Kitabı oku: «The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse», sayfa 33

CAP. XIII

 
Quhou Eneas the ȝong Lawsus has slane,
Quhilk fred his fader hurt in the bargane.
 

 
Thus awfull Mars equaly with hys brand
The sorow rasyt apon athir hand:
Huge slauchter maid was and seir woundis wyd,
Thai kyll and ar bet down on euery syde,
That sammyn in the feild thai fall infeir,
Baith the victouris, and thai that venquyst weir,
And nother party wist, nother he nor he,
To salf hym self quhar away to fle:
So that the Goddis in Jovys hevynly hald
Had compassioun and rewth for to behald
The wroith and ire of athir in the fightis,
That sik distres rang amang mortal wightis.
Venus towart the Troiane syde tuke tent:
Aganyst quham, all full of maltalent,
Saturnus douchter Juno, that full bald is,
Towart the party aduersar behaldis;
And the pail furour of Tysiphone
Walkis wod wroth amydwart the melle.
Bot pryncipaly Mezentyus all engrevyt,
With a gret speir, quharwith he feill myschevit,
Went brangland throu the feild all hym allon:
As bustuus as the hydduus Orion,
Quhen he on fut woyd throu the mekill see,
Scherand the streym with hys schuldris hie,
Abufe the wallys of the flude apperis;
Or lyke ane ancyent ayk tre, mony ȝheris
That grew apon sum montane toppys hycht,
Semand so hie to euery manis sycht,
Quhilk, thocht hys rutis spred in the grond all sydis,
Hys crop vpstraucht amyd the clowdis hydis:
Syk lyke Mezentius mustyrris in the feild,
With huge armour, baith speir, helm, and scheild.
Aganyst quham Eneas fast hym hyis,
Fra tyme amyd the rowt he hym aspyis.
The tother, onabasyt, all reddy thar
The cummyng of hys douchty aduersar
Abydis stowtly, fermyt in hys fors,
And massely vpstude with bustuus cors;
And, mesurand with hys E als large spais
As he mycht thraw a castyng speir, thus says:
My rycht hand, and this fleand dart mot be,
Quhilk now I tays, as verray God to me!
Assistyng to my schot I ȝou beseik;
For I awow, and heir promittys eyk,
In syng of trophe or triumphall meith,
My lovit son Lawsus forto cleith
With spulȝe and all harnes rent, quod he,
Of ȝondir rubbaris body, fals Enee.
Thus said he; and fra hys hand the ilk tyde
The castyng dart fast byrrand lattis glyde,
That fleand sclentis on Eneas scheild;
Syne, standand far on rovm ȝond in the feild,
Smate worthy Anthores the ilk thraw,
Betwix the bowellys and the rybbys law:
Anthores, ane of gret Hercules ferys,
That come from Arge into hys lusty ȝheris,
Inherdand to Evander the Arcaid,
And had hys dwellyng and hys residens maid
In Palentyn, cite Italian;
Onhappely now lyggis thus down slane,
All of a wound and dynt quhilk in the fycht
Addressit was towart ane other knycht.
Ȝit, deand, he beheld the hevynnys large,
And can ramembir hys sweit cuntre of Arge.
Than the reuthfull Eneas kest hys spere,
Quhilk throu Mezentius armour all dyd schere;
Throw gyrd hys targe platyt thrys with steill,
And throw the cowchit lynnyn euery deill,
And thrynfald plyis of the bullys hydis,
That law down in hys flank the dynt abydis:
Bot it byreft hym nowder lyfe ne mycht.
Eneas tho, quhilk was expert in fyght,
Joyfull quhen that Mezentius blude saw he,
Furth hynt hys swerd at hang law by hys thee,
And fervently towart hys fa can pas,
Quhilk, for the dynt, sum deill astonyst was.
Quhen Lawsus saw this aventour of weir,
He wepyt wail sair for hys fader deir;
Sa wobegone becam this lusty man
That salt teris fast our hys chekis ran.
Forsuyth, I sall not ourslyp in this sted
Thy hard myschance, Lawsus, and fatale ded,
And thy maist dowchty actis bellycall:
O fresch ȝongker, maist dyng memoriall
I sall rehers, gyf ony faith may be
Gevyn to sa gret dedis of antiquyte.
With this Mezentyus menzeit drew abak,
Harland hys leg quharin the schaft stak,
That quhar he went he baris our the feild
Hys ennemys lance fixit in hys scheild.
Betwix thame ruschys in the ȝong Lawsus,
Amyd thar wapynnys, stern and curagus,
Hym self has set forto sustene the fyght:
Vnder Eneas rycht hand rasyt on hycht.
That reddy was to smyte a dedly wond,
In steppis he, and baldly the ilk stound
The bytand brand vphevyt keppyt he,
And can resist and stynt the gret Enee.
Hys feris followys with a felloun schowt:
Quhill that Mezentius of the feild wan owt,
Diffend and coverit with hys sonnys scheild,
Thai cast dartis thikfald thar lord to held,
With schaftis schot, and flanys gret plente,
Perturband thar stern aduersar Ene;
That all enragyt hys sovir targe erekkit,
And thar vndre hym haldis closly dekkyt.
And lyke as sum tyme clowdis brystis attanys,
The schowr furthȝettand of hoppand hailstanys,
That all the plewmen and thar hynys inhy
Fleis of the croftis and feildis by and by;
And eik the travellour ȝond vnder the wald
Lurkand withdrawys to sum sovir hald,
Owdir vndir watyr brays and bankis dern,
Or in sum craggis clyft, or deip cavern,
So lang as that the schour lestis on the plane,
That he may, when the son schynys agane,
Exers hys journe, or hys wark alsfast:
Syk wys Ene with schoit and dartis cast
Was all ourheld, and ombeset ilk syde,
Quhil he the pres of batale styntis that tyde,
And all thar fors sustenyt and deray;
Reprevand Lawsus, thus begouth to say,
And mannansyt hym with brand of blude all red:
Quhidder hastis thou sa fast apon thy ded?
Or quhou dar thou ondertak into fyght
Syk interprys, quhilk is abuf thy mycht?
Thou art nocht wys; thy tendir hart, quod he,
And rewthfull mynd all owt dissavis the.
Bot for all thys ȝong Lawsus, vail que vaill,
Wald no wys ces Eneas till assaill.
Than hyear rays the wraith and felloun ire
Of the ilk manfull Troiane lordly syre,
And eyk the fatale sisteris tho in deid
Had wymplyt vp this Lawsus lattyr threid:
For so Eneas stokis hys styf brand
Throw owt this ȝongker, hard vp to hys hand,
That swerd, befor maid mannansyng and bost,
Throw gyrd that gentill body and hys cost,
Hys target persand, and hys armour lycht,
And eik hys cote of goldyn thredis brycht
Quhilk hys moder hym span; and, to conclude,
Hys bosum all is fillyt of hait blude:
Sone eftir is the spreit of lyfe furth went
Down to the goistis law with sad entent,
And left the body ded, and hyne dyd pas.
Bot quhen Anchises son, fers Eneas,
Beheld hys wlt and contenans in deyng,
Hys sweit vissage sa in the ded thrawyng
Becummyn wan and paill on diuers wys,
He sychit profundly owder twys or thrys,
And drew abak hys hand, and rewth has hynt;
For so into hys mynd, eftir the dynt,
The ymage of hys faderly piete
Imprentit was, that on this wys said he:
O douchty ȝynglyng, worthy tobe menyt,
Worthy tobe bewalyt and complenyt,
Quhat sall the reuthfull compacient Ene
For sa gret lovabill dedis rendir the?
Or quhat may he the ȝeld sufficient
For sik natural and inborn hardyment?
Thyne armour, quharof sumtyme thou reiosyt,
With the I leif, for ay to beyn eniosyt:
Onto thy parentis handis and sepultre
I the beleif tobe entyrit, quod he,
Gyf that sic maner of triumphe and cost
May do thame plesour, or eys onto thy gost.
Bot thou, onsilly child, sa will of red,
Do comfort heirwith thy lamentabill ded,
That thou ourmatchit art and thus lyis slane
By the gretast Eneas handis twane.
Syne he hys feris can repreif and chyde,
That thai sa lang delayt hym besyde,
Makand na haist to bair hys corps away;
And he hym self betwix hys armys tway
The ded body vpliftis fra the grond,
That with the red blude of his new grene wond
Besparklyt had hys ȝallow lokkis brycht,
That ayr war kemmyt and addressyt rycht.
 

CAP. XIV

 
Fra Mezentius knew ȝong Lawsus deces,
Hym to revenge his lyfe lost in the pres.
 

 
The meyn sesson, hys fader with his feris,
Down at the fludis syde of Tyberis,
Stanschit his wondis with watyr by and by,
Weschand the blude and swait from hys body.
Hys helm of steil besyde hym hang weil ne
Apon a grayn or branch of a grene tre;
Hys other weghty harnes, gud in neid,
Lay on the gyrs besyde hym in the meid;
Hys trasty chosyn verlettis hym abowt:
And he ful for wondyt, all in dowt,
Stude lenand with hys wery nek and bonys
Owt our a bowand tre, with sair gronys;
Hys weil kemmyt berd, hyngand ful straucht
Apon his breist, onto hys gyrdill raucht:
And feill tymys on Lawsus menys he,
Prayand full oft he mycht hym falsly se,
And mony messyngeris onto hym hes send,
To withdraw hym the feild, and to defend
That he abyde na langar in bargane,
And schaw quhat sorow for hym hys fader had tane.
Bot than Lawsus ded owt of the feild
Hys wofull feris careit apon a scheild,
Wepand sa gret a man was brocht to grond,
And discumfyt with sa grysly a wond.
Mezentius mynd and consait, the ilk tyde,
Suspekand the harmys quhilkis war betyde,
On far considerit the caus of thar murnyng,
And on hys canos hair the dust can slyng,
With mekill powdir fyland hys hasart hed;
And baith hys handis in that sammyn sted
Towart the hevin vphevis in a fary,
And he the Goddis and starnys fast dyd wary;
Syne, lenand on hys sonnys corps, thus cryis:
O my deir child and tendir get heir lyis!
Had I sa gret appetit and delyte
Onto this wrachit lyfe, sa ful of syte,
That I the sufferit to entyr in my sted
Vndre our fays hand, and with thy ded
My lyfe is salfit? Ha, I thy fader heir,
Quhilk the begat, my only son sa deir,
Suld I be salf and lyfand eftir the,
Throu tha sa grisly wondis that I se?
Allace, onto me, wrachit catyve thing,
Myne exill now at last and banysyng
Becummyn is hard and insufferabill!
The stound of deth, the panys lamentabill,
Is deip engravyn in my hart onsound;
Now am I smyttyn with the mortal wond!
I, the self man was the caus of thy ded,
With my trespas, my child, in euery sted
Filyt the glor and honour of thy name,
Thy hie renovn bespottand with my schame,
As I that was, by invy and haitrent
Of my awin pepill, with thar haill assent,
Expellit from my ceptre and my ryng,
And was adettyt, for my mysdoyng
Onto our cuntre, till haue sufferit pane:
I aucht and worthy was to haue bene slane,
And to haue ȝald this wikkyt sawle of myne
Be all maner of turment and of pyne,
Fortill amend myne offencis and fed.
Ha, now I lyf, allace! and thou art ded!
Ȝit want I not off men the cumpany,
Nowder lyght of lyfe, ne cleirnes of the sky,
Bot soyn I sal thame leif and part tharfra.
And sayand thus, sammyn with mynd ful thra
He rasyt hym vp apon hys wondit thee,
And determyt to revenge hym or de:
For thocht the violens of hys sair smart
Maid hym onfery, ȝit hys stalwart hart
And curage ondekeit was gude in neid.
He bad ga fech Rhebus, hys ryall sted,
Quhilk was hys wirschip and hys comfort haill,
And hys support hys fays to assaill;
For by thys hors in euery gret iourne
Hame fra the feild victour eschapit he.
Quhamto Mezentyus, but mair abaid,
Seand the steid drowpand and sad, thus said:
Rhebus, we twa hes levit lang yfeir,
Gyf that to mortal wightis in this erd heir
Ony tyme may be reput lang, quod he.
Owder this day beys thou revengear with me
Of Lawsus dolorus deith, and wrek our schame,
And sall as victour with the bryngyn hame
Ȝon bludy spulȝe, and Eneas hed;
Or, gif na fors nor strenth into that sted
Will suffir ony way that it be so,
We sal in feild sammyn de baith two.
For, O moist forcy steid, my lovyt foill,
I can na wys beleif at thou may thoill
To be at ony otheris commandment,
Nor that the lift dedeyn, gif I war schent,
Till obey ony master or lord Troiane.
And sayand thus, ful towartly onane
The steid bekend held to hys schulder plat,
And he at eys apon hys bak doun sat;
And bath hys handis fillyt with dartis keyn,
With helm on hed burnyst brycht and scheyn,
Abuf the quhilk hys tymbret buklyt was,
Lyke till a lokryt mayn with mony fas.
And into sik array with swyft curs he
Furth steris hys steid, and draif in the melle.
Deip in hys hart boldynnys the felloun schame,
Myxit with dolour, angir, and defame;
The fervent luf of hys son ȝyng of age
Gan catchyng hym into the furyus rage;
Tharto alsso persuadis to the fyght
Hys hors weil knawin hys hardyment and mycht:
And, in sik poynt, throw owt the rowtis all
With mychty voce thrys dyd Eneas call.
Eneas hard hym cry, and weil hym knew,
And glaid tharof can towartis hym persew,
And prayand says; the fader of Goddis hie,
And eik mychty Apollo, that grant to me,
Thou wald begyn in bargan on this land
To mell with me, and to meyt hand for hand.
Thus carpyt he, and with stern lance, but tary,
Furth steppys forto meyt hys aduersary.
Bot Mezentius, seand hym cumand,
Cryit to hym onon and bad hym stand:
O thou maist cruell aduersar, said he,
Quhat wenys thou so to effray and bost me,
Sen thou my son has me bereft this day,
Quhilk was only the maner and the way
Quharby thou mycht ourcum me and distroy?
Now, sen that I haue tynt all warldis joy,
Nowder I abhor the ded, to starve in fyght,
Nor rak I ocht of ony Goddis mycht.
Desist, and ces to bost me or manas,
For I am cum to de in this ilk plas;
Bot first I bryng the thir rewards, quod he.
With that word, at his fa a dart leyt fle,
And eftir that ane other has he cast,
And syne ane other has he fixit fast,
About hym prekand in a cumpas large:
Bot all thir dyntis sustenyt the goldin targe.
Thrys on the left half fast, as he war wod,
About Eneas raid he quhar he stude,
Thik with hys handis swakkand dartis keyn:
And thrys this Troiane prynce our all the greyn,
Intil hys stalwart stelyt scheild stikand owt,
Lyke a hair wod the dartis bair abowt.
At last, as he ennoyt of this deray,
This irksum traysyng, jowkyng, and delay,
And cumryt wolx sa mony dartis invane
Thus oft to draw furth and to cast agane,
As he that was matchit that tyme, but faill,
With hys fa man in bargane inequale,
Quhilk ay was at avantage and onflocht,
Full mony thing revoluyt he in thocht;
Syne on that weirman ruschit he in teyn:
In the forhed, betwix the horsys eyn,
He kest hys speir with all his fors and mycht.
Vpstendis thar the stalwart steid on hycht,
And with his helys flang up in the ayr;
Down swakkis the knycht sone with a fellon fair,
Foundris fordwart flatlyngis on hys spald,
Ourquhelmyt the man, and can hys feit onfald.
Than the Latynys, and eik pepill Troianys,
The hevynnys dyndlit with a schowt at anys.
Eneas gyrd abufe hym with a braid,
Hynt furth hys swerd, and forthir thus he said:
Quhar is he now, Mezentius, sa stern?
Quhar is the fers stowt curage of that bern?
Quhamto Mezentius, this ilk prynce Tyrrheyn,
Fra that he mycht alyftyn vp his eyn
To se the hevynnys licht, and draw hys braith,
And hys rycht mynd agane recoverit haith,
Thus answeris: O thou dispituus fo,
Quharto me chydis thou reprochand so,
And manancis me to the ded by and by?
Of my slauchter I think na villany,
Nor on sik wys heir com I not in feild,
That I stand aw to swelt vnder my scheild;
Nor, I beleif, na frendschip in thy handis,
Nane syk trety of sawchnyng nor cunnandis,
My son Lawsus band vp with the, perfay.
Bot of a thyng I the beseik and pray,
Gif ony plesour may be grantit or beld
Till aduersaris, that lyis venquyst in feild;
That is to knaw, suffir my body haue
Ane sepultur, and with erd be bygrave.
I knaw abowt me standand in this sted
My folkis byttyr haitrent and gret feid:
Defend me from thar furour, I requeir,
And grant my corps, besyde my sonnys infeir,
Into sum tumbe entyrit for tobe.
And sayand thus, knawand at he most de,
Befor hys eyn persavyt the burnyst brand,
That throuch hys gorge went from Eneas hand;
Within hys armour, schortly to conclude,
Furth bruschit the sawle with gret stremys of blude.
Be this the son declynyt was almost,
So that the Latynys and Rutilian ost,
Quhat for the absens of thar duke Turnus,
And new slauchter of bald Mezentius,
Withdrew thame to thar raset in affray,
And Troianys went onto thar rest quhil day.
 

THE PROLOUG OF THE ELEVINT BUKE

 
Thow hie renown of Martis chevalry,
Quhilk gladis euery gentill wight to heir,
Gif thou mycht Mars and Hercules deify,
Quharfor beyn nobillys to follow prowes swer?
Weill auchtin eldris exemplis ws to steir
Tyll hie curage, all honour till ensew:
Quhen we consider quhat wirschip tharof grew,
All vyce detest, and vertu lat ws leyr.
 
 
Prowes, but vyce, is provit lefull thyng
By haly scriptur into syndry place,
Be Machabeus, Josue, Dauid kyng,
Mychael, and eyk hys angellys full of grace,
That can the dragon furth of hevynnys chace
With vailȝeand dyntis of ferm myndis contrar:
Nane other strokis nor wapynnys had thai thar,
Nother speir, buge, pol ax, swerd, knyfe, nor mace.
 
 
In takynnyng that in chevalry or fyght
Our myndis suld haue just ententioun,
The grond of batale fundyt apon rycht;
Not for thou lyst to mak discentioun,
To seik occasyons of contentioun,
Bot rype thy querrell, and discus it plane:
Wrangis to reddres suld wer be vndertane,
For na conquest, reif, skat, nor pensioun.
 
 
To speke of moral vertuus hardyment,
Or rather of dyvyne, is myne entent;
For warldly strenth is febill and impotent
In Goddis sight, and insufficient.
The Psalmyst says, that God is not content
In mannys stalwart lymmys nor strenth of cors,
Bot into thame that trastis in hys fors,
Askand mercy, and dredand jugement.
 
 
Strang fortitud, quhilk hardyment cleip we,
Abuf the quhilk the vertu souerane
Accordyng pryncis, hecht magnanymyte,
Is a bonte set betwix vicis twane:
Of quham fuyl hardynes clepit is the tane,
That vndertakis all perrellis but avice;
The tother is namyt schamefull cowardyce,
Voyd of curage, and dolf as ony stane.
 
 
The first is hardy all owt by mesur,
Of tyme nor rayson gevis he na cuyr,
No dowt he castis, bot all thinkis suyr,
Nocht may he suffir, nor hys hait endur:
The tother is of all prowes sa puyr,
That evir he standis in feir and felloun dreid,
And nevir dar vndertak a douchty deid,
Bot doith all curage and all manheid smuyr.
 
 
The first soundis towart vertu sum deill,
Hardy he is, couth he be avyse;
Of hardyment the tother has na feill:
Quhou may curage and cowardys agre?
Of fortitud to compt ȝou euery gre,
As Arestotill in hys Ethikis doith expres,
It wald, as now, conteyn our lang proces;
Quharfor of other chevalry carp will we.
 
 
Gyf Crystis faithfull knychtis lyst ws be,
So as we aucht, and promyst hes at font,
Than mon we byde baldly, and neuer fle,
Nowder be abasyt, tepyt, nor ȝit blunt,
Nor as cowartis to eschew the first dunt.
Pawle witnessith, that nane sall wyn the crown,
Bot he quhilk dewly makis hym reddy bown
To stand wightly, and feght in the forfront.
 
 
And quha that sall nocht wyn the crown of meid,
That is to say, the euerlestand blys,
The fyre eternall neidlyngis most thai dreid:
For Cryst into his gospell says, I wys,
Quha bydis nocht with me contrar me is:
And gif thou be aganyst God, but weir
Than art thou wageour onto Lucifer.
God salf ws all from sik a fyre as this!
 
 
The armour of our chevalry, perfay,
So the Apostyll techis ws expres,
Not corporall bot sperituall beyn thai,
Our conquyst haill, our vassellage and prowes,
Aganyft spretis and pryncis of myrknes;
Not agane man, owr awyn brother and mait,
Nor ȝit aganyst our maker to debait,
As rabell tyll all vertu and gudnes.
 
 
The flesch debatis aganys the spiritual gost,
Hys hie curage with sensual lust to law,
And, be the body victor, baith ar lost;
The spreit wald vp, the cors ay down list draw:
Thy secund fa the warld, ane other thraw,
Makis strang assaltis of covatys and estait,
Aganyst quham is full perrellus debait;
Thir fays famyliar beyn full quaynt to knaw.
 
 
Lyff in thy flesch as master of thy corps,
Lyf in this warld as nocht ay to remane;
Resist the fendis slycht with all thy fors,
He is thy ancyent ennemy, werst of ane;
A thousand wylys he hes, and mony a trane,
He kendillis oft thy flesch in byrnand heit,
He causys wrachit plesans seym full sweit,
And, for nocht, of this fals warld makis the fane.
 
 
He is thy fa and aduersar principall,
Of promyssioun wald the expell the land,
For he the sammyn lost, and caucht a fall;
Enfors the strangly contrar hym to stand.
Rays hie the targe of faith vp in thy hand,
On hed the halsum helm of hoip onlace,
In cheryte thy body all embrace,
And of devoit oryson mak thy brand.
 
 
Stand at defens, and schrynk not for a schore:
Thynk on the haly marthyris at ar went,
Thynk on the payn of hell, and endles glore,
Thynk quhou thy Lord for the on rude was rent,
Thynk, and thou fle fra hym, than art thou schent,
Thynk all thou sufferis ontyll hys paynis nocht is,
Thynk with quhou precyus pryce as thy sawll bocht is,
And ay the moder of grace in mynd enprent.
 
 
Feill beyn thy fays, fers, and full of slycht,
Bot be thou stalwart campioun and knycht;
In feild of grace with forsaid armour brycht
Thou may debait thame lyghtly in ilk fyght:
For of fre will thyne acton is sa wight
Nane may it pers, wilt thou resist and stand;
Becum thow cowart, crawdoun recryand,
And by consent cry cok, thy ded is dycht.
 
 
Thynk quhou that fa is waik and impotent,
May venquys nane bot thame lyst be ourcum;
He sal the nevir ourset, but thy consent.
Eith is defens to say nay, or be dum;
And for thy weill, lo, thys is all and sum:
Consent nevir, and thou sall nevir be lost,
By disassent thou may venquys ane ost,
And, for anys ȝa, tyne thy meid euery crum.
 
 
Na wondir is; for by exempill we se,
Quha servys hys souerane intill all degre
Full mony days, and eftir syne gif he
Commyttis anys trayson, suld he nocht de,
Les than hys prynce, of gret humanyte,
Pardoun hys falt for hys lang trew seruys,
Gyf he wald mercy craif? The sammyn wys
We beyn forgevyn, so that repent will we.
 
 
Bot quhat avalys begyn a strang melle,
Syne ȝeld the to thy fa, but ony quhy,
Or cowartly to tak the bak and fle?
Na; thar sall nane optene hie victory,
Les thai sustene the bargane dowchtely;
And quha so perseueris to the end
Ane conquerour and campioun euir is kend,
With palm of triumphe, honour, and glory.
 
 
The maist onsilly kynd of fortoun is
To haue beyn happy; Boetius techis so;
As, to haue beyn in welth and hartis blys,
And now tobe dekeit and in wo:
Richt so, quha vertuus was, and fallys tharfro. 25
Of verray rayson malewrus hait is he;
And ȝit, by grace and hys fre volunte,
He may recovir meryt agane alsso.
 
 
I say, be grace; for quhen thou art in grace,
Thou may eik grace to grace, ay mor and mor;
Bot quhen thou fallys be syn tharfra, allace!
Of thy meryte thou gettis hyr nevirmor:
Ȝit quhen thou dewly disponys the tharfor,
Doand all that in the thar may be done,
Of hys gudnes the etern Lord alssone
Restorys the meryt, with grace in arlys of glore.
 
 
Haill thy meryt thou had tofor thy fall,
That is to say, thy warkis meritabill,
Restorit ar agane baith gret and small,
And grace tharto, quhilk is sa profitabill
That thou tharby to eik meryt art habill;
Bot nocht ilk gre of grace thou had befor;
That gettis thou not sa soyn, quhill forthyrmor:
Be war tharfor, fall not, bot standis stabill.
 
 
For lyke as quha offendit had hys lord,
That lang tofor hys trew servand had bene,
And syne agane becumis at ane accord
With hys master, all thocht hys lord wald meyn
On hys ald seruyce, ȝit netheles, I weyn,
He sall nocht soyn be tendir, as he was ayr:
Be war tharwith, and kepe ȝou fra the snair,
Tyne nocht ȝour laubour and ȝour thank betweyn.
 
 
Exempill takis of this prynce Ene,
That, for hys fatale cuntre of behest,
Sa feill dangeris sustenyt on land and see,
Syk stryfe in stour sa oft with speir in rest,
Quhill he hys realm conquest bath west and est:
Sen all this dyd he for a temporall ryng,
Pres ws to wyn the kynryk ay lestyng,
Addres ws fast fortill opteyn that fest.
 
 
He may be callyt, as says sanct Augustyn,
Ane delicat, owr esy, crystyn knycht,
Refusys to thoill traval, sturt, or pyne,
And but debait wenys till optene the fyght.
To wyn the feild, and nevir preif thy mycht,
That war nyce thyng: thy kyng Cryste in batell
Quhat sufferit he for the, O catyve wight!
Lyis thou at eys, thy prynce in bargane fell?
 
 
Aschamys of our sleutht and cowardyce!
Seand thir gentyles and the paganys ald
Ensew vertu, and eschew euery vyce,
And for sa schort renown warryn so bald
To susteyn weir and panys teyr ontald;
Than lat ws stryve that realm forto posseid,
The quhilk was hecht till Abraham and hys seyd:
Lord, at ws wrocht and bocht, grant ws that hald!