Page:The dialect of the southern counties of Scotland - Murray - 1873.djvu/51

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Bot als tyte as a man waxes aide, Þan waxes his kynde wayke and calde, Þan chaunges his complexcion And his maners and his condioion; Þan waxes his hert hard and hevy, And his heved1 feble and dysy; 1 head. Þan waxes his gaste seke and sare, And his face rouncles, ay mare and mare; His mynde es shorte whan he oght thynkes, His nese ofte droppes his and2 stynkes, 2 breath. His sight waxes dym pat he has, His bak waxes croked, stoupand he gas. Fyngers and taes, fote and hande, Alle his touches er tremblande: His werkes forworthes bat he bygynnes, His hairo moutes, his eghen3 rynnes: 3 eyen, eyes. His eres waxes deef, and hard to here, His tung fayles, his speche is noght clere, His mouthe slavers, his tethe rotes, His wyttes fayles, and he ofte dotes; He es lyghtly wrath, and waxes fraward, Bot to turne hym fra wrethe, it es hard; He souches and trowes sone a thyng, Bot ful late he turnes fra þat trowyng; He es covatous, and hard-haldand, His chere es drery and his sembland; He es swyft to spek on his manere, And latsom and slaw for to here; He prayses aid men and haldes bam wyse, And yhung men list him oft despyse; He loves men þat in aid tyme has bene, He lakes þe men þat now er sene; He es ofte seke and ay granand, And ofte angerd, and ay pleynand; All þir, thurgh kynd, to an aid man falles, Þat clerkes propertes of eld calles. Þe last ende of mans lyfe es harde Þat es, when he drawes to ded-warde; When he es seke, and bedreden lys, And swa feble þat he may noght rys.