And in the courte bene present in thir[106] dayis That ballattis brevis lustellie[107], and layis, Quhilkis tyll our Prince daylie thay do present. Quho can say more than Schir James Inglis[108] sayis, In ballattis, farses, and in plesand playis? But Culrose hes his pen maid impotent. Kyd, in cunnyng and pratick rycht prudent, And Stewarte,[109] quhilk desyrith ane staitly style, Full ornate werkis daylie dois compyle.
Stewart of Lorne wyll carpe[110] rycht curiouslie; Galbraith, Kynlouch, quhen thay lyst tham applie In-to that art, ar craftie of ingyne. Bot now of lait is starte up haistelie Ane cunnyng[111] clerk quhilk wrytith craftelie, Ane plant of poeitis callit Ballendyne, Quhose ornat workis my wytt can nocht defyne. Gett he in-to the courte auctorite He wyll precell Quintyn and Kennedie.
So, thocht[112] I had ingyne, as I have none, I watt[113] nocht quhat to wryt, be sweit Sanct Jhone; For quhy? in all the garth[114] of eloquence Is no-thyng left bot barrane stok and stone; The poleit termes are pullit everilk one[115] Be thir fornamit poeitis of prudence; And sen I fynd none uther new sentence I sall declare, or[116] I depart yow fro, The complaynt of ane woundit papingo[117].
Quharefor, because myne mater bene so rude Of sentence, and of rethorike denude, To rurall folke myne dyting[118] bene directit, Far flemit[119] frome the sycht of men of gude[120]; For cunnyng men, I knaw, wyll soune conclude It dowe[121] no-thyng bot for to be dejectit; And quhen I heir myne mater bene detractit Than sall I sweir I maid it bot in mowis[122] To landwart lassis quhilks kepith kye and yowis[123].
[The “Complaynt” begins with a homily on the text “Quho clymmis to hycht, perforce his feit mon faill.” To illustrate this apophthegm the story of the king’s papyngo is told. The unfortunate bird, climbing to the topmost twig of a tree in the royal garden, is thrown to earth by a gust of wind, and hopelessly injured on a stob of timber. In her last hour she addresses one epistle to the king, deriving lessons to royalty from the chronicles of Scotland, and another to her “brether of the court” upon the text “Quho sittith moist hie sal fynd the sait most slidder.” The latter epistle ends with an adieu to Edinburgh, Stirling, and Falkland, and the chief scene of the satire immediately ensues.]