ane premonitioun to the barnis of Leith
ANe Cūning Clerk Experience
And Maister of Intelligence,
New landit in Inchekeith:
This lytill Sedull schortly sends
To all that the gude caus defends
That is the barnis of Leith.
☞ Becaus I hard of ane Conuētion
Now to be maid for this dissentioun
That is into this land,
That anis thair may be finall pace:
How sone I vnderstude the cace,
I maid me to frahand.
¶To send this Sedull in a gayth
That nane of ȝow kep ony skayth
For laik of Premonitioun:
For ofttymes into treating trewis
Cūis tydingis yat richt mony rewis
Be Tratorie and Seditioun.
❧As for exempillis gif I list
I haue anew wald I insist
Baith Forane and at hame
Bot to my purpois to proceid
Of peace and concord thair is neid
In pure Scotland be name.
¶Quhilk neuer in sic perrell stude
Sen that our Lord deit on the Rude
Foull fall thame
hes[?] the wyte:
For it is ouirgane with a flude,
Of murther and of
saikles[?] blude:
Allace for leif to flyte.
Scotland this blude has first begun,
And lang in bludschedding hes run,
Ane Patrone of mischeif:
The rest at it beginnis to leir
Allace that pittie is to heir
I pray God send releif.
☞ For innocēts ar murtherit downe
Without remors in land and towne,
Quhat
leid[?] may
leif[?] on lyfe:
And thay hald gait I trow frahand
Sic murther salbe in all land
Of Children man and wyfe.
That seis als greit as Noyis flude
Sall drowne ye warld of māis blude
Quhat mischeif do thay mene:
Ȝone cursit battell as I trow
Quhilk thay at Trent did all anow
Thay think now to sustene.
For murtherars dois all confidder
Thay and ye Papists rynis togidder
Thay ar ane blyssit pak.
And thair wer not a God abone
I wald be fleit I tell ȝow, sone
That all suld gang to wrak.
Bot sa lang as our God dois Ring
[...]uhilk salbe ay without ending
We neid not for to feir.
Thocht yat suld all
tin[?] by yair mynd
Our God to vs salbe sa kynd
Thay sall vs
neuer deir[?]
Bot ȝit sen baith in France and heir
Thay haue one butt as dois appeir
That is to cut all doun,
That Iustice lufis and haitis vice
Thairfoir my ladds of Leith be wice
Ȝe ken ȝour warisoun.
☞ I pray ȝow all be circumspect
Ȝour enemeis dois not neglect
Occasiounis to ouirfyle ȝow,
And git thay may▪ thay will not spair
Outher be foull play or be fair,
Agane ȝit to begyle ȝow.
Ȝe haue mair neid thame now to feir
Nor quhen thay come in feir of weir
Downe to the Gallow
Ley[?]:
For than ȝe knew thay wer ȝour fais
Bot now thay cum in freinds clais
Quhilk is ane sairer sey.
☞ I speik not this that ȝe suld stay
From ȝour Cōuentioū and ȝour day
Or ony wayis dissaue thame:
Bot that ȝe may prouyde befoir
To haue ane pyn for euery boir,
And to be richt war with thame.
☞ Ȝe knaw thair faith in tymes past
Thairfoir luke that ȝe festin fast,
And tak gude tent about ȝow:
For trewly and ȝe be not wyse
Ȝe sall not mys to se ane gyse
That sall not weill content ȝow.
And ȝit I rid yame leaue yair tressoū
And euin be weill content of ressoun,
Sen Fortoun with a Reill
Hes wrocht thame ane vnabill charr
And blawin thame blind or thay wer warr
With turning of hir
Quheill[?].
☞ For quhy befoir thay did pretend,
The Quenis authoritie to defend,
To gar men trow thay lude hir:
Howbeit yai wald haif wist hir
swoumād[?]
Intil a bait vpō Lochlowmōd
But boddum air or Ruther.
Thairfoir hir caus thay did procure
Becaus yai thocht yat scho was sure
And keipit to thair hand:
Bot ȝit sic farleis hes bene sene
That Frāce wil haif hir brocht hame Quene
And fred out of Ingland.
☞ And gif that be I wald thay wist,
That sū of thame mon flit thair Kist,
For all this brawling beir:
Bot sillie saulis thay ar sa daft
Thay ken nathing I trow, bot craft:
Thay ar bot ȝit to leir.
¶It wer ane pitie to begyle thame
I wald blind Iamie wald gang wile thame
The moyane for till find:
How that yai micht eschew ye quene
And that thay micht (the parrel sene)
Go saill ane vther wynd.
Ȝea thocht sum leuch & sum did dāce,
Quhen thir blak tydingis come fra France
Blind Iamie tauld me ells.
That quyetly yai news did fyk yame
And sum of thame dois euin mislyke thame
Als mekle as ȝour sells.
Thairfoir I trow and thay be wyse,
Thay sall leaue of thair Interpryse
And rather gre with ȝow:
Nor with the hous of Guyis to mell
Quha is als godles as thair sell
And kens thair gymps I trow.
for get yat hous yair hād abone yame
I wed my heid yat yai sal tone yame
And trym yame for thair triks:
Ȝe thay can think on auld done deids
For brint barne the fyre ay dreids,
Thay will not thole sic prikis.
I wald fane warne ȝow of al dāgers
I coūsal ȝow be war with strangers
That halds ȝow baith in hand,
I dreid ȝe ly lang be the eiris,
Or thay think time to end the weiris
And troubill in this land.
¶It wer gude gif ȝe culd aggre
Amang ȝour selfis and let thame be
Ȝe may wit quhat I mene:
for quhē yat strāgers reuls ȝour roist
It wilbe sure on Scotlands coist
As hes bene hard and sene.
¶And wer ȝe weill aggreit I tell
Than Scotland micht do for the sell,
And set als lytill by thame
As thay do it for all thair power
thay wald be fane to seik ȝour fauour
And to ȝow als apply thame.
☞ Bot till aggre and ȝe delay
Than Scotland will be bot ane pray
As will be schortly sene:
Till gredie Gormondis waitand on
Quhen thay may se occasion
To rute ȝow all out clene.
For sword and derth hes ȝow opprest
And also ȝe haue felt the Pest
Bot ȝit few dois amend:
Than desolatioun is the last,
Of Gods
plagues[?] quhē thir ar past,
Quhilk doutles he will send.
Ȝea I foirspeik ceis not thir weiris,
The tyme sall cum within few ȝeiris
That nane of Scottis blude:
In Scotland dar him self anow,
Mair nor in Iurie dois the Iow
For feir of Natiounis rude.
☞ Than sall ȝour pure posteritie
In wandering wyde fra this coūtrie
Amang all other Natiounis.
Cry out and murne with woful cheir
That pitie salbe for till heir,
Thir kynd of exclamatiounis.
¶Allace that euer thay wer borne,
That dwelt in Scotland vs beforne
And loist vs sic ane land,
quhilk our forbears a
[...]s thocht ours
With plesād castells townis & towrs
And all things at command.
Sum Lords sum Lairds sū
les[?] degre
Thair commoun welth and policie
As ony Natioun had,
And now na
Scottisman[?] dar be thair
Allace quhat hart will not be sair
To se Scottismen sa sad.
☞ Than sall thay warie curse & ban
The murtherars yat yir weiris begā
Quhen Chronickles thay reid,
Thā Edinburgh that Castell strang
Sall wareit be that stude sa lang
Sic murther for to feid.
Thairfor yir plaigs wald yai eschew
I counsall thame in tyme to rew
Aud thair mischeif repent:
Quhilk gif thay do ȝe may aggre
Bot vtherwise na pace salbe
Thocht ȝe thairto consent.
For thocht that Saul wil Agag spaie
Ȝit God will haue his will but maie
Fulfillit or he sace:
Gif this ȝe do not vnderstand
Speir at Iohn Durie or Iohn Brād
Thay will expone the place.
thocht murtherars says yat yai thrist blude
Ȝit let na nobill mē of gude
Be craft that was brocht on it
And rewis yat yai haif tane sic part,
Repenting trewly from thair hart
Feir, thocht Iohne Knox expone it
Bot gif yat thay grow proud & heich,
And skar at ȝow as thay wer skeich,
And on na wayis will bow thame
Let yame pas on to thair defensis
It salbe on thair awin expensis
Or all be done I vow thame
Than quhidder ȝe conuene or nocht,
Keip thir premissis in ȝour thocht
Ȝe that of Leith ar barnis:
The abstinence drawis neir ane end,
Thairfoir I pray ȝow now attend,
Think on Experience warnis.
¶FINIS.
☞ Imprentit at Sanctandrois be Robert Lekpreuik▪ 1572.