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 III. 
 IV. 
 XI. 
 V. 
 VI. 
 VII. 
 VIII. 
 XIV. 
 IX. 
 XLVI. 
 XLVII. 
 XLVIII. 
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 XIII. 
 XII. 
 XV. 
 XVI. 
 XVII. 
 XVIII. 
 XIX. 
 XX. 
 XXI. 
 XXII. 
XXII. The Bird in the Cage.
 XXIII. 
 XXIV. 
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 XXVIII. 
 XXIX. 
 XXX. 
 XXXI. 
 XXXII. 
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 XLIII. 
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 XXXIX. 


160

XXII. The Bird in the Cage.

A bailfull bird that wantis wingis to fle,
Nureist in a nest richt craftie wylis to hatche,
For fault of feit borne in ane Ark of tre,
In craftines to Sinon worthie matche,
A gylefull grume all gude men to dispatche,
And be a gyde to blind men in a rank,
Ȝit for sic seruice seruis bot lytill thank.
A Scuruie Schollar of Machiauellus lair,
Inuenting wylis anoyntit Kingis to thrall;
To heis on hicht pure Pesantis full of cair,
From base estait, to Throne Imperiall;
And mychtie men lyke wretchit Irus fall,
And ly alaw lyke Loytring lubbers leud,
For feir of storme full fane thair saillis to schreud;
And Doegis craft richt cunningly Imprent,
Quha can in hart pure Dauids Regne to stay;
Achitophell misordour to Inuent;
A proud Haman the faithfull to betray;

161

Sobney the Scribe fals tressoun to display;
Uproris to rais ane Atheist Abiron;
To Stalwart Knichtis ane gylefull Ganȝelon;
Ane flattring face with outwart schaw serene;
Sour Aloes with bitter gall commixt;
Ane luiring bait fond fischis to wirk tene,
Not spying deith till thay on lyne be fixt:
Quhen tyme is tynt than find yai trew this text:
Ouir lait it is the stabill dure to steik,
Quhen sturdie steid is stollin and far to seik.
To Ciuill weir and Intestine discord
This bird can blaw the Trumpet craftelie,
Quhais strenth and force cōsistis in pratting word,
With Serpentis sting, vnder simplicitie:
A wylie wicht to practeis palȝardrie,
With warldly wit weill furnissit at will,
Quhais Deuillische dryftis puttis all in poynt to spill.
This birdis counsall confoundit hes yis land,
Turnd vp syde doun of richt and equitie,
Displacit peace with discordis feirfull wand,
That mouit hes thift, reif, and crueltie,
Murther but mercy, bludie tirrannie,
Wandreth, wanrest, feirfull ambitioun,
Aspyring vp with pryde to heich renoun.
This bailfull bird richt beinly can vpbeild,
In Castellis strang, hir noysum nest to byde;
The feildis plane can not fra schame hir scheild.
Quha heichest clymmis the soner may thay slyde:
In warldly wit (by God) quha dois confyde
Will be bet doun be duilfull destanie,
And end thair lyfe with wretchit miserie.

162

O monstrous bird! God nor ye gleddis ȝe get,
Or Rauinnis the rug with bludie beik in bittis;
The Pyet pyke thy ene on gallous set,
As Haman hangit hie on hicht with tittis.
The forkit Clauer besyde the Croce that sittis
Mot be thy beir at thy last funerall,
Quhen Dustifit to dance sall furth the call.
I traist in God that anis sall cum the day,
Pluk at the Craw quhē barnis sall with yis bird;
Or blind Hary with hir to sport and play,
With fauldit neif, and tak hir mony gird.
Keip weill thy taill, gude Phillip, I am hird
The to award from buffettis, heir me by,
The bony boy with sounding voice sall cry.
Dirtin bedreidis, the Prouerb sayis of auld:
Ane scabbit hors will feill quhair he is sair:
Quha giltie bene of vicis laitly tauld
Will deme of thame all men speikis lait and air:
Quhairby thair lyfe is ay bot lasting cair,
Fretting with feir in Inward conscience,
As hoiplost wichtis without all pacience.
Euin so sum man, that menis not in his mynd
Bot monstrously for to mantene misordour,
Achitophellis air, ane Ganȝelon of strynd,
Falser than theuis that leuis on the bordour,
Quha craftelie, his awin affairis to furdour,
Will think I speik of him in this my ryme,
Johne Gukstounis Eye to bleir, quhen he thinkis tyme.

163

The Lenuoy.

Jak in the bokis, for all thy mokis
A vengeance mot the fall!
Thy subteltie and palȝardrie
Our fredome bringis in thrall.
Thy fair fals toung dois still Impung
Our Crown Imperiall,
Lyke wauering thane, thy proces vane
Will brew the bitter gall.
Thy feddrum fair will wirk the cair,
For all thy Syren sangis;
Ane futles gyde that mon abyde
To pay for all our wrangis.
With wallaway thoull curs the day,
Quhen Iustice falset fangis,
With helteris hie to ty on tre
Thy poysonit Edder stangis.
Remord in mynd thy greit madnes;
Recant thy cairfull cowardnes;
Leid not our Lordis with wilfulnes,
Lyke blind men in the myre.
Sen thow hes wrocht sic wickitnes,
Be thy auise and craftines,
Or thow depart to hell furnes,
Repent and haue thy hyre.
This bill Maddie the sendis,
And biddis to end it reid:
It schawis hir dew commendis,
But fauour or ȝit feid.
God send thame euill to speid,
Our King that vilipendis,
Or ȝit dois seik thair deid,
That dewly him defendis.

164

Amen, say ane and all
Of faithfull in this land;
And for trew concord call,
As God dois vs command.
Strang is the Lordis hand
To keip all his from thrall:
And with his threitning wand
Will mak his fais to fall.
Finis.
Quod Maddie Priores of the Caill mercat.

Imprentit at Edinburgh be Robert Lekpreuik. Anno Do. M.D. LXX.