Alexander, faire Sone, ȝit will I that thow witt, that thy subjectis suld be kepit as thy tresouris, ffor thai ar thy tresoure. For thai may be comperit till a Lord that has a faire and gude gardyn quhare thare is grete quantitee of fruyte treis, herbis, and othir gresis, richess, and nedefull till mannis behufe, the quhilkis ȝerely and contynualy beris grete plentee of fruytis for mannis sustenaunce quhen thai ar well grathit, scroubbit, and demaynit, and wele gudit, kepit, sustenit, and gouernyt at rycht, and suld be wele sene to, and socourit at thair nedis. And kepit wele in gude reugle of justice and saufit fra injuris and oppressins, and that thare be bot thou allane gardener upon thame, and nocht mony maister gardenaris; ffor quhare mony maister gardeneris ar the gardyn is nocht commounly all prouffitably gouernyt, the quhilk suld be of gude gouernaunce that stent him nocht to spill thy treis, na gader thy fruytis, that is to say, thy subjectis gudis wrangwisely; and sa may thy realme left, and be wele defendit and conseruit, sa that thou kepe thé nocht to haue mony dispensaris in thy gardyn, that is thy realme. Ffor quhy, for couatise and gredynes of thy fruytis, thar may enter corrupcioun in thy gardyn, and syne apon thyself, quhen ilk ane pressis oure otheris to be masteris of thi gudis, and of thy counsaile, and thi gouernaunce. Bot thare is mony that will hecht and say thai sall do wele, and quhen thai mount in gouernaunce thai do all othir wayis. And sum corrumpis be giftis and hechtis Princis Counsailouris, and peruertis all gude gouernaunce throu thair gredyness of gudis, gevand giftis to Lordis of the Counsale for to maneteine thame lang in thaire officis and in thaire malicis. And traist wele, Alexander, that thy Peple and thy Barouns, thy Bacheleris and thy Commons ar the stuf and the multiplicacioun and furnyssing of thy realme, and be thame mon thou be crownyt, and thy croun vphaldyn and mayntenyt, and be thai nocht throu thé manetenyt and sustenyt in thair rychtis and richess, thai will nocht lufe thé, na honoure thé, na tho court, na help to sustene thyne estate; ffor bot gyf thou mak thaim cause to be fyablez and traist to thé, and thy worschip and prouffit, and to hald lufe and lautee betuix thé and thy peple, thou fall neuer be seker na seure a day in thy realme. And will thou vmbethink thé wele of all that I haue said, and gouerne thé efter my deuise and counsale beforesaid, thou sal be haldyn as wyse and worthy King, and doubtit and lufit of thy peple, and of all otheris: And thou sall cum aboue of all thyne vndertakingis and desyris: Quhilkis gif thou faillis to do, thou sall se that thare sall cum greuouse mischeif and mysfortune, bathe upon thé and thy realme, and thy gouernaunce, and it sall nocht be in thy powar to sett remede, na thou can nocht, na may nocht estymy the paynis that suld be injunct to thé tharfore. Bot here I pray hertfully to the hye and mychty God, makare of Hevyn and Erde, to geue thé grace, as he is gudely Gouernoure of Hevin and Erde, and of all the Warlde to gouerne thé sa in vertu and in veritee, in justice and leautee, that God and man be payit of the end: And rycht sa mote it be of oure worthy King, and graciouse Prince, and all his welewillaris, I pray to God Almichti, in nomine Patris et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
EXPLICIT LE GOUERNEMENT DES PRINCES.
NOTES.
[1] Dunbar's Poems, by Laing, vol. i. pp. 42, 214, Edin. 1834, 2 vols. post 8vo.
[2] This work extends to 3 volumes in folio. Vol. I. was published at Edinburgh in 1708; Vol. II. in 1711; Vol. III. in 1722. This volume contains a List of nearly 600 Subscribers. On the title of a MS. which belonged to Robert Myln, the Genealogist, he makes a reference to a Life of Dr Thomas Reid, among "the schedules of Dr Mackenzie's 4th Volume of Lives." Whether such "schedules" still exist, is uncertain.
[3] Dr George Mackenzie, was born on the 10th December 1669. He was the son of the Hon. Colin Mackenzie, second son of George, second Earl of Seaforth, and of Jean, daughter of Dr Robert Laurie, Bishop of Brechin. He died at Fortrose, on the 28th November 1725.—(Caledonian Mercury, Dec. 16, 1725.)
[4] The last three leaves contain a transcript of two articles unconnected with the rest of the volume, viz.—"The Ordour of the processioun and bering of the Sacrament in Antuarpe the first day of Junij the ȝeir of God Im Vc lxij." And a Letter or Testimonial from Thomas Bishop of Orknoy in 1446, addressed to the King of Norwege, respecting the Genealogy of William of Sanctclare, Erle of Orchadie, &c. (the ancestor of the St Clairs of Roslin,) "Translatit out of Latin into Scottis, be me, Deine Thomas Gwld, Monk of Newbothill," in the year 1554.
[5] Les Manuscrits François de la Bibliothéque du Roi: par A. Paulin Paris, vol. v. p. 103.