The History of a Noble Squire, Part 2

The History of a Noble Squire · Part 2

THE Testament of the nobill and vailȝeand Squyer Williame Meldrū of the Bynnis. Compylit be Sir Dauid Lyndesay of the Mont. &c.

THe Holie man Iob, ground of pacience,

In his greit trubill trewlie did report,

Quhilk I persaue now be Experience,

That mennis lyfe in …irth bene wounder short.

My ȝouth is gane and eild now dois resort:

My time is gan… I think it bot ane dreame,

Zit efter deith remane sall my gude fame.

I persaue shortlie, that I man pay my det,

To me in …irth no place bene permanent:

My hart on it no mair now will I set,

Bot with the help of God omnipotent,

With resolute mind go mak my Testament:

And tak my leif at cuntriemen, and kyn,

And all the warld and thus I will begyn.

☞ Thrie Lordis to me salbe Executouris,

Lindesayis all thrit in surname of renoun:

Of my Testament thay sall hauehave hail the cure,

To put my mind till executioun.

That Surname failȝeit neuer to the Croun,

Na m…ir will thay to me I am richt sure,

Quhilk is the …aus that I giuegive them the cure▪

First Dauid Erll of Craufuird wise & wicht

And Iohne Lord Lindesay my maister sp…

The thrid salbe ane nobill trauellit Knicht,

Quhilk kn…wis the coistis of Feistis funeral:

The wise Sir Walter Lindesay they him cal.

Lord of S. Iohne, and Knicht of Torfishane,

Be sey and land ane vailȝe and Capitane.

Thocht age hes maid my bodie impotent.

Zit in my hart hie courage doeth precell:

Quhairfoir I leif to God with gude intent,

My spreit, the quhilk he hes maid immortall

In…l his Court perpetuallie to dwell:

And neuir moir to steir furth of that steid

Till Christ discend & judge baith quick & deid.

I ȝow beseik my Lordis Executouris,

My geir geue till the nixt of my kynrent:

It is weill kend, I neuer tuik na cures,

Of conquessing of riches nor of Rent:

Dispone as ȝe think maist expedient:

I neuer tuik cure of gold more than of glas:

Without honour, fy ty vponupon Kiches.

I ȝow requeist my freindis ane and all,

And nobill men, of quhome I am descendit:

Faill not to be at my feist funerall,

Quhilk …hrow the warld I traist salbe cōmendit

Ze knaw how that my fame I hauehave defendit

During my life vntounto this latter hour.

Quhilk s…ld to ȝow be infinit plesour.

First of my Bowellis clenge my bodie clene,

Within & out, syne wesche it weill with wyne

Bot honestie see that nothing be sene,

Syne clois it in ane coistlie caruit schryne,

Of Ceder treis, or of Cyper fyne:

Anoynt my corps with Balme delicious,

With Cynamome and Spycis precious.

In twa caissis of gold and precious stanis,

Inclois my hart and toung richt craftelie;

My sepulture syne gar mak for my banis,

Into the Tempill of Mars triumphandlis,

Of marhill stanis caruit richt curiouslie:

Quhairin my Kist and banis ȝe sall clois

In that triumphand Tempill to repois.

Mars: Uenus and Mercurius all thre,

Gaue me my natural in…linatiounis:

Quhilk rang the day of my natiuitie,

And sa thair heuinlie constellatiounis,

Did me support in monie Natiounis,

Mars maid me hardie like ane feirs lyou…,

Quhairthrow I conqueist honour & renoun.

Quho list to knaw the a…is Bellical,

Let thame go reid the legend of my life:

Chair sall thai find the deidis martiall

How I hauehave stand in monie stalwart stri…e:

Uictoriouslie with speir, sheild, sword & knife:

Quhairfoir to Mars the God Armipotent

My corps incloisit ȝe do till him present.

Mak offering of my soung Rhefortcall,

Till Mercurius quhilk gaif me …loquence,

In his Tempill to hing perpetuall,

I can mak him na better recompence.

For quhen I was brocht to the presence,

Of Kings in Scotland, Ingland & in France▪

My ornate toung my honour did auance.

Cofresche Uenus my hart ȝe sall present,

Quhilk hes to me bene ay comfortabill:

And in my face sic grace scho did …np…ent,

All creatures did think me amiabill,

Wemen to me scho maid sa fau…rabill:

Wes neuer Ladie that luikit in my face,

Bot honestlie I did obtene hir grace!

My freind Sir Dauid Lyndsay of ye Mon…

Sail put in ordour my Processioun:

I will that thair pas formest in the front

To beir my P…n…eil ane wicht Campioun,

With him ane band of Mars his Religioun

That is to say in steid of Monkis & Freiris

In gude ordour ane thowsand hagbutteris.

Nixt them ane thowsand futemen in ane ronf,

With speir & stetld, with buckler, bow & brand

In ane Luferay ȝoung stalwart men & stout,

Thridlie in ordour thair sall cum ane band

Of nobill men, abill to wraik thair Harmes:

Thair Capitane with my standart in his hād

On bairdit hors ane hundreth men of Armes.

Amang that band my baner salbe borne

Of s…iuer schene, thrie Ot…eris into sabill:

With tabroun, trumpet, clarioun, and horne,

For men of Armes verie conuenabill,

Nixt efter them ane Campioun honorabill:

Sall beir my bas…et with my funerall,

Syne efter him in ordour triumphall:

My armig sword, my gluifis of plait, & sheild

Borne be ane forcie Campioun or ane Knicht:

Quh… did me serue in monie dangerous feild

Nixt efter him ane man in armour bricht,

Upon ane Ionet or ane cursour wicht:

The quhilk salbe ane man of greit honour,

Upon ane speir to heir my coit armour.

Syne nixt my Beir sall cum my Corspresen…

My bairdit hors, my harnes, and my speir▪

With sum greit man of my a win kynrent,

As I wes wont on my bodie to beir:

During my time quhen I went to the weir.

Quhilk salbe offerit with ane say garment,

To Mars his Preist at my Interrement.

Duill weidis I think hypoctisie & scorne,

With huidis heklit doun ouirthort thair ene:

With men of armes my bodie salbe borne,

Into that band see that no blak be sene

My Luferay salbe reid, blew, and grene,

The reid for Mars, the grene for freshe Uenus

The blew for lufe of God Mercurius.

About my beir sall ryde ane multitude

All of ane Lutferay of my cullouris thrie.

Erles and Lordis, knichtis, and men of gude

Ilk Barroun beirand in his hand on hie,

Ane Lawrer branche in signe of victorie,

Be aus I fled neuer out of she feild,

Nor ȝit as presoner vntounto my fois me ȝeild▪

Agane that day faill not to warne and call

All Men of Musick, and of Menstrallie:

About my Beir with mirthis Musicall,

To dance and sing with Heuin…ie harmonie,

Quhais plesant sound redound sall in the say:

My spreit I wait salbe with mirth & Ioy,

Quhairfoir with mirth my corps ȝe sal conuoy

This beand done and all thing reuli… …ht,

Than plesantlie mak ȝour progressioun:

Quhilk I beleif salbe ane plesant sich…,

Se that ȝe thoill na Preist in my Prosessio…n,

Without he be of Uenus Professioun:

Quhairfoir gar warne al venus chapel clarks

Quhilk hes bene most exercit in hir watkis.

With ane Bischop of that Religioun▪

Solemnitlie gar thame sing my saull mes,

With organe, Timpane, Trumpet & Clarion

To shaw thair Musick, dewlie them addres

I will that day be hard no heuines:

I will na seruice of the Requiem.

Bot Alleluya with melodie and Game.

Efter the Euangell and the Offertour,

Throw all the Tempill gar proclame silence:

Than to the Pulpet gar ane Oratour,

Pas vp and se haw in oppin audience,

Solempnitlie with ornate eloquence:

At greit laser the legend of my life,

How I hauehave stand in monie stalwart strife.

Quhen he hes red my buik fra end till end,

And of my life maid trew narratioun:

All creature I wait will me commend,

And pray to God for my saluatioun:

Than after this Solempnizatioun:

Of seruice, and all brocht to end:

With grauitie than with my bodie wend,

And clois it vp into my Sepulture.

Thair to repois till the greit Judgement:

The quhilk may not corrupt I ȝow assure,

Be vertew of the precious oyntment,

Of Balme, and vther Spyres redolent:

Let not be rung for me that day saull knellis

Bot greit Cannounis gar them crak for bellis

Ane thousand hakbuttis gar schute al at anis

With swesche. talburnis & trūpettis awfullie:

Lat neuer spair the poulder nor the stanis,

Quhais thūdring sound redoūd sall in the sky,

That mars may heir quhair he triumphādlie

Abone Phebus is situate full euin,

Maist awfull God vnderunder the sternie heui….

And syne hing vp aboue my sepulture,

My bricht harnes, my scheild & als my speir:

Togidder with my courtlie Eoit armour,

Quhilk I wes wont vponupon my bodie beir,

In France, in Ingland being at the weir:

My Baner, Basnet, with my Temperall,

As bene the vse of feistis funerall.

This bea…d done, I pray ȝow tak the pa…e,

My Epitaphe to writ vponupon this wyis,

Aboue my graue in goldin letteris fyne:

The maist inuincibill weiriour heir lyis,

During his time, quhilk wan sic laud & pryis,

That throw the heuinis sprāg his nobil fame:

Uictorious William Meldrum wes his name.

Adew my Lordis, I may na langer farie,

My Lord Lindesay, adew abore all vther:

I pray to God, and to the Uirgine Marie,

With ȝour Lady to leif lang in the Struther,

Maister Patrik with ȝosig Nor…n…o ȝour brother▪

With my Ladies ȝour sisteris al adew,

My departing I wait weill ȝe will …w.

Bot maist of all the fair Ladies of France,

Quhen thai heir till but dout that I am deid:

Extreme dolour wil change thair countenāce,

And for my saik will weir the murning weid:

Quhen thir nouellis dois into Ingland spreide

Of Londoun than the lustie ladies cleir.

Will for my saik mak dule and drerie their.

Of Craigfergus my dayis darling adew,

In all Ireland of feminine the flour.

In ȝour querrell twa men of weir I slew▪

Quhilk purposit to do ȝow dishonou…,

Ze su… hauehave bene my spous and paramour,

With Rent and riches for my recompence,

Quhilk I refusit throw ȝouth and fusolence.

Fairweill ȝe Lemant Lampis of lustines

Of fair Scotland adew my Ladies all:

During my youth with ardent besines,

Ze knaw how I was in ȝour seruice thrall.

Ten thowsand times adew aboue thame all,

Sterne of Stratherne my Ladie Souerane,

For qubom I sched my blud with mekill pane.

Zit wald my Ladie luke at euin and morrow

On my Legend at lenth scho wald not mis,

How for bir saik I sufferit mekill sorrow,

Zit giuegive I micht at this time get my wis,

Qf hir sweit mouth deir God I had ane kis:

I wis in vane, allace we will disseuer,

I say na mair, sweit hart adew for euer.

Brether in Armes, adew in generall,

For me I wait ȝour hartis bene full soir:

All trew companȝeounis into speciall.

I say to ȝow, a…ew for euermoir.

Till that we meit agane with God in Gloir:

Sir Curat now gif me incontinent,

My Crysme with the holie Sacrament.

My Spreit hartlie I recommend,

In manus tuas Domine.

My hoip to the is till ascend,

Rex quia redemisti me,

Fra Syn Resurrexisti me:

Drelfis my saull had bene forlorne:

With Sapi…nce docuisti me,

Bl… be the hour that thow wes borne,

FINIS.

End of the text · David Lindsay, The History of a Noble Squire (1604)