OFF KING JOHNE OF INGLAND, AND OF HIS OP-
PRESSIOUN AND AUARICIOUSNES, AND OF HIS
STATUTIS AND LAWES FOR GREDINES OF
GEIR, AND HOW HIS LORDIS RAIS AGANIS
The samin king Johnne of quhome to zow I 44,920 tald,
Quhilk of befoir infectit wes of ald
With auerice, that baith to man and child,
The moir perfite it growis now in ild;
Quhair vther vices in age ar maid les,
Than auerice begynnis to incres.
This ilk king Johnne, of quhome befoir I schew
And in the first he maid ane law, but leis,
Gif man or woman hapnit to deceis,
Had he ane air vther to land or gude,
That ather to him suld gif ane gratitude
Or he succeidit other to gude or land,
Or than forfalt all in the kingis hand.
Als in the tyme he maid ane vther law,
No man of gude sould, other greit or smaw,
For his barnis with mariage dispone,
Without he did first with the king compone,
And gif ane tribute for the kingis leif:
Quha war so pert the contrar for to preif,
It suld be repute for ane falt and cryme,
And all his gude confiscat in the tyme.
The thrid law maid, quhilk be the werst of all,
Gif policie, other greit or small,
As bischop, abbot, dene, archidene also,
Hapnit to vaik, with mony vther mo,
The haill restis in his hand suld remane;
Quhill that [thai] war provydit new agane,
The haill proffeit thairof him self sould haue.
Ane zeirlie pensioun also he did crawe
Fra ilk prelat withoutin ressoun or skill,
So far he wes affectit to his will.
Quhairfoir the lordis that tyme of Ingland,
Convenit all togidder in ane band,
For to remeid the wrang and greit injure,
That he had wrocht baith agane riche and puir.
Syne to Phillip the king of France tha send
For his supple to bring that thing to end;
To Alexander of Scotland that wes king,
Tha send also for supple of that thing.
Thir kingis baitht richt hartlie with gude will,
Promittit hes that tha suld cum thame till,
Amang thame self sua that tha wald be trew,
And perseveir thair purpois till persew.
This ilk king Johnne of that quhen he hard tell,
How his lordis agane him did rebell;
Also he knew his power wes ouir small,
For to resist aganis thair poweris all;
And for that caus he send his lordis till,
Promittand thame, at thair plesour and will,
All wrangus thing he suld agane restoir,
And als reforme all faltis maid befoir;
In tyme to cum na mater suld be sped,
Without thair counsall in the tyme wer hed.
For moir effect in writ he put this band,
Subscryuit it syne with his awin hand,
His chancellar withoutin falt or cryme,
To him he gaif tha writtis in the tyme,
In MS. That. | 2 In MS. counsallouris. | In MS. thame.
With all the lordis as it wes deseruit,
In his keiping most straitlie be conseruit.
Sone efter this that all sic thingis wes done,
The auerice zit of this ilk king Johnne,
That men trowit wes meneist and maid les,
Begouth agane to grow and to incres,
With puir invie and greit crudelitie
Of his lordis for to revengit be.
For that same caus, as ze ma weill presume,
Ane seruand send onto the court of Rome
With his desyr, the quhilk wes put in wryte,
Of fynest gold ane sowme als infunyte.
This messinger directit wes till go
Vnto ane man that callit wes Guallo;
Ane cardinall he wes into that tyme,
Full of all vice and conscius of that cryme;
With sindrie vices thocht that he wes blekkit,
With auerice I hald him maist suspectit.
This ilk Gu[a]llo considderit hes full sone,
So greit reward wes send him fra king Johne,
Presentit hes onto the paip in write
His soir complaint with dolorus indyte;
Quhilk I pretend this tyme to tell 3ow till,
In forme and effect the tenour of his bill.
Into the first he menis him full soir
Of all his lordis that tyme les and moir,
That wranguslie tha did him greit injure,
Restrenzeand him fra regiment and cuir
Of his kirkmen, without ressoun or quhy,
At thair plesour for malice and invy.
All that he did, he said, bayth moir and les,
Wes for the proffeit of his halines,
And for the weill also of halie kirk.
Traist weill, he said, he wald nocht ellis wirk,
And for the best it wes ay that he wrocht.
Quhairfoir that tyme his halynes besocht
For sum remeid to keip him vnouirthrawin
In his kinrik, sen that it wes his awin,
Withoutin noy of ony nichtbour by.
Paip Innocens for that same caus and quhy,
And greit reward that he had send him till,
Promittit hes his plesour to fulfill,
At all power richt glaidlie with his hart,
In that purpois ay for to tak his part.
This cardinall, that callit wes Gualo,
Blindit the paip and mony vther mo;
Lib. 13, f. 208. For greit reward king Johnne had to him send,
In that mater he gaif him sic commend,
To thame that wes most inwart with the laif
Into the court richt greit reward he gaif,
Quhilk causit mony to corruptit be,
In Rome that tyme quhilk hed auctoritie.
Becaus in Rome, as I hard wyiss men tell,
Baith richt and wrang wes all tyme for to sell;1 45,035
So is it zit, as mony suith men sais,
In Rome siclike into the samin dais.
This messenger than passit hame full sone
Onto the king and schew how [he] hed done;
And how the paip rycht glaidlie with his hart, 45,040
Promittit hed that he suld tak his part,
And wryttin alss into the tyme also,
With greit credence than fra this ilk Gualo.
To quhome that tyme king Johnne aboue the laif,
Throw his ansuer so greit confidence gaif;
And suddantlie, withoutin ony moir,
Begouth agane evin quhair he left befoir,
To his lordis so wranguslie to wirk,
And greit injure also to halie kirk.
1 These two lines precede the former couplet in MS.
Quhairfoir his lordis gudlie till advance,
For 3oung Lues, quhilk Dolphene wes of France,
Rycht sone tha send than for that samin thing,
And Alexander of Scotland that wes king,
Be the promit befoir to thame tha maid,
Gif that thair king thocht mair thame till in- 45,055 vaid.
This 3oung Lues, with greit power he hed,
Richt sone to Ingland in the tyme him sped,
With wrytting syne diuysit hes to wend
In haist ane herald, to king Johnne he send,
Quhilk schew to him into the tyme, but leis,
Gif he of him plesit for to haif peice,
And his lordis withoutin ony moir,
Reforme all falt that he had maid befoir,
Siclike also in tyme to cum betuene,
Fra all injure and faltis till abstene;
And gif, he said, it plesit him do so,
His eldest sone and vther freindis mo,
To ly in pledge, or than, he said, but leis,
That he suld leif in lytill rest and peice.
Than this king Johnne that wes nothing adred, 45,070
In this Gualo so greit beleif he hed,
Into the tyme sic ansuer maid him till,
Sayand he wald all his plesour fulfill
In spyte of him, rycht so of all the laif,
Quhome of he thocht ane mendis for to haif.
With this ansuer, as e haif hard heir plane,
He passit on to 3oung Lues agane;
Ilk word be word he did to him rehers,
As I befoir hes put now into vers.
This 3oung Lues than quhen he hard and knew 45,080 The ansuer all, as the herald him schew,
With his armie, as my author recordis,
To Lundoun toun he come and met the lordis.
Of his cuming richt glaid wes les and moir,
Ressaueand him with greit honour and gloir,
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