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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The declaratioun of this Tale tauld be the Emprice. |
 | The seuin Seages |  |
56
The declaratioun of this Tale tauld be the Emprice.
This auld tre is ȝour awin Nobill persoun.That with counsall of ȝour Lordis of renoū
The pure and seik dois ay help and supplie
Be ȝour Iustice and greit Nobilitie.
This ȝoung plant is, ȝour awin vnthriftie Air,
Zow to distroy, he castis him euer mair
Be his cunning growand vp gre be gre.
As did the Imp behind the mekle tre.
And for to caus to cut the branches doun
Quhilkis ar ȝour Lordis nixt ȝour awin persoū
That he may ring and sit into ȝour chyre,
This is his mynd that he dois maist desyre,
Of this mater than quhat sall efter fall
All the folk sall murne, weip, schout and als call
And wary thame that cuttit doun the tre,
Quhair that thay wont to get help and supplie
Or gaue coūsall this ȝoung Imp for to nurische
Bot it distroy, or it bure frute or flurische.
My counsall is thairfoir the Imp cut doun,
Sen ȝit ȝour self ringis in ȝour hie renoun.
And suffer not the ȝoung Imp for to grow,
For he sall do daylie that euer he dow
Zow to distroy, and ȝour body put doun,
And purches not the Maledictioun
Of the pure folk, quhome to ȝe war saifgaird,
Thairfoir in haist tak ȝour sone furth of waird
And but delay, on Gallous gar him hing,
Ze doing this, ȝe do lyke ane wise King.
The Empreour said, Madame now be the rude
Zour counsall is, baith hailsum, wise and gude
The morne he sall go to the deid maist vylde,
Howbeit he be my onlie gottin Chylde.
57
Togidder past vnto the Iustice hall
The Empreour him self sat in Iudgement.
On pannall put his Sone Incontinent.
And sa at schort he was condampnit to deid,
To be hangit, on Gallous but remeid.
With mortall sound than passand him beforne
Of trumpet, schawme, & als of blawing horne.
As the vse was quhen ony man suld die,
Suld be conuoyit with siclyke menstralie.
And as he past doun throw the greit Cietie,
The pepill murnit, sayand it was pietie,
The onlie Sone of the Empreour to hang
Mony murnit, mony thair hands wrang.
In meane sesoun as he past doun the streit,
His first Maister Pantillas culd him meit.
The Maister saw he was to Gallous led,
With speid of Spurris, to the Palice him sped.
To quhome the Childe sa sone as he him saw,
Doun with his heid than he Inclynit law.
As he wald said, Maister gif ȝe be kinde,
Now in my neid, I pray haue of me minde.
For I am now, without ȝe get mercie
Condampnit heir, on Gallous for to die.
Ze may weill wit than he na tary maid,
Bot in all haist vnto the Palice raid,
Zit not the les vnto the Ministeris,
Prouestis, Sergands, Iewillours and Officers
He maid requeist, that thay suld haist nathing,
For he beleuit to get grace fra the King.
To saue his lyfe, he sall not die this day,
Than war thay glaid, to ȝow the suith I say.
All in ane voce the pepill bad him haist,
Sa without baid he raid as he war chaist.
At the Palice he lichtit of his hors,
58
Of the Empreour belyue he gat presence,
To quhome he gaue on kneis greit reuerence,
As him effeirit, to quhome the Empreour said
War not I will ȝour reuerence not degraid,
Ze and the rest richt sair suld puneist be,
For ȝour rewaird, ȝe serue na mair of me.
He said my Lord and pleis ȝour Nobill grace
Thā I haue spent richt Ill my seuin ȝeiris space
Taking laubouris on ȝour sone day and nicht,
In gude doctrine him teichand as I micht.
Zit our laubouris at all we nocht regaird,
Bot beleuit weill to get better rewaird.
The empreour said, thow leis Doctour but dout
First vnto the, sine to the rest about,
My onlie Sone weill speikand haill and feir
I delyuerit, now ȝe haue brocht him heir
With na maners, bot doytit, daft and dum,
And mair attour to schaw the all and sum
Thocht he be dum, sic thing mon cum on chance
Be Goddis will or his gude Ordinance.
Bot by all this, he purposit quhilk was wors
My awin Lady, on maistres to defors.
And all hir face with hir riche Ornament,
In greit malice he hes all reuin and rent.
Thairfoir this day he sall not faill to die,
And efter him thow and thy companie.
The Maister said, with wordis mylde and meik
As for ȝour Sone ȝe say that can not speik.
The Lord of all that mater weill he knawis,
As ȝe sall knaw he is not dum but caus.
I traist in God the suith ȝow for to say,
Ane thousand him sall heir speik on ane day.
As for ȝour wyfe, my Lord quhair ȝe allege
Quhair that he wald, haue done to hir outrage
On treuth my Lord I sall schaw ȝow but weir
In companie with vs this mony ȝeir,
59
Sic thing of him was neuer hard nor sene.
Thairfoir gude Lord for ȝour greit reuerence
To sic voyde sawis gif not ouir sone credence,
For giue ȝe caus ȝour onlie Sone to die
For the fals wordis of ȝour wyfis vanitie.
On chance it sall far wors to happin ȝow,
Nor to ane Knicht, quhairof I sall tell now,
That for the wordis of his vane wantoun wife,
Gart him bereif his gay Grewhound the life,
Quhilk sauit his sone fra slauchter of the serpēt.
Than said the King tell me furth that Legent.
Pantillas said than to his Souerane
Gif I sa did, than war my Tale in vane.
For or my Tale war all compleit but dout,
Of ȝour ane Sone the life may be put out.
And than my Tale for nathing it war tald,
Bot gif ȝour grace of ȝour greit mercie wald
Reteir ȝour Sone fra the Gallous agane,
Than I wald think my Tale war not in vane.
Thairfoir gif that ȝour Grace plesis to heir,
Ze caus ȝour Sone quhill the morne reteir.
That being done, than on the morne ȝe may
Do ȝour Intent quhen it is fair licht day.
The Empreour than schortlie to conclude,
With heuie minde this talk weill vnderstude,
And causit the Childe for to be callit agane
Vnto the morne in presoun to remane.
Than this Doctour richt plesandlie began
To tell his Tale but aw of ony man.
| The seuin Seages | |