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Quote of the Day: Two Kingdoms
“Sir, we will humblie reverence your Majestie always, namlie in public, but sen we have this occasioun to be with your Majestie in privat, and the treuthe is, yie ar brought in extream danger bathe of your lyff and croun, and with yow, the country and Kirk of Christ is lyk to wrak, for nocht telling yow the treuthe, and giffen of yow fathfull counsall, we mon (must) discharge our dewtie thairin, or els be trators bathe to Christ and yow! And thairfor Sir, as divers tymes befor, sa now again, I mon tell yow, thair is twa Kings and twa Kingdomes in Scotland. Thair is Chryst Jesus the King, and his Kingdome the Kirk, whase subject King James the Saxt is, and of whose kingdome nocht a king, nor a lord, nor a heid, bot a member! And they whome Chryst hes callit and commandit to watch over his Kirk, and govern his spirituall kingdome, hes sufficient powar of him, and authoritie sa to do, bathe togidder and severalie; the quhilk na Christian King or Prince sould control and discharge, but fortifie and assist, utherwayes nocht fathfull subjects nor members of Chryst.” — Andrew Melville
There have always been some folks who did not care what consequences might befall them, they would speak the truth as they understood it, even if it meant telling a king he was but “God’s sillie vassal.” Bless all such men.
Published in Group Writing
Thank you good sir. May the Lord bless you and keep you.
P.S. Your post is talking something about Scotland – right?
Right.
Arahant: Sir, we will humblie reverence your Majestie always, namlie in public, but sen we have this occasioun to be with your Majestie in privat, and the treuthe is, yie ar brought in extream danger bathe of your lyff and croun, and with yow, the country and Kirk of Christ is lyk to wrak, for nocht telling yow the treuthe, and giffen of yow fathfull counsall, we mon (must) discharge our dewtie thairin, or els be trators bathe to Christ and yow! And thairfor Sir, as divers tymes befor, sa now again, I mon tell yow, thair is twa Kings and twa Kingdomes in Scotland. Thair is Chryst Jesus the King, and his Kingdome the Kirk, whase subject King James the Saxt is, and of whose kingdome nocht a king, nor a lord, nor a heid, bot a member! And they whome Chryst hes callit and commandit to watch over his Kirk, and govern his spirituall kingdome, hes sufficient powar of him, and authoritie sa to do, bathe togidder and severalie; the quhilk na Christian King or Prince sould control and discharge, but fortifie and assist, utherwayes nocht fathfull subjects nor members of Chryst.—Andrew Melville
Mostly translated for those who don’t read Medieval Scots-English.
A plain, Modern English translation:
I finally beat you! By mere seconds this time…
Beat me to it by that much.
Winning!
Actually thank you, I enjoyed trying to read and understand it. What is that form of English called in layman’s terms – Middle English? The timeline would seem to put it at the beginning of the Modern English era but can that be called Modern English?
Wait.
Final answer: Medieval Scots-English.
Early Modern Scots.
Great advice for a king and very respectfully delivered.
Reading the original was fun.
There is only one Kirk.
Does anyone know why them old-timey dudes use the word “reverence” as a verb? If I “reverence” someone, is that different than if I simply revere them?
You mean James Tiberius?
Languages change. Also, the person being quoted was highly educated, and probably liked being a sesquipedalist.
No.
Try slipping that into the conversation sometime late at night at any Marine Officers’ Club.
That is what I suspect as well, but I wonder if it could be some tense or mood of “revere” that we don’t use anymore.
I think revere is more a state of mind, and reverence is an actual action with the body. Whaddya think?
Kind of like how the “curtsy” comes from “make a courtesy.”
Correct. As a noun, a “reverence” is just such a display. It is a very old meaning, but this is a very old quote.
Did he write this before he wrote Moby Dick?
This is Andrew Melville not Herman (as you know quite well…).
Yes, he was just starting to hit his stride with the style.
Shouldn’t you write,
“He waes juste stearting to hit his stryde with the steyle.” Or something.
I think Andrew’s steyle is less oblique than Herman’s, anyway.
You mean the guy with the coy mistress?
GMF (give me funny)
P.S. GMF is the hipper Ricochet version of LOL.
Yes, he lived so long that he decided to throw out the life of a cold Presbyterian theologian and live the life of a Restoration poet.
Damn. Ricochet is smart!
I would say Modern English, if there is only Old English (or Anglo-Saxon, a foreign language), Middle English (understandable with a bit of effort as with Chaucer) and Modern English (mostly spelling differences.) But I guess “Early Modern English” is more precise. Shakespeare is fully modern English, though many refer to his language as “Old English,” by which they probably just mean his poetry is not new. I think Victorian Prose is “Old English” to some.
To me, “revering” something implies an actual psychological state whereas to “reverence” is merely to show due deference. Not sure why I feel that way.