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

THE KINGIS QUAIR.
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182 Bot for als moche as sum micht think or seyne,
Quhat nedis me, apouh so litill evyn,
To writt all this? I ansuere thus ageyne,
“ Quho that from hell war croppin1 onys In hevin,
Wald,2 efter O thank, for loy mak vj or vij ? 2
And euery wicht his awin suete or sore
Has maist In mynde ” : I can say 30U no more.
183 Eke quho may In this lyfe haue more plesahce
Than cum to largesse from thraldom and peyne,
And by the mene of luffis Ordinance,
That has so mony In his goldin cheyne ?
Quhich th[ink]is3 to wyn his herds soucreyne,
Quho suld me wite to write thar-of, lat se !
Now sufficiante Is my felicitee.
184 Beseching vnto fair venus abufe,
For all my brethir that beni? In this place,
This Is to seyne, that seruandis ar to lufe,
And of his lady can no thank parchas^,
His paine relesch, and sone to stand In grace,
Boith to his worschip and to his first es£;
So that It hir and resoun no^t displese:
185 And eke for tham that ar no^t entrit Inne
The dance of lufe, bot thidd^r-wart on way,
In gude tyme and sely to begynne
Thair prentisse?hed ; and forthir-more I pray
For thame that passit ben the mony affray4
In lufe, and cummyn5 ar to full plesance,
To graunt tham all, lo ! gude p<rseuerance :
186 And eke I pray for all the herds dull, *
That lyven here In sleuth and Ignorance,
And has no curage at the rose to pull,
MS. coppin, with r above, after c. 2 Read Nald. 3 MS. this.
This line and the preceding are transposed in the MS.
MS. cunnyng.