[leaf 156 b, p. 372]
May is the month for those in the service of Venus.
The trees bud, the black birds sing; the maidens play with tabors and at upcoil.
Women dress
more gaily
to gladden
their lovers.
In old times people used to perform in May, Robin Hood and Little John and the
May is the moneth maist amene
For thame in Venus scheruice bene,
To recreat thair havy hartis:
May caussis curage frome the splene,
And every thing in May revartis.
In May the pleasant spray vpspringis;
In May the mirthfull maveiss singis;
And now in May to madynnis fawis,
With tymmer wechtis to trip in ringis,
And to play vpcoill with the bawis.
In May gois gallandis bring in symmer,
And trymly occupyis thair tymmer,
With "Hunts vp" every morning plaid.
In May gois gentill wemen gymmer,
In gardynnis grene thair grumis to glaid.
In May quhen men zeid everichone,
With Robene Hoid and Littill Johne,
To bring in bowis and birkin bobbynis:
Now all sic game is fastlingis gone
Bot gif it be amangis clown robbynis.
Abbotis by rewll, and lordis but ressone,
Sic senzeouris tymis ourweill this sessone;
Vpoun thair vyce war lang to waik,
Quhais falsatt, fibilnes and tressone,
Hes rung thryis oure this zodiak.
The cuckoo begins to sing in May.
In May begynnis the golk to gaill;
In May drawis deir to doun and daill;
In May men mellis with famyny,
And ladeis meitis thair luvaris laill
Quhen Phebus is in Gemyny.
Butter, new-cheis, and beir in May,
Cōmamis, cokkillis, curdis and quhay,
Lapstaris, lempettis, mussillis in schellis,
Grene leikis, and all sic men may say,
Suppois sum of thame sourly smellis.
In May grit men within thair boundis,
Sum halkis the walteris, sum with houndis
The hairis owt-throwch the forrestis cachis,
Syne efter thame thair ladeis foundis,
To sent the rynnyng of the rachis.
In May frank archeris will affix
In place to meit: syne marrowis mix,
To schute at buttis at bankis & brais;
Sum at the reveris, sum at the prikkis ;
Sum laich and to beneth the clais.
In May sowld men of amouris go,
To serf thair ladeis, and no mo,
Sen thair releis in ladeis lyis;
For sum may cum in favouris so,
To kiss his loif on buchone wyis.
In may gois dammosalis and dammis
In gardyngis1 grene to play lyk lammis;
Sum at the bairis thay brace lyk billeis;
Sum rynnis at barlabreikis lyk rammis,
Sum round abowt the standand pilleis.
In May gois madynis till Lareit,
And hes thair mynzonis on the streit,
To horss thame quhair the gait is ruch:
Sum at Inche-bukling-bray they meit,
Sum in the middis of Mussilburch.
So May and all thir monethis thre,
Are hett and dry in thair degre;
Heirfoir 30 wantoun men in 30wth,
For helth of body now haif E,
Nocht oft till mell with thankless mowth.
1 MS. reads "gardyingis."
delight not over much in the pleasures of love.
Sen every pastyme is at plesure,
I counsale 30w to mel with mesure,
And namely now, May, June, & Julij,
Delyt nocht lang in luvaris lesure,
But weit zour lippis & labor hully.
[leaf 229 b, p. 518] Hail, lusty May!
All nature rejoices in thee,
[ Lusty May, with Flora Quene.]
O lusty May, with flora quene,
The balmy dropis frome Phebus schene,
Preluciand bemes befoir þe day,
Be that Diana growis grene,
Throwch glaidnes of þis lusty May.
Than esperus, that is so bricht,
Till wofull hairtis castis his lycht,
With bankis that blumes on euery bray,
And schuris ar sched furth of pair sicht
Thruch glaidnes of this lusty May.
Birdis on bewis of every birth,
Reiosing nottis makand thair mirth,
Rycht plesandly vpoun the spray
With fflurissingis our feild & firth
Thruch [glaidnes of thus lusty May].
1 Cantus, Songs and Fancies. I. Forbes, Aberdeen, 1682, leaf 11.
Poems on the Pains and Pleasures of Love.
[Lube prepsis but comparesone.]
Luve preysis, but comparesone,
Both gentill, sempill, generall;
And of fre will gevis waresone,
As fortoun chansis to befall:
For luve makis nobill ladeis thrall,
To bassir men of birth and blud;
So luve garris sobir wemen small,
Get maistrice our grit men of gud.
Ferme luve, for fauour, feir, or feid,
Of riche nor pur to speik suld spair;
For luve to hienes hes no heid,
Nor lychtleis lawlines ane air;
But puttis all personis in compair,
This prowerb planely for till preue,
That men and wemen, less and mair,
Ar cumd of Adame and of Eue.
So thocht my lyking wer a leddy,
And I no lord, zit nocht pe less
Scho suld my serwyce find als reddy
As duke to duches docht him dress;
For as prowd princely luve express
Is to haif souerenitie ;
So serwice cumis of sympilness,
And leilest lufe of law degre.
Therefore no man should lack the art of love.
Haif hairt in hairt, ze hairt of hairtis, haill. [6.
[leaf 228, p. 515]
Sweetheart,
have my heart,
My heart is glad to serve you;
[Baif hairt in hairt, ze hairt of hairtis, haill.]
Haif hairt in hairt, ze hairt of hairtis, haill;
Trewly sweit hairt, zour hairt my hairt sal haif;
Expell deir hairt my havy hairtis baill;
Praying 30w hairt quhilk hes my hairt in graif,
Sen зе sweit hairt, my hairt may sla & saif,
Lat nocht deir hairt my leill hairt be forloir,
Excelland hairt, of every hairtis gloir.
Glaid is my hairt, with 30w sueit hairt to rest,
And serue zow hairt, with hairtis observance;
Sen ze ar, hairt, with bayth our hairtis possest,
My hairt is in zour hairtis gouernance;
Do with my hairt, zour hairtis sweit plesance,
For is my hairt thrall zour hairt vntill ;
I haif no hairt contrair zour hairtis will.
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