My tender friend Montcrief, mediciner,
To kings is kend thy knawledge singular:
Thou shawis thy selfe be practise evident,
Of Natures warks observer diligent;
Thy quiet life and decent modestie
Declares thy cunning in philosophie.
Sen first we were acquaint I fand thee kinde:
Sum medicine assigne me for the mind.
My sicknes be the symptome sall appeare,
Unto my discourse if thou list give eare.
O happie man is he, I have hard say,
A faithfull friend that hes, with whom he may
Of everie thing as with himselfe confer,
As I may do, disert mediciner.
Quhen pubertie my freedome did inlarge
And Mercurie gave place to Venus charge,
I knew not yet the wavering vaine estait
Of humaine kinde; I knew of na debait,
Na lurking hait, invie, nor cursed stryfe,
As followis fast our short unhappie life;
I traisted not, beleeve me weill Montcrief,
The bitter paines, the sorrowes and the grief,
Nor miseries quhilk daylie dois betide
And compassis mans life on everie side;
Bot like a chaste and pudick virgine clein,
Inbrought to bide where she had never bein,
Into the house of women let for hyre,
Quhen she behalds all pleasour at desire,
A loflie troup of ladies in array,
Sum on a luth, sum on a sistre play,
Some sangs of love begin and sweetely sing,
And minȝionlie sum dansing in a ring;
A lover here, discoursing all his best,
Ane uther there, delighting all the rest;
The buirds decorde with daintie dishes fine,
With divers drogs and wafers wet in wine:
A none to dwell the maide dois condiscend,
Incertaine quhat sall be her cative end.
Swa inexpert yet at that time and houre
I felt the sweete, but had not cund the sowre.
I thought that nocht was able to remoove
From men on earth trueth, equitie and love,
Nor banisht from their hearts humilitie,
Reuth, pittie joynd with affabilitie,
Bot that the force of reasone suld maintein
The binding band quhilk lastinglie hes bein,
Be Nature knit and ordoned till indure,
Mens amitie and friendship to make sure.
For this I oft reduced and brought to minde:
How sall men be, but untill uther kinde?
Lo, all the wichts that in this valley wuns
Are bretheren all: are they not Adams suns?
Quhy suld a friend his friend and brother greeve,
Sen all are borne of a first mother, Eve?
Upon this earth as in a cietie wide
Like citizens we dwell, and dois abide,
And Nature hes preferd us to the beasts
Be prenting reason deiplie in our breasts:
The barbar rude of Thrace or Tartarie,
Of Boheme, Perse, or weirly Getulie,
Of barran Syrt and wastie Scythia,
Of Finland, Fresland, and of India,
Of reason they ar made participant
With them quhilk dois the civill cities hant;
The facund Greece, the learnd Athenian,
The Roman stout, the rich Venetian,
The Frenchis franck of great civilitie,
Ar oblist all to this societie.
Then with my self I reasond on this sort:
If this be trew quhilk trulie I report,
How mekill mair sall love and lautie stand
Amang the pepill native of a land
Quhilk dois imbrace, obey and onely knaw
A Kirk, a King, a language and a law,
Or sick as in a citie dois remaine,
Particepant of pleasour and of paine,
Or of a race hes lineallie discended
And hes there time and life together spended?
All this and mair I tossed in my thought,
And these effects to se I dowted nocht.
As for my part, I plainely did pretend
My life in peace, in joy, and ease till end;
Into the way to walk and happie rod
Prescrived be the law and word of God,
To love my friend and neighbour as my sell,
With lippes but lies the simple treuth to tell;
Till everie man to keep my promise dew,
And not but right but rigour to persew,
From vice to flie and vertue till imbrace;
An upright heart to have in everie case;
Contending hearts againe to reconceill
Was my pretence, and tender ay their weill;
To fortifie my friend in time and neede
With good report, with counsell and good deede;
And finally what reason taught to crave
I thought to doo, and ay the like receave.
Bot thoughts are vaine, my labour was bot lost;
He counts againe, that counts without his host.
Through tract of time, quhilk swiftlie slides away,
And sundrie sights occurring day by day
At last I learnd to marke and clearly ken
The course of mortall things, and mortall men:
From thee I learnd with painfull diligence,
The maistres sharpe of fuiles experience.
I see the wit, the nature and the mind
Of warldlie wights to wickednes inclind,
And naturallie ane austere frawardnes,
The hardened hearts of mortall men posses.
Behald na realme, na cietie nor estait
Ar voide of strife, contention and debait;
Ilk man his fo, like roaring lions kein,
Waitis to devore with rigor tygerrein.
How few regards, we daylie may espie,
Their fallowes los, if they may gaine thereby:
Sa hautie minds fulfilled with disdaine,
Sa deepe deceat, sik glosing language vaine,
Mens doubill tungs are not ashamed to lie,
The mair they heght, the wors to trust they be;
Particular gaine dois sa mans reasone blind,
That skars on earth ane upright can I find;
So poynsoned breasts with malice and invy
Sum deadlie haitis, and cannot shaw you why.
O monstrous beast, Invie! o cruell pest!
Quhair thou remains their is na quiet rest.
Thou waists the bains, thou blaickenes flesh and blood,
Ay glad of ill, ay enemie to good.
Thou vexed art to see thy brothers weill,
Quhilk vailis thee nocht, nor harmes him never a deil.
I try na trueth nor na fidelitie;
I see na reuth nor na nobilitie,
Na tender love nor humble gentlenes,
As first, they say, our fathers did profes,
Bot fremmednes, bot rude austeritie,
Bot feinȝed fraud and feebil uncourtesie.
Quhen that I had employed my youth and paine
Four yeares in France, and was returned againe,
I langd to learne, and curious was to knaw,
The consuetude, the custome and the law
Quhairby our native soil was guide aright
And justice done till everie kind of wight:
To that effect three yeares, or neare that space,
I hanted maist our highest plaiding place
And Senat, quhair great causses reasoned were;
My breast was brusd with leaning on the bar,
My buttons brist, I partely spitted bloud,
My gowne was trald and tramped where I stood,
Mine eares were deifd with maissars cryes and din,
Quhilk procutors and parties called in.
I dayly learnd, bot could not pleased be,
I saw sick things as pittie was to see:
Ane house ov'rlaid with proces sa misguided
That sum to late, sum never was decided,
The pure abused ane hundreth divers wayes,
Postpond, differd with shifts and meere delayes,
Consumde in guds, ov'rset with greife and paine
(Ȝour advocate man be refresht with gaine,
Or else he faints to speake or to invent
A gud defence or weightie argument;
Ye spill your cause, ye truble him to sair,
Unles his hand annointed be with mair.
Not ill bestowed, he is consulted oft,
A gude devise is worthie to be coft;
Bot skaffing clarks, with covetice inspired,
Till execute their office man be hyred,
Na cause they call unles they hyrelings have;
If not, it sall be laid beneath the lave.
Quha them controls, or them offends, but dout,
Their proces will be lang in seeking out;
In greatest neede sum peeces will be lost,
And then to lait fund on the parties cost;
In everie point they will be slack and lang,
The minuts of the proces may be wrang,
For acts, decreits, they man have double prise,
If their be hast, but hyre they make it nice.
As sanguisugs, quhilk finds the feeding gud,
Cleaves to the skin quhile they be full of blud,
Quhile all the vaines be bludles, dry and tume;
Na uther wayes the simple they consume.
The agent als man have his wage provided,
Least all the cause in absence be misguided;
He will let passe on wilfull indignation,
Agains the actor ane stollen protestation;
The poore defender if he lacke expenses
Sall tyne his cause, perhaps, for null defences;
The peeces shaw he will, and cause reveill,
For greater gaine, be he not pleased weill.
And thought the Lords suld take gud heid thereto,
Yet are they laith to make the house adoo:
The censor is impropre to correck
That in himselfe hes ony kinde of bleck.
Euen they themselves the ordor partlie spils
With bringing in of heapes of bosome bils;
Their oulks about on friends they doo bestow
With small regard of table or of row.
Alace, sick Lords had need of reformation,
Quhair justice maist consists in sollistation;
Ȝit all sollistars cannot justice have
Bot sick as may acquit them by the lave,
A Lord, ane Earle or a wealthie man,
A courtier that meikill may and can,
Without delay will come to their intent,
Howbeit there cause it be sum deill on sklent:
Bot simple sauls, unskilfull, moyenles,
The pure quhome strang oppressors dois oppres,
Few of there right or causses will take keepe,
Their proces will sa lang lye ou'r and sleepe,
Quhill often times (there is na uther bute)
For povertie they man leave of persute.
Sum senators, als weill as skaffing scribes,
Are blinded oft with blinding buds and bribes,
And mair respects the persone nor the cause,
And finds for divers persones divers lawes:
Our civill, cannon and municipall
Suld equallie be ministred till all --
They mon shaw favour to their awin dependers,
Quhat sa they be persewers or defenders.
I faint to tell their pervers partial pactions,
And how they are divided all in factions,
Confederate haill with subtiltie and slight,
A way to vote in voting wrang or right!
O men in whome no feare of God is ludged!
O faithles judges, worthie to be judged!
Eshame ye not, or stand ye not in aw,
Lawes to profes and erre agains the law,
O members meete, for meere iniquitie,
Of Rhadamanth or Minos court to be!
The haill abuse were our prolixt to tell:
That Councill house, it is maist like ane hell,
Where there is thrang ay feare and awfull cryes,
Whereon the Bar without puir parties lyes,
As on the rive of Acheron for sin,
Awaitting fast quhile Charon take them in,
Where everie man almaist is miscontented,
Quhair sillie sauls are greevouslie tormented,
Ay sorrie, sad, ay plung'd in paine and greife,
Pensive in heart and musing of mischeif
Their bowells, entraills, with the robbed rowt
Of gredie Harpyes, they are rugged out.
To lead that kind of life I wearied fast;
In better hope I left it at the last,
And to the Court I shortlie me addrest,
Beleeving weill to chuse it for the best.
But from the rocks of Cyclades fra hand
I struik into Carybdis sinking sand:
For reverence of kings I will not strive
To slander courts, but them I may descrive
As learned men hes them depaint before,
Or neare the suith, and I am wo therefore.
In courts, Montcreif, is pride, invie, contention,
Dissimulance, despite, disceat, dissention,
Feare, whisperings, reports and new suspition,
Fraud, treasone, lies, dread, guile, sedition,
Great greedines and prodigalitie,
Lusts sensuall, and partialitie,
Impudencie, adulterie, drunkinnes,
Delicacie and slouthful idilnes,
Backbiting, lacking, mocking, mutenie,
Disdainefulnes and shameles flatterie,
Meere vanitie, and naughtie ignorance,
Inconstancie and changing with mischance,
Contempt of all religion and devotion,
To godlie deeds na kinde of perfite motion.
These qualities in generall, I say,
Into all courts are commoun everie day.
I neede not now sick properties apply:
Thou knawes our Scottish court als weill as I.
Our princes ay, as we have heard and sein,
Thir mony yeares infortunat hes bein,
And if I sould not speike with flattring tung,
The greater part bot sluggishly hes rung;
Our earles and lords for their nobilitie,
How ignorant and inexpert they be,
Upon the Privie Counsell mon be chused,
Or else the king and concill ar abused;
And if the prince augment not ay their rents,
Quhat is their mair? They will be mal-contents.
Quhat suld the court quhair vertue is neglected,
Quhair men of spreit sa litle ar respected,
Quhilk is to be lamented all the mair,
That few of learning suld take keip or cair;
As Cicero of Julius Caesar sayis,
Even in his time, governement and dayis,
Quhilk easily excells all uther kings,
In learning, spreit and all scholasticke things.
Sum officers we se of naughtie braine,
Meere ignorants, proud, vicious and vaine,
Of learning, wit and vertue all denude,
Maist blockish men, rash, riotous and rude;
And flattering fallowis oft ar mair regarded --
A lying slave will rather be rewarded
Nor they that dois with Reasons rule conferre
Thair kinde of life and actions, least they erre,
Nor men discreit, wise, vertous and modest,
Of galland spreit, brave, trew and worthie trest,
Quhilk far from hame civilitie hes sein,
And be their maners shawis quhair they have bein,
Quhilk have the word of God before their eyes,
And weill can serue, but cannot princes pleis;
For sum with reason will not pleased be,
But that quhilk with their humour dois agree.
Hes thow not heard in oppin audience
The purpos vaine, the feckles conference,
Th'informall reasons and impertinent
Of courtiours, quhilks in accouttrement
War gorgious, maist glorious, yong and gay?
Bot in effect compare them weill I may
Till images quhilks ar in temples set,
Decorde without, and all with gold ourfret,
With colours fine, and carved curiouslie,
The place where they are set to beautifie;
Bot when they are remarked all and sum,
They are bot stocks and stains, bos, deid and dum.
Bot now the court I will not discommend;
I may it meane, bot may it not amend.
As for offence of speach, I nathing feare it,
For upright men thereby are nathing deirit,
And sick as are with wickednes bewitched,
I sussie not how vively they be tuitched.
sussie: carevively: vividly
And if perhaps sum wald alleadge that I
Have this invaid on malice and invie,
As he whome in the court few did regarde
And got na gaine thereby, nor na reward,
I grant that may be trew, bot quhat of that?
I little gaine deserved, and les I gat;
Bot men behald his hienes royall trine,
His palaces and their apparrell fine,
Behalde his house, behald his yearely rent,
His servants heir if they have cause to plent:
Observe this realme throughout, from east to west,
From south to north, if any be opprest,
Quhilk justice lacks, behald the common weill,
Then judge if I be writer fals or leill.
Bot sick as sould it mend, let them lament;
I hanted court to lang, and I repent!
These cursed times, this wors nor Irone Age,
Where vertue lurks, where vice dois reigne and rage,
Where faith and love, where friendship is neglected,
Contagiouslie with time hes me infected:
As uthers are, of force sa mon I be --
How can I do bot as men doo to me?
In bordels vile a virgine chaist and puir
Becums with time a vile effronted huir;
A trew man taine with pirats on the sea
Is forst to take a part of piracie.
O sentence suthe, I say for to conclude:
Ill companie corrupteth maners gud.
Trew Damons part to play I wald me bind,
Bot Pythias kinde yet can I never find.
Loue mutuall wald be, for all in vaine,
I favour shaw, if nain I finde againe.
My heart is stane within and yron without;
With triple bras my breist is set about;
For when of strife and great mischance I heare,
Of death, debate, they doo me little deare,
For uthers harme me tuitches not at all:
Swa I be free, quhat rak I what befall?
The line of love almaist I have forget it,
For why? think I, to nain I am addettit.
Not threttie times as ȝit the shining sun
His carrier round and propre course hes run
Sen Nature first me buir to joy his light,
And yet I wald, if justly wish I might,
Dissolved be, renewed, and be with Christ,
Or flesh to fardar follie me intist!
I feare the warld, I dread allurements sair,
And strang assaults corrupt me mair and mair.
Let Sathan rage, let wickednes incres;
I thank my God I am not comfortles.
My comfort, lo, my haill felicitie,
Consists in this, I may it shaw to thee:
To serve the Lord and on his Christ repose,
To sing Him praise and in His heichts rejose,
And ay to have my mind lift up on hie
Unto that place quhair all our joy sall be.
My life and time I knaw it is sa short
That heare to dwell, I think it bot a sport:
I have delight in heart maist to behald
The pleasant works of God sa manifalde,
And to my minde great pleasour is indeede
The noble writs of learned men to reed.
As Chremes had, I have ane humaine heart,
And takes of things humaine na little part:
Be word and writ my minde I make it plaine
To fekfull friends, and they to me againe.
