 | Ane Ballat of ye Captane of the Castell |  |
174
Ane Ballat of ye Captane of the Castell.
1571.
At þe castle of Edinburch,
Vpoun þe bank baith greine & rouch,
As myne alone I lay,
With paper, pen, and inke in hand,
Musing, as I could vnderstād,
Off þe suddan decay,
That vnto þis puir natiune
Apeirandly dois come,
I fand or Congregatione
Was caus of all and some,
Whois aucthoris, instructoris,
Hes blindit þame so long,
That blameles & shameles
Both riche & pour they wrong.
Vpoun þe bank baith greine & rouch,
As myne alone I lay,
With paper, pen, and inke in hand,
Musing, as I could vnderstād,
Off þe suddan decay,
That vnto þis puir natiune
Apeirandly dois come,
I fand or Congregatione
Was caus of all and some,
Whois aucthoris, instructoris,
Hes blindit þame so long,
That blameles & shameles
Both riche & pour they wrong.
175
These wicked vaine venerianis,
Proud poysoned Pharisianes
With thair blind guydis but grace,
Hes caused þe puire cuntrie
Assist vnto þair traitorie,
Thair prince for to displace:
For teine I can not testifie
How wrāgouslie þey wrocht,
When þai þair Prince so pitiouslie
In prisone strong had brocht,
Abused hir, accused hir
With serpent wordis fell
Of schavelis and rebellis,
Like hiddeous houndes of hell.
Proud poysoned Pharisianes
With thair blind guydis but grace,
Hes caused þe puire cuntrie
Assist vnto þair traitorie,
Thair prince for to displace:
For teine I can not testifie
How wrāgouslie þey wrocht,
When þai þair Prince so pitiouslie
In prisone strong had brocht,
Abused hir, accused hir
With serpent wordis fell
Of schavelis and rebellis,
Like hiddeous houndes of hell.
These despaired birdes of Beliall
Thot not but to advance þam sell,
Fra þai had hir down throwin,
With errore and hypocrisie,
To cōmitt open traitorie,
As cleirlie now is knowin:
But þe grit God ōnipotent,
That secreit thochtis dois serche,
Releivit hes þat innocent
Out of þair rage so fearce;
Provydet and guyded
Hir to ane vncouth land,
Whair wander & sclāder
With enemeis none sho fand.
Thot not but to advance þam sell,
Fra þai had hir down throwin,
With errore and hypocrisie,
To cōmitt open traitorie,
As cleirlie now is knowin:
But þe grit God ōnipotent,
That secreit thochtis dois serche,
Releivit hes þat innocent
Out of þair rage so fearce;
Provydet and guyded
Hir to ane vncouth land,
Whair wander & sclāder
With enemeis none sho fand.
176
Sen tyme of which ejectione,
This cuntrie is cōe in subjectione
And daylie seruitud,
With men of weir in garisone,
To the com̄ones oppressione,
By slicht & suddrone bloud;
Whose craft, ingyne, & polycie,
Full reddy bent is euer,
Be treasone vnder amitie,
Our nobles to disseaver:
Some rubbing, some budding,
Thair studie þai employ,
That slichtlie, vnrichtlie,
They may þis realme ējoy.
This cuntrie is cōe in subjectione
And daylie seruitud,
With men of weir in garisone,
To the com̄ones oppressione,
By slicht & suddrone bloud;
Whose craft, ingyne, & polycie,
Full reddy bent is euer,
Be treasone vnder amitie,
Our nobles to disseaver:
Some rubbing, some budding,
Thair studie þai employ,
That slichtlie, vnrichtlie,
They may þis realme ējoy.
This guyding gart grit greif aryse
In me, wha nawayis culd devyis
To mend þis grit mischāce;
And, als I argoued all þe cais,
I hard ane say wtin þis place:
“With help of God & Frāce
I sall, within ane litill space,
Thy dolouris all to drese;
With help of Christ þow sall, or Pasche,
Thy kyndlie Prince posses:
Detrusaris, refuisaris
Off hir authoritie,
None cairand or spairand,
Shall outher die or flie.
In me, wha nawayis culd devyis
To mend þis grit mischāce;
And, als I argoued all þe cais,
I hard ane say wtin þis place:
“With help of God & Frāce
I sall, within ane litill space,
Thy dolouris all to drese;
With help of Christ þow sall, or Pasche,
Thy kyndlie Prince posses:
Detrusaris, refuisaris
Off hir authoritie,
None cairand or spairand,
Shall outher die or flie.
177
“Thought God, of his just jugmēt,
Thole þaim to be ane punishment
To hir, þair supreme heid,
Ȝit, sen þey war participāt
With hir, & sho now penitēt,
Richt suirly þey may dreid:
As wicked scourges hes bene seine
Get for þe scourgene hyre,
When synneris repentis from þe splene,
The scourge cast in þe fyre;
Swa Mortone, be fortone,
May get þis same reward:
His boasting, nor posting,
I doe it not reguard.
Thole þaim to be ane punishment
To hir, þair supreme heid,
Ȝit, sen þey war participāt
With hir, & sho now penitēt,
Richt suirly þey may dreid:
As wicked scourges hes bene seine
Get for þe scourgene hyre,
When synneris repentis from þe splene,
The scourge cast in þe fyre;
Swa Mortone, be fortone,
May get þis same reward:
His boasting, nor posting,
I doe it not reguard.
“Baith him & all þair cūpany,
Thocht England wald þaim fortifie,
I cair thaim nocht a leike:
ffor all þair grit munitione,
I am in suire tuitione:
This hauld it sall me keip.
My realme & Princes libertie
Thairin I sall defend,
When traitouris salbe hangit hie,
Or make some schāfull end.
Assuire þame, I cuire þame
Evin as þei do deserve;
Thair tressone, þis cessone,
It sall not make me suerve:
Thocht England wald þaim fortifie,
I cair thaim nocht a leike:
ffor all þair grit munitione,
I am in suire tuitione:
This hauld it sall me keip.
My realme & Princes libertie
Thairin I sall defend,
When traitouris salbe hangit hie,
Or make some schāfull end.
Assuire þame, I cuire þame
Evin as þei do deserve;
Thair tressone, þis cessone,
It sall not make me suerve:
178
“ffor I haue men & meit aneugh,
They know I am ane tuilȝeour teoch,
And wilbe rycht sone greved:
When þei haue tint als mony teith,
As þei did at þe seige of Leith,
They wilbe faine to leive it.
Then quha, I pray ȝou, salbe boun
Thair tinsall to advance?
Or gif sic compositione
As þei got þen of France?
This sylit, begylit,
They will bot get þe glaikes;
Cum þai heir, þir tuo yeir,
They sall not misse þair paikes.
They know I am ane tuilȝeour teoch,
And wilbe rycht sone greved:
When þei haue tint als mony teith,
As þei did at þe seige of Leith,
They wilbe faine to leive it.
Then quha, I pray ȝou, salbe boun
Thair tinsall to advance?
Or gif sic compositione
As þei got þen of France?
This sylit, begylit,
They will bot get þe glaikes;
Cum þai heir, þir tuo yeir,
They sall not misse þair paikes.
“As for my nytboris Edinburch toun,
What salbe thair pairt, vp or downe,
I can not ȝit declair;
Bot one thing I make manifest,
Gif þei me ony thing molest,
Þair buithis salbe maid bair.
Gif fyre may þair buildings sacke,
Or bullat beat þaim downe,
They sall nocht faill þat end to mak
The staires made in þis toun.
Swa vse þaim, and chuse þaim,
What pairt þei will ensew;
Forsake me, or take me,
They sall drink as þei brew.”
What salbe thair pairt, vp or downe,
I can not ȝit declair;
Bot one thing I make manifest,
Gif þei me ony thing molest,
Þair buithis salbe maid bair.
Gif fyre may þair buildings sacke,
Or bullat beat þaim downe,
They sall nocht faill þat end to mak
The staires made in þis toun.
Swa vse þaim, and chuse þaim,
What pairt þei will ensew;
Forsake me, or take me,
They sall drink as þei brew.”
179
He bade me rise & muse na mair,
Bot pray to God, both lait & aire,
To saue þis noble ludge,
Which is, in all prosperitie,
And lykwayis in aduersitie,
Our Princes plane refuge.
Thairfoir all trew men I exhort,
That ȝe with me accord,
That we all, baith in ernest & sport,
Aske at þe leving Lord,
That hanged, or manged,
Mot ilk mā mak his end,
Wha dewlie & trewlie
Wald nocht þis house defend.
Bot pray to God, both lait & aire,
To saue þis noble ludge,
Which is, in all prosperitie,
And lykwayis in aduersitie,
Our Princes plane refuge.
Thairfoir all trew men I exhort,
That ȝe with me accord,
That we all, baith in ernest & sport,
Aske at þe leving Lord,
That hanged, or manged,
Mot ilk mā mak his end,
Wha dewlie & trewlie
Wald nocht þis house defend.
Finis.
| Ane Ballat of ye Captane of the Castell | |