William Lauder’s Ane compendious and breve tractate… (1556) is a poem in rhymed octosyllables describing the duties of temporal and spiritual magistrates. It forms part of a series of poems on moral and political themes written from a strong anti-Catholic standpoint. Lauder (1520?-1573), was a Scottish Protestant minister known principally for his poetry and drama: he composed plays for royal and aristocratic entertainments which do not seem to have survived. The passages incorporated here use the idea of famine principally in a spiritual and allegorical sense.
Ane compendious And breve tractate, concernyng ye office and dewtie of kyngis, spirituall pastoris, and temporall iugis laitlie compylit be William Lauder. For the faith- full instructioun of kyngi. And prencis [Sketch]
Diligite Iufticiam qui judicatisterram
Edinburgh. PUBLISHED BY J. Scot 1556
1.
1.1.
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Usand your fleschelie vane plesuris
Oppressand your pure creaturis
And your fals glosing of the wrang
Sall nocht mak yow to rax heir lang
Bot it sall be the foirmeir thyng
Pro. xxxix. Psal. ii. Esay. xxx.vii
Sall first depose yow frome your ryng
And mak yow lose your latter waige
Quhilk is the hevinnis heritage
So for your wrang but proces more
Ye sall tyne hevin, and wardlie glore
Geve ye contynew and Indure
Off thir forsaids, ye sall be sure.
Mark kyngs, how I have heir breiflie
Diffynit your names, and Dignitie
Your office dewtie, and your cure
That ye aucht tyll all Creature
And quhat gret difference is at all
Betuix yow, and your pure Vassall
And last how I have fynallie
Declaird quhat wo and miserie
Sall lycht on yow, and on your seid
That to your office taks no heid
And now geve that ye wald be leird
To bruke, and to Injoye the eird
And geve ye wald, that your ofspryng
Did lang in to your regiones ryng
In welfare, and prosperytie
In grace, peace, and cherytie
And also geve ye do pretende
Have hevinlie Joye unto your ende
[Page]
Than fowoll, this nyxt Instructioun
Maid for your Eruditioun.
1.2. Follovis the instruc- tioun to Prencis. How thay sall alsweil Inhereit the Hevin, as the reth.
Title:
Ane compendious and breve tractate, concernyng ye
office and dewtie of kyngis, spirituall pastoris, and temporall iugis laitlie
compylit be William Lauder. For the faithfull instructioun of kyngis, and
prencis
Sketche
Diligite Iufticiam qui judicatisterram
Provenance/location: This text was transcribed from images available at Early English Books Online: http://eebo.chadwyck.com/home Bib Name / Number: STC (2nd ed.) / 15314 Copy
from: Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery Durable URL:
http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2003&res_id=xri:eebo&res_dat=
xri:pqil:res_ver=0.2&rft_id=xri:eebo:citation:99845002