IS
•
lit
3 1158 00248 5489
This book is DUE on the last date stamped below
.fifi^ JUL '^ 0 1^72
SOUTHERN BRANCH,
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA.
LIBRARY,
l-OS ANGELES. CALIF.
3 1158 (
/
THE POEMS
OF
WILLIAM DUNBAR.
VOL. 11.
a
" WILLIAM DUNBAH, THK C.ItEATEST POET THAT SCOTLAND
HAS PRODUCED."-GEORGE ELLIS.
" THIS DARLING OF THE SCOTTISH MUSES HAS BEEN JUSTLY
RAISED TO A LEVEL WITH CHAUCER BV EVERY JUDGE OF POETRY,
TO WHOM HIS OBSOLETE LANGUAGE HAS NOT RENDERED HIM
UNINTELLIGIBLE."— SIR WALTER SCOTT.
THE POEMS
OF
WILLIAM DUNBAR,
NOW FIRST COLLECTED.
WITH NOTES, AND A MEMOIR OF HIS LIFE.
BY DAVID LAING.
^ > > J ) >
> i i >
VOLUME SECOND.
EDINBURGH : MDCCCXXXIV.
PRINTED FOR LAING AND FORBES, PRINCE'S STREET;
AND WILLIAM PICKERING, LONDON.
&3838
2i0^
EDINBURGH : PKINTIJI) HY IIALI.ANTYN t \Mi CO, I'M I.'s VORK.
-z. X. <b 5
AS
CONTENTS OF VOLUME SECOND.
POEMS ATTRIBUTED TO DUNBAR.
The Freiris of Berwik,
A General Satyre,
A Brash of Wowing,
Counsale in Luve,
Advyce to Luvaris,
Ballad of Kynd Kittok,
The Droichis part of the Play,
Ballad of Unstedfastness, .
To the Quene Dowager,
The Lordis of Scotland to the Governour, &c
The Danger of Wryting,
Do for Thyself, &c.
Of the Nativitie of Christ,
Jerusalem rejois for joy,
The Sterne is Rissin, &c. .
Of the Resurrection of Christ
THE FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY.
Dunbar to Sir John the Ross,
Kennedy to Dunbar,
Dunbar to Kennedy,
Kennedy to Dunbar,
3
24
28
31
33
35
37
44
45
47
49
51
55
67
69
61
65
6(>
67
75
VI
CONTENTS.
POEMS BY WALTER KENNEDY
The Praise of Age,
Ane Aigit Man's Invective,
Ballat in Praise of our Lady,
Pious Counsale,
The Passioun of Christ,
NOTES TO VOLUME FIRST.
Poems by Dunbar,
NOTES TO VOLUME SECOND.
Poems attkibuteii to Dunbar,
The Flyting,
Poems by Kennedy,
ADDITIONAL NOTES,
GLOSSARY,
i'A(;e
89
91
93
96
97
209
372
417
440
451
459
POEMS
ATTRIBUTED TO
WILLIAM DUNBAR.
VOL. II.
THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK.
A.S it befell, and happinnit in to deid,
Upoun a rever, the quhllk is callit Tweid ;
At Tweidis mowtli thair ftandis a nobill town,
Quliair mony lordis lies bene of grit renoune,
Quhair raony a lady bene fair of face, 5
And mony ane frefche lufty galland was.
In to this toun, the quhilk is callit Berwik. —
Upoun the fey thair llandis nane it lyk ;
For it is wallit weill abowt with ftane,
And dowbill ftankis caftin mony ane ; 10
And fyne the callell is fo ftrang and wicht.
With ftrait towris, and turattis he on hicht.
The wallis wroclit craftely with all.
The portcules mod fubtelly to fall, [15
Quhen that thame lift to draw thame upoun hicht,
That it micht be of na maner of micht.
To win that houfs be craft or fubteltie ;
Quhairfoir it is maift gudlillutirly' (CMU»''t'/Y
In to my tyme quhair evir I half bene,
Moft fair, moft gudly, moft plefand to be fene ; 20
The toune, the wall, the caftell, and the land,
4 THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK.
The lie wallis npoun the upper hand,
The grit Croce kirk, and eik the Mailbne Dew ;
The Jacobene freiris of the quliyt hew,
The Carmeleitis, and the Monkis eik, 25
The four Ordouris vrer nocht for to feik ;
Thay wer all in [to] this toun d«'elling.
So appinnit [it] in a May morning,
That twa of the quhyt Jacobyne freiris,
As thay wer wont and ufit mony yeiris, ^0
To pafs aniang thair brethir upaland,
Wer fend of thame bell practifit and cunnand ;
Freir Allane, and Freir Robert the uder :
Thir fyllie Freiris with wyffis weill cowld gluder,
Rycht wondir weill plefit thai all wytfis, 35
And tawld thame tailis of haly Sanctis lyffis.
4 ,, \ Quhill, on a tyme, thay purpolit to pals hame,
UJtartW^ri^^^ Verry tyrit and wett wes Freir Allane,
For he Aves awld, and micht nocht wele travell,
And als he had ane littill fpyce of gravell ; 40
>^iA.v\£^ fit Freir Robert wes young, and verry hett of blude,
And be the way he bure both clothis and liude.
And all thair geir; for he wes ftrong and wicht.
Be that it drew neir [hand] towart the nicht.
As thay wer cumand towart the toune full neir, 45
Freir Allane faid than, Gud bruder deir,
It is fo lait, I dreid the yett be clofit.
And we ar tyrit, and verry evill difpofit
To luge owt of the toun, bot gif that we
In fuui gude lioufs this nycht mot herbryt be. 50
THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK.
Swa wynnit tbair,ane woundir gude hoftillar^
Without the toiin, in till a fair manar,
And Symon Lawder he was callit be name :
Ane fair blyth wyf he had, of ony ane ;
Bot fcho wes fum thing dynk, and dengerous. 55 <i ft^i^'- s*"-
The filly Freiris quhen thay come to the houfs,
With fair hailling and bekking courteflye,
To thame fcho anfuerit agane in hye.
Freir Robert fpeirit eftir the Gudman ;
And fcho agane anfuerit thame thane, 60
He went fra hame, God wait, on Weddinfday,
In the cuntre, for to feik come and hay,
And uthir thingis, quhairof we haif neid.
Freir Robert faid, I pray grit God him fpeid,
Him haill and found in to his travaill : 65
And hir defyrit the llowp to fill of aill.
That we may drink, for I am wondir dry.
With that the wyfe went furth richt fchortly,
And fillit the flowp, and brocht in breid and cheifs ;
Thay eit, and drank, and fatt at their awin eifs. 70
Freir Allane faid to the Gudwyf in hye,
Cum bidder, Dame, and fett yow down me bye,
And fill the cop agane anis to me.
Freir Robert faid. Full weill payit fall ye be. [75
The Freiris wer blyth, and mirry taillis cowld tell :
And even with that thay hard the prayer bell
Off thair awin Abbay ; and than thay wer agafl,
Becaufs thay knew the yettis wer clofit faft.
That thay on na wayifs micht gett entre.
THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK.
Than the Gudwyfe thay prayit, for cheritie, 80
To grant thanie herberye [thair] that ane nicht.
Bot Icho to thame gaifanfuer, with grit liicht, ^ b^n^e
The Gudman is fra hame, as I yow tald ;
And God it wait, gif I diirft be fo bald
To berbery Freiris in this houfs with me ; 85
Quhat wald Symon fay ? Ha, Benedicite I
Bot in his abfence I abnfit liis place.
Our deir Lady Mary keip fra fic cace !
And keip me owt of perrell, and of fcliame.
Than auld Freir Allane faid, Na, fair Dame, 90
For Godis fake, heir me quhat I fall fay,
In gud faith, we will both be deid or day,
The way is evill, and I am tyrit and wett ;
Our yettis ar clofit that we may nocht in gett,
And to our Abbay we can nocht win in ; 95
To caufs us perreifs but hclp^ye haif grit fyn ;
Thairfoir of verry neid we mon byd flill,
And us commit alhaill in to your will.
The Gudwyf lukit unto the Freiris tway;
And, at the laft, to thame this culd fcho fay, 100
Ye byd nocht heir, be Him that us all coft;
Bot gif ye lill to lig up in yone loft,
Quhilk is weill wrocht in to the hallis end,
Ye fall fynd flray, and clathis I fall yow fend ;
Quhair, and ye lift, pafs on baith in feir; 105
For on no wayifs will I repair haif heir.
Hir Madin than fcho fend hir on befoir,
And hir thay foUowit baith withowttin moir ;
THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK.
Thay war full blyth, and did as fcho thame kend,
And up thay went, in to the hallis end, 110
In till a loft wes maid for corne and hay.
Scho maid thair bed, fyne paft doun but delay,
Clofit the trop, and tliay remanit Hill
In to the loft, thay wantit of thair will.
Freir Allane [liggis] down as he beft micht: 115
Freir Robert faid, f^hecht to walk this nicht, C^cuy^doun-^l - ^'^
Quha wait perchance Aim fport I ma efpy? — ^^ o>oAfi
Thus in the loft latt I thir Freiris ly,
And of the Gudwyf now I will fpeik mair.
Scho wes richt blyth that thay wer clofit thair, 1 20
For fcho had maid ane tryft, that famyn nicht,
Freir Johne hir luvis fupper for to dicht; (aT«S*)
And fcho wald half none uder cumpany,
Becaus Freir Johne that nicht with hir fowld ly,
Quha dwelland wes in to that famyne toun, 125
And ane Blak Freir he wes of grit renown.
He govirnit alhaill the Abbacy ;
Silver and gold he had aboundantly ;
He had a prevy pofterne of his awin, [130
Quhair he michi ifche, quhen that he lift, unknawin.
Now thus in to the toun I leif him ftill,
Bydand his tyme ; and tux-ne agane I will
To this fair wyfe, how fcho the fyre cowld beit,
And thriftit on fatt caponis to the fpeit ; - , (
And fatt'^unyngis to a fyre did fcho lay, 135 C^ o)n<-^'S .^ahk
Syne bad the Madin, in all the haift fcho may.
To flawme, and turne, and roll thame tenderly.
8 THE FIIEIRIS OF BERWIK.
And to liir chalmer fo fcho went in hy.
Scho pullit hir mawkin, and gaif hit bnffettis tway,
Upoun the cheikis, fyne till it cowld fcho fay, 140
Ye Ibwld be blyth and glaid at my requeift,
Thir niuUis of youris ar callit to ane feift.
Scho cleithis hir in a kirtill of fyne reid,
Ane fair qnhyt curch fcho puttis uponn hir heid ;
Hir kirtill wes of filk, and (ilver fyne, I^.j
Hir uther garmentis as the reid gold did fchyne,
On every finger fcho weiris ringis two ;
Scho was als proud as ony papingo.
The burde fcho cuverit with clath of coflly grene,
Hir napry aboif wes wondir weill befene. Cx '-130 >
Than but fcho went, to fe gif ony come,
Scho thocht full lang to meit hir lufe Freir Johne.
Syne fchortly did this Freir knok at the yett ;
His knok fcho kend, and did fo him in lett ;
Scho welcomit him in all hir bell maneir. 155
He thankit hir, and faid, My awin luve deir,
Half thair ane pair of bolTis, gud and fyne,
Thay hald ane gallone full of Gafcone wyne ;
And als ane pair of pertrikis richt new flayne,
And eik ane creill full of breid of mane : 1 60
This I half brocht to yow, my awin luve deir,
Thairfoir, I pray yow, be blyth and mak gud cheir ;
Sen it is fo that Symone is fra hame ;
I will be hamely now with yow, gud Dame.
Scho fayis. Ye ar full hertly welcome heir, 165
At ony tyme, quhen that ye lift appeir.
THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK.
With that fcho Tinylit woundir luftely ;
He tliriftit hir hand agane richt prevely,
Than in hett luve thay talkit uderis till.
Thus at thair fport now will I leif thame ftill, 170
And tell yow of thir filly Freiris two
Were lokit in the loft amang the ftro.
Freir Allane in the loft Itill can ly ;
Freir Robert had ane littill jelofy ;
For in his hairt he had ane perfaving, 175
And throw the burdis he maid with his botkin \ Kriii^ Itn n't. )
A littill hoill on fie a wyifs maid he,
All that thay did thair doun.he micht weill fe,
And every word he herd that thay did fay. [180
Quhenfcho wes prowd, richt woundir frefche andgay,
Scho callit him baith hert, lemmane, and luve,
Lord God, gif than his curage wes aboif,
So prelat lyk fat he in to the chyre I C^tie tir
Scho rownis than ane pifl;ill in his eir;
Thus fportand thame, and makand melody. 185
And quhen fcho faw the fupper wes reddy,
Scho gois belyfe and cuveris the burde annon ;
And fyne the pair of boflis hes fcho tone,
And fett thame doun upoun the burde him by :
And evin with that thay hard the Gudman cry, 190
And knokand at the yett he cryit fafl;.
Quhen thay him hard then wer thay both agaft ;
And als Freir Johne wes in a fellone fray,
He ftert up faft, and wald haif bene away ;
But all for nocht, he micht no way win owt. 195
10 THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK.
Tlje Gudwyfe fpak than, Avith a vifage ftowt*
Yone is Symone tliat makis all this fray,
That I micht tholit full weill had bene away.
I fall him quyt, and I leif half a yeir,
That cunimerit hes us thus in fic maneir, 200
Becaufe for him we may nocht byd togidder:
I foir repent, and wo is he come hidder,
For we wer weill, f?if that he wer away.
Quhat fall I do, allace ? the Freir can lay.
Hyd you, fcho faid, quhill lie be brocht to reft, 205
In to yone troich, I think it for the befl ;
It lyis niekle and huge in all yone nuke,
It held a boll of meill quhen that we buke.
Than undir it fcho gart him creip in hy,
And bad him lurk thair verry quyetly. 210
Scho clofit him, and fyne went on hir way,
Quhat fall I do, .illace ? the Freir can fay.
Syne to hir Madin fpedyly fcho fpak ;
Go to the fyre, and the nieitis fra it tak ;
Be bifl'y als, and llokkin out the fyre; 215
Go cloifs yone burd ; and tak away the chyre;
And lok up all in to yone almery,
Baith meit, and drink, with wyne and aill put by ;
The mayne breid als thow hyd it with the wyne ;
That being done, thow fowp the howfe clene fyne,
That na apperance of feid be heir fene ; [220
Bot fobirly our felffis dois fuftene.
And fyne, withowttin ony mair delay
Scho caflis off [all] haill hir frefch array ;
THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK. 11
Than [bounit fclio richt] to fair bed annone, 2?5
And tholit him to knock his fill, Symone.
Quhen he for knoking tyrit wes, and cryd ;
Abovvt he went unto the udir fyd,
[Till ane windo wes at hir beddis heid;
And cryit, Alefoun awalk»for Goddis deid 1] 230
And [aye] on Alefoun faft could he cry.
And at the laft fcho anfuerit crabitly,
Ach ! quha be this that knawis fa Weill my name ?
Go henfe, fcho fayis, for Symon is fra hame,
And I will berbery no gaiitis heir, perfay ; 235
Thairfoir I pray yow to wend on your way,
For at this tyme ye may nocht lugit be
Than Symone faid, Fair Dame, ken ye nocht me ?
I am your Symone^and hufband of this place.
Ar ye my fpous Symone ? fcho fayis, AUace ! 240
Be mifknawlege I had almaift mifgane,
Quha wenit that ye fa lait wald haif cum hame?
Scho ftertis up, and gettis licht in hy,
And oppinit than the yett full haiftely.
Scho tuk fra him his geir, at all devyifs ; 245
Syne welcomit him on maift hairtly wyifs.
He bad the Madin kindill on the fyre.
Syne graith me meit, and tak ye all thy byre.
The Gudwyf faid [richt] fchortly, Ye me trow.
Heir is no meit that ganand is for yow. "fn" 250
How fa, fair Dame ? Ga geit me cheife and breid,
Ga fill the ftowp, hald me no mair in pleid.
For I am verry tyrit, wett, and cauld.
12 THE FREIRTS OF BERWIK.
Than up fcho raifs, and durft noclit mair be bauld,
Cuverit the burde, thairon fett ineit in hy, 255
Ane fowfit nolt fute, and fcheip heid, haiftely;
And fum cauld meit fcho broclit to him belyve,
And fillit the flowp : the Gudman than wes blyth.
Than fatt he doun, and fwoir, Be AUhallow
I fair richt weili and I had ane gud fallow. 260
Dame eit with me, and drink gif that ye may.
Said the Gudwyf, Devill inche cun I, nay; Lo^^l.^
It wer mair meit in to your bed to be,
Than now to fit defyrand cumpany.
[The Freiris twa, that in the loft can ly, 265
Thay hard him weill defyrand cumpany.]
Freir Robert faid, Allace 1 Gud bruder deir,
I wald the Gudman wift that we wer heir,
Quha wait perchance fum bettir wald he fair ;
For fickerly my hairt will ay be fair 270
Gif yone fcheip heid with Symon birneift be ;
Sa mekill gud cheir being in the almerie.
And with that word he gaif ane hoifl anone.
The Gudman hard, and fpeirit, Quha is yone?
[Methink that thair is men into yon loft. 275
The Gudwyf anfuerit, with wourdis foft,
Yon are your awin Freyris brether tway.
Symone faid, [ Dame] , tell me, quhat Freiris be thay ?
Yone is Freir Robert, and filly Freir Allaiie,
Tliat all this day hes travellit with grit pane. 280
Be thay come heir, it wes fo verry lait,
Curfue Aves rung, and clofit wes thair yait ;
THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK. 13
And in yone loft I gaif thame harberye.
The Gudman faid, Sa God baif part of me,
The Freiris twa ai- hairtly welcome bidder, 285
Ga call thame doun, that we ma drink togidder.
The Gudwyf laid, I reid yow lat thame be,
Thay had levir fleip, nor fit in cumpanye ; f. a^f-Jtlik loL
[To drink, and dot, it ganis noebt for thame.
Let be, fair Dame, thy wordis ar in vane, 290
I will thame baif, be Goddis dignite ;
Mak no delay, hot bring thame doun to me.]
The Gudman faid unto the Maid-^in] thone, (ke.n.
Go, pray thame baith to come till me annone.
And fone the trop the Madin oppinit than, 295
And bad thame baith cum doun to the Gudman.
Freir Robert faid. Now, be fweit Sanct Jame,
The Gudman is verry welcome hame ;
And for his weilfair dalie do we pray ;
We fall annone cum doun, to him ye fay. 300
Than with that word thay ftart up baith attone,
And doun the trop delyverly thay come,
Haliit Symone als fone as thay him fe ;
And he agane thame welcomit hairtfuUie,
And faid. Cum heir, myne awin bredir deir ! 305
And fett yow doun fone befyde me heir,
For I am now allone, as ye may fe ;
Thairfoir fitt doun, and beir me cumpanye,
And tak yow part of iic gud as we half.
Freir Allane faid. Sir, I pray God yow faif ! 310
For heir is now annuch of Goddis gud.
u
THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK,
Than Symon anfvverit, Now, be the Rud,
Yit wald I giff anc croun of gold for me
For I'um gud meit and drink amangis us tlire.
Freir Robert laid, Quhat drinkis wald ye craif, 315
Or quhat meitis defyre ye for to haif ?
For I haif niony findry practikis feir Tt^a. n J*
Beyond ye ley, in Pareifs did I leir,
That I wald preve glaidly for your faik,
And for your Dames, tliat harbry cowd us maik. 320
I tak on hand, and ye will counfale keip.
That I fall gar yow fe, or ever I ileip,
Of the beft meit that is in this cuntre ;
Of Gafcone wyne, gif ony in it be ;
Or, be thair ony M'ithin ane hundreth myle, 325
It fall bo heir within a bony quhyle.
The Giidmau had grit mervell of this taill ;
And laid, [Brother,] my hairt [will] neir be haill
Bot gif ye preve that practik, or ye parte,
[Be quliat kin fcience, nigromanfy, or art. 330
Freir Robert faid. Of this ye have no dreid ;
For I can do fer mair, and thair be neid.
Than Symon faid, Freir Robert, I you pray,
For my lake, that fcience ye Avald allay.
To mak us fport. And than the Freir uprais, 335
And tuk his buke, and to the flure he gais.]
He turnis it our, and reidis it a littill fpace,
And to the eill direct he turnis his face,
Syne to the weft, he turnit and lukit down ;
And tuk his buk and red ane oriloun. 340
THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK. 15
And ay his eyne wer on the alraery,
And on the troch, quhair that Freir Johne did ly.
Than fat he doun, and keft abak liis hude ;
He granit, and he glowrit, as he wer woid.
And quhylis flill he fatt in iludeing ; 345
And uthir quhylis upoun his buk reding.
And [quhylis] with baith his handis he wald clap ;
And uthir quhylis wald he glowr and gaip ;
Syne in the fowth he tux-nit him abowt,
Weill thryifs and mair than lawly cowd he lowt, 350
Quhen that he come neir [hand] the almery.
Thairat our Dame had woundir grit invy ;
For in hir hairt fcho had ane perlaving
That he had knawin all hir govirning.
Scho faw him gif the almery fie a ftraik ; 355
Unto hir felf fcho faid, full weill I wait
I am hot fchent, he knawis full weill ray thocht.
Quhat fall I do ? Allace, that I wes wrocht !
Get Symon wit, it wilbe deir doing.
Be that the Freir had left his ftudeing ; 360
And on his feit he ftartis up full flure,
And come agane, and feyit all his cure.
Now is it done, and ye fall haif playntie
Of breid and wyne, the beft in this cuntre.
Thairfoir, fair Dame, get up delyverlie, 365
And ga belyve unto yone almerie,
And oppin it ; and fe ye bring us fyne
Ane pair of boiifis full of Gafcone wyne,
Thay had ane galloun and mair, that wait I weill ;
16 Tin: FREIRIS OF BERWIK.
t(
rr
And bring us als the mayne breid in a creill ; 370
Ane pair of cunyiigis, fat and liet pypand,
Tlie caponis als ye fall iis bring fra hand;
Tua pair of pertrikis, I wait thair is na ma,
And eik of pluveris fe that ye bring us twa.
The Gudwyf wifl it wes no variance ; 375
Scho knew tlie Freir had fene hir govirnance.
Scho law it wes no bute for to deny ;
With that I'cho went unto the alniery
And opinnit it, and tlian fcho fand [richt] thair
All that the Freir had Ipokin of befoir. 380
Scho ftert abak, as fcho wer in a fray,
And fanyt hir ; and fmyland coAvd fcho fay,
Ha, Benedicite ! Quhat may this bene !
Quha evir afoir hes fie a fairly fene ?
Sa grit a mervell as now hes appinnit heir ! 385
Quhat fall I fay ? He is ane haly Freir,
He laid full futh of all that he did fay.
Scho brocht all furth, and on the burd cowd lay
Baith breid, and wyne, and uthir thingls moir ;
Cunyngis and caponis, as ye haif hard befoir ; 390
Pertrikis and pluveris befoir thame hes fcho brocht.
The Freir knew weill, and law thair wantit nocht ;
Bot all wes furth brocht, evin at his devyis.
Quhen Symone faw it appinnit on this wyis.
He had grit wondir ; and fweris be the mone, 395
That Freir Robert weill his dett had done :
He may be callit ane man of grit fcience,
Sa fuddanly maid all this; purviance,
THE FREimS OF BERWIK. IT
Hes broclit us heir, through his grit fubteltie,
And throw his knawlege in filofophie : 400
In ane gud tyme it wes quhen he come hidder.
Now fill the cop that we may drink togidder ;
And mak gud cheir eftir this langfum day ;
For I haif riddin ane woundir wilfome way.
Now God be lovit, heir is fuffifance ^ ; 405
Unto us all throw your gud govirnance I
And than annone thay drank evin round abowt
Of Gafcone wyne : The Freiris playit cop owt.
Thay fportit tharae, and makis mirry cheir
With fangis lowd, baith Symone and the Freir ; 410
And on this wyifs the lang nicht thay ourdraif ;
No thing thay want that thay defyrd to haif.
Than Symon faid to the Gudwyf in hy,
Cum heir, fair Dame, and fett yow doun me by ;
And tak parte of fie gud as we haif heir, 415
And hairtly, I yow pray, to thank this Freir
Of his bening grit befines and cure
That he hes done to us upoun this flure ;
And brocht us meit and drink haboundantlie,
Quhairfoir of richt we aucht mirry to be. 420
Bot all thair fport, quhen thay war maifl; at eifs.
Unto our Dame it wes bot littill pleifs.
For uther thing thair wes in to hir thocht ;
Scho wes fo red, hir hairt wes ay on flocht, -^/^n P..^ [(VitXwJvvf
That throw the Freir fcho fowld difcoverit be ; 425
To him fcho lukit oft tymes effeiritlie,
And ay difparit in [hir] hairt was fcho,
VOL. IL B
18 THE FRKIRIS OF BERWIK.
«/
That lie liad w'ltt of all liir purveance to.
Thus fatt fcho (lill, and wift no iidir wane ;
Qiiliat evir thay fay, fcho lute him all allane. 430
Bot fcho drank with thame in to cimipany
With fenyeit choir, and liairt full wo and hevy.
Bot thay.wer blyth annuche, God wait, and iang',
For ay the wyne was rakand thame amang ;
Qiihill atthelaft, thay woix richt blyth ilk one. 435
Than Symone faid unto the Freir annone,
I marvell meikill how that this may be,
In till fchort tyme that ye fa fuddanlye,
Hes brocht to us fa mony dentois deir.
Thairof haif ye no mervell, quoth the Freir, 440
I haif ane pege/ull prevy,of my awin,
Quhen evir I lill will cum to me unknawin,
And bring to me fie thing as I will haif;
Quliat evir I lift^it neidis me nocht to craif :
Thairfoir be blyth, and tak in patience, 445
And treft ye weill I fall do diligence,
Gif that ye lift, or thinkis to liaif moir,
It falbe had, and I fall Hand thairfoir,
Incontinent that famyn fall ye fe ;
Bot I proteft that ye keip it previe, 450
Latt no man witt that I can do fic thing.
Than Symone fwoir and faid, Be hevjiinis King,
It lidbe kepit prevy, as for me :
But, bruder deir, your fervand w.ild I fc>,
Gif it yow pleis, that we may drynk togidder, 455
For I wait nocht gif ye ma ay cum bidder
THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK. 19
Quhen that we want our neidis fic as this.
The Freir faid, Nay, fo mot I half hevynis blifs,
Yow to half the iicht of my fervand
It can nocht be ; ye fall weill undirftand, 460 . • /
That ye may fe him graithly in his awin kynd, "^ r^itta-ty
Bot ye annone fowld go owt of your mynd,
He is fo fowll and ugly for to fe ;
I dar nocht awnter for to tak on me, Ptn^iuAJ^
To bring him bidder heir in to our ficht, 465
And namely now, fo lait in to the nicht;
Bot gif it wer on fic a maner wyifs
Him to tranflait or ellis dilfagyifs, ^^
Fra his awin kynd in to ane uder ftait.
Than Symone faid/l raak no moir debait; 470
As pleifis yow^fo lykis it to me, ,.
As evir ye lilt, bot fane wald I him fe.
In till quhat kynd fall I him gar appeir?
Than Symone faid, In liknes of a freir,
In quhyt cullour; richt as your felf it^M'ar: 475
For quhyt cullour will no body deir. hut'i
Freir Robert faid, That fwa it cowld nocht be
For fic caulfes as he may weill foirfe,
That he compeir in to our habeit quhyt :
Untill our Ordour it wer a grit difpyte, 480
That ony fic unworthy wicht as he
In till our habeit men fowld behald or fe ;
Bot, fen it pleiflis yow that ar heir,
Ye fall him fe in liknes of a freir.
In habeit blak, it was his kynd to weir, 485
20 THE FRETRIS OF BERWIK
Into fic wyifs that lie fall no man dei^
Gif ye fo do, and rewU yow at all wyifs ;
To liald yow clois and ilill,at jny devylfs?
Quliat evir it be ye owdir fc or heir,
Ye fpeik no word, nor mak no kynd of Heir ; 490
Bot liald yow cloifs, quhill I liaif done my cure.
Than faid he, Symone, ye mon be on the flure,
Neir hand befyd,with flaff in to your hand ;
Haif ye no dreid, I fall yow ay warrand.
Than Symone faid, I aifent tliat it be fwa, 495
And up he ftart, and gat a libberla
In to his hand, and on the flure lie ftert,
Sum thing effrayit, thocht flalwart was his hairt.
Than to the Freir faid Symone verry fone, ,,
Now tell me, Mailter, quhat ye will haif done ? 500
No thing, he faid, bot bald yow cl<»ils and ftill ;
Quhat evir I do^tuk ye gud tent thairtill ;
And neir the dur ye hyd yow prevely,
And quben I bid yow ftryk, ftrek hardely ;
In to the nek fe that ye hit liim richt. 505
''That fall I warrand, quoth he, with all my micht.
Thus on the flure I leif him Itandand ftill,
Bydand his tyme ; and turue agaue I will,
How that the Freir did tak his buke in liy.
And [turnit] our the levis full befely 510
Anc full lang fpace ; and quhen he had done fwa,
Towart tlie troch withowttin wordis ma.
He gois belyfe, and on this wyifs fayis he,
'* Ha, how, Hurlybafs ! now I conjure the,
THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK. 21
That thou upryis and lone to me appeir, 515
In habeit blak ,in liknes of a freir :
Owt of this troch, quhair that thow dois ly,
Thow rax the lone, and mak no dyn nor cry ;
ThoAV tumbill om* the troch that we may fe.
And unto us thow Ichaw the oppinlie : 520
And in this place fe that thow no man greif ;
Bot draw thy handis boith in to thy lleif,
And pull thy cowll doun owttour thy face ;
Thow may thank God, that thow gettis fic a grace !
Thairfoir tliou turfs the to thyne awin relTett, 525
Se this be done, and mak no moir debait ;
In thy departing, fe thow mak no deray
Unto no wicht, bot frely pafs thy way ;
And in this place, fe that thow cum no moir
Bot I command the, or ellis the charge befoir ; 530
And our the flair, fe that thow ga gud fpeid ;
Gif tliow dois nochtyon thy awiu perrell beid.
With that the Freir that mider the troch lay
Raxit him fone, bot he wes in a fray,
And up he rails, and will na bettir wayn, 535
Bot of the troch he tumlit our the ftane ;
Syne fra the famyn.quhairin he thocht him lang,
Unto the dure he preilit him to gang ;
Witli hevy cheir, and dreiiy countenance,
For nevir befoir him happinnit fic a chance. 540
And quhen Freir Robert liiw him gangand by,
Unto the Gudman full lowdly cowd he cry,
Stryk, ftryk herdely, for now is tyme to the.
22 THE FRKIRIS OF BERWIK.
A\lth tliat Symone a felloun flap lait fle,
With his hurdoun he hit him on the nek. 545
He wes fa ferte he fell owttour the fek,
And brak his lieid npoun ane muftarde ftane.
' Be this Freir .lohnne attour the flair is gane,
In fic wyil's that miil he hes the trap,
And in ane myre he fell, fic was his hap, 550
Well fourty futis of breid, iindir the Hair ;
Yeit gat he up, with cletliirig no thing fair ;
Full drerelie npoun his feit he ftude.
And throw the niyre full Imertly than he yude,
And our the wall he clam richt haillely, 555
Quhilk round abowt wes laid with ftanis dry.
Off his efchapiiig in hairt he wes full fane,
I trow' lie fall be laith to cum agane.
With that Freir Robert Hart abak, and fuw
Quhair the Gudman lay ia woundir law 560
Upoun the flure, and bleidand wes his heid:
He ilert to him, and wont he had bene doid ;
And clawcht him up withowttin wordis moir,
And to the dure delyverly him bure ;
And fra the wind wes blawin twyifs in his face, 565
Than he ourcome within a lytill fpace.
^*;»\\. toL And than Freir Robert franyt at him fall,
Quhat ailit him to be I'o loir agafl ?
He laid, Yone Freir hes maid me thus gait fay.
Lat be, quoth he, the werll is all away ; 570
]\Iak rainy, man, and fe ye murne na raair.
Ye haif him flrikin quyt owttour the flair.
THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK. 23
I faw him flip, gif I the I'uth can tell,
Doun our the ftair, in till a myre he fell.
Bot lat him go, he wes a gracelefs gaift, 575
And boun yow to yom- bed, fox* it is beft.
Thus Symonis lieid upoun the ftane wes brokin ;
And our the ftair the Freir in myre lies loppin.
And tap our taiU, he fyld wes woundir ill ;
And Alefone on na wayis gat hir will. 580
This is the ftory that happinnit of tliat Freir,
No moir thair is, bot Chryft us help moft deir.
A GENERAL SATYRE.
Devorit with dreme, devyfing in my flummer,
How that this realrae, with Nobillis oAvt of nummer
Gydit, provydit fa mony yeiris hes bene ;
And now fic hungir, fie cowartis, and fic cummer.
Within this land wes ncvir hard nor fene. 5
Sic pryd with Prellattis, fo few till preiche and pray.
Sic hant of harlettis witli thanie, baith niclit and day,
Tliat fowld haif ay thair God afoir thair ene,
So nyce array^ fo llrange to tliair abbay,
Within this land was nevir hard nor fene. 10
So mony Preiftis cled up in fecular weid,
Witli blafmg breiftis ca/ting thair clathis on breid.
It is no neid to tell of quhonie I mene,
So quhene the Pfalmes and Teftamont to reid,
Within this land was nevir hard nor fene. ] 5
So mony maifteris, fo mony gnkkit clerkis, ..; ?q.,.^-
So naony weftaris, to God and all his werkis,
So fyry fparkis, of dif])yt fro the fplene,
Sic lofin farkis, fo mony glengoir merkis,
Within tliis land was nevir hard nor fene. 20
A GENERAL SATYRE. ^J
Sa mony lordis, fo mony naturall fulis, '
That bettir accordis to play thame at the truHs, "5^),^ ,_
fch Nor feifs the dulis that comnionis dois fuftene.
New tane fra fculis, fa mony anis and miilis, o
Within this land was nevir hard nor fene 25
Sa mekle treffone, fa mony partiall fawis,
Sa littill reflbne, to help the commoun caufs.
That all the lawis ar nocht fet by ane prene ;
Sic fenyeit flawis, fa mony waftit wawis,
Within this land was nevir hard nor fene. 30
Sa mony theivis and mnrdereris weill kend,
Sa grit relevis of lordis thame to defend,
Becawis thay fpend the pelf thame betwene,
Sa few till wend this mifcheif, till amend,
Within this land was nevir hard nor fene. 35
This to correct, thay fchoir with mony crakkis,
But littill effect of fpeir or battell-ax,
Quhen curage lakkis the corfs that fo wld mak kene ;
Sa mony jakkis, and brattis on beggaris bakkis,
Within this land was nevir hard nor fene. 40
Sic vant of wouflouris with hairtis in finfull ftaturis,
Sic brawlaris andbofteris,degenerat fra thair naturis,
And fic regratouris, the peure men to prevene ;
Sa mony tratouris, fa mony rubeatouris,
Within this land was nevir hard nor fene. 45
26
A GENERAL SATYRE.
Sa mony Jiigeis and Lordis now maid of late,
Sa filial 1 rt'fui^ois the peiirc man to debait ;
Sa mony eflait, for comnioun Aveill la quliene
Ouir ajl tlu! gait, la mony thevis la tait,
Witliin this land was nevir hard nor fene. 50
Sa mony ane fentence retreitit, for to win
Geir !uid acquentance, or kyndnefs of thair kin ;
Thay think no fin, quhair proffeit cimiis betwene ;
Sa mony ane gin, to haill thanie to the pin,
Witjiin this land was nevir hard nor fene. 55
Sic knavis a:nd crakkaris, to play at cartis and dyce,
Sic halland-fcliekkaris, quhilk at Cokkilbeis gryce,
Ar haldin of pryce, qidien lymmaris dois convene ;
Sic lloir of vyce, la mony wittis un^^^'ce,
Within this land was nevir hard nor fene. GO
Sa mony merchandis, fa niony ar menfworne,
Sic penr tennandis, fie cui'fing evin and mome,
Quhilk llayis the corne, and fruct that growis greiie ;
Sic Ikaitli and fcorne, fa mony paitlattis wornc,
Within this land was nevir hard nor fene. 0.5
Sa mony rakkettis, fa mony ketche-pillaris,
Sic ballis, fie knackettis, and fie tutivillaris,
And fie evill-willaris to Ipeik of King and Qnene ;
Sicpudding-iillaris, difcending dounefronie millaris^
A>'ithin this land was nevir hard nor fene. 70
A GENERAL SATYRE. 27
Sic fartingaillis on flaggis als fatt as quhailis,
Facit lyk fulis with liattis that littill availlis ;
And fie fowill taillis to fweip the calfay clone,
The dufl upfkaillis, mony fiUok with fuk faillis,
Within this land was uevir hard nor fene. 75
Sa mony ane Kittie, dreft up with goldin chenye,
Sa few witty, that weill can fabillis I'enyie,
With apill reneis ay fchawand hir goldin chene.
Of Sathanis feinye, fm-e fic an unfall menyie
Within this land was nevir hard nor fene. 80
A BRASH OF WOWING.
In fecrelt place this hindir nyc-lit,
I hard ane berne fay till ane bricht,
My hiinny, my honp, my hairt, my heill,
I haif bcMe lang your lufar leill,
And can of yow get confort nane ; 5
How lang will ye with denger deill ? "^^^-^
Ye brek my hairt, my bony ane !
His bony beird was kemd and croppit,
Bot all with kaill it wes bedroppit ;
And he wes coniich, fulich, and gukkit, 10
He clappit fail, he kift, he chukkit
As with the glaikis he wer ourgane ;
Yit be his feiris he wald
Ye brek my hairt, my bony ane I
Quoth he, My liairt, fweit as the hunny, 15
Sen that I born Aves of my mynny,
I wowit nevir ane uder bot yow ;
My wame is of your lufe fo fow,
That as ane gaift I glour and grane,
I trymmill fa, ye will nocht trow : 20
Ye brek my hairt, my bony ane !
A BRASH OF -WOWING. 29
Te hie ! quotli fclio, and gaiff ane gaA\^^,
Be Hill my covrffyne and my cawf, :^ ^
My new fpaind howphyn fra the gowk, ^^ - -^ ^
And all the blythnes of my bowk ; 25
My fweit fwanky, faif yow allane,
Na leid I luvit all this owk :
Few leifs me that gracelefs gane.
Quoth he, My claver, my curledoddy,
My hony foppis, my fweit poffoddy, 30
Be nocht our bufteous to your billic,
Be warme hairtit and nocht illwillie ;
Your hals as quhyt as quhalis bane,
Garfs ryfe on loft my quhilly lillie :
Ye brek my hairt, my bony ane. 35
Quoth fcho, ]My clip my unfpa^Tid ichane,
With muderis milk yit in your michane,
My belly-huddroun, my fweit hm-le bawfy,
My hony gukkis, my flawfy gawfy,
Your muling wald pers ane hairt of ftane, 40
Ga tak gud confort, my greit heidit gawfy :
Fow leis me that gi-aceles gane.
Quoth he, My kid, my capii-calyeane,
My bony bab with the ruch brilyeane,
My tendir girdill, my wally gowdy, 45
My tirly mirly, my towdy mowdy ;
Quhen that our mowthis dois meit at ane,
30 'A BRASH OF WOWINCf.
My flang; dois cork in witli your towdy :
Ye brck my liairt, my bony ane.
Quoth Iclio, [Now] tak mc be the hand, 50
AVeh-uni, my g-olk of MaryLind,
]My cliirry, and my maiklefs mynycoun,
]My fucker fweit as ony imyeoun,
My ftrummil ftirk, yit new to fpane,
I am applyid to your opinyon : 55
Fow leis me that gracelefs gane.
He j^alf till hir ane appill ruby ;
Grammercy, quoth fcho, My fweit cowhubby.
Syne tha twa till ane play began,
Quhilk that thay call the dirrydan ; 60
Quliill baytli thair bewi.s did meit in ane.
Fow wo, quoth fcho, qnliair will ye, man ?
Fow leis me, that gracelefs gane.
COUNSALE IN LUVE.
Faine wald I luve, bot quliair abo\vt,
Thair is fo mony luvaris tbairowt,
Tbat thair is left no place to me ;
Qubairof I bovit now in dowt,
Gif I fowld luve, or lat it be. 5
Sa mony ar tbair ladeis treitis
With triiimpband amourefs balleitis,
And dois thair bewteis pryifs fo he,
That I find nocht bot daft confaitis
To fay of luve.— Bot lat it be. .10
Sum tbinkis bis lady luftieft ;
Sum baldis bis lady for the bed ;
Sum fayis his luve is A per fe ;
Bot fum, foi'futb, ar fo oppreft
With luve, wer bettir lat it be. 15
Sum for bis ladyis luve lyis feik,
Suppois fcho comptis it nocht a leik ;
And fum drowpis down as he wold die ;
Sum ftrykis down a threid bair cheik
For luve, wer bettir lat it be, 20
32 COUNSALE IN LUV^E.
Sum liiv'is lang- and lyis behind;
Sum luvis and freindlcliip can nodit fynd;
Sum feftnit is, and ma nocht fle ;
Sum led is lyk the belly-blynd
With hive, wer bettir lat it be. 25
Thocht luve be grene in giid curage,
And be difficill till aiFvvage,
The end of it is miferie ;
JVIifgovernit yowth makis gowfty aige ;
Forbeir ye nocht, and lat it be. 30
Bot qnha perfytly Avald imprent,
Sowld fynd his luve maifl permanent,
Luve God, thy prince, and freind, all thre ;
Treit \veill thy felf, and ftand content,
And latt all uthir luvaris be. 3r>
ADVYCE TO LUVARIS.
Grp ye wald lufe and luvit be,
In mynd keip weill tliir thingis thre,
And fadly in thy breift imprent,
Be fecreit, trew, and pacient.
For he that pacience can nocht leir, 5
He fall dilplefance hair, perqueir,
Tliocht he had all this vvarldis rent :
Be fecreit, trew, and pacient.
For qnha that fecreit can nocht be,
Him all gud fallowfchip fall fle, 10
And credence nane fall him be lent :
Be fecreit, trew, and pacient.
And he that is of hairt untrew,
Fra he be kend, fair weill, adew.
Fy on him, fy I his fame is went : 1 5
Be fecreit, trew, and pacient.
Thus he that wantis ane of thir thre,
Ane luvar glaid may nevir be,
VOL. II. c
3i ADVVCE TO LUVARIS.
Bot ay in fiim thing difcontent :
Be fecreit, trew, and pacient. 20
Noclit with thy toung thy felf difcure
The thingis that thow hes of nature ;
For, gift" thow dois, thow fuld repent :
Be fecreit, trew, and pacient.
BALLAD OF KYND KITTOK.
My Gudame wes a gay wife, bot fclio wes rycht gend,
Sclio duelt ftu-tli fer in to France, apon Falkland fell ;
Tliay callit her Kynd Kittok, quba fa liir weill kend :
Sclio wes like a caldrone cruke cler under kell ;
Thay threpit that fcho deit of thrift, and maid agud end. 5
Efter hir dede, fcho dredit nought in hevin for to duell ;
And fa to hevin the Iiieway dredlefs fcho wend,
Yit fcho wanderit, and yeid by to ane elriche well.
Scho met thar, as I wene,
Ane afk rydand on a fnaill, 10
And cryit, Ourtane fallow, haill I
And raid ane inche behind the taill,
Quhill it wes neir evin.
Sua fcho had hap to be horfit to hir herbry,
Att ane ailhous neir hevin, it nyghttit thaim thare ; 15
Scho deit of thrift in this warld, that gert hir be fo dry,
Scho nevir eit, bot drank our mefur and mair.
Scho llepit quhill the morne at none, and rais airly ;
And to the yettis of hevin faft can the wife fair,
And by Sanct Petir, in at the yett, fcho ft all prevely : 20
[He] lukit and faw hir lattin in, and lewch his hert fair.
/■^Q., O.-ri 'i
V-c^" X,
36 BALLAD OF KVND KITTOK.
And tliar, yeris feven
Scho levit a gud life,
And wes onr Ledyis hen Avyfe ;
And held Sanct Petir at ftryfe, 25
Ay qubill fcho wes in hevin.
Scho lukit out on a day, and thoght ryght lang
To f'e the ailhous befide, in till an evil! hour ;
And out of hevin the hie gait couth the >vyfe gang [30
For to get hir ane frefche drink, theaillof hevin avos four.
Schocome againe to hevinni^ yett, quhen that the hell rang,
Sanct Petir hit hir with a club, quhill a gret clour
Rais in hir heid, becaus the wyfe yeid Avrang.
Than to the ailhous agane fcho ran, the pycharis to pour,
And for to brew, and baik. 35
Freindis, I pray you hex-tfully,
Gif ye be thrifty or dry,
Drink with my Gudame, as ye ga by,
Anys for my faik.
THE DROICHIS PART OF THE PLAY
AN INTERLUDE.
Harry, harry, hobillfchowe !
Se quha is cumrayn nowe,
Bot I wait nevir howe.
With the quhorle wynd ?
A ferjand owt of Soldane land, 5
A gyand ilraiig for to ftand.
That with the ftrenth of my hand
Beres may bynd.
Yit I trowe that I vary,
I am the nakit, blynd Hary, 10
That lang has bene in the Fary
Farleis to fynd ;
And yit gif this be nocht I,
I wait I am the fpreit of Gy ;
Or ellis go by the Iky 15
Licht as the lynd.
The God of moll magnificence,
Conferf this fair prefens,
And faif this amyable audiens,
Grete of renoune ; 20
63838
38 THE DROICHIS PART
Prowell, baillies, officeris,
And honerable induellaris,
Marchandis, and familiaris,
Of all this fair Towne.
Qulia is cummyn heir, bot I, 25
A bauld bufliiofs bellamy,
At your Corss to mak a cry,
With a hie fowne ?
Quhilk generit am of gyandis kynd,
Fra ftrang Hercules be ftrynd ; 30
Off all the Occident of Ynd,
My eldaris bair the croune.
My fore grantfchir, hecht Fyii MacKovvle,
That dang the devill, and gart him yovvle,
The fkyis ranyd quhen he wald fcowle, 33
And trublit all the air :
He gat my grantfchir Gog Magog ;
Ay quhen he daniit, the warld wald fchog;
Five thoufand ellis yeid in his frog
Of Hieland pladdis, and mair. 40
Yit he was bot of tendir youth ;
Bot eftir he grewe mekle at fouth,
Ellevyne myle wyde met was his mouth.
His teith was ten myle fqwair.
He wald apon his tais fland, 45
And tak the flernis doune with his hand,
OF THE PLAY,
39
And fet tliam in a gold garland
Above his wyfis hair.
He had a wyf was lang of clift ;
Hir hed wan hiear than the lift ; 50
The hevyne rerdit quhen fcho wald rift ;
The lafs was no thing fklender :
Scho fpittit Loch-Lomond with hir lippis;
Thunner and fyre-flaucht flewe fra hir hippis ;
Quhen fcho was crabit, the fon tholit clippis ; 55
The fende diirft nocht offend hir.
For cald fcho tuke the fevir tertane ;
For all the claith of Fraunce and Bertane,
Wald nocht be till hir leg a gartane,
Thocht fcho was ying and tender ; 60
Apon a nycht heir in the North,
Scho tuke the grawell, and ftalit Cragorth
Scho pifchit the mekle watter of Forth ;
Sic tyde ran efter bender.
A thing writtin of hir I fynd, 66
In Irland quhen fcho blewe behynd,
At Noroway coftis fcho rafit the wynd,
And gret fchippis drownit thar.
Scho fifchit all the Spanye feis,
With hir fark lape befor hir theis ; 70
Sevyne dayis faling betuix hir kneis,
Was eflymit and mair.
40 Tin: DROicHis part
The liyngand brayis on atliii' fyde,
Sclio poltit whh liii' lymmis wyde;
Lallis mycht leir at hir to llryd, 75
Wald ga to lufis lair.
Scho merkit i'yne to land with myrtli ;
And pifchit fyve quhalis in the Firth,
That cropyn M'ar in hir geig for girth,
Welterand amang the wair. '^* '-'^'**^0
My father, mekle Gow Mackmorne,
Out of that wyfis wame was fchorne ;
For litilnefs fcho was forlorne,
Sic a kempe to beir :
Or he of eld was yeris thre, ^5
He wald flep our the Occeane le ;
The mono fpraiig never above his kne ;
The hevyn had of him feir.
lit)
Ane thoufand yere is paft fra niynd
Sen I was generit of his kynd.
Full far amang the defertis of Ynde,
Amang lyoun and beir :
Uaith the King Arthour and Gawane,
And mony bald berne in Brettane,
Ar deid, and in the weris flane, -^J
Sen I couth weild a fpcir.
Sophea and the Soldane ftrang,
With weris that has leftit laJig,
OF THE PLAY. ^H
Furth of thar bonndis maid me to gang,
And turn to Turky tyte. 100
The King of Frauncis gret army,
Has brocht in darth in Lombardy ;
And in ane cuntre he and I
May noclit baith ftand perfyte.
In Denmark, Swetherik, and Noroway, lOo
Na in the Steidis I dar nocht ga ;
Amang thaim is bot tak and (la,
Cut thropillis, and mak quyte.
Irland for evir I have refufit,
All wichtis fnld liald me excufifc, 110
For nevir in land quhar Erifclie was xiiit,
To duell had I delyte.
I have bene forthwart ever in feild,
And now fo lang I haf borne fcheld,
That I am all crynd in for eld 1 15
This litill, as ye may fe.
I have bene bannill under the lynd
Full lang, that no man couth me fynd ;
And now with this last fouthin wynd,
I am curamyn heir, parde. 120
My name is Welth, thairfor be blyth,
I come heir comfort yow to kyth ;
Suppofs that wretchis wryng and wryth,
All darth I fall gar de ;
42 THE DROICHIS PART
For fekerly, the treuth to tell, 125
I come amang yow heir to duell,'
Fra found of Sanct Gelis bell,
Nevir think I to fl6.
Quharfor in Scotland come I heir,
With yow to byde and perfeveir, 1 30
In Edinburgh, quhar is meriafl cheir,
Plefans, difport and play ;
Quhilk is the lampe, and A per fe,
Of this regioun, in all degre,
Of welefair, and of honefte, 135
Renoune, and riche aray.
Sen I am Welth, cumrayn to this wane,
Ye noble Merchandis everilkane,
Addrefs yow forth with bow and flane,
In lufty grene lufraye ; 140
And follow forth on Robyn Hude,
With hartis coragionfs and god,
And thocht that wretchis wald ga wod,
Of worfchipe hald the way.
For I, and my thre feres aye, 145
Weilfair, Wantoness, and Play,
Sail byde with yow, in all affray,
And cair put clene to flicht :
And we fall dredlefs us addrefs.
To bannifs derth, and all diltrefs ; 150
OF THE PLAY. 43
And vvitli all fportis, and merynefs,
Your liartis hald ever on hicht.
Sen I am of mekle quantlte.
Of gyand kynd, as ye may fe,
Quhar fall be gottin a wyf to me 155
Sicklyke of breid and hicht ?
I dreid that thair be nocht a bryde,
In all this towne may me abyd,
Quha wait gif ony heir befyde,
Micht fuflFer me all nycht. 1 60
With yow fen I mon leid my lyf,
Gar ferfs baith Louthiane and Fyf,
And wale to me a mekle wyf,
A gret ungracioufs gan ;
Sen fcho is gane, the Gret Forlore 165
Adew I fairweill ; for now I go,
Bot I will nocht lang byd yow fro ;
Chrift yow conferve fra every wo,
Baith madin, wyf, and man.
God blifs thame, and the Haly Rude, 170
Givis me a drink, fa it be gude ;
And quha trowis beft that I do hide,
Skynk firft to me the kan.
BALLAD OF UNSTEDFASTNES.
In all oure gardyn growis tbare na flouris,
Herbe nor tree that frute lies borne this yere,
The levys are doun fchakyn with the fchouris,
The fynkle fadit in oure grene herbere ;
The birdis that bene wount to fyngen here, 5
In all this May unefe has fongin thrife ;
And all of Dangere is our gardenere;
And Gentrife is put quite out of fervice.
Quhat that I mene be this I dar noght fpeke,
Nor I na dare, my heart it is la fare, 10
Na never fall I me revenge and wreke,
Bot on myfelf, although I fuld forfare ;
Saufand beaute I can prife na mare
Of hyr, that was wont to be gudelieft ;
And futh it is, and fene in all our quhare, 15
No erdly thing bot for a tynie may left.
Sen in this warld thare is no fekernes,
Bot pas raon all, and end mon every thing,
I tak my leve at all Unftedfaftnes.
TO THE QUENE DOWAGER.
O LUSTY flour of yowtli, benying and [fueit],
Frefch blome of bewty, blythfull, bryclit, and fchciie
Fair luffum Lady, gentill, and difcret,
Yung brekand blofum, yit on the Italkis grene,
Delytfum lilly, lufty for to be fene, 5
Be glaid in hairt and expell havinefs ;
[Thocht] bair of blifs, that evir fo blyth hes bene,
Devoyd langour, and leif in hiftinefs!.
Brycht fterne at moiTow that dois the nycht hyn chafe,
Of luvis lychtfum [day the] lyfe and gyd, 10
Lat no dirk clud abfent from us thy face.
Nor lat no fable frome us thy bewty hyd,
That hes no confort quhair that we go or ryd
Bot to behald the heme of thy brychtnefs ;
Baneifs all baill, and into blifs abyd; 15
Devoyd langour, and leif in luftinefs.
Art thow plefand, lufty, yung and fair ;
Full of all vertew and gud conditioun,
Rycht nobill of bind, rycht wyils and debonair,
Honorable, gentill, and faythfuU of renouii, ~"
Liberall, luflum, and lufty of perfoun.
H) TO THi: QUKNE DOWAOKR.
Quliy f'lild thow than lat fadnel's tlie opprefs ?
In liairt be blytli and lay all dolour doun ;
Uevoyd langour, and leif in liillinel's.
I me commend with all huniilitie 25
Unto thy bewty, blilfnll and bening,
To quhome I am, and fall ay fervand be
With Iteidfail hairt, and faythfuU trew mening
Unto the deid, without [en] departing;
For quliais faik I Tall my pen addrefs, 30
Sangis to raak for thy reconforting,
That thow may leif in joy and luflinefs.
O fair fweit blofliim, now in bewty flouris,
Unfaidit btiyth of cullour and vcrtew,
Thy nobill Lord that deid hes done devoir, 35
Faid nocht with weping thy A^Kfage fair of hew ;
O luffum lufty Lady, wyfe, and trew,
Caft out all cair, and confort do increfs,
Exyll all fichand, on thy fervand rew I
Devoyd langour, and leif in luflinefs. 40
THE LORDIS OF SCOTLAND TO THE
GOVERNOUR IN FRANCE.
Wk Lordis lies cliofin a chiftane mervellus.
That left lies iis in grit perplexite ;
And him abfentis, with wylis cautelus,
Yeiris and dayis mo than two or thre ;
And nocht intendis the land nor peple Ic, 5
Faltis to correct, nor vicis for to chace ;
Our Lord Governour, this feduU fend we the :
In lak of jiiflice this Realme is fchent, allace !
Is nane of us ane uddir fettis by,
Bot laubouris ay for utheris diftructioun ; 10
Quhilk is grit plefour to our auld innamy.
And daly cauffis grit diffentioun,
Amang us now, and als divifioun,
Qahilk to heir is [in futhj ane drery cace.
To the our Lord and gj^d under the crown : 15
In lak of juflice this Realme is fchent, allace !
Thy prudent wit, we think thow hes abuiit,
Abfentand the for ony warldly geir ;
We yarne thy prel'ens, bot oft thow hes refufit
Till cum 118 till, or yit till merk ua neir, 20
48 TO THE (JOVKRNOni IN iKANCE.
Qiihilk is the caufs of tl lift, flawclitir and weir;
Approcii ill tyme, oiir freindfihip to punliafe,
Thy lergefs Icill thy byding byis full deir :
In lak of jullice this Realmc is fcheat, nllace !
Covatyce ringis in to tlie Spirituall flate, 25
Yarnand banifice, the quhilk ar now vacand,
That but thy jircl'ens, will cans ryclit grit debait,
And tontraverfy to ryis in to this land ;
And thy bidding we treft thay fall ganefhmd,
Without thow cum, and prefent thame thy face, 30
Addrefs the fone, fulfill this will and band ;
In lak of juftice this Realnae is fchent, allace !
Grit weir and wandrecht hes bene us amang,
Sen thy departing, and yit approchis inair.
Thy tardatioun caulfis us to think lang, 35
For of thy cuming we haif richt grit difpair ;
Off gyd and govirnance we ar all folitair,
Dependand ay upoun thy ftait and grace ;
Speid tlie, thairfoir, in dreid we all forfair :
In lak of jullice this Realine is fchent, allace ! 40
THE DANGER OF WRYTING.
Faine wald I, with all diligence,
Ane fang mak, plefand of fentence,
To everie mannis appetyte ;
Bot thairin failyes my fcience :
Thus wait I iiocht quhairof to Avryte.
For, thocht fevin yeir I wer avyfit,
And with my wittis all devyfit,
Ane fingulare thing to put in dyte ;
It fuld with fum men be difpyfit :
Thus wait I nocht quahairof to wryte. 10
And thocht I fay in generale,
Sum fall it tak in fpeciale ;
And of fum folk I fidd have wyte,
Quham I did never offend nor fall :
Thus wait I nocht quhairof to wryte. 15
Wryte I of liberalitie,
Of gentrice, or nobilitie,
Than wiU thay fay I flatter quyte,
Sa few ar of that facultie ;
Thus wait I nocht quhairof to wryte. 20
VOL. H. D
60 THE DANGER OF WRYTINO.
And, gif I wryte of wretch itnes.
Than is it war than ever it wes ;
For thay will fay that I bakbyte ;
So thik that I'urnanie dois incres ;
Thus wait 1 nocht quhairof to wryte. 23
\yryte I nocht eftir all menis mynd,
Suppois that part be evill inclynd,
Tlie making is nocht wourthe ane myte ;
Is nane fo hable, heir to Ynde,
That eftir all meiuiis will can wryte. 30
Grit danger is in the endyting ;
Gif lytill rewarde be in wryting,
Bettir war leif my paper (juhyte,
And [tak] me to uthir delyting :
Thus wait I nocht quhaiiof t<» wryte. ."5
DO FOR THY SELF QUHILL TH OU
ART HEIR.
DouN by ane rever as I red,
Out throw a forreft that wes fair,
Thynkand how that this warld wes maid ;
Sa fuddanly away we fair.
That kiiigis and lordis fall haif na mair, 5
Fra tyme that thay be bund on beir ;
Thus fpak a Fowll, I yow declair,
Do for thy felf f^uhill thow art heir.
I marvellit quhat that bird fowld be
That wes fo fair, with fedderis gent, 10
Scho bownid hir nocht to fle fra me,
But fatt, and tald me hir intent, —
Off thy mifdeidis thow the rejjent,
And of thy fynnis confefs the cleir.
For Deid that hes his bow ay bent ; 15
Do for thy felf quhill thow art heir.
Fra he beg-yu to fchute his fchot,
Thow wait nocht quhen that it will licht ;
He fpairis the nocht, in fchip, nor hot.
In coive, nor craig, nor caftell wicht ; 20
62 DO FOR TIIY SELF
30
Bot as the fone that fchynis bricht,
Out throw the ghifs that is io cleir.
To lenth thy lyfe thow hes no micht ;
Do for thy felf quhill thow art heu*.
Give ony man his lyfe micht lenth, 2o
I wait it had bene Salamone ;
Of all wifdome he had the ftrenth,
He knew the vertew of erb and ftone ;
He cowld nocht for him felf difpone,
Attour his dait, to leif a yeir ;
Ane wyfar wicht wes never none ;
Do for thy felf quhill thow art heir.
Quhairto fowld I thir fampillis fay ?
Thow hes fene mo than I can tell,
Off lordis in to this land perfay,
Sum wyfe, fum wicht, fum ferfs, fum fell,
Thay dowttit nowthir hevin nor hell,
Thay wer fo wicht, witliowttin weir ;
Now with thair fawle we will nocht mell ;
Do for thy felf quhill thow art heir.
And gif thoAv beis ane merchand man,
And wynnis thy living be the foe.
Spend pairt of the gude that thow wan,
And keip the ay with honeftie ;
Fra thow l)e gane, I tak on me, 45
Thy wyfe will half ane uthir feir,
35
40
QUI! ILL TIIOU ART HEIR.
53
Thy dalie fample thow may fe ;
Do for thy felf quhill thow art heir.
Or gif thow hes a benefice,
Preifs nevir to hurde the kirkis gude ; 50
Do almoufs deidis to peure alwayls,
In to this warld to win the rude ;
Thow mon be bureit in thy hude,
Tliy windinfcheit is nodit in weir,
Thy airis ar of eild to duid ; 55
Do for thy felf (juhill thow art heir.
I fay this be a preift of pryd,
That wes full wanton of his will ;
Gold and fdver lay him befyd,
The fremmit thairof thair baggis can fill ; GO
All that thay prayit for him wes ill,
For now thay drink and makis gud cheir ;
Wyfmen faid, he did nane fkill :
Do for thy felf quhill thow art heir.
And of this preift I will fpeik mair, 65
That had fa mekle of warldis wrak,
Of all his freindis, lefs and mair,
He wald nocht mend thame worth ane plack ;
Quhill Deid he hint him be the back,
That he raicht nowdir ftand nor fteir, 70
And lute him nocht his teftment mack ;
Do for thy felf quhill thow art heir.
54
DO FOR THY SELF, &.c.
Sen for no wifdome, nor no ilrentli,' '
Nor for no ricliefs in this erd,
That ony man his lyf may lenth, 75
Natliir for freindlchip agane wanewerd ;
I tak on hand fra thow be herd,
Thy fettouris ipendis thy gudis cleir :
Thow may fay that a Fowie tlie lerd,
Do for thy felf quhill thow art heir. 80
OF THE NATiVITIE OF CHRIST.
Now glaidith every liffis creature,
With blifs, and confortable glaidnefs,
The hevyniiis King- is cled in our nature,
Us fro the death witli ranlbun for to redrefs ;
The lamp of joy, tliat chafis all dirknefs,
Afcendit [is] to be the warldis licht,
Fro every baill our boundis for to blefs,
Borne of the glorius Virgyn Mary bricht.
Above the radius hevin etheriall, [10
The court of fterris, the courfs of fone and mone,
The potent Pi-ince of joy imperiall.
The he furmontiiig' Empriour abone^
Is cummyn fra his niychtie Faderis trone
In ord, Avith ane ineftimable licht,
And is of angellis with a fweit intone ; 1.3
Borne of the moft cheil Virgyn Mary briclit.
Quho evir in erd hard fo blyth a ftory,
Or tithingis of fa grit felicite.
As how the garthe of all grace and glory
For Inve and mercy hes tane humanite ; 5Q
Makar of angellis, man, erd, hevin, and fe.
56 OF THE NATIVITIE OF CHRIST.
And to ourcum our fo, and put to fliclit,
Is cumin a hah, full of benignite,
Borne of the glorius Virgyn Mary bricht.
The foverane Senyour of all celfitude, 25
That fittis abone the ordour cherubin,
Quhilk all thing creat, and all thing dois includ,
That nevir lall end, na nevir moir did begin,
But quhome is uocht, fra quhome no tyme dois rin,
With qxdionie all gud is, with quhome isevery wicht>
Is with his woundis cum for to wcfche our fyn ;
Borne of the moft cheft Virgyn Mary bricht.
Quhalrfoir fing all with confort and glaidnes,
And caft away all cair, and cuvatice ;
Devoyd all wo, and leif in merines ; 35
Exerce vertew, and banyfs every vice ;
Difpyfs fortun, richt rynis on fynk and fife ;
And in the honour of the bliffuU mycht,
All welcum we the Prince of Paradice,
Borne of the moft cheft Virgyn Mary bricht. 40
C'vvvo^vift. CVW.I Sc^U - V '^Mh al-c/(ce
JERUSALEM REJOIS FOR JOY.
Jerusalem rejois for joy,
Jefus the fterne of moll bewte
In the is riffin, as rychtous roy,
For dirknefs [to] ilhimyne the ;
With glorius found of angell gle, 5
Thy Prince is borne in Baithlem,
Quhilk fall the niak of thraldome fre;
Illuminare Jerufalem !
With angellis licht, in legionis,
Thow art illumynit all about; 10
Thre Kingis of llrenge regionis
To the ar cum with lufty route,
All dreft with dyamantis but dout,
Reverft with gold in every hem ;
Soundingattonis with a fchout, 15
Illuminare Jerufalem !
The regeand tirrant that in the rang,
Herod, is exilit and his offpring,
The land of Juda, that jofit wrang;
And riffin is now thy richtoufs King. 20
* So he, 10 michtie is and i'o ding,
58
JERUSALEM REJOIS FOR JOV.
(^uhen men liis gloriufs name dois nem,
Heviii, erd, and hell niakis inclynyng :
Illuminare Jerufalem I
His cummyng knew all element ; 2j
The air he llerne did him jierfaife ;
The waiter, quhen dry he on it went ;
The erd, tliat trymlit all and raife ;
Tlie fone, quhen he no lichtis gaif ;
The croce, quhen it wes done conteni ; 30
The llanis, quhen thay in pecis claif:
Illuminare JeruJalem I
The deid him knew tliat ralfs upricht,
Quhilk lang- tynie had the erd lyne undir;
Crukit, and blynd declarit his niicht, 35
That helit of thame fo many li undir ;
Nature him knew, and did grit wundir,
Quhen he of Virgyn wes born but weni ;
Hell, quhjin thair yettis wer brokin afundir:
Illuminare Jerufalem ! 40
THE STERNE IS RISSIN OF OUR
REDEMPTIOUN.
The Sterne is riffin of our redemptioun
In Baithlem, with bemes blyth and briclit;
The Sone of God in erd hes fchewin him boun,
Amang his angellis with a glorious licht,
As hevynnis Lord of majeftie and mycht ! 5
Cum mortall Kingis, and fall on kneis doun
Befoir the King of leftand lyfe and lycht :
The Sterne is riffin of our redemptioun.
All empi'iouris, kingis, princis, and prelattis,
Heir nakit borne, and nureift up with noy, 10
Leif all your wofuU truble and debaittis,
Cum hike on the eternall King of joy ;
Ly all on grufe, befoir that hich grand roy,
That only King of every regioun,
Of Perfe, of Ynd, of Egipt, Grece, and Troy : 15
The Sterne is riffin of oiu" redemptioun.
Inclyne befoir the Criftin conquerom-,
Of every kith, and kinryk undir fty ;
Thehe makar of the mychte Salvatour,
The nieik lledimar moil to magnify ; 20
With reverend feir, doun on your facis ly,
GO
THE STERNE IS RISSIN, &c.
And on tliis diiy in his laudatioun,
AvK Redemptor Jesu ! all ye cry ;
The Sterne is riffin of our redeniptioun.
We may noclit in this vale of bale abyd, 25
Ourdirkit with the fable clud nocturn ;
The flerne of glory is riffyn us to gyd,
Abone the fpeir of Mars, and of Saturn ;
Abone Phebus, the radius lamp diurn,
To the fuperne eternall regioun, 30
Quhair noxiall fkyis may mak no fogeorn ;
The Sterne is riffin of our redeniptioun.
All follow we the Sterne of moft briclitnes,
With the thre bliffiill Orientall Kingis,
The ilorne of day, voyder of dirknes, 35
Abone all llorris, planeitis, fpeiris, and fignis ;
Befeiking Him, fra quhome all mercy fpringis,
Us to reflave, with mirth of angell foun,
In to the hevin quhair the Impcriall ringis :
The Sterne is riffin of our redeniptioun. 40
OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.
SuRREXiT Dominus de fepulchro,
The Lord is riflin fra deid to ]yfe agane,
Qui pro nobis pependit in ligno,
Quhilk for our fynnis on the croce wes flane ;
Quhame to annoynt Avent Mary Magdalene, 5
Ibat Mai-ia Salame cum ea,
Quhen Godis angell thus did anfuer plane,
Surrexit ficut dixit, alleluia !
This angellis -vreid wes [fnaw quliit] in collour.
His face as fyrflacht flawmyt, ferly brycht ; 10
The knychtis keparis of Chrillis fepultour
Fell doun as deid, alFerit of his licht ;
Quhome to behold thay had no grace nor mycht ;
Et terrae motus est factus in Judea ;
The word of Jefu is fiUfiUit rycht, 15
Sui'rexit ficut dixit, alleluia !
Behaldin the brichtnes of this angell.
The Magdalene and Mary Salamee
Abafit wer in fpreit, as fayis the Evangell,
And faid, Abak, be nocht aflFerd ! faid he, 20
The Lord is riffin quhome ye come to fe,
G2 OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.
Ipfe precedit vos in Gallilsea ;
To his Appoflillis g-a tell the verite ;
Surrexit ficut dixit, alleluia !
All honour we tliis Lord with joy and glory, 25
Thanking that mychty carapioun invincible,
That wan on tre triuruphc of he victory ;
Syne brak the liellis dungeoun moft terrible,
And cheft the dragonis hidoufs and horrible,
Per crucis validiflima trophea ; 30
And brocht the fiiwlis to joy ever permaufible :
Surrexit ficut dixit, alleluia !
Pleifs vre this Lord that did in battell byd.
For us, quhilk had non uthir bute nor beild,
Quhill bludy wes his bak, body, and fyd ; 35
He wes oiu- mychtie pavifs, and our fcheild !
Or Phebus dirknes him Goddis Sone reveild
Sanguinea crant ejus canapea;
He deit triumphand, lie raifs and wan the feild,
Surrexit ficut dixit, alleluia ! 40
THE FLYTING
OF
DUNBAR AND KENNEDY.
THE FLYTING OF DUNBAR
AND KENN^pDY.
DUNBAR TO SIR JOHN THE ROSS.
SCHIR JOHNE THE RosS,
Ane thing thair is compilit
In generale be Kennedy and Quinting,
Quliilk lies thame felf aboif the fternis llylit ;
Bot had thay maid of mannace ony mynting
In fpeciall, iic ftryfe fould ryfe but ftynting ; 5
Howbeit with boll thair breiftis wer als bendit
As Lucifer, that fra the Hevin difcendit,
Hell fould nocht hyd thair harnis fra harmis hynting.
The erd fould trymbill, the firmament fould fchaik,
And all the air in vennamus fuddane ftink, 10
And all the divillis of hell for redour quaik,
To heir quhat I fould wryt, with pen and ynk;
For and I Flyt fum fege for fchame fould fink,
The fe fould birn, the mone fould thoill ecclippis,
Rochis fould ryfe, the warld fould hald no grippis, 15
Sa loud of cair the coramoun bell fould clynk.
Bot wondir laith wer I to be ane baird,
Flyting to ufe, for gritly I efchame ;
VOL. II. E
G6 FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY.
For it is nowthir wyiining nor rewaird,
Bot tinfale baith of honour and of fame, 20
Increfs of forrow, fklandcr, and evill name;
Yit mycht tliay be fa bald, in thair bakbyttiiig.
To gar me ryme, and rais the feynd with Flyting,
And throw all cuntreis, and kinrikis thame proclame.
KENNEDY TO DUNBAR.
DiRTiN Dunbar, quhome on blawis thow thy boifl ? 25
Pretendand the to wryte fic fkaldit Ikrowis ;
Ramowd rebald, thow fall doim att the roift,
My lanreat letters at the and I lowis ;
IMandrag, mymmerkin, maid iSIaifter bot in mowis,
Thryfe fcheild trumpir, with ane threid bair goun, 30
Say, " Deo mercy," or I cry the donii,
And leif thy ryming, rebald, and thy rowis.
Dreid, dirtfaft dearch, that thow lies diflbbeyit
JMy confing Quintene and my Commiflar ;
FantaUik fulo, treft weill thow lalbe fleyit, 3.5
Ignorant elf, aip, owll irregular,
Skaldit fkaitbird, and commoun fkanielar ;
Wan [thriven] funling, that Natour maid ane yrle,
Baith JoHNE THE Ross and thow, fall fqueill and fkirle.
And evir I heir ocht of your making mair. 40
Heir I put fylence to the in all partis,
Obey and ceis the play that thoAv pretendis ;
FLYTINO OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY. 67
Walk walidrag, and verlot of the cairtis,
Se fone tliow mak my Commiffar amendis,
And lat him lay fax leichis on thy lendis, 45
Meikly in recompanfing' of thy fcorue,
Or thow fall ban the tyme that thovv wes borne,
For Kennedy to The this cedull fendis.
DUNBAR TO KENNEDY.
Ersche brybour baird, vyle beggar with thy brattis,
[Carrybald] crawdoun Kennedy, coward of kynd, 50
Evill farit and dryit, as Denfeman on the rattis,
Lyk as the gleddis had on thy gule fnowt dynd ;
Mifmaid monftour, ilk mone owt of thy mynd,
Renunce, rebald, thy ryming, thow bot royis.
Thy trechour tung hes tane ane Heland ftrynd ; 55
Ane Lawland erfe wald mak a bettir noyis.
Revin, raggit ruke, and full of rebaldrie,
Scarth fra fcorpione, fcaldit in fcurrilitie,
I fe the haltane in thy harlotrie,
And in to uthir fcience no thing flie, 60
Off every vertew voyd, as men may fie ;
Quytclame clergie, and cleik to the ane club,
Ane baird blafphemar, in brybrie ay to be ;
For wit and wifdome ane wifp fra the may rub.
Thow fpeiris, daftard, gif I dar with the fecht ? 65
Ye Dagone, dowbart, thairof half thow no dowt !
6S FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY.
Quliairevir we nieit thairto, my hand I hecht
To red thy rebald ryming with a rowt :
Throw all Bretane it falbe blawin out,
How that thow, poyi'oiiit pelour, gat thy paikis ; 70
Witli ane doig leich I I'chepe to gar thu fchowt,
And nowthir to the tak knyfe, fwerd, nor aix.
Thow crop and rute of traitouris trefTonable,
The fathir and moder of murthour and mifclieif,
Diflaitfull tyrand, with lerpentis tung, unflable ; 75
Cukcald crawdoun, cowart, and conimoun theif ;
Thow purpoft for to undo our Lordis cheif
In PaiHay, with ano poyfone that wes fell,
For quhilk, brybour, yit fall thow thoill a broif ;
Pelour, on the I fall it preif uiy fell. 80
Thocht I wald lie, thy frawart phifnomy
Dois manifeft thy malice to all men ;
Fy ! tratour theif; Fy ! glengoir loun, fy ! fy !
Fy I feyndly front, far fowlar tlian ane fen.
My freyndis thow reprovit with thy pen ? 85
Thow leis, tratour I quhilk I fall on the preif,
Suppois thy held war arniit tymis ten,
Thow fall recryat, or thy croun fall cleif.
Or thow durfl move thy mynd malitiup,
Thow faw the faill abone my hoid updraw ; 90
But Eolus full woid, and Neptunus,
Milk and monelefs, M-es niet with wind and waw,
FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY. ^9
And mony liundreth myle liyne cowd us blaw
By Holland, Seland, Zetland, and Nortliway coift,
In defert [place] qidiair we wer famift aw ; 95
Yit come I liame, fals baird, to lay thy boift.
Thow call is the Rethory with thy goldin lippig :
Na, glowrand, gaipand fule, thow art begyld,
Thow art hot Gluncoch with thy giltin hippis,
That for thy lounry mony a leifch hes fyld ; 100
^Van vifaged widdefow, out of thy wit gane wyW,
Laithly and lowfy, als lathand as ane leik,
Sen thow with wirfchep wald fa fane be ftyld,
HaiU, foverane fenyeour I thybawis hingis throw thybreik
Forworthin fule, of all the warld refufe, 105
Quliat ferly is thocht thow rejoys to Flyte ?
Sic eloquence as thay in Erlchry ule.
In fic is fett thy thraward appetyte ;
Thow hes full littill feill of fair indyte :
I tak on nie ane pair of Lowthiane hippis 110
Sail fairar Inglis mak, and raair parfyte,
Than thow can blabbar with thy Cai'rik lippis.
Bettir thow ganis to leid ane doig to Ikomer,
Pynit pyk purfe pelour, than with thy JMaifter piugill.
Thow lay full prydles in the peife this Somer, 115
And fane at eviu for to bring hanie a fingle.
Syne rubb it at ane uthir auld wyfis ingle ;
Bot now, in Winter, for purteth thow ai*t traikit ;
70 FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY.
Thow hes na breik to latt tliy boUokis gyngill ;
Bog the ane club, for baird thow fall go naikit. 120
Lene larbar, loungeour, baitli lowfy in lifk and lunyo ;
Fy ! fkolderit fkyn, thow art bot Hiyre and fkruraple ;
For he that roftit Lawrance had thy grunye,
And he that hid fanct Johnis ene with ane wimple,
And he that dang fanct Auguftine with ane rumple, 123
Thy fowll front had, and he that Bartilmo flaid ;
The gallowis gaipis eftir thy graceles gi'untill,
As thow wald for ane haggcis, liungry gled.
Commirwald crawdoun, na man comptis the ane kerfe,
Sueir fwappit fwanky, fwynekeper ay for fwaittis ; 130
Thy Commiflar Quinti^ne biddis the cum kifs his erfe.
He luvis nocht fic ane forlane loun of laittis ;
He fayis, Thow fkaffis and beggis mair beir and aitis
Nor ony cripill in Karrik land abowt ;
Uthir pure beggaris and thow ar at debaittis, 135
Decrepit Karlingis on Kennedy cryis owt.
Mater annuch I haiff, I bid nocht fenyie,
Thocht thow, fowll trumpour, thus upoun me leid ;
Corrupt carioun, he fall I cry thy fenyie ;
Tliinkis thow nocht how thow come in grit ncid, 140
Greitand in Galloway, lyk to ane gallow breid,
Ramand, and rolpand, beggand ky and ox ;
I faw the thair, in to thy wathemanis wcid,
Quhilk wes nocht worth ane pair of auld gray fox.
FLYTING OF DUNBAll AND KENNEDY. Tl
Erfch Katherane, with thy polk breik, and rilling, 145
Thow and thy Queue, as gredy gleddis, ye gang
With polkis to mylne, and beggis baith meill and fchiUing;
Thair is hot lyfe, and lang nailis yow aniang :
Fowll heggirbald, for heunis thus will ye hang,
Thow has ane perreUus face to play with lambis ; 150
Ane thowfand kiddis, war thay in faldis full ftrang,
Thy lymmerfuU hike wald fle thame and thair dammis.
In till ane glen thow hes, owt of repair,
Ane laitlily luge that wes the lippir mennis ;
AYith the ane fowtaris wyfe, off blifs als bair, 155
And lyk twa ftalkaris fteilis in cokis and hennis,
Thowplukkis the pultre, and folio puUis off the pennis ;
All Karrik cryis, God gif this dowfy be drownd ;
And quhen thow heiris ane gufe cry in the glennis,
Thow thiukis it IVetar than facrand bell of found. 160
Thow Lazarus, thow laithly lene tramort.
To all the world thow may example be ;
To luk upoun thy gryflie peteous port,
For hiddowis, haw, and holkit is thyne ee ;
Thy cheik bane bair, and blaiknit is thy ble ; 165
Thy choii), thy choll, garris men for to leif chell ;
Thy gane it garris us think tliat we mon de :
I conjure the, thow hungert Heland gaifl.
The larbar lukis of thy lang lene craig,
Thy pure pyuit thrott, peilit and owt of ply, 170
72 FliVTING OF DUNBAR AxND KENNEDY.
Thy fkoldorit fkin, liewd lyk ane faflFrone bag,
Garris men difpyt thar flel'die, tliow fpreit of Gy :
Fy I feyndly front ; fy ! tykis face, f y I f y I
Ay lonngand, lyk ane loikman on ane lodder ;
[Thy ghaillly hike fleys folkis tliat pas the by,] 175
Lyke to ane flark tlieif glowrand in ane tedder.
Nyfe nagns, nipcaik, -with thy fchukleris narrow,
Tliow liikis lowfy, lonn of lownis aw ;
Hard liurcheoun, liirpland, hippit as ane harrow.
Thy rigbane rattillis, and tliy ribbis on raw, 180
Thy liancliis hirklis, Avith liukebanis harth and liaw,
Thy laithly lymis ar lene as ony treis ;
Obey, theif baird, or I fall brok thy gaw,
Fowl! carrybald, cry Mercy on thy kneis.
Tliow pure hippit, ugly averill, 185
With hurkland banis, holkand throw thy hyd,
Reiftit and crynit as hangit-nian on hill.
And oft befwakkit with ane our hie tyd,
Quhilk brewis mekle barret to thy Bryd ;
Hir cair is all to clenge thy cabroch howis, 190
Quhair thow lyis fawfy in liiphron, bak and fyd,
Powderit with prymrofs, fawrand all with clowifs.
Forworthin wirling, I warne the it is wittin,
How, fkytterand fkarth, thow hes the hurle behind ;
Wan wraiglane wafp, ma wormis hes thow bel'chittin, 195
Nor thair is gerl's on grund, or leif on lind ;
FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY. 73
Thoclit thow did firft fic foly to uie fynd,
Thow fall agaiie with ma witnels than I ;
Thy gulfoch gaiie dois on thy back it bind,
Thy hoiland hippis lattis nevir thy hofs go dry. 200
Thow held the Burch lang with ane borrowit goun,
And ane caprowfy barkit all with fweit
And quhen the laidis faw the fa lyk a loun,
Thay bickerit the Avith mony bae and bleit :
Now Upaland thow leivis on rubbit quheit, 205
Oft for ane caufs thy burdclaith neidis no fpredding,
For thow lies nowthir for to drink nor eit,
Bot lyk ane berdles baird, that had no bedding.
Strait Gibbonis air, that nevir ourflred ane horfe,
Bla berfute berne, in bair tyme wes thow borne ; 210
Thow bringis the Carrik clay to Edinburgh Corfe,
Upoun thy botingis, hobland hard as borne ;
Stra wifpis hingis owt, quhair that the wattis ar worne :
Cum thow agane to fkar us with thy ftrais,
We fall gar fcale ouv fculis all the to fcorne, 215
And ftane the up the calfay quhair thow gais.
Off Edinburgh, the boyis as beis owt thrawis,
And cryis owt ay, Heir cumis om- awin queir Clerk I
Tban fleis thow, lyk ane howlat cheft with crawis,
Quhill all the bichis at thy botingis dois bark : 220
Than carlingis cryis, Keip curches in the merk,
Our gallowis gaipis ; lo I quliair ane graceles gais.
74 FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY.
Ane utliir fayis, I fe him Avant aue fark,
I reid yow, cummer, tak in yoiu* lynning clais.
Than rynis thow doun the gait, with gild of boyis, 225
And all the toun tykis hiiigand in thy heilis ;
Of" laidis and lownis thair ryffis fie ane noyis,
Quhill runi'yis rynnis away with cairt and quheilis
Axid eager aviris caflis baytli coillis and creilis,
For rerd of tlie, and rattling of thy butis ; 230
Fifche wyviscryis,Fy ! and caflis dounfkillis and fkeilis ;
Sum clafchis the, fum cloddis the on the cutis.
Loun lyk Mahoun, be bonn me till obey,
Theif, or in greif mifcheif fall the betyd ;
Cry grace, tykis face, or I the chace and fley ; 235
Oule, rare and yowle, I fall defowll thy pryd ;
Peilet gled, baith fed, and bred of bichis fyd,
And lyk ane tyk, purfpyk, quhat man fettis by the 1
Forflittin, [flae] bittin, bef'chittiii, barkit hyd,
Clym ledder, fyle tedder, foule edder, I defy the. 240
[houfe ;
Mauch rauttoun, byle buttoun, peilit ghittoun, air to Hil-
Rank beggar, oflir dregar, foule fleggai', in the flat ;
Chittir-lilling, ruch-rilling, lik-fchilling in the milhoufs ;
Baird rehator, theif of natour, fals tratour, feyndis gett
Filling of tuuch,rak fauch, cry crauch, thow art our fett
A[uttoun dryver, girnall ryver, yadfwy var, fowll fell the
Herretyk, liinatyk, purfpyk, carliiigis pet,
Rottin crok, dirtin dok, cry cok, or I fall quell tlie.
FLYTING OF DUNjBAR AND KENNEDY. '^^
KENNEDY TO DUNBAR.
Dathane devillis fone, and dragon difpitous,
Abironis birth, and bred with Beliall ; 250
Wod werwolf, worme, and fcorpion venneinous,
Luciferis laid, fowll feyndis face infernall ;
[Sarazene,] fyphareit, fra fanctis celeftiall,
Put I nocht fylence to the, fchiphird knaif,
And thow of new begynis to ryme and raif, 235
Thow falbe maid blait, bleir eit, beftiall.
How thy forbearis come, I half a feill,
At Cokburnis-peth, the writ makis me war,
Generit betuix ane fche beir and a deill ;
Sa wes he callit Dewlbeir, and nocht Dunbar : 260
This Dewlbeir, generit of a meir of Mar,
Wes Corfpatrik, Erie of Merche ; and be illufioun
The firft that evir put Scotland to confufioun,
Wes that fals tratour, hardely fay I dar.
Quhen Bruce and Balioll differit for the croun, 265
Scottis Lordis could nocht obey [the] Inglis lawis ;
This Corfpatrick betrafit Berwick toun.
And flew fevin thoufand Scottifmen within thay wawis,
The battall fyne of Spottifmuir he gart caufe,
And come with Edwart Langfchankis to the feild, 270
Quhair twelve thowfand trew Scottifmen wer keild,
And Wallace cheft, as the Cornicle fchawis.
76 FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KliNNEDY.
Scottis Lordis chiftanes lie gait liald andclieflbne
In firniance fiift, quhill all the feild wes done,
Witliin Dunbar, that auld fp(>lunk of treffoun ; 275
Sa Inglis tykis in Scotland wes abone
Than fpulyeit ihay the Ifaly Stane of Scone,
The Croce of Halyrudhoufe, and nthir jowellis.
He birnis in hell, body, ban Is, and bowellis,
This Corfpatiik that Scotland lies undone. 280
Wallace gart cry ane counfale in to Perth,
And calllt Corfpatrick tratour be his fiyle ;
That dampnit dragone drew him in diferlh,
And fayd, He ke.id bot Wallace, KWig in Kyle :
Out of Dunbar that theif be maid exyle 285
Unto Edwa'-d, and Inglis grund agane :
Tigris, ferpentis, and taidis will remane
In Dunbar wallis, todis, wolffis, and beillis vyle.
Na fowlis of effect amangis thay binkis
Biggis, nor abydis, for no thing that may be ; 290
Thay llanis of trelfone as the bruntfuuie llinkis.
Deulbeiris moder, caffin in by the fe,
The wariet apill of the forbiddm ire,
That Adame eit, quhen he tynt Paradyce,
Scho eit invennomit lyk a cokkatryce, 295
Syne marreit with the Devill for dignite.
Yit of new treflbne, I can tell the tailis.
That cumis on nycht in vilioun in my fleip ;
FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY. 7T
Arclibald Dunbar betrafd the lioufe of Hailis,
Becaus the young' Lord had Dunbar to keip ; 300
Pretendand thi-ow that to thair rowrais to creip,
Rycht crewaly his caftell lie perfewit,
Broclit him furth boundin, and the place refkewit,
Sett him in fetteris in ane dungeoun deip.
It war aganis bayth natur and gud reflbun, 305
That Deulbeiris bairnis were trew to God or man ;
Quhilkis wer baith gottin, borne, and bred with treffoun,
Belzebubbis oyis, and curft Corfpatrikis clan :
Thow wes preityt, and ordanit be Sathan
For to be borne to do thy kyn defame, 310
And gar me fchaw thy Anteceffom-is fchame ;
Thy kyn that leivis may wary the and ban.
Sen thow on me thus, lymmer, leis and trattillis,
And fyndis fentence foundit of invy,
Thy elderis banis ilk nyclit ryffis and rattiUis, 315
And on thy corfs Vengeance, vengeance ! thay cry.
Thow art the caufe thay may noclit reft, nor ly ;
Thow fayis for tliame few pfaltaris, pfalmis, or creidi^■,
Bot gai-is me tell thair trentallis, and mifdeidis.
And thair auld fyu with new fchame certify. 320
Infenfuat fow, ceifs fals Euftace air !
And knaw, kene fkald, I hald of Alathia,
And caufs me nocht the caufe lang' to declair
Of thy curll kyn, Deulbeir and his Allia :
78 FLVTING OF DUNBAU AM) KENNEDY.
Cum to the Crofs, on kneis, and mak a cria ; 325
Confefs thy cryme, hald Kennedy thy king,
And with ane hautliorne fkui'ge thy fclf and ding ;
Thus dre thy pennance with " Deliquifli quia."
Pafs to my CommifTar, and be confeft,
Cour befoir him on kneis, and cum in will ; 330
And fyne gar STono for thy life proteft ;
Renunce thy rymis, baith ban and bii*n thy biU ;
Heive to the hevin thy handis, and hald the Hill :
Do thow nocht thus, brigane, thow fiJbe brint^
With pik, fyre, ter, gun powlder, and lint, 335
On Ailhouris Sait, or on ane hyar hill.
I perambulit of Pernafo the montayne,
Infpirit with Mercury fra his goldin fpheir;
And dulcely drank of eloquence the fontayne,
Quhen it wes purefeit witli frofl, and flowit cleir : 340
And thow come, Fule ! in Merche or Februeir,
Thair till ane pule, and drank the paddok rude.
That garris the ryme in to thy termis glude,
And blabbaris that, noyis mennis eiris to heir.
Thow luvis nane Erifche, elf, I undirfland, 345
Bot it fowld be all trew Scottis mennis leid ;
It wes the gud langage of this land,
And Scota it caufit to multiply and fpreid,
Qiihill Corfpatrik, that we of treifoun reid.
Thy forcfader, maid Erfche and Erfchmen thin, 350
FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY. 79
Throw his treffoun brocht Inglis rumpillis in,
So wald thy felf, mycht thow to him fucceid.
Ignorant fule I in to thy mowis and mokkis,
It may be verifeit that thy wit is thin ;
Quhair thow wryttis Denfmen dryit on the rattis, 355
Denfmen of Denmark ar of the Kingis kin.
The wit thow fowld haif had, wes caffin in
Evin at thyne erfs, bakwart, with ane ftalf flung.
Heirfoir, fals harlott, hurfone, hald thy tung : [360
Deulbeir ! thow deivis the devill, thy erne, with din.
Qvihair as thow faid, I ftall hennis and lammis,
I lat the wit, I haif landis, ftoir, and llakkis.
Thow wald be fane to gnaw, lad, witli thy gammis,
Undir my burde, finoch ban is behind doggis bakkis :
Thow hes ane tome purfs, I haif fteidis and takkis, 365
Tliow tynt culter, I haif culter and pleuch ;
For fubftance and geir thow hes a widdy teuch
On Mont Falcone, about thy eraig to rax.
And yit Mont Falcone gallowis is our fair.
For to be fylit with fie ane frutlefs face ; 370
Cum hame, and hing on our gallowis of Air,
To erd the undir it I fall purchefs grace ;
To eit thy flefch the doggis fall haif na fpace,
The revynis fall ryfe na thing bot thy tung rutis,
For thow fik malice of thy Maifter mutis, 375
It is Weill fett that thow fie barret brace.
80 FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY.
Small fynance amangis thy freyndis thow beggit,
To ftanclie thy ftorne, with haly muklis thow loll ;
Thow falit to get a dowkar for to dregg it,
It lyis dofit in ane clowt on Northway coft : 380
Sic rewll garris the be fervit with cauld rofl,
And fitt onfoupit oft beyond the fe,
Cryand at durris, " Caritas amore Dei,"
Bairfute, breiklefs, and all in duddis iipdofl.
Deulbeir lies nocht ado with ane Dunbar, 385
The Erie of Murray bure that furname rycht,
That evir trew and conflant to the Kingis grace war
And of that kin cam Dunbar of Weflfeild knycht ;
That fuccefTioun is hardy, ^vyfe, and wicht,
And lies na thing ado now with the, devill : 390
Bot Deulbeir is thy kin, and kennis the weill,
And lies in hell for the ane chalmer dycht.
Curfl croapand craw, I fall gar crop thy tung.
And thow fall cry " Cor mundum," on thy kneis ; []395
Duerch, I fall ding the, quhill thow bayth dryte and dung.
And thow fall lik thy lippis, and fueir thow leis:
I fall degraid the, gracelefs, of thy greis ;
Scale the for fcorne, and fear the off the fcule,
Gar round thy hoid tranfforme tlie as a fule,
And fyne with treflbne trone the on .the treis. 400
Raw mowit rebald, rannegald rehatour,
INJy lynnage and forbeuris wer ay leill ;
FLYTING OF DUxNlJAR AND KKNNEUV. 81
It cumis th6 of kynde to be ane tratour,
To ryd on nycht, to rug, to reif, to fteill.
Quhen tliow puttis poyfone to me, I appeill 405
The in that parte, and preif it on thy perlbun ;
Clame nocht to clergy, for 1 defy the garfoun,
Thow fall by it deir, with me, duerch, and thow dele.
In Ingland, owle, fonld be tliy habitatioun,
Homage to Edwart Langfchankis maid thy kyn, 410
In Dunbar reflavit him thy fals natioun,
Thay fowld be exylit Scotland mair and myn.
Ane (lark gallowis, ane widdy, and ane pyn,
The heid poynt of thy elderis armis ar ;
Writtin in poyfie abone " Hang Dunbar, 415
Quarter and draw, and mak that liirname thin."
I am the Kingis blude, his trew fpeciall Clerk,
That nevir yit imaginit his oifence,
Conftand in mynd, in thocht, Avord, and werk.
Only dependand upoun his excellence ; 420
Treftand to haif of his magnificence
Guerdoun, reward, and bcnefyce bedene ;
Quhen that the revynnis fall ryfe out bayth thy one,
And on the rattis falbe thy refidence.
Fra Atrik Forreft furth ward to Drumfreifs 425
Thow beggit with ane pardoun in all kirkis,
CoUapis, crudis, meill, grottis, gryce, and geifs,
And undir nycht quhylis thow llall ftaigis and flirkis.
VOL. 11. *"
82 FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY.
Becaufs that Scotland of thy begging irkis,
Thow fchaipis in France to be a knycht of the feild ; 430
Thow hes thy clamfchellis, and tliy biu-doun keild,
Uuhoneft wayis all, wolroun, that thow wirkis.
Thow may nocht pafs Mont Bernard for wyld beiftis,
Nor win throw Mont Scarpry for the fnaw ;
Mont Nicliolace, Mont Godard tlie ai-reiftis, 435
Sic beis of briggand blindis thame with aue blaw.
In Paris with thy Maifter burreaw
Abyd, and be his prenteifs neir the bank,
And help to hang the pece for half ane frank,
And, at the laft, thy I'elf mon thoill the law. 440
Haltand harlott, the devill a gude thow hes !
For fait of puilFance, pelour, thow mon pak the;
Thow drank thy thrift, and als wodfett tliy clais,
Thair is na Lord in fervice that will tak the.
Ane pak of flafkynis, fynance for to mak the, 445
Thow fall reflaif, in Danlkyn, of my tailye ;
AV^ith " De profundis" fett the, imd that felye.
And I fall fend the blak Devill for to bak the.
Into the Katherene thow maid ane fowU kahute,
For thow bedrait hir, doun fra ftern to fteir ; 450
Upoun hir fyddis wes fene that thow cxdd fchute.
The dirt cleivis till hir towis this twenty yeir :
The firmament nor firth >ves nevir cleir,
Quhill thow, dcvillis birth, Dculbeir, wes on the lee.
FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY. 83
Tlie fawlis had fiinkin throw the fin of the, 455
War nocht the pepill maid fie grit prayeir.
Quhen that the fchip was faynit, and undir faill,
Foule brow, in hoill, thow purport for to pafs,
Thow fchott, and wes nocht ficker of thy taill,
Befchait the fleir, the cumpaf!>, and the glafs ; 460
The Skippar bad, gar land the at the Bafs :
Thow fpewit, and kefl; owt mony laithly lump,
Fafl;er nor all the marineris cowd pump ;
And yet thy wame is war nor evir it was.
Had thay bene fo provydit of fchott of gim 465
Be men of weir but perrell thay had pafl ;
As thow wes lowfs, and reddy of thy bim,
Thay micht haif tane ua tollum at the laft ;
For thow wald cuke ane cairtfull at the caft ;
Thair is no fchip that the will now refl"aif ; 470
Thow fylit fafter nor fyftenefum mycht laif,
And myrit thame Avith thy muk to the midmafl.
Throw England, theif, and tak the to thy fute.
And boun to haif Avith the ane fals botwand ;
Ane horfs INIerchell thow call the at the mute, 475
And with that craft convoy the throw the land :
Be na thing airch, tak ferely on hand,
Happin tho"\v to be hangit in Northumbir,
Than all thy kyn ar weill quyt of thy cumbir,
For that nion be thy dome, I uudirUand. 480
84. I'LVTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY,
llic Soverane Lord, hit ncvir this finfuU lot
Do fchamo, fra liaine, unto your Natioun !
That iievir nane, fie ane, be callit a Scot,
Ane rottin crok, lowfs of the dok, thair douu.
Fra lionefl folk devoyd this laithly loun : 485
Oil i'lmi del'ert, (juhair thair is no repair,
For fyling and iufecking of tlie air,
Caufs cary this cankerit corriiptit carioun.
Thow wes confavit in the grit ecclippis,
Ane monflour maid be grit Mercurius ; 490
Na hald againe, nor lioo is at thy hippis,
Infortunate, [foull,] falfe, and furius,
Evill fchryvin, wanthryvin, nocht clene nor curius ;
Ane niyting, fule of Hyting, the flyrdonie niaill lyk,
Ane crabbit, fkabbit, evill facit jneliane tyk ; 495
Ane fchitt, but witt, fchrevit and injurius.
(jJrit in the glaikis gud INIaifler Giiilliame gnkkis,
Onr iniperfyte in poetrie, or in proifs.
All clofs imdir chid of nycht thow cuklds.
Rymifs thow of me, of Kethory the Rofs, 500
Lunatyk, lynnnar, lufchbald, lowfs thy hoifs,
That I may twich thy tone with tribulatioun,
In recompanfing of thy eoni'piratioun.
Or turfs the owt of Scotland : tak thy choifs.
Ane Benefice cpdia >vald gif he ane beill, 505
liot gif it war to jyngill Judals belii^ ;
FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY. 85
Talc the ane fidill, or a floyt to jeift,
Undocht, tliow art ordanit to noclit ellls I
Thy clowtit cloik, thy fkrip, and thy clamfchellis,
Cleik on thy corce, and fair on in to France, 510
And cum thow nevir agane but ane mifchance ;
The feynd fair with the, fordwart our the fellis.
Cankerit Cayne, tryit trowane, tutevilloufs,
Marmadin, mymmerkin, monftour of all men,
I fall gar bake the to the laird of Hilhoufs, 515
To fwelly the in fteid of ane puUit hen.
Fowmart, fazart, fofterit in filth and fen,
Fowle fellone, flend fule, upoun thy phifnom fy !
Thy dok ay dreipis of dirt, and will nocht dry,
To tume thy tone it wald tyre carlingis ten. 520
Confpiratour, cnrfit kokatrice, hellis ka,
Turk, trumpour, tratour, tyrrane intemperat ;
Thow irefull attircop, Pylat appoftata,
Judafs, jow, juglour, Lollard lawreat;
Sarazene, fymonyte, prowd Pagane pronunceat, 525
Mahomeit, manefvvorne, [rebald]] abhouiinable,
Devill, dampnit doig, [in evill] unfiitiable,
With Gog and JMagog greit glorificat.
Nero thy nevoy, Golias thy grantfchir,
Pharo thy fadeir, Egipya thy dame, 530
Deulbeir, thir ar the cauffis that I confpyre,
Termygantis teniptis and Vcfpafms thy erne ;
86 FLVTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY.
Belzebub thy full brodir will clame
To be thy air, and Cayphafs thy fectour ;
Pluto the heid of thy kyii, and protectour 635
To leid the to hell, of licht day and leme.
Herod thy uthir enie, and grit Egeafs,
Marciane, Mahomeit, and jMaxentinfs,
Thy trew kynifmen, Antenor and Eneafs,
Throp thy neir neice, and awfterne Olibrius, 540
Puttidevv, Baall, and Eyobxdufs ;
Thir freyndis ar the flour of thy four brayncbis,
Steirand the pottis of hell, and nevir flencliis,
Dout nocht, Deulbeir, Tu es Diabolus.
Deulbeii-, thy fpeir of weir, but feir, thow yeild, 54-5
Hangit, mangit, eddir ftangit, flryndie flultorum,
To me, maift he Kennydie, and flie the feild,
Pickit, wickit, ftickit, eonvickit, lamp Lollardornm.
Diffamit, I'chamit, blamit. Primus Paganorum.
Out ! out ! I fchowt, upon that Aiout that fnevillis. 550
Taill tellar, rebellar, indwellar with the divillis,
Spink, link with ftink ad Tartara Termagorura.
POEMS
BY
WALTER KENNEDY.
THE PRAISE OF AIGE.
At matyne hoiire, in niyddis of the nicht,
Walknit of fleip, I faw befyd me fone,
Ane Aigit Man, feimit fextie yeiris of ficht
This fentance fett, and fong it in gnd tone, —
Omnipotent, and eterne God in trone I 5
To be content and lufe the I haif caufs
That my licht yowth-heid is oppreft and done,
Honour with aige to every vertew drawis.
Grene yowth, to aige thow mon obey and bow,
Thy foly luflis leftis fkant ane May ; 10
That than wes witt, is naturall foly now,
As warldly honour, riches, or frefche array,
Deify the divill, dreid God and domifday.
For all fall be accufit, as thow knawis ;
Bliffit be God, my yowth-heid is away ; 15
Honour with aige to every vertew drawis.
O bittir yowth ! that feimis fo delicious ;
O haly aige 1 that fumtymes feimit foui*e,
O reftlefs yowth I hie, bait, and vicious ;
O honell aige ! fullfillit with honoure ; 20
O frawart yowth ! fruitlefs and fedand flour,
90 THE PRAISE OF AIGE.
Contrail- to confcience, baith to God and lawis,
Of .all vano gloir the lamp and the niirroure:
Honour with aige till every vertew drawis.
This warld is fett for to diilaive us evin, 25
Pryde is the nett, and cuvatece is the trane ;
For na reward, except the joy of hevin,
Wald I be yung in to this warld agane.
The fchip of faith, tempeftous wind and ranc
Dryvis in the fee of Lollerdiy that blawis ; 30
INIy yowth is gane, and I am glaid and fane,
Honour with aige to every vertew drawis.
Law, luve, and lawtie, graffin law thay ly ;
Diffimulance lies borrowit confcience clayis ;
Aithis, writ, M'alx nor feilis ar noclit fet by ; 35
Flattery is fofterit baith with freindis and fayis.
The fone, to bruike it tliat his fader hais,
Wald fe him deid ; Sathanas fie feid fawis :
Yowth-heid, adew, ane of my mortall fais :
Honour with aige to every vertew drawis. 40
ANE AIGIT MANIS INVECTIVE
AGAINST MOUTH-THANKLESS.
Ane aigit man, twyfs fourty yeiris,
Eftir the lialy dayis of Yule,
I bard him fay, amangis the Fi'eii-is
Of Ordour Gray, makand grit dule,
Rycht as he wer a furiiifs fule, 5
Oft fyifs he ficht, and faid, AUace !
Be Chryft, my cair ma nevir cule,
That evir I fervit JVIowth-thanklefs I
Throch ignorance, and foly youth,
My preterit tyme I wald nevir fpair, 10
Plefans to put in to that mowth,
Quhill Eild faid, Fule, latt be thy fair :
And now my heid is quhyt and hair.
For fading of that fowmart face,
QuhaLrfoir I murn bayth laitt and air, 15
That evir I fervit Mowth-thanklefs.
Gold and filver that I micht gett,
Brochis, beifandis, robbis, and ringis,
Frely to gife, I wald nocht lett,
To pleifs tha mullis attour all tliingis. 20
Rycht as the fwan for forrow fingis
92 INVECTIVE AGAINST MOUTII-TIIANKLESS.
Befoir hlr deid ane littoll fpace,
Rycht fo do I, and my liandis wringis,
That evir I fervit Mowth-thanklefs.
Bettir it war ane man to ferf, 25
With wirchep, and lionour, undir a fcheild,
Nor hir to plcifs, thocht thow fuld fterf,
That will nocht luke on the in eild :
Fra that thow haif no hair to heild
Thy heid fra harmyng that it hefs, 30
Qidien pen, and purfs, and all is peild,
Tak thair a meifs of Mowth-thanklefs.
And in example it may be fene,
The grnnd of trewth qnha undirflude,
Fra in thy bag thow beir thyne ene, 35
Thow gettis no grace, bott for thy gud,
At Venns clofot, for to conclude ;
Call ye nocht thifs ane kankert caifs I
Now God help, and the Haly Rude,
And keip all men fra Mowth-thanklefs. 40
O brukill yowth in tyme behald
And in thyne hairt thir wordis graif,
Or thy complexioun gaddor cald,
Amend thy mil's, thy felf to faif,
The hevynis blifs gif thow wilt haif, 45
And of thy gilt remit and grace.
All this I hard ane auld man raif,
Eftir the Yule, of A[owth-thanklefs.
ANE BALLAT
IN PRAISE OF OUR LADY.
Clostir of Chrift, riche recent flour-de-lyfs,
Ave Maria, herbar of amouris !
Princefs of hevyn, hell, erd, and paradyfs,
That batliis our blak fyn with thy balmy fchouris,
Nuryfs to God, and modir of favouris 5
To leper, leche, cruikit, blynd, deif, and dum,
The all the ordouris of hevyne honouris,
Sancta Maria, Virgo virginum !
Protectrix till all pepill penitent.
The beriale bofome, that our blifs in bred, 10
Sched betuix fynnaris and Godis jugement,
Schawand thy Son the fweit palpis that him fed,
Prayand him for the precious blud he bled.
Us to forgeif of our gret trefpafs ;
Thy corps was nevir with corruptiouu clod, 15
Sancta et immacidata virginitas !
Revar of grace, that fall us all releif,
Above Natur confavit God and Man ;
Oiu- heretage that Adam tynt, and Eif,
Thow conquefl newe, ourcome the Devil! and wan ! 20
94 ANE BALLAT IN PRAISE OF OUR LADY.
Blifl be tliow Mary, and thy modir An,
And Joachim that generit the [alfo;]
For till exalt tliy name quha may or can ?
Quibus te laudibus referam nefcio.
25
The modir fe, fludis, lochis, and wellis,
AVar all thir ynke, and quyk and deid couth ^vTyte,
The hevyne flellat, montanis;, planetis, and fellis,
W-M- fair perchiament, and aU as Virgillis dyte,
And plefand pennis for to report perfyte
War woddis, foreftis, treis, gardingis, and gravis, 30
Couth nocht difcryve thy honom-is infinit !
Speciofa facta es, et fuavis.
Onely abone all virginis thow had hap,
To confaif be the Haly Gaift I grant ;
Sanct Jhone joyit in his modiris wame, and lap, 35
Quhen thow fpak with Elizabeth thy ant ;
Thow was ay meike but vane glore, pryd, or want,
Sibilla faid, alfs Balaam, and fanct Dave,
Tharfore Chrift chefit thy wa^e his lioufe and hant,
Dominus fit tecum, gracia plena Ave ! 40
Ruby of reuth, riclie lafs, and hevinnis gem,
Blenke up with thy eyne of grace owt of the eft ;
Suppofs all Sanctis our fynfull prayer contempne,
Thyne eres are ay opyn at our requeft ;
Now for the fpeir that Longius fet in reft, 45
And perfit thy i'onnis precioufs hert for us,
ANE BALLAT IN PRAISE OF OUR LADY. 95
Thow bring us to the joye that nevir is cell,
Benedicta tu in mulieribus !
Blift be thy hair, hed, eyne, face, and neifs !
Blift be thy halls, breill bane, bak and rib ! 50
Blift be thy palpis that couth thy fone appleils I
Blift be thy handis that wande him in the crib !
Blift be thy fydis, and wame that maid us fib
To Chrift ! Blift be thy body all forthy !
Blift be thy blude, that come of Jofues trybe ! 55
Et benedictus fructus ventris tui !
Thocht we brek vowis, prayeris, pilgrimage, and hechtis,
To the, Rofare, and nite of our remeid,'
For us, fair Lady, with the Devill thow fechtis,
And ftaridis full neir us in the hour of deid ; 60
Saifand our fawlis frome the playand leid
Of hell, quhair it fervit to be tane to ;
Syne llowis us faifly in to Angellis fteid,
Cum Jhefu Chrifto filio tuo !
Befeike thy Sone, that for me gaf na pryce 65
Of riclie gold, bot the reid blude of his hert.
To piirge me of my gret trelpafs and vyce.
And clenge my laull fra lipper lyne inwart ;
And grant that of the lievin I may haif part,
Throw thy requeft, Mary, as wele thow can ! 70
Sen hale fupple to Kennedy thow art,
O mater Dei, memento mei, thy man !
PIOUS COUNSALE.
Leifp luifF, my huff, no lunger I it lyk,
Alter our iinioiiris in to obfervance;
Kfcliew the f'woi'd of vengeance or it flryk;
Oure lufte, and plefance turne we in pennance ;
Of mifdeidis mend ; of kiffing mak confcience ; 5
Confefs our finnis, and Sathanas ourfett ;
Punifche our flefclie for our grit offence ;
Half eye to God, and brek the Divellis nett.
Voluptuous lyff, quhy thinkis thow Co Aveit,
Knawing the deitlie that no man may evaid ? jn
Syne perfaveiris in flefchelie lull and heitt,
No fawis may the frome thy finnis dilTwaid ;
Contemning God, of nocht that lies the maid ;
Trufling imto this brukill lyff and vane;
Repent in tyme, devoid the of this laid, ^5
And knaw in hell tliair is eternall pane I
THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST.
Haill, Criftin Knyclit ! Haill, etern Confortour !
Haill, riall King-, in trone celeftiall !
Haill, lampe of liclit I Haill, Jhefii Salvatour,
In Hevinnis empire Prince perpetuall !
Haill, in dillres Protectour principall ! 5
Haill, God and IVIan, borne of a Virgin cleyne !
Haill, boifl of balme, fpilit AAuthin my fplene !
Haill, in my hert with lufe wippit intern !
Haill, fpice of taift, to heir fueit fympheony I
Haill, filk to graipe, to ficht brycht lycht in dern, 10
To feit fute rode ! Haill, guide to gude herbry !
Haill, berne clofit till woundit and wery I
Haill, bed till reft ! Haill, faulis habitakill !
Haill, beyme to Itaill of deid the dirk umbrakill !
In till oure hert, quhill thou art herbriour, 15
We ar wifer than wes King Salomone ;
Throw fpirituall pith moir potent protectour,
Stranger than Hectour, Judas, or Sampfon;
Farar be far than ever wes Abfalon ;
Richer in grace than Alexander the Gret ; 20
Waldin as wynd, be grace ech for to tret. .
VOL. II. o
98 THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST.
Fra thou difluge for (»ur iniquite
MVe ar waker than ever wes Fermulus,
Quliilk wes all mait, be gret infirmite ;
Als lazar than ever wes Lazarus ; 25
As ftruttioun llif, as tigar tyrannus ;
Mair pure of gude than wes Diogynes ;
Wilder in wit than Nabell Cai-nales.
Thus to tlie faule fen life is [thy] prefence,
Off the is gude to have poffeffioun ; 30
Quhilk may nocht be hot [we] with diligence
Baith nycht and day remember thi Paifioun ;
And of thi glore fall have fruicioun
Bot he that ftudyis heir, efter his eftait,
Thy ci-uell deid with piete to regrait. 35
Bot now, allace ! men ar mair fludyus
To reid the Seige of the toun of Tyre,
The life of Turfalem, or Hector, or Troylus,
The vanitc of Alexanderis empire ;
Bot quhen the warld fall all birn in a fire, 40
Than vane lloryis fall mak na remeid,
Bot all thair helpe mon cum tlu-ou Criftis deid.
Bot fen our natour is of fic a kind,
That ever it feikis confolatioun,
He is mailt wife that dalie hes in mynd, 45
Himfelf to keip in occupacioun ;
Quhairon the fpirit hes delectatioun,
THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST. 99
Profit to the faule, liis God worfchip and dreid,
Confort thy hert, but leifing of his nieid.
Bot fen mony in will ar rycht mychtie, 50
Quhilk in deid ar [bot] pure be ignorance,
Throu helpe of Him quhilk deit on the tre,
In Inglis toung I think to mak remembrance
How God maid man ; bowman fell throu myfchance ;
Syne, how greit pyne fuftenit for his fynne 55
The Sone of God, or he wald fuccour him.
In [this] procefs I think als commonly,
For till exclud all cnriofite,
Maift plane termes with deligence to fpy,
Quhilk may be tane with fmall defficulte ; 60
Bot gif me caufs inftant neceffitie
Termes to find, quhilk hes na ganand found.
That thai till hide, the better wald confound.
Be naturall gift nane to the end may bring
Gude purpois tane, bot [he] him gid with grace, 65
In quhilk of natour hes fober conforting,
Throu help of him in cauffis in this caifs ;
Quhilk for my faule the bitter deid can bras
Apoun the croce, in price of his ranfoun ;
Sa, in this hope, my purpois noAV I foune. 70
EXPLICIT PROLOG US.
100 THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST.
INCIPIT PASSIO.
1. God of his grace and giidnefs infinite,
Sa nobill maid the man liis Creatour,
That of liimfolfe [he] knawlage liad perfite,
Als of his Godheid, and ntliir creatnr ;
Tlirou grace of God, noclit of his awin natour, 75
He might have Hand quhill God to grace him brocht,
But pane, or dreid ; bot he unwiflie wi'ocht.
2. He wrocht imwife, allace ! throu Lucifer,
Quhilk canfit liim to diflbbcy his king,
Quhen he till Ev^e as ferpent coutli appear, 80
And caufit hir the appill for to bring
To fader Adam, that lie mycht, tlirovv taifling
Off the appill, be like to God, and kend
Baith gude and ill ; bot that was nocht the end.
3. The end wes war, for than banift he wes 85
Be the Angell, and put out of Paradice,
He and hi« feid, ever in this warld to pafs,
Wanderand in wa, as man in nycht glaidles ;
In cauld and heit his neidis to purches ;
As woundit wycht in natour bair of grace, 90
Put to the horn, exilit fra Goddis face.
4'. Silit he wes under fchaddew of fyn,
Quhilk him deput ever with deid to dwell,
THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST. 101
As bandonit knycht, and till law bundin,
Heir to thoile reift, fyne techit be to hell ; 95
He had no myclit fra him for to appcill,
For party wes the Prince of maift povveir,
Eternall God quhilk had him prefoneir.
5. Fra he wes prefonet yeris mony ane
As Goddis fix, clofit within myrknes, 100
Marcy and Piete maid ane full lievy moan
That thai wer tynt, f(»r mankind gat na grace ;
In Hevinnis empire, befor the Faderis face
Thai apperit, allegeand as for thane,
That be thair law Man fuld be fre fra pane. 105
6. Thair allegence Justice and Verite
Affermit nocht ; tliairfor, befor that King,
Thai allegit for thame rycht conftantlye,
That be thair law Adam and his offpring
Eternalie fuld be banift his rigne, 11
God infinit becaufe he had offende ;
Efter their law his pane fuld nevir end.
7. Than the Fader, all richtuis [King and] Lord,
Till his Sone to pas gaif commandement,
In thair debait be him to mak concord : 115
And he richt fone fchew him his fentiment,
Sayand, Ane deid fall mak you baith content,
And bring Adam till peace with all his feid,
That me will worfliip baith in word and deid
102 THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST.
8. Than God the Aiigell fend in the ciete 120
Off Nazareth to Mary the Virgin,
Qiihilk liallit hir with reverence and piete,
Sayand, Haill, fweit angelicall Regin !
God hes the chofin to be baith rute and ryn
For niannis peace, for yon a Sone fall beir 125
Callit Jliefu, thairfor be nocht affeir.
11. This worthy Lady, but mannis fjoie bur a Child,
Till angell glore, till fynnar falvatour,
Till feind a fii, a freind to faule exild.
Till hungry meit, till thrifty fweit licoure, 130
Till blind the fycht, to will a herbriour.
Till dede the life, till pure the riche Lord,
Till feik the lieill, till life fcho bure concord.
13. The Kingis thre he giddit be ane fterne
Out of the Eft, in haift to Uathelem ; 135
In the ftabill thai fand the bony Barne
With [Mary] his moder, in cribe allane.
For his poverte, the Kingis thocht na fchame
Till knell on kne, and him adore as King,
And of gold, fens, mire, to mak offering. 140
17. Yeris feven fra he had dwelling maid
Intill Egypt, agane come the Angell,
THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST. 103
Sayand, Jofephe, Se you, but mair abaid
Pafs to thi harae, tbe land of Ifraell :
God has me fend agane, the for to tell, 145
That thai ar deid quhilk wald the Barne have flane.
In Nazai'eth thus are thai enterin agane.
18. Mair of his life, unto the twelft yeir,
The Evangellis makis na [recordence] ;
Bot uthir faid, that with his Moder deir 150
In Nazareth he maid his [refidence],
Hir and Jofaphe fervand in gret reverence,
Thoucht thai wer pure, and he a riche Lord ;
As Lindulphus and utheris can record.
19. Fra of his age twelve yeris wer cumin, 135
All to the ciete in tyme of Pafche thai went ;
Thair wes he tynt, fyne in the Tempell fundin,
Amang the Doctouris balding argument :
His IVIoder faid, Sueit Sone, thou hes us fchent ;
For we the foucht with gret doUour and pane, 160
Bene neir our hame, fyne turnit heir agane.
21. Neir thretty yeir fra [he] had maid duelling
With his Moder, as fempill fervitour.
He thocht it tyme to fchaw [him] Lord and King
Send fra the Hevin the tynt man to recure ; 165
He tuke his leife, and [in] flouv Jordan fure
Baptift was than, thocht he was cleyne of fyn,
Lerand all man with meiknes hevin to wyn.
104 THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST.
25. Syne [tyme] drew neir that hewaldofferand mak
Off liis body, i'or us banifl of blis ; 170
With JMofes and Elias firfl he fpak
Intil] Tabor, for tluii wer twa Avitnis,
That lie wes Crifl, hcclit till all Faderis
Quhilk in the Lynibo lay, cryand day and nyclit
Uptothehevin,[No\v]cum douu lampe oflycht. 175
26. Quhen his difcipillis faw him fchyne fo brycht.
Thai thoucht it gude ay to mak dwelling thair ;
Bot quhen thai herd the voce cry, fra the hicht,
Thai fell on growfe, for dreid thai frayit fair ;
Heconfort thame, and bad thaim fpeik no mair 180
Off that Vifioun, quhill he raifs fra the deid
Quhilk God deput for fyne to be remeid.
27. Efter lang pane, and lauber infinite,
Hunger [and] thrift, [and]cauldin wyndandrane,
Walking, wandering, powerte, gret difpite, 185
DoUour, dileis, [and] cair cotidiane ;
Till all his fair, he I'oucht na faw bot ane.
The quhilk wes deid, as furcharge till his forrow,
That his manheid to de fra God couth borrow.
38. He paffit furth unto the hill to pray, 190
As he wes wont ; fyne his difcipillis fchew.
At that famin nycht thai fuld all pal's him fra.
THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST. 105
Peter faid, Lord, thoclit thai be all untrew,
Yit, or I fuld lie tratoury perfew,
As prefonelr [far] lever de wald I. 195
Crift faid, This nycht you fall me thrice deny.
39. Cedron he paffit, fyne enterit in the yard ;
He bad thame walk, for he to pray wald pas.
Methink this King had hot ane fempill gard,
That yeid to lleip quhen he to battall wes. 200
The feir of deid him put in fie a diftres,
That he fwet blud, for he knew perfitlie,
That him behuffit to de richt cruellie.
65. In the tolbuth [then] Pilot enterit in,
Callit on Crift, and fperit, Gif he wes King ? 205
Crift anfuerit, inquirand firft at him,
Gif of himfelf or utheris reherfing
He fa inquirit, gif he as Prince fuld ring ?
Pilot anfuerit, I am na Jew to knaw,
Thy awne pepill hes brocht the to my law. 210
66. Crift faid, My kinrik into this warld is nocht ;
Bot heir I come to fchaw the verite ;
As warldly king to regne, and I had thocht,
JSIy minifteris had maid debait for me,
Quhilkis fra the Jewis gret iniquite 215
Had me defendit, and keipit fra thair handis,
Thairfor to regne I come nocht in thir landis.
106 THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST.
98. O pyne, unkind, quhy art thow mair till him
Than ony knyclit thow had befor in hand?
To breik the law [thow] fuld at him begyn 220
Quhilk be trefpas is fubject to thy wand :
Thow art nocht ju(l, [and] thy law can nochtlland,
For thow hes grace oftyme to fynneris fend,
And of his wa thow will nocht mak an end.
99. Apoune the croce all nakit thai him band, 223
With fa gret force, quhill thai neir hand him lla ;
With irne nalis, quhen thay feft were ftrikand
Throw the handis, than he begouth to pray
Sayand, Fadir, na vengence on thame ta,
Bot for my faik forget thair cruelte, 230
For thame blindis thaii* gret iniquite.
100. On lentil and breid with fcharpe cordis thai tak
That nobill corps, quhill thai the banis twyn,
Now all the lithis on his tender bak
Thai fa depart, quhill that his ene wox djiue ; 235
Fra bed to fute, thai brak baith bed and ryme,
Twynis his joyutouris, and rivis all his banis,
BirfTis his breift, and all his bowellis panis.
101. Mony panis ho tholit of befor,
Bot to this pane is na pane to be peir ; 240
Now he is mait, now lie may do no moir,
Nowflefch [and] blade, and banis is all on floir ;
THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST. 107
Now Dede fra pane lies tane liim prefonneir,
Qubilkis him handillis full fair in every part,
Fra heid to fute him perfis witk a dart, 245
102.. O INIan, now lake how deir is thy ranfomi,
How he is punilt, for the, that did na myfs ;
Thrift iu thy hert his bitter Paffioun,
Muniyng in niynd, for Thow art caufe of this !
Say, Lord, my fyn and thy gret lufe, I wils, 250
[That] garis the now ly ftentit on the tre :
I did the mifs, Lord, have mercy on me !
124. Fra Crift our king, quhilk is the lampe of lycht,
Inclynit him the fpirit till expire,
Phebus for us to luke [on] had nocht mycht, 255
But drew abak his hemes in his ire ;
Fra twelf till thre he let no thing efpire ;
As he wald fay, I fall revengit be
Apoun the man quhilk garris his Maker de.
125. Quhen none drew neir, he cryit twifs, Ely, 260
Sayand, Fader, quhy hes thou left me fa ?
Thou lettis me pyne, and efter confort cry,
Sa that the Jewis haldis me for thy fa ;
To thy INIarteris thou fendis confort in wa,
Till mo, thy Sone, thou fendis no remeid, 265
Bot in my wo, refrefchis me with deid.
108 THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST.
12G. O voce of reuth ! O voce of maid dollour,
Off lamentatioun, and gret piete !
Off all the warld [the^ generall Salvlour,
But ony help, now dels on the tre I 270
Cry what he will, he gettis na fupple ;
For God him pnttis in the will of man.
And man wait nocht how torment he him can.
131. Quhen Deid enterit within the breift of blis,
His nobill hert he graipit in his hand, 275
Sayand, O King, [thocht] yehavedone noniyfs.
For your pepill ye mon bow till our wand ;
For your Fader lies gart us iniderltand.
That be your deid Man is reftorit to grace ;
Bot yow, faikles, I di'ed to fla, allace I 280
132. O ! he full blyth obeyit to the deid,
For faik of man he in his amies braifl ;
Syne on his breifl he inclynit his heid,
As he wald fay, Now man I gif the gaifl !
He thocht full laiig the bitter dede till tailt, 285
For mannis faule, [the] quhillc man maid mait hes
Oft" Hevinnis blis, quhilk [caufed] him cry allace !
133. With ane gret voce, cryit our Salviour,
Sayand, Fadir, I commend in thi handis
My punift fpreit, now tak in to thi cure, 290
Quhilk Deid hankis herd in his bandis ;
THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST. 109
Wait none my wo, bot thou that underflandis.
And this fayand, he inclynit his face,
Syne with gret pane he gaif the gaift, allace !
131. And fra myhert wald bludy teris fpring 29.5
For thy Paffioun, to murne baith day and nycht.
My wofull mynd it Avald to confort bring ;
Off all folace thou had tynit the fycht :
And I falbe befy, with all my mycht,
And fall nocht ceifs to cry, quhill I worth hais, SCO
For my kind Kingis deid to fay, allace I
135. O cx'uell Deid, Avith the I think to flite,
Quhilk me hes reivit all my conforting.
Allace ! my hert is now foupit in fite,
For be the deid it happinit this pai'ting ; 305
Thow ai't unricht as jullice for to ring,
Tlie Son of God in to thy handis thow brace
Fra me pure Knycht, to fla my Lord, allace I
136. O cruell Deid, fo bald how durfl thow be,
To put handis on Him that aucht the nocht? 310
Speik, gif thou dar I and mak anfwer to me,
Thow fouU of reiff, to end that has been brocht :
He fynnit never in word, dede, nor thocht !
But cryme to de, it is ane hevy cais,
Thow hes him flane, thair for but law, allace. 315
1
110 THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST.
223. He thoclit it tyme to fchaw his Majeftie,
Throw his awin mycht afcendand to the glore,
That lie wald pas to the Hevin fo liie ;
Tliairfor the tyme he wald prolong no more,
Bothe afceiidit all the pepill before, 325
To fet his niaiihoid on his Faderis ryi-ht hand,
Quhilk for his will to deid was obeyand.
226. With victory and triumph celefliall,
With Angellis fang, and Angellis in company
He afcendit, quhen thai war prefent all, 325
Fra Mont Olivet throw his agilite ;
Baith handis and face till Hevin directit he,
And thai bchaldand, and fa afcendit on hicht,
Quhill a bricht elude him tuke out of thair fycht.
227. Tlioclit [that] I wer alfe fair in eloquens 330
As ony ordour of Angell clu'ruhyii,
I culd not fchaw quhat cure and deligence
Had fueit Jhefii, the mannis faule to wyn,
Born for our faik, and fyne flane for oiu* fyn ;
Till Hevin afcendit, till him a gid to be, 335
His blude in drink, in meit left his bodie.
231. O Etern God, quha lies wit to exprcme
The fubtill wirking of the Haly Gaifl,
THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST. Ill
Quliilk Man ft"a evill to God turnit fa cleyne ?
Off liis cummin, and he have hap to taift, 340
He garris [the]] occourar leif his gud in liaiil,
And him follow in gret powerte ;
Ane hird, a king, a propheit makis he.
232. Off ane perfewar he makis a protectour ;
And of a cowart, quhilk denyit his name 345
Thris for ane word or runyn wes ane hour,
He garris contempne all erdly pane ; and thane
Aganis knychtis and princis him allane
Stand conflantly, and Criftis faith defend ;
Leif as ane poftill, fyne as a marter end. 350
233. With fic a man of trail aquont to be,
Quhilk is fo without procefs of tyme,
It is rycht gude till him that fuddanlie
Wald be difchairgit of all the fyn and cryme,
Quhair for he fuld fufteyne eternall pyne ; 355
And his gret grace in I'chort tyme to retour
The lang offence done to thy Salvatour.
234. And every man is ficker of his grace
And he fa gret be of contritioun
That he pretend, and he have tyme and fpace, 360
Off his fynnis to mak confeffioun ;
Als [that3 he may mak fatisfactioun.
And fyne no mair his Maker to offend,
And be with me unto the warldis end.
112 THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST.
235. O fweit Jhefu I O Salviour foverane ! 365
O Goddis Sonc, in manheid immortal] !
Quliilk on the croce fuiferit [gret wo and] p«ine,
The banift man to grace for to rehabill ;
Into thy grace the Criflin pepill ftabill,
In Ilevinnis emj)iro tliat thai thy face may fc 370
Withouttin end I Amen, for thy mercy !
NOTES.
VOL. ir.
VOLUME FIRST.
POEMS BY WILLIAM DUNBAR.
THE THRISSILL AND THE ROIS.
-Page 3.
T the conclusion of this
beautiful and interesting
poem, Dunbar informs us
that it was written on the
ninth of May [1503], near
three months before the
arrival of the Princess
Margaret in Scotland. Her
nuptials with James the
Fourth were celebrated at Holyrood, August 8th,
1503. But the Poet had visited England at the end
of 1501, and had probably remained to witness the
' Cancels,' which took place January 25th, 1502.
For the preservation of this poem we are solely in-
debted to George Bannatyne, from whose MS. it was
first pujblished by Allan Ramsay in ' The Evergreen,'
in 1724. He introduces it with these lines :
The Thistle and the Rose,
O'er flowers and herbage green,
By Lady Nature chose
Brave King and lovely Queen.
212 NOTES.
* The Thrissil and Rois ' has been ably illustrated by
Lord Hailes, in his volume of selections from Ban-
natyne's Manuscript, entitled " Ancient Scottish
Poems," Edinburgh, 1770, 12mo.
" This is a poem (he says) of acknowledged merit:
Every reader will remember Mr Langhoroe's enco-
mium :
la nervous strains Dunbar's bold music flows,
And Time still spares the Thistle and the Rose.
" It was occasioned by the nuptials of James IV.,
King of Scots, and Margaret Tudor, the eldest daugh-
ter of Henry VII., King of England : an event on which
the fate of the two nations has turned throughout every
succeeding age; to it we owe the union of the crowns,
the union of the kingdoms, and the Protestant succes-
sion."— Hailes.
In the supplementary chapter to Dr Henry's History
of Great Britain, on the state of the Arts and Literature
at that period, Mr Malcolm Laing thus mentions this
poem : " Dunbar, an ecclesiastic, at least an expectant
of church preferment, seems to have languished at the
court of James IV., whose marriage with Margaret of
England he has celebrated in the ' Thistle and the
Rose,' a happy allegory, by which the vulgar topics of
an epithalamium are judiciously avoided, and exhorta-
tion and eulogy delicately insinuated. The versifica-
tion of the poem is harmonious, the stanza artificial
and pleasing, the language copious and selected, the
narrative diversified, rising often to dramatic energy.
The poem from its subject is descriptive; but Dunbar
improves the most luxuriant descriptions by an inter-
mixture of imagery, sentiment, and moral observation.'
Hist. vol. vi. p. 604, edit. 1 793.
NOTES.
•213
Warton, with bis usual felicity, has given au analysis
of this poem, and quotes the opening stanzas, which,
he says, " are remarkable for their descriptive and pic-
turesque beauties"— Hist, of Bnglish Poetry, edit.
1824., 8vo,vol. iii. p. 91.
Line 1.] " This verse is to be pronounced thus : —
Quhen Alerclie wes witli vu-ri-and wiucUs past.
The former publisher, not attending to the rules, or
rather to the license, of Scottish prosody, changed the
expression into,
Quhen Merche with variaud winds was orer-past.
" This may be a better line than what Dunbar could
make ; but it is the business of a publisher to set forth
other men's works, not his own." — Hailes.
Line 2. Appryle.] " This word is to be pronounced
as a trisyllable. The Scots still pronounce April thus,
Aperil; Lat. Ape^-ilis. Possibly Dunbar wrote Aprilis,
as in the very first line of his master, Chaucer." —
Hailes.
Line 4. Lusty May,] " Desirable May. Lusty through
these poems is an epithet frequently used in this sense ;
also, in our language, it expresses youthful, blooming,
large, jolly." — Allan Ramsay.
Line 4. Thair houris.] From Horce, in the Missal
of the Roman Church. " Hours, lieiires, means their
matins or morning-orisons. Chaucer has made a full
choir of birds, p. 570. Urie's edition.
214 NOTES.
On May-day, when the larke began to ryse,
To Matins went the lustie nightingale, &c.
In the Evergreen, Dunbar's verse is turned thus : ' Be-
gin bi/ timous hours ;' which is both prosaic, and wide
of the sense of the poet." — Hailes.
Line 12. Fro the splene.] " PVom the splene, or, as
we would now say, from the heart, assiduously, ardent-
ly. It appears to have been a fashionable phrase in the
sixteenth century, but is now forgotten." — Hailes.
Line 37. Upryse, and do thy observance] " Perform
thy duty or respects. Here 'tis proper we take notice
of the cadency of such words ; many, in that age, being
pronounced long that now are expressed short. But
our union with France, and French auxiliaries so often
in Scotland at that time, can easily account for that
manner of pronunciation." — Ramsay.
In this passage, Dunbar has evidently imitated some
lines in Chaucer's Knight's Tale, in the description of
Emelie,
Ere it was day, as slie was wont to do,
She was arisen, aud all redy dlght ;
For May wol haue no slogardie a night
And sayth. Arise, and do thin observance.
Line 46.] The words inserted within brackets, are
supplied instead of 'full hastily,' repeated in the MS.
from the former line.
Line 49. Doing of dew doun fleit ;] " i. e. quickly
dropping dew." — Hailes.
Line 37. And as the blissfull sone of cherarchy.] " In-
stead o^ cherai-chy, the Evergreen has, * drave up tho
sky.' ' The blissfull sone of cherarchy,' means the
NOTES. 215
thanksgiving of the angels, in allusion to Job, xxxviii.
the holy shout of the host angelical." — Hailes.
Line 60.] This song of the birds saluting May, will
suggest to the reader the words of Chaucer when Pala-
mon and Arcite see Emelie, from their prison-window,
walking in the garden —
And loud he sung, again the Sonne shene,
O May, with all thy flouris and thy grene.
Right welcume be then faire fresche May :
also the similar description, and the song of the " little
sweet nightingale," in the King's Quair, by James I.,
when confined in the Tower of Windsor Castle, on
beholding Lady Jane walking in the palace-garden.
Line 67. No schouris.] " The word ' schouris ' must
be pronounced as a trisyllable, Scho-u-ris. In the
Evergreen there is substituted,
* That nowther blashy shower, nor blasts mair cauld.'
A line adapted to modern prosody, making schouris
from three syllables, and blastis from two, to become
one; adding blashy, a superfluous epithet, and mair, an
unmeaning comparative." — Hailes.
Notwithstanding Lord Hailes' remark, a syllable is
evidently wanting in this line, as schouris never occurs
as a trisyllable, and I have inserted the epithet snell,
sharp or piercing, to supply the defect. Thus, in
Bishop Douglas' Description of Winter, we have ' The
sessoun was sa snell,' and again, ' Sere bitter bubbis (or
blasts) and the schouris snell.^
Line 83. Full craftely conjurit scho the yarrow.] " The
yarrow is achillea, or millefolium, vulgarly sneeswort.
I know no reason for selecting this plant to go on
the message to all flowers, but that its name has been
216 NOTES.
supposed to be derived from arrow, being held a re-
medy for flesh-wounds inflicted by that weapon. The
poet, in apology for personifying sneesicort, has added,
• full craftily conjurit sclio.' A ridiculous enough ex-
ample of the ratio ultima vatum, the ©eg 2 Ano
MHXANHZ."— HaILES.
Line 85.] Dunbar, in this description of the beasts
assembled before the lion, as their king, may have had
in his recollection, the Parliament of Beasts, in Henry-
son's Fable of the Fox and the Lyon. — Hart's edition,
1621, p. 32.
Line 91. And courage leonyne.} " Allan Ramsay ob-
serves, ' this perhaps may be smiled at ; but there is
as much to laugh at in the modern phrase, of one's
looking like himself.' I cannot admit, as a sufiicient
apology for an old phrase, that a newer one equally
absurd is still employed. Indeed, the expression cou-
rage leonyne, used of a lion, has nothing at which ' one
may smile,' unless that one be of the vulgar, who judge
of language without learning, and deride what they do
not understand. The expression means no more, than
' with a heart such as befits a lion.' In old French,
courage means coeur. Thus courage, feminine, would,
from analogy, mean the tender sensibility which befits
the nature of woman."— Hailes.
The phrase, however, is of frequent occurrence.
Chaucer says of Alexander the Great,
Nothing might assuage
His high entente in armes and labour.
So was he ful of leonin corage.
Vunl. Tides, Tyrwh. edit. 1. 14561.
And in Clariodus, a metrical romance, translated from
the French into Scottish verse, about Dunbar's own time,
and first printed at Edinburgh, 1 830, 4to, (p. 78,) we have
NOTES. 21t
Clarlodus, the flour of Mars his knichtis,
Full lustilie into his weidis him dichtis
With kniclitlie cheir and curage leonine.
Line 92.] Here Dunbar describes the lion heraldical-
ly, as represented in the Royal Arms of Scotland; and
the manner of blazoning the arms, as Lord Hailes ob-
serves, " is ingenious and elegant." Allan Ramsay also
speaks of " being ravished with pleasure," on reading
this excellent description of the lyon and the Scots
Arms, and says, "If one were to comment and illustrate
every poetical beauty that strikes our imaginations so
agreeably, and come so frequent, he would swell the
notes too much, and rob the reader of a pleasure which
is his own property."
Mr Ellis, in mentioning the occasion upon which
this poem was written, observes, that it was " an event
which is likely to have produced many invocations to
the Muses, but which probably was hailed by very few
panegyrics so delicate and ingenious as this of Dunbar.
In the age of allegory and romance, when a knowledge
of heraldry was a necessary accomplishment, it was na-
tural enough to compliment the royal bridegroom under
the character of a Lion, (part of the arms of Scotland,)
or under that of the Thistle; and to describe the bride as
the Rose, pi'oceeding from the joint stems of York and
Lancaster : but it required considerable ingenuity to
call into action these heraldic personages In this
singular but ingenious allegory, Dunbar has interwoven
a number of rich and glowing descriptions, much ex-
cellent advice, and many delicate compliments, without
any fulsome adulation." — Specimens of the English
Poets, vol, i. p. 383.
218 NOTES.
Sir D. Lyndsay, in bis " Deploration of the Death of
Quene Magdalene," in 1337, employs the same figure in
alluding to the alliance of James V. with the eldest
daughter of Francis I. as being
The lieviiily flour of France
Quhilk impit was into the Thissill kene,
Quharein all Scotland saw thair haill plesancc,
And maid the Lyon rejoysit from the splene.
Line 119. Quhois noble yre is proteirprostratis.] "This
obscure expression was not understood by Allan Ram-
say. In place of it he has, happily enough, substi-
tuted * his greitnes mitigates.' There is, probably,
some error in the MS. From the word prostratis being
used, a very intelligent gentleman concludes, that the
passage, however corrupted, has an allusion to the
manly sentiment of Virgil, parcere suhjectis : thus ex-
pressed in the motto of an illustrious family, • Est no-
bilis ira leonisJ' " — Hailes.
The Manuscript has proteir or proceir prostratis, but
parcere has been introduced into the text, as having at
least an intelligible meaning. Some minuter corrections
adopted in this poem are: line 24, lork— lark; 1. 39,
Ross — Rois ; 1. 41 and 154, our — ourej 1. 69, goddas
— goddes; 1. 104, thi— thy; 1. 115, la— le; 1. 131 and
144, concedring — considering.
Line 129.] Pinkerton has remarked, (Hist. ii. 36,)
that the first authentic appearance of the Thistle, as
a Scotish badge, is in this poem, and in the account
of Margaret's reception and wedding, (August 1503,)
where it is called a chardon. " Under was a licorne
and a greyhound, that held a difference of one chardon
NOTES. 219
ttorysched, and a red rose interlassed." — Leland's
Collect, vol. iv. p. 290.
The Thistle, the national badge of Scotland, is cele-
brated in an episode by Hamilton of Bangour, in his
unfinished poem, " The Flowers :"
The Thistle, happier far.
Exalted into nobler fame, shall rise
Triumphant o'er each flower ; to Scotia's bards
Subject of lasting song, their Monarch's choice.
Poems, p. 105, edit. 1760.
Line 131 — 140.] " This is an ingenious exhortation
to conjugal fidelity, drawn from the high birth, beauty,
and virtues of the Princess Margaret." — Hailes.
Line 142 and following lines contain allusions to the
Union of the Houses of York and Lancaster, in the
persons of Henry VIL and his Queen. Their daughter
Margaret, at the time when this poem was written, was
only fourteen years of age, and it is highly probable that
the Poet, (as mentioned in the Memoir,) who had re-
cently been in England, was able, from his own obser-
vation, to celebrate the personal attractions of the
youthful bride.
Line 150. Aboifthe lilly, illustrare oflynnage.] " Of
more noble lineage than the lilly. He prefers Tudor
to Valois ; for there can be no doubt that the lily means
France." — Hailes.
Line 172. Of michty cullours twane.] "The white
of York, and the red of Lancaster. The medal of James
L is well known : ' Rosas Henricus, regna Jacobus ;'
(Evelyn of Medals, p. 102.) May there never be occa-
sion to add, ' At qtiis concordet animos ? ' " — Hailes.
'220 NOTES.
Line 188. And thus IwreL] Allan Ramsay, instead
of the two concluding lines of this poenn, substituted
the following :
Ciillt to my aiuse, and for my subjeck chose,
To sing the Ryal Tliistle and the Rose.
It is singular that a person of so much judgment and
good taste as Lord Hailes, (forgetting his own remark
on Ramsay's trivial alteration in the first line of this
very same poem, see p. 2 13,) should have retained
these lines in preference to the Author's. " The con-
clusion of this stanza (he says) is taken from Allan Ram-
say, who caught the spirit of Dunbar, which Dunbar
himself seems to have let escape, by his bald and pro-
saic conclusion : —
And thus I wret as ye liaif hard to forrow,
Of lusty IMay upone the nynt morrow.
A conclusion (he adds) worse, if worse may be, than
the lines of Ben Jonson to Sir Kenelm Digby :
Witness thy victory gained at Scanderoon,
Upon thy birth-day the eleventh of June." — Hailes.
Even had Dunbar's lines conveyed no information as
to the time when the poem was written, their inferiority
to Ramsay's would not be admitted. To say nothing of
the ungrammatical expression, ' Callt to my Muse,'
instead of, called upon, it is rather out of place, at its
conclusion, to announce the subject of the poem, unless
all that preceded such an intimation had been only a
prologue of something to follow.
Neither was it unusual among the elder poets to spe-
cify the day of the month on which their compositions
NOTES. 221
were written. Thus Chaucer, in his House of Fame,
assigns the " tenth of December " as the date of his
dream ; and Douglas, in his description of May, in the
prologue to the twelfth book of his translation of Vir-
gil's iEneis, says,
And with this, in chawmer quhair I lay,
The nynt morow of fresche temperit May,
On fut I sprent P. 403, 1. 52.
THE GOLDYN TARGE.— Page 11.
This poem is mentioned in the Complaynt of Scot-
land, 1549, in the enumeration of popular songs and
stories ; and was printed at Edinburgh, no doubt under
the Author's own eye, by Walter Chepman and Andro
Myllar, in the year 1508, six leaves 4rto, with the fol-
lowing title, ♦ ' l^cve begBiings ane litil tvetic intitttlit tl)c
goltrgn tavgc compilit be ifKlaister 51j5aili}am tiunbav." It
is also preserved in the Manuscript Collections of
George Bannatyne and Sir Richard Maitland, and has
been frequently reprinted since the days of Allan Ram-
say, the text of Bannatyne's Manuscript being usually
adopted. The present text has been taken from the
old printed copy, with some corrections on the autho-
rity of the Manuscripts, but none of such importance
as to require to be specified.
"The finding of this poem among the old manu-
scripts, gives a great pleasure, it being particularly
quoted by Sir David Lindsay in his Prologue to the
Complaint of the Papingo, where he mentions many of
the old poets." — Ramsay.
"This poem was much admired in the days of its
2'22 NOTES.
author. By it Sir David Lindesay seems to estimatr
the poetical merit of Dunbar :
Who language had at lerge,
As may be sene intil his Goldin Terge,
It is rich in description and in allegory ; but it will not
aiford much entertainment to those who, in obsolete
poems, seek for the manners of a remote age. The
scene might have been laid, with as much propriety, in
Italy as in Scotland, and with more propriety during
Paganism, than in the 16th century." — Hailes.
" The design of Dunbar's Golden Terge, is to show
the gradual and imperceptible influence of love, when
too far indulged, over reason. The discerning reader
will observe, that the cast of this poem is tinctured with
the morality and imagery of ihe Romaunt of the Rose,
and the Flowre and Leafe, of Chaucer." — Warton.
" The Golden Terge is another allegorical poem of
Dunbar's, constructed in a stanza similar to Spenser's,
but more artificial, and far more difficult. In descrip-
tion perhaps it excels, in sentiment it scarcely equals,
the Thistle and Rose. Its narrative is not interchanged
with dialogue; its allegory refers to the passions, the
dominion of beauty, the subjection of reason, and is less
fortunate than the Thistle and Rose, whose occult and
secondary signification is an historical truth that sub-
sists apart, and however embellished, cannot be obscu-
red by the ostensible emblem. When the passions or
the mental powers are personified and involved in ac-
tion, we pursue the tale, forgetful of their abstraction,
to which it is relative ; but to remedy this, the Golden
Terge has a merit in its brevity which few allegorical
poems possess. The allegorical genius of our ancient
NcrrES. 223
poetry discovers often a sublime invention ; but it has
intercepted what is now more valuable, the represen-
tation of genuine character and of the manners peculiar
to ancient life. These manners Dunbar has sometimes
delineated with humour, in poems lately retrieved from
oblivion; and from them he appears in the new light
of a skilful satirist, and an attentive observer of human
nature." — Da Henry, History, vol. vi. p. 605.
" William Dunbar, the most eminent of the Scottish
Poets, deals much in Dr ernes. And it was to his
Golden Terge that Lyndsay was obviously indebted,
not only for the conceit of his Dreme, [composed in
1528,] but also for the plan, and some of the machi-
nery."— Chalmers' edit, of Lyndsay, vol. i. p. 185.
" Than the Thistle and the Rose, and the Golden
Terge of the Scottish bard, (says Dr Drake,) there can-
not be two poems of similar length which exhibit greater
warmth and luxuriancy of description, or greater skill
in the invention and arrangement of the allegorical
imagery. They certainly rival in opulence and strength
of colouring the most highly finished allegorical pic-
tures of his great master Chaucer, for such he ever
acknowledged him to be."
Line 1, &c.] In analysing this poem, Warton says,
" The Poet walks forth at the dawn of a bright day.
The effects of the rising sun on a vernal landscape,
with its accompaniments, are delineated in the man-
ner of Lydgate, yet with more strength, distinctness,
and exuberance of ornament." — Hist, of English Poetry,
vol. iii. p. 97.
Line 21. Venus chapel cinrhis.] Sir David Lyndsay,
^24 NOTES.
in his Teatament of Squyer Meldrum, applies tiiis
phrase literally to priests : —
Quharefor gar warne al N'cnus chapel clarkis,
Quliilk hes bene most exercit in liir warkis.
But Montgomery, in the Cherrie and the Slae, like our
author, applies it to birds : —
Quhill Cupid walkinnis with the cryis
Of Nature's chappell clarkis.
Line 23. War powderit.] " Besprinkled. An heraldic
terra. See Observations on the Fairy Queen, ii. p. 158,
seq." — Warton.
Line 28. Down throu the ryce ] " Through the
bushes, the trees. Rice, or ris, is properly a long
branch. This word is still used in the west of Eng-
land." To this explanation, Warton adds quotations
from Chaucer, Alexander Scott, and Lydgate.
Line 31. With tioynkling glemis.] " The water blazed
like a lamp, and threw about it shadowy gleams of
twinkling light." — Warton.
Line 44. The roche, &c.] " The rock, glittering with
the reflection of the river, illuminated as with fire all
the bright leaves. Low is a flame." — Warton.
Line 45. Levis schene.] " St. i. seq. Compare Chau-
cer's Morning, in the Knight's Tale, v. 1493," &c.—
Warton.
Line 52. Merse of (/old.] " In our old poetry and the
romances, we frequently read of ships superbly deco-
rated. This was taken from real life. Froissart, speak-
ing of the French fleet in 1387, prepared for the inva-
sion of England under the reign of Richard the Second,
NOTES. 225
says, that the ships were painted with the arms of the
commanders and gilt, with banners, pennons, and stand-
ards of silk ; and that the masts were painted from top
to bottom, glittering with gold. The ship of Lord Guy
of Tremoyll was so sumptuously garnished, that the
painting and colours cost 2000 French franks, more
than 222 pounds of English currency at that time. See
Grafton's Chron. p. 364. At his second expedition into
France, in 1417, King Henry the Fifth was in a ship,
whose sails were of purple silk, most richly embroider-
ed with gold. Speed's Chron. B. ix. p. 636, ed. 1611.
Many other instances might be brought from antient
miniatures and illuminations." — Warton.
Line 75. Latona.] In the MSS., as well as in Chep-
man's edition, the name " Appollo" occurs, which cer-
tainly is an oversight, as appears from line 80. In line
78, Pallas and Minerva are introduced as two distinct
persons.
Lines 82 — 90.] This fine description of May has been
imitated by Gawin Douglas, in his celebrated prologue
to the 12th book of Virgil.
Line 151.] Read Schelde of Gold.
Line 199. Grundyn dartis.] Thus Douglas, in his
poem King Hart :
The grundin dartis, suharp and bricht to see,
Wald mak ane hart of f.int to fald and fle
For terrour.
Line 209. A woful prisonnere.] See the next poem.
Line 253.] " Our Author (says the Historian of
English Poetry) then breaks out into a laboured
encomium on Chaucer, Gower, and Lydgate. This
VOL. II. p
^-IG NOTES.
I chuse to recite at large, as it shews the peculiar
distinction antiently paid to those fathers of verse ;
and the high ideas which now prevailed, even in Scot-
land, of the improvements introduced by their wri-
tings into the Biitish poetry, language, and literature."
After quoting the passage, he adds, " This panegyric,
and the poem, is closed with an apology, couched in
elegant metaphors, for his own comparative humility of
style." — Warton.
Line 259. Was thou nocht of our Inglisch all the lycht.]
" Dunbar was a native of Salton in East Lothian, and
consequently looked upon himself as an Anglo-Saxon
by birth. From other passages of his poems, it appears
that he was too apt to despise those who were born
without the English pale. Such confined ideas must
be attributed to the ignorant and illiberal age in which
it was his misfortune to live. Every one must admit
the justice of his panegyric on Chaucer, who was in-
deed a prodigy." — Hailes.
From a note on the " Flyting," lines 367-370, it will
appear that Lord Hailes inadvertently adopted the no-
tion of Salton being the birth-place of Dunbar.
BEWTY AND THE PRESONEIR.— Page 22.
In Reidpeth's MS. the first two stanzas only of the
poem have been transcribed, but there is added as a
colophon — "Et qua^ sequitur. — Quod Dunbar." The
entire poem, however, as an anonymous composition,
is preserved in Rannatyne's MS., from which it is now
first printed. It was probably much admired at tlie
NOTES. 1227
time ; at least, in the " Complaynt of Scotland," 1.549,
ia the enumeration of the " sweit songs" then popular,
one is quoted as " Lady help your presoneir," which
may have been the same. There is also in the first part
of " King Hart," by Bishop Douglas, an occasional
resemblance in the allegory, and the mode in which
Dame Pleasaunce and her ladies assail King Hart's
castle, and take him and his servants prisoners. See
the poem in Pinkerton's "Ancient Scotish Poems,"
Lond., ] 7SG, vol. i. p. 3.
It may also be noticed that there is a poem attributed
to Lord Vaux, entitled " Thassault of Cupide upon the
Fort where the Lover's hart lay wounded, and how he
was taken." It was first printed among the " Poems
of Uncertain Authors," subjoined to Tottel's edition, in
1557, of Surrey and Wyatt's Poems; and has been re-
printed in Percy's Reliques, vol. ii. p. 46, edit. 1794, and
in Chalmers' English Poets, vol. ii. p. 412.
But such allegorical poems as the present would be
bestillustratedby a reference to the pageants or masques
of the period, as Dunbar may here have done little more
than delineated one which he may have witnessed while
in England, without having recourse to the fertility of
his own invention. One of these pageants is descri-
bed by Halle, as "Le Fortresse Dangerus," exhibited
at the Court of Henry VIIL on New Year's Night, 1512,
and it may have been represented at a still earlier period.
The same Chronicler has preserved a more minute
account of a similar pageant on occasion of a banquet
given by the Cardinal Wolsey, on Shrove Tuesday,
March 1522, when the Ambassadors from the Emperor
Charles V, arrived in England. Halle's description is
228 NOTES.
here quoted, both as exhibiting a curious picture of the
English court, and of Henry VIII., in his days of gallan-
try, and as illustrative of Dunbar's poem.
"ThetliirdedaieofMarche (says Halle) theCardinall
made to the Kyng and the Ambassadors a greate and a
costly banket, and after that a Plaie and a Maske :
thair garmentcs were russet sattin and yclowe, all the
one side was yelowe, face and legge, and all the other
side was russet.
" On Shroue Tewesdaie, at night, the said Cardinall
to the Kyng and Ambassadors made another supper, and
after supper thei came into a great chamber hanged
with arras, and there was a clothe of estate and many
braunches, and on every braunche xxxii torchettes of
waxe; and in the nether-ende of the same chamber was a
Castle, in wliiche was a priacipall Tower, in whiche was
a cresset burning ; and two other lesse Towers stode on
euery side, warded and embattailed ; and on euery Tower
was a banner; one banner was of iii rent hartes, the other
was a ladies hand gripyng a mannesharte; the third ban-
ner was a ladyes hand turnyng a mannes hart. This
Castle was kept with Ladies of straunge names; the
first Beautie, the second Honor, tlie third Perseve-
raunce, the fourth Kyndnes, the fifth Constance, the
sixte Bountie, the seuenthe Mercie, and the eight Pitie.
These eight Ladies had Millian gounes of white sattin,
euery ladie had her name embraudered with golde on
their heddes calles and Millein bonettes of gold with
jwelles. Vnder nethe the basse fortresse of the Castle
were other eight Ladies, whose names were Dangler,
Disdain, Gelousie, Uukyndnes, Scorne, Malebouclie,
Straungenes ; these Ladies were tired like to Women
KOTES. 229
of Inde. Than entered eight Lordes in clothe of golde,
cappes and all, and great mantell clokes of blewe sat-
tin ; these Lords were named Amorus, Noblenes,
Youth, Attendaunce, Loyaltie, Pleasure, Gentlenes,
and Libertie : the Kyng was chief of tliis compaignie.
This compaignie was led by one all in crimosin sattin
with burnyng flames of gold, called Ardent Desire,
whiche so moved the Ladies to geve over the Castle,
but Scorne and Disdain saied thay would holde the
place; than Desire saied the Ladies should be wonne,
and came and encoraged the Knightes ; than the Lordes
ranne to the Castle (at which tyme without was shot a
gret peale of gunnes), and the Ladies defended the
Castle with rose water and comfittes, and the Lordes
threwe in dates and orenges and other fruites made
for pleasure; but at the last the place was wonne; but
lady Scorne and her compaignie stubbernely defend-
ed tham with boo ws and balles, till they were driven out
of the place and fled. Then the Lordes toke the Ladies
of honor as prisoners by the handes, and brought them
doune and daunced together verie pleasauntly, which
much pleased the straungers ; and when thei had daunced
their fill, than all these disvisered themselfes and were
knowen : and than was there a costly banket. And when
all was done, the straungiers tooke their leaue of the
Kyng and the Cardinall, and so departed into Flaunders,
gevyng to the Kyng much commendacion." — Halle's
Chron., vol. ii., fol. 92, edit. 1549, folio.
Holiushed describes at great length the " excellent
triumph," or turnay of the " Fortresse of Beauty," in
which the Earl of Arundel, Lord Windsor, Sir Philip
Sidney, and Fulke Greville, were the chief actors, at
Westminster, April 1581, in the presence of Queen
230 NOTES.
Elizabeth ; in compliment to whom " these courtlie
triumpbes were set foorth with most costlie brauerie
and gallantnesse." — Chron. edit. 1587, p. 1316 — 13-21.
Line 22. Quoth Strangeness unto the porteir.] In
line 18, Strangeness is called the Porter.
Line 82. I'his he wes banist.] Evidently a blunder
for " Bissines wes banist : " See lines 59 to 63. — There
are other mistakes in the MS. copy of this poem which I
am unable to rectify.
Line 101. Than was he and his linege lost.] Nearly
the same words occur in King Hart :
And out they blew with long and mekle host.
That Lady and hir lynnage suld be lost.
Line 104.] Reference having been made to Douglas'
poem, it may be added in explanation, that King Hart
is at length released by Pity, and having in his turn suc-
cessfully assailed Pleasaunce and her companions, he
is married to that lady; and thus concludes the first part
of his allegorical representation of human life. But
this author has, in that poem, carried his personifica-
tions to a very preposterous length, having introduced
such personages as Dim-Sight, Honour of War, Waste-
Good, and Night- Walk; and Innocence and Benevo-
lence are strangely enough converted into horses, on
which Youth-hede and Delyte ride.
TO A LADYE.— Page 27.
This address to a Lady, preserved in Sir R. Mait-
land's collection, was first printed by Pinkerton among
his "Ancient Scotish Poems," 1786. An anonymous
NOTES. 231
poem, in a similar tliough less beautiful strain, will bo
found in this volume, at page 199.
" This is a pretty poem, though it turns on a pun,
the herb rew and rue ox pity. The herb rue was, how-
ever, also an emblem of pity, and perhaps no pun is
meant." — Pinkerton. The same critic has a learned
note on the last stanza, regarding " the cruelty" of the
month of March in this climate, which I need not quote.
" This little poem," says Dr Irving, " presents Dun-
bar in the character of a lover ; a character which he
has hardly assumed on any other occasion. The lady
to whom these stanzas are addressed may be Maestris
Musgi'aeffe; whom he elsewhere complimented in flat-
tering terms." In like manner, a later writer says,
" Among Dunbar's minor pieces, there is a very pleasing
one addressed * To a Ladye,' which, if we may venture
to appropriate it to Mistress Musgraeffe, would complete
her picture in very favourable colours. From the strain
of these lines, it would seem that Dunbar, like Petrarch,
sang an unrequited passion." — Lives of Eminent Scots-
men, art. Dunbar. Such conjectures, however, may be
considered as very idle.
Line 4.] The syllables deficient in this line were
thus supplied by Pinkerton " that [to hevin] is deir."
THE VISITATION OF ST FRANCIS.— Page 28.
This poem,which is preserved in the several MSS.
of Bannatyne, Maitland, and Reidpeth, is of more than
ordinary interest, on account of its referring to various
incidents in the personal history of the Poet, and con-
232 NOTES.
veying, as it does, nearly all the intuimation we possess
regarding the earlier period of his life. There is uo
circumstance mentioned that might enable us to fix the
date of its composition, but as he refers to what had
happened full many a year before, it may be assigned to
the later period of the reign of James IV. when the
author was looking for preferment in the church. — In
Bannatyue's MS. the poem is entitled " How Dunbar
was desyred to be ane Frier," under which title it has
been hitherto printed.
The mendicant order of Franciscans or Grey Friars,
was established in Scotland early in the 13th century,
and had several convents in diflferent parts of the coun-
try. Whether Dunbar, in the earlier part of his life,
belonged to the Conventuals, or to the Observatines,
who professed a stricter adherence to the rule of their
patron Saint, is uncertain. The latter had a convent at
Edinburgh, where theology and philosophy were con-
stantly taught at this period, and it is not improbable but
that part of our author's time may have been thus spent
during his noviciate. This satirical poem does not seem
to have involved him in enmity with that religious
order, such as Buchanan experienced at their hands in
1537, for composing his Somnium a poem, which is the
more deserving of our notice in being a close and happy
imitation of that by Dunbar. This persecution was
the more remarkable, (see Irving's Life of Buchanan,
edit. 1817, p. 15,) not only as Buchanan at the time en-
joyed the protection of James V., by whom he bad
been appointed preceptor to one of his sons, but as it
was at the King's instigation that he composed his
Franciscanus, and other satirical pieces, against that
NOTES. 233
powerful Older, who prevailed both in depriving him of
that appointment, and in forcing him into exile. His ov^n
words, in 1564, are : — " Itaque totis suee impotentise
viribus, in me incumbunt, et animo gladiatorio injuriam
(ut ipsis videbatur) tam insignem ultum eunt : . . . . lUi
vero, qui meo supplicio cuperentaliorum ora abstruere,
et securitati sua? in longinquum prospicere, non destite-
runt, et per se maledicis concionibus, et per suse fac-
tionis amicos in Aula, primum a filio Regis instituendo
me abstrahere, deinde in exilium ejicere, exulem totis
potentiffi viribus per Angliam, Franciam, Hispaniam,
et Liguriam persequi."
Buchanan's Sornnium is so easily accessible in the
various editions of his poems, that it would be super-
fluous to quote it entire in this place.
Lines 21 — 25.] Dr Irving, in his Lives of the Scot-
ish Poets, in pointing out Buchanan's Sornnium as an
undoubted imitation of the present poem, says, " The
two poems are modeled according to the same plan ;
and the finest epigrammatic turn [quoting these and the
corresponding lines as follows] in that of Buchanan is
borrowed from his predecessor."
Mentior, aut peragra saxo fundata vetusto
Delubra, et titulos per simulacra lege :
Multus honoratis fulgebit Episcopus aris
Rara cucullato sternitur axa gregi.
Atque inter JMonaclios erit hsec rarissima vestis :
Induat Lane, si quis gaudeat esse miser.
Quod si tanta mess tangit te cura salutis,
Vis milii, vis anima; consuluisse meae ?
Quilibet hac alius mendicet vesta superbus :
At mihi da mi tram, purpureamque togam.
234 NOTES.
Line 37. Preickit.] " Sir David Lyndsay in his
Papingo, written in 1 530, says,
War iiocht the preching of the hegging freris
Tint war tlie faith aniang the seculaiis.
The Preaching Friars had been instituted in the thir-
teenth century, with the intention of restoring that duty,
often neglected by tlie superior clergy, and of opposing
the popular preaching of the Lollards." — Sibbald,
Chronicle of Scottish Poetry, vol. i. p. 240.
DUNBAR'S DREAM.— Page 31.
The author, in this poem, introduces a " goodly com-
pany" of allegorical personages, singing and dancing,
led by Nobleness, who, seeing the Poet oppressed with
Languor and her sister Heaviness, comfort him with
the assurance that the King would not, for the rent or
value of a bishopric, allow him for half a year to go
unrewarded. From line 55, it appears to have been
composed as a New- Year's Address to James the
Fourth, probably at a late period of his reign. It is
preserved only in Reidpeth's MS., and is here for the
first time printed.
Line 3. Was all depat/nt.] Various passages might
be quoted from the older poets to show, that before
the use of tapestry was introduced, it was customary
to paint the walls of rooms, as well as of churches,
with historical and other designs. Thus Chaucer, in
the Romaunt of the Rose —
And soothe to sayn my chambjr was
Full well (lepainted.
NOTES. 235
and, ia the Knightes Tale, the Temple of Diana was
Dcpented by the walles up and doun
Of hunting, and of shamefast chastetee.
Line 30.] Insert a comma after My sisters. In line
107, Prince should have been printed with a capital
letter. And, in line 1 15, for ainon read anon.
Line 90. Yo7ie Ballet- Maker.] As this is not the only
place where Dunbar styles himself by so lowly a desig-
nation, it maybe observed that the term "Ballad" was
not applied to any one particular species of composition.
Short poems in general were usually so styled ; and
the Poet here refers to his complaints and petitions to
the King, as offered "humblie in to Ballat wyse." It was
also applied to Songs. In the Treasurer's Accounts,
1491-2, three unicorns, or L.2, 14s., were paid " On
Monunda the ij" Januar to Sir Thomas Galbrecht, Jok
Goldsmyth and Crafurd, for the singyn of a Ballat to the
King, in the mornyng."
THE BIRTH OF ANTICHRIST. Page 36.
This poem, which is contained in the MSS. of Ban-
natyne, Maitland, and Reidpeth, was printed by Lord
Hailes under the title of a " Dream." The allusions it
contains to the Abbot of Tungland will be amply illus-
trated in the notes to the poem that immediately fol-
lows, as it refers more directly to the life and adven-
tures of this noted character. The present poem was
probably written about lo07, and it shows with what
facility and happiness Dunbar could seize upon such an
unusual occurrence as the Abbot's attempt to fly in the
23G NOTES.
air, in order to bear on his own personal views and ex-
pectations.
Line 32. — Mahonn.] " According to Mattli. Paris,
p. 289, ad an. 123G, 3Iaho is the same with Mahomet.
Du Cange, voc. Mahum, has quoted various passages
from the old French poets, which he thinks proves this.
A more direct proof is to be found in the fragment of
the Fairy tale, [in Bannatyne's MS.,] where the follow-
ing lines occur : —
The Carling now for dispyte,
Is mareit with Mahomyte,
Sensyne the cokkis of Crawinound crew uevir a day,
For dale of that devillisch deme wes Avith Mahoun mareit, &c.
Here Mahoun and Mahomet are evidently synonymous.
It would seem that the Franks hearing the Saracens
swear by their prophet, imagined him to be some evil
spirit which they worshipped : Hence all over the west-
ern world Mahoun came to be an appellation of the
devil." — Haii.es.
The fragment here quoted has been printed under the
title of " The Gyre-Carling," by Sir Walter Scott, in the
Border Minstrelsy, and by the present Editor in " Se-
lect Pieces of the Ancient Popular Poetry of Scotland."
Edin. 1822. 4to.
Line 44. Flc v:ald ane Ahhot.'] From the notes to
the subsequent poem, it will appear that the person
here alluded to was made Abbot in 1j04, three years
previously to his attempt to fly from the battlements of
Stirling Castle.
Line 112. And schot ane gun.'] Thus, in the Goldyn
Terge, line 238, " Thay fyrit gunnis with powder vio-
lent." James IV., as we learn from the Treasurer's
NOTES. 237
accounts, amused himself with shouting. Oq February
1, 1508, L.14, by the King's command, was paid for a
gun, to James Bertoun. Three days later, is this entry,
" Item to the King, quhilk he tynt on schuting with the
culveryn in the liail of lialyrud house, with Hannis [the
gunnar], 28s." The next day, " Item to the King, quhilk
he tynt on schuting with the culveryn, in Sir George
Newton's yard, 7 french crownis, summa L.4, 18s."
Many similar entries might be quoted.
THE FREIR OF TUNGLAND. Page 39.
This ballad is preserved in the MS. collections of
Asloane and Banuatyne, but in the first it is imperfect,
ending with line 69. The defect in this portion of As-
loane's volume is much to be lamented, as several other
of Dunbar's poems were no doubt contained in the
leaves that are lost.
The singularity of this ballad, it is hoped, will serve
to excuse the prolixity of the illustrations; and in
giving some account of the Abbot of Tungland, whose
name appears to have been John Damian, I am indebted
for nearly the whole of the information to the very
copious notes furnished me by my friend James Chal-
MRRs, Esq.
The first occasion when the Abbot makes his appear-
ance in this country, is the year 1501. Previous to his
appointmentas Abbot, in 1504, he is in the Treasurer's
accounts variously styled " The French Leich," "Mais-
ter John the French Leich," " Maister John the French
Medicinar," and" French Maister John." This desig-
238 NOTES.
nation evidently implies his profession, and as he re-
ceived " leveray," along with other persons at court in
1501-2, lie no doubt had an appointment in the King's
household, as a physician. About the same time there
is mention made of " the Leich with the curland hair,"
or " with yellow hair ;" and of a "John Francis," but
these undoubtedly were different persons. Bishop
Lesley says, that he was an Italian ; and from Dunbar's
poem we further learn that he was a native of Lom-
bardy, and had practised Surgery and other arts in
France, before his arrival in this country. Being a
person of pleasing address and great ingenuity, he
easily succeeded in ingratiating himself with the King.
It was from him that .James imbibed a strong passion
for alchymy, having about this time established at Stir-
ling a furnace for prosecuting such experiments ; and
the King continued during the rest of his reign to
expend considerable sums of money in attempts to make
" Quinta Essentia," which should convert other metals
into pure gold. For " Maister John," according to
Bishop Lesley, "causet the King believe that he, he
multtptyinge, and utheris his inventions, wold make
fine golde of uther mettall, quhilk science he callit the
Quintassence, whereupon the King made great cost;
but all in vain." But the Scotish Monarch was not sin-
gular in being thus deluded (to use the words of the
English Dramatist) —
For hidden treasure
He hopes to find ; and has proposed himself
So infinite a mass, as to recover.
He cares not what he parts with, of the present,
To liis men of art.
Bfn Jonsok, by Gifford, vol. v. p. 28.
NOTES. 239
Thus, in the Privy purse expenses of Henry VII.,
June 6, 1499, there was paid " to a multiplier in the
Tower of London, L.33, 6s. 8d." The following entry in
the Treasurer's Accounts is one of the earliest notices
of the Abbot that occurs : 1501-2, " Item the thrid day
of Merch, send to Striuelin iiij hary nobles in ... .
to the Leich to multlplij, summa L.9." The day follow-
ing— " Item to the King and the French Leich to play
at the cartis, L.9, js." On the Sgth May, 1502, the
King's Treasurer paid to Robert Bertoun, one of the
King's Mariners, " for certaine droggis brocht home to
him to the French Leich, L.3I, 4s." And the day after,
he gave " to the French Leich, quhen he passit his way,
300 french crownis," or L.210, Scotish money. This
probably refers to a temporary visit to the Continent in
furtherance of his schemes.
In addition to the numerous substantial proofs of the
King's liberality which are noticed in the Treasurer's
Accounts, as bestowed on " the French Leich," Dunbar
no doubt felt mortified when such an adventurer was
elected Abbot of Tungland in Galloway. This was
early in the year 1504, On the Uth March, 1503-4,
the Treasurer paid "to Gareoch Purse vant, 14s. to pass
to Tungland for the Abbacy to French Maister John."
On the 12th of the same month, "by the King's com-
mand," he paid "to Bardus Altovite, Lumbard, L»25
for Maister John the French Mediclner, new maid
Abbot of Tunyland, quhilk he audit [was indebted] to
the said Bardus." And a few days later, on the 17th,
there was given " to Maister John the new maid Abbot
of Tungland, L.7." Three years after, in 1507, July
27, occurs — " Item, lent be the Kingis command to the
240 NOTES.
Abbot of Tuugland, and can nncht be gottin fra him,
L.33, 68. 8d."
The incident which gave rise to Dunbar's poem oc-
curred in September or October 1507. Bishop Lesley,
in his English History, (recently printed by the Banna-
tyne Club,) noticing an embassy sent to France Sep-
tember 27th, that year, say?, that the Abbot of Tung-
land " tuik in hand to flie with wingis, and to be in
Fraunce befoir the saidis Ambassadouris. And to that
effect he causet mak ane pair of wingis of fedderis,
quhilkisbeand fessinit apoun him, he flew of the Castell
wall of Striveling, bot shortlie he fell to the ground and
brak his thee [thigh] bane; bot the wyt thairof he as-
scryvit to that thair was sum hen fedderis in the wingis
quhilk yarnit and covet the mydding and not the skyis.
In this doinge he preissit to conterfute ane King of
Yngland callit Bladud, quha, as thair histories men-
tiones, decked himself in fedderis, and presumed to flie
in tlie aire as he did, bot, falling on the tempell of Apollo,
brak his neck."— ii«.s<. p. 70. Edin. 1830, 4to.
Bishop Lesley, in his Latin History, has amplified the
narrative in some respects, but the passage is too long
for quotation. {De Origine, cSc, Scotorum, p. 345,
Romae, 1578, 4to.) His unsuccessful attempt, according
to the historian, subjected him to the ridicule of the
whole kingdom. Yet he still retained the King's favour,
as the Treasurer's books from October 1507 to August
1508, repeatedly mention him as having played at
dice, cartis, &c., with his Majesty; and on the 8th
September, 1508, " Damiane, Abbot of Tungland," ob-
tained from the King a license to pass out of the
realm, and remain in what place he pleases, at the study.
NOTES. 241
or any other lawful occupation, during the space of five
years, without incurring any hurt, prejudice, or skaith,
anent the Abbay and place of Tungland.— (Register
of Privy Seal, vol. iii. p. 187.) He must have returned
to Scotland previous to the death of James ; as, on the
29th March, 1513, L.20 was paid to " the Abbot of
Tungland to pas to the niyue of Crawfurd-moor." The
King had then artisans at work upon this mine, from
which gold had been obtained.
Line 3. A swevyng swi/th did me assaile.] " A vision
suddenly came upon me." — Hailes.
Line 5. A Turk of Tartari;.] " The Turks were
first known by the name of Tartars, from the country
out of which they issued. There is a curious account
of the Turks in the Chronicle of Melros, much in the
form of a newspaper." — Hailes.
Line 9. Fra baptising for to eschew.} " To avoid
being baptized ; for had he been discovered, he would
have been made a slave, or, by way of alternative, for-
ced to profess Christianity." — Hailes.
Line 12. For he cowth wryte and reid.] " The meaning
is, as he could read and write, he was able to pass for a
friar under the habit which he assumed." — Hailes.
Line 16. With Utill of Lumhard leid.] Lord Hailes
explains this as " either with small knowledge of
the Italian language, or with a little, or a smattering
of Italian literature, or with some knowledge of the
Lombard business of broker."
Line 20. Or he lujne yeid.] " Before he went from
thence." — Hailes.
VOL. II. Q
242 NOTES.
Line 21. Vane-organis he full clenely carvit.'\ Lurd
Hailes says this is a very obscure line : " Vane-organis
seems to mean the veins of the head ; and then the
sense will be, He was dexterous in bleeding at tlie veins
of the head. This is commonly performed by cupping-
glasses, which no doubt would be considered in Scot-
land as a curious operation." But the words simply
intimate that he was very skilful in letting blood from
the veins.
Line 22. Quheu of his strath so many starvit.]
" When so many died by his stroke. The word straik,
or stroke, seems to confirm the notion, that cupping-
glasses are here n)eaut. Starvit is a word still preserved
in English, implying a violent death by hunger. To
starve of cold, is still a Scottish expression, from the word
storven, to die." — Hailes
Line 2!). In potingary he wrocht gret pyne.] " Acting
in the character of apothecary, he did much mischief.
The poet distinguishes the three branches of the heal-
ing art all joined in this empyric, ' pottingry, medecyne,
and leiche-craft.' " — Hailes.
Line U I. The Jow was of a grct cngyne.] " Not this
Jew, but this juggler, or magician. The words to jou-k,
to deceive, and joukcry-pawkry, juggling tricks, are still
in use." — Hailes. Bishop Lesley, in speaking of the
Abbot of Tungland, says, he " wes of curious ingyne."
Lord Hailes, in his Note, also notices the fragment of
the Fairy Tale, quoted at page 236, as containing the
expression, " Scho is the Quene oi Joivis," meaning, she
is the queen of magicians.
Line 34. lie wald haif, ^c] " His fees were so
exorbitant, that one night's attendance cost a horse.
NOTES. 243
the most sumptuous of presents in those days, and
the skin of the patient, still alluding, as it would seem,
to the manner in which the mountebank applied his
cupping-glasses. Hyd may mean hidden treasure, or
hoard; but the other interpretation seems more sim-
ple."— Hailes.
Line 36. So meikle he was of myancc] " Probably
corrupted from moiens. It means expedients for gain."
— Hailes. " Myance, so written for the rhyme, properly
moyens, signifying means, might, power." — MS. Noie,
J. Chalmers.
Line 37. His yrnis was rude as any rawchtir.] " His
chirurgical instruments were like those used in torture.
L^ngrammatical phrases, such as ' yrins was,' are very
frequent in this collection." — Hailes. " Rawchtir
means a beam, or the leg of a couple in the roof of a
house. The word is still in common use in the North."
— MS. Note, J. Chalmers.
Line 40. Gardyvians.] " Literally garde de viande, or
cupboard; buthere it implies bis cabinet," [rather, apor-
table cabinet.] The glossary subjoined to the " Ever-
green" ridiculously enough explains it to be a case of
instruments. " In this stanza and the following, the poet
describes his hero busied in the laboratory. ' This digni-
tary of the church,' says he, 'never chose to go to mass,
although warned by the holy bell, or skellat. [This name
is still given to a sort of rattle which criers use.] His
head with beating at the anvil was spotted or speckled
like a blacksmith's. Although a new-made canon, he
disobeyed the ecclesiastical law, which requires per-
sons of that station to say matins. He neither put on
stole nor fanon, [stola and manipulus, or sudarium, parts
24.1. NOTES.
of the vestments of an officiating priest,] lest they
should have been defiled with the smoke of his labo-
ratory.' " — Hailes.
Line j1. As black-sniyth hruhit was his pellat.
For battiring at the study.]
©k . ^ " His head was blackened or begrimed as a black-
, I isinith. A black-faced sheep is called a bruikit sheep. —
I tvt, V't James IV., who was a firm built, athletic man, was fond
rut*^ V» Is. Vw^'f showing liis powers by strihinr/ at the study, or anvil.
► Cvjdk te^«_ (Tvv "^^^^^ ^^'^ ^^ t'^^ Treasurer's Accounts gratuities paid to
_ ^--r^ blacksmiths, where the King strah at the study. Sir
«/vA«j , 1 La- Anthony Darcie, the French knight, struck at the study
i o»aAa CjuLSjcrvt^ith the King; and the Abbot of Tungland probably
I ,^ , I* rYl^id tl'6 same, which has occasioned Dunbar's ridicule."
1.— iJflS. Note, J. Chalmers.
•svVcrvMj \ ^ Line 38. To mah the quintessance andfailyeit.] " Of
vrw'wa.M^'CMlchymy and its royal bubbles, there is a good account
in a tract by J. F. Buddeus. ' An alchemistai sint in
republica tolerandi;' Ilalce Sazonum, 1712, 12mo
James IV. of Scotland was a professed admirer of
alehymy. In a letter from him to Mr James Inglis,
(Ej)ist. Iter/. Scot. v. i. p. 119,) hesays, 'Animi tui bene-
volentiam gratanter accepimus, qua, datis ad nos Uteris
reconditos alchemiie sanioris philosophice libros apud to
esse significas : quos etsi viri dignissimi abs te peterent,
ad nostros tamen usus difficilius servas, quia nos co
artis studio teneri audieras.^ " — Hailes.
" In the Treasurer's accounts, there are numerous
payments for the ' Quinta Essentia,' including wages
to the persons employed; utensils of various kinds;
coals and wood for the furnaces ; and for a variety
of other matcrialss, hucIi as quicksilver, aijuavitc,
JS'OTES. 245
litharge auii, fiue tin, brint silver, alium, salt and eggs,
saltpeter, salaramouiack, &c. Considerable payments
were also made to several ' Potlngaire, for stuff of
various kinds to the Quinta Essentia.' On the 13th
Oct. 1507, the King's Treasurer paid L.G for a puncheon
of wine to the Abbot of Tungland, to mail Quinta Essen-
tia. The King sometimes got gnhl coins from the
Treasurer to put into the Quinta Essentia.^' — MS. Note,
J. Chalmers.
To these particulars, I shall only add, that Dr Thomas
Morison, in his " Liber novus de Metallorum causis et
Transsubstantiatione," Francof. 1593, 8vo, mentions the
Abbot, but mistakes in supposing him to have been
patronised by James V. In his dedication to James
VI., he says, that in the desire of procuring this trans-
mutation, most of the Princes of Europe " ut gregarios
sileam, naufragium olei et operse fecerunt;" and
adds, " Taceo Avum tuum felicioris memoriae Jacobum
Quintum cum sua creatura Abbate Tunlandia;, qui,
dum in multiplicationis verba assentitur Rex, eum cir-
cumducit ingentibus pecuniis."
Line 60. A federam on he tuke.] " After having in
vain attempted to make the grand elixir, he put on
vf'mgs ; fedrem ox fedderome, is feathering.'" — Hailes.
Line 61. And schupe in Turhy for tofe.] " Shaped
his course, or prepared himself to fly back into the land
of the Turks, which the poet has thought proper to re-
present as the native country of this friar." — Hailes.
It suited the purpose of Dunbar's ridicule to substi-
tute Turkey, but the Abbot's avowed intention was to
flee into France. Bishop Lesley, (iu his Latin History,)
246 NOTES.
as Lord Hailes observes, " could not avoid likening the
Abbot of Tiingland to Simon IMagus : there is, however,
this difference between the stories, that the fanatic Ita-
lian did attempt to fly, whereas tlie adventure of Simon
Magus is a stupid, inconsistent, impossible fable." Dun-
bar also, in the preceding poem, line 30, compares the
Abbot to Symone Magus. The instance of King Blau-
dud (already referred to, p. 240) is gravely related by
all the old l"2nglish chroniclers ; and the curious reader,
for a similar attempt, may consult th«' Tale of Velant
the Smith, contained in the Icelandic " Wilkena-Saara,"
or the excellent abstract of it given in Campbell's New
Monthly Magazine, vol. iv. p. 527. " The Storie of the
Parson of Kalenborwe," a most rare English tract,
printed about the year 1500, also tells, how he engaged
to fly from the steeple of the parish church over the
river Tonowa, on a sultry day, for the purpose of col-
lecting a crowd, to get oft" ' wyne that he had in his seler
that was marred.' — See the extract in Ames' Typogr.
Antiq. by Herbert, vol. iii. p. 1531, note.
Line 69. &c.] " The author has introduced the
names of many diff"erent fowls. Instead of cumbering
the glossary with the explication of a multitude of
words which occur but once, I will explain them here
as well as I am able. Gled, sparhalh, tarsal, stanchel,
bissart, marly en, mittine, are all diff*erent kinds of hawks.
Pi/ot, magpie ; crawis, common crows ; mawis, mew ;
gormaw, cormorant; /m^is, jackdaws ; ^a, geay; egill,
eagle ; hornet-howle, great horned owl ; rukis, rooks ;
St Martin's fowl, the marten or martlet, which is sup-
posed to leave this country about St Martin's day, in
NOTES. 247
the beginning of winter; cuschettis, is ring-doves; but
from the company they are placed in, may be under- ,.
stood of chouettc, common owl." — Hailes. ' ] T '^
Line 79. To the spring him sped,] " Betook himself dO-'ae. e,
hastily to his spring or flight." — Hailes. J^i ta\^rvv4j!^ UAa-rX. l^^e ti
Line 88. Scho held them at a hynt.] Held them with "^^
a catch. But Lord Hailes thus explains it, " Literally
held them by a hold, i. e. held them fast."
Line 97. Skrippit with a shryke.] Skrippit, says
Lord Hailes, signifies to make mouths in sign of derision.
The line may be explained, mocked with a screech.
Line 101. Uncunnandly he cawkit.] " Unknowingly
he bewrayed himself." — Hailes.
Line 103. All hawhit.] " Horned cattle are called
hawkit when they have streaks on their skin, and par-
ticularly on their foreheads." — Hailes.
Line 107. In a myre.} Lesley says, that the Abbot
thus accounted for his misfortune : — " My wings," said
he, " were composed of various feathers ; among them
were the feathers of dunghill fowls, and they, by a cer-
tain sort of sympathy, were attracted towards the dung-
hill ; whereas, had my wings been composed of the
feathers of eagles alone, the same sympathy would have
attracted them into the region of air." — De Origine,
SjC. Scot. p. 34o.
Line 115. The crawis him socht with cryis of cair.]
Chaucer, in his Assemblee of Fowles, to which poem
Dunbar, in his enumeration of birds, may have been in-
debted, uses a similar phrase : " The ravyu and the
crowe with her voice of care." — Godfray's edit. 1532,
fol. 281.
248 NOTES.
THE DEVILL'S INQUEST.— Page 45.
This poem, usually printed under the title of " The
Sweirers and the Devill," is preserved in the MSS. of
Bannatyne, Maitland, and lleidpeth. From the original
list of contents prefixed to Asloane's MS., it is probable
that this poem was contained in the portion of the vo-
lume which is lost, under the title now adopted, " The
Devill's Incjuest." The present text is from Banna-
tyne's MS., except in a few passages which will be spe-
cified; but as that copy differs materially from the other
MSS., it may be necessary to point out the chief varia-
tions, by repeating such parts as difler most widely. The
Ist and 4th stanzas vary almost in every word; and
the 2d, 3d, nth, 12th, 14th, and I6th, as given in the
printed text, are not found in the other copies. On the
other hand, these copies contain four new stanzas, two
of which, the 12th and the last, as afterwards stated,
have been adopted.
Dremand, me thocht that I did hear 1
The commoun people ban and sueir,
Blasfeimand Godis majestic ;
The Divell ay roundand in thair eir,
Renunce your God, and cum to me.
.......
The merchand sweiris mony aith, 16
That never man saw better claith,
Na fynar silk cam ouer the se ;
Go sweir, quod Sathan, be not layth,
To sell my geir I will have the.
NOTES. 249
The t;illzour says, in all this toun, 26
Be thaii- ane bettir shapin gown.
■ ••••••
That better breid did na man se. 38
The Devill said, and on him could nod,
With tliy Ucht levis cum down to me.
The fleschour sweiris, be Godis woimdis, 41
Come nevir sic beiff into their boundis,
Na fattar muttoun cannot be.
Fals, quod tlie feind, and till him roundis,
Renunce your God, and come to me.
With thy fals mett cum unto me. 50
• • ■ • • • *
Syne come, and play a spring to me. 70
The fische wyffis flett, and swore thair meins, 81
And to the feind gave flesch and banis,
Sa did the huckstaris haillilie.
The court man did gryt aithis sueir.
He wald serve Sathan for sevin yeir.
For fair claithis and gold plentie.
The Devill said, thir is sum for geir
Wald renunce God and cum to me^
To ban and sweir nane stuid [in] a,
Man or woman, gryt or sma,
Riche or pure, nor the clairgic.
The Devil said, Then of commoun la
All men sworn folk man cum to me.
250 NOTES.
" The former publislier [Allan Ramsay] has rf touched
this poem in almost every line. Instead of tlie simple
burden in the original, he has inserted many lively re-
partees on the Devil's part. Sometimes he has made
him speak against his own interest, as stanza 12,
* Quoth Nick, thou'll get far less with iiie.'"
Lord Hailes also says, — " It is remarkable that many
of the oaths which fell under the lash of Dunbar's
satire, are actually recited in Act 16, Pari. 5, Queen
Mary, anno 1551." This act narrates, that " notwith-
standing the oft and frequent preachings in detestatioun
of the grevous and abominabill aithis, sweiring, execra-
tiounis, and blasphematioun of the name of God ; sweir-
and in vane be his precious blude, body, passioun, and
woundis; Devill stick, cummer, gor,roist, or ryfethame;
and sic uthers ugsome aithis and execratiounis aganis
the command of God," were so prevalent among per-
sons of all ranks, that it was thought expedient to in-
flict certain penalties on the users of such oaths : In
particular, it is provided, that " ane Prelate of the Kirk,
Erie, or Lord," shall for the first ofi'ence be fined l"2d. ;
" ane Barrone, or beneficit man in dignite ecclesias-
tick," 4d. ; and so decreasing according to rank ; and
" wemen to be weyit and considderit conforme to thair
blude or estate of thair parteis that tliay ar cuplit with."
Mv Chalmers, in his edition of Sir David Lyudsay's
Works, says, " The one half of conversation in that age,
both in England and in Scotland, was made up by
swearing ;" and he has gleaned a curious list of the
oaths which occur in the Satyre of the Three Estates,
vol. i. p. 360, note. This profane practice long prevail-
NOTES. 251
ed: See Acts of Pari.— James VI. 1581, 103. Charles
II. 1661, 19, 21, &c. Without enlarging upon this sub-
ject, it may be noticed that the General Assembly ap-
pointed some of their number to confer with James VI.,
in May 1395, regarding various abuses that prevailed at
Court : one was " His Majestie is blottit with banning
and sweiring,i\u\\\\\i is ower common in Courtiers also,
&c." — {Buik of the Universal Kirk. MS.) About the
same time, the Presbytery of Glasgow, August 2.3, 1597,
" Ordeins that sum ordour be tane with the sweiraris
and baneris within the toun and citie of Glasgu, and
specialie on the Hie Streittis thairof ; and that the Mi-
nisteris and Sessioun of Glasgu be diligent to see ordour
tane thairwith with expeditioun." — (MS. Minutes.)
Line .3. Aithes of crewaltie.] " That is, in the words
of the statute just quoted, grievous oaths. In vulgar
English, bloody is still used in a similar sense." —
Hailes.
Line 7. Ane preist sweirit braid.] " The scandalous
oath here alluded to, as peculiar to the clergy, and to
butchers, stanza 9, is much used in Germany. The
French also use it, but politely minced down, as is
their practice in swearing." — Hailes.
Line 13. Harrnes wes, Sfc.'] "i.e. Sorrows, who was,
&c. This is particularly mentioned in the statute." —
Hailes.
Line 17. His pairt ofhevin and hell.} " The former
publisher has taken the trouble to make sense of this
oath, by printing/o;-, instead of and." — Hailes.
Line 31. Ane sowttar said, S^c] " From this, and
many other passages in Dunbar's poems, to be found in
952 NOTES.
the Everyrecn, it appears that lie had a Htrauge antipa-
tliy at shoemakers. The oaths which he appropriates
to tlie slioeniakers may not have so much of the bun ton
of infidelity as those of the churchmen and butchers.
They are, however, less exceptionable, being no more
than * ifackins ; ' and, ' may I be hanged else.' " —
Hailes.
Line 4G — 50.] " This stanza is aimed at the extor-
tion of malt-makers, who took a profit of six shillings
on the boll of barley. This would be incredible, were
it not proved by Act 29, Pari. 4, James V., which limits
their profit to two shillings on the boll." — Hailes.
Line 5G — GO.] These lines are not contained in Ban-
natyne's MS., but are supplied from the other copies.
Line 64. For with that craft I can nocht thraip.]
" The sense of this line is obscure. I apprehend that
it means, in demanding high or exorbitant prices for
my work, I cannot threap, affirm, or persist, as other
artificers do ; for every customer knows the just price
of my work, consisting solely of horse-shoes and i)lougli-
irons. It is probable that throughout the country men
were astricted or thirled to the smith's shop of the
barony, as much as to the mill ; so that the complaint
of the smith, concerning the small gains of Ins profes-
sion, is to be considered as highly affected. Possibly
thraip may be the same as thrive." — Hailes.
Line G8.] In this line the reading of MS. Maitl. has
been followed. Bannatyne's has, " The Devill said,
Hardly mot it be."
Line 71. Anc dijsour said.] " In a dispute at play,
a gamester swore, that he had thrown three sixes with
three dice. This is the highest throw known, except-
NOTES. 253
1112; tliat of St Ghislain, who, playing against the Devil,
threw sevens.''^ — Hailes.
Line 76.] Lord Hailes printed this line, " 111 that
ever I chaip," and in his note observed, that " the MS.,
instead of ill, has God. The word chaip is used for
escape. So that the sense is, ' I will not desist from
my vocation till I be hanged.' " — Hailes.
Line 86 — 90.] These lines are copied from Maitland
and Reidpeth's MSS. instead of the following, with
which the poem in Bannatyne's MS. concludes.
flle thoclit tlie Devillis als blak as pik,
Solissaud wer, as beis tliik,
Ay tempand folk witli wayis sle ;
Rownand to Robene and to Dik,
Renunce tliv God, and cum to mc.
THE DANCE OF THE SEVIN DEIDLY SYNNIS.
—Page 49.
The MSS. of Bannatyne, Maitland, and Reidpeth,
have preserved this very remarkable poem. In the
second of these, a part is repeated, but in the last it
is imperfect. The text is now given from a collation
of these several copies. Lord Hailes, who seldom
ventures an opinion on the merits of any poem, on this
occasion says, — " The drawing of this picture is bold,
the figures well grouped. I do not recollect ever to
have seen the Seven Deadly Sins painted by a more mas-
terly pencil than that of Dunbar. His designs certainly
excel the explanatory peacocks and serpents of Callot."
251 NOTES.
To tin's may be subjoined the opiuiou of two other
distinguislied poetical critics.
" Dunbar's Daunce has very great merit in the comic
style of painting. It exhil)its a group of figures touched
with the capricious but spirited pencil of Callot. On
the eve of Lent, a general day of confession, the poet
in a dream sees a display of heaven and hell. Mahomet,
or the Devil, commands a dance to be performed by a
select party of fiends ; particularly by those who, in
the other world, had never made confession to the priest,
and had consecjuently never received absolution. Im-
mediately the Seven Deadly Sins appear, and present
a mask, or mummery, with the newest gambols just
imported from France." — VVarton.
" Dunbar is a poet of a higher order. . . . His Dance
of the Seven Deadly Sins through Hell, though it would
be absurd to compare it with the beauty and refine-
ment of the celebrated Ode on the Passions, has yet an
animated picturesqueness not unlike that of Collins.
The effect of both pieces shows liow much more potent
allegorical figures become, by being made to fleet sud-
denly before the imagination, than by being detained in
its view by prolonged description. Dunbar conjures
up the pers(mified Sins, as Collins does the Passions, to
rise, to strike, to disappear. They ' come like shadows,
so depart.' " — Camfbeli/s Specimens of the British
Poets, vol. ii. p. 68.
Line 1. OffFebruarthefyftenenichti] " He .after-
wards mentions this to have been on the eve of Lent ;
so that the precise date of this poem may be ascertain-
NOTKS. 2j5
ed, viz. in that year of the reigu of James IV., or James
v., uiieu Leut bej^an ou the IGth February." — Hailes.
" Dunbar does not, as Lord Hailes states, mention
the night of the loth February to have been on the eve
of Lent. His words seem to indicate that Fasterns-
even was the 16th of February, and not the 15th.
The only years between 1480 and 1540 in which Fas-
terns-even fell on the 15tli February, were 1485 and
1491, both of which are too early to be assigned as the
date. The only years in the same period in which
Fasterns-even fell on the 16th February, were 1496,
1507, and 1518. It therefore appears most probable
that this poem was written either in 1496 or 1507 : I
should prefer the last." — MS. Note, J. Chalmers.
Line 6. Mahoim.] See Note, page 236, to line 32 of
preceding poem, " The Birth of Antichrist."
Line 7. Shrewis that wer never schrevin.] " Accursed
persons who had never made confession to the priest,
nor of consequence obtained absolution." — Hailes.
Line 8. Fasternis evin.'] The evening preceding
Lent. At the Scotish Court it appears to have been held
as a joyous festival. In 1504-5, February 3, various en-
tries occur in the Treasurer's books for long and short
swords, spears, &c., " for the barres, and for turnaying,
at Fasteringis evin." There is the following curious
notice of a Dance on that occasion, devised by Peter
the Mure, taubrouer, one of the King's musicians: —
" Item, for xij cotis and xij pair hols, half Scottis blak,
and half quhit, to xij dansarls, be the More Taubroneris
devise, agane Fasteringis evin, be the Kingis command,
L.13, 2s. lOd."
256 NOTES.
Line 10, Gallands ga r/raith a gyiss.] " Gallants
prepare a mask. The exhibitions of (lysarts are still
known in Scotland, being the same with the Christmas
mommery of the English. In Scotland, even till the
beginning of this century, maskers were admitted into
any fashionable family, if the person who introduced
them was known, and became answerable for the be-
haviour of his companions. Dancing with the maskers
ensued. This, I suppose, was the promiscuous dancing,
the subject of many a sad declamation, borrowed from
Prynne and other writers of that sort." — Hailes.
Line 11. Gamouiitis.] " Gamhade, crurnm Jactatiu,
of the newest French fashion." — Hailes. " In the
RIemoir concerning the progress of the Princess Mar-
caret into Scotland, we have the following passage : —
' The Lord of Northumberland made his devoir, at the
departynge, of gambades and lepps, [leaps,] as did like-
wise the Lord Scrope the father, and many others that
returned ngayne, in taking their congee.^" — Warton.
Line 12. As varlotlis dots in France.] This is the
reading of RIaitland's MS.; in Bannatyne's it is : Tho
last come out of France.
Lines 13 — 18.] These lines in the different MSS.
are made to follow the next stanza, or line 30, and have
been hitherto so printed. As they are evidently mis-
placed, I have ventured to transpose them ; and it
is not less certain that one-half of the stanza has been
lost. The lines are descriptive of the characters gene-
rally who make their appearance on Mahoun's calling
for a 'Dance of Shrewis' at this festival'; and not of the
attendants upon Pryde, who takes precedence in be-
I
NOTES. 257
giuuing the Dance. But wliether llie lines wanting
may have formed the first, or the last half of the stanza,
is doubtful.
Line 13. Heillie Harlottis on hawtane wyiss.] " This
is a bold line, if it implies, as I think it does, * HoHe
whores in haughty guise.' " — Hailes. Heillie har-
lottis means proud, or haughty harlots: the epithet
harlot was applied indiscriminately by early writers to
persons of either sex.
Line 18. Blak-belly and Baivsy-Brown.] "Popular
names of certain spirits. Bawsy-Brown seems to be
the English Robin Goodfellow, known in Scotland by
the name of Brownie. In [Bannatyne's] MS., p. 10-1,
among other spirits there occurs,
Browny als that can play kow
Behind the claith with mony mow." — Hailes.
Line '20. With that the fowll Sevin Deidly Sinnis.]
It perhaps was not unusual in the early pageants to re-
present such personations; although i cannot refer to
any instance of a very ancient date. Hawkins expresses
his surprise that the people of Italy should still be fond
of seeing the Seven Deadly Sins dance a saraband with
the Evil Spirit. ( Origin of the English Drama, Pref.
p. vi.) And in the strange mixture of characters at
Heidelberg, who formed a procession in the Enter-
tainments of Frederick Count Palatine and the Princess
Elizabeth, in 1613, we are informed, " After all these
came in the Seaven Deadly Sinnes, all of them chain-
ed, and driven forward by a dragon, who continually
spet lire." (Nichols' Prog, of K. James, vol. ii. p. 618.)
Such an exhibition may have been suggested by
VOL. II. R
258 NOTES.
Spenser's ' Procession of tbe Deadly Sins ' from the Pa-
lace of Pride. He represents Pride as the lady of the
Palace, whom he compares to Aurora, as she comes
forth riding in ' her coach,' drawn by
" six uncquall beasts,
On which her six sage Coimsellours did ryde."
His description is painted with a masterly hand, the
characters described being Idlenesse, habited like a
monk, riding upon a slouthful ass. Gluttony on a filthy
swine. Lechery upon a bearded goat. Avarice upon a
camel loaden with gold, Envye upon a ravenous wolf,
and Wrath upon a lion.
And after all, upon the wagan beame
Rode Sathan, with a smarting whip in hand,
With which he forward lasht the laesie teme,
So oft as Slowth still in the mire did stand.
Faerie Queeiie, Bookc i. canto iv.
Line 22. And first of all in dance wes Pryd.] " Pride
properly takes place of all the other deadly sins. By
that sin fell the angels. — He is described in the cere-
mony-habit of those times, in his bonnet and gown, his
hair loosely thrown back, his cap awry ; his hethat,
casaqucy or gown, industriously made to fall down to
his feet in ample folds." — Hailes.
Line 28. Many proud trumpour.] " I know no word
in English that approaches so nearly to the sense of this
as the vulgar one, rattle-scull. In the Low Dutch, tromp
is a rattle ; trompen, to rattle. It is more immediately
derived from the French, trompeur, when understood
as that whereby one is deceived ; for the context will
not admit of our understanding it in the sense of an
active cheat." — Hailes. Tyrwhitt, in a note upon line
NOTES. 259
2673 of the Knightes Tale, The. Trompowres with the
loud minstralcie, which he explains, the Trumpeters,
says, " If the learned Editor of Ancient Scottish Poems
had found this word in this sense in his copy of Chau-
cer, he would not, I apprehend, have looked any farther
for an explanation of it in The Dance, by Dunbar."
The word, however, no doubt means deceiver ; and in
this sense it occurs in the poem on Discretion in Giving,
(p. 169,) Sum gevis to trumpouris and to schrewis.
Line 31. Then Yre came in, Sfc] Dr Drake quotes
these two lines as an instance, that " In depicting the
passions or fiends who form the dramatis personm in
the Daunce, the poet has introduced several features of
mingled sublimity and terror, not unworthy even of the
genius of Shakspeare."
Line 32. His hand wes ay upon his knyfe.] So Spenser,
" And on his dagger still his hand he held,
Trembling through hasty rage."'
Line 34. Bostaris, braggaris, and barganeris.] This
line Lord Hailes explains as " Huffers, (or threateners,)
boasters, and they who pick quarrels:" literally it
means. Boasters, braggers, and quarrellers.
Line 36. All bodin in feir of weir.] " Literally, all
arrayed in feature of war. Bodin and feir ofioeir, are
both in the statute-book. Sir David Lindesay thus
speaks of the state of Scotland during the minority of
James V., p. 202, —
Oppression did sa loud his bugil blaw.
That nane durst ride but into feir of weir.
i. e. His horn so loudly did oppression blow,
That none durst journey but in martial show." — Hailks.
260 NOTES.
Line 37. In juhkisy scrypis, and bonnelis of slcilL]
Willi short coats of mail, and steel head-jjieces. Lord
llailes printed strypU for scrypis, vvliicli he says may
mean stirrups : if so, it is oddly joined with armour.
Line 38. Thair leggis wer clienyitt to the IieilL]
Their legs were all covered down to the heel with chain-
armour, or iron net-work.
Line 50.] Andbah-byttarisofnindryracis. — MS. Maitl.
Line J"2. And rownaris offals lesinffis.] " Rounders
or whisperers of false injurious reports. Dunbar, with
a t^enerous indignation, laments that the gates of princes
were not shut against the plague of such vermin." —
Hailes.
Line 60. All loith that Warlo toent.] " VVarloch is
still used for a male witch or magician. See Lye in his
additions to Junius. Voc. Wurlochhud-py/ie, was used
jn that age for a ?niscr" — Hailks.
Line 62. A f udder.] Lord llailes says, " It is pro-
perly 128 lb. weight, but here it is used for any inde-
finite great quantity." See Father in Glossary to Lynd-
say's Works, by Mr Chalmers.
Line 65. Feyndis filld thame new up to the throf, with
gold.] This mode of punishment may remind the reader
of some noble lines of Ford, the dramatist, where the
I'Viar awakens the conscience of Annabella to her guilt,
by telliugher of that place " where day is never seen :" —
in this place
Dwell many thousand thousand sundry sorts
Of never-dying deaths ; there damned souls
Roar without pity ; there are gluttons fed
With toads and adilers ; there is burning oil
Pour'd down the drunkard's throat ; Ihe usurer
NOTES.
201
Is forced to sup whole draugMs of molten gold;
There is the murderer for ever stabb'd,
Yet can he never die ; there lies the wanton
On racks of burning steel, whilst in his soul
He feels the torment of his raging lust, &c.
Line 70. Mont/ sweir humhard helly-huddroun.]
" Sweir, lazy, sluggish. la modern language, the con-
sequence only is used ; for sweir means unwilling.
Bumbard : The meaning of this word is to be found
in Pierce Ploughman, p. -24, p. 2, quoted by Skinner.
' And who so bummed thereof, bought it thereafter, a
gallon for a grote.' Skinner says, ' Videtur ex contextu,
quicunque earn cerevisiam gustavit, vel quicunque earn
appetiit seu concupivit.' Hence biimmard, bumbard,
bumpard, must be a trier or a taster, ' Celui qui goute.'
A dramjuer will be found to have a like signification ;
he who drinks often in small quantities. ' Belly-hud-
droun: The word huddroun is still used for • a slovenly
disorderly person.' " — Hailes.
Line 71. Mony slute daw, and slepy duddroun.]
" Slute, slewth, slothful. Daw, idle, useless, creature.
G. Douglas says, Prol. to Mapheeus's Suppl. p. 452, 1. 23,
I wyl not be ane daw, I wyl not sleip." — Hailes.
" Duddroun means a slut, a drab, a lazy wench ;
and the previous line. Many a lazy tun-bellied sloven."
— MS. Note, J. Chalmers.
Line 72. Him servit ay with sounyie.] " Attended on
him with care." — Hailes.
Line 78. Quicker of counye.] " Quicker of cunning
or apprehension, or, perhaps, quicker of coin, of circu-
lation or course. The law of the measure which Dun-
bar uses, required that the 3d, 6th, 9th, and 12th lines
'2Cy'2 NOTES.
of each stanza should rliyme together. This has fetter-
ed the poet, and obliged him to use several expressions,
not because they were the aptest, but because they an-
swered the pleasure best." — Hailes.
Line 80. Berand lyk a hagit horse.] " Neighing like
a stone horse. The meaning of the Fr. baguette is well
known." — Hailks.
Line 81.] Sic lylhenes did him hid, MS. Maitl.
Line 83. Tramort.] A dead body, in a state of cor-
ruption. Dunbar again uses it : see page 249, line 20,
of this volume.
Line 87, &c.] The latter part of this stanza is sup-
plied from Maitland's MS., which corresponds with
Reidpeth's. The lines are sufficiently coarse, and differ
in a few words from Bannatyne's coi)y ; viz. line 87.
Like turkass hirnand reid. Line 88. All led thaij ; and
line 89. fijchit. Lord Hailes explains the line, Lyh
turhas, &c., " Like red-hot pincers." Their faces glow-
ing like burning torches, as given in the text, is more
likely to have been the author's expression. The other
lines may be allowed to stand without explanation.
Line 97. Full mony a waistless wally-draij.] " Wally-
dragle is a word still used for the weakest bird in the
nest, or the weakest chicken in the flock. It seems
corrupted from tvallowit dreg, a withered outcast, and
thence, by an easy metonymy, signifies any thing use-
less or unprofitable." — Hailes. " Potius drochil, q. e.
diminutive of Droch, a pigmy, and is still used. We
say a drochil of a body, meaning a person of diminutive
i\\7.Qr—MS. Note by the late D. Macpherson. The
reader may consult Dr Janiieson's Dictionary, v. Wally-
drnq, for a still more elaborate definition of the term.
NOTES. 263
Line 10-2.] Lord Hailes printed this line as in Ban-
natyne's MS., Thair loveray wes no less ; which he ex-
plained, " Their desire was not diminished ; their thirst
was insatiable." Leveray occurs in Maitland's MS.,
and may be the proper reading, viz. The fiends gave
these drunkards hot lead to drink, for such was their
leveray, or reward.
Line 103.] Presuming that the first half of this stanza
has been lost, I have inserted points to mark the hiatus.
All the MSS., indeed, correspond in giving only six
lines to this as well as to the second stanza ; but this,
I apprehend, rather denotes that these copies were
originally derived from one common source, than that
the author, whose skill and facility of versification is
displayed so strikingly in this identical poem, should
have left it unfinished.
Line 104.] " Glee-men, or minstrels. See Percy's
Dissert, on Minstrels, wherein many curious illustra-
tions of British antiquities are to be found." — Hailes.
Line 108. And enterit be breif of richt.] " Was ad-
mitted to the possession of his inheritance in Hell by
the Breve de recto." — Hailes.
Line 100, &c.] " This whole stanza is employed in
satirizing the Highlanders. Dunbar was a Lothian
man, born in a Saxon country. The antipathy which
the Scottish Saxons bore at the Highlanders in former
times, is almost incredible I believe the
enmity of the Highlanders was no less rancorous.
Happily those wretched, narrow-minded, and infinitely
fatal animosities, are no more, in that part of the United
Kingdoms called Scotland." — Hailes.
2G4 NOTES.
Line no. Makfadijane.] " Malioun having express-
ed his desire to see an Highland pageant, a fiend hasted
to fetch Macfadyane. I suppose this name was cliosen
by the poet as one of the liarshest that occurred to him."
— Hailes.
Line 112. Be he the Correnoch had done schout.]
" As soon as ho had made the cry of distress, or what
in old French is called d t'aide. So in the ballad of the
battle of Harlaw : * Cryand the Corytwch on hie.'
The glossary subjoined to the Evergreen says, that it
means a Highland tune ; that is, it may be either a strain
of victory or a dirge." — Hailes. For Corenoch, see
note in Chalmers' Caledonia, vol. i. p. 4G1 ; and Jamie-
son's Diet, sub voce.
Line 115. Thae tarmegantis.] " See an account of
the word termagant in Lye's edition of Junius. That
article, however, might have been more ample. I sus-
pect that Dunbar meant another word than termagant,
or, ' heathenish crew.' There is a species of wild-fowl
well known in the Highlands of Scotland, which our
statute-book calls termigant. Dunbar may have likened
the Highlanders to a flock of their country birds; tlie
context favours this interpretation, and thus his illiberal
raillery will be like that of Essex calves, Hampshire
hogs, Middlesex mungrils, Norfolk dumplings, Welch
goats, &c., and his wit will be upon a footing with that
of Cleveland.
when the Scots decease,
Hell, like their nation, feeds on barnacles :
A Scot, when from the gallows-tree got loose,
Falls into Styx, and turns a soland goose." — Haii.i:s,
NOTES. 265
THE JUSTIS BETWIX THE TAILYEOUR AND
THE SOWTER.— Page 54.
It was thought proper to place this satirical poem
immediately after " The Daunce ; " not only on account
of its being written in the same peculiar construction
of stanza, but as the first line of it evidently denotes
that it was intended as a sequel to that more striking
performance. It is contained in the MSS. of Asloane,
Bannatyne, and Maitland. In the latter it is introduced
with the first and last stanzas of " The Daunce." Ram-
say, with his usual inaccuracy, inserted this poem in
the Evergreen ; and Pinkerton, in his list of contents
of Maitland's MS., says, " No variations shall be given,
as the flames alone can cleanse the filth of this poem.
But such were the standing jokes of the time. Sir
Thomas More has his epigrams, De ventris crepitu."
There is so much broad humour displayed in Dunbar 8
' Justis,' or Tournament, that we may regret the sub-
ject should be so very offensive.
For similar specimens, of the knightly encounters in
the lists having been turned into ridicule by persons in
the lower ranks of life, see the poem written by Sir
David Lyndsay, in 1538, (Works, by Chalmers, vol. ii.
p. 190,) and one by Alexander Scott, about 1560, (Poems,
edit. 1821, 8vo, p. 17.) It is not improbable that Dun-
bar may have had some personal allusions in this
mock-poem, as among the numerous entries in the
Treasurer's accounts regarding tournaments, and just-
ing in the barres, or barriers, is the following :--1502,
266 NOTES.
October 24, " Item, to the Heraldis for tliair composi-
tioun of the eschet of the barres, quhen Christofer
Tailzour f audit, L.G, 13s. 4d."
Line 1.] Syne till a Turnament fast thai tryit, is the
reading of Maitland's MS.— Other variations in tlie MS.
copies may be here pointed out. Line 5. Hobhill-clouttar.
W. Cat-knapparis, or clayth-clipparis. 17. Quhill the
Crreik-se. 19. The Tailyour. '2.2. Mahoun come forth.
25. He maid ane hecht. 27. Strong as mast. 32. Wes
full dum. 36. He kit off. 40. Wirlot. 43. Was of.
50. Wamlyng. 51. Scantfie he mycht. 54. Deill a hit.
G2. Effdritlye. Go. Thay micht wcill ken he thair
effeiris. 73. His harnas. 75. Start vnth. IS. And he.
79. Mahoun eschewit. 81. So sterne he was. 84. Evin
qiiyte fra. 85. Lowsit it aff. 86. He strak to erd — he
blewe to erd. 89. Lay hayth in swom — wes laid in swoiin.
94. Harlottis ay — harlottis hayth. 95. Nor ony — than
ony. 101. To my hart it wrocht. 104. To put this in.
106. For this said Justing it befell.
AMENDIS TO THE TAILYEOURIS AND
SOWTARIS.— Page 59.
This " Amendis," or Peace-offering for tlie offence
given by the preceding poem, is contained both in Ban-
natyne and Maitland's MSS. In the former it is enti-
tled, " Followis the Amendis maid be him [Dunbar] to
the Telyouris and Sowtaris for the Turnament maid
on tliame." In the latter it has this colophon, " Quod
Dunl)ar qiihanc he drank to the Dekynnis for amendis
NOTES. 267
to the bodeis [members] of thair craftis." Allan Ram-
say, who could sufler no opportunity of the kind to
pass without a joke, introduces it with these lines.
" Follows ane
Amends made to the forsaid
Kniclits of tlie Birs aud Thumble ;
In case his joke should them provok
Owr sair to girn and grumble."
The subject of this and the preceding poem leads to
the remark, that the old Scotish poets seem to have had
an especial antipathy to the two professions of tailor
and shoemaker. Ramsay, who delighted in such sps-
cimens of coarse humour, published in the Evergreen,
vol. i. p. 118 — 122, parts of the " Flyting betuix the
Soutar and the Tailyour," by Stewart, one of the poets
who flourished in the reign of James the Fifth. The
following quatrain, hitherto unprinted, may serve as a
specimen of this coarse invective. " The Soutar, in-
veyand aganis the Talyour, sayis : —
Quhan I come by yone Telyeouris stall,
I saw ane louis creipand up his wall ;
Snap, quoth the Telyeour, Snap, quoth the Scheiris,
Cokkis lowais ! quoth the louis, I haif lost myne eiris. "
THE TWA MARIIT WEMEN AND THE WEDO.
—Page 61.
This poem, in a printed form, but unfortunately im-
perfect at the commencement, forms part of a singular
volume of tracts preserved in the Advocates' Library,
2G8 NOTES.
which issaod from tlie press of Walter Clippman and
Andro Myllar, at Edinbiirgli, in the year 1508. Previous
to tlie discovery of that original edition, it was known to
exist only in Sir Richard Maitlaud's MS., from which
it was first published by Pinkerton, in 1786 ; but owing
to the difficulty of deciphering the MS., his transcript
contained many inaccurate readings. The text is now
given from the old printed copy, supplying the first 103
lines, which are wanting, from the MS., which also has
furnished occasional corrections throughout the poem.
Chepman's copy, indeed, is printed in such a careless
and inaccurate manner, that we may presume the sheets
were not revised by the author. One peculiarity of
printing which has not been retained, is the use of et,
instead of the English conjunctive participle and.
In Maitland's MS., the poem is thus inscribed : —
" Heir beginis the tretis of the Twa Mariit Wemen and
the Wedo, compylit be Maister William Dunbar." The
following rubricks occur in the MS. At line 41. " Audi
viduam, jam cum interrogatione sua." Line 49. " Re-
sponsio prima? uxoris ad viduam." Line 89. " Audi
ut dicet de viro suo." Line 150. " Hie bibont, et inde
vidua interrogat alteram mulierem ; et ilia respondet
ut sequitur." Line 245. " Nunc bibent, et inde primie
domin;e interrogant viduam ; et de sua responsione, et
quomodo erat."
Dunbar's tale appears to have been first noticed by
Dr Percy in his Reliques ; where he quotes a few lines
as a specimen of the versification, and says, " The
author pretends to overhear three gossips sitting in
an arbour, and revealing all their secret methods of
alluring and governing the other sex : it is a severe and
NOTES. 269
humorous satire on bad women, and nothing inferior
to Chaucer's Prologue to his Wife of Bathe's Tale."
(Edit. 1794, vol. ii. p. 287.)
" This," says Pixkerton, " is one of the most curious
and singular remains of ancient Scotish poetry. It pre-
sents Duubar in quite a new light, and as the rival of
Chaucer in his chief walk. The verse approaches near
to the Greek and Latin heroic measure, and is the
earliest, if not only example, of blank verse in the Scot-
ish language. But Dunbar has no claim to the inven-
tion. The verse originally belonged to the Gothic and
Saxon poets,as maybe learned fromDr Percy's Remarks
on the Metre of Pierce Plowman's Visions. The ori-
ginal rule of it was, that three words in every line should
begin with one letter ; and these initial letters were
styled litercB canoraa, as Olaus Wormius tells us : the
whole vowels were esteemed equal in power, and pro-
vided that three words at proper distances began with
a vowel, the rule was observed. But the vowels are
seldom, if ever, admitted to this honour by the English
writers, or by Dunbar."
Mr Pinkerton in his notes has also a great deal more
regarding the use of these literce canorcB, which need
not be quoted, as the subject of alliterative verse has
not only occupied the attention of Percy and Warton,
but has more recently attracted the notice of several
learned writers ; and, in particular, has been ably illus-
trated by Dr Whittaker, in his splendid and elaborate
publication of " The Vision of William concerning
Peirs Plowman, ascribed to Robert Langland," Lon-
don; 181 -J, 4to; and by the late Professor Conybeare,
'270 NOTES.
and his brother, the Rev. W. D. Conybeare, in their
volume of " Illustrations of Anglo-Saxon Poetry,"
London, 1826, 8vo.
Some lines near the end of Dunbar's poem [lines
512 — 522,] are quoted in the last-mentioned work,
the Editor dividing them at the csesural pause, and
printing the alliterative consonants or vowels in antique
letters. A short specimen, in a similar form, will render
the peculiar construction of this kind of verse more in-
telligible ; and it may be questioned, whether, in print-
ing the text of the poem, the hemistichial form should
not have been adopted. The following are the first six
lines 80 divided : —
Apon the MidsulVIcr evin,
Mirriest of nichtis,
I Muvit furth allane,
Neir as MidNicht wes past,
BesyJe ane Gudlie Giene Garth,
Full of Gay flouris,
HeGeit of anc HuGe Hicht
With Hawthorne treis :
Quhairon ane Bird, on ane Bransche,
So Birst out hir notis,
That never ane BlythfuUer Bird
Was on the Beuche harde.
Mr Conybeare has noticed that Dunbar frequently
extends the alliteration through two lines, instead of
one. It would be difficult to meet with a more com-
plete specimen of such alliteration than is presented in
the lines which Mr Conybeare quotes ; of which lines
515 to 518 follow:—
NOTES, 271
Silver SCHouris doune SCHuke
As the SCHene cristall,
And birdis SCHoutit in SCHaw
With tliair SCHiU notis ;
The Goldin GLitterand Glieme
So GLadit thair hertis,
Thai maid a Gliorious Glii
Amang the Grene bewis.
" Dunbar's tale presents us with a lively though in-
delicate picture of ancient manners. Bishop Percy
considers it as equal to one of the most humorous pro-
ductions of Chaucer. The peculiarity of the metre has
compelled the poet to adopt many uncouth terms; but
his accuracy of observation and strength of description
shine through the cloud of obsolete language in which
they are involved. He has characterised the three dis-
solute females with admirable powers of description.
Nor is the charge of immorality to be urged against
him. He has exhibited these characters, not as pat-
terns of imitation, but as objects of infamy. In order,
however, to effect this purpose, it was necessary to
attempt a complete developement of their system of
conduct : and if in the prosecution of his design he is
sometimes found to overstep the bounds of propriety,
we must recollect the indelicate complexion of the age
in which he lived." — Irving's Lives of the Scotish
Poets, vol. i. p. 415.
Were we to judge from this poem, the ladies of Dun-
bar's time must have been sadly given to intemperance;
as, at every pause in the conversation, the rich wines are
St
272 NOTES.
quaffed with a relish that shows it was no unusual in-
dulgence. But perhaps the poet thought it proper to
represent these gossips carousing deeply, in order to
have the less reserve in narrating their adventures. A
somewhat similar vein of humour, but kept within
stricter bounds, occurs in a poem attributed to Samuel
Rowlands, entitled, " 'Tis Merry when Gossips meet."
London, 1609, and reprinted in 1818, 8vo.
Mr Pinkerton, in his preliminary note upon this poem,
has likewise favoured his reader with some general re-
marks, suggested by the poem itself, which may be left
without quotation, as I am not very anxious to settle
the distinction which he labours to point out as exist-
ing between obscenitas and imjiudicitia. Objectionable
as this poem unquestionably is for free language and
description, yet for knowledge of life, and spirited de-
lineation of character, it is a most striking perform-
ance; and the opening lines present a landscape scene
enriched with figures worthy of the pencil of Rubens.
Excepting for the serious objection arising from the
indelicate nature of the poem, we might liave wished
either that it had been written in a less obscure and
anticjuated dialect, or that Dryden or Pope had trans-
fused its spirit into English verse. The state of man-
ners at an early time, may offer a much better apology
for our author, than all Mr Piukertou's commenda-
tions " of that style of writing," which was sanctioned,
he tells us, by some of " tlie politest authors" of
Greece and Rome, as well as of modern times. The
poem is evidently an early composition, and it is no
less certain that Dunbar in writing it must Lave had in
NOTES. 273
his eye tlie similar descriptions, and endeavoured to
imitate the vein of pleasantry tliat runs through Chau-
cer's Prolos:ue to the Wife of Bathe's Tale.
Line 1. Midsummer even.} " This seems to have
been a favourite period with our early poets; of which
an immortal proof remains in the Midsummer Night's
Dream." — Pinkekton.
Line 4. Hawthorne treeis.] " Compare the descrip-
tion of a garden in that curious poem of James I., the
King's Quair, published by Mr Tytler, p. 74, 75. —
• And hawthorn hegis hnet.^ " — Pinkerton.
Line 9. Dirkin efter myrthis.} " Perhaps the dirldn
should be hirkin ; that is, the phrase will mean to listen
for entertainment ; but I rather think the meaning is
to dirkin, to hide myself in obscurity, after a merry
day." — Pinkerton. " It may signify," says Dr Jamie-
son, " clandestinely to seek diversion."
Line 10. Deiv donkit.] " Donlt.it is moistened, and
we still say dank. ' Donhedde icyth dewe.' — (Sege of
Jerusalem.) ' The dew noiv donkis the roses redoleyit^
(Lyndsay's Monarchy, close.)" — Pinkerton.
Line 11. Holyn.] " The holly was, and is now, very
frequent in Scotland, where it grows to great size in
the woods.
The park thai tuk, Wallace a place has seyn,
Off gret hollyns, that grew baith heych and greyn.
Life of Wallace, b. xii." — Pinkerto-v.
Line 17.] "Dunbar's description of the persons of
these ladies is wonderfully luxuriant. The grass shining
with the golden radiance of their yellow hair, is highly
poetical. Golden hair was the favourite both of classic
and romantic times, as every one knows." — Pinkerton.
VOL. II. s
274 NOTES.
In the same note, Mr Pinkerton notices some similar
descriptions to this by Dunbar, of ladies and their dress,
from early writers, but the want of space precludes in
a great measure the insertion of such extracts, unless
when strictly illustrative of the text.
Line 30. Arrayit ryallie, Sfc] This passage is some-
what obscure, not as to the meaning of the words, for
wardour certainly signifies verdure, but whether the
description is meant to apply to the ladies, or to the
arbour in which they are seated. The lines very possi-
bly have been transposed.
Line 36. Wlonkes.] This word, which puzzled Pin-
kerton, as an adj. usually signifies richness or splen-
dour of attire, and the expression " wlurdtest in ivedys "
occurs frequently in old metrical romances. (See Ja-
mieson's Diet, sub voce.) Here, and in other parts of
this poem, it is used as a noun subst., to designate the
persons of the three ladies.
Line 49. Ane lufly.] In the MS. lusty. " That is,
an amiable lady, as we say a fair, or the fair." — Pin-
kerton. Dunbar, however, never would use the word
lusty twice in one line ; and h/fy has been substituted.
Line CO. Nn bernis.] " That is, tha7i men. Burne,
or heme, at first was an appellation of honour, as im-
plying a man of capacity ; whence Baro and Baron :
next, it meant simply a man, as here ; and now in Scotish
and North-English, a child: Such is the progression of
words. Holophernes is, in a poem in this volume,
styled a busteous berne, that is, a boisterous man." —
Pinkerton.
Line 71. At play is, and at preichingis.] " It has
been urged, as the sole argument against the antiquity
of that fine ballad, ' The Flowers of the Forest,' that
NOTES. '275
preichings were unknown till the Reformation. See
Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Prologue, and the Second
Merchant's Tale, ascribed to him. See the noted ser-
mons printed about 1 490, of Oliver Mailard, a preacher
of hemming memory, ridiculed by Rabelais
Preaching was the office of the secular clergy, and was
never once discontinued." — Pinkerton. Notwith-
standing this, the ballad referred to is a modern compo-
sition.— See Scott's Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border.
Line 88. Flour burgeoun.] " Burgyn, or burryn, as
trees ; Germino. (Prompt. Parv.) Though the mean-
ing of burgeoun be thus clear, namely, to bud, yet that
of the line is not very apparent. Perhaps it is, ' For
though he displayed but the flour of youth, yet I should
rather gather fruit of him.' "—Pinkerton.
Line 89.] " The old Scotish language was extremely
rich in opprobrious epithets, as we may learn from the
Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy ; and we have a toler-
able sample here, not to mention Dunbar's Complaint,
which see in this volume, [vol. i. p. 142.]"— Pinkerton.
Line 95. As birss, S^c] That is, says Pinkerton, his
beard is as stiff as the bristles of a fierce boar. On the
subsequent lines he adds : " Many words in this page
are obscure, or lost ; and some I do not wish to explain."
Lines 142 — 145.] These lines are illegible in Mait-
land's MS., and were omitted by its former editor.
Line 243. Thai swan-quhyt of hewis.'\ " Another fami-
liar term for ladies in old romances : Forthy dede is that
white as swanne (La Morte Arthur). There is a deal of
art in the opening of the Widow's story. It is highly
in character. One is led to expect a sermon, but de-
sinit in piscem." — Pinkerton.
Line 273.] Hatit him like a hund, is equivalent to
276 NOTES.
tlie Latin cane pejus et angue. ... In the next line, /
gertthe carillfun, is, I made him look foolish : funerit in
old English, is did make foolish. In line 27G, a huhhy
in mij rheik, means, I suppose, that she thrust her
tongue in her cheek at him, behind his back. Bier his
aid a, is used in the same sense in old romances, * Hak
sche gan hyr fadyr's ijghe Mere: (Octovyan.) Dises,
line 281, is simply disturbance, uneasiness, in its primi-
tive meaning as negative of ease." — Pinkerton.
Line 287. To goif it gladit me.] The meaning is, it
gave me delight to stare on him, and not as Pinkerton
explained the words, it rejoiced me even to frenzy. To
goif, or gove, occurs again in the same sense, at line
393. Thus also, at line 5 of ' Bewty and the Presoneir,'
vol. i. p. 22, " I govit on that gudliest."
Line 305. Within perfit eild.] " This line implies
that she was perfectly an old woman, as a lady might
yet word it; but it appears from the whole of the tale,
that she does not mean literally, but that she was forty
years old or so. Perhaps she speaks ironically. A very
old woman would hardly be so much courted, or in
the methods mentioned towards the close. Her re-
ference to the curate implies irony. The curate, she
would say, was so impertinent as to tell me I was get-
ting old to induce me to reform. Her praises of him
enforce the suspicion of irony in the whole passace."
— Pinkerton.
Line 338. His Imrrow-lnndis.] " A land is still
Scotish for a house. As biggings are also mentioned,
perhaps borow-landis may be burgage-fields, or estate."
— Pinkerton. It may be mortgage lands, or perhaps
only houses within the town or burgh.
Line 355. The cnppil that the creilis.] A poor cart-
NOTES. "in
hurse. * With that ane Cadgeour with capil and o-eilis.
Came carping forth.^ — (Henryson's Fables, p. G6.)
Line 410. Dollin in erd.'\ " Is from the same root
as delved, buried in earth. Gravyn or dolvyn ; Fossus,
(Prompt. Parv.)" — Pinkerton.
Line 405.] The sense of this line is not quite ob-
vious. Pinkerton supposed that the meaning was.
Hooted he she, who, though an hundred years old, and
that a line was wanting, which he thus supplied :
That is cald to Venus warkis and to sweet pleasure.
Line 4G9. Semelyur sege.] " Sege is man. ' Segger,
Isl. Ex humili statu in magnos evasi milites; et per syn.
viri.' (Jonse Gram, isl.) ' I have seen segges, quoth
he, in the city of London,' (Piers Plowman.) In this
page of Dunbar's tale is a curious description of a
route of the Fifteenth century." — Pinkerton.
Line 494. Far but.] That is, far ivithout, or in the
outer apartment.
Line 499. Lyre.] " Is common in old English ro-
mances for skin, but originally means flesh. ' Her
leyre light shone.' (Launfal.) That is, her skin shone
bright." — Pinkerton.
THE TWA CUMMERIS.— Page 81.
In MSS. Bannatyne, Maitland, and Reidpeth. — Pin-
kerton says of this poem, " This is a curious picture
from the life, in the style of Flemish paintings." The
present text is from Bannatyne's MS. As the other
copies differ in a number of minute particulars, some
of these variations may be here noticed : — Line 1. Airlie
278 NOTES.
on als Weduisday . 2. At the wine. 4. Sichand and
soupand. 6. Besyde the fire, quhair that scho sat. 9.
Say and oy, cummer. 11. Fair gentill cummer. 13. Ill
wyne. 17 and 19 are transposed. And I sail find yow
gud to borrow. 2-t. Fill the cop, cummer. 20. Thir twa,
out of. 27. Thre quartis. 28. Sic drowthe and thirst
was thame betwene. In the last line of each verse, the
burden, instead of being in the present tense, is. That
Lentrune sail, or suld, nocht mak, us, Mr, or you, lene.
Line 5. Lentron.] Any person eating flesh, with-
out license, during Lentron, was liable to have his goods
confiscated. Acts Q. Mary, an. 1551, c. 36.
Line G. On cowth.] So in the MS., but it should be,
On coii-ch : thus, in the Treasurer's Accounts, 1507, Jan.
7. " Item, for tua steik bukrame to be ane cowch to the
Queine, 28s. Item, for ane stane of woU to it, 10s. Item,
for making of the said cowch, and carding of the woU to
it," &c.
Line 14. Bot Mavasy.] Malvesy, or Malmsey wine,
so named after a city of Peloponnesus, from which this
wine was first brought. Pinkerton supposed the line
to mean, " Except Malmsey, she begged (she would
have) no other wine." Bad, however, seems rather to
signify desired.
THE TOD AND THE LAMB— Page 83.
In Bannatyne's MS., this poem is entitled, " Followis
the Wowing of the King, quhen he was in Dunferme-
ling." It is also found in Maitland's MS. ; and in Reid-
peth's are only the first two stanzas. Mr Sihbald, in
his " Chronicle of Scottish Poetry," very justly re-
marks, that " This is certainly a strange production,
KOTES. 279
coming from the pen of a candidate for churcli prefer-
ment; but it is attributed to Dunbar in both of the
ancient manuscripts." That it has a reference, under
the form of an apologue, to some intrigue of James the
Fourth, cannot be well doubted, from the above title ;
although that monarch has been accused, on rather
blender evidence, of " a propensity to vulgar and fugi-
tive amours." Previous, indeed, to his marriage, in
1303, he had several natural children by the daughters
of some of the nobles and other persons of rank ; but it
would be unnecessary to hazard any opinion in regard
to the time when this poem was written, as it affords no
intrinsic evidence for any satisfactory conjecture.
Line 65. The Wowf went.] Evidently for, the Wolf
ween'd, or imagined.
DIRIGE TO THE KING AT STIRLING.— P. 86.
L\ MSS. Bannatyne, Maitland, and Reidpeth. — Ban-
natyne erroneously calls it, " The Dregy of Dunbar,
maid to King James the Fyift, being in Striuilling."
It was also contained in the lost portion of Asloane's
MS., as No. Ixvii. of the old table of contents, under the
title of " Dunbarris Derige of Edinburgh and Striuiling."
In a moral point of view, this, of all our author's com-
positions, is certainly the most objectionable, inasmuch
as it is a profane parody of the Services of the Church
to which Dunbar belonged. But at that period, the
license given to such open violations of religious obser-
vances, as took place under the direction of Lords of
Misrule or Abbots of Unreason, might have rendered
such satirical effusions, like this Dirige, less obnoxious.
Lord Hailes, in a note upon the Testament of Andro
280 NOTES.
Kenned}^ [vol, i. p. 137,] thus alludes to the present
poem, which he purposely omitted, as his correct judg-
ment and serious turn of mind naturally led liim to
condemn any thing like ill-timed levity on spiritual
subjects. " On another occasion, (he says,) Dunbar
carried the spirit of ridicule much farther. His Derge
to King James V. is a lewd and profane parody of the
litanies of the Church of Home. Protestants cannot be
fully sensible of the irreligious strain of Dunbar's Derge.
Had James V. retained any the least appearance of de-
votion, no poet durst have addressed him in such a
style." — Hailes.
The King whom Dunbar here addresses was not
James the Fiftii^ but James the Fourth, whose character
was a singular compound of opposite qualities ; and his
})enances and pilgrimages to the distant shrines of St
Ninian, at Whithorn, in Galloway, and of St Duthac in
Ross-shire, were no doubt held as atoning for his reck-
less pursuit of idle amusements, and for sensual indul-
gence. In Chalmers' Caledonia, vol. iii. p. 412, &c., a
variety of curious notices are selected from the Trea-
surer's accounts, in regard to these pilgrimages to the
shrine of St Ninian.
James the Fourth had established, in 1494, at Stir-
ling, a Convent of the Franciscans, or Gray Friars, — an
order, of which, in a letter to Pope Julius H., he de-
clared himself to be the special patron. After stating in
what respects the brethren of that order had been pa-
tronized by some of his predecessors, he says, " Ego
ipse, quasi hajreditarib pietatis vinculo, hujus religionis
domos alias super alias absolvi, supellectili bona orna-
vi ; ubi conscienticB nostra: lavacrum et jiracijmum devo-
tionis ardorem reposui, atqiie me infilium et defonsorem
NOTES. 281
dedi." (^Epist. Regum Scotorum, vol. i. p. 23, &c.) As
James was accustomed at Lent, or when in a peniten-
tial mood, to retire thither for a season, it may have
been on some such occasion that this Derge was ad-
dressed to him, as an effectual mode of expressing the
regret of the poet, and of other dependents at the Court
of Holyrood, for his long ahsence. In order to relieve
the King out of the state of purgatory in which he is
represented as living at the time, the Service of the
Derge is here burlesqued ; and a humorous contrast is
made between the opulence, the good living, and the
amusements which Edinburgh afforded, with the ab-
sence of all such at Stirling.
NEW-YEAR'S GIFT TO THE KING.— Page 91.
This graceful and appropriate address to James the
Fourth is only to be found in Reidpeth's MS., and is
now first printed. From the Treasurer's Accounts, it
appears that the King was accustomed to bestow New-
Year's gifts, on his servants and other persons at
Court, varying in amount, according to their respective
rank. But whether it was customary, as at a later pe-
riodj for such persons to make equivalent gifts in re-
turn, is not so certain. The poets, at least, on such
occasions, would not fail to present some congratula-
tory address, conveying, like the present, suitable com-
mendations of the King's liberality, and wishing him
" High liherall heart, and hands not swear;" that is,
not reluctant to dispense such rewards. A similar and
most characteristic poem, Leryes of this New-Yeir day,
composed, as Lord Hailes shows, in 1527, is well
282 NOTES.
known. The writer, Stewart, who flourished in the
reiga of James the Fifth, thus couimeuces :
First lergcs of the King, my chief,
Quhilk come ah quiet as a theif,
And in my hand slid schillingis tway,
To put his lergnes to the preif,
For lerges of this New-yeir day.
Even Buchanan did not disdain to offer such addresses
to Queen ]\Iary, the Regent Earl of 3Iurray, and to
other persons at Holyrood, on New-year's day.
Line 18. And send thee many France crownes.] The
King's gifts were usually French crowns of gold, of the
value of 14s. each in Scotish money.
OF LADYIS SOLISTARIS AT COURT.— Page 92.
These satirical verses are contained in the MSS. of
Bannatyne, Maitland, and Reidpeth, without any mate-
rial variation. The poem was first printed by Ramsay
in the Evergreen, from Bannatyue's MS., where it is
followed by a similar ballad on the subject of country
Lairds sending their wives to Court, as solicitors in dis-
puted causes; and which Ramsay, without any autho-
rity from the manuscript, chose to entitle,
" Another of the samcn cast,
Pend he the Poet wrote the last."
The ballad, which also occurs as an anonymous compo-
sition in Mriitland's MS., is quite unworthy of Dunbar.
V. R. — ■Line 2. 3Iak repair ; line 19, N'o mixs : line 50,
And than '> Jhie 53, Sic grace : line CO, Seillis thair to.
NOTES. 283
IN PRAIS OF WOMEN.— Page 93.
In MSS. Bannatyne and Maitland. — Plnkerton styles
these lines " a paltry piece in praise of women ;" and
adds, " It is subscribed, quod Dunbar in prays of wo-
men ; but I daresay he is innocent of it." Certainly
much cannot be said in praise of this composition; yet,
being so subscribed in both MSS., and containing no
internal evidence to the contrary, we must conclude
that Dunbar at times may have been as dull as his
neighbours ; but not more so than Chaucer, if a poem
of a similar kind, also entitled " In prayse of Women,"
has been correctly attributed to him.
TO THE MERCHANTIS OF EDINBURGH.— P. 97.
For the preservation of this satirical address, so in-
teresting to a native of the Northern Metropolis, we are
indebted to Reidpeth's MS., from whence it is now first
printed. It is the more curious, as we have no descrip-
tion of Edinburgh of so early a date ; for the brief
notice which occurs in Froissart refers to a period
when the city consisted of houses chiefly of wood, and
presented an appearance which must have been totally
unlike what it assumed during the 15th, and retained
till the close of the last century. Even those who re-
meniber the High Street and Luckenbooths, previous
to the first alterations which took place in the Parlia-
ment Square, and the neighbourhood of St Giles's Ca-
thedral, and before the removal of the Tolboolh, the
Krames, and other adjacent buildings, will be fully sen-
sible of the correctness of the Poet's description. I have
i'84 NOTES.
ventured to suggest tliat this poem might have been
composed about the year 1500. Sir David Lyndsay, in
a poem written in 1530, thus alludes to the Merchants
of Edinburgh, in lines which may be contrasted with
Dunbar's satire.
Adew Edinburgh, thou teict tryumpTiand toun,
Witliin quhose boundis richt hlytlifiil have I bene,
Of trew merchandis, the rute of this rcgioun,
Most reddy to ressave Court, King, and Queue.
Thy policie and justice may be sene,
War devotioun, wysedome, and honestie,
And credence tint, thay iiiicht be found in thee.
Much curious illustrative matter, regarding the earlier
state of the city, might have been here introduced, but
the interest of such notes would be entirely local.
Line 8. Your principall (jaitis.'] That is, none may
enter your town, on account of the smell of fish, and
the noise and quarrels of those who were seated at the
difl'erent ports or gates of the city.
Line 15. Scule.] From the annexed epithet, pro-
bably an error in the MS. for Style, (see Note to line
38,) as no trace of any public School in Edinburgh at
that time has been discovered. The panache Kirk,
mentioned in the following line, is undoubtedly the
Collegiate Church of St Giles.
Line 17. Your foirstairis.] The common stairs to
the different tenements, which projected into the street.
Line 22. Your hie Crosa.] The Cross of Edinburgh,
long a conspicuous object iu the Higli Street, and
celebrated iu Scotish history from the days of James
the Fourth, when the singular Summonds of Plotcock
was heard, before the battle of Floddou :
NOTES. 285
A tale, -which chronicles of old
In Scottish story have enrolled ;
and which forms so strikinof an incident in Sir Walter
Scott's Marmion. It had been rebuilt in 1617, preser-
ving the ancient shaft or cross Avhich surmounted the
octagonal building, but was finally removed as a nui-
sance, in March, 1 756. Its site is still marked by the
radiated pavement, and continues as the place from
which all public proclamations are made.
Line 24. Your Trone.] Lower down the street, near
the site of the present Tron Church, was placed the
Tron, or public beam, for weighing merchandise or
heavy wares.
Line 24. CokiU and ivilk.] It was customary for
fishwomen to be seated in this part of the town, retail-
ing shell-fish ; such as " cockles, spouts, mussels, oys-
ters, buckieSjClams, andtcilks,^' or periwinkles ; together
with " dulce and tangle," certain species of sea- ware.
Line 25. Pansches and puddinr/is.] May mean tiipe
and hagrjis ; but the particular kind oi puddings called
of J ok and Jame are now unknown.
Line 29. Your common Menstrales.'] Most of the
towns in Scotland had one or more persons called
Common Minstrels, or pipers, and from the Treasurer's
accounts we learn that James the Fourth was accus-
tomed to give them gratuities, when passing through
the place to which they belonged. Edinburgh seems
to have had the services of three such persons, as ap-
pears from an act of Council, 15th August, 1487,
ordaining that " the common pyparis of the town be
feyit for the honour of the town on this wise ; " viz.
that they should be billeted on the inhabitants in suc-
cession, and, as it is expressed, " hip nane," to pass
286 NOTES.
none over; and that such persons as found it inconve-
nient to entertain them, when their turn came, should
be liable to the exaction of nine pence, " that is, to ilk
pypcr iijd. at the leist." Similar arrangements in other
places were made, and might be exemplified, in parti-
cular, from the old Burgh Records of Aberdeen. That
these minstrels were possessed of no great skill, may
be easily imagined, independent of Dunbar's satirical
expression, mowers, jesters, or mockers of the moon.
Of the two tunes mentioned in line 30, " Nuw the day
dawis" and " Into June^"" the first was long very po-
pular : it is thus mentioned by Gawin Douglas:
Thareto thir birdis singis ia tLair sliawis,
As menstralis plays The joly day now dawis.
The " profane song" of this title was converted to one
of " the gude and godlie ballatis," by ^yedderburn,
about the time of the Reformation ; it was also imitated
by Alexander Montgomery, author of the Cherrie and
the Slae; and is elsewhere referred to. See note to
Ritson's Scotish Songs, vol, i. p. xxxii.
Line 38. Yota- stinkand Style.] This style, or narrow
passage, extended from the north side of St Giles'
Church, between the Tolbooth and the houses which
formed the Krames, to the opposite side of the street,
now called the Luckenbooths. It long continued to
be a place noted for filth, robberies, and assaults. See
Pitcairn's Criminal Trials, vol. ii. p. 416 and 462.
Line 43 — 53.] The towns in Scotland, particularly
during the 16th century, were infested with beggars
and idle vagabonds ; and Acts of Parliament, or of
Town Councils, seem to have been of little avail in re-
pressing their number and importunities.
NOTES. 287
Line 46. To cry and rame.] To cry out, bewailing
tliemselves. In the Acts of Q. Mary, 1551, it is express-
ly stated, that by reason of the number of beggaris,
" uane may pass throw the streittis for raming and
crying upone tliamc ;" and Gawin Douglas, in his Virgil,
says of the mother of Eurialus :
Furtli fleis sche wyth mony schout and cry, ....
Takand nane hede, nor yit na maner schame,
Sa amang men to ryn, roup, and rame.
Line 57. Sen for the Court and the Sessioun.] The
importance of Edinburgh was greatly increased when it
became the seat of government, and of the Supreme
Courts, in the course of the fifteenth century. The
Abbey of Holyrood had long served as an occasional
place of residence to our Kings, previous to the time
of James the Fourth, by whom, and not by his son,
James the Fifth, as commonly supposed, the adjoining
Palace of Holyrood was erected.
Line 71. Singulair profeit.} That is, their greed of
personal gain caused them to neglect or overlook the
general good or welfare of the town. See the phrase
in Lyndsay's Works, vol. i. pp. 240 and 259.
Line 77. Reconquers.] This word is inserted to sup-
ply a blank in the MS.
OF SOLISTARIS AT COURT.— Page 101.
This poem occurs both in Maitland and Reidpeth's
MSS., and was first printed by Pinkerton, who says it
is " A curious picture of the Court of James the
Fourth."
288 NOTES.
Line 5. On substance summen dois abide. MS. Maitl.
Line G, Sum singis ; sum dancis ; sum tellis stories'.]
Many entries iniglit be quoted from the Treasurer's
Accounts of liberal payments made to singers, dancers,
jesters, and tale-tellers. Among other persons who re-
ceived frequent gratuities, by the King's command, was
a Richard Wallace, sometimes for carrying letters to
different parts of the country, at other times for telling
* tales,' or ' geists,' &c., to the King. The name also of
" Widderspune the foulare, that tald tales and brocht
fouUs to the King," occurs in 1496 and 1497; and at
the same time that of " Watschod the tale tellare."
Besides various nameless jesters in different towns, we
meet with " Hog the j^stour," " Thomas Jestour,"
and others, who will be noticed in a subsequent note.
Line 7. Sum lait at evin bringis in the Moreis.] The
subject of Morris-dancing in England has been ably
illustrated by one of our most eminent antiquaries,
Francis Douce, Esq., in his Illustrations of Shakspeare.
The following notices, regarding this pastime in Scot-
land, consist of extracts from the Treasurer's Accounts,
communicated by Mri Chalmers.
" 1501-2. Feb. 8. To the men that brocht in the Morice
dance, and to the menstrallis in Striuelin, be the Kingis
command, 428.
"150:3-4. Jan. 5. To Mais^ter John, [the French Leich,
afterwards Abbot of Tungland,] to buy bells for the
Moriss danss, 28s.
"Jan. 6. To Colin Campbell, [one of the King's Luters,
or players on the lute,] and his marrowis, that brocht in
the Moress daunss, for thair expensis maid thairon, be
the King's command, 20 French crowns, equal to L.14
Scots.
1
NOTES. 289
" Jan. 7. To John Franciss, for 21 eln tafl'eti, rede and
blew, quliilk wes six daunsing cotis in Maister Johnis
danss, L.14, Hs, Item, for 18 eln blak gray to lyne
the same, 21s. Item, for making of the six daunsing
cotis, 18s. Item, for 5 eln blew taifeti to the womanis
goun in the said dance, ilk eln 14s., L.3, 10s. Item,
for 7 eln quhite to lyne the same, 8s. 2d. Item, for
making of the samyn, 3s. Item, for 27 eln 3 quarteris
taffeti, blew, rede, and variant, deliverit to Franche
Maister John for the said Daunsaris hede gere, L.19,
Ss. 6d. Item, to the said Maister John that he spendit
on this gere for the dance, 20s.
" 1504-5. Feb. 2. To the Gysaris that dansit to the
King and Queen, 7 French crowns, L.4, 18s.
" 1506. Dec. 30. The Treasurer paid for grene sey to
be dancing coats, doublets, and hose, &c., to 5 boys,
and a kirtall, &c., to a woman [Margaret Naper] for
dancing ; and for stuff to be 7 dancing coats and dou-
blets to the squires, viz. Thomas Boswel and his com-
plices. On the 31st, for 30 dosan bellis to the dansaris,
deliverit to Thomas Boswell, L.4, 12s.
" 1506-7. Jan. 8. To Mergret Naper, for cause scho
dansit, 4 eln of scarlet, 508. the eln, L.IO, and 5 qrs.
wellus, L,2, 15s. — Jan. 15. To Colin Campbell, [one of
the King's Inters,] in recompensation of ane danss maid
be him, 8 French crowns, L.5, 128. — Feb. 28. To Gwil-
liam tawbroner, [William Brown, one of the King's
players on the tabron,] for making of ane danss the
tyme of the Prince's birth, [Feb. 21st] L.4, 4s.
" 1507-8. March 5. To the Franche menstrallis, that
maid ane danss in the Abbay, be the King's command,
12 French crowns, L.8, 8s. Item, for thair dansing
cotis to the said danss, L.5.
VOL. II. T
290 NOTES.
♦' J 5 12. Dec. 5. Payit to Monsur La Mote's [the
French Ambassador] servitouris that dansit auc Moriss
to the King, 10 crowns of wecht, L.9. Dec. IG. To
Monsur La Mote's servitouris that dansit an uthir
Moriss to the King and Quene, L.5, 8s.
Line 19. Advocatis in cliamir.] "Are pretty wives.
See two satires, by Dunbar, against female advocates in
court, in the Maitland MSS., and published in the Ever-
green from Bannatyne." — Pinkerton. One of these
satires is printed at page 92 of vol. i. ; the other, as
stated in the note upon that poem, (see page 282,) has
been erroneously ascribed to Dunbar, and is therefore
excluded from this collection of his works.
TYDINGIS FRA THE SESSIOUN.— Page 102.
This poem is common to the several collections of
Bannatyne, Maitland, and Reidpeth. The date of its
composition cannot be fixed, as it is doubtful whether
it alludes to the old Court of Session, which was insti-
tuted in 1425, regulated anew in 1457, and abolished in
March 1503-4, or to the Court of Daily Council, which
consisted of Committees of Parliament, and was then
established. That Court still retained its popular name
of the Session, as appears from expressions used by Sir
David Lyndsay in a poem written in 1529 ; while the
present Court of Session, or College of Justice, was
instituted by James the Fifth in 1532.
Line L Ane Murelundis man of uplandis mah.]
That is, a man of rustic habits, residing in an inland or
heathy part of the country ; thus the name in the well-
known sone, Miiirland Willie.
NOTES. *291
Liue 15. Sum with his fallow rownis.] " One whis-
pers in a familiar insinuating manner to his companion,
or the person next him." — Hailes.
Line 18. Sum patteris loith his mowth on beiflis.]
" One mutters his prayers, and tells his beads over.
Fitter patter is an expression still used by the vulgar ;
it is in allusion to the custom of muttering Paternos-
ters."— Hailes.
Line 22.] Lord Hailes explains, " One mortgages
his estate while his suit is depending." And line 26,
" How enmity and favour banish discernment." He
subjoins two extracts from Buchanan and Lesley, as he
says " it is curious to observe what very opposite sen-
timents two contemporary historians entertained of the
Court of Session." The passages, however, are too
long for quotation in this place.
Line 29—35.] " This stanza will be both intelligible
and entertaining to those who are acquainted with the
forms of procedure in the Coui't of Session ; to those
who are not, a commentary would be nearly as obscure
as the text." — Hailes.
Line 41. Sum sanis the sait, and sum thame cursis.~\
" Some bless, others curse the judges. Lords of the
seat, forjudges of the Court of Session, is used in Act
53, Parliament 5, James V., and is an expression still
remembered by the vulgar." — Hailes.
Line 45. Baith Carmeleitis and Cordilleris. " In
order to point this satire more keenly, the author has
selected his examples of incontinency from the severer
orders of regular clergy. The former publisher has
added two stanzas, which are not only modern, but
also, as it would seem, satirically aimed at individuals.
It is strange that such an interpolation should have re-
292 NOTES.
mained so long undiscovered. Speaking of the great
number of unemployed advocates, [Ramsay] says,
But well I wate, aue of ilk Ten
Mlcht very weil gane all the Sessioun.
He did not advert, that at the institution of the College
of Justice, there were no more than eight advocates in
all ; Act G4, Parliament 5, James V." — Hailes.
TO THE LORD TREASURER.— Page 105.
This address to the Lord High Treasurer, by whom
Dunbar's pension was paid at the usual terms, is con-
tained in Reidpeth's MS., and is now first printed. As
we cannot fix the date of the poem, although subse-
quent to 1500, the person whom the Poet here comme-
morates for his extreme and praiseworthy punctuality
can only be guessed. But as Dunbar appears to have
had no reason of complaint against any of the Lord
High Treasurers, I sliall liere give a list of the persons
who successively held that office during the reign of
James the Fourth :
1488—1493. Sir William Knollis, Lord St John of
Jerusalem.
1493 — 1495. Henry Arnot, Abbot of Cambuskenneth.
1495 — 1497. George Schaw, Abbot of Paisley.
1497 — 1502. Sir Robert Lundin of Balgony.
1502—1504, Sir David Betoun of Creich.
1.504 — 1509, James Betoun, Abbot of Dunfermling.
1509 — 1510. George Hepburn, Bishop of the Isles.
1511 — 1512. Andrew Stewart, Bishop of Caithness.
1512—1514. Mr Cuthbert Baillie, Commendator of
NOTES. 293
Glenluce. — (Treasurer's Accounts, &c. Crawford's
Officers of State, p. 366-369.)
Line 19. Fra town of Stirling to the air.] The Aire,
or itinerant courts of justice, which were held in dif-
ferent parts of the country, at stated intervals, like the
present Circuit Courts of the Lords of Session. The
Lords Justiciars, who were often accompanied by the
King in person, received payment for their expenses
by the number of days they attended, but varying in
amount according to their respective rank.
Line 23. Heart on sair.] Without pain or sorrow.
Line 25. 3It/ rent, and all the li/Jiett-] That is, ray
revenue and means of sustenance. I apprehend that
in both the quotations from Wallace, given by Dr
Jamieson, h/Jiat should be taken in this sense ; and that
this lyjiat man, means not a person deceased, but a man
of substance or possession.
ANE HIS AWIN ENEMY.— Page 107.
In MSS. Bannatyne and Maitland ; and first printed
in the Evergreen, the Editor of that collection using
his ordinary license at emendation.
Line 11 — 15.] " This stanza contains an allegory of
pleasures lawful and forbidden. It will not bear a par-
ticular explanation. ' Fleis of Spenyie,' are cantharides.
This circumstance gives us an high idea of the elegance
and refinement of our forefathers." — Hailes.
Line 23. Glide wyne to sell.] " Great care was
taken in those days that the lieges should drink no wine
but what was both good and cheap. In the reign of
James III., anno 1482, it was ordained by Parliament
294 NOTES.
that " na man sail tak upon hand to mix or corrupt
wine, under pain of death." — Sibbai.d. Wine import-
ed from France long continued in this country to be
8old at a very moderate price. In lo20, the price of
French wine, botii red and white, as regulated by the
Town Council of Edinburgh, was 6d. Scotish money
the pint, (or English half gallon); ale, which in 1604
was IGd. the gallon, was then raised to '20(1. ; the penny
loaf of wheat bread was ordered to weigh one pound,
and the penny cake, one pound eight ounces. By an
Act Q. Mary, anno 1561, no person was allowed to sell
Burdeous wine dearer than lUd., and Rochell wine,
than 8d. the pint.
TO THE LORDIS OF THE KlNGIS CHECKER.
—Page 109.
Like the similar address, at page 105, this jocular
efi'usion occurs only in Reidpeth's MS., and is now first
printed. W'a cannot, however, infer that Dunbar was
in the habit of receiving any payment from the Lords
of Exchequer, or indeed that he had any ' rents,' or
'roumes,' possessions, to live upon, excepting the
pittance he received from the Lord Treasurer, although
his words in lines 25 and '26 of the former poem might
seem to warrant a difierent inference.
Line 4, Neither corce nor cunyie.] That is, no money
or coin of any kind. " Corse, thus denominated (says
Dr Janiieson) from the form of the cross, anciently im-
pressed on our silver money." Dunbar, in a poem
addressed to the King, (vol. i. p. 158,) again employs
the word.
NOTES. 295
OF JAMES DOIG.— Pages 110 and 111.
These poems, contained in Maitland and Reidpeth's
MSS., were first printed by Mr Pinkerton. In his
Notes, be was correct in inferring that the Queen, who
is here addressed, was Margaret, wife of James the
Fourth ; but the history of the person to whom these
poems relate can now be best elucidated by a reference
to the Treasurer's Accounts. I shall not, however,
swell out the Notes with extracts from these accounts,
of such entries where Doig's name occurs, as they
would throw no light on the character of that indivi-
dual ; and the curiosity of most readers in regard to
him will no doubt be satisfied by presenting the follow-
ing result of Mr Chalmers' indefatigable researches.
James Dog, or Doig, appears in the Treasurer's Ac-
counts as one of the King's domestic servants, in 1489,
and from the numerous subsequent entries where his
name occurs, he must have been regarded as a trusty,
active, and confidential person ; and he was enabled by
his savings to purchase the lands of Duntober, in Perth-
shire^ May 12th, 1500. (Privy Seal Register, vol. ii. p. I.)
After the King's marriage, in 1303, he was transferred to
the establishment of the Queen's household, whom he
long continued to serve with fidelity. In proof of this, it
may be noticed, that in 1523, Aug. 4, a grant was made
to the King's " lovit servitour, James Dog," of the ward,
nonentries, and relief of the lauds of the late Dormond
Johnston of Drongy, and the marriage of his heir.
(Privy Seal Regist. vol. v. fol. 152.) Though here called
the King's servitour, he was, in fact, still the servant
of the Queen Dowager, and had been so for twenty
296 NOTES.
years. In an autograph letter from the Earl of Surrey,
at Newcastle, Oct. '24th, 15-J3, to Cardinal VVolsey, he
says, " Plesith your Grace to be advertised, that this
present houre is come to me, James Dog, the Quene
of Scotts' servante, &c." (Cotton MS. Calig. B. vi. fo.
311.) His name also occurs, in December \o-26, but
how long he may have survived is uncertain. His son,
James Dog, younger, was, on Sept. 17ih, 15-24, appointed
"yeman of the King's wardrope, with leveray clothing,
busche of court, and duties used and wont, &c." (Privy
Seal Regist. vol. vii. fo. 92.)
Line 2. To gif a doublett.] Dunbar must have been
in the habit of receiving a gown, or dress, at Christmas,
as on more than one occasion he received, by the King's
command, a sum of money, " becaus he wantit his
goun at Zule." (See Appendix to the Memoir, No. H.)
This, however, had no concern with the Queen's gift.
" The Queen seems to have ordered him a doublet, or
suit of clothes, from the royal wardrobe, but Mr Doig
having scrupled, was hitched into a rime, and thus
stands as a skeleton in the Surgeons' Hall of Fame."
— Pi.NKERTON. The same critic, upon the second of
these poems, says, " This is a sharp satire in the piercing
mode of pity, and was written, as the colophon tells
us, when Doig liad pltisit him. If so, whether was it
most dangerous to displease, or to please Dunbar?"
Line 5. Your marks.} " Seems to mean seal. The
seal of Margaret appears at many letters of her's in the
Cotton Library. It is a lad)'^ sitting, and either a lamb or
dog by her." — Pinkertgn.
Line 23. His gang garris all your chalmeris schog.]
Pinkerton, by mistake, reads gangarris as if one word,
which he explained as being " a cant phrase for feet ;
NOTES. 297
his walkars ;" a mistake in which he has been followed
by Dr Jamieson. The meaning of the line is, ' He walks
so heavily as to cause your chambers to shake;' literally,
' His gait makes all your chambers shake.'
Page 111, line 10, wordrope should be wardrope.
Line 23. That nevir dolour mak him dram.] " It is
strange," as Dr Jamieson remarks, " that Mr Pinkerton
should render this, * That grief may never force him to
the dram-bottle.' Dram, or drum, sullen, melancholy ;
the meaning is. That grief should never make him sad."
THAT THE KING WAS JOHNE THOMSOUNE'S
MAN.— Page 113.
The burden of this humorous address, which is pre-
served in Sir R. Maitland's MS., is a proverbial expres-
sion of a man ruled by his wife, in common phrase, a
hen-pecked husband. Thus, in the collection of Scottish
Proverbs by David Fergussone, under the head " Of ef-
feminate persons," one is " He is John Thomsone's man,
coutching carle." — sign. c. 4. edit. Edinb. 1641, 4to. " I
have little doubt (says Mr Pinkerton) but the original
proverb was Joan Thomson's man : man in Scotland
signifies either husband or servant,^' and he quotes the
following lines from Sam. Colville's Scottish Hudibras,
first printed in 1681 :
We read in greatest warriors' lives
They oft were ruled by their wives.
The world's conqueror, Alexander,
Obey'd a lady, his commander :
And Autonic, that drunkard keen,
Was rul'd by his lascivious Queen
298 NOTES.
So the imperious Roxalan
Made the great Turk John Thomson s man.
" The intent of the prayer therefore is, ' That the
Kini^ were ruled by the Queen.' Margaret, Queen of
James 1V^, had, in all likelihood, promised Dunbar her
assistance in procuring him a benefice ; but he found
that her influence with the King was not very strong,
and wrote this poem in consequence." — Pinkkrton.
Line II. In Bart/me.] That is, in Britain; and syn
in this line stands for sen, since.
Line 19. 2'hat ye had vowit to the Sivan.] " The
stanza, containing this line, is quoted from our MS.
by Mr Tyrvvhitt in his excellent glossary to Chaucer;
who there adduces a singular instance of this vow from
Matthew of Westminster. When Edward L was set-
ting out on his last expedition to Scotland, 1306, a
festival was held, at which, ' Allati sunt in pompatica
gloria duo Cvgm vel olores ante Regem, phalerati
retibus aureis vel fistulis deauratis, desiderabile spec-
taculum intuentibus. Quibus visis. Rex votum vovit
Deo cceli et cygnis se proficisci in Scotiam, mortem
Johannis Coniyn et fidem la?sam Seotorum vivus sive
mortuus vindicaturus,' &c." — Pinkerton. " In the
days of chivalry, it was customary for the Knights to
make vows to God over a roasted swan, peacock, phea-
sant, heron, or other bird ; and these vows were held
to be inviolable. The bird was afterwards carried to
the table." — Sibbald. In the metrical romance of
Alexander, translated from the French in 1438, and
printed at Edinburgh by Arbuthnot about 1580, one
of the books or parts ' the Avowis of Alexander,' (in
the French MS. entitled ' Li Veu da Paon,') refers
NOTES. 299
entirely to this singular custom of the knights and
ladies taking solemn vows upon themselves when ' the
poun' or peacock is set before them. Martin, also, in
his Description of the Western Islands, says, " When
the natives kill a swan, it is common for the eaters of
it to make a negative vow (/. e. they swear never to do
something that is in itself impracticable) before they
taste of the fowl." — p. 71.
TO THE QUENE.— Page 115.
In MSS. Maitland and Reidpeth. — " This piece (says
Mr Pinkerton) is a singular one to be addressed to a
Queen. Some words in it I shall not, and others, I
confess, 1 cannot explain." The poem, indeed, might
have been allowed to stand without any comment,
were it not that this, perhaps, more than any other
poem by Dunbar, has given rise to the notion, that his
moral character alone prevented his obtaining church
preferment. The verses evidently refer to the irregular
and licentious conduct of some of the Queen's domes-
tics on Fastrens-Eve; but the exact meaning of the very
coarse phrase which forms the burden of each verse, I
am unable to explain. To lib, usually signifies castrare,
emasculare, from the Teuton, lubb-en. Here it cannot
have such a meaning, as it occurs in various senses ;
but might have had some reference to the lues venerea,
a disease which had made its appearance in Scotland
in 1497, and is then spoken of as a ' contagious plage'
or ' sickness,' under the name of Grandyore. (Mait-
land's Edinburgh, p. 10; Piukerton's Hist. vol. ii. p.
34). I apprehend, therefore, that this poem more ob-
300 NOTES.
viously serves to indicate the coarse manners of the
age, M'liich couhl tolerate such verses being addressed
to a lady, or induce the Queen to listen to such allu-
sions, than to substantiate any charge against the Poet
individually. An allusion of a similar kind occurs in
the Privy Purse Expenses of Elizabeth of York, Queen
of Henry the Seventh, and mother of the Scotish
Queen ; where are several entries on the lath of March
1503, for the dyett and dress of John Pertriche, " one
of the sonues of mad Beale" — a person who was sup-
ported at the Queen's expense ; the last charge is,
" Item, payed to a Surgeon which heled him of the
Frenche pox, xxs." — " That such an entry," as Sir
Harris Nicolas (the Editor of that curious and inte-
resting record) observes, " should be mentioned in
accounts evidently intended for the Queen's eye, is
strongly indicative of the coarse manners of the
time."
Line 14. For an explanation of this obscure line,
see Dr Jamieson's Diet. Suppl. sub voce, Pamplette.
Line 22. Willing wandis.] Should evidently be wil-
low wandis or 7-ods ; and in 1. 25, ower off, is a typo-
graphical error for ower oft, too often.
V. R. — Lines 3, lat than; 8, in thefeder; 21, thame
stark as any r/yandis ; 30, Spaneze ; 3S,Jockis.
COMPLAINT AGANIS MURE.— Page 117.
In MSS. Maitland and Reidpeth. — The person is al-
together unknown against whom this indignant com-
plaint is made for having altered and interpolated some
of Dunbar's verses; but from the mention made of the
NOTES. 301
Dumfries fool, in line 24, he probably belonged to the
South- Country.
Line 19. A roundit head.] i. e. to have his ears cut off.
Line 24. Cuddy Ring.] So in Reidpeth's MS. ; in
this part, Maitlaud's is not very legible, but the name
seems to be " Rug," which Pinkerton deciphered as
" cuddy rung." From the following notices in the
Treasurer's Accounts, there can be no doubt the name
should be Cuddy Rig. — In 1504, Sept. 11, there was
paid to the four Italian minstrels, and to the More
taubroner, who accompanied the King, " for their
expensis in Drumfreis, L.4, 4s.;" and the same day,
" To Cloffess, be the Kingis command, quhan Cuddy
Rig tuk his taubroun, 28s." On the 17th of that month,
14s. was paid " to the crukit Vicar of Drumfreiss that
sang to the King in Lochmaben," and 14s. at the same
time, by the King's command, to ' Cuddy Rig.' The
names of ' Cuddy Rig' and of ' English Cuddy' occur
in later accounts. Thus, on June 13, 1508: — "Item,
to Engliss Cuddy, that hrocht in ane nakit gyss, in the
close, be the Kingis command, 36s." On Jan. 2, 1512,
' Cudde Rig' received 14s.; and on Feb. 28, that
year, there was also paid " to Cudde fule, at ewinsange,
to by hyme ane coit, 14s."
DANCE IN THE QUENIS CHALMER.— Page 119.
In MSS. Maitland and Reidpeth. — This " strange
poem," as it has been called, is possessed of consider-
able interest, from its affording us a glimpse of the
free and good-humoured sociality which prevailed at
Court. Besides the Poet himself, and the English
302 NOTES.
lady, of whom he represents liimself as the avowed
admirer, it describes several persons well known at
the time, as joining in this ' merry dance.' In giving
some notices of these persons, I chiefly avail myself
of the researches of my friend Mr Chalmers.
Line 1.] Sir John Sinclair of Dryden was one of
the King's attendants or courtiers, as appears from the
Treasurer's Accounts, the name of Jolin Sinclair oc-
curring as early as 1490. In 1501, June 20, " Giffin to
the King himself that he playit at the Rowbowlis with
the Prothonotar [Andrew Forman] and Schir John Sin-
clair, o6s. In 1503, July, Sir John Sinclair of Dryden,
kniglit, was one of the King's attendants who was fur-
nished with clothes preparatory to the King's marriage.
As Dunbar calls him "the Quenis Knycht," perhaps he
became one of her attendants. — 1504, Sept. 27, " That
samyn nycht to the King to play at the cartis with Sir
Johno Sinclair, 10 French crowns and tynt, L.7." — 1506,
Nov. 3, " To Sir John Sinclair, be the Kingis command,
L.28." Sir John Sinkler's wyfF received L.IO, as a New
Year's gift, on Jan. 1, 1511-2; and a similar sum was
given to Maistres Sinclair, Jan. 1, 1512-3.
Line 8.] Maister Robert Schaw first appears in
the Treasurer's Accounts in 1502 ; and from that year
till 1508, his name occurs frequently as having received
sums of money, and articles of dress, including a gown
of scarlet, lined with birge satin. From the two follow-
ing entries, it seems probable that he was a physician : —
1504, May 28, " Item, to Maister Robert Schaw, be the
Kingis command, quhen he passit to Bothwile to the
Lady Hand seik, L.7."— 1504-5, Feb. 9, " Item, to the
said William [Foular, potingair] for ane blude stane
and thre vnce vther stuf for the Quene, for bleding of
NOTES. 303
the ness [nose], after au R. of Maister Robert Scbavv
228." In 1308, he appears, probably on obtaining some
preferment, to have taiveu Holy Orders, as on May 14,
" the King's offerand to Maister Robert Schawls first
Mess," was 10 French crowns, or L.7 : this was a
very high offering to a Priest's first Mass, and shows
that he must have been a favourite with the Kins'.
Line 15.] The Mastkr Almaser w-as Doctor Ba-
bington, who came from England with the Queen at
the time of her marriage, Aug. 1503, as her Almoner,
and remained, with a salary of L.20 English, or L.70
Scotish, yearl)'. Thus, on Dec. 13, 1503, the King's
Treasurer paid " to Doctour Babingtoun, Almessar to
the Queue, his half-year's fee, L.IO Inglis, quhilk is
in Scottis money L.35." This sum he continued to re-
ceive during three years, the last half-yearly payment
being made on the 8th of February, 1506. Soon after
he was appointed to the Deanry of Aberdeen. In the
Treasurer's Accounts, between Aug. 6th, 1506, and 6th
Sept. 1507, there is a payment of L.39 " gret Flemish
money, for expediting the BuUis of the Denery of Aber-
dene to Doctor Babingtoun."
Line 19.] John Bute was one of the King's fools.
His name has not been met with earlier than November
1506. In December that year, for his dress he received
a Doctor's gown of chamlot, lined with black grey, and
purfellit with skins, with a hoode, a doublet of fustian,
hose, and a grey bonnet ; and at the same time ' Spark,
John Butis man,' received a gown of russet, doublet of
fustian, and hose of carsay. The names of ' John of
Bute' and his man Spark, occur repeatedly in the
Treasurer's accounts during the rest of James's reign;
and that of ' John Butis brother,' Sept. 20, 1512.
304 NOTES.
Line 22.] Dunbar the Makar. Here the Poet in-
troduces himself, as tlie lover of the lady described
in the following verse, and tripping with such bois-
terous mirth, as to lose one of his slippers or embroi-
dered shoes. We could have wished that he had
described his own personal appearance, instead of
telling us how he danced. The kind of dance called
" Dirry Dantoun" is not known ; but, as the next line
will not bear particular explanation, we must infer that
it was wholly unbecoming in a person of his age and
character. Pinkerton says the expression, in line 27,
which he printed like a pillar, &c., " seems equivalent
to Doll Common's jest.
Falstaff, The rogue fled from me like quicksilver.
Doll. V faith, and thou foUow'dst him like a church."
Line 29.] Maestris Musgraeffe. This lady is sup-
posed to have been Sir John Musgrave's wife, who
came to Scotland with the young Queen at the time of
her marriage, in Aug. 1503, and remained with her.
She appears to have been the principal lady about the
Queen, and, besides her salary from the King, she
often received clothes, presents, and New-year's gifts.
Mr Chalmers says, she is generally called, * the Lady
Maestres,' and in one instance, ' Sir John Musgrave's
•wife;' a Knight's wife being then usually styled
Maistress, and not Lady. The half-year's fee of the
Lady MaistresswasL.lS, Gs. 8d. Sterl. or L>46, 13s. 4d.
Scotish money. For bringing tidings to the King of
the Prince's birth, Febr. 21, 1506-7, she received 100
unicornis, equal to L.90, Scotish money, along with a
great cup of silver which the Bishop of Murray had
given to the King. The names of Maistrcs Musgray,
NOTES. 805
and Agues Musgraif, often occur, in the years 1511 to
1513.
Line 36. Dame Doutebour.] In MS. Maitl., it is
Duontebour, in MS. Reidp., Dautie, or Dancie Boir.
Mr Ciialmers suggests that the name should be Dunti-
bour, or Dountebour, a cant term applied to a loose
woman, which is so used both by Sir David Lyndsay
and John Knox, (Hist, of the Reform.) Who the person
was whom Dunbar has so named, cannot be ascertained,
nor is it of much importance. Among other strange
characters who appeared at Court to partake of the
King's bounty, was a lady with the very odd appel-
lation of " Jonet Bair-arse." Small sums (generally
148.) were also occasionally paid " to Wantonness and
hir Marowis," or companions, who sang to the King ;
and on one of these occasions (Feb. 16, 1507) is added,
" Item, to Wantonness that the King fechit, and gert
hir sing in the Quenis chamer, 14s."
Line 44.] The Quenis Dog, is undoubtedly intend-
ed for James Doig, the keeper of the Queen's ward-
robe, who had on another occasion been subjected to
Dunbar's ridicule. See vol. i. p. 110, and vol. ii. p. 294.
V. R. — Lines 4, oiirycht ; 9, lerned; 12, hop; 15,
Maister Dancer ; \1, a stirk starrland.
TO A LADY.— Page 121.
In Maitland's MS. — Pinkerton, referring to these lines,
says, " This is a ballad by Dunbar, but worth nothing."
It is indeed a very unmeaning " cry to his Mistress
for mercy," on some occasion, " quhen he list to feyne."
Yet such kind of verses seem to have been highly
esteemed, if we may judge from the many similar eftu-
sions of George Bannatyne, and other minor Scotish
poets of the sixteenth century, contained in his MS.
VOL. II. u
30(5 NOTES.
OF A BLACKAMOOR.— Page 123.
In MSS. Maitland and Rcidpeth.— This ballad truly
is quite of a different complexion from the last, and
furnishes a lively example of our author's turn for
broad, yet good-natured caricature. It is evidently a
f^ketch from the life ; and the African beauty who sat
for this portrait is supposed to have been captured in
a Portuguese vessel, and brought to this country about
the year 1506, by one of the Bartons, who were highly
distinguished for naval enterprise. See Pinkerton's
Hist. vol. ii. p. 61, and Percy's lleliques, vol. ii. ISO.
Blackamoors, however, were not such a novelty at
the Scotish Court as might be supposed. One of the
King's minstrels, whose name occurs repeatedly in the
Treasurer's Accounts for 1501, and subsequent years,
was " the More taubroner," " Peter the JMoryen," or
" Peter the More," as he is variously styled. la 1508,
two Blackamoor Friars came to Scotland, and remained
for a few months, James the Fourth having occasionally
contributed to defray their expenses, and to furuish
" the More freris" with articles of dress.
In November 1504, two Blackamoor girls arrived in
Scotland, and were baptised by the names of Elen and
Margaret. They were educated at Court, where they
remained as attendants upon the Queen. I much regret
that want of space precludes me from availing myself of
the very copious and interesting notes communicated by
Mr Chalmers regarding these ladies. Mr Tytler, how-
ever, in the Appendix to his " Scottish Worthies," Vol.
III., has given an interesting account of these black
maidens, partly from a similar source. That Dunbar's
poem was occasioned by either of them, might be doubt-
NOTES. 307
ed.as the description seems far more applicable to a per-
son well advanced in years. Yet the allusion in the
fourth verse to the contention that was to take place
* with speir and scheild,' seems to favour such a
notion, as a tournament in honour of the Queen's Black
Lady, Elen More, or Black Elen, as she is variously
styled, was held in June 1507 with great splendour.
No notice of these black maidens occurs in the Trea-
surer'sbooks after the closeof James the Fourth's reign.
Line 3. Last Schippis.] Scotland, during the 15th
and early part of the 16th century, must have had con-
siderable commerce, as Mr Pinkerton infers, from the
quantity of foreign money which was then in circula-
tion, and the regulations as to its value.
Line 4. Quhow,] and elsewhere in this poem, is
merely a variety of spelling hoto.
Line 13. The son thollit clippis.] The sun was under
eclipse at the time of her birth.
V. R.— Lines 11, Reid apparell ; 1. 17, preissis.
OF SIR THOMAS NORRAY.— Page 125.
In MSS. Maitland and Reidpeth.— Reidpeth's collec-
tion was not known to Mr Pinkerton, and, in printing
this poem from the other MS., where it is very illegi-
ble, he gave it as a fragment " On Sir Thomas Moray."
The name in that MS., however, is Norray or Nornay,
and in Reidpeth's, Norry. Who this person was, might
have remained for ever a matter of conjecture, had not
the Treasurer's Accounts removed all doubts on this
important point, but of this fact I was not aware in time
to give his name correctly in the text.
The person, then, to whom this poem relates, was
308 NOTES.
Thomas Nornee, or Norny, one of the King's Fools,
wlio for many years seems to have been a favourite
attendant. A few notices from the Treasurer's Ac-
counts may be here annexed, and it will be observed that
he is, on more than one occasion, but no doubt in de-
rision, actually styled Sir Thomas Nornee. The mea-
sure of this satirical effusion may remind the reader of
Chaucer's Rime of Sir Thopas.
In August 1503, Nornee received a doublat of birge
satiu, hose of yellow carsay, &c. In April 1504, a coat
of yellow and black chamlot, a doublat of birge satin,
and a pair of carsay hose, red and yellow ; also a coat
of carsay, red and yellow, and a doublat of gray milan
fustiane. There are many similar entries at subsequent
dates, which include bonnets, shoes, and other articles
of dress, but which need not be detailed. In May 1505,
L..3, 10s. was given " to the wif quhair Nornee lay sick
in the Sennis." July 2.3, " for ane hors to Nornee, L.3."
In August that year, ' Sir Thomas Nornee ' accom-
panied James the Fourth to Whithorn ; and when the
King was in the North, lOs. was paid by his command
" to Sir Thomas Nornee." In short, he appears to
have been a regular attendant upon the King in his
journeys from one part of the country to another. In
1511-12, March 24, the Treasurer paid " to Thomas
Norny, fule, in elimose,at his passage to Saint James,
56s. ;" and August 5, " to Schir Thomas Norny, one pair
schone, price IGd."
Line 16. Of the Glen Quhettane, Sfc] That is, He
drove away twenty score of oxen belonging to the Clan
Quhattane, or Chattan, probably the Mackintoshes.
Line 25, &c.] The names of the persons mentioned in
this verse were probably all familiar in our Poet's time
NOTES. 309
by means of popular ballads or tales. Of these, Robeine
under Beuche is evidently meant for Robin Hood ; and
Allan Bell may be a mistake for " Adam Bell," who,
along with " Clym of the Cleughe and VVyllyam of Clou-
desle," is celebrated in an early metrical tale, reprinted
in Ritson's " Pieces of Ancient Popular Poetry." Roger
of Clekkinsklewch and Simones sons of Quhynfell, are
personages now unknown to fame; while Guy of Gis-
horne is the subject of one of the Robin-Hood ballads,
which was first printed in Percy's Reliques. Mr Rit-
SON, in reprinting that ballad in his very interesting pub-
lication, " Robin Hood," has quoted these lines by Dun-
bar, " as the only further memorial which has occurred
concerning him, [Guy of Gisborne,] where he is named
along with our hero, Adam Bell, and other worthies, it
is conjectured, of a similar stamp, but whose merits
have not, less fortunately, come to the knowledge of
posterity." (Vol. i. p. 1 14.)
Line 37. Quhentyne.] This verse probably had some
allusion to a saying, or satirical composition, by Quin-
tyne, the poet.
Lines 43 and 48. Currie.] The person here mention-
ed was one of the King's fools, and his name occurs
very frequently in the Treasurer's Accounts, between
June 1496 and June 1506, when particular sums were
paid either for his expenses, and his dress, (usually
including a red and yellow coat of carsay,) or as an
allowance to the person who kept or attended him. His
knaif or servant was no doubt " Law, Curryis man,"
whose name also occurs in the same record. Curry
must have died about the end of May 1506, as on the
2d of June the Treasurer paid " for the tyrment and
expenses maid on the furthbringing of Curry, deliverit
to Sir Andro Makbrek, 46s. 8d."— " Item, payit to Johne
310 NOTES.
Knox wif for keping, walking, and expenses of Curry
Hand seik, 4l8. ;" and on the 13th, " Item, be the Kingis
command to the wif quhair Curry lay seik, 18s." In the
same Accounts, we meet with frequent entries respect-
ing Curryis mother, Daft Anne, Curryis wif, Peter
Curry, Curryis broder, and Law, Curryis man.
Line 50. Lord of every fuilL] These Fools seem to
have been pretty numerous. Thus, there were Thomas
Norny, Curry, Law, Curryis man, John Bute, Spark, John
Butis man, John Wallas, and Cuddy Rig, all of whom are
specially mentioned in the course of these Notes. In the
Treasurer's Accounts we meet with the names of vari-
ous others, such as Joly Johne, the English fule, 1488 to
1492, ane fule callit Hammilton, 1497, Johne Rouch,
1302 to 1305, Jok, fule in Dunde, 1503, Jok, fule of
Abirdene, 1503, Swagger, Sir William Murray's fule,
1505, Quhissilgibboun in Falkland, 1508, and the fule
Bille How, 1508; and likewise sundry others called
" Jestours," who may have exercised the same favourite
and probably lucrative profession.
V. R. — Lines 1, Now lystis ; 30, Of thocht war; 32,
Nor at.
ON HIS HEID-AKE. Page 128.
This short address occurs only in Reidpeth's MS.,
and is now first printed. It conveys in brief but pa-
thetic terms the Poet's excuse, on some particular occa-
sion, for his inability, when setting himself to his daily
occupation, to compose what might be worthy of the
King's notice.
To maky in line 2, as to dyt, in line 6, means to com-
pose, or to endite, although 7nak implies to compose in
verse. Line 15 should probably read walkin in no wise.
NOTES. 311
WELCUM TO BERNARD STEWART, &c.— P. 129.
This poem, which was printed at Edinburgh by
Chepman aud Myllar, in 1508, is not contained in any
of the old MS. collections. The person whom the
Poet has so happily styled ' The Flour of Chivalry,'
and French writers, ' Le Chevalier sans Reproche,'
from his having been esteemed one of the most gallant
and valiant Knights of his time, was descended from the
Stewarts of Dernelay,and inherited the title and estates
of Aubigny, in France, by succession. He was also
Viceroy of Naples, and Governor of Milan. His first
appearance in a public capacity was in March 1484,
when sent by Charles the Eighth of France, as his am-
bassador to Scotland, for renewing the ancient League
between the two kingdoms. In the following year, he
eminently distinguished himself at Bosworth-Field,
where he commanded the French auxiliaries to Henry
Duke of Richmond, and is celebrated by Sir John
Beaumont in his heroic poem of " Bosworth-Field."
London, 1029, 8vo. A few lines of that poem may be
quoted, in regard to Bernard, Lord Aubigny, • A blos-
som of the Stewarts' happy line.'
" The sun, whose rays the heaven with beauty crown,
From his ascending to his going down.
Saw not a braver leader in that age ;
And Bosworth-Field must be the glorious stage
In which this Northern eagle learns to fly,
And try those wings which after raise him high ;
Wlien he, beyond the snowy Alps renown'd,
Shall plant French lilies in Italian ground,
And cause the craggy Appenine to know
What fruits on Caledonian mountains grow."
312 NOTES.
It has been usually stated that Aubigny arrived in
Scotland, on his second embassy, in 1504. This, how-
ever, is a mistake, proceeding on the inaccurate man-
ner in which Lindesay of Pitscottie has noticed his last
arrival, under a wrong date. A message, indeed, came
from Aubigny that year, as we learn from the follow-
ing entries in the Treasurer's Accounts :— " 1304, Sept.
26. Item, to Bernard Stewartis man of France, quhilk
come to the King, L.8, 8s. Item, to the samyn man, to
mak the quhit horsis expensis quhilk the King send to
Bernard Stewart, L.3, lOs." It was not till May 9th,
1508, that Aubigny himself arrived in Scotland, having
come through England with a train of 80 horse ; and
he was received at the Scotish Court with all the
honour and respect due to a person so distinguished.
It was undoubtedly on this occasion (and not in 1504,
as stated by the present Editor, in the preface to the
facsimile^^reprint of Chepman's Tracts) that Dunbar's
poem was composed.
Of this panegyrical address, only one copy of the
original edition, by Chepman and Myllar, has been dis-
covered, and that, unfortunately, is imperfect. It has
the following title : —
m)c iallattc of anc vicji)t noble bictorius & mBgljtp Ior"b
Uavnarti Stctoavt lovti of aubigitD etic of i3caumont togcr
nn^ bonaffvc consalouvc anti rf)amcilanc ortJinavc to tl)c matst
l)cc maist excellent Jc mai&t cvj}»t)in prince Hobs lung of
france iXnjjgljt of Ijis ovtiouvc (ffapitnne of tijc UepiniQ of Ijis
iolrji iTonijuevcurof'Naplisan'Obmcuiljilc constable general
of tf)c same crompilit befttaistiv JlJHillpamtiumbav at tl)e
&aili lovtii'i cumjjng to Jltiinbuvglie in .^cotlantJ sentr in aue
vpgl)t excf Kent embassat fva tl)e anitt maibt cvfistin king to ouv
maist *ouueianc lott) an"0 bictoviuispviucc Saincs) ttjefcvtic
kpng of Scottiji.
KOTES. 313
Dunbar in this poem expresses his intention of cele-
brating at greater length the exploits of this distinguish-
ed person, but, as will be seen from the next poem, he
was constrained to change his notes of welcome into
lamentation, and this intended work in all probability
was never commenced. That the exploits of Aubigny
were worthy of Dunbar's Muse, will appear to those
who inquire into his history, regarding which many
interesting notices from early writers will be found
collected in the ' Genealogical History of the Stewarts,'
by Andrew Stuart, Esq. p. 197, &c. Lond. 1798. 4to.
Line 8. With glorie.] At the end of this and the
other verses, glorie should probably be, for the sake of
euphony, (as at line 56,) gloire. Sunylie in line 31, in
the original is swyne.
Line 27. That never saw Scot yet indigent, &;c.] Here
the Poet expresses what he himself might have experi-
enced during some of his foreign peregrinations. Lord
Aubigny being a liberal encourager of men of learning.
Line 89, &c.] In this verse the Poet expresses what the
several letters contained in the name Bernardvs beto-
kened: Had the conclusion of this poem been preserved,
there is little doubt we should have seen the letters of
his surname illustrated in a similar manner.
ELEGY ON BERNARD STEWART, &c.— P. 133.
Lord Aubigny, as stated in the Notes to the prece-
ding poem, arrived in Scotland on his Second Embassy
from the King of France, May 9th, 1508. He was then
advanced in years, and in a precarious state of health ;
and he did not long survive, either to participate in the
rejoicings on occasion of his arrival, or to conclude the
.314
NOTES.
object of his embassy, as he died in tlie beginning of the
subsequent month, at the seat of Forrester of Cor-
storpliine, in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh. This is
proved by the copy of his Last Will and Testament, and
the inventory of his effects, taken, it is said, after his de-
cease, on the 8th of June, 1508. (Stuart's Geneal. Hist,
p. 207.) On tlie lotli of that month, also, the Treasurer
gave 14s. "as the Kingis Oft'erand at my Lord Awbig-
nes saule mess."
Lord Aubigny is usually said to have been interred
in the south aisle of Corstorphine Church, where the
tomb of a single recumbent figure in armour, has, for
more than a century, continued to be pointed out as
having been erected to his memory. (Monteith's
Theater of Mortality, p. 27, Edin. 1713.)
The following is a slight sketch of the said monument,
which has been carefully preserved in the course of the
recent alterations made on the old parish Church of
Corstorphine.
NOTIiS. 315
That this monument was that of Lord Aubigny ap-
pears, however, as Mr Wood (Peerage, vol. ii. p. 93)
well observes, to be very questionable, since not only
in his latter will, made very shortlybefore his death, Au-
bigny expressly desired that he might be interred in the
Church of the Black Friars of Edinburgh (which was
burned down in 1528), but the arms on the monument
in question are those of Forrester and not Stewart.
Dunbar's Elegy on Aubigny, which must thus have
been written in June, 1508, is preserved in Reidpeth's
MS. and is now first printed. Sir D. Lyndsay has imi-
tated this poem, both in the structure of verse and in
some of the expressions, in his Deploration of the Death
of Quene Magdalene, in 1537. (Works, vol. ii. p. 178.)
AGANIS TREASON.— Page 135.
In MSS. Bannatyne, Maitland, and Reidpeth. — This
invective against treason is said to have been composed
as an Epitaph for Donald Owre. This Donald was a
natural son of Angus, the natural son of John Lord of the
Isles; and having usurped that title, he was, with some
of his abettors, forfeited in 1503, when the Western
Islands of Scotland became the property of the Crown.
The name Donald Owre, in the Gaelic signifies ' Donald
the dark brown man.' He is incidentally mentioned by
this name in the Treasurer's Accounts, 1496, April 28.
" Item, to Donald Owris man at the Kingis command,
18s." 1497-8, March 1, "Item, to Donald Ovvr at the
Kingis command, in the toun of Air [Aberdeen ?] L.2,
16s. 8d." " Item, to ane man of Donald Owris, the
King send away erandis, 14s." The King had two hens-
316 NOTES.
men, Donald, and Ronald of the Isles ; and Margaret
of the Isles, a sister of theirs probably, was also at
Court, during the latter part of his reign.
Line 40. Ai/ rynnis the fox, cjuhill he fute hes.^ A
proverbial expression which occurs in Henry son's fable
of ' The Court of Beasts,' p. 29.
It may be noticed that Sir Richard Maitland, in his
poem on the Thevis of Liddisdail, has imitated the mea-
sure of Dunbar's poem.
V. R.— Lines 8, So terribill ; 27, Kynd hes all reffar,
theiffand tratour ; 30, thai heffoff; 3l,fawld ; 32, gevin
als oftforfrawd; 35, him hawd.
TESTAMENT OF ANDREW KENNEDY.— P. 137.
This satirical poem was printed by ChepmanandMyl-
lar in 1508, and is also contained in the MSS. of Ban-
natyne, Maitland, and Reidpeth. " This," says Lord
Hailes, " is a singular performance ; it represents the
character of a drunken graceless scholar. The alternate
lines are composed of shreds of the breviary, mixed
with what we call Dog-Latin, and the French Latin de
Cuisine" Both Warton (Hist, of E. P.) and Kippis,
in his article Dundar (Biographia Britannica, vol. v.)
have borrowed Lord Hailes's sentiments regarding this
poem, which they say " represents the character of an
idle dissolute scholar, and ridicules the funeral cere-
monies of the Romish Communion. Almost every line
is composed of the formularies of a Latin will, and
shreds of the Breviary, mixed with what the French call
Latin de Cuisine. There is some humour in the perfoi'-
mance, arising from these burlesque applications."
NOTES. 317
The reader will naturally ask, who was the person
thus characterised by Dunbar as a drunken graceless
scholar. In MSS. Maitland and Reidpeth, the name of
Walter instead of Andrew having been erroneously sub-
stituted, the very prejudicial inference has been drawn
that Dunbar intended, by such ridicule, to asperse the
memory of Walter Kennedy the Poet. No single line in
the entire poem seems to be at all applicable to that very
eminent writer ; and if we had not had the authority of
Chepman's original edition, and of Bannatyne's MS., in
reading Andrew Kennedy, it might have been sufficient
for the vindication of our author could we have shown
(what has been doubted) that a person of that name
was known at Court when Dunbar's poem must
have been composed. That we should be igno-
rant of his history need excite no surprise, as such
characters have no particular claims on posterity.
But in the Treasurer's Accounts, that fertile source
for the illustration of Dunbar's poetry, are the fol-
lowing entries : 1502, August2I, "Item, for ane hors
bocht to Jok Bailye [one of the King's hensmen], and
syne was geffin to Andro Kennedy, be the Kingis com-
mand, 508." Two days previously, "Item, the xix day
of August, to Andro Kennedy, be the Kingis command,
28s." Again, in 1503, Sept. 8. " Item, to the said Andro
[Ay toun] that he gaif to Andro Kennedy, in Maij bipast,
to pas to Wigtoun to the King, with ane Relique of
Sanct Niniane, 14s." A grant made to one " Andro
Kennedy," May 13, 1501, also occurs in the Privy
Seal Register, vol. ii. fol. 51.
The late Octavius Gilchrist, in his remarks on
Macaronick poetry, (Brydges' Censura Literaria, vol. iii.
p. 359,) in mentioning Theophilus Folengo of Mantua,
318 NOTES.
known best under his assumed name of Merlinus Co-
caius, as the supposed inventor of that kind of verse, in
his * Opus Macaronicum,' first printed in 1 51 7, says " he
was preceded by the laureat Skelton, wliose works were
printed in 1512, who was liimself anticipated by the
great genius of Scotland, Dunbar, in his ' Testament of
Andro Kennedy,' and the last must be considered as the
reviver orintroducer of Macaronicorburlesciue poetry."
Tiiis opinion, however, is not quite correct, as the
mixture either of Latin and English words, or in alter-
nate lines, as used by Skelton and Dunbar, does not con-
stitute what is called Macaronic verse, the peculiarity
of which consists in the use of Latin words and of ver-
nacular words with Latin terminations, usually in hexa-
meter verse. One of the earliest and most celebrated
pieces of the kind which is known in this country, is
Drumraond of Hawthornden's Polenio-Middinia. — With
regard to Skelton, whose works have never been col-
lected, the edition announced by the Rev. Alexander
Dyce, to whom English literature is already so much
indebted, cannot fail to be a most acceptable publication.
With the exception of Hawes, no other English poet du-
ring the reignsof Henry VII. and Vlll.is worthy of much
notice ; and Skelton's genius was of so peculiar a kind,
displaying such striking powers of invective, as well as
of humorous or burlesque satire, and so characteristic of
the age in which he lived, as to render it desirable that
his poetical remains should be collected, and for the
first time published under the eye of a zealous and
accomplished editor.
Line 8. Diabolus incarnatus.] See Lyndsay's ' Satyre
of the Three Estates,' (Works, vol. ii. p. 21.)
Line 40.] After this line, the following verse occurs
in MS. Maitl.
^^OTES. 319
Thair wald I be berict, me think,
Or beir my bodie ad tabernam ;
Quhair I may fell tbe savomr of drink
Syne syng for me requiem eternam.
These lines have some resemblance to part of the
celebrated convivial song by Walter de Mapes, —
Mibi est propositum in taberna mori,
Vinum sit appositum morientis ori,
Ut dicant cum venerint Angelorum chori
Deus sit propitius Luic potatori.
Line 28. Laith and wraith.] " Let him but give me
drink, and 1 forgive both his disgusts and his anger."—
Hailes.
Line 32. My Lordis bed ofstait.] " The bed in the
principal bed-chamber, called the chawmyr of dice, i. e.
chambre au dais, having a canopy." — Hailes.
Line 34. Ofivarldis gud I had na mair.] Had, a typ.
err. for bad, that is, I desired no other worldly goods.
Line 37. In a draf midding.} " After having con-
signed his soul to the wine-cellar, he orders his body to
be laid on a heap of brewer's grains." — Hailes.
Line 49. The best audit I bought.] " In the Law-Latin
of that age, ' Melius averium de conquestu.' " — Hailes.
Line 50. Propter cape.] " By way of caupes. Skene,
De verborum signijicatione, says, ' Caupes, calpes in
Galloway and Carrict, quhairof mention is maid in the
actes of parliament, James IV. p. 2, c. 18, 19, signifies
ane gift, quhilk an man in his awin lifetime, and liege
poustie, gives to his maister, or to onie uther man, that
is greatest in power and authoritie, and specially to the
head and chiefe of the clann, for his maintenance and
protection.' " — Hailes. Caupes, levying of pretended
benevolence, &c. See Pinkerton's Hist. vol. ii. p. 391.
320 NOTES.
Line 52. Than I schrew my scaicpc] i. e. " Then
ehrevv my scalp. Curse my head, or, may evil light on
my head." — Hailes.
Line 53, I callit my Lord my held, but hiddell.]
" I privately informed the Earl of Cassilis, chief of the
name of Kennedy. His predecessor Gilbert Kennedy
obtained from James 11. a grant of being Caput totius
prosapies sucb, to him and his heirs-male for ever."
— Hailes.
Line Hii. We wer als sib as seif and riddilL] " We
were as nearly related as sieves of different bores and
fineness, made of v\'ood from the same forest. See
Kelly, Scots proverbs, A. No. 186." — Hailes. It is an
old proverbial expression, and occurs at line 476 in the
' Tales of the Preists of Peblis,' nearly in the same
words, where it is said of the Clerk who feigned him-
self a fool,
Unto tlie Kirk he came, befoir the King,
With dub, and cote, and inonie bell to ring,
Dicu gard, Sir King, I l)id nocht hald in hiddill
I am to you as sib as seif is to ant riddel.
Line 60. The Maistcr of Saint Antane.] " The pre-
ceptor of St Anthony's hospital : the order of St Anthony
had only one monastery in Scotland, at Leith, now
called the South Kirk (Spottiswood's Religious Houses
in Scotland, c. 3.)" — Hailes. The preceptory of St
Anthony in Leith, was founded in 1435, by Robert Lo-
gan of Restalrig. There was also a chapel and Jiermi-
tage consecrated to St Anthony, looking down upon
the royal palace and Abbey of Holyrood, from an accli-
vity on the north side of Arthur's Seat, and of which
somedilapidated ruins still remain. (Arnot's Edinburgh,
p. 225. Chalmers's Caledonia, vol. ii. p. 769.)
NOTES.
321
Line 63. Qui nunquam fabricat mendacia,
Bot quhen the holi/ne growls grene-l A prover-
bial expression of false persons : " He lies never but
when the holen is green." i. e. He lies at all times. (D.
Fergusson's Scottish Proverbs. Edinburgh, 1G41, 4to.)
Line Co. Myfals loyaning.] " To weene, is to lament ;
hence the word ivhine ; as if he had said, * I leave my
hypocritical whinning to the knavish friars, qui con-
duct i plor ant infunere' " — Hailes.
Line 73. To Jolt the Fule.] Lord Hailes observes,
that in the family of every person of distinction, there
was a jester maintained, generally a composition of
knave and fool ; and he refers to Pitscottie to show that
James the Fifth had a fool called John Mackihie. From
the Treasurer's Accounts, however, we learn the names
of some of the Fools who formed part of the estab-
lishment of James the Fourth, at the time when this
poem was written. Among these, ' Jok Fule,' who is
here mentioned, was no doubt Johne Wallass, the fule,
(sometimes styled 'Daft Jok the Fule,') who attended
the King when at St Andrews in October, 1.504. He
died in the summer of 1508, as on June 19th, 16s.
was paid " for Jok Wallass tyrment."
Line 81, &c.] " This stanza is obscure, because we are
not acquainted with Maister Johnie Clerk. He was, pro-
bably, an ignorant practitioner in physic, who took upon
himself to prescribe in Latin without understanding
the language. Such a person prescribing for the teeth
might say, R. ' ad curandos entes;' catching at an im-
perfect sound, as the ignorant universally do : a tri-
fling circumstance of this kind was sufficient to point
the satire of the poet at BJaister Johnie Clerk." —
Hailes. This is not a very satisfactory explanation ;
VOL. II, X
32t2 NOTES,
yet, being unable to throw any light on the precise
iiieauing of this passage, I refrain from hazarding idle
conjectures on the subject.
Line 96. Non sicut more soli/o.] See tlie directions
given in the Testament of Squyer Meldrum for his
funeral. (Lyndsay's Works, vol. ii. p. 314.)
Line 103. Wit k hie stevin.] " Voice or sound; it
seems to be connected with the following line, ' Po-
tum meum cum Jletu misctham.' As if lie had said,
' Singing this stave of the penitential psalm, with many
tears. ' " — Hailes. " With that verse, or stanza, in the
Psalms, *i have mingled my drink with weepingy —
Warton.
Line 107. Dies ilia, ^c.] This is the first line, the
words being transposed, of the celebrated hymn on the
resurrection, in the Missal, which was sung at funerals.
Dies irse, dies ilia,
Solvet sxclum in favilla, &c.
See it printed in Sir Alex. Croke's Essay on Rhy-
ming Latin Verse, p. 134, Oxford, I S-28,8vo.
Line 115. Than hardely sing.] " Than sing hardily,
or with confidence." — Hailes,
Line 116.] " A verse in the Psalms. See other in-
stances in Dunbar (vol. i. page 198.) In George Ban-
natyne's MS. are many examples of this mixture, the
impropriety of which was not, perhaps, perceived by
our ancestors." — Warton.
COMPLAINT TO THE KING.-Page 142.
In MSS. Maitlaud and Reidpeth.— " This complaint
is written in a passion, which is a great enemy to clear-
NOTES. 323
riess. An author may find occasion to give his writing
a zest of supreme indignation; and no cause can be
stronger than this of Dunbar, the seeing blockheads pre-
ferred to him by caprice, or ignorance ; but he should
always be cool, even when expressing the sternest anger
and contempt, else his pages will be obscure, and all
the fire be lost in smoke. Many harsh names in this piece
I cannot explain." — Pinkerton. As Maitland's MS. is
very illegible, it is no wonder Mr Pinkerton should
have been unable to make out many of these harsh
names, and have to omit some lines near the conclusion,
which the other MS. fortunaiely supplies.
Line 72. Throw all Regioiins.] Here Dunbar dis-
tinctly alludes to his having been employed in the
King's service in foreign lands, and where he had un-
dergone tein or teyne, sorrow, of which his writings
had borne witness.
REMONSTRANCE TO THE KING.— Page 145.
This poem is preserved in Maitland's MS., and is
now first printed. Pinkerton styles it, " An angry
address to the King by Dunbar, mentioning the many
officers, flatterers, &c. about Court ; and reproaching
the King that he had no place. Consisting almost solely
of abusive names, and, being nearly the same with Dun-
bar's Complaint (he adds) it was not transcribed."
Notwithstanding this, 1 conceive it is one of the most
curious productions of our author, from its present-
ing such a singular picture of the Court of James
the Fourth, probably about 1509. From the mention of
Printers, in line 16, it is evident at least that this poem
must have been written subsequent to June 1 507, when
the art of printing was first introduced into this country.
324 NOTES.
undftr tlip King's auspices, by Walter Ciiepman and
Andrew Myi.lar. Chepman had been long employed
as a general merchant, and from the extensive traffic
which he carried on, might be considered well fitted
as an agent to bring over foreign workmen and the
materials for printing. See the introduction to the re-
print of " The Knightly Tale of Golagrus and Gawane,
and other Ancient Poems." Edinburgh, 1827. 4to.
Line 1. Schir ye have many Scrvitouris.] It would
be foreign to the purport of this work to illustrate at any
length the various objects and pursuits of the Scotish
Monarch, or even to enumerate the names of those ar-
tists and other persons whom the poet here mentions
in general terms. In the metrical romance of Cla-
riodus there is a passage which might have been sug-
gested to the translator by the encouragement of ar-
tists at the Court of James the Fourth. In preparing
a triumphal banquet for Meliades, a " fair hall of tur-
nour werk" being ordered to be prepared:
This forsaid Kniclit gart search all the countrie,
And fctchit thair all werkmen that war slee,
Wrichtis, and raaisteis of geometiie,
And maist practitioneris of theotrie,
Carvors, painters, and subtillest devysers,
To male the llstis to the interprisers, &c. — (P. 93.)
Line 25 — 34. And thovr/ht that /, cVc] These lines
may remind the classical reader of Ovid's Nee Jovin
ira, .yc. (Metam. xv. 871) and Horace'8 Kiet/i mo-
numentiim Sfc, (Carm. III. xxx.) On this occasion, when
Dunbar asserted his own worth, as if he looked for-
ward with confidence to the award of posterity, he
is not chargeable with any undue degree of self-esteem.
Similar instances might be quoted from English poets
NOTES. 325
— such as Spenser in bis Shepherd's Kalender, and
Shakespeare in his Sonnets, of thus paraphrasing and
applying to themselves the words of the Latin poet.
Douglas also, in his translation of Virgil, in 1313, adopts
a similar mode of expression, when he takes final leave
of poetry and the agreeable occupations of his youth —
Noio is my werk, &c. (p. 480, edit. 1710.) In the case
of Dunbar, his words merely express his indignant
feelings, on beholding the manner in which the respec-
tive claims of two very different classes of men were
treated at the Scotish Court ; for while he commends
the King for his liberality to men of science and talent,
and says it was both honourable and profitable to give
employment to such persons, he, at the same time,
inveighs in no measured terms on his indiscriminate
favour bestowed on the crowd of importunate, idle,
and woi'thless characters who intercepted his Ma-
jesty's favour from deserving objects. It is satisfac-
tory, indeed, to think that James cannot be accused of
having overlooked Dunbar's merits by allowing him
* to sit unserved,' although he might not have taken the
most effectual method to benefit the poet.
Line 66. That feislit at Cokelbeis gryce.'] This al-
ludes to a coarse but humorous production of that age
called ' Colkelbye Sow,' preserved in Bannatyne's MS.,
and printed in " Select Remains, &c." Edin. 1822, 4to.
Line 73. Panence.] Probably an error for patience ;
as less of, in 1. 76, may be for lessen ; and fer, in 1. 79>
iorfors.
PETITION TO THE KING, &c.— Page 149.
In this singular performance, the Poet repi'esents him-
self under the character of an old grey-horse, wornout
32G NOTES.
in tlie King's service. By some chance the poem has
been preserved in detached fragments. Maitland's
MS., as printed by Pinkerton, contains lines 23 to 47,
with the exception of 30, 36, and 42; it has also part of
the next verse, but almost illegible. In Reidpeth's
MS. the poem occurs as fragments, in no less than
three different parts of the volume. These consist of,
(1.) Lines 23 to 53, omitting 30, 36, 42, and 48, as in
MS. Maitl. (2.) Lines 35 to 65, excepting 58 and 60,
and oddly enough joined to a different poem by Dun-
bar : see Note to vol. i. page 253. (3 ) Lines 1 to 24,
excepting 6, 12, and 18, but accompanied with the
" Responsio Regis," which is printed on page 132.
Thus it will be seen that the chief liberty taken is in
repeating the 2d line of the burden of the poem, which
the tianscriber had omitted in most of the stanzas.
What the burden of this complaint signifies, is some-
what uncertain. The words are : — " Sir, let it never
be told in the toun that I should be an yuillis yalcty
Pinkerton, at line 24, copied them * that I t^/iot'ld
be an hoivlis hala^ and asks, " Is howUs haki, a
ruin — an owl's habitation?" As howUs hald 'seemed
inexplicable,' Mr Sibbald, in reprinting the fragment
from Pinkerton, substituted ane owller hald, which
might have been equally so, without this comment:
" Considered as an outlyer, or neglected person ;
the word (he adds) signifies literally a horse, or
horned beast that is not housed during the winter."
Outlier may be considered as an English word, which
Dr Bentley uses as applied to persons non-resident. In
a letter written in 1716, he speaks of the party who
were opposed to him, as having " sent messengers for
all their outliers, within twenty miles of Cambridge, to
come to the election." — (Monk's Life of Bentley, vol.
NOTES. 327
i. p. 424.) It is, however, only of importance to kuow
what the words in the MS. signify. It appears IVom
some of the corresponding lines, that yald might be
pronounced yawd or yaud, meaning properly an old
horse or mare in the sense of the E.Jude, a horse of no
spirit, a worthless nag; and yuiUis evidently means of,
or pertaining to, Yule or Christmas. The expression,
therefore, might have been proverbial, althougli its pro-
per signification is now lost. My friend Mr R. Jamie-
son, informs me " that a superstition prevailed in Mo-
rayshire, about 50 years ago, to the eflfect that no female
would leave her work in the draik (i. e. unfinished) on
Christmas Eve, for fear she should be Yule's yaud.
Every girl was to finish the stocking she was knitting,
the flax upon her rock, &c., in good time upon Christmas
Eve, and then put every thing in order, all over the
house, before going to bed, otherwise she should be
Yule^s yaud during the next year; but whether in the
idea that the yaud or mare was to be ridden by Yule,
the Night-Mare, or the Fairies, I cannot say."
Line 3. Gillettis] Some kind of horse, probably a
filly or young mare. The word occurs in Rowlis
Cursing, line 178, (vol. ii. p. 185) : Also in Henryson's
Fables, p. 31.
The jolie Gilet, and tlie gentle Stsit],
The Asse, the Mule, the Horse of every kind.
Line 13. Knyp\ or giiyp, i. e. to eat, or crop grass
like any other horse. See also line 46.
Line 25. An auld yaid aver.] " An old worn out
horse ; yaid or yede, signifying gone, spent or wasted."
— SiBBALD.
Line 27. Aud had the strenth of all Stranaver.]
32b NOTES.
Stiatlmaver, a district in Sutlierlandsliire, introduced
evidently only for the rhyme. In Reidpeth's MS. it is
Sterne-erne. Mr Pinkerton copied the words from MS.
Maitl. tlius : — The strengthis of all strene bevis, and
suggested whether it ought to be Bevis the hero of ro-
mance ! Mr Sibbald thinking such a line to be " appa-
rently nonsense," substituted "the strenlh of aw strene
bayvar" which apparently makes no better sense, al-
though he gave it this explanation, * a spirited horse.'
Line 4C. Knip.] See note to line 1.3. SirThonias Elliot,
in his 'Boke of the Knowledge,' &c., speaks of per-
sons at Court, who, " like a galled horse, abiding no
plaisters, be always hnappin(j and kicking at such ex-
amples and sentences as they find do fc;el sharp, or to
bite them."
Line 58. Gnawin.] For the sake of the rhyme,
should be gnalcl ox gnawd.
In the Memoir I said I would leave it for the Reader
to form his own conclusion, whether the " Responsio
REcas," which is printed on page 152, was written by the
King himself, or added by Dunbar. Mr Cui^iiuERs, in
his Poetical Remains of the Scotish Kings, London,
1824, has printed these lines as a genuine production of
Ja3ies the Fourth.
THE QUEEN'S RECEPTION AT A13ERDENE.—
Page 153.
This interesting historical poem, has been preserved
in Reidpeth's MS., and is now first printed. It was in
May 1511, that Queen Margaret made her first visit to
the town of Aberdeen. Preparatory to this, the Magis-
trates, on the last of April, framed an act, ordaining
NOTES. 3'29
" the Bel man to pass thro the hail toune, and command
and charge all maner of persones that hes any myd-
dingis upone the forgait befor thar yettis and durris,
to devoid, red, and clcnge the samyn betwix this and
Souday, under the pane of xl s,," and also to remove all
swyne cruiffis from the high-street, under the penalty
of the swyne being escheated, and a fine of viii s. —
(Burgh Records, vol. viii. p. 1180.) On the 5th of
May, the Magistrates and community having been con-
vened, " all in ane voice concordand, grantit, and freely
consentit to ressaue owre Souerane Lady the Queyne
alshonorahlie as any burgh of Scotland, except Edinbui-gh
allanerlie ;" for which purpose, a sum of L.200 was
agreed to be raised as a.propine, or gift to her Majesty,
and Commissioners were appointed, with power to grant
certain tacks or leases in reversion, and also the rights
of fishing belonging to the community, for that pur-
pose. Farther resolutions were passed for cleaning
and adorning the town, and for these preparations the
inhabitants incurred a degree of expense considerably
beyond their limited means, (ib. pp. 1182-7, 1196 and
7. Kennedy's Annals of Aberdeen, vol. i. p. G3. Aberd.
1818. 4to.) When King James visited the town, it was
usual to offer him a propine. In 1505, this consisted " of
six pair of torches, one dozen of prikets, thirty six syfs
of wax, twelve pounds of scorcheats, and as much wine
as the Master of the cellar inclined." — (lb. vol. viii. p.
508. Kenn. Ann. vol. i. p. 63.)
Line 1. Beriall of all townis.] See Chalmers' Lynd-
say, vol. i. p. S67.
Line 17. Ane fai?' Procession,] The whole strain of
the poem is evidently that of an eyewitness. Line 21 to
32, contains a description of one of those pageants or
330 NOTES.
mysteries, which, as appears from the Council Regis-
ters, the inhabitants of Aberdeen were then in the habit
of seeing performed.
Line 49. HutKj with Tapestrie.] This was an usual
practice during the Sixteenth Century. On the pre-
sent occasion the Magistrates of Aberdeen " statute and
ordaned the inhabitants to furnys and graith the staris
of the forgait with arress werk daily, as efl'eris, — for the
ressauing of our Souerane Lady the Queue." It was
also ordained that such persons as brought " ony byr-
kis, holingis, gyrss, herbis, or ony other of rare flouris,
suld haf common passages, and sail have fre money and
reddy siluer for the samyn."
Line 58. Abundantlie ran wi/ne.] Sir Richard Mait-
land, of Lethington, in his poem on the marriage of
Queen Mary with her first husband Francis, the
Dauphin of France, in 1558, says : —
And at your Croce gar wyne rin sindrie wayis,
As was the custome in our ddaris dayis,
Quliea that they maid tiiuraphe for ony thing.
And all your staiiis with tapestrie gar hing.
V.R. — Lines 3 and 37. A blank in the MS., for the
words within brackets; 1. 12, velvot might be read vel-
vous; 1. 33, Stor ; 1. 47, saluand, in the MS. husband.
TO THE KING— Page 156.
In MSS. Maitland and R.eidpeth — "Many of Dunbar's
pieces (says Pinkurton) contain strong requests for a
benefice, which seems to have been the utmost of his
wishes. He certainly deserved one better than those
who had them." Sir D. Lyndsay says.
NOTES. 331
War I aae man \rorthy to weir ane crouu,
Aye quhen thare vaikit ony beneficeis,
I sulde gar call ane congregatioun,
The prencipall of all the prelacies,
Maist cunning clerkis, of universities,
Maist famous fatheris of religioun ;
With thair advyce, mak dispositiouus. — (Vol. i. p. 344.)
V.R. — Line 5, on na wyss ; 6, mereit mair ; S,foivman.
TO THE KING.— Page 137.
This address is preserved in Bannatyne's MS. Its
general strain may suggest a resemblance with that
of Chaucer to his Empty Purse. " This poem appears
to have been written while the poet was yet in the
practice of 'setting himself to sing and dance.' — We
may suppose this to be one of the earliest of Dunbar's
addresses to James JV'., as it contains no request for a
benefice. Hitherto, he probably thought himself secure
of promotion." — Sibbald.
Line ). Sanct Salvalour send silver sorrow.'] "A divine
hand has visited me with the pains of poverty. This
is conjectured to be the sense of the expression. Our
forefathers, in their zeal for making saints, were pleased
to make a Sanct Salvatoiir. The phrase silver sorrow,
may imply the anguish arising from the want of ready
money." — Hailes.
Line 22. Na corses.] See note at page 294.
TO THE KING.— Page 159.
In MSS. Maitland and Reidpeth. — Feist of Benefice,
in line Ij, says Pinkerton, seems to mean vacation of a
302 NOTES.
benefice. This poem was probably composed about
the same time as that at page 15G, when we are told
many benefices were vacant.
Line 14. Caritas, §'c.] " The practice of mingling
Latin and English, or Scotish, was then very frequent."
PiNKERTOX. Without going further, numerous ex-
amples will be found in the present volumes.
V. R. — Lines 4, gest ; 13, lairdis ; 15, no ; 20, ay is;
2 1 , Swa thay ; 23, hang thaine ; 2G, vaiyit ; 27, that nane
ihairof can be content ; 30, With largest compt.
TO THE KING.— Page IGI.
L\ MSS. Bannatyne and Maitlaud. — Lord Hailes, in
the ignorance which prevailed respecting the exact
period when Dunbar flourished, imagined that this and
many other of his poems were addressed to James the
Fifth, instead of James the Fourth.
Line 8. To cum to lure that hes no leif.] " Who is
not permitted to come to lure, or to his master's hand :
A term of falconry." — Hailes.
Line 13. Of quhome the yled dois jwectikis preijl]
" That is, according to the glossary in Douglas's Virgil,
' practice stratagems,' or ' try tricks.'" — Hailes. Mr
Sibbald, however, altered this line to Oft quhon the
gled dais peirlrikhis preif. " Often when the gled feeds
upon partridges."
Line 18. The cor chat cleif] " Divide a crochet. A
term of music." — Hailes.
Line 21. Ay far est faderis, §'c.] " The meaning is
this,' Farrestfowls have always fairest feathers,although
they scream instead of singing; they sit favoured in
cages of silver, but in our own home-bred nest, nothing
is hatched but owls.' This stanza allegorically, and the
NOTES. 333
next, more directly, accuse James V. [James IV.] of an
injurious partiality to foreigners." — Hailes.
Line 33. Rauf Coilyear, and Johne the Reif,]
" Ralph Collier is a robber of no name, ' ca7'et quia
vate sacro^ while Johne the Reif, or Johny Armstrong,
is immortalized in popular ballads." — Hailes. Rauf
Coilyear, however, was no robber, and what is still bet-
ter, noil caruit vate, as the poem relating to ' Rauf Coly-
earwith the thraivin brow,' has been fortunately recover-
ed. It is in a very ancient style of alliterative verse,
and has been reprinted in the collection of " Select Re-
mains of the Ancient Popular Poetry of Scotland," from
an unique copy " imprented at Saint Androis be Robert
Lekprevik." 1572, 4to. Lord Hailes was mistaken in
supposing that the popular tale of 'John the Reif or
bailiiF, had any reference to the Border hero, John
Armstrong, who was executed in 1527; and conse-
quently any poem relating to his fate could not possibly
have been alluded to by Dunbar. — See Percy's Re-
liques, vol. iii. p. 179, for some notice of this curious
poem, which has not hitherto been printed.
Line 37.] " Have few good qualities, for which I
may a^iplaud myself, yet, come of Adam and of Eve, I
wish to thrive as do others." — Hailes.
Line 43. Pyk-thanh.l " I would attempt to turn spy,
informer, or tale-bearer." — Hailes.
Line 47. Flatter andfenye.] Dunbar elsewhere al-
ludes to his inability to flatier like other people. See
lines 68-70 of his Dream, vol. i. p. 33.
Line 49.] " Scruples stay my reins, or check me in
my course to promotion." — Hailes.
Line 56. 3Ia7/ nane, ^-c] " Indeed you, Sir, can best
cure my disease : bestow a benefice upon me, and see
whether that will not recover me at once." — Hailes.
304 NOTES.
Line 61. / tves inyouth, &fc.\ " When I was an infant,
my nurse dandling me on her knees, called me Bishop,
and 3'Pt, stricken as I am in years, 1 have not attained to
a curacy. A singular argument for obtaining prefer-
ment, and a reason no less singular for repining at the
want of preferment ! The prognostications of nurses
and gossips have been more fortunate in other cases
than ia that of poor Dunbar. Bishop Duppa says of
Archbishop Spotiswood, ' he was no sooner brought
into the world, but a remarkable passage accompanied
it J for among the rest that were present, not ordinary
gossipers, but women of good note, there was one
among them, who in a sober, thovgli in a prophetic fit,
taking the child in her arms, called aloud to the rest
in these or the like terms, You may all very well rejoice
at the birth of this child, for he will become the prop and
pillar of this church, and the main and chief instrument
in the defending it. From what principle this prediction
came, or hoiv she was thus inspired, I will not search
into;' {Life of Archbishop Spoiiswood,-^.'!.') Wereitnot
too presumptuous, I would attempt to search into what
the Bishop so reverently touches. A child was born
to a Presbyteiian minister; one of the gossipers, of
good note indeed, but still a gossiper, cried out, ' Be
blyth, cummevis, we half gottin a lad-bairn ; I warrant
he will be a bra minister belyve.' Such is the very
simple gossiping story, when divested of rhetorical or-
naments.''— Hailks.
Line QQ. Jok, §'c.] " Jok, formerly a keeper of
bullocks and heifers, makes a hawl of benefices, by
means of secret calumny and false suggestion, of more
value
Than all my lays beneath tbebirclicn sliade." — Hailes.
NOTES. 335
Line 72.] " With a wallet-ful of dispensations, for
incapacity, non-residence, &c." — Hailes.
Line 73. New.] Should evidently be never.
Line 74. He playis with totum.] " Alluding to that
game of chance called T totum, exploded from the fa-
cility of perverting it to deceit. See Rabelais, 1, i. c. 22,
and the notes to the words, ' pille, nade, jocque, fore.' "
— Hailes.
V. R.— Lines 9, to mout; 1 \, forfeit; \3,peirtrikkis ;
14, undijnd; 16, pairtie ; 20, sit hot grief; 33, Ravf
Coilyearis hind ; Si, na congueis than ; 49, leidis ; 62,
CaWd Dandely ; 72, dele bund ; 73, never ; 81, As saule
into ; 83, Seand myself I haif belief.
OF DISCRETION IN ASKING.— Page 165.
In MSS. Bannatyne (where it is also repeated), Mait-
land, and Reidpeth.— As these copies contain several va-
riations, the most important may be here specified. Line
3, A?id be thoir cans as men may se ; 4, And be thair
none, or. And qvliair na cause is ; 7, Cryis, gif me, gif
me, intill a raine ; 8, droiiis on ; 12, asJtis nathing but it
he schervis ; 14, without his guerdon; 21, his maist ;
22, He may it iyne with; 23, Infulische ; 24, may serve ;
26 to 30, this stanza is wanting in some copies; 36, Sum
lies so much he tahis na cuir ; 37, That of the winning
tak no lohoure ; 38, Bot for his tyme no more hes he ;
41, lang iinschervit ; 44, Tofyi ivith.
OF DISCRETION IN GIVING— Page 167.
In MSS. Bannatyne, Maitland, and Reidpeth. The
poem is repeated in Bannatyne's MS., but breaks off at
330 NOTES.
line 34. These copies also vary in a number of minute
particulars, some of wliicli may be noticed. Line 7^
grunchiiKj ; 9, uls rncldc agiine ; 11, thank, aum char itie ;
I6,requirit ; 17, Quhill the pcrsewar be so tyrit ; 19, The
thanhis are, . . . expirit ; 23, So grit one; 28, Throw
want ; 36, and facts new ; 38, And will nocht pay auld
schervandisjie ; 39, Thocht thai be nevir ; 4 1 , can craftlic
plenzie ; 46, Sum giffis ; 48, Thocht he hen weill the cun-
trarie ; 49, So is thuir 7nony now a dayis ; 5\,for tliair
guid hf.wis ; 53, to hneavis ; b'i, guid find fewis ; 58, To
teiche, to rewill, and; 59, 2'hat hes na witt.
Line 21. Full wretchitly.] " Some give so little, and
in so niggardly a manner, that their gifts are despised,
and they themselves are generally reflected on as
misers." — Hailes.
Line 37. That yisterday fra Flanderis flev).] "This
alludes to some mark of liberality with which foreigners
had been distinguished. The common intercourse be-
tween Scotland and the Continent was by the Nether-
lands. The mutual jealousy of the two nations made it
difKcult to pass from England to Scotland, even in the
time of peace." — Hailes.
Line 51. For thair thcwis.] In MS. Ban. for gziid
kewis. This Lord Hailes conceived to mean, ' for their
ready address;' it rather signifies * for their good man-
ners, or good qualities.' See Glossary to Chalmers'
Lyndsay.
Line 57. Kirhis of Sand Bernard and Sanct Bryd.]
" If we knew in detail how ecclesiastical benefices were
bestowed in those days, we should probably discover
this line to be satirically personal." — Ham.us.
NOTES. 337
OF DISCRETION IN TAKING.— Page 171.
In MSS. Bannatyne, Maitland,and Reidpeth. — These
copies, as in the two preceding parts, present occasional
variations : Lines 1, we will speik ; 2,0/ na gudgiftis ; 8,
Set he the rent, na dure giffis he ; 11, Thir barrounes ;
13, dele in ; . . . ar raisit so hie ; 1 6, Thir; 20, Pairt tuhis
be sie,and pairt be land ; 27, and pairt fra . . . his hand;
28, tit upon a ; 29, and than ; 33, As he dois God quha
dois him sie ; 34, to tak it all he wald nocht ; 36, warldis
breid ; 43, Quhill small takaris.
The following lines occur in MS. Maitl., after
line 35.
Stude I na raair aw of man nor God,
Than suld I tak bayth evin and od,
Ane end of all thing that I see.
Sic justice is noclit worth ane clod ;
In taking sould discretion be.
Line 2.] " The meaning seems to be, I may speak
of taking, but I need not say much of people's quitting
any thing of value, that is not common." — Hailes.
Line 6. The clerkis takis benefices with brawlis.]
" Ecclesiastical persons possess themselves of benefices
by riot and outrage. Thus John Hepburn stormed the
cathedral of St Andrew's, and yet was obliged to yield
the see to Andrew Foreman. With more prosperous
fortune the celebrated Gavin Douglas besieged and took
by capitulation the cathedral of Dunkeld, although the
partisans of Andrew Stewart made a stand in the bel-
frey. Milne, Lives of the Bishops of Dunkeld, MS."
— Hailes.
Line 13. Gersomes raisit owir he.] " Gersome and
VOL. 11. Y
338 NOTES.
gra<isum are the same. Grass is called gerse by the
vulgar in many parts of Scotland. The word grassum
originally meant an allotment of grass or pasture. Thus
in a grant by William the Lion to the monastery of
Coldinghame, it is said, ' Et omnia nemora et gressuma
sua sint sub defensione Prioris et custodia ;' Cli. Cold-
ingham, p. 29. It has long signified a sum of money
paid by a tenant for a renewal of his lease." — Hailes.
INCONSTANCY OF LOVE.— Page 172.
These lines are only found in Bannatyne's MS., and
were first printed in the British Bibliographer, vol. iv. p.
192, in an article communicated by the late Henrv We-
ber, who remarked, that " this copy of verses is recom-
mended by the name of the author, and the singularity
of its rhythmical structure, but certainly can challenge
no high rank among the productions of William Dun-
bar." He adds, " It is, at any rate, a mite towards a col-
lection of his works, which, to the disgrace of his coun-
try, have never appeared in a uniform standard edition."
OF MEN EVILL TO PLEIS.— Page 173.
In Reidpeth's MS. this poem is attributed to Dunbar.
It also occurs in Bannatyne's MS. as an anonymous
composition, and wanting the last stanza ; and there is
a duplicate copy of lines 9 to 24 in another part of the
same collection. In these copies the arrangement of
the third and fourth stanzas differs from that of Reid-
peth's; and line 13 reads, " The thrid dots eih so dourly
drink" and line 9, " Tlie hint timt hes of nobill blnae."
Line 27. No largess cry.'] This alludes to the custom
which then prevailed at feasts and other public occa-
NOTES. 339
sions, when llie lieralds tlirew pieces of gold or silver
coin among the people, and cried largess, liberality, or
bounty, on the part of the King. In Ford's Perkin
Warbek, the King says.
We will throw
A largess free amongst tbein, whicli shall hearten
And cherish up their loyalties.
Several entries of payments " to the Heraldis in the
hall," occur in the Treasurer's Accounts, more espe-
cially at the festival of Christmas. In 1512, April 14,
ten French crownis, or L.7, was paid " to the Heraldis
for thair largess, at Pasche ;" and that same year, " Ui\
the XXV day of December, viz. Zule day, gevia to the
Heraldis in the hall, as it is the custom, L.7."
OF COVETYCE.— Page 175.
In MSS. Bannatyne, Maitland,and Reidpeth. — In the
first of these it has no author's name. Dunbar, in the
burden of this poem, might have recollected the words
of Chaucer in the Pardonere's Tale, —
Lordings, quod he, in chirche quhen I preiche,
I peine me to haue an hautein speche
And ring it out, as round as goth a bell.
For I can all by rote that I tell ;
IMy teme is always one, and ever was.
Radix malorum est cupiditas.
And again —
Therefore my teme is yet, and ever was.
Radix malorum est cupiditas.
Line 1. Fredome.] " By fredome is here meant ge-
nerosity and hospitality."— Hailes.
340 NOTES.
Line 7. And play is set at lilill price. \ " Miitb ; all
joyous amusements, are despised; men are become
avaricious and gamesters." — Hailes.
Line 9. Swift horse rynning.'] " Hence it appears
that our forefathers did not consider horse-racing as a
species of gaming." — Hailes.
Line 11. Bot cartis and dyce.] The Treasurer's Ac-
counts furnish abundant proofs that playing at cards
and dice were favourite, and sometimes expensive,
amusements of James the Fourth.
Line 35. Js haldin afule, and that full nice.] " Nice
is from the French niais, simple. Thus Chaucer says,
Cuckovve and Nightingale, p. o43, 1. 13, ' For he can
maliin of wise folke full nice." Thus also Dunbar, p-
37, line 41, of this collection—" Quhen I awoik my
dreme it was so nice." — Hailes.
V.R. — Line 17, In tounes ; 20, Is now bot cair and
covetyce ; 23, lies no yuidis ; 25, the burgessis of, or. The
yoinikeris blyth.
GUDE COUNS ALE.— Page 177.
These sententious lines have been preserved in Ban-
natyne's MS., and are now first printed.
REWL OF ANIS SELF.— Page 179.
This poem also is only found in Bannatyne's MS.
It was pretty closely imitated by Sir Richard Maitlaud (»f
Lethington, in his poem entitled, " Counsell to his Son
beand in the Court."
Line 4. In meiklc speice, &c.] lu Bann. MS. " Spoicft
is pride, Tiius a spicy man is still used for one self-
conceited and proud." — Hailes.
NOTES. 341
Line 6] should probably have been piluted, thy self.
Son, be no tyd ; and line 30, With wi If till men. Son, Sec.
Lines 19 and 20.] " When contented, thou hast no
need of more ; when not contented, thy desires become
turbulent and insatiable." — Hailes.
Line 2]. Evirmoir till deth say to the than chakmait.]
" The obvious interpretation of this phrase may be
sought in the game of chess. I think the sense, how-
ever, may be, till death call himself your companion.
' Thou sould nocht mak thy self chakmate to the King,'
was the expression of Adam Reid of Barskimming to
Archbishop Blackadder; Knox, p. 4." — Hailes.
OF DEMING.— Page 181.
In MSS. Bannatyne and Maitland : the last of these has
the poem repeated, and in both places containing the
ninth stanza, which is wanting in Baunatyne's. Some of
the various readings may be here noticed. Lines 8, /
lie; 9, Sum prayis ; 17, plesand men; 22, cled as, or
cled, that cumis me richt ; 45, Or than they wald lat.
In line 32, streiche should probably have heen screiche,
and in 1. 39, tunis, temis.
Dunbar no doubt could say with Wyntoun,
He mon be war in mony thing
That will hym kcpe fra IMisderaying, — (Vol. i. p. 123.)
Line 14. Thocht he daw nocht to leid a tyk.] " ' Al-
though he has not the abilities, nor the spirit necessary
for the meanest of all employments, that of leading a
dog in a string.' There is no single word in modern
English which corresponds with dow : that which ap-
proaches the nearest to it is list, from which the adjec-
tive listless. The force of the word dow is well
312 NOTES.
expressed in a modern Scotish ballad, which begins,
' There wes ane May.' Tlie lines to which I allude
are in the description of one crossed in love by an
envious sister's machination, and a peevish mother's
frowardness.
And now he gangs dandering about the dykes.
And all he dow do is to hund the tykes.
The whole is executed with equal truth and strength
of colouring. I am informed that it is the composition
of Lady Grissel Baillie, daughter of the first Earl of
fllarchmont, and wife of George Baillie of Jervisvvood."
— Hailes. " The line literally means, ' Though he
deserves not to lead a dog;' or, * though he is not wor-
thy of leading a dog.' " — MS. Note, J. Chalmers.
Line 19. That I amjaijnt.] Altered by Lord Hailes
to " I am dishonourit." He says, " The original bears
a word used by Chaucer, but which gave offence a
century ago ; much more would it do so now, in an age
distinguished for purity of language."
Line 24. A widdy wicht.] " In modern language, a
stronr/ halter. A widely is a pliant branch of a tree.
When justice was executed upon the spot, the first
tree afforded a halter." — Hailes.
Lines 31 — 35.] " The sense of this stanza seems to be,
• If I am elegant of speech, some vulgar wench says, I
am affected, and do not pronounce my words as her
people do; and yet she, who will not abstain from cen-
suring, needs a surgeon to stitch up part of her own
wide njouth, that she may not speak hroady — Hailes.
Line 4G. Gudv .fames the Ferd, our nobill King.] Mr
('iiAi.MERs, in his " Poetical Remains of the Scotish
Kings," p. 1 18, Lond. 182-1, 8vo, has quoted these lines.
JS'OTES. 343
as a proof that James not only patronised the arts and
protected genius, but was a writer himself. Excepting
the lines entitled. The King's Reply to a Petition of
Dunbar, printed at page 152, no remains of his compo-
sition have been discovered. — It has been suggested
that the fine anonymous poem, " Tayis Bank," might,
by some zealous antiquary, be ascribed to that Monarch.
(Genealogy of the House of Drummond, App. p. 289.
Ellin. 1832, 4to.)
HOW Sx\LL I GOVERNE ME.— Page 184.
T.\ MSS. Bannatyne, Maitland, and Reidpeth. — This
poem is of the same strain as the preceding. " Through
the whole of the second part, the Poet complains of
being at a loss how to carry into practice the resolution
he had formed in the first, 'to do weill, and to disre-
gard the censorious.' This seems, therefore, the na-
tural order of placing them." — Sibbald. — Lord Hailes
does it scrimp justice when he says, "this poem, on
censoriousness, is a feeble copy of the Balade of gode
coimsaile, by Lydgate, in Chaucer's Works, p. 549,
having for burden, ' A ivickid tonye wol alway deme
amis.^ " Some of the expressions manifestly allude to
the author's own situation ; and if he was censured at
one time for having gone so long without reward,
others might afterwards have alleged that such rewards
as he eventually obtained were more than commen-
surate for the services of a mere ' ballad-monger.'
Line 28. That evill he gydis.] " An ill gtiide is still
used with us for a bad rnanagei" — Hailes.
Line 31. Gife I be sene in court ouir lang.] " The
being seen in court, appears to have signified in those
days, the being in expectation of an office." — Hailes.
314. NOTES.
Line 36. In court rewaird than purches /.] " This
means, obtaining preferment, without any relation to
bargain and sale." — Hailes.
V.R. — Lines 1, or in; 4, mj/ mancrls will; 8, Yon
mail out of his niynd ; 2G, als weill ; '28, Evill (jydit is
yon man, parde ; 32, quhisper thame ; 34, but reward ; 39^
hinder privalie. The punctuation of the last verse
should be, 1. 47, still; — 1. 48, salbe, — 1. 49, will.
BEST TO BE BLYTH.— Page 187.
In MSS. Bannatyne, Maitland, and Reidpeth. — Some
slight variations in these copies are as follows : — Lines
G, change and vary ; 8, Na tyme in turning can it rest ;
12, turnd on him the quheill ; 21, warldlie / 31, warldlie ;
33, for my pleasure ; 36, dois change ; 37, Lat us na
mair in hairt be sary ; 38, ay he.
According to the burden of this poem, Dunbar's
maxim was, that in this life it was ' best to be blyth' or
cheerful, and thus set Fortune at defiance. In like
manner, Henryson says —
Best thing in earth, therefore, I say for me,
Is blithnesse in heart, with small possessioun.
So in Lyndsay's Satire, vol. 1. p. 365, and in Flemyng's
ballat • of Evill Wyffis,'
Als lang leivis the mirry man
As dois the wreck, for ocht he can.
OF CONTBNT.— Page 189.
In MSS. Maitland and Reidpeth. — " A most excel-
lent mural i)oem, written with great neatness of bre-
vity."— PiNKIiRTON.
In line 2,.4r/^/,and in line G, all, have been supplied, per-
NOTES. 345
haps unnecessarily. The various readings are not very
important. Lines 4, nor yitt ; 11, Thairfoir, thocht
thowy my broder deir ; 12, Nocht servit be with; 16, this
warld; 24, And it sail riches turn; 28, Lat languor nane
in us be lent ; 31, For guho that leist contentit is ; 33,
And neidfullest in his intent.
TO SPEND ANIS A WIN GUDE.— Page 191.
In MSS. Bannatyne and Maitland. — " This advice to
be liberal, as commonly happens in such cases, exhorts
to profusion ; in vitium virtus." — Hailes.
Line 27. That his auld thrift settis on ane ace.] " This
age is not to be told what 'settis on an ace' implies.
It may be more necessary to explain the phrase ' auld
thrift.' It is wealth accumulated by the successive
frugality of his ancestors." — Hailes.
Lines 33 — 40.] " The words in these two stanzas are
plain, but the meaning obscure. The sense is proba-
bly this : Do not expect that another will do for you>
that which you would never do for yourself. The
child draws milk from its mother's breast, but gives
nothing in return." — Hailes. "The meaning seems
rather to be : As an infant subsists entirely upon the
milk which it draws from its mother's breast, so your
heir will probably spend all the wealth which you leave
to him, before he thinks of any other means of subsis-
tence. It will then be impossible for him to make you
enjoy after death, that which you could not enjoy while
you was in life." — Sibbald.
NO TRESSOUR AVAILIS, &c.— Page 193.
In MSS. Bannatyne and Maitland — •' This is a ?noral
346 NOTES.
poem without personal rcjlecliuns. It will not be ad-
mired ; but there is one expression in it which ought
to be remembered, as containing more good sense than
some systems of ethics.
No more thy pairt dois fall,
Bot meit, drink, clais, and of the laif a sight.
" in modern language Dunbar would liave expressed
himself thus.
What riches gives us, let us then explore ;
Meat, drink, and cloiths; what else? a sight of more .'" Hah.es.
In reference to this class of our Author's poems,
Mr Ellis, after quoting these stanzas, as containing
the Poet's ' advice to others,' says, " In these specimens
we see much good sense and sound morality, expressed
witli force and conciseness. This is indeed Dunbar's
peculiar excellence. His style, whether grave or hu-
morous, whether simple or ornamented, is always en-
ergetic; and though all his compositions cannot be ex-
pected to possess equal merit, we seldom find in them
a weak or a redundant stanza." (Specim. vol. i. p. 385.)
NONE MAY ASSURE, &c.— Page 195.
Im MSS. Banuatyne, Maitland, and lleidpeth. — The
variations are not of much importance. Lines 39, Exylit
is Honour, or. And exul is ; 43, every ilk; 48, And ene
ar maid of blew asvre ; 51, Yitt heart and /iandis,and
budj/ (ill; 72, dicentes .sunt ; 84, Tu rcgumda imperiuni.
Line 48. Our fredome is laid onfoirfallour.] " The
word/rcf/ome generally signifies, openheartedness, ge-
nerosity." — Hailes.
NOTES. 347
Liue 71. Ubi ardentcs aniince.] "This mingling of
sentences from the Breviary, with verses in the vulgar
language, sounds very strange to modern ears ; but
there are so many examples of it in the MS. that I
presume our forefathers did not perceive its impro-
priety."— Hailes.
LEARNING VAIN, &c.— Page 191).
In MSS. Maitland and Reidpeth.— " This is a moral
poem, a walk which Chaucer never tried, and in which
Dunbar is superlative. His short moral pieces have a
terseness, elegance, and force, only inferior to those of
Horace. The Oxinfurd, mentioned in the Colophon,
must be the university of Oxford, as the subject of the
poem declares: though there be an Oxenford in Scot-
land, which in last century gave a title of Viscount." —
PiNKERTON.
Mr Ellis in his Specimens, vol. i. p. 378, inserted
this poem, and says, it was " apparently written in Dun-
bar's youth, since if is stated to have been composed
at Oxford, during his travels in England." Other
writers, from the same circumstance, have suggested
that our Author studied in that University. " It is ob-
vious, indeed, (as Dr Irving remarks,) that he might
visit Oxford in some other capacity than that of a stu-
dent." The strain of the poem seems to indicate that
it should be placed among his later compositions. It
belongs at least to a much more advanced period of
his life than when pursuing his academical studies.
It might have been composed at the end of 1502, or be-
ginning of 1503, when we know that he had been in Eng-
land, and possibly passed through Oxford. Mr Ellis
34-8 NOTES.
further remarks that it " is strongly marked by that
[moral and didactic] turn of mind which is attributed
to him by Warton."
It will be seen from the Memoirs of Dunbar that St
Andrew's was the Poet's Alma Mater. So little is known
respecting the earlier state of the Scotish Universities,
that it is hoped the following extract from a very rare
tract, printed in the year 1491, will not be deemed mis-
placed. Jaspar Laet de Borchloen, the author of " De
ECLIPSI Sous AnNI M.CCCC.XCI. CURRENTIS [OCTAVA
DIE Maji] Proxosticum," addressed it to William
Schevez, Archbishop of St Andrews, who was promoted
to that See in 1478, and died in 1497. After commend-
ing the learned prelate for his profound knowledge of
sacred literature and pontifical law, he thus alludes to
his endeavours to promote science and learning in that
university : " Universa demum philosophia tibi fa-
niiliavis est. Discipline autem quadruuiales in te decus
et gloriam pepererunt. Quis immensam tuam pruden-
tlam non admirabitur ? In ciuilate imquam Sancti An,'
dree in qua solemnis claret Uniuersitas, ac plurium doc-
tissimorum virorum conjiuxus, etsi nullis parcas ex-
pends, sollertiori studi) bibliothecas preciosissimas ac
omni genere codicum refertissimas instituixti. Pre-
cipue tamen geometricas disciplinas nescio utrum Sco-
torum incuria ab hoc clericali gremio fere abolitas de
ceca obliuionis caligine in luminis claritatem protulisti.
In syderealis scientie recuperationem plures codices
comparasti, &c." Unfortunately these books and manu-
scripts have been long since dispersed.
Line 22. Yojir saivis.] ' Your sayings.' " The Dictes
or Sayings of the Phiiosophoures," translated by the
Earl of Ry vers, was a popular work at this time, liaving
NOTES. 319
been twice printed by Caxton. It was probably a copy
of that volume which is mentioned, as one of " Three
Inglis bukis, ane of the Philosophouris Sawis, an uther
of Genetris, the thrid of medecyn, the prices of the
iij bukis x. ti.," in an action " for wrangeous spolia-
tion, away taking, and withholding," pursued by
Robert Lord Lile, against James Earl of Buchan, July
3, 1483. (Acta Auditorum.)
OF THE WARLDIS VANITY.— Page 201.
These lines are only found in Maitland's MS., and
are now first printed, as Pinkerton thought this moral
poem to be too dull for publication.
Line 9. Walk furth, Pilgrime.] A moral poem at-
tributed to Chaucer, and said to have been " made by
him upon his dethe bedde, lying in grete anguysse,"
concludes with the following similar lines ; —
Here is no home ; here is but wildernesse ;
Forthe, pilgrim, forthe, O hest out of thy stall !
Loke up on high, and thanks thy God of all ;
Weiveth thy luste, and let thy ghoste the lede ;
And trouthe the shall deliver, 'tis no drede.
OF THE CHANGES OF LYFE.— Page 203.
In MSS. Maitland and Reidpeth. — " This is a piece of
elegant morality. It also shews that our changeable
climate has been always the same ; if that be not a pun.
' Asfresche as pacock feddir'' means, it is supposed, as
beautiful in freshness as a peacock's feather. This
simile sounds odd to our ears, but this is owing to the
great commonness of these birds ; for to a philosopher,
350 NOTES.
with whom a thing is not pretty because it is rare, the
eye of a peacock's feather is certainly one of the
most exquisite minute beauties of nature. In 118G, as
Roger Hoveden tells us, Urban III. sent Henry II. of
England a crown of peacocks' feathers, richly set in
gold, as a mark of supreme favour. This sounds as
odd in our ears as Dunbar's comparison." — Pinkerton.
Line 19. Next eftir joy, ay cumis sorrow.'] Thus, in
the romance of Clariodus, in regard to ' the chance
of Fortoune,' the following lines may be quoted :
Hir variance and unstabilitie
Alyke is redie to heich and law degree ;
For febilnes oft cumis eftir micht,
And eftir dayis cumis tlie dewlie niclit,
And oft tymes joy cumis eftir sorrow and caire.
And eftir winter ciimis the summer fair, &c. (p. 129.)
V.R. — Lines 6, the seasoun soft ; 18, eftir midnycht.
OF THE WARLDIS INSTABILITY.— Page 204.
In MSS. Maitland and Reidpeth. — " A well- written
poem, though beginning with morality, and ending with
a petition for a benefice." — Pinkerton.
Line 17. Nocht I say all to this cuntre, t^c] " Im-
plies, I do not confine my observation to this counti y,
but it extends to France, &c., nay to Italy and Spain."
— Pinkerton.
Line 19. Bot all.'] Should evidently be als, or also.
Line 45. / huiw nocht.] " The transition (says
Pinkerton) to the poet's own case is arch. Ane hishiji-
rick may nocht him (/ane, at line 51, signifies, ' may not
avail, or ^)e of any use to him.' "
.NOTES. 351
Line 62. Fra Calyecot and the New-found Isle.]
After tbe discovery of America, it was usually styled
the New-fouud Isle. Thus in the accounts of the Privy
Purse expenses of Henry VII. we find, under 1497,
August lOtb, "To him that found the New l8le,L.10."
1504, April 8th, " To a preste that goeth to the New
Islande, L.2." 1505, August 25th, " To Clays going to
Richmount with wylde catts and popyngays of the
New-found Island, for his costis, 13s. 4d."
That Calyecot should be mentioned in connexion
with the American Continent is not remarkable, as it
was the expectation of finding a shorter passage to
India that led Columbus on his path of discovery; and
America itself was considered for a time, not as a New
World, but only a vast island stretching between Europe
and the fertile regions of Eastern Asia. Unfortunately
for himself, and for the cause of humanity, it was not
till his Third Voyage, in August, 1498, that the Great
Navigator reached any part of the American Continent.
We are indebted to the zeal and research of an Ameri-
can gentleman, for vindicating the undoubted claims of
Sebastian Cabot, who was a native of Bristol, to the
prior discovery of the American Coast, extending from
Labrador to Florida. In the valuable and interesting
work referred to, the fact is established that Sebastian
Cabot made this discovery in the year 1497, or fourteen
months before Columbus beheld the Continent, and two
years before Vespucius had been west of the Canaries ;
and it also thi'ows much new and important light on the
part which England had in the progress of maritime
discovery.
Line 70. Fra Paris.] Probably an error in the MS.
fur Perse or Persia. Paris at least cannot be cousi-
352 NOTES.
dered in connexion with the Orient parts mentioned
in tiie same line.
Line 78. Bayth Unicornis and crownis of wecht.]
" Are coins ; the first Scotisli, the latter French. James
III. was the first who coined unicorns, or gold coins,
stamped with a unicorn. See Essay on Medals, App.
No. III." — PiNKERTON. " Unicoms, a Scotish gold coin,
then of the value of 18s. Scots. Crowns of wecht
were French gold coins, then of the same value, 188.
Scots. They were called crowns of wecht to distin-
guish them from the smaller French crowns, value 14s.
Scots. At that period these last were the most com-
mon gold coins in Scotland : the crowns of wecht
were much more rare." — MS. Note, J. Chalmers.
ERDLY JOY, &c.— Page ^OJ).
In MSS. Bannatyne and Maitland. — V.R. Lines 3,
out-plane; 7, revert agane ; 11, Jlourit ; 13, Coverit
with Jiouris laid fur a traine.
LAMENT FOR THE 3IAKARIS.— Page 211.
This interesting poem has been preserved both in the
MSS. of Bannatyne and Maitland, and among the black-
letter tracts printed at Edinburgh by Walter Chep-
man and Andro Myllar, in 1508. We may therefore
place the date of its composition about the year loOO
or 1507. — It suggests many reflections.
" We see the once gay Dunbar, now advanced in
years, deprived of his joyous companions, and probably
jostlod out of court by other wits younger and uioie
fashionable. Tiiis Lament has not the spirit of some
NOTES. 353
of his earlier compositions. The solemn burden, * Ti~
mor mortis conturbat me^ serves to show under what
impressions the aged poet composed this general elegy.
It may serve as a proper introduction to his religious
poems." — Hailes. But the chief interest of tiie poem
arises not so much from any personal allusions to Dun-
bar himself, as from the enumeration it gives of the
earlier Scotish Poets, of several of whom no other
memorial has been discovered. Their fate (as Lord
Hailes observes) is like that of those writers in the
Augustan age, whom Ovid celebrates.
Ponticus Heroo, Bassus quoque clarus laiiibo, .
magnique Rabirius oris.
The burden, ' Timor mortis conturbat me^ is bor-
rowed from a poem by Lydgate, which begins ' So as
I lay the other niff ht.'—(RiTSOti's Bibl. Poetica, p. 7G.)
Line 17. Unto the deid, S;c.] Thus, in some ener-
getic lines, in the Visions of Piers Plowman ;
Deth came dryvyng aftlr, and al to dust pashed
Kynges and knyglites, kaisours and popis ;
Lerid ne lewide, he left no man stand,
That he hitte evene, steride never after ;
Many a lofly lady, and lemmanys of knyghtes,
Sounede and swelte, for sorow of Dethes dyntes.
Line 29. In the stow,] In battle : Lord Hailes ex-
plains it more literally, '' In the dust of war." In the
following line, he observes, " By capitane is meant, go-
vernor of a fortified place, as captain of Norham, of
Berwick, of Calais."
Line 45. I see the Makaris.] Makar, a Poet : " It
is worthy of observation that, in various languages,
the name given to a poet contains an allusion to the
VOL. ir. z
354 • NOTES.
creative power which has been ascribed to genius."
— Jamieson. In like manner, Sir Philip Sidney, in his
Defense of Poesy, says, " The Greelis named the poet
ToitiThv, which name, as the most excellent, hath gone
through other languages. It cometh of this word ■rciTv,
to make: Wherein I know not, whether by luck or wis-
dom, we Englishmen have raette well the Greeks, in
calling him a maher." It is strange, therefore, that Sir
John Harrington, in his " Apologie of Poetrie," prefixed
to his translation of Ariosto, 1591, should have referred
to Puttenliam's Art of English Poesie, as the first to
have introduced the Englihh term Makar, as applied to
a Poet. " Neither do I suppose it to be greatly behoo-
full .... to dispute how high and supernatural the
name of a Maker is, so christned in Emjlish by that
unknowne godfather, that this last year save one, viz.
1589, set forth a booke, called the Art of English Poe-
trie."
Our Blind Minstrel, in concluding his heroic poem of
Wallace, written about 1480, at the conclusion says :
Go nobill buke, fulfillyt oflF gud sentens,
Suppois thou be baran of eloquens ;
Go wortbi buk, fulfillit off suthfast deid,
Bot in language off help tbuu has gret neid :
Qnhen gud Makaris rang weill in to Scotland,
Gret harm was it that naine of thaim the fand, &c.
Ben Jonson frequently uses the term Maker, instead
of the more ordinary name. Poet. Thus, iu his transla-
tion of Horace's Art of Poetry :
And I still bid the learned Maker look
On life, and manners, and make those his book.
Thence draw forth true expressions.
NOTES. 355
Line 50. Chaucer, Lydgate, and Gower.] These
three English poets were invariably selected by their
Scotish brethren as most worthy of praise. See Dun-
bar's Goldyn Targe, Douglas's Palice of Honour, and
Lyndsay's Complaynt of the Papingo.
Line 53. Sir Hugh de Eglinton ] Flourished about
the middle of the fourteenth century. He derived his
title from a lordship and castle in Ayrshire. In 1361
he was one of the Justiciaries of Lothian; and in Sep-
tember, 1367, was appointed a Commissioner for a
treaty of peace with England. He married Egidia,
daughter of Walter, Lord High Steward of Scotland,
sister of King Robert the Second, and relict of Sir
James Lindsay of Crawford, who had died about 1358.
After Robert's accession to the throne in 1371, he be-
stowed on Sir Hugh Eglinton various grants of land, and
in these royal charters he is designated " Dilecto fratri
suo Hugoni Eglintone, militi." He died, it is supposed,
about the year 1381, without male issue; his widow
marrying for her third husband. Sir James Douglas of
Dalkeith. Sir Hugh Eglinton's only daughter and heir-
ess, Elizabeth, married John Montgomery de Eglinton,
and thus carried his great estates to the Montgomeries ;
her descendants being successively raised to the dignity
of Lord Montgomery, before 1449, and Earl of Eglin-
ton, in 1507. It is matter of regret, that Sir Hugh Eg-
linton's poetical talents should be known only in con-
sequence of Dunbar's mention of his name. It has in-
deed been alleged that he was the same person with
Hucheon of the Avvle Ryale, celebrated by Wyntown
as the author of several works which he enumerates.
But this, as stated in the Memoir, (p. 38,) seems to be
a matter of very considerable doubt.
356 NOTES.
Line 64. Etrik.] No mention Las been met witli
of a poet 80 named, and as this line, in the edition
printed by Chepman, reads, Et eik Heryot et Wyntowiy
that is. And also Heryot and Wyntonn, (the Latin par-
ticle £!t being generally used as a contraction for
and, in the printed fragments of 1508,) I am inclined to
think that this name should be struck out of the list of
Scotish Poets.
Line 54. Hervot.] This poet is not better known,
none of his writings having been preserved, nor can
we say at what time he flourished. We have no grounds,
however, for calling his identity in question, as in the
case of Etrik It may be remarked, as a singular
circumstance, that Dunbar, in this Lament, should
have made no mention of such poets as Thomas the
Rhymer, and King James the First. He has also,
among other living poets, passed over in silence
Gawin Doi glas, who had Jilready distinguished him-
self by the composition of his Palice of Honour, and
other works.
Line 54. Andrew of Wvntoln.] Prior of the Inch
of Lochleven, and author of The Chronicle Originale,
in Scotish metre, first published by Mr Macpherson.
Lond. 1795, 2 vols, royal 8vo. See vol. i. p. 40 of the
Memoir.
Line 58. Maister Johne Clerk.] More than one
Scotish poet of the name of Clerk has been commemo-
rated, but of their personal history and writings no-
thing is known.
Line 58. James Afflek.] There can be little doubt
that this was " Maister James Achlik, servitour to the
Earl of Rosse," whose name occurs in the Acta Domi-
Dorum Concilii, July 1, 149k He appears to have been
NOTES. 357
in holy orders, and to have died in the year 1497 ; as we
find from the Records of Privy Council, that the pre-
sentation to the Chantory of Caithness, becoming vacant
by the decease of " Maister James Auchinleck," was
given by the King to Maister James Beton, (afterwards
Archbishop of St Andrews?) on Sept. 17, 1497.
There is a poem entitled * The Quair of Jelousy,'
preserved in the Selden MS. Arch. B. 24, which has at
the end, " Explicit quod Auchin . . ." This poem con-
sists of 607 lines, and I apprehend it is the only speci-
men of his composition now existing.
Line 39. Tragedie.] " It would seem, that in the
language of those times, trai/ed// meant any moral
descriptive poem. Thus in [Bannatyne's] MS. page
107, line 1,
This tragedy is callit, but dreid
Rowlis Cursing, qulia will it reid." — Hailes.
The best definition of the earlier signification of
Tragedy is perhaps that given by Chaucer, in the Pro-
logue to the Monke's Tale, (Tyrwhitt's edit. 1. 19379,)
but which I need not quote.
Line 61. Holland.] This poet flourished about the
middle of the fifteenth century. " His poem of the
Hoiilatt is preserved in Lord Hyndford's MS. and in a
MS. belonging to Lord Auchinleck. It is a verbose
work, but must have merit with antiquaries, from the
stanzas describing " the kyndis of instrumentis, the
sportaris [jugglers], the Irish bard, and the fulis." —
Hailes. See vol. i. page 41 of the Memoir.
Line 61. John Barbour.] Archdeacon of Aberdeen,
in the reign of David II., and author of the ' Acts of
Robert the Bruce.' See vol. i. page 39 of the Memoir.
358 NOTES.
Line G3. Sir Mungo Lokert of the Le.] " I do not
find this name in the family of Lee, one of the most
ancient and honourable in Scotland. I suspect that the
person here meant has been some priest, officiating in a
chapel belonging to that family. Every one knows that
Sir was the common appellation of secular priests, the
Pope's hniyhts, as they were vulgarly denominated." —
Hailes. In the Acta Dominoruni Concilii, Feb. 27, 1489,
there is, however, mention of ' Agnes Lindesay, spouse
oi umquhile Sir Mongo Lokart, knijcht^ and of * Robert
Lokart of the Leie, his son and are.'' This Robert had
not long survived, as * James Lokart, air to umquhile
Robert,' &c. is mentioned Oct. 2J, 1493. But no work
by Sir Mungo Lockart is known to have been preserved.
Line Q5. Clerk of Tranent.] See vol. i. p. 88 of
the Memoir.
Line 67. Sir Gilbert Hay.] Chamberlain to
Charles VIL of France. See vol. i. p. ,50. In IMS. Mait-
land, his name is erroneously written Sir Gilbert Gray.
Line 69. Blind Harry.] " A popular poet, who has
celebrated the actions which Wallace did not perform,
as well as those which he did. Dempster, according to
his careless way, places him in the fourteenth centur)'.
John Major brings him down a century later; ' Inte-
grum librum Guillelmi Wallacei, Henricus a nativitate
himinibus captus, mecB infantice tempore cudit.' — De
Gestis Scotoriim, 1. 4. c. 15. It is evident that this
work, however antiquated it may now appear, has been
much altered and amended." — Hailes. See the Me-
moirs, vol. i. p. 44. From the Treasurer's Accounts we
find that small gratuities were occasionally given ' to
Blind Harye' by James the Fourth, between April 1489
and January 1492.
NOTES. 359
Line 69. Alexander Trail.] No traces either of
his history or writings have been discovered.
Line 71. Patrick Johnstoun.] There is one poem,
* The Three Deid Poms,' attributed to him in Banna-
tyne's MS., and first printed in Lord Hailes' collection,
page 139. But this poem, and perhaps more correctly,
in Maitland's MS, is attributed to Robert Henryson.
The name of Patrick Johnstoun occurs occasionally in
the Treasurer's Accounts during the earlier part of the
reign of James the Fourth. Thus, 1488, August 5,
' Item, to Patrick Johnson, and the playaris of Lyth-
quou, that playt to the King, L.5.' 1489, August 31,
* Item, to Patrick Johnson, and his fallowis, that playt
a play to the King in Lythqu, L.3, 10s.' 1489-90, Jan. 15,
' Item, on Friday the 15th da of Januar to Patrick John-
' son to the cense, 248.' 1490-91, Jan. 6, ' Item, on
Vphaly da, to Patrik Johnson, for [the] cense, 36s.;'
and a similar payment on Jan. 6, 1491-92.
Line 73. Mersar.] So little is known regarding
his personal history, that we cannot ascertain the
Christian name of a poet, who was thought worthy of
commemoration by Lyndsay as well as by Dunbar. In
the Treasurer's Accounts we find a Peter Mersar who
received articles of dress " quhen he passit in Den-
mark," in November 1494; a James Mersar, whose
name occurs as sometimes receiving the sum of L.IO
from the King, between 1494 and 1497; and a Wille
or William Mersar, who was one of the Royal house-
hold, and apparently a favourite attendant upon the
King, from 1500 to 1503. Which, if any, of these per-
sons was the Poet, must be left to conjecture. There
was also an Andro Mersar, from 1503 to 1508, who was
one of the grooms of the Prince's chamber.
360 NOTES.
Liues 77 and 78. Rowi. of Abirdene, and Iloui, of
Corstorphine.] Lyndsay also mentions the name of
Rovvl, but it is uncertain which of tliese two persona
was the Sir John Rowl, author of the strange poem of
' Rowlis Cursing,' referred to iu Lord Hailes's note to
line 39 of tliis Lament. It was first printed from Ban-
natyne's MS., in the " Select Remains of the Early
Popular Poetry of Scotland," Edin. 1822. — In reprint-
ing that collection, I will have an opportunity of giving
the text more perfect, by inserting several liues, which
only occur in Maitland's MS., in which the poem is
also preserved.
Line 81. Broun.] " In Bannatyne's MS. there is a
poem oi Judgment to come, by Walter [William] Brown,
probably the person here meant. The poem has little
other merit besides that of a pious intention." — Hailes.
The MS. contains two copies of the poem ; and in one
place he is named Sir William Brown, which denotes
that he was a priest. In this passage of Dunbar's poem,
however, I suspect the name of Brown has been intro-
duced by a clerical mistake. In Chepman's original
edition, lines 81 and 82 are made to apply solely
to Henryson ; thus :
In Dumfermline he has doun roune
Gud Maister Robert Henrysoun.
• Hi's dottn rotiuc,' Sidbald explains * has rounded, or
whispered in the ear.'
Line 82. Robert Hfnryson.] See vol. i. p. 42 of
the Memoir. " He is said to have been scolmaister of
DinifcrndiiKj, in a collection of his fables 1.575 ; Harleian
MSS.SSG5, p. 1. I suppose his office to have been
that of preceptor of youth in the Benedictine convent
at Dunfermline. Many of Henrysoun's poems are to
NOTES. 361
be found in this collection. They have a moral turn,
and are free from that licentiousness which debases
the compositions of some of his contemporaries." —
Hailes.
Line 83. Sir John the Ross.] " To this person Dun-
bar addresses his Invective against Kennedy. The dis-
tinction of Sir, probably relates to his ecclesiastical
character. It seems uncertain whether Hoss was his
name, or only the place of his residence." — Hailes.
See note to line 1 of the Flyting. None of his compo-
sitions are known to have been preserved.
Line 86. Stobo.] His compositions are also un-
known. See note to line 331 of the Flyting, for some
notices respecting his personal history.
Line 86. Quintyne Schaw.] The only poem of his
known, the ' Advyce to a Courtier,' was first printed
by Pinkerton from Maitland's MS. For some further
notices of this Poet, see the note to lines 3 and 34 of
the Flyting.
Line 89. Walter Kennedy.] See vol. i. p. 45 of
the Memoir, and the note annexed to his Poems, which
are inserted in this volume, pages 87 — 112.
Line 94. He will not lot me leifalane.] Southwell,
the English Jesuit, in ' Saint Peters Complaint,' 1596,
has a poem * Upon the Image of Death,' which breathes
much the same spirit and sentiment as Dunbar's La-
ment. A few lines may be quoted :
jMy ancestors are turn'd to clay.
And many of my mates are gone ;
My yongers daily drop away,
And can I think to 'scape alone ?
No, no ; I know that I must die,
And yet my life amend not I.
362 NOTES.
If none can 'scape Death's dreadful dart.
If rich and poor liis beck obey ;
If strong, if wise, if all do smart,
Then I to 'scape shall have no way:
Then grant me grace, O God, that I
My life may mend, since I must die.
There is a kind of imitation of Dunbar's poem, writ-
ten about the end of the seventeenth century, wliich
was long very popular as a clutp-hook, entitled, " Co-
gitations upon Death, or the Mirrour of Man's Miserie."
The oldest copy I have met with is called " The Seventh
Edition, corrected and amended. Edinburgh, 1710."
12mo. pp. 15. The burthen of each stanza is, ' This
makes me dread when I shall die'
Allan Ramsay, in printing this poem by Dunbar in
the Evergreen, (vol. i. p. 135,) has added the following
verses as a *' Postscript," in allusion to himself as Edi-
tor, and to his "Patron, Mr William Carmichael, brother
to the Earl of Hyndford, who lent A. R. that curious
MS. collected by Mr George Bannantyne, Anno 1568,
from whence these Poems are printed."
Suthe I forsie, if spae-craft had,
Frae hethir-muirs sail ryse a Lad,
Aftir twa centries pas, sail he
Revive our fame and memorie.
Then sail we flourish Evir Grene;
All thanks to carefull Banxantyne,
And to the Patron kind and frie,
Quha lends the Lad baith them and me.
Far sail we fare, baith Eist and West,
Owre ilka clymc be Scots possest ;
Then sen our Warks sail ncvir die,
Timor mortis non turhut me.
NOTES. 863
THE MERLE AND THE NYCHTINGAILL— P. 216.
In MSS. Bannat3^ne and Maitland. The third and
fourth stanzas of this poem are wanting in Maitland's
MS. This, and the following poem appear also to have
been contained in Asloane's MS., as in the original table
of contents, we find " The twa Luves, erdly and
divyne," as No. xxv. and " The Disputation between
the Merle and the Nychtingale," as No. Ixvj. The
poem is written as an apologue, between two birds, the
Merle or Blackbird and the Nightingale. " Dialogues
between animals upon moral subjects were brought
into fashion by the early English poets. Dryden, in
his Hind and Panther, unsuccessfully attempted to
revive this taste. Great examples may serve to excuse,
but will scarcely justify a species of composition so
unnatural.' ' — Hailes.
Line 35. But fable.'] This word would require to be
accented /aie//. Lord Hailes substituted "but [^faill]"
OF LUVE ERDLY AND DIVINE.— Page 22 L
o^
In Bannatyne's MS. and first printed by Lord Hailes.
" I have placed this comparison between love sensual
and divine in the front of the religious poems of Dun-
bar. When allowance is made for the style, which
may now seem uncouth, it will be found to contain more
good sense, and more poetry, than are in some modern
compositions of a like argument. — One thing is remark-
able in the religious poems of Dunbar j although a
Roman Catholic, and actually in orders, he generally
expresses himself in language which a Protestant might
adopt."— Hailes.
364 NOTES.
Line 13. No man hes curnge.] " No man lias heart or
abilities." — Hailes.
Line Hi. Their kyndnes is so contrair cleneJ] " Kind-
nes implies, kind or particular nature ; and the sense is,
the two sorts of love, sensual and divine, have no rela-
tion to each other." — Haii.es.
Line 22. The rjuarrell to susteine.] " Alluding to
the style used in singular combats. The French phrase,
soutenir la gageure, is derived from the same source."
— Hailes.
Line 26. In Luvis court anis did I dwell.] Here the
Poet refers to his own experience.
Line 33. Quhair I had maugre to my meid.]
" Where, instead of heing rewarded, I met with discoun-
tenance."— Hailes.
Line 43. All wy.] " Every person. Wy, from A. S.
wiga, heros, semideus, miles; but poetically used for
cujuscunque conditionis vir. See Hickes, Gram. Anglo-
Sax: p. 103, 106.; G. Douglas, jEneid. p. 236, k 54.
says, ' Hi/s lyffe he led unknawin of any wy.' " — Hailes.
Line 50. Descriue.] In the MS. discure, which sig-
nifies to survey, or to observe accurately. Here, the
sense requires to describe or to discover-
Line 67. Unquyt I do nothing nor sane.] " I do not
any thing, I say not any thing that is unacquitted ; i. e.
my whole conduct is approved and rewarded by my
love." — Hailes.
MANER OF PASSING TO CONFESSIOUN, P. 225.
This poem relating to one of the Sacraments of the
Roman Catholic Church, has been preserved in a
volume of religious poetry, wJiich I have elsewhere
NOTES. 365
quoted as tlie Howard MS. [See note to Kennedy's
poem, at p. 97 of this volume.] The poem seems little
else than portions of Chaucer's Persone's Tale put into
verse, and more particularly of the concluding part
" Of veray (i. e. true) Confession, that is the Second
part of Penitence;" in vk'hich true penitent and special
confession is urged, in order that " the Preist, who is
thy Juge, may tiie better be advised of his judgement
in giving of pennance, that shal be after (i. e. accord-
ing to) thy contrition." — As the Church of Rome de-
manded of her children, for their souls' welfare, that
they should make the most unreserved and circum-
stantial disclosures of their guilt, in the act of confes-
sion, such aids as this and the following poem afford,
might have been found very useful.
THE TABILL OF CONFESSIOUN.— Page 228.
In MSS. Howard, Bannatyne (which has it also re-
peated), and Maitland. — This is a mere form of general
Confession, according to the usage of the Romish
Church, and is so entitled in Maitland's MS. : " Heir
endis ane Confession generale, compylit be Maister
William Dunbar." — Pinkerton, who styles it " a gene-
ral confession of his sins," surely was not at the trouble
of reading it ; yet, he adds, " no reader will regret its
omission, as he must even be a patient monk who
could listen to so general a confession." Chapman, in
his play, " Two Wise Men and all the Rest Fooles," has
introduced one of the characters as saying :
" 1 will free the Court from the foule and loath-
some custome of drunkennesse. — I wish we were as
cleare from idlenesse, pride, disdaine, envy, lecherie,
366 NOTES.
covetousnesse, flattery, lying, cosenage, oppression, and
vnthrifiines, as we are from drunkennesse.
" RIary, sir, these are vices enow. And except you
were guilty of all the deadly slnnes, and breach of every
commandement, I know not what you could add to
these." (Lond. 1619, 4to.)
Although having the benefit of no less than four MS.
copies of this poem, it was very difficult to give the
text in any thing like a correct form, and many of the
lines are still left in a state requiring considerable
emendation. I shall not trouble the reader with a list
of various readings, as there is no need of showing, in
how prosaic a form this dull poem is given in some of
the MSS., more particularly in that of Howard.
ANE ORISOUN.— Page 235.
In MSS. Maitland and Reidpeth.— In both MSS. these
* seven pious lines (as Pinkerton styles them) by Dun-
bar, of no moment,' are preceded by an anonymous
poem, of six stanzas of seven lines each, which the same
editor justly calls " a poor satire on woman," beginning
' The bcistlie lust and furious appetyiei^ It also occurs
anonymously in Bannatyne's MS. It has been included
in some lists of Dunbar's poems, under the mistaken
notion, that the present ' Orisoun,' which has his name
as its author, had formed the conclusion. I should in-
deed have regretted had it been necessary to insert
what is in every sense a most wretched composition.
OF LYFE.— Page 233.
These lines are attributed to Dunbar, in Maitland's
NOTES. 367
MS. la Banuatyne's they occur anonymously in the
midst of about thirty short moral pieces, oddly enough
entitled " Documenta." See the titles of those pieces
in the account of the MS. contained in " Memorials
of George Bannatyne," p. 38. Edin. 1829, 4to.
THE NATIVITIE OF CHRIST.— Page 236.
This beautiful poem is only to be met with in Banna-
tyne's MS. — Three similar anonymous compositions are
inserted in this volume, at pages 35—60. Christmas
Carols were known in Scotland at an early period, but
these poems do not properly belong to that class of
popular rhymes. See, however, a curious and interest-
ing volume of similar English verses, entitled " Christ-
mas Carols, ancient and modern ; &c. with an intro-
duction by William Sandys, F.S.A." Lond. 1833. 8vo.
ANE BALLAT OF OUR LADY.— Page 239.
This poem is contained in Asloane's MS. and is now
first printed. — It is remarkable only for the versifica-
tion, as the frequent recurrence of the rhyme, and the
use of antiquated terms, render it at once harsh and
insipid.
Line 33. Infirthis and inforrestisfair.'] ' In woods
and forests.' See Frith and Firth, in Glossary to Chal-
mers's edit, of Lyndsay.
THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST.— Page 243.
In MSS. Asloane, Howard, and Maitland. — This poem,
descriptive of the sufferings of our Saviour, has nothing
.3G8 NOTES.
particular to recommeiul it to notice. Pinkertoo, in
bis usual do/:^matic manner, styles it " A lon«f poem
on Christ's Passioun, as stupid as ueed be. Yet it is
by Dunbar."
ON THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST— P. 247.
This animated poem has been preserved in Banna-
tyne's MS, — A similar composition, but written with
less spirit, by an anonymous author, is inserted in Vol.
ii. page 61. Christ's descent into Hell was the subject
of several of the old mysteries or religious plays, dur-
ing the middle ages, being chiefly a paraphrase of pas-
sages in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus. See
Hone's Ancient Mysteries described, p. 120. Lond.
1823. 8vo.
OF MANIS MORTALITIE.— Page 249.
In MSS. Bannatyne and Maitland. — Some various
readings are as follows: Lines G, Thyn gais ; 13, llvs
past thair tyme ; 20, horrible tramort ; 22, the dait is ;
30, sallfeche thee ; 38, Tah this to spur thee quhen thou
sweiris.
Line 28. That nil devour is.] Supplied in Ban. MS.
in an old hand, the line having been left unfinished by
the transcriber.
QUHEN THE GOVERNOUR PAST INTO
FRANCE.— Page 251.
In MSS. Maitland and Reidpeth.— This is the very
last of Dunbar's poems of which the time of the com-
NOTES. 369
position can with any reasonable probability be as-
signed. John Duke of Albany, it is well known, was
invited to assume the regency of Scotland, during the
minority of James the Fifth. He arrived at Dunbarton
in May, 1515, and was welcomed with every expression
of regard ; and on the 26th of that month, he came to
Edinburgh, where he was received, says Bishop Lesley,
" be mony Lordis and Barronis quha mett him, and sin-
drie ferses and gude playis maide be the burgessis of
the toun to his honour and prayse. The Quene also
come fra hir awin lodging and to do him honour."
(Hist. p. 102.) But his own pusillanimous conduct and
mismanagement speedily alienated the aflPections of all
ranks, and the prevailing factions of the time drove him
on three several occasions back to France. The first
was in June, 1517; the second in October, 1522. As
this poem in the MS. is said to have been written
" Quhen the Governor passit into France," it could not
therefore have been earlier than June 1517. It contains
no personal allusions to the Duke of Albany which might
serve to fix a later date. " It would seem that the first
journey, or that of 1517, was the occasion of this poem,
for, had it been either of the last, the poet might natu-
rally have been led to take some notice of the war in
which Scotland was then engaged against England ; or,
to express his apprehensions that the Regent's visit
might be equally tedious with the former ; or the title
might have said for the ' second' or * third time.' "
— SiBBALD.
Line 1. &c.] Sir Richard Maitland has imitated the
measure as well as the general strain of this ' Orisouu,'
in his verses " Of the Assemblie of the Congregatioun,"
in 1559. (Poems, p. 1 1 . Glasgow, 1830, 4to.)
VOL. U. 2 A
370 NOTES.
See also the anonymous poem inserted at page 47 of
this volume. If that poem could have been assigned to
Dunbar with any degree of certainty, the date of the
present one might have been brought down later. But
we have no evidence that the Poet survived long after
the first occasion that the Governor retired to France.
MEDITATIOUN IN WYNTER.— Page 253.
This poem is preserved in Maitland's MS. Part of
it also occurs in Reidpeth's, where it proceeds on to
line 22, when it is strangely connected with lines 55 to
66 of the poem printed at page 151. In transcribing
from an earlier MS., Reidpeth might possibly have
turned over two leaves instead of one, and thus joined
parts of two poems which have nothing in common
with each other, excepting that of being by the same
author.
" This is a most singular and affecting poem. Win-
ter, that great enemy of the Poet's mental flowers, is
almost sole sovereign of the British skies This
poem presents a very interesting picture of Dunbar's
melancholy under the pressure of age. The addresses
of the several personifications to him are fine ; that of
Age pathetic; and that of Death even sublime. Death's
throwing up his gates wide, and telling the poet he must
enter, are most grand and striking circumstances."—.
PiNKERTON. " It is pleasant to observe in this fine
poem the elastic spirit of Dunbar struggling against the
pressure of melancholy : indeed, it appears that his
morality was of the most cheerful kind." — Ellis.
V.R. — Line 4, naturall; 1. 6, lenth in; 1. 7, hewie ;
1. II, can; 1. 14, and ever ; MS. Reidp.
NOTES. 371
Line 20. Into this Cuurt ubyde.'] Although this poem
is placed last in the series, from the allusion in this line
I should imagine it to have been written about the
year 1507, or when Dunbar composed the * Lament
for the Makers.'
Line 27. Quhy wald thou hold that will away.]
Thus, Ben Jonson, in his Bartholomew Fair, has,
' Who can hold that will aua//.' " This (says Gifford)
is a proverbial expression of old standing. It occurs in
Dunbar, and in many of our ancient dramatists." —
(Jonson's Works, vol. iv. p. 394.)
Line 45. How glad that ever I dyne or sotvp.] From
this line an inference has been drawn that Dunbar in
the latter period of his life was in a state of such
destitution as often to want his regular meals. But
the words do not warrant any such inference. The
simple and obvious meaning of the passage is, that
with whatever gratification he might dine or sup, no-
thing could prevent him from remembering that Death
was at hand, — neither the gold which was laid up in
his coffers, the wine which was in his goblet, nor the
happiness which he enjoyed as a lover.
VOLUME SECOND.
POEMS ATTRIBUTED TO DUNBAR.
THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK.— Page 3.
N printing this very admirable
Tale from Maitland's MS , Mr
PiNKERTON, in 1786, was the
first to ascribe its composition
to DuNHAU. It is also preserved
in Bannatyne's MS., and in an
Edition printed at Aberdeen, in
1622; but in these copies it is
also anonymous.
" Tins admirable Tale the Editor (Pinkerton) sup-
poses to have been written by Dunbar ; though the
Reader will at once see a great difference between the
language of this and the last tale;" namely, The Tim
Marijit Wemen and the Wido. " But this is owing solely
to the necessity of alliteration, and the consequent use
of old and uncommon words in the last Tale, while the
> LA
-4
<i^
NOTES. o7'3
measure of this has no such constraint. That the lan-
guage of the Freirs of Berwik is not too modern for Dun-
bar, will be apparent to any one who has read his Goldin
Terge, or any of his other poems. But this Tale cannot,
at any rate, be above thirteen years later than Dunbar,
who must have died about 1525. In 1482, Berwick
was wrested from Scotland, and was ever after in the
possession of the English. Now, this poem speaks of
all the Monasteries as actually standing and flourishing
while it was written ; and it is well known, that in 1535
Henry VIII. suppressed the lesser monasteries, and in
1539 the greater. It follows, that this Tale must, iu
all events, have been written before 1539. So that
they, who, from the language, would refuse it to Dun-
bar, must suppose that in the course of thirteen years
there was a change in the Scotish tongue ; which is too
great an absurdity to be seriously advanced, much less
to deserve refutation, though this were easy from the
evidence of this very volume.
" The fact is, that the spelling of this piece has been
modernized a little to that of Sir Richard Maitland's
time by the transcriber ; but the language is doubtless
as ancient as that of The Thistle and the Rose by Dun-
bar, which was written, as is well known, in 1503, upon
the marriage of Margaret, daughter of Henry VII. of
England, to James IV. of Scotland." — Pinkerton.
The same Editor, in his Preface, in reference to these
tales, The Twa Married Wemen and the Wedo, and The
Freiris of Berivih, expresses similar sentiments, which
maybe also quoted, on account of the general criticism
annexed : — " The Gothic alliterative measure of the
first Tale forced the Poet to use ancient and uncommon
words, that his sense might not suiFer by the structure
374 NOTES.
of the rhythm, which makes that piece appear even
more ancient than the poems of Barbour written more
than a century before. The second Tale, having no
such restraint, appears as modern as the Gohliu Tcrge,
or any other of Dunbar's Poems; but by no means
more so. The Reader will at once see a great differ-
ence between the language of The Freirs of Berwik,
and that of Sir Richard Maitland, who began to write
about 1555, the former being much more ancient.
" These tales place Dunbar in quite a new and more
important light ; for it is believed they will be as much
preferred to his Goldin Terge, and Thistle and Rose,
though these pieces have an elegance and opulence
which Chaucer nowhere attains, as Chaucer's Tales
are to his allegorical poems. Dunbar, having a genius
at least equal to Chaucer, and perhaps more original ;
and having the advantage of living a whole century
after him, when the language was more rich and ex-
pressive; it is no wonder that he should excel that
venerable Poet in every point, but in the length of his
pieces, a most dispensable cjuality." — Pimcerton.
That The Frrin's of limrili is a composition be-
longing to the commencement of the sixteenth century,
and not later than the minority of James the Fifth, can-
not, I think, be doubted. That it affords such intrinsic
evidence as might warrant an unhesitating ascription
of it to Dunbar, seems much less certain. Pinkerton's
reasons on this head are certainly not very conclusive.
SiBB.\LD, who thought " the language too modern, at
any rate more delicate than what probably would have
been used by Dunbar in a performance of this sort,"
says it is " apparently by the author of The Priesfs of
Peblis." But this latter work, which is also by an ano-
NOTES. 375
nymous author, has been proved to have been written
not later than 1515, and although in the same measure,
has certainly not the spirit and graphic description of
the present tale. Now, as we know of no poet of that
age whose remains have any kind of resemblance to
the style or manner of either of these tales, it would
serve no useful purpose to indulge in farther vague
conjecture. Pinkerton's opinion has been, at least, so
far sanctioned by succeeding critics, that the poem is
almost uniformly quoted as the composition of Dunbar.
But leaving this question, it may be observed that,
respecting the singular merits of this tale, there has
been, and can be, no diversity of opinion. Pinkerton
commends it " not merely for comic humour, but for
contrivance, the rarest quality of this species of wri-
ting."— " This tale, (says Dr Irving,) to whatever
author it may be referred, undoubtedly exhibits a most
admirable specimen of the comic mode of writing.
Without suffering by the comparison, it may be ranked
with the best tales of Chaucer. The story is most skil-
fully conducted ; and in its progress, the poet displays
an extensive and accurate acquaintance with the diver-
sities of human character. His humour seems peculiar
and underived. His descriptions are at once striking
and appropriate. The different characters introduced
are supported with the utmost propriety, and with a
power of conception and of delineation which has not
very frequently solicited our attention."
" This tale also possesses one advantage over the
other ; it is written in the heroic couplet, a measure
with which our ears have long been familiarized. This
measure did not compel the poet to adopt obsolete and
uncouth terms for the sake of alliteration. If Dunbar
376 NOTES.
was in reality the author of this production, it affords
additional evidence of his uncommon proficiency in the
art of poetry. Few writers have attempted a greater
variety of measures, and managed them with equal
success." — Irving.
In like manner, Mr Ellis says : " Of Dunbar's comic
pieces, the most excellent are his two tales of the I'lco
Married Women and the Widow, ^xiA the Friars of Ber-
wick. The latter, in particular, is admirable ; but its
merit would evidently be lost in an abridgement." Dr
Drake observes, that the tale is " conducted, both as to
its fable and its characters, with a thorough knowledge
of human nature, with the most minute fidelity in point
of description, and with a pungency and originality of
humour which has seldom, if ever, been surpassed."
So also the Author of the " Lives of Scottish Wor-
thies," in his account of Dunbar, (vol. iii. p. 120,) says,
" The ' Friars of Berwick,' which Pinkerton, on very pro-
bable grounds, has ascribed to this poet, affords a still
finer example of his vigour as a satirist. Its object is to
expose the licentious lives of some of the monkish
orders, and nothing can be more rich than the humour
with which the story is told." After a short analysis of
the story, my very excellent friend, Mr Tvtler, adds :
" There are few of Chaucer's tales which are equal,
and certainly none of them superior to this excellent
piece of satire. I have dwelt upon it the rather, be-
cause, without the coarseness and licentiousness which
infects the poetry of the age, it gives us a fine specimen
of its strength and natural painting. The whole manage-
ment of the story, its quiet comic humour, its variety
and natural delineation of human character, the fresh-
ness and brilliancy of its colouring, the excellence
NOTES. 377
and playfulness of its satire upon the hypocritical and
dissolute lives of many of the monastic orders, and the
vigorous versification into which it is thrown, are en-
titled to the highest praise."
Whether The Freiris of Berwik is altogether an ori-
ginal production, may be questioned, as similar inci-
dents in the progress of the story might be found in
earlier writers. But no composition has been disco-
vered, from which we might trace in it any thing ap-
proaching to direct imitation. Rather more than a
century ago it served as a prototype to Allan Ramsay,
for his popular tale of " The Monk and the Miller's
Wife;" but, with some disingenuousness, he did not
choose to acknowledge how much, or even that he was
at all indebted to the older and more spirited composi-
tion. It must have arisen, at least, from any thing ra-
ther than inability to appreciate its merits, that Ramsay
excluded this poem from the * Evergreen,' while he
made room for several very coarse or ordinary pieces,
making his selections from Bannatyne's MS. for that
publication; and the only excuse that can be offered
for him is, that as he intended to have added two other
volumes to the work, it might, perchance, have then
found a place in his collection.
The late Lord Woodhouselee, in his Remarks
on the Writings of Allan Ramsay, says, that " The
Monk and the Miller's Wife would, of itself, be his
passport to immortality, as a comic poet. In this capa-
city, he might enter the lists with Chaucer, and Boccac-
cio, with no great risk of discomfiture. Though far their
inferior in acquired address, his native strength was,
perhaps, not widely disproportionate. Of this admira-
ble tale, I conceive he has the merit of tlie invention.
378 NOTKS.
A Btory of more festive humour could not
have been devised. The characters are sustained with
consummate propriety; the manners are true to nature;
and poetic justice is most strictly observed in the wind-
ing up of the piece. We are amused witli the ingenuous
simplicity and credulity of the honest miller; we are
delighted with the malicious roguery of the young stu-
dent; who amply revenges himself, yet, with infinite
good-nature, spares his hostess, and her sanctimonious
gallant, that utter disgrace, which they might have justly
expected at his offended hands." — (Ramsay's Poems,
vol. i. p. cviii., edit. Lond. 1800, 8vo.) The above
sentiments, of an accomplished writer, are quoted as
equally applicable to the original tale as to its imitation.
Without any wish to depreciate the merits of Allan
Ramsay, while it is obvious that the praise of invention
does not belong to him, it may be asserted, that his
version of the tale is by no means comparable to the
original, although he has shown considerable ingenuity
in the adaptation of its modern rustic dress.
Among other imitations of this tale, it may be men-
tioned, that in " The famous history of Friar Bacon,"
first printed about the year 1612, and reprinted in
Thoms's collection of Early Prose Romances, 1828,
one of the chapters bears a striking resemblance to the
chief incidents of this tale. It is entitled ' How Miles,
Fryer Bacon's man, did conjure for meat, and got
meate for himself and his hoast.' But the gallant, in-
stead of Friar John the priest, proves to be ' Goodman
Stumpe, the tooth-drawer.'
The copies of The Frtiris of Bcrwih which have been
discovered, differ considerably from each other. In
Bannatyne's MS., from which the present text is taken,
NOTES. 379
it has o67 lines; and in Maitland's MS., as printed by
Pinkerton, only 356 lines. But the one copy contains
lines omitted in the other, most of which have been
inserted, and, for the sake of distinction, these are
printed within brackets [ ], thus extending the poem
to 582 lines. To point out all the minute variations
between these two copies, might, in fact, require that
more than half the poem should be reprinted. It may
be sufficient to notice such as seem to be most mate-
rial. But I must add, that these additional lines or
variations are given on the authority of Pinkerton's
edition ; for, not being impressed with the idea that any
such collation was very requisite, I omitted to compare
his text with the MS.
This tale must have passed more than once through
the press, as we find it included among " Sindrie other
Delectabil Discourses," announced as printed and sold
by Robert Charteris, in Edinburgh, in 1603. The only
edition, however, which has been discovered, is that
already mentioned as printed in the year 1622, and
which is of so great rarity that no other copy is known
except one in the library of Skene of Skene, now by
succession the property of the Earl of Fife. It has the
following title :
" The Merrie Historie of the Thrie Friers of
Berwicke. i^" Printed at Aberdene, By Edward
Raban, For David Melvlll, 16-22." 4to. pp. 19.
In general, the text of this edition corresponds very
closely with that of Bannatyne's MS., and, like it,
does not contain the lines which have been inserted
within brackets. Great liberty, however, has been
taken in modernizing the language, sometimes at the
expense of altering the sense, and in introducing ex-
.'380 NOTES.
pletives to supply the change in tlie measure occasion-
ed by the disuse of the old mode of pronunciation in
many of the dissyllables.
Line 1, &c.] " The title and progress of this Tale
call for a brief hint of the Monasteries in Berwick. Mr
Pennant, in his Tour in Scotland, vol. i., tells us from
Spottiswoode, that, besides two nunneries (one of Be-
nedictines, and one of Cistertians) there were three
monasteries, namely, of Mathurines, of Dominicans,
and of Franciscans. But this poem mentions four ;
Jacobines, Carmelites, Augustines, and Minors. How
are we to reconcile these accounts ? The Franciscans
and Minors are well known to be the same. The Ja-
cobines were also a division of the Dominicans; and
the Mathurines of the Augustines. Thus both accounts
agree, save that Spottiswoode knew not of, or has
omitted, the Carmelites. But this is of no moment;
it being sufficient for understanding this tale to be cer-
tain, as we are, that the two friars are of the Jacobine
order, or White Friars, and the superior detected by
them, is of the Minors, afterwards called Franciscans,
or Gray Friars The Minors were particularly
hated by the other clergy. A curious enumeration of
their faults occurs in a remarkable Latin pamphlet in
the Editor's possession, printed in Gothic letter about
1490, containing, 1. The speech of Richard Archbishop
of Armagh against the Minors or Privilegiati, made in
the Consistory before the Pope and Cardinals at Avig-
non, 8th Nov. 1357. . , . The Archbishop is very
severe against the gallantry of the Minors; and says,
jam cum jiulcltcrrimis dominabus j)/iilusophentur in ca-
meris." — Pinkkrton.
NOTES. 381
Line 5. In to this toun.] " Though Berwick was in
possession of the English, yet being situated on the
north side of the Tweed, and having been frequently-
held by Scotland, most of its inhabitants appear to have
been Scots, and the garrison alone could be properly
called English. The monasteries in particular were
mostly, if not all, founded by the Earls of March
and other Scotishmen. Hence the monks must have
been chiefly Scotish ; and of course held their princi-
pal intercourse with their own nation. — From the in-
troduction of this Tale, it is evidently written by one
perfectly acquainted with the scene of action; and his
descriptions have every claim to truth. It is even
highly probable that the incidents are founded on
reality, though, indeed, the exquisite nature of the
piece would give truth to fiction." — Pinkerton.
Line 11, And si/ne the castelL] " Mr Pennant says,
« On the cession of Berwick, as one of the securities
for the payment of the ransom of William King of
Scotland, the castle, now a ruin, was built by Henry H.'
Mr Pennant then tells us, that Berwick is contracted
from its old dimensions, and that the castle is at some
distance from the present ramparts of the city. It
always was so, as is plain from Froissart, speaking of
Berwick, (which he calls Warwick, and thus confounds
it with quite another town) : he says, ' Le chastel est
moult bel et fort, au dehors de la cite? (Chroniques,
Tome i.) It was in the hall of this castle that Edward
I. determined the competition for the crown of Scot-
land."— Pinkerton.
Line 12. With strait tow7-is.] In M. MS. and edit.
1 622, With staitlie towris.
Line 21. The tonne, &c.] In the British Museum
•382 NOTES.
(MS. Harl. 7017, art. .38) there is an unpublished " De-
scription of Berwick," written about the middle of the
seventeenth century. For the following passages
extracted from it, I am indebted to the kindness of
Robert Weddell, Esq., Berwick. — " In this Towne
were in times past keept and maintained neare one
thousand brave Soldiours. . . . This Towne was
strengthened, environed, and is incircuited with strong
walls and flankeirs, each rampier containing four or
five great pieces of ordinance, and every flanker had
two great ordinance opposite one to another, &c.
. . . This towne hath severall secret vaults or pas-
sages, besides the common gates; it had two of the
fairest windmills in Great Britaine ; it hath a commo-
dious key for shipps, a fair and stately stone bridge,
built at the charge of the late famous, pious, prudent,
and for ever memorable Prince and Monarch James
king of Great Britaine, &c. — This towne had a stronge
castle, situate upon a high rocke, in manner circular,
but the want of repairing, as also the delapidation of
the walls, cause the beholders to be sorry, considering
the mounts, rampiers, and flankers, sometime so well
replenished with great ordinance, and now looke like a
new shorne sheepe, these great pieces put away few
knowes whither. This castlehad faire houses therein, the
walls and gates made beautifull with pictures of stone,
the worke curious and delicate ; it had a large gallery
couered over with lead ; but the worke being unfi-
nished by the death of the Right Honourable George
Earl of Dunbarr, cause the pictures in a manner to
weepe and feare their downfall. I must not omitt the
faire built Pallace, sometime a court fitter for a prince
then a subject, but since Berwick's desolution, or rather
NOTES. OaS
destruttion, it Is almost laid levell with the ground."
&c.
Line 22. The he wallis tipoun the upper hand.^ In
M. MS. and in edit. 1622, The valleys grene upon the
uther hand.
Line 23. The grit Croce Jiirk, and eik the Maison-dew.l
" The * grit Croce-kirk ' is the Church of the Great
Cross, in Latin perhaps Ecdesia de Magna Cruce. The
Maison-dieu is another name for an Hospital ; and there
were many hospitals both in England and Scotland,
which are known to have borne this name, signifying
the house of God." — Pinkerton.
Lines 24 — 26. The four ordouris, &c.] These lines,
as they occur in M. MS., seem to be preferable, and
perhaps ought to have been adopted in the text, as line
26 may be considered as only summing up the orders
which had been named.
The friars of Jacobinis, quhyt of hew.
The Carmelitis, Augustins, Jlinors eik,
The four ordours of freiris war nocht to seik ;
And all in to this wourthy place dwelling;.
The edit. 1622 has,—
The Jacobines, they friers are of whyte hew,
The Carmelites, and the IMinouries eik, &c.
Sibbald, adopting the words of Bannatyne's MS. in
line 23, And the Monhis eik, supplied Of at the begin-
ning of the next line — Of the four ordouris.
Line 31. HostiUar.'] " This is simply householder :
maneir in next line may imply either his mode of living,
or that he had a fair manor or farm. Chaucer, speaking
of a carpenter's house, calls it a hostelrie — (Miller's
Tale, near the beginning). Blind Harry also uses this
word generally for a house. Hotel is still French, and
384 NOTES.
almost Knglisb." — Pinkerton. " It is necessary to
remark that Mr Pinkerton seems to be mistaken in the
profesfiion of the landlord. According to every appear-
ance, Symon Lavvder is not a farmer, but an innkeeper
or hostelldi: A farmer, in those days, was by no means
likely to have occasion for hay and corn in the month
of May ; nor to go into the anudnj to buy necessaries ;
nor is it credible that his wife would be clothed in silk
and silver stuff, with the ' red gold shining through
her proud purse ; ' nor, lastly, that she would have
hearkened to the offer of payment from the poor friars
for their two pots of ale, without a disdainful rejection.
The whole of her gaudy trappings bespeak her the
mistress of an inn; and the kneading trough that held
a boll of meal conveys a good idea of the extent of her
business James I., upon his return from
England in 1424, found it necessary among his very
first acts to ordain, that ' in burrow townes and throuch-
fares there should be hostillares havand stables and
Chalmers, and bread and aile, and all uther fude, als
well to horse as men, for reasonable price, after the
chaipes of the countrey.' .... In order to esta-
blish these hostillars or innkeepers with greater facility,
James I. prohibited ' burgesses to lodge strangers or
travellers fra time that the hostillaries be made, under
the pain of forty shillings.' " — Sibbald.
Line 53.] From M. MS. In Bannatyne's MS. this
line reads, ' And Si/mon Lawrear wes his name! In the
edition 1622, it is: * Symon Laicrell hee called teas hy
name!
Line 64.] In M. MS. and in edit. 1622, Freyr Allane
said; line GQ, Freyr Robert said. Dame, Jill ane stoip
ofaill; line 73, thcfreirs ivoxe hlyth.
NOTES. 385
Line 126. Ane Blah Freir.'] In M. MS. and edit. 1G22,
througliout the poem, Freir John is called Grai/-Fi-ci/r,
— a difference that is quite immaterial, as in no way
affecting the point of the story.
Line 131. I leif him still.] "This transition is fre-
quent in this tale ; and is certainly better than suddenly
passing from one part of the story to another quite dis-
tinct, without any such warning to the reader." — Pin-
KERTON.
Line 133. The fijre cotcld beit.] " Beit the fire is a
phrase used by Chaucer, (Knighte's Tale, ver. 2255,
2294,) for to 7-ouse or stir vp. The fire-place was, till
within a late period, and is even now, in some farm-
houses of Scotland, placed in the middle of the kitchen,
where all can sit round." — Pinkerton.
Lines 139 — 142.J These four lines do not occur in
Pinkerton's edit. ; and the reading in one or two of the
words of the edit. 1622, has been adopted.
Line 143, &c.] "The description here given of the
dress of a farmer's wife, by a contemporary, gives us a
good idea of the condition of that rank of people at the
time, though perhaps the author meaned only to show
the liberality of her lover — The reader, who wishes to
compare the dress of an Englishwoman, of equal sta-
tion, with this, may inspect Chaucer's admirable de-
scription of that of the carpenter's wife in The Millere's
Talc, a poem which deserves to be called the master-
piece of Chaucer." — Pinkerton.
Line 146.] Pinkerton gives this line: With ane
proud purs, and keyis yingliny si/ne. The edit, 1622
has Embrodrcd purse : her heyes hung clinching syne.
" It was usual even for the men to wear their purses
at a girdle. * For in auld times, like as it is yit used
VOL. II. 2 B
38G NOTES.
in divers places, ilk man carried his silver and his gold
in his belt; either in ane purse hanging at the end
thereof, or sewed or inclosed within the samen.'
(Skene de Verb. Sign, vuce Dijour.y — Pinkerton.
" So the Highlanders do still. So did the Northern
nations of old. v. The Expedition to Ireland in Thor-
kelin's Fragments, for Hoskield's Purse." — MS. Note
bi/ the lute D. Macpherson.
Line 158. Gascone nine.] " Most of the wine import-
ed into Britain formerly was of Gascony, also called
Bourdeaux, from the port where it was shipped. . . .
The company of vintners in London were originally
called ' Merchants Vintners of Gascoyne.' Fordun
mentions wine of Gascoyne as common in Scotland in
1 305." — Pinkerton.
Line IGO. Brekl of mane.] At lines 119 and 370, it is
called nioin l)iei(l, and, says Pinkerton, " means palpably
the very finest, or whitest wheaten bread." Sibbald
understands it as signifying almond biscuit; in Fr. Pain
dfumand; Belg. wiiandel bishitj/t ; Germ, mand bred.
Without quoting all that has been written on the mean-
ing and etymology of the word, it may be sufficient to
refer to Dr Jamieson's Diet, and Suppl. sub v. Mane.
Line 1 76. Bofhin] " means small knife. Shakspeare
uses it for daijijur, in a well-known passage of Hamlet.
Barbour, in same sense, tells that Julius Ca;sar was
' Slaiie with bodkins vnto the deid^ " — Pinkerton.
Line 204.] After this line, in Pinkerton's edit., Freir
John continues thus :
Into this case, Lord, bow sail I me beir ?
For I am scbent and Symon find me heir.
I dreid me sair, and be cum in tbis inni.s.
And fynd me beir, that I los botb my qubynnis.
NOTES. 387
Line 212] Is probably repeated from line 204 by
mistake. In Pinkerton's edit., instead of this and the
next two lines, we read :
And till hir madin smartlie can scho say :
Away all this ; and slokin out the fyre.
In the edit. 1 622 : softly can scho say. Take way this
geare ; &c.
Line 225.] In Bann. MS. Than went scho.
Lines 231—232.] In the edit. 1622 :—
When Alison had tholde him long to crye,
As halfe a sleepe, shee answearde crabbedlye.
Lines 275 — 278.] Instead of these lines, Bann. MS.
has only The Gudwr/fsaid, Yone are Freiris tway.
Line 302. Thay come.l In Pink. edit. Ar gone, which
suits better for the rhyme.
Line 313. Ane crown of gold.] " Crowns of gold
were French coins, value ten shillings of our pre-
sent money, and were so called, because they had ori-
ginally a crown on one side. In Harl. MS. 2252, Henry
VIII., answering with great spirit the defiance of James
IV. of Scotland, tells his herald, that the reason why
that Prince made war on him was, because he was
anointed with crowns of the sun. These were other
French gold coins with the sun on reverse." — Pinker-
ton. See note at page 352.
Line 318. In Pareis did Heir.] " Paris was greatly
frequented by Scotish nobility and scholars formerly,
owing to the amity between the countries. Scotisli
churchmen, in particular, had generally been some
time in the Sorbonne." — Pinkerton.
Line 320. Your Dames] read Dame's. In Pink, edit.
Our Dame,
388 NOTES.
Line 329. Practich.} " Practik is a term commonly
applied to magical practices. See King James' Demono-
logie. It need hardly be mentioned, how generally
magic and witchcraft vt'ere believed, both in England,
and Scotland, till within a late period. In the Editor's
possession is a MS. Discourse on Witchcraft, by Mr
John Bell, minister at Gladsmuir, written 1705, in
which are stories of witchcraft and magic, and helps
against them, &c." — Pinkkrton. For a curious and
interesting sketch of the history of Witchcraft in Scot-
land, see Mr Kirkpatrick Sharpe's Introduction to
Law's Memorialls. Edin. 1818, 4to.
Line 341. A/men/e,'] or A/rrnri/, a press ; in the edit.
J 622 the word is uniformly altered to Ptrnteiye, which
means a closet, or separate apartment.
Line 362. And sei/ii «// /liscxre.'] In M. MS. and edit.
1622, And said. All /mill my cure. Is done. Anoiie, and
ye sail have, &c.
Line 365. And sueris by the mone.] A customary
oath. See Jamieson's Diet, sub v. Mone.
Line 408. Playit cop out.'] " This phrase is used by
Dunbar in one of his short poems, here published
[vol. i. p. 156.] It means r/z-ara^ out the cup. — The whole
of the scene is now highly dramatic, and nothing can
exceed the unexpected change of situation in the par-
ties. A most excellent farce might be founded on this
tale." — PiNKERTON. " They have got it on the stage of
Sadler's Wells, (in 1794) under the title of its impro-
ved copy. The Monk and the Miller's Wife."— v»f^.
Note by the late D. Macpherson.
Linps 4l:Uo 420; 427 and 428; 430 and 431 ; and 459
to 462, are not contained in Pinkerton's edition.
Lines 472 — 474.] In Pinkerton's edition:
NOTES. 389
Bot, brother deir, your servant! wald I se.
Frejr Robert sayd, Sen that your will is so,
Tell onto me, withouttin wourdis mo,
In to quhat stait ye list that he appeir.
Line 483. In habeit blaLI See note to line 126. "The
enmity of the different monastic orders to each other
i!4 knoivn to be extreme. But I wish some reason had
been given for striking a spirit, which seems to me the
only objectionable part of this tale. Perhaps, how-
ever, it may be said with great reason, that both the
Farmer and the Friar must now have been drunk; and
their speaking and acting irrationally are of course
highly in nature." — Pinkerton. In the edit. 1622, at
line 435, it is expressly said that Symon and his com-
panions were drunk.
For aye the wyne was raking them amang ;
Till at the last, that they were drunke each ane.
Lines 511 and 512 ; and 525 to 532, are not contained
in Pinkerton's edition.
Line 523. IVti/ cowll outtour thi/face.'] " Though the
friar wished to punish the Superior, yet he does not
push the chastisement to cruelty. Showing his face
would have been a total loss of his character, and that
extreme punishment is therefore spared. Not to add,
that the farmer might perhaps have known him, and
soon have distinguished his acquaintance from a spirit."
— Pinkerton.
Lines 533 — 338.] la Pinkerton's edition :
With that the freyr under the trouche that lay,
No wounder thoch his hart was in eflFray ;
Than oflF the trouche he tumblit sone anone,
And to the dure he schapis him to gone.
090 NOTES.
Line 547. 3Iustarde stane] " must mean mortar stoue ;
a large stone mortar used to bruise barley in, with a huge
wooden beetle, in order to fit it for the pot, before bar-
ley mills were invented. Such hollow stones still ap-
pear in the yards of old farm-houses, though never used
now. (See Mr Callander's Two Ancient Scotish Poems,
p. 183.)"— PiNKERTOX.
Line 556. With stanis dry.'] In edit. 1622, With
stanesfull luje.
Line 576. For it is best.] In edit. 1622, I hulde it
best.
Line 577, &c.J The concluding lines in Pinkerton's
edition are :
Thus Symon's heid upon the wall was brokin ;
And als freyr Johne attour the stayr was loppin,
And hurt his heid, and wart him wounder ill :
And Alesoun scho gat nocht all her will.
And thus my taill I end heir of the Freyr.
Chryst send us peice, and lat us nevir have weyr.
In the edition of 1622, line 578 : A7id eeke Frier John
into the mijre is loppen ; 579, Hee wette his head, and drest
his cloathesfull ill; 581, This is afeatewhich ; 582, The
Lorde helpe us, and Christ his Sonne so deare.
A GENERAL SATIRE.— Page 24,
This poem is preserved in the manuscripts of Ban-
natyne and Maitland. In the first of these it is attri-
buted to Dunhar; in the other, and probably more
correctly, to Sir James Inglis. The period of its com-
position is also uncertain. Lord Hailes, from the
allusion in line 46, concludes that it was written soon
NOTES. 391
after the Institution of the College of Justice by James
the Fifth in 1532. It is much more probable, as Mr
SiBBALD suggests, that this allusion must have been " to
the Lords of Daily Council appointed in 1503; and thus
the poem, whether by Sir James Inglis or by Dunbar,
must have been written between 1503 and 1513, when,
agreeably to stanza fourteenth, the good people of
Scotland had an opportunity of reviling both a King
and a Queen. Lord Hailes seems, therefore, erroneous
in his chronology of this poem. He says it must have
been written after the marriage of James V. in 1538 ; _
that is, about seven years after the death of Sir James
Inglis, or seventeen years after the death of Dunbar;
and we have no right to ascribe it to any other per-
son."— SiBBALD. Mr J. Chalmers, in his MS. notes,
coQCurs in this opinion, that the allusion in line 46 was
" to the Judges and Lords appointed by James IV. to
be members of the Daily Council, established by Act
of Parliament, March 11, 1503-4; and if so, the poem
was probably written in 1504, by Dunbar, for Sir James
lugiis had not then begun to write."
As we really know nothing of the literary history
of Sir James Inglis, for except this poem no other
composition by him is known to exist, we ought not to
infer that he could not have been its author, as if all
his compositions were necessarily subsequent to the
supposed date of this poem. But, in fact, it contains
uo direct allusions that would fix the date within any
particular period or reign. See the notes to lines 46
and 68.
Sir James Imglis appears to have been a person of
some distinction at Court, and had not his life been
brought to a premature close, he might, in all proba-
892 NOTES.
bility, have attained the highest ecclesiastical prefer-
ment. But there were two churchmen of that name
who were contemporaries, and tliis circumstance being
hitherto unnoticed, 1 may avail myself of this occat*iou
to prove the fact, and to state some particulars of their
history.
One of the earliest notices of Sir James Inglis that
occurs in the Treasurer's Accounts, is Dec. 10, 1511,
when 12 ells of taffety and 12 ells of canvas were fur-
nished, at an expense of L.8, Ss,, and Hs., " to be hyme
and his collegis play-cotis." At this time he was attach-
ed to the Royal Household, and received his ' leveray,'
or dress, at Yule, with au annual salary of L.40, paid
quarterly, to " Schir James Inglis, Clerk of the Kingis
closet." Soon after the birth of James the Fifth, when
Gavin Dunbar, afterwards Archbishop of Glasgow, was
appointed his preceptor, and David Lyndsay, Usher,
Sir James Inglis was ' Chapellane to the Prince,' with
the same salary. How many years he retained this
situation is uncertain, the Treasurer's Accounts du-
ring the minority of James the Fifth being nearly all
lost. In the year 1515, he is called Secretary to the
Queen Margaret, and some of his letters, written that
year, while he was in England, employed in some ne-
gotiations connected with her party, are preserved
among the Cottonian Manuscripts. But he still con-
tinued attached to the Prince, as in the same year, Sept.
12, the Treasurer paid L.2, 16s., " deliverit to Schir
James Inglis for the Kingis grace, and for my Lord
Duke his brother, to hi; I/kiihc sarltis, aucht elnis holand
[claith] ;" and on the 28th Jan. 1515-lG, " Item, to Schir
James Inglis, for wylicotis [under- vests, or petticoats]
to the King, ij eln scarlet, L.5."
NOTES. 393
lu a charter of Sept. 19th, 1327, he is styled Chan-
cellor of the Royal Chapel at Stirling; and as ' Chan-
cellor of the Kingis Chapell,' the Treasurer furnished
him with 16 ells of black satyne to be a goun, at the
cost of L.22, 83. In the Treasurer's Accounts of the
same year, he is also styled ' Maister of VVerk,' or su-
perintendent of the works erecting at the King's ex-
pense, with an annual salary of L.40. He likewise was
employed, as in former years, in getting up dramatic
entertainments for the Court, — thus presenting a sin-
gular instance of the diversified kinds of employment
in which ecclesiastical dignitaries deemed it not unbe-
coming in those days to be engaged. For, about the end
of 1526,the Treasurer paid, " Item, to Sir James Inglis to
by play-coitis agane Zule, be the Kingis precept, L.40."
Not long after this, he must have been advanced to the
Abbacy of Culross. But, for some reason not stated by
our historians, the Abbot of Culross, on the let of
March, 1331, was murdered by the Baron of Tullialane
and his followers, among whom was a priest named Sir
William Lothian. On the 28th of March, 1531, John
Blacater of Tullyalloune, and William Louthian (who
had been publicly degraded from his orders, in the
King's presence, on the preceding day), being con-
victed by an Assize of art and part of the cruel slaughter
of James Inglis, Abbot of Culrosse, were beheaded.
(Pitcairn's Criminal Trials, vol. i. p. *131.)
As a poet, Inglis's fame rests upon the testimony of
Sir David Lyndsay, with whom he must have been
familiar, from their intercourse in the Prince's house-
hold. In a poem, written in December 1330, Lyndsay
thus commemorates Sir James, who was then alive,
and alluding to his former occupations at Court, in-
394 NOTES.
Binuates that his opulent Abbacy had suppieased bis
literary pursuits.
And, in the Courte, bene present in thir dayis,
That ballatis brevis lustelie, and layls,
Quliilkis till oure Prince dayUe thay do present.
Quha can say mair than Schir James Inglis sayis
In ballatis, farsis, and in plesand playis ?
Bot CcLROss haith his pen maid impotent.
(Works, vol. i. p. 286.)
The Other James Inglis was also in Priest's orders,
and succeeded Sir Thomas Marshall as chaplain in
the Abbay of Cambuskenneth, some time between )508
and 1511, as appears from the Treasurer's Accounts.
One or two extracts may be here given. 1513, March
18. ' Item, to Schir James Inglis, that syngis in Cam-
buskynneth for the King and Quene that last decessit,
for his half yeris fee of the termeof Mertymes lastbipast,
L.6, 138. 4d.' 1516, Aug. 7. ' Item, to ane Schir James
Inglis, quhilk is feft in Cambuskynneth for the saulis
of King James the Threid and his Quene, takand yerely
for his fee, as his infeftment beris, twenty merkes,' &c.
1517, June 19, ' Item, to Schir James Inglis, for his
pensioun and service at Saint Niniau's Chapel in
Striveling, xx merkis.' On the 4lh of Jan. 1515, the
presentation ' super vicaria peusiouaria ecclesia; de
Forrest,' was given ' Domino Jacobo Inglis, capellano.'
(Regist. Seer. Sig. vol. v. p. 38.) That this chaplain
was a different person from the Abbot of Culross,
appears conclusively from the fact that he continued
for several years after the reign of James the Fifth to
receive his usual salary. Thus, in the Treasurer's Ac-
counts for the years 1546 to 1550, one of the latest en-
NOTES. 395
tries, in 1530, ia: " Item, to Schir James Inglische,
cbapillane of our Lady Altar, fundit within the Abbay of
Cambuskynneth, to pray for the saullis of vmquhile our
Souerane Lord, quhom God assolze. King James the
Thrid and Quene Margaret his spouss, ilk zeir xx
markis, summa [for 4 years] L.53, 68. 8d." In the next
volume, from 1550 to 1552, it appears that, probably on
account of advanced age, he had resigned this situation
in favour of Sir Robert Paterson : " Item, to Schir Robert
Paterson, chaplane oflF our Lady Altar within the Abbay
of Cambuskynneth, zerly, in the place of Schir James
Inglis, quha had the samin of befoir, and resignit and
ourgevin be him in favouris of the said Schir Robert,
L.13, 6s. 8d." How long he may have survived cannot
be ascertained.
Whether this Sir James Inglis should be ranked as
an author, is by no means certain ; but there is one cir-
cumstance vi^hich may excuse an additional paragraph
to this long introductory note. Dr George Mackenzie
(Lives, vol. iii. p. 40) has written what he calls a " Life
of Sir James Inglis, kni(jfit" which is obviously not to
be trusted. Part of his narrative is founded upon Lynd-
say's lines already quoted, and as it is beyond all doubt
that these refer to the Abbot of Culross, who was mur-
dered in 1531, it follows that he could not have been
the same who, Mackenzie says, so distinguished him-
self against the English forces which invaded Scotland
under the Earl of Somerset, in 1547, that " the Gover-
nour, the Earl of Arran, knighted him in the field for
his valour ;" and who, as we are farther told, " went
over to Fife, where he spent the remnant of his life in
the innocent amusements of a country life,during which
time he composed several treatises both in verse and
396 NOTES.
prose, of which we have still extant oue, called Scot-
land's Complaint, printed at St Andrews, in 1548 ;" and
who died at Culross in 1554. Since we find that a Sir
James Inglis was alive in 1550, the supposition that he
miglit have been the author of that well known work,
The Complaynt of Scotland, is not so absurd as was
formerly imagined. From the extracts he has given, it
is evident that he must have had a copy of the work
before him. Now, as we may conclude that the volume
actually was printed at St Andrews, in 1548 or 1549, 1
cannot conceive that Mackenzie, however careless in
many of his statements, would have attributed it to
Inglis without some kind of authority, probably fur-
nished by the title-page of the book itself. If ajjerfect
copy of that curious little volume, which was repub-
lished in a learned manner by the late Dr John Lev-
den, in 1801, should ever cast up, this much-disputed
point as to authorship might perchance be ascertained.
Line 6. Sic pryd with Prdlntia, no few till preiche and
praij.'l " For illustration of this charge, see preface to
Arciibisliop Hamilton's Catechisuj, and the first book
of Knox's Histuri/." — Hailes.
Line 7. Sic hant of harlottis with thame, baith nicht
and dai/.'] Lord Hailes, mistaking the chronology of
this poem, had an opportunity of introducing the fol-
lowing curious commentary on this line. It would not
be very difficult to adduce similar examples, at the
time when the poem was composed. " David Bethune,
Abbot of Aberbrothock in 1525, afterwards Archbishop
of St Andrew's, and a Cardinal under the title of Saucti
Stephani in Coelio Monte, had three bastards legitimated
in one day; llec. b. xxvi. No. 3.30. William Stewart,
KOTES. 397
Bishop of Aberdfen, from 1 532 to 1 545, had a bastard
sou legitimated; ibid. b. xxviii. No. 360. William
Chisol me, Bishop of Dumblane, from 1527 to 1564, gave
great portions to his bastard son and two bastard daugh-
ters; Keith, Catalogue of Scottish Bishops, p. 105.
Alexander Stewart, Bishop of Moray, from 1527 to
1534, had a bastard daughter legitimated ; Rec. b. xxx.
No. 1 16 ; and a bastard son legitimated ; ibid. b. xxx.
No. 374. But they were all excelled by Patrick Hep-
burn, Bishop of Moray, from 1535 until the Reforma-
tion, for he hadj^re bastard sons all legitimated in one
day ; ibid. b. xxx. No. 5^5 ; and two bastard daughters,
b. xxx. No. 572. Such were the goodly fruits of cleri-
cal celibacy ! They among the reformed who looked
back to Rome, always revered the pure politic celibacy
of that church." — Hailes.
Line 9. So strange to thnir abbuy,'] " The practice of
holding benefices in commendam, became prevalent
under the reign of James IV. Of this there are various
examples in Epistolcc Reg. Scot. vol. i. From that pe-
riod until the Reformation, benefices were, by a short-
sighted policy, heaped on the relations or the retainers
of the nobility; meantime learning, morals, and even
discipline, were neglected. A clergy without know-
ledge and without virtue, could neither withstand the
assaults of innovators, nor maintain authority over the
minds of the people." — Hailes.
Line 1 1. Cled up in secular weid.'] " This affectation
of wearing the dress of laymen was very ancient. See
Scottish Canons, 1242, c. xi. p. 9, and 1549, c. vii. ; Wil-
hins, vol. iv, p. 46-60. The following lines are levelled
at some particular person, whom I cannot, with cer-
tainty, discover." — Hailes.
398 NOTES.
Line 16. So mony maisteris, so mony gukkit clerkis.']
" So many masters of arts among the clergy, and yet
such general ignorance. Guc/i, Gowck is properly the
cuckow." — Hailes.
Line 18. Ofdispytfro the splene.'] " From the spleen ;
and the sense of the expression seems to be, so tho-
rouglily insolent and overbearing." — Hailes.
Line 19. Sic losin sarhis.'] " So many lost shirts;
such petty larceny. See Dunbar's Invective, stanza xxii.
line 7. I am not altogether satisfied with this explana-
tion."— Hailes. Dr Jamieson, in Suppl. sub v. Losin,
quotes from the Aberdeen Register, " Ane new sark
lusin with blak werk," but leaves it unexplained.
Line 22. To play them at the trulis.] « This is ob-
scure. Tntuil, in the dialect of Poitou, means a spin-
dle : 80 that to piny at the tr/dis, may imply to hold the
distaff, to amuse one's self in female occupations, or at
some game, like T. totum, which resembles a spindle.
I am informed that trule means some childish game, of
the nature of cappy-hoh .- if so, the sense will be, as if
he had said, ' Who are better qualified for playing at
chuck-farthing, than for redressing the grievances of
the poor commons."— Hailes. " Germ, tori signifies
the game of top. The term, however, seems rather to
denote some trundling sort of game, perhaps resem-
bling the bowls; as probably allied to Su. G, trdl-a
rotariy ut solet globus ; Ihre." — Jamieson.
Line 26. Sa mony partiall sawis.] " So many partial
sentences or decrees." — Hailes.
Line 29. Sic fenyeit Jiawis.'] "Possibly pretended
defects in the title-deeds of estates, used as an engine
of oppression ; or it may mean false tales in general."
Hailes.
NOTES. 399
Lines 36-38 ] " The nobles loudly declared their re-
solutions to remedy this grievance; but they are like
cowards, who arm while they dare not fight." — Hailes.
Line 41. Sic vant of woustouris.] " A woustour is
used in Pierce Ploicman for a tJiraso, or miles fjloriosus.
It is the same as boaster. In modern English, b and w
are reciprocal letters." — Hailes.
Line 43. Regratouris.] " Engrossers and forestallers;
of whose offences, mostly imaginary, the statute-book
in both kingdoms is full." — Hailes.
Line 40. Sa nionij Jitgeis and Lordis now maid of
LATE.] " Hence it appears that this poem was written
soon after the Institution of the College of Justice by
James V." — Hailes. From the introductory note it
will be seen that this reference might have been to the
Lords of Daily Council, any time between 1504 and
1532.
Line -17. Sa small refugeis tJie peure man to debait.l
" As if he had said, ' Such little quirks to lay the poor
man low.' Refuge,'va. Cotgrave, is said to be demurrer"
— Hailes.
Line 48. For commouniveill so quhene.'] " So few
zealous for the public good. We still use wheene in
the sense oi afeti:" — Hailes.
Line 49. Sa many theivis sa fait.] " Probably tate,
ti/te, ready and expedite in every highway : so many
active thieves. See glossary to G. Douglas, vv. Tate,
^/^e."— Hailes.
Line 51. Sa momj ane sentence retreitit for to uin.l
" So many judgments reversed in order to obtain mo-
ney, or the friendship and patronage of the parties.'' —
Hailes.
Line 54. Haist thame to the pin.] " So many devices
400 NOTES.
to forward tlii-ir preferment. Pin is point or pinnacle"
— H.VILES.
Line 37. Sic hnlland-schehharis quhilk at Cokkillieit
gri/ce.\ "This alludes to a popular poem preserved
in Lord Hyndford's ( Bannatyne's] MS. One Cow~
lulbe had a black sow which he sold for three pennies.
He lost one of iho^e jxniiies ,■ it was found by a person,
who purchased a pig with it. A very numerous com-
pany was invited to feast upon this pig. The guests
are enumerated in the tale. It would be tedious to
mention them ; they are, in general, wicked, lewd, and
disorderly persons of every degree This poem
is, as to versification, below contempt. It contains,
however, many curious particulars concerning the
manners of the vulgar. It even mentions the names of
the diflferent fashionable dances. It was certainly com-
posed a considerable time before the Reformation.
The reader will now understand who they were,
—^-— ' quhilk at Cowkelbyis gryce
Are halden of pryce, when lymaris do convene.'
Limmer is supposed to mean mungrill. It is here un-
derstood of every worthless person. In the modern
Scotish language, it is supposed to mean a loose wo-
man; and, indeed, if Lye's derivation of the word in
hi.4 additions to Junius be right, t/iat was its original
and proper signification." — Hailes. The very strange
tale of " Cokkilbeis Sow" is also alluded to by Dunbar,
vol. i. p. 147, and by Gawin Douglas in his Palace of
Honour, written in 1.5Ui. It was first printed in
*' Select Remains of the Early Popular Poetry of Scot-
land," 1822, 4to.
J jne 62. Sic cursing evin and morne.'\ " Such con-
NOTES. 401
Slant coursing or hunting with greyhounds, as appears
from the context." — Hailes.
Line 64. Sa moni/ paiflattis worne.'] " Parpailauts,
Partelet,2i(irteloty is a woman's jufF. It is also used for
an ornament on the forehead of horses. The glossary
to the Evergreen says, that it is an under-coat. See
Rabelais, 1. 4. c. 13. Papillettes."— Haii.es. "Lord
Hailes seems to view it as the same with E. parflcf,
which, he says, is a woman's ruff. According to Skin-
ner, the latter is rather a napkin or neck-kerchief. It
might, perhaps, be some sort of bandeau for the head,
as Fr. patellette denotes the broad piece of leather which
passes through the top of a headstall, Cotgr. Arm. Pa-
telet, however, according to Bullet, is a bib for children.
Sibbald explains it ruff, viewing * Fr. poitral (pector-
ale) a cover for the neck and breast,' as the origin."
— Jamieson.
Line 66. Sa mony ralikettis, sa mony hetche-pillaris."']
" Chaucer, Testament of Love, p. 482, uses the phrase,
* playing raket,' for being inconstant. If the word is here
taken in that sense, the meaning is, so much inconstancy
either in private life or in political principles." — Hailes.
" Racket is properly the name of the bat which strikes
the ball at Tennis, (see the Glossary to Lyndsay's
Works,) but is also applied to the game itself, and is
80 used by Sir D. Lyndsay.
" Ketche, Kaitche, Caiche or Cache, as it is variously
spelt, was a favourite game at Court, in the reigns of
James IV. and James V. Sir David Lyndsay, in his
Satyre of the Three Estates, makes the parson say —
Thocht I preich nocht, I can play at the Caiche :
I wait there is nocht ane amang you all
Mair ferylie can play at the fute ball.
VOL. II. 2 C
402 NOTES.
" In the Treasurer's Accounts of James IV. and James
V. there are frequent payments for balls to the King, to
play at the Caiche, and for money lost by the King at
the game, for example : 1508, April 17, ' For ballis to
the King, to play at the Caiche, 48.' — Same day, ' To the
King, quhilke he tint at the Caiche, Us.' — April 19, the
King ' playit at the Caiche with the Lard of Burly, and
tint L4, 48 .'— lo'26, June 29, * For ballis in Crumiss'
Cache-puyll quhen the King playit with the Lord Glam-
mis, 20s.' — Aug. 12, ' Gevin for ballis in the Cache-
puyll, lOs.' — The Caiche was probably a similar game
to that of Catch-ball, which is still practised in Scot-
land ; and Caich-prnjU was the name of the place where
the game was played." — MS. Note, J. Chalmers.
Line 67. Sic hnachettis.] " A nacquet, in French, is
a lad who marks at tennis. It is now used for an in-
significant person. Sic tutivillaris. Junius in tti/nwl.
voc. Tromperies, has the following note. ' Res nihili,
things of no worth, olim titivilitia puto dicta ; prout
antiquis titivilitiorirm nomen denotabat fila putrida, quae
de colo cadunt, pluresque id genus res vilissimas,
quas proborum mercimoniorum loco simplicioribus
obtrudunt impostores.' See also Erusmi Adagia, voc.
Titivillitium." — Hailes. See note to line 513 of the
Flyting.
Line 68. King and Quene.'] " Magdalene of France,
the first wife of James V., scarcely survived the rejoi-
cings at her nuptials, so that the good people of Scot-
land had no opportunity of censuring her. Mary of
Guise, therefore, must be here meant; and this proves
the poem to have been written some time after June
1538, when she was married to James V." — Hailes.
From the introductory note it will be seen that the
NOTES. 403
poem belongs to an earlier period than Lord Hailes
imagined. As Margaret, wife of James the Fourth,
still retained the title of Queen, the mention of King
and Queen in this line might be explained, without the
necessity of fixing the date of the poem either previous
to the death of James the Fourth, in 1513, or subse-
quent to the marriage of James the Fifth, in 1538.
Line 69.] " Such gluttons descended of miliars,
seems to be personal satire, and, at this distance of
time, inexplicable." — Hailes.
Line 71. Sic fartingaillis onjiaggis olsfntt as q?i/iailis.]
" From the Fr. vertngaUe, a corruption of vertu-gard,
a hoop-petticoat" — Sibbald. " It will scarcely be be-
lieved in tliis age, that in the last, the citif-ladies re-
formed their hereditary farthingales, after the Scottish
fashion. In a comedy called Eastward Hoe, act 1.
DodsJei/s collection of old plays, vol. iv. p. 155, 157,
* Enter Poldavy, a French tailor, with a Scottish far-
thingale and a French fall in his arms.' Mildred says,
* Tailor Poldavy, prythee fit, fit it. Is this a right
Scot? Does it clip close ? and bear up round?' — On
fiaggis. On flanks as fat as the sides of a whale." —
Hailes.
Line 72. Hattis that littill availles.] " Of little avail,
or little ivorth, according to the Scottish idiom, means
more than a negative ; not useless, but highly censurable.
This line probably alludes to the dress of the women,
who covered their faces in such a manner as to call for
the sage interposition of the legislature ; act 70, James
II. That statute provides, * That no woman cum to
kirk nor mercat [into places of public resort] with her
face mussaled or covered, that scho may not be kend.'
This act of Parliament to the contrary notwithstanding,
404 NOTES.
the ladies continued ynvssakd during t/nrr. reigns. In
the days of James V. Sir David Lindesay thus censures
them : —
QuVien tliey go to quyet places,
I thamc excuse to hide thair faces,
Quhen thay wald make collatioun
With onic lustie companyeoun ;
Bot in the filrk and market-places,
I think thay suld not hide thair faces.". — Hailes.
Line 73. And sicfoniU fail/is to siceip the calsaij clencJ]
" The enormity of long trains was provided against by
the same statute of James II , ' That na woman wear
tailes unfit in length.' The legislature has not deter-
mined what tails were fit in length ; that perhaps may
be gathered from a mandate issued by a Papal legate
in Germany to the nations under his care : ' Velamina
etiam mulierum, quce ad verecimdiam desigmmdem eis
sunt concessa, sed nunc per insipientiam earum in las-
civiam et luxuriam excreverunt, et immoderatn lougi-
tiido sitpcrpelUviorum, f/uihus pulverem trahuut, ad mode-
ratum usum, sicut dccet I'crecundiain sexus, per excom-
municationis sententiara cohibeantur.' Transcribed
from a MS. of the 14th century, by Ludewig, Reliq.
Di]>h)m.iom. ii. p. 441. This mandate does not precisely
ascertain the orthodox standard of petticoats ; but as
it excommunicates the ' tailes to swepe the causy clene,'
and says that the moderate use of petticoats, for mo-
desty's sake, is to be adopted, it may be concluded,
that ladies who covered their feet were sufficiently
conformists ; an inch or two less might be immodesty,
an inch or two more might be vanity.
" What effects followed from this provisional sen-
NOTES. 405
tence of excommunication, I have not learnt: certain
it is, that the Scotish Act of Parliament against long
tails, was equally fruitless with that against inussuling ;
for in the reign of James V., Sir David Lindesay wrote
a long poem, called, * An supplication directit from
Sir David Lindesay of the Mont, Knicht, to the Kingis
Grace, in coutemptioun of syde taillis,' p. 306,— p. 31 1.
It is not without humour, but is beyond measure in-
decent."— Hailes.
Line 74. Fi/loJi.] " I cannot explain this better than
in the words of Horace : —
Qu2e, velut latis equa trima carapis,
Ludit exultim, metuitque tangi,
Nuptiaruru expers, et adhuc protervo
Cruda marito." — Haii.es.
Line 76. Sa mony ane Kittie drest up with goldin
chenye.] " As if he had said, ' So many whores with
golden chains adorned.' . . . X/^^/e also seems to import
a giddy young woman, though not dissolute It is not
uncommon to use the cause for the effect." — Hailes.
Line 78.] Lord Hailes observes that " the Fr. phrase,
Pomme d'amhrcy means an amber bead, in shape and
colour like an apple; hence the English wovApo)tiander.
It is reasonable," he continues, "to suppose that, either
by analogy of language, or by imitation, apill, apple,
had the same sense with us. Upon this supposition
the whole line is intelligible. Apill rcnye is a rein,
string, or necklace of beads, and, as I take it, an amber
necklace; for the sense seems to be, ' always dis-
playing an amber necklace, which makes her chin, or
under-jaw, appear yellow.' Thus the two difficult
words, apple, when applied to rein, and golden, when
406 NOTES.
applied to chin, lead to the explication of this obscure
verse. The fashion of wearing amber necklaces by
degrees went down among the lower sort of people in
Scotland; it is now almost exploded even among them.
I suppose some future age will be to seek among the
vulgar for the definition of cdrdiiKtk and capucine,
while curches [convre-c'irf] and plaids again cover the
head and shoulders of a woman of fashion." — Hailes.
Line 79. Of Sathanis seiiiye, sure sic an itnsall meni/ie.]
" The meaning of this line may be ' such an unhallowed
company sprung from the corruption of Satan.' It has
been suggested, that scini/c in our old language means
sipwd. This interpretation makes good sense, and is
confirmed by Knox, p. 63. The reader will determine
whether it or the other contains the most probable
sense of the passage." — Hailes.
V. R. according to Pinkerton. — Line 14, Sa few to
reid the dargey and the beid; 23, Nor stanche ; 31, and
my char is ; 33, spend the spreyth ; 41, Sic vantar . . . in
sindrie ; 58, Wamneihi/ price ; 61, Sa many aythis ; 72,
Sic faceit lyk fides ivith harts that lytil avalis ; 74, fiU
lohis ; 78, Schawand their semblance schene ; 79, At Sa-
tane^s seinye sic ane unsell menye.
ANE BRASH OF WOWING— Page 28.
In MSS. Bannatyne, Maitland, and Reidpeth. — This
poem was first printed in the Evergreen, under the
name of Clerk, — a name which has been affixed to it
in Bannatyne's MS., apparently in a modern hand. la
the other MSS. it is ascribed to Dunbar, and I fear
there is no good reason for believing that he must not
be held chargeable for its composition, and conse-
NOTES. 407
quently that it should have had a place in the first
volume. I shall only observe that this brash, or rough
mode of wooing, is written with much more spirit than
delicacy ; and I may be excused for not attempting to
explain many of the strange and uncouth expressions
which it contains. Among the anonymous " Ballatis
aganis Evill Wemen," contained in Bannatyne's MS.,
there is one entitled " Commonyng betwix the Mester
and the Heure," which is written much in the same
strain, though with less spirit than this poem, of which
it might have been an imitation by some poet of the
reign of James the Fifth.
I said to hir, My darling deir,
]\Iy luve, my hairt, and all my cheir,
The couforting of all my cair,
Quhen pleisis yow I mak repair ?
Tell me your mjTid, and nothing lane ;
IMy hairt with yow sail ay remane.
Into my eir, than could scho roun,
Byd quhUl the Court be of the Toun.
Than said I, with ane dolorous mane.
Ye brek my hairt, my bony ane ;
My travell I may think ill sett
Gif I no mair kyndnes yit gett ;
Ye gart me trow, or thay war gane,
Ye lovit me best of ony ane ;
Quhat ailis yow, now, for to luik down ?
Becaus the Court is in the Toun,
The lover continues in this strain to importune bis
' birdy broun,' but she treats him somewhat disdain-
fully ; and the poem concludes:
408 NOTES.
Thus I ourdraif fra day to day,
To spy quhen Court sowld gone away ;
Quhill of hir lufe my langour was ganc,
I had provydit ane bonyar ane ;
Syne met hir I spak with befoir,
Weill plcsterit up in the glengoir,
Quha had bene flamet, and new laid down,
Lang or the Court yeid of the Toun.
COUNSALE IN LUVE.— Page 31.
This poem is preserved in Bannatyne's MS., and,
like the preceding, has the name of Clerk added to
it, seemingly in a modern hand. It was first printed in
Sibbald's Chronicle of Scottish Poetry, (vol. i. p. 368,)
who conjectured it might have been composed by the
Maister John Clerk, mentioned in Dunbar's Lament
for the Makars.
V^
ADVICE TO LUVARIS.— Page 33.
This poem in Bannatyne's MS. is anonymous, and
is now first printed. It is written in the same measure
as some of Dunbar's poems. See vol. i. pp. 173, 175.
BALLAD OF KYND KITTOK— Page 33.
In Bannatyne's MS. this satirical poem is anonymous.
It is also preserved among the fragments printed by
Chepman and Myllar, at Edinburgh, in 1508, without
any author's name, but in connexion with some of
Dunbar's pieces. It cannot, however, be attributed to
him with any degree of certainty. Another anonymous
NOTES. 409
poem, in the same style and measure, and probably by
the same hand, has been printed, under the title of
" The Gyre Carling," in the Border Minstrelsy, and
in Select Remains, &c. 182-2.
THE DROICHIS PART OF THE PLAY— Page 37.
In Bannatyne's MS. this curious relique of early
dramatic poetry is entitled, Ane litill Interlude of
THE Droichis part OF THE Play, and is included in
the collections of Ramsay, Hailes, and Sibbald. It also
occurs in the earlier MS. of Asloane, with this title,
Heir followis the Maner of the Crying of ane
Playe, and is printed under that title in " Select
Remains of the early Popular Poetry of Scotland,"
1822, 4to.
" In this singular piece the genius of wealth is in-
troduced under the character of a blind pigmy. During
the 1 6th century some traces of theatrical compositions
may be discovered in Scotland. Sir David Lindesay
was the author of various interludes. Some of them
are to be found in Lord Hyndford's [Bannatyne's] MS.
I believe no one will ever venture to publish them ;
they are loose and indecent beyond credibility." —
Hailes. " The following ' littil interlude,' with every
appearance of probability, has been ascribed to Sir
David Lyndsay, and may have been introduced some-
where in the preceding play, " The Satire of the Three
Estates," although no particular connexion be apparent.
At that time surely no other dramatic composition of
Scotland could be dignified with the title. The Play. The
Genius of Wealth is here represented under the charac-
ter of a blind pigmy, or one of that distinct race of
410 NOTES.
beings called by the ancient northern nations Duerghar
or Droiehs. They were a kind of lesser divinities, or
demons, who inhabited tlie wild rocky mountains, and
excelled in the manufacture of weapons, that were
held to be proof against all force and brand. Their
swords in particular are frequently mentioned in old
Islandic poems." — Sibbald. Notwithstanding this opi-
nion. Sir David Lyndsay could not have been the
author of this interlude, since it occurs in Asloane's
MS., which was written at least fourteen years before
the date of his earliest composition. Unfortunately, in
that MS., the leaf that contained the concluding lines
of the poem, and which might have exhibited the name
of its author, has been lost. It preserves, however,
several intermediate verses not contained in Banna-
tyne's MS., and these, from their local allusions, plainly
indicate that it was intended to be recited, probably as
a pageant, at the Cross of Edinburgh.
In printing this poem, in " The Select Remains,"
&c., after alluding to the idea of its having been con-
nected with Lyndsay's Satire of the Three Estates, I
ventured to attribute it to Dunbar ; observing that
the present poem evidently belongs to the reign of
James the Fourth, and not of his successor ; and in-
stead of being the work of Sir David Lyndsay, it seems
to bear sufficient evidence of the more masterly hand
of his predecessor Dunbar."
In thus ascribing the interlude to Dunbar, I was in-
fluenced not only by the time when it must have been
written, but also by the peculiarity of its measure, and
its very close resemblance to the ballad Off the Femjeit
Freir of Tungland. [See vol. i. p. 39 — 44.] From the
allusion in lines 117, &c., we may conjecture that it
<c
NOTES. 411
was composed about the end of the fifteenth century.
Lyndsay in some passages of his play has evidently
imitated the present interlude. See in particular the
Speech of " Solace," vol i. pp. 368-9.
Line 1. Harry, &c.] In Bann. MS. Hiry, Imry, Jmb-
bilschoic. " These are words expressing hurry and
confusion. Hiry, hary, seems to be a corruption of the
French haroy or the cry a Vaide ; like huesium in our
old laws, and hue in English. HubbilscJww is still used
with us for uprvar," — Hailes.
Line 5.] In Asl. MS. A Soldane owt of Seriand land.
Line 14, The spreit of GyJ] Dunbar, in the Fiyting,
line 1 72, styles Kennedy, Thou spreit of Gy.
Lines 17 to 24.] Are not contained in Bann. MS.
Line 33. Fyn M'Kowle.'] " Better known in this
age under the modernised name of Fingal. Con-
cerning this personage, whether real or imaginary,
there are innumerable legends in the Highlands of
Scotland. He is more celebrated as a giant than as the
hero of Ossian." — Hailes. Gawin Douglas, in his Pa-
lice of Honour, speaks of
Grelt Gowmakmorne, and Fyn MakcouU, and how
Thay suld be goddis in Ireland, as thay say.
Line 34. That dang the devill.] " This may allude
to the contest with the spirit Loda. Here let me ob-
serve, that to doubt of Fingal and Temora being an-
cient compositions, is indeed a refinement in scepticism.
They contain various allusions to the manners of other
times, which have escaped the observation of Mr Mac-
pherson himself." — Hailes. Most sensible people, I
believe, are agreed in rejecting the claims set up in be-
412 NOTES.
half of the antiquity or genuineness of Macpherson's
Ossian. That portions of these, or of similar poems in
Gaelic, had been known and preserved in the Highlands,
by tradition, from an early time, perhaps from the ele-
venth or twelfth century, appears from historical evi-
dence ; but this is a very different question from that
alluded to by Lord Hailes.
Line 40.] In Asl. MS. pladdis of hair ; and line 43,
ElleL\i/ne ell.
Line 57. Fevir tertane.'] In Asl. MS-^eviV cartane.
Line 60. Crafjorth.'] In Bann. MS. Craig- Gorth. " It
has been conjectured that Car- Gorth in Aberdeen-
shire is here meant. I should rather suppose it to be
Craig-Forth, in the neighbourhood of Stirling." —
Hailes. See Nimmo's Stirlingshire, 2d edit. p. 351.
Line 79. Hirgeig.'] This is the reading of Bann. MS.
Line 97 to 112.] In Asl. MS. these two verses are
transposed, and follow the next two. The arrange-
ment of Bann. MS. is evidently preferable.
Line 101. The King of Fraances gret arm;/.'] This
seems to contain an allusion to the wars in Italy, either
of Charles VIII. or of Louis XII. in the earlier part of
his reign.
Line 106. Nor in the Steiddis, &c.] " Steides- The
States or government of the Netherlands. Bot and slue.
The words But and, corrupted from the Low Dutch
buitand, i. e. without or besides, often occur in our
popular ballads. These lines allude to that scene of
cruelty begun by Charles V. and perfected by Philip
II. in the Netherlands. Make quijte is an obscure ex-
pression ; it probably means, * to get rid of obnoxious
persons.' " — Hailes. From the introductory note,
however, it will be seen that Lord Hailes' conjecture
NOTES. 413
cannot be right, as this Interlude must have been writ-
ten, if not before Charles V. was born, at least during
his infancy-
Line 109. Irland for evir I have refusit.l " Here is
another example of the illiberal raillery which I have
elsewhere censured." — Hailes- See note at page 263.
Line 127. Sand Gelis bell.] The Collegiate Church
of St Giles, Edinburgh. In Bannatyne's MS. the line
reads, * the sound of Cnrphoxir helU " The couvre feu^
and, by corruption, cnrfe.u. This bell was rung in
boroughs at nine in the evening, act 144, parliament
13, James I. The hour was changed to ten, at the so-
licitation of the wife of James Stewart, the favourite
of James VI." — Hailes.
Lines 129 to 132.] These three verses are not con-
tained in Bann. MS.
Line 157.] In Asl. MS. Nocht a maide ; and 1. 163,
Vale.
Line 165.] In Asloane's MS., the poem breaks off
abruptly with this line ; and unluckily the verse is not
contained in Bannatyne's MS. In formerly printing
the poem, the three deficient lines were thus supplied
by my learned friend, Robert Jamieson, Esq., editor
of " Popular Songs and Ballads."
Sen scbo is gane, the Gret Forlore
[Of Babvlon, that I full yore
Espousit, quhan we tochir store
Era gud sanct Dawy wan. ]
The idea is taken from the munificence of David the
First, King of Scotland, in the eleventh century, who
expended large sums in the erection of religious foun-
dations. " ' He was a sair Sanct to the Crown ! ' as
James the First very feelingly observed to the Abbot of
414 NOTES.
Dunfermling, uho was extolling David's munificence
to the Chuicli, which had been so disastrous to his
successors." — MS. Note, R. jAsnEsoN.
Line 169, &c.] Are supplied from Bannatyne's MS.
" In this stanza there is a strange mixture of grave and
ludicrous. With us, before the Reformation, religious
offices were farcical, and farces religious. On the Con-
tinent, wherever the Roman Catholic worship has not
been refined, the same assemblage of discordant ideas
prevails." — Hailes.
V. R. — Line 1, Iliri/ ; 2, Se yc not quha is cum now ;
3, Bot ijit icuit I ; i, Quhirle-uind ; 5, A sargeand out
of Soudan land ; 9, Bot yit ; 10, / am bot ane hlynd
Hary ; 1 1, With thcfary ; 14, / wait it is ; 1 5, ellisjie ;
16, And licht ; 27, Amang you all to cry a cry ; 28, With
ane inichty soun ; 37, my gud-syr ; 39, Ten thousand;
40, plaidis, and mair ; 43, myle ; 49, mekle of; 50, was
heichar nor ; 33, spatt ; 38, claith in ; 63, grit ivatter ;
82, Out of his moderis ; 85, of age; 93, Worth ie King ;
97, Sowdoun ; 104, Can nocht dwell baith ; 105, Swa-
drik, Denmark, and; WO , All wise men will; \\S, for-
mest ; 118, T?iis long tyme, that nane ; 119, this last
eistin wynd ; 127, Far fra the sound of Curphour bell;
128, To dwell thinhis nevir me ; 157, In all this bou-re ;
158, Ane hour, I wait, dar inc abyde ; 1 59, Yet trow ye ony.
BALLAD OF UNSTEDFASTNES— Page 44.
These beautiful lines occur at the end of the Metri-
cal Romance of Syr Eglamoure, among the fragments
printed by Chepman and Myllar in 1508. Unfortu-
nately no other copy is known, from which the con-
cluding lines miglit have been supplied.
NOTES. 415
TO THE QUENE DOWAGER.— Page 45.
This very beautiful poem is preserved in Bannatyne's
MS., and is now first printed. In the MS- it has no title ;
but being addressed to a Lady, ' whose nobill Lord,
Deid (or Death) has done devoir,' I have presumed to
attribute it to Dunbar, on the supposition that it might
have been addressed by Lira to Queen Margaret, soon
after the death of her husband, James the Fourth. The
Queen Dowager at that time was only twenty-five years
of age ; and although the Poet calls on her not to be too
much oppressed with sorrow, or to allow any dark cloud
to hide her beauty from ' her servants,' it is obvious, I
think, that the poem is not written in the character of a
lover to his mistress ; for the writer says, at lines 27 to
32, that as he bad ever been, with all humility, her true
and constant servant, so he should still address his pen
' to mak ' or compose songs * for her recomforting.'
THE LORDIS OF SCOTLAND, &c.— Page 47.
This poem is also preserved in Bannatyne's MS,, and
is now first printed. It contains an obvious allusion to
John Duke of Albany, Governor of Scotland, in the
form of a remonstrance from the Lords of Parliament,
by whom he had been chosen to this high dignity. It
must have been written about the year 1519 or 1520,
as in the last stanza it declares that war and misfortune
had happened since the Duke's departing. This implies
that some considerable interval must have elapsed. It
may form a suitable companion to Dunbar's ' Orisoun,'
vol. i. p. 251, which was written when the Duke of
Albany left Scotland in June 1517.
416 NOTES.
■^^^ THE DANGER OF WRITING.— Page 49.
This poem was first printed by Pinkerton, from
Maitland's MS. : he says of it, " probably by Dunbar."
^^ DO FOR THYSELF, &c.— Page 51.
i ^ OF THE NATIVITIE.— Page 55.
JERUSALEM, REJOIS, &c.— Page 57.
THE STERNE IS RISSIN, &c.— Page 59.
S OF THE RESURRECTION.— Page 61.
This and the four preceding poems are preserved
in Bannatyne's MS., and are now first printed. In the
MS., the last of these precedes Dunbar's poem ' On
the Resurrection,' printed in vol. i. p. 247, which has
for the burden of each verse the words of the first line
of this poem, * Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro.^ — The
only reason I can assign for inserting some of these
anonymous poems in this division, is, that they are
written in the same measure with others of Dunbar ;
and although not actually by him, they may still serve,
by comparison, to illustrate his compositions.
Lines 6 and 18. Mai-;/ Salamee.'] According to Epi-
phanius and some of the apocryphal writers, Joseph
had six children by a former wife, previous to his
marriage with the Virgin Mary, namely, four sons,
James, Jose, Simeon, and Judas, and two daughters,
Mary and Salome.
NOTES. 417
THE FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY.—
Page 63.
Lord Hailes, it is believed, was the first to con-
jecture that this " Flyting" or poetical contest had not
arisen from any thing like personal animosity. His
words are : — " In many places it is obscure, in many
morCjUtterly unintelligible. 1 incline to think that this
altercation, which for scurrility is unexampled, may have
been a play of illiberal fancy, without any real quarrel
between the antagonists. This idea is confirmed by the
affectionate manner in which Dunbar here speaks of
Quintin Schaw and Kennedy." — Hailes. This opinion,
Dr Irving observes, " is rendered somewhat plausible
by the correspondent history of the altercation which
subsisted between Luigi Pulci and Matteo Franco.
Although, for the amusement of their readers, those
authors loaded each with the grossest abuse, yet the
intimacy of their friendship is said to have continued
without interruption." (^See Roscoe's Life of Lorenzo
de Medici.) But the idea might have been suggested to
the authors by such sarcastic compositions as the In-
vectives of Poggio and Philelphus ; although such al-
tercations are of great antiquity. The Athenian women
who rallied one another from their respective waggons,
and the Fescennina Licentia of the country people, who
enlivened their harvest-homes by abusing each other in
alternate verse, (Horat. Ep. ii. 139,) might have only
followed the usage of still more remote times.
The * Flyting' was printed during Dunbar's life, at
Edinburgh, by Chepman and Myllar, in the year 1508.
VOL. II. 2 D
418 NOTES.
Of this edition a fragment only is known to exist, con-
sisting of the latter portion, viz. from line 31G to the
end. It was likewise contained as No. xli. in that por-
tion of Asloane's MS. which unfortunately is lost. But
It is preserved entire in the collections of Bannatyne,
Maitland, and Reidpeth ; and the present text is given
from the first of these MSS., collated with the frag-
ment of Chepman's edition. In all these copies the
Fly ting corresponds in its several divisions and the
number of its stanzas. Notwithstanding such agree-
ment, it may be inferred that only portions of it have
reached our times ; but from its having formed part of
all the collections of early Scotish poetry with which
we are acquainted, we might be satisfied how highly it
must have been esteemed.
It is therefore the less singular that this Flyting
should have found, during the sixteenth century, seve-
ral imitators among persons who 'were distinguished
both for rank and talent. About the year 1336, James
THE Fifth, then aged 24, wrote some satirical verses,
which appear to have been handed about Court, in ridi-
cule of LvNDSAV, and which brought him into such
discredit, that although he asserted that he could not
Jlijte, he was under the necessity of making some reply
to 'the King's dyting.' It is to be regretted that Lynd-
say's reply only should now exist, as it would have
been interesting to have had such a specimen of royal
vituperation, which called forth a declaration, perhaps
as much out of policy as truth, that James was ' The
Prince of Poetrie,' while Lyndsay conveyed allusions
to the King's amours, in terms any thing but decent or
respectful. Of a less personal nature are the Flytings
between a Tailor and Souter, written about the same
NOTES. 419
time, which are mentioned in these Notes, at page 267.
But by far the most noted production of the kind was
that of Alexander Montgomery, author of ' The
Cherrie and the Slae,' and Sir Patrick Hume of
PoLWART, who imitated with sufficient success the
coarseness and abuse of their predecessors. See Mont-
gomery's Poems, pages 99 — 132, edit. Edin. 1821, 8vo.
Their Flyting is not known to have been printed du-
ring the lives of the authors, but must have been writ-
ten not later than 1584, as King James the Sixth, in his
juvenile treatise, called * Reulis and Cautelis of Scottis
Poesie,' printed in that year, has quoted one of the
stanzas, ' In the hinder end of harvest^ &c. as the kind
of verse ' callit Rouncefallis or Tumbling verse,' best
adapted ' for Flyting, or Invectives.' It may be noticed
that, by some oversight. Sir Walter Scott, in his ' Let-
ters on Demonology and Witchcraft,' p. 130, refers to
the said stanza, as written by Dunbar instead of Mont-
gomery. Prefixed to the earliest edition of that Flyt-
ing, are some verses, which assure us that it was not
the result of any personal dispute between Hume and
Montgomery.
No cankring envy, malice, nor despite
Stirr'd up these men so eagerly to flyte.
But generous emulation : So in plays
Best Actors flyte and raile, and thousand ways
Delight tte itching eare ; so wanton curres,
"Wak'd with the gingling of a courteours spurris,
Bark all the night, and neuer seeke to bite ; —
Such bravery these Versers mou'd to write.
One circumstance which renders Dunbar's Flyting
deserving of attention is, that it abounds with allusions
420 NOTES.
to the personal history both of himself and of Kennedy,
but which either have been altogether overlooked or
misapplied. I have availed myself in the Memoir of
Dunbar of the hints whicli it affords, but I trust without
indulging in what shall be deemed idle conjecture, by
any forced interpretation of such allusions. It would
have been satisfactory, could we have with any cer-
tainty fixed the date of its composition. This point
will be considered at greater length in the notes upon
lines 449 and 505. But from the whole tenor of the
composition, as well as from particular allusions, I am
inclined to think it must have been written some time
between 1492 and 1497.
Line 1.] Schir Johne the Ross. Dunbar, in his
Lament for the Makars, includes among the Poets then
deceased, the person to whom the first part of the
Flyting is here addressed. The name at the time being
not uncommon, it is perhaps impossible now to ascer-
tain who this person was. There are only three per-
sons, however, who seem to require notice.
First. — Sir John Ross of Halkhead, or Halket, knicht,
Sherift" of Linlithgowshire, from 1479 to 1483, (Acta
Auditorum,) and one of the Conservators of a treaty
with the English, under the designation of Joannes
Rosse de Halkhede miles, Sept. 20, 1484. He died
about 1506, but as he had been previously created a
Baron, it may be concluded that he was not the poet
lamented by Dunbar.
Second — Sir John Ross of Montgrenane, knight, (in
Cuningham, Ayrshire,) King's Advocate in the reign
of James the Third, from 1479 to 1488. He was for-
feited in Parliament as one of the King's adherents;
NOTES. 421
but soon afterwards he recovered his property of
Montgrenane. In Feb. 1489-90, he was chosen in Parlia-
ment one of the young King's Council ; and frequently
appears as one of the Lords Auditors, and Lords of
Council. In June 1493, he was one of the King's Com-
missioners who entered into a convention with the
English Commissioners at Edinburgh. It is not certain
how long he survived. Mr J. Chalmers, to whom I
am indebted for these notices, thinks that he must have
been the poet to whom Dunbar alludes; and says,
" The only notice I found in the Treasurer's Accounts
which can apply to the Poet is a payment, 8th May,
1490, ' Item to John the Ross, be a precept of the
Kingis, XX Unicornis,' (L.18.) This (he adds) might
apply to John the Ross of Montgrenane, who was not
then knighted." I am not inclined to concur in this
opinion, as Sir John Ross of IMontgrenane was not a
person likely to have been on terms of such intimacy
either with Kennedy or Dunbar as this Flyting would
imply; and his time, at least after 1478, must have
been fully occupied with important official duties.
Third Sir John the Ross, whom Lord Hailes sup-
posed, might have been a priest. See note at page 361.
He might have been the person above mentioned who
received L.18 in 1490, and whose name again occurs
in the Treasurer's Accounts, 1 498, April 29th : ' Item,
' giffin to John the Ross, other wiss call [it]
... to mak his expensis in Ros ' Unfortu-
nately in the MS. his designation is illegible ; and the
history of this individual, if he was the poet in ques-
tion, is quite unknown.
Line 2. Quintyne.] Another question as to identity
occurs in regard to this person. We may infer that he
4'22 NOTES.
was the same as Kennedy's Cousin and Commissary,
whose name occurs at lines 34, 44, 131, and 329 of this
Flyting. If so, as Dunbar insinuates that Quintyne had
given assistance to Kennedy in writing the verses which
occasioned this contest, we may likewise infer that he
was the same with Quintyne the Poet, whom Gawin
Douglas, in his Palice of Honour, written in 1501, cele-
brates with Kennedy and Dunbar as three living Poets
belonging to this country, who were held worthy of a
place in the Court of the Muses. (See vol. i. page 19
of the Memoir.) Again, Sir D. Lyndsay, in his enu-
meration of deceased Scotish Poets, in 1530, enumerates
Quintyne. Now, the question remains. Who was this
Quintyne ? It has been conjectured that he was the
same with Quintyne Schaw, who died about the year
1505, and who is mentioned in Dunbar's Lament for
the Makars. This might be no improbable conjecture,
if we were quite certain that Quintyne was not a sur-
name in Scotland at that time; for otherwise it would
seem very strange that on so many occasions he should
have been familiarly mentioned among other poets only
by his baptismal name. There was a John Quentin,
Doctor in Theology, who published several works in
French and Latin, at Paris, between 1490 and 1500, but
he probably was a native of France.
With regard to Quintyne Schaw, who evidently
was a native of Ayrshire, such notices as have been
discovered ai*e here introduced. His name first occurs
in an action brought before the Lords Auditors, June 5,
1478, when * Quintyne Schaw appeared as Procurator
for his bruder William Schaw.' (Acta Auditorum,
p. 61.) On the 13th of March, 1478-9, the same Wil-
liam of Schaw is styled ' air of umquhile Robert of
NOTES. 423
Schaw, his bruder,' (lb. 73.) On the 19th of March,
1478-9, the Lords Auditors ' decrettis that Quintyne
Schaw' shall content and pay the sum of £vij, which he
owed ' to Margaret Lamb, spouse of umquhile Alex-
ander Halyburton, for certain merchandice, as was
provit be the said Mergretis compt buk, writtin with
the said Quintynis hand, schewin and producit before
the said Lordis.' (lb. p. 81.)
From these notices, and from notes of some charters
communicated by J. W. Mackenzie, Esq., we may con-
clude that Quintyne Schaw was the son of John Schaw
of Halie, a family in Ayrshire of considerable distinction
at that time. An ancestor of this John^Schaw married a
daughter of William Mure of Rowallane, in the reign
of David the Bruce, and aunt of Elizabeth, Queen of
Robert the Third. John Schaw was one of the Ambas-
sadors to Denmark relative to the marriage of James
the Third, in 1469. He was the proprietor of the lands
of Henriston in Renfrew, which he exchanged for part
of the lands of Dreghorn in Airshire, with the Lord of
Dernley, according to a charter dated August 9th, 1473.
Quintin Schaw, son of John Schaw of Haily, had a
charter under the Great Seal, dated June 20, 1489,
confirming the charter of 1475, by the Lord of Dernley,
to him and the heirs-male of his body ; whom failing,
to William Schaw, his brother-german, and the heirs-
male of his body; whom failing, to the true, lawful,
and nearest heirs whomsoever of the said John Schaw
of Halie, &c.
The following entries, regarding Quintyne Schaw,
are found in the Treasurer's Accounts. They prove
without intimating his profession, that he had been long
known at Court. 1489, April 4. 'Itera,toQwintin Schaw
424 NOTES.
be a precept of the Kingis, L.6.' On the 18tli of that
month, 'Item,toQuintinSchaw, atthe Kingls command,
to by him a gown, L.G.' 1490, Nov. '2-2, he received L5 ;
1492, Dec. 22, L.6; 1494, June, L.8j and 1495, Nov. L.8.
In 1501, June 20, he received 148.; and Dec. 31, * be
command of ane precept,' L.IO, with a similar grant,
Sept. 2, 1502. In March, 1503, he received articles of
dress, as follows : " Item, for ane steik chamlot to
Quintin Schaw be the Kingis command, quhilk cost
L.4, lOs., and vij eln mair to ane gown to him, ilk eln
lOs. Summa, L.8. Item, for ane eln bukram to it, 28.
Item, for lynyng of it with quhit skinnis, 308. Item^
for making of it, 58." The same year, July 13, * Item,
to Quintin Schaw, his pensioun that zeir, L.IO ;' and on
Aug. 10, two days after the King's marriage, be the
Kingis command, 28s. He received similar sums in
1504, on March 15, April 9, and April 15 ; and on July 8,
that year, his name again occurs, as having received,
by the King's command, his annual pension of L.IO.
' Item, the samyn day to Quintin Schaw, in his pensioun,
be the Kingis command, quhilk he hes [ilk] zeir, L.IO.'
As no further notice of him occurs in these Accounts,
it may be concluded that he did not long survive the
last mentioned date. — As already stated, in the note at
page 361, the ' Advyce to a Courtier' is the only spe-
cimen of his composition known to exist.
Line 29. Bot in mouis.'] Only in jest; Maid Master^
alluding to his degree of Master of Arts, at the Uni-
versity.
Line 39. John the Ross.] The omission of Sir in
this line seems rather to favour the idea that Dunbar's
friend in this Flyting was a churchman.
NOTES. 425
Line 51. A Densemtn on the i-attis.'] See note to
lines 355 and 424.
Line 62. Cleik to thee ane club.'] Take to thyself a
club, or pike- staff, like a sturdy-beggar.
Line 77. To undo our Lordis chief. In Paislai/, with
ane po>/sone.] This allusion to some alleged attempt
on the life, it is presumed, of James the Fourth, pre-
vious to his accession to the throne, is not noticed by
any contemporary historian. Kennedy, in his reply,
at line 405, has referred to this chaige made against
him of an attempt to poison.
Line 79. Thoil a breif.] To suffer or undergo a legal
charge.
Line 97. Thoiv caUis the Rhetory with thij \the\ goldin
lippis.] No expression of this kind occurs in Kennedy's
first reply ; but as, at line 500, he styles himself, ' of
Rethonj the Eois,' it is highly probable that the stanzas
have been transposed.
Line 99. Gluncoch.'} Dr Jamieson explains, " A sour
fellow, one who has a morose look."
Line 110. I tak on me, &c.] This, taken in connexion
with line 1 12, contains an evident allusion to the dis-
tricts of Lothian, and of Carrick or Ayrshire, in which
the two Poets were born.
Line 120. Beg thee ane club.'] Probably a mistake for
ane cloak, as it is said, otherwise he would go naked.
Line 133. He sayis, &c.] From these words, as well as
from line 205, &c., we may conclude that Kennedy was
then residing in Ayrshire, having been appointed, pre-
vious to 1492, Depute-Bailie of Carrick, (See page
442); while it is equally evident from lines 201, 217,
&c., that he had been well known in Edinburgh by
his former residence in ' that burgh.'
42G NOTES.
Line 146. Thj queenel\ In this line, as well as at
line 189, Dunbar might seem to intimate that Kennedy
had been married. But the allusion at line 155, will
give Brtjdy as well as Qnceiiey a different signification.
Line 194.] Ramsay for the words of the text sub-
stituted, Thou ski/land shartli, which Dr Jamieson ex-
plains agreeably to the sense of the passage. I notice
this merely as an instance of words such as sk)/land
finding a place in his work, on Ramsay's authority, which
never were used by Dunbar or by any other author.
Line 209. Strait -Gibbonis ae>.] In the Treasurer's
Accounts, 1503, July 6, we meet with, ' Item, to Strait-
Gibbon, be the Kingis command, xiiij s.' Who this
person was is uncertain.
Line 258. At Cokburnis-peth.'] Formerly Colbrand's-
path, the parish of that name, in Berwickshire; but
here it evidently alludes to an ancient fortress and
manor which belonged to the Earls of Dunbar, near the
ravine over which has been erected the Peese-Bridge ;
and which fortress, from its situation, commanding the
pass, was considered to be one of the keys of the king-
dom.
Line 262. Corspatrich Earl of March.] It is not ne-
cessary, perhaps, to endeavour to clear up the histori-
cal allusions to the family of the Earls of Dunbar and
March, in this and the succeeding stanzas. These allu-
sions are very vague, and not very correct. In Doug-
las's Peerage, vol. ii. p. 166-169, and in Chalmers's
Caledonia, vol. ii. p. 243-247, information of a more
exact kind will be found respecting the share which
the members of this noble and powerful family took
in public affairs during the 13th and 14th centuries.
Line 284. And sayd, He hend bat WnUace, King in
NOTES. 427
Kyle.] " The Earl of Dunbar opposed himself to the
efforts of Wallace ; and being summoned, by the guar-
dian of Scotland, to attend a convention at Perth [in
1297], the Earl contemptuously refused ; calling Wal-
lace the ' King of Kyle.' " In the foot-note to this pass-
age, Mr Chalmers adds : " See Blind Harrie's Metrical
History of William Wallace, whom the Scotish histo-
rians generally follow, but dare not quote. (Book
viii.) Blind Harrie is, however, supported by the Tower
Records. Patrick Earl of Dunbar was Edward's cap-
tain, * Citra mare Scotise,' on the south side of the
Forth, in November 1297. Calend. Rot. Pat. 39."—
(Caledonia, vol. ii. p. 246.)
Line 299. Archibald Dunbar, betrayed the House of
Haiks.] The Castle of Hailes, in Haddingtonshire,
about the year 1446, was taken by Archibald Dunbar,
who surprised it by a sudden assault in the night j and,
according to Pitscottie, " slew them all that he found
therein ; bot, shortly thereafter, he was seized by James
Douglas, in whose will he put himself, and castle, with-
out any further debate." The castle, which is now in
ruins, is beautifully situated in a retired spot, about
two miles from Linton.
Line 331. Aud syne gar Stobo for thy Ife protest^
The same person who is recorded among the Scotish
Poets, by Dunbar, in his Lament for the Mahars. He held
some ecclesiastical preferment, and had been employed
as a writer and notary-public at Court during the
reigns of James the Second and Third, as well as of
James the Fourth. He seems all along to have been
familiarly known as Stobo, although his proper name
was John Rede, or Reid. According to the Treasurei-'s
Accounts for the years 1473 and 1474, (the only por-
428 NOTES.
tion now in existence, previous to 1488,) Stobo received
his half-yearly pension of L.5 at Whitsuntide, and the
same at Martinmas. This pension, increased to L.20 an-
nually, was confirmed to him by charter from James
the Third, Jan. 9, 1477-8, bearing that it was granted
" dilecto nostro familiari servitori et scribe Johanni
Red nmicnpato Stobo," and was payable out of the cus-
toms of the burgh of Edinburgh for the period of his
life, — " pro gratuitis serviciis per eundem quondam
progenitori nostro et nobis impeusis, — in scripturis lite-
rarum nostrorum sanctissimo patri nostro Pape et di-
versis Regibus, Principibus, ac Magnatibus ultra reg-
num nostrum missarum, et in expensis suis in perga-
meno, papiro, cera alba et rubea, &c. sustentis, — et
pro toto tempore vite sue faciendis et sustentandis, et
in sui supportacionem ad expensas antedictas." (Re-
gist. Magni Sig, vol. viii. f. 81.) He was no doubt the
same with Schir Johne Reid, public Notar, whose name
occurs in the Acta Audit. Oct. 19, 1479. From notes
obligingly communicated by Robert Pitcairn, Esq.,
I also find that he appears as a witness to charters
dated Dec. 10, 1488, and May 9 and 10, 1491, where he
is designated ' Johanne Rede, alias Stobo, Reciore
de Kirkcristo.' (Reg. Mag, Sig. vol. xii. f. 6G, 279,
and 281.) There were several places in Scotland of
the name of Christ's Kirk, which makes us regret that
the county or diocese should not have been stated.
Mr J. Chalmers, in his MS. notes, says, " I know not
why he was called Stobo, unless it was from his being
a native of Stobo in Tweeddale." As we cannot feel,
however, any great interest respecting * Good gentle
Stobo,' since none of his compositions are known to
exist, I shall merely notice that his name occurs very
NOTES. 429
frequently in the Treasurer's Accounts, between 1488
and 1505, the probable time of his death. The latest
entries are as follows : 1505, May 6, ' Item, be the
Kingis command, to Stobo Hand sei/i, L.5 ;' and on May
27, ' Item, to Stobo, Hand seik, be the Kingis command,
5 French crownis,L.3, lOs.' He probably did not long
survive, as Dunbar in his Lament, written sometime
between 1505 and 1508, says.
And he hes now tane last of aw,
Gud gentill Stobo and Quinttne Schaw,
Of quhome all wichtis hes petie !
Mention of a Jacob Stobo occurs in the same Accounts,
Oct. 1505, April 1506, and Jan. 1507 ; and of ' Stobois
madin that brocht capons to the King,' in April and
May 1501, Dec. 1505, and Jan. and Feb. 150G, on which
occasions she received a small gratuity.
Line 355. Densmen dryit on the rattis.] In allusion to
line 51. See also note to line 424. — In the next line,
the expression, Densmen of Denmark ar of the Kingis
kin, shows that the Flyting was composed during the
reign of James the Fourth, who was the son of Mar-
garet of Denmark.
Line 367, &c. For substance and geir thou hes but a
wedy touch. On Mont Falcone, &c.] In this passage, Allan
Ramsay, by mistake or ignorance, substituted Salton
instead of Falcon, Hence originated the idea, that the
village of Salton, in East Lothian, was Dunbar's birth-
place. See Lord Hailes's note, quoted at page 226.
In like manner, says Pinkerton, " Salton, a village on
the delightful coast of the Forth, in East Lothian,
seems to have been the place of the great poet's birth."
Salton is not on the coast, but an inland village ; and
the Rev. Andrew Johnston, in his Account of the Pa-
430 NOTES.
risli, Bays : " Salton is entitled to vie with most of the
parishes of Scotland, in the honour of giving birth, or
affording residence, to the greatest number of eminent
characters. In the first class, she is proud to enrol the
name of Dunbar, the Horace of his country," &c. (Sta-
tistical Account, vol. X. p. 239.) Alexander Thomson
author of " Whist, and other Poems," has the following
sonnet in honour of Salton, as our Poet's birth-place ;
at the conclusion of which he alludes to his intended
History of Scotish Poetry : —
Though, Salton, thy domains unshelter'd seem,
And less than each adjacent village fair ;
Yet with that light which IVIem'ry's classic beam
Around thee throws, can nought of theirs compare.
In thee, Dunbar, of Scottish Bards supreme,
Inhal'd his earliest draught of vital air ;
DuNBAE, whose song with Fancy's brilliant gleam
Conjoins the comic boast of Humour rare.
Dunbar, whose mystic PiOse and Thistle's twine
Unfading glory may so boldly claim ;
Whose Golden Shifld, enrich'd with forms divine,
Shall hang for ever in the Hall of Fame.
Hail, charming Bard ! to thee some future day,
Perhaps my critic powVs may larger tribute pay.
Salton, June 14, 1792.
In a foot-notp, it is added : " Although some doubts
have lately been started, in consequence of a more ac-
curate examination of Manuscripts, with regard to the
once prevalent opinion, that Salton was the birth-place
of Dunbar, the former prevalence of that opinion is
surely sufficient for the purposes of poetry." (" Son-
nets, Odes, and Elegies," p. 148, Edin. 1801, 12nio.)
Soon after this, a new hypotliesis was started by Mr
NOTES. 431
SiBBALD, in his Chronicle of Scotish Poetry, vol. i. 358.
After pointing out the mistake into which Ramsay led
Lord Hailes and Pinkerton, he notices that the barony of
Kilconquhar, or Kinnebar, in Fife, remained in the pos-
session of the family of the Earl of March until the reign
of Queen Mary, and says, " there is a probability that
Dunbar belonged to the county of Fife." "Falkland"
(he adds) " being situated very near to the Lowmond
hills, one of them may have been distinguished, at least
in poetical language, by the name of Falkland 3Iount ;
and in those days it vras also natural enough that there
should be a galloics in the vicinity of a royal residence.
Thus, the true reading of the passage may be Falkland
Mount; by corruption, Falcann or Falconn." Dr Irving,
in quoting this passage, might vrell observe : " These
conjectures will not, I presume, appear very satisfac-
tory to many readers."
But " this name," Mount Falcoun, says Dr Irving,
" I believe is not now applied to any place within
the limits of Scotland." As in fact it never was so ap-
plied, I shall show what place was really intended, by
giving the plain meaning of a passage which has been
so totally misunderstood. Kennedy, after expatiating
at lines 362 and 366 with much complacency on the
nature of his own inheritance, addresses Dunbar, who
was then in Paris, and says to him, " But Tkou art a
poor wretched creature : the whole of thy patrimony
is a tough halter on Mont Falcone;" or Montfaucon,
a noted place in the suburbs of Paris, where criminals
were then executed ; — " and yet (adds he) Mont Fal-
cone is too fair to be defyled by such a graceless face
as thine! Come home, therefore, and be hanged on
our own gallows at Ayr ! "
432 NOTES.
The following extract will show more exactly the
character of the place referred to, and which is said to
have * brought misfortune on all those who had any
hand in its erection or repair.' — " lu ancient times it
was the custom to suspend upon gibbets without the
city the bodies of criminals who had been executed in
Paris. These gibbets were called justices. The most
remarkable was that of Montfuucun. This was an ele-
vated spot, situated between the Fauxbourg Saint Mar-
tin and the Fauxbourg du Temple, having upon its
summit a solid mass of masonry, about sixteen feet
high, forty long, and thirty broad. Upon the surface
of this mass were sixteen stone pillars, thirty-two feet
in height, which served to support large beams, and
from the latter hung iron chains, in which the dead
bodies were placed. While this custom prevailed,
there were generally fifty or sixty criminals waving in
the air. When there was no room for a dead body,
that which had been there longest was taken down,
and thrown into a cave, which opened into the centre
of the enclosure. In the beginning of the 18th cen-
tury this frightful gibbet had fallen into decay, and only
three or four pillars remained." (History of Paris,
Lond. 18-25, 8vo, vol. iii. p. 62.)
Line 377. Small fi/nance.l Finance here seems to
signify money raised or collected ; from the Fr. phrase,
faire finance, ' to make or gather a stocke of money.'
Cotgrave, as quoted by Dr Jamieson.
Line 386. Bunbar, Erie of Murrnij.] " Lady Agnes
Randolph, the heroic daughter of the noble Regent,
having married Patrick, ninth Earl of Dunbar and
March, on the death of her brother, 1347, assumed the
title of Countess of Moray, and her husband, in her
NOTES. 433
right, that of Earl, and entered into possession of ilie
extensive property of the family, the Earldom of Moray,
the Isle of Man, the Lordship of Annandale, the Ba-
ronies of Morton, Mordington, Longforraacua, Dunse,
Mochrum, Cumnock, and Blantyre. Patrick, Earl of
Dunbar, March, and Moray, died about 1369, leaving
two sons ; 1. George, tenth Earl of Dunbar and March.
2. John, Earl of Moray." — (Wood's Peerage of Scot-
land, vol. ii. p. •252.) The second son carried on the
succession as Earl of Moray, but the title became ex-
tinct in the course of the fifteenth century.
Line 388. Of that Idn cam Dunbar of Westfeild
knicht.'] The founder of this opulent and distinguished
family was Sir Alexander Dunbar, Sheriff of Moray,
the son of James, Earl of Moray, by Isabel, daughter of
Sir William Innes. She was his second cousin, and
died before a papal dispensation for their marriage
could be obtained. In a charter, 1450, Sir Alexander is
designated brother of the Countess of Moray. He mar-
ried Isabel, daughter of Alexander Sutherland of Duf-
fus, by whom he had six sons and one daughter. The
descent of the Westfield family, and of its sevei'al col-
lateral branches, will be found detailed in Douglas's
Baronage of Scotland. Dr Leyden, in his Introduc-
tion to the Complaynt of Scotland, (p. 250,) notices a
genealogical poem, written in 1554, entitled " An Ac-
count of the Dunbars, Earls of Moray, and of the
family of Sir Alexander Dunbar of Westfield."
Regarding the descendants of Sir Alexander, it may
be noticed, that his eldest son Sir James Dunbar of
Westfield, and Sherifl" of Moray, married Eupheme,
eldest daughter of Patrick Dunbar of ('umnock, in
1474; and died in 1505, leaving, it, is said, one son. Sir
James, who succeeded, and who died in 1535. It
VOL. ir. 2 E
434 NOTES.
appears, however, from an original contract or bond
of manrent, " betuix honorabill men, Alexander Dun-
bare of the Westfield knycht, and James Dunbare of
Cumnock knycht, on the ta [one] part, and Farchar
Makintoisch, sone and appeirand heir to Duncan Mak-
intoiscb, Capitane of the Clanquhattane, on the tuther
part," dated at Dernvva, Sept. 18, 1 492, that the said
Sir James, who was eldest son of the said Sir Alex-
ander, had a son and heir, Laurence Dunbar, but
who may not have survived his father. — Among the
other sons of Sir Alexander, was Gawin Dunbar, a dis-
tinguished ecclesiastic, who was successively Dean of
Moray, Lord Clerk Register of Scotland, Archdeacon
of St Andrews, and Bishop of Aberdeen. He died
March 9, 1.53:^. Keith says he was son to Sir James
Dunbar of Cumnock ; but the Bishop himself by a deed
mortified an annual rent of 50 merks out of Quarrel-
wood, in Elt,inshire, for the use of the Cathedral of
Aberdeen, to pray for the souls of Sir Alexander Dun-
bar of Westfield, knight, his father, and Dame Elizabeth
Sutherland, his mother, Sept. '28, 15-29.
Line 40j. Qu/ien t/ioiv puttis poysone to me.] See
lines 70 and 78.
Line 424. And on the 7'attis salhe thi/ residence.']
This seems to have a corresponding meaning with the
phrase in lines 51 and 355. Rattis, from the Lat.
Rota, Germ. Belg. Rad, a wheel. (See Jamieson, sub
V. Rafts.) It is, therefore, not improbable that these
lines might have had some reference to the practice
which then prevailed, and still exists, in Denmark and
Sweden, of exposing the bodies of criminals after exe-
cution, upon wheels raised from the ground.
Line 395 and 408. Dnercb,] or Dwarf. As Kennedy
repeats the word Dwarf, and synonymous terms at
NOTES. 435
lines 29, 33, and 38, as a personal epitliet applied to
Dunbar, it might possibly have been in allusion to his
stature.
Line 417 and 420.] Kennedy, by his here calling
himself the King's special clerk, probably alludes to
the office he held in Carrik. See note to line 133, page
425, and also, page 442.
Line 433, Mont Bernard, &c.] In a geographical de-
scription of the World, written about the same period
%vith the Flyting, we find the following enumeration of
the Alpine range : — " In Europia is Ytalia, Ausonia,
Tuskia, &c. &c. The gret Duchery and Montanis of
Haustry, sic as Mont Bernard, Mont Goddart, Mont
Cristofere, Mont Savoye, Mont Nycholas, Mont Pistoy,
and mony ma." (Asloane's MS., fol. 155.)
Line 437. In Paris u-ith tluj maister burreaw.'] From
the Fr. boreau, an executioner, or hangman. In the
Coraplaynt of Scotland, the author, speaking of ' our
auld enemies' the English, says, "It followis nocht
that the cruel Inglis men, quhilkis ar boreaus and hang'
men permittit be God to puneis vs, that thai ar in the
favour of God .... Ane boreau, or hangman, is
permittit be ane Prince to scourge or puneise trans-
gressours," &c. (p. 40.)
Line 449. Into the Katherene.'] From the context
it appears that this was the name of the vessel in which
Dunbar had gone abroad. The expression in line 452,
although in the present tense, does not imply that twenty
years had actually passed since the voyage referred to
— for the name of the vessel, and any allusion to the
voyage, would have been then forgotten or altogether
unmeaning — but is merely a mode of expressing that
the dirt would adhere to the sides of the ship for a great
length of time. The whole strain of the subsequent
436 NOTES.
stanzas demonstrates that t lie allusion is to some recent
occurrence. In the Treasurer's Accounts, among; some
payments made to the Earl of Bothwell and Lord
Monypenny, when sent as Ambassadors to France in
1491, we incidentally find the name of this vessel;
namely, July IG, ' Item, to my Lord Bothwell, rpihilh
the Kituj (jnrt him gif to the sc/iiiJintn of the Katnjny
besyde Northberwic, quhen the Imbassatouris past in
France, xl demys, summa L.26, 148. 4d.' — ' Item, the
samyn tyme to Lord Monypenny, at the Kingis com-
mand, L.2o0. — ' Item, to Champanze, the Fransche
barrold, at the Kingis command, L.lOO.' — 'Item, till a
prest that wrayt the instrumentis and oderis letteris,
that past with the Imbassitouris in France, 3Gs.' Nov.
29, ' Item, quhen the King com fra Sanct Johnstoun
to Edinbur', quhen the Erie Boythwell com hame, til
a boyt he com owr the water in, ISs.' — * Item, to the
boyt of my Lord Boythwellis schip, that met the King
be the way, iiij vnicornis, L.3, lOs.' Dec. 10, * Item,
the x''day of Decembris, to Wil Layngfor the Fransche
Harroldis exspencis with him, L,2.' These Ambassa-
dors were sent for the twofold purpose of negotiating
a peace between the two countries, and a marriage for
James the Fourth. As suggested in the Memoir, (see
p. IG,) it is highly probable that Dunbar was in their
train, and that he remained in Paris after their return
to Scotland.
Line 475. Ane Horse Merchell] The person or
groom who had the charge of horses. 1497, August
27, ' Item, at the Kingis command, to the Ingliss hors
Marschael, 10s.' 1498, April 2-2, ' Item, giffin be the
Kingis command to the Ingliss hors Merchael, to hele
the broun geldin, 18s.' (Treasurer's Accounts.)
Line 497, &c.] I suspect that at least this and the
NOTES. 437
following stanza must have belonged to Kennedy's first
reply, and have been transposed. In line 500 is the
epithet to which Dunbar alluded at line 97. In lines 504
and 510, Kennedy tells Dunbar to turse or carry him-
self out of Scotland, and to fare or proceed to France,
while, from lines 430 and 437, it is evident that Dunbar
had already reached France, and was actually residing
in Paris during the winter season, in the view of cross-
ing the Alps.
Line 505. Ane Benefice quha wald gif sic ane beist,']
From this expression, Mr J. Chalmers concludes that
the Flyting was not composed till between 17th March,
1303-4, when Dunbar said his first mass in the King's
presence, and the Summer of 1505, when Stobo is sup-
posed to have died. " It is evident (he says) from the
Flyting that Dunbar was a priest when it was written,
and that he was seeking and expecting a benefice.
I consider the record notice in the Treasurer's Ac-
counts of the King's offerand at Maister William Dun-
bar's^n*^ mess, on the 17th March, 1503-4, as evidence
that he then said \x\s first mass, and, of course, that he
had recently been ordained a priest. It was an esta-
blished usage at that time, and continued till the Re-
formation, to make a collection of offerings to the priest
when he said h\s first mass, and there are in the Trea-
surer's Accounts many entries of the King's offering on
such occasions. Whether the mass was performed in
the King's chapel or any other, was immaterial." I
cannot agree with Mr Chalmers in the opinion of the
Flyting having been written at so late a date. Had we
no other evidence than this same stanza, I think it
would be clear that this poetical contest must have
taken place several years before, as it refers to that
period of Dunbar's life, mentioned in his ballad on the
438 NOTES.
Visitation of St Francis, when he sustained llie charac-
ter of a mendicant friar. In that poem he speaks of
his having preached both in England and France, which
proves that he must have been in lioly orders. The
terms of the grant of his pension, in August, 1500, (or
nearly four years before the time when he said his
first mass in the King's presence,) show equally clearly,
that he was qualified to accept, and that he expected
some benefice. But after all, Kennedy's satirical ques-
tion, ' Who would give a benefice to such a beast as
thou art ?' proves only that Dunbar had solicited, not
that he had obtained such preferment.
Line 513. Tutevillouss.'] Lord Hailes considered
this to be the same word as Tutivillaris, which occurs
at line 67 of ' T/te General Satire.' See vol. ii. p. 26.
He notices, that among the other guests at Cokkilby's
Feast, there is a TuttiviUus ; and in The Cursing of Sir
John Roicl, among other evil spirits, are mentioned
Fi/remouth and Tutivillus. Dr Jamieson, from the in-
stances quoted by Lord Hailes, considers that it must
have been a personal designation. This appears more
distinctly from one of the old English moral plays,
called " Mankind," in which Tutivillus, one of the
characters, is described as a fiend, the representative
of sensual desire, and of whom Mercy tells Mankind to
beware.
' And propyrly Titivillus sygnyfytb the fend of helle,
The flesch, that ys, the unclene concupyssens of your body.
.... Beware of Titivillus with his net.'
(CoUyer's Hist, of Dramatic Poetry, vol. ii. p. 293, 297.)
Line 515. / sail gar bake the to the Laird of HilhouseJ]
The name of Johne Sandilandis of Hilhouss, probably
in Linlithgowshire, occurs in the Acta Dominorum
NOTES. 439
Concilii, July 12, 1480. " Whether this was the per-
son who is alluded to in the Flyting, and in the Trea-
surer's Accounts, I will not pretend to determine. In
1494, among other persons at Court, who received
dresses, was " the Laird of Hillouss;" viz. 3^ ellis of
rown tanne, for a gown, 2^ ellis of chamlote, for a
doublat and hoiss. In 1496, Sept. 11, ' Item, giffin to
the Lard of Hilhouss, to remane vpon the artailzery,
and to helpe to gyde it, L.3;" and 1497, July 31, ' Item,
to the Lard of Hilhouss, for his expenss cummand
hame for Mons, 98.' This alludes to the celebrated
piece of ordnance called ' Mons Meg,' which has been
again restored to the Castle of Edinburgh. The only
other time when his name occurs in these Accounts,
is 1501, Dec. 8, ' Item, to the Lard of Hilhouss, that com
furth of Inglaad from the Lordis, be the Kingis com-
mand, 28s.'
Line 524 and 548. Lollard lawreaW] We perhaps
ought to attach no definite meaning to this name used
here, in the sense of a heretic, as a term of reproach
applied personally to Dunbar. See the note at page
445.
Line 540. Austerne Olib?-ius.'\ This personage makes
a conspicuous figure in the ancient metrical legend of
Saint Margaret, preserved in the Auchinleck MS. See
Leyden's Complaynt of Scotland, Gloss, p. 308. It
would not be easy to describe many of the other wor-
thies who are named in this and the preceding stanza.
440 iNOTES.
POEMS BY WALTER KENNEDY.— Page 87.
The circumstance of Dunbar having engaged in a
poetical contest with Kennedy, is calculated to excite
a more than ordinary degree of interest regarding this
rival poet, who appears to have shared witl» Dunbar
something of a similar fate, having been equally praised
and admired during life, and as much neglected after-
wards. Accordingly, in this division will be found col-
lected the few poetical remains of Walter Kennedy
which are known to exist. But before noticing these
compositions, it may be proper to bring together in this
place some scattered notices of his personal history.
Walter Kennedy was born in Ayrshire, probably
before the year 1460. He was the third son of Gilbert,
first Lord Kennedy. Like Dunbar, he appears to have
been early intended for the Church ; and at a later
period, in allusion to his prospects of church prefer-
ment, when speaking of James the Fourth, he s^ys,
Trusting to have. of his magnificence
Guerdon, reward, and benefice bedene.
He was educated at the College of Glasgow. The fol-
lowing entries, copied from the Registers of that Uni-
versity, will show that he was incorporated in the year
1475, took his degree, as Bachelor of Arts, in 1476, and
as a Licentiate and Master of Arts, in 1478. In Nov.
1481, he was elected one of the Four Masters to exer-
cise the office of Examinator.
NOTES. 441
" Incorporati anno 1 175, crastiuo Sanctl Martini, iu
electione Magistri Wilielmi Glendinwyne rectoris
Universitatis Glasguensis, . . . Walterus Kennedy,
Jacobus Blak, famulus pro tunc nobilis viri Wal-
teri Kennedy, studentis in Collegio facultatis
artium," &c.
'• Anno Domini I47G, prope festum Sancti Nicholai,
sub Maglstro Johanna Browne, determinaverunt
infrasciipti Baculariandi pro eorum Baculariatu,
. . . Valterus Kennedy, Johannes Douglass, David
Cunnynghame," &c.
" Eodera anno, [1478, Julii 8,] Licentiati, . . . Wal-
terus Kennedy, Johannes Douglas, Georgius
Stewart," &c.
" Eodeni anno, [1478,] Insignia Magistralia recepe-
runt sub Magistro Johanne Doby regente in facul-
tate Artium, &c. . . . Walterus Kennedy, Johan-
nes Douglas," &c.
" Eodem anno recepti erant ad gremiura Facultatis
prestitis juratis solitis et consuetis, secundum for-
raam statutorum, . . . Magister Walterus Kennedy,
M. Johannes Douglas," &c.
1481, Nov. 3, he was one of the " Quatuor Magistri
electi pro exercendo oflicium Temptatorum."
Of Kennedy's subsequent history very little is known.
From the Flyting it is evident that he must have re-
sided for some time on the Continent, and also that he
was well known in Edinburgh. But at that time he
was living in Ayrshire. His father, ' Gilbert Ken-
nedy of Dunure,' obtained a charter Feb. 13th, 1430-1,
declaring him head of his tribe, and heritable Bailie of
Carrick. This office was ratified by charter to his
grandson David, afterwards third Lord Kennedy, July
442 NOTES.
9th, 1489. Walter Kennedy appears to have acted under
his nephew in that office, as we find him, in a process
before the Lords of Council, Feb. 2G, 1491 -2, styled
' Pretended BaillieDeput of Carrick.' The action re-
lated to the wrong serving of a brief of inquest, by
Kennedy neglecting to cause due proclamation of it to
be made ' in the publik place of the principal burgh of
the said bailyery,' — ' according to the Kingis lawis;' —
and judgment was pronounced that such neglect had
rendered the service of no avail. It might have been to
this official appointment that he refers, when he calls
himself the King's ' trew special Clerk.'
But previous to that time he must have distinguished
himself by his poetical talents. From his own words
in the Flyting, it might be argued that he was suffi-
ciently impressed with a sense of his own importance,
as he speaks of himself as * Of Rhetory the Rose,'
and says,
I perambulit of Pernaso the montayne,
Inspirit with Mercury fra his goldin spheir ;
And dulcely drank of eloquence the fontayne,
Quhen it wes purefeit with frost, and ilowit cleir.
But besides the testimony of Dunbar in his Lament,
both Bishop Douglas (in 1 oOl) and Sir David Lyndsay
(in 1530) have ranked him, and Quintyne, among the
most eminent poets of the age. Mentioning John Bel-
lenden, who was afterwards Archdeacon of Moray,
Lyndsay says,
Get he into the Courte auctorie,
He will exccll (iuiNTVNE and Kennedie.
Douglas even seems to rank him before Dunbar, in his
Court of the Muses, calling him * Great Kennedy.'
NOTES. 443
His parts of the Flyting, indeed, may be considered as
equal to Dunbar's for sarcastic and biting raillery,
though inferior in ease and happiness of versification.
But his other poetical remains do not seem to warrant
such high praise.
Of the later period of Kennedy's life, no satisfactory
information has been discovered. In a History of the
Family of Kennedy, written about the year 1613, one
of the sons of Gilbert, first Lord Kennedy, is said to
have been Provost of Minniboil, or Maybole. This
was a collegiate church dedicated to the Virgin Mary,
which had been founded by Sir John Kennedy, ' Do-
minus de Dunowre,' and confirmed by royal charter,
Dec. 4, 1371. (Chalmers' Caledonia, vol. iii. p. 493, 4.)
As the patronage was vested ia the family of the founder,
it is highly probable that Walter Kennedy might have
been appointed to that office on the demise of Sir
David Robertson, Provost of Minniboil, in or about
the year 1494, or soon after the time, when, I presume,
the Flyting was written. In the work referred to, in-
deed, he is called Gilbert, — for, it is stated, that the
first Lord Kennedy had four sons, John who succeed-
ed, Gilbert, Provost of Minnibole, and two who died
young. According to the more accurate statement by
Mr Wood, in his edition of Douglas's Peerage, only
three sons are mentioned, — John, second Lord Ken-
nedy, James, who was married in 1473, and Walter,
who is designated brother of John Lord Kennedy, in
a charter of the Earl of Angus, Sept. 25, 1498. (Wood's
Peerage, vol. i. p. 328.)
Dunbar, in his Lament for the Makars, written be-
tween 1505 and 1508, speaks of Kennedy as then lying
at the point of death. His words are :
444 NOTES.
Gud Maister Walter Kennkdv
In poynt of dede lyis veraly ;
Gret reuth it wer that so suld be !
Whether such anticipation was realized at that time
is not knon'n. But from Lyndsay's words, in Dec.
1530, we may at least conclude that he had been dead
for a considerable time :
Or quha can now the warkis contrefait
Off Kennedie, with termes aureait?
It may be mentioned, as the name was uncommon,
that Walter Kennedy, ' Canon of Glasgow, and Rector
of Dowglace,' was incorporated as a Member of the
College of Glasgow in October, 1511. Whether he
was any relation of the Poet cannot be determined, but
is highly probable. In the year 1525, he was chosen
Rector of the College, at which time he held the office
of Provost of Maybole : " Circumspectus et egregius
vir Magister Valterus Kennydy, prebendarius de Dow-
glace, canonicus ecclesie Metropolitan. Glasguensis,
ac prepositus ecclesie collegiate de Mayboill, Glasg.
dioc. absente tanquam presente, electus fuit in
Rectorem hujus alrae Universitaiis."
THE PRAISE OF AIGE.— Page 89.
In MSS. Bannatyne (where it is repeated) and Mait-
land " This poem gives a favourable idea of Kennedy
as a versifier. His lines are more polished and smooth
than those of his contemporaries. If he is the person
against whom Dunbar directed his Invective, he has
met with hard measure." — Hailes. I cannot perceive
in what respect Kennedy's vorsificaiign is entitled to
NOTES. 445
such praise. Even this poem, which presents the most
favourable specimen of his genius that has been pre-
served, must be considered as an imitation of Henry-
son's similar poem in ' Praise of Age.'
Line 39. The schip of faith , . . Dri/vis in the see of
LoNardf//.] Or, as it reads in Maitl. MS., Of heref^ye.
Kennedy, at the conclusion of the Flyting, again uses
the term of Lollard, as signifying a heretic. " Ken-
nedy appears to have been a zealous partisan of what
was termed the old faith ; whereas the poets, his con-
temporaries, were either lukewarm in their religious
tenets, or inclined to the new opinions. The name of
Lollard is well known both on the Continent and in
Britain. . . . When the Lollards were first discovered
in England, the Bishops were at a loss how to describe
their tenets. In 1387, Henry Bishop of Worcester in-
formed his clergy, that they were 'followers of Maho-
met.' Wilkin's Concil. vol. iii. p. 202. . . . The con-
clusions of the Lollards, as presented by themselves to
Parliament in the reign of Richard H., are to be found
in Wilkins, vol. iii. p. 221. They are conclusions which
Protestants in this age might hold, with the exception
of some fanatical conceits, such as the alsolute unlaw-
fulness of war. They are expressed with a singular
naivete. ... It is remarkable that different Lollards re-
cant different tenets. This looks as if the sect had not
been formed, but that every one who presumed to de-
viate from the onward path of Catholic faith, was com-
prehended under the general denomination of Lollard."
— Hailes.
The doctrines of the Lollards may be considered as
having been first promulgated in Britain by the great
English Reformer Wvklyffe, and extended by his fol-
446 NOTES.
lowers throughout a great part of Catholic Europe.
Some of these sought shelter in Kyle and Bute, and
in other remote Western parts of Scotland. The
prevalence, therefore, of such religious opinions in
Ayrshire, may account for Kennedy, in the Flyting
as well as in this poem, alluding to the Lollards. " We
can trace (says Dr M'Ciuk) the existence of the Lol-
lards in Ayrshire, from the time of Wicklyffe to the
days of George Wishart," (who was burnt for heresy
in 1546.) In the note to this passage, the same learned
writer (Life of Melville, vol. i. p. 415) makes mention
of the fact, that " at a Congregation of the University
of St Andrews, held on the tenth day of June, 1416, it
was enacted, that all who commenced Masters of Arts
should swear, among other things, that they would re-
sist all adherents of the sect of Lollards. ' Item, Jura-
bitis quod ecclesiam defendetis contra insultam LoUar-
dorum, et quibuscunque eorum secte adherentibus pro
posse vestro resistetis.' " (Records of University.)
V. R. — According to Pinkerton. Line 3, he sic/it ; 5,
O thryn fold ; 1 , ourpast and done ; \0, fulis lust ; 12,
delete As; 13, dreid deid ; 17, semit ; 18, O swetest ;
19, O rekless ; 20, O haly ; 21, Oflowand; 22, leyth to
Infgud lawis ; 23, the lantherne ; 29, Tlie schip offai/the
is stormyt with 7iynd aud rane ; 30, Ofhei-esye dryvand
in the sey hir blauis ; 35, Writ^ tvalv, andselis ar no wayis
sett by.
ANE AIGIT MAN'S INVECTIVE— Page 91.
In MSS. Bannatyne and Maitland. — Firet printed in
the Evergreen. This Invective against * Mouth-Thank-
less,' has been considered as beneath criticism. So far
NOTES. 447
as it is intelligible, it is indecent. See Chalmers' Lynd-
say, vol. ii. p. 160.
ANE BALLAT OF OUR LADY.— Page 93.
This poem is only to be found in Asloane's MS., and
is now first printed. It will be observed, that Ken-
nedy has introduced his own name at the close of the
poem, as the ' man ' or servant of the Virgin. In the
same manuscript are two similar addresses to the Vir-
gin, iu eight-line stanzas, written in a similar strain;
but beiug anonymous, and not possessing any poetical
merit, while one of them is imperfectjt was not thought
advisable to print either. They begin,
Rois Mary most ofvertewe virginale. Six stanzas.
0 Hie Empryss, and Queue Celestiale. Five stanzas.
Line 21. Thy modir An, and Joachim.^ According to
the Apocryphal Gospel of the birth of Mary, publish-
ed out of Jerome's works, by Jones, we are informed
that the Virgin was born in the city of Nazareth. " Her
father's name was Joachim, and her mother's Anna.
The family of her father was of Galilee, and the city of
Nazareth. The family of her mother was of Bethle-
hem." The parents of the Virgin were well known to
the common people during the dark ages of Popery, by
the religious plays or mysteries, founded on these apo-
cryphal writings, which were then exhibited.
PIOUS COUNSALE.— Page 96.
In MSS. Bannatyne and Maitland. — In the first these
lines are anonymous. It may be mentioned, that Ram-
448 NOTES.
Bay, in printing ' Jobn Upon Land's Complaint,' a poem
evidently written during tlip minority of James the
Fifth, took the liberty of adding Kennedy's name as
its author, for which ascription Bannatyne's MS. af-
fords no evidence.
THE PASSIOUN OF CHRIST.— Page 97.
This long, dull, religious poem, if it deserves the
title, which has hitherto escaped notice, is preserved
in the Howard MS. But only a portion of it has been
now printed ; the selections consisting of the entire
Prologue, and of such of the stanzas as seemed most
worthy of publication. The entire composition extends
to '245 stanzas, or 1715 lines; and the Reader, I appre-
hend, will rather charge me with having given too co-
pious extracts, than for not having inserted the whole.
la fact, it was only in consideration of the great fame
which Kennedy enjoyed as a Poet, and of the few
remains by him which are known to exist, that I was
induced to give any specimen of it at all. The passages
omitted either present a dry summary of the chief
events of Our Saviour's life and sufferings, or contain
tedious episodical reflections appropriated to the dif-
ferent Hours (Prime, Matins, &c.) of the Romish
Church service.
The writer of the Howard MS. has committed innu-
merable blunders ; and with all the pains that could be
taken, some of the passages selected are allowed to re-
main sufficiently obscure, if not unintelligible. The
words printed within brackets are inserted either to
fill up defective syllables in the measure, or in place
of evident blunders. A list of the readings of the
NOTES. 449
MS. which have been thus corrected is here annexed :
Line 4, Hevia ; 9, spite; 10, ri/cht lycht odour; II,
dern ; 14, unbrakill ; 21, eth ; 37, Troij ; 88, glaidnes ; 96
and 97, are transposed in the MS. ; 97, maist powstie ;
10'^, Hevin ; 114, Than till; 132, richt ; 139, adorne ;
140, As of; 142, na mencioun ; 144, /i?s hantage ; 162,
awe? c?«w ; 225, bund; 227, ^//a_y z« s^rzA sa ^s^; 254,
w;es ^iV/; 286, man Jies maid mait ; 327, in Hevin ; 368,
reabill ; 370, Hevin ; 371, without.
The volume quoted as the Howard Manuscript, is
in 4to, written on paper probably about the year 1500,
and is so named from having belonged to the noble
family of that name. It has the autograph of William
Howard, and was in that portion of the Arundel Ma-
nuscripts which was given by Henry, Duke of Nor-
folk, to Greshara College, in 1678, and afterwards be-
came the property of the Royal Society of London.
This collection of MSS., for every purpose of prac-
tical utility, has been recently and most properly trans-
ferred to that grand National repository the British
Museum. It would be well for the cause of literature
if the various MSS. which are at present locked up in
many of the Collegiate and Cathedral libi'aries, were
by any similar arrangement to become public property.
Line 37. The Seige of Tyre.] This stanza of Ken-
nedy's prologue is interesting as mentioning what was,
not indeed the ' popular,' but the current literature of
his time, among persons of education. Lyndsay, in like
manner, includes, in his enumeration of ' antique
Btoreis,'
Of Troylus, the sorrow and the joy,
And seiges all, of Tyre, Thebes, and Troy.
VOL. II. 2 F
450 NOTES.
For those of Troy and Thebes he was, no doubt, in-
debted to the favourite and well-known productions of
Chaucer and Lydgate ; and that of Tyre forms the
comraencement of one or more of the old metrical
romances of Alexander the Great. Milton referred to
the more classical sources of ancient learning, when he
exclaimed, —
Some time let gorgeous Tragedy
In scepter'd pall come sweeping by,
Presenting Thebes, or Pelops line.
Or the tale of Troy divine !
Line 38. The life of Tnrsdhnn.'] Probably a mistake,
as no such work or person is known. " There cannot
be the smallest doubt that the questionable line in
Walter Kennedy's Poem should stand thus — ' The
Sege of Jerusalem, ' an old metrical romance, not un-
common in MS."— MS. Note, F. Douce, Esq.
Line 101. Merci/ and Piete maid ane full hn'tj moan.']
In one of the old English plays, called the Coventry
Mysteries, we find Mercy, Justice, and Peace, intro-
duced as pleading before the Almighty in behalf of
Adam, after the Fall.
Line 134<. As Lindulphus — can record.] The author
referred to was Landulphus or Ludolphus of Saxony, a
Carthusian monk of the 14th century, who has been
styled " Scriptor ultra sjeculi sui sortem elegans."
(Fabricii Bibl. Lat. Miedii ^Evi, vol.iv. p. 846. Eyringi
Synopsis Hist. Liter, p. 433.) His great work, entitled
* Divinum devotissimumque Vita? Christi Opus,' was
first printed in the year 1474, and passed through many
editions. Translations of it into French, Spanish, Por-
tuguese, and German, had also appeared previous to
the year 1500. (Ebert's Bibliographisches Lexicon.)
ADDITIONAL
NOTES AND CORRECTIONS.
TO THE MEMOIRS OF DUNBAR.
HE opinion of Sir Walter
Scott, (as quoted at the top of
page 4,) respecting the charac-
ter of Dunbar is not singular.
Mr George Ellis, in his
Specinaens of the Early Eng-
lish Poets, also styles " Wil-
liam Dunbar, the greatest
Poet that Scotland has pro-
duced." Mr Campbell, after mentioning Gawin
Douglas, and some of the older Scotish Poets, says,
" Dunbar is a Poet of a higher order. His Tale
of the Friars of Berwick is quite in the spirit of Chau-
cer." Among other eminent writers who have inci-
dentally borne testimony to the merits of our Author, I
may take this opportunity to quote a passage from the
Life of Mr Crabbe, lately published. In a letter descri-
bing Crabbe's visit to Edinburgh, in 1822, when he
resided in Sir Walter Scott's house, Mr Lockhart
states, that after perusing Allan Ramsay's ' Gentle
452 ADDITIONAL NOTES AND CORRECTIONS.
Shepherd,' " He [Crabbe] told me next morning that
he had been pleased with it, but added, ' there is a
long step between Ramsay and Burns.' He then made
Sir Walter read and interpret some of old Dunbar to
him ; and said, ' I see that the Ayrshire bard had
ONE Giant before him.' " (Vol. i. p. 278.) Mr Lock-
hart, in his excellent Life of Burns, also speaks in
high terms of our * Scotish Chaucer;' and a distin-
guished living Poet, in his letter respecting an edition
of the Ayrshire bard's works, observes, rather quaintly,
" It is consistent that Lucien Buonaparte, who could
censure Milton for having surrounded Satan in the
infernal regions with courtly and regal splendour,
should pronounce the modern Ossian to be the glory of
Scotland ; — a Country that has produced a Dunbar, a
Buchanan, a Thomson, and a Burns." — Wordsworth.
In an excellent article by the late Mr Gilchrist, on
Lord Hailes' volume of ' Ancient Scottish Poems,' are
some remarks on Dunbar's character as a Poet, which
want of space alone prevents me from quoting. (Cen-
sura Literaria, vol. v. p. 240.)
Page 13, line 20, " The Fly ting commences on the
part of Dunbar, at a time when he was at some dis-
tance from Court."] I should have said, " The Flyting
commences on the part of Dunbar, at a time when he
might have been at Court, and when Kennedy was
residing in Ayrshire, but it was carried on, and the
latter portion of it undoubtedly written while Dunbar
was abroad." See Notes to the Flyting at pages 431
and 436 of this volume.
Page 22, line 7. " Neither the Queen," &c.] I am
not aware that the following letter of Queen Mar-
garet, addressed to her father, Henry the Seventh, has
ADDITIONAL NOTES AND CORRFXTIONS. 453
ever been printed. It is curious in shewing the state
of the young Queen's mind, soon after her marriage,
in regard to the management of public affairs, as she
complains of the King having been too much engrossed
with the company of the Earl of Surrey. The original
is preserved among the Cotton. MSS. Vespas. F. xiii.
*' My most dere Lorde and Fader, in the most humble
wyse that I can thynke, I recummaund me vnto your
Grace, besechyng you, off your dayly blessyng, and that
it will pleise you to yeue hartely thankes to all your
seruauntes, the whych be your commaundment haue
geuen ryghtgoodattendaunce on me at this tyme, and
specially to all thes ladies and jantilwomen which hath
accompeneyd me hydder, and to geff credence to
thys good Lady, the berar heroff; ffor I haue showde
hyr mor off my mynd than I will wryght at thys tyme.
Sir, I beseche your Grace to be good and gracios lorde
to Thomas, whych was footman to the Queue, my
moder, whos sowle God haue soyle, for he hath byn
on off my fotemen hydder with as gret diligence and
labur to hys great charge of hys awne good and true
mynde, I am not able to recumpence hym except the
fauour off your Grace. Sir, as for newys, I haue none
to send but that my Lorde of Surrey ys yn great fauor
with the Kyng her, that he cannott forber the companey
off hym no tyme of the day. He and the Bichopp of
Murrey ordereth euery thyng as nyght as they can to
the Kyngis pleasur. I pray God it may be tor my pore
harttis ease in tyme to come ! They cal not my Cham-
berlayne to them, which I am sur wull speke better
for my part than any off them that ben off that consell ;
and iff he speke any thyng for ray cause, my Lord of
Surrey hath such worddis vnto hym that he dar speke
454 ADDITIONAL NOTES AND COllUECTIONS.
no furder. God send me comford to hys pleasur, and
that I and myne that ben lefft her with me be well
entretid, such wayse as they haue taken. For Godes
sally Si/r, oulde me a esctvsi/d that I uri/t not my sijlf to
your Grace, fur I hau no laysyr t/iys tym, bot uyth wihse
I would I wer wyt your Grace now, and many tyms mor
wan I wold, and Syr, as for thys that I haue icrytyn to
your Grace yt ys wery trit, but I pray God I may fynd
yt icelfor my welet erefter. No mor to your Grace at tys
tym, bot Our Lord hau you en ys hepyng. Wryttyn tcyt
the hand of your humble doider,
Margaret."
This letter has no date, but as the servants to whom
the Queen alludes, as having accompanied her to Scot-
land, appear, from the Treasurer's Accounts, to have
returned on the 13th of August, or five days after the
marriage, we may suppose that it was written at that
time. Only the latter part of it, (being the words
printed in italics,) is in the Queen's hand, and pre-
sents no favourable specimen either of her penman-
ship, or skill in orthography.
Page 26.] Whether Dunbar's admission to the high-
est order of priesthood in the Romish Church, was
immediately preceding the date of his performing mass
in the King's presence cannot be ascertained ; nor does
it appear to have been attended at that time with any
preferment in the church, but this at least qualified
him to officiate as King's Chaplain, when attending
James in his occasional visits to different parts of the
country.
Page 45, note 48.] Delete the words "and the ' Poems
by Dunbar's Contemporaries,' in vol. ii."
Page 59, note 05.] Delete the two sentences begin-
ADDITIONAL NOTES AND CORRECTIONS. 455
ning, " It is written," &c., as the poem in question has,
since that sheet was printed, been inserted in the pre-
sent volume at page 37. See also the notes to that
poem, at page 409. I observe, that Mr Mackenzie, iu
his Report on the Authenticity of the Poems ascribed
to Ossian, p. 22, has quoted this Interlude, as written
by Dunbar. Among other points of resemblance which
might be specified as tending to confirm this idea, I
may notice his commendation of Edinburgh, quhair is
meriast cheer, at line 131, &c. when compared with
similar expressions in his Dirige to the King. See vol i.
p. 86, lines 21, 35,69, &c.
Page 62. Woodcut view of Holyrood.'] The Royal
Palace of Holyrood is usually said to have been
erected by James the Fifth. It may have been enlarged
or completed by that Monarch, but it certainly was
built in the reign of James the Fourth, as appears from
entries in the Treasurer's Accounts, and, consequent-
ly, during the time when our Author lived at Court.
Although partially destroyed by fire in 1347, it was
probably restored according to its original design.
The present view, which was engraved in Holland,
from a drawing by Gordon of Rothiemay, before 1660,
may therefore be considered as a correct view of the
original Palace, which having been accidentally ' burnt
to the ground,' by some of Cromwell's soldiers in Oc-
tober 1650, was rebuilt in the reign of Charles the
Second, according to a difterent plan, retaining, how-
ever, the double tower upon the north-west, still
known as Queen Mary's apartments.
436 AUurnoNAL kotes and corrections.
TO THE NOTES ON DUNBAR'S POEMS.
Pages 1 13 to 208 of this volume are left blank, oc-
casioned by the circumstance alluded to at page xi. of
the Preface.
Page 218, note on line 119.] ' The Lyone—Quhois
nobill yre is parceke prostratis.' Dr Jamiesdn, in
reference to the reading of the MS. in this line, says,
" Proteir is certainly a blunder of some transcriber for
proteyere, i. e. to protect the fallen." The correction
introduced into the text not only suits the measure,
but is confirmed by a proverbial saying, which occurs
in reference, as in Dunbar's poem, to the armorial
bearings of the Kings of Scotland, namely, " Jouxte le
commun proverhe, Parcere prostratis scit nobilis ira
leonis." See page 21 of the work by ' Maistre Jehan
le Feron, escuyer,' entitled, * Le Simbol Armorial des
Armoires de France, et d'Escoce, et de Lorraine,"
dedicated to * Madame Marie de Lorraine Royne et
Douairiere d'Escoce,' and printed at Paris in the
year 1555, 4to.
Page 223, line 8.] Reud, Malcolm Laing, (in Henry's
History, vol. vi. p. 605.)
Page 229, line 13. " And the ladies defended the
Castle with rose water and comfittes, and the lordes
threwe in dates and oranges."] An instance of a more
strange kind of assaulting or bickering a fortress in
one of these pageants, what we should think more
suitable for annoying some unfortunate individual in
the pillory, than as a courtly amusement, occurs in
the Treasurer's Accounts, 1526, last of June," Item,
ADDITIONAL NOTES AND CORRECTIONS. 457
gevin for eggis to bikker the Castell, 15s. 6d." It might
have been for the same pastime that the Treasurer paid
on July 17th, '" Item, gevia at the Kingis command,
till puyre ivivis that come gretand apone his Grace,
for eggis takia fra thame be his servandis, 208." —
There is a rare English poem, by Neville, son of the
Lord Latymer, entitled • The Castell of Pleasure,'
printed at Loudon, in 1308, 4to. See Dibdin's Typogr.
Antiq. vol. ii. p. 371, and Gent. Mag. Feb. 1834, p. 195.
Page 225, note on line 233.] Sir David Lyndsay, in
his Complaynt of the Papingo, written in 1530, also
exclaims, that ' the bell of rethorick had bene roung,'
by Chaucer, Gower, and Lydgate, and adds,
Qulia dar presume thir Poetis till impung
Quhais sweit sentence throuch Albion ben sung.
Page 236, note on line 23, Pryd, with hair wyld bak,
and bonet on syd.l Thus, in a poem. Sons exylit throw
Pryd, printed by Lord Haiies, p. 142, His hat on syd set
up for ony hest.
Page 260, note on line 37, Jakkis, Scrippis, Sj-c] Per-
haps the latter word ought to be Splentis. Thus, in
the poem on Pryde, last quoted, it is said that the ex-
travagant expense laid out on silks, furrings, chains,
and other articles of dress,
Micht furneis fourty into Jak and Splent
Weill bodin at his bak with bow and speir.
Splentis was a kind of armour for the legs as well as
the arms. In the Act of Parliament, 1429, it was eu-
joyned, that persons " of ten puud of rent, or fyftie
pundis in gudis, have hat, gorget, breist-plate, pans,
and leg-splentis, at the leist."
458 ADDiriONAL NOTES AND CORRECriONS.
Page 300, line 1, " serves to indicate the coarse
manners of the age,"&c.] Mr Cabipbell, after mention-
ing the Tale of the F?-eins of Berwih, and the Daunce
of the DeirUy Si/nitis, has some general remarks, partly
suggested by this Poem, addressed to Queen Margaret,
by Dunbar, which I omitted elsewhere to quote : — " In
the works of those Northern makers of the fifteenth
century, there is a gay spirit, and an indication of jovial
manners, which forms a contrast to the covenanting
national character of subsequent times. The frequent
coarseness of this poetical gaiety, it would indeed be
more easy than agreeable to prove by quotations ; and,
if we could forget how very gross the humour of
Chaucer sometimes is, we might, on a general compa-
rison of the Scotch with the English poets, extol the
comparative delicacy of English taste; for Skelton hina-
self, though more burlesque than Sir David Lyndsay
in style, is less outrageously indecorous in matter. At
a period when James IV. was breaking lances in the
lists of chivalry, and when the Court, and Court poets
of Scotland might be supposed to have possessed ideas
of decency, if not of refinement, Dunbar at that period
addresses the Queen on the occasion of having danced
in her Majesty's chamber, with jokes which a beggar
wench of the present day would probably consider as
an offence to her delicacy." — (Specimens, &c. vol. ii.
p. 69.)
Page 301, note on line 24. Cuddy Ring.] Lines 6, &c.
of this note should read as follows : — " Which Pin-
kerton deciphered as ' cuddy-rung,' " and explained * a
cudgel ! ' In this he has been followed by Dr Jamie-
son, but the Poet evidently alluded to a person of the
name of Cuddy, and from the following notices in the
ADDITIONAL NOTKS AND COIiaECTIONS. 459
Treasurer's Accounts it appears that the name should
be Cuddy Rig, &c.
Page 307, line 8, " No notice of these black maidens,"
&c.] In the Treasurer's Accounts during the reign of
James the Fifth, I find, however, this entry, 1527,
August 22. • Item to Helenor, the blak moir, be the
Kingis precept, xls.'
Page 316, note on line 40. Ay ri/nnis the fox ^ quhill
he f lite liesr\ Knox, in his History of the Reformation,
in referring to some of Cardinal Betoun's proceedings,
also makes use of this proverbial expression, and says,
" Sa that the Scottis proverb was trew of him, * Sa
lang runes the Fox, as he fute hesJ " (P. 40, edit.
1732.)
Page 318.] See a specimen of such monkish lines in
• A Recantation of famous Pasquin of Rome,' Lond.
1370, quoted in the British Bibliographer, vol. ii. p. 289.
290. Also, in * Bonner's Dirge,' ib. 287.
Page 327, note on line 3. Gilletis.] Dunbar, in line
114, of his Tale of The Twa Married Women and the
Wedo, also uses gillof, as a wanton filly, or young
mare. Although Dr Jamieson, in quoting that obscure
but coarse line, has, by oversight, given a different
meaning to the word, not only the sense of the passage
referred to, but the whole strain of this petition, in
the assumed character of an old worn-out steed, places
the true interpretation beyond all doubt. Jillet is still
applied to a young giddy girl. Burns, in some verses
written in the prospect of his setting out for the West
Indies, says of himself, ' A Jillet brak his heart at last,
III mot she he .''
Page 328, note on line 32, driug and drttW''\ Dring,
460 ADDITIONAL NOTES AND COKRECTIONS.
in one of the copies, reads drup, but probably should
be drug, to pull or drag. Thus, in Gawin Douglas,
Richt ernistlie they wirk,
And for to drug and draw will neuer irk.
In the Complaynt of Scotland, it is said that ' Busiphal,'
" bed a brothir, who was grit, fayr, and gud lyik, hot
nochtheles the maist perfyit industreus horse dantars
of Macedon culd nocht gar him be veil bridilit nor
manerit in na comodius sort conuenient to serue ane
prince, quhar for he vas nocht treittit, bot rather de-
jekkit and chassit to the vyild barran feildis to seyk
his meyt, ande ofte tymes he vas put in anc cart to drug
and draw, quhar he vas euyl dung and broddit." —
P. -236.
Page 335, note on line 26. Nocht neidfull is men
sowld be dum.] Thus, Lyndsay, speaking from expe-
rience, says, —
" Bot, now I may weill understand
Ane dum man yit wan never land.
And, in the Court men gettis na thing,
Withoutin opportune asking." — (Vol. i. p. 255.)
GLOSSARY
TO DUNBAR'S POEMS.
THE GLOSSARY.
N. refers to the Notes, and the pages to Volume I., unless
when otherwise specified.
A, one.
A, al/.
Abaisit, abashed, confounded.
Abak, hack.
Abayd, delay.
Abbeit, habit, dress.
Abil, able.
Abone, abufe, above.
Adjutorie, helper, intercessor.
Adjutory, help, intercession.
Adred, in dread.
AfFeir, same as EfFeir.
AfFerit, afraid, terrified.
Afferitlye, affrightedly.
Affy, to consider ivith regard,
to esteem.
Aforrow, before.
Aganis, against.
Agast, frightened.
Ago, gone.
Ainon, anone.
Air, an heir.
Air, the, itinerant court of jus-
tice. See N. 293.
Aith, aithis, oath, oath.<;.
Aitis, oats.
Alkin, allkin, all hind, every
sort.
AUanerly, only, solely.
AUevin, alleged, admitted.
Allowit, jjraised, comviend-
ed.
AUutirly, entirely, wholly.
Almane, Germany.
Almery, a cupboard.
Abness, almouss, charitable.
Almess, almous, alms.
Almoner, a disposer of ahus.
Als, also, as, so.
Anamalit, adorned.
Anarmit, armed.
And, if.
Ane, one.
Anis, once.
Anis, asses.
Anterous, same as awnter-
ous.
A per se, A by itself, unique
in perfectin?i.
Aphrycane, Africa.
464
GLOSSARY.
Apill reneis. See N. 405.
Appinnit, happened.
Argone, to argue, to contend.
Armony, harmony.
Arteilye, artillery, weapons
ofoffe nee.
As, ass, ashes.
Ash-Weddinsday, the first
day of Lienl.
Ask, a kind of lizard.
Askaris, beggars.
Aspyit, espied, beheld.
Assalyeit, tried.
Astrologis, astrologers.
At, that.
Attanis, at once.
Atteir, attire, dress.
Attone, atonis, at once.
Attour, beside, over.
Audit, ought.
Aucht, jMssession, having
the property of.
Aunter, awnter, an adven-
ture, also to undertake.
Aureate, golden.
Avail, (p. 204,) abasement,
humiliation.
Averill, a term of reproach,
same as haverel, a poor
tiseless fellow.
Avenand, affable, elegant.
Aver, a horse.
Avyise, to advise, consider.
Awalk, awoilk, awake.
Awfrand, offering.
Awin, own.
Awnterous, bold, adventu-
rous, chivalrous.
Awppis, whappis, curlews.
Ay, ever, always.
B.
Babill, a fool's bauble.
Bace, bass.
Bad, desired, ordered.
Bae, bah t
Baggis, bags, or wealth.
Baggit horse. See N. 262.
Baid, residence, abiding.
Baill, bale, bailis, sorrow.
Baillfull, sorrowful.
Baird, a bard, or rhymer, used
in a reproachful sense.
Bairneheid, childhood.
Ballingaris, vessels of war.
Ban, to curse and swear.
Band, bandis, bond, bonds.
Bandoun, service, dominion,
Bandounit, abandoned.
Banning, cursing.
Bannist, banished.
Bard, (p. 84,) barred, shut.
Bargane, confiict, contention.
Barganeris, qiuirrellers, wrang-
lers. See N. 259.
Barkis, small vessels, barks.
Barkit, dried, tanned, en-
grained.
Barrass, barriers, lists.
Barrat, baret, contention, vex-
ation, trouble.
Barrow-tram, the pole or
shaft of a barrow.
Bartane, Britain.
Batteret, beaten.
Bauld, bold.
Bausy-handis, large, coarse
hands.
Bauthles, (p. 73,) ?
GLOSSARY.
465
Bawch, indifferent, distaste-
fid.
Bawd, bade.
Baxstar, a baker.
Beckis, see bek.
Bedene, immediately, quick-
It/.
Beft, give blows.
Begouth, began.
Behechtis, promises.
Behuifit, behud, behoved.
Bejaip, to deceive.
Beid, (vol. ii. p. 21.) be it.
Beikis, (j[).l50,)sameasbokis ?
the corner teeth of a horse.
Beild, abode, shelter, refuge.
Beild, festered.
Beir, noise made by the flight
of birds.
Beir, barley.
Beir, a bier.
Beisandis, certain pieces of
gold coin struck in France.
Beit, to help, to supply ; beit
the fire, to add fuel to it.
Bek, beckis, a bow, courtsy.
Bekking, bowing, cringing.
Bellamy, a boon companion.
Belly-blind, a person blind-
folded, or hoodwinked.
Belly-huddroun, a glutton.
Belyff, belyve, presently,
immediately, quickly.
Ben, the inner room ; within,
opposed to but, without.
Bend, a spring, a leap.
Bene, a bean, used for a thing
of no value.
Benefyce, benefeis, a bene-
fice.
Bennisoun, blessing.
VOL. II.
Bent, rushes, or coarse grass.
Berand, roaring, used for
snorting.
Berd, (v. ii. p. 54,) buried.
Beres, bears.
Beriall, brightest.
Berne, a person, a man.
Bertane, (p. 132,) Bretagne.
Beschawin, be shown.
Besene, bu^y, occu^ned, ac-
tive.
Bested, circumstanced.
Beswakkit, immersed, wal-
lowing.
Beswick, to deceive.
Betrasit, betrayed.
Betteis, stupid fellows ?
Betuix, betwixt, between.
Beuch, a bough.
Bewis, boughs.
Bewrie, to reveal.
Bicker, a wooden dish, also
used as a drinking cup.
Bid, to ask, to desire.
Biddis, withholds, stays.
Bikkar, bickering, attack,
skirmish.
Billie, a lover, companion.
Bill, billis, a writing, deeds.
Binkis, shelves.
Birkis, birch-trees.
Birneist, (v. ii. p. 12,) bur-
nished, picked clean.
Birnes, (p. 5Q,^ cuirass, or
liarness ?
Birnis, burns.
Bissart, a buzzard.
Bla, black and blue.
Blabbar, blabberis, to blether,
babble, make a noise.
^XawAit, flattered, soothed.
2 G
4G6
GLOSSAUV,
Blaw, blawand, blawin,
blawis, to blow.
Ble, (v. ii. p. 71,) complexion.
Bledder-cheikis, cheeks puff-
ed out like a bladder.
Bleir, bleris, to dim, to ob-
scure the sight ; bleir the 6,
to deceive ; bleir cit, blear-
ei/ed.
Blek, black, blacking.
Blekit, blackened.
Blenkis, blenkand, blenkit,
glances, blinking, glanced.
Blent, (p. \^2,^ glance, look.
Blynis, (p. 71») ceases.
Blythe, glad, cheerful.
Blythfullar, blyther.
Bodin, arrayed, dressed, p'o-
vided.
Bogill, a spectre, a goblin.
Boist, bost, boistis, bostit, to
threaten.
Boistaiis, threateners.
Bony, jjreiti/, beautiful.
Bony quhyle, (v. ii. p. 12,)
in a short ichile.
Borrow, (p. 151,) to pawn, to
lay aside.
Borrowit, (p. 247,) redeemed.
Bossis, bottles of earthen-
ware.
Bostis, threats ; see boist.
Bot, but, only, tvithout.
Botingis, bu.ikins.
Botkin, a small knife.
Botwand, a baton, or rod of
power.
Bonn, bownit, to dress, pre-
pare, make ready.
Bonn, bown, bound, to go, to
bend one's course.
Bour, chamber.
Bourd, a jest, light malter,
Bourdour, a jester.
Bousteous, rough, boisterous.
Bowdin, swelled.
Bowgle, the wildox, or buffalo.
Bowk, the body.
Bown, see boun.
Bowrde, to jest.
Bowsum, buxom, yielding,
obedierjt.
Braid, assault, a start, quick
motion.
Braidis of me, (p. 165,) turns
au^ay from me.
Braid up my head, to toss it
up like a high-mettled horse.
Braiss, braisit, to embrace,
embraced.
Brandeist, brandished.
Brankand, bedecked, dress-
ed gaily, swaggering.
Brankit, capered, pranced.
Brasli, an assault, an effort.
Bratill, a clattering noise.
Brattis, ragged children.
Brawlaris, disorderly persor^s.
Brawlis, tumults, violence.
Bray, an acclivity.
Brayd, breid, broad, open.
Brayd, braid, bred, started,
or .sprung away.
Breid, breadth. |"'
Breid of mayne. See N.SSfi.
Breif, breve, to compose, in-
dite, write.
Breikis, breeches.
Breikless, icithoid breeches.
Bremys, (p. 12) ?
Brether, brethren.
Breve, see breif.
GLOSSAKY,
467
Bribour, a greedy rascal, a
thief, loiv beggarly fellow.
Bricht, a young woman.
Briganedis, brigan, a brigand,
robbers.
Brikand, buddins.
Brint, burnt.
Briss, birss, bristles.
Brist, birstis, to burst.
Broddit, jagged, spurred.
Broudrit, embroidered.
Browstar, a breiver.
Brudermaist, most brother-
ly.
Bruikit. See N. 244.
Bruke, bruik, brukis, brui-
kit, to possess, enjoy.
Brukle, brukil, brittle.
Bruntstane, brimstone,
Brybour, same as bribour.
Brym,^^?-!:-^, violent.
Bud,buddis,g2/?,g//?5, bribes.
Buik, a book.
Buill, the bull.
Buird, burde, a board, table.
Buke, baked.
Bukky, a shell.
Bumbard, a lazy drone, dri-
veller.
Burch, bruch, borough town.
Burd claith, table cloth.
Burde of silk, a strip, or sel-
vidge of embroidered silk.
Burde, see buird.
Burdoun, a large staff with a
pike ; also a pilgrim's staff,
or baton.
Burgeoun, a bud, a shoot.
Burgh and land, iovm and
country.
Burreaw, a hangman.
Burrowstoun, a burgh town.
Busk, buskit, to dress, dress-
ed, adorned.
Bussis, bushes.
Bussome, (p. 37,) a besom,
Busteous, bustuous, rough,
boisterous, overbearing.
But, ivithout.
But, the outer apartment of a
house.
But dout, without doubt.
But weir, tvithout apprehen-
sion.
Bute, gift, advantage, covi-
pensation.
Bute, help, remedy.
Buthman, a small merchant,
or keeper of a booth or co-
vered stall.
Butis of leather, pieces of
tanned leather.
By, beside, without.
Byd, byde, bydand, to abide,
to wait, attend.
Cabeld yon cout, (p. 74,)
reined yon colt.
Cabroch-howis, lean, meagre
limbs.
Cace, cacis, chance.
CafF, chaff.
Cager-aviris, cadger horses.
Calche. See N. 401.
Caill, see kaill.
Cairl, carlis, a clown, rustic,
also a rude, surly fellow.
Cairt, caxUSfCard, cards.
468
GLOSSARY.
Cald, disease caused by cold.
Callandcris, (p. 145,)?
Calsay, the pavement.
Calyecot, Calicut, a town in
Hindostan, the first Indian
port visited by European
shifyping.
Campioun, champion.
Camroch, cambric.
Cankerit, cross, ill tempered.
Capircalyeane, the mountain
cock.
Cappil, a work-horse, a sorry
horse.
Caprousy, npper garment, or
short cloak with a cowl or
hood.
Carle, carlis, see cairl.
Carlich, belonging to a cairl.
Carlich, (p. 161,) churlish.
Carlingis, a contemptuous epi-
thet applied to old women.
Carpand, carpit, talking,
talked.
Carvouris, carvers, scidptors.
Carybald carle, a crabbed
scurvy old fellow.
Cassyne, cast.
Castingis, cast-off clothes.
Cauld, cold.
Cawf, a calf.
Cayne, Cain.
Cedull, .whedule, uriting.
Celicall, celestial.
Chaftis, the jaws, chops.
Chaip, escape.
Chakmait. See N. 341.
Chalmarer, chamberlain.
Chalmir, chamir, a chamber.
Chapell-clerkis. See N. 224.
Chapman, a merchant.
Char, on, on edge.
Cheif, head of a clan or fa ■
mily.
Cheip, cheipit, to squeak.
Cheis, choose.
Chenyeis, chains.
Chevist, acquired.
Choip, the chops.
Choll, the jaws.
Chuff, a clown, churl.
Chukkit, chuckled, fondled.
Churl, a slave, villain, or
bondsman.
Chymyp, houses.
Chyre, (v. ii. p. 10,) cheer,
entertainment.
Cinque and sice, at dice.
Clais, clayis, clothes.
Clam-schellis, scallop shells,
as worn by pilgrims.
Clappit, placed.
Clasches, reviles, vses terms
of reproach.
Clatteraris, tattlers, tale-
bearers.
Clattir, clattiris, to taitle, to
maJie a noise.
Claver, clover.
Clawcht, seized, raised up.
Clayth-knapparis, cloth-clip-
pers.
Cleif. See N. 332.
Cleik, cleikis, cleikit, to seize,
draw to one's self.
Clek, to hatch.
Clewchis, ravines, narrow
glens.
Clip, (v. ii. p. 29,) a colt.
Clipis, clippit, to call.
Clippis, eclipse.
Clippit, embraced.
GLOSSARY.
469
Cloddis, to throw clods.
Clois, inclosure.
Clour, a lump, tumour.
Clout, clowtis, a clout, pieces,
or shreds of cloth.
Cloutit, patched.
Clowis, claws.
Clowiss, cloves.
Cluccanes, grippers, persons
who seize with violence.
Cluik, a claw,
Cluvis, hoofs.
Clynkand, jingling.
Coft, bought.
Coilyear, Rauf. See N. 333.
Coive, cave.
Cokill, cockles, shell-fish, scal-
lop.
Cokkilby's Sow, or Cokel-
bie's Gryce. See N. 240.
CoUapis, coUops, mincedmeat.
Collatioun, (p. 156,) a feast,
banquet.
Collep, (p. 52,) some hind of
drinking cup.
CoUeveris, (p. 149,) coal,
heavers.
Commerwald, hen-q)ecked.
Communing, conversation or
dialogue.
Compt, an account, reckoning.
Comptis, reckons, accounts.
Conding, condign, worthy.
Contort, comfort.
Conquys, acquire.
Conserf, preserve.
Contrair, against, contrary/ to.
Conwoy, mein, carriage.
Cope, copis, a cup for drink-
ing ; plajdt cop out, to
drifik off all that is in a cup.
Corce, corses, crosses, mo-
ney.
Corchat, crotchet in music
Cor mundum, the beginning
of one of the Penitential
Psalms, — ' Cor mundum
ere a in me.'
Corpis, corse, body.
Correnoch. See N. 264.
Cors, the Cross, in tlie market-
place.
Coud, same as couth.
Coumpt, same as compt.
Counyie, coin, and hence
circulation.
Counyie, (p. 52,) apprehen-
sion.
Couth, could, was able.
Covanis, (p. 156,) company?
Cowclinkis, harlots.
CowiFyne, pretty little cow.
Cowhubby, a cow-herd, a
booby.
Cowit noddill, shaven or bald
head.
Cowkin-kenseis, idlebeggarsf
Cowp, a drinking cup.
Crabbit, crabbed, peevish.
Craft, trade, profession.
Craftis, 7nen of craft, trades-
men.
Crag, craig, the neck, throat.
Craig, cragis, rock, rocks.
Craikaris, crakkaris, boasters.
Crak, cTakkls,boasti)igwords,
talk.
Cramasee, crimson, usually
applied to velvet.
Craudoun, crawdones, cow-
ard, cou'ards.
Creill, a wicker basket.
470
GLOSSARY.
Creische, grease, fat.
Cria, a public recantation,
Crockis, old ewes.
Crok, a dwarf.
Crooned, murmured, or sung
in a low tune.
Crop, cropt, the top.
Crop and rute, branch and
root.
Cropand craw, croaking rook.
Croppis, branches.
Crownis of wecht, gold coins.
See N. 352.
Crowse, brisk.
Crudis, curds.
Crute, a hogs-stye.
Cruik, crukit, crooked, lame-
ness.
Cruke, circle.
Cry, (p. 193,) for a short
space.
Cryaris, public criers.
Crynit, crynd, contracted,
drawn together.
Cuchcttis. See N. 247.
Cuddy King. See N. 301
and 458.
Cuir, ciiiris, cure, benefices.
Cuke, cukis, a cook, cooks,
Culroun, scoundrel.
Cumis, becomes.
Cummer, cummeris, female
gossips.
Cummer, cummerit, trouble,
encumber, encumbered.
Cummerlyke, like gossips.
Cun, to know, also to taste.
Cuningar, more expert.
Cunnand, knotving, expert,
skilful.
C'unnaris, tasters.
Cunyie, same as counyie.
Cunyngis, rabbits.
Cunyouris, coiners.
Curch, curches, head-dress,
kerchief.
Cure, ciiris, a benefice ; also
business, profession.
Curledoddy, a wild plant.
Cursing, excommnnicatio7i.
Cursing, coursing, hunting
with greyhounds.
Cursouris, coursers.
Curries knaiff. See N. 309.
Cury, cookery.
Cutis, the ancles.
D.
Dart, foolish, giddy,
Dandel}', used to signify one
who is spoiled, by being too
much made of.
Dane, gentle, dainty ?
Dang, knocked at, struck.
Danger, (p. 144,) same as
denger.
Danskyn, Denmark.
Dantis, dantit, to subdue.
Darth, dearth, scarcity.
Daseyne, (p. 240,) the daisy f
Dautit, made much of
Daw, see slute-daw.
Daw, dawing, dawn, dawn-
ed; up daw, rose up.
Dearch, a dwarf.
Defame, infamy, shame, dis-
grace.
Deflord, disfigured.
Degest, composed, grave, se-
date.
GLOSSARY.
471
Did, dedee, Death.
Deid, deed.
Deiff, to deave, deafen.
Deill, deal.
Deill, the Devil.
Deir, do harm, injury.
Deirance, injury.
Deiris, (p. 144,) encourages,
renders bold f
Delyverlie, nimbly, quickly.
Demane, (p. 205,) to mal-
treat.
Deme, dame, mother.
Deme, to censure, to judge,
to condemn.
Deming, damning, censu-
ring.
Denger, (p. 223,) coyness,
reserve.
Densmen, Danes.
Depaynt, painted.
Depurit, purified.
Deray, noise, disorder.
Derene, derenyeit, to disor-
der.
Derne, in secret, (p. 239,)
in darkness.
Detressit, hanging in tresses.
Devit, deafened.
Devoyd, to divest, lay aside.
Devyiss, device, counsel.
Devysit, contrived.
Deyne, disdain.
Dicht, to dress, to prepare,
to make ready.
DiU, (p. 176,) deill?
Ding, condign, worthy.
Ding, to strike.
Dink, saucy, nice, precise ;
also gay.
Dirige, the funeral service,
from the first word in the
5th Psalm, sung in the Office
for the dead.
Dirk, dirkness, dark, dark-
71 CSS
Dirkin. See N. 273.
Dirkit, darkened, obscured.
Discryve, to describe.
Discure, to discover.
Diseis, uneasiness.
Diserth, (vol. ii. p. 76) ?
Disheris, to disinherit.
Disjone, breakfast.
Disperne, to disperse.
Dispone, to dispose, make
ready.
Dispulit, despoiled.
Disteynit, stained.
Diurn, daily.
Dogonis, (p. S9'3,) followers f
Dollin, buried.
Dolour, grief
Dome, judgment.
Donk, donkit, dank, moist,
moistened.
Dost, updost, decked, dressed.
Dot, state of stupor.
Dotit, stupid, confused.
Doun-thring, to overturn,
throw down.
Dour, obstinate.
Dourly, obstinately.
Do wait, take heed.
Dowbart,a dull, spiritless fel-
low.
Dowblett, doublat, a short
jacket, or under coat.
Dowis, doves.
Dowkar for to dregg it, a di-
ver to drag, or fish it up.
Dowsy, a dull stupid fellotv.
472
GLOSSARY.
Draft", brewer's grains.
Draik and duik, drake and
duck.
Draikit, same as drawkit.
Dram, sullen, melancholy.
See N. 297.
Drawkit, drenched, draggled.
Dre, to suffer, endure.
Dreid, but, doubtless.
Dreipis, to drop.
Drene, constant repetition.
Dress, to go forth, to prepare
for leaving.
Drest, provided.
Drevellis, drivellers 1
Dring, to drag slowly.
Droich, droichis, a dwarf.
Drowp, drup, to droop.
Drowp, drupe, afeebleperson.
Drowth, drought, thirst.
Drublie, gloomy, troubled.
Drug, druggit, to pull forci-
bly.
Dryfe, dryvis, to spend.
Dryvand, driving, riding
quickly.
Dub, gidter, shallow water.
Duddis, ragged clothes.
Duddroun, sloven, drab.
Duid, (v. ii. p. 53,) do it.
Duilfull, sorrowful.
Dukis, diwks.
Dulce, sweet.
Dulcely, sweetly.
Dule, grief, sorrow.
Dule, to grieve, to lament.
DuUit, dulled, obscured, stu-
pified.
Dully, doleful, melanclwly ;
dully glennis, lonely, soli-
tary glen.
Durf's, (p. 17,) harm, injury.
Duris, durris, doors.
Dwalme, dwawmes, sudden
fit of sickness, swooning.
Dwalming, squeamishncss.
Dyk, (p. GI,) a fence.
Dynarit the fowlis, (p. 61,)
the birds -made a cJieerful
din or 7ioise ?
Dyng, see ding.
Dynk, .see dink.
Dyouris, bankrupts.
Dysour, a gambler, otte who
plays at dice.
Dyt, a discourse, writing.
Dyte, endyte, to compose in
verse, to make verses.
Dytis, indicts, accuses.
Dyvour, banh-upt.
E.
E, eye.
Effeir, eflfeiris, condition, qua-
lities,
Effeiris, effeirand, befits, re-
lating to, conformable to.
Effek, effect.
Effray, to affright, terrify.
Efterhend, after, afterwards.
Eik, eke, also.
Eikit, increased.
£ild, eld, age, oldage.
Eit, see bleir.
Eith, easy.
Eldaris, predecessors.
E Idnyng, jealousy.
Ellis, else.
Elricli, expressing relation to
evil spirits, elvish.
GLOSSARY.
473
Elyk, alike.
Eme, uncle, mother^ father.
Enarmit, armed.
Enchesoun, blame, exceidion.
Endlang, lengthways.
Endyte, see dyte.
Ene, eyes.
Ensence, to offer incense.
Erd, eird, the Earth.
Erd, erdit, to inter, buried.
Ern, ernis, the eagle.
Ersche, Erische, Irish, or
Gaelic.
Ersche men, apjdied to High-
landers.
Eschame, ashamed.
Ess, ace in dice.
Estin, eastern.
Evill-dredie, given to evil
deeds.
Exercing, exercising.
Expreme, expreming, ex-
premit, to express.
Exul, exiled, banished.
Exulyife, (p. 234)?
Faikles, weak.
Faily6, tofail.
Faine, to feign.
Fair, fare, to go, to pass, to
proceed.
Fais, foes.
Fald, (p. 150,) same as £o\di.
Faldis, folds.
Fallow, to equal, to put on a
footing with.
Falset, falsehood.
Fait, default, indigence.
Fane, fain, desirous, eager,
fond.
Fang, to embrace, to seize,
to lay hold of.
Fang, the hand.
Fannoun, a scarf worn on
the left arm of an officia-
ting priest at Mass.
Farcy, well-fed, crammed.
Fare, behaviour.
Fare, fame, to fare, fared.
Farlet, same as ferleit.
Farlyis, wonders.
Fartingaillis, afardingale, or
woman's hoop.
Fary, tumult, bustle.
Fary, fairy.
Fassoun, fashion.
Fassoun, address, politeness,
Fasternis-evin, the even pre-
ceding the first day of the
fast of Lent.
FasUt, fasted.
Fazart, a coward, dastard.
Fecht, fight, battle.
¥eid, feud, enmity.
Feile, knowledge.
Feill, numerous, many.
Feir, feature.
Feir oi weir, prepared for war.
Feir, fere, feres, feyris, com-
panion, companions, mate.
Feiris, companionship.
Fek, a considerable part.
Fell, to befall.
Fellone, felloun, violent, ex-
treme, fierce ; also strange.
Felye, tofail.
Fend, to defend, provide for.
Fenyeis, fenyeit, fenis, to
feign.
474
GLOSSARY.
Fenyouris, deceivers.
Fepillis, quivering of the
under-lip.
Ferd, ia'w A, fourth.
Ferleit, wondered.
Ferly, wonder, wonderfid.
Fers, fierce.
Festnit, fastened.
Festuall, festival.
Feth reme, feathering, or dress
made offeatJiers.
Fetrit, fastened.
Feure, furrow iii cornfields.
Fewte, fealty.
FM, filled.
Fillok. See N. 405.
Fillok, a little filhj.
Firth, frith, frithis, a forest,
woods.
Flaggis, fianlis or sides ?
Flane, flayn, a shaft, an ar-
row.
Flap, a stroke.
Flawe, flew.
Flawmc, to baste.
Fie, to dispel, to put to flight.
Fleichit, prevailed upon bij
entreatii,flattercd, wheedled.
Fleicliouris, flatterers.
Fleit,flete,y/ee^ cpdck ; down-
fleit, (p. 214,) dropping.
Fleit, (p. 248,) frightened,
terrified.
Fleine, flomis, fleniit, to ba-
nish, banishes, expelled.
Flescliour, a butcher.
Flete, to flow.
Flett, scolded, see Flyte.
Flicht and wary, change and
fluctuate.
Flingaris, dancers.
Flocht, fluttered, state of
fluctuation.
Flouris, flgurativeh/ signifies
youth, or the prime of life.
Fl udder, to cajole, also to be
in a hustle.
Flyrdis, fiirts, or gibes f
Flyrit, (p. 65)?
Flyrok, a deformed person ?
Flyte, to scold, inveigh.
Flyting, .scolding; usedalsoas
a name for a jjoetical con-
test.
Fog, moss.
Foirbearis, predecessors, an-
cestors.
Foirstairis, outer-stairs, stairs
projecting into the street.
Fold, earth, the earth.
Folie, foolish, foolishness.
I'^olkis, people.
Fon, to play, to fondle.
Forcryit, worn out with cry-
ing.
Forcye, valiant, full of
strength.
Forfairn, decayed, wasted.
Forfare, forfair, to perish, to
be lost.
Forgit, fashioned.
Forknokit, fatigued with
knocking.
a .strong
able-
Forky-fure,
bodied nmti.
Forlane, importunate.
Forleit, to forsake.
Forloir, (p. 161,) utterly lost,
forlorn ; (p. 2o'i,) to become
useless from languor.
Forloppin, vagabond, fugi-
tive.
GLOSSARY.
475
Furrow, time past.
Fors, (p. 160,) to care; of
fors, i>f necessity.
Forschoir, (p. 253,)dejected.
Forsy, same as forcye.
Forth wart, forward.
Forthy, therefore.
Fortys, stoid.
For way it, wandered.
Forworthin, execrable, uti-
luorlhy.
Foryett, forget, forgotten.
Fow, _/«//, also drunken.
Fowtii, abundance, at large.
Yowyr, four.
Frak, pass over, move swiftly.
Fralikar, viore active, vigor-
ous.
Frane, franit, to inquire.
Fra thyne, henceforth.
FrawfuU, froward, untoward.
Fray, fear, terror, fright.
Fray, disturbance.
Freik, a petulant, for ward fel-
low.
Frely, (p. 198,) ejitirely, com-
pletely.
Fremmit, foreign, strange.
Frith, same as firth.
Fro, from.
Frog, a upper coat, frock.
Frustir, vain, unavailing.
Frustir, to render useless, de-
stroy.
Fudder. See N. 260.
Fuili, fulle, a fool.
Fuilles, Fools. Sec N. 310.
Fullfilld,^//ef//?^//.
Fulyeit,/fl//ef/.
Fur, same as fair, went.
Fure, a furrow.
Fure, (p. 60,) fared.
Fure, ^ceforky.
Furtheyit, to pour out.
Furthy, forward, courageous;
also, ready of speech,
Futher, same as fudder.
Fyiftene, fifteenth.
F} le, fyld, to defile.
Fyne, the enl.
Fynance. See N. 432.
Fynkle, fennel.
Fyre-flaucht, lightning, wild-
fire.
G.
Ga, gais, to go, goes.
Gadderit, gathered.
Gaist, (p. 159,) a jest.
Gait, way, manner.
Gait, gaittis, public street,
streets.
Gait, way, road.
Gait, manner ofivalking.
Gammaldis, gambols, capers.
Gamountis, capers, gambols.
Ganand, fit, proper.
Gan, (v. ii. p. 43) ?
Gane, face, countenance ?
Gane, ganyt, to serve, suffice.
Gane will, gone astray.
Gang, to go, to walk; also
gait.
Gangarel, a stroller ?
Ganyie, gainyeis, a dart,
arrows.
Gar, ger, gart, garris, to order,
cause, causes.
Gardyvians, a cabinet, cup-
board.
476
GLOSSARY.
Garesoun, a compant/, body
of troops.
Garsoun, servant.
Gartane, a garter.
Garth, an inclosure, garden.
Gaude-flore, (p. 243,) allu-
ding to some words in the
invocation to the Virgin,
Gaude Maria!
Gawf, a loud, violent laugh.
Gawsy, slawsy, (v. ii. p. 29) ?
Gay, (v.. ii. p. 35,) indiffer-
ently good.
Geir, goods, effects, substance,
money.
Geit, (V. ii. p. 11,) same as
gett, fetch.
Geit, (p. 68,) a cinder.
Gekkis, signs of derision.
Gend, playful.
Genner, to engender.
Gentrice, honourable birth.
Gersomes, sums paid at the
entry of a lease.
Gett, feyndis, (v. ii. p. 74,)
child (fthe devil.
Gib, name given to a male cat.
Gild, (v. ii. p. 74,) clamour,
noise.
Gillot, gillotis. See N. 327
and 459.
Girnall-ryver, robber of a
granary.
Glaiking, folly, waidonness,
caprice.
Glaikis, to give the, to put a
trick or cheat on a person.
Glaikit, wanton, foolish, ca-
• pricious.
Glamir, (p. 101,) deception
sight.
Glar, mud.
Glaschand game, err. for
gaine, (p. 144) ?
Glaschfw-licidit, (p. 143) ?
Gie-nien, minstrels.
Gled, gk'ddis, the kite.
Gledaris, persons like kites.
Glen, glennis, a valley.
Glete, glitter.
Glowir, glour, to stare.
Glude, (v. ii. p. 78,) slip-
pery ?
Gluder, to cajole.
Gnap, gnapparis, to catch
hold of, catchers.
Gnip, gnyp, to crop, to gnaw,
to ?iip.
Golk, gowk, the cuckoo, a
foolish person.
Gome, a man.
Gorge-millaris, (p. 143)?
Gove, goif, govit, to gaze
ivith eagerness.
Gousty, tempestuous.
Gowk, see golk.
Gowkit, gukkit,yoo/«//.
Gowles, wild marygolds.
Gowlis, gules, a heraldic
term.
Gowsty, desolate, dreary.
Graffin, buried.
Graine, grayne, the branch
of a tree, also, the stem of
a plant.
Graith, substance, all kinds
of instruments.
Graith, grathit, to dress up,
prepare, arrayed.
Graithly, readily.
Gr£in(\schyre,grandsire, fore-
father.
GLOSSARY.
477
Grane, granis, to groan,
groans.
Grathing, making ready,
preparing.
Grayth, see graith.
Greis, degrees at a University.
Grene, to lo7ig, wish for.
Grie, wan the, gained the
prize.
Grip, see gryp.
Grippis, embrace.
Gronkaris, sharpers.
Grufe, on growfe, with the
face flat to the ground.
Grume, a man-servant.
Grund, ground.
Grundyn, sharpened.
Gruntill, the snout.
Grunyie, a grunt, used in a
ludicrous sense for the
mouth.
Gryce, pig, pigs.
Gryp, to lay hold of, to seize.
Gudame, grandmother.
Gudschir, grandfather.
Guerdoun, reward.
Gukkit, same as gowkit.
Gule-snowt, yellow-snout.
Gulsoch, the jaundice, the yel-
low sickness; also voracious
appetite.
Gy, to guide.
Gy, Sir Guy, of Rmnance.
Gydis. See N. 343; but
might have been applied to
dress or attire.
Gyiss, gys, a mask, disguise ;
also, guise, fashion.
Gyn, engine for war, or great
gun.
Gyng, gang.
Gyrnd, grinned.
Gyrss, girsis, grass, grasses.
Gysaris. See N. 256, and
258.
a
Habitakle, habitation, dwell-
ing-place.
Hable, able.
Hadder, heather.
Haggeis, a well-known Scot-
ish dish.
Haggerbaldis, coarse feeders.
Haill, entire, whole.
Haire, hoary, with age.
Halflinges, half
Halk, the hawk.
Hals, the throat, neck.
Hals, halsit, halsing, to hail,
hailed, saluted.
'Hdlok-lass, giddy, crazy girl. .
Haltane, haughty.
Hand, fra, forthwith, imme-
diately ; also, out of hand.
Hand, tak on, to engage, un-
dertake.
Hankersaidillis, anchorites.
Hansell, gift.
Hanyt, not exhausted by la-
bour.
Hap, to cover up.
Hap, chance.
Hapshaklit, applied to a horse
or cow, with the head fasten-
ed to the forefoot, to keep
from straying.
Hard, heard.
Hardely, boldly, with confix
dence.
Hardly, scarcely.
478
GLOSSARY.
Harle, liarlis, haiUt, to drag,
trail.
Harlot, harlottis, an oppro-
brious term furmerly applied
to a worthless person of ei-
ther sex.
Hariiies, sufferings.
Harnis, brains,
Harth, ^;/-oi. harsk, sharp,
harsh.
Haschbaldis, gluttons:
Hatlie,(p. 69,) a suddcnpain.
Having, behaviour.
Haw, (v. ii. p. 71,) hollow.
Hawkit, .streaked.
Hawtane, haughty, 2-''°"f^>
lofty.
He, high.
Ileclit, liicht, named.
Hcclit, swore, promised.
Hechtis, offers, promises.
Heft, a handle, hilt of a wea-
pon.
Hegeis, hedges.
Heildit, helit, covered over,
concealed.
Heill, health.
Heill, the heel.
Heillip, haughty, proud.
Heird, hear it.
Heir doun, (p. 142,) here
below, in this lower v'orld.
Hcis, to e.ralt, gcntlj/ raise up.
Helit, same as heildit.
Helland scheckaris, ragga-
muffms.
Hende, same as heynd.
Herbere, a garden.
Herberye, herbreit, herbryt,
to lodge, to harbonr, give
reception to.
Heneit, liareit, plundered,
robbed.
Hewand, hewing, worJdng.
Hewd, of hue, complexion.
Heynd, a skilful person, also
expert, exercised.
Iliddowus, hideous, terrible.
Hicht, grit, great pride.
Hiddill, in secret.
Hiddy-giddy, hither and thi-
ther, V]) and doirn.
Hie, uphie, to raise, to exalt.
Hie-gait, highway.
Hiear, higher.
Hint, hynt, hynting, to catch,
lay hold of.
Hirklis, j)rob. hirchillis, .ihi-
vers.
Hirplis, hirpland, halts, halt-
ing.
Hobbill-clowtar, a cobbler, a
clumsy vw7ider of shoes.
Hobillschowe, confused noise,
great uproar.
Hoist, a cough.
Holene-tree, holyn, holly.
Holtis, iroods, high grounds.
Holkit, hollowed.
Hommelty-jommelty, clum-
sy and confused.
Hone, delay, stop.
Hony-came, honey-comb,
Hony gukkis, (v. ii. p. 29)?
Hony-soppis, sojjs made with
honey.
Iloppir-hippis, lanh, shrunk
about the hips.
Hostand, coughing,
Hostillar, an innkeeper.
Hostillry, an inn.
IIoup, hope.
GLOSSARY.
479
Ilouris, viorning orisons.
Hous, (p. 150,) housing, or
saddlecloth.
Hovit, tarried.
Howlat, the owl.
Howphyn, darling.
Iluche, a deep ragged valley,
or small glen.
H uckstaris, huckster-women.
Huddit-craw, the carrion-
crow.
Huddroun, slovenly, disor-
derly.
Hud- pykis, misers.
Hummellis, drones.
Hungert, hungry.
Hunny, honey.
Hunyit, sweet, honeyed.
Hurcheoun, the hedge-hog.
Hurde, a hoard.
Hurdaris, hoarders.
Hurklis, crouched together,
coiitracted.
Hurkland-banis, bones in a
ricketty state.
Hurle-bawsy, (v. ii. p. 29) ?
Husbandis, husbandmen.
Hutit, hooted, derided.
Hyd, skin
Hye, haste.
Hye, high.
Hyne, hyn, from hence.
Hyne fair, to go hence.
Ilynt, hynting, see hint.
Hyre, hire, wages.
Jack, short coat-of-mail.
Jagit, pricked, struck.
Jaipit, scorned, dei-ided.
Janglaris, jangelours, wrang-
lers, talkative, disputatious
persons.
Jangle, the cry of the jay.
Ichane, (vol. ii. p. 29 ) ?
Jevellis, perhaps drunkards ?
see jow-jowrdane.
Jevellouris, jailors.
Ilk, each.
Ilk, ^the same.
Ukane, every one.
lllustare, illustrious.
Impesche, to hinder.
Impyre, government.
Ind, in it, into it.
Indeficient, not deficient, as-
sured.
Indoce, indost, indorsed.
Infek, jjerhaps from feck, or
feik, vigour, done infek,
deprived of strength ?
Infratour, (p. 134), in the
guise of a monk ?
Ingle, the fire.
Inglis, English.
Ingyne, genius, wit, intel-
lect, ability.
Ingynouris, ingenious per-
sons, men of ability.
Inlaik, deficiency.
Innis, dwelling, lodging.
Innoportoun, untimely.
Inthrang, to thrust, intrude.
John Thomsonis Man. See
N. 297.
John the Reif. See N. 233.
Joisis, josit, to enjoy.
JoktheFule. See N. 321.
Jow, jowis, a Jew, Jews.
Jow, juggler.
480
GLOSSARY.
Jow-jowrdano yhedit jevel-
lis, literalhj fellows resem-
bling overflowing chamber-
pots.
Jowrdane, a cliamber-pot.
Irke, to tire.
Irkit, troubled.
Irnis. See N. 243.
Ische, to issue, to go out.
Ische, to burst forth.
JufFeler, shuffler.
Jupert, jeopardy.
Jure, jurisprude7ice, law.
Jympis, quirks.
K.
Kahute, cabin of a ship.
Kaill, broth, made of greens ;
also, cabbage, colewort.
Kan, a can or dish for hold-
ing liquor.
Keik, to peep, to look tenth
a prying eye.
Keild, (v. ii. p. 82,) or keill,
marked ivith ruddle ?
Kell, cawl, or hinder part of
a womaris cap.
Kemd, combed.
Ken, kennis, kend, to knoiv.
Kenrik, same as kynrick.
Kensies, froimrd fellows ?
Kepar, one who catches at a
thing.
Keppis, catches, intercepts.
Kerse, cresses.
Kervit. See N. 242.
Ketclie, see caiche.
Ketche-pillaris, sharpers nt
the game of Caiche.
Kethat, a cassock, robe.
Kevillis, sorry fellows.
Kewis, good mannei'S, good
qualities.
Kill, kiln.
Kirkmenis, churchmen.
Kist, a chest.
Kittie, a lewd woman.
Kittock, a little kittie.
Knackettis. See N. 402.
Knaip, knave, servant.
Knak, mock or jest.
Knapparis, knaves, or steal-
ers?
Knaw, knawis, to know.
Knitchell, a small bundle.
Knoppis, buds.
Knowll-tais, toes swelled at
the joints.
Knj'p, knip, to grip, to catch
at. See N. 327.
Kokenis, (p. 146,) same as
cowkenseis ? idle beggars,
or froward fellows ?
K.rhp,Jinc linen, cobweb lawn.
Kyn, kynd, kindred.
Kj'iid, kyndness, kind, par-
ticular nature.
Kynrick, kingdom.
Kyth, kythit, toshow, shown,
appeared.
L.
Laidis, laddis, lads, boys.
Laif, the rest.
Laip, to lap.
Lair, learning,
Lait, let.
Laitli, loath, reluctant.
GLOSSARY.
481
Laith and wraith, disgust
and anger ?
Laithly, loathsomely.
Laitis, manners, behaviour,
Lak, lakkis, wants, is defi-
cient of.
Land it, possessed of land.
Landwart, inward, of, or be-
lo7iging to the country.
Langit, belonged.
Langsum, longsome, tedious.
Lang syne, long ago.
Lanis, conceals.
Lap, leaped.
Larbar, larbaris, ivom-out,
impotent persons; also tor-
pid, ghastly, sluggish.
Largess. See N. 281.
Largness, bounty, liberality.
Lasar, leisure.
Lat, same as let.
Lathand, loathsome, detest-
able.
Lathit, latlJ}it, detested,
loathed.
Laverock, the lark.
Law, low.
Lawd, (p. 149,) persons of
low rank.
Lawis, brings low.
Lawry, lawryr, laurel.
Lawte, loyalty.
Le, quiet, jjeace.
Leche, a physician.
Lechecraft, surgical skill.
Leich, the French. See
N. 237.
Leid, learning, knowledge.
Leid, lied.
Leill, true, lawful, faithful.
Leinds, leans, inclines to.
VOL. II.
Leir, leyr, leiris, leirit, to
learn, learns, learned,
taught.
Leis, lies.
Leische, scourge, lash.
Leiss me, an expression of
desire.
Leit, to let on, pretend.
Leit, to permit, allow.
Leme, lemand, to gleam,
shining.
Lemmane, a sweetheart, or
lover, apjilied to either sex.
Lemys, sunbeams, shines.
Len, to lend.
Lendis, the loins.
Lentron, the season of Lent.
Leonyne, lion-like, courage-
ous.
Lerd, leirit, taught, learned.
Lergnes, same as largness.
Lesingis, lies, falsehoods,
zintruths.
Lessoun, (p. 208,) /^es^ewzng.
Let, hinderance.
Leuch, lewche, luche, to
laugh.
Lever, levir, rather.
Leveray, reward.
Levis, lives.
Ley, to lie.
Leyr, see leir.
Libberia, (v. ii. p. 20)? a
large slick, or baton, but
the word itself is doubtful.
Lichtit, alighted.
Lichtleit, slighted, underva-
lued.
Lifly, lively.
Lift, the fimnament.
Lig, liggit, to lye, to dwell.
2h
482
GLOSSARY,
Li miliar, an opprobrious epi-
thet applied to either sex,
as knave, scoundrel, jade.
Lind, see lyiid.
Lippened, lippinit, trusted,
confided.
Lipper-men, lepers.
Lisk, the flank or groin.
List, to will, to please.
Lob-avoir, a lubberli/ aver
or horse ?
Loiffit, praised.
Loik- hearted, compassionate,
tender-hearted.
Loikman, public executioner.
Lollard, one who adhered to
the doctrines of IVt/cliffc, a
heretic. See N. 445.
Lollerdy, heresy.
Loppin, leapt.
Losingeris, lying flatterers.
Losin sarkis, (vol. ii. p. 24)?
Loun, lown, lownis, a worth-
less fellow.
Lounry, villany.
Louss, lowis, to release.
Lout, same as lowt.
Lovery, reward, bounty.
Loving, lovyngis, praise,
praises.
Low, aflame.
Lowrit, looked ci'aftily.
Lowry, a fox, hence a crafty
fellow.
Lowsit, let loose , discharged.
Lowt, loutit, to stoop.
Lucerne, a lamp.
Luche, see leuch.
Lude, loved.
Lufray, bounty.
Luikit, looked.
Lumbart, (p. 74,) a money-
dealer ?
Lunyie, the loins.
Lurdane, lurdoun, a sot, lazy
person.
Lure, to come to, a term of
falconry.
Luschbald, a lazp fellow.
Lustiness, beauty, perfec-
tion.
Lusty, pleasant, delightful.
Lute, let, permitted.
Lut-schulderis, stooping-
shoulders.
Luttaird-bak, bowed-back.
Lyart, grey.
Lj'flett, pension, means of
subsistence.
Lykand, grateful, pleasing,
acceptable.
Lymmer, see limmar.
Lymmerful, sturdy.
Lynd, linden, lime-tree.
Lynd, the line, equator.
Lyne, to lie.
LjTinage, linege, lineage,
descent.
Lyntall, the lintel.
Lyre, the skin.
Lyte, a little.
Lythis, listen.
M.
Mack, see mak.
Macul, blemish, defect.
Magryme, megrim, a disorder
in the head.
Malioun, Jllahomnied ; also
the Devil.
GLOSSARY.
483
Maik, a mate, companion.
Maikless, matchless.
Mailis, duties, rents.
Mailyeis, coat of mail, net-
work.
Maister, one who has taken
his degree of A. M. at a
University.
Mak, mack, make, fashion
habits.
Mak, makking, to make, to
compose verses.
Makaris, makers, poets.
Makdom, elegance of shape.
Makfadyane. See N. 264.
Makovvie, Fyn. See N.411.
Mal-eis, trouble, uneasiness.
Maling, malign.
Malisone, a malediction, a
curse.
Malvesy, Malmsey wine.
Man, mon, must.
Mandragis, mandrakes.
Mangit, (p. 63,) vianged,
scabbed.
Mannace, threatening.
Markis, sign to a warrant.
Marrit, confounded, marred.
Marrow, mate, partner.
Matutyne, morning.
Maugre, discountenance, in
despite of.
Mavis, the thrush.
Mav, a young zvoman.
Mayne-breid. See N. 386.
Meid. See N. 364.
Meid, medis, meadows.
Meit-revaris, pilferers of meat.
Mekle, mekill, much, great
Mell, mellis, mellit, to med-
dle, to mingle.
Mell, (p. 63,) to last, endure.
Mell-heidit, a head like a
mallet, beetle -headed.
Mellie, contest, battle.
Mendis, amends, satisfaction.
Mene, to pity ; also to com-
plain.
Menis, means, substance.
Menkit, matched.
Mensk, (p. 74,) manners?
Menstrallis, minstrels, musi-
cians.
Mensworne, jjerjiired.
Menyie, a multitude, a com-
pany, forces.
Menyie, (p. \07,)hurt, vuiim.
Menys, pities.
Merk, merkit, to pass over,
draw near.
Merle, the blackbird.
Merse, a mast.
Mess, the service of the Mass.
INIessan, a lap-dog; messan-
tyk, a cur, a house-dog.
Methis, (p. 22,) to come
within our bounds.
Mett, met, measure.
Meyne, same as mene.
Michane, the maw ?
Midding, a dunghill.
Middis, the midst, middle.
Militant, (p. 251)?
Mir, myrrh.
Miss, (p. 2S3,) faults.
Mist, missed.
Mister, need, necessity.
Misterful, needy.
Misters, needs, requires.
Molet, the bit of a bridle.
Mon, mone, mu^t,
Monsouris, Monsieurs.
484
GLOSSARY.
Mont Falcone. See N. 429
and 432.
Moreis, the morrice - dance.
See N. 288.
Morgeounis, gmmbling, mur-
muring.
Morne, (p. 252) ?
Morne, to, to-morrow.
Morrow, the morning.
Most, almost.
Mot, mat/.
Moune, the Moon.
Mow, mowis, jest, jests.
Mowaris, mockers.
Mowlis, chilblains.
Moy, mild, gentle.
Mnddir, mother.
Muirlandis-man. See N. 290.
Muk the stable, to cleanse
the stable.
Muldis, haly, (v. ii. p. 80),
holy reliques ?
Mustarde-stane, the mortar-
stone.
Mute, (v. ii. p. 83,) jnibiic
meeting.
Mutis, (v. ii. p. 79,) speaks.
Myans, means.
Myd, middle.
Mydlis, (p. 13,) waists.
Mymmerkin, a contemptuous
term, expressive of diminu-
tive stature.
Mynd, intention.
Myngis, mingles.
Mynny, motJwr.
Mynting, attempt.
Mynyon, minion.
Mysell, myself.
Myss, failure in duty
Mysteris, tvants, necessities.
Myttane, a hawk.
N.
Na, than, generally used for
nor, neitJicr, or none.
Nackettis, markers at tennis.
Nanis, nonce, upon the occa-
sion.
Napry, tablecloth linen.
Nar, nigh, near.
Neir, 7iever.
Neis, nois, the nose.
Nevyne, to navw, call upon.
"i^fV! -YnnA-We, America. See
N. 351.
Nichel, nothing.
Nill, (p. 207,) do not ivish.
Nocht, not, nought, nothing.
Nolt, oxen.
Not, ne wot, know not.
Nottit, renowned, celebrated.
Noy, care.
Noyis, to annoy.
Nuke, nuik, corner, work.
Nune, noon.
Nurtir, behaviour, goodbi'eed-
ing.
Nyce, simple, silly.
Nycht, 7iight.
Nychtbouris, neighbours.
Nyghttit, benighted.
O.
Observance, duty, respects.
Ockeraris, usurers.
Of spring, (p. 239.) err. for
offspring.
GLOSSARY.
485
Oft syiss, ofltimes.
Okir, usury.
Or, before, that.
Orient, the Eastern.
Orisoun, a prayer.
Ornate, adorned.
Our, over.
Ourcome, (v. ii. p. 22,) re-
vived.
Ourdraif, spent, drove over.
Our settis, (p. 227,) passes
over.
Ourstred, crossed over.
Ourthort, across, over.
Owk, owklie, week, weekly.
Owre, Donald. See N. 315.
Owreskalit, diffused, over-
spread.
Owttour, out, over.
Oxtar, the arm-pit.
Oyis, grandsons.
P.
Paddock rude, spawn offrogs.
Padyane, padyheanes, pa-
geant, pageants.
Paikisj strokes, beating.
Paill, pall.
Pais, pasche, Easter,
Paitlattis, patelet, a woman! s
ruff. See N. 401.
Pak, pakis, a pack, hence a
jMckman.
Palestral, a place of exercise.
Pamphelet, a jjlump young
woman ?
Pansches, trijye.
Panse, pausing, to consider,
to meditate, meditating.
Pantoun, a slipper.
Papingo, the parrot.
Pappis, j}aps.
Parage, descent, parentage.
Paramour, sweetlieart, lover.
Partrik, pertrikis, the par-
tridge, partridges.
Passioun, siffering.
Pastance, pastime.
Patteris, mutters.
Pavyse, paviss, defence, a
large shield, behind which
archers were stationed.
Payit, rewarded.
Peax, 2^eace.
Pechis, thick breathing.
Pedder, a pedlar.
Peild, stript bare, pillaged.
Peipand, squeaking.
Pelt", money.
Pellat, the head.
Pelour, a thief.
Pendit, affred.
Pennis, feathers.
Perfay, by my faith.
Perfurneis, to jjerform.
Permansible, continuing.
Peronal, a girl, a young wo-
man.
Perqueir, exactly, tndy. — t*s Ghs- «
Persew, (p. 231,) to attend.
Phane, a fane, weathercock.
Phary, (p. ^\), fairy.
Pietie, compassion, clemency.
Pik, jiitch.
Pin, point, pinnacle.
Pingill, to strive, to vie with.
Piscence, puscence, poiver.
Pistill, discourse, speech.
Plait, (p. 196), coat of mail?
Plane, pleyne, plenis, same
as plenyie.
486
(ILOSSARY.
Planeist, replenished, fur-
nished.
Plat, fell Jlat.
Playit cop out, drank out the
cup.
Pled, (p. 115)?
Pleid, plea, dispute.
Plcis, to please.
Plenyie, to complain, la-
ment.
Plesere, delight, pleasure.
Ply, plight, condition.
Polk, polkis, a bag, bags.
Potingaris, apothecaries.
Potingary, business of an apo-
thecary.
Pot, pottis, a caiddron.
Powdcrit, besprinkled.
Powsoddy, broth made of a
s/ieep's head, a .sodden pow
or head.
Practick, sJcill. See N. 388.
Praktikis, practiques, tricks.
Preif, preving, to prove, try.
Prciss, a crowd, a multitude ;
see pres.
Prene, pin, used for a thing of
no value.
Prent, impression of a die.
Pres, preiss, heat of battle.
Press, preiss, endeavour.
Prestyt, ordained.
Prevene, prevenis, to pre-
vent.
Prodission, treason.
Propyne, an offering, a gift.
Prunya, prunyeit, to deck,
trimmed.
Pryiss, prise, prysit, value, to
esteem.
Pudding-fillaris, gluttons.
Puddingis, stuffed intestines.
Pulder, powdei'.
Pule, a pool.
Pullit hen, a chicken.
Purchess rewaird, to ob-
tain preferment.
Purfillit, furbelowed.
Purspyk, pick^pocket.
Purteth, poverty.
Pycharis, pitchers for hold'
ing liquor.
Pykis, jmckles.
Pyk-thatikis, flatterers, para-
sites, officious tale-bearers.
Pyne, sorrow, pain.
Pyot, the magpie.
Pypand het, piping hot.
Q.
Quair, quire, sheets of paper
stitched together as a
book.
Quene, (v. ii. p. 71,) a re-
proachful term applied to
ii.'omen, a quean.
Quhailis, whales.
Quhaillis hone, ivory of
whale's tusks.
Quhare, our all, everywhere.
Qulieill, a wheel.
Qulielp, a whelp.
Quhen, wheti.
Quhene, /£"^^', small number.
Quhottanc, Glen, the Clan-
Chat tan. See N. 308.
Quliilk, quhilkis, which, who,
what.
Quhill, quhile, while, until;
ay quliile, as long as.
GLOSSARY.
487
Quhinge, whining.
Quhip, a whip.
Quhowe, hozv.
Quhryne, to whine, to cry
out.
Quhylis, at times, sometimes.
Quhyte, ivhite; wirdis quhyte,
hypocritical words.
Quintessence. See N. 244.
Quod, quoth, said.
Quyte, free from ; mak quyt,
to get rid of.
Quytclame, to renounce, dis-
own, disclaim.
R.
^ad, judged, condemned.
Rad, raid, red, afraid.
Raddour, rigour, severity.
Ragment, a rhapsody, dis-
course; also, an accusa-
tion.
Raid, radis, invasion, encoun-
ter,
Raif, raiffis, to rave.
Raik, ranks of condition,
estates.
Raird, reird, rerd, resounded,
made a great noise.
Rak, care, matter.
Rak, riule shock, blow.
Rak, a gi-eat number.
Rakand, circulating, passing.
Rakit, (p. 73,) regarded.
Rakit hame, (p. 80,) passed,
or icent home.
Rakket, the game at tennis.
Ralj'eis, jests.
Ralyest, jested.
Ratned, rainand, to cry out,
to make a loud noise,
Ramowd, raw-mowit, having
a raw-mouth, or beardless ?
Ramyis, obtains by reiterated
imjyortunity or crying.
Rangat, tumult, disorder.
Ranyt, rained.
Rare, rair, to roar, cry.
Rattis. See N. 434.
Raucht, rawcht, stretched,
reached.
Rauchtir. See N. 243.
Rawis, rows.
Rax, raxit, to stretch.
Rebald, a low worthless vaga-
bond.
Reboytit, rejmlsed.
Rebute, repidse.
Recryat, to confess, retract.
Recure, to recover.
Red, to unravel, to put in
order.
Red, to obey, serve.
Red, see rad.
Rede, reid, advice, counsel.
Redoniyt, bound, encircled.
Redour, terror.
Refugeis. See N. 399.
Refute, refuge, help.
Regratouris, engrossers, fore-
stallers.
Reid-wod, rede-wod, ra-
ging mad, furious.
Reif, robber ; also, robbery,
pillage.
Reik, reke, smoke,
Reikit, smoked.
Reird, see raird.
Reistit, dried by the heat of
the stm, or in a chimney.
488
GLOSSARY.
Reive, (p. 151,) to tear and
eat.
Remeid, remedy.
Remord, remorse,
Renyeis, reim, strings.
Repair, out of, (v. ii. p. 71,)
unfrequented.
Repet, (p. 68, ) noise, uproar.
Resownyt, resounded.
Resset, a dwelling, abode.
Rethoris, orators, rlietori-
cians.
Retreitit, rescinded, reversed.
Reven, the raven.
Revest, reverst, clothed.
Revin, torn, rent.
Revis, tears, pull to jneces.
Rew, the herb rue.
Rew, to pity.
Rewtli, ])ity, compassion.
RewthfuU, Jull of pity.
Rial], same as ryall.
Riches, enriches.
Richt swa, just so, in like
manner.
Rift, to belch.
Rigbane, the back-bone.
Rilling, shoes made of undress-
ed hides.
Ring, ringis, reign, reigns.
Rispis, the coarse grass that
groivs in marshy ground.
Roch, rochis, rock, rocks.
Rockis, rokkis, distaffs.
Rokkat, a surplice.
Rolpand, crying with a hoarse
voice.
Ronk, rank, thick.
Rosier, a rose-biah.
Roun, to round, ivhisper.
Roundar, a whisperer.
Roundit-head. See N. 301.
Roust, (p. 67) ?
Rout, rowt, rowte, assembly,
company.
Rowis, (v. ii. p. 66,) rolls,
writings.
Rowme, roWmis, place,
farms.
Rownaris, whisperers.
Rowne and rude, (p. 206) ?
Rownit, whispered.
Rowp, to speak hoarsely, to
croak.
Roy, a king, the King.
Rovis, raves.
Rubiatouris, libertines.
Ruch, rough.
Rude, the Cross-
Ruffio, 7-uffian.
Ruffil, loss, injury.
Rug, ruge, ruggis, rugging, to
. pull roughly, jmlling.
Ruge, roar, (p. 243.)
lluke, rukis, the rook.
RumpiUis, wrinkled or disor-
derly folds of a garment.
Rumple, the rump, the tail.
Runs}is, horses oj burden.
Ruse, rusing, boast, boasting.
Ry, a kind of strong grass,
rye-grass.
Ryce, rise, rys, brushwood.
Ryel, ryale, royal.
Ryfe, ryfe, to pierce, to rive,
tear in pieces.
Rj'pe, to search.
Sacrand, or sacryng bell, the
holy bell.
GLOSSARY,
489
Saikless, sakless, blameless,
guiltless.
Sailyeit, assailed.
Saip, soap.
Sair, sore ; on sair, without
pain.
Sairis, savours.
Salt, (p. 103,) the seat oj
judges,
Saitt celestial, the heavenly
court.
Sals, sauce.
Salt, assault.
Saluand, saluting.
Saluse, salust, saluted, wel-
comed.
Sanct Geill, Saint Jeill, St
Giles, the tutelary saint of
Edinburgh.
Sane, sanis, sainyt. sainjine,
bless, blesses, blessed, bless-
ing.
Sane, sajTi, to say.
Sark, skirt, or shift.
Sary, sarry, sorry, grieved.
Sary, sariy, sorry, worthless.
Saule mess, Jllass perfomied
for the soul of a person de-
ceased.
Sauvand, excepting, save.
Saw, sawis, sayings.
Sawsy, (v. ii. p. 72) ?
ScafFeris, collectors of provi-
sions.
Scald, kene,(v. ii. p. 77,) ?
Scaldit, see skaldit.
Scale, to disperse, separate.
Scamleris, frequentas of the
shambles.
Scant, scarcely.
Scapit, escaped.
Scar, scarrit, skarit, affright-
ed, startled.
Scawpe, the head, scalp.
Schalk, a term of derision ap-
plied to an old man.
Schaw, schawis, to show,
shows.
Schawis, groves.
Scheir, to cut, to shear.
Schene, elegant, beautiful.
Schent, disgraced, ruined, put
to shame.
Schepe, sa7ne as schupe.
Scherene, serene.
Scheure, to divest, shuffle off.
Schewill, distorted.
Schilling, grain that is shelled,
or freed from the husk.
Schinnis, shins, the fore part
of the leg.
Schir, sir.
Schire, (p. 228,) prob. same
as schrive, to coifess ; but
may also signify to purge,
to cleanse.
Scho, she.
Scho, shoe.
Schog, to jog, shake.
Schoir, to threaten.
Schom ; (p. 131,) evill schom
strae, ill-shorn straw 1
Schomd, (p. 149) ? decked
with trappings ?
Schore, threatening.
Schort, to grow short, to de-
crease.
Schouris, showers.
Schow, schowis, to shove, to
thrust, j)ressing.
Scho waris, thntsters,forivard
persons.
490
GLOSSARY.
Sclirevin, inaxle confession.
Schrew, to curse.
Sell re wis, cursed persons, out-
casts.
Schrift, corfession.
Schrive, schrivit, to co7ifess,
confessed.
Schrowd, (p. 70,) apparel ;
(p. 149,) covered over?
Schulderaris, to push aside
with the shoulders.
Scliupc, shaped, prepared.
Schut, sclmte, to shoot.
Schyre down, (p. 62,) Imng-
ing dojvn.
Scrip, a wallet.
Scrypis.See N. 260, and 400.
Scule, scnlis, school.
Scunnir, to loathe, loathing.
Sege, to talk, to speak.
Sege, (pp. 65, 78,) a man,
persoti.
Seif, a sieve.
Seill, (p. 88,) felicity, happi-
nes.
Seiny6, senye, seed, progeny.
Seir, strange.
Seir, several, many.
Seiss, (p. 252,) cause to cease '^
Sek, (v. ii. p. 22,) a sack'?
Sekerly, truly.
Sekernes, security.
Sell, self
Selleir, a cellar.
Sely, poor, wretched.
Sen, since.
Sene, (p. 23,) say.
Senyour, lord.
Serss, to search.
Servis, drsrrvrs.
Servitouris, servants, attend-
ants.
Set, suits, become.
Settis by, values, esteems.
Sew, to sue.
Sey, the sea.
Seyit, assayed.
Seyndill, seldom.
Seyne, (p. 27,) beheld.
Sib, of kin, related.
Sicker, secure, stedfast.
Sickerness, stedfastness.
Sigiiakle, a token, sign.
Sile, syle, to betray, circum-
vent.
Single, a handful of gleaned
corn.
Sirculit, encircled.
Skaffis, extorts.
Skaii, skaild, to scatter.
Skailit, spilt, dissolved.
Skait-bird, the ylrctic gull.
Skaitli, damage.
Skaldit, disjjersed, discon-
nected.
Skamelar, (v. ii. p. 66,) a
frequenter of the shambles.
Skant, scarcely.
Skarrit, see scar.
Skeiche, (p.74,)shy, timorous.
Skeilis, tubs used for ivashing.
Skellat, a small bell, an iron
rattle used by common criers.
Sker, (p. 14,) frightened.
Skcrche, (p. 177,) sparing,
niggardly.
Skill, (p. 53,) knowledge.
Skillis, coarse' wicker baskets.
Skijipar, a skipper, the master
of a ship.
GLOSSARY.
491
Skirle, to scream with a shrill
voice.
Skolderit, savclied.
Skomer, to vomit.
Skowry, wasted, luiving a
dried withered appear'
ance.
Skrippit, mocked, derided.
Skrowis, scrolls, writings.
Skruinpillit, shrivelled.
Skrumple, wrinkle.
Skryke, skryking, a screech.
Skrymming, clamouring.
Skynk, to pour aid liquor.
Skyre, a schirrus.
Sle, slie, artful.
Slokin, slokyn, sloknyt, to
quench, to assuage the heat
of 2)<ission.
Slummer, slumber.
Slute daw, a lazy slovenly
drab.
Smaik, a pitiful knave.
Smaik smolet, a small puny
fellow.
Smedye, a smith's work-
shop.
Smirkis, smiles.
Smorit, smord, smothered.
Smowk, smuke, smoke.
Smowking, smoking.
Smy, a fawning fellow.
Snell, sharp, piercing.
SofFt, soften.
Soldan, the Sultan.
Solistaris, solicitors, agents in
a court of law.
Sonce, (p. 88,) jirosperity.
Sone, soon.
Sonkaris, loiterers, hangers-
on, drivellers.
Sonyie, sonyeit, see sunyie.
Sornand, living at another's
cost.
Sossery, sorcery.
Souch, a whistling sound.
Soudoun-land, land of the
Sultan.
Soun, the Son.
Sounyie, to care, also solici-
tude.
Southin, Southern.
Souttar, sowtar, a shoemaker.
Sover, secure.
Sowne, sound voice,
Sowp, sweep.
Sowp and sowp, a snuzU
draught or mouthful of li-
quor.
Sowsit nolt fute, a cow's keel.
Sox, (err. jvinted fox,) socks,
short stockings.
Spald, the shoulder-blade ;
(p. 151,) every joint.
Spane, spanit, wean, weaned.
Spanye, Spanish.
Sparkis, fyry, hot-headed
persons, fiery-tempered,
Speice, pride, self-conceit.
Speir, speiris, sphere, spheres.
Speiris, splinters.
Speiris, speirit, to inquire.
Spelunk, (v. ii. p.76,)ac?eK.
Spirling, a smelt, sprat.
Splene. See N. 214.
Splentis, armour for the legs
and arms. See N. 457.
Spray, small branches.
Sprent, sprinkled.
Sprent, started up.
Spring, (p. 4i2,) flight of birds.
SpTunin^,risi7igup,proJecting.
402
C.LOSSAKY.
Spynand, spinn'mg.
Spyiiist, full bknvn.
Stackerand, staggering.
Staffische, obstinate, obdu-
rate, unnmnageablc.
Staigis, young horses.
Stakkerit, staggered.
Staid, kept in stall.
Stalkeris, usually applied to
persons who range, illegally
killing deer.
Stalwart, stout, brave.
Stanch thy storne, (v. ii.
p. 80) ?
Stanche, to quench, to abate,
to assuage, also, to satisfy
with food.
Stanchell, a kind of hawk.
Stang, stangis, to sting.
Stankis, the ditches of a forti-
fied toivn.
Stanneris,g?'aw/, small stones
in the bed of a river.
Stark, strong, powerful.
Starvit, made to die, dead.
Staw, stall in a stable.
Sted, bested, circumstanced.
Steid, steidis, jilace, places,
also farms.
Steidis, the States, apjMed to
those in the Netherlands.
Steir, steiris, the rudder of a
ship.
Steir, on, in a state of commo-
tion.
Steiris, rules, directs, governs.
Stenches, (v. ii. p. 86,)
ceases.
Stenye, to stain.
Sterne, sternis, star, stars,
Stevin, voice, sound.
Stirk, stirkis, a young bullock,
or heifer in the second year.
Stole, a vestnwnt used by a
priest.
Store and hore, (p. 241) ?
Stound, a short sjMce of time.
Stound, to have the sensation
of acid e pain.
Stoure, dust, tumult, battle.
Stowp, a pitcher for lupior ;
clioppin stowp, two Eng-
lish pints.
Straik, a stroke.
Straited, stretched out.
Strand, (p. 244,) a stream ;
strandis, shores.
Straucht, straight.
Stray, stro, strais, straw.
Streiche, affected, stiff,
Strekouris, flatterers.
Strenyie, to strain.
Stricht, straight.
Strivilling, the town of Stir-
ling.
Strumbell, strummellis, pcr-
.sons who can't walk without
stumbling.
Strummel-aver, a stumbling
horse.
Strynd, race, offspring
kindred.
Studc'ing, in a state of ah-
straction.
Study, a smith's anvil.
StufFettis, lackeys, couriers.
Sture, austere, strong.
Sturt, disturbance, vexation.
Stychling, (p. 25,) rustling
soimd.
Style, the Stynkand- See
N. 286.
GLOSSARY.
493
Styng, or stang, a long pole.
Stynt, to cease.
Stynyst, (p. 73,) astonisJied.
Sua, so.
Subchettis, subjects.
Sudand, sudden.
Sueir, sweir, lazy, reluctant,
unwilling.
Sueirness, sloth.
Sueving, dreaming.
Suey, to swing, to incline to
one side.
Sueyre, the neck.
Sugeorne, sojourn, delay.
Sunyhe, sunyeit, to care for.
Sunyie, sunyeis, excuse, ex-
cuses.
Suth, truth.
Swage, to assuage.
Swaillis, devours.
Swaittis, new ale, wort.
Swak, a violent dash, or se-
vere blow.
Swalme, tumour, excrescence.
Swan, Vow to the. See
N. 298.
Swanky, a lank fellow ; also,
a young man, a wooer.
Swappit, huddled together,
squatted down.
Swappit, (p. 70,')drank, quaf-
fed.
Sway, so.
Swelly, to swalloiv.
Swening, swooning, trance,
vision.
Swenyouris, idle, sturdy I'fl-
gabonds.
Swerf, swoon.
Swetherik, Sweden.
Swirk, to spring with velocity.
Swyr, (p. 80,) a hollow, or
declination of a hill near the
summit.
Swj'th, quickly, suddenly.
Syde, wide.
Syd frog, wide ujyper gar-
ment.
Syde long, lianging low.
Syis, syse, repeated times.
Syis, syisis, si.res at dice.
Syle, sylit, to blind, deceived.
Syne, since.
Syne, then.
S}Tie, (p. 78,) a sign.
Synk and sise, cinque and
size at dice.
Sypher, cipher.
Syre, a man, a great man.
T.
Taidis, toads.
Tailye, (v. ii. p. 82,) ?
Tailyeour, tailor.
Tais, toes.
Tait, ready. See N. 399.
Takis, takes.
Takkis, leases.
Taklk, fitted out.
Tangis, a pair of tongs.
Tap, the top, the head; tap
our taill, heels over head.
Tardatioun, sloumess.
Targe, a shield, target.
Tarmegant. See N. 264.
Tarsal, a haivk.
Tax, (p. 245,) nails.
Tein, teyne, anger, sorrow.
Teine, tene, to vex, irritate.
494
GLOSSARY.
Teme, temit, to empty.
Tent, tak, take heed.
Ter, tar.
Teme, anger, wrath.
Teme, fierce, wrathful.
Tertanc, tertian ague.
Thair-doun, downwards, in
that place below.
Thairrout, aid of doors.
Thehe, (vol. ii. p. 59,) err.
for The li6, or high.
Thewis, qualities, disposi-
tions.
Thir, these.
Thirlit, bound, engaged.
Thoill, tholis, tliolit, en-
dures, suffers, suffered.
Thone, yonder ; (v.ii. p. 13,)
then.
Thraif, a. heap, several.
Tliraip, threip, assert, strive,
affirm, persist.
Thrang, to throng.
Thrawart, cross-grained, ill-
humoured, perverse.
Threpit, asserted.
Thrift, prosperity, frugality ;
auld thrift, accumulated
wealth. See N. 345.
Thriftaris, (p. 146,) prob.
err. for thristaris, thrmtcrs.
Thrimlaris, persons who
squeeze, or press forward
in a croivd.
Thring, to thrust, to throw;
doun thring, to throw
down.
Thrissill, the thistle,
Thristis, thirsts.
Thristit, tlirusted.
Thropillis, throttles, the wind-
pipe.
Till, unto.
Tirvit, stripped.
Tod, the fox.
Todlit, to walk with short
steps.
To-forrow, before ; also, to-
morrow.
Tone, towk, taken.
Tother, the other.
Toun, (p. 31,) tune.
To wis, ropes of a vessel.
Townage, (p. 23) ?
Tragedie. See N. 357.
Traikit, much fatigued.
Tram, the shaft of a cart.
Tramort, a dead body.
Trane, a snare, a stratagem.
Trappouris, trapjnngs.
Trattling, tattling, prattling.
Trawe, (p. 65,) device ?
Trechour, deceitful.
Treit, to entreat, obtain by
entreaty.
Trentallis, the service of thirty
masses for the dead.
Trest, trestis, trusts, trusty.
Tretie, (v. ii. p. 231,) trea-
tise.
Trimmill, to tremble.
Trippit, tripped, danced.
Trone, the place for weighing
heavy goods.
Trone, to be put in the pil-
lory.
Trone, tronis, a throne.
Trop, trap-door.
Trow, trowit, trowd, to trust,
trusted, believed.
Trulis. See N. 398.
Trunipour, trnmpir, deceiver.
See N. 258.
Tryackill, treacle.
GLOSSARY.
495
Tryiulit, trembled.
Tryne, (p. 240,) race ?
Tryst, appoiyitment.
Tumis, tumit, empties.
Tungland, Friar of. See
N. 237.
Turkass, torches, also pin-
cers.
Tursis, trusses, bundles iip,
carries.
Tute-mowitt, having the un-
der jaw projecting.
Tutivillaris, tutivillous. See
N. 402, and 438.
Twicli, to touch.
Twistis, twigs, branches.
Tyce, to entice, persuade.
Tyk, a dqg, a cur.
Tyne, tynis, to lose, loses.
Tynsall, loss.
Tynt, lost.
Tyt, to snatch, to pull; tyt,
(p. 2.4:5,^ fastened.
Tyte, straight, speedily,
quickly.
U.
Udder, udir, udderis, other,
others; one another.
Ugsom, horrible, ugly.
Umbrakle, shadow.
Unabaisitly, undauntedly.
Uncow, strange.
Uncunnandly, unknowingly.
Undemit, uncensured.
Undocht, a worthless felloiv,
good for nothing.
Uneiss, unese, scarcely, with
difficulty.
gold coins
See
Unicornis,
N. 352.
Unkynd, without favour.
Unleissum, unlonful.
Unmanyeit, witJiozit hurt, nn-
maimed.
Unourcumable, invincible,
unconquei'able.
Unplane, rude, unpolished.
Unquyt, unacquitted, unjiaid.
Unryclit, wrong.
Unsaul, unsele, unblessed,
wretched, unhallowed.
Unsicker, unsecure.
Unspaynd, unweaned, not
weaned.
Unto, (p. 177,) until.
Unyeoun, onion.
Upalland, uplandis, high-
land, rustic.
Updaw, to dawn.
Updost, decked, dressed.
Uphie, upheyt, to raise, ex-
alted; (p. 230,) to observe.
Upplane, (p. 209,) rustic, un-
polished.
Upskailis, raises, puts into
motion .
Vaistie, void, wasteful.
Vakit, became vacant,
Vane-organis, the temple ar-
teries. See N. 242.
Vanys, veins.
Veseit, vissy, to visit.
Vyld, vile.
490
GLOSSARY.
W.
Waill, wale, to choose.
Wair, to spend.
Waistless, spendthrift.
Wait, wot, know.
Waithinan, watheman, a
wanderer, hunter.
Wald, would.
Wale, waill, to choose.
Walk, Wd\kin,wouke, awake.
Walkryfe, wakeful.
Wallowit, withered, shrivel-
led.
Wally-drag, refuse, outcast.
See N. 262.
Wally-gowdy, precious jewel
or ornament.
Walteris, welteris, tosses
about.
Wanie, the belly.
Wand is, rods, twigs.
Wandreclit, misfortune,
trouble.
Wane, wain, wanis, abode,
dwelling.
Wane, wayn, manner.
Wane, a wane, waggon.
Wanewerd, hard lot, un-
happy fate.
Wanhap, unhickiiwss.
Wappit, suddenly struck
down.
War, aivare.
War, wer, worse.
Wardour, verdure.
Waidraipper, keeper of the
wardrobe.
Wariand, cursing, railing.
Wariet, accursed.
Warit, bestowed, expended.
Warlo, a sorcerer, wicked
person, wizard.
Warsill, to wrestle, to strive.
Wate, wots, knows.
Wattis, (v ii. p. 73) ?
Wauchtit, quaffed, took large
draughts.
Wauld-feitt, plain-footed.
Wawis, walls.
Weche, watch.
Wed, wadset, mortgage.
Wedye, sanw as widdy.
Weid, dress.
Weild, have in one's power,
to enjoy.
Weir, doubt, uncertainty.
Weird, yh^e, destiny.
Weirly, warily.
WeU, well.
Welth, abundance.
Wem, stain, blame.
Wend, to go, to pass on.
Wene, to conjecture, think;
but wene, doubtless.
Wenit, went, wend, ima-
gined, thought, believed.
Went, same as wenit.
Werk, (p. l94,)prob. wcrth,
property.
Weris, wars.
Werkis, ivorks.
Wichiss, witches.
Wicht, wichtis, a man, men,
persons.
Wicht, strong.
Wicker, osier twigs.
Widdy, a luilter made of wi-
thies, or the pliant branches
of a tree.
GLOSSARY.
497
Widdyfow, rascally, one ivho
deserves a widdi/ or halter.
Wilk, a small shell-fish, a
periwinkle.
Willing, (p. 116,) prob.err.
for willow.
Wilsome, wilsum, lonely, so-
litary, wandering, dreary.
Wimple, winding or fold;
also, ornament for a lady's
head.
Wirk, wirkis, to work, works,
Wirker, maker.
Wirrok, same as wyrok.
Wirry, wirriand, to worry,
suffocate.
Wiss, wish.
Wisy, to visit, to consider.
Wit, knowledge.
Wite, see wyte.
Wittandlie, uith knowledge.
Wlonk. See N. 274.
'Woha.t, feeble, ivasted.
Wod, woid, mad.
Wodenes, madness, fury.
Woix, waxed.
Wolroun, (p. 64, and vol. ii.
p. 82.) ?
Wose, wash.
Wosp, (p. 73,) a wisp ; stra
wispis, wiips of straw.
Wouk, same as walk.
Wousters, boasters.
Wow, wowit, to woo.
Wowf, the wolf.
Wrak, trash, refuse of any
kind.
Wreche, wrechis, wretch,
Jiiggard, niggards.
Wrechitness, penuriousness.
Wret, wrote.
VOL. II.
Wrink, winding, subterfuge.
Wrokin, wreak, revenged.
Wryng and wryth, to twist
and writlie about.
Wun, to win.
Wy, a man, persons.
Wycht, strong, powerful.
Wyis, wise, ivays.
Wyld, (p. 50,) wyled, combed,
Wylie, citnning,
Wynning, whining.
Wynnit, dwelt, resided.
Wyppit, encircled, entwined.
WjTok, a cor?i, or bony ex-
crescence on the foot.
Wyte, wytt, blame.
Wyte, to know.
Wyvis, women.
Yaid, yaud, a worn-out horse.
Yaid, yede, spent, worn-oid,
wasted.
Yaip, eager, keen.
Yak, to ache.
Yaid, same as yaid or yaud ;
YuiUis yaid, see N. 326.
Yarne, yerne, yarnand, ea-
gerly to desire.
Yarrow, an herb, the snees-
wort. SeeN. 125.
Yawmeris, yells, loud cries.
Yede, yeid, went.
Yeme, yemit, to keep, to
take care of,
Yemen, yeomen.
Yet, yett, yettis, agate, gates.
Yfere, together.
Ying, young.
Yistrein, evening of yesterday .
2 l'
498
GLOSSARY.
Ympit, ingrafted.
Ynde, the East Indies.
Y ol d}' n, yielded, surrendered.
Yovvis, eucs.
Yowlis, screavts, howling.
Yrle, same as herle, a mis-
chievous imp or dtiarf.
Ytliand, pronounced ydant,
incessant, diligent.
Yiide, (v. ii. p. 22,) 7vent.
Yuill, Yule, .Christmas.
Yuillis, of or belonging to
Yule, or Christmas.
Yyng, young.
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