The Complaint and Testament of a Popinjay, Poem 2

The Complaint and Testament of a Popinjay · Poem 2

¶Here begynneth the commonynge betwyxte the Papingo and hyr Executours.

THe pye p…rceyued the Papingo in payne

…ed downe and feyned hym to grete

Syster sayd he alas who hath you slayne

I pray you make prouision for your sprete

Go test your gere and you confesse complete

I hauehave power by your contrition

Of all your mysse to gyue you full remission

I am sayth he a channon regulare

And of my brether pryour pryncipall

My white rochet, my clene lyfe doth declare

The blake bene of the deth memoriall

Wherfore I thynke your goodes naturall

Shold be submytted hole in to my cure

Ye know I am a ryght holy creature

The rauin came raupand when he herd the rare

So dyd the gledde with mony a petuous pew

And feynedly they counterfeyted great care

Syster sayd they, your retchlesnes we rew

Now best it is our iust counsell ensew

Seyng we pretend tyll hye promotion

Religious men of great deuotion

I am a blak monke sayd the rutland rauine

So sayd the gledde I am a cordilere

And hath power to bryng you quyk to heauin

It is well knowen my conscience bene full clere

The blak bible prounce I shall perquere

So tyll our brether ye wyll gyue some good

God wate if we hauehave nede of lyues food

The Papingo sayd fader be the rood

Howbeit your rayment be religious lyke

Your conscience I suspect be not good

I did perceyue when preuely ye dyd pike

A chykyn from a hen vnderunder a dyke

I grant sayd he, that hen was my good frende

And I that chekyn toke but for my teynde

Ye know the sayth by vsus men be susteynde

So by the kyrk it is preordinate

That sprituall men shold lyue vponupon theyr teynde

But well wote I ye bene predestinate

In your extreme to be so fortunate

To hauehave syk holy consultation

Wherfore we make you exhortation

Sen dame nature has graunted you syk grace

Leysure to make confession generall

Showe forth your synne in haste whill ye hauehave space

Then of your gere make a memoriall

Whe thre shall make your feestes funerall

And with great blysse bury we shall your bones

Syne trentalles tuenty / trattle all at ones

The rukes shall rair that men shall on them rew

And crye commemoratio ammarum

We shall gar chyckens chepe, and geslynges pew

Suppose the gese and heanes shol… crye alarum

And we shall serue secundum vsum Sarum

And make you safe we fy…d saynt Blase to borgh

Cryand for you the carefull corynogh

And we shall syng aboute your sepulture

Saynt Mungoise matyns and the mekill creed

And syne deuoutly say I you assure

The olde placebo bakwart and the beed

And we shall were for you the mournyng weed

And though your sprete with Pluto were profest

Deuoutly shall your dirige be adorest

¶Fader sayd she your facound wordes fayre

Full sore I dreed be contrary to your dedes

The wyues of the village cryes with care

When they perseyue you moue ouer theyr medes

Your fals consayt both ducke and drake sore dredes

I meruell shorthly ye be not ashamed

For your defaltes beyng so defamed.

It doth aborre my pore perturbed spryte

To make tyll you ony confession

I here men sayen ye be an ypocryte

Exempt from the syse and the session

To put my gere in your possession

That wyll I not so help me dame nature

Nor of my corps I wyll you gyue no cure

But had I here the noble nyghtyngale

The gentyll iaye▪ the merle / and turtour terwe

My obsequies and feestes funerale

Order they wo…d with notes of the newe

The pleasand panne most angelik of hewe

Wold god I were with hym this day confest

And my deuyse duly by hym addrest.

The mirthfull mauis with the gay gold spynke

The lusty larke wold god they ware present

My infortune forsoth they wold forthynke

And comfort me that is so impotent

The swyft swallow in practyk most prudent

I wote she wold my bledyng stent belyue

With hyr most vertuous stone restringitiue

¶Counte me the case vnderunder confession

The glede sayd proudly to the Papingo

And we shall swere by our profession

Counsell to kepe and shaw it to no mo

We the beseke or thou depart vsus fro

Declare tyll vsus some cause reasonable

Why we bene holden so abhominable.

By thy trauell thou hast experience

Fyrst beinge bred in to the orient

Syne, by thy good seruice and diligence

To prynces made here in the occident

Thou knowest the vulgare peoples iugement

Where thou transcurred the hote meridionale

Syne, next the pole the plage septentrionale

So by thy hygh ingyne superlatise

Of all countreys thou knowest the qualityes

Wherfore I the coniure by god of lyfe

The verite declare without in lyes

What thou hast herde be landes and by seis

Of vsus kyrk men both good and euill report

And how they iudge shawe vsus we the exhort.

¶Fader sayd she I caytiue creature

Dare not presume with syk mater to mell

Of your cases ye know I hauehave no cure

Demande them, wilk in prudence doth precell

I may not pew my paynes bene so fell

And also perchaunce ye wyll not stand content

To know the vulgars peoples iugement

Yet wyll the deth alyte withdraw his dart

All that lyes in my memoriall

I shall declare with trew vnfeyned hart

And first I say to you in generall

The commone people says ye bene all

Degenerate from your holy primitiuis

As testifyes the proces of your liuis

Of your perelese prudent predecessours

The begynnyng I graunt was veray gude

Appostles, martyrs, virgyns, and confessours

The sounde of theyr excellent sanctitude

Was herd ouer all the world by land and flude

Planting the faith by predication

As Chryst had made to them narration

To fortefy the fayth they toke no fere

Afore princes prechyng full prudently

Of dolorous deth they doubted not the dere

The verite declaryng feruently

And materdome they suffered paciently

They toke no cure of land, ryches, nor rent

Doctrine and dede ware both equiuolent

To shewe at length theyr werkes were great wunder

Theyr myracles they were so manyfest

In name of Chryst they heled many hunder

Raysyng the deed / and purgyng the possest

With peruest spretes whiche had bene opprest

The croked ran the blynde men gate theyr eyen

The defe men herd, the lyppres were made cleen

The prelates spoused were with pouerte

The dayes when so they florysshed in fame

And with hyr companed lady chastite

And dame deuotion notable of name

Humble they were semple and full of shame

Thus chastite and dame deuotion

Was principall cause of theyr promotion.

¶Thus they contynued in this life deuyne

Ay tyll there raygnyd in Romes great cite

A potent prynce whose name was Constantyne

Perceyued the kyrke had spoused pouerte

With good entent and moued of pite

Cause of dyuorse / he fand betwyxt them two

And parted them withouten wordes mo

Syne shortly with a great solempnite

Withouten ony dispensacyon

The kyrke he spoused with dame properte

Whylke hastely by proclamacyon

To pouerte garte make narracyon

Under the payne of persynge of her eyne

That with the kyrke sholde no more be sene

Syluester that tyme was pape in Rome

Whiche fyrst consented to the maryage

Of properte the whylke began to blome

Takynge on her the cure with hye corage

Deuotion drewe her tyll an hermytage

When she consydered lady properte

So hyghe exalted in to dignite

¶O Syluester where was thy discrecyon

Whylk Peter dyd renounce, thou dyd recayf

Androwe and Iohn̄ dyd leaue theyr possession

Theyr shyppes, theyr nettes, lynes, & all the layf

Of temporall substaunce nothyng wolde they hayf

Contraryous to theyr contemplacyon

But soberly theyr sustentacyon

Iohn̄ the Baptyst went to the wyldernesse

Lazarus, Martha, and mary Magdalaine

Lefre heritage and goodes more and lesse

Prudent saynt Paule, thought properte prophaine

From towne to towne he ran in wynde and rayne

Upon his fete, techynge the worde of grace

And neuer was subiecte to ryches

The gled sayd yet I heare nothynge but good

Procede shortly and thy mater auaunce

The Papingo sayd fader by the rood

It were to lang to shew the circumstaunce

How properte with her new alliaunce

Grew great with chylde as true men to me tolde

And bare two douthers goodly to beholde

The eldest doughter named was ryches

The seconde syster sensualite

Whiche dyd encreace within a short proces

Preplesaunt to the spiritualite

In great substaunce and excellent beaute

These ladyes two grewe so within few yeres

That in the worlde ware none myght be theyr peres

This ryall ryches and lady sensuall

From that tyme forth toke hole the gouernaunce

Of the most part of the state spirituall

And they agayne with humble obseruaunce

Amorously theyr wyttes dyd auaunce

As true louers theyr ladyes for to please

God wote gyf than theyr hertes were at ease

Soone they forgate to studye, pray, and preche

They grewe so subiect to dame sensuall

And thought it but payne pore people for to teche

Yet they decreed in theyr great counsall

They wolde no more to maryage be thrall

Trusting surely to obserue chastite

And albegyled quod sensualite

Apperandly they dyd expell theyr wyues

That they myght lyue at large without bondage

At liberte to leade theyr lusty lyues

Thynkyng men thrall that bene in mariage

For new faces prouoketh new corage

Thus chastite they turne in to delyte

Wantyng of wyues bene cause of appetyte

¶The banyshyng of chastite.

Dame chastite dyd steale away for shame

From tyme she dyd perceyue theyr puruyance

Dame sensuall one letter gart proclame

And her exiled Ytaly and Fraunce

In Englande coude she get none ordinaunce

Than to the kyng and court of Scotlande

She marked her wi…houten more demande

Trustyng in to that court to get comfort

She made her humble supplication

Shortly they sayd she shold get no support

But boosted her with blasphemation

To preestes go make you protestation

It is, sayd they, many an hundred yere

Sen chastite had ony enteres here

Tyred for trauell she to the preestes past

And to the rulars of religyon

Of her presens shortly they were agast

Sayeng they thought it but abusion

Her to receyue so with conclusion

With one aduyse decreed and gaue dome

They wolde receyue no rebell out of Rome

Sholde we receyue that Romains has refused

And banisshed England / Ytaly and Fraunce

For your flattery than were we well abused

Passe hens sayd they and fast your way auaunce

Among the nunnes go seke your ordinaunce

For we hauehave made othe of fidelite

To dame ryches and sensualite

Than paciently she made progression

Toward the nunnes with herte syghyng full sore

They gaue her presens with procession

Receyued her with honour, laude, and glore

Purposyng to preserue her euermore

Of that nouelles came to dame properte

To ryches and so to sensualite

Whylkes sped them at the post ryght spedely

And set one syege proudly about the place

The selly nunnes dyd yelde them hastely

And humbly of theyr gylt asked grace

Syne gaue theyr bandes of perpetuall peace

Receyu and them they kept open wyckettes wyde

Than chastite wold no longer abyde

¶So for refuge fast to the freres she fled

Which sayd they wolde of ladyes take no cure

Where is she now than sayd the gredy gled

Not among you sayd she I you assure

I trust she bene vponupon the burrow mure

By south Edynburgh and so full many menes

Profest among the systers of the senes

There hath she founde her moder pouerte

And deuotion her owne syster cordiall

There hath she founde fayth, hoope, and charite

Togyther wich the vertuous cardinall

There hath she founden one couent yet vnthrall

To Sensualite nor with ryches abused

So quietly those ladyes bene inclused.

The pyote sayd, I dreed, be they assayled

They wyll render them as dyd the holy nunnes

Doubt not sayd she for they bene so artayled

They purpose to defend them with theyr gunnes

Redy to shote they hauehave six great cannouns

Perseuerance, constance, and conscience,

Austerite, labour, and abstinence

Tyll resist, subtyll Sensualite

Strongly they bene armed feete and handes

By abstinence, and kepeth pouerte

Contrary ryches and all her false seruandes

They hauehave one bumbard brased vp in bandes

To kepe theyr port in myddes of theyr close

Whilk is called domine custodinos.

Within whose shote, there dare no enemyes

Approche theyr place, for dreed of dyntes doure

But nyght and day, they warke lyke besy bees

For theyr defence reddy to stand in stoure

And hath syk watchis on theyr vtter toure

That Sensualite with siege dare not assayle

Nor come within the shot of theyr artayle

The pyote sayd wherto shold they presume

For to resyst swete sensualite

Or dame ryches wich rulers bene in Rome

Are they more constant in theyr qualite

Than the captayns of the spiritualte

Whylkes pleasandly withouten obstakle

Has them reseyued in theyr habitakle.

How longe trowe ye, those ladyes shall remayne

So solitary in suche perfection

The Papingo sayd brether in certayne

So long as they obey correction

Chosyng theyr heedes by election

Unthrall to ryches or to properte

But as requires theyr necessite

O prudent prelates where was your prescience

That toke on hande tyll obserue chastite

Without austere lyfe / labour / and abstinence

Perseyued ye not the great prosperite

Apperandly tyll come of properte

Ye knew good chere, great ease, and ydelnes

To lechery was moder and maystres

Thou raues vnroked the rauyn sayd by the roode

For to repreue ryches or properte

Abraham and Isaac / were ryche and ay good

Iacob and Ioseph had prosperite

The Papingo sayd, that is verite

Ryches I graunt is not to be refused

Prouydyng alwaye it be not abused.

Than made the rauen a replicacion

Syne, sayde thy reason is not worth a myte

As I shall proue with protestacyon

That no man take my wordes in despyte

I say the temporall prynces has the wyte

That in the kyrk syk pastours doth drouyde

To gouerne soules that not them selfe can guyde

Longe tyme after the kyrke toke properte

The prelates lyued in great perfection

Unthrall to ryches or Sensualite

Under the holy spretes protection

Orderly chosynge by election

As Gregore, Ierome, Ambrose, and Angustyne

Benedict, Bernard, Clement, Clete, & Lyne

Syk pacient prelates entred by the porte

Pleasynge the pepole by predication

Now dyke lowpers, dothe in the kyrk resorte

By symonye and supplicacyon

Of patrons by theyr presentacyon

So sely soules that bene Chrystes shepe

Are gyuen to hungry gormond wolues to kepe

No meruayle is though we religious men

Degenerat be and in our lyues confused

But synge and drynke, none other crafte we ken

Our spirituall faders has vsus so abused

Agayne our wyll they trukours bene intrused

Lay men has now religious men in cures

Profest virgyns in kepynge of stronge hures

Prynces prynces, where bene your hye prudence

In disposition of your benefyces

The guerdonyng of your courticience

Is some cause of your great enormiteis

There is one sort waytand lyke hungry fleis

For spirituall cure though they be nothyng able

Whose gredy thrystes bene insaciable

Prynces I pray you be no more abused

To vertuous men hauyng so small regarde

Why sholde vertue through flattery be refused

That men for cunnyng can get no rewarde

Alas that euer a braggar or a barde

An hoore mayster or a common hasature

Shold in the kyrk get ony kynde of cure

Were I a man worthy to were a crowne

Ay when there vaked ony benefyse

I shold gar call a congregation

Of principals of all the prelacyse

Most cunnyng clerkes of vniuersyties

Most famous faders of religion

With theyr aduyse make disposition

I shold dispone all offices pastorayles

Tyll doctours of diuinite or iure

And cause dame vertue pull vp all her sayles

When cunnyng men had in the kyrk most cure

Garlordes send theyr sonnes I you assure

To seke science and famous scholes frequent

Syne, them promote that were most sapient

Great plesure were to here a bysshop preche

A deane, or a doctour in diuinitie

An abbot whylk couth well his couent teche

A parsone flowyng in philosophie

I tyne my tyme tyll wyshe whylk wyll not be,

Were not the prechyng of certeyn beggyng freres

Tint were the fayth amange the seculeres.

¶As for theyr prechyng ꝙ the Papingo

I them excuse for why they bene so thrall

Tyll properte and her dygne doughters two

Dame ryches and fayre lady sensuall

They may not vse no pastyme spirituall

And in theyr hahytes they take syk delyte

They hauehave renounsed russat and course whyte

Clekande to them scarlot and cramosie

With meneuer / martrik / grece, and ryche armyne

Theyr low hertes exalted are so hye

To se theyr papall pompe it is a pyne

More ryche arraye is now with frenges fyne

Apon the braudryng of a bysshopes mule

Nor euer had Paule or Peter agayne youle

Seyng fayre ladyes theyr cheyne may not escape

Sensualite so such seed has in them sawne

Lesse skathe it were with lycence of the Pape

That ylk prelate a wyfe had of his awne

Then se theyr bastardes throughout the cōtrey blawne

For as sone as they be comyn from the scules

They fall to werke as they were common bules

Pew quod the gled thou preches all in vayne

The secular folk has of our cases no cures

I graunt quod she yet men wyll speke agayne

How ye hauehave made an hundreth thousande hures

Whylkꝭ neuer had bene were not your lychorus lures

And gyf I lye hertely I me repent

Was neuer byrd I wote more penitent

Than she shroue her with deuoute countenaunce

To that false gled wylk feyned hym a frere

And after he had enioyned her penaunce

Full subtelly at her he gan inquere

Chose you sayd he, whylk of vsus brethren here

Shall hauehave of all your naturall gere the cures

Ye know none bene more holy creatures

I am content quod the pore Papingo

That ye frere gled and corby monke your brother

HaueHave cure of all my goodes and no mo

Seyng at this tyme frendsshyp I fynd none other

We wyll be to you as true as tyll our mother

Quod they and sware to fulfyll her entent

Of that sayd she I take an instrument

The pyote sayd what shall my offyce be

Ouerseer sayd she vntounto the other two

She rowpand rauyn sayd swete syster lat se

Your hole entent for it is tyme to go

The gredy gled sayd brother do not so

We wyll remayne and holden vp her heed

And neuer depart from hyr tyll she be deed

The Papingo them thanked tenderly

And sayd seyng ye hauehave tane on you this cure

Depart my naturall goodes equally

That euer I had or hath of dame nature

Fyrst to the howlot indegent and pure

Whilk on the day for shame dare not be sene

Tyll her I leaue my gay galbert of grene

My bryght depured eyen as cristall clere

Unto the bak ye shall them both present

In Phebus presens whylk dare not appere

Of naturall syght she is so impotent

My burneshed beik I leaue with good entent

Unto the gentill petuous pellicane

Tyll help to perse her tender hert in twane

I leaue the golk whylk has no songe but one

My musyk with my voyce angelicall

And to the guse ye gyue when I am gone

My eloquence and tonge rethoricall

And take and drye my bones great and small

Syne, close them in a case of euour fyne

And them present vntounto the fenix shyne

To burne with her when she her lyfe renewes

In Arabie ye shall her fynd without fere

And shall knowe her by her most heuenly hewes

Gold, asure, gowles, purpour, and sinopere

Hyr date is for to lyue fyue hundreth yere

Make to that bird my commendation

And als I make you supplication

Seyng of my corps I hauehave you gyuen the cure

Ye spede you to the court without tarying

And take my herte of perfyte portrature

And it prent vntounto my souerayne kyng

I wote he wyll it close in to a ryng

Commend me to his grace I you exhort

And of my passion make hym true report

Ye thre my trypes shall hauehave for your trauell

With lyuer and lunge to part equall among you

Prayand Pluto the potent prynce of hell

Gyf ye fayle that in his fete he fang you

Be to me true thoughe I nothyng belang you

Sore I suspect your conscience be to large

Doubt not sayd they we take it with the charge

Adue brether quod the pore Papingo

To talkyng more I hauehave no tyme to tary

But sen my sprete mon from my body go

I recommende it to the quene of fary

Eternally in to her court to tary

In wyldernes amonge thyr holtes hore

Than she included her heed & spake no more

Plunged in tyll her mortall passion

Full greuously she grypped to the grounde

It were to longe to make narracyon

Of syghes sore with many stauke and stounde

Out of her wounde the bloode so abounde

A compace rounde was with her bloode made reed

Without remedy there was nothynge but deed

And by she had in manus tuas sayd

Extincted were her naturall wyttes fyue

Her heed full softly on her shulder she layd

Syne yeld the sprete with paynes pungitiue

The rauen begane rudely to roug and ryue

Full gormondlyk, his empty throte he fed

Gate softly brether sayd the gredy gled

Whyle she is hote depart her euen amonge vsus

Take you one halfe and reke to me another

In tyll our ryght I wote no wyght dare wrang vsus

The piot sayd the fynde receyue the sother

Why make ye me stepharne and I your brother

Ye do me wrang syrgled I shrow your hart

Take there sayd he the puddynges for thy part

Than wot ye well my hert was wonder sayre

For to beholde that dolent departyng

Her angell fedders fleyng in the ayre

Except the hart was left of her nothyng

The piot sayd this perteynes to the kyng

Whylk tyll his grace I purpose to present

Thou quod the gled shall fayll of thyn entent

The rauyn sayd, god nor I rax in a rape

And thou get this other to kyng or duke

The piot sayd playne I not to the pape

Than in one smedy I be smored with smuke

With that the gled the pece caught in his cluke

And fled his way the layfe with all theyr myght

Tyll chace the gled flew all out of my syght

¶Now hauehave ye herde this lytle tragedye

The sore complaynt, the testament & myschaunce

Of this poore byrde, whylke dyd ascende so hye

Besekyng you excuse myne ignoraunce

And rude endyte, whylk is not to auaunce

And to the queyre I gyue the commaundement

Make no repayre, where poetes bene present

Because you bene but rethoryk so rude

Be neuer sene besyde none other boke

With kyng nor quene, with lorde nor man of gude

With cote vnclene, clayme kynred to some coke

Stele in a nuke, when men lyst on the loke

For smell of smuke men wyll abhorre to bere the

Here I mensuer the, wherfore to lurke go lere the.

¶Here endes the complaynt, & testament of the kynge of Scottes Papinpo, compyled by Dauid Lyndesay of the mount, and finysshed the .xiiij. day of Decembre, in the yere of our lord. 1530

¶Imprynted at London in Fletestrete, at the sygne of the Sonne, by Iohn̄ Byddell. The yere of our lorde. M.D.xxxviij.

CVM PRIVILEGIO.

End of the text · David Lindsay, The Complaint and Testament of a Popinjay (1538)