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

MISCELLANEOUS POEMS.
245
[laing ms.
Quha can onfenjeitlie repentt ?
quha can frome wickeitnes abstene
vnles ]?ai grace be to J>ame lentt,
to sich & sob with weiping ene ?
]>e prayer pwfeittrr nocht ane prene, 45
except ]?e same from faith prticeid :
Latt faithe and graice In me grow grene,
that I may turne to ]?e In neid.
Lord, mtk my sellff I am disspleisitt,
and weirreis of J>is burdene fasst; 50
thay wreytA, }?airfor, let be appeisitt:
forjett my full offen[c]is past.
I feir, I faint, I am agast,
quhen I prepend my awin estait;
bot ]?is releif I find at last, 55
my penitence is no to leitt.
F. 47 6. Albeitt )>ow be ane vp richt ludge,1
thow art my fa)>er nocht ]?e les,
My bukler, & my sur refuge,
My only2 confort I confefi. 60
Hawe peitie on my greitt distres,
cast nocht me catewe clene away :
thow knawis Inwartt hevenes,
for sin to suffer everie day.
This J>an, my god, of graice I craif, 65
Wz'tA humell hewe hairtt of }>e,
my sinis ar lyk me to dissayff,
bot let me nocht desaiffit be.
tak nocht ]?ai helping hand frome me,
for I am fraell and Imperfytt; 70
gif me nocht over to drone & dei,
Into my flechely hairtz'r delytt.
1 MS. lugde.
2 Repeated in the MS.