The Dance Of The Seven Deadly Sins
Then Ire came in with sturt and strife;
His hand was aye upon his knife,
He brandished like a beir:
Boasters, braggars, and bargainers,
After him passit in to pairs,
All bodin in feir of weir;
In jacks, and scryppis, and bonnets of steel,
Their legs were chainit to the heel,
Frawart was their affeir:
Some upon other with brands beft,
Some jaggit others to the heft,
With knives that sharp could shear. Next him in Dance came Covetyce,
Root of all evil, and ground of vice,
That never could be content:
Catives, wretches, and ockeraris,
Hudpikes, hoarders, gatheraris,
All with that warlock went:
Out of their throats they shot on other
Het, molten gold, me thocht, a futher
As fire-flaucht maist fervent;
Aye as they toomit them of shot,
Fiends filled them new up to the throat
With gold of all kind prent. Syne Sweirness, at the second bidding,
Came like a sow out of a midding,
Full sleepy was his grunyie:
Mony swear bumbard belly huddroun,
Mony slut, daw, and sleepy duddroun,
Him servit aye with sonnyie;
He drew them furth intill a chain,
And Belial with a bridle rein
Ever lashed them on the lunyie:
In Daunce they were so slaw of feet,
They gave them in the fire a heat,
And made them quicker of cunyie. Then the foul monster, Gluttony,
Of wame insatiable and greedy,
To Dance he did him dress:
Him followit mony foul drunkart,
With can and collop, cup and quart,
In surfit and excess;
Full mony a waistless wally-drag,
With wames unweildable, did furth wag,
In creesh that did incress:
Drink! aye they cried, with mony a gaip,
The fiends gave them het lead to laip,
Their leveray was na less. Nae minstrels played to them but doubt,
For gleemen there were halden out,
Be day, and eke by nicht;
Except a minstrel that slew a man,
So to his heritage he wan,
And enterit by brieve of richt.
Then cried Mahoun for a Hieland Padyane:
Syne ran a fiend to fetch Makfadyane,
Far northwast in a neuck;
Be he the coronach had done shout,
Ersche men so gatherit him about,
In hell great room they took:
Thae tarmigants, with tag and tatter,
Full loud in Ersche begoud to clatter,
And roup like raven and rook.
The Devil sae deaved was with their yell;
That in the deepest pot of hell
He smorit them with smoke!