Epistill, The-
The Epistill
1
Thou, lytil quair, of mater miserabyll,
Weil auchtest thou coverit to be with sabyl,
Renunceand grene, the purpur, reid, and quhit.
To delicat men thou art nocht delectabyll,
Nor yit tyll amorous folkis amiabyll.
To reid on the thai wyl haif no delite.
Warldlye peple wyll have at the dispyte,
Quhilk fyxit hes thare hart and hole intentis
On sensuall luste, on dignitie, and rentis.
2
We have no kyng, the to present, allace!
Quhilk to this countre bene ane cairfull cace,
And als, our quene, of Scotland heretour,
Sche dwellith in France. I pray God saif her grace!
It war to lang for the to ryn that race
And far langar, or that young tender flour
Bryng home tyll us ane kyng and governour.
" Allace, tharefor!" we may with sorrow syng,
Quhilk moste so lang remane without one kyng.
3
I nott quhome to thy simpylnes to sende.
With cunnyng men, frome tyme that you be kende,
Thy vaniteis no waye thay wyll advance,
Thynkand the proude, sic thyngis to pretende.
Nochtwithstanding, the straucht way sal thou wende
To thame quhilk hes the realme in governance.
Declare thy mynde to thame, with circumstance.
Go first tyll James, our prince and protectour,
And his brother, our spirituall governour
4
And prince of preistis in this natioun.
Efter reverend recommendatioun,
Under thare feit thow lawlye the submyt
And mak thame humyll supplicatioun:
Geve thay in the fynd wrang narratioun,
That thay wald pleis thy faltis to remyt.
And of thare grace, geve thay do the admyt,
Than go thy waye, quhare ever thow plesis best;
Be thay content, mak reverence to the rest.
5
To faithfull prudent pastouris spirituall,
To nobyll erlis, and lordis temporall,
Obedientlye tyll thame thow the addres,
Declaryng thame this schort memoriall,
Quhow mankynd bene to miserie maid thrall.
At lenth to thame the cause planelie confesse,
Beseikand thame all lawis to suppresse
Inventit be mennis traditioun,
Contrar to Christis institutioun.
6
And cause thame cleirlye for tyll understand
That, for the brekyng of the Lordis command,
His thrinfald wande of flagellatioun
Hes scurgit this pure realme of Scotland
Be mortall weris, baith be sey and land,
With mony terrabyll trybulatioun.
Tharefore mak to thame trew narratioun
That al thir weris, this derth, hunger, and pest,
Was nocht bot for our synnis manefest.
7
Declare to thame quhow, in the tyme of Noye,
Alluterlye God did the warld distroye,
As holy scripture maketh mentioun.
Sodom, Gomor, with thare regioun and roye
(God sparit nothir man, woman, nor boye),
Bot all wer brynt for thare offentioun.
Jherusalem, that moste tryumphant town,
Distroyit wes for thare iniquytie,
As in the scripture, planelye thay may se.
8
Declare to thame this mortall miserie:
Be sweird and fyre, derth, pest, and povertie,
Procedis of syn, gyf I can rycht discryve,
For laik of faith and for ydolatrye,
For fornicatioun, and for adultrye
Of princis, prelatis, with mony ane man and wyve.
Expell the cause, than the effect belyve
Sall cease, quhen that the peple doith repent.
Than God sall slak his bow quhilk yit is bent.
9
Mak thaim requeist, quhilk hes the governance,
The sinceir word of God for tyll avance
Conforme to Christis institutioun,
Without ypocrisie or dissimulance,
Causyng Justice hauld evinlye the ballance:
On publicanis makyng punyssioun,
Commendyng thame of gude conditioun.
That beyng done, I dout nocht bot the Lorde
Sall of this countre have misericorde.
10
Thoucht God, with mony terrabyll effrayis,
Hes done this cuntrie scurge by divers wayis
Be juste jugement for our grevous offence,
Declare to thame thay sall have mery dayis
Efter this trubyll, as the propheit sayis.
Quhen God sall se our humyll repentence,
Tyll strange pepyll thoucht he hes gevin lycence
To be our scurge, induryng his desyre,
Wyll, quhen he lyste, that scurge cast in the fyre.
11
Pray thame that thay putt nocht thare esperance
In mortall men onelye, thame tyll advance,
Bot principallye in God omnipotent.
Than neid thai not to charge the realme of France
With gounnis, galayis, nor uther ordinance,
So that thay be to God obedient.
In thir premyssis, be thay nocht negligent,
Displayand Christis banar hie on heycht,
Thare ennimeis of thame sall have no mycht.
12
Go hence, pure buke, quhilk I have done indyte
In rurall ryme, in maner of dispyte
Contrar the warldlis variatioun;
Of rethorick heir I proclame the quyte.
Idolatouris, I feir, sall with the flyte;
Because of thame thow makis narratioun.
Bot cure thow nocht the indignatioun
Of hypocritis and fals Pharisience,
Quhowbeit on the thay cry ane lowde vengence.
13
Requeist the gentyll redar that the redis,
Thocht ornat termes in to thy park not spredis,
As thay in the may have experience;
Thocht barran feildis beris nocht bot weidis,
Yit brutall beistis sweitlye on thame feidis.
Desyre of thame none uther recompance
Bot that thay wald reid the with pacience,
And geve thay be in ony way offendit,
Declare to thame it salbe weill amendit.
Finis.
Heir endis the Epistil and follouis the Prologe.
1
Thou, lytil quair, of mater miserabyll,
Weil auchtest thou coverit to be with sabyl,
Renunceand grene, the purpur, reid, and quhit.
To delicat men thou art nocht delectabyll,
Nor yit tyll amorous folkis amiabyll.
To reid on the thai wyl haif no delite.
Warldlye peple wyll have at the dispyte,
Quhilk fyxit hes thare hart and hole intentis
On sensuall luste, on dignitie, and rentis.
2
We have no kyng, the to present, allace!
Quhilk to this countre bene ane cairfull cace,
And als, our quene, of Scotland heretour,
Sche dwellith in France. I pray God saif her grace!
It war to lang for the to ryn that race
And far langar, or that young tender flour
Bryng home tyll us ane kyng and governour.
" Allace, tharefor!" we may with sorrow syng,
Quhilk moste so lang remane without one kyng.
3
I nott quhome to thy simpylnes to sende.
With cunnyng men, frome tyme that you be kende,
Thy vaniteis no waye thay wyll advance,
Thynkand the proude, sic thyngis to pretende.
Nochtwithstanding, the straucht way sal thou wende
To thame quhilk hes the realme in governance.
Declare thy mynde to thame, with circumstance.
Go first tyll James, our prince and protectour,
And his brother, our spirituall governour
4
And prince of preistis in this natioun.
Efter reverend recommendatioun,
Under thare feit thow lawlye the submyt
And mak thame humyll supplicatioun:
Geve thay in the fynd wrang narratioun,
That thay wald pleis thy faltis to remyt.
And of thare grace, geve thay do the admyt,
Than go thy waye, quhare ever thow plesis best;
Be thay content, mak reverence to the rest.
5
To faithfull prudent pastouris spirituall,
To nobyll erlis, and lordis temporall,
Obedientlye tyll thame thow the addres,
Declaryng thame this schort memoriall,
Quhow mankynd bene to miserie maid thrall.
At lenth to thame the cause planelie confesse,
Beseikand thame all lawis to suppresse
Inventit be mennis traditioun,
Contrar to Christis institutioun.
6
And cause thame cleirlye for tyll understand
That, for the brekyng of the Lordis command,
His thrinfald wande of flagellatioun
Hes scurgit this pure realme of Scotland
Be mortall weris, baith be sey and land,
With mony terrabyll trybulatioun.
Tharefore mak to thame trew narratioun
That al thir weris, this derth, hunger, and pest,
Was nocht bot for our synnis manefest.
7
Declare to thame quhow, in the tyme of Noye,
Alluterlye God did the warld distroye,
As holy scripture maketh mentioun.
Sodom, Gomor, with thare regioun and roye
(God sparit nothir man, woman, nor boye),
Bot all wer brynt for thare offentioun.
Jherusalem, that moste tryumphant town,
Distroyit wes for thare iniquytie,
As in the scripture, planelye thay may se.
8
Declare to thame this mortall miserie:
Be sweird and fyre, derth, pest, and povertie,
Procedis of syn, gyf I can rycht discryve,
For laik of faith and for ydolatrye,
For fornicatioun, and for adultrye
Of princis, prelatis, with mony ane man and wyve.
Expell the cause, than the effect belyve
Sall cease, quhen that the peple doith repent.
Than God sall slak his bow quhilk yit is bent.
9
Mak thaim requeist, quhilk hes the governance,
The sinceir word of God for tyll avance
Conforme to Christis institutioun,
Without ypocrisie or dissimulance,
Causyng Justice hauld evinlye the ballance:
On publicanis makyng punyssioun,
Commendyng thame of gude conditioun.
That beyng done, I dout nocht bot the Lorde
Sall of this countre have misericorde.
10
Thoucht God, with mony terrabyll effrayis,
Hes done this cuntrie scurge by divers wayis
Be juste jugement for our grevous offence,
Declare to thame thay sall have mery dayis
Efter this trubyll, as the propheit sayis.
Quhen God sall se our humyll repentence,
Tyll strange pepyll thoucht he hes gevin lycence
To be our scurge, induryng his desyre,
Wyll, quhen he lyste, that scurge cast in the fyre.
11
Pray thame that thay putt nocht thare esperance
In mortall men onelye, thame tyll advance,
Bot principallye in God omnipotent.
Than neid thai not to charge the realme of France
With gounnis, galayis, nor uther ordinance,
So that thay be to God obedient.
In thir premyssis, be thay nocht negligent,
Displayand Christis banar hie on heycht,
Thare ennimeis of thame sall have no mycht.
12
Go hence, pure buke, quhilk I have done indyte
In rurall ryme, in maner of dispyte
Contrar the warldlis variatioun;
Of rethorick heir I proclame the quyte.
Idolatouris, I feir, sall with the flyte;
Because of thame thow makis narratioun.
Bot cure thow nocht the indignatioun
Of hypocritis and fals Pharisience,
Quhowbeit on the thay cry ane lowde vengence.
13
Requeist the gentyll redar that the redis,
Thocht ornat termes in to thy park not spredis,
As thay in the may have experience;
Thocht barran feildis beris nocht bot weidis,
Yit brutall beistis sweitlye on thame feidis.
Desyre of thame none uther recompance
Bot that thay wald reid the with pacience,
And geve thay be in ony way offendit,
Declare to thame it salbe weill amendit.
Finis.
Heir endis the Epistil and follouis the Prologe.
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