Search just our sites by using our customised search engine

Unique Cottages | Electric Scotland's Classified Directory

Click here to get a Printer Friendly PageSmiley

The Complaynt of Scotland
Chapter IX


Quhou the affligit lady exortis the thre estaitis, to tak exempil of diuerse cuntreis that gode hes releuit fra persecutione

Chap. IX.

O ze my thre sonnis i exort zou to praye to releif zou of zour afflictione, & alse to put zour handis to verk to help zour selfis, than doutles god sal be mersyful to zou, & he sal fulfil his promes that is vrittyn in the xxvi of leuitic. that is to saye, fiue of zou sal chaisse ane hundretht of zour enemeis & ane hundretht of zou sal chasse ten thousand of zour enemeis, for god is as mychty nou as euyr he vas, it is vrityn in the lix of Esaye thir vordis. Behold. the hand of the lorde is na scheortar nor it vas, na it maye saue zou: nor his eyris ar nocht stoppit bot he maye heir zou bot zour iniquiteis hes maid diuisione betuix zou ande hym, ande zour synnis hes hid his face fra zou.

Ze maye persaue be thir vordis of Esaye. that the scurge that hes affligit zou, is ane punitione <f60r> for zour demeritis: ande alse ze maye persaue be this sammyn text, that zour grite afflictione ande tribil sal turne in ioye ande prosperite, gyue sa beis that ze vil retere fra zour vice. ze haue mony manifest exemplis of diuerse cuntreis that hes bene scurgit be the hand of gode, ande hes bene in dangeir of final exterminatione. zit nochtheles gode of his grace hes restorit them eftiruart in ane mair abundand prosperite. nor thai var of befor, fra tyme tha be cam obedient til his magestie. Quhar is there ane mair euident exempil nor is in the bibil in the fyrst beuk of the machabeis, quhou anthiocus kyng of sirrie, be vsurpatione ande tirranrye subdeuit the cuntre of iuda ande the cite of ierusalem? he spulzeit the tempil ande reft the goldin alter, the chandelaris of lycht ,ande al the goldin veschel, ande the tabil of propositione, the coupis, tassis, crouetti,s crounis, ande al the goldin ornamentis of the sanctuar. he sleu men, vemen ande childir, zong ande ald, ande brynt there housis. the remanent of the pepil var constrenzeit to fle to strait montanis ande deseirtis for refuge, for al iherusalem ande mekil of iuda vas put tyl extreme desolatione. At that <f60v> tyme ane man of israel callit matathias the neuo of Symeon the hie preist, vas sittand on the hil of modin, ande his fiue sonnis besyde hym, callit Iohannam gaddes, symon thasi, iudas machabeus, eleazar abaron, ande iehonathan aphus. thir fiue bredir var soir vepand for the desolatione of iuda ande iherusalem. Than matathias there father said to them. vanhap be on me, allace that euyr i vas borne, to see the distructione of my pepil & the tribulatione of the holy cite of iherusalem, quhilk is violentlye possest be my enemeis. ald ande zong ar slane on the reuis but mercy, & the remanent of the cuntre ar in captiuite or ellis fled to the strait montanis for refuge. allace quhat bettir vil ve be to lyue ony langar considerand of this myschief that is fallin on oure cuntre? Allace my fiue sonnis, i praye zou to be zelaturs of the lau of gode, ande to gyue zour saulis for the alliance of zour foir fathers, ande remembir of the verkis thai haue dune to there generations, ande than ze sal resaue grite gloir ande eternal name. tak gode for zour protector ande ze sal prospir. vas nocht oure father Abraham faythful in temptatione, quhilk vas repute til hym for iustice? <f61r> Ioseph keipit the command of the lau, quhen he vas persecutit, there for he vas maid lieutenent to pharon kyng of egipt phinehes oure foir father vas maid hie preist of the tempil for the zeil that he hed to the lau of god. Iosue for the keping of his promis vas maid captan of Israel. Dauid for the pitie that he hed of the pepil that var affligit be the philistiens, conqueist the royal sege of Israel. Ananias, Azarias and misael var delyuerit fra the flam of the fyir throucht the faitht that tha hed to god. Danyel throucht his simplicite and meiknes vas delyuerit fra the throttis of the lyons. Of this sort (o ze my fiue sonnis) ze may beleue that fra generation to generatione, that al thai that puttis there hope in god sal nocht be distroyit. quhen matathias hed endit his miserabil and piteous regret in presens of his fiue sonnis, than his thrid sone callit Iudas machabeus past athort the montanis and desertis and gaddyryt to giddyr al the desolat bannest pepil, and vitht ane gryt curage, heffand hope in god thai cam contrair anthiocus and venqueist hym vailzeantly. and also venqueist al the israliates that var part takers vitht hym. and ther eftir thai reformit <f61v> the distructione of the tempil and vsit extreme punitione on the tratours and conspiratours, and thai gart extreme necessite becum prosperus vertu: for thai changit the dispayr of mennis help in esperance of goddis help: quhar for throucht the mytht of god, venqueist men be cam conqueriours and fugityuis be cam assailzeours, and humil affligit pepil of ane lytil nummer be cam lordis and maisters of ane gryt multiplie of tirrans. There is ane vthir exempil of gedeon in the tyme of the cruel oppression that the kyng of madian did on the pepil of israel gedeon vitht thre hundretht men discumfeist ane hundretht and tuenty thousant men, and he delyuerit the remanent of the pepil of Israel fra captiuite and misere zit nochtheles he vas ane pure lauberar of lytil reputatione and discendit of smal linage of the tribe of menasses, quhar for ve may persaue that quhar the grace of god and the vertu of men ar coniunit to giddir, there is no leiful thing onpossibil to be exsecut, And oft tymis god puttis in the pouer of men the thing that mennis vit can nocht beleue that it is possibil to be done. There is ane vthir exempil of darius kyng of perse <f62r> that entrit in grece vitht ane hundretht thousand fut men and ten thousand men of armis, At that tyme thair vas gryt sedition and discentione amang al the gryt personagis of grece quhair for athenes vas of ane opinion to randir them to darius be rason that the grekis var diuidit amang them selfis. Bot noththeles god sterit vp ane duc in athenes callit miltiades quhilk vitht ten thousand men discumfeist al kyng darius gryt armye and delyuerit al grece furtht of captiuite.

Thair is ane vthir exempil of xerxes kyng of perse the sone of kyng darius quha gadderit ane armye of thre scoir and ten thousand men of armis of his auen realme of perse, and alse he hed of strangearis that var his frendis and of his allya to the nummer of thre hundretht thousand men, as iustin rehersis, and also he brocht sa mony schipis to grece vitht al ordonnance quhilkis closit al the reueirs quhairfor it vas moist lyk that he hed maid ane brig of tre to couuer al the see: zit noththeles his pride vas sune put doune, for leonides kyng of lacedemonia cam be hynd the gryt armye of perse vitht four hundretht lacedemoniens and escharmouschit xerxes gryt <f62v> armye and sleu tuenty thousand persuns betuix tua hillis, zit noththeles the remanent of his gryt armye past til athenes quhilkis var reddy to be randrit til xerxces throucht the counsel of ane prince of athenes callit circisus quha hed secret intelligens vitht xerxes kyng of perse, quhilk vas occasione that he seducit diuerse grit personagis to rebel contrar athenes bot the prudent themosticles vas contrair til his opinione (sayand) O nobil vailzeant pepil of athenes ze suld keyp the liberte of zour cuntray & notht to thole the persans to be zour superiors for fra tyme that ze be subiect til xerxes al zour honest policie sal be aboleist & al verteous industrie sal be brocht to notht, for the persans sal do vitht zour vyuis and cheldyr at there pleseir as it is manifest quhou thai haue dune til vthir partis of grece that is nou in thair subiection, there for it is mair honest to dee in the deffens of zour liberte nor to liue lyik venqueist slauis in captiuite. Throcht the counsel of themistocles al the atheniens tuke gryt curage contrar the gryt armye of perse, and also the vemen of the toune stanet cyrsilus to deitht be cause of his euil counsel. Than the atheniens and ther allya <f63r> be gryt vailzeantnes assailzet the persans be escharmouschis and incursions quhil that exerxes and his gryt armye var constrenzeit to depart fra grece. of this sort god turnit the hazard of fortoune and tuke vengeance on xerxes gryt pryde quhilk suld be ane gryt exempil til al princis, that thai gyf notht there trest in ane particular pouer of multiplie of men, bot rathere to set there trest in god, for xerxes vitht four hundretht thousand men purposit til vsurpe the dominione of al grece bot fra the tyme that the greikis accordit amang them selfis ane sobir companye of greikis chaissit the persans furtht of grece. It is notht sex scoir of zeiris sen the inglismen var violent dominatours of mekill of Piccardye and of al Normandye, Gascunze, guien and of mekil of France, and the kyng of ingland vas crounit kyng of France in Paris, bot as god vald, he vas schamefully chaissit furtht of France and his pepil slane doune be gryt multiplie. The exempill of the persecutione of oure auen cuntre is manifest til vs al, quhou the inglismen var violent vsurpatours of al scotland est vest and northt quhar thai duellit paciablie and vsit thare auen <f63v> lauis, thai biggit triumphand edeficis in al the burrous of scotland, as the grondis of there fundatione makis manifest presently at this tyme: kyng eduard throucht supple and trason of ihone balzol and vthir scottis tratours vas cronit kyng of scotland vitht in the toune beruic and the rychteous kyng of scotland Robert bruce durst nocht remane in no pacebil place, he tint threttyne battellis contrar inglismen, then he fled furtht of scotland to norouay to saue his lyue, zit nochtheles god almythty hauand pitie of our affligit cuntray he restorit Robert bruce to the crone quha rytht vailzeantly brocht the realme in guid ordour vitht gryt confusion til our ald enemis. Be thir exemplis ze maye euidently persaue that god almychty tholis notht violent vsurpatours of realmes to ring lang bot rather he scurgis and distroys the tirrans and he restoris the affligit innocentis til ane guide stait. The famous historiographours and croniklis of al cuntreis makis manifest of the miserabil ruynis that god sendis on vrangus conquestours quhilkis be ambitione and oultrageus pryde hes be thair tyranny inuadit vthir cuntrays and eftiruart hes tint there auen cuntray <f64r> and there self hes maid ane euil end. The queen semeramis vas nocht contentit vitht sirrie and babillon bot sche vald pas to mak veyre contrar ethiope and Inde, sche vas slane vitht hyr auen son. Hercules vas nocht content vitht the gryt cuntray of libie and of creit bot vald pas to conques the occian see, than ane voman poysonit hym vitht ane sark. Mitridates vas nocht content of his auen realme of pont, bot vald pas in batel contrar the romanis he dred neuyr to dee bot be poyson quhair for he bure ay apon hym tuenty leyuis of reu, tua kyrnellis of nutis, & tua feggis and ane lytil quantite of salt, the quhilkis he mixt al to giddyr, and thai mixtions he eit euyrie daye vitht ane fastan stomak to keip hym fra poysonyng. that confectione vas callit to name eftiruart antidotum mitridates, bot zit that drog culd notht saue his lyif fra his sone that sleu hym. kyng philip vas notht content of the ryche realme of macedone quharfor he past and perturbit al greice bot syne he vas slane vitht ane of his auen sodiours. Grite alexander vas notht content of al the varld, bot syne ane drynk of poyson gart hym be content of ane sepulture of fiue fute of lyntht <f 64v> or there by. xerxes vas nocht contentit of tua realmys, perse and meid, bot ane of his officiaris contentit hym vitht ane dagar throucht the hart. kyng cirus vas nocht contentit of his auen realme bot vald pas to conques sithia zit thomaris gart hym be content quhen sche pat his hede in ane pipe ful of bluid sayand til it. O cirus thou culd neuyr be saciat of menis blude bot nou thou maye drynk thy fil of blude. Annibal that redoutit capitan triumphit in conquessing of vthir realmis bot in his last days he vas fugitiue fra al cuntreis and for melancolye he poysonnit hym self. It is nocht necessair to multiplie ouer mony of thir exemplis, there for quha listis to reid the tragedeis of lucius seneque or ihone Bocchas in his buik of the ruuyne of nobillis, thai sal fynd al cruel vsurpatours of vthir cuntreis mak ane mischeuous ende. There for i hope in god that vitht in schort days the protectour of ingland and his cruel counsel sal be put in the croniklis in as abhominabil stile as vas philaris, dionysius, nero callugala or domician, the quhilkis maid ane mischeuous ende, for the violent inuasions of vthir princis cuntreis but ony iust titil.

<f 65r>


Return to Book Index


 


This comment system requires you to be logged in through either a Disqus account or an account you already have with Google, Twitter, Facebook or Yahoo. In the event you don't have an account with any of these companies then you can create an account with Disqus. All comments are moderated so they won't display until the moderator has approved your comment.

comments powered by Disqus

Quantcast