William Dunbar: How Dunbar wes Desyrd to be ane Freir

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248	1	This nycht befoir the dawing cleir
	2	Me thocht Sanct Francis did to me appeir,
	3	With ane religious abbeit in his hand,
	4	And said: ‘In this go cleith the my serwand.
	5	Reffus the warld, for thow mon be a freir.’
	6	With him and with his abbeit bayth I skarrit,
	7	Lyk to ane man that with a gaist wes marrit.
	8	Me thocht on bed he layid it me abone,
	9	Bot on the flure delyuerly and sone
	10	I lap thairfra and nevir wald cum nar it.
	11	Quoth he, ‘Quhy skarris thow with this holy weid?
	12	Cleith the thairin, for weir it thow most neid.
	13	Thow that hes lang done Venus lawis teiche
	14	Sall now be freir and in this abbeit preiche.
	15	Delay it nocht, it mon be done but dreid.’
	16	Quod I, ‘Sanct Francis, loving be the till,
	17	And thankit mot thow be of thy gude will
	18	To me, that of thy clathis ar so kynd,
	19	Bot thame to weir it nevir come in my mynd.
	20	Sweit confessour, thow tak it nocht in ill.
	21	‘In haly legendis haif I hard allevin
	22	Ma sanctis of bischoppis nor freiris be sic sevin.
	23	Off full few freiris that hes bene sanctis I reid;
	24	Quhairfoir ga bring to me ane bischopis weid
	25	Gife evir thow wald my sawle #eid vnto hevin.’
249	26	‘My brethir oft hes maid the supplicationis
	27	Be epistillis, sermonis and relationis
	28	To tak the abyte, bot thow did postpone.
	29	But forder proces cum on thairfoir annone,
	30	All sircumstance put by and excusationis.’
	31	‘Gif evir my fortoun wes to be a freir,
	32	The dait thairof is past full mony a #eir;
	33	For into every lusty toun and place
	34	Off all Yngland, frome Berwick to Kalice,
	35	I haif in to thy habeit maid gud cheir.
	36	‘In freiris weid full fairly haif I fleichit.
	37	In it I haif in pulpet gon and preichit,
	38	In Derntoun kirk and eik in Canterberry,
	39	In it I past at Dover our the ferry
	40	Throw Piccardy, and thair the peple teichit.
	41	‘Als lang as I did beir the freiris style,
	42	In me, God wait, wes mony wrink and wyle.
	43	In me wes falset with every wicht to flatter,
	44	Quhilk mycht be flemit with na haly watter.
	45	I wes ay reddy all men to begyle.’
	46	This freir that did Sanct Francis thair appeir,
	47	Ane freind he wes in liknes of ane freir.
	48	He vaneist away with stynk and fyrie smowk.
	49	With him, me thocht, all the hous end he towk,
	50	And I awoik as wy that wes in weir.

