Search just our sites by using our customised search engine

Unique Cottages | Electric Scotland's Classified Directory

Click here to get a Printer Friendly PageSmiley

The Complaynt of Scotland
Chapter XIII


Quhou the affligit lady declaris til hyr thre sonnis that the familiarite that is betuix inglis men & scottis men in ane pace varld at mercattis and conuentions on the tua bordours is the cause of the traison that the scottis men committis contrar ther natyfe cuntre.

Chap. XIII.

THERE is no thing that is occasione (O ze my thre sonnis) of zour adhering to the opinione of ingland contrar zour natife cuntre bot the grit familiarite that inglis men and scottis hes hed on baitht the boirdours ilk ane vitht vtheris in marchandeis in selling and bying hors and nolt and scheip out fang and in fang ilk ane amang vtheris the quhilk familiarite is expres contrar the lauis and consuetudis, baytht of ingland and scotland in the dais of moises the ieuis durst nocht haue familiarite <f 84r>vitht the samaritanis, nor vitht the philistiens, nor the romans vitht the affricans, nor the grekis vitht the persans, be rason that ilk ane repute vtheris to be of ane barbir nature for euere nations reputis vthers nations to be barbariens quhen there tua natours and complexions ar contrar til vtheris, and there is nocht tua nations vndir the firmament that ar mair contrar and different fra vthirs, nor is inglis men and scottis men quhoubeit that thai be vitht in ane ile and nythtbours, and of ane langage: for inglis men ar subtil and scottis men ar facile, inglis men ar ambitius in prosperite, and scottis men ar humain in prosperite. inglis men ar humil quhen thai ar subieckit be forse and violence, and scottis men ar furious quhen thai ar violently subiekit inglis men ar cruel quhene thai get victorie, and scottis men ar merciful quhen thai get victorie. and to conclude it is onpossibil that scottis men and inglis men can remane in concord vndir ane monarche or one prince be cause there naturis and conditions ar as indefferent as is the nature of scheip and voluis. quintus cursius rehersis that darius kyng of perse send ane imbassadour to alexander kyng of macedon and <f 84v>offrit hym sax mulis chargit vitht gold, sa that he vald lyue vitht hym in pace and concord vndir ane crone and monarche, alexander ansuert to the imbassadour, quod he it is as onpossibil to gar me and kyng darius duel to giddir in pace and concord vndir ane monarche as it is onpossibil that tua sonnis and tua munis can be at one tyme to giddir in the firmament. This exempil may be applyit to ingland and scotland for i trou it is as onpossibil to gar inglis men and scottis men remane in gude accord vndir ane prince, as it is onpossibil that tua sonnis and tua munis can be at one tyme to giddir in the lyft, be raison of the grit defferens that is betuix there naturis & conditions, quhar for as i hef befor rehersit there suld be na familiarite betuix inglis men and scottis men be cause of the grit defferens that is betuix there tua naturis in ald tymis it vas determit in the artiklis of the pace be the tua vardanis of the bordours of ingland and scotland, that there suld be na familiarite betuix scottis men and inglis men nor mariage to be contrakit betuix them, nor conuentions on holy dais at gammis and plays, nor marchandres to be maid amang them, nor scottis men <f 85r>til entir on inglis grond vitht out the kyng of ingland saue conduct, nor inglis men til entir on scottis grond vitht out the kyng of scotlandis saue conduct, quhou beit that there var sure pace betuix the tua realmis, bot thir seuyn zeir bygane thai statutis and artiklis of the pace ar adnullit, for there hes been as grit familiarite & conuentionis and makyng of marchandreis on the bourdours this lang tyme betuix inglis men and scottis men baytht in pace and in veir, as scottis men vsis amang theme selfis vitht in the realme of scotland. and sic familiarite hes been the cause that the kyng of ingland gat intellegens vitht diuerse gentil men of scotland. it is nocht possibil to keip ane realme fra conspiratione and trason fra tyme that the pepil of that realme vsis familiarite vitht there enemeis ther is ane ald prouerb that says, that ane herand damysele and ane spekand castel sal neuyr end vith honour, for the damysele that heris and giffis eyris to the amourus persuasions of desolut zong men sal be eysily persuadit to brac hyr chaistite siklik ane spekand castel, that is to saye quhen the captan of sodiours of ane castel vsis familiar speche and comionyng vitht there enemeis that castel sal <f 85v>be eysylie conquest be rason that familiarite and speche betuix enemeis generis trason. in ald tymis the vailzeant annibal and vtheris grit captans baitht romans and grecians, thai set mair there felecite to purches secret familiarite and comonyng vitht there enemeis nor to get battel. for fra tyme that thai gat familiarite and comonyng vitht there enemeis, than thai vrocht to bring there entreprice and intent to there effect be trason and be gold and silueir. Salust de bello iugurtino confermis this samyn purpos. quhen iugurtha of numidie in affrica hed tyne tiuerse battellis contrar the romans, quhilk vas occasione that he hed almaist lossit his cuntre, than his frendis consellit hym to decist fra his veyris be rason that he prosperit nothing and lossit mekil than iugurtha nocht beand disparit of guid fortone, he past in Italie vitht ane fresche armye of men of veir and also he tuik vitht hym ane riche quantite of gold and siluyr cunzet & oncunzet. than his frendis reprochit hym be cause his entreprice aperit to be vane rather nor to procede of ane prudent & mortifet consait. iugurtha ansuert til his frendis. quod he my forse is nocht sufficient to conques rome, bot noththeles gif <f 86r>that i can purches secret familiarite & intelligens vitht sum of the romans that hes authorite i beleif to venques them vitht gold and syluyr rathere nor vitht forse of men of veyr, for euyrie thing is to sel in rome for monye ther for i dout nocht bot i sal gar them sel there liberte for gold, for the auariese that is amang the romans vil gar ilk ane betraise vthers Thir vordis of iugurtha makkis manifest that there is nay thing that bringis ane realme to ruyne sa sune and sa reddy as dois the familiarite that the pepil hes vitht there enemeis, throucht the quhilk familiarite there is sum euil persoune that knauis the secret determinations of the lordis of the counsel, & there eftir he reuelis it to sum traisonabil man, that hes intelligens vitht the kyng of ingland. i can nocht expreme ane speciale man that perpetratis this traisonabil act, bot zit i am sure that as sune as the lordis of the counsel hes determit ony guide purpos for the deffens & veilfair of the realme, incontinent vitht in tuenty houris there eftir, the sammyn counsel is vitht in the toune of beruik & vitht in thre dais there eftir the post of beruyk presentis it is london to the counsel of ingland, quhilk is occasione that the inglismen hes there deffens reddy contrar <f 86v>our purpos, or ve begyn to exsecut the counsel that vas determit. It var verray necessair that the committers of that reuelen var punest mair realye nor hes been ony punitione that hees been exsecut contrar ony scottis man that hes cum vitht inglis men in plaine battel til inuaid scotland. thir secret reuelaris of the counsel of scotland, takkis nocht exempil of the tua vailzeant romans pompeus and quintus metellus quhilkis kneu al the secret of the senat, bot there vas nothir gold nor landis, tormenting nor pyne, that vald gar ony of them reueil the secret of the senat to the enemes of rome, valerius maximus rehersis in the thrid cheptour of his thrid beuk quhou the romans send pompeus in imbassadre til aysia quhilk vas of the allya of rome, and be chance he vas tane presoneir in his voyage be genthius the kyng of esclauonia quha vas mortal enemye to the romans, the said kyng genthius coniurit persuadit solistit and alse he manneist nobil pompeus to reueil the secret counsel of the senat, pompeus behaldand his onrasonabil request, he pat his fingar in the heyt fyir and tholit it to birn, and be the <f 87r>tollerance and paciens of that cruel pane, gentius kneu that there vas na torment that culd gar pompeus reueil the secret of the senat. bot allace there is sum men that knauis the secret of scotland that vil reueil it til inglismen rather nor to birn the fingar of ther glufe. Valerius maximus reheris ane vthir exempil quhou that quintus metellus beand proconsul of rome vas send vitht ane armye in to spanze contrar the celtibriens quhilkis duellit in the realme of nauerne. he set ane seige about the toune of tribie quhilk is the methropolitane & capital cite of that cuntre, that cite resistit and deffendit vailzeantly contrar quintus metellus, than he beand in melancole be cause he culd nocht conqueis that cite, he deuisit ane subtil consait to desaue the celtibriens, he gart rais his camp and departit fra that cite and past til vtheris diuerse tounis of nauern, sum tyme bakuart sum tyme forduart, sum tyme he past to the montannis, and sum tyme to the valeis, and remanit neuer in ane stedefast place, and he gart al his armye keip them in arraay the cause of this agitatione and commotione of his army vp and doun, vas nocht knauen be none of his men of veyr nor zit knauen be <f 87v> his enemes, quhar for ane of his familiar frendis inquyrit hym of the cause of his inconstant vagatione, quha ansuert, quod he decist and inquyre na mair of that purpos, for gif that i vndirstude that my sark hed knaulege of my secret or of the deliberatione of my mynde, doutles i suld birn it hastelye in ane bald fyir. than quhen metellus hed vagit vp and doune there ane lang tyme, and hed put his host and armye in ignorance, and his enemes in errour eftir diuerse turnand coursis, athourtht the cuntre, he returnit suddanlye to the forsaid toune of tribie and laid ane sege about it or his enemes var aduertest to mak deffens, and sa be this dissimilatione and be the keping of his counsel secret fra his frendis and fra al vtheris, he conquest the said toune. vald god that the counsel and deliberatione of scotland var kepit as secret as metellus kepit his secret fra his men of veyr, than doutles the inglis men vald nocht be so bold. There is na thing that is cause that the counsel of ingland gettis sa haisty aduertessing of the priuitate that is amang the lordis of scotland bot the vice of auareis that hes blyndit the raison & hes infekkit the hartis of diuers grit men of scotland the ald <f 88r>prouerb is treu that sais that it is as onpossibil to gar ane auaricius man be faythful, as it is onpossibil to gar ane fische of the depe flude speik hebreu or greik. Quhar for (O ze my thre sonnis) i exort zou to tak exempil of diuerse nobil men, that culd neuir be seducit nor persuadit to tak gold nor reches fra there enemeis. There is ane exempil of allexander kyng of macedon, quha hed mortal veyr contrar the grekis. he sende ane riche present extendant til thre scoir of thousandis peces of gold til and nobil man of athenes callit phosion, ane man heffand gret autorite in athenes. Than phosion said to the inbassad ours of kyng allexander quod he my frendis, for quhat cause hes kyng allexander sende this riche present of gold to me alanerly, ande hes sende nathing to the remanent of the lordis of athenes. The inbassadour ansuert, our master kyng allexander hes sende zou this present of gold, be raison that he hes iugit zou to be the maist nobil ande maist verteous, abufe al them of athenes. phosion ansuert. gyf that kyng allexander hes iugit me to be of grit prudens ande vertu, ze sal praye hym to thole me to remane prudent & verteous. for gyf i tak his present of gold than i <f 88v>am nothir prudent nor verteous, for there is no thyng mair repungnant to prudens nor vertu nor quhen ane person resauis gold or reches fra his enemee. there for ze sal tel to zour master kyng allexander, that he sal nocht corrupt me vitht gold nor venqueis me in battel, nor zit he sal conqueis na thing in grece bot sa mekil eird as vil be sepulturis til his men of veyr. this exempil makkis manifest that quhen ane prince presentis gold ande siluyr to the subiectis of his enemei doutles his intentione is to seduce them to conspire ande to betraise there natiue cuntre. quhar for i exort zou (my thre sonnis) that ze detest auerese ambicion ande traison, ande that ze gar zour solistnes of the deffens of zour comont veil, preffer the solistnes of zour particular veil: for quhen zour particular veil is spulzeit or hurt be zour enemeis it maye be remedit be zour comont veil. ande in opposit, gyf zour comont veil be distroyt than it sal neuyr be remedit be zour particular veil, for zour particular veil is bot ane accessor of zour comont veil ande the accessor follouis the natur of the prencipal, accessorium sequitur naturam sui prencipalis.


Return to Book Index


 


This comment system requires you to be logged in through either a Disqus account or an account you already have with Google, Twitter, Facebook or Yahoo. In the event you don't have an account with any of these companies then you can create an account with Disqus. All comments are moderated so they won't display until the moderator has approved your comment.

comments powered by Disqus

Quantcast