Richard Maitland of Lethingtoun :: An Anthology of 16th and Early 17th Century Scots Poetry

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Richard Maitland of Lethingtoun

22. [Sum tyme to court I did repair]
23. [Quhair is the blythnes that hes bein]
24. Off the Quenis Arryvale in Scotland
25. [Thocht that this warld be verie strange]

[Sum tyme to court I did repair]

Sum tyme to court I did repair,

Thairin sum eirrandis for to dres,

dres: deal with

Thinkand I had sum freindis thair

To help fordwarte my beseynes;

Bot not the les

I fand no thing bot doubilnes:

Auld kyndnes helpis not ane hair.

To ane grit courtman I did speir,

speir: ask

That I trowit my freind had bene;

trowit: believed

Becaus we war of kyn sa neir

To him my mater I did mene;

mene: express

Bot withe disdene

He fled as I had done him tene,

tene: anger

And wald not byd my teill to heir.

I wend that he in word and deid

For me, his kynnisman sould have wrocht,

Bot to my speiche he tuke na heid;

Neirnes of blude he sett at nocht.

Than weill I thocht,

Quhone I for sibnes to him socht

sibnes: relatedness

It wes the wrang way that I ȝeid.

ȝeid: went

My hand I putt in to my sleif

And furthe of it ane purs I drew,

And said I brocht it him to geif;

Bayth gold and silver I him schew.

Than he did rew

That he unkyndlie me misknew,

And hint the purs fast in his neif.

neif: fist

Fra tyme he gat the purs in hand

He kyndlie cousing callit me,

kyndlie: natural

And baid me gar him understand

My beseynes all haillalie,

And sweir that he

My trew and faythfull freind sould be

In courte, as I pleis him command.

For quhilk bettir it is, I trow,

In to the courte to get supple,

supple: help

To have ane purse of fyne gold fow

fow: full

Nor to the hiast of degre

Off kyn to be:

Sa alteris oure nobilite,

Grit kynrent helpis lytill now.

Thairfore, my freindis, gif ȝe will mak

All courte men ȝouris as ȝe wald,

Gude gold and sylver with ȝow tak;

Than to get help ȝe may be bald.

For it is tald,

Kyndnes of courte is coft and sald;

coft: bought

Neirnes of kyn na thing thai rak.

rak: pay heed to

[Quhair is the blythnes that hes bein]

Quhair is the blythnes that hes bein

Bayth in burgh and landwart sein,

landwart: rural

Amang lordis and ladyis schein,

schein: fine, beautiful

Daunsing, singing, game and play?

Bot now I wait nocht quhat thai mein:

All mirrines is worne away.

For now I heir na wourde of ȝule

In kirk, on cassay, nor in scule;

cassay: street, causeway

Lordis lattis thair kitchingis cule

And drawis thame to the Abbay,

And scant hes ane to keip thair mule;

All houshaldaris is worne away.

I saw no gysaris all this ȝeir,

Bot kirkmen cled lyke men of weir,

That never cummis in the queir;

queir: choir

Lyk ruffyanis is thair array,

To preiche and teiche that will not leir;

The kirk gudis thai waist away.

Kirkmen affoir war gude of lyf,

Preichit, teichit and stanchit stryf;

stanchit: suppressed

Thai feirit nother swerd nor knyf

For luif of God, the suyth to say;

All honourit thame, bayth man and wyf:

Devotioun was nocht away.

Our faderis wyse was, and discreit;

Thay had bayth honour, men and meit;

With luif thai did thair tennentis treit,

And had aneuche in pois to lay;

Thay wantit nother malt nor quheit,

And mirrines was nocht away.

And we hald nother ȝule nor Pace,

Bot seikis our meit from place to place;

And we have nother luk nor grace:

We gar our landis dowbill pay.

Our tennentis cryis 'Alace! alace!'

That reuth and petie is away.

reuth: pity

Now we have mair, it is weill kend,

Nor our foirbearis had to spend,

Bot far les at the ȝeiris end,

And never hes ane mirrie day;

God will na ryches to ws send

Sa lang as honour is away.

We waist far mar now, lyk vane fulis,

We and our page to turs our mulis,

Nor thai did than that held grit ȝulis,

Off meit and drink said never nay;

They had lang formes quhair we have stulis,

And mirrines was nocht away.

Off our wanthrift sum wytis playis,

wanthrift: extravagancewytis: blames

And sum thair wantoun vane arrayis;

Sum the wyt on thair wyffis layis,

That in the court wald gang so gay,

And caris nocht quha the merchant payis,

Quhill pairt of land be put away.

The kirkmen keipis na professioun;

The temporale men committis oppressioun,

Puttand the pure from thair possessioun;

Na kynd of feir of God have thai,

Thai cummar bayth the Kirk and Sessioun,

cummar: encumber, burden

And chassis cheritie away.

Quhen ane of thame sustenis wrang,

We cry for Justice heid and hang,

Bot quhen our nychtbour we ourgang

ourgang: opress

We laubour justice to delay;

Effectioun blindis ws sa lang

All equitie is put away.

To mak actis we have sum feill;

God wait gif that we keip thame weill!

We cum to bar with jak of steill,

jak: leather jerkin

As we wald bost the juge and fray.

bost: threaten

Off sic justice I have na skeill,

Quhair rewle and ordour is away.

Our lawis are lichtleit for abusioun,

lichtleit: made light of

Sumtyme is clokit with collusioun,

Quhilk causis of blude the greit effusioun,

For na man sparis now to slay.

Quhat bringis cuntreis to confusioun,

Bot quhair that justice is away?

Quhair is the wyt quha can schaw ws?

Quha bot our nobillis that suld knaw ws,

And till honorabill deidis draw ws?

Lat never commoun weill decay,

Or ellis sum mischeif will faw ws,

faw: befall

And nobilnes we put away.

Put our awin lawis to executioun,

Apone trespassouris mak punitioun,

To cruell folk seik na remissioun;

For peax and justice lat ws pray,

In dreid sum strange new institutioun

Cum, and our custome put away.

Amend ȝour lyveis, ane and all

And be war of ane suddane fall,

And pray to God that maid ws all

To send ws joy that lestis ay,

And lat ws nocht to syn be thrall,

Bot put all vyce and wrang away.

Off the Quenis Arryvale in Scotland

Excellent princes, potent and preclair;

Prudent peirless in bontie and bewtie;

Maist nobill quene of blude under the air:

With all my hairt and micht I wylcum the

Hame to thy native peple and cuntre,

Besikand god to gif the grace to have

Off thy liegeis the hartis faythfullie,

And thame in luif and favour to ressave.

Now sen thow art arryvit in this land,

Our native princes and illustir quene,

I traist to God this regioun sall stand

Ane auld fre realme, as it lang tyme hes bein,

Quhairin richt sone thair sall be hard and sein

Grit joy, justice, gude peax and policie,

All cair and cummar banist quyt and clein

And ilk man leif in gude tranquillitie.

I am nocht meit nor able to furth set

How thow sall use discreitlie all thing heir,

Nor of ane princess the dewitie and det,

Quhilk I beleif thy hieness hes perqueir;

Bot gif neid be thair is anew can leir

Thy maiestie of thy awin natioun,

And gif the counsell how to rewle and steir

With wisdome all belangand to thy crowne.

Yit I exhort the to be circumspect

Off thy counsale in the electioun;

Cheis faythfull men of prudence and effect,

Quha will for wrang mak dew correctioun

And do justice without exceptioun,

Men of knawlege, gude lif and conscience,

That will nocht failye for affectioun,

Bot of gude fame and lang experience;

Quhilk gif thow do I houpe that thow sall ring

Lang in this land in grit felicite

Will thow pleiss God, He will the send all thing

Is neidfull to mantene thy royaltie,

Quha gif the grace to gyde sa prudentlie

That all thy doing be to His plesour,

And of Scotland to the commoditie,

Quhilk under God thow hes now in thy cure.

And gif thy Hieness plesit for to marie

That thow have hap I pray the Trinitie,

To cheis and tak ane husband without tarie

To thy honour and our utilitie,

Quha will and may mantein our libertie

Repleit of wisdome and off godliness,

Nobill and full of constance and lautie,

With gude successioun to our quyetness.

Madame, I wes trew servand to thy mother

And in hir favour stude ay thankfullie

Off my estait als weill as ony uther;

Prayand thy grace I may ressavit be In

siclyk favour with thy Majestie,

Inclynand ay to me thy gracious eiris,

And amang uther servandis think on me --

This last requeist I lernit at the freiris.

And thocht that I to serve be nocht sa able

As I wes wont becaus I may nocht see,

Yit in my hairt I salbe ferme and stable

To thy Hieness with all fidelitie,

Ay prayand god for thy prosperitie

And that I heir thy peple with hie voce

And joyfull hartis cry continewlie

'Vive Marie, trenobill royne de Escois!'

[Thocht that this warld be verie strange]

Thocht that this warld be verie strange,

And thevis hes done my rowmes range

rowmes: lands

And teymd my fald,

teymd: emptiedfald: (sheep) fold

Ȝit wald I leif and byd ane change,

Thocht I be ald.

Now me to spulȝie sum not spairis;

spulȝie: plunder

To tak my geir no captane cairis,

Thai ar so bald;

Ȝit tyme may cum may mend my sairis,

Thocht I be ald.

Sum now be force of men of weir

My hous, my landis and my geir

Fra me thai hald;

Ȝit as I may sall mak gud cheir,

Thocht I be ald.

Sa weill is kend my innocence

That I will not for none offence

Flyt lyke ane scald,

Flyt: argue, exchange abuse

Bot thank God and tak patience,

For I am ald.

For eild and my infirmite,

eild: old age

Warme claythis ar bettir for me

To keip fra cald,

Nor in Dame Venus chamber be,

Now being ald.

Off Venus play past is the heit,

For I may not the mistiris beit

mistiris: needsbeit: supply

Off Meg nor Mald;

For ane ȝoung las I am not meit,

I am sa ald.

The fairast wenche in all this toun,

Thocht I hir had in hir best gown

Rycht braiflie braild,

braild: decked

Withe hir I mycht not play the loun,

I am so ald.

My wyff sum tyme wald telis trow

And mony lesingis weill allow

lesingis: lies

War of me tald;

Scho will not eyndill on me now,

eyndill: be jealous

And I sa ald!

My hors, my harnes and my speir,

And all uther my hoisting geir,

hoisting: for serving in the host, or army

Now may be sald;

I am not habill for the weir,

habill: fit

I am so ald.

Quhone ȝoung men cwmis fra the grene,

At the futball playing had bene,

With brokin spald,

spald: shoulder

I thank my God I want my ene,

And am so ald.

Thocht I be sweir to ryd or gang,

sweir: reluctant

Thair is sum thing I wantit lang:

Fane have I wald

And thame pwneist that did me wrang,

Thocht I be ald.