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

1/6 THE FLYTING OF MONTGOMERIE AND POLWART.
tullibardine]
Arcandam astrologia, a lanterne of lair, 640
Affirmis his bleiritnes, to wisdome contrair,
betaikniwg bothe bobbing and beldnes in aig,
Greit fraud, and fals dissait,
Capping -with coyd conceat;
witnesft sum verft he wreit, 645
Half in a rage.
Ane Anagrame,1 also, concerning that race,
Suirlie sayis, it is a signe of a licherous lowne.
His pailnes mixt pairtlie wft^ broun in the face,
Arcandam ascryvis to baibling ay boun, 650
And trailing Intemperat, tymeles but place;
Ane cowart, 3it cholerik, and drunk in 2 ilk toune.
And als his asft earis, an signe in schort space,
That frenatik fuil sail grow mad lyk mahoun,
Bot 3it sail he live lang, allace, (\uhi\k wer loft ; 655
for sick ane traitling tratowr,
And baibling blasphimato?/r,
wes nevir formit of nato&r—
Sua gukit ane guise.
Quhois \\onorabi\\ origine, j)e note of his name, 660
Callit etimoligie, beiris richtlie record :
His surname, it flowis fra tua tmnes of defame—
from mont & gomorath, quhair dewillA, be ]>e lord,
His kynsmen, wes clenelie cast out, to his schame,
That is of ]?air clan, quhome chryst hes abhord ; 665
and beiris of ]?e birth place pe horribill name,
Quhaix sodomeit synneris w/t/z smwik wer smord.
Now sen all is suth is said son^ie,3
Vnto J?e cappit clerk,
A prettie peice of wark, 670
That bitterlie dois bark,
I mak 4 Jus reply.
1 MS. Indagine. 2 MS. drunkin.
3 Line incomplete. ‘Sonjie,’ scribal error for ‘smye.’ Cf. p. 177-
4 MS. has ‘k’ written over ‘y.’