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Quhou the affligit lady
dame scotia ansuert til hyr zongest soune ande quhou sche reprochit hyr tua eldest sonnis
for there neclegens in the defens of there comount veil
Chap. XVI.
<f 109r> O THOU my zongest soune, callit lauberaris to burgh
ande land, i vil nocht gyf eyris to thy excusations
nor to thy purgations, be cause, as cicero vritis in
ane orison, that na man suld be admittit to be vytnes
in his auen cause. Noluerunt maiores nostri,
hanc patere inimicitiis viam, vt quem quisque
odisset, eum testimonio posset tollere. ementiuntur
enim sepe in eos, quos oderunt. nor zit
i vil nocht adhere to thy accusations contrar thy tua
brethir, be rason that ane gilty man suld accuse no man
of cryme, as crist ihesus hes gyffin ane exempil quhen
the pharaseis accusit ane voman that vas tane in
adultere, desirand his iugement quhiddir thai suld
stane hyr to detht conformand to the ald testament, or
gyf thai suld thole hyr to depart onpuneist. crist
ansuert to the accusaris sayand, he that is vitht out
syn, sal cast the fyrst stane at hyr this exempil makkis
manifest that ane accusar suld be cleene but vice, ande
alse crist ihesus hes said in ane vthir passage to the
ypocritis that accusit pure synnaris quod he ze sal tak
furtht ane grit balk furtht of zour auen ee, ande there
eftir ze maye tak furtht ane litil strey furtht of zour
nychtbours ee.
<f 109v> The poiet confermis this samyn purpos,
sayand that euerye man of this varld baris tua
sakkettis vitht hym. the fyrst sakket hyngis befor
hym, vitht in the quhilk ar contenit al the vicis that
his nychtbour committis, ande the nyxt sakket hyngis
behynd his bak, vitht in the quhilk, ar contenit al the
vicis that his self committis. bot he can nocht see nor
persaue his auen vicis because he seis nocht the sakket
that hyngis behynd his bak, bot he seis his nychtbours
faltis in the sakket that hingis befor hym vt nemo in
sese tentat discendere nemo, sed precedente
spectatur mantica tergo. There for (o thou my
zongest soune) i refuse to gyf eyris or audiens to thy
accusations contrar thy tua brethir be rason that ane
accusar suld be cleen or he accuse his nychtbour as
cicero vritis. Accusare debent ij qui nullo suo
peccato impediuntur quo facilius alterius
peccata demonstrare possint. Nor zit i vil nocht
adhere to the accusations that ony ane of zou hes contrar
vthirs. Thy accusatione is vondir inuectyue contrar
thy tua brethir, the fyifteen inuectyuis philipiques
of cicero contrar anthonius, excedis nocht the accusations
ande calumniations that thou hes pronuncit
<f 110r>contrar them zit nochtheles i discomend there crualte,
ande i commend nocht thy accusatione for thou ande
al thy sect callit lauberaris to burgh ande land, deseruis
no les punitione, nor dois thy tua brethir nobilis ande
clergie. for gyf thou ande thy sect hed as grite liberte,
as hes thy tua brethir, doutles ze vald be mair cruel,
nor the vyild beystis of the desertis of arabie. the
practic of this samyn is presently, ande euer hes been
in tymes by past sen the varld began. for as sune as
ze that ar comont pepil ar onbridilit and furtht of subiectione,
zour ignorance inconstance ande inciuilite,
pulcis zou to perpetrat intollerabil exactions. for al the
insurrectionis, that euyr occurrit in ony realme contrar
the prince & the public veil, hes procedit of the ignorance
& obstinatione of the comount pepil. There for
none of zou suld haue liberte bot rather ze suld be
daly dantit & haldin in subiectione, be cause that zour
hartis is ful of maleis ignorance variance & inconstance,
for the maist part of zou al gyffis louyng tyl vicius
men and ze hald verteous men abhominabil and quhen
ze ar al conuenit to gydthir for the auansing of ane
gude purpose, ze cry & berkis
<f 110v> ilk ane contrar vthirs,
that nocht ane of zou knauis quhat ane vthir sais ande
quhen ze hef flyttyn ande berkit but ryme or rason al
the lang daye, ze accord nocht nor condiscendis prudently
on ane substancial constant purpose. and he that
is the maist cummirsum cryar ande maist obstinat contrar
raison, ze reput hym for the maist prudent man of
the realme, than quhen he gois, al the leaue rynnis &
follouis hym, lyik the brutal scheip that vil nocht pas
throucht the slop of ane dyik for the mannessing of
there hyrd, quhil ane of the verst of the flok, mak foir
gait, than al the leaue follouis. ande al this procedis of
zour variance and inconstans i vait nocht quhiddir, ane
calme sey in vyntir, or the course of the mune, or ane
mysty mornyng in symmyr, or the comont pepil, quhilk
of them suld preffer vthirs in variance. Cicero confermis
this sammyn purpos sayand. in imperitia
multitudine est varietas, & inconstantia, &
crebra tanquam tempestatum, sic sententiarum
commutatio. i hed leuyr hef the iugement ande consultatione
of ten prudent vyise men, nor til hef al the
visdome and consaitis that ane grite mutiplie of comountis
can pronounce. Cicero
<f 111r>confermis this samyn
purpose. grauior & validior est decem virorum
bonorum prudentia, quam totius multitudinis
imperitie, there is nocht ane mayr ignorant & ane
mair blynd thyng in this varld as is til adhere to the
iugement of the comont pepil quhilk hes nothir consideratione
nor rason, for al there deliberations procedis
of there fyrst apprehensions. there for gyf the entrepricis
of the comont pepil cummis tyl ane gude fine,
fortone deseruis mair louyng nor dois there prudens.
Siclyik as ane blynd man that passis in ane myrk place
quhar he hed neuir beene, & syne eschapis fra ane hurt
or fra ane fal. na vyis-men vil saye that this blyind
man seis cleir, for it vas schance that conuoyit hym and
nocht his een, for this cause the ciuil lauis deffendis &
forbiddis al monopoles and conuentions of the comont
pepil be cause the maist part of them ar euil condicionet
& ar obedient to there apetitis and to there
glaykyt affections. i can nocht conpair the comont
pepil that ar onbridilit, bot tyl onbeistis that ar of
ane var nature nor brutal beystis. as ve maye see daly,
for brutal beystis keipis ane bettir ordour in there
beystly nature nor dois onbridlit comount
<f 111v>pepil that
ar dotit vitht rason. ve maye see be experiens. that
horse nolt scheip doggis voluis lyons ande al vthir
brutal beystis, ilk ane vil deffend there auen natur contrar
the violens of vthir beystis, as cicero sais, bestie
pro partu suo ita propugnant, & vulnera excipiant,
nullos impetus, nullos casus formident.
Bot it is nocht siklyik amang the pepil for
euerye man settis his felicite to distroy his nychtbour.
Ande alse the ondantit brutal beystys that hes there
liberte on feildis & forrestis none of them eytis
drynkis nor sleipis bot quhen ther natural appetit requiris.
nor the mail vitht the femmel committis nocht
the verkis of natur, bot in the saison of generatione.
bot the pepil that hes liberte kepis nocht sa gude regement,
for thai considir nothir the vertu of temporance,
nor the vice of intemporance, bot rathere subiectis them
selfis to saciat ony sperk of the foul lust, that there
disordinat sensual appetit prouokis them tyl ymagine
as to eyt drynk and sleip abufe mesure at al tymis,
contrar there natural appetit. ande alse to conmit fornicatione
adultere homocide ande diuerse vthir extorsions
& iniuris contrar there nychtbour, there for
tha
<f 112r> deserue to be reput mair brutal, nor beystis that
ar brutal of natur. Ande quhou beit that sum of them
applyis them to vertu quhen thai ar haldin in subiection
throucht the quhilk, thai be cum industreus in
policie ande in conquessing of reches, be marchandreise
or be mechanyc craftis, or be lauboryng of the corn
landis or be seruise, zit nochtheles, as sune as ony of
them, be sic honest industreus ocupations, hes conqueist
grit reches or heretagis, thai be cum mair ambicius ande
arrogant, nor ony gentil man, sperutual or temporal that
ar discendit of the maist nobil barons of the cuntre.
ande there childir distitut of ciuilite throucht the
ignorance of there fathers ande for falt of educatione
and eruditione. thai be cum vane prodig ande arrogant,
be cause thai succeid sa eysilie to reches vitht
out the suet of there brouis or pane of there body,
nocht heffand regarde to the fyrst pouerte of there predecessours
nor of the cald hungir ande punirite that
there fathirs and mothers indurit in the conquessing of
sic reches. ande gyf sa beis that ony of the successours
of mecanyc men (that is to saye the successours of
lauberaris to burght ande land)
<f 112v>be promouit til ony
stait abufe there faculte, as to be saruandis to men of
autorite, or to be courticians ande officiaris to princis,
or zit to be promouit to benefeissis or tyl ony vthir
digniteis abufe there qualite than arrogance makkis
ypocryse manifest. conformand til ane addagia of ane
of the seuyn sapientis callit mimus publianus qua said.
lapis index auri, aurum hominum. for it is the
nature of the comont pepil (beand ascendit in dignite
abufe there faculte) to mysken them selfis there frendis
ande there familiaris. There is nocht ane mair odius
thyng in this varld as quhen the successour of ane
indigent ignorant mechanyk lauberar ascendis tyl ony
dignite abufe his qualite, for incontinent eftir his promotione,
he myskennis god ande man. asperius
nichil est humilis cum surgit in altum. Titus
liuius rehersis ane passage conformand to this samyn
purpose. Barbarici animi est cum fortuna mutare
fidem. there is sum of thir mecanyc pepil heffand
superflu prosperite, that refusis the genoligie of
there fathere ande mothere and alse refusis there surname,
and clamis to be of the blude of nobilis ande
gentil men, than quhen thai ar repute be the vulgaris
<f 113r> to be discendit of sic genoligie, thai gloir in there pretendit
kyn ande blude quhilk is occasione that there
arrogance & there vane gloir garris them commit mair
extorsions contrar the pepil nor dois ony vthir tirran
that ar discendit of the grytest nobilis of the cuntre.
the preist of peblis speris ane questione in ane beuk
that he conpilit quhy that burges ayris thryuis nocht
to the thrid ayr, bot he mycht hef sperit as veil, quhy
that the successours of the vniuersal comont pepil
baytht to burght & land, thryuis nocht to the thrid
ayr. the solutione of this questione requiris nocht ane
allogoric expositione nor zit ane glose, be rason that
the text of yis questione is nocht obscure, ane person
that hed neuyr aduersite & hes veltht that procedit
neuyr of his auen industrie & syne hes liberte. and hes
neueir knauen education eruditione nor ciuilite, it is
onpossibil that he can be verteous and he that heytis
vertu, sal neuyr thryue. (O my zongest soune) this
ansuer maye be sufficient to the seueir accusatione that
thou hes pronuncit contrar thy tua brethir. in tyme to
cum thou sal fyrst correct thy self or thou accuse thy
nychtbour. |
