Ryght as all stringꝭ ar reullit in ane harp
In ane accord and twnyt all wih ane vthe
Quhilk is as king yan curiously yai carp
The sound is suete quhen that ye sang is suthe
Bot quhen yai ar discordant false and muthe
That wil no man tak plesans in that play
Thai myght weill thole ye menstrale wer away
Bot and ye stringe be not all trew and traist
Quhat sall we do sall we ye menstrale wite.
ye bot he bend and preue yā with a wrast
Be yei vntrew pull on and mak all quite
And othir trew put in the stede als tyte
And change ay sua quhill he find trew concorde
Than wil men say he is worht to be lord
Thou ryall king all yis suld reull yi realme
Gud sound and suthe fast to yi segꝭ gif
Thy tyme to teche all suld be tane as tewme
Thi lawis suld ger yi lyegꝭ laulik lif
Thou suld ger syft yi segis throu a siff
Se quhawer worht to worschip quha to wa
And yam reward eftir as yai cause ma
Reward worthy and punise wekitnes
Nurice vertu exclude vice and errour
Consider weill ye sound of yi segꝭ
Knaw ther curage as face in a mirrour
Sen god maid ye to be ther gouuernour.
And you put blind men in ther gouuernans
Thow salbe punist for ther ignorans
For sic men as you deputꝭ vnder ye
Quhed
(er) yai be fulis wekit men or wise
All men will traist y
e sic like mone you be
As you cōmittꝭ to gouern̄ thy office
Hou suld a mā but knawlege keip iustice
Or but wisdomē to be a gouernoure
Thus may you neuyr of ther deidis haif honour.
Bot ger yong lordis study in yi laws
And in ther youth hed tak sum techement
How suld a man be wyse that no thing knawis
To gif ye counsale in yi parliament
Or for to gif a rygth wise iugement
Nor for to governe iustice in yi
land
That hes ther wit to seik at othiris
haned
O prince think quhy yi croune wes gewin ye till
Thi suerd yi ceptour in takin of iustice
Fra hieast god to discerne gud and ill
Expell wikkit and luf yam that ar wyse
And oure all thingꝭ put wisemen in office
And knaw yam well that sall yi iugis be
Sen all ye pligtht and ꝑell lyis on̄ ye
Bot sen a mannis wit may not suffice
For to mantene so hie a gou
(er)nance
Thow suld ger choise yi covnsale that wer wyse
Be all yi thre estatis hayl ordinance
Syne lay alhale ye charge in ther ballance
To gif ye counsale in yi gou
(er)nance
As yai will ansuer and to ye gret iugement
And cheise na man for hye lordschip na blud
Na gret power of riches to counsale
Bot be electione chose of men of gud
Quhilk god and man plesis ther gouuernail
That hes ye vocꝭ of all ye cōmounis haill
To luf gud lawte iustice and prudens
And knawē of gud lif and gud consciens
Think one yat you mone gif a tribute compte.
And ansuere for yi Juge and yi sell
And wat not quhen you sal be sūmond
For to comper quhare you sall langest duell
Quhar na reward sall be bot heuin or hell
Thar sall na man be ransonyt for na ger
Not eu
(er)ilk men sall his awin cherge beyr
Now tak not all ye burdin on̄ yi bak
with spēall counsale in to preuete
Gif it beis ill you sall haif all ye lak
youth it be weill small houour is to the
For eu
(er) ye proffit of communite
Is put on̄ bak quhen sic men hes ye cure
And euyr yi crowne is indegent and pure
Thus may you se be suche experiens
Be folkis yat hes yi gudꝭ for to
spend
Thai ger ye trow yow may not mak dispense
One yi houshald not half a yere till
end
Bot in hunting et sornyng yai ye
send
One lordis et one abbais here et yare
Thai by lordschippis bot yow art alweis baire
Quhat makꝭ yis bot caytif creaturis
Quhilk couth newir counsale bot in
[...]ovatise
Quhilk had newir hert nor heid till he honoris
Wenand no wy bot wrethitnes I wyse
Lord god quhar ar yer princis he of price
Quhilk one iustice set all thir erdly glore
And richit yam self et ther realme more et more
Thar suld newir caytife be counsale till a king
Ne king suld newir of his smal comptis knaw
Na wit of scantnes na of wrethit thing
Quhilk my
t his hert to neid or mister draw.
All his delite sald be to keip ye law
For hie honour hie worschip et renoune
With wrethitnes restis newir in a personne
It is degrading till a king is crovne
To mell wyth small wrechit besynes
Na with na tutlaris for to rouk na rovne
To lere to conquese gudis with scantnes
Nobilite suld mell bot wyth nobilnes
And specialie ye noble maieste
Suld newir be travalit bot in maters hie
For sic men counsalis ewir to covatise
The quhilk to law is mortale innemy
Gret covatise is marchand of iustice
Et ewir is redy law to sel et by.
Suld men sic be of yi counsales for yi
Na bere office quhar in yi honour lyis
Quhilk my
t be botht fra iustice on̄ yis wise
And
exclud al effectione singlare
And to ye commone profet ay tak
heyd
Quhen kingis settis yam for prow particulare
The realme sall newir haif honour of ther
deid
Dreidis yow to want or quhare of hes yow
dreid.
Luf weill yi god him serue et keip iustice
Riches rebondꝭ to men yat ar ry
ttuise
Quha wald be riche haif ee to honour ay
For riches follouis honour euyr mayr
Till honour wisdome is ye n
(er)rest way
And wisdome to wertu is ye verray aere
And vertu cūis eu
(er) of sciens and of laire
And sciens cūis onely throu godꝭ grace
Conquest throu gud lif trauale and besynes
Thus sen̄ vertu is ground of alkin grace
And souerane lord of vertu is iustice
As well of worschip and of worthynes
For nane ar saif bot men that ar rihtuise
Hald vertu in yi hart and you be wyse
And in iustice set all yi besy cure
Thi realme sall riche and you sall neuyr be pure
Quhen rome wes regit be wise senatourꝭ
In iustice and in publik polise
Our all yis erd yai wer lorde and wictouris.
And tuk tribute for souuerā seneyori
Bot quhen ye well of iustice wes gane dry
And public prow past in diui
[...]ioune
Thar gret glore turnit in dissolatiouns
Her for keip law gif you wald hald yi land
And luf largese or you sall lordschip leise
But quhill: gret stait myghth t
[...]lang stedfast stand
The example in the be for yi self you seis
For falt of law all fawour of fortounē fleis
Herfor sectouris fermly scha haldis at fed
For quhilk hir dynt is dishonour and deide
Iustice wald haif a generall president
Ane auditour of complante of ye pure
The quhilk daily suld m̄ster iugement
To pure at cry iustice at yi dur
Spendand mar yā ther clame is of valour
Syne put on bak quhill gret cause decyde.
Syne lewand all for pouerte may not byde.
It is imposible to yi gret counsale
For to discusse all mat
(er)is small and grete
Bot to small men cōmit all causis small
Of pur plen̄yeand that rarys at yi yet
Quhilk daily hes not half ther till of met
With wif and barnis suonand for falt of
bred
For quhilk god sall ye challange of ther dede.
Thy Iugꝭ als yit hes iustice to leide
Oft tymes abuf ther iuridictionne
Stopand ye laif for luf frendschip or feide
For radour request for meid or wairsonē
Syne quhen ye parti complēyeis to ye croune
Thai send yam oft to ther iuge agane
Quhilk for ther complaynt full dere sall by y
e blame.
The man
(er)is ar of iugis generall
First to yi god sine to yi awin persone
To god yow hald yi hart et consciens haill
As to yi self and not to exceid resone
Syne to do law to peplē in to ꝯmounē
For first yow suld yā schaw a gud m
[...]rour.
For peple oft followis ye tred of ye pastour
Quhat thank cūnis god ye for to iustefy
The puer ꝯmonis y
t yow hes in to cuir
And syne yi self to leif maist wranguisly
Doand na resion to na creatur
traistweil sic lordschip may not lang endur
Wald yow tak tent vnto thir ald storiis
How mony printis ar punist on̄ yis wyse
Gud iustice has ii partyes principale
the tane is dome et ry
ttuise iugement
The toyir is to mak ye scathis haill
Eftir ye dome ye partiis to content
And ther of mak yaim sikir incontinent
Eftir ye termē of law alut
(er)ly
Or ellis ye iuge is detour werraly
Quhat walis amā yi rightuis iugement
Wyth wryt et walx confermyt as efferis
And syne ye partis newir to be content
Bot drychit et delayit fra yer to yeris
Trowis yow not god & hieast hevin them heris
Cryand wengeance for falt of liffis fude
Of ye et them yat revis yam ther gude
Sanct dauid sais in haly prophecy
The mā is blissit y
t dois bayth dome et law
Quhilk quhen he giffis a sentens suchfastly
Gerris executit for ony mannis aw
Not anerly to seill a nakit saw
For to god it is bot vter dirisioun̄
A bair sentens but executioun̄
And be it a sentens of a souueraine
lord
Quhilk signifiis sentens superlatife
Quhen dome is gevin et na remeid set
ford
And terme of al law allegit to prestrife
Fra that tym furthe ther is no man on̄ lif
May it reuoke but hurting to ye crounē
And degrading to ye iurisdictioun̄
yhit is a thing yat meklē grevis yi croune
Quhilk seildin is remedit in yi
land
Quhen ony man mak rebellione,
For wrang or det not bowand to yi
wand
Deforsand maser sireff or
seriand
thar is na punicion bot lattis it our passe
Quhar nane aw is how suld ther follow grace
yit of a thing all gud men m
(er)valis mair
Quhen yi gret counsale wyth yi awin consent
Hes ordanit strait iustice na man to spair
Wythin schort tyme yow changis yin entent
Sendand a contrar lett
(er) incontinent
Chargeand that of that mat
(er) mar be nogth
Than all ye warld murmuris at thow art bogth