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<DATE>2008-12-03</DATE>
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<NAME>tcpstaff</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B081019.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B04470">
<STC T="W">M66B</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">53299194</BIBNO>
<VID>179936</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="poem">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 21 -->
<HEAD>THE SPEECH OF A FYFE LAIRD; NEWLY COME FROM GRAVE.</HEAD>
<LG>
<L>WHat accident, what &s;trange mi&s;hap,</L>
<L>Awakes me from my heavenly nap?</L>
<L>What &s;prit? what God-head by the lave,</L>
<L>Hath rais'd my Body from the Grave?</L>
<L>It is an hundred years almo&s;t,</L>
<L>Since I was buried in the du&s;t:</L>
<L>And now I think that I am living,</L>
<L>Or el&s;e, but doubt, my brains are raving:</L>
<L>Yet do I feel (while as I &s;tudy)</L>
<L>The faculties of all my Body:</L>
<L>I ta&s;te, I &s;mel, I touch, I hear,</L>
<L>I find my &s;ight exceeding clear:</L>
<L>Then I'm alive, yea &s;ure I am,</L>
<L>I know it by my corporal frame:</L>
<L>But in what part where can I be,</L>
<L>My wavering brains yet tortures me.</L>
<L>Once I was call'd a great Fyff Laird,</L>
<L>I dwelt not far from the Hall-yard.</L>
<L>But who enjoys my Land and Pleugh,</L>
<L>My Ca&s;tle, and my fine Cole-heugh:</L>
<L>I can find out no living man,</L>
<L>Can tell me this, do what I can:</L>
<L>Yet if my memory &s;erve me well,</L>
<L>This is the Shyre where I did dwell:</L>
<L>This is the part where I was born:</L>
<L>For lo, beneath me &s;tands Kinghorn:</L>
<L>And there about the Lowmond hill,</L>
<L>Stands as it &s;tood yet ever &s;till.</L>
<L>There is Bruntiland, Aberdore,</L>
<L>I &s;ee Fyffs coa&s;t along&s;t the &s;hore.</L>
<L>Yet I am right, for my life,</L>
<L>This is my native Countrey Fyff.</L>
<L>O but it's long and many a year,</L>
<L>Since la&s;t my feet did travel here.</L>
<L>I find great change in old Lairds places,</L>
<L>I know the ground, but not the faces.</L>
<L>Where &s;hall I turn me fir&s;t about,</L>
<L>for my acquaintance is worn out?</L>
<L>O this is &s;trange that even in Fyff,</L>
<L>I do know neither Man nor Wife;</L>
<L>No Earl, no Lord, no Laird, no People,</L>
<L>But Le&s;ly and the Mark-inch &s;teeple.</L>
<L>Old noble W<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">eems, and that is all,</L>
<L>I think enjoys their Farhers hall.</L>
<L>For from Dumfermling to Fyffs-ne&s;s,</L>
<L>I do know none that doth po&s;&s;e&s;s</L>
<L><GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> Grand&s;yres Ca&s;tles and his Towers:</L>
<L><GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> is away that once was ours.</L>
<L><GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> full of wrath, I &s;corn to tarrie,</L>
<L>I <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">now them no more than the Fairie:</L>
<L><GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> I admire and marvel &s;trange.</L>
<L>What is the cau&s;e of this great change?</L>
<L>I hear a murmuring report,</L>
<L>Pas&s;ing among&s;t the common &s;ort:</L>
<L>For &s;ome &s;ays this, and &s;ome &s;ays that,</L>
<L>And others tell, I know not what?</L>
<L>Some &s;ays the Fyff Lairds ever rews,</L>
<L>Since they began to take the Lews:</L>
<L>That bargain fir&s;t did brew their bail,</L>
<L><GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">s tells the hone&s;t men of Crail.</L>
<L>Same doth a&s;cribe their &s;upplantation,</L>
<L>Into the Lawyers Congregation.</L>
<L><GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">o, but this is a fal&s;e &s;uppo&s;e.</L>
<L>For all things wyts that well not goes,</L>
<L><GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">e what it will, there is &s;ome &s;ource</L>
<L><GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ath bred this universal cur&s;e:</L>
<L>This tran&s;migration and earth-quake,</L>
<L><GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">hat caus<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">d the Lairds of Fyff to break.</L>
<L>He that enthrones a &s;hepherdling,</L>
<L>He that dethrones a potent King:</L>
<L>And he that makes a Cotter Laird,</L>
<L>The Barrous Bairns to delve a Yard.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Almighty, he that &s;hakes the Mountains,</L>
<L>And brings great rivers from &s;mal fountains</L>
<L>It is the power of his hand,</L>
<L>That makes both Lords &amp; Lairds have land.</L>
<L>Yet there may be, as all men knaws,</L>
<L>An evident and well &s;een cau&s;e:</L>
<L>A publick and a common evil,</L>
<L>That made the meekle Ma&s;ter-devil</L>
<L>To ca&s;t his Club all Fyff throughout,</L>
<L>And lent each Laird a deadly rout.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Mark then, I'll tell you how it was,</L>
<L>What way this wonder came to pa&s;s:</L>
<L>It &s;ets me be&s;t the truth to pen,</L>
<L>Becau&s;e I fear no mortal men.</L>
<L>When I was born a meddle-yerd wight,</L>
<L>There was no word of Laird or Knight:</L>
<L>The greate&s;t Styles of honour than,</L>
<L>Was to be tituled the Goodman;</L>
<L>But changing time hath chang'd the ca&s;e,</L>
<L>And puts a Laird in Good-mans place.</L>
<L>For why? my Go&s;&s;ip Good man Iohn,</L>
<L>And hone&s;t Iames, whom I think on,</L>
<L>When we did meet whiles at the haulking,</L>
<L>We us'd no cringes, but hands &s;haking,</L>
<L>No bowing, &s;houldring, gambe-&s;craping:</L>
<L>No French whi&s;tling, or Dutch gaping:</L>
<L>We had no Garments in our Land,</L>
<L>But were &s;pun by the Good-wives hand;</L>
<L>No Drap de-berry, cloaths of &s;eal:</L>
<L>No &s;tuffs ingrain'd in Cu&s;heneal:</L>
<L>No Plul&s;h, no Tu&s;hue, Cramo&s;ie:</L>
<L>No China, Turky, Toffaty:</L>
<L>No proud Piropus, Paragon,</L>
<L>Or Chackerallay, there was none:</L>
<L>No Figurata, or Water-camblet:</L>
<L>No Bi&s;hops-&s;atine, or &s;ilk Chamblet,</L>
<L>No cloth of Gold, or Bever-hats,</L>
<L>We car'd more for then the Cats:</L>
<L>Nor windy flowri&s;hing flying Feathers,</L>
<L>Nor &s;weet permu&s;ied &s;hambo leathers:</L>
<L>No hilt nor crampet richly hatched:</L>
<L>A lance, a &s;word in hand we &s;natched:</L>
<L>Such ba&s;e and boyi&s;h vanities,</L>
<L>Did not be&s;eem our dignities:</L>
<L>We were all real and compleat,</L>
<L>Stout for our Friends, on hor&s;e or feet,</L>
<L>True to our Prince to &s;hed our blood,</L>
<L>For Kirk, and for our common good.</L>
<L>Such men we were, it is well known,</L>
<L>As in our Chronicles are &s;hown.</L>
<L>This made us dwel into our land,</L>
<L>And our Po&s;terity to &s;tand:</L>
<L>But when the young Laird became vain,</L>
<L>And went away to France and Spain,</L>
<L>Rome racking, wandring here and there:</L>
<L>O then began our bootle&s;s care.</L>
<L>Pride puft him up becau&s;e he was</L>
<L>Far travell'd, and return'd an A&s;s.</L>
<L>Then mu&s;t the Laird, the Good-man oy,</L>
<L>Be Knighted &s;traight, and make convoy,</L>
<L>Coatche through the &s;treet with Hor&s;es four,</L>
<L>Foot-grooms pa&s;mented ore and ore.</L>
<L>Him&s;elf cut out and &s;la&s;ht &s;o wide,</L>
<L>En'n his whole &s;hirt his skin both hide.</L>
<L>Gowpherd, gratnizied, cloaks rear pointed</L>
<L>Embroidered, lac'd, with boots disjointed:</L>
<L>A belt embo&s;t wich Gold and purle:</L>
<L>Fal&s;e hair made craftily to curle:</L>
<L>Side breeks bebutton'd ore the garters,</L>
<L>Was ne're the like &s;een in our quarters.</L>
<L>Tobacoo and wine Frontinack,</L>
<L>Potato pa&s;ties, Spani&s;h &s;ack,</L>
<L>Such uncouth food, &s;uch meat and drink,</L>
<L>Could never in our &s;tomack &s;ink:</L>
<L>Then mu&s;t the Granure &s;wear and &s;wagger,</L>
<L>And &s;how him&s;elf the brave&s;t bragger.</L>
<L>A bon-companion and a drinker,</L>
<L>A delicate and dainty ginker.</L>
<L>So is &s;een on't. The&s;e fooli&s;h gigs,</L>
<L>Hath caus'd his Wor&s;hip &s;ell his rigs.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Sy Lady, as &s;he is a woman,</L>
<L>Is born a helper to undo man.</L>
<L>Her Ladi&s;hip mu&s;t have a &s;hare,</L>
<L>For &s;he is play-maker and mair;</L>
<L>For &s;he invents a thou&s;and toys,</L>
<L>That hou&s;e and hold and all de&s;troys,</L>
<L>As &s;carfs, &s;hephrons, tuffs and rings,</L>
<L>Fairdings, facings. powerings</L>
<L>Rebats, revands, bands and ruffs,</L>
<L>Lapbands, &s;hagbands, cuffs and muffs,</L>
<L>Folding outlayes, pearling &s;prigs,</L>
<L>Aterys, vardigals, periwigs:</L>
<L>Hats, hoods, wyrs and kells,</L>
<L>Wa&s;hing-balls, perfuming &s;mels:</L>
<L>French gows cut out and double banded,</L>
<L>Iet rings to make her plea&s;ant handed:</L>
<L>A fan, a feather, bracelets, gloves,</L>
<L>All new-come busks &s;he dearly loves:</L>
<L>For &s;uch trim bony baby clouts,</L>
<L>Still on the Laird &s;he greets and &s;houts:</L>
<L>Which made the Laird take up more gear,</L>
<L>Then all the Land and <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">igs could bear.</L>
<L>The&s;e are the Emblems that declares</L>
<L>The Merchants thriftle&s;s, needle&s;s wares,</L>
<L>The Taylors curious vanity,</L>
<L>My Ladies prodigality.</L>
<L>This is the truth which I di&s;cover:</L>
<L>I do not care for feed or favor:</L>
<L>For what I was, yet &s;till I am,</L>
<L>An hone&s;t, plain, true dealing man;</L>
<L>And if the&s;e words of mine would mend them</L>
<L>I care not by though I offend them:</L>
<L>Her<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> is the cau&s;e mo&s;t plainly &s;hown,</L>
<L>That hath our Countrey-overthrown,</L>
<L>It's &s;aid of old, that others harms,</L>
<L>Is oftentimes the wi&s;e mans arms:</L>
<L>And he is thought mo&s;t wi&s;e of all,</L>
<L>That learns good from his neighbors fall.</L>
<L>It grieves my heart to &s;ee this age,</L>
<L>I cannot &s;tay to act more &s;tage:</L>
<L>I will ingrave me in the ground,</L>
<L>And re&s;t there till the trumpet &s;ound:</L>
<L>And if I have &s;aid ought affray,</L>
<L>Which may a me&s;&s;ons mind di&s;may,</L>
<L>I do appeal before the throne</L>
<L>Or the great powers, three in one;</L>
<L>The Supream Soveraignity,</L>
<L>The Parliament of verity.</L>
<L>And if you think my Speech offends,</L>
<L>Ye mu&s;t be there, I's make amen<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">s.</L>
</LG>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P>Mercurius Scotus Hybernicus. P. M.</P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
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