Ane compendious and breue tractate concernyng ye Office and Dewtie of Kyngis spirituall pastoris, and temporall iugis. Laitlie compylit be William Lauder, for the faithfull instructioun of Kyngis and Prencis. Edited by Fitzedward Hall |
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FOLLOUIS THE ELECTION OFF THE TEMPORALL IUGIS. |
 | Ane compendious and breue tractate concernyng ye Office and Dewtie of Kyngis |  |
FOLLOUIS THE ELECTION OFF THE TEMPORALL IUGIS.
O Prudent Prencis, marke wyselie,
With Pringnant wyttis & walkryfe Ee,
Ȝour Iugis quhen ȝe go to chuse
That vnder ȝow suld Iustice vse.
That thyng is gret ȝe go to do;
And ȝe sulde tak gude heid thare to.
In this Consistis, withouttin faill,
Boith the wynning and tinsaill
Off ȝour haill Regioun and ryng
That ȝe haue in ȝour gouernyng.
Thay suld be of ane lynage leill;
And, suthlie, ȝe suld knaw thame weill
That ȝe promoue to sic ane place,
Seyng so wechtie is the cace.
Goddis worde suld cleir to thame be knawin,
And in thare harts it suld be sawin;
And ȝe suld prudentlie considder,
Thare lyfe and it aggre to gidder.
For mony with thare mouth professis
Goddis wourd, that daylie it transgressis.
Wourdis ar bot wynd, I say in deid,
Withoute gude werks of thame proceid.
We may wyrk weill; and, we liste call,
The Lorde hes hecht to heir ws all,
And for to geue ws, liberallye,
With gude wyll, grace and mercy fre.
Swa, without Iugis cleirly knaw
The wourd of God, and als his law,
It is impossibyll, verralie,
That he ane faithfull Iuge can be.
Bot quha goddis wourd hes in his hert,
And thareto daylie dois aduert,
The feir of God sall hym defend
Frome wyrking wrang, vntyll his end;
So that he sall tyll euery wycht
Do that thyng quhilk accords of rycht.
Vngodlie Iugis, for Solistatioun
Of Potestatis with wrang Nerratioun,
Wyll tak bot lytill thocht or cure
But reuth for to oppresse the pure.
This Iuge is blynd, and may nocht se;
For he wants God afore his Ee.
He knawis nocht god, nor ȝit his law;
And so of hym he stands no aw,
In Court, in Parliament, or Cessioun,
Planelie for to conmit Oppressioun.
Iust Iugis aucht, with humyll hertis,
To heir the playnt of boith the partis,
And nocht on heid, without discretioun,
Determe withouttin Iust cognitioun.
Gret murmour is, and mony sayis,
That sum Solistars, now thir dayis,
Vincusis Laweris in thare cause,
For all thare ledgin of the lawis.
Suithlie, I thynk sic Solistatioun
Gret myster hes of Reformatioun;
Because it smellis, vnfenȝeitlie,
To verray percialytie;
Quhilk Percialytie smoris doun
Iustice in euery land and toun.
I saye ȝour temporall officiaris
Thay suld be faithfull Mynistaris,
Nocht haueand respect, regaird, nor Ee,
To wardlye ryches nor dignytie,
To Tergats, Chenis, nor goldin Ryngis,
Hors, clethyng, money, nor siclyke thyngis.
For fauour of Freindis, nor fois feid,
No wrang Decretis thay aucht to leid.
Thay suld be sober and pacient;
Thay suld be secreit and prudent;
Thay suld be wyse and virtuus;
Thay suld be gude and gratius.
Thay suld be walkryfe on thare curis;
Thay suld haue knawlage of boith the Iuris,
Als weill the Canone as Ciuile law:
Thay suld thame vnderstand and knaw.
For blynd men (as I haue feill)
Can nocht decerne fair colours weill:
No more can Iudgis Illitturate
Discus ane mater (weill I wat).
Frome all Inuye thay suld be fre,
Frome Malyce, Yre, and Creueltie,
Frome flattrie, falset, and dissait,
Frome toulȝe, bergane, and debait,
Frome heycht, frome haitrent, and frome luste,
Quhilk makis Iugis lief Iniuste.
Thay suld be clene of euery vyce,
And, speciallie, of Couatyce:
For gredie Iugis, I ȝow assure,
Doith sell the causis of the pure.
Geue thare be sic, I knaw of nane:
Thay knaw, thare selfis, that buddis hes tane,
To hurte the pure, syne latt passe fre
The ryche. O Lord, to this haue Ee;
And help the pure that ar in stres
Opprest and hereit mercyles.
Traist, Kyngis, that thare is no refuge:
Except ȝour Iugis Iustlie Iuge
The causis of all Creaturis,
Boith of the ryche and of the puris,
Ȝour Crown, Sworde, Ceptour, & ȝour wand,
Thay sall be tane out of ȝour hand,
And geuin to vtheris, frome ȝow and ȝouris,
That wyll do Iustice at all houris.
The Maledictione of the pure
Sall on ȝow and ȝour seid Indure,
Vntyll that ȝe be rutit oute.
This sall nocht faill, withouttin doute;
Bot it sall lycht, quhen god dois pleis,
Howbeit ȝe leif now at gret eis.
Thocht God ane quhyle he dois ouir se ȝow,
Thynk weill he dois behauld and Ee ȝow,
And wyll ȝow vesy, quhen ȝe leist weine,
Syne turne ȝour myrth and Ioye in teine.
Be wer, tharefor, with walkryfe Ee,
And mend, geue ony myster be.
With Pringnant wyttis & walkryfe Ee,
Ȝour Iugis quhen ȝe go to chuse
That vnder ȝow suld Iustice vse.
That thyng is gret ȝe go to do;
And ȝe sulde tak gude heid thare to.
In this Consistis, withouttin faill,
Boith the wynning and tinsaill
15
That ȝe haue in ȝour gouernyng.
Thay suld be of ane lynage leill;
And, suthlie, ȝe suld knaw thame weill
That ȝe promoue to sic ane place,
Seyng so wechtie is the cace.
Goddis worde suld cleir to thame be knawin,
And in thare harts it suld be sawin;
And ȝe suld prudentlie considder,
Thare lyfe and it aggre to gidder.
For mony with thare mouth professis
Goddis wourd, that daylie it transgressis.
Wourdis ar bot wynd, I say in deid,
Withoute gude werks of thame proceid.
We may wyrk weill; and, we liste call,
The Lorde hes hecht to heir ws all,
And for to geue ws, liberallye,
With gude wyll, grace and mercy fre.
Swa, without Iugis cleirly knaw
The wourd of God, and als his law,
It is impossibyll, verralie,
That he ane faithfull Iuge can be.
Bot quha goddis wourd hes in his hert,
And thareto daylie dois aduert,
The feir of God sall hym defend
Frome wyrking wrang, vntyll his end;
So that he sall tyll euery wycht
Do that thyng quhilk accords of rycht.
Vngodlie Iugis, for Solistatioun
Of Potestatis with wrang Nerratioun,
Wyll tak bot lytill thocht or cure
But reuth for to oppresse the pure.
This Iuge is blynd, and may nocht se;
For he wants God afore his Ee.
He knawis nocht god, nor ȝit his law;
And so of hym he stands no aw,
16
Planelie for to conmit Oppressioun.
Iust Iugis aucht, with humyll hertis,
To heir the playnt of boith the partis,
And nocht on heid, without discretioun,
Determe withouttin Iust cognitioun.
Gret murmour is, and mony sayis,
That sum Solistars, now thir dayis,
Vincusis Laweris in thare cause,
For all thare ledgin of the lawis.
Suithlie, I thynk sic Solistatioun
Gret myster hes of Reformatioun;
Because it smellis, vnfenȝeitlie,
To verray percialytie;
Quhilk Percialytie smoris doun
Iustice in euery land and toun.
I saye ȝour temporall officiaris
Thay suld be faithfull Mynistaris,
Nocht haueand respect, regaird, nor Ee,
To wardlye ryches nor dignytie,
To Tergats, Chenis, nor goldin Ryngis,
Hors, clethyng, money, nor siclyke thyngis.
For fauour of Freindis, nor fois feid,
No wrang Decretis thay aucht to leid.
Thay suld be sober and pacient;
Thay suld be secreit and prudent;
Thay suld be wyse and virtuus;
Thay suld be gude and gratius.
Thay suld be walkryfe on thare curis;
Thay suld haue knawlage of boith the Iuris,
Als weill the Canone as Ciuile law:
Thay suld thame vnderstand and knaw.
For blynd men (as I haue feill)
Can nocht decerne fair colours weill:
No more can Iudgis Illitturate
Discus ane mater (weill I wat).
17
Frome Malyce, Yre, and Creueltie,
Frome flattrie, falset, and dissait,
Frome toulȝe, bergane, and debait,
Frome heycht, frome haitrent, and frome luste,
Quhilk makis Iugis lief Iniuste.
Thay suld be clene of euery vyce,
And, speciallie, of Couatyce:
For gredie Iugis, I ȝow assure,
Doith sell the causis of the pure.
Geue thare be sic, I knaw of nane:
Thay knaw, thare selfis, that buddis hes tane,
To hurte the pure, syne latt passe fre
The ryche. O Lord, to this haue Ee;
And help the pure that ar in stres
Opprest and hereit mercyles.
Traist, Kyngis, that thare is no refuge:
Except ȝour Iugis Iustlie Iuge
The causis of all Creaturis,
Boith of the ryche and of the puris,
Ȝour Crown, Sworde, Ceptour, & ȝour wand,
Thay sall be tane out of ȝour hand,
And geuin to vtheris, frome ȝow and ȝouris,
That wyll do Iustice at all houris.
The Maledictione of the pure
Sall on ȝow and ȝour seid Indure,
Vntyll that ȝe be rutit oute.
This sall nocht faill, withouttin doute;
Bot it sall lycht, quhen god dois pleis,
Howbeit ȝe leif now at gret eis.
Thocht God ane quhyle he dois ouir se ȝow,
Thynk weill he dois behauld and Ee ȝow,
And wyll ȝow vesy, quhen ȝe leist weine,
Syne turne ȝour myrth and Ioye in teine.
Be wer, tharefor, with walkryfe Ee,
And mend, geue ony myster be.
18
Now, Kyngis, I pray ȝow, fynalie,
Prent euer in ȝour Memorie
To help the pure and Fatherles
That lyis drownyng in distres.
The pure Wedow, that wantis hir man,
Help hir with Iustice, geue thow can.
Geue that ȝe fynd thare actionis rycht,
Help thame with all ȝour strenth and mycht.
For no rewarde, gyft, nor propyne,
Thole none of thir twois causis tyne:
For, geue thow do, gret God, trewlie,
Hes hecht on the Auengit be.
Now haue I breuelie heir furthschawin,
And to ȝow, kyngis, I haue maid knawin,
Efter my sober wytt and mycht,
How that ȝe suld Elect moist rycht
Ȝour Iugis that suld Iustice vse,
And quhome ȝe aucht for to refuse
Frome that gret office, chairge, and cure;
And of quhat plagis ȝe sall be sure,
Geue ȝe chuse Iniust Officiaris,
Gredie and peruerst Mynistaris;
And how ȝe suld nocht spair for panis
To help the wedowis and pure Orphanis.
Prent euer in ȝour Memorie
To help the pure and Fatherles
That lyis drownyng in distres.
The pure Wedow, that wantis hir man,
Help hir with Iustice, geue thow can.
Geue that ȝe fynd thare actionis rycht,
Help thame with all ȝour strenth and mycht.
For no rewarde, gyft, nor propyne,
Thole none of thir twois causis tyne:
For, geue thow do, gret God, trewlie,
Hes hecht on the Auengit be.
Now haue I breuelie heir furthschawin,
And to ȝow, kyngis, I haue maid knawin,
Efter my sober wytt and mycht,
How that ȝe suld Elect moist rycht
Ȝour Iugis that suld Iustice vse,
And quhome ȝe aucht for to refuse
Frome that gret office, chairge, and cure;
And of quhat plagis ȝe sall be sure,
Geue ȝe chuse Iniust Officiaris,
Gredie and peruerst Mynistaris;
And how ȝe suld nocht spair for panis
To help the wedowis and pure Orphanis.
Qvhilk thyngs, I pray ȝow, wysely merk;
And thynk it is ane wechtie werk
To chuse thame rycht: as I haue said,
The haill thyng to ȝour charge is laid.
Geue thay wyrk weill, the better is ȝouris,
Ȝour Hearis, and als ȝour Successouris.
Geue thay do nocht, ȝe may sure trow,
The haill wyte sall redound to ȝow;
And ȝe sall poynist be thairfore
Be the gret potent Prence of glore.
And thynk it is ane wechtie werk
To chuse thame rycht: as I haue said,
The haill thyng to ȝour charge is laid.
Geue thay wyrk weill, the better is ȝouris,
Ȝour Hearis, and als ȝour Successouris.
Geue thay do nocht, ȝe may sure trow,
The haill wyte sall redound to ȝow;
And ȝe sall poynist be thairfore
Be the gret potent Prence of glore.
FINIS.
| Ane compendious and breue tractate concernyng ye Office and Dewtie of Kyngis | |