VI.

Quho suld for tynsall drowp or de,
For thyng that is bot vanitie,

Sen to the lyfe that evir dois lest
Heir is bot twynklyng of ane Ee;
For to be blyth me think it best.

VII.

Had I for warldis vnkyndness
In hairt tane ony haviness,

Or fro my plesans bene opprest,
I had bene deid langsyne, dowtless;
For to be blyth me think it best.

VIII.

How evir this warld do change and vary
Lat ws in hairt na moir be sary,

Bot ay be reddy and addrest

To pass out of this frawfull fary;
For to be blyth me think it best.

Etc. Quod Dunbar.

75. ADVICE TO SPEND ANIS AWIN GUDE.

I.

Man, sen thy lyfe is ay in weir,

And deid is evir drawand neir,

The tyme vnsicker and the place;

Man, spend thy gud quhill thow hes space.

II.

Thow may to day haif gude to spend,

And hestely to morne fra it wend,

And leif ane vthir thy baggis to braiss;

Man, spend thy gud quhill thow hes space.

III.

Gif it be thyne thy self it vsis,

Gif it be nocht the it refusis,

Ane vthir of it the proffeit hess;

Man, spend thy gud quhill thow hes space.

IV.

Quhill thow hes space se thow dispone,
That for thy geir quhen thow art gone,
No wicht ane vder slay nor chace;

Man, spend thy gud quhill thow hes space.

V.

Sum all his dayis dryvis our in vane,
Ay gadderand geir with sorrow and pane,
And nevir is glaid at 3ule nor Paiss;

Man, spend thy gud quhill thow hes space.

VI.

Syne cumis ane vder glaid of his sorrow,
That for him prayit nowdir evin nor morrow,
And fangis it all with mirryness;

Man, spend thy gud quhill thow hes space.

VII.

Sum grit gud gadderis and ay it spairis,
And eftir him thair cumis 3ung airis,

That his auld thrift settis on ane ess;

Man, spend thy gud quhill thow hes space.

VIII.

It is all thyne that thow heir spendis,
And nocht all that on the dependis,

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Bot his to spend it that hes grace;

Man, spend thy gud quhill thow hes space.

IX.

Trest nocht ane vthir will do the to,

It that thy self wald nevir do,

For gif thow dois, streng is thy cace;

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Man, spend thy gud quhill thow hes space.

X.

Luke how the bairne dois to the muder,

And tak example be nane vdder,

That it nocht eftir be thy cace;

Man, spend thy gud quhill thow hes space.

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Quod Dunbar.

76. NO TRESSOUR AVAILIS WITHOUT GLAIDNES.

I.

Be mirry, man! and tak nocht far in mynd

The wawering of this wrechit warld of sorrow;
To God be hvmill, and to thy freynd be kynd,

And with thy nychtboure glaidly len and borrow ;
His chance to nycht it may be thyne to morrow.
Be blyth in hairt for ony aventure,

For oft with wysmen it hes bene said aforrow,
Without glaidnes awailis no tressour.

II.

Mak the gud cheir of it that God the sendis,
For warldis wrak but weilfair nocht awailis ;
Na gud is thyne saif only bot thow spendis,
Remenant all thow brukis bot with bailis ;
Seik to solace quhen sadnes the assailis,
In dolour lang thy lyfe ma nocht indure;
Quhairfoir of confort set vp all thy sailis:
Without glaidnes availis no tresour.

III.

Follow on peis, fle truble and debait;
With famows folkis hald thy cumpany;
Be charitabill and humyll in thyne estait,
For warldly honour lestis bot a cry;
For truble in erd tak no mallancoly;

Be riche in patience, gif thow in gudis be pure;

Quho levis mirry, he levis michtely:

Without glaidnes availis no tresour.

IV.

Thow seis thir wrechis sett with sorrow and cair,
To gaddir gudis in all thair lyvis space,
And quhen thair baggis ar full thair selfis ar bair,
And of thair richess bot the keping hess;
Quhill vthiris cum to spend it that hes grace,
Quhilk of the wynning no labour had nor cure;

Tak thow example and spend with mirriness:
Without glaidnes availis no tresour.

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V.

Thocht all the wraik that evir had levand wicht
Wer only thyne, no moir thy pairt dois fall
Bot meit, drynk, clais, and of the laif a sicht;
3it to the iuge thow sall gif compt of all;
Ane raknyng rycht cumis of ane ragment small;
Be just and joyws and do to non injure,

And trewth sall mak the strang as ony wall:
Without glaidness availis no tresure.

Quod Dunbar.

77. TO THE QUENE DOWAGER.

I.

O lusty flour of 30wth, benyng and [sweit],

Fresch blome of bewty, blythfull, brycht, and schene, Fair lufsum lady, gentill and discreit,

3ung brekand blosum, 3it on the stalkis grene, Delytsum lilly, lusty for to be sene,

Be glaid in hairt and expell haviness;

[Thocht] bair of bliss, that evir so blyth hes bene, Dewoyd langour, and leif in lustiness.

II.

Brycht sterne at morrow that dois the nycht hyn chase,

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Of luvis lychtsum lyfe [the lamp] and gyd,

Lat no dirk clud absent fro ws thy face,

Nor lat no sable frome ws thy bewty hyd,
That hes no confort quhair that we go or ryd,

Bot to behald the beme of thi brychtness;
Baneiss all baill, and into bliss abyd;
Dewoyd langour, and leif in lustiness.

III.

Art thow [so] plesand, lusty, 30ing and fair,
Full of all vertew and gud conditioun,
Rycht nobill of blud, rycht wyiss and debonair,
Honorable, gentill, and faythfull of renoun,
Liberall, lufsum, and lusty of persoun,
Quhy suld thow than lat sadness the oppress?
In hairt be blyth and lay all dolour doun;
Dewoyd langour, and leif in lustiness.

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IV.

I'me commend, with all humilite

Vnto thi bewty blisfull and bening,

To quhome I am, and sall ay scherwand be,

With steidfast hairt, and faythfull trew mening,
Vnto the deid, without[en] depairting;
For quhais saik I sall my pen address

Sangis to mak for thy reconforting,
That thow may leif in joy and lustiness.

V.

O fair sweit blossum, now in bewty flouris,
Vnfaidit bayth of cullour and vertew,

Thy nobill lord that deid hes done devoir,

Faid nocht with weping thy vissage fair of hew;
O lufsum lusty lady, wyse, and trew,
Cast out all cair, and confort do incress,
Exyll all sichand, on thy scherwand rew!
Dewoyd langour, and leif in lustiness.

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Finis.

78. THE MERLE AND THE NYCHTINGAILL.

· I.

In May as that Aurora did vpspring,

With cristall ene chasing the cluddis sable,

I hard a merle with mirry notis sing

A sang of lufe, with voce rycht confortable,
Agane the orient bemis amiable,
Vpone a blisful brenche of lawryr grene;

This wes hir sentens sueit and delectable,
A lusty lyfe in luves scheruice bene.

II.

Vndir this brench ran doun a revir bricht,
Of balmy liquour, cristallyne of hew,
Agane the hevinly aisur skyis licht,

Quhair did, vpone the tothair syd, persew
A nychtingaill, with suggurit notis new,
Quhois angell fedderis as the pacok schone ;
This wes hir song, and of a sentens trew,
All luve is lost bot vpone God allone.

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