University of Virginia Library

---

82

X. Ane Tragedie, in forme of ane Diallog betwix Honour, Gude Fame, and the Authour heirof in a Trance.

In Januar the thre and twentie day,
Befoir midnycht, in Lythquo as I lay,
Tumbling sum tyme on bed abon the clais,
Now heir, now thair, quhylis doun, quhylis up I rais;
Till at the last, in tuinkling of ane Ee,
Schir Morpheus the Mair assailȝeit me,
With all his sluggische Suldarts out of number,
Quhilk led me Captiue vnto Maister Slumber,
Quha softly said: “Gar keip this pure Catiue,
And tak from him his speiche and wittis fiue.”
Than come Dame Dreming, all clad in blak Sabill,

---

83

With Sweyning Nymphis in cullouris variabill;
Amangis the quhilkis, befoir me thair appeiris
Ane woundit man, of aucht and threttie ȝeiris,
Paill of the face, baith blaiknit, blude and ble,
Deid eyit, dram lyke, disfigurat was he;
Nakit and bair, schot throw pudding and panche,
Abone the Nauil, and out abone the hanche.
Na word he said, quhairthrow I did misknaw him,
Because in sic ane stait I neuer saw him.
I wes agast, and sa begouth to feir
Bot suddanly with him thair did appeir
Twa graif lyke persounis of greit maiestie,
And with gude countenance thay said to me:
“We ar cum heir to the, o wofull wycht!
To cause the write that thing thou seis this nycht;
For we ar knit, in band maryit togidder,
And to this woundit wycht father and mother;
We him begat within thir twentie ȝeiris,
Thocht deid lyke now he so to the appeiris;
We brocht him vp, as our deir Sone and air,
And he to serue vs na traueil did spair:
Thocht Atropus hes maid his Corps decay,
Ȝit Immortall in heuin his corps dois stay,
And, als Immortall, he sall with vs rest,
And we with him, sa lang as warld may lest.”
“Gude Schir,” quod I, “and ȝe also, Madame,
Be not offendit that I speir ȝour Name,
How thay call ȝow, that talkis sa hamely with me,
And quhat is he that first appeirit vnto me—
That woundit man, quhome ȝe do call ȝour chylde?
Quhat is ȝour Names, lat se how ar ȝe stylde?”
Quod thay: “My Sone, of that we think na schame;
Honour I am, heir with my Spous, Gude Fame:
This woundit chylde of ouris thow may lament,
He was thy Maister ainis, and ȝour Regent.”
“My Maister ainis!” quod I, “ȝit is he so.”

---

84

“Nay, nay,” quod thay, “he is with vs ago;
We haif him taine out of that wickit lyfe,
And red him of all miserie and stryfe;
Because ȝe wordlingis ar ane Cursit Clan:
Ȝe war not worthie of this godly man.”
“Allace!” quod I, “deid lyke he dois appeir.”
“Be still,” quod thay, “and to our sayingis heir:
Speid, speid, go to: tak pen, Ink, paper and wryte
As we, Honour and Gude Fame, sall Indyte.

“Now, to be schort, it war lang to discerne
The godly giftis that this our Sone did lerne;
For as in age he daily did Incres,
In vertew sa grew he and lawlynes:
First he did leirne to lufe God abone all,
And syne his Nichtbour with lufe mutuall:
Trew Faith he leirnit of gude Abraham,
With hoip and cheritie knit to the same:
He leirnit als of Salomon the wisdome,
How with the feir of God to reule ane Kingdome:
Of strang Sampsone he had also the fors
For to resist Gods foes on fute and hors;
Thocht thir tratours, that drest him in this cace,

---

85

Durst not present thair force befoir his face:
He had lykewyse the Justice of Iethro,
And als the Chastitie of Scipio:
He had of Dauid the beningnitie,
And of Titus the liberalitie.
Quhat wald thou moir? To tell of all his vertus,
For commoun welthis he did excell Camillus:
Quhen pleisit God to send ȝow Scottis ye treuth,
The same to further at Leith he was not sleuth;
Reforming first his awin with diligence,
In euerie quarter quhair he had puissence;
Than was he stylit Lord James at that tyde,
To quhome ȝour Lordis gaif sum reule and gyde.

“Sa lang in Court as our Sone had the steir,
And that ȝour Quene wald his gude counsail heir,
Sa lang all thing ȝeid weill and wes weill drest,
In quyetnes, peace, policie, and rest:
Nane durst rebell on ather syde of Forth,

---

86

Ouir all this cuntrie, Eist, West, South and North.
The hiest of thame all he maid full law,
That did rebell aganis Justice and Law.
Than did ȝour Quene sum tyme with vs abyde;
In France, and Scotland baith, we did her gyde.
Bot at the last, in hir tranquillitie,
Scho did vs all abandoun wantounlie,
And turnit day in nycht, and nycht in day,
All the nycht lang to sport, sing, dance and play;
Till at the last, baith Cupido and Venus
Furth of ye Court gart baneis, chais, and stane vs.
Than come dishonour and Infame, our fais,
And brocht in ane to reule with raggit clais:
Thocht he wes blak and Moriane of hew,
In credite sone and gorgius clais he grew:
Thocht he wes forraine, and borne in Piemont,
Ȝit did he Lords of ancient blude surmont:
He wes to hir baith secreit, trew, and traist,
With her estemit mair nor all the raist.
In yis mene tyme, cam hame yan my lord Darlie,
Of quhais rair bewtie scho did sumpart farlie,
The fairest sycht, scho thocht, that euir scho saw;
Hir bewtie als did him in hir snair draw.
For, to be schort, thay lufit sa togidder,
That thay culd not be hour of day but vther.
At last scho said, and caist in to hir mynde,
‘Quhat, quhat, sall I be thus with Cupide pynde?
That will I not, bot go to my purpois;
Ȝit first I will my mynde to sum disclois:’
Than with gude vult, and visage meik and mylde,
‘Brother,’ (quod scho) scho said vnto our Chylde:
‘Will not ȝe weill that I marie ane man,
Baith of our Surname, kynreid, blude, and clan?
Lo! this is he standing befoir ȝour face,
Lustie, gude lyke, and cum of Royall race;
Him will I marie and nane vther wycht,

---

87

Witnes heirof, to him my treuth I plycht
In ȝour presence, desyring ȝow lykewyse
That ȝe be witnes to this Interpryse.’

“Than come thir Lords, the nixt morne efter, hame,

---

88

And maist humblie our Sone halsit that Dame,
Quha was with Chylde & neir sax monethis gone,
And him forgaif, and maid to him hir mone,
Sayand: ‘Brother, allace, had ȝe bene heir,
I had not cum in all this sturt and steir;
My Secretar is slane in my presence,
Oh, oh, brother, allace, quhat greit offence!’
‘Madame,’ quod he, ‘cair not, that is small tynsall;
He wes our fo, and gaif ȝour grace euill coūsall.’
‘Weill, weill,’ quod scho, ‘at leist, brother, lat se
Gif ȝe can set me at full libertie;
For I am keipit as in Presoun heir,
And na servand of myne dar cum me neir.’

“Than went our Sone schortly in France agane,

---

89

Quhair that we thre togidder did remane.
Sa, in our absence, maryit scho Bothwell,
Quha did hir husband kill, as thow hard tell.
Of this ȝour Nobills culd not be content;
With burghis and Cōmounis fordwarts furth thay wēt,
Quhair thay met vther vpon Carberrie hil;
Tuke hir; he fled, and na blude thay did spill.
Than in Lochleuin scho wes put as in waird,
Thocht efterwart scho had ane sleuthfull gaird.
Ȝit did ȝour Lords auyse thame of ane thing,
To crowne hir Sone ȝour Prince and mak him King;
Quhilk act thay did, with his Motheris consent,
Confirmit be the Lords in Parliament;
And than, because he wes ouer ȝoung to gouerne,
Amangis thame selfis wyslie thay did discerne,
For to elect our Sone, in his absence,
Regent to be vnto ȝour ȝoungly Prence:
Than did ȝour Lords send for him to cum hame;
With him come we, baith Honour and Gude Fame.
All burghs and cōmounis, halelie did yai loif him,
Bot sindrie said, that thay wald haif nane of him:
Sa gydit he, ane quhyle, with pacience,
Quhill he mycht to his fais mak resistence.
Bot at the last ȝour Quene wes lattin furth,
Conuoyit away be sum wes lytill gude worth;
And spedelie to Hammiltoun scho went,
Quhair scho fand men anew Incontinent,
The quhilks dispysit vs, Honour and Fame,
Thairfoir all turnit to thair vtter schame.
Our sone and we wer than in Glasgow towne;
To hald the airis in thay parts he was bowne:
Than come scho fordwart, with hir strenth & fors,
Ma than seuin thowsand, quhat on fute and hors;
Ȝea, twa for ane, we think thay wer agane vs:
The towne to leaue, yai thocht than to cōstrane vs:
Bot we the Langsyde hill befoir thame wan,

---

90

And, be Gods grace, disconfeist thame: ilk man
We tuke and slew; Scho fled into Ingland,
Quhair scho is ȝit, not at hir awin command.
Our sone cryit out, ‘Lat na mair blude be sched,
Bot tak and saif the rest that now be fled.’
In deid, yat day, yair wes slane, in yat place,
Ma Hammiltounis nor ony vther race.
Howbeit the rest of thame, maist gratiouslie,
He did intreit with pardoun and mercie:
Thay him rewardit with Ingratitude,
And traterously this nycht hes sched his blude.

“Sone efter this to Liddisdaill he went,
Quhairof the theifis, and sic, war not content;
For to thair Chyftanis he maid biggingis bair,
As efterwart thay did repent full sair.
Than come he north schortly, he tuke na rest,
Till all that countrie had componit and drest.
The hiest of thame all, that wald Rebell,
He maid him stoup and als to knaw himsell.
This being done, amang all vther thing,
He maid thame all subscriue vnto the King,
Baith far and neir, of hie and law degree,

---

91

Acknawledgeing the Kingis authoritie.
Except Lord Fleming, nane war in this land,
Bot to the Kingis grace had thay geuin thair band.

“On Sonday than, the quhilk wes ȝisterday,
Vnto this towne he come, soupit, and lay,
Dynit this day, and, just at aleuin houris,

---

92

Thair wes ane knaif of his Conspiratouris—
Ane Hammiltoun, within the bischoppis stair,
Quhilk schot him, as thow seis, withouttin mair;
Syne at the bak ȝet suddanlie he fled;
Sum saw him weill, and followit his hors tred;
Quhilk hors was knawin belāging to Lord Johne,
Quha with the rest this act maid to be done.
Bot to our Sone we keipit cumpanie,
Quhilk in our armes within this hour did die.
Than deit with him all vertus Cardinall,
Than deit with him Justice Imperiall:
For in his tyme Gods word was trewly preichit,
And in his tyme Collegis rychtlie teichit.
Not only lufit he vprychteousnes,
Bot als he hatit vice and vitiousnes:
Not only did he lufe God, and him ken,
Bot als he hatit all vngodly men.
To sessioun als, ilk day he went to se
Gif Justice wes thair Ministrate trewlie.
The riche and pure, he did alyke regaird,
Puneist the euill and did the gude rewaird.
He wald not lat the Papists cause ga bak,
Gif it wer Just, bot wald be for him frak:
He wald not thoill the proud oppres the pure,
Sa far as he had regiment and cure:
He did disdane pryde and ambitioun:
He lufit men meik of Conditioun:
He did disdane all foull and fylthie word,
In ony sort, outher in eirnist or bourd:
Maist diligent he wes to ryn athort
To gif the wedow and fatherles confort:
Maist diligent to heir the pure mānis bill,
And gif answer according to Gods will.
Sober he wes in meit, in drink, and claithis,
He wald not thoill blaspheming, nor na aithis;
Reddy to heir quhen ony man spak to him,

---

93

Mistraisting not yat ony wald vndo him.
Peace and concord ouer all for to mantene:
The pure durst leif yair bestiall on the grene.
For slauchter mercy wald he neuer grant;
Baith murtheraris, theifis, and Witches he did dant.
For to be schort, lay all ȝour heidis togidder,
Gif ȝe can find amang ȝow sic ane vther.”

Epitaphe.