Classic Poem

Calling to mynde the mutabiliteis
Of this Inconstant warld sa variabill,
Lyke to ane Schip that saillis on the seis
Tost with winds & wallis Innauigabill.
Bot sen I se na plesure permanabill
Bot as the weid it widderis sone away,
Lat vs go seik the gloir Inestimabill
Quhair we man pas perpetually for ay.

With spreit opprest this plungit in to cair,
Remembring me quhat mater to compyle
Endlang ane Park I past without repair
Be Snawdoun syde the seuint day of Apryle,
And as I walkit wandering not ane myle
Ane pieteous spreit appeirit to my thocht,
Sayand, allace, and waryit be the quhyle
That I was borne, or in this warld upbrocht.

Can I nocht tell gif be Illutioun
Or gif be feir sic fantaseis we tak,
Bot this be said in schort conclusioun
Deplorit ane plaint, and planelie to me spak
Poetis of me hes mater for to mak
In tragedie quhat tyme I heir remanit
And with that word I went sum thing abak,
And bad say on, and with God saif me sanit.

I was (said he) ane Lord leuand on lyfe,
Ane bastard barne that can I not deny
My Father was ane Erle and had ane wyfe
Thocht he abusit his body and lay by.
In Goddis Ire begottin sa was I
My mother was a Dame in Dundaf mure
Bot quhidder it was in feild keipand the Ky
Or fischand Lochis Lin I am not sure.

As for my surname seik my mothers aith
Quhylis Cuninghame yai callit me heir & yair
bot gude John Cowane gaif me meit and claith
Quhill I was seuin yeir auld and su thing mair
The Prouest of Hammiltoun cumand by for cair
Fand me with Ky ane kyndlie occupatioun,
And Hammiltoun he me huif I sow declair
Ane sorie Surname for my awin saluatioun.

To preif myspreit and say my sharp Ingyne
With John of Cliddisdail yai . . usit me to striue
Be worsting first in faith the feild was myne,
I brak his heid to haue prerogatiue.
Quhat sall I wryte zow in my wittis five?
I was coequall with Achitophall,
Or subtill Sinone knaifrie to discriue
And all my deidis mair Diabolicall.

In leirning letters lang tyme at ye Scule
My pregnant spreit surpassit all the laif,
Quhill I was cowit and cled up lyke ane Fule
In Stemming Rokket riches to ressaif.
Than twa yeiris Noueis notit for ane knaif
Zond in Kiluinning my prentischip I past
Bella fortuna to me sic giftis gaif
To want na graith and ay the Gallous last.

Tha my Lord Arrane from Albany ye Duke,
Obtenit the gift of Murray be ane myance
Quhen Abbotschaw sic hauie haitrent tuik
At the haill hous of Lennox and thair alliance.
Quhaitfoir he coist and left thame at defyance,
Than I fund Jok was into Paslay plaist
Smart in my schuitting & singular in my sciece
And sum men sayis the bybill I Imbraist.

For feir of that, thay gart me fle to France
In waryit tyme I trow I went of towne,
Quhair I begonth with guthorne for to dance,
To loup on Lassis lait and play the Lowne.
My Steming Sark, & Rokket was laid doun,
Fra tyme that I hard tell the King was deid
Than I began haill Tutour to the Crowne
To steir my tyme the temporall lawis to leid

The first that euer vaikit was Dunkell
And I was gaipand lyke ane gredie gled,
The Cardinall deit, and than Sanctandres fell
My power haill unto the Paip I sped
Quhen whan they had rypelie all my b. wes red,
Aganis thair Cannoun Law thay gaif decreit
For I was bastard borne of vnlawfull bed
Zit furtherit I becaus thay fand me meit.

Without respect to God or feir of faith,
Plumand but pietie I did oppres the pure
Be fenzeit causis I confiscat graith
Men criminall to accuse I tuke na cure,
Quhen it was gottin I gaif it to my hure
Quhome I possest in speciall Stanehous wyfe
Of all the barnis my Lady Jeltoun bure
Scho me constranit to mak Ilk ane a lyfe.

Rowpand for riches quhill all my barnis wer staikit
As houngrie Lyou lousit out of a band.
Sum benefice I bocht or euer it vaikit
And sum I wardit waitand on thair land.
Kilburnie haldis Drumry behind the hand
Raith and Bernbowgall & mony honest man
Na wrangous conqueis Christ wil thoil to stad
Euill was it wairit, and weill war I it wand

Be iustice airis I pledgit all the pepill
Than spairit nane, thocht thay wer Innocent,
To Magnifie my name I maid ane Stepill
Of euerie pleuch I tuik fyue pund of Stent,
Swa of this lyfe the Lord was miscontent
Seand my faith not foundit on ane Roik
As babell fell sa Paslay may repent
That I the maid of Malesounis of foik.

Than was I Legat licent be the Paip,
With dispensatiounis, sawis for euerie sair
To eik my pois I leit thame pas gude chaip
By quha sa wald, I wantit na sic wair.
For holynes thay herpit on me mair
Greit Metrapolitane of the Kirk of God,
Quhen I was Hird the scheip was in anesnair
Lyke till ane flok of hennis befoir ane Tod

Quha landit than, bot Lennox out of France
To battel boun with him was bernis bauld,
Sair I in dreid, quhill I deuysit that dance
Of Glasgow Castell gat it bocht and sauld,
Greit was the riches fund within that hauld,
Plairrer . . . . or pois we neuer left . . . . . plak
Coistlie apparell that can not weill be tauld
We left him bair till all was on his bak.

Efter the feild we followit him sa fast,
Spuilzeit his places, & tuik baith gudis & geir,
Quhill all the land he left us at the last
Quhair Lawrence Neisbit chaipit verray neir.
Contrair my conscience, and the actis of weir
Murdreist his men that micht me nocht resist
That saikles blude rang fer and twentie zeir.
Quhill Palmsoneuin that same day I deceist.

Bot to my taill heir I returne agane,
Quhen ze began in goolynes to gloir
I tuik my womit wickitlis in vane,
Contrair my conscience I profest befoir
My mynd was than the Messes to restoir,
Bot now to lait, I lat that Law allane
Had I fund graith my honour to decoir
I caird not by, quhat way the warld had gane.

At Haryis Mariage I bure hid Inuy
Feirand he procreat children with the Quene
His putting doun I publictly deny,
Zit botis & humis declairis zow quhat I mene
And scho wer wrakit, all the warld may wene
Than sould the Duke but dout ressaif ye croun
This was my purpois planely to obtene
Under sum craft to cow the Stewartis doun.

Than was scho caryit captiue as thay tell
And quha nor I was fainer of that fact?
Except the countrie come not with our sell
Quhilk was the only caus we bure abak.
For feir of Murray sic myance gart I mak
Be fraud and gyle we gat hir of Lochleuin,
Seikand our gloir we gat baith schame and lak
Our fals intent was sa tryit out in heuin.

Zit cuttit I away their wardly strenth
James Erll of Murray Regent of Renoun,
As I sall schaw zow schortly at mair lenth
I being captiue tane to Striuiling Toun
Dunbartane Castell Deuill mot ding the doun
Quha wald beleif but thow was wicht aneuch
Bot zit the Lord is Maister of Mahoun
Inspyrit thair spreitis, & gart thame speill that heuch

Bot quha may leif, fra tyme his glas be run
As I haue schawin heir schortly to conclude,
Sone was I helterit fra the hous was wun
To Snawdoun syne, accusit with men of gude,
Of pointis four, bot stifly I withstude,
Except the Regentis deith I nocht denyit,
I was the only man gart spill his blude
And mekle mair gif all the treuth wer tryit.

Gude pepill heir to haue zow not abusit,
Just ordour led I lat zow vnderstand
In Parliament I was forfalt and accusit,
Quhair I was baith connict of lyfe and land.
Denuncit Rebell, and fugitiue fra hand
Quhairfoir I knew my deid gif I wer gottin;
Thay socht na Law, bot thay befoir yame fand
And will be vsit quhill we be deid and rottin.

And quhair ze speik of auld perticular
Without auise of thair Nobilitie,
The Erll of Angous and my Lord of Mar
Glencarne, Ruthuen, Cathcart, and Duchiltrie
Methuen, Lochleuin, with Lairds aboudantlie
The Justice Clerk my dittay red perqueir
Than fra I saw I was condampnit to die
This was my haill Confessioun ze sall heir.

Sequitur Confessio.

Gude pepill all, I pray zow to pray for me,
Quhat may my rent of riches now decoir me?
This far I speik in presence of zow all
Complenand heir with pietie I deploir me
Quha is the Lord to lyfe may now restoir me
Heirfoir go mark this in Memoriall
Twyse being bischop with sic beriall,
Hard to beleif sum tyme to se me hing
Gif I had seruit my God, and syne my King.

Quhair ze accuse me of the Kingis v...
Gif I it knew, God nor I want my heid
Exceptand quhen I hard the hous was fyrit
I feirit myself and dred sum deidly feid.
Than I persauit that he was past remeid
I knew sum Tratouris had his deith conspyrit
Thocht Johne my seruand said as he desyrit
Under Confessioun speikand to ane Preist
Mair beist was he that bure it not in his breist

My former faith I can not weill Recant
Nane I accuse I come not heir to Sant
Gif to reueild, may help me heir I dout
As to the Regentis deith in deid I grant,
I weill awow it, becaus he leit me want,
That ze may tell till all that standis about
My voce is waik, I may not weill speik out,
And of my Manus tuas I haue sic haist
With ite missa est said I gaif the Gaist.

This being said, the cludis obscurit the sky
And I was feirit and hamewart did me hy,
Maid to the Towne and steppit vp the streit
And as I past the Potence I espy
Quhair the annoyntit Bischop hang to dry.
I was Sanct Thomas quhill I tuichit his feit
On Palmsoneuin this paper I compleit,
Euin word be word, as to the treuth belang
And gif I lie, God nor the liers be hangit.