 | The Works of Sir David Lindsay of the Mount |  |
Into that Park I sawe appeir
One ageit man, quhilk drew me neir,
Quhose beird wes weil thre quarter[is] lang.
His hair doun ouer his schulders hang,
The quhilk as ony snaw wes quhyte;
Quhome to behald I thocht delyte.
His habitt Angellyke of hew,
Off culloure lyke the Sapheir blew.
Onder ane Hollyng he reposit,
Off quhose presens I was reiosit.
I did hym saluss reuerendlye;
So did he me, rycht courteslye.
To sitt down he requeistit me,
Onder the schaddow of that tre,
To saif me frome the Sonnis heit,
Amangis the flowris softe and sweit,
For I wes werye for walking.
Than we began to fall in talking:
I sperit his name with reuerence.
One ageit man, quhilk drew me neir,
Quhose beird wes weil thre quarter[is] lang.
His hair doun ouer his schulders hang,
The quhilk as ony snaw wes quhyte;
Quhome to behald I thocht delyte.
His habitt Angellyke of hew,
Off culloure lyke the Sapheir blew.
Onder ane Hollyng he reposit,
Off quhose presens I was reiosit.
I did hym saluss reuerendlye;
So did he me, rycht courteslye.
To sitt down he requeistit me,
Onder the schaddow of that tre,
To saif me frome the Sonnis heit,
Amangis the flowris softe and sweit,
For I wes werye for walking.
Than we began to fall in talking:
I sperit his name with reuerence.
I am (said he) Experience.
208
Than, Schir (said I) ȝe can nocht faill
To gyff ane desolate man counsaill.
Ȝe do appeir ane man of faime;
And, sen Experience bene ȝour name,
I praye ȝow, Father venerabyll,
Geue me sum counsell confortabyll.
EXPE[RIENCE].
Quhate bene (quod he) thy vocatioun,
Makand sic supplycatioun?
COUR[TIOUR].
I haif (quod I) bene, to this hour,
Sen I could ryde, one Courtiour.
Bot now, Father, I thynk it best,
With ȝour counsell, to leif in rest,
And frome thyne furth to tak myne eais,
And quyetlie my God to pleais,
And renunce Curiositie,
Leueyng the Court, and lerne to de.
Oft haue I salit ouer the strandis,
And traualit throuch diuers landis,
Boith south, and north, and est, and west;
Ȝitt can I neuer fynd quhare rest
Doith mak his habitatioun,
Withoute ȝour supportatioun.
Quhen I beleif to be best easit,
Most suddantlye I am displeasit;
Frome trubbyll quhen I fastast fle,
Than fynd I most aduersate.
Schaw me, I pray ȝow hartfullye,
Quhow I may leif most plesandlye,
To serue my God, of kyngis Kyng,
Sen I am tyrit for trauellyng.
209
Off quyet lyfe and sobir rent,
That I may thank the kyng of glore,
As thocht I had ane Mylȝeoun more.
Sen euerilk Court bene variant,
Full of Inuy, and inconstant,
Mycht I, but trubbyll, leif in rest
Now in my aige, I thynk it best.
EXPE[RIENCE].
Thow art ane gret fuill, Sonne (said he);
Thynk to desyre quhilk may nocht be,
Ȝarnyng to haue prerogatyue
Aboue all Creature on lyfe?
Sen Father Adam creat bene
In to the Campe of Damassene,
Mycht no man say, on to this hour,
That euer he fand perfyte plesour,
Nor neuer sall, tyll that he se
God in his Diuyne Maiestie:
Quharefore prepair the for trauell,
Sen mennis lyfe bene bot battell.
All men begynnis for tyll de
The day of thare Natiuite,
And Iournelly thay do proceid
Tyll Atrops cute the fatell threid;
And, in the breif tyme that thay haue
Betuix thare byrth on to thare graue,
Thow seis quhat mutabiliteis,
Quhat miserabyll Calamiteis,
Quhat trubbyll, trauell, and debait
Seis thow in euere mortall stait.
Begyn at pure lawe Creaturis,
Ascending, syne, to Synaturis,
To gret Princis and Potestatis,
Thow sall nocht fynd, in non estatis,
Sen the begynning, gennerallie,
210
Bot tiddious, restles besynes,
But ony maner of sickarnes.
COUR[TIOUR].
Prudent Father (quod I) allace,
Ȝe tell to me one cairfull cace.
Ȝe say that no man, to this hour,
Hes found in erth perfyte plesour
Without infortunat variance.
Sen we bene thrall to sic myschance,
Quhy do we set so our Intentis
On Ryches, Dignitie, and Rentis?
Sen in the erth bene no man sure
One day but trubbyll tyll Indure;
And, werst of all, quhen we leist wene,
The creuell deith we mon sustene.
Geue I ȝour Fatherheid durste demand,
The cause I wald faine vnderstand.
And als, Father, I ȝow Implore,
Schaw me sum trubbyll gone afore,
That, heryng vtheris Indigence,
I may the more haif patience.
Marrowis in trybulatioun
Bene Wracheis consolatioun.
EXPE[RIENCE].
Quod he: efter my small cunnyng
To the I sall mak answeryng.
Bot, Ordourlie for to begyn,
This Misarie procedis of Syn.
Bot it wer lang for to defyn it
Quhow all men ar to Syn Inclynit.
Quhen Syn aboundantlye doith ryng,
Iustly God makith punyssing:
Quharefore gret God in to his handis,
211
Efter our euyll conditioun
He makis on ws punytioun,
With hunger, darth, and Indigens;
Sum tyme, gret plagis and pestilens,
And sum tyme with his bludy wand,
Throw creuell weir be sey and land:
Concludyng, all our misarie
Proceidis of Syn, alluterlie.
COUR[TIOUR].
Father (quod I) declare to me
The cause of this Fragyllitie,
That we bene all to Syn inclynde,
In werk, in word, and in our mynde.
I wald the veritie wer schawin,
Quho hes this seid amang ws sawin,
And quhy we ar condampnit to dede,
And quhow that we may get remede.
EXPE[RIENCE].
(Quod he) the Scripture hes concludit
Men frome felicitite wer denudit
Be Adam, our Progenitour,
Umquhyle of Paradyse possessour,
Be quhose most wylfull arrogance
Wes Mankynd brocht to this myschance.
Quhen he wes Inobedient,
In breking Godis commandiment.
Be solystatioun of his wyfe
He loste that heuinlye plesand lyfe.
Etand of the forbiddin tre,
Thare began all our miserrie.
So Adam wes cause Radicall
That we bene fragyll Synnaris, all.
Adam brocht in this Natioun
Syn, Deith, and als Dampnatioun.
Quho wyll say he is no Synnar,
Christ sayis he is ane gret lear.
Mankynde sprang furth of Adamis Loynis.
And tuke of hym flesche, blude, and bonis,
And so, efter his qualytie,
All ar Inclynit Synnaris to be.
Men frome felicitite wer denudit
Be Adam, our Progenitour,
Umquhyle of Paradyse possessour,
Be quhose most wylfull arrogance
Wes Mankynd brocht to this myschance.
Quhen he wes Inobedient,
In breking Godis commandiment.
Be solystatioun of his wyfe
He loste that heuinlye plesand lyfe.
Etand of the forbiddin tre,
Thare began all our miserrie.
So Adam wes cause Radicall
That we bene fragyll Synnaris, all.
212
Syn, Deith, and als Dampnatioun.
Quho wyll say he is no Synnar,
Christ sayis he is ane gret lear.
Mankynde sprang furth of Adamis Loynis.
And tuke of hym flesche, blude, and bonis,
And so, efter his qualytie,
All ar Inclynit Synnaris to be.
Bot ȝit, my Sonne, dispare thow nocht;
For God, that all the warld hes wrocht,
Hes maid ane Souerane remede,
To saif ws boith frome syn and dede,
And frome etarne dampnatioun.
Tharefore tak consolatioun,
For God, as Scripture doith recorde,
Haueyng of man Misericorde
Send doun his onelye Sonne, Iesu,
Quhilk lychtit in one Uirgin trew,
And cled his heych Diuynitie
With our pure vyle Humanytie;
Syne frome our synnis, to conclude,
He wysche ws with his precious blude.
Quhowbeit throw Adam we mon dee,
Throuch that Lord we sall rasit bee,
And euerilk man he sall releue
Quhilk in his blude doith ferme beleue,
And bryng ws all vnto his glore,
The quhilk throw Adam bene forlore,
Without that we, throw laik of faith,
Off his Godheid incur the wraith.
But quho in Christ fermely beleuis
Sall be releuit frome all myscheuis.
For God, that all the warld hes wrocht,
Hes maid ane Souerane remede,
To saif ws boith frome syn and dede,
And frome etarne dampnatioun.
Tharefore tak consolatioun,
For God, as Scripture doith recorde,
Haueyng of man Misericorde
Send doun his onelye Sonne, Iesu,
Quhilk lychtit in one Uirgin trew,
And cled his heych Diuynitie
With our pure vyle Humanytie;
Syne frome our synnis, to conclude,
He wysche ws with his precious blude.
Quhowbeit throw Adam we mon dee,
Throuch that Lord we sall rasit bee,
And euerilk man he sall releue
Quhilk in his blude doith ferme beleue,
And bryng ws all vnto his glore,
The quhilk throw Adam bene forlore,
Without that we, throw laik of faith,
Off his Godheid incur the wraith.
But quho in Christ fermely beleuis
Sall be releuit frome all myscheuis.
COUR[TIOUR].
Quhat faith is that that ȝe call ferme?
Schir, gar me vnderstand that terme.
213
Faith without Hope and Charitie
Aualit nocht, my Sonne (said he).
COUR[TIOUR].
Quhat Charite bene, that wald I knaw.
EXPE[RIENCE].
Quod he: my Sonne, that sall I schaw,
First, lufe thy God aboue all thyng,
And thy Nychtbour but fenȝeyng.
Do none Iniure nor villanie,
Bot as thow wald wer done to the.
Quyk faith but cheretabyll werkis
Can neuer be, as wryttis Clerkis,
More than the fyre, in tyll his mycht,
Can be but heit, nor Sonne but lycht.
Geue charitie in to the failis,
Thy Faith nor Hope no thyng auailis.
The Deuyll hes Faith, and trymlis for dreid,
Bot he wantis Hope and lufe in deid.
Do all the gude that may be wrocht,
But charitie, all auailis nocht.
Quharefore pray to the Trinite
For tyll support thy Charite.
First, lufe thy God aboue all thyng,
And thy Nychtbour but fenȝeyng.
Do none Iniure nor villanie,
Bot as thow wald wer done to the.
Quyk faith but cheretabyll werkis
Can neuer be, as wryttis Clerkis,
More than the fyre, in tyll his mycht,
Can be but heit, nor Sonne but lycht.
Geue charitie in to the failis,
Thy Faith nor Hope no thyng auailis.
The Deuyll hes Faith, and trymlis for dreid,
Bot he wantis Hope and lufe in deid.
Do all the gude that may be wrocht,
But charitie, all auailis nocht.
Quharefore pray to the Trinite
For tyll support thy Charite.
Now haue I schawin the, as I can,
Quhow Father Adam, the first man,
Brocht in the warld boith Syn and Dede,
And quhow Christ Iesu maid remede,
Quhilk, on the day of Iugement,
Sall ws delyuer frome torment,
And bryng ws to his lestyng glore,
Quhilk sall indure for euer more.
Bot in this warld thow gettis no rest,
I mak it to the manifest.
Tharefore, my Sonne, be diligent,
And lerne for to be patient,
And in to God sett all thy traist:
All thyng sall than cum for the best.
Quhow Father Adam, the first man,
Brocht in the warld boith Syn and Dede,
And quhow Christ Iesu maid remede,
Quhilk, on the day of Iugement,
Sall ws delyuer frome torment,
And bryng ws to his lestyng glore,
Quhilk sall indure for euer more.
Bot in this warld thow gettis no rest,
I mak it to the manifest.
214
And lerne for to be patient,
And in to God sett all thy traist:
All thyng sall than cum for the best.
COUR[TIOUR].
Father, I thank ȝow hartfullye
Off ȝour conforte and cumpanye,
And heuinlye consolatioun;
Makand ȝow supplicatioun,
Geue I durst put ȝow to sic pyne,
That ȝe wald pleis for to defyne,
And gar me cleirlye vnderstand,
Quhow Adam brak the Lordis command,
And quhow, throw his transgressioun,
War punyst his Successioun.
EXPE[RIENCE].
My Sonne (quod he) wald thow tak cure
To luke on the Diuyne Scripture,
In to the Buke of Genesis
That storye thare thow sall nocht mis.
And alswa syndrie cunnyng Clerkis
Hes done rehers, in to thare werkis,
Off Adamis fall full Ornatly,
Ane thousand tymes better nor I
Can wrytt of that vnhappy man.
Bot I sall do the best I can,
Schortlie to schaw that cairfull cace,
With the support of Goddis grace.
| The Works of Sir David Lindsay of the Mount | |