The Works of Sir David Lindsay of the Mount ... Edited by Douglas Hamer |
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 | The Works of Sir David Lindsay of the Mount |  |
IN THE FIRST, THE BEILDYNG OF BABILONE BE NEMROD. AND QUHOW KYNG NYNUS BEGAN THE FIRST MONARCHE. AND OF THARE YDOLATRYE. AND QUHOW SEMERAMIS, GOUERNIT THE IMPYRE, EFTER HIR HUSBANDE KYNG NYNUS. AS FOLLOWIS.
COUR[TIOUR].Father, I pray ȝow to me tell
The First Infortune that befell
Immediatlye efter the Flude,
And quho did first sched saikles blude,
And quho Ydolatrye began.
247
(Quod he) I sall do as I can.
Efter the Flude I fynde no Storye
Worthy to putt in Memorye,
Tyll Nemrod began to Ryng
Aboue the Peple as ane Kyng,
Quhilk wes the Principall man of one,
That beilder was of Babilone.
COUR[TIOUR]
That Story, Maister, wald I knaw,
(Quod I) geue ȝe the suthe wald schaw,
Quhy and for quhat occasioun
Thay beildit sic ane strang Dungeoun.
EXPE[RIENCE]
Than said to me Experience:
I sall declare, with Deligence,
Those Questionis, at thy command.
Bot first, Sonne, thow mon vnderstand
Off Nemrod the Genologie,
His strenth, Curage, and Quantitie;
Quhowbeit Moyses, in his first Buke,
That Story lychtlye did ouer Luke;
Off hym no more he doith declare,
Except he was ane strang Huntare.
Bot vtheris Clerkis Curious,
As Oroce doith, and Iosephus,
Discryuis Nemrod at more lenth,
Boith of his stature and his strenth.
This Nemrod was the fourt persoun
Frome Noye be lyne discendyng doun.
Noye generit Cham, Cham generit Chus,
And Chus, Nemrod; the suthe bene thus.
This Nemrod grew ane man of mycht;
That tyme in erth wes none so wycht.
He wes ane Gyane stout and strang;
Perforce wyld beistis he doun thrang.
The peple of that hole Regioun
Come vnder his Dominioun.
No man thare wes, in all that land,
His stalwartnes that durst ganestand.
No maruell wes thocht he wes wycht:
Ten Cubitis large he wes of hycht,
Proportionat, in lenth and breid,
Afferand to his hycht, we reid.
He grew so gret and glorious,
So prydefull and presumptuous,
That he come Inobedient
To the gret God Omnipotent.
This Nemrod was the principall man
That first Ydolatrye began.
I sall declare, with Deligence,
Those Questionis, at thy command.
Bot first, Sonne, thow mon vnderstand
Off Nemrod the Genologie,
His strenth, Curage, and Quantitie;
Quhowbeit Moyses, in his first Buke,
That Story lychtlye did ouer Luke;
Off hym no more he doith declare,
Except he was ane strang Huntare.
Bot vtheris Clerkis Curious,
As Oroce doith, and Iosephus,
Discryuis Nemrod at more lenth,
Boith of his stature and his strenth.
This Nemrod was the fourt persoun
Frome Noye be lyne discendyng doun.
Noye generit Cham, Cham generit Chus,
And Chus, Nemrod; the suthe bene thus.
This Nemrod grew ane man of mycht;
That tyme in erth wes none so wycht.
248
Perforce wyld beistis he doun thrang.
The peple of that hole Regioun
Come vnder his Dominioun.
No man thare wes, in all that land,
His stalwartnes that durst ganestand.
No maruell wes thocht he wes wycht:
Ten Cubitis large he wes of hycht,
Proportionat, in lenth and breid,
Afferand to his hycht, we reid.
He grew so gret and glorious,
So prydefull and presumptuous,
That he come Inobedient
To the gret God Omnipotent.
This Nemrod was the principall man
That first Ydolatrye began.
Than gart he all the peple call
To his presens, boith gret and small,
And, in that gret conuentioun,
Did propone his Intentioun.
My Freindis (said he) I mak it knawin
The gret wengeance that God hes schawin,
In tyme of our fore Father Noye,
Quhen he did all the warld distroye,
And dround thame in ane furious flude:
Quharefor I thynk we sulde conclude
Quhov we maye make one strang defence
Aganis sick walteris violence,
For to resyste his furious Yre,
Contra[r]ye boith to flude and fyre.
Latt ws go spye sum plesand feilde,
Quhare one strang biggyng we maye beilde,
One Cityie, with ane strang Dungeoun,
That none Ingyne may ding it doun,
So heych, so thike, so large, and lang,
That Gode tyll ws sall do no wrang.
Itt sall surmonte the Planetis sewin,
That we frome Gode may wyn the hewin.
Those peple, with one ferme intent,
All tyll his counsell did consent,
And did espy one plesand place
Harde on the flude of Euphratace.
The peple thare did thame prepair,
In to the plane feilde of Synear,
Quhilk now of Caldie beryth the name,
Quhilk did lang tyme flureis in fame.
To his presens, boith gret and small,
And, in that gret conuentioun,
Did propone his Intentioun.
My Freindis (said he) I mak it knawin
The gret wengeance that God hes schawin,
In tyme of our fore Father Noye,
Quhen he did all the warld distroye,
And dround thame in ane furious flude:
Quharefor I thynk we sulde conclude
Quhov we maye make one strang defence
Aganis sick walteris violence,
For to resyste his furious Yre,
Contra[r]ye boith to flude and fyre.
Latt ws go spye sum plesand feilde,
Quhare one strang biggyng we maye beilde,
One Cityie, with ane strang Dungeoun,
That none Ingyne may ding it doun,
So heych, so thike, so large, and lang,
That Gode tyll ws sall do no wrang.
Itt sall surmonte the Planetis sewin,
That we frome Gode may wyn the hewin.
249
All tyll his counsell did consent,
And did espy one plesand place
Harde on the flude of Euphratace.
The peple thare did thame prepair,
In to the plane feilde of Synear,
Quhilk now of Caldie beryth the name,
Quhilk did lang tyme flureis in fame.
Thare gret Fortres than did thay founde,
And kaiste tyll thay gat souer grounde.
All fell to warke, boith man and chylde:
Sum holkit claye, sum brynt the tylde.
Nembroth, that curious Campioun,
Deuysar wes of that Dungeoun.
No thyng thay sparit thare laubouris,
Lyke besy beis vpone the flouris,
Or Emottis trauelling in to Iune:
Sum vnder wrocht, and sum abone:
With strong Ingenious masonrye,
Upwarte thare wark did fortifye.
With brynt tylde stonis, large and wycht,
That Towre thay rasit to sic hycht
Abufe the airis Regioun,
And Iunit of so strong fassioun,
With Syment maid of pyk and tar,
Thay vsit none vther mortar,
Thocht fyre or walter it assalit,
Contrare that Dungeoun nocht aualit.
The land aboute wes fair and plane;
And it rose lyke one heych montane.
Those fuliche peple did intende
That to the Hewin it sulde ascende.
So gret one strenth wes neuir sene,
In to the warld, with mennis eine.
And kaiste tyll thay gat souer grounde.
All fell to warke, boith man and chylde:
Sum holkit claye, sum brynt the tylde.
Nembroth, that curious Campioun,
Deuysar wes of that Dungeoun.
No thyng thay sparit thare laubouris,
Lyke besy beis vpone the flouris,
Or Emottis trauelling in to Iune:
Sum vnder wrocht, and sum abone:
With strong Ingenious masonrye,
Upwarte thare wark did fortifye.
With brynt tylde stonis, large and wycht,
That Towre thay rasit to sic hycht
Abufe the airis Regioun,
And Iunit of so strong fassioun,
With Syment maid of pyk and tar,
Thay vsit none vther mortar,
Thocht fyre or walter it assalit,
Contrare that Dungeoun nocht aualit.
The land aboute wes fair and plane;
And it rose lyke one heych montane.
Those fuliche peple did intende
That to the Hewin it sulde ascende.
So gret one strenth wes neuir sene,
In to the warld, with mennis eine.
The wallis of that wark thay maid
Two and fyftye faldome braid.
One faldome than, as sum men sayis,
Mycht bene two faldome in our dayis:
One man wes, than, of more stature
Nor two be now: thareof be sure.
Two and fyftye faldome braid.
One faldome than, as sum men sayis,
Mycht bene two faldome in our dayis:
250
Nor two be now: thareof be sure.
Josephus haldis opinioun,
Sayand the heycht of this Dungeoun
Off large pasis of mesure bene
Fyue thousande, aucht score, and fourtene.
Be this raknyng, it is full rycht
Sax mylis and ane half in hycht.
Ane thousande pais tak for ane myle,
And thow sall fynd it neir that style.
This towre, in compass round aboute,
Wer mylis ten, withouttin doute.
Aboute the Cetie of stagis
Foure houndreth and four score, I wys.
And, be this nommer, in compas,
Aboute three score of mylis It was;
And, as Orotius reportis,
Thare wes fyue score of brasin portis.
Sayand the heycht of this Dungeoun
Off large pasis of mesure bene
Fyue thousande, aucht score, and fourtene.
Be this raknyng, it is full rycht
Sax mylis and ane half in hycht.
Ane thousande pais tak for ane myle,
And thow sall fynd it neir that style.
This towre, in compass round aboute,
Wer mylis ten, withouttin doute.
Aboute the Cetie of stagis
Foure houndreth and four score, I wys.
And, be this nommer, in compas,
Aboute three score of mylis It was;
And, as Orotius reportis,
Thare wes fyue score of brasin portis.
The translatour of Orotius
In tyll his Cronicle wryttis thus,
That, quhen the Sonne is at the hycht,
Att nonne quhen it doith schyne most brycht,
The schaddow of that hydduous strenth
Sax myle and more it is of lenth.
Thus maye ȝe Iuge, in to ȝour thocht,
Gyfe Babilone be heych, or nocht.
In tyll his Cronicle wryttis thus,
That, quhen the Sonne is at the hycht,
Att nonne quhen it doith schyne most brycht,
The schaddow of that hydduous strenth
Sax myle and more it is of lenth.
Thus maye ȝe Iuge, in to ȝour thocht,
Gyfe Babilone be heych, or nocht.
FINIS.
| The Works of Sir David Lindsay of the Mount | |