The seuin Seages Translatit out of prois in Scottis meter be Iohne Rolland in Dalkeith, with ane Moralitie efter euerie Doctouris Tale, and siclike efter the Emprice Tale, togidder with ane louing and laude to euerie Doctour efter his awin Tale, & ane Exclamation and outcrying vpon the Empreouris wife efter hir fals contrusit Tale ... Edited, with introduction, notes, and glossary, by Geo. F. Black |
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The secund Tale of the Emprice. |
 | The seuin Seages |  |
72
The secund Tale of the Emprice.
To the Emprice word past Incontinent,
That the Kingis sone had not tholit Iugement
Quhē scho that hard but tary scho fell doū
For sturt and noy, into ane deidlie swoun.
Quhairof word come vnto the Empreour,
That his Lady had tane sic displesour.
And sa anone fast hidder he him sped,
Fand hir richt sair murning into hir bed.
Sa he Inquirit, at hir quhat was the caus
Scho said my Lord, thair is anew that knawis
Quhat eirdlie schame, dispite and displesour
Done be ȝour Sone, and to my dishonour,
Quhairof I can be na way get remeid,
And ȝe promeist this day he suld be deid,
But wo allace I dout richt wounder sair,
It sall ȝow chance as did ane Hird and Bair,
The Empreour said Madame I ȝow Inquire
That Tale to tell, for it is my desire.
To heir it tauld be ȝow the suith I say,
Quod scho my Lord I tauld ane ȝisterday.
Of it followit richt small effect or nane
Quhairto suld I ane vther tell agane.
Howbeit thairto that ȝe gif greit credence,
To set it furth ȝe mak richt small defence
Zit not the les this time I will tell
How with ane Bair and Scheiphird it befell.
That the Kingis sone had not tholit Iugement
Quhē scho that hard but tary scho fell doū
For sturt and noy, into ane deidlie swoun.
Quhairof word come vnto the Empreour,
That his Lady had tane sic displesour.
And sa anone fast hidder he him sped,
Fand hir richt sair murning into hir bed.
Sa he Inquirit, at hir quhat was the caus
Scho said my Lord, thair is anew that knawis
Quhat eirdlie schame, dispite and displesour
Done be ȝour Sone, and to my dishonour,
Quhairof I can be na way get remeid,
And ȝe promeist this day he suld be deid,
But wo allace I dout richt wounder sair,
It sall ȝow chance as did ane Hird and Bair,
The Empreour said Madame I ȝow Inquire
That Tale to tell, for it is my desire.
To heir it tauld be ȝow the suith I say,
Quod scho my Lord I tauld ane ȝisterday.
Of it followit richt small effect or nane
Quhairto suld I ane vther tell agane.
Howbeit thairto that ȝe gif greit credence,
To set it furth ȝe mak richt small defence
Zit not the les this time I will tell
How with ane Bair and Scheiphird it befell.
Vpon a time thair was ane Empreour
Of greit wisdome, greit puissance & honour
Ane fair Forest he had plesand to se
Baith gay and trim, with mony semelie tre.
Quhairin thair was rinning ane grit wild bair
Baith day and nicht he maid thairin repair.
All kind of folk that this Bair micht ouirta.
Without mercie he did deuoir and sla.
Sa that nane durst out throw the Forest pas,
For dout of deid, the way sa perrellous was.
Quhairof the King was heuie in his minde,
That his pepill was slane on siclike kinde.
With ane dum beist deuorit to the deid,
And be na way thairof culd get remeid.
In his Impyre, ane cry he gart proclame,
On his behalf, Authoritie and Name.
Quha wald debait or bauldlie tak on hand
With that brym bair in battell for to stand,
And him vincus be strenth of stalwart straik,
His ane douchter he suld haue to his maik,
Efter his deid, his Realme as he war Air,
This he suld haue, quha euer slew the Bair.
This was proclamit throw his Kinrik and lād
Bot nane was found, the deid wald tak on hād
Except ane Hird, that in him self tuke heid
Micht I this Bair (quod he) bring to the deid.
Not onlie I, bot all my kyn also
Suld throw that deid bruik euer warldlie Io.
And euer mair in estimatioun be.
Sa I had hap to gar that dum beist die.
Quhilk I sall do, or ells to lois my life,
Se I that Bair, we salbe at the strife.
And sa he tuke his Scheiphirdis staf in hand.
Past to the wod, quhair he the Bair sone fand.
Ze may persaue how sone the Bair him saw,
Without delay toward the Hird did draw,
With sic ane faird, and als ane felloun feir.
The sillie Hird durst neuer cum him neir
To saue his life, to se gif he had hap,
But mair debait vp in ane tre he lap.
Incontinent quhen that the Bair sa saw
The tre to bite began and als to gnaw,
Sa that the hird was sair feirit in ane part
That the tre crop he suld gar turne dounwart,
Bot ȝit the hird bethocht him on ane wile,
How that he suld this brim bauld bair begile,
It chances sa, this tre was laidin fow
Of Nobill frute, quhilk ay the hird did pow
Quhilk he kest doun ay to the Bair to eit,
Quhairof the Bair was blyith that he gat meit
And fillit him so, that he list weill to sleip,
The hird that saw, and doun the tre did creip.
Be that ane arme he hang into the tre,
With that vther the Bair richt quyetlie
Vpon the wombe richt softlie can he claw,
The Bair sleiping persauit weill he saw.
At the tre rute, the Bair quhair that he lay
With his Braig knife his throt cuttit in tway.
Sine brocht his heid vnto the Empreour
With all blyithnes, triumph and greit honour,
Saying gude Schir, and pleis ȝour nobil grace
Zour greit wyld bair I haue him killit throw cace
Not douting bot, ȝour cry ȝe will fulfill,
Ze causit proclame with ȝour counsall and will
Quhat euer he was, that wald kill ȝour wilde Bair
He suld mary ȝour douchter and ȝour Air.
Quhen all ȝour Court refusit the same to do
With ane stout hart I set my mynd thairto.
And now on case the same man chancit am I
And I desire ȝour Grace fulfill ȝour cry.
The Empreour said, all that I causit proclame
Compleit I not, it is to my defame.
Quhat suld be mair, thair he gat till his wage
The Empreours douchter, & Realme in heritage
Quhen the Empreour past fra this mortall life,
The haill Impire he bruikit and his wife.
And sa the Hird on bak he clew the Bair,
Quhairthrow he gat the Kingdome euer mair.
Quod scho my Lord, haue ȝe not vnderstand
Quhat I haue said, quod he I tak on hand.
Quod scho my Lord ȝit than it war na skaith,
Thocht I ȝow tald the Tale and sentence baith.
Of greit wisdome, greit puissance & honour
Ane fair Forest he had plesand to se
Baith gay and trim, with mony semelie tre.
Quhairin thair was rinning ane grit wild bair
Baith day and nicht he maid thairin repair.
73
Without mercie he did deuoir and sla.
Sa that nane durst out throw the Forest pas,
For dout of deid, the way sa perrellous was.
Quhairof the King was heuie in his minde,
That his pepill was slane on siclike kinde.
With ane dum beist deuorit to the deid,
And be na way thairof culd get remeid.
In his Impyre, ane cry he gart proclame,
On his behalf, Authoritie and Name.
Quha wald debait or bauldlie tak on hand
With that brym bair in battell for to stand,
And him vincus be strenth of stalwart straik,
His ane douchter he suld haue to his maik,
Efter his deid, his Realme as he war Air,
This he suld haue, quha euer slew the Bair.
This was proclamit throw his Kinrik and lād
Bot nane was found, the deid wald tak on hād
Except ane Hird, that in him self tuke heid
Micht I this Bair (quod he) bring to the deid.
Not onlie I, bot all my kyn also
Suld throw that deid bruik euer warldlie Io.
And euer mair in estimatioun be.
Sa I had hap to gar that dum beist die.
Quhilk I sall do, or ells to lois my life,
Se I that Bair, we salbe at the strife.
And sa he tuke his Scheiphirdis staf in hand.
Past to the wod, quhair he the Bair sone fand.
Ze may persaue how sone the Bair him saw,
Without delay toward the Hird did draw,
With sic ane faird, and als ane felloun feir.
The sillie Hird durst neuer cum him neir
To saue his life, to se gif he had hap,
But mair debait vp in ane tre he lap.
Incontinent quhen that the Bair sa saw
74
Sa that the hird was sair feirit in ane part
That the tre crop he suld gar turne dounwart,
Bot ȝit the hird bethocht him on ane wile,
How that he suld this brim bauld bair begile,
It chances sa, this tre was laidin fow
Of Nobill frute, quhilk ay the hird did pow
Quhilk he kest doun ay to the Bair to eit,
Quhairof the Bair was blyith that he gat meit
And fillit him so, that he list weill to sleip,
The hird that saw, and doun the tre did creip.
Be that ane arme he hang into the tre,
With that vther the Bair richt quyetlie
Vpon the wombe richt softlie can he claw,
The Bair sleiping persauit weill he saw.
At the tre rute, the Bair quhair that he lay
With his Braig knife his throt cuttit in tway.
Sine brocht his heid vnto the Empreour
With all blyithnes, triumph and greit honour,
Saying gude Schir, and pleis ȝour nobil grace
Zour greit wyld bair I haue him killit throw cace
Not douting bot, ȝour cry ȝe will fulfill,
Ze causit proclame with ȝour counsall and will
Quhat euer he was, that wald kill ȝour wilde Bair
He suld mary ȝour douchter and ȝour Air.
Quhen all ȝour Court refusit the same to do
With ane stout hart I set my mynd thairto.
And now on case the same man chancit am I
And I desire ȝour Grace fulfill ȝour cry.
The Empreour said, all that I causit proclame
Compleit I not, it is to my defame.
Quhat suld be mair, thair he gat till his wage
The Empreours douchter, & Realme in heritage
Quhen the Empreour past fra this mortall life,
The haill Impire he bruikit and his wife.
And sa the Hird on bak he clew the Bair,
75
Quod scho my Lord, haue ȝe not vnderstand
Quhat I haue said, quod he I tak on hand.
Quod scho my Lord ȝit than it war na skaith,
Thocht I ȝow tald the Tale and sentence baith.
| The seuin Seages | |