❀ Ane Complaint vpon Fortoun
IN constant warld fragill and friuolus,
with feinȝeit Fortoun, quha confides in the:
sall find his lyfe cairfull and cruellus,
Led in this vale of wofull miserie,
Quhat potent Princes in prosperitie,
Hes sho deposd from their imperiall places.
Hir craft quotidian, we may cleirly se
As men in mirrouris may behauld their faces.
❧The worthie Bocas in his morall buke,
The fall of Princes plainly dois compyle.
Amangs them all quha euer lykes to luke,
Sall finde Dame Fortounis fauour for a quhyle.
For with the one eye sho can lauch and smyle,
And with the vther lurke and play the loun.
Sum to promotioun, and some to plaine exile,
Lyke draw well bukkets dowkand vp and doun.
¶That variable Witch makis all the warld ado,
Quhat Kingis and Countreis hes sho brocht to end
Assyrians, Persians, Grekes, and Romains to,
The Monarches foure micht not hir force defend.
Bulworkis nor battellis bydis her nocht a bend,
Quha may withstand her straik, quhan sho lift stryke,
This nicht aneuch, the morne nathing to spend,
Imago in Luna, and sho lukis baith alyke,
❧To pen the speciallis it passis mony a hunder,
And makis the tyme ouer tidious to declare.
Sum sho promouis and sum sho puttis to vnder,
And sum rewardes with wandring heir and thair,
And sum incastrat captiues in the snair,
And sum for flatrie dois hir freindship find.
To all estates vntruethfull quhat sould mair,
Turnand her volt lyke woddercok in wind.
☞To paint her out it passis mine ingyne.
How wonderfully sho wirkes in all thir thingis.
Sum fra thair birth brocht vp with Doggis & swine
Tane fra the Pleuch and placit in sait of Kingis.
The brutell beist ane barbour wolfe vpbringis,
The first borne Romain callit Romulus.
Quhais binde as ȝit into that regioun ringis,
By expectatioun of auld Amelius.
☞ Cyrus siclyke was be ane Bitche vpbrocht,
Cround as a King ane cruell man of weir.
Pareis in troy that all the toun forthocht.
Preseruit from slauchter be souking of a Beir.
And swa was Thylaphus with ane Hinde I heir,
Medas With Imates and maid ane michtie Prince.
Plato with beis quha did sic prudence leir,
That all men meruelled of his Eloquence.
☞Without respect to blude royall or clan,
[...]ureanis promouit that na man wald presume.
Torquinius Pristus a baneist marchant man,
Chaist out of Corinth and Cround a King in Rome.
Siclyke was Seruius from ane shipherd grome,
And Tullus Bostilius fand her fauour neist.
Is, was, and salbe quhill the day of dome,
Sic doubill dealing in Dame Fortounis breist.
☞Quha findis hir freindship of fauour hes aneuch,
To warldly glore sho gydes them all that gait.
Tuke sho not Gordias from the Spaid and Pleuch,
And quickly placit him in Princes sait.
How far may Darius bragge of her debait,
Tane fra the Stabil ouer Persia to ring.
Duce agathocles from a law estait,
Ane Potteris boy to be ane potent King.
☞Of Iustine the Suinehird sho maid ane empriour
Ouer Constantinople ane King & cround him thair,
Gyges the Gait hird ane michtie Conquerour,
To Lydia land she maid him Lord and aire.
and Wallancianus from his landwart fair,
Tane fra the Pleuch to place Imperiall.
Cambyses Nero be the contrair clair,
Was thair awin burresis to thair buriall.
❧Sa Fortoun mountit neuer man sa hie,
Fostered with Folie Suppose she make them fane.
Bot with ane tit sho turnis the quheill ȝe sie,
Doun gois their heid vp gois their heillis againe.
Of Alexander to write I war bot vaine,
Ouer Fifty landis he lord was at the leist.
Ȝit threttie dayis lay efter he was slaine,
Vnbureit in Babell lyke a brutell beist,
Xerxes quhose armeis maid the riueris dry,
and Schippis subumbragit all the seyis on breid.
Did sho not wait him with sic foule Inuy,
Pray to Pericles yat put him to his speid.
Of Iulius Cesar gif thow lykes to reid,
In his triumphant toun victorious.
Slaine be his Senatis schamefully in deid,
By his awin kinsmen Brutus and Cassus.
☞Sum auld example heir I man Induce,
To bring my purpose to more speciall.
Quha was mair worthie gif I wald make ruse,
More stout more trew, nor hardy Hanniball.
Danter of Romaines to Carthage ane Castell wall,
The onely thing quhairin he maist reioysit.
Do quhat he docht in deidis marciall,
By his awin pepill petiously deposed.
Siclyke was Sipio faiklesly schot furth,
That vinqueist Hanniball lyke a warriour wicht.
His valiant workes was weyit bot litill worth,
Quhen he was baneist with a bair gude nicht.
Nor lyke a captaine nor kindly Knicht,
Bot lyke ane beggar baneist in exile,
Sa Fortoun montit neuer man on hicht,
Bot sho can law him within a litill quhyle.
Alchebead of athenis was Duke,
Of Princely Parents and ane royall race.
To keip his toun sic trauell vndertuke,
He maid his fo men fle befoir his face.
To his rewarde he gat nane vther grace,
Ingraitly baneist to their awin grit skaith.
and Tymistocles in that samin place,
by their awin burgessis thay wer baneist baith,
☞Experience teiches me not to flyte with Fortoun▪
With auld examples that dois na thing belang vs.
Marke Iames of Dowglas present Erle of Morton,
ane of the best that euer was borne amang vs.
Danter of cheuis that dayly dois ouer gang vs,
Key of this Countre that kepit vs from skaith.
I speik na farther in feir thay sould gar hang vs,
Preichouris and poiettis are put to silence baith.
Few things wer done bot Mortoun interprisit them
Dumbar and Brichane and mony vthair bloke:
Speik quhat thay pleis he wrocht thē & deuisit them,
He and his freindis ay formest in the flocke
He faucht ȝour querrell as kein as ony Cok,
Reuengit ȝour murthers ma nor twa or thrie.
ane nobill man and of ane ancient stoke,
His valiant deidis demereitis not to die.
¶Ane of the speciallis did mentene ȝour Croun,
Ȝour ferme protectour in ȝour tender ȝeiris.
He maid ȝow vp and all ȝour to men doun,
His marciall manheid did mentein ȝour weiris,
Gif he did wrang rewarde him as effeiris,
Gif he did gud God wald he sould be tret.
bot as the prouerbe speikis it plaine appeiris,
auld men will die and barnes will sone forȝet.
Was he not rewler ouer ȝour Realme and Rigioun.
Quhill all was pacifeit be his prudent wit.
Stude he not stoutly be that trew Religoiun.
ane of the first that maid the Freiris to flit.
Frauke on the feildis and Formest at the bit,
Without respect to baggis or bodie to.
Ȝour faithfall subiect and sua be salbe ȝit.
To do gude seruice as I haue seene him do.
☞Than at Carbarrie hill he held a day,
With litill blude shed bothwell was put a bake,
Quha slew ȝour Father and fibilly fled away,
Syne socht ȝour selfe to bring this Realme to sa [...]
How mony Clawbackes than suppose thay crak,
Conuenit with Mortoun quhan bothwel tuk ye chase
Try or ȝe tine him and trow not all thay spak,
Lat workes heir wirnes vaine wordis sould haue na place
❧Sone efter that the Counsell cround ȝour sell,
Quhan Godly Murray as a Regent rang.
Ȝit thair was some that bauldly did rebell,
That to ȝour Lawis wald nouther ryde nor gang.
quha thair conuenit for to reuenge ȝour wrang,
albeit ȝour action was thocht innocent.
It was the Dowglassis douchtaly them dang,
and plett ȝour proces in that parliament,
☞Quha could declare our langsum lyfe in Leith,
Fechtand all day and syne lay in our clais.
Gif Lindesay lykes that Lord can tell ȝow eith,
Quha was ȝour freindis or quha your Mortall fais.
Or quha gaid formest breistand vp the braies,
I dar not pen the speciallis I do plaine ȝow.
bot weill I wait how euer the warld now gais,
Thai find maist freindship was fardest yan agian ȝou
☞Syne at Laugsyde feild ȝour grace may ken,
Mortoun was thair ane man amang the rest.
In Striuiling toun out of his dowie deu,
Maist lyke a Fox thay fyrit him in his nest.
In Edinburgh Castell quhair thay war possest,
He them deplaced that purposit to vndo ȝow.
Quhan ȝe grow auid I wait ȝe will confest,
Mortoun hes bene ane faithfull saruand to ȝow.
☞Quhan Regentis deit and all the Lytes inlaikit,
The Counsell did conuene and set ane day.
Thay cheisit him Regent in that rowme yat waikit,
With sad adwise for few or nane said nay
bot ȝit I think thay playit ȝour grace foule play,
Gif he was knawin than of thir crymes conuict.
Gif he be saikles surely I dar say,
Thay haue defamit him with ane fulich trick.
✚To dant the theuis had he nocht mekill ado,
Abandoned the borders that na man durst rebell.
The Armestrangis Eluottis and the Iohnestons to,
With tuentie vther Clans I can not tell.
During his dayis yai durst not ryde ane ell,
The Hirdis and hinde men in their Labeis lay.
bot thair estait as now ȝe sie ȝour sell,
all nicht to walke and fane to wirk all day.
☞Aganis grit Lordis committing small offence,
With iniust challenge thay aucht na man to chessoun,
Mortoun hes ay bene vpricht with his Prince,
but spot of cryme or ony point of tressoun.
Albeit gude saruice be not tane in seasoun,
His workes may witnes he neuer sparit for perrell.
Laitly accusit but outher ryme or ressoun,
as sindrie schawis me for a saikles querrell.
❧Daft fulis defyis him because thay finde him sage
and Cowartis contrarious for his hardiment.
Young men for glaikrie can not agrie with age.
and waisteris inuyis him for his gouernement.
and Sacreit counsell can not be content,
To suffer lordshippis in equalitie.
ȝit I beseik ȝour grace of gude intent,
To play the Prince but parcialitie.
❧Adwise ȝow weill sen he hes not offendit,
to keip sic tenattis it sall decore ȝour land.
of raiche detreitis cums rew and may not mend it,
As Scottismens Wisdome dois behinde the hand,
Wyse lordis are ill ta make I vnderstand,
and trewly in Kingis is to abhorre
This sempill counsall Syr is na command,
Bot wald to God that na man louit ȝow war,
FINIS, quod Sempill.
☞ Imprintit at Edinburgh be Robert Lekprewicke, dwelling at the Netherbow.