William Dunbar

“ That nevir nane, fie ane, be callit a Scot, Ane rottin crok, lowfs of the dok, thair doun. Fra honeft folk devoyd this laithly loun: 485 On fura defert, quhair tliair is no repair, For fyling and infecking of the air, Caul's cary this cankerit corruptit carioun.
Thow wes confavit in the grit ecclippis, Ane monftour maid he grit Mercurius; 490 Na liald againe, nor lioo is at thy hippis, Infortunate, [foull,] falfe, and furius, Evill fchryvin, wanthryvin, nocht clene nor curius; Ane myting, fule of flyting, the flyrdome maid lyk, Ane crahbit, fkabbit, evill facit meflane tyk ”

“ The Capitane closit in the tour, 30
The Lady in bour full of bewtie:
Timor Mortis conturbat me.
He spairis no Lord for his piscence.
Nor Clerk for his intelligence;
His awfull straik may no man flé; 35
Timor Mortis conturbat me. ”

“ This cumly Quene did on hir heid inclois
Quhyll all the land illumynit of the licht;
Quhairfoir me thocht the flouris did rejois,
Crying, attonis, Haill be thow richest Rois!
Haill hairbis Empryce, haill freschest Quene of Flouris,
To thé be glory and honour at all houris.
Thane all the birdis song with voce on hicht,
Quhois mirthfull soun wes mervelus to heir;
The mavyis sang, Haill Rois most riche and richt,
That dois up flureiss undir Phebus speir ”

“ How thy forbearis come, I haif a feill, At Cokburnis-peth, the writ makis me war, Generit betuix ane fche beir and a deill; Sa wes he callit Dewlbeir, and nocht Dunbar: 200 This Dewlbeir, generit of a meir of Mar, AVes Corfpatrik, Erie of Merche ; and be illufioun The firft that evir put Scotland to confufioun, Wes that fals tratcur, hardely fay I dar. ”

“ To the Quene Dowager, 45
The Lordis of Scotland to the Governour, &c. 47
The Danger of Wryting, 49
Do for Thyself, &c. 51
Of the Nativitie of Christ, 55
Jerusalem rejois for joy, 57
The Sterne is Rissin, &c. ”

“ The merle scho sang, Haill Rois of most delyt,
Haill of all flouris quene and soverane: 170
The lark scho sang, Haill Rois both reid and quhyt,
Most plesand flour, of michty cullouris twane:
The nychtingaill sang, Haill Naturis suffragane,
In bewty, nurtour, and every nobiluess,
In riche array, renown, and gentilness. 175
The commoun voce up raise of birdis small,
Apon this wyis, O blissit be the hour
That thow wes chosin to be our principall;
Welcome to be our Princés of honour,
Our perle, our plesans, and our paramour, 180
Our peax, our play, our plane felicité ”

“ Thow purpost for to undo our Lordis cheif
In Paislay, with ane poysone that wes fell,
For quhilk, brybour, yit sall thow thoill a breif;
Pelour, on thé I sall it preif my sell. 80
Thocht I wald lie, thy frawart phisnomy
Dois manifest thy malice to all men;
Fy! tratour theif; Fy! glengoir loun, fy! fy!
Fy! feyndly front, far fowlar than ane fen.
My freyndis thow reprovit with thy pen? 85
Thow leis, tratour! quhilk I fall on thé preif,
Suppois thy heid war armit tymis ten,
Thow sall recryat, or thy croun sall cleif. ”

“ MEMOIRS OF WILLIAM DUNBAR. 1 Appendix to the Memoir.
No. I. Notices of the Dunbars of Beill, during the Fifteenth Century, 65
No. II. Notices of William Dunbar, from the Public Records of Scotland, 68 POEMS BY WILLIAM DUNBAR. ”

“ Ane hommelty-jommelty juffeller,
Lyk a stirk stackarand in the ry;
His hippis gaff mony hiddouss cry.
John Bute the Fule said, Wa is me!
He is bedirtin,—Fy! fy! 20
A mirrear Dance mycht na man see. ”

“ Tliair is bot lyfe, and lang- nailis yow aniang: Fowll keggirbald, for hennis thus will ye hang, Thow lies ane perrellus face to play with lambis; 150 Ane thowfand kiddis, wer thay in faldis full ftrang, Tliy lymmerfull luke wald fie tharae and thair danimis.
In till ane glen thow lies, owt of repair, Ane laithly luge that wes the lippir mennis; With the ane fowtaris wyfe, off blifs als bair, 155 And lyk twa ftalkaris fteilis in cokis and hennis, Thowplukkis the pultre, and fcho pullis off the penuis; All Karrik cryis, God gif this dowfy be drownd ”

“ And he did thame ressaif with princely laitis,
Quhois noble yre is parcere prostratis.
Syne crownit scho the Egle King of Fowlis, 120
And as steill dertis scherpit scho his pennis,
And bawd him be als just to awppis and owlis,
As unto pacokkis, papingais, or crennis,
And mak á law for wycht fowlis and for wrennis ”

“ And yit Mont Falcone gallowis is our fair, For to be fylit with fie ane frutlefs face; 370 Cum hame, and hing on our gallowis of Air, To erd the undir it I fall purchefs grace; To eit thy flefch the doggis fall haif na fpace, The revynis fall ryfe na thing bot thy tung rutis, For thow fik malice of thy Maifter mutis, 375 It is weill fett that thow fie barret brace. ”

“ And to the yettis of hevin fast can the wife fair,
And by Sanct Petir, in at the yett, scho stall prevely: 20
[He] lukit and saw hir lattin in, and lewch his hert sair.
And thar, yeris seven
Scho levit a gud life,
And wes our Ledyis hen wyfe;
And held Sanct Petir at stryfe, 25
Ay quhill scho wes in hevin. ”

“ Deidbeiris moder, caffin in by the fe, The wariet apill of the forbiddin tre, That Adame eit, quhen he tynt Paradyce, Scho eit invennomit lyk a cokkatryce, 295 Syne marreit with the Devill for dignite. ”

“ Qnhair thow wryttis Denfmen dryit on the rattis, 355 Denfmen of Denmark ar of the Kingis kin. The wit thow fowld haif had, wes caflin in Evin at thyne erfs, bakwart, with ane ftalf flung. Heirfoir, fals harlott, hurfone, hald thy tung: Deulbeir ! thow deivis the devill, thy erne, with din. 360
Qnhair as thow faid, I ft all biennis and lammis, I lat the wit, I haif landis, ftoir, and ftakkis. Thow wald be fane to gnaw, lad, with thy gammis, Undir my burde, fmoch banis behind doggis bakkis: Thow lies ane tome purfs, I haif fteidis and takkis, 365 Thow tynt culter, I haif culter and pleuch ”

“ Thocht ye suld bayth beg and borrow;
Fra our lang fasting ye yow refrene,
And latt your husband dré the sorrow:
This lang Lentren makis me lene. 20
Your counsale, Cummer, is gud, quoth scho,
All is to tene him that I do ”

“ Had thay bene fo provydit of fchott of gun 465 Be men of weir but perrell thay had paft; As thow wes lowfs, and reddy of thy bun, Thay micht naif tane na tollum at the lafl; For thow wald cuke ane cairtfull at the caft; Thair is no fchip that the will now reflaif; 470 Thow fylit falter nor fyftenefum mycht laif, And myrit thame with thy muk to the midmall.
Throw England, theif, and tak the to thy fute, And boun to haif with the ane fals botwand ”