Against Hasty Credence
Fals
titlaris
now
growis
up
full
rank,
Nocht
ympit
in
the
stok
of
cheretie,
Howping
at
thair
lord
to
gett
grit
thank,
Thay
haif
no
dreid
on
thair
nybouris
to
lie.
Than
sowld
ane
lord
avyse
him
weill
and
se
Quhen
ony
taill
is
brocht
to
his
presence
Gif
it
be
groundit
into
veretie
Or
he
thairto
gif
haistely
creddence.
Ane
worthy
lord
sould
wey
ane
taill
wyslie,
The
taill-tellar
and
quhome
of
it
is
tald,
Gif
it
be
said
for
luve
or
for
invy,
And
gif
the
tailisman
weill
avow
it
wald.
Than
eftirwart
the
pairteis
sould
be
cald
For
thair
excuse
to
mak
lawfull
defence.
Thus
sowld
ane
lord
the
ballance
evinly
hald
And
gif
not
at
the
first
haistie
creddence.
It
is
no
wirschep
for
ane
nobill
lord
For
fals
tailis
to
put
ane
trew
man
doun,
And
gevand
creddence
to
the
first
recoird,
He
will
not
heir
his
excusatioun.
The
tittillaris
so
in
his
heir
can
roun
The
innocent
may
get
no
awdience.
Ryme
as
it
may,
thairin
is
na
ressoun
To
gif
till
taillis
hestely
creddence
Thir
teltellaris
oft
tymes
dois
grit
skaith
And
raissis
mortall
feid
and
discrepance
And
makis
lordis
with
thair
servandis
wreith
And
baneist
be
withowtin
cryme
perchance.
It
is
the
grund
of
stryfe
and
all
distance.
Moir
perrellus
than
ony
pestillence,
Ane
lord
in
flatterreris
to
haif
plesance
Or
to
gif
lyaris
hestely
creddence.
O
thow
wyse
lord,
quhen
that
a
flatterrer
Thee
for
to
pleis
and
hurt
the
innocent
Will
tell
ane
taill
of
thy
familiar,
Thow
sowld
the
pairteis
call
incontinent
And
sitt
doun
sadly
into
jugement
And
serche
the
caus
weill
or
thow
gif
sentence,
Or
ellis
heireftir
in
cais
thow
may
repent
That
thow
to
tailis
gaif
so
grit
creddence.
O
wicket
tung
sawand
dissentioun,
Of
fals
taillis
to
tell
that
will
not
tyre,
Moir
perrellus
than
ony
fell
pusoun,
The
pane
of
hell
thow
sall
haif
to
thi
hyre.
Richt
swa
sall
thay
that
hes
joy
or
desyre
To
gife
thair
eirris
to
heird
with
patience,
For
of
discord
it
kendillis
mony
fyre
Throuch
geving
talis
hestely
creddence.
Bakbyttaris
to
heir
it
is
no
bourd
For
thay
ar
planlie
curst
in
everie
place.
Thre
personis
severall
he
slayis
with
ane
wowrd:
Himself,
the
heirar,
and
the
man
saiklace.
Within
ane
hude
he
hes
ane
doubill
face,
Ane
bludy
tung
undir
a
fair
pretence,
I
say
no
moir
bot
“God
grant
lordis
grace
To
gife
to
taillis
nocht
hestely
creddence.”
Robert Henryson
RoBERT HENRYSON, thc charming fabulist, Chaucer's aptest and brightest schoiar, aimost nothing is known. David Laing conjectures him to have been born about 1425, to have been educated at some foreign university, and to have died towards the ciosing years of the fifteenth century. It is certain that in 1462, being then * in Artibus Liceniiatus et in Decretis Bacchaiarius,' he was incorporated of the University of Glasgow; and that he was afterwards schooimaster in Dunferraline, and worked there as a notary-pubiic aiso.