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quhou the affligit lady
same scotia makis ane exortatione til hyr thre sonis, quhilk is
the conclusione of this beuk.
Chap. XX.
O ZE my thre sonnis i hef
accusit euyrye ane of zou
perticularly in special for the abusione of zour
faculteis and officis the quhilk abusione
<f 131r> is the
cause of the contentione and discord that ringis amang
zou, the quhilk contention and discord hes dune mair
domage in zour cuntre, nor the grit armye of ingland
hes dune. i vald speir ane question, quhat medycyn
can help ane seik man that hurtis hym selue vilfully
and prouokis his auen seiknes daly? or quhat cite can
indure, quhen it is seigit and assailzeit vitht out be
enemeis, and vitht in the cite ringis mortal veyr amang
the gouuernours and inhabitantis? O ze my thre sonis,
quhat can the varld estime of zou, quhen ze ar sa solist
on the ruuyne of zour prosperite and on the demolitione
of zour comont veil? zour conditions & conuersations
is mair lyik til barbarien pepil nor it is to
cristyn, pepil ze lament hauyly the cruel veyrs, and ze
cry & desyris pace at god, ze heffand rancor in zour
hartis contrar zour nychtbours, ze desire mercy at god,
ze heffand ane drauen sourd in zour hand to slay ane
innocent, ze vald be louit vitht al men and ze hef na
cherite to na man Quhy suld god delyuyr zou fra
zour enemeis? sen that ze ar mortal enemeis to zour
selfis, zour honour is tynt sen that zour vailzeantnes
is changit in berkyng on vthirs lyik cattis and
<f 131v> doggis,
ze hef left the protectione of zour comont salut, and ze
ar be cum sodiours & pensionaris to zour enemeis, and
alse ze ar be cum enemeis to zour auen veilfair and
prosperite. allace vald ze considir the grit ruuyne &
perditione that hes cum on diuerse realmis throucht the
discentione and diuisione that rang amang the pepil,
than i beleue that ze vald treit pace in zour consciens,
and cherite to zour nychtbours. the holy scriptour confermis
this samyn purpos, quhar crist Iesus said,
Omne regnum in se diuisum desolabitur, al
realmis that ar diuidit vitht in them selfis be discentione
and contentione, sal be left desolat. there for (o
ze my thre sonnis) it is na meruel that zour cuntre cum
to ruuyne and desolatione, considerand that al sortis of
detestabil and onleful veyrs and battellis that distroyit
the romanis in the anciant dais, ringis presently amang
zou, throucht the discentione, diuisione inuy rancor
and auareis that ringis vniuersaly throucht al scotland.
the fyrst sort of battellis and veyris that broucht the
romans to ruuyne vas callit battellis finityuis, A finibus,
that is quhen ane man vndir takkis to conques
be violence and tirranye, the landis
<f 132r> of his nychtbours
that marchis and lyis contigue vitht his landis, as did
Ninus kyng of the assiriens, quha vas nocht contentit
vitht his auen cuntre, there for he maid veyr on al the
cuntreis that circuit his realme. this sammyn sort of
veyrs is in scotland for there is nocht mony men, grit
nor smal that hes heretage, bot is aye inuentand cauillatione
& vrang titilis to hef ther nychtbours heretagis
that lyis contigue besyde them, othir be proces &
pleyis, or ellis be violens. there vas ane vthir sort of
battellis amang the romans callit battellis socialis, that
is quhen tounis of ane cuntre makkis veyr contrar
vthirs, as of diuerse tounis of germanye and ytalie.
Thir samyn sort of veyrs ringis presently in scotland,
for there is nocht ane boroustone nor landuard paris
vitht in the realme, bot thai hef inuy contrar the tounis
and parisis that ar nixt nychtbours to them. the thrid
sort of veyris var callit battellis ciuilis, that is
quhen citinaris and induellaris of ane cite, hes mortal
fede contrar vthirs as vas betuix silla & marius, &
quintus lipidius. this samyn sortis of veyris ringis
instantly in scotland, for there is nocht ane borroustoune
nor parise in scotland bot there
<f 132v> is deidly fede
amang sum of the induellars of the saidis tounis. there
is ane vthir sort of veyris callit battellis intestynis, that
is quhen kynsmen and frendis of consanguinite or
affinite hes mortal veyr contrar vthirs, as vas betuix
Iulius cesar and his gude sone grit pompeus, this samyn
sort of veyris ringis instantly in scotland for the intestine
veyris that ringis amang the barrons and gentil
men of scotland is detestabil to be rehersit, for thai
that ar nerest of kyn and blude, hes maist mortal fede
contrar vthirs, quha can calkil the degreis of kyn and
blude of the barrons of scotland, thai vil conferme this
samyn. there is ane vthir sort of veyris callit battellis
asephales, that is quhen the pepil gadris togiddir in
ane grit conuentione but the autorite of the superior, as
did the comontis of germanye quhilkis var the numer
of ane hundyr thousand men, thai did grit domage,
thai obeit nocht to their dukis and superioris, than the
duc of saxon and the langraue of hasse venqueist and
distroyit them siclyik as did the comontis of ingland
the zeir of 1533 zeris quhilkis var distroyit vndir the
trettye of concord, this samyn sort of veyris ringis
instantly
<f 133r>in scotland for i hef sene nyne or ten tousand
gadyr to giddir vitht out ony commissione of the
kyngis letteris, the quhilk grit conuentione hes been to
put there nychtbours furtht of ther steding and takkis
on vytson veddyinsday, or ellis to leyd auaye ane pure
manis teynd in heruyst bot thai vald nocht be half
sa solist to conuene thre hundretht at the command of
the kyngis letteris to pas to resist our ald enemeis of
ingland al thir forsaid veyrs hes occurrit throucht
the discentione and diuisione of the pepil of ane
realme.
O ze my thre sonnis ze knau
that thir vordis
befor rehersit ar of verite alse ze knau that zour extreme
ruuyne approchis verra neir, the quhilk maye be
eysylie remedit sa that ze vald nocht be obstinat and
obdurit in the rancor and discentione that ringis amang
zou. it aperis to me that sum sorseris and vytchis,
quhilkis ar instramentis of the ald eneme of mankynd
hes tempit zou and hes venqueist zour natural rason i
vait nocht quhiddir that i sal iuge zou to be cum
frenetic or brutal, for zour conuersations in general is
ane monstreus thyng rather nor humain as zour verkis
testifeis. the historiographoris rehersis that the tua
prudent
<f 133v>philosophoris, heraclites and democrites past
throucht the varld to haue ane vniuersal iugement of
the conuersation of man kynd, than quhan thai var
passand throucht the varld & persauand the vice and
the vanite and euil conuersatione of euyrie cuntre &
alse persauand the grit solistnes of diuerse staitis in
conquessing reches, heretagis, digniteis, officies. and
autorites, sum be auareis, sum be violens, and extorsions,
and sum be ane inexorbitant solistnes contrar
rason, and sum be raif and spulze, and sum be trason,
and sum be discentione & mortal fede, nocht heffand
respect nor rememorance of the schort peregrinatione of
this miserabil lyif, nor zit heffand premeditatione of the
future eternal beatitude that god hes promest til faythtful
men, than heraclites began to veip and lament for
pite that he hed of the extreme disrasonabil abusione
that rang amang the vniuersal pepil. bot democrites
leucht and scornit there foliful conuersatione and solist
vanite. allace var thai tua philosophours instantly passand
throucht the realme of scotland heraclites vald
murn & lament for pite, our misire and our affliction
the quhilk hes occurrit and daly occurris throuch
<f 134r> our auen occasione. and syklyik democrites persauand our
folyful mysgouernance and our miserabil obstinat conuersatione
he vald laucht and scorn vs be grit derisione.
for doutles thir tua philosophours vald fynd mater
aneucht to veip for vs and alse to laucht vs to scorn i
vil rehers sex versis in latyn quhilk var conposit be
ane knycht of Itale M. Antonio phiremo fregoso
and syne i sal rehers the expostion of them in our
scottis tong, as neir the sentens of the text as i can.
Defle hominum vitam plusquam
heraclite solebas,
In lachrimas totos, solue, age nunc oculos:
Concute maiori splenem democrite risu,
Et toto resonans ore cachinus hiet.
Vita fuit mundi post condita secula nuncquam,
Et risu, pariter dignior, & lachrymis.
To the readar.
Gude readar, veip and murne this mortal lyif
As did the vyise philosophour heraclite
And thou sal laucht for scorne recreatyfe
As fast as did the prudent democrite
Ane murnit for pite, the tothir leucht in dispite
Quhen thai beheld this varldis vanite
Bot var thai nou on lyue, i mycht veil dyit
<f 134v>that tha vald laucht and veip our misire.
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