The Poems of Alexander Montgomerie :: :: University of Virginia Library

Quhen folish Phaeton had his course outrun,
And plung'd the fyrie Phlægon in the sea,
And bright [Diana] had bot neu begun
Vpon the grund to cast hir watrie ee;
Quhat tyme the bluid vnto the hairt does flie,
As sojouris sure thair capitan to keep,
At that tyme Morpheus sent to summond me;
Quhom I obeyde, and sa I fell asleep.

Quhair, in my dreme, I sau anone appeir
A naiked boy, vha bure a Turkish bou;
He nokt ane arrou longer nor a speir,
The heid wes gold, vhilk brint lyk ony lou.

180

His countenance begouth ay for to grou
Mair vncouthlyk, vharof I wox afrayde:
Quod he, “Defend thee, gallant, if thou dou,
For thou sall be no longer vnassayit.”

With that he shot and hat me on the breist;
The sheirand shaft soon slippit to my hairt;
Syne bad me cum to ȝou, and mak requeist
Quhair I suld find the salue to heall my smar[t.]
Vpon my feet incontinent I start,
And stagring stood, astonisht with the straik:
Haiv pitie thairfor on my painfull harte,
And saif the man that suffers for ȝour sa[ik.]

My harte wes ay at libertie till nou
That I did sie ȝour cumly cristall ene,
Quhais luifsum looks so peirc't my body th[rou,]
That, ay sen syne, ȝour bondman I haif be[ne.]
I pray thairfor, with sighing from my splen[e,]
Ȝour womanheid for to be treu and k[ynd.]
This paper, in my absence, sall obtene
To hold me aluay present in ȝour mynd.

Fra I be gane, I knau thair are aneu
Quha wald be glade ȝour favour to pro[cure:]
Be permanent, houbeit they perseu;
Let not sik louns with leasings ȝou allure;
Sua our twa loves for evir sall indure,
Conjoynd in ane, as fyr is in the flint.
Found ay ȝour bigging vhair the grund is sur[e;]
Sa nather tyme nor travel sall be tint.

Tak heid thairto, I hairtlie ȝou exhort,
And keep in mynd the counsel I ȝou give;
If that perchance some ȝonkiers cum athort
With facund words, and preissis ȝou to prieve,

181

Luik this my letter; it sall ȝou relieve
In absence, alsueil as I war in sight.
I will not stand with mo words ȝou to deiv,
Bot, for this tyme, I bid ȝou haif “Guid nicht.”