Bind bands brukle and hail to begin:
For he would garlands get of theſe fair flowers,
That in ſummer ſeaſon ſpreads ſo fair,
But ſoon ſhall fail the freit that the fool thinks,
A fell northern flaw ſhall fade him for ever.
Hereafter on either ſide ſorrow ſhall riſe,
The barges of clear barons down ſhall be ſunken
Seculars ſhall fa' in ſpiritual ſeats,
Occupying offices anointed as they were,
The true title to purchaſe that the truth holds,
They ſhall torment them with torments a new.
Then barons ſhall buſk on their beſt wiſe,
Attour the fields, to ſair with a fey fox bird;
Turn firſt to Chriſt with tod's-wyles,
But ſoon the tod ſhall be tint, and in time loſed,
They ſhall eſcape ſuch a check eſchew whoſo may.
Then ſhall the nobleſt eſcape with the felles,
Yet ſhall the one fox in the field eſcape;
The falcon ſhall be looſed in his wings.
Whoſo truſt not this tale, nor the term knows,
Let him on Merling mean, and his merry words,
As true Thomas told in his time after,
At Standford ſhall he be ſeen example of their deeds,
Yet it muſt overthrow the tod in his buſk,
Buſk thee now Berwick with thy broad walls,
Thou ſhalt incline to the king that is thy kind lord:
As ſaint Beid of that burgh, in his book ſays
Thou ſhalt with the lion lean, and liſten for ever;
Though thou be ſubject to Saxons, ſorrow ⟨thou⟩ not,
Thou ſhalt be looſed at laſt, believe thou in Chriſt,
And every language ſhall have his lordſhip to brook:
It was not lost but lent for little time:
Bold Berwick be blyth with thy broad walls,
Thou ſhalt to the lion ſtoop as Lord of his own;
Let never the libbert lipen longer a day,
In bold Britain to brook a foot-broad of earth,
Whoſo doubts on this deed or denies hereon,
I do them well to know the date is deviſed;
Take the foremoſt of middle-earth, and mark by thyſelf,
With four creſcents, cloſed together,
Then of the lion, the longeſt ſee thou chooſe;
Looſe not the lionneſs, let her lie ſtill.
If thou caſt through caſe the courſe of the heaven,
Take Saint Andrew's Croſs thriſe;
B 2
