Satirical poems of the reformation

I Henrie Stewart, vmquhile of Scotland King,
Sum tyme in houpe with reuerence to Ring
Within this Realme in dew obedience,
Traisting with ane, attoure all eirdlie thing,
Quha was the ruite quhair of I did spring,
In honour to liue be Kyndelie allyance,
Putand in hir sic faith and confidence,
Ingland I left, seducit be ignorance:
Scotland I socht in houpe for to get hir,
Quhilk I may rew, as now is cum the chance,
And vthers learne by me experience:
In tyme be war fra ainis the work misset hir.

Sum tyme sho thocht I was sa amiabill,
Sa perfect, plesand, and sa delectabill,
Lancit with luif she luid me by all wycht;
Sum tyme, to shaw effectioun fauorabill,
Gratifeit me with giftis honorabill,
Maid me, ȝe knaw, baith Lord, Duik, Erle and Knycht;

Sum tyme in mynde sho praisit me sa hycht,
Leifand all vther, hir bedfellow brycht
Chesit me to be, and maid me ȝour King:
Than was I thocht happy into menis sycht,
And puir anis did pryse thair Maker of mycht,
That send thame ane Stewart sa Kyndelie to Ring.

Thus, quhen sho had auancit me in estate,
Hir for to pleis I set my haill consait,
Quhilk now is cause of my rakles ruyne.
Hir licherous luife, quhilk kindlit ouer hait,
Cauld hes it cuild and sylit me with dissait,
Plungeit my corps into this present pyne,
Not onelie ȝow, Lordis, causand me to tyne,
Bot als, allace! fra my trew God declyne,
Quhome I imbrasit for plesoure of hir Mes:
Justlie, thairfoir, I haue deseruit this fyne,
Quha for hir saik denyit the God deuine,
That did me bring fra plesoure to distres.

Backwart fra God my Spirite fra sho wylit,
Daylie with darknes my sycht sho ouersylit:
My Princelie pretence began to decay;
Vaine houpe in hir my ressoun exilit;
My truethles toung my honoure defylit;
My doing in deid sho gart me deny;
Fra credite I crakit Kyndnes brak ray;
No man wald trow the worde I did say;
My leigis me left persauand hir Ire;
Ingland I left, and help was away;
God maid hir scurge to plaigue me for ay:
Be war the scurge he cast not in the fyre.

Thus was I than to doloure destinat,
Miserabill man and Prince infortunat;

Quhomlit in sorow and plungeit in cair,
Sum tyme in mynde with anger agitat,
Sum tyme in Spirit pansiue and fatigat,
Musand the meine mycht meis hir euer mair;
Sum tyme with doloure drewin in dispair,
Wariand the warld, welth, and weilfair,
Deid I desirid, hir falset to fle;
Sum tyme in mynd thinkand the contrare,
Sum vncouth vaiage I purpoisit prepare,
Bot not sa vncouth as was preparit for me.

Into the tyme of this my extasie,
Quhen I was in this fearfull fantasie,
With feinzeit fair and wylie wordis discreit
Scho come to me with greit humilitie,
Lamentand sair my greit calamitie,
My langsum lyfe and sair tormentit Spirite,
Promittand, with ane faithfull hart contreit,
In tyme to cum, with reuerence me treit
To my degre, in honoure, luife, and peace.
Traistand into hir wylie wordis sweit
My hart and lyfe into hir handis compleit
I put, and past vnto the Sacrifice.

Quhat sall I wryte how I was troublit thair?
I wat it wald mak ony haill hairt sair
For to reuolue my tristsum tragidie.
How that thay bucheouris blew me in the air
And stranglit me, I shame for to declair,
Nouther to God nor honoure hauand Ee.
I houpit weill to haue na ennymie
Into this Realme; fra my natiuitie
Thair was na man quhome to I did offend.
Dissauit far I fand the contrarie:
Off Tygeris quholpis, fosterit in tyrannie,
Ane treuthles troup hes drewin me to this end.

O faithles flock, denuide of godlynes!
O Serpentis seid, nurisheit in wicketnes!
Fostararis of falset, huirdome, and harlatrie,
Mantenaris of murther, witchecraft expres,
Tresoun amang ȝow dois daylie incres;
Lawtie is banist, Justice, and equitie.
Quhat sall I wryte of ȝoure wyle vanitie?
On falset is foundit ȝour haill felicitie;
Ȝour Castellis nor townis sall not ȝow defend;
God hes persauit ȝour infidelitie,
And schortlie will plaigue ȝour crewell tyrannie:
Of ȝour schort solace sorow salbe the end.

Quhat hairt so hard for petie will not bleid?
Quhat breist can beir bot man lament my deid?
Quhat toung sa thrall in silence suir can rest?
To se ane saule in sorow sowsit but feid,
Ane saikles Lambe, ane innocent but dreid,
Taine be consent of thame he luiffit best
Furth of his bed, with doloure to be drest,
By thrawart malice and murther manifest;
Jugeit by Law, and hangit syne but dome:
Sair it was to se ȝoure Prince with murther prest;
Sairar, I say, him, in his place possest,
The deid that did; than Burrio, now Brydegrome.

O wickit wemen, vennomus of nature!
Serpentis of Kynde, thocht cumlie seme ȝour statuire!
Vnstabill ioy, full of aduersitie!
In mynde malicious attoure all creatuire!
Quhais malice taine for euir dois induire:
Teichit be experience, sa may I testifie.
Ȝour craftie consaitis cloikit with flatterie,
And mylde meiknes sylit with subtilitie,
Ar Medeais helters to bring vs in ȝour net.

Gude deidis of auld gois furth of memorie;
The ruite of euill remaines but remedie
Ay in ȝoure mynde, sum vengance quhill ȝe get.

For Dawyis deid, in Maryis mynde sa prentit,
Consauit haitrent daylie mair augmentit;
Meik war hir wordis, thocht greit was hir greuance;
Oft at command, to mak hir weill contentit,
In pouertie and paine my self fra court absentit:
Paine could not pleis hir, nor ȝit obedience:
Persaue of lust the malice and mischance;
Quhair Venus anis gettis in hir gouernance
Sic sylit subiectis felterit in hir snair,
Wisdome is exilit and prudent puruoyance;
Nobilnes and honour defacit be ignorance;
And vertew banist, fra shame pas shed of hair.

This sentence trew we may persaue in deid
In sindrie authoris, quha lykis for to reid.
In luiffis raige, as storyis dois reheirs,
The crewell work of wretheit womanheid
We may persaue in Scylla to succeid:
For Minos luife, hir Father gaif na grace.
Deianira hir husband Hercules,
For Nessus saik, maist crewellie, allace!
Brocht to mischeif, for all his vassalage.
And Clytemnestra, for Egistus face,
Agamemnon, the mychtie King of Greice,
Hir husband, slew: so vyle was hir vsage.

Off Ancus Martius we reid the greit mischance,
Quha rang in Rome in proude preheminance,
Slaine be Lucinio at Tanaquillis procuire:
Samson also, for manheid and prudence,
All Israell that had in gouernance,
Dalila desauit in vnder couertoure:

Quhairfoir, lat men be war, and keip thame suire
Fra wemenis vennome vnder faithles figure,
And gif na wyfe thair counsall for to keip:
For as the woirme that workis vnder cuire
At lenth the tre consumis that is duire,
So wemen men, fra thay in credite creip.

I speik not but pruife, quhilk I may sairlie rew:
Quhat lyfe did thoill, my deid dois try it trew.
My fragill fortowne sa faithles hes bene heir,
Wald God the day that I thee, Scotland, knew,
Atropus the threid had cut Lachesis drew.
So sould not felt the change of Fortownes cheir:
My Kingdome cair, my wealth was ay in weir:
My state vnstabill me drew fra Godis feir:
My plesoure prikis my paine ay to prouoke:
My solace, sorow, sobbing to asteir;
My ryches powertie, power to empire:
My wratchet wyfe hes now put out the smoke.

Quhat warldlie ioy in earth may lang induire?
Or quhat estate may heir him self assuire
For to conserue his lyfe in sicernes?
Quha may sustene the perillous auentuire
Off fals fortowne, inconstant and vnsuire?
Or quhair sall men find steidfast Stabilnes?
All warldlie blis is mixt with bitternes,
Springand with ioy, endand with wretchitnes,
As heir my end reheirsit dois record.
Quhairfoir let Princes pryde thame not expres
In warldlie welth, in pomp nor worthynes,
Bot stablishe thair strenth, with Dauid, on the Lord.

In earth, thairfoir, sen nocht is permanent,
My soule to God I leif omnipotent;
My Bab and Childe vnder the Counsallis cuire.

To ȝow, my Lordis, of my deid Innocent,
For to reuenge I leif in Testament
My saikles bluid, my murther and iniure;
Thocht Princes wald be falset ȝow alluire,
Hurt not ȝour honouris, the samin to smuire.
First luik to God, syne to ȝour libertie.
Think weill: suppois my death ȝe wald induire,
Gif Rubbers Ring, na subiect salbe suire
Mair nor the sheip in Foxis companie.

Imprentit at Edinburgh be Robert Lekpreuik.

Finis.

University of Virginia Library

IV. Heir followis the testament and tragedie of vmquhile King Henrie Stewart of gude memorie.