Classic Poem

Maist loyal lord, ay for yi lawtie lowitt,
Now be not lakkit for deloyaltie!
Thocht to ye princis placethow be promowit,
Be not abusit be authoritie.
Bot schaw thi treuth, and thy integritie.
Sene we sa far ourselfis hes submittit,
And king and contray Lawes and libertie
Unto thy cair, and cradit, haue committit

Thy hous hes ay bene trustie, and inteir;
Defamit nocht with fraud, and fickilnes.
Bot schaw thyself bayth scharp, sage, and sinceir;
Indewit with vertew, wit, and worthines,
Ingyne, jugement, justice, and gentilnes;
Craft, conduct, cair, and knawlege to command:
Heroik hart, honor, and hardines:
Or in this storme thy stait will neuer stand.

We haive the chosin to ye cheifest charge,
Oure tossit galay to governe, and to gyde.
Bewar with bobbis! scho is a brukill barge,
And may na bitter blastis weill abyde.
Thow may hir tyne, in turning of a tyde,
Cast weill thy cours; yow hes ane kittil cure.
Off perrellis pance; and for sum port provyde;
And anker sicker, quhar thow may be sure.

All Boreas' bitter blastis ar nocht blawne:
I feir sum boide, and bobbis be behinde,
Be tyde and tempest thow may be ovirthrawne;
And mony fairlie fortouns thow may find:
As channellis, cragis, bedds, and bankis blind;
Lekand wanluks, quhairby thow may be loist.
Bewar, thairfoir, with weddir, waw, and wynd,
With uncouth coursis, and unkawin coist.

Be war w t strangears in thy sterne to steire
Thocht on ane course we can nocht condescend
Suppois sum present perrell now appeir
And sum hes wyritt and will no t with us wend
Be meitar meanes thow mon that make mend
Noe dangeris be ye double to divert
Thairfor I pray the prudenthe spend
And put nocht all in perrell for a pairt.

Thow will put all intill appeirand perrell,
Gif Inglis forcis in yis realme repair,
Sic ar nocht meit for to decyde oure querrell;
Thocht farlandis fules seme to have fedderis fair.
Be thay acquentit, thai will creip inner mair;
And wilbe noysum nychbours, and Enorme:
And schortlie will sit till our sydes as sair,
As now the rebells, quhome thay suld reforme.

That freindschip is ay fecfullest afar;
And langest will indure with lytle daile.
I feir with ws and tyme it wirk to war,
Fra thai aganes oure partie anes preyaile.
Quha wait bot syne thai will ourselfis assaill;
Auld fayis ar sindill faythful freindis found:
First helpe the halfe, and syne o r harrill the haill,
Wilbe a woful weilfair of oure wound.

Oure brethren may remember zit in France
The fay t and freindschip yat thai w t thame fand
And how thay did the word of God avance
Fra the new heavin they gat into yair hand
And how thay never pairtit w t that pand
Quhill bayth ye syddes yame forcit to reteir
Even at Leith gif yat yow lat thame land
The samyn practis plainlie will appeir.

Be thair exempill learne experience,
Ane foreyne mache, or maister, to admitt.
Reid, fra the Saxons gat preeminence,
How sone thai socht as souueraignes to sitt.
Reid quhow thay forcit the Britoun folks to flitt;
And zit posseids that peipils propertie.
Bewar! We may be weltred or we witt:
And lykeways lose oure land, and liberty.

Ane thousand sic exemples I could schaw;
And mony nobill natiouns may name,
Quha lost at lenth thair libertie, and law,
And sufferit hes great sorrow, sy t and schame;
That for to helpe thair hermes, and hurte at hame,
Feycsit forayne forcis in to thair support,
Quha fuilzeit syne thair fredome, force, and fame;
And thame subdewit in the samyn sort.

Fleand Charibe bewar in styll to fall;
And sa eschew cruill dissentioun,
That oure estait to strangers be not thrall,
The canker of our auld contentioun
Will keip na counand nor conventioun.
Bot gif yow gif thame credit to correct us,
Be craftie way, will, and conventioun,
And subtell slycht, thai will seik to subject us.

This realme w t eis the rebellis may repres
We neid na forene forces for sa few
Thair landis thay loup that reagne is les and les
Sa suit not sic as seiks us to subdew
Qlk gif thow do quhat euer may ensew
To fergus blude we rather will obey
Nor in o r tyme be trators toyitt vntrew
And gif o r realme to Ingland as a pray.

Scotland came never zit in servitude,
Sen Fergus first; bot ever hes bene frie.
And hes bene alwais bruikit be ane blude;
And kin of kings descendit gre be gre.
Gif that it be in bondage brocht be the,
Thay wareit weir thy weirdis and wanhaip!
Thairfoir thir forene fechis sa force,
That catcheit we be nocht with ye eftir-claip.

Markand mynt at the honour, laude, and prais,
The vertew, worde, worschip, and vassallage,
Off sic as doichtelie did in thair dayis
To keip this realme from thraldome and bondage:
Mark als the vyle vituper, and the wage
Of untreuth, tresoune and of tyrannie:
And how sum hes honour, and heretage,
And Lyfes, losrt, for thair deloyaltie.

Sa for thy factis thow may be suir to find
The lyke rewaird of vertew or of vyce
Thairfoir be not sylit as a bellie blind;
Nor lett thyself be led upone the yce,
Nor, to content thy marrow's covatyce,
Put not thyself in perrell for to perish.
Nor beir the blame, quhair vthers takis the pryce.
Nor beitt the buish, that vthers eit the bereis.

The throne of tryall, and theatre trew,
Is for to regne, and rewle above the rest.
Who hes the woyne him all the world dois vew;
And magistrat the man dois manifest.
Sen thow art in the princes place possest,
Louk to be prasit as thow plays thi pairt.
And, as thow levis, so luvit be and lest;
And always delt with eftir thi desert.