Poems of Alexander Montgomerie And Other Pieces from Laing MS. No. 447: Supplementary Volume: Edited with Introduction, Appendices, Notes, and Glossary by George Stevenson |
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| XXXVI. |
 | Poems of Alexander Montgomerie |  |
Bot of his conditionis to carp for a quhyll,
and compt ȝow his qualiteis compassit with cair,
appardoun me, poettis, to alter my styil,
And wissel my werss, for fylling þe air.
Returning directlie agane to Argyle,
Quhair last þat I left him baith bairfute & bair,
Quhen richtlie I raknit thy race verie vyld,
Discendit of a dewill, as I did declair—
Bot quhilk of þe godis sall gyde me aricht,
Abhorring sa abhominabill,
Sua doolfull and detaistabill,
sua knavishe, canker[d], execrabill,
And vareit ane wicht?
and compt ȝow his qualiteis compassit with cair,
appardoun me, poettis, to alter my styil,
And wissel my werss, for fylling þe air.
Returning directlie agane to Argyle,
Quhair last þat I left him baith bairfute & bair,
Quhen richtlie I raknit thy race verie vyld,
Discendit of a dewill, as I did declair—
Bot quhilk of þe godis sall gyde me aricht,
Abhorring sa abhominabill,
Sua doolfull and detaistabill,
sua knavishe, canker[d], execrabill,
And vareit ane wicht?
174
In Argyle, with þe gate, he ȝeid amange glennis,
Ay vsing þe office þair of a beist,
Quhill blistles wes banisit for handling þe hennis;
Syne fordward to flanderis fast fleid or he ceist.
from þe poore anis þe pultrie he plukit be þe pennis,
Incressing In corpis; þe hart in his breist,
And Curage, inclynit to knaverie, men kennis,
To pestilent purpoisss planelie he preist.
Bot trewlie, to tell þe trewth vnto ȝow,
In nawayis wes he wyse;
He vsis cairtis and dyce,
And fled na kynd of vyce,
Or few, as I trow.
Ay vsing þe office þair of a beist,
Quhill blistles wes banisit for handling þe hennis;
Syne fordward to flanderis fast fleid or he ceist.
from þe poore anis þe pultrie he plukit be þe pennis,
Incressing In corpis; þe hart in his breist,
And Curage, inclynit to knaverie, men kennis,
To pestilent purpoisss planelie he preist.
Bot trewlie, to tell þe trewth vnto ȝow,
In nawayis wes he wyse;
He vsis cairtis and dyce,
And fled na kynd of vyce,
Or few, as I trow.
He was ane fals schismatik, notor[ious]lie namit;
Baith hurdome, & homeceid, vnsell he vsit;
for schismes, and Symonie, þat smachart wes schameit;
Pryde, Ire, and Invy, that vndoche abvsit.
Of caching, and coweitting, bitterlie blameit;
for baidrie, and bordaling, lukles he lufit;
[Thrist], drynes, and drinking, that devill defamit;
fals, fenȝeit, and flytting with [flaterie] infusit;
Maist sinfull and sensuall—schame to reherss!
Quhais feckles fuilichnes,
And beistlie brukilnes,
Can na man, I ges,
weill put in verss.
Baith hurdome, & homeceid, vnsell he vsit;
for schismes, and Symonie, þat smachart wes schameit;
Pryde, Ire, and Invy, that vndoche abvsit.
Of caching, and coweitting, bitterlie blameit;
for baidrie, and bordaling, lukles he lufit;
[Thrist], drynes, and drinking, that devill defamit;
fals, fenȝeit, and flytting with [flaterie] infusit;
Maist sinfull and sensuall—schame to reherss!
Quhais feckles fuilichnes,
And beistlie brukilnes,
Can na man, I ges,
weill put in verss.
Ane vairloche, ane woirwolf, ane wowbat of hair,
Ane devill, and ane dragoun, ane doyld dromodarie;
Ane counterfute cuistroun that clerkis dois not cair;
Ane claverand cohubie that crakis of þe farie;
Quhois favourles phisnome dois dewlie declair
His vyces and viceousnes. thocht I wald warie,
Arcandam astrologia, a lanterne of lair,
Affirmis his bleiritnes, to wisdome contrair,
betaikning bothe bobbing and beldnes in aig,
Greit fraud, and fals dissait,
Capping with coyd conceat;
witnesss sum verss he wreit,
Half in a rage.
Ane devill, and ane dragoun, ane doyld dromodarie;
Ane counterfute cuistroun that clerkis dois not cair;
Ane claverand cohubie that crakis of þe farie;
Quhois favourles phisnome dois dewlie declair
His vyces and viceousnes. thocht I wald warie,
176
Affirmis his bleiritnes, to wisdome contrair,
betaikning bothe bobbing and beldnes in aig,
Greit fraud, and fals dissait,
Capping with coyd conceat;
witnesss sum verss he wreit,
Half in a rage.
Ane Anagrame, also, concerning that race,
Suirlie sayis, it is a signe of a licherous lowne.
His pailnes mixt pairtlie with broun in the face,
Arcandam ascryvis to baibling ay boun,
And tratling Intemperat, tymeles but place;
Ane cowart, ȝit cholerik, and drunk in ilk toune.
And als his asss earis, an signe in schort space,
That frenatik fuil sall grow mad lyk mahoun,
Bot ȝit sall he live lang, allace, quhilk wer loss;
for sick ane traitling tratour,
And baibling blasphimatour,
wes nevir formit of natour—
Sua gukit ane guise.
Suirlie sayis, it is a signe of a licherous lowne.
His pailnes mixt pairtlie with broun in the face,
Arcandam ascryvis to baibling ay boun,
And tratling Intemperat, tymeles but place;
Ane cowart, ȝit cholerik, and drunk in ilk toune.
And als his asss earis, an signe in schort space,
That frenatik fuil sall grow mad lyk mahoun,
Bot ȝit sall he live lang, allace, quhilk wer loss;
for sick ane traitling tratour,
And baibling blasphimatour,
wes nevir formit of natour—
Sua gukit ane guise.
Quhois honorabill origine, þe note of his name,
Callit etimoligie, beiris richtlie record:
His surname, it flowis fra tua termes of defame—
from mont & gomorath, quhair dewillis, be þe lord,
His kynsmen, wes clenelie cast out, to his schame,
That is of þair clan, quhome chryst hes abhord;
and beiris of þe birth place þe horribill name,
Quhair sodomeit synneris with smwik wer smord.
Now sen all is suth is said sonȝie,
Vnto þe cappit clerk,
A prettie peice of wark,
That bitterlie dois bark,
I mak þis reply.
Callit etimoligie, beiris richtlie record:
His surname, it flowis fra tua termes of defame—
from mont & gomorath, quhair dewillis, be þe lord,
His kynsmen, wes clenelie cast out, to his schame,
That is of þair clan, quhome chryst hes abhord;
and beiris of þe birth place þe horribill name,
Quhair sodomeit synneris with smwik wer smord.
Now sen all is suth is said sonȝie,
Vnto þe cappit clerk,
A prettie peice of wark,
That bitterlie dois bark,
I mak þis reply.
| Poems of Alexander Montgomerie | |