¶The Exhortatioun to the Lordis
O Lusty lords, & barrounis yat bene bauld
That for gude caus ar now assēblit heir
Pluk vp ȝour harts, lat not ȝour curage cauld
And prise ye lord ȝour capitane in weir.
Will ȝe him serue ȝe neid nocht for to feir,
The craft, the wit, nor policie of man
For quhy the Lord will ȝit ȝour Baner beir,
As he hes done sen first this caus began.
☞Haue ȝe forȝet how that he did vs luif,
That time at leith quhē strangers did persew
Our enemeis harts ȝe saw that he did muif
To cum ouir Tweid vs to help and reskew.
Quhair we and thay our enemeis ouirthrew
Making vs fre that lang in thrall had bene.
Syne in this Realme plantit his gospel trew
but scheding blud, quhilk hes not
eir[?] bene sene
Fra ȝe began from blude to purge this land
Thay murtherars thay neuer durst ȝow bide
He gaif
hit[?] anis, and put
hit[?] in ȝour hand
But ony blude, vpon Carbarrie syde.
Syne efter that, quhen lymmers loust y
e bryde
He faucht for ȝow vpon the Langsyde hill
Ȝour fais wist not in what hoil yame to hyde
Sū chaist, sum slane, sum tane into ȝour will.
¶He send Moyses to gouerne ȝow and gyde
Ȝour commoun weill to reule and als redres
quhairthrow yis realme but rest did tin & tyde
Go bring the same, to rest and quyetnes.
His diligence my toung can not expres
Planting Iustice baith in Burgh and land
Dāting rebels, quhilk proudly did transgres,
His
maik rāg[?] not, gif yat his dayis had stand.
☞Richt prudently the Lord he did prouyde
For ȝow from tyme, he saw yat he was slane,
And wald not thoill, ȝow be without a gyde
Bot efter Moyses he raist Iosua agane.
Ȝow to conduct to ye land of Canan
Mair Fortunat nor Moyses was befoir
In faitis of weir ane worthy Capitane
The Gentiles lands to yow for to restoir.
Thair Parliament of Linlithgow he did stay
Syne Breichen gat it, baid him not ane blast
Down was geuin ouir, for feir of weir assay
Paslay he wan, and now Dunbartane last
His Capitanis maid all his fais agast,
Sum tane, sum slane, sum chaist into the se
Thir deids suld not, with silence be ouir past,
Bot worthie ar Eternall Memorie.
Ȝour Godly caus hes now tane gude succes
In Ingland lait, I neid it not declair,
Quhair my lord Chancelar tuik greit besines
With your gude freind the Clerk of Registair
Thair
trauell[?], wit nor gudis yai did not spair
For to vphald the Kings Authoritie,
In presence of thay strangers that wer thair
Working for him in his Minoritie.
☞Ȝe do tryumph, albeit that ȝe be few
Ȝour enemeis thay dar ȝow not ganestand,
Quhat ȝe do schaip, ye Lord him self dois sew
Quhat ȝe
deuyse[?], he wirkis it with his hand.
Thairfoir mak haist, lat nane be in this land,
To leif lyke Lords,
syne[?] proudly to rebell
Gat thame baith
sweir[?] and subscriue ye band
Or failȝe and this, do with thair leuings mell.
And gif ȝe dreid, yat sum will ait his ouirhaill,
And will not keip, nor ȝit obserue thair bands
For startling hald the Kow fast be the taill
Appoint nane sic but pledgis in ȝour hands.
And keip thame sure, sen ȝe se as it stands
For cum that tyme that all yat sort desyris,
Thay wil but dout send ȝow in vncouth lāds
To
feicthe[?] and
feik[?], ȝour meit into the myris.
Sen thair Intent, to ȝow was neuer gude
As be thair deids richt cleirly may be sene
Gif thame na leif to play with yow buk heid,
As thay haif done, ay waitand on yair quene.
Bot puneis all the quhilk ye knaw vnclene
Of outher blude, & quyte yame for yair meids
And spair all sic will serue his grace serene,
And had na wyte of nouther of thair deids.
I wald ye did sum
mair[?] at this Conuentioū,
Nor did your fais at thairs thay held at Pace
Quhat yai did yair, I neid not to mak mētioū
Bot weill I wait, sū of yame rewis yat race.
Ȝit top of wit was borne vp throw ye streit,
This commoun well had stand in better cace
Had it fallin in his toung fell in his feit.
Sen God hes put the sword into your hand
Iustice to do alyke to riche and pure,
Tak heid yairfoir and na wise brek command
Be circumspect of this your charge and cure
Gif ye neglect, than God I yow assure
Will frō pat rowme thoill yow to be detrusit
Planting vthers into that charge ye bure
And gif yat sword to yame can rychtly
vsit[?].
Be bent yair foir, and byde not this in blūder,
Baith the word of God & cōmoun well auāce
Ȝe neid na ma bot Gedioms thre hunder
To quhip your fais or yai get help of France
Mak to lyke mē sen ye half ordinance,
Ding draffen doū yat hald quhairm yai pryde yame
Bring in ye nor
[...]h with b
[...]art bow & Lance,
Gif thay rebell with tyre and sword ouir ryde yame
how & quhat way ye suld
appoīt[?] your bordour
Maddeis counsall is verray excellent
Scho did prescriue ane gude & godly ordour
That to performe, had ye bene diligent:
Hard ye the pure, I wait ye wald lament
Sa cruelty thay Tyranis dois oppres thame,
Slaying yame selfis, yair gudis reit and rent
For feir of God, I pray yow to redres thame.
Quhat mā did hoip of grāge now dois appeir
His
clothit[?] craft of malice dois outspring,
As in his Proclamatiouns ye may
heir[?]
He dois Rebell and will not serue the King,
Tratours yai ar, agane yow to maling,
He being Crownit in lauchfull Parliament,
Quha
daures[?] fastest with him into yat Ring,
To his Crowning baith sweir & gaif consent.
Quhen the Regent gaif him that hauld ye saw
He was the Kingis, & sweir thairfoir to stand,
Albeit yat now, his grace he will nocht knaw,
Nor ȝit Lennox for Regent of this land.
Ȝit Robert Hepburne being in his hand
And saifly entrit within that place,
He said he was reset by his command
And send Robert to my Lord Regents grace.
Quhill yat he gat yat hauld and hous in hand,
Into this caus he was baith bent and bauld
Bot fra thyne furth than he gaif ouir yat band
And in this caus he leit his curage cauld.
This is the treuth as trew men to me tauld,
That samin tyme his maister was on lyue
He wald not lat him enter in that hauld
with na seruands bot outher four or fyue.
☞He hes not onlie sueruit fra our actioun
Bot dowbill murther he dois fo
[...]tifie
Desyring bargane of ony of our factioun,
Of his degre, estait, and qualitie.
We haue nane sic, ye knaw in cumpanie,
Him for to match quhilk playit ye do whil knaif
For first he slew ane Maister cruellie,
And syne betraist the last ye may
percaif[?].
☞Bot ȝit I knaw yair is ane hundreth heir
Of gentill men, and cum of Royall Race
On hors or fute, with quhinger sword or speir,
Dar weill him matche, & meit him face for face
And preif him fals and Tratour in this cace
He dar not fecht for this is his refuge,
He wald
compeit[?] at euery tyme and place
Gif that he had ane vnspectit Iudge.
¶And als ye se, he planely dois accuse,
The Regents grace of cruell Tyrannie
Aganis his fais quhilk he doie schaw and vse
In casting doun baith place and policie,
Sen thay misknaw thair Iust Authoritie,
And will not serue, nor ȝt
[...] obey commands
Ȝe may be Law subuert tha
[...]r places hie,
Syne tak fra thame yair lyuis
geit[?] and lands.
I knaw thir letters ye
sand[?] into Dunbartane
Quhilk dois declair his dowbil deids Inding
Is only caus, I am baith sure and certane
Quhilk
gartis[?] him mak yis boist & manassing.
☞ Bot ȝit ye knaw it is ane commoun thing
For weill I wait ye haue sene mony fle,
Tuiche anis the gaw, & yan the hors wil fling
Fra tyme ye spur and hit him on the quik.
¶It is your hous that maks him b
[...] sa bauld,
Agane baith God and King for to disdane
Except the Lord be watchman of the hauld,
The Psalmist sayis thair watching is in vane
As ye haue sene within thir monethis twane,
Ane greiter strenth ye gat as I record,
Swa will ye ȝone, to God gif ye b
[...] bane
And swa commits your wisdomis to the Lord
¶FINIS.
☞Imprentit at Striuiling be Robert Lekpreuik[?]. Anno. Do. 1571.