❀ ane deeclaratioun of the Lordis iust quarrell
[...]t long ago as I allone did walk,
Intill ane place was plesand to behauld:
[...] leirnit men in priuie I hard talk,
[...] [...]ch of thame his taill in ordoure tauld
[...] [...]derstuid thair sentence quhat thay wald,
[...] [...]cht it guid to put in memorie
[...]ir Names als as efter ȝe sall se.
[...]e taine him self Philandrius did call,
[...]a in vertew and manheid tuik delyee:
[...] tother feirfull semt to be at all,
[...]eilus he did his Name indyte
[...] thingis they did togidder flyte,
[...]t I tuik tent aboue all vther thing
[...]n thay spak of this Realme and gouerning.
[...]deilus sayis it dois merwell me,
[...]hat causit hes the Lordis of Scotland
[...] on ane enterpryse of sic folie,
[...]ine the Quene and aganis hir husband:
[...]t thay not weill ilk ane in his awin land
[...] quyetnes leifit in peace and rest,
[...]ing his awin as him had lykit best.
[...]o quhome Philandrius did answer mak,
[...] said that men war not deuyst onlie:
[...]ut all cair thair awin plesure to tak,
[...]t to foirse the weill of that countrie
[...]laris of quhilk, the Lord will that thay be
[...]hilk charge (he sayis) thay cānot weill refuse,
[...] [...]hamefullie thair office thay abuse.
[...]ehalding than the actis execrabill,
[...]hat in this countrie hes commitit bene,
[...] [...]ame the lack the bruit abhominabill:
[...]t saikles men with sorow did sustene.
[...] priuat hart it mycht prik vp with tene,
[...]o seik redres and mend that cairfull caice
[...] mair the nobillis of the Royall raice.
To se the King fyrst lychtlit schamefully,
[...]nd not chereist in chalmer nor in hall:
[...]e murdreist downe causeles and crewelly,
Off that tresoun na tryall taine at all.
[...]y whome the bruit did trewlie traytouris call,
Greitest in Co [...]t and chereist all thair best,
[...] Lordis hart cuid lui [...] on this and lest▪
To se ane monstuire full of fylthynes,
Abone the rest heich mountit vp in gloir
[...]h Prince and Realme and all power posses.
[...]ne gled ay gaipand guid men to deuoir,
[...]hat hart sa hard bot this sycht sould mak soir,
[...]uha rychtly than dar thir men reprehend:
[...] greit mischeif quha menis till amend.
To se the Quene furth rydand on the plaine,
Reft lyke ane huire with ruffians shamefullie,
[...] thocht that sum think that was bot ane traine,
[...]r awin wryting dois contrar testifie,
[...] [...]rance Ingland and mony strange cuntrie:
Pleinȝeand that syd was rauyssit by hir will
[...]at Nobill hart mycht se this and sit still.
To reif, to murther and wyle licherie,
The fourt for fault is eikit euin fra hand:
[...] testifie that Law and honestie
With sic ribaldis can not ring in ane land▪
[...] Quene is cuplit with ane wyffis husband
And farther ȝit he quha the King did sack,
[...] law the Quene dar into mariage tak.
[...]7s;yde all this thair durst na vertuous wycht,
In presence of that proude tyran appeir:
[...]dy boucheouris and throtcutters on nycht,
War only hard, and only had the steir.
[...] Nobill men durst not the Court cum neir,
[...]he royall hous refuge to honest men▪
[...]s maid ane bordell and ane theifis den.
Our prettie Prince the peirle of all this land,
With duilfull d [...]d thay socht for to deuoir:
[...]t riche relick and thresour of Scotland,
Destroy as thay his father did befoir.
[...]hat duilfull mynde mycht dawlie this deploir,
[...]n sic dainger to se that innocent
[...] our releif quhome God had till vs sent.
[...]hat Nobill hart could langer this induire?
Quhat commoun breist did not for sorrow burst?
Quhat godly man of him self could be suire?
Quhat stranger thocht bot this cuntrie was curst
Quhat preachour this repreif, I pray ȝow durst?
Quhat chaist woman wyssit not to be deid,
To se sic vice set vp in vertewis steid.
❧ Gif it was sa, than quha can worthylie
Exalt and prais, and magnifie the Name
Off thir Nobillis quha durst couragiouslie
Hazaird thame self to saif vs all fra shame.
Thair laude, thair honour, and tryumphand fame,
Salbe disperst in dispyte of Inuy,
Quhen faceles fuillis sall [...]t be settin by.
¶ Erid [...]lus than [...] maid againe,
Thy talk he sayis is tr [...]uth and veritie:
Bot ȝit sum douts thair is of quhilk rycht faine,
Gif laser lat I wold resoluit be,
And fyrst tuiching the Quenis libertie:
For mony thinkis thir Barronis ar to bauld,
In strait keping a Princes for to hauld.
❧ Philandrius to answer than him sped,
And this he said Eridielus vntill:
Gif that a freind with fayis away war led
Be wickit craft syne tystit war till ill.
Thocht he couet in that stait to byde still,
Ȝit in that caice his freindis of dewtie
Sould wis his weill and seik his libertie.
¶ And gif his fantasie was so far infectit,
That to the treuth he could not bent his eir:
He sould not be in foly ȝit neglectit
Bot fairnes than sould mixit be with feir,
And gif all this could him na wysedome leir
Than acht he be of all puissance denude,
To do na euill gif he could do na gude.
❧ Than sen that bowdin bludy beist Bothwell,
Hes trayterously in myrk put downe our King:
His wyfe the Quene syne rauyssit to him sell,
In fylthie lust throw cullour of wedding.
Thocht sho be witcheit wald in ruttery ring,
The Nobillis sould nether of thir enduire,
That lowne to leif, nor hir to be his huire.
¶ And gif the poysone in hir hart be sonkin,
That sho will not consent he puneist be:
Gif with his fylthie lust [...] [...]e [...] dronkin,
That sho forȝet office [...] honestie
Than man hir Nobillis of necessitie,
Cut of hir force quhill tresoun be reuengeit,
And this confusioun in ane ordour changeit.
❧ In priuat persounis sayis Eridielus,
I vnderstand thy taill is trew in deid:
Bot in Princes it is mair perrillous,
And few examplis thairof can I reid.
And in sic caice the subiectis all had neid,
Haill to concur with ane authoritie
Sic concurrence in Scotland naue I se.
¶ Philandrius sayis brother than considder,
How fyrst began all dominatiounis:
Quhen ruid pepill assemblit thame togidder
And maid thair Kingis be creatiounis▪
In votis than war variatiounis,
I trow rycht few was chosin be the haill,
Bot he was King quhais pairtie did preuaill.
❧ Wycht sa gif Princes sa thame self abuse,
That of force subiectis man put to thair hand:
Guid men sould not than to reforme refuse,
Thocht all at ainis concur not on thair band.
Naimly gif Iustice on thair partie stand,
And maist consent gis quha wald rackin rycht,
Sen God hes gein to thame baith strēth & mycht.
Ȝea thocht it war ane King for to depose,
For certaine crymi [...] I think the subiectis may,
Or fylthy faultouris fast in prisone close,
Rather than lat ane haill countrie decay.
Thay sould nor sturre thocht sum men wald say nay
To ane purpose the haill will neuer conclude,
Thay haue aneuch, hes force and quarrell gude.
❧ May thay not put ane ordoure to the heid:
Quha in beginning did the heid vp mak
May thay not set ane better in the steid,
Gif it fra vice can not be callit bak.
Les this be done Realmes will ga to wrak,
Namely quhen that the cryme is sa patent
That nouther misters Iuge nor argument.
¶ As gif ane King his pepill wald betray,
And him and thame baith bring to seruitude▪
He sould in this reformit be I say,
Naimly be Nobillis and be men of gude.
The Baliols cause considdir how it stude,
Quhat rycht had Robert Bruice him to expell?
Because to Ingland he subiect him sell.
❧ And now gif I durst speik without respect,
To huirmaisters, to murderers of Kingis:
To throtcutters our Realme was maid subiect,
Quha in thair malice proudely ȝit malingis.
Lat Nobill hartis considder [...]ll thir thingis,
Thay sall weill find that this puire natioun,
Greit mister had of reformatioun.
¶ Sic fylthie luste in Sardanapalus,
Sic crueltie in Nero did not ring:
Sic brutishe lyfe in Heliogabalus
Sic traytour mynde to slay his Lord and King.
In feinȝeit Phocas breist did neuer spring:
Sic beistly bowgrie Sodome hes not sene
As rang in him quha rewlit Realme and Quene.
❧ And sould the Nobill Barronis of this land
In boilis lurk and this mischeif behauld,
Quhair is the wittis wont to reule Scotland:
Go reid the buik, repeit the storyis auld,
King Euenus was keipit in strang hauld
And deit thair Conarus was inclosit,
First being dewlie for his fault deposit.
¶ For wickit lyfe imprisont was Ferquhaird,
Quha slew him self of proude melancolie,
Donald the fyft he gat the same reuaird:
And Ethus did in prisone priuate die.
And gif ȝe list to go fra this countrie,
In euerie land examplis dois abound
Gif thay be socht thay may be eithlie found.
❧ For sic misordour proude Tarquinius
Was the last King that euer did ring in Rome,
For lyke crymes the tyran Claudius:
Losit his stait and gat deid for his dome,
To speik of Nero now I haue na to me
Off Commodus, Caius and Caracall,
It war to lang for to discriue the fall.
¶ Quhat sorow into Naples than was sene,
Quha knawis the story cleirly thair may reid,
Quhen Charlis dochter Ieane that catiue Quene:
Baith honestie forȝet and womanheid.
Hir husband and hir cousing put to deid,
Syne with his Burrio band ane new mariage,
Allace this sample seruis ouer weill our age.
❧ And ȝit the Lord he leit hir not eschaip,
Bot of hir tuik ane punishement conding:
Quha fyrst hir husband hangit in ane raip,
The murtherer syne in his bed did bring.
God maid hir paine aggre with hir guyding,
An bedfoly to sic mischeif hir led
Euin so sho endit smorit with a bed.
¶ Thou to conclude thir Nobillis dois bot rycht,
Gif thay the Quene keip still in sicker gaird,
Vntill that coward Kingslayar on nycht
For his demeritis get ane iust rewaird▪
Than lat thame all concur baith Lord and Laird,
Thair Realme and Quene with guid cousall to guyde
Settand all priuate profit far a syde
¶ Gif thay do this than dar I say ane thing,
Thair laude and fame sall moue aboue the skyis,
Thair heich renoune sall in all Regioun ring:
Thair name sall gang quhair euer the Sone do ryse,
Thay salbe repuite hardy wycht and wyse,
In all storyis thay salbe cleirly kend,
The Leuing Lord bring thame to this gude end.
¶ As this Philandrius did frely talk,
The tother pairt Erideilus be name,
Rais vp and quyetlie away did s [...]alk
And as me thocht he waxit reid for schame,
Quhilk quhen I saw I rais vp and come hame
And put in wryt thair disputatioun,
As ȝe haue hard be this narratioun.
¶ FINIS.
¶ Imprentit at Edinburgh be Robert Le [...]. ANNO DO. 1567.