Ane prettie Mirrour
Or Conference; betuix the Faithfull Protestant ād the Dissemblit false Hypocreit. In to the quhilk may be maist easylie perceaued & knawin the one frō the vther. Compy [...]t be William Lauder Minister of the wourd of God. For the Instructioun, Confort, and Consolatioun of all
Faithfull Professours. To quhome he wyssith Grace Mercy and Peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord, and onlie Sauiour. So be it.
Luke in to this Mirrour, and thow sall cleirlie ken
All faithfull trew Christianes, frō fals dissēblit mē.
To the faithful Reder
THir Uearse ar sweit, and rycht delicius,
Unto the hart, of Godlie men I ken:
Bot to the weked, tha ar rycht odius,
And comptit folie, w
t all vnfaithful men.
¶ For of the Godlie, tha schew the trade and waye
How tha thame selfꝭ, heir vpon earth dois gyde:
And of the weked, thair vice and grit decaye,
Quhilk manassing, tha can no wayis abyde.
¶ Humblie heirfore, I walde ilk man exhort,
Thame self to crye out, be this subsequent
Gyf vice or virtew, dois maist in thame resort,
Quha findꝭ him gyltie, God grāt he may repent.
So be it.
☞ Begynnis the Conferrence.
THe chosin children, of God and sones elect,
Reiosis cheiflie, to heir his blissit wourd:
The sons of sathā, quhilkꝭ ar frō God reiect
Abhorris y
t same, more nor ane two edgit swourd.
¶ The Godlie will, with pacience Imbrace,
Dew Admonitioun, for thair vice and Sin:
The wekit can nocht, in the contrair cace,
Sustene reproche, syne byde thair wittꝭ within.
¶ The godlie will, in to gude pairt sustene,
Dew chaistisment, for thair Sin, and offence:
[Page] Punysche the wekit, tha will alwayis complene,
As geue tha wer, opprest be violence.
¶ The godlie men, with pietie ar opprest,
To see thair Brethren in necessitie:
The Hypocreitꝭ, ar neuer at ease nor rest,
Bot quhen the faithfull, sustenis miserie.
¶ The Godlie men, will do no man bakbyte:
Nowthair in patent, nor in to pryuie place:
In blasphemie, the wekit dois delyte,
And frome Iniurie, his toung can neuer cease.
¶ The Godlie man, will vse no mokkerie,
And will no wayis, with sic vaine maters mell:
The Hypocreit, will skorne contynewallie,
And neuer can finde, ane falt in to him sell.
¶ The Godlie men, will vse no fraude nor gylis,
And will be laith, to sute men to the law:
The Hypocreitꝭ, ar euer breding wylis,
And passing how, thair broder to ourthraw.
¶ The Godlie men, ar full of gentilnes,
Of Lawtie, Loue, and liberalitie:
The Hypocreitꝭ, ar full of gredines,
Of Aueryce, and Pegeralitie.
¶ The Godlie men, tha do support the pure,
And geuis thame glaidlie, of thair geir ād gude:
The Hypocreitꝭ, dois take more thocht and cure
How tha may reaue, frō thame thair daylie fude.
¶ The Godlie men, Elykewise ar content,
Als weill in neid, as in prosperitie:
[Page] The Hypoccreitꝭ, quhē geir is frome thame went,
Tha blaspheme God, in thair aduersitie.
¶ The Godlie men, detestꝭ all vice, and Sin,
And all transgressourꝭ, and thair companie:
The Hypocreitꝭ, tha do delyte thairin,
Leading thair lyues, in all Impietie.
¶ The Godlie men, no brybs, nor buds will take,
To hurt the ane pairt, nor to helpe the vther:
The Hypocreit, will thinke no schame nor lak,
Buds to receaue, and tha wer fra his broder.
¶ The Godlie men, will serue ane God allone,
Quhilk maker is, of Heauin the earth and seye:
The Hypocretꝭ, makꝭ gods mony one,
With quhome tha do, commit Idolatrie.
¶ The Godlie men, in all thair wayis ar plaine,
And cheiflie euer, onto thair faithfull brother:
The Hypocreitꝭ, ar fenȝeit fals and vaine,
Will saye ane thing, and syne will do ane vther.
¶ The Godlie ar, repleit with lawlynes,
With louyng kyndnes, and humelytie:
The Hypocreitꝭ, thocht tha it nocht expres,
At full of hicht dispyte and tyrannie.
¶ The Godlie labours, for vnitie and peace,
For concorde, kyndnes, and tranquilytie:
The Hypocreitꝭ, dois neuer stanche nor ceace,
To rais discorde, and Innanymitie.
¶ The Godlie luffis, thair Pastours, for thair cure
And will be sorie, to se thame want or wrangt:
[Page] The Hypocreitꝭ, regairds nocht, we ar sure,
Thocht all the preachours, on y
e earth wer hangt.
¶ The Godlie men, will still cleue to Gods wourd
Thocht tha to death, for it suld be persewit:
The Hypocreit, sa sone as cūmis the swourd,
Will it denye, and sweir he neuer knewit.
¶ The Godlie men, setts God before all things,
Before thair lyues, thair guds geir or lands:
The Hypocreitꝭ, before God puts thair kings,
Dispysing God, his lawis, and his commands.
¶ The Godlie men, at knawin be thir merks,
Rycht as the daye, is tryit be the lycht:
Euin so the wekit, be thair vicius werks,
At so espyit, as derknes schewis the nycht.
¶ For as no wayis, the fyre it can be knawin,
To be ane fyre, withouttin heit, or lycht:
No more y
e faithfull, except gude werks be schawin
Can notit be, for to be Christianes rycht.
Luc. x.
¶ The preist, & Leueit, y
e quhilk did nocht support,
The woundit man, in to his greif and paine:
Could nocht be comptit, faithful in no sort,
Luc. xvi.
As was the helpfull trew Samaritaine.
¶ Nor ȝit the Gluttoun, quha fed delicius,
Could nocht be said, to haue fidelytie:
That petijt nocht, the pure Lazarus,
Quhen Dogs did schew in him more cherytie.
¶ Qhairthrow y
e Gluttoun, vnto the hell was send
That had no reuth, nor pietie on the pure:
[Page] All Hypocreitts, that lykewise dois offend,
With him in Hell, sall harbreit be most sure.
¶ Thus thocht we boist, Christianes to be,
Except gude werks, proceid out of our spreits:
We at bot membris, of Iniquytie,
And at nocht els, bot verray Hypocreits.
¶ Lat ws heirfore, schew furth with al our mycht,
Our godlie werks, of mercy and of loue:
Quhairthrow we may, be kend of euèry wycht,
The faithfull seruands, of God that rings aboue.
¶ Lat leud affectionis, and all Impieteis,
Be mortefijt, in to our membris all:
That tha may nocht, quhilks ar our Inymeis,
No vther thing, bot Christianes ws call.
¶ Godlie heirfore, Reioyse that hes thir sings,
Ȝe may be sure, that God hes ȝow elect:
Be waill ȝe weked, that in sick vicis rings,
But ȝe repent, the Lord hes ȝow reiect.
¶ All ȝe heirfore, that hes Gods wourd profest,
And maid with God, and man that blyssit band
Stand ferme and stable, gyf ȝe wald cum to rest,
For now the Fan, approchis fast at hand.
¶ Se that no ryches, nor wardlie pomp nor glore,
Mak ws schrink bak, now frome the veritie:
And quho so dois, to thair grit schame but more,
God will disclose, thair vile Hypocresie.
¶ Eternall God, thy faithfull flok defend,
Preserue thame Lord, for now and euer more:
And grace, and peace, vnto thy subiects send,
That seiks nocht els, bot to set furth thy glore.
Ane trew & breue-Sē tencius, Discriptiōn of y e nature of Scotland Twiching the Interteniment of virtewus men. That laketh Ryches. Compyld be william Lauder, Minister of Gods wourd. &c.
☞*⁎*☜
HOwbeit thow war, of portrature preclaie,
And war indewit w
t prignant virteuis seir
And thocht i knawledge, y
u had no compair
That thou culd teache all scientis perqueir,
And thocht of blude thow war ane prencis peir,
Ȝit in this Realme I Lat the vnderstand,
And thow Layk substance of thy awin and geir
Thow will be Lytill regardit in this Land.
¶ Bot thocht thow be ane Ideote, or ane fule
Ane maykles monstour, withoutin wit, or air
Ane Blunt bubo, that neuer had bene at scule,
And sik as Is, of euerye virtew bair,
Ȝit haue thow gudꝭ, and geir, I the declair,
Thoucht thow be weked, I put the out of dout
And thocht thow war, to sathane, Sone, & air,
Ȝit for thy bagꝭ, thow sall be takin out
¶ Allace heir is, ane Cairfull Miserie,
That virtewis men, but geir at of no pryce,
And Beasts for bags, at in Authorytie,
I think this change, is wonderus strange & nyce,
The caus heirof, Is onlie Couattyse,
That blinds so man, that he can no wayis se,
To cheryse, virtew, And ay chaistyce vice,
Allace heir is, ane cairfull misere.
¶ Neathir virtew, nor wit, in to this weked land, Doith proffeit thame, that hes nocht gudꝭ in hād.
☞ ANE GVDE EXEMPILL. ☜
Be the butterflie, Instructing men, to hait all Harlottrie.
THe Butterflie, hir self for to distroye,
Upone the nycht, to flie Scho dois nocht stint
Unto the Candle, scho taks thairof sick Ioye,
Quhill scho hir self, in to the Flam haue brint.
My tender freind, this in thy hart thow hint,
And haue It euer, in thy momorye,
Quha hants Hurdome, no dout he fall be tint,
i. Cor. vi.
And Birne him self, as dois the Butterflie.
¶ The sapient Salomon, w
t wemē was cōfoundit
iij. Reg. xi.
Eccle. xlvij.
Sap. vii. viij.
Iud. xvi.
and. xiiij.
ij. Regū. xi.
Thocht he was wysest, that euer nature wrocht,
The force of Samson, y
t in to strenth aboundit
Be Dalyla, was suttellie out socht,
The Propheit Dauid, full deir his loue he bocht,
With mony mo, that vsit sick vaniteis,
Was dyuers wayis, vnto confusioun brocht,
And Brint thame selffs, as dois the Butterfleis.
¶ Quhairfor my freinds, frō fantasie refraine,
Math. v.
Exod. xx.
Liuic. xix.
Deu. xxv.
Pro. xxix.
i. Cor. vi.
and. vii.
Detest that Sin, of vice, and vanytie,
Quhilk saule & bodie, both dois bring to paine,
Fle frome that lust, as frome ȝour Inymie,
Syne in this mateir, merk the Moralytie,
And lat it be to ȝow, ane trew Instructioun,
Thay may be all, compard vnto this Flie,
That wylfullie, dois wirk thair awin Distructioun.
¶ Thocht men in Mariage, with thair masks repair,
An Decent maner, no man suld It reproue,
For of that Band, God was the Minister,
Math. xix.
Ordand of him, for our wealth and behoue,
Sen this Command, we haue frome God aboue,
Cheiflie for this, to hait all Darlottrie,
i. Cor. vi. and. vij.
Lat euerie one chuse thame, thair lauchfull Loue,
That lakis that Holy gyft of Chaistetie.