Poems (1830) :: :: University of Virginia Library

At morning, in ane gairden grein,
I went allone to tak the air,
Quhair monie pleasant treis was sein,
And sundrie kynd of flouris fair;
Quhen I did walk and gang
Thir fair flouris amang,
Into my mynd thair came, with cair,
Ane thing that maid myne hairt full sair,
That lastet hes ourlang.

Quhen I think on the great mischeife
That rignis now in this countrie,
Withoutten hoip syne of releif
Unless that God, of his mercie
And his devyne poweir,
Stenche this unkyndlie weir;
Without the quhilk, appeirandlie,
This haill land will distroyit be
Richt hestalie I feir.

It is ane pitie to heir tell,
How the puire commounis of this land
Fra wrang cannot debait thair sell
Fra reife, and spoilyie of some band

Off suddarteis of some syde;
That nane dar gang nor ryd,
For trubling of some wicked hand,
I wait not how the realme sall stand,
And limmeris walk so wyd.

O Lord, quhair ar sa zellous men
That in this land hes bein oft syis,
That quhen thay sould persaive or ken
Ane troubill in the countrie ryis,
With wisdome and foirsicht
Thay wald set all thair micht,
Be great travaill, and wordis wyss,
Ane remedie wald schoine devyse
And set all thingis aricht.

Bot now thair is not ane, allace!
That I ken in this regioune,
That ather hes haip witt or grace
To mak concord and unioune.
Thairfor, God send remeid
And help us in our neid,
For monie hes inventioune
For to incres dissentioune
And foister deidlie feid.

The greatest caus of this discord
Is for our sinnis punischment;
With mouthe we say we loive the Lord,
And far fra him in our intent,

To speak of God delichtis
In doing him dispytis;
Reddie to reif ane man his rent,
Not dreidand Godis judgement
As fainyeit hypocreitis.

I ken nane now for Godis loive
To do ane wrang that will forbeir,
Nor yet will stoip for to remoive
His nichtbour baith fra land and geir,
And nathing by thay sett it
How wrangouslie thay gett it,
For of thair God thay haive no feir
To gar thair nichtbouris leif perqueir
Fra thay haive intrometted.

Ingland is glaid quhen it is tauld
Of Scottis the divisioune,
And for our folischnes thay hald
Our doingis in derissioune;
Bot wald we weill considder,
Thay hund us ay togidder,
Makand thair awin provisioune
For our great skaith and lesioune,
The gripe of thame is slidder.

Yet the ane pairt on thame dependis,
The other on France for thair supplie,
Ilk ane fra other thame defendis
As fra ane comoune enemie,

I pray God I heir tell
We grie amang our sell,
And syne, that all this haill countrie
Of France and Ingland baith wer frie,
With tham na mair to mell.

Quhen that the ane the other wraikis,
The quhilk will nocht be done lichtlie
Without travaill and manie straikis;
Bot quhat sall this work finallie,
Bot rais ane deidlie feid,
Of quhilk we have na neid;
In the mein tyme great policie
And guid cornes destroyit be,
And monie man ly deid.

Thairfoir, my Lordis, hald up your handis,
Thocht of your will ye want something,
Or be distroyit men and landis,
Quhilk will be huirtfull to the king;
For his weill it is maist
That ye aggrie in haist;
For quhen he is of aige to ring
Quhairon to leif sall find nathing,
Bot all the countrie waist.

God give the Lordis grace till aggrie,
And banische all seditioune,
Syne ay to leif in unitie
And quyt of all suspitioune;

And than to mak ane band
Ay in kyndness to stand,
Ilk man get restitutioune
And fullie intromissioune
Of thair awin geir and land.

I pray to God omnipotent
To send us peace, quhill we ar heir,
Ilk ane may leive upon thair rent
Or on thair craft withoutten fear,
And with sanct Paull I pray,
To tak thame schoine away
That caus is of this mortall weir,
And the first tydingis that I heir
That thay be laid in clay.