William Dunbar: The Tabill of Confessioun 

Pages	Line number	Line 
267	1	To the, O marcifull saluiour myn, Iesus
	2	My king, my lord and my redemer sueit,
	3	Befor thy bludy figour dolorus
	4	I schryve me cleyne, with humile spreit and meik,
	5	That euer I did vnto this hour compleit,
	6	Baith in word, in wark and in entent.
	7	Falling on face full law befor they feit,
	8	I cry the marcy and laser to repent.
	9	To the, my meik sueit saluiour, I me schrife,
	10	And dois me in thy marcy maist excelling,
	11	Off the wrang spending of my wittis five,
	12	In hering, seing, tuiching, gusting, smelling,
	13	Ganestanding, greving, offending and rebelling
	14	Aganis my lord God omnipotent.
	15	With teris of sorrow fra myn ene distelling,
	16	I cry the marcy and laser to repent.
	17	I, wrachit synnar, wile and full of vice,
	18	Off the sevin deidly synnis dois me schrif:
	19	Off prid, inwy, of ire and covatice,
	20	Off lichory, gluttony, with sleuth ay till ourdrife,
	21	Exercing vicis euer in all my life,
	22	For quhilk, allace, I seruit to be schent.
	23	Rew on me, Iesu, for thy woundis five,
	24	I cry the marcy and laser to repent.
268	25	I schrif me, lord, that I abusit haue
	26	The sevin deidis of marcy corporall:
	27	The hungry meit, nor thristy drink I gaif,
	28	Wesyit the seik, nor redemit the thrall,
	29	Herbreit the wilsum, nor nakit cled at all,
	30	Nor #it the deid to bery tuke I tent.
	31	Thow that put marcy abone thi werkis all,
	32	I cry the marcy and laser to repent.
	33	In the sevin deidis of marcy spirituall:
	34	To ignorantis nocht gaif I my teching,
	35	Synneris correctioun, nor distitud consall,
	36	Nor vnto wofull wrachis conforting,
	37	Nor vnto saulis support of my praying,
	38	Nor wes to ask forgevinnes pacient,
	39	Nor to forgif my nychtburis offending.
	40	I cry the marcy and laser to repent. 
	41	Lord, I haue done full litill reuerence
	42	Vnto the sacramentis sevin of gret renoun:
	43	To thathie eucarist moist of exellence,
	44	Baptasing, pennence and confirmacioun,
	45	Matremony, ordour and extreme vncioun.
	46	Heirof sa fer as I wes necligent,
	47	With hert contrit and teris falling doun,
	48	I cry the marcy and laser to repent. 
269	49	Thy ten commandmentis: a god for to honour,
	50	Nocht tane in vane, na manslaar to be,
	51	Fader and moder to worschip at all houre,
	52	To be no theif, the haly day to vphie,
	53	Nychtburis to luf, fals witnes for to fle,
	54	To leif adultre, to covat na manis rent,
	55	In all thir, lord, culpabill knaw I me.
	56	I cry the marcy and laser to repent. 
	57	In the twelf artickillis of the treuth: a god to trow,
	58	The fader that all wrocht and comprehendit,
	59	And in his only sone, blissit Iesu,
	60	Off Mary borne, on croce deid and discendit,
	61	The thrid day rais, to the faderis rycht hand ascendit,
	62	Off quik and ded to cum and hald iugement - 
	63	Into thir pointis, O lord, quhare I offendit,
	64	I cry the marcy and lasere to repent.
	65	I trow into the blissit haly spreit,
	66	And in the kirk, to do as it commandis,
	67	And in the day of dome that we sall ris compleit,
	68	And tak oure flesche agane, baith feit and handis,
	69	All to be saif, into the stait of grace that standis.
	70	Plane I reuoik in thir quhair I myswent,
	71	Befoir the iuge and lord of sey and landis.
	72	I cry the marcy and laser to repent.
	73	I synnit, lord, nocht being strang as wall
	74	In hope, faith and feruent cherite,
	75	Nocht with the fair foure vertuis cardinall
270	76	Agins vicis sure anarmyng me;
	77	With fortitud, prudence and temporance, thir thre,
	78	With iustice euer in word, werk, and in entent.
	79	To the, Crist Iesu, casting vp myn ee,
	80	I cry the marcy and laser to repent. 
	81	In the sevin commandis of the kirk, that is to say,
	82	Thy teind to pay, and cursing to eschew,
	83	To keipe the festuall and the fasting day,
	84	The mes on Sonday, the parroche kirk persew,
	85	To proper curat to mak confessioun trew,
	86	Anis in the #er to tak the sacrament - 
	87	Into thir pointis quhair I haue offendit, sair I rew.
	88	I cry the marcy and laser to repent. 
	89	Off syn also into the haly spreit,
	90	Off schrift postponit, of syn aganis natour,
	91	Off incontricioun, of confessour vndiscreit,
	92	Off ressait synfull of my saluature,
	93	Off vndone pennence and satisfactioun sure,
	94	Off the sevin giftis the haly gaist me sent,
	95	Off pater noster and sevin peticionis pure,
	96	I cry the marcy and laser to repent. 
	97	Nocht thankand the of gratitud and grace,
	98	That thou me wrocht and bocht me with thi ded;
	99	Off this schort lyfe remembring nocht the space,
	100	The hevinns blis, the hellis hiddous feid;
	101	Bot mor trespas, my synnis to remeid,
	102	Concluding neuer, all throu myn entent.
	103	Thow quhois blud on rude for me ran reid,
	104	I cry the marcy and laser to repent. 
271	105	I knaw me vicius, lord, and rycht culpabill,
	106	In aithis, swering, lessingis and blasflemyng,
	107	Off frustrat speiking, in court, in kirk, in tabill,
	108	In word, in will, in wantones expremyng,
	109	Prising my self and euill my nychtburis demyng,
	110	And so in idilnes my dais I haue myspent.
	111	Thow that wes rent on rude for my redeming,
	112	I cry the marcy and laser to repent. 
	113	I haue synnit in discimilit thochtis ioly,
	114	Vp to the hevin extollit in myn entencioun,
	115	In hie exaltit arrogance and folly,
	116	Proudnes, derisioun, scorne and vilipencioun,
	117	Presumpcioun, inobedience and contempcioun,
	118	In fals vanglore and deidis necligent.
	119	O thow that deit for my redempcioun,
	120	I cry the marcy and laser to redempt. 
	121	I haue synnit also in reif and opprecioun,
	122	In wrangus gudis taking and posceding,
	123	Contrar my ressoun, conscience and discrecioun,
	124	In prodigall spending, but reuth of pure folkis neding,
	125	In foule descepcioun, in fals invencionis breding,
	126	To conqueir honour, tresour, land or rent,
	127	In fleschely lust abone messour exceding.
	128	I cry the marcy and laser to repent.
	129	Off mynd dissimilit, lord, I me confes,
	130	Off feid vnder ane freindlie continance,
272	131	Off parsiall iuging, and peruerst wilfulnes,
	132	Off flattering wordis for finyng of substance,
	133	Off fals seling for wrang deliuerance,
	134	At counsall, sessioun and at perliament.
	135	Off euerilk gilt and wickit gouernance
	136	I cry the marcy and laser to repent.
	137	I schrif me of all cursit company,
	138	In all tyme witting and vnwiting me.
	139	Off cryminall caus and deid of fellony,
	140	Off tiranny or vengabill cruelte.
	141	Off ded or slauchter culpabill gif I be,
	142	In ony Wise, deid, counsall or consent,
	143	O deir Iesu that for me deit on tre,
	144	I cry the marcy and laser to repent. 
	145	Thoucht I haue nocht thi precius feit to kis,
	146	As had the Magdalyn quhen scho did marcy craife,
	147	I sall as scho veipe teris for my mys,
	148	And euery morrow seik the at thi graife.
	149	Thairfore forgiff me, as thow hir forgaiff,
	150	That seis my hert as hirris penitent.
	151	Thy precius body in breist or I ressaif,
	152	I cry the marcy and laser to repent.
	153	Thou mak me, Iesu, vnto the to remember.
	154	I ask thy passioun in me so to abound,
	155	Quhill nocht in me vnmann#it be a member,
	156	Bot felling wo with the of euery wound. 
273	157	At euery straik mak throu my hart a stound
	158	That euer did stren#e thi fair flesche innocent,
	159	Sa at na part be of my body sound.
	160	I cry the marcy and laser to repent.
	161	Off all thir synnis that I heir expreme
	162	And hes for#et, to the, lord, I me schrife,
	163	Appelling fra thy iustice court extreme
	164	Vnto thi court of marcy exultive.
	165	Thou mak my schip in blissit port arrive,
	166	That saillis heir in stormes violent,
	167	And saife me, Iesu, for thy woundis five,
	168	That cryis the marcy and laser to repent. 

