Elizabeth Melville

Sonnet to John Welsh

Contributor: Associate Professor Sarah Ross

Material: MSS

Description: Other MS contents: the manuscript is in the very extensive collection of Robert Wodrow, who gathered papers relating to the persecution of Scottish presbyterians and published The History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland in 1721-2. The poem is copied in Wodrow's hand and is identified as 'Lady Culross sonnet to Mr Welsh. At Blackness 1605 or 1606'.

Source: National Library of Scotland, MS Wod. Qu. XXIX (iv), fols 10-11

Permissions: Reproduced by permission of the National Library of Scotland

Images Transcription

Page of Melville manuscript.

numb 4

Lady Culross

sonnet to

Mr Welsh. At

Blackness

1605 or 1606

Page of Melville manuscript.

A Sonnet sent To Blackness

To Mr John We[l]sh By ye Lady Culross

My Dear Brother wt courage Bear ye Crosse

Joy shall be joyned wt all thy sorrow here

High is thy Hope disdain this earthly Drosse

once shall yow see the wished day appear

 

Now its is dark thy sky cannot be clear

after the clouds it shall be calm anone

wait on his will whoos Blood hath Bo’t* ye dear

extoll his name tho outward joyes be gone.

 

Look to ye Lord thow art not left alone

since he is thine qt* pleasure canst thow take·

He is at hand and hears thy heavy groan

End out thy faught and suffer for his sake.

 

A sight most Bright thy soul shall shortly see

when store of C’s lore thy Rich Reward shall be:

R J D B

I know not what News

are come with the post this evening but I

know yow will have them to better purpose from

other hands: Mr T[?raill] is not yet come but

I still expect him: I hear noe news about

the O except that of the Mrs of the Colledge

the most of them going to Eden to take it: The

Principall is all ready returned I expect to

hear more on this head afterwards. My re

=spects to your wife Mother in Law & all

the Children particularly Sandie: I am

in haste

Yours by many oblig ns

  Gl: Novr 30

i7i5

 

Page of Melville manuscript.

To

The Reverend

Mr Widdorow

Minister of ye Gospell

<..> Eastwood

 

Bo’t bought

qt quhat, what