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Quhou the affligit lady
declaris til hyr thre sonnis that the familiarite that is betuix inglis men & scottis men in ane pace varld at mercattis and conuentions on the tua bordours is the cause of the traison that the
scottis men committis contrar ther natyfe cuntre.
Chap. XIII.
THERE is no thing that is
occasione (O ze my thre
sonnis) of zour adhering to the opinione of ingland
contrar zour natife cuntre bot the grit familiarite that
inglis men and scottis hes hed on baitht the boirdours
ilk ane vitht vtheris in marchandeis in selling and bying
hors and nolt and scheip out fang and in fang ilk
ane amang vtheris the quhilk familiarite is expres contrar
the lauis and consuetudis, baytht of ingland and scotland
in the dais of moises the ieuis durst nocht haue
familiarite
<f 84r>vitht the samaritanis, nor vitht the philistiens,
nor the romans vitht the affricans, nor the grekis vitht
the persans, be rason that ilk ane repute vtheris to be
of ane barbir nature for euere nations reputis vthers
nations to be barbariens quhen there tua natours and
complexions ar contrar til vtheris, and there is nocht
tua nations vndir the firmament that ar mair contrar
and different fra vthirs, nor is inglis men and scottis
men quhoubeit that thai be vitht in ane ile and
nythtbours, and of ane langage: for inglis men ar subtil
and scottis men ar facile, inglis men ar ambitius in
prosperite, and scottis men ar humain in prosperite.
inglis men ar humil quhen thai ar subieckit be forse
and violence, and scottis men ar furious quhen thai ar
violently subiekit inglis men ar cruel quhene thai get
victorie, and scottis men ar merciful quhen thai get
victorie. and to conclude it is onpossibil that scottis
men and inglis men can remane in concord vndir ane
monarche or one prince be cause there naturis and conditions
ar as indefferent as is the nature of scheip and
voluis. quintus cursius rehersis that darius kyng of
perse send ane imbassadour to alexander kyng of macedon
and
<f 84v>offrit hym sax mulis chargit vitht gold, sa
that he vald lyue vitht hym in pace and concord vndir
ane crone and monarche, alexander ansuert to the imbassadour,
quod he it is as onpossibil to gar me and
kyng darius duel to giddir in pace and concord vndir
ane monarche as it is onpossibil that tua sonnis and
tua munis can be at one tyme to giddir in the firmament.
This exempil may be applyit to ingland and
scotland for i trou it is as onpossibil to gar inglis men
and scottis men remane in gude accord vndir ane prince,
as it is onpossibil that tua sonnis and tua munis can be
at one tyme to giddir in the lyft, be raison of the grit
defferens that is betuix there naturis & conditions,
quhar for as i hef befor rehersit there suld be na
familiarite betuix inglis men and scottis men be cause
of the grit defferens that is betuix there tua naturis in
ald tymis it vas determit in the artiklis of the pace be
the tua vardanis of the bordours of ingland and scotland,
that there suld be na familiarite betuix scottis
men and inglis men nor mariage to be contrakit betuix
them, nor conuentions on holy dais at gammis and
plays, nor marchandres to be maid amang them, nor
scottis men
<f 85r>til entir on inglis grond vitht out the kyng
of ingland saue conduct, nor inglis men til entir on
scottis grond vitht out the kyng of scotlandis saue conduct,
quhou beit that there var sure pace betuix the
tua realmis, bot thir seuyn zeir bygane thai statutis
and artiklis of the pace ar adnullit, for there hes been
as grit familiarite & conuentionis and makyng of
marchandreis on the bourdours this lang tyme betuix
inglis men and scottis men baytht in pace and in veir,
as scottis men vsis amang theme selfis vitht in the
realme of scotland. and sic familiarite hes been the
cause that the kyng of ingland gat intellegens vitht
diuerse gentil men of scotland. it is nocht possibil to
keip ane realme fra conspiratione and trason fra tyme
that the pepil of that realme vsis familiarite vitht there
enemeis ther is ane ald prouerb that says, that ane
herand damysele and ane spekand castel sal neuyr end
vith honour, for the damysele that heris and giffis
eyris to the amourus persuasions of desolut zong men
sal be eysily persuadit to brac hyr chaistite siklik ane
spekand castel, that is to saye quhen the captan
of sodiours of ane castel vsis familiar speche and comionyng
vitht there enemeis that castel sal
<f 85v>be eysylie
conquest be rason that familiarite and speche betuix
enemeis generis trason. in ald tymis the vailzeant annibal
and vtheris grit captans baitht romans and
grecians, thai set mair there felecite to purches secret
familiarite and comonyng vitht there enemeis nor to
get battel. for fra tyme that thai gat familiarite and
comonyng vitht there enemeis, than thai vrocht to bring
there entreprice and intent to there effect be trason
and be gold and silueir. Salust de bello iugurtino
confermis this samyn purpos. quhen iugurtha of numidie
in affrica hed tyne tiuerse battellis contrar the
romans, quhilk vas occasione that he hed almaist lossit
his cuntre, than his frendis consellit hym to decist fra
his veyris be rason that he prosperit nothing and
lossit mekil than iugurtha nocht beand disparit of
guid fortone, he past in Italie vitht ane fresche armye
of men of veir and also he tuik vitht hym ane riche
quantite of gold and siluyr cunzet & oncunzet. than
his frendis reprochit hym be cause his entreprice aperit
to be vane rather nor to procede of ane prudent &
mortifet consait. iugurtha ansuert til his frendis. quod
he my forse is nocht sufficient to conques rome, bot
noththeles gif
<f 86r>that i can purches secret familiarite &
intelligens vitht sum of the romans that hes authorite
i beleif to venques them vitht gold and syluyr rathere
nor vitht forse of men of veyr, for euyrie thing is to sel
in rome for monye ther for i dout nocht bot i sal gar
them sel there liberte for gold, for the auariese that is
amang the romans vil gar ilk ane betraise vthers Thir
vordis of iugurtha makkis manifest that there is nay
thing that bringis ane realme to ruyne sa sune and sa
reddy as dois the familiarite that the pepil hes vitht
there enemeis, throucht the quhilk familiarite there is
sum euil persoune that knauis the secret determinations
of the lordis of the counsel, & there eftir he reuelis it to
sum traisonabil man, that hes intelligens vitht the kyng
of ingland. i can nocht expreme ane speciale man that
perpetratis this traisonabil act, bot zit i am sure that as
sune as the lordis of the counsel hes determit ony guide
purpos for the deffens & veilfair of the realme, incontinent
vitht in tuenty houris there eftir, the sammyn
counsel is vitht in the toune of beruik & vitht in thre
dais there eftir the post of beruyk presentis it is
london to the counsel of ingland, quhilk is occasione
that the inglismen hes there deffens reddy contrar
<f 86v>our
purpos, or ve begyn to exsecut the counsel that vas
determit. It var verray necessair that the committers
of that reuelen var punest mair realye nor hes been ony
punitione that hees been exsecut contrar ony scottis
man that hes cum vitht inglis men in plaine battel til
inuaid scotland. thir secret reuelaris of the counsel of
scotland, takkis nocht exempil of the tua vailzeant
romans pompeus and quintus metellus quhilkis kneu al
the secret of the senat, bot there vas nothir gold nor
landis, tormenting nor pyne, that vald gar ony of them
reueil the secret of the senat to the enemes of rome,
valerius maximus rehersis in the thrid cheptour of
his thrid beuk quhou the romans send pompeus in imbassadre
til aysia quhilk vas of the allya of rome, and
be chance he vas tane presoneir in his voyage be genthius
the kyng of esclauonia quha vas mortal enemye
to the romans, the said kyng genthius coniurit persuadit
solistit and alse he manneist nobil pompeus to
reueil the secret counsel of the senat, pompeus behaldand
his onrasonabil request, he pat his fingar in the
heyt fyir and tholit it to birn, and be the
<f 87r>tollerance
and paciens of that cruel pane, gentius kneu that there
vas na torment that culd gar pompeus reueil the secret
of the senat. bot allace there is sum men that knauis
the secret of scotland that vil reueil it til inglismen
rather nor to birn the fingar of ther glufe. Valerius
maximus reheris ane vthir exempil quhou that quintus
metellus beand proconsul of rome vas send vitht ane
armye in to spanze contrar the celtibriens quhilkis
duellit in the realme of nauerne. he set ane seige about
the toune of tribie quhilk is the methropolitane &
capital cite of that cuntre, that cite resistit and deffendit
vailzeantly contrar quintus metellus, than he
beand in melancole be cause he culd nocht conqueis
that cite, he deuisit ane subtil consait to desaue the
celtibriens, he gart rais his camp and departit fra that
cite and past til vtheris diuerse tounis of nauern, sum
tyme bakuart sum tyme forduart, sum tyme he past to
the montannis, and sum tyme to the valeis, and remanit
neuer in ane stedefast place, and he gart al his armye
keip them in arraay the cause of this agitatione and
commotione of his army vp and doun, vas nocht knauen
be none of his men of veyr nor zit knauen be
<f 87v> his enemes, quhar for ane of his familiar frendis
inquyrit hym of the cause of his inconstant
vagatione, quha ansuert, quod he decist and inquyre na mair of that
purpos, for gif that i vndirstude that my sark hed knaulege
of my secret or of the deliberatione of my mynde,
doutles i suld birn it hastelye in ane bald fyir. than
quhen metellus hed vagit vp and doune there ane lang
tyme, and hed put his host and armye in ignorance,
and his enemes in errour eftir diuerse turnand coursis,
athourtht the cuntre, he returnit suddanlye to the forsaid
toune of tribie and laid ane sege about it or his
enemes var aduertest to mak deffens, and sa be this
dissimilatione and be the keping of his counsel secret
fra his frendis and fra al vtheris, he conquest the said
toune. vald god that the counsel and deliberatione of
scotland var kepit as secret as metellus kepit his secret
fra his men of veyr, than doutles the inglis men vald
nocht be so bold. There is na thing that is cause that
the counsel of ingland gettis sa haisty aduertessing of
the priuitate that is amang the lordis of scotland bot
the vice of auareis that hes blyndit the raison & hes
infekkit the hartis of diuers grit men of scotland the
ald
<f 88r>prouerb is treu that sais that it is as onpossibil to
gar ane auaricius man be faythful, as it is onpossibil
to gar ane fische of the depe flude speik hebreu or greik.
Quhar for (O ze my thre sonnis) i exort zou to tak exempil
of diuerse nobil men, that culd neuir be seducit
nor persuadit to tak gold nor reches fra there enemeis.
There is ane exempil of allexander kyng of macedon,
quha hed mortal veyr contrar the grekis. he sende ane
riche present extendant til thre scoir of thousandis
peces of gold til and nobil man of athenes callit
phosion, ane man heffand gret autorite in athenes.
Than phosion said to the inbassad ours of kyng allexander
quod he my frendis, for quhat cause hes kyng
allexander sende this riche present of gold to me alanerly,
ande hes sende nathing to the remanent of the
lordis of athenes. The inbassadour ansuert, our master
kyng allexander hes sende zou this present of gold, be
raison that he hes iugit zou to be the maist nobil ande
maist verteous, abufe al them of athenes. phosion
ansuert. gyf that kyng allexander hes iugit me to be of
grit prudens ande vertu, ze sal praye hym to thole me
to remane prudent & verteous. for gyf i tak his present
of gold than i
<f 88v>am nothir prudent nor verteous, for
there is no thyng mair repungnant to prudens nor vertu
nor quhen ane person resauis gold or reches fra his
enemee. there for ze sal tel to zour master kyng allexander,
that he sal nocht corrupt me vitht gold nor
venqueis me in battel, nor zit he sal conqueis na thing
in grece bot sa mekil eird as vil be sepulturis til his
men of veyr. this exempil makkis manifest that quhen
ane prince presentis gold ande siluyr to the subiectis of
his enemei doutles his intentione is to seduce them to
conspire ande to betraise there natiue cuntre. quhar for
i exort zou (my thre sonnis) that ze detest auerese
ambicion ande traison, ande that ze gar zour solistnes
of the deffens of zour comont veil, preffer the solistnes
of zour particular veil: for quhen zour particular veil is
spulzeit or hurt be zour enemeis it maye be remedit be
zour comont veil. ande in opposit, gyf zour comont veil
be distroyt than it sal neuyr be remedit be zour particular
veil, for zour particular veil is bot ane accessor
of zour comont veil ande the accessor follouis the natur
of the prencipal, accessorium sequitur naturam
sui prencipalis. |
