Scottish Text Society publications > Third series > Works of Sir David Lindsay of the Mount, 1490-1555 > Volume 4, 1936

294
THE WORKS OF SIR DAVID LINDSAY
[Fol. 126]
la hevinly ioy man so possest
To be allone God thocht not best.
Maid Eve to be his maik ;
Bad thame incress and mvltiplie.
And eit of every fruct and trie
Thair plesour thay sowld taik,
Except the trie of gud & ill
That in the middis dois stand.
Forbad that thay sowld cum it till.
Or twiche it -with thair hand ;
Leist plucking, or lucking,
Baith thay and als their seid,
Seveirly, awsteirly,
Sowld dye withowt remeid.
Now Adame and his lusty wyfe
In parradyce leidand thair lyfe.
With plesowris infineit,
Wanting na thing sowld do thame eiss.
Ilk beist obeying thame to pleiss,
As thay cowld wiss in spreit:
Behald the serpent subtilly,
Invyand mawis estait.
With wickit craft and subtilty
Eve temptit with dissait,
Nocht feiring, bott speiring,
Quhy scho tuke not hir till,
In vsing, and chusing.
The fruct of gud and ill ?
" Commandit ws,” scho said, “ the Lord,
Nowayis thahto we sowld accord,
Vnder eternall pane;
Bot grantit ws full libertie
To eit of every fruct and trie.
Except that tre in plane.”
" No, no, not so,” the serpent said,
” Thow art dissauit thairin.
Eit 56 thaivoi, 50 sail be maid
In knawlege lyk to him.
In semyng, and demyng.
Off every thing arricht,
Als dewly, als trewly.
As 50 war goddis of micht.”
Eve, with thir fals wordis thus allurit,
Eit of the fruct and syne procurit
Adame the same to play.
" Behald,” said scho, “ how pretious,
So dilicat and delitious,
Besyd knowlege for ay.”
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