Scottish Text Society publications > Old series > Poems of Alexander Montgomerie

THE FLYTING OF MONTGOMERIE AND POLWART. 143
[harleian
Only becaus, owle, thow dois vfte it,
I will wryt verft of common kynd— 150
And, Swingeor, for thy saik refuse it1—
To crab thow, bumbler, by thy mynd.
Pedler, I pittie the so pynd,
To buckle him that2 beres the bell;
lockstro, be better one Ingynd, 155
Or I shall flit against my sell.
24 a. Bot breiflie, beist, to aunsweire thee,
In sermon schorte I ame content;
And says 3 thy similitude wnslie
Ar4 nowayes verie pertinent: 160
Thy tyrd comparisones asklent
Are monstrous lik the mule that maid them;
Thy borrowed barking is violent,
5ett war they warse, let men owt wear them.
Also I may be Chausers mane, 165
And get thy maister no^t the les;
Bot, volfe, that waists both cop and cane
In gluttonie, thy grace I gese.
Go, drukin divor, the addrese,
And borrow the ambassed breeke, 170
To heir me now thy praift exprese,
Knaue, if thou can, without wett cheke.
First, of thy lust genalogie,
I shall tell the treuth I trow;
Thow was begottin, some says to me, 175
Betwixt the Devill and a Dumme5 kow,
And at nicht q«/z<?n that the feind was fow,
At banqueit birland at the beir;
Thow sowkit6 syne ane sweit bed sow,
Among the midings, mony a yeir. 180
1 MS. that. 2 ‘him that’ repeated in MS. 3 MS. asays.
4 MS. Or. 5 sic! 6 MS. swallowed !