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The Complaynt of Scotland
Chapter III


ACTOR

Chap III.

THE kyng anchises lamentit the distructione of the superb troy, exsecutit be the princis of greice. the queene rosaria regrettit hir spouse kyng darius quhen he vas venqueist be grite allexander. the prophet hieremye vepit for the stait of the public veil of babillone, quhen it vas brocht in captiuite. kyng dauid lamentit his sone absolon, quhen Ioab sleu hym. cleopatra vas lyike to dee in melancolie, quhen hyr loue marcus antonius vas venquest be the empriour agustus. the consule marcus marcellus regrettit hauyly the cite of syracuse, quhen he beheld it birnand in ane bold fyir. Crisp salust regrettit the euyl gouernyng of the public veil of rome. the patriarche Iacob lamentit the absens of his sone Ioseph. the kyng demetrius regrettit hauyly the slauchtir of his fadir antigonus, at the battel of maraton. zong octouian lamentit hauyly the slauchtir of his fadir adoptiue cesar that gat .xxii straikis <f21r> vitht pen knyuis in the capitol. thir nobil personagis deplorit the calamiteis that occurrit in ther dais, bot i hef as grit cause to deploir the calamiteis that ringis presently vitht in ouer realme throucht the vice of the pepil. & quhou beit that the thretnyng of gode contrar vs be verray seueir ande extreme, zit nochtheles i hope that his auful scurge of aperand exterminatione sal change in ane faderly correctione sa that ve vil knau his mageste, ande to retere fra ouer vice, for he hes promest grace tyl al them that repentis ande til al them that kepis his command as is vrityn in the .xxvi.. cheptor of leuitic thir vordis as follouis. Gyf ze keip my ordinance, i sal send zou rane on zour grond in conuenient tyme, zour feildis sal bryng furtht cornis, zour treis sal bayr frute, ze sal eyt zour breyde in suficiens, ze sal sleipt at zour eyse, i sal sende pace amang zou, the sourde of vengeance sal nocht pas throucht zour cuntre, ze sal follou zour enemeis ,ande zour sourdis sal gar them fal befor zou, fiue of zou sal follou & chaisse ane hundretht, & ane hundretht of zou sal chaisse ten thousand, ande zour enemeis sal fal to the grond <f21v> venquest in zour presens, sa that ze vil obeye to my command.

O quhat familiar promese is this that god hes promeist tyl al them that vil obey til his command quhar for gyf ve refuse this grit promes, i suspect that his iustice sal extinct oure generatione furtht of rememorance, ande that he vil permit our ald enemeis, or sum vthir straynge natione til ocupie & posses our natural natiue cuntre. bot zit i hope in gode that our obstinatione sal altir in obediens, quhilk sal be occasione, that fiue of vs sal chaise ane hundretht of our ald enemeis, ande ane hundretht of vs sal chaisse ten thousand of them furtht of our cuntre as is rehersit in the foir said xxvi cheptour of leuitic. for quhou be it that god hes permittit the inglis men to scurge vs, as he permittit sathan to scurge the holy man Iob, it follouis nocht that god vil tyne vs perpetualye, nor zit it follouis nocht, that the cruel inglis men ,quhilkis ar boreaus ande hang men permittit be god to puneis vs, that thai ar in the fauoir of god, for the exsecutione of goddis punitione on vs, as i sal explane be ane exempil of comparisone. ane boreau or hang <f22r> man is permittit be ane prince to scurge ande to puneise transgressours, ande ther efftir that samyn boreau, is stikkit or hangit eftiruart for his cruel demeritis, as is the end of them that settis ther felicite to skattir & to skail blude. Siklyike the cruel inglis men that hes scurgit vs, hes nocht dune it of manhede or visdome nor of ane gude zeil: bot rather the supreme plasmator of hauyn ande eird hes permittit them to be boreaus, to puneis vs, for the mysknaulage of his magestie. Quhar for i treist, that his diuine iustice vil permit sum vthir straynge natione to be mercyles boreaus to them, ande til extinct that false seid ande that incredule generatione furtht of rememorance, be cause thai ar, ande alse hes beene, the special motione, of the iniust veyris that hes trublit cristianite, thir sex hundretht zeir by past. quha listis to reide the prophesye of ysaye tha sal fynd ane exempil conformand to this samyn purpos, quhou that the realme of the assiriens vas the scurge of gode to puneise the pepil of israel for ther disobediens. bot fra tyme that the pepil of israel vas reterit fra ther vice, gode distroyit there scurge, that is to saye, he distroyt assure <f22v> the kyng of the assirriens, ande transportit his realme, in the subiectione of the kyng of perse ande meid. Sikliyk the grite toune of babillon vas permittit be gode to scurge the pepil of israel: ande ther efftir quhen the israelieteis var reterit fra ther inniquite gode delyurit them fra the captiuite of babillon ande distroyit that grite toune, ande maid it ane desert inhabitabil for serpens ande vthir venesum beystis. Euyrie thing is corruppit be ane vthir corruppit complexione, ane file is ane instrument to file doune yrn, ande ane synnar is maid ane instrument of the diuyne iustice, to puneise ane vther synnar, the file that filit the yrne is vorne ande cassin auaye as ane thing onutil to serue to do ony gude verk: bot the yrn that hes beene filit be the forgear or be ane smytht is kepit to serue to the necessite of men, the father takkis the vand or the scurge to puneise his sonne, that hes brokyn his command, ande quhen his sonne becummis obedient, the father brakkis the vand ande castis it in the fyir. bot zit gyf his sonne rebellis contrar the correctione of the vand, than the father takkis ane batton or sum vthir sterk vappin to puneise his sonne, & forzettis <f23r> fatherly discipline, ande vsis rigorus extreme punitione. ane ox that repungnis the brod of his hird, he gettis doubil broddis, & he that misprisis the correctione of his preceptor, his correctione is changit in rigorus punitione.


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