The Works of Sir David Lindsay of the Mount :: :: University of Virginia Library

COUR[TIOUR].
Prvdent Father Experience,
Declare to me, or ȝe go hence,
Quhat wes the cause God did distroye
All Creature, in the tyme of Noye.

EXPE[RIENCE].
(Quod he) I trymmyll for to tell,
That Infortune, quhow it befell,
The cause bene so abhominabyll,
And the mater so miserabyll.
Bot, for to schaw the Circumstance,
Manefestlye, of that myschance,
First I mon gar the vnderstand

Gene. vi.

Quhow Adam gaif expresse command
That those quhilkis come of Sethis blude,
Because thay wer gratious and gude,
Suld nocht contract with Cainnis kyn,
Quhilkis wer Inclynit, all, to Syn.
Tyll obserue that commandiment,
Cain past in the Orient,
With his wyfe, callit Calmana,
Quhilk was his awin Syster alswa,
Quhare his offspryng did lang remane,
Besyde the Montane of Tarbane.
And Seth did lang tyme lede his lyfe
With Delbora, his prudent wyfe,

235

Quhilk wes his Syster, gude and fair;
In Damassene maid thare repair.
In that countre of Sethis clan
Discendit mony holy man.
So lang as Adam wes leueand,
The peple did obserue command.
Quhen he wes dede, and laid in ground,
And peple greitly did abound,
And Cayn slane, as I haue schawin,
And Sethis dayis all ouer blawin,
The Sonnis than of Sethis blude,
Seand the plesand pulchritude
Off the Ladyis of Caynnis kyn,
Quhowbeit thay knew weill it wes Syn,
Opprest with sensuall lustis rage,
Did tak thame in to Mariage,
And so corruptit wes that blude,
The gude with euyll, and euyll with gude.
Than, as the peple did incres,
Thay did abound in wickitnes,
As holy Scripture dois rehers:
Quhilk I abhor to putt in vers,
Or tell with toung I am nocht abyll,
The suthe bene so abhominabyll:
Quhow men and wemen schamefullye
Abusit thame selfis vnnaturallye;
Quhose foull abhominatioun
And vncouthe fornicatioun
I thynk gret schame to putt in wryte.
All that Paull Orose doith indyte,
Quhilk gyf I wald at lenth declair,
It wer yneuch to fyill the air.
Gret Clerkis of Antiquiteis
Hes wryttin mony trew storeis
Quhilkis ar worthy to be commendit,
Quhowbeit thay be nocht comprehendit
At lenth in the Diuyne Scripture.
Bot I sall do my besye cure

236

To tak the best (as I suppose)
That moste pertenis my purpose,
And, with support of Christ, our kyng,
I purpose to confirme no thyng
Off the Auld Hystoricience
Contrarious tyll his excellence.
Quhowbeit, sum mennis Traditionis,
Contrar Chrystis Institutionis,
Off thame thocht sum thyng I declair,
Now latt ws proceid forthermair,
And, with ane Language lamentabyll,
Declare this mater miserabyll.

COUR[TIOUR].
Father, the causis wald I knaw
Quhy thay of nature brak the Law.

EXPE[RIENCE].
I traist (quod he) that wyckitnes
Generith, throw sleuthfull ydilnes.
The Deuyll, with all the craft he can,
Quhen he persauis ane ydill man,
Or woman geuin tyll ydilnes,
He gettis eaisalye entres.
And so, be this occasioun,
And be the Feindis perswasioun,
The hole warld, vniuersalye,
Corruptit was alluterlye.

COUR[TIOUR].
Quhat wes the cause thay ydill ware?
That cace (quod I) to me declare.

237

EXPE[RIENCE].

(Quod he) be my Imaginatioun,
For laik of vertuous Occupatioun.
For of Craftis thay had small vsage,
Off Marchandyce, nor lawborage.
The erth than, wes so plentuous
Off fruct and Spyce delicious,
The herbis wer so confortabyll,
Delytesum, and Medicinabyll,
The Fontannis, fresche and redolent,
To laubouryng thay tuke lytill tent.
All maner of beistis, at thare plesour,
Did multyplie, without laubour.
The tyme betuix Adam and Noye
To se the erth it wes gret Ioye,
Plantit with precious treis of pryce.
Four famous Fludis of Paradyce
Ran throw the erth in syndrie partis,
Spreddyng thare branchis in all airtis.
The walter was so strang and fyne,
Thay wald nocht laubour to mak wyne.
The fruct and herbis wer so gude,
Thay maid no cair for vther fude,
And so the peple tuke no cure,
Bot past thare tyme at thare plesure,
Ay fyndand new Inuentionis,
To fulfyll thare Intentionis.
So that the Lord Omnipotent
That he maid man did hym repent,
And schew on tyll his Seruand Noye,
That he wald all the warld distroye,
Except hym self and his Meinȝe.

Allace (quod Noye) quhen sall that be?
Than said the Lord: sen thow so speris,
I sall Prolong sax score of ȝeris,
Tarying vpone thare repentence,
Or I fulfyll my Iust Sentence.

238

In the mene tyme fall thow to warke
Incontinent, and beild ane Arke,
Quhilk Noye began, Obedientlye,
And wrocht on it Continuallye,
And to the peple daylie precheit.
To cry for grace he to thame techeit,
And to thame planelye did declair
That God his wand no more wald spair,
Bot on thame he wald wyrk vengence.
To Noye ȝit gaue thay no credence,
And so thay wer Incounsolabyll,
Usyng thare luste abhominabyll,
And tuke his precheyng in dispyte,
Ay followyng thare foull delyte
More and more, tyll that dulefull day
Quhilk all the warld pat in affray.

COUR[TIOUR].
Father, ȝe gart me vnderstand,
Quhen Adam brak the Lordis command,
Tyll agment his afflictioun,
God gaue his Maledictioun
On to the erth, quhilk wes so fair,
That it suld barren be and bair,
And, without laubour, beir no corne,
Nor fruct, bot thirsyll, breir, and thorne.
Now say ȝe, in the tyme of Noye
To se the erth it wes gret Ioye,
Plantit with fructis gude and fair.
The suthe of this to me declair.
Thir sayingis two gar me consydder,
Quhow ȝe mak thame agre to gydder.

239

EXPE[RIENCE].

God maid that promys, sickerlye;
Quhowbeit, it come nocht instantlye,
(Quod he) as Clerkis dois conclude.
Bot efter, quhen the furious Flude
Distroyit the erth alluterlye,
Than come that promys, sickerlye.
Ewin siclyke as God gaue command
Adam to twyche nocht with his hand,
Nor eait of, the forbiddin tree,
Geue he did so, that he sulde dee,
Quhowbeit, he deit nocht, but weir,
Efter that day nyne hundreth ȝeir.
Rychtso, the Propheit Esayas,

Esay. ix.

Speikand of Christ, the gret Messias,
Sayand, the Bairne is tyll ws borne,
To saif mankynd quhilk is forlorne,
As he had bene borne Instantlye.
Ȝit wes he nocht borne, veralye,
Efter that saying mony one ȝeir,
As in the Scripture thow may heir.
Ane thousand ȝeir, quho reknyth rycht,

ii. Pet. iii.

Is bot one hour in Goddis sycht.
Exemplis mony I mycht tell,
Wer it nocht tedious for to dwell.
Tyll our purpose latt ws proceid,
Schawand the heycht, and lenth, and breid,
And qualitie of Noyis Arke,
Quhilk wes ane rycht excellent warke,
Off Pyne tre maid, bound weill about,
Laid ouer with pik, within and out,
Iunit full close with nalis strong,
And wes thre hundreth Cubittis long,
Fifty in breid, thretty in heycht;
Thre Chalmeris, Iunit weill and wycht,
And euerilk loft aboue ane vther,
Withouttin anker, air, or ruther.

240

Ane rycht Cubeit, as I heir tell,
Off misour now mycht be ane ell.
In the myd syde ane dur thare wes,
For Beistis ane easy entres.
This Ark, quhilk was boith lang and lairge,
Maid in the bodum lyke one Bairge,
Couerit with brudis weill abufe,
Moste lyke ane housse with sett on rufe,
Quhose rigyng wes ane Cubeit braid,
Quharein thare wes ane wyndo maid,
Sum sayis, weill closit with Christall cleir,
Quharethrouch the day lycht mycht weil appeir.
This work the more wes to be prysit,
Because be God it was deuysit.

Gene. vii.

The makyng of this Ark, but weir,
Indurit weill ane hundreth ȝeir.

Quhen Noye had done compleit this wark,
God did hym close within the Ark;
With hym, his wyfe, and Sonnis thre,
With thare thre wyfis, but no menȝe.
And of all foulis of the air,
Off euerilk kynd enterit ane pair,
Rychtso, two Beistis of euerilk kynde.
For quhy, it wes the Lordis mynde
That generatioun suld nocht faill.
Quharefor of Fameill and of Maill
Off euerilk kynd wer keipit two.
Bot to rehers myne hart is wo
The dolent Lamentatioun,
That tyme, of euerilk Natioun,
Sayand allace, ane thousand syis,
Quhen wynd and rane began to ryis.
The Roikis with rerd began to ryue,
Quhen vglie cluddis did ouerdryue,
And dirkynnit so the Heuinnis brycht
That Sonne nor Mone mycht schaw no lycht.
The terrabyll trymling of erth quaik
Gart Biggyngis bow, and Cieteis schaik.

241

The thounder raif the cluddis sabyll,
With horrabyll sound appouentabyll.
The fyreflauchtis flew ouerthorte the fellis.
Than wes thare nocht bot ȝowtis and ȝellis,

Quhen thay persauit without remede,
All Creature to suffer dede.
All Fontains frome the erth vp sprang,
And frome the Heuin the rane doun dang
Fourty dayis and fourty nychtis.
Than ran the Peple to the heychtis.
Sum clam in cragis, sum in treis,
And sum to heychast montanis fleis,
With more terrour nor I can tell,
Bot all for nocht: the fludis fell,
And wynd did rowt with sic ane reird
That euerilk wycht waryit his weird,
Cryand, allace, that thay wer borne,
Into that flude to be forlorne.
Men mycht no help mak to thare wyfis,
Nor ȝit support thare bairnis lyfis.
The Fludis rose with so gret mychtis,
That thay ouer couerit all the heychtis.
Thay mycht no more thare lyuis lenth,
Bot swame so lang as thay had strenth,
And so, with cryis Lamentabyll,
Endit thare lyuis Miserabyll.
Aboue montanis that wer moste hie
Fifty Cubitis rose the see.
Men may Imagyne, in thare mynd,
All Creature, in to thare kynd,
Boith Beistis and Foulis in the air,
In thare maneir maid mekle cair.
The Fyschis thocht thame euyll begyld,
Quhen thay swame throuch the woddis wyld;
Quhalis tumbland amang the treis,
Wyld Beistis swomand in the seis.
Byrdis, with mony pietuous pew,
Afferitlye in the air thay flew

242

So lang as thay had strenth to flee,
Syne swatterit doun in to the see.
No thyng in erth wes left on lyue,
Beistis nor Foulis, Man nor Wyue.
God holelye did thame distroye,
Except thame in the Ark, with Noye,
The quhilk lay fleittand on the flude,
Welterand amang the stremes wode,
With mony terrabyll affrayis.
Remanit ane hundreth and fyfty dayis,
In gret langour and heuynes,
Or wynd or rane began to ceis.
Sumtyme effectuouslye prayand,
Sumtyme the Beistis vesiand,
For, be the Lordis commandiment,
He maid prouisioun suffecient.

For Noye dwelt in that Ark, but dout,
Ane ȝeir compleit, or he come out,

Gen. viii.

Quhow, at more lenth in holy wryte
This dulefull storye bene Indyte,
And quhow that Noye gan to reiose,
Quhen Conductis of the heuin did close,
So that the Rane no more discendit,
Nor the flude no more ascendit.
Quhen he persauit the heuinnis cleir,
He send furth Corbe, Messingeir,
In to the Air, for to espy
Geue he saw ony montanis dry.
Sum sayis the Rauin did furth remane,
And come nocht to the Ark agane.
Furth flew the Dow, at Noyis command,
And, quhen scho did persaue dry land,
Off ane Olyue scho brak ane branche,
That Noye mycht knaw the walter stanche,
And thare no more scho did sudiorne,
Bot with the branche scho did returne,
That Noye mycht cleirly vnderstand
That felloun Flude was decressand.

243

And so it did, tyll, at the last,
The Ark vpone the ground stak fast,
On the tope of ane Montane hye,
Into the land of Armanye.
And, quhen that Noye had done espye
Quhow that the erth began to drye,
Than dang he doun the durris all,
And lowsit thame the quhilk wes thrall.
The foulis flew furth in the air,
And all the Beistis, pair and pair,
Past furth to seik thare pastorages.
Thare wes, than, bot aucht Personages,
Noye, his thre Sonnis, and thare wyuis,
On erth that left was with thare lyuis,
Quhome God did blys and Sanctyfie,
Sayand, incres and multyplie.
God wait geue Noye wes blyith and glaid,
Quhen of that presoun he wes fraid.

Quhen Noye had maid his Sacrifyce,
Thankand God of his Benifyce,
He standand on mont Armanye,
Quhare he the countre mycht espye,
Ȝe may beleue his hart was sore,
Seyng the erth, quhilk wes affore
The Flude so plesand and perfyte,
Quhilk to behald wes gret delyte,
That now was barren maid and bair,
Afore quhilk fructuous was and fair.
The plesand treis beryng fructis
Wer lyand rewin vp be the rutis.
The holsum herbis and fragrant flouris
Had tynt boith vertew and cullouris.
The feildis grene and fluryst meidis
Wer spulȝeit of thare plesand weidis.
The erth, quhilk first wes so fair formit,
Wes, be that furious flude, deformit.
Quhare vmquhyle wer the plesand planis,
Wer holkit Glennis and hie montanis.

244

Frome clattryng cragis, gret and gray,
The erth was weschin quyte away.

Bot Noye had gretast displesouris,
Behauldand the dede Creatouris,
Quhilk wes ane sycht rycht Lamentabyll.
Men, Wemen, Beistis Innumerabyll,
Seyng thame ly vpone the landis,
And sum wer fleityng on the strandis.
Quhalis and Monstouris of the seis
Stickit on stobbis, amang the treis,
And, quhen the Flude was decressand,
Thay wer left welteryng on the land.
Affore the Flude duryng that space,
The sey wes all in to ane place.
Rycht so the erth, as bene desydit,
In syndrie partis wes nocht deuydit,
As bene Ewrope and Asia
Deuydit ar frome Africa.
Ȝe se, now, diuers Famous Ilis
Stand frome the mane land mony mylis:
All thir gret Ilis, I vnderstand,
War, than, equall with the ferme land.
Thare wes none sey Mediterrane,
Bot onely the gret Occiane,
Quhilk did nocht spred sic bulryng strandis
As it dois, now, ouirthort the landis.
Than, be the ragyng of that flude,
The erth of vertew wes denude,
The quhilk afore wes to be prysit,
Quhose bewtie than wes dissagysit.
Than wes the Maledictioun knawin
Quhilk wes be God tyll Adam schawin.
I reid quhow Clerkis dois conclude,
Induryng that moste furious flude.
With quhilk the erth wes so supprest,
The wynd blew furth of the southwest.
As may be sene, be experience,
Quhow, throw the watteris violence,
The heych montanis, in euery art,

245

Ar bair forgane the southwest part,
As the Montanis of Parraneis,
The alpis, and Rochis in the seis,
Rycht so, the Rochis, gret and gray,
Quhilk standis into Norroway,
The heychast hyllis, in euery art,
And in Scotland, for the moste part.
Throuch weltryng of that furious flude,
The Cragis of erth war maid denude:
Trauellyng men may consydder best
The montanis bair nyxt the southwest.

COUR[TIOUR].
Declare (quod I) or ȝe conclude,
Quhow lang leuit Noye efter the flude.

EXPE[RIENCE].
(Quod he) in Genesis thow may heir
Quhow that Noye wes sax hundreth ȝeir,
The tyme of this gret punysment,

Gene. ix.

And aye to God obedient,
And wes the best of Sethis blude.
And als he leuit, efter the Flude,
Thre hundreth and fyfty ȝeris,
As the sam scripture wytnes beris,
And wes, or he Randerit the spreit,
Nyne hundreth and fyfty ȝeris compleit.
To schaw this storie Miserabyll
At lenth my wyttis ar nocht abyll.
And als, my Sonne, as I suppose,
It langis nocht tyll our purpose
To schaw quhow Noyis Sonnis thre
Gan to Incres and multyplie,
Nor quhow that Noye plantit the wyne,
And drank tyll he wes dronkin, syne,
And sleipit with his membris bair,
And quhow Cham maid for hym no cair,

246

Bot leuch to se his Father so,
Quhowbeit his Brether wer rycht wo.
Nor quhow Noye, but restrictioun,
Gaue Cham his Maledictioun,
And put hym vnder Seruytude
To Sem and Iaphet, that war gude.
Nor quhow God maid ane conuenent
With Noye, to mak no punysment,
Nor be no Flude the peple droun.
In signe of that conditioun,
His Rane Bow sett in to the air,
Off diuers Heuinlye colouris fair,
For to be ane perpetuall sing
Be Flude to mak no punyssing.
This Story geue thow lyste to knaw,
At lenth the Bibyll sall the schaw.

FINIS