Ta tōn Mousōn eisodia: = The Muses welcome to the high and mightie prince Iames by the grace of God King of Great Britaine France and Ireland, defender of the faith &c. At His Majesties happie returne to his olde and natiue kingdome of Scotland, after 14 yeeres absence, in anno 1617. Digested according to the order of his Majesties progresse, by I.A.

THE ANCIENT NA∣tion of the SCOTS, descended of the victorious Greeks and learned AEgypti∣ans (RIGHT HIGH and MIGHTIE PRINCE) was in the chyldhood of her rysing Empyre greatlie oblished to the goodnesse of GOD. For (what no na∣tion may say) the kingdome of SCOT∣LAND (notwithstanding the whole na∣tions about, like the lines of a mariners compasse direct from the circumference to the Center, had conspyred her ouerthrow) yet to her infinite glorie hath shee continued these two thousand and thrittie yeeres bypast vnder the governement of a hundreth and seaven Kings, all lineallie sprung from FERGUS the first, free and vntributarie to any forraine Prince vnto this day. The Romanes by Scapula and Caius threatned the SCOTS with thraldom; and Hadrian reared à mightie Wall for saiftie of his Province in south-Britane, but the one found before him King GALDUS, for∣cing the remaines of his vnslaine armie, vpon their knees with their hands to heaven, to beg their lyfes; and the other he might heare tell of FERGUS the second, not onlie to haue payed home to the outmost farthing Maximianus bloodshed here, with the sac∣king of Rome there; but lyke-wayes to haue leveld his rampeir with the low earth. The Danes from the north renewed eight di∣verse battels vpon the SCOTS: but the heaps of their witherd bones left in diverse corners of this Countrye, lyke the tale Cedars cut doune in mont Libanus, may shew what mightie Iosuaes, destroy∣ing such sonnes of Anak, haue sweyed this Kingdomes Scepter heirtofore. The Irish on the west dreamed of ane easie conquest here: and even so the Picts on the east praesumed to enlarge their bounds after king ALPINS death; but the one found the worth of king GREGORIES valor, and the other felt the weght of king KENNETHS wreath, sweeping them for their crueltie with

the besome of destruction. Nor was the river of the Lords boun∣tie to this people (MOST CHRISTIAN MONARCH) dryed vp in this one benefite: for GOD having determined fiftie yeeres ago to deliver his Kirk in this Kingdome, from the palpable dark∣nes of Papisticall errors (wherein shee had lyen miserablie plun∣ged seaven hundreth and fiftie yeeres) to the trew knowledge of GOD; wherein of before from the midst of CHRISTS first centurie (at which tyme the candlestick of the gospell was convey∣ed to this cuntrie) shee had continewed with puritie full eight hundreth yeeres: Even when God had determined to vindicat his Kirk here from Antichrist to her ancient puritie and bewtie, Then, even then, of his gracious goodnes Hee ordained your M. our gracious Soveraine to be borne. And the heavens, appoin∣ting for your most happie birth that remarkable poynt of tyme, seme to haue poynted out vnto the world to what end yee was borne, even to be that which in no small measure your M. hes prooved alreadie; to wit à sheild of the trew word preached; â de∣fender of the trew faith professed; à second Constantine to support Sions second daughter; the Lyon comming out of the forrest, to deplume the Eagle; to darken the Starr in the Croscents bosome, and to strype the strumpet of Rome stark naked, that of à two hor∣ned Lambe shee may appeare to the world, as shee is indeed, à ten horned Devill. And why, except for this, hes the Almightie endowed you with such rare and incomparable gifts, als weal of bodye as of mynd? for not onlie is your M. for princelie vertue repute more liberall than Alexander, because more discreit; more just than Trajan, because more wyse; and more gracious than Caesar, because more myld: but also in spirituall disposition à faith∣full David, for your burning zeal to Gods glorie, yea and more than David, because more continent than hee; ane other Salomon, for your heavenlie wisedome in governing Gods Kirk, and more than Salomon also, because more constant than hee; and ane vpright Iosia, for your great affection to the puritie of GODS worship, and more than Iosia lykwayes, because more con∣siderat than hee. And is it not for these great things that the Al∣mightie hes made your M. to parallel the thrie Gentile Nobles in heroicall vertue, to aequall the thrie Jewish worthies in constant standing to the cause of God, and to excell the thrie Christiane Peires in christian meiknes? The earth may sie that the heavens hes fitted your M. for great things, when it beholds your fiftie and

fourtein yeeres reigne more peceable than that of Augustus, your governement more happie than that of Croesus your yok more ea∣sie than that of Salomon, and your retinew more royall than that of Ashuerus, maugré all his hundreth and seaven and tuentie Provinces. The comfortable frutes of these your rare and royall vertues all the Kingdomes about hes tasted S^r, but your owne hes enjoyed the sweitnes therof to the full; and amongst your owne, none more than this your kyndlie Kingdome of SCOTLAND. Whose fourtein yeeres dririe winter, caused be absence, is now tur ned in à joyfull Summer, by this livelie and lightsome presence of your M. (the bright Sunne of oure firmament) in this your Nor therne ascention. Whilst your M. was absent, her feares wer many, her desyres vehement, her hopes either few, or none at all. And how could shee not but be ever fearing, since the least endange∣ring of your sacred person was her her totall ruyne? And if the providence of GOD had not otherwayes disponed, then the ma∣lice of man proponed, her losse had bein beyond the losse of any cuntrie in the world; because none had so rare à Jewell to be taken from them. What is there beneath the cope of heaven shee could haue desyred to this so glorious and triumphing à returne? not lyk to that of King Philips, from that selfe-same cuntrie to Spaine, or lyk to that of Henrie the thrid from Pole; but aequaling yea aboue the returnes of the most valiant and fortunate Emperours in the world. for what they all affected (yet never obtained) here is fullie effected. Could ever this poore cuntrie hope, nay dreame of what shee now enjoyeth? especiallie at such à tyme when the weigetie affaires of the neighbour Kingdomes require both the eye and the aide of so great and wyse à Prince. France yet smar∣ting for the blow of her last king: the Alpes (though frozen) in flam'd with the choler of Spaine: The Low-cuntries making Re ligion serving their disordered factions: what was there in ws of such importance as to draw you here? when wee advyse well, of our selfes wee shall find nothing, but when wee think on you S^r. wee shall find that, even that, which is the greatest and most po∣werfull thing in the world, by which deformitie often appeareth pleasant, LOVE, was in you S ^r. which as it is excellentlie rare and great, in so rare and great à Prince, to the whole Kingdome of SCOTLAND, and all the cities thereof, so it hath bein most sin∣gulare to Perth. J will not speak of your M. Noble Ancestors WILLIAM the Lyon, and ROBERT the BRUCE, of which the first

(to the example of the Conquering Greek who builded Alexandria in AEgypt on the brink of Nilus) did found the Towne of Perth, after the overthrow of old Berth by inundation, in the midst of this plaine; The other for the great delight hee had in her situation, standing lyk Seleucus palace betuix the two famous rivers of Asia, and for the pleasure hee tuik in her valleyes and river lyk PO smy∣ling alongs the gardings of Lombardie, dowried her with als manie privileges as did Numa Rome, or Cecrops Athens: But to passe with silence the loue your M. hes kythed to Perth from tyme to tyme, it wer a token of sensles ingratitude: for may not your beneficé∣ce toward her compair with Ptolemé his vindicating of Memphis liberties vsurped by Thebe Ogygia? To Alexander his ratifeing of Babylons privileges granted to her by the two preceding Monar∣chies? and to Cyrus his liberall remembrance of Ierusalem in his absence from her? But chieflie hath your M. vnfenzeit affection to Perth manifested it selfe in this point; that being now returnd home againe to your ancient Kingdome and cradle STOTLAND, and not being vnmyndfull of that miraculous delyverie which the Lord, the GOD of your H. saiftiie did giue you out of the bloo∣die hands of these two vnnaturall traitours within this Towne, your M. hes resolved with that great Patriarch from whom yee haue your name, to rear ane altar in that place where yee did find GODS presence in mercie with yow, and to paye these vowes your M. promised to performe; namlie to continew a gracious King and a faithfull protector to Perth for euer.

FOR all which most memorable benefits, RIGHT HIGH, and MIGHTIE PRINCE, but most of all for your Maiesties presence and most benigne aspect this day, by which Wee, who these many yeeres bypast in absence of your M. (the sun-shyne of our bewtye) did sitt lyke so manie Gyrasoles languishing in the shads of darknes, May now againe lyke als manie Lizards delyte our selfes in the sight of your gracious countenance, Wee your Maiesties euer-loyall subjects, the citizens of Perth, as heretofore wee haue bein alwayes readie to serve your Highnes to the last gasp, being earnest with GOD for your owne long, and your seeds ever∣lasting reigne over ws in peace; so now praying Almightie GOD, that your Majestie may shyne in the firmament of these King∣domes lyke Iosuas Sunne in Gibeon, there to dowble the naturall dye••t of mans abode vpon Earth, with the citizens of Ierusalem, who gaue a shoute to the heaven for joy of King David his re∣turne

home unto the Citie after his long absence, Wee bid your Majestie most hartlie welcome home againe to your ancient king dome and cradle SCOTLAND, and to this the hart thereof, your Maiesties Peniel PERTH.

God saue the King.