GOOD COUNSEL

¶Immortal God mayest of magnificence, Quhais Majesty nam Clark can comprehend: Must save ȝow all that giuis sic audience, And grant ȝow grace him never till offend, Quhilk on the Croce did willingly ascend, And sched his precious Blood on every side: Quhais piteous passion from danger ȝow defend, And be ȝour gracious governor and guide. Now my Good Friends consider I ȝow beseek The cause mayest principal of my coming, Princes or Potestatis ar nought worth ane leik, Be they not gydit be my Good governing: Their was never Emperor, Conqueror nor King, Without my wisdom that might their will avance, My name is Good Counsel without feinȝeing, Lords for lack of my lair ar brought to mischance. ¶Finally for conclusion, Quha halds me at delusioun: Shall be brought to confusion: And this I understand, For I have maid my residence, With High Princes of great puissance, In England, Italy and France, And money uther Land. Bot out of Scotland uva alace, Ihaifbene fleimit Long time space, That garris our gyders all want grace And die before their day: Because they lychtlyit Good counsel, Fortune turnit on Thames his sail, Quhilk brought this Realm to meikill baill, Quha can the contrair say? My Lords I came nought heir to lie: Ways me for King Humanity, Ou erset with Sensuality, In entry of his ring: Throw vicious counsel insolent, Sa they may get riches or rend, To his weilfair they taken nam tent, Nor quhat sal be th'ending. ¶Ȝit in this Realm I walled make sum repair, Give I beleifit my name should nought forfair, For walled this King be gydit ȝit with ressoun, And on misdoars make punition: Howbeit I have Long time be exyllit, I traist in God my name shall ȝit be styllit. Sa till I see God send More of his grace, I purpois tilrepois me in this place. Good day again sirs be the rude The Lord mote make ȝow men of Good. Gude-counsell they call me at hame, I pray ȝow sirs, give me licence, To cum anis to the Kings presence: To speak bot twa words to his grace, Or ȝe depairt sir aff this Region, Give John the Common-weill ane gay garmoun: Because the Common-weill hes be overluikit, That is the cause that Common-weill is cruikit. With singular profeit he hes be sa supprysit, That he is baith cauld, naikit and disgysit. Brother I ken ȝow well aneuch, Howbeit ȝe make it never sa teuch: Flattery, Dissait and False-report, That will not suffer to resort: Gude-Counsall to the Kings presence. That I am nought my Lord, full ways me, Bot like ane beggeram halden at the bar: They play bo-keik evin as I war ane skar: Their came thrie knaves in cleithing counterfeit And From the King they gart me stand affar. Quhais names war Flattery, Falset and Dissait. Bot when they knaves hard tell of ȝour coming, They staw away ilk ane ane sundry gait. And cuist From them their counterfeit cleithing, For their leving full well they can debate: The merchandmen they have resavit Dissait. As for Falset, my Lord, full well I ken, He will be riched well treitit air and lait, Among the mayest partly of the crafts men. Flattery hes taine the habit of ane Freir Thinkand to begyll Spirituality. Sir be the holy Trinity, This same is feinȝeit Flattery, I ken him be his face: Beleiuand for to get promotion, He said that his name was Devotion, And sa be gylit ȝour grace, Welcum my Lord welcum ten thousand times Till all faithful men of this Region, Welcum for till correct all faults and cryms: Among this cankered congregation. Louse Chastity I make supplication, Put till freedom's fair Lady Verity: Quha be unfaithful folk of this Nation, Lyis bund full fast into Captivity. Sir, give ȝour hienes ȝearnis Long to ring, First dread ȝour God abuif all uther thing. For ȝe ar bot ane mortal instrument, To that great God and King Omnipotent. Preordinat be his divine Majesty, To reull his peopill until unity, The principal point Sir of ane kings office, Is for to do to euerilk man justice. And for to mix his justice with mercy, But rigour, favour or partiality. Forsuith it is nam littill observance, Great Regions to have in governance? Quha ever takes on him that kingly cuir, To get ane of thirtwa he should be suir: Great pain and labour, and that continual, Or else to have defame perpetual. Quha guydis well they win immortal fame, Quha the contrair, they get perpetual shame, After quhais death but doubt ane thousand ȝeir Their life at length rehearsed shall be perqueir. The Chroniklis to knaw Iȝow exhort, Their shall ȝe find baith Good and evil report: For every Prince after his quality, Thought he be dead, his deids shall never die. Sir give ȝe please for to use my counsel, Ȝour fame and name shall be perpetual. ¶ At the command of King Humanity, I wairne and charge all members of Parliament: Baith spiritual stait and Temporality, That till his Grace they be obedient, And speid them to the Court incontinent, In Good ordour array it royally, Quha beis absent or inobedient The Kings displeasure they shall underlie. And also I make ȝow exhortation, Sen ȝe haifheard the first pairt of our play: Go taken ane drink, and make Collatioun, Ilk man drink till his marrow, I ȝow pray. Tarry nought Long, it is lait in the day, Let sum drink Ail and sum drink Claret wine: Be great Doctors of Physic I hear say, That michtie drink comforts the dull engine. ¶[] And ȝe Ladies that list to pisch, Lift up ȝour taill, Plate in ane disch: And give that ȝour mawkine cryis quhisch, Stop in ane wusp of stray. Let nought ȝour bladder burst I pray ȝow, For that war evin aneuch to slay ȝow: For ȝit their is to cum, I say ȝow, The best pairt of our Play. Sir hold ȝou still & skar them nought Till ȝe persaue quhat be their thought, And see quhat men them leids: And let the King Correction, Make ane sharp inquisition, And mark them be the heids. When ȝe ken the occasion, That makes them sic persuasion; Ȝe may expel the cause: Sin them reform as ȝe think best, Suam that the Realm may live in rest According to Gods laws. My worthy Lords sen ȝe have taine on hand Sum reformation to make into this land: And also ȝe knaw it is the Kings mind, Quha till the Common-weil hes ay be kind: Thought reif and thift were stanchit well aneuch, Ȝit something More belangis to the pleuch. Now into peace ȝe should provide for weirs, And be sure of how money thousand speirs, The King may be when he hes ocht ado, For quhy my Lords this is my ressoun to. The husband men and commons they war wont, Go in the battle formest in the front Bot I have tint all my experience, Without ȝe make sum better diligence: The Common-weill mon uther ways be styllit Or be my faith the King will be begyllit. Their pure commons daily as ȝe may see, Declynisdoun till extreme poverrie: For sum ar hichtit sa into their maill, Their winning will nought find them water kaill. How Prelates heichts their teinds it is well knawin, That husbandmen may not well hold their awin. And now begins ane plague among them new, That gentle men their steadings takes in rew. Thus man they pay great ferme or lay their steid, And sum ar plainly harlit out be the heid, And ar destroy it without God on them rew. My Lords, their is ane thing ȝit vnproponit How Prelates and Priests aucht to be disponit: This beand done we have the less ado; Quhat say ȝe sirs this is my counsel lo: That or we end this present Parliament, Of this mater to taken ripe advisement. Mark well my Lords, their is nam benefice Given to ane man, bot for ane Good office. Quha takes office and sin they can nought used, Giver and taker I say ar baith abusit. Ane Bishops office is for to be ane preichour, And of the law of God ane public teachour. Right sa the Person unto his parochoun, Of the Evangel should leir them ane lesson. Their should nam man desire sic dignities, Without he be abill for that office. And for that cause, I say without leising, They have their teinds, and for nam uther thing. Ȝea that it should, or sustain prudent preichours. Oh Lord my God this is and mervelous thing How sic misordour in this Realm should ring. Sowtars and tailȝe ours they ar far More expert In their pure craft and in their handy art, Nor ar our Prelatis in their vocation: I pray ȝow sirs make reformation. I ȝow require my Lords be patient. We came nought heir for disputatiouns, We came to make Good reformatiouns. Heirfoir of this ȝour proposition, Conclude and put to execution. I will conclude nathing of that as now Without my Lord of Spirituality, Thereto consent with all this hail clergy. My Lord Bishop will ȝe thereto consent? Ȝea that is be ȝour falls narratiouns. Thought the Paip for ȝour pleasure will dispense, I trow that can nought cleir ȝour conscience. Advysemy Lords quhat ȝe think to conclude, Begin first at the Spritualitie, And taken of them examinatioun, Give they can use their divine dewetie, And also I make ȝow supplication, All they that hes their offices misvsit, Of them make hasty deprivation: Sa that the peopill be nam More abusit. Sa say we all ȝour ressoun be sa Good. To make ane Act on this we ar content: Luik quhat Sanct Paul writs unto Timothy Taken their the Buik let see give ȝe can spell. It is short time sen any benefice, Was sped in Room except great Bischopries. Bot now for ane unworthy Vickarage, Ane Priest will rin to Room in Pilgrimage. Ane cavell quhilk was never at the school, Will rin to Room and keip ane Bishops mule: And sin cum hame with money colorit crack, With ane buirdin of benefices on his back. Quhilk be against the, law ane man alane, For till poss ma benefices norane. Their great commends I say withoutin faill, Should nought be given bot to the Blood Royal: Sa I conclude my Lords and says for me, Ȝe should annul all this plurality. Till ȝow to reid them I think it is nam lack, For anis I saw them baith bund on ȝour back: That samin day that ȝe was consecrate, Sir, quhat meinis that? Bot ȝe may knaw my Lord Sanct Paul's intent, Sir read ȝe never the New testament? That sal I do within short space, Praying the Lord to send us grace: For till conclude or we depart, That they may profeit esterwart, Baith to the Kirk and to the King, I shall desire nam uther thing. Pausa. My Lords God glaid the company, Quhat is the cause ȝe send for me?