so cold That it is shame for to be told But to returne vnto our tale When the Cuntrie was moued hale To make to wark with spear and sheild He was not hinmost on the fielde Out of the West had any gane He missed neuer to be ane With wisedome manheid and counsall He comfort thir conventions all Yea no Convention lesse nor mair Of any waight but he was thair Al 's when the Gentlemen of Kyle As they were frakkest all the while In their assemblies would chuse out Some for to ride the post about If he had seene them once refuse By any maner of excuse He would soone say trueth is doubtlesse My Brother hes sic businesse I know at this time he can noght But there shall be nane vther sought I will ryde for him verelie The nixt time he shall ride for me This was not once but almost ay So neuer did their purpose stay For fault of posting late or air Bot yet or I passe further mair I man speak something of his Wife Quha neuer made barrat nor strife Nor this his doing did disdaine Was neuer man heard her complaine As many wiues in the Cuntrie I trow had luked angerlie On her gude-man who at all tyde Was ay so reddy for to ryde For so oft ryding could not misse Bot to procure great expensis He might look as they tell the tail When he came hame for euill cooled kail Ze haue so meikle gear to spend Ze trow neuer it will haue end This will make you full bare there ben Lat see sayes she what other men So oft ryding a field ye finde Leauing thair owne labour behinde This and farre mare had oft bene told Be many wiues yea that we hold Not of the worst in all the Land I speak not of that balefull band That Sathan hes sent heir away With the black fleete of Norroway Of whome ane with her Tygers tong Had able met him with a rong And reaked him a rebegeastor Calling him many warlds weastor Bot latting thir euill wiues alane This gude wife murmuring made nane Bot ay maist gladly did consent To that wherewith he was content Reioysing that he had sic hart For Christis Kirk to take that part Quhilk doubtlesse was ane vertewe rare But to returne to him but mair From ryding he did seldome rest Whiles in the east whiles in the west To drawe the godly in ane band Impietie for to withstand Quhilk doubtlesse did the cause great gude For when al-quhare men vnderstude What was the brethrens minde and will And what purpose they made them till They interprised in all parts More boldly knowing others harts This day I think we may perceaue What missing of sic men we haue When any danger dois appeir To warne the godly farre and neir Our foes now here do vs preuent Who euer are most diligent And slips no time though we be slaw Themselues together for to drawe God steir some vp sen he is gane That cost nor trauell spared nane There was no gathering East nor West Saint Iohnestone raid with all the rest Bot he was euer there for ane The warres so endit then and gane His counsale in the reformation Was well heard be the Congregation At the Assemblies Generale He was aye with his gude counsale What shall I say sen we began I wate well a mair carefull man 〈◊〉 sparing trauels paines nor cost Was not in all the Lords host Because then he was so sincere And feruent baith in peace and weare His Name grew famous in all art The godly loued him with their hart There was fewe but heard well aneugh Of Robert of the Kinyeancleugh But the gude Regent by the rest Of all men loued Robert best He sawe in him sic feruencie Sic stowtnes with sinceritie He might oft gotten great reward But no sic thing he did regard He was voide of all couatyce And was least subiect to that vyce And to the loue of worldly wrake Of any man that euer spake His conscience he would not grieue No worldly goods for to atchieue The half teinds of hale VCHILTRIE He did giue ouer most willinglie Quhilk his forbears had possest For Sacriledge he did dâ—â—est The minister he put therein God grant that as he did begin That all the rest that dois possesse The teinds of Scotland more and lesse Maist wrangouslie wald them restore As gude Robert hes gone before Bot no appearance we can see That they will do it willinglie For all the summoning hes bene By Gods Heraulds these yeares fyftene Though I think they should feare to touch them Because that teinds did neuer rich them That hes meld with them to this day Yet no appearance is I say That euer they shall with them twin While God of heauen himselfe begin With force quhilk no man may withstand To pluck them cleane out of their hand Quhilk shall be to their wrak and wo Because they would not let them go For no fore warning he could send When they had time and space to mend Though nowe this Sacriledge seeme sweet Their of-spring shall haue cause to greet When God shall call them for the wrong Done to him and his Kirk so long Bot to returne againe but more Good Robert did those teinds restore Whereby maist clearly we may see That na wayes couetous was hee Bot gentle kinde and liberall To all that needed great and small And chieflie to the godlie house He liberall was and harberous Ane number of the poore nightlie In Kinyeancleugh gat harberie Whome after supper he gart call To be examined in the hall Of Lords prayer and Beleefe And ten Commaunds for to be briefe Gif that he found them ignorant Unto his place they durst not haunt Unto the time they learned all Also his seruands he did call And euery Sabboth him before To giue a reckoning there but more Of chiefe heades of Religion So they got great instruction Wherefore Iohn Knox that man of God Perceauing Robert to be od In cairfulnes and feruencie In soundnes and integritie And for to be of gifts maist rare With him wes maist familiare For his Religion was not vaine Nor na lip-labor I make plaine Bot it wes baith in heart and deed Quhilk from ane true faith did proceed When gude Iohn Knox for tyrannie At some times was compeld to flie Gude Robert wes ay be his syde Baith night and day to be his gyde In trouble and adversitie They keeped others companie While at the last death did them twin Quhilk at Iohn Knox did first begin From time Robert sawe him depart He thrifted ever from his hart That he might followe haistelie Quhilk wish he did obtaine shortlie For he had not long dayes here Efter Iohn Knox wes brought on bere As afterward I shall make plaine Bot while on earth he did remaine His onely diligence and cair Wes to serue God baith late and air Alswell in weere as tyme
of peace His godly courage did not cease As might be known when he did weild His wepons at the Lang-side Feild When our men breisted vp the bank He wes there in the formost rank Bot yet or thay began to yoke Immediatelie before the choke His sloghorne I cannot passe by Our men on his left hand gan cry A Hume a Hume with voces shill Ane vther voce vpon the hill He heard crying a Dowglasse fast Then bursted Robert forth at last And cryed with mightie voice abrode O our good God O our good God Quhilk wes mair fearfull to his Fais Nor all the voces there that rais We see in flesh he nothing bostis His trust was in the Lord of Hosts He was perswaded certainlie Or they began of victorie As the escheat quhilk he obteind Before the field of a chiefe freind Wha wes vpon the contrare syde With all that there with him wold ryde Whais name I need not till expresse Of his foreknowledge bure witnesse Where also we haue to considder How that thir twa spake not togidder Before that Feild many a day And yet Gude Robert did not stay Before hand to take his escheit And that all for his Freinds proffeit Quhilk wes a taken on his part Of a most kinde and louing hart I trowe fewe men wold haue done so But to our purpose let vs go He stood then in that stalward stowre Where there were many dintis dowre So in that brunt maist valyantly That day he did full dowghtely While victory wes on our side And enemies no more might bide That day ane pleasant Feild fand he As his Sur-name dois signifie So evermore sen we began He hes bene ane maist constant man Not whites on this side whiles on that As barnes vse to flae the wyld-cat Quhilk shall make his name last for ay In honour vnto Domisday Where as starters from syde to syde Who be the gude cause did not byde Shall leaue their names eternallie In shame to their posteritie Because Gods cause they did bot mock Ay turning with the Wedder-cock Where they that with the Lord indure Shall finde his loue constant and sure As it appeareth wele ynough In Robert of the Kinyeancleugh Whome God did honour every way In life and death and shall for ay Nowe beside this great carefulnesse In reformations gude successe I wait a mare peaceable man Was neuer sen the warld began Among Neighbours for to make peace God granted him a singular grace So wisely he could matters dresse With Iudgement and sic vprightnesse That euen Papists would not refuse This Ireneus for to chuse In warldly caces for they kend Ane iote from right he wald not bend For no man leuand freind nor fa I trow he left fewe marrowes ma The Nobills haill out through the west Baith Protestants and all the rest His great wisedome did reuerence Sa that in things of importance His counsell they did sute and craue In their affaires and it receaue His labours he did not deny To pure nor rich that dwelt him by So to the West he made sic â—â—eade That they may sare lament his dead I trowe sic missing of a man Wes not in Kyle sen it began As the lamenting every whare Out through that Cuntrie dois declare Bot chiefly pittie is to heare His tennants pure with drery cheare And heauie harts making their mone That their good Maister now is gone Quha in no sort did them oppresse Bot wes their comfort in distresse He tuke payment aye as they might And neuer preassed them to hight Nor ouer their heades to set their rowmes Nor make them pure with great gressowmes He neuer warned man to flit Except himselfe had wyte of it Be vnthrift sluggishnes and slewth Or by contempt of God his trewth With sic na wayes he could agree That they should tennants to him be Most like vnto good Davids deed The hundreth one Psalme as we reed Yea he wald craib and much disdaine Gif they had tane Gods name in vaine Thir tennants dowbtles were happie That sic a Maister had as he They wanted not he had yneugh At hame within the Kinyeancleugh It did him gude to see them thriue Quhilk made ilk ane with other striue Quha should best seruice to him make And for to please him be maist frake His wife also was of his minde Though many be not of her kinde Bot on their Husbands daylie harp That to their tennants they be sharp Thinking their state can na wayes lest Except their pure-anes be opprest So that they haue not vntane vp Or Beltane come to byte or sup Syne hes their Sommer maill to by Wherefore they man sell sheep and Ky Quhilk dois vndoe in this Cuntrie The maist part of our Yeamanrie And brings great hurt ye may be sure Al 's to sic masters of thir pure Who be this sharp nipping are wrakked While they themselues are farre worse stakked And hes les luk baith but and ben Nor when there was gude husbandmen That to the Lard gude seruice made And bakkit him vnto the rade With bread and beefe vnto the boyes That nowe I wat not wha destroies But to returne againe but mare Gude Roberts Tennants sighes full sare That their gude Maister they do want Quhilk they do not but cause I grant But whairto should I speak of tha He was a Freind to many ma Yea and ma than I can declare As men can best meane their owne sare For in all parts baith North and Sowth They haue Gude Robert in their mouth The godly cheifly in all arts His death lamented from their harts Iohn Iohnstone writer well might say He mist a speciall Freind that day BARGANIE al 's may say the same And many ma whome I could name Bot how and where he did disceace I will declare nowe in this place As I haue shawen you heirtofore Of his greate trauells evermore For rich and pure for freind and fa He endit euen his life time sa For last his cheife and kins-man deir The young SHIREF of Air but weir Whome Robert loued tenderly For the many gude qualitie In that young plant he sawe appeare Of age not passing twentie yeare Sic as wisedome and lawlinesse Kindnes of heart with trustinesse Actiuitie and gude courage As may be found in sic ane age Quhilk gifts I pray God may incres With Gods true feare and zealousnes Now this his chiefe and kinsman toe Hauing some bissines adoe In Galloway therein welefar With his gude Father Lochinvar Desired Robert for to ryde With him in companie that tyde That there his counsell he might vse Gude Robert wald him not refuse Bot rayd with him maist willinglie To doe all friendly dewitie On Gude-Fryday when Sun was sett All in Dammellintone we mett For this time God provyded me In Roberts companie to be Where I sawe all things more and lesse That came to passe in this progresse In
falt Wha can sit still and smoothlie heere Their companie baith banne and swere Which euill custome drawes on also Themselues to swearing or they go Great cause sall sic haue to lament Except in tyme they do repent His other speaches all are pend In prose as after shall be kend He craued one thing feruentlie That he might end this miserie From time he sawe some of the Kirk Not vprightly beginne to wirk Bot Christ his cause for to betray This speach on dead bed when he lay He vttered oft with hart full sare Crauing dissoluing without mare Bot cheiflie sen the Assemblie Halden the date of seuentie thrie And saxt of March where many man In Edinburgh assembled than The double dealing he saw thare Past neuer from his heart but mare Na seiknes could make him forget That last Assemblie as it set Touching the quhilk what he spake thare Now is not needfull to declare Gods iust Iudgements he did foresee Approching fast to this Cuntrie When some said Sir why do ye craue So earnestly this lyfe to laue He sayd Brethren sawe ye I wisse The sight I see of heauenly blisse And contrarewise gif ye did see A blink of that great misery That vnto Scotland fast doth hy Ye wald wish death as well as I So great is our ingratitude Persauing then 〈◊〉 to conclude That he wes to depart this life He sent hame quicklie for his wife Quha but all tarying came thare Fra she got word with heart full sare She raid that wilsome wearie way Neir fourtie myles on Law Sunday Be she had beene there dayes thrie He parted from this miserie Till heauens blisse I am right sure His soule on Thursday next did sure So gude Iohn Knox he followed sone Within a yeare and halfe was gone Then did the Lard of Lochinvar With all the Cuntrie far and naâ—â— In ane litter his corps bring downe On Fryday to Dammellintoune That night fyfteene nights he didly There blyth and glaid as he came by That night his body brought on beir An haâ—stie change we may see heir In earth is na mair constancie Then wherefore pride-full should we be Or in these earthlie things confyde As we were euer heir to byde Sen we see all of women borne Bot this day hâ—ir away to morne Bot ane kennis not another gude On Saterday then to conclude The four and twentie of Aprile The Lairds and Gentil-men of Kyle Yea baith of high and lawe degrie Met him therewith sic Assemblie As was not seene in Kyle before This hundreth yeares and many more Many wette cheaks at that meeting There might be seene with sare sighing It wald haue made anes hart full sare To see the meeting that was thare Though they knewe he was well but doubt Yet their affections bursted out And could not let them to lament For losse of sic an Instrument So they receiued the corps that day From Lochinvar and Galloway And with all honour did it bring Unto the Kirkyard of Machling Where they did burie him but mare And sa I leaue him lyand thare And will speake something of his wife Wha shortly after left this life For as thay were baith ioynd in hart Sa death almost could not them part And as in life thay did agrie So death could not keepe them sundrâ—â— For in Aprill the twentie tway He did depart in Galloway In Iune next she gaue vp the ghost About the midst of it almost In the hote feauer she also Out of this miserie did go In Iames Bannareins house of Air For short before she had past thare Thinking to liue most quietly Among that godly company For the hale race of all that hous Of Kinyeancleugh are right zealous And of lang tyme hes sa bene kend The Lord assist thame to the end For Robert and this Iames of Air Sister and brother barnis ware And sa nane meeter she could finde For to remaine withall behinde Bot God had ordaind what should mair That she should end her life in Air Fra her husband wes brought on beir She had no pleasure longer heir Bot did desire most hartfullie At Gods pleasure with him to be Quhilk she obteined in short space And so was caried to that place In the Kirkyarde where he dois ly Of Machling and layd hard him by Lang may ye seek to finde sic tway As God there nowe hes tane away For what man he was I haue told Of singular graces manifold And as for her the trueth to tell Among women she bure the bell During her daies in her degrie In godlines and honestie Of Iudgement rypest in Gods Law Of any woman that I knaw In Gods buke she was so verse it That scarce wald men trow to rehearse it Of so excellent memorie And al 's of sic dexteritie Gods word to vse to her comfort And theirs who did to her resort That her to heare it was delyte In Scriptures she was so perfyte Quhilk was not words and babling vaine Bot words with knawledge ioynd certaine Quhilk in her life she did expresse By doing as shee did prosesse All Gods true seruants far and neir She did esteeme as Freinds most deir And neuer loued societie With any godlesse companie Baith wise and provident was sho In houshold things she had ado Quhat should I say this woman od Was his great comfort vnder God And doubtles was of God a blessing Of speciall gifts after his wishing So for to end as I began I wait sic ane woman and man Of so many gude properties Of rare and heauenly qualities Is not in Scotland left behind Whais waytaking we be not blind Should make vs clearlie vnderstand That Gods iust Iudgments are at hand To punish the Rebellion Of this maist stubborne nation Who to Gods will dois not attend For no punition he dois send For we may easilie considder The waytaking of thir together Of so excellent behaueours And that almost bot in their flowers For nane of them was past throughlie The age of fourtie yeares and thrie Is not for nought what euer it be That is to followe hastelie For why sic as the Lord God loues Before the plague he oft remoues According as the Scripture sayes Quhilk shortned good Iosias dayes With many others that are past And that great plagues approched fast Gude Robert as we heard before Foresawe and plainly did deplore As all man grant as well as he That hes Iudgment or eies to see Therefore sen they are tane away For to fore warne vs all I say That God is reddy for to come With plagues to punish all and some That dois delight in wickednes In reif murther and filthines And covatyce whereof they grow Quhilk this hale Cuntrie dois ouerflow And all the lang rebellion To God within this Nation Whose Iudgements now we see appeare And their forerunners drawing neere Let vs with all the speed we can Go hide vs with the prudent man That seis the plague while it is far And hydes himselfe or it come nar By turning vnto Christ our King And hyding vs vnder his wing Wha in all tempest wind and preace Is our refuge and hyding place As Isay in the thirtie tway Of that his Prophecie dois say So we of safetie shall be sure What euer plagues euill men endure On whome that great day but releif Shall suddainely come as a theif And turne in twinkling of ane eye Their Ioy and mirth to miserie And we shall passe for evermore To raigne with Christ our King in glore Who saued vs and none but he Bearing our sinnes vpon the tree To whome therefore euer be praise And to the Father eik alwaies And to the holy Spirit most free One onely God and persones three FINIS