Is nane fae fharp that can him fcar, Quhen he propons furth ony Pley:

Nor zit fae hardy Man as dar Sr Penny tyne or disobey.

V

SR Pénny is baith leird and wyle,
The Kirk to fteir he taks in Hand,
Difponer of ilk Benefice

In this Realm, throu all the Land;
Is nane fae wicht dar him gainstand,
Sae wyfely can Sr Penny wirk;

And als Sr Symonie his Servand,

That now is Gydar of the Kirk.

VI.

GIF to the Court thou mak repair,
And ther haif Matters to proclame,
Thou art unable weil to fair,

Sr Penny gif thou leif at hame,

To bring him furth think thou nae Schame; I do thee weil to understand,

Into thy Bag beir thou his Name,

Thy Matter cums better to hand.

VII.

S& Penny now is maid an Owll,

They wirk him mekle Tray and Tene, They hald him in till he hair-moull,

And maks him blind of baith his Ene; ·
Thirout he is but findle fene,

Sae faft tharin they can him fteik,
That Commons pure cannot obtain
Ane Day to byd with him and fpeik.

Tray and Tene, Anger.

Hair-maull, Grown hoary with Mouldiness.

VERTUE and VYCE.

A

POEM,

Addreft to

JAMES V. King of SCOTS. By the famous and renown'd Clerk, Mr. JOHN BELLENTY NE, Arch-Dean of Murray.

Q

I.

UHEN Silver Diane full of Beims bricht,

Frae dark Eclips was paft this uther Nicht,

And to the Crab hir proper Manfion gane; Artophilax contending with his Micht

In the grit Eift to fet his Vifage richt;

I mene the Leider of the Charle-wane: Aboif our Heid then was the Urfis twain, Quhen Startis fmall obfcure grew to our Sicht, And Lucifer left twinkling him alane.

JI.

THE frolly Nicht with her prolixit Hours,
Her Mantle quhyt fpred on the tender Flours;
When ardent Labour has addreffit me,
Tranflate the Tale of our Progenitours,
Thair greit Manheid, Wisdom and hie Honours,
Quhair we may cleir, as in a Mirrour, fee
The furious End fomtymes of Tyranie;
Somtymes the Gloir of prudent Governours,
Ilk State appryfit in thair Facultie.

III.

My weary Spreit defiring to reprefs
My emptive Pen of frutelefs Biffinefs,
Awalkit forth to tak the recent Air.
When Priapus with ftormy Weid opprefs,
Requeiftit me, in his Maift Tenderness,

To reft a while amids his Gardens bare,
But I no maner coud my Mynd prepare
To fet afyde unplefant Havynefs

On this and that contempling Solitare.

Priapus, who prefides over Gardens.

IV.

AND first occurrt to my remembering,

How that I was in Service with the King,
Put to his Grace in Zeirs tenderest,
Clerk of his Compts, althocht I was inding,
With Heart and Hand, and every'uther thing,
That micht him pleife in ony manner best,
While envy grit me from his Service kest,
By them that had the Court in governing,
As Bird bot Plumes is herryt of her Neft.

V.

OUR Lyfe, our Gyding, and our Aventuris,
Dependance have on thir celeft Creaturis,
Apperandly by fome Neceffitie;

For thocht a Man wald fet his biffy curis,
Sae far as Labour and his Wisdom furis,

To flie hard Chance of Infortunitie,
Tho' he efchew it with Difficultic,

The curfid weird yet ithandly enduris,
Gien to him firft in his Nativitie.