PAUPER

OF ȝour almis Good folks for Gods luife of heavin, For I have motherless bairns either sax or seavin: Give ȝe'ill give me nam Good for the luife of Jesus, Wische me the riched way till Sanct-Androes. Quha Devil maid the ane gentle man that walled cut not thy lug's? Now sweir be thy brunt schinis the Devil ding them From the. Quhatsay ȝe till their court dastards be they get hail clais Sa soon as they leir to sweir and trip on their tais. I will not give for all ȝour play worth and sowis fart, For their is riched little play at my hungry heart. Marry meikill sorrow: I can not get, thought I gasp to beg nor to borrow. I dwell into Lawthiane ane mile From Tranent. Sir evin to Sanct-Androes for to seek law. Sir I sought law their this money deir day. Bot I cold get nane at Session nor Seinȝe, Therefore the mekill din Devil droun all the meinȝe. Goodman will ȝe give me of ȝour Charity And I shall declair ȝow the black verity. My father was ane old man and ane hoir, And was of age fourscoir of ȝeirs and moir. And Mald my mother was fourscoir and fyfteine, And with my labour I did Thames baith sustain. We had ane Meir that caryit salt and coill, And every ilk ȝeir scho brought us hame ane foill. We had thrie ky that was baith fat and fair, Nane tydier into the town of air. My father was sa waik of Blood and bane, That he deit, quhairfoir my mother maid great main Then scho deit within ane day or two, And their began my poverty and woe. Our Good grey Meir was baittand on the field, And our Lands laird tuik his for his hyreild The Vicar tuik the best Cow be the head, Incontinent when my father was dead. And when ̄ the Vicar hard tell how that my mother Was dead, From hand he took to him ane uther, Then Meg my wife did murne both evin & morrow Till at the last scho deit for very sorrow: And when the Vicar hard tell my wife was dead, The third Cow he cleikit be the head. Their vmest clayis that was of rapploch grey, The Vicar gart his Clark bear them away. When all was gain I might make nam debeat Bot with my bairns passed for till beg my meat. Now have I tald ȝow the black verity, How I am brought into this misery. Sir I walled speir at ȝow ane question, Behauld sum Prelates of this Region, Manifestly during their lusty lyfis, [] They swyfe Ladies, Madinis and uther men's wyfis. And sa their cunts they have in consuetude, Quhidder say ȝe that law is evil or Good? Be him that buir the cruel Crown of thorn, I cair nought to be hangit evin the morn. Give that be true the seind resave the sort. Sa sen I see I get nam uther grace, I will lie down and rest me in this place. Will that Pardon get me myky again? My holy father quhat will that pardon cost? Give I have More sir cum and ripe my coat With all my heart master lo taken it their: Now let me see ȝour pardon with ȝour leif. Ane thousand ȝeir? I will not live sa Long, Deliver me it master and let me gang. Bot I can see nam thing sir be our Lady: Forsuith master, I trow I be not wise: To pay ere I have seen my marchandryse. That ȝe have gottin my groat full sair I rew: Sir, quhidder is ȝour pardon black or blue? Master, sen ȝe have taine From me my cunȝie, My marchandryse schaw me withouttin sunȝie. Or to the Bishop I shall pass and pleinȝie In Sanct-Androis, & summo ̄ worser ȝow to the Seinȝie I craif my groat or else my marchandrise. How shall I get that pardon let me heir? Shall I get nathing for my grot quhill than? Nam than gossop, give me my grot again. Quhat say ȝe masters call ȝe this Good reason's? That he should promise me ane gay Pardon: And he resave my money in his stead, Sin make me nam payment till I be dead: When I am dead I wait full sikkerlie, My silly saull will pass to Purgatory: Declair me this? now God nor Baliell bind the, When I am their cursed carl, where shall I find the? Not into heavin, bot rather into hell: When you art their thou can not help thy sell. When will thou cum my dolours till abait? Or I the find my hippis will get ane hait. Trowis thou butchour that I will by blind lambis: []Give me my grot the devil dryte in thy gambis. Give me my grot well bund into ane clout, []Or be Gods breid Robin shall beir ane rout. I han gar give me my thrie fat ky again. When I am Paip that law I sal put down It is ane sair law for the pure common. Sir God nor I be stickit with ane knife, Give ever our Person preichit in all his life. Think ȝe that ȝe should have the teinds for nought? Nam I should gar them keip their fundatioun, Quhat devil is this, quhom of should Kings stand awe? To do the thing that they should be the law. War I ane King be coks deir passion, I should riched soon make reformation. Failȝeand thereof ȝour grace should riched soon find, That Priests shall leid ȝow like ane belly blind Och, my Lords for the holy Trinity, Remember to reform the consistory, It hes More neid of reformation, Nor Ploutois court sir be coks passion. Quhat is thy name man be thy thrift? I sal anis drink or I Gam thought thou had sworn my dead. It is full well thy kind to loup and licht in a ledder. Thou sal be feign to fetch again you ledder or I loup I shall fit heir into this tcheir till I have tumde the stoup. Heir shall the Carl loup aff the scaffald. Swyith beggar bogill haist the away, Thou art over pert to spill our play. Sir be quhat law tell me quhairfoir or quhy? That ane Vicar should taken From me thrie ky. Ane consuetude against the common well, Should be nam law I think besweit Sanct Geill. Where will ȝe find that law tell give ȝe can? To taken thrie ky From ane pure husband man. Ane for my father, and for my wife ane uther, And the third Cow he took From Mald my mother. I have ane grot heir bund into ane rag. The devil stick him, he cursed me for my teind And halds me ȝit under that same proces That gart me want the Sacrament at Pasche. In gudefaith sir, thought he walled cut my throt, I have nam geir except ane Inglis grot. Quhilk I purpois to give ane man of law. Quhat thing was ȝon that I hard crak & cry? I have be dreamand and dreueland of myky. With my riched hand my hail body I sane, Sanct Bryd, Sanct Bryd, send me my ky again, I see standand ȝonder ane holy man, To make me help let me see give he can. Holy master, God speid ȝow and Good morn, Sir be Gods breid that taill is very true. It is well kenned I had baith nolt and Horse, Now all my geir ȝe see upon my cors. Correction, Or I depairt I think to make ane ordour True sir, the Devil stick me else For be the holy Trinity, That same was practeisit on me. For our Vicar God give him pine, Hes ȝit thrie tydie kye of mine. Ane for my father and for my wife ane uther, And the third cow he took for Mald my mother. Ȝea be Gods breid riched soon war I ane King. Our bishops with their lusty rokats quhyte, They flow in riches royally and delight Like Paradise bend their palaces and places, And wants nam pleasure of the fairest faces. Also their Prelates hes great prerogatyues, For quhy they may depairt ay with their wives: Without any correction or damage, Sin taken ane uther wantoner but marriage But doubt I walled think it ane pleasant life, Ay on when I list to partly with my wife. Sin taken ane uther of far greiter beauty, Bot ever alace my Lords that may not be, For I am bund alace in marriage, Bot they like rams rudely in their rage. Vnpysalt rinnis among the silly ȝowis, Sa Long as kind of nature in them growis. The fiend resave them that first devysit that law Within and hour after my dade was dead The Vicar had my kow hard be the heid. I give ȝow my braid bennesoun, That hes giving Common-weill a Gone: I walled nought for ane pair of plackis, Ȝe had nought maid this noble Acts. I pray to God and sweit Sanct Geill, To give ȝow grace to use them well: Were they well kept I understand, It war great honour to Scotland. It had be also Good ȝe had sleipit, As to make acts and be nought kept: Bot I beseek ȝow for Alhallows, To heid Dissait and hang his fellows. And banische Flattery aff the town, For their was never sic ane loun. That beand done I hauld it best, That every man Gam to his rest. Correction As thou hes said it salbe done, Suyith Sergeants hang ȝon swingeours soon. Marry I lent my gossop my mear to fecth hame coills And he his drounit into the querrell hollis. And I ran to the Consistory for to pleinȝe, And their I happinit among ane greidie meinȝe. They gave me first ane thing they call citandum, Within aucht days I got bot lybellandum Within ane month I got and opponendum, In half ane ȝeir I got interloquendum, And sin I got, how call ȝe it? and replicandum: Bot I could never ane word ȝit understand him. And than they gart me cast out many plackis, And gart me pay for four and twenty acts. Bot or they came half gait to concludendum, The fiend ane plack was left for to defend him. Thus they postponit me twa ȝeir with their train, Sin hodie and octo bade me cum again. And than their ruiks they roupit wonder fast, For sentence silver they cry it at the last. Of pronunciandum they maid me wonder feign, Bot I got never my Good grey meir again.