Ane Ballat of the Fenjeit Freir of Tungland

As ȝung Awrora, with cristall haile,
In orient schew hir visage paile,
A sweuyng swyth did me assaile,
Off sonis of Sathanis seid ;
Me thocht a Turk of Tartary
Come throw the boundis of Barbary,
And lay forloppin in Lumbardy,
Ffull lang in waithman weid.

Ffra baptasing for to eschew,
Thair a religious man he slew,
And cled him in his abeit new,
Ffor he cowth wryte and reid.
Quhen kend was his dissimvlance,
And all his cursit govimance,
Ffor feir he fled and come in France,
With littill of Lumbard leid.

To be a leiche he fenyt him thair,
Quhilk mony a man micht rew evirmair ;
For he left nowthir seik nor sair
Vnslane, or he hyne ȝeid.
Vane organis he full clenely carvit,
Quhen of his straik so mony starvit,
Dreid he had gottin that he desarvit,
He fled away gud speid.

In Scotland than, the narrest way
He come, his cunnyng till assay ;
To sum man thair it was no play
The preving of his sciens.
In pottingry he wrocht grit pyne,
He murdreist mony in medecyne ;
The jow was of a grit engyne,
And generit was of gyans.

In leichecraft he was homecyd,
He wald haif, for a nicht to byd,
A haiknay and the hurtmanis hyd,
So meikle he was of myance.
His yrnis was rude as ony rawchtir,
Quhair he leit blude it was no lawchtir,
Full mony instrument for slawchtir
Was in his gardevyance.

He cowth gif cure for laxatyve ;
To gar a wicht horss want his lyve,
Quha evir assay wald, man or wyve,
Thair hippis ȝeid hiddy giddy.
His practikis nevir war put to preif,
But suddane deid, or grit mischeif;
He had purgatioun to mak a theif
To dee withowt a widdy.

Vnto no mess pressit this prelat,
For sound of sacring bell nor skellat ;
As blaksmyth bruikit was his pallatt,
Ffor battering at the study.
Thocht he come hame a new maid channoun,
He had dispensit with matynnis channoun,
On him come nowthir stole nor fannoun,
Ffor smowking of the smydy.

Me thocht seir fassonis he assailȝeit,
To mak the quintessance, and failȝeit ;
And quhen he saw that nocht availȝeit,
A fedrem on he tuke,
And schupe in Turky for to fle ;
And quhen that he did mont on he,
All fowill ferleit quhat he sowld be,
That evir did on him luke.

Sum held he had bene Dedalus,
Sum the Menatair marvelus,
Sum the Martis smyth Wlcanus,
And sum Saturnus kuke.
And evir the cuschettis at him tuggit,
The rukis him rent, the ravynis him druggit,
The hudit crawis his hair furth ruggit,
The hevin he micht not bruke.

The myttane, and Sanct Martynis fowle,
Wend he had bene the hornit howle,
Thay set avpone him with a ȝowle,
And gaif him dynt for dynt
The golk, the gormaw, and the gled,
Beft him with buffettis quhill he bled ;
The sparhalk to the spring him sped,
Als fers as fyre of flynt.

The tarsall gaif him tug for tug,
A stanchell hang in ilka lug,
The pyot furth his pennis did rug,
The stork straik ay but stynt.
The bissart, bissy but rebuik,
Scho was so cleverus of hir clvik,
His bawis he micht not langer bruik,
Scho held thame at ane hint

Thik was the clud of kayis and crawis,
Of marleȝonis, mittanis, and of mawis,
That bikkrit at his berd with blawis
In battell him abowt.
Thay nybbillit him with noyis and cry,
The rerd of thame raiss to the sky,
And evir he cryit on Fortoun, Fy !
His lyfe was in to dowt.

The ja him skrippit with a skryke,
And skornit him as it was lyk ;
The egill strong at him did stryke,
And rawcht him mony a rowt
Ffor feir vncunnandly he cawkit,
Quhill all his pennis war drownd and drawkit,
He maid a hundreth nolt all hawkit
Beneth him with a spowt.

He schewre his feddreme that was schene,
And slippit owt of it full clene,
And in a myre, vp to the ene,
Amang the glar did glyd.
The fowlis all at the fedrem dang,
As at a monster thame amang,
Quhill all the pennis of it owsprang
In till the air full wyde.

And he lay at the plunge evirmair,
Sa lang as any ravin did rair ;
The crawis him socht with cryis of cair
In every schaw besyde.
Had he reveild bene to the rwikis,
Thay had him revin all with thair clwikis :
Thre dayis in dub amang the dukis
He did with dirt him hyde.

The air was dirkit with the fowlis,
That come with ȝawmeris and with ȝowlis,
With skryking, skrymming and with scowlis,
To tak him in the tyde.
I walknit with the noyis and schowte,
So hiddowis beir was me abowte ;
Sensyne I curss that cankerit rowte
Quhair evir I go or ryde.

Ffinis quod Dumbar.