University of Virginia Library

Qvhen God had maid the heuinis brycht,
The Sone & Mone for to geue lycht,
The sterry heuin & Christellyne,
And, be his Sapience diuyne,

Gene. i.

The planetis, in thair circlis round
Quhirling about with merie sound,
Off quhome Phebus was principall,
Iuste in his Lyne Eclipticall,
And gaue, be Diuyne Sapience,
Tyll euery Ster thare Influence,
With motioun continuall,
Quhilk doith indure perpetuall,
And, farrest frome the heuin Impyre,
The erth, the walter, air, and fyre,
He cled the erth with herbis and treis.
All kynd of fysches in the seis,
All kynd of best, he did prepair,
With fowlis fleyng in the air.
Thus, be his word all thyng was wrocht
Without materiall, maid of nocht.
So, be his wysedome Infinyte,
All wes maid plesand and perfyte.

Quhen heuin and erth, and thare contentis,
Wer endit, with thare Ornamentis,
Than, last of all, the Lord began
Off most vyle erth to mak the man.
Nocht of the Lille, nor the Rose,
Nor Syper tre, as I suppose,
Nother of gold, nor precious stonis,
Off erth he maid flesche, blude, and bonis.
To that intent God maid hym thus,
That man sulde nocht be glorious,
Nor in hym self no thyng suld se
Bot matere of humylite.
Quhen man wes maid, as I haue tald,

Gene. ii.

God in his face did hym behald,
Brathand in hym ane lyflie spreit.
Quhen all thir werkis wer compleit,
He maid man, to his simylitude,
Precelland in to pulchritude,
Dotit with gyftis of Nature
Aboue all erthlye creature;
Syne plesandlye did hym conuoye
To ane regioun repleit with Ioye,
Off all plesour quhilk bair the pryce,
And callit erthly Paradyce;
And brocht, be Diuyne prouience,
All beistis and byrdis tyll his presence.
Adam did craftelye Impone
Ane speciall name tyll euery one,
And to all thyngis materiall,
He namyt thame in speciall:
Quhow he thame namyt Ȝitt bene kend,
And salbe to the warldlis end.
In to that gardyng of plesance
Two treis grew, most tyll auance,
Aboue all vther quhilk bair the pryce,
In myddis of that Paradyce.
The one wes callit the tre of lyfe,
The vther tre began our stryfe,
The tre to knaw boith gude and euyll,
Quhilk, be perswatioun of the Deuyll,
Began our misarie and wo.
Bot lat ws to our purpose go,

Quhow God gaue Adam strait commande
That tre to twyche nocht with his hand.
All vther fructis of Paradyce
He bad hym eit at his deuyce,
Sayand, gyf thow eit of this tre,
With dowbyll deith than sall thow dee.
Tharefore I the command, be war,
And frome this tree thow stand afar.
Ȝitt Father Adam wes allone,
But cumpanye of ony one.
Than thocht the Lord it Necessare
Tyll hym to Creat ane helpare.

God patt in Adam sic Sapour
That for to sleip he tuke plesour,
And laid hym down apone the grounde.
And quhen Adam wes slepand sounde,
He tuke ane Rib furth of his syde,
Syne fyld it vp with flesche and hyde,
And maid ane Woman of that bone:
Fairar of forme wes neuer none.
Than tyll Adam Incontinent
That fair Lady he did present,
Quhilk schortlye said, for to conclude,
Thow art my flesche, my bonis, and blude.
And Uirago he callit hir, than,
Quhilk is, Interpreit, maid of man,
Quhilk Eua efterwart wes namyt,
Quhen, for hir falt, sche wes diffamyt.
Than did the Lord thame Sanctyfie,
Saying Incres and Multyplie.
Be this men suld leif all thare kyn,
And with thare Wyffis mak dwellyn,
And, for thare saik, leif Father and Mother,
And lufe thame best aboue all vther:
For God hes ordanit thame, trewlye,
To be two saulis in one bodye.

My wytt is waik for tyll Indyte
Thare heuinlye plesouris Infinyte.
Wes neuer none erthlye Creature
Sen syne had sic perfyte plesoure.
Thay had puyssance Imperiall
Aboue all thyng materiall.
Als cunnyng Clerkis dois conclude,
Adam preceld in pulchritude
Most Naturall, and the farest man
That euir wes, sen the warld began,
Except Christ Iesu, Goddis Sonne,
To quhome wes no comparisone,
And Eua, the fairest Creature
That euer wes formit be nature.
Thocht thay wer naikit as thay wer maid,
No schame ather of vther haid.
Quhat plesour mycht ane man haif more
Nor haif his Lady hym before,
So lustye, plesand, and perfyte,
Reddy to serue his appetyte.
Thay had none vther cure, I wys,
Bot past thare tyme with Ioye and blys.
Wyld Beistis did to thame repair,
So did the Fowlis of the air,
With noyis most Angelycall
Makand thame myrthis Musicall.
The fyschis soumand in the strandis
Wer holelye at thare commandis.
All Creaturis, with ane accorde,
Obeyit hym as thare souerane Lorde.
Thay sufferit nother heit nor cald,
With euery plesour that thay wald.
Als, to the deith thay wer nocht thrall,
And rychtso suld we haue bene all,
For he and all his Successouris
Suld haue possedit those plesouris,
Syne frome that Ioye materiall
Gone to the glore Imperiall.
Thay had, geue I can rycht discryue,
Gret Ioy in all thare wyttis fyue,
In heiryng, seyng, gustyng, smellyng,
Induryng thare delytesum dwellyng:
Heiryng the byrdis armoneis,
Taistyng the fructis of diuers treis,
Smellyng the balmye dulce odouris
Quhilk did proceid frome fragrant flowris,
Seyng so mony heuinlye hewis
Off blomes brekyng on the bewis.
Off twycheyng, als, thay had delyte,
Off vtheris bodeis soft and quhyte.
But doute, Induryng that plesour
Thay luffit vther Paramour.
No maruell bene thocht swa suld be,
Consyderyng thare gret bewte.
Als, God gaue thame command expres
To multyplie and tyll incres,
That thare seid and successioun
Mycht pleneis euery Natioun.

I lyst nocht tarye tyll declare
All properteis of that place preclare:
Quhow herbis and treis grew ay grene,
Nor of the temporat air serene;
Quhow fructis Indeficient,
Ay alyke rype and redolent;
Nor of the Fontane, nor the fludis,
Nor of the flowris pulchritudis;
That mater Clerkis dois declare;
Quharefore I speik of thame na mare.
The Scripture makis no mentioun
Quhow lang thay rang in that Regioun.
Bot I beleue the tyme wes schorte,
As diuers Doctouris dois reporte.