The Bischoppis lyfe and testament
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CAlling to mynde the mutabiliteis
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Of this Inconstant warld sa variabill,
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Lyke to ane Schip that saillis on the seis
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Tost with winds & wallis Innavigabill.
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Bot sen I se na plesure permanabill
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Bot as the weid it widderis sone away,
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Lat us go seik the gloir Inestimabill
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Quhair we man pas perpetually for ay.
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With spreit opprest this plungit in to cair,
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Remembring me quhat mater to compyle
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Endlang ane Park I past without repair
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Be Snawdoun syde the sevint day of Apryle.
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And as I walkit wandering not ane myle
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Ane pieteous spreit appeirit to my thocht,
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Sayand allace, and waryit be the quhyle
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That I was borne, or in this warld upbrocht.
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Can I nocht tell gif be Illutioun
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Or gif be feir sic fantaseis we tak,
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Bot this he said in schort conclusioun
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Deplorit ane plaint, and planelie to me spak.
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Poetis of me hes mater for to mak,
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In tragedie quhat tyme I heir remanit
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And with that word I went sumthing abak,
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And bad say on, and with God saif me sanit.
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I was (said he) ane Lord levand on lyfe,
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Ane bastard barne, that can I not deny
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My Father was ane Erle and had ane wyfe
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Thocht he abusit his body and lay by.
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In Goddis Ire begottin sa was I
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My mother was a Dame in Dundafmure
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Bot quhidder it was in feild keipand the Ky
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Or fischand Lochis Lin I am not sure.
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As for my surname seik my mothers aith,
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Quhylis Cuninghame yai callit me heir & yair
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bot gude John Cowane gaif me meit and claith
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Quhill I was sevin yeir auld and sumthing mair
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the Provest of Hammiltoun cummand by for cair
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Fand me with Ky ane kyndlie occupatioun,
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And Hammiltoun he me huif I zow declair
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Ane sorie Surname for my awin salvatioun.
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To preif my spreit, and say my scharp Ingyne
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With John of cliddisdail yai causit me to strive
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Be worsling first, in faith the feild was myne,
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I brak his heid to have prerogative.
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Quhat sall I wryte zow in my wittis five?
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I was coequall with Achitophall,
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Or subtill Sinone knaifrie to discrive
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And all my deidis mair Diabolicall,
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In leirning letters lang tyme at ye Scule
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My pregnant spreit surpassit all the laif,
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Quhill I was cowit, and cled up lyke ane Fule
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In Stemming Rokket riches to ressaif.
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Than twa zeiris Noveis notit for ane knaif
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Zond in Kiluinning my prentischip I past
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Bella fortuna to me sic giftis gaif
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To want na graith, and ay the Gallous last.
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Than my Lord Arrane from Albany ye Duke,
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Obtenit the gift of Murray be ane myance
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Quhen Abbotschaw sic havie haitrent tuik
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At the haill hous of Lennox and thair alliance.
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Quhaitfoir he coist, and left thame at defyance,
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Than I fund Jok was into Paslay plaist
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Smart in my schuitting, & singular in my science
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And sum men sayis the bybill I Imbraist.
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For feir of that, thay gart me fle to France
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In waryit tyme I trow I went of towne,
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Quhair I begouth with guthorne for to dance,
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To loup on Laffis lait and play the Lowne.
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My Stemming Sark, & Rokket was laid doun,
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Fra tyme that I hard tell the King was deid
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Than I began haill Tutour to the Crowne
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To steir my tyme the temporall lawis to leid.
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The first that ever vaikit was Dunkell
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And I was gaip and lyke ane gredie gled,
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The Cardinall deit, and than Sanctandros fell
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My power haill unto the Paip I sped.
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Quhen thay had rypelie all my bowes red
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Aganis thair Cannoun Law thay gaif decreit
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For I was bastard borne of unlawfull bed
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Zit furtherit I becaus thay fand me meit.
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Without respect to God or feir of faith,
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Plumand but pietie I did oppres the pure
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Be fenzeit causis I confiscat graith
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Men criminall to accuse I tuke na cure.
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Quhen it was gottin I gaif it to my hure
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Quhome I possest in speciall Stanehous wyfe
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Of all the barnis my Lady Jeltoun bure
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Scho me constranit to mak Ilk ane a lyfe.
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Rowpand for riches quhill all my barnis wer staikit
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as houngrie Lyoun lousit out of a band,
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Sum benefice I bocht or ever it vaikit
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And sum I wardit waitand on thair land.
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Kilburnie haldis Drumry behind the hand
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Raith and Bernbowgall, & mony honest man
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Na wrangous conqueis Christ wil thoil to stand
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Evill was it wairit, and weill war I it wand.
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Be justice airis I pledgit all the pepill
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Than spairit nane, thocht thay wer Innocent,
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To Magnifie my name I maid ane Stepill
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Of everie pleuch I tuik fyve pund of Stent.
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Swa of this lyfe the Lord was miscontent
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Seand my faith not foundit on ane Roik,
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As babell fell, sa Paslay may repent
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That I the maid of Malesounis of foik.
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Than was I Legat licent be the Paip,
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With dispensatiounis, sawis for everie sair
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To eik my pois I leit thame pas gude chaip
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By quha sa wald, I wantit na sie wair.
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For holynes thay heipit on me mair
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Greit Metrapolitane of the Kirk of God,
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Quhen I was Hird the scheip was in ane snair
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Lyke till ane flok of hennis befoir ane Tod.
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Quha landit than, bot Lennox out of France
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To battell boun with him was bernis bauld,
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Sair I in dreid, quhill I devysit that dance
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Of Glasgow Castell gat it bocht and sauld.
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Greit was the riches fund within that hauld,
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Plaitter nor pols we never left [?] plak
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Coistlie apparell that cannot weill be tauld
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We left him bair till all was on his bak.
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Efter the feild we followit him sa fast,
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Spuilzeit his places, & tuik baith gudis & geir,
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Quhill all the land he left us at the last
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Quhair Lawrence Neisbit chaipit verray neir.
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Contrair my conscience, and the actis of weir
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Murdreist his men that micht me nocht resist
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That saikles blude rang sex and twentie zeir,
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Quhill Palmsonevin that same day I deceist.
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Bot to my taill heir I returne agane,
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Quhen ze began in goolynes to gloir
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I tuik my womit wickitlie in vane,
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Contrair my conscience I profest befoir
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My mynd was than the Messes to restoir,
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Bot now to lait, I lat that Law allane
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Had I fund graith my honour to decoir
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I caird not by, quhat way the warld had gane.
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At Haryis Mariage I bure hid Invy
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Feirand he procreat children with the Quene
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His putting doun I publictly deny,
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Zit botis & hummis declairis zow quhat I mene
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And scho wer wrakit, all the warld may wene
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Than sould the Duke but dout ressaif ye croun,
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This was my purpois planely to obtene
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Under sum craft to cow the Stewartis doun.
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Than was scho caryit captive as thay tell
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And quha nor I was fainer of that fact?
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Except the countrie come not with our sell
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Quhilk was the only caus we bure abak.
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For feir of Murray sic myance gart I mak
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Be fraud and gyle we gat hir of Lochlevin,
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Seikand our gloir we gat baith schame and lak
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Our fals intent was sa tryit out in hevin.
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Zit cuttit I away thair warldly strenth
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James Erll of Murray Regent of Renoun,
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As I sall schaw zow schortly at mair lenth
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I being captive tane to Striviling Toun.
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Dunbartane Castell Devill mot ding the doun
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Quha wald beleif, bot thow was wicht aneuch
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Bot zit the Lord is Maister of Mahoun
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Inspyrit thair spreitis, & gart thame speill that heuch.
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Bot quha may leif, fra tyme his glas be run
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As I have schawin heir schortly to conclude,
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Sone was I helterit fra the hous was wun
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To Snawdoun syne, accusit with men of gude.
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Of pointis four, bot stifly I withstude.
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Except the Regentis deith I nocht denyit,
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I was the only man gart spill his blude
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And mekle mair gif all the treuth wer tryit.
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Gude pepill heir to have zow not abusit,
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Just ordour led I lat zow understand
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In Parliament I was forfalt and accusit,
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Quhair I was baith convict of lyfe and land.
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Denuncit Rebell, and fugitive fra hand
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Quhairfoir I knew my deid gif I wer gottin,
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Thay socht na Law, bot thay befoir yame fand
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And will be usit quhill we be deid and rottin.
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And quhair ze speik of auld perticular
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Without avise of thair Nobilitie,
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The Erll of Angous and my Lord of Mar
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Glencarne, Ruthuen, Cathcart, and Duchiltrie
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Methuen, Lochlevin, with Lairds aboundantlie
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The Justice Clerk my dittay red perqueir
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Than fra I saw I was condampnit to die
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This was my haill Confessioun ze sall heir.
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Sequitur Confessio.
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Gude pepill all, I pray zow to pray for me,
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Quhat may my rent of riches now decoir me?
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This far I speik in presence of zow al:
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Complenand heir with pietie I deploir me
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Quha is the Lord to lyfe may now restoir m[e]
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Heirfoir go mark this in Memoriall
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Twyse being bischop with sic beriall,
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Hard to beleif sum fyme to se me hing
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Gif I had servit my God, and syne my King
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Quhair ze accuse me of the Kingis d[?]
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Gif I it knew, God nor I want my heid
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Except and quhen I hard the hous was fyrit
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I feirit myself, and dred sum deidly feid.
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Than I persavit that he was past remeid
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I knew sum Tratouris had his deith conspyrit
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Thocht Johne my servand said as he desyrit,
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Under Confessioun speikand to ane Preist
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Mair beist was he that bure it not in his breist.
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My former faith I cannot weill Recant,
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Nane I accuse I come not heir to Sant
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Gif to reveild, may help me heir I dout
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As to the Regentis deith in deid I grant.
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I weill awow it, becaus he leit me want,
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That ze may tell till all that standis about
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My voce is waik, I may not weill speik out,
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And of my Manus tuas I have sic haist
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With ite missa est said I gaif the Gaist.
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This being said, the cludis obscurit the sky
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And I was feirit and hamewart did me hy,
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Maid to the Towne and steppit up the streit
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And as I past, the Potence I espy
|
Quhair the annoyntit Bischop hang to dry.
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I was Sanct Thomas quhill I tuichit his feit
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On Palmsonevin this paper I compleit,
|
Evin word be word, as to the treuth belang
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And gif I lie, God nor the liers be hangit.
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