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

l6o THE FLYTING OF MONTGOMERIE AND POLWART.
tullibardine]
“ This maikles monstowr is meit for ws,
And for o?/r craft «w*modious ;
Ane vglie aip and incubus,
And gottin of Elf.”
410
Thir venerabill virginis quhome 30 wald call wiches,
In tyme of thair triumph, they tirlt me that taid ;
Sum bakward on broidswis, & suw on blak bicheis,
Sum, in steid of ane staig, over ane stark munk straid.
From the heavinis to the hellis, sum hobbillis, sum hichis;
With J?air mowthis to J?e moone, sick murgeonis they maid.
F. 5 b. Sum, be force, & effect, the four windis fichis ; 417
And, nyne tymes, wirdersones, about the thorne raid;
And glowrand to ]?e ground grivouslie gaipis,
By craft comurand feyndis by force. 420
Furth of ane came, bysyde ane croce,
Thir ladyis licht fra thair horft,
And band ]?ame w/t^ raipis.
Syne bairfute and bair ledgit, to bapteift that barne,
To ane well went thy west, by ane wood syde; 425
They saw the schit all beschyttin and soipit in charne.
On ane thre headit hecate in haist ]?air they cryit:
“ As we have fund in this feild this fundlin forfarne,
First, his faith he forsaikis, in the feynd to co«fyde,
Be vertew of thir wordis & of this raw jarne, 430
And thryse thre and threttie knottis on ane blew threed;
And of deid menis memberis, weill schewit in ane schoe,
Quhilk we have band from top and tae,
Ewin of ane hundreth men and mae:
Now grant ws, devillis, ere ve gae
Our dewtie to doe.
435