Scottish Text Society publications > Third series > Mar Lodge translation of the history of Scotland by Hector Boece

THE PROHEME OF THE HISTORY
31
Ilk story be the self is separat, mx.t. 30&
To make thaym bousome to thine audience.
Schrink nocht therfore, bot byde at thy sentence.
Sen thou art armit wit/t invincible treuth ;
Of gentyll redaris take benevolence.
And cure of otheris, na envy nor reuth.
Pas now to licht, -with all thy sentence hie,
Groundit but feid or assentation
In naturall and morall philosophic,
With mony grave and prignant orison
Made to pe reders erudition
Be the renounit Hector Boetius,
Supportit oft wft/z Scoticronicon,
To make thy mater more sententius.
Bring nobyll dedis of mony yeiris gone
Als fresche and recent to our memory
As thay wer bot into our dayis done.
That nobyll men may have baith laud and glorie
For thair excellent brut of victory ;
And zit, becaus my tyme has bene so schort,
I think, quhen I have oportunite,
To ring thair bell into ane othir sort.
Leir kingis to hait all pepyl vitius,
And na sic personis in thair hous ressave.
And suffer na servantis avaritius
Ovir scharp exactionis on thair subdittis craif;
That not1 be done without thair honour saif,
Sekand na conques be unlefull wanis.
Schaw mony reasons how na king micht haif
His barronis hertis and thair gair 2 atanis.
Schaw how the kingis life and governance
The murrour of levyng to his pepyll bene,
For as he luffis, be his ordinance.
The same maneris are with his pepyll sene ;
1 Bann. MS. nocht. 2 Ed. 1541 and Bann. MS. geir.