Works, Prologue 1

Works · Prologue 1

The Prolog of the Miſcrabill Eſtait of the warld. Betuit Experience, and ane Courteour. (✚)

MVSING and meruelling on y^e miſerie

Frome day to day in erth quhilk dots incres

And of ilk ſtart y^e inſtabilitie

Proceding of the reſtles beſynes

Quhat ō y^e moſt part dois thair mynd addres

Inordinatlie, on boung…e Couetyce

Vaine glore, diſſait, and vther ſenſuall vyce.

Bot tumbling in my bed, I mycht nocht ly

Quharetor I …ir furth, in a… May mornīg

Confort to get of my melancholie

Sumquhat afore fr…ſche Phebus vpryſing

Qu…are I micht heir, y^e birdis ſweitly ſing,

In tyll an… Park I paſt for my pleſure

Decorit w…l, be craft of dame Nature.

Quhow I reſauit confort Naturall

For tyl diſcriue at lenth it war to lang

Smelling the holſum herbis medicinall

Quhate on the dulce, & balmy dew doun dāg

Lyke Ortent perlis on the twiſtis hang

Or quhow that the Aromatik odouris

Did proceid frō the tender fragrant flouris.

Or quhow Phebus that king Etheriall

Swyftly ſprang vp in to the Orient

Aſcending in his throne Imperiall

Quhoſe bricht and buriall bemis reſplendent

Iullminat all vntounto the Occident

Confortand eueryevery corporall Creature

Quhilk formit war, in erth, be dame Nature.

Quhoſe donk impurpurit veſtimēt nocturnal,

With his embrowderit mantill matutyne

He left in tyll his regioun aur…rall

Quhilk on hym waitit quhen he did declyne

Towart his occident palice Veſpertyne

And roſe in habite gay and glorious

Brichter nor gold, or ſtonis precious.

¶Bot Cynthia the hornit nychtis quene

Scho loſt hir licht, and led ane lawer ſaill

Frō tyme hir ſouerane lord that ſcho had ſene

And in his preſence waxit dick and paill

And ouer hir viſage, keſt ane miſlie vaill.

So did Venus, the goddes amorous

With Iuppiter Mars, and Mercurius.

Richtſo the auld Intoxicat Saturne.

Perſauing Phebus, powre his bemis bricht,

Abuſe the erth, than maid he no ſudgcourne

Bot ſuddandlie did loſe his borrowit licht

Quhilk he durſt neuer ſchaw bot on the nicht

The Pole artick, Vrſis, and ſterris all

Quhilk ſituat ar in the Septenttionall.

Tyl errand ſchippis quhilkis ar y^e ſouer gyde

Conuoyand thame vponupon the ſtormie nicht

Within thare froſtie circle did thame hyde

Howbeit that ſterris hauehave none vther licht

Bot the reflex of Phebus bemis bricht

That day durſt none in to the heuin appeir

Tyll he had circuite all our Hemiſpheir.

❧Me thocht it was ane ſicht celeſtiall

To ſene Phebus ſo Angellyke aſcend

In tyll his fyrie chariot tryumphall

Quhoſe bewte bricht, I culd not cōprehend

All warldy cure an one did fro me wend

Quhen freſche flora ſpred furth hir tapeſtrie

Wrocht be dame nature queynt & curiouſlie.

Depaynt w^t mony hundreth heuiulie he wis,

Glaid of the ryſing of thare Royall Roy

With blomes brek and on the tender bewis

Quhilk did prouok myne hart to natural ioy

Neptune that day, and Eoll, held thame coy

That men on far micht heir the birdis ſound

Quhoſe noyis did to y^e ſterrie heuin redound.

The pleſād powne, prunȝeād his fedrem fair

The mirthful Maueis maid greit melodie,

The luſtie Lark aſcending in the air

Numerand hir naturall notis craftelie,

The gay Goldſpink, y^e Merll richt merilie

The noyis of the nobill Nythtingailis

Redoundit throw y^e mōtanis, meidis & vailis

Contempling this melodious harmonie

Quhow euerilk bird, dreſt thame for tyll aduance

To ſalute Nature w^t thare melodie

That I ſtude gaiſing halflingꝭ in ane trance

To heir thame mak thare natural obſeruāce

So royallie, that all the roches rang

Throuch repercuſſioun of yair ſuggutit ſang

☞ I loſe my tyme, allace for to rehers

Sic vnfrutteful and vaine Deſcriptioun

Or wryt in to my raggit rurall vers

Mater without Edificatioun

Conſidering quhow that myne intentioun

Bene tyll deplore the mortall miſereis

With continuall cairfull Calamiteis.

Conſiſting in this wrechit vaill of ſorrow.

Bot ſad Sentence, ſuld hauehave ane ſad indyte

So termes bricht, I liſt not for to borrow

Of murning mater men bes no delyte

With rouſtie termes tharefor wyll I wryte

With ſorrowful ſichis aſcending frō y^e ſplene

And bitter teiris diſtelling frome myne ene.

¶ Without ony vane Inuocatioun

To Minerua, or to Melpomine

Nor ȝit wyll I mak ſupplicatioun

For help to Cleo, nor Calliope

Sic marrit Muſis may mak me no ſupple

Proſerpine I refuſe and Appollo

And rychtſo Euterpe, Iuppiter, and Iuno.

Quhilkꝭ bene to pleſand Poetis conforting.

Quharefore, becauſe I am nocht one of tho

I do deſyre of thame no ſupporting,

For I did neuer ſtrip ou Peruaſo

As did the Poetis of lang tyme ago,

And ſpeciallie the ornate Ennius

Nor drank I neuer with Heſiodus.

Of Grece, the perfyte Poeit Souerane

Of Helicon the Sors of Eloquence

Of that mellifluous famous freſche fontane

Quhairfore I aw to thame no reuerence

I purpoſe nocht to mak obedience

To ſic miſcheant Muſis no Mahumetrie

Afore tyme vſit in to Poetrie.

Rauand Rhamnuſia, goddes of deſpyte

Micht be to me ane Muſe richt conuenable

Geue I deſirit ſic help for tyll indyte

This murning mater, mad, and miſerable

I mon go ſeik ane Muſe more confortable

And ſic vane ſuperſtitioun to refuſe

Beſeikand the greit God to be my Muſe.

Be quhoſe wyſedome al maner of thing bene wrochtGene. 1.Gen 1

the hie heuīnis, w^t al yair ornamētis

And without mater maid all thing of nocht

Hell, in myd Center of the Elementis

That heuinlie Muſe to ſeik my hole intent is

The quhilk gaif ſapience to king Salomon

Pſalme. lxxxix. Iuges. xiii. Mat. iiii Actis. ix.Ps 89Matt 4To Dauid grace, ſtrenth to y^e ſtrong Sampſon.

And of pure Peter, maid ane prudent Preichour

And be the power of his deite

Of cruel Paule he maid ane cūning teichour

I mon beſeik rycht lawly on my kne

His hich ſuperexcellent Maieſtie

That with his heuinly ſpreit he me inſpyre

To wryte no thing, contrarie his deſyre.

Luc. i.Luke 1Beſeikand als, his ſouerane Sone Ieſu

Quhilk was conſauit be the holy ſpreit

Incarnate of the purifyit Virgen treu

Mathew xxvii. Luc. xxiiii. Iho. xix.Matt 27Luke 24And in quhom the Prophecie was compleit

That prince of pecr, moſt humil & manſweit

Quhilk vnderunder Pylate ſufferit paſſioun

VponUpon the Croce, for our Saluatioun.

And be that cruell deth, intolerabill

Lowſit we war frome bandis of Beliall

And mairatouer, it was ſo proffitabill

That to this hour, come neuer man nor ſall

To the tryumphant Ioy Imperiall

Heb, ix.Of lyfe, howbeit that thay war nev er ſo gude

Bot be the vertew of that precious blude.

Quharefor in ſteid, of the mont Pernaſo

Swiftlie, I fall go ſeik my Souerane

To m…nt Caſuarte y^e ſtraucht way mon I go

To get ane taiſt, of y^e moſt freſche fontane

That ſors to ſeik my hart may nocht refrane

Of Helicon, quhilk wes boith drip and wyde

That Longinus did graue in tyll his ſyde.Iho. xix.

Frō y^e freſche fontane, ſprang ane famꝰ flude

Quhilk redolet riuer, throw y^e warld rynnis

As chriſtall cleir, and myxit bene with blude,

Quhoſe ſound abuſe y^e hieſt heuinnis dinnis

Al faithful peple, purgyng frō thate ſinnis.

Quharefor… I ſall beſeik his Excellence

To grant me grace, wiſedome, & Eloquence.

And bath me w^t thoſe dulce & balmy ſtrandis

Quhilk on the Croce, did ſpedilie out ſpring

Frō his moſt tender feit, and heuinlie handis

And grāt me grace, to wryte nor dyte no thing

Bot tyll his hich honour, and loud louing

but quhoſe ſupport yair may na gude be wrocht

til his pleſur gude workꝭword nor thocht

Tharefor O Lord,Ihon. il. I pray thy Maieſte

As thow did ſchaw thy hich power deuyne

Firſt planelie, in the Cane of Galile

Quhar thow conuertit cald watter in wyne

Conuoy my mater till ane fructuous fyne

And ſaue my ſayingꝭ, baith frō ſchame & ſyn

Tak tent, for now I purpoſe to begyn.