judgment just, appointed hes for deed,
Na medicine, na elixir, nor mon
•…
e may reme
•…
d.
When irefullie
Antiochus,
from
Persia
lute draw,
Into
•…
is rage he made a vow, the
Jews
to ouerthraw,
Agains the sa
•…
les saints of God, to turn his cruel face,
And make
Jerusalem
for
Jews,
a common burial place:
Bot in his pride the Lord him smote, while he was thither bown,
With sick disease that from his couche, for faintnes he fell down:
Sick bitter pain remediles his bowels did devide,
That of his flesh the men about, might nocht the stink abide:
And nocht appeased was the Lord (a fearful thing to hear)
While be the naughty worms his corps consumed was inteir.
The Lord sicklike when least be weind, mayest justly maid to fall,
The thryse extreme
Herodian
pride, be litil vermin small,
While be did persecute the k
•…
rke, and li
•…
es of preachers sought,
They greedily deuord him quich, and eat him up to naught,
With vnkouth, and in
•…
ura bill diseases wonder fell,
Even from the earth the Lord cuts of the wicked that rebel.
Bot as the sickness justly sent confounds the fais of God,
Sa serves it to his servants of a needful whipping r
•…
d:
For luke as when the little child, gainstands the fathe
•…
s will,
Ca
•…
s down his face with froward looks, and
〈◊〉
dost ill:
The wise and loving father then, puts to his gentill
〈◊〉
,
And for his well with awe
•…
ull boast lays on the biting wand,
Quhill tawnd with strypes, the tender chilo, with sobs and monse tesre
And reuthfull skreikes cries oft alas, God's mercy fa
•…
er dear,
•…
a when the children of the Lord, transgreised hes his law,
And blinded with their awin delights, their duty dost misanaw,
He takes the rod and sickness sends, the punishment of sin,
And strikes the flesh with torment sair, external and within:
Quhill all def
•…
it the sickly soul, unfeignedly repent,
Sine on this ways, unto the Lord direct his heavy plent.
I mon confess (O mighty God) I have offended thee,
And justly through my great trespass, deserved hes to die,
In serving thee I have been slack, I have unthankful been,
My cheritie was growin called, my life it was vncleene:
For whilk I feel thy sellon wraith, against me kendled het,
How can I lift, my head and heart with sickness are ouerset,
I taist na kind of fude by day, I take na rest by night,
The figour only of a man, but only force or might:
Bot (Lord) when thou art boune to strike, wha dow abide thine ire▪
Thou knawis that I am frail, therefore forbear me I desire,
Forgive me anis, restore my strength, relieve me of this pain,
And all that mis I sall amend, and sall not sin again,
All this and mair with broken voice, and hands to heaven out-spread,
The Godly patient he powrs out, upon his careful bed:
The highest God from heaven benalds, and is content to see,
The sinner earnestly repent, and to his mercy flee:
Then be his holy helping hand, he raises from the dust,
The pure afflicted faithful soul, intending to be just,
He makes the physic take effect, the slummers soft he geifis,
The force whilk did before decay, from day today reveisis:
While to the glory of the Lord, and joy of his elect,
He fully to their health restore, them whom he did deject:
The godly
Hezekiah
king, was sick in great distress,
And be the Prophet wairnd, that he sold never conuales:
Bot when he called to the Lord, and wept with bitter tears,
The God of health withdrew the rod, and to his plaint gave ears:
The morning thrice had nocht renewed hir heavenly ornament,
When to the temple of the Lord, to worship he up went,
And thrice five belthie happy years, were granted him so least,
In sign whereof, that he such heichts might constantly believe,
The Sun retird haill ten degrees from Occident till East.
What vails the waters of the wols, or pardons of a priest,
O pilgrim blind, what can the bains of men prolong thy days?
That God is gever of the health, whom sun and Moon obayes.
Right sa the just and suffering
Job,
a mirror to the rest,
Was he nocht sair with byles, and bruiks, and pou
•…
rtie epprest?
From head to heel with botches black, his body was
〈◊〉
,
Contemnet be his wise and friends, the ashes were his bed:
Yet when the Lord him tried had, his health he did restore,
And purchased to himself thereby, an
•…
everlasting glore.
This then we see: the mighty God, the cross of sickness sends,
Unto his a win adopted sons, to money diverse ends,
Now as a plegue, now as a pruife, that man may clearly knaw:
How he is weak, and of himself cannot fulfill the law,
Now as a prick to call to mind what evil is, and good,
To move the
•…
ull forgetful heart, demerst in flesh and blood.
What bitter tears? what inwart fighs? what servant prayers deep?
Be sicklike means the Lord draws out, of them that are a sleep?
Even as beforce forth of the flint, is forst the fiery spreit:
Or as the Be, out of the weids, extracts the honey sweet,
•…
ne hundredth heavenly thoughts, the sick will meditate in mind,
Contemne the world, and man's conceits to wickedness inclind,
•…
iuinely with themselves discourse, of money pleasant thing,
Quhilk they forget, and in their health, to mind could never bring.
O gracious rod, whereby the Lord and man are reconcealed,
O happy sickness of the flesh, whereby the soul is healed,
O meruellous great mediciner, and sovereign mediceine,
Quhilk be the body to the s
•…
ull, dost mightily attain.
Of sickness sower the end is sweet, for be these sharp diseasi
•…
,
•…
e wunds the senseless harts of men, whilk pleasor cauteris
•…
:
•…
ot mightily he raises up the faithful when they fall.
I have been seek, and to the Lord did airly cry and call,
Quhilk ever did exhause my voice, and healed me with speed,
•…
boue my wit he did provide, and send me help at need:
Nocht only me
•…
e did relieve, when I was sair affrayed.
Bot also from the dure of death, even them for whom I prayed.
He is the rare physician wise, the true Medicinar,
In Chirurgie of per fire skill, the traist Apothecar:
And all that falsely is asseryued to
Esculapius,
To
Zoroast,
till
Apuleie
or to
Democritus:
He can perform in ver
•…
e deed, he can the dolor swage,
Restore the health prolong the days, renew the widdered age,
Reuiue the dead, and sins forgive, the only source of all,
Quhile I may last (O living Lord) thy praises sing I sall.
I sall thee vlis whill vital braith within my breist remains,
Quhill I have memory or wit, or heat within my veins,
For all thy gifts and graces great, thou granted hes to me,
With thankful heart this sacred sang, I dedicate to thee:
Lord, try me nocht with sair assalts, least suddenly I slide,
Bot if thou try, augment my strength, sick trial to abide:
And syne to serve and worship thee, I presently intend,
God give me grace to persevere unto my lives end.
Of God's omnipotency. VI.
O
Every living warldly wight,
Awake and dres yourself with speed:
To serve and praise the God of might,
From whom all bounty dost proceed:
For gif ye drift, and still refuse,
The heavens and earth will you accuse.
The brutell beasts but ony
•…
rise,
They willingly his voice obey:
The creatures that bes na life,
Soto forth his glory day by day:
The earth, the air, the sea, and fire,
Ar subject all to his impire.
The heaven it is his dwelling place,
The earth his littil fute-stule law,
His warks are all before his face:
Of hearts the secreits he dost knaw,
And everything as in a glas,
He seis before it cum to pas.
The swift and active sterie spreits,
The
Cherubims
of substance pure,
They walk amang the bolte streits,
And makes him daily service sure:
Yea, at all times they ready stand,
To gang and cum at his command.
When
Jonah
in the sea was cast,
By
Lot,
for safety of the leave,
A mighty Quhaill did fellow fast,
Prepard the prophet to receive:
Quhilk at command did him deuore,
Sine brought him safely to the shore.
And as
Elijah
lurking lay,
Lang solitar by
Cherith
side,
The ravens left their common pray,
His sustenance for to provide,
As they were charged him to feed,
They brought him daily flesh and bread.
Quha learned
Balaam's
brutall asse,
The angel of the Lord to knaw?
A foot she forward wald not
〈◊〉
,
That way where she him standing saw,
Bot spake that marvel was to see,
Against hir masters cruelty.
The roaring lions fires and fell,
Brought up and baited ay with blood,
They spard the godly
Daniel,
Expos'd to them in place of fude:
Sa fishes, fouls, and ravenous beists,
Of God mayest high they hald the heists.
The very devils dare nocht
•…
ebell,
Against his Majesty and might,
The spreits unclean he did err ell,
Forth of the pure possessed wight,
Quha but his privilege divine,
Durst na way enter in the swine.
Into the prophets mouths the spreit,
Of lies could never enter in,
Quhile he did license first entreat:
Of God the Lord, for
Ahab's
sin,
Quhilk be that means did him entyse,
His awin defait till enterprise.
His holy statute to fulfill,
And potent power to declaire,
The massiue earth reposis still,
Suspended in the cessill eire:
And at hir dew appointed hours,
Brings forth mayest pleasant fruits & flowers.
What thing is fiercer nor the sea?
Mair raging nor the awful deep?
Quhilk back retird at his decrie,
And dost her bounds and marchis keep:
Syne at his charge apart stude by,
To make his host a passage dry.
Without the subtle air but dout,
Na plaint nor living thing may left:
Therefore it cleaves the earth about,
And is in every place possessed,
Then as his godly wisdom wald,
Decernes the seasons hett and called.
The brimstane and the burning fire,
Mayest sudenely from heaven fell down,
For to consume into this ire,
Baith
Sodom,
and,
Gomorrah
town:
Bot in the fiery furnace he,
Preserued safe the children three.
The mighty winds blaws to and fra,
From every airth be day and night,
We hear them thudding by us ga,
Yet not conceives them with our sight:
Bot in a clap the Lord to please,
Their blasts they quietly appease.
Like flocks of fowls the clouds above,
Furth flies and covers all the sky:
Again they suddenly remove,
We wat not where nor reason why:
Bot till obey his holy law,
They pour out rain, sharp hail, and snaw.
Behald the fearful thunder crack,
And fiery flauchts sa violent,
Appears nocht in the cloudis black,
Quhile be the highest they be sent:
The harts of men are dashed with fear,
Sik lights to see, and claps to hear.
The heaven sa high, sa clear of hew,
Declares his power passing well:
Sua swift of course ay recent new,
Revoluing like a turning wheill,
Nane knows whereof the globe is made,
Quhais be autie at na time dost fade.
He made the Sun a lamp of light,
A wool of heat to shine by day,
He made the Moon to guide the night:
And set the starnis in gud array,
Orion, Pleiads,
and the
Vrse,
Obserues their dew prescriued course.
O Poets: paganes impudent,
Quhy worship ye the planets seven?
The glore of God be you is spent,
On Idols and the host of heaven,
Ye pride your pens men's ears to pleis,
With fables and fictitious leis,
Your knowledge is bot ignorance,
Your cunning curiosity:
I find your facund eloquence,
Repleete with fekles fantasie:
Ye never knew the lively rod,
Nor gospel of the sun of God.
He is above
Mercurius
Above
Neptunus
on the sea,
The winds they knaw not
Eolus:
Their is na
Jupiter
but he,
And all your God's baith great and small,
Are of na force for he is all.
Bot sons of light ye knaw the truth,
Extoll the Lord with heart and mind,
Remoue all stays and sluggishsleuth,
Obey his voice for he is kind:
That heaven and earth may witness bear,
Ye love that God which bought you dear.
The triumph of the Lord, after the
manner of men. VII.
Alluding to the defait of the Spanish nauie
•…
in the year, 1588.
TRiumphant Lord of armies and of hosts,
Thou hes subdued the universal coasts:
From South to North, from East till Occident,
Thou shawes thyself great God armipotent:
O captains, Kings, and Christian men of weir,
Gar harraulds haist in coats of armor cleir,
For to proclaim with trumpet and with shout:
A great triumph th'vniuers throughout:
For certainly the Lord he will be knawin,
And have that praise whilk justly is his a win.
O ye that wuns amang the pleasant fields,
Quhair fertile crofts their yearly profit yealts,
And all that heigh up in the hieland dwells:
Amang the mures, the mountains, and the wells,
And ye that in she forest fare remain,
Far from the burghs, ga to the burghs again:
Baith man and maids, put on your garments gay:
And ornaments made for the holy day,
Leave of your wark, let all your labor be:
This brave triumph, and royal feast to se.
Let cities, kirks, and every noble town.
Be purified, and decked up and down,
Let all the streets, the corners, and the rewis,
Be str
•…
wd with leaves, and flowers of diverse he wis,
With birke, and lawrell of the wod
•…
is wild,
With
•…
auendar, with Thime, and Cammamild:
With Mint and Medwortes seemelie to be seen,
And lu
•…
kin Gowanes of the meadows green,
Let temples, stairs, the porchis, and the ports,
And windows wide where luickers on resorts,
With tapistrie be hung, in Turkey sought,
With claith of gold, and silver richly wrought,
Let every place, and palice be repleat
With fine perfume, and fragrant odors sweat,
Suffumigat with nard and cinnamon,
With myrhe, and must, camphyre, and bdellium,
With incense frank, Aloes, Calamus,
With Saffran, Mastick, and Iuniperus.
Expose your gold, and shining silver bright,
On covered copbuirdes set in opin sight,
Ou'rgilted coups, with carved covers clear,
Fyne precious stains, where they may best appear,
Lawers in ranks, and silver baissings shine,
Saltfats outshorne, and glasses chrystalline.
Make scaffalds clare for cumlie comedies,
For pleasant plays, and moral tragedies:
All to decore with joy, and ane accord,
This new triumph, and Sabbath of the Lord.
Right as the point of day begins to spring,
And Larks aloft melodiouslie to sing,
Bring forth all kind of instruments of weere,
To ga before and make a noyce clear:
Gar trumpets sound the awful battalls blast,
On dreadful drumms gar strik alarm fast,
Mak shouting shalms and persing phiphers sh
•…
ll,
Clean cleave the cluds, and piers the h
•…
est hill,
Cause mightily the weirly notis breik:
On hieland pypes Scots, and Hibernik,
Let heir the shraichs of deadly Clarions,
And syne let of a volie of cannons,
Quhill what for reick, rude rummishing, and reard,
The heavens resound, and trimbling take the eard.
L
•…
enter sine in proper painted carts,
The buting rich, brought from the fardest parts,
And ample pray whilk great
Jehovah
wan,
From his
〈◊〉
, sen first the world began.
Their s
•…
ll be sein the ensigneis displayed,
Bright baners braid, and standdards well arrayed,
Sum white and reid, sum yeallow, grein, and blew,
Quhilk God perforce out of their hands threw:
The portrators of every vanquest town,
Of Cittadells, and rampiers of renoune,
The lifely form of fousseis large and deep,
The modalls great of castills eith to keep,
The form of forths invincible to se,
Of mighty walls, and ramforst towers so hie,
Demolist all, into a birdis nest:
With great and just artailzerie celest.
Sa sall be seen the figoures of the flots,
With fearful flags, and well calfuterd bots,
Of gallays swift, and many gallias,
Quhilk through the seas but perrell thought to pas,
Faire seemly ships of four, five hundredth tuns,
All furnished full of fire warks, and of guns,
Quhair
•…
f be force their was sum captives led,
Sum clean defait, sum fugitiues and fled:
Yet from the Lord na way could find to fly,
Bot in their flight were tossed on the sie:
The waitering walls, and raging windy blast,
Maid up their towes, and caused them hew their mast,
And sine were cast for all their brags and bost,
Sum on a schald, sum on ane yrin cost,
Sum gaid in tua buird on ane foreign lan
•…
,
Sum on a rok, sum on a whirling sand,
Quhile nane were safe vnperisht to be found,
Bot men and all went to the water ground.
Let follow next in ordor to be sein,
Their armor clear, and warlike wapins schein
Hard halecrets, helmets, and hewmonts bright,
Ticht habe
•…
schons, habriks, and harneis light,
Murrious for men of fute, and shining sheilds,
Barding for horse appointed for the fields,
Gantlets ou'rgilt, wambraissis gainand well,
Corslets of pruit, and money targe of s
•…
eill,
Sum varneist bright, sum dorred diuersi
•…
e,
That men may muse sic precious gei
•…
to see.
Th'
•…
lk samin wayis, example for to give,
Draw in on
•…
eaps their armor offensive,
Great ordinance, and feilding pieces fell,
Muskets mayest meit with men of arms to mell,
Hagbuts with lunts, Pistolles with rowets fine,
Swift
〈◊〉
darts deuisd be great ingine,
Crosbowes of weight, and
Gnosik
gainyeis kein,
Strang pousing picks the charge plaist to sustain,
Bunshes of speirs, and Launces light, and lang,
Steill ax, and mass, for barded horses strang,
Fyne arming swords, and other grunding glaues,
Quhilk maid na stead when they were rendered slaves,
Their guns misgaue, theirspeirs like buinwands brak
Their fainted hearts for fear retird aback.
Their thresours rich, wherein they put their trust,
To all the world shall be maid manifest:
Let men express appointed be to beir,
Their silver heaps in plaits of silver clear:
Their silver wark, and precious ornament,
Sall follow next in order subsequent,
Not to their praise, but to their shame and scorn:
Their
•…
uinzied gold, in baissings sall be borne,
Of moltin gold discovered to be sein:
With precious stains whilk fed their greedy
•…
in,
Their goldsmith wark and vessels of great weight,
Token sick sooles agains the Lord to fight.
Let publicly be carried throw the towns,
The diadems, the scepters, and the crowns:
And honored swords of many puissant king,
Whom
Yah
our God down from their throne did thring
Besides these things use all the means ye may,
To sanctify the Lord that solemn day:
For great
Pompeie,
nor
Paul Emilius
Marck Antony
nor
Caesar Julius
The
Scipioes
the hardie brethren twa,
Nor nain in
Rome
triumphed never sa.
When on this ways the buiting is inbroght,
And all their force declared to be naught,
The emperors, and kings sall ga behind,
That greater nain was
•…
n the earth to find.
As men defait
•…
led all in dulefull black,
In coschis traind with slander, shame, and lack:
Their children young, and minzonis in a rout,
Drest all in
•…
ule sall march their cos
•…
h about,
With bitter tears, with sighs, and courage called:
When they their Lord's in such estaite behalo,
Their counselors sall gang with drerie cheir:
And count their wit to be b
•…
t sollie mere.
The multitude then diversely sall deim,
And of that fight sall diuerslie esteim:
For sum sall r
•…
n and gase them in the face,
And sair be wail to see them in sick case,
Yea they that wisht their wrack and death before,
Their misery sall mein and pity sore.
Bot sum sa soon as they them see ga by,
Sall heave their hands and make a mighty cry,
Deride their force and shout into thir e
•…
r:
Take their the kings whilk made the Lord the weir.
Ane other sort sall s
•…
ch, and whisper thus,
Hear is behald a matter marvelous:
Their monarchs great con
•…
ided in their strength,
And thought by force to win the world at length:
To way the hills, and right up to the skies,
Bot now their pride and puissance broken lies:
Kings are bot men, men are bot worms and dust,
The God of heaven is only great, and just.
Bot now I leave the ordor and array,
Of men defait and entering of the pray:
Ou'r whom the Lord triumphed hes or now,
And sall triumph for he hes maid a vow,
To put his fais to flight and open shame,
To purchase him a praise and lasting name.
I will the form now summarly set down,
How Christian Kings, and captains of renown,
Sall enter in the burghs that holy day,
What they sall do, what they sall sing and say:
Their perfect joy and pleasour to express,
To magnify the might and holiness
Of God the Lord the great triumph
•…
strang:
The chastiser of wickedness and wrang.
Even such (I say) as
Jove
our God erected,
As instruments and messengers directed,
To work his wark, and fight into his field
Sall armed be that day with spear and shield,
Baith horsse and suit in weirlike manner dressed:
In glittering gear whilk brauest is and best,
All well arrayd in squadrons, troops and bands,
Mayest muster-like: syn, in their doughtie hands,
Ilk man a palm, and laurell branch sall bear,
The proper sign of victory in weir,
And on their heads sall have their laurell crowns:
Sa sall they march and enter in the towns,
As conquerors, and soldarts of the Lord,
Quhilk valliantlie with courage and accord,
Were reddie bent till execute his charge,
And fight beneath his blessed banner large.
The music then, and heavenly harmony
Of instruments accorded in a kie,
Mayest musical and delicate to get,
Sall their be heard together sweitly set:
As clarshons clear, douce friddonning of flutes,
The viols swift, and finest
Venus
lutes,
Ioynd with the voice of men; and breisting boys,
Quhais measour just sall modulat the noise:
That
Cleopatra
in her gallay gay,
Nor fingars on saint
Cecils
holy day:
Empedocles
the wise
Sicilian,
Nor
Orpheus
the crafty
Thracia
•…
,
Phylirides,
nor skillful
Arion,
Nor famous lute of cunning
Amphion,
Struike never note so pleasant to the eir,
Nor sang sa sweet as they that sall be heir.
Bot wha pretends the puissance to declare,
Right as it is, or enters to compare:
The glore of God with that of mortal men,
Sail tyne bot time, and tire his painful pen,
Als far as light, the darkness dost deface,
Or hell is from the highest holy place,
Als far as sclaues are from the stait of Kings,
Or widdring weids, from everlasting things:
Als far his might surmounts the might of man,
His Pomp and pride, and all the craft he can.
The
Romans
〈◊〉
whilk had the earth our thrawin,
At their triumphs in chariots great was drawin,
Be diverse beasts whairin they tuik delight,
For sum were trained be horsse of color white,
And sum be harts contrary to their kind,
Be cruining Bulls of heigh and haughty mind,
Be
Elephants,
and sum be
Lions
laid,
In claith of gold and finest purpor claid.
But he whais wraith consumis like burning coles,
Quhilk turns the heavens upon the stable poles:
Hes left the earth, and rydes upon the sky,
Na mortal eyes may face to face espy
The Lord, and live: his chariots are of fire,
He makes the earth to trimble in his ire,
Great Jesus Christ con
•…
ucts his army stout,
The angels bright they compass him about:
His majesty the tounes can nocht contain,
Yet is, and hes be power present bein.
Heaue up therefore (ye Christian men of weir)
Your hands, your hearts, your eyes, and voices cleir,
Unto the high and great triumpher strang,
That solemn day sine let this be your sang.
The song of the Lord's soldiers.
O King of Kings, that sits above,
Thy might, thy mercy, and thy love,
T
•…
works are wonderful to tell,
In earth thy name mot praised be,
And in tha holy placis h
•…
e,
For nane is like thee but thy sell.
Upon the firmament thou ryds,
And all the world divinely gydes,
To hell thy power dost extend,
Men may imagine, men may devise,
Men may conclude and interprise,
Bot thou dost modifie the end.
This day we magnify thy name,
For thou hes put till open shame,
And turned thy fellon fais to flight,
Their Idols and their armies greit,
Their force availd them not a whit,
Their towers & towns hes felt thy might.
Thou staid the tower of
Babylon,
Unbuilded higher be a stone,
Though
Nimrod
thought to reach to heaven,
The tongues of men were so confused,
That they their foolish wark refused,
And sundry through the earth were driven,
God send to guide his army right,
A cloud be day, a fire be night,
And led them safely through the sie,
For all King
Pharaoh's
pride and bost,
His chariots, horsemen, and his host,
Were drownd and fand na way to fly.
Of
Jericho
he bruisd the wall,
And quickly maid it
•…
latling fall,
When as their priests their trumpets blew,
The people maid a mighty shout,
When they had past the town about,
And sa the city overthrew.
Five Kings he chaist at
Gibeon,
And as they fled to
Beth-horon,
With hail he flew them by the way,
The Sun and Moon at his command,
Into the lift he maid to stand,
To make the
Amorites
a pray.
Quha ever hard of armor sick,
Qnhat bullets ever flew sa thick,
As hail stains fell down in that schower?
Na gunners could that bartsene clenge,
They knew not whom on to revenge,
Bot gazed on the heavenly tower.
Be
Joshua
he wrought thir things,
And vainqueist ane and threttie Kings,
As
Jordan
rins on every side,
Quhilk may all kings example give,
Sa lang as men on earth may live,
In God the greatest to confide.
He baith de visde, and wrought the deeds,
Of
Gideon
against the
Medes,
And strake the multitude with fear,
Three hundredth men defait their campe,
With trumpet, pitcher, and with lamp:
That was a stratagem of weir.
He strength and manheid by the laue,
To
Samson,
and to
David
gave,
Quha maid the
Philistines
to fall,
His a win he mightelie susteins,
Be wonderful and vnkouth means,
To shaw that God is guide of all.
The puissant King of
Syria,
When he beseig'd
Samaria,
The God of battles succors send,
For in that camp was hard sick din,
Of carts and horse whilk seemed to rin,
That nain durst bide to see the ende.
When proud
Saneherib
blasphemed,
Invincibill his puissance seemed,
Zit hame with shame he turned again,
Nine score, five thousand on a night,
Were smote by them that took the flight,
Sine be his sons, himself was slain.
In weir the Lord gives victory,
From time to time, as we may see,
Be means vnluked for of men:
As he was then, sa is
•…
e now,
Though faithless folk will never trow,
Quhile be experience they ken.
He is the mighty God of weir,
He strykes his f
•…
es with sudden feir,
When they appear mayest strong & stout,
The harts of Kings are in his hands,
He breaks their legs and bloody bands,
And brings his purposis about.
Even in our days have we not sein,
The wicked fall before our ein,
Into their hetest cruel rage?
The greatest dukes and kings annointed,
We saw them lastly disappointed,
And get their well deserved wage.
As wax is melted by the fire,
Sa be the Lord's consuming ire:
The might of man mel
•…
s clean away,
To sick as constantly believes,
He courage and good succes gives,
And will not see their cause decay.
Though for a time the proud prevail,
Their glas will run, their force will fail,
Unto the Lord's eternal glore:
And when before our fais we fall,
Be sure our sins are cause of all,
Quhilk we suld earnestly deplore.
O Yah our God: be thou our guide,
In battails be thou on our side,
And we sall nather fall nor flee,
Through Christ thy son our sins forgive,
And make us in thy law to live,
That we may praise and worship thee.
The great triumph this way sall take ane end
And all the host sall to the temple wend,
A
•…
custom is in well arrayed ranks,
With sacrifice of prayers and of thanks:
The soldarts stout sall all receive reward,
For lo, the Lord the banket hes prepaird:
To feed his boast with heavenly lively fude,
Even with his son Christ's body and his blood:
What suld the gifts that lasts bot for a space?
Or drinking of the river
Euphrates?
The wool of life (as happy men and blist)
They sall anis taist, and never mair have thrist.
The humiliation of a sinner. VIII
THe weight of sin is wondrous great,
Quha may that grievous burdin heir?
My God mayest humbly I submit,
Myselfe before thy hienes heir:
Oh: rewthfullie incline thine eir.
Unto my pitiful complent:
Thy punishment, and plagues retire.
From me pure pyning penitent.
When darkness hes the heaven revest,
Bot ather Moon or Starnie light,
Quben man and beast are at their rest,
Throw secreit silence of the night,
I woltring like a woeful wight,
Still waking in my bed I lie.
My sins presents them in my sight,
Oh hearken, Lord, for help I cry.
My pans
•…
ng dost augment my pain,
Because I cannot be excused,
I am sa oft relapse again,
Into the sin whilk I refused,
Thy clemency I have abused,
Be leading of a wicked life,
My spreit within this flesh infused,
Is like to perish in the strife.
Ah: to my sais then sall I yield?
And all thy mercies great despair?
Ah: sall I now give over the field?
And never look for mercy mair?
Quhilk hes sa oft baith lait and air,
Sung praise to thee with joyful heart,
No Lord, preserve me from that snare,
And let this cup from me depart.
I have assurance of thy spreit,
That thou the laidned will relieve,
Quhilk cums to thee with heart contreit,
And in thy bounty dost believe:
My feebill faith, O Lord, revive,
For though my sins be like the sand,
Zit thou art abill to forgive,
And raise me with thy helping hand.
Quha can unfeignedly repent?
Quha can from wickedness abstain?
Unles the grace be to him lent,
To sigh and sob with weeping eyn?
Your prayer profits not a prin,
Except the same from faith proceid:
Let faith and grace in me be grein,
That I may turn to thee in neide.
Lord with myself I am displeased,
And wearies of this burding fast,
Thy wraith therefore let be appeased,
Forget my foul offenses past:
I fear, I faint, I am agast,
When I perpend mine
•…
win estait,
Bot this relief I find at last,
My penitence is nocht to late.
Albeit thou be ane upright judge,
Thou art my father not the les,
My buklar and my sure refuge,
My only comfort I confess:
Have pity on my great distress,
Cast nocht me catiue clean away,
Thou knawes the invart heaviness,
For sin I suffer every day.
This then (my God) of grace I crane,
With humble heavy heart of thee,
My sins are like me to deceive,
Bot let me not deceived be,
Take not thy helping hand frame,
For I am fraill and imperfite,
Give me not over to drown and die,
Into my fleshly hearts delight.
Thy working Spreit let me assist,
Into this fellon fechting fell,
That I may valiantlie resist,
The flesh, the world the devil and hell,
My secreit sins from me expel,
My nature is corrupt thou knawes,
Make me to practice and forth tell,
Thy precepts, praise, and holy laws.
Thir gifts, I grant, I merit not
For I in sin, was borne and bred,
Bot Jesus Christ he hes me bought,
From death even with his blood he shed,
His merits hes me freely fred,
Make me thereof participant,
Let me be with his justice cled,
And counted thy redeemed saint,
Nocht he, but I, hath death deserved:
Nocht I, but he, dost merit grace,
For me, naught for himself, he sterued,
With thee to purchase me a place,
Throw him I am in happy cace,
Even with thy Godhead reconceiled,
To thee, through him, whom I embrace,
Be praise▪ whilk hes these joys reviled.
Here ends the Hymns.
ANE EPISTLE TO Master Gilbert Mont-creif mediciner
to the Kings Majesty, wherein
isset down the experience of the
Authors youth.
MY tender friend (
Montcreif
medicinar)
To kings is kend thy knowledge singular
Thou shawis thyself be practice evident:
Of natures warks observer diligent,
Thy quiet life and decent modesty,
Declares thy cunning in philosophy:
Sen first we were acquaint I
•…
and thee kind,
Sum medicine assign me for the mind,
My sickness be the symptom sall appear,
Unto my discourse, if thou list give ear.
O happy man is he (I have hard say)
A faithful friend that hes with whom he may,
Of everything as with himself confer,
As I may do (disert mediciner)
Qu
•…
en pubertie my freedom did enlarge,
And
Mercury
gave place to
Venus
charge,
I knew not yet the wavering vame estait:
Of human kind, I knew of na dehait,
Na lurking hait, inuie, nor cursed strife,
As followis fast our short unhappy life:
I traisted not, believe me well
(Montcreif)
The bitter pains, the sorrows, and the grief,
Nor miseries whilk daily dost betide,
And compassis man's life on every side.
Bot like a chaste and pudick virgins clein,
Inbrought to bide where she had never bein,
Into the house of women, let for hire,
When she behalds all pleasour at desire,
A lostie troop of Ladies in array,
Sum on a luth, sum on a si
•…
tree play,
Some sangs of love begin and sweetly sing,
And minzionlie sung dancing in a ring,
A lover here, discoursing all his best,
Ane other there, delighting all the rest:
The buir
•…
s decorde with dainty dishes fine,
With diverse drogs, and wafers wet in wine:
A none to dwell the maid dost condescend,
Incertaine what sall be her catiue end.
Swa inexpert yet at that time and hour,
I felt the sweet, but had not cund the sour
I thought that nocht was able to remove,
From men on earth, truth, equity, and love,
Nor banish▪ from their hearts humility,
Reuth, pity, ioynd with affability,
Bot that the force of reason suld maintain,
The binding band whilk lastinglie hes bein,
Be nature knit, and ordoned till endure,
Men's amity and friendship to make sure.
For this I oft reduced and brought to mind:
How sall men be but until other kind?
Lo, all the wichts that in this valley wuns,
Are brotheren all, are they not
Adams
suns?
Quhy suld a friend his friend and brother gree
•…
,
Sen all are borne of a first mother
Eve?
Upon this earth as in a cietie wide,
Like citizens we dwell and dost abide:
And nature hes preferred us to the beasts,
Be prenting reason d
•…
iplie in our breasts:
The barbar rude of Thrace or
Tartarie
Of
Boheme, Perse,
of weirly
Getulie,
Of barrain
Syrt,
and wastie
Scythia,
Of
Finland, Fresland,
and of
India,
Of reason they ar made participant,
With them whilk dost the civil cities hant:
The facund
Greec,
the learned
Athenian,
The
Roman
stout, the rich
Venetian,
The
Frenshes
franck of great civility
Ar
•…
blist all to this society.
Then with myself I reasond on this sort,
If this be true whilk truly I report,
How mekill mair sall love and lau
•…
ie stand
Amang the pepill native of a land,
Quhilk dost embrace, obey, and only know,
A kirk, a King, a language and a law:
Or sick as in a city doie remain,
Particepant of pleasour and of pain:
Or of a race hes lineallie descended
And hes there time and life together spended:
All this and mair I tosted in my thought,
And these effects to se I dowted nocht:
As for my part I plainly did pretend,
My life in peace, in joy, and ease till end,
Into the way to walk and happy rod,
Preseriued be the law and word of God,
To love my friend and neighbor as ray sell,
With lips but lies the simple truth to tell,
Till euerir man to to keep my promise dew,
And not but right but rigor to persew,
From vice to fly, and virtue till embrace,
Ane upright heart to have in every case,
Contending hearts again to reconceill
Was my pretence, and tender ay their well,
To fortify my friend in time and need,
With good report, with counsel, and good deed:
And finally what reason taught to crave,
I thought to do, and ay the like receive.
Bot thoughts are vain, my labor was bot lo
•…
He counts again, that counts without his host.
Through tract of time whilk swiftlie slides away,
And sundry sights occurring day by day,
At last I learned to mark, and clearly ken,
The course of mortal things, and mortal men,
The maistres sharp of
•…
uiles experience,
I see the wit the nature and the mind,
Of warldlie wights to wickedness inclind,
And naturally ane austere frawardnes,
The hardened hearts of mortal men posses.
Behald na realm, na cietie nor estait,
Ar void of strife, contention and dehait,
Ilk man his so, like roaring Lions kein,
Waitis to devore with rigor tygerrein:
How few regards we daily may espy,
Their fallowes loss, if they may gain thereby:
Sa haughty minds fulfilled with disdain,
Sa deep deceat, such glossing language vain,
Men's doubill tungs are not ashamed to lie,
The mair they heght, the worse to trust they be,
Particular gain dost sa ma
•…
s reason blind,
That skars on earth ane upright can I find,
Sa poisoned breasts with malice and invy
Sum deadly haitis, and cannot shaw you why.
O monstrous beast (inuie) O cruel pest?
Quhair thou remainis their is naquiet rest,
Thou waists the bains, thou blaickenes flesh & blood,
Ay glad of ill, ay enemy to good,
Thou vexed art to see thy brothers well,
Quhilk vailis thee nocht, nor harms him never a deil.
I try na truth, nor na fidelity,
I see na reuth, nor na nobility,
Na tender love, nor humble gentleness,
As first they say, our fathers did profess,
Bot
〈◊〉
, bot rude austerity,
Bot
•…
einzed fraud, and feebili vncourtesie.
When that I had employed my youth and pain,
Four years in
France,
and was returned again,
Ilangd to learn, and curious was to knaw:
The consuetude, the custom and the Law,
Qu
•…
airby our native soil was guide aright,
And justice do
•…
e till every kind of wight:
To that effect three years, or near that space,
I hanted mayest our highest plaiding place,
And senat where great causses reasoned were,
My breast was brus'd, with leaning on the bar,
My buttons brist, I partly spitted blood,
My gown was trald and tramped where I stood,
Mine ears were deisd with maissars cries and din,
Quhilk procutors and parties called in:
I daily learned, bot could not pleased be,
I saw sick things as pity was to see.
Ane house ov'rlaid with process sa misguided,
That sum to late, sum never was decided,
The pure abused ane hundredth diverse lays,
Postpond, differd with shifts, and mere delays,
Co
•…
sumde in guds, ov'rset with grief and pain,
Zour advocate man be refreshed with gain,
Or else he faints to speak or to invent
A gud defense or weighty argument,
Ye spill your cause, ye truble him to sair,
Unles his hand anointed be with mair.
Not ill bestowed, he is consulted oft,
A gude devise is worthy to be cost:
Bot skaffing clarks with covetise inspired,
Till execute their office man be hired,
Na cause they call unless they hyrelings have,
If not, it sall be laid beneath the laue,
Quha them controls, or them offends, but dout,
Their process will be lang in seeking out,
In greatest need sum pieces will be lost,
And then to lait fund on the parties cost,
In every point they will be slack and lang,
The minuts of the process may be wrang,
For acts, decreits, they man have double prize,
If their he hast, but
•…
ire they make it nice:
As sangu
•…
sugs whilk finds the feeding gud,
Cleaue
•…
to the skin wh
•…
le they be full of blood,
Quhile all the veins be bludles, dry and tume.
Na other ways the simple they consume.
The agent als man have his wage provided,
Least all the cause in absence be misguided:
He will let pass on willful indignation,
Agains the actor ane stolen protestation,
The poor defender if he lack expenses,
Sall tyne his cause perhaps for null defences,
The pieces shaw he will, and cause reveill,
For greater gain be he not pleased well.
And thought the Lord's suld take gud heid thereto,
Yet are they laith to make the house adoo:
"The censor is impropre to correck,
"That in himself hes ony kind of bleck:
Even they themselves the ordor partly sp
•…
ls,
With bringing in of heaps of bosom bills,
Their oulks about on friends they do bestow.
With small regard of table or of row.
Alas: s
•…
ck Lord's had need of reformation,
Quhair justice mayest consists in sollistation,
Zit all sollistars cannot justice have,
Bot s
•…
ck as may acquit them by the laue,
A Lord, an
•…
Earl, or a wealthy man,
A courtier that meikill may and can,
Without delay will come to their intent,
Howbeit there cause it be sum deill on sklent:
Bot simple sauls, unskillful, moyenles,
The pure whom strang oppressors dost oppres,
Few of their right or causses will take keep,
Their process will sa lang lie ou'r, and sleep,
Quhill often times (there is na other bute)
For poverty they man leave of persute.
Sum senators als well as skaffing
〈◊〉
,
Are blinded oft with blinding buds and bribes.
And mair respects the person nor the cause.
And finds for diverse persons diverse laws,
Our civil, cannon, and municipal,
Suld equally be ministered till all:
They mon shaw favor to their awin dependers,
What sa they be persewers or defenders,
I faint to tell their pervers partial pactions,
And how they are divided all in factions,
Confederate haill with subtlety and slight,
A way to vote in voting wrang or right.
O men in whom no fear of God is Iudged:
O faithless judges worthy to be judged:
Eshame ye not, or stand ye not in awe,
Laws to profess and err agains the law,
O members meet, for mere iniquity,
Of
Rhadamanth
or
Minos
court to be.
The haill abuse were our prolixt to tell,
That council house it is mayest like an
•…
hell,
Where there is thrang ay fear, and awful cries,
Where on the bar without puir parties lies,
As on the riue of
Acheron
for sin,
Awaitting fast while
Charon
take them in:
Where every man almaist is miscontented,
Quhair silly sauls are greeuouslie tormented,
Ay sorry, sad, ay plunged in pain and grief,
Pen sieve in heart and musing of mischief
Their bowels, entraills, with the robbed row
•…
Of gredie
Harpyes,
they ar rugged out.
To lead that kind of life I wearied fast,
In better hope I left it at the last,
And to the court I shortly me addrest
Believing well to choose it for the best:
But from the rocks of
Cyclades
fra hand
I stru
•…
k into
Carybdis
sinking sand.
For reverence of Kings I will not strine
To slander courts, but them I may descriue,
As learned men hes them depaint before,
Or near the suith, and I am woe therefore.
In courts
(Montcreif)
is pride, in vie, contention
Dissimulance, despite, disceat, dissention,
Fear, whisperings, reports, and newsuspition,
Fraud, treasone, lies, dread, guile, sedition,
Great greediness, and prodigality,
Lusts sensual, and partiality,
Impudencie, adultery, drunkinnes,
Delicacie, and slothful idilnes,
Backbiting, lacking, mocking, mutenie,
Disdainefulnes, and shameless flattery,
Mere vanity, and naughty ignorance,
Inconstancy, and changing with mischance,
Contempt of all religion, and devotion,
To Godly deeds na kind of perfect motion.
These qualities in general I say,
Into all courts are common every day:
I need not now sick properties apply,
Thou knawes our
Scottish
court als well as I▪
Our princes ay, as we have heard and sein,
Thir money years infortunat hes bein,
And if I sold not speike with flattring tung,
The greater part bot sluggishly hes rung,
Our Earls and Lord's for their nobility.
How ignorant and inexpert they be,
Upon the privy counsel mon be chose,
Or else the King and concill ar abused,
And if the Prince augment not ay their rents
What is their mair: they will be mal-contents.
•…
uhat suld the court where virtue is neglected?
Quhair mon of spreit sa little ar respected?
Quhilk is to be lamented all the mair,
That few of learning suld take keep or cair,
As
Cicero
of
Julius Caesar
says
Even in his time, government, and days,
Quhilk easily excels all other Kings,
In learning, spreit, and all scholasticke things.
Sum officers we se of naughty brain,
Mere ignorauts, proud, vicious, and vain,
Of learning, wit, and virtue all denude,
Mayest blockish men, rash, riatons, and rude:
And flattering fallowis oft ar mair regarded:
A lying slave will rather be rewarded,
Nor they that dost with reasons rule confer
Thair kind of life, and actions, least they err,
Nor men discreit, wise, vertous, and modest,
Of galland spreit, brave true and worthy trest,
Quhilk far from hame civility hes sein,
And be their manners shawis
〈◊〉
they have bein:
Quhilk have the word of God before their eyes,
And well can serve but cannot princes pleis:
For sum with reason will not pleased be,
But that whilk with their humor dost agree.
Hes thow not heard in oppin audience,
The purpose vain, the feckles conference,
Th'informall reasons, and impertinent
Of courtiours: whilks in acco
•…
ttrement
Wer gorgians, mayest glorious, young and gay:
Bot in effect compare them well I may
Till images, whilks ar in temples set,
Decorde without, and all with gold ou'r
•…
ref,
With colors fine, and carved curiouslie,
The place where they are set to beautify
Bot when they are remarked all and sum,
They are bot stocks and stains, bos, deed, and dum.
Bot now the court I will not discommend,
I may it mean bot may it not amend.
As for offense of speech I nothing fear it,
For upright men thereby are nothing deirit:
And sick as are with wickedness bewitched,
I sussie not how viuely they be tuitched.
And if perhaps sum wald allege that I,
Have this inuaid on malice and mute,
As he whom in the court few did regard,
And got na gain thereby nor na reward,
I grant that may be true, bot what of that?
I little gain deserved, and les I gat:
Bot men behald his hienes royal trine,
His palaces, and their apparel fine,
Behalde his house, behald his yearly rent,
His servants heir if they have cause to plent,
Observe this realm throughout from east to west,
From south to north, if any be oppressed,
Quhilk justice lacks, behald the common well,
Then judge if I be writer falls or leill.
Bot sick as sold it mend, let them lament,
I hanted court to lang, and I repent.
These cursed times, this worse not irone age,
Where virtue lurks, where vice dost reign and rage
Where faith and love, where friendship is neglected,
Contagiouslie with time hes me infected:
As vthers are, of force sa mon I be,
How can I do bot as men do to me?
In bordels vile a virgins chaist and puir,
Be tims with time a vile effronted huir:
A true man taine with pirats on the sea,
Is ferst to take a part of piracie.
O sentence suthe: I say for to conclude,
I
•…
company corrupteth manners gud.
Trew
Damons
part to play I wald me bind,
Bot
Pythias
kind yet can I never find:
Love mutual wald be, for all in vain,
I fauaur shaw, if nain I find again.
My heart is stane within, and iron without,
With triple bras my breist is set about,
For when of strife, and great mischance I hear,
Of death, debate, they do me little dear:
For vthers harm me tuitches not at all,
Swa I be free, what rak I what be fall?
The line of love almaist I have forget it,
For why, think I, to nain I am adbettit.
Not threttie times as zit the shining s
•…
,
His carrier round and proper course hes r
•…
,
Sen nature first me buit to joy his light,
And yet I walt (
〈◊〉
wish I might)
Dissolued be, renewed, and be with Christ,
Or flesh to fardar sollie me intist:
I fear the world, I dread allurements sair,
And strang assaults corrupt me mair and mair.
Let Satan rage, let wickedness incres,
I thank my God I am not comfortless:
My comfortlo, my haill felicity,
Consicts in this, I may it shaw
•…
o thee:
To serve the Lord, and on his
〈◊〉
repose,
To sing him praise, and in his
〈◊〉
reiese,
And ay to have my mind lift up on hie,
Unto that place where all our joy sall be:
My life and time I knaw it is s
•…
short,
That hear to dwell I think it bot a sport:
I have delightin heart mayest to behald,
The pleasant works of God sa manifold,
And to my mind great pleasour is indeed,
The nobill writs of learned men to reed:
As
Chremes
had, I have ane human heart,
And takes of things human na little part,
Be word and writ my mind I make it plaint,
To fekfull friends, and they to me again.
Christian precepts serving to the prac
tise of Sanctification.
INterprise nothing
〈◊〉
thou first call unto the Lord to bless it, and to blesso the
〈◊〉
, and then refer the succes theirof to him.
Sa soon as ony of thy enterprises hes taken effect, incontinent run and thank thy God.
Beware of presumption, self love, and vain ostentation, whatsoever good or great work thou accomplise, for thou may knaw it is the Lord that works by thy hand, & not thou: seeing thou hes had expertence of thine awin weakness and insufficientie.
Beware thou justify not thyself in thy heart: for thou knaws that thou cannot abstain fra sin, nor cannot be saved without the mere mercy of God shawin in the righteous merits of Jesus Christ.
Instruct and teach thy children and servants, albeit they be few in number
〈◊〉
the fear of God, as though thou had a great house and family.
When thou hes the command of God revealed be his word that thou sold do ony thing, obey thou cuer the command, and let it be a rule to all thy actions, how vnappearant soever it be, or far against thy heart, setting aside baith thy awin affections, and all wordly respects: for where God speaks, never speire onie f
•…
rder question, Because he knawes that whilk thou knawes not.
Give thou find thy desire extreme earnest in any matter, beware thou execute not thy desire, unless thou have a special war and of God's word, that thy desire be agreeable to his will: for the devil enters in be our inordinate appetits & affections.
When then art in doubt if that whilk thou art to do or say, be gud or evil: perform it not until thou be resolved.
In doing thy affairs use diligence and he quick: for thou knawes what hurt and grief thy flawnes and stouthfulnes hes wrought thee.
Because thy corruption is great, exercise thyself in the law, of the Lord continually, by reading, and bearing his word prea ched, least thou rowst like iron: fast, pray, sigh, weep, singe, meditate, and confer with gude men of spiritual things.
Albeit thou be not lang in ane estait, Bot now hett, now cauld in Religion, be not therefore discouraged, for sick is thy weakness, and sa being the single eye of thy mind be direct towards God, that thy intention be to please him, and that salvation be thy end through faith in Jesus Christ: what rach what befall unto thee? follow forth thy course and resolution constant lie in serving God unto the ende of thy life.
Because it is not possible that thy wit or memory can be abill to comprehend all things needful, and all gud precepts, except they be sanctified: Therefore crave that thy heart may be circumcised and clenged, that the holy Ghaist may dwell in thee and put theein remembrance of all things according to our Lord Jesus Christ's promise.
His thou need of ony thing? pray to God for it.
Wald thou retain and heepe the good thing whilk thou hes received? Be thankful to God for it.
Finds thou thyself dull and sensual, and wald have thy heart stirred up to prayer and to praise God, humble & heat down thy body by fasting. Remember on the day of judgment, call to memory the Lord's benefits bestowed on thee, and how he at ony time hes preserved thee from dangers of body or of Saull: Singe with thy mouth, and lift up thy mind and affections unto him.
To make thee stand in awe when thou art over secure and iollie, remember thy awin weakness, thy monstrous sins, and foul defections, and how the Lord at ony time did chastise thee for them.
Althought thy prayer appear to be without effect, yet cease not from praying, for if thy petition be lawful, and that thou submit the granting thereof unfeignedly to the will of God, be sure that at length thou sall ather get thy desire, or else content meant, as though thou had gotten it.
To make thee charitable towards all men, think that they with whom thou has to do are of the number of the children of God. And when thou speakis of the dead, think that they are in Christ's Kingdom, & this will make thee bridle thy tongue.
Sa soon as ever thow fallis in trouble, ather outward, or of the mind, incontinent have first refuge to God for relief, cra uing counsel of his mouth, & thereafter seek lawful means to be relieved: for begin thou first to seek wordly help, thou art out of the right way? therefore seek first to God, and soon to God.
Beware thou seek not comfort in outward things, where their is na solidity nor true comfort: for when it is past it brings greater grief with it: The solid & true comfort then is in spiritual things, in avoiding the society of men, and profane company, in acquainting thyself with thy God by pray er, by reading, meditation, teaching, hearing of the word preached, conferring of spiritual things, and in doing of charitable warks.
Also gif occasion serve, frequent often the Lord's supper? Quhilk is the Sacrament and seal of God's promise, appointed for thy comfort and confirmation of thy faith: In doing whereof thou declares thy obedience and thankfulness to God. Their fore remove all impediments whatsumeuer whilk may debar thee from that holy action.
Gif thou wald es
•…
hew anger, pass by a multitude of injuries and offenses that are done thee: for gif thou mark narrowly every feulte and oftence that is done, it sall not be possible to be lang in patience.
East thyself to a certain calling and vocation, that thou be not lowse and without a craft: And in chuising thy vocation,
(because it is a thing very hard & difficile) first
•…
rane earnestly the direction of God, that thou may ch
•…
se the best: Secondly, consider to what vocation thy heart is mayest inclinet: And third lie, consider gif God hath endued thee with gifts meet for that calling whilk thou likes off, And thereafter make election of it.
Having chosen a vocation, apply thy heart to thy vocation, and weary not of it, nather go about to avoid and cast it off: Bot willingly, and not by constraint embrace it, he diligent in it and
•…
lyte in it.
Be teraperate although it be never so painful to thee that thereby thou may be humbled, & made
〈◊〉
of t
•…
y
•…
uety, least thou wound thy conscience, and become profane, and harden thy heart be doing the contrary.
When thou art in perplexity & knowis not qubat to choose, intrinche thyself, and flee to the throne of
•…
ace to seek resolution.
Think not that thou by thy industry, convoy, or diligence, art able to accomplish onye
•…
ude thing: Therefore, crave the Lord's blessing to thy affairs, and wait patiently upon him.
Walk with gravity, integrity, and with ane upright heart in all thy actions: and not craftily, feircely, or willfully, bot without
•…
retting, murmuring, or upbraiding.
Be silent and modest, and not light, revealing thy grief, imperfection and weakness to every man least thou be despised: But pour out thy griefs before the Lord, and lament thine estait to him.
After well doing, beware then of presumption, walk warili
•…
modestlie, and sadly, and be not
•…
olly nor intemperate: For tem tation will not cease any long time, bot thou man suffer in earnest, and not for the fashion.
Be been volent till all men, and patient towards all, suffering everything patiently for Christ's sake and after his example.
•…
avail to be familiar & acquainted with thy God, be prayer and meditation, and walk with him.
Quben thou art sorrowful, or joyful, consider qubere fra the sorrow, or the joy proceeds, if they proceid from warldlie causes, thy
•…
row then is evil, and thy reioy
•…
ng vain, b
•…
t if thou be sorrow full for thy sin, thy sorrow is good and Godly: And if thy joy be grounted upon God, and arise upon
•…
ne inward persuasion of his favor, and remission of thy sins through the merits of Jesus Christ: Ther
•…
o thy
•…
oysing
•…
w & happy.
Remember that nothing can come unto thee but b
•…
God's providence and permission w
•…
y
•…
hen sul
•…
then bear e
•…
thing
〈◊〉
, seeing it is the
〈◊〉
wa
•…
k?
The Lord is able to
•…
oo
〈◊◊〉
above all that we ask or think: why suld thou then be careful, or a ver
•…
tious?
Study earnestly to be temperate of thy mouth: for intemptrancie hurts the memory and the judgment,
•…
ores the spitituall gift, makes the heart fat and sensual, banishes bea
•…
enke thoughts and meditations, and makes men unable for any gu
•…
exercise.
Be continually occupied ather in the
〈◊〉
service, or
〈◊〉
thine a win vocation, for the negle
•…
ing the
•…
of wounts the conscienser?
Gif the Lord have given thee any reasonable maintenence of thy a win, haunt not meikle the tables of v
•…
er men.
Kiframe t
•…
y t
•…
nge from cu
•…
speaking,
•…
rawarb or
•…
ilthy speaking, where by the conscience is wonder sull
•…
e wounded, & the spreit
•…
f Christ that
〈◊〉
in v
•…
s
•…
〈◊〉
.
Cra
•…
e of God a large and liberal
〈◊〉
, for a gnew
•…
us, and pinc
•…
ing heart iu matters of small importance is odi
•…
us.
M
•…
ole not thyself with
•…
risle matters, and be not earnest in
〈◊〉
, for that is mechanic.
Endeuor thyself to have thy mind
•…
abill in thy prayer and meditation, & suffer not the s
•…
min to be interrupted with valn
•…
thoughts or naughty actiones.
•…
e not bitter, fraward, earnest, or offended for trifles.
Study not nor pause not meikle on the feeding of the flesh, nather be cu
•…
us for the belly, bot be thou s
•…
ber, and
〈◊〉
pleased.
If thou be a pastour, or a teacher, where ever thou cummis, let thy secreit purpose be to conqueis sum to Christ.
Be ware thou lightly nocht, nor despise not vthers, bot rather consider how lowrd & gross thine awin imperfectionres at.
Where ever thou art injured, or heirs words vtte
•…
ed to thy reproach or grief, incontinent persuade thyself that it proceids
•…
ra God, & that he has stirred up the speaker or injurer against thee. Therefore consider if thou he iu
•…
lie quarreiled, and then take it as a chastisement for thy sin: Bot if thou be falsely & unjustly quarrelled, then think it is done by God to try thy faith & patience, wherein thou suld rejoice and receive comfort.
In taking thy resolutions, and in doing thy affairs, do that whilk may best please God, & may best serve to the expedition of thy turn, to the well of thy neighbor, and thine awin commendation: Not regarding for a small coast, or halding in of travel.
Beware thou be not exercised in vain and childish things, and be not given to thy pleasour or satisfying of thy lustis: specially when thou hes God's turn in hand: for that quenshis the Spirit.
Be not opiniater & willful in trifill maters, or over precise in things indifferent, least thou seem indiscreit & saucy: bot rather yield to the desire and will of vthers.
Beware of the first and sudden motions of the mind, whilk (as the Philosophers alleges) it is not in man's power to resist therefore seek thon the power of the Spreit of God, that they break not out or thou be war, bot that thou may halde in, qubill thou reason with thyself.
Craue light of God in all thy particulars, that thou be not guided be the light of nature, and ditement of flesh and blood: Bot be the spiritual light of gods word and his Spreit: for it is a great difficulty to knaw what is best to be chosen in all our particulars, and to discern between the light of nature, & the light of the Spreit of Jesus.
Learn to be sad, silent, sober, and sanctified: having thy
•…
ind eder lifted upward, and pausing on heavenly things, and not on cartblie and base things.
Remember daily on the death thou mon die, on the count thou hes to make to God, and on the reward whilk thou art to receive thereafter, either of joy, or of torment everlasting.
P
•…
nse deeply and consider with thyself what kind of thing Eternity is,
Albeit thou knaw thyself to be subject in sick sort till oni
•…
vice or sin, that thou cannot abstain from it: Neuertheles cease not to fight against it, & to make resistance, for give thou cease to resist, thou gives over the Christian battle: Therefore, at least be sorry for it, take purpose daily till amend, and though thou fall this day, think well to rise again the morne, and sa forth continually follow out that course unto thy lives ende: Crauing grace ant strength daily of God to resist it: then may thou be assured that he in his awin time will remove it, and deliver thee from the tyraunte thereof.
It may be that ane evil spreit follow upon thee, and rage in thine affections, seven years, twenty years, forty years: yet for all this thou
〈◊〉
nocht despair of thine esta
•…
t: For gif thou make enie resistance, thou art not his obedientseruant, bot his prisoner, thou art led captive to
•…
n: ot give thou obey him willingly and with a gladness, without any reluctance or regrait, thou art then his slave & servant. Therefore consider not only the evil whilk the
•…
hes d
•…
ne, but also if thou be displeased with the doing thereof.
Be sure of thine election, and that thou art in the favor of God, whereof thir are infallible marks.
First, when thou art come to the true knowledge of Christ and the view of his death and resurrection, by the light of the E uangell.
Second when the Lord suffers thee not to slip without correction for thy sins committed against him.
Thirdly, When thou knawes thine a win wants and imper fections, and art sorry for them.
Fourthly, When thon hes
•…
ne earnest houger and a thirst, for righteousness and perfection.
Fiftlie, When thou hopes assuredly aday to obtain through Christ Jesus, that whilk thou hungers & thirsts for in this life.
Think not that thou art able to attain unto perfect halines in this life: for in us there is na perfectiō, bot our sufficiency is from God. The greatest perfectisn then, that man can attain unto during the course of this life, is, to be of a life unreprovable, or without sklander in the sight of men: To hait sin, and to love righteousness, to love the appearance of Christ Jesus: And some time to taist and feel a part of that heavenly joy & peace of Conscience, arising upon hope whilk the holy ghaist works in the saule and is called the earnest or erlis
•…
mne of the Spireite, whereby we ar sealed to saluatió. Bot this sense of joy remains not always, bot is rare and induces not onle long space albeit all the faithful feels it not alike, bot some ofter, some sin
•…
illar: some in a greter, some in
•…
smaller measur
•…
. Always, the truth is that the mayest part of the childre
•…
of God are ofter subject till a feeling of fear and wraith in this life, nor of joy and peace.
Think not that thou art sufficiently mortified, and speaned
•…
om the world, while
•…
thou he so well acquainted with thy God that albeit thou were spoiled of friends, force, and of every world lie comfort, though thou were contemned of all men, & that everything appeared to go against thee: yet not the les thou wald not be discouraged, bot wald be assured to find comfort in the Lord.
To knaw thy a win nature, take beede how thy mind is occu
•…
red when thou art solitary, and free from all external affairs: If altogether on earthly and carnal things, thou art yet earthly and carnal: Bot if on spiritual & heavenly things, it is the wark
•…
of the spirit. Also examine thyself what thou wald do if thou were in prosperity, and had liberty to do what thou lust: If thy inclination be to seek riches, hono. s, estimation of men, to enjoy thy pleasor, or to revenge thy quarrels: certify thyself thou art yet in nature: Bot if thy intention be to glorify God, and to be exercised in every manner of good warke: then he assuced thy regeneration is begun.
FINIS.