deeclaratioun of the Lordis just quarrell
|
[No]t long ago as I allone did walk,
|
Intill ane place was plesand to behauld:
|
[T]wa leirnit men in privie I hard talk,
|
[Ech] of thame his taill in ordoure tauld
|
[I under]stuid thair sentence quhat thay wald,
|
[And tho]cht it guid to put in memorie
|
[Thai]r Names als as efter ze sall se.
|
[The] taine him self Philandrius did call,
|
[Quha] in vertew and manheid tuik delyte;
|
[The to]ther feirfull semt to be at all,
|
[Eridelius] he did his Name indyte
|
[Off mony] thingis thay did togidder flyte,
|
[Bot] I tuik tent above all other thing
|
[Quhen] thay spak of this Realme and governing.
|
[Erideil]us sayis it dois merwell me,
|
[Quh]at causit hes the Lordis of Scotland
|
[Tak on] ane enterprise of sic folie,
|
[Againe] the Quene and aganis hir husband:
|
[Mycht] thay not weill ilk ane in his awin land
|
[In que]yetnes leifit in peace and rest,
|
[Guydin]g his awin as him had lykit best.
|
[To qu]home Philandrius did answer mak,
|
[And] said that men war not denyst onlie:
|
[Without] all cair their awin plesure to tak,
|
[But] to foirse the weill of that countrie
|
[Revelries] of quhilk, the Lord will that thay be
|
[Quhilk] charge (he sayis) thay canot weill refuse,
|
[Les shaum]fullie thair office thay abuse.
|
[Beha]lding than the actis execrabill,
|
[That] in this countrie hes committit bene,
|
[That schame] the lack the bruit abhominabill:
|
[That] saikles men with sorow did sustene,
|
[Ane pri]vat hart it mycht prik up with tene,
|
[To seik] redres and mend that cairfull caice
|
[Far mair] the nobillis of the Royall raice.
|
[To see] the King fyrst lychtlit schamefully,
|
[And] not chereist in chalmer nor in hall:
|
[Syne] murdreist downe causeles and crewelly,
|
[Off] that tresoun na tryall taine at all.
|
[Thay] quhome the bruit did trewlie traytouris call,
|
[Greit]est in Co[ur]t and chereist all thair best,
|
[Quahat] Lordis hart culd luik on this and lest,
|
[To] se ane monstuire full of fylthynes,
|
[Abov]e the rest heich mountit up in gloir,
|
[Baith] Prince and Realme and all power posses,
|
[Ane] gled ay gaipand guid men to devoir,
|
[Quhat] hart sa hard bot this sycht sould mak soir,
|
[Quha] rychtly than dar thir men reprehend:
|
[Sic gr]eit mischief quha menis till amend.
|
[To] se the Quene furth rydand on the plaine,
|
[Reft] lyke ane huire with ruffians shamefullie,
|
[And] thocht that sum think that was bot ane traine,
|
[Her] awin wryting dois contrar testifie,
|
[In F]rance Ingland and mony strange cuntrie:
|
[Plein]zeand that sho was rauyssit by hir will
|
[Quhat] nobill hart mycht se this and sit still.
|
[To re]if, to murther and wyle licherie,
|
[The] fourt forfault is eikit euin fra hand:
|
[To testifie] that Law and honestie
|
[With] sic ribaldis can not ring in ane land,
|
[The Qu]ene is cuplit with ane wyffis husband
|
[And] farther zit he quha the King did sack,
|
[But] Law the Quene dar into mariage tak.
|
[Be]syde all this thair durst na vertuous wycht,
|
[In] presence of that proude tyran appeir:
|
[Bloudy] boucheouris and throtcutters on nycht,
|
[War] only hard, and only had the steir.
|
[The] Nobill men durst not the Court cum neir,
|
[The] royall hous refuge to honest men
|
[Was] maid ane bordell and ane theifis den.
|
[Our] prettie Prince the peirle of all this land,
|
[With] dutifull deid thay socht for to devoir:
|
[That riche] relick and thresour of Scotland,
|
[Destr]oy as thay his father did befoir.
|
[Quhat] duilfull mynde mycht dewlie this deploir,
|
[In] sic dainger to se that innocent
|
[For our] releif quhome God had till us sent.
|
[Quhat] Nobill hart could langer this induire?
|
[Quhat] commoun breist did not for sorrow burst?
|
[Quhat] godly man of him self could be suire?
|
[Quhat] stranger thocht bot this cuntrie was curst
|
Quhat preachour this repreif, I pray zow durst?
|
Quhat chaist woman wyssit not to be deid,
|
To se sic vice set up in vertewis steid.
|
|Gif it was sa, than quha can worthy lie
|
Exalt and prais, and magaifie the Name
|
Off thir Nobillis quha durst couragiouslie
|
Hazaird thame self to saif us all fra shame.
|
Thair lande, thair honour, and tryumphand fame,
|
Salbe disperst in dispyte of Inuy,
|
Quhen faceles fuillis sall not be settin by.
|
|Erideilus than answer maid againe,
|
Thy talk he sayis is treuth and veritie:
|
Bot zit sum douts thair is of quhilk rycht faine,
|
Bif laser lat I wald resolvit be,
|
And fyrst tuiching the Quenis libertie:
|
For m[o]ny thinkis thir Barronis ar to bauld,
|
In strait keping a Princes for to hauld.
|
|Philandrius to answer than him sped,
|
And this he said Eridielus untill:
|
Gif that a freind with fayis away war led
|
Be wickit craft syne tystit war till ill.
|
Thocht he covet in that stait to byde still,
|
Zit in that caice his freindis of dewtie
|
Sould wis his weill and seik his libertie.
|
|And gif his fantasie war sa far infectit,
|
That to the treuth he could not bent his eir:
|
He sould not be in foly zit neglectit
|
Bot fairnes than sould mixit be with feir,
|
And gif all this could him na wysedome leir
|
Than acht he be of all phissance denude,
|
To do na evill gif he could do na guide.
|
|Than sen that bowdin bludy beist Bothwell,
|
[H]es trayterously in myrk put downe our King:
|
His wyfe the Quene syne cauyssit to him sell,
|
In fylthie lust throw cullour of wedding.
|
Thocht sho be witcheit wald in ruttery ring,
|
The Nobillis sould nether of thir enduire,
|
That lowne to leif, nor hir to be his huire.
|
|And gif the poysone in his hart be sonkin,
|
That sho will not consent he puneist be:
|
Gif with his fylthie lust sho be sa dronkin,
|
That sho forzet office [and] honestie
|
Than man hir Nobillis of necessitie,
|
Cut of hir force quhill tresoun be revengeit,
|
And this confusioun in ane ordour changeit.
|
|In privat persounis sayis Eridielus,
|
I understand thy taill is trew in deid:
|
Bot in Princes it is mair perrillous,
|
And few examplis thairof can I reid.
|
And in sic caice the subjectis all had neid,
|
Haill to concur with ane authoritie
|
Sic concurrence in Scotland nane I se.
|
|Philandrius sayis brother than considder,
|
How fyrst began all dominatiounis:
|
Quhen ruid pepill assemblit thame togidder
|
And maid thair Kingis be creatiounis.
|
In votis than war variatiounis,
|
I trow rycht few was chosin be the haill,
|
Bot he was King quhais pairtie did prevaill.
|
|Rycht sa gif Princes sa thame self abuse,
|
That of force subjectis man put to thair hand:
|
Guid men sould not than to reforme refuse,
|
Thocht all at ainis concur not on thair band.
|
Naimly gif Justice on thair partie stand,
|
And maist consent gif quha wald rackin rycht,
|
Sen God hes gein to thame baith strenth & mycht.
|
Zea thocht it war ane King for to depose,
|
For certaine crymis I think the subjectis may,
|
Or fylthy faultouris fast in prisone close,
|
Rather than lat ane haill countrie decay.
|
Thay sould not sturre thocht sum men wald say nay
|
To ane purpose the haill will never conclude,
|
Thay have aneuch, hes force and quarrell gude.
|
|May thay not put ane ordoure to the heid:
|
Quha in beginning did the heid up mak
|
May thay not set ane better in the steid,
|
Gif it fra vice can not be callit bak.
|
Les this be done Realmes will go to wrak,
|
Namely quhen that the cryme is sa patent
|
That nouther misters Juge nor argument.
|
|As gif ane King his pepill wald betray,
|
And him and thame baith bring to servitude:
|
He sould in this reformit be I say,
|
Naimly be Nobillis and be men of gude.
|
The Baliols cause considdir how it stude,
|
Quhat rycht had Robert Bruice him to expell?
|
Because to Ingland he subject him sell.
|
|And now gif I durst speik without respect,
|
To huirmaisters, to murderers of Kingis:
|
To throtcutters our Realme was maid subject,
|
Quha in thair malice proudely zit malingis.
|
Lat Nobill hartis considder all thir thingis,
|
Thay sall weill find that this puire natioun,
|
Greit mister had of reformatioun.
|
|Sic fylthie luste in Sardanapalus,
|
Sic crueltie in Nero did not ring:
|
Sic brutishe lyfe in Heliogabalus
|
Sic traytour mynde to slay his Lord and King,
|
In feinzeit Phocas breist did never spring:
|
Sic beistly bowgrie Sodome hes not sene
|
As rang in him quha rewlit Realme and Quene.
|
|And sould the Nobill Barronis of this land
|
In hoilis lurk and this mischeif behauld,
|
Quhair is the wittis wont to reule Scotland:
|
Go reid the buik, repeit the storyis auld,
|
King Euenus was keipit in strang hauld
|
And deit thair Conarus was inclosit,
|
First being dewlie for his fault deposit.
|
|For wickit lyfe imprisont was Ferquhaird,
|
Quha slew him self of proude melancolie,
|
Donald the fyft he gat the same reuaird:
|
And Ethus did in prisone private die.
|
And gif ze list to go fra this countrie,
|
In everie land examplis dois abound
|
Gif thay be socht thay may be eithlie found.
|
|For sic misordour proude Tarquinius
|
was the last King that ever did ring in Rome,
|
For lyke crymes the tyran Claudius:
|
Losit his stait and gat deid for his dome,
|
To speik of Nero now I have na to me
|
Off Commodus, Caius and Caracall,
|
It war to lang for to discrive the fall.
|
|Quhat sorow into Naples than was sene,
|
Quha knawis the story cleirly thair may reid,
|
Quhen Charlis dochter Jeane that catiue Quene:
|
Baith honestie forzet and womanheid.
|
Hir husband and hir cousing put to deid,
|
Syne with his Burrio band ane new mariage,
|
Allace this sample servis over weill our age.
|
|And zit the Lord he leit hir not eschaip,
|
Bot of hir tuik ane punishement conding:
|
Quha fyrst hir husband hangit in ane raip,
|
The murtherer syne in his bed did bring,
|
God maid hir paine aggre with hir guyding,
|
As bedfoly to sit mischeif hir led
|
Euin so sho endit smorit with a bed.
|
|Than to conclude thir Nobillis dois bot rycht,
|
Gif thay the Quene keip still in sicker gaird,
|
Untill that coward Kingslayar on nycht
|
For his demeritis get ane just rewaird.
|
Than lat thame all concur baith Lord and Laird,
|
Thair Realme and Quene with guid consall to guyde
|
Settand all private profit far a syde
|
|Gif thay do this than dar I say ane thing,
|
Thair lair laude and fame sall mont above the skyis,
|
Thair heich renoune sall in all Regioun ring:
|
Thair name sall gang quhair ever the Sone do ryse,
|
Thay salbe repuite hardy wycht and wyse,
|
In all storyis thay salbe cleirly kend,
|
The Leuing Lord bring thame to this gude end.
|
|As this Philandrius did frely talk,
|
The tother pairt Erideilus be name,
|
Rais up and quyerlie away did [st]alk
|
And as me thocht he waxit reid for schame,
|
Quhilk quhen I saw I rais up and come hame
|
And put in wryt thair disputatioun,
|
As ze have hard be this narratioun.
|
|
|
|
|
|