O Prudent Prencis, marke wyseslie
With Pringnāt wyttꝭ, & walkryfe Ee
Ȝour Iugis, quhen ȝe go to chuse
That vnder ȝow, suld Iustice vse
That thyng is gret, ȝe go to do
And ȝe sulde tak gude heid thare to
In this Consistis, withouttin faill
Boith the wynning, and tinsaill
Off ȝour haill Regioun, and ryng
That ȝe haue in ȝour gouernyng.
¶Thay suld be of ane lynage leill
And suthlie ȝe suld knaw thame weill
That ȝe promoue, to sic ane place
Seyng so wechtie, is the cace.
Goddis worde, suld cleir to thame be knawin
And in thare harts, it suld be sawin
And ȝe suld prudentlie considder
Thare lyfe, and it aggre to gidder
For mony with thare mouth professis
Psalm.
Goddis wourd, that daylie it transgressis
Wourdꝭ ar bot wynd, I say in deid
Iaco. ii.
Withoute gude werks, of thame proceid
¶We may wyrk weill, and we liste call
The Lorde hes hecht, to heir ws all
Mat. vii.
And for to geue ws, liberallye
[Page]With gude wyll grace, and mercy fre
❧Swa without Iugis, cleirly knaw
The wourd of God, and als his law
It is impossibyll verralie
That he ane faithfull Iuge can be
¶Bot quha goddis wourd, hes in his hert
And thareto daylie dois aduert
ii. Para. xix.
The feir of God, sall hym defend
Frome wyrking wrang, vntyll his end
So that he sall, tyll euery wycht
Do that thyng, quhilk accords of rycht
¶Ungodlie Iugis, for Solistatioun
Of Potestatis, with wrang Nerratioun
Wyll tak bot lytill thocht or cure
Pro. xxi.
But reuth, for to oppresse the pure
This Iuge is blynd, and may nocht se
For he wants God, afore his Ee
He knawis nocht god, nor ȝit his saw
And so of hym, he stands no aw
In Court in Parliament or Cessioun
Pro. xxix
Planelie for to commit Oppressioun.
Iust Iugis, aucht with humyll hertis
To heir the playnt of boith the partis
And nocht on heid, without discretioun
Determe, withouttin Iust cognitioun.
¶Gret murmour is, and mony fayis.
That sum Solistars, now thir dayis
Uincusis Laweris, in thare cause
For all thare ledgin, of the lawis.
Suithlie, I thynk sic Solistatioun
[Page]Gret myster hes, of Reformatioun
Because it smellis vnfenȝe
[...]tlie
To verray percialytie
Quhilk Percialytie, smoris doun
Iustice, in euery land and toun
❧I saye ȝour temporall officiaris
Thay suld be faithfull Mynistaris
Nocht haue and respect, regaird nor Ee
To wardlye ryches, nor dignytie
To Tergats, Chenis, nor goldin Ryngis
Hors, clethyng, money, nor siclyke thyngis
For fauour of Freindis, nor fois feid
No wrang Decretis, thay aucht to leid
Thay suld be sober and pacient
Thay suld be secreit, and prudent
Thay suld be wyse, and virtuus
Thay suld be gude and gratius
Thay suld be walkryfe, on thare curis
Thay suld haue knawlage, of boith the Iuris
Als weill the Canone, as Ciuile law
Thay suld thame vnderstand and knaw
For blynd men (as I haue feill)
Can nocht decerne, fair colours weill
No more can Iudgis, Illitturate
Discus ane mater (weill I wat)
Frome all Inuye, thay suld be fre
Frome Malyce, Yre, and Creueltie
Frome flattrie, falset, and dissait
Frome toulze, bergane, and debait
Frome heycht, frome haitrent and frome luste
[Page]Quhilk makis Iugis, leif Iniuste
Thay suld be clene, of euery vyce
And speciallie, of Couatyce
For gredie Iugis, I ȝow assure
Eccle. xx
Doith sell the causis, of the pure
¶Geue thare be sic, I knaw of nane
Thay knaw thare selfꝭ, that buddꝭ hes tane
To hurte the pure, syne latt passe fre
The ryche, O Lord, to this haue Ee
And help the pure, that ar in stres
Opprest and hereit mercyles
Traist Kyngis, that thare is no refuge
Except ȝour Iugis, Iustlie Iuge
The causis of all Creaturis
Boith of the ryche, and of the puris
Ȝour Crown, Sworde, Ceptour, & ȝour wand
Thay sall be tane out of ȝour hand
And geuin to vtheris, frome ȝow and
[...]ouris
That wyll do Iustice, at all houris.
The Maledictione of the pure.
Sall on ȝow, and ȝour seid Indure
Untyll that ȝe, be rutit oute
This sall nocht faill, withouttin doute
Bot it sall lycht, quhen god dois pleis
Howbeit ȝe leif now, at gret eis
Thocht God ane quhyle, he dois ouir se ȝow
Thynk weill he dois, behauld and Ee ȝow
And wyll ȝow vesy, quhen ȝe leist weine
Syne turne ȝour myrth, and Ioye in teine
Be wer tharefor, with walkryfe Ee
[Page]And mend geue ony myster be.
NOw Kyngis, I pray ȝow fynalie.
Prent euer in ȝour Memorie
To help the pure, and Fatherles
Eccl. iiii.
That lyis drownyng in distres
The pure Wedow, that wantis hir man
zacha. vii
Help hir with Iustice, geue thow can
Geue that ȝe fynd, thare actionis rycht
Help thame, with all ȝour strenth and mycht
For no rewarde, gyft, nor propyne
Thole none of thir twois causis tyne
For geue thow do, gret God trewlie
Hes hecht on the, Auengit be.
Leuitt. xxiiii.
⚜Now haue I breuelie, heir furthschawin
And to ȝow kyngis, I haue maid knawin
Efter my sober wytt, and mycht
How that ȝe suld, Elect moist rycht
Ȝour Iugis, that suld Iustice vse
And quhome ȝe aucht, for to refuse
Frome that gret office, chairge and cure
And of quhat plagis, ȝe sall be sure
Geue ȝe chuse, I must Officiaris
Gredie, and peruerst Mynistaris
And how ȝe suld, nocht spair for panis
To help the wedowis, and pure Orphanis.
❀FINIS.