Scottish Text Society publications > New series > Kingis quair; together with A ballad of good counsel

34
THE KINGIS QUAIR.
Suich feynit treuth is all bot trechorye,
Vnd^ the vmbre of hid1 ypocrisye.
135 For as the foulere quhistlith \n his throte
Diutfrs^ly, to counterfete the brid,
And feynis mony a suete and strange note
That in the busk for his desate is hid,
Till sche be fast lokin 2 his net amyd ;
Ry^/zt to the fatoure, the fals<? theif, I say,
WVt/j suete tresou« oft wywnith thus his pray.
136 Fy on all suich ! fy on thaire doubilnesse !
Fy on thaite lust and bestly appetite !
Thaite wolfA hertA, in lambis likness^,
Thaite thoughtis blak, hid vnder wordis quhite !
Fy on thaite labours! fy on thaite delyte,
That feynen outward all to hir hono/^r,
And in thaite hert hir worschip wold deuoute !
137 So hard It is to trusten now on dayes
The warld, It is so double and inconstant,
Off quhich the suth is kid be mony assayes ;
More pitee is; for quhich the remanant,
That menen wele, and ar no^t variant,
For otherA gilt ar 3 suspect of vntreuth,
And hyndrit oft, and treuely that is reuth.
138 Bot gif the hert be groundit ferm and stable
In goddis law, thy pwrposf to atteyne,
Thy labours is to me [ful] agreable;
And my full help, with counsele trew and pleyne,
I will the schewe, and this is the c^rteyne;
Opyn thy hert, thetefote, and lat me se
Gif thy remede be pmynent to me.”
1 MS. held {obscurely written above the line ; see hid in st. 136).
2 MS. lok in ; see st. 69, 1. 2. 3 MS. and {copiedfrom the line above).