Heir followis the testament and tragedie of vmquhile King Henrie Stewart of gude memorie
I Henry Stewart, vmquhile of Scotland King,
Sumtyme in houpe, with reuerence to King:
Within this Realme in dew obedience,
Traisting with ane actoure all eirdlie thing
Quha was the ruite quhairof I did spring,
In honour to liue be kyndelie allyance:
Putand in hir sic faith and confidence,
Ingland I left, seducit be Ignorance,
Scotland I socht, in houpe for to get hir:
Quhilk I may rew, as now is cum the chance,
And vthers learne by me experience
In tyme be war, fra ainis the work misset hir.
¶ Sumtyme sho thocht, I was sa amiabill,
Sa perfyte, plesand, and sa dilectabill:
Lancit with luif, sho luid me by all wycht,
Sum tyme to shaw effectioun fauorabill,
Gratifeit me with giftis honorabill,
Maid me ʒe knaw, baith Lord, D [...]rik, Erle & Knycht:
Sum tyme in mynde sho praisit me sa hycht,
Leifand all vther, hir bedfellow brycht
Chesit me to be, and maid me ʒour King:
Than was I thocht happy into menis sycht
And puir anis did pryse thair maker of mycht
That send thame ane Stewart sa kyndelie to King.
¶ Thus quhen sho had auancit me in estate,
Hir for to pleis I set my haill consait:
Quhilk now is cause of my rakles ruyne,
Hir [...] luife quhilk kindlit ouer hait,
Cauld hes it cuild, and sylit me with dissait
Plungeit my corps into this present pyne,
Not onelie ʒow Lordis causand me to tyne,
Bot als allace fra my trew God declyne,
Quhome I imbrasit, for plesoure of hir Mes
Iustlie thairfoir, I haue deseruit this fyue,
Quha for hir saik denyit the God deuine
That did me bring fra plesoure to distres.
¶ Backwart fra God my Spirite fra sho wylit,
Daylie with darknes my sycht sho onersylit,
My Princelie pretence began to decay,
Vaine houpe in hir my refsoun exilit,
My truethles toung my honoure defylit
My doing in deid sho gart me deny,
Fra credite I crakit, kyndnes brak ray,
No man wald trow the worde I did say,
My leigis me left, persauand hir Ire
Ingland I left, and help was away
God maid hir scurge to plaigue me sor ay,
Be war the scurge he cast not in the fyre.
¶ Thus was I than to doloure destinat,
Miserabill man and Prince infortunat,
Quhomlit in sorow and plungeit in cair:
Sum tyme in mynde with anger agitat,
Sum tyme in Spirit pansiue and fatigat,
Musand the meine mycht meis hir euer mai [...],
Sum tyme with doloure drewin in dispair,
Variand the warld, welth and weilfair,
Deid I desirid hir falset to fle,
Sum tyme in mynd thinkand the contrare,
Sum vncouthe vaiage I purpoisit prepare,
Bot not sa vncouth as was prepairit for me▪
¶ Into the tyme of this my extasie,
Quhen I was in this fearfull fantasie,
With [...] fair, and [...] wordis discreit,
Scho come to me with greit humilitie:
Lamentand sair my greit calamitie,
My langsu [...]n lyfe, and sair tor nentit Spirite,
Promittand with aue faithfull hart contreit,
In tyme to cum, with reuerence me treit
To my degre, in honoure, luife and peace,
Traistand into hir [...] wordis sweit,
My hairt and lyfe into hir handis compleit,
I put, and past vnto the Sacrifice.
¶ Quhat sall I wryte, how I was troublit thair,
I wat it wald mak ony haill hairt sair,
For to reuolue my tristsu [...] tragidie,
How that thay boucheouris blew me in the air,
And stranglit me, I shame for to declair:
Nouther to God, nor honoure hauand E [...],
I houpit weill to haue na ennymie,
Into this Realme fra my natiuitie,
Thair was na man, quhome to I did offend,
Dissauit far I fand the contrarie,
Off Tygeris quholpis fusterit in tyrannie,
Ane treuthles troup hes drewin me to this end.
¶ O faithles flock, denuide of godlynes,
O Scrpentis scid, nurisheit in wickitnes,
Fosteraris of falset▪ huirdome and harlatrie,
Mantenaris of murther, witchecraft expres,
Tresoun amang ʒow dois daylie incres:
Lawtie is banist, Iustice and equitie,
Quhat sall I wryte of ʒoure wyle vanitie?
On falset is foundit ʒour haill felicitie,
ʒour Castellis nor townis, sall not ʒow defend,
God hes persauit ʒour infidelitie,
And schortlie will plaigue ʒour crewell tyrannie,
Off ʒoure schort solace sorow salbe the end.
¶ Quhat hairt so hard for petie will not bleid?
Vuhat breist can beir bot man lament my deid?
Quhat toung sa thrall in silence suir can rest?
To se ane saule in sorow sowsit but feid,
Ane saikles Lambe, ane innocent but dreid,
Taine be consent of thame he luiffit best:
Furth of his bed with doloure to be drest,
By thrawart malice and murther manifest,
Iugeit by Law, and hangit syne but dome,
Sair it was to se ʒoure Prince with murther prest:
Sairar I say him in his place possest,
The deid that did, than Burrio, now Brydegrome.
¶ O wickit [...] vennomus of natuire,
Scrpentis of kynde, thocht cumlie seme ʒour statuire
Vnstabill ioy, full of aduersitie,
In mynde malicious attoure all creatuire,
Quhais malice raine, for ouer dois induire:
Teichit be experience, sa may I testifie,
ʒoure craftie consaitis cloilrit with flatterie,
And mylde meiknes sylit with subtilitie,
Ar Medeais helters to bring vs in ʒour net,
Gude deidis of auld gois furth of memorie,
The ruite of euill remaines but remedie,
Ay in ʒoure mynde sum vengance quhill ʒe get.
¶ For Dawyis deid in [...] sa prentic
Consauit haitrent, daylie mair augmentit,
Meik war his wordis, thocht greit was his grenance
Oft at command, to mak hir weill contentit,
In pouertie and paine my self fca court absentit
Paine could not pleis hir, nor ʒit obedience,
Persaue of [...] the malice and mischance,
Quhair [...] anis get [...]is in hir gouernance,
Sic sylit subiectis felterit in hir snair:
Wisdome is exilit, and prudent puruoyance,
Nobilnes and honour, defacit be ignorance,
And vercew banist, fra shame pas shed of hair▪
¶ This sentence trew we may persaue in deid,
In sindrie authouris quha lykis for to reid,
In luiffis raige, as storyis dois reheirs,
The crewell work of wretheit [...]manheid,
We may persaue in Stylla to succeid:
For Minds luife, hir Father gaif na grace,
Deianira hir husband Hercules,
For Nessus saik, maist crewellie allace
Brocht to mischeif, for all his vassalage,
And Clytemnestra for Egistus face,
Agamemnon the mychtie King of Ereice,
Hir husband slew, so vyle was hir vsage.
Off Ancus Martius we reid the greit mischance,
Quha rang in Rome in proude prcheminance,
Slaine be Lucinio at Tanaquillis procuire,
Samson also for manheid and prudence,
All Israell that had in gouernance:
Dalila defauit in vnder couertoure:
Quhairfoir lat men be war and keip thame suire,
Fra wemenis vennome, vnder faithles figure,
And gif na wyfe thair counsall for to keip,
For as the woirme that workis vnder cuire
At lenth the tre consumis that is duire,
So wemen men, fra thay in credite creip.
¶ I speik not but pruife, quhilk I may sairlie rew,
Quhat lyfe did thoill, my deid dois try it trew,
My fragill fortowne, sa faithles hes bene heir,
Wald God the day that I thee Scotland knew,
Atropus the threid had cut, lachesis drew,
So sould not felt the change of fortownes cheir,
My Kingdome cair, my wealth was ay in weir,
My state vnstabill, me drew fra Godis feir,
My plesoure prikis my paine ay to prouoke,
My solace sorow sobbing to asteir,
My ryches, powertie, power to empire,
My [...] hes now put out the smoke.
¶ Quhat warldlie ioy in earth may lang iuduire,
Or quhat estate may heir him self assuire?
For to conse rue his lyfe in sicernes,
Quha may sustene the perrillous auentuire?
Off fals fortowne inconstant and vnsuire:
Or quhair sall men find steidfast stabilnes?
All warldlie blis is mixt with bitternes,
Spring and with ioy, endand with wretchitnes,
As heir my end reheirsit dois record,
Quhaicfoir let Princes pryde thame not expres
In warldlie welth in pomp nor worthynes,
Bot stablishe thair strenth, with Dauid on the Lord.
¶ In earth thairfoir sen nocht is parmanent,
My soule to God I leif omnipotent,
My Bab and Childe vnder the counsallis cuire,
To ʒow my Lordis of my deid Innocent,
For to reuenge I leif in Testament,
My saikles bluid, my murther and iniure,
Thocht Princes wald be falset ʒow alluire,
Hurt not ʒour honouris, the samin to smuire,
First luik to God, syne to ʒour libertie,
Think weill suppois my death ʒe wald induire,
Gif Rubbers King na subiect falbe suire
Mair nor the sheip in Foris companie.
☞ FINIS. ☜
Imprentit at Edinburgh be Robert Lekpreuik. Anno Do. 1567.