University of Virginia Library

Thir lusty warkis of hie nobilyte
Agilyte dyd wryte of worthy clerkis,
And tharin merkis wysdome, vtilyte,
Na vilyte, nor sic onthryfty sperkis;
Scurilyte is bot for doggis at barkis,
Quha tharto harkis fallys in fragilyte.

Honeste is the way to worthyness,
Vertu, doutless, the perfyte gait to blyss;
Thou do na myss, and eschew idilness,
Persew prowes, hald na thing at is hys;
Be nocht rakless to say sone ȝa, I wyss,
And syne of this the contrar wyrk express.

Do tyll ilk wight as thou done to waldbe;
Be nevir sle and doubill, nor ȝit our lyght;
Oyss not thy mycht abufe thyne awin degre,
Clym nevir our hie, nor ȝit to law thou lycht;
Wirk na malgre, thocht thou be nevir sa wyght,
Hald with the rycht, and press the nevir to le.

Eneuch of this, ws nedis prech na mor,
Bot, accordyng the purposs said tofor,
The ryall style, clepyt heroycall,
Full of wirschip and nobilnes our all,
Suldbe compilit but thewhes or voyd word,
Kepand honest wyss sportis quhar thai bourd,
All lowuss langage and lychtness lattand be,
Observand bewte, sentens and grauyte.
The sayar eik suld weil considir thys,
Hys mater, and quhamto it entitilit is:
Eftir myne authouris wordis, we aucht tak tent
That baith accord, and bene conuenient,
The man, the sentens, and the knychtlyke stile,
Sen we mon carp of vassalage a quhile.
“Gyf we discryve the woddis, the treis,” quod he,
“Suld conform to that manis dignyte
Quhamto our wark we direct and endyte.”
Quhat helpis it? Full litill it wald delyte
To write of scroggis, broym, haddir or rammale;
The lawrer, cedyr or the palm triumphale
Ar mar ganand for nobillis of estait:
The muse suld with the person aggre algait.
Stra forto spek of gayt to gentill wight;
A hund, a steid, mar langis for a knyght,
Quhamto efferis hant na rebald daill—
Thar suld na knycht reid bot a knychtly taill.
Quhat forsis hym the bussart on the brer,
Set weil hym semys the falcon heroner?
He comptis na mair the gled than the fewlume,
Thocht weil hym lykis the goshalk glaid of plume.
The cur, or mastys, he haldis at smal availl,
And culȝeis spanȝellis, to chace pertryk or quaill.
Ne byd I not into my stile for thy
To speke of trufis, nor nane harlotry;
Sen that myne author with sic eloquens
Hys buke illumnyt hes, and hie sentens,
Sa fresch endyte, and sang poeticall,
That it is clepyt the wark imperiall,
Endyt onto the gret Octauyane,
The emperour excellent and maste souerane;
By quham, the gospell makis mensioun,
The hail warld put was to discriptioun
To numbir all the pepill tharin suldbe,
So, but rebellioun, al quhar obeyit was he.
Bot, sen that Virgill standis but compar,
Thocht in our leid hys sayngis to declar
I haue in ryme thus far furth tane the cur,
Now war me laith my lang laubour myssur:
All thocht my termys be nocht polist alway,
Hys sentence sall I hald, as that I may.
Gyf ocht be weill, thank Virgil and nocht me;
Quhar ocht is bad, gays myss, or owt of gre,
My lewytnes, I grant, hess all the wyte,
Kouth not ensew hys ornat fresch endyte,
Bot, with fuylhardy curage malapert,
Schupe to enterprit, and dyd perchance pervert,
Thys maist renownyt prynce of poetry—
Quhar I sa dyd, mea culpa I cry.
Ȝit, by my self, I fynd this proverb perfyte,
“The blak craw thinkis hyr awin byrdis quhite:”
Sa faris with me, bew schirris, wil ȝe hark,
Can nocht persave a falt in all my wark,
Affectioun sa far my rayson blyndis.
Quhar I mysknaw myne errour, quha it fyndis
For cheryte amendis it, gentil wight,
Syne pardon me, sat sa far in my lycht,
And I sal help to smor ȝour falt, leif broder;
Thus, vail que vail, ilk gude deid helpis other.
And for I haue my wark addressyt and dycht,
I dar sa, baith to gentil barroun and knycht,
Quhais name abufe I haue done notyfy,
And now of prowes and hie chevelry
Behuffis me to write and carp a quhile;
The mar glaidly I sal enfors my stile,
And for hys saik do scharp my pen all new,
My maste renownyt author to ensew,
That thar salbe, wyll God, litill offens,
Salvand owr bustuus wlgar differens.
Na mar as now in preambill me list expone,
The nynt buke thus begouth Eneadon. etc.