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

l80 THE FLYTING OF MONTGOMERIE AND POLWART.
tullibardine]
To prive my speikin probabill & plane,
Thow maw confeft J?ow vsit my Inventioun :
I raknit first thy race; syne ]?ow agane,
In ]?e same sort, maid of thy maister mentioun. 700
Thy wit is waik, with me to have dissentioune,
for to my speichis ]?ow nevir maid reply,
at libertie to ly is thy intentioun :
I a«ft?/£r ay, quhilk J?ow dar not deny.
Thy freindis ar feyndis ; of aipis ]x>w fen^eis myne ; 705
with my assistance, saying quhat J?ow ca;z.
I compt sik kynred 1 better 3k nor thyne—
Cheiflie of beastis ]?at ar most lyk to men.
grant, guift, J?at my Inventioun waris the thaw,
with out J>e (\uhilk ]?ow micht haue barkit waist: 710
and laid the ground quhairon thow, beist, begane
to big J)e barge 2 quhairon ]?ow braggis maist.
The lak of ludgment may be als persa.w\t.
Thir tua cheif pointis of reasoun wantis in ]?e :
Thow attribuittis to aipis, ophaix thow hes ravit, 715
The illis of horft ! a monsterous sicht to sie !
na mtfwvell that ill wyn ill wairit be;
for all thir illis thow staw, I aw certane,
from simplis dytmentis of ane horft did die,
Or portd’rfeildis that dwellis into dumbartane. 720
F. 13 b. Amangis theft illis of aipis, quhilk thow hes tauld,
Thocht to ane horfte perteining properlie,
Thow puttis Ipe spaven in ]?e former spauld,
Quhilk vsis in J?e hinder hocht to be.
fra horsmen anes thy cuwning heir and sie, 725
I feir auld Allane haue no moir ado :
Allace ! puir maw ! he may ly doun and die,
Syn thow succeid to weir the siluer scho.
1 MS. kynrik ; Hart, kindred. Cf. p. 181.
2 Hart, brig. Cf. p. 181.