In Prayse of Lethingtoun

To speik of thee, O Lethingtoun! Quhilk standis fair on Tyne; Quhais worthie praysis and renown Transcendis my ingyne. Thou merits Homer and Virgil, Thy worschip till advance, And put thy name, digne and nobill, In dew rememberance.

Thy tour and fortres lairge and lang, Thy nychhours dois excell; And for thy wallis, thik and strang, Thou justly beirs the bell. Thy groundis deip, and toppis hie Uprising in the air; Thy vaultis plesand ar to sie, Thay ar so greit and fair.

Thy work to luik on is delyite, So clein, so sound, so evin; Thy alryne is a marvall greit, Upreiching to the hevin. O quhat plesour is to be thair, As Phœbus dois upryise, To sie the wood and feildis fair, Quhilk round about thee lyis!

Greit was the work to houke the ground, And thy foundatioun cast; Bot greater it was thee to found, And end thee at the last. I merveill that he did not feir, Quha rasit thee on hicht, That na foundatioun sould thee beir Bot thou sould sink for wecht.

Bot the to plenisch and fulfill, And mak thy worke compleit, Quhoso it richt considder will, Wes worke of no les spreit. Thy beddis soft, and tapeis fair, Thy treitting and gud cheir; Gif I the treuth wald now declair, I wait thow hes no peir.

Thy arbour and thy orchard grene, I cannot pass it by, A thing maist semelie to be sene Under thy wall dois ly; Maist plesand place to mak repair, Thairin to sit or gang; Thy knottis; and thy alleis fair, Quhilk are bayth braid and lang.

Thy buttis, biggit neir thame by, Sa suire, but sone or wind, Maist plesand place of archerie That e’er I yit could find. Thow hes a thousand plesoures ma, That my toung cannot tell, O happie war he that micht ay Bot troubill in thee dwell!

And happie art thou, sic a place, That few thy mak are sene; Bot yit mair happie far that race To quhome thou dois pertene. Quha dois not knaw the Maitland bluid, The best in all this land; In quhilk sumtyme the honour stuid And worship of Scotland?

Stanza viii. page 317.

While, through the copsewood, Coalston’s turrets gleam, And still remind us of her Margaret’s ominous dream.