The Complaynt of Scotland
By Robert Wedderburn. at St. Andrews, Scotland in 1549
To the Excellent ande Illustir Marie Quene
of Scotlande,
the Margareit ande Perle of Princessis...
Chapter 5 [folio 50]
ACTOR
QWHEN the Scheiphird hed endit his prolixt Orison to the laif
of the Scheiphirdis I mervellit nocht litil, qwhen I herd ane
rustic Pastour of Bestialite, distitut of Urbanite and of Speculatione
of Natural Philosophe, indoctryne his Nychtbours, as he hed studeit
Ptholome, Auerois, Aristotel, Galien, Hypocrites or Cicero qwhilk
war expert Practicians in Methamatic Art. Than the Scheiphirdis
Wyf said
"My weil-belovit Hisband, I pray The to decist fra that
tideus melancolic Orison qwhilk surpassis Thy ingyn. Be rason
that it is nocht Thy Facultee to disput in ane profund Mater
the qwhilk thy Capacite can nocht comprehend ther. For I thynk
it best that We recreat our Selfis wytht Joyus comonyng, qwhil
on to the Tyme that we return to the Scheip Fald wytht our Flokkis.
And to begyn sic Recreatione I thynk it best that evyrie ane
of Us tel ane gude Tayl or Fabil to pas the Tyme qwhil Evyn."
Al the Scheiphirdis, ther Wyvis, and Sarvandis was glaid of this
propositione than the eldest Scheiphird began and al the Laif
followit ane be ane in ther awen Place. It wil be over prolixt
and noles tideus to reherse them agane word be word, bot I sal
reherse sum of ther Namys that I herd. [50v] Sum was in Prose,
& sum was in Verse, sum war Storeis, and sum war flet Taylis.
This was the Namis of them as eftir followis:
The Taylis of Cantirberrye.
Robert le Dyabil Duc of Normandie,
The Tayl of the Wolfe of the Warldis End,
Ferrand Erl of Flandris that Mareit the Devyl,
The Tayl of the Reyde Eyttyn witht the thre Heydis,
The Tayl quhow Perseus savit Andromada fra the Cruel Monstir,
The Prophysie of Merlyne,
The Tayl of the Giantis that eit Quyk men,
On fut by Fortht as I culd Found,
Wallace the Bruce,
Ypomedon,
The Tail of the Thre Futtit Dog of Norroway,
The Tayl qwhow Hercules Sleu the Serpent Hidra that hed VII Heydis,
the Tail quhow the Kyng of Estmureland mareit the Kyngis Dochtir
of Westmureland,
Skail Gillenderson the Kyngis Sone of Skellye,
The Tayl of the four Sonnis of Aymon,
The Tail of the Brig of the Mantribil,
The Tail of Syr Ewan Arthours Knycht,
Rauf Collzear,
the Seige of Millan,
Gawen and Gollogras,
Lancelot du Lac,
Arthour Knycht he raid on Nycht witht Gyltin Spur and Candil-lycht,
The Tail of Floremond of Albanye that slew the Dragon be the
See,
The Tail of Syr Waltir the bald Leslye,
The Tail of the pure Tynt,
Claryades and Maliades,
Arthour of litil Bertangze, [51 recto]
Robene Hude and Litil Jhone,
The Meruellis of Mandiueil,
The Tayl of the Zong Tamlene and of the Bald Braband,
the Ryng of the Roy Robert,
Syr Egeir and Syr Gryme,
Bevis of Southamtonn,
the Goldin Targe,
the Paleis of Honour,
The Tayl quhow Acteon was transformit in ane Hart, and
Syne Slane be his awen Doggis
The Tayl of Pirramus and Tesbe,
The Tail of the Amours of Leander and Hero,
The Tail quhow Jupiter transformit his deir Love Yo in ane Cou,
The Tail quhow that Jason wan the Goldin Fleice.
Opheus Kyng of Portingal,
The Tayl of the Goldin Appil,
The Tail of the thre Weird Systirs,
The Tayl quhow that Dedalus Maid the Laborynth to keip the Monstir
Minotaurus,
the Tail quhow Kyng Midas gat tua Asse Luggis on his hede because
of his Avereis.
Qwhen thir Scheiphyrdis hed tald al thyr pleysand storeis
than thay and ther Wyuis began to sing sweit Melodius Sangis
of natural music of the Antiquite. The Foure Marmadyns in Melodius
[f51 verso] Music in gude Accorddis and Reportis of Dyapason
Prolations and Dyatesseron. The Musician Amphion qwhilk sang
sa Dulce wuhil that the Stanis Mouit, and alse the Scheip and
Nolt, and the Fowlis of the Ayr pronuncit there Bestial Voce
to Sing witht Hym. Zit Nochtheles his Ermonius Sang prefferrit
nocht the Sweit Sangis of thir foir said Scheiphirdis.
Now I wil reherse sum of the Sweit Sangis that I herd amang them,
as eftir followis in the Fyrst
Pastance Witht Gude Companye
The Breir Byndis me Soir
Stil Undir the Levuis Grene
Cou Thou Me the Raschis Grene
Allace I vyit Zour Tua Fayr Ene
Gode Zou Gude Day Wil Boy
Lady Help Zour Presoneir
Kyng Willzamis
Note the Lang Nounenow
the Cheapel Walk
Faytht Is There None
Skald Abellis Now
The Abirdenis
Nou Brume Brume on Hil
Allone I Weip in Grit Distres
Trolee Lolee Lemmen Dou
Bille Wil Thou Cum by a Lute, and
Belt the In Sanct. Francis Cord
the Frog cam to the Myl Dur
the Sang of Gilquhiskar
Rycht Soirly Musing in my Mynde
God Sen the Duc Hed Byddin in France, and
Delaubaute Hed Nevyr Cum Hame
Al Musing of Mervellis Amys Hef I
Gone
Mastres Fayr Ze Wil Forfayr
O Lusty Maye Witht Flora Quene
O Myne Hart Hay This is My Sang
The Battel of the Hayrlau
The Hunttis of Chevet
Sal I Go Witht Zou to Rumbelo Fayr
Greuit Is My Sorrow
Turne the Sweit Wille to Me
My Lufe is Lyand Seik Send hym Joy Send
hym Joy
Fayr Luf Lent Thou Me Thy Mantil Joy
The Perssee & the Mongumrye Met that Day that Day that Gentil
Day
My Luf is Laid apon ane Knycht
Allace that Samyn Sweit Face
In Ane Myrthtful Morow My Hart Is Leiuit on the Land
Thir Scheiphirdis ande there Wyvis sang mony uthir Molodius
Sangis the Qwhilkis I hef nocht in memorie . Than eftir this
sweit Celest Armonye tha began to Dance in ane Ring. Evyrie ald
Scheiphyrd led his Wyfe be the hand and Evyrie Zong Scheiphird
led hyr qwhome he luffit best. Ther was VIII Scheiphyrdis and
ilk-ane of them hed ane Syndry Instrament to play to the Laif:
the fyrst hed ane Drone Bag Pipe,
the nyxt hed ane Pipe Maid of ane Bleddir and of ane Reid,
the thrid playit on ane Trump,
the feyrd on ane Corne Pipe,
the fyft playit on ane Pipe maid of ane Gait Horne,
the sext playt on ane Recorda,
the sevint plait on ane Fiddi, and
the last plait on ane Qwhissil.
Kyng Amphion that Playit sa Sweit on his Harpe qwhen he kepit
his Scheip. Nor zit Appollo, the God of Sapiens, that Kepit Kyng
Admetus Scheip witht his sweit menstralye.
None of thir tua playit
mayr Cureouslye, nor did thir viii Scheiphyrdis befor Rehersit.
[f 52] Nor zit al the Scheiphirdis that Virgil makkis mention in his
Bucolikis thai culd nocht be comparit to thir foir said Scheiphyrdis.
Nor Orpheus that playit sa sweit qwhen he socht his wyf in hel
his playing prefferrit nocht thir foir said Scheiphirdis. Nor
zit the scheiphyrd Pan that playt to the Goddis on his bag pype,
nor Mercurius that playit on ane sey reid, none of them culd
preffer thir foirsaid Scheiphirdis. I beheld nevyr ane mair dilectabil
recreatione. For fyrst thai began witht twa bekkis and witht
a kysse, Euripides, Iuuenal, Perseus, Horasse nor nane of the
Satiric Poiettis quhilkis mouit ther bodeis as thai hed bene
dansand qwhen thai pronuncit ther Tragiedeis none of them kepit
moir Geomatrial Mesure nor thir Scheiphyrdis did in ther dansing.
Nor Ludius that was the fyrst dansar of Rome culd nocht hef bene
comparit to thir Scheiphirdis, it vas ane Celest Recreation to
behald ther lycht lopene, galmouding stendling, bakwart &
fordwart, dansand base dansis, pavans, galzardis turdions, braulis
and branglis, buffons witht mony uthir lycht dancis the qwhilk
ar over prolixt to be rehersit zit. Nochtheles I sal rehers sa
mony as my ingyne can put in memorie in the fyrst thai dancit
[f 53]
Al Cristyn Mennis dance,
The Northt of Scotland,
Huntis Up,
The Comount Entray,
Lang plat fut of Gariau,
Robene Hude,
Thom of Lyn,
Freris al,
Ennyrnes,
The Loch of Slene,
The Gosseps dance,
Evis grene,
Makky,
the Speyde,
the Flail
the Lammes Wynde,
Soutra,
cum kyttil me naykyt wantounly,
Schayke Leg,
Fut befor Gossep
Rank at the Rute,
Baglap and al,
Jhonne Ermistrangis dance,
the Alman Haye,
the Bace of Voragon,
Dangeir,
the Beye,
the dede dance,
the dance of Kylrynne,
the Wod and the Wal,
Schaik a Trot,
Than qwhen this dansing was dune, tha departit and past to cal
there Scheip to ther Scheip Cottis. Thai bleu up there bagpipis
than the bel weddir for Blythtnes bleyttit rycht fast and the
Rammis raschit there Heydis to gyddir. Than the laif of ther
fat flokkis followit on the fellis baytht Zouis and Lammis kebbis
and dailis, Gylmyrs and Dilmondis, and mony herueist Hog, than
I departit fra that companye and I entrit in ane onmauen medow
the qwhilk abundit witht al sortis of holisum Flouris, Gyrsis
and eirbis maist conuenient for Medycyn.
In the fyrst I saw ane Erb callit Barba Aaron qwhilk vas gude remeid for emoroyades
of the fundament.
I saw Virmet [p.53] that vas gude for ane Febil Stomac,
& Sourakkis that vas gude for the Blac Gulset.
I saw mony Grene Seggis that ar gude to provoke the flowris of
Wemen.
I saw the Wattir Lille qwhilk is ane remeid Contrar Gomoria.
I saw Tansay that is gude to purge the Neiris,
and Ennet Seidis that consumis the Ventositeis of the Stomac.
I saw Muguart that is gude for the suffocatione of ane Womans
Bayrnis Hed.
I saw Veyton the decoctione of it is remeid for ane Sair Hede.
I saw Betis that is gude contrar constipatione.
I saw Borage that is gude to confort the hart.
I saw Cammauyne qwhilk is gude for ane scabbit moutht.
I saw Hemp that coagulis the flux of the Sparme.
I saw Madyn Hayr of the qwhilk ane sirop maid of it is remeid
contrar the infectione of the melt.
I saw Celidone that is gude to help the sycht of the ene &
cipresses that is gude for the fluxis of the bellye.
I saw Corriandir that is gude for ane ald hoste.
I saw Finkil that slais the virmis of the bellye
I saw Fumeterre that tempris ane heyt lyuyr.
I saw Brume that prouokis ane person to vome ald feume.
I saw Raschis that prouokis men to Sleip.
I saw Ysope that is gude to purge congelit fleume of the lychtis.
I saw mony vthir Eirbis on thai fresche fragrant feildis. [f
54]
Ande als I saw mony Landwart Grumis pas to the Corne land to
Laubir there Rustical Ocupatione. Al this be me veil contemplit,
ande beand contentit of that pleysand nychtis recreatione, I
maid me reddy to returne to the Toune that I cam fra to proceid
in the compiling of my Beuk. Bot Morpheus that slepye Gode, assailzeit
al my Membris, ande oppressit my dul Melancolius nature qwhilk
gart al my Spreitis Vital ande animal be cum impotent & paralitic:
Quhar for on neid forse I was constrenzeit to be his Sodiour,
than in ane takyn of obediens, I maid Hym reverens on my rycht
syde on the cald Eird, ande I maid ane Cod of ane gray stane.
Than I purposit to preve ane prettic, I closit my Een, to see
gyf I culd lewk throucht my Eeliddis. Bot my experiens was sune
expirit for tua houris lang. Baytht my Eene grew as fast togyddir,
as thai hed bene glewit wtht Glar or witht Gleu. I beand in this
sad solitar soune sopit in sleipe, ane hauy Melancolius Dreyme,
perturbit the Foure Quartaris of my dullit brane. The qwhilk
dreyme I sal reherse in this gros dyit, as neir the verite as
my rememorance can declair to my rude ingyne, [f 54]
: |
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transcribing the manuscript
by David kidd 2004
CAPITALIZATION
Of the various web-versions of 'The Complaynt of Scotland', one <bartleby.com>
is in all caps, another, David Wilson's <scotsindependent>
is in all lowercase, neither of which styles are readable. My rendering is in what I believe is its real style,
when they capitalized all nouns. This style was used in all
Northern European languages until the 1930s when the German Bauhaus
swung to a radical preference for all lowercase. That Bauhaus
style influenced modern British typographers who use the 'down
style' unless capitals are absolutely necessary: for beginnings
of sentences, proper nouns, personal names, personal pronouns,
tiles, place-names and nationalities.
Americans typographers however still lean towards Germanized
capitals.
For my setting of 'The Complaynt of Scotland' all nouns will
be capitalized, for that corresponds most closely to Old English.
I am not speaking ignorantly about this, for 'The Blackletter
Tradition' was my 1970 Edinburgh College of Art thesis on typography,
and I have since worked mostly in educational publishing on
both sides of the Atlantic.
PUNCTUATION
The second problem for readers of 'The Complaynt of Scotland'
is that Old English used no punctuation. This becomes a major
problem in trying to read the list of tunes, and it is up to
us to make educated guesses where to break the text into distinct
titles, as most of these songs are forgotten. Though one title "Nou Brume Brume on Hil" is thought by many
to be "The Broom of the Cowdenknowes"[w]
LETTERS
The last problem in legiblity of sixteenth century literature
is their use of letters we don't recognize, or letters we use
in different ways.
The most common mistake is the letter that we mistake for a Y
that is really a thorn, pronounced th, hence ye was pronounced
the, and should be changed as such.
Letters were written differently in initial medial and terminal
positions: a medial s looks like an f with a smaller crossbar, and S was
only written s in initials and terminals.
V and U were then considered the same letter, and their script completely
lacked the letter w that was invented later to distinguish more
between different sounds of speech. So I will juggle v u and
w around a bit.
Terminal letters often had swashes added; J was then called a
'swash I', so I was written J in terminals. When Ravenscroft
wrote j he was often writing I with a decorative flourish. For
example viij is in fact eight: viii. Another example is where
he spells Tail both Tayl and Tail in the same list. And for initial
letters when he wrote Ioy he would have spoken it "Joy".
DOES YE MEAN 'THE' or 'YOU'?
The correct use of ye is
as it is used in Handel's song 'Lift up your heads ye ancient
gates'. 'Ye' does not mean 'the' as in "Ye Olde Antique
Shoppe".
I agree with Bruce Olson who wrote:
"I have expanded Middle English thorns to 'th'.
Spelling was modernized in printed works by about 1600, but manuscripts,
even some copied from printed works, continued to use the thorn
for about another 60 to 70 years.
I don't know what to do about 'e' and 'o', these are sometimes
indistinguishable. 'Shoo' is really 'shee', and 'hoo' is 'hee',
but I have left the literal translations as found, as is common.
Four verses of "Jerusalem my happy home" were copied
onto scattered pages of a book in the Folger Shakespeare Library,
along with the author's name which appears with the first verse
as 'I Leigho', and so the librarians have given it in the Manuscript
Index of Poetry. The name appears again with another verse, however,
and this time clearly as 'I Leighe'. The superfluous trailing
'e' is extremely common, so the name is just 'J. Leigh', much
more reasonable. I. or J. was almost always 'John'.
"I have expanded superscripts which are common in manuscripts
and on 18th century single sheet songs with music:
'w' with superscript 't' is common for 'with' or 'what',
and 'w' with superscript 'ch' is common for 'which'.
'y' with super script 'u' is 'you',
'y' with superscript 'r' it is 'your'.
The thorn which looks most like a 'p' in print, could also look
like a 'y' in script, so 'y' with superscript 't' is not 'yat',
it is 'that'; its context tells which. 'Yat' is a common mistaken
translation."
http://www.mudcat.org/olson/viewpage.cfm
July 2004
the following is quoted from
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/inglis_james.htm
"Significant Scots
Sir James Inglis
INGLIS, or ENGLISH, (SIR) JAMES, an ingenious writer of the early
part of the sixteenth century, is chiefly known as the supposed
author of the "Complaynt of Scotland," a very curious
political and fanciful work, published originally at St Andrews
in 1548 or 1549, and the earliest Scottish prose work in existence.
Of this learned person, Mackenzie has given an account in his
Lives of Scottish Writers; but it is so obviously made up of
a series of mere conjectures stated as facts, that we must reject
it entirely. According to more respectable authority, Inglis
was a dignified priest (which accounts for the Sir attached to
his name), and appears from authentic documents to have been,
in 1515, secretary to Queen Margaret, widow of James IV.
Care must be taken to distinguish him from his contemporary
John Inglis, who served James IV. as a manager of plays and entertainments,
and who is stated to have been present with Sir David Lindsay
in the church of Linlithgow, when that sovereign was warned by
a supposed apparition against his expedition into England.
Sir James Inglis was, nevertheless, a writer of plays, being
the subject of the following allusion in Sir David Lindsayís
Testament of the Papingo:
"And in the court bin present in thir dayis,
That ballattis brevis lustely, and layis,
Quhilkis to our Prince daily thay do present,
Quho can say more than Schir James English says,
In ballattis, farcis, and in pleasaunt plaies;
Redd in cunnyng, in practyck rycht prudent;
But Culross hath made his pen impotent."
It will be observed that Inglis is here indirectly spoken
of as one of the poets who haunted the court of James V. Even
in the preceding reign, however, he appears to have been on an
intimate footing at court, as a man of learning.
James IV, whose devotion to alchymy is well known, writes
a letter (extant in the "Epistolae Regum Scotorum;")
to Mr James Inglis, to the following effect: "We have thankfully
received your letter, by which you inform us that you are in
possession of the abstruse books of the Sound Philosophy; which,
as certain most deserving persons have begged them of you, you
with difficulty preserve for our use, having heard that we are
addicted to the study of that Art."
Of the ballads and plays composed by Inglis, not a vestige
now remains, unless a poem attributed to him in the Maitland
MS. and as such printed by Hailes and Sibbald, entitled "A
General Satire," be held as a specimen of one of those kinds
of composition, and be really a production of his pen.
In a charter of 19th February, 1527, Inglis is styled chancellor
of the Royal Chapel of Stirling; and he appears to have been
soon after raised to the dignity of Abbot of Culross, a promotion
which, if we may believe his friend Lindsay, spoiled him as a
poet. It was eventually attended with still more fatal effects.
Having provoked the wrath of a neighbouring baron, William
Blackater of Tulliallan, the Abbot of Culross was by that individual
cruelly slain, March 1, 1530. The causes of this bloody deed
do not appear; but the sensation created by it throughout the
community was very great. Sir William Lothian, a priest of the
same abbey, who was an accomplice of the principal assassin,
was publicly degraded on a scaffold at Edinburgh, in presence
of the king and queen, and next day he and the laird of Tulliallan
were beheaded.
It would hardly be worth while to advert so minutely to a
person, who, whatever was his genius, is not certainly, known
as the author of any existing composition, if the name were not
conspicuous in works of Scottish literary history, and must therefore
continue to be inquired for in such compilations as the present.
Inglis, if the same individual as this abbot of Culross, could
have no pretensions to the honour put upon him by some writers,
of having written the "Complaynt of Scotland;" for
that curious specimen of our early literature was undeniably
written in 1548, eighteen years after the death of the Abbot.
In the obscurity, however, which prevails regarding the subject
of the present notice, we cannot deny that he may have been a
different person, and may have survived even to the date assigned
for his death by Mackenzie of 1554; in which case he could have
been the author of the Complaynt.
That a Sir James Inglis existed after 1530, and had some connexion
with Culross, appears pretty certain from the passage in the
Testament of the Papingo, which is understood to have been written
in 1538. But, on the other hand, there is no authority for assigning
the authorship of the Complaynt to any Sir James Inglis, except
that of Dr Mackenzie, which rests on no known foundation, and,
from the general character of that biographical writer, is not
entitled to much respect."
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/inglis_james.htm |
