CHAPTER CXIV.
How a bischop of symony
Wes convickit all opinly.
In that samyn tyme apon chance
Thare come in till þe realme of France
A legat send a latere,
For to vesyte and to se
How þat bischopis gouernyt þaim þare,
And oþer prelatis seculare.
Sa þis ilk legat fand
That a bischop of þat land
Sat þat stait throu symony,
And liffit alsua viciously,
Cuvatuse and incontinent.
This legat þar for in iugement
Sittand in plane chapitere,
Gert þis bischop þare appeire;
And said him be public defame
That þai put till him gret blame,
That he enterit be symony,
And liffit alsua viciously.
This bischop wes a wyly man,
And corrumpit with giftis þan
All his accusaris, sa þat he
Gert þaim till him haldand be,
Sa þat nane wald him contrare,
Quhill þis legat wes sittand thare,
Nouþer in word na ȝit in deid.
And þis legat couþ nocht proceid
Be nakyne accusatioun
In to that visitacioun;
Bot ȝit he trowit neuer þe les
That þis bischop all vicious wes.
Than said þis bischop: “Sen I na can
Proceid be help heire of na man,
Be Goddis vertu in till deid
One þis wiss I will proceid.
Be þe Haly Gaist now lat se
Gif in þi stait wes entre;
Say Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.”
Than Gloria Patri et Filio
This bischop said and þan maid [ho];
And þat rehersit he oft syss,
Oftare þare þan anys or twiss;
Bot Spiritui Sancto be na way
Mycht he with his lippis say.
This bischop þan confessit how he
In his bischoprik gat entre
With giffin and symony,
And led his lif all viciously,
As covatouss and incontinent.
This legat þare in iugement
Assolȝeit him of his cursing,
And gaif him pennance for his liffing.
Sa wes his benefice vacand,
Remanand in þe papis hand,
That gaif it syne quha to him list,
As he and þis legat thocht best.
In þis ilk tyme in Rome þai fand
A body of a dede gyand;
Fra heid to feit þare þai him met,
Gif he on fut had bene set,
Like it wes at he had bene
Hieare þan þe wallis were sene
Off Rome, or of ony cete,
That hieast þan mycht funding be.
A wound wes seyne in till his syde
Off foure fut lenth, and mare þat tyde;
And in his graif wes sergis twa
Birnand cleire, and ane of thai
Wes brycht birnand at his heid,
The toþer at his feit wes levid,
In evinlik licht birnand cleire,
That mycht be slokinnit on na manere,
Be watter na be wyndis blast;
Bot gif a man wald in þaim thrast
A scharp brod, or þan wald stik
In ilk sergis a scharp prik,
Quhare þe aire mycht haif entre,
Sa sloknyt mycht þai serges be.
His epithaphy till reherss
Wes writtin outwith him in to verss:
Filius Evandri Pallas quem lancea Turni
Militis occidit more suo iacet hic.
This gyant in till his tyme was
Be commone name callit Pallas.
Turnus, þe sone of Ewander,
Befor had slane him with a spere,
And with oþer feill wappinnis seire;
In to þis graif he lyis heire.
In Apuly as of a man
A mekle ymage wes sene þan
Off marbill; bot a cerkill was
Seyne apperand as of brass,
And writtin it wes all about
That cerkill þan red þai but dout:
“The Kalendis of May þe sone rysand,
My heid salbe of gold gletand.”
Sa were þare þan a Saraȝene,
That lang tyme presonere had bene,
That tuke sic consait of þis writt
That he thocht help to get of it.
Sa waitit he the formest day,
At þe sone rysing, of Maii,
The hede he brak of þat ymage,
And þar of wan he sic a wage
That he gat gold in sic fusioun
That it payit out all his ransoun,
And maid of þe laif gouernall
Till him and his perpetuall.
In till þis ilk tyme in till France
Till a lord hapnyt a fell chance:
As he wes sittand at his meit,
With myiss he wes sa vmbeset
That nouþer for him na his menȝe
He mycht on na wyss get saufte,
Nouþer for styngis na for stanys,
Than þai cleiffit fast on his banys;
Na for na wappinnis þat men mycht get
Thai mycht nocht þai myiss fra him set;
Be schip na bait, na ȝit galay,
Mycht þai nocht sauf him be na way;
Nouþer be se, na ȝit be land,
Mycht nocht þis lord him self warand.
Than, bot ony manere of remeid,
Thire myse put þis lord to deid.
The auchtand and þe nynt Benet
In Rome held þan þe papis state.
In Scotland Malice, a wiss man,
Off Sanct Androis wes bischop þan
Viii. winter; and quhen þat he
Wes dede, þan Kellagh tuke þat stede and se,
And held it xx. ȝeris and five.
The secund Kellagh in his live
Wes callit; and quhen dede wes he
The secund Malice tuke þat se.
Till him succedit Schir Malmore.
Off þire is gud till haue memore.
