The seuin Seages Translatit out of prois in Scottis meter be Iohne Rolland in Dalkeith, with ane Moralitie efter euerie Doctouris Tale, and siclike efter the Emprice Tale, togidder with ane louing and laude to euerie Doctour efter his awin Tale, & ane Exclamation and outcrying vpon the Empreouris wife efter hir fals contrusit Tale ... Edited, with introduction, notes, and glossary, by Geo. F. Black |
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How the Empreour be counsall of his Princes, and
Lordis of his Impyre weddit ane vther wyfe. |
 | The seuin Seages |  |
24
How the Empreour be counsall of his Princes, and Lordis of his Impyre weddit ane vther wyfe.
In this meane time the Princes of honour,And the greit Lordis come to the Empreour,
And said my Lord and pleis ȝour nobill grace
Heir we ar cum to schaw how standis the cace.
Bot ane ȝoung Childe, we knaw na moir ȝe ha
And plesit God, we wald that ȝe had ma
And it may stand be fatale destanie,
That ȝour ane Sone may Inlaik faill and die
As God forbid, that sic ane thing suld chance,
Zit not the les we wald mak puruyance.
Than war we all of ane new natiue King
Maid destitute abone vs for to ring,
Quhairthrow strange folke & vncouth natioūs
Micht conqueis vs, and all our generatiounis.
Quhilk neuer was sen this Impire began
Conqueist, ouirthrawin with ony mortall man
Sen Romulus, quhilk buyldit Romes toun,
Was neuer man that had dominioun
Of this Impire, but Nobill natiue Kingis,
And to auoide sa greit and perrellous things:
This is the caus we ar cum to ȝour grace
To schaw ȝow all the mater and the cace,
That sic ane thing is richt abill to be
To put the Realme furth of sic Ieopardie,
We wald ȝe tuke sum honest gay Ladie
Zour Nobill Quene and bedfellow to be,
To that effect successioun for to haue,
And ȝour Impire fra thir dangeris to saue.
The Empreour than heirand all thair sawis,
Quhat sic thing ment of the mater and caus.
He thankit thame ane hundreth thousand syse,
And said he wald do as thay did deuyse.
25
And thame requyrit to purpois for to pas.
Ane Lady get that was of tender age,
Baith gude and fair, and cum of hie lynage.
And clene Virgin and lustie to behald,
Than sall I do the same thing that ȝe wald.
Wed hir to wife, and Crowne hir to my Quene
Into this case lat ȝour wisdomes be sene.
Sa thay depart than fra the Empreour
Deuisit thair Lordis of wisdome and valour,
To seik this Quene throw mony lands yai past
Quhill thay come to ane countrie at the last
Callit Cecyll, quhilk had ane Nobill King,
Quhilk Royallie into his Realme did Ring,
With greit puissance, riches and honour,
Quha had ane Mayd of all fairnes the flour
To his douchter of fourtene ȝeir of age
Nobill, courtes, and plesand of visage.
With all vertew that in wemen micht be,
And wise at will siclike appeirandlie.
Quhome thay desirit at this gude Nobill King
In Mariage to the Empreour bring,
And mak hir Quene of all the haill Impire
This Nobill King grantit to thair desire.
The Lordis of Counsall and Ambassadouris
War than depeschit with plesure & honouris,
And brocht with thame this Nobill gay Ladie
Quhilk yair ȝoūg Quene & als Emprice suld be
Thay heisit vp sails with all thair clene curage
With manlie micht come fordwart yair veyage
Vpon the sey thay sufferit greit perrell
In hame cumming, be sair storme and trauell
Walterād with wind out throw ye mudy wawis
The boriall blastis sa bauldlie on thame blawis
That thay war fane and Ioyfull at the last
26
Cut thair Cabillis, and ouir burd cast thair geir
All of thair lifis thay stude into sic feir.
Sum of thame said, it was ane schrewit Sing
Of ane gude luck sic ane Quene hame to bring,
Quhairthrow thay war all in point for to tine,
And wist not quhat wald be the latter fine.
Sum said agane all was cum for the best,
Scho was wyteles, howbeit storme thame opprest.
Sa ilk ane said as yai yat time bethocht
Sa at dew time to thair awin coist was brocht
Als sone thay come vnto thair kyndlie coist,
Doun drew thair saills, and thair gude schippis loist
Than word beliue come to the Empreour
That all his Lordis was landit with plesour,
And with them brocht ane Nobill ȝoung Ladie
Quhilk to the King his weddit wyfe suld be.
The empreour causit proclame throw Romes toū
That euerie Lord, Knichte Marques & Barroū
In best array to mak thame all reddy
With fair fassoun to meit that ȝoung Lady,
Quhilk but delay was done with diligence,
And sa thay gaue this Lady all presence:
In riche array, as thay culd best deuise,
With all triumph, and into thair best wise
To the Cietie thay did hir all conuoy,
With all glaidnes, mirth, melodie and Ioy.
And quhen scho come vnto this Nobill toun,
The Bellis rang with honour and Renoun.
The claithis of gold was spred throw all ye streit
Quhen scho lichtit, to gang vpon hir feit.
The riche Badkins, the coistlie veluot wobbis
The browdin warkis, & the riche Ryall robbis
Quhilk on the stairis war spred sa heich on hie
It was plesure for ony man to se.
27
That mannis braine and Ingyne culd deuise.
And sa at last come in the Empreour
With his greit Lordis of riches and honour.
Gaue this Lady his persoun in presence,
With all triumph, Renoun and reuerence:
And hir Imbraist as culd him best effeir,
And said Lady ȝe ar richt welcum heir
Than the greit Ioy that in that Cietie was
My waik Ingyne can na way weill compas
Sa on the morne quhen that the day was licht
Vnto the Kirk thay led this Lady bricht,
With all triumphe, greit mirth and melodie
With mennis wit that culd deuisit be.
Conuoyit with Kingis nobill Princes & Lords
As at sic time aggreis weill and accords.
Sine followit hir the Nobill Empreour
With all his Lords, that was of greit valour.
Stout men of Armes into thair waillit weidis
Rydand at richt vpon thair stalwart steidis.
Als with him come diuers grit kings & knichts
Duiks, Barroūs, erls, & mony worthie wichts
With trūpet, schalme, drum, squasche & clarioū,
Harp, Lut, Organe, Symbal and Symphioū
Makand thair mirth all into gude ordour,
Heraldis of Armes into thair coit Armour:
Past on befoir as it was maist semelie
In thair awin stait, conforme to thair degre.
Quhill thay come to the Royall Kirk of Rome
Quhilk was the heid of Kirkis in christindome
Thair lichtit thay with mirth and merynes
For to compleit the band of halynes:
That GOD deuysit betuix woman and man
Quhen he this warld first creat and began.
Of that Cietie the greit Bischop was thair,
With all his Clerkis of greit wisdome and lair
28
With mirth and Ioy to the Palice past hame,
Quhair thair was maid banket with melodie,
With alkin mirth and plesant menstralie.
Quhill that nicht come, than Ilk man thocht it best
To quyet pas and tak the nichtis rest.
Sa this Lady but ony tarying
Scho past to bed with hir housband the King
And sa obtenit the greit fauour and lufe
Of hir gude Lord, that it culd not remufe.
And of hir lufe he tuke sa greit delite,
That vther Quene he had forȝet hir quite:
And all his lufe was cast on this new Quene
As he befoir had neuer Maryit bene.
Zit not the les all the dayis of thair lyue
God thocht he wald all barnis fra them dryue
Sa thame betuix thay na successioun had
Quhilk maid this quene baith sorrowful & sad
Sayand husband, ane thing I ȝow require
Gif ȝe wald grant richt hartlie I desire.
Becaus lang time this Emprice did persaue
Na kynd of Childe scho was able to haue.
Scho turnit hir Saillis vnto ane vther wind
Quhair that scho micht sum suttelnes gar find.
Into hir bed quhair that scho was lyand
In ane morning with hir spous and husband.
Scho sayis my Lord, & pleis ȝour Nobil grace
Betuix vs twa is chancit ane heuie cace,
That be na way can get vs successioun
Quhilk sadis my hart, & dois me greit passioū
Bot wald ȝour grace ane thing vnto me grant,
Betuix vs twa ane Childe we suld not want.
Quod he that thing deuyse how that ȝe can,
For that exceidis the wit of ony man
For to get barnis, sen God will not thame grant
Than force it is baith ȝe and I thame want.
29
Ze haue ane Sone quhilk is not to me knawin
With seuin Maisters, maist wysest on the groūd
And he him self, nane wyser can be found.
Wald ȝe bring him to Court in my presence
I suld do all deuoir and diligence,
Him to Intreit into sa gude fassoun,
That all suld say out throw greit Romes toun
Not onlie said, but also suld be sworne,
That he war of my awin twa sydis borne.
And sen sa is, That I can nocht consaue,
Onlie ȝour Sone, as my awin I wald haue
My Lord this is the asking I require,
Beseiking ȝow to fulfill my desire.
Zit not the les hir minde was and hir thocht
In sutteltie, and all with malice wrocht.
Imagining daylie the Chyldis deid
Thocht his Father tuke not sic thing in heid,
He said Lady that will I not deny
Quhat euer ȝe ask, enamorit sa am I
Into ȝour lufe, that force compellis me
Quhat ȝe will ask, denyit it sall not be.
Thairfoir sen I the secretis of my hart
Schawis to ȝow plaine, to me keip ȝe ȝour part
As for my Sone it is lang time by past
And diuers ȝeiris sen that I saw him last.
Zit not the les to accomplische ȝour will,
I sall belyue ane Message send him till,
And caus him cum, and als his Maisters all
Quhat he can do baith heir and se ȝe sall.
For I beleue he hes bene diligent
In his studie, and in science frequent.
And for to leir, wit, knawledge and wisdome
That efter me for to gyde this kingdome.
Scho said my Lord, that it be sa God grant,
For that same caus I wald na way him want.
30
Ze will persaue be proces efterwart.
The Empreour sone gart mak ane missiue,
The Messinger he was direct beliue:
Into greit haist with expeditioun,
Vnto the seuin greit Maisteris of Renoun.
Incontinent vnder the pane of deid,
And na les pane nor wanting of thair heid:
Suld bring his Sone to him at Witsonday,
All excuses being clene put away.
The Messinger beliue depeschit was
To the Doctouris the hie gait can he pas
And the wrytingis delyuerit sone hes he,
Vnto the seuin Doctouris of Dignitie.
Quha it ressauit with all Obedience,
Humilitie, honour and reuerence.
| The seuin Seages | |