I cry the Mercy, and Lasar to repent

To The, O mercifull Salviour, Jesus,
My King, my Lord, and my Redemar sweit,
Befoir thy bludy figor dolorus
I repent my synnys, with humill hairt contreit,
That evir I did vnto this hour compleit,
Baith in werk, in word, and eik intent ;
Falling on face, full law befoir thy feit,
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent

To The, my sweit Saluiour, I me schirryve,
Committing me in thy mercy maist excelling,
Off the wrang spending of my wittis fyve, —
In hering, seing, gusting, twiching, and smelling,
Ganestanding, greving, moving, and rebelling
Aganis The my God and Lord omnipotent;
With teiris of sorrow frome my ene distilling,
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent

I wretchit synner, vyle, and full of vyce,
Off the Sevin Deidly Synnys dois me schirryve, —
Off pryd, off yre, invy, and covetyce,
Off lichery, gluttony, with slewth ay to ourdryve,
Exercing vycis evir in all my lyve,
For quhilk, allace ! I servit to be schent :
Rew on me, Jesu, for thy woundis fyve !
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent

I confess me, Lord ! that I abusit haif
The Sevin Deidis of Mercy Corporall, —
To hungre meit, nor drynk to thristy gaif,
Nor veseit the seik, nor did redeme the thrall,
Harbreit the wolsome, nor naikit cled att all,
Nor ȝit the deid to bury, tuke I tent :
Thow, that put mercy aboif thy workis all,
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent

In the Sevin Deidis of Marcy Spirituall, —
To ignorantis nocht gaif I my teiching,
Synnaris correctioun, nor destitut counsall,
Na vnto wofull wretchis conforting,
Nor to my nychtbouris support of my praying,
Nor was to ask forgifnes penitent,
Nor to forgif my nychtbouris offending ;
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent

Lord ! I haif done full littill reverence
To thy Sacramentis excellent of renoun, —
Thy Haly Supper ffor my syn recompence,
And of my gilt the holy satisfactioun,
And Bapteme, als quhilk all my syn wesche doun ;
Heirof, als far as I was negligent,
With hairt contreit, and teiris falling doun,
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent.

The Ten Commandis, — ane God for till honour,
Nocht tane in vane his name, no sleyar to be,
Fader and moder to wirschep at all hour,
To be no theif, the haly day to vphie,
Nychtbouris to lufe, fals witness for to fle,
To leif adultre, to covet no manis rent;
Aganis thir preceptis culpable knaw I me;
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent.

The Articulis of Trewth, — in God to trow,
The Fader that all thingis wrocht and comprehendit,
And in his haly blissit Sone, Jesu,
Of Mary borne, on croce deit, to hell discendit,
The thrid day rysing, to the Fader ascendit,
Off quick and deid to cum, and hald jugement;
In to thir poynttis, O Lord ! quhair I offendit
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent.

I trow in to the blissit Haly Spreit,
And in the Kirk, to do as it commandis,
And to thy dome that we sall ryss compleit
And tak our flesche agane, baith feit and handis,
All to be saiff in stait of grace that standis ;
Plane I rewoik in thir quhair I miswent,
Befoir The, Juge and Lord of see and landis,
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent.

I synnyt, Lord ! that nocht being strong as wall,
In howp, in faith, in fervent cheretie;
Nocht with the Foure Vertewis Cardenall,
Aganis vycis seure enarming me,
With fortitude, prowdence, and temperance, thir thre
With justice evir in work, word, or intent ;
To The, Chryst Jesu, casting vp myne e,
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent.

The seuin commandis of the Kirk, that is to say,
Thy teind to pay, and cursing to eschew,
To keipe the festuall and the fasting day,
The mess on Sonday, the parroche kirk persew,
To proper curat to mak confessioun trew,
Anis in the ȝeir to tak the sacrament ;
In thir pointis, quhair I offendit, sair I rew ;
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent.

Off syn als aganis the Haly Spreit,
Of vertew postponyng, and syn aganis nateur,
Off incontritioun, of confessioun indiscreit,
Of ressait sinffull of The my Saluiour,
Of non repentance, and satisfaction seur,
Of the Sevin Giftis the Haly Gaist me sent,
Of Sex Petitionis in Pater Noster peur ;
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent

Nocht thanking The of gratitud nor grace,
That thow me wrocht, and bocht me with thy deid ;
Of this schort lyfe remembring nocht the space,
The hevenis bliss, the hellis hiddouss feid,
But moir trespass, my synnis to remeid,
Concluding nevir all thrwch in myne entent;
O Thow, quhois blude on rude ran for my deid,
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent

I knaw me vicious, Lord, and richt culpable
In aithis sweiring, leising, and blaspheming,
Off frustrat speiking in court, in kirk, and table,
In wordis vyle, in vaneteis expreming, l
Preysing my self, and evill my nichtbouris deming,
And so in ydilnes my dayis haif I spent ;
Thow that was rent on rude for my redeming,
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent

I synnit in consaving thochtis jolie,
Vp to the hevin extolling myne ententioun,
In he exaltit arrogance and folye,
Prowdnes, derisioun, scorne and vilipentioun,
Presumptioun, inobedience and contemptioun,
In fals vane gloir and deidis negligent;
Thow, that deit on rud, for my redemptioun,
cry The mercy, and lasar to repent

I synnit als in reif and in oppressioun,
In wranguss gudis taking and posseding,
Contrar gud ressoun, conscience and discretioun,
Of prodigall spending, but rewth of peure folkis neiding,
In fowll disceptionis, in fals inventionis breiding,
To conqueiss honor, tresor, land and rent,
In fleschly lust aboif mesur exceding ;
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent.

Off mynd dissymvlat, Lord ! I me confess,
Of feid vndir ane freindly countenance,
Of parciall jugeing, and pervess wilfulness,
Off flattering wordis for fynning of substance,
Of fals solisting ffor wrang deliuerance
At Counsale, Sessioun, and at Parliament ;
Of every gilt, and wicket govimance,
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent

I schryve me of all cursit cumpany,
All tymes both witting and vnwitting me,
Off criminall causs, off deid of fellony,
Of tyranny, and vengeable crewaltie,
Off hurt or slawchter, culpable gif I be,
Be ony maner, deid, counsale, or consent ;
O deir Jesu ! that for me deit on tre,
cry The mercy, and lasar to repent

Thocht I haif nocht thy precious feit to kiss,
As had the Magdalene, quhen scho did mercy craif,
I sall, as scho, weip teiris for my miss,
And every morrow seik The at thy graif ;
Thairfoir, forgif me, as Thow hir forgaif,
That seis my hart as hiris penitent,
Thy precious body in breist or I ressaif,
I cry The mercy, and lasar to repent.

To mak me, Jesu, on The to remember !
I ask thy Passioun in me so to habound,
Quhill nocht vnmenȝeit be in me ane member,
Bot fall in wo, with The, of every wound;
And every straik mak throw my hart a stound,
That evir did stenȝie thy fair flesche innocent,
So that no pairt of my body be sound,
Bot crying The mercy, and lasar to repent.

Off all thir synnis that I did heir expreme,
And als forȝet, to The, Lord ! I me schryif,
Appeling fra thy justice court extreme
Vnto thy court of mercy exvltyf ;
Thow mak my schip in blissit port to arryif,
That sailis heir in stormis violent,
And saif me, Jesu ! for thy woundis fyve,
That cryis The mercy, and lasar to repent

Finis quod Dumbar.