Discretion in Asking [In asking sowld discretioun be]

Of every asking followis nocht

Rewaird, bot gif sum caus war wrocht;

And quhair caus is, men weill ma sie,

And quhair nane is, it wil be thocht:

In asking sowld discretioun be.

Ane fule, thocht he haif cause or nane,

Cryis ay, "Gif me," into a rane;

And he that dronis ay as ane bee

Sowld haif ane heirar dull as stane.

In asking sowld discretioun be.

Sum askis mair than he deservis,

Sum askis far les than he servis,

Sum schames to ask (as braidis of me)

And all withowt reward he stervis.

In asking sowld discretioun be.

To ask but service hurtis gud fame,

To ask for service is not to blame,

To serve and leif in beggartie

To man and maistir is baith schame.

In asking sowld discretion be.

He that dois all his best servyis

May spill it all with crakkis and cryis,

Be fowll inoportunitie.

Few wordis may serve the wyis.

In asking sowld discretioun be.

Nocht neidfull is men sowld be dum,

Nathing is gottin but wordis sum;

Nocht sped but diligence we se,

For nathing it allane will cum.

In asking sowld discretioun be.

Asking wald haif convenient place,

Convenient tyme, lasar, and space,

But haist, or preis of grit menyie,

But hairt abasit, but toung rekles.

In asking sowld discretioun be.

Sum micht haif "Ye" with littill cure,

That hes oft "Nay" with grit labour;

All for that tyme not byd can he,

He tynis baith eirand and honour.

In asking sowld discretioun be.

Suppois the servand be lang unquit,

The lord sumtyme rewaird will it.

Gife he dois not, quhat remedy?

To fecht with Fortoun is no wit:

In asking sowld descretioun be.

William Dunbar

WiUiam Dunbar was born, probably in East Lothian, between 1450 and 1460. He entered the University of St. Andrews in 1475, and took his full degree in 1479. In eariy life, according to his own account, he went about from Berwick to Dover, and passed over to Calais and Picardy, preaching and alms-gathering as a Franciscan noviciate ; but he became dissatisficd with this life and does not seem to have taken the vows of the order. It has been inferred from allusions in his verse that he was for some years empioyed in connection with foreign embassies. Toward tiie close of the century we find him in attendance on the Scotch Court, a poet with an established reputation, and a continual suitor for piace. In 1500 he received from the king (James IV) a pension of ^io , raised by degrees, during the next ten years to ;^8o ? then a respectable annuity; but he never obtained the Church promotion, to which on somewhat irrelevant grounds he constantly laid claim.

More poems from same author

A Dream Discretion in Taking [In taking sowld discretioun be] In a Secret Place [Ye brek my hart, my bony ane] Of James Dog [Madame, ye heff a dangerous dog] Rule of Oneself [He rewllis weill that weill himself can gyd]

Discretion in Asking [In asking sowld discretioun be]

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