Wald tak ane child of tender age,
Quhilk never had bin on the sey,
And gar his bidding all obey,
Geving him hail the governall
To ship, marchand, and marinall
For dreid of rockis and foir land,
To put the ruthir in his hand.
I will nocht say that it was tressoun,
But I dar sweir it was na ressoun.
I pray God lat me never see ring
Into this realme sa young ane king.
IN CONTEMPTION OF SIDE TAILS.
SOVEREIGN, I mean of thir side tails,
Whilk through the dust and dubs trails,
Three quarters lang behind their heels,
Express again' all commonweals.
Though bishops, in their pontificals,
Have men for to bear up their tails,
For dignity of their office;
Richt so ane queen or ane emprice;
Howbeit they use sic gravity,
Conformand to their majesty,
Though their robe-royals be upborne,
I think it is ane very scorn,
That every lady of the land
Should have her tail so side trailand;
Howbeit they been of high estate,
The queen they should not counterfeit.
Wherever they go it may be seen;
How kirk and causay they soop clean.
May think of their side tails irk
For when the weather been maist fair,
The dust flies highest into the air,
And all their faces does begary,
Gif they could speak, they wald them wary.
But I have maist into despite
Poor claggocks clad in Raploch white,
Whilk has scant twa merks for their fees,
Will have twa ells beneath their knees.
Kittock, that cleckit was yestreen,
The morn, will counterfeit the queen.
In baron nor byre she will not bide,
Without her kirtle tail be side.
In summer, when the streets dries,
They raise the dust aboon the skies;
Nane may gae near them at their ease,
Without they cover mouth and neese.
I think maist pane after ane rain,
To see them tuckit up again;
Then when they step furth through the street,
Their fauldings flaps about their feet;
Of tails I will no more indite,
For dread some duddron me despite :
Notwithstanding, I will conclude,
That of side tails can come nae gude,
Sider nor may their ankles hide,
The remanent proceeds of pride,
And pride proceeds of the devil,
Thus alway they proceed of evil.
Ane other fault, sir, may be seen—
They hide their face all bot the een;
When gentlemen bid them gude-day,
Without reverence they slide away.
Without their faults be soon amended,
My flyting, sir, shall never be ended;
But wald your grace my counsel tak,
Ane proclamation ye should mak,
Baith through the land and burrowstouns,
To shaw their face and cut their gowns.
Women will say, this is nae bourds,
To write sic vile and filthy words;
But wald they clenge their filthy tails,
Whilk over the mires and middings trails,
Then should my writing clengit be,
None other mends they get of me.
SATIRE ON THE THREE ESTATES.
My potent pardons ye may see,
Come frae the Cham of Tartary,
Weel sealed with oyster-shells;
Though ye have no discretion,
Ye shall have full remission,
With help of books and bells.
Here is a relic lang and braid
Of Fin-mac-Coul the right chaft blade,
With teeth and all togidder;
Of Colin's cow here is a horn,
For eating of Makammel's corn
Was slain into Balquhidder.
Here is the cord, baith great and lang,
Whilk hanged Johnnie Armstrang,
Of gude hemp saft and sound;
Gude haly people, I stand for't,
Whae'er be hanged in this cord,
Needs never to be drowned!
The culum of St Bride's cow,
The gruntle of St Antone's sow,
Whilk bore his haly bell;
Whaever hears this bell clink
Give me a ducat to the drink,
He shall never gang till hell
Without he be with Belial born:
Masters, trow ye that this be scorn?
Come, win this pardon, come!
Wha loves their wives not with their heart,
I have power them to depart :
Methink you deaf and dumb.
Has none of you cursed wicked wives
That halds you into sturt and strifes ?
Come take my dispensation;
Of that cummer I shall make you quit,
Howbeit yourself be in the wyte,
And make ane false narration.
Come win the pardon! Now let see
For meal, for malt, or for money-
For cock, hen, goose, or grise,
Of relics here I have a hunder,
Why come ye not? This is a wonder;
I trow ye be not wise.
A DISTINGUISHED courtier in the reign of Henry VIII., he was secretly attached to Anne Boleyn, whom he has commemorated in his verse. He was fortunate in escaping the suspicion and tyranny of Henry, and died while on a mission for him in France. His poetical pieces were few.
THE LOVER'S LUTE.
BLAME not my Lute! for he must sound
Of this or that as liketh me;
For lack of wit the Lute is bound
To give such tunes as pleaseth me;
Though my songs be somewhat strange,
And speak such words as touch my change,
Blame not my Lute!
My Lute, alas! doth not offend,
Though that per force he must agree
To sound such tunes as I intend
To sing to them that heareth me;
Then though my songs be somewhat plain,
And toucheth some that use to feign,
Blame not my Lute!
My Lute and strings may not deny,
But as I strike they must obey;
Break not them so wrongfully,
But wreak thyself some other way;
And though the songs which I indite
Do quit thy change with rightful spite,
Blame not my Lute!
Spite asketh spite, and changing change,
And falsed faith must needs be known;
The faults so great, the case so strange;
Of right it must abroad be blown :
Then since that by thine own desert
My songs do tell how true thou art,
Blame not my Lute!
Blame but thyself that hast misdone,
And well deserved to have blame;
Change thou thy way, so evil begone,
And then my Lute shall sound that same;
But if till then my fingers play,
By thy desert their wonted way,
Blame not my Lute!
Farewell! unknown; for though thou break
My strings in spite with great disdain,
Yet have I found out for thy sake,
Strings for to string my Lute again :
And if perchance this silly rhyme
Do make thee blush at any time,
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey.
THIS accomplished nobleman was the eldest son of the Duke of Norfolk ; he was born about the year 1517, but much obscurity rests on his early life. Surrey bore a distinguished part in the wars with Scotland and France. He was committed to the Tower by the arbitrary Henry VIII., and on a mock charge of quartering the royal arms of Edward the Confessor on his escutcheon, he was beheaded on 21st January 1546. His works consist of songs and sonnets, which are remarkable for correctness of style and purity of expression. He has the distinction of being the first to introduce blank verse into our poetry.
PRISONER IN WINDSOR.
So cruel prison how could betide, alas!
As proud Windsor? where I, in lust and joy,
With a king's son, my childish years did pass,
In greater feast than Priam's son of Troy:
Where each sweet place returns a taste full sour!
The large green courts where we were wont to hove,
With eyes cast up into the Maiden tower,
And easy sighs, such as folk draw in love.
The stately seats, the ladies bright of hue;
The dances short, long tales of great delight,
With words and looks that tigers could but rue,
Where each of us did plead the other's right.
The palm-play, where, despoiled for the game,
With dazed eyes oft we, by gleams of love,
Have missed the ball and got sight of our dame,
To bait her eyes, which kept the leads above.
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