JAMES I. King of Scotland. The following are generally ascribed to him, though much has been both said and written to the contrary. The Kings Quair, MS. in the Bodleian Library, also printed by W. Tytler in his edition of the Remains of James I. Edin. 1783, in 8vo. A Song on his Mistress, afterwards his Queen, in M. MS. Christes Kirk on the Green, first published with notes by Bishop Gibson, Oxford, 1691, 4to.; * Edin. 1708, 12mo. Peblis to the Play, in the M. MS. JAMES VI. King of Scotland. The Essayes of a Prentise in the Divine art of Poesie. Imprinted at Edinburgh by Thomas Vautroullier, 1584, 1585, 4to. His Maiesties Poetical Exercises at vacant houres, Edinburgh, printed by Robert Waldegraue [1591], 4to. Sonet, in the M. MS., &c.t

* "Christ's Kirk on the Green" (says Mr. Park), is given to James the First of Scotland by Ramsay, Tytler, Pinkerton, Ellis, Irving, &c. in contradiction to the assignment of Dempster, Bishops Gibson and Tanner, Watson, Ruddiman, Percy, Warton, Ritson, and Lord Hailes." Royal and Noble Authors, Vol. V. p. 19. The last assignment is to James the Fifth, and Ritson has printed it as the production of that monarch in the Caledonian Muse. The two ancient Scottish poems, the Gaberlunzie-Man_and Christ's Kirk on the Green, were printed by John Callander, esq. of Craigforth, 1782, as "Poems which tradition ascribes to James the Fifth."

James the Fifth is certainly entitled to notice as a poet, were there no other authority than the lines quoted by Mr. Park as addressed to him by Sir David Lindsay. Ut sup. p. 20.

H.

+ For an accurate account of the productions of James the VIth, see Royal and N. Authors, by Park, Vol. I. p. 113. His poetical pieces, written after he became king of the southern men, seem intentionally omitted in the above list; to which may be added the funeral sonnet written upon the Chancellor Maitland, Lord Thirlstane. That distinguished character translated "His Majesties owne Sonnet," upon the destruction of the Spanish Armada in 1588 into Latin verse, and James repaid the obligation with a funeral sonnet, which is undoubtedly one of the happiest efforts of the regal muse. Mr. Park has printed it in his fifth volume, p. 56, observing, that it appears to have been placed in the aisle of Haddington church, when Monteith published his Theatre of Mortality in 1713." It may also be found in the Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. I. p. 121, in an article "of the poetry of James VI." and again, in Irving's Lives of the Scotish Poets, Vol. II. p. 223. All the three copies vary, and being anglicised not of equal authority with the following copy extracted from the Harl. MSS. 4043, No 436.

"Ane funerall Sonnet maid be his Ma.upon the decese of Sir Ihone Maitland, Chancellor, [ob. 1595].

"Thow passinger, that spyis with gaizing eyis
This trophee sad of death's triumphing dairt,
Considder quhen this outward tumbe thow seis,
How raire a man leavis hir his earthlie pairt.
His wisdome and his vprichtnes of hairt,

His

INGLIS, Sir JAMES. General Satire, a poem in the M. MS., but in the B. MS. attributed to Dunbar. Mackenzie makes him to be the author of the Complaynt of Scotland*.

JOHNSTOUN, PATRICK. The thre Deid Powis, a poem in the B. MS., but in the M. MS. attributed to Henryson.

KARRE, Sir ROBERT. Psalmes in English verses to the measures of the French and Dutch, in MS. Vide Auctuarium Bibliothecæ Gul. Drummondi. Edin. 1627, in 4to.

KENNEDY, JOHN. Poem in the B. MS. Historie of Calanthrop and Lucilla, a poetical Romance, Edin. John Wreittoun; 1626, 12mo.

KENNEDY, WALTER, (sometimes called ANDREW.) Six poems in the B. and M. MSS.

LICHTOUN. Two poems in the B. MS.

LYNDSAY, Sir DAVID. 1. The Drene, composed in 1528. 2. The Complaynt, 1529. 3. The Complaynt of the King's Papingo, 1530. 4. Satire on the Three Estaits, 1535. 5. An swer to the King's Flyting, 1536. 6. The Complayet of Bash the King's Hound, 1536. 7. The Deploration of Queen Magdalene, 1537. 8. The Justing of Watson and Barbour, 1538. 9. The Supplication against Syde Taillis, 1533. 10. Kitties Confession, 1541. 11. The Tragedie of Cardinal Archbishop of St. Androis, David eaton, 1546. 12. The Historie and Testament of Squyer Meldrum, 1550. 13. Ane Dialog of the Miserabill estait of this World, betwix Experience and ane Courteour, 1553. There are also three small poems ascribed to Lyndesay in the B. MS.

The most compleat and accurate edition of Lyndsay's works is that in 3 vols. Lond. 1806, 8vo. edited by George Chalmers,

esq.

His pietie, his practise of our stait,

His quick ingyne, and versed in euerie airt,
As equallis ali war euer at debait.

Then iustlie hes his death brocht furth of lait,
A heavie greif in Prince and subiectes, all
That vertew lovis and vyce do beare at hait;
Thocht vitious men reioicis of his fall.

Thus for himself most happie dois he dee,
Thocht for his prince it most vnhappie be.
JA. REX."

From the poetical exercises there was selected His Majesties Lepanto, or, Heroicall Song, being part of his Poeticall Exercises at vacant houres. Imprinted at London by Simon Stafford, and Henry Hooke. 1603. qto. Sig. E. 3. There is prefixed "The avthovr's preface to the reader." H.

• But see the elaborate and valuable dissertation of the late Dr. Leyden before his Complaynt of Scotland, 1801.

H.

The

The following are a list of the early editions.

Paris (Rouen) 1558, 4to. and 12mo.; Lond. 1566;* Edin. 1568, 1571, 1574; Lond. 1575, 1581; Edin. 1582, 1588, 1592, 1597, 1604, all in 4to,; Edin. 1610, and 1614, Svo.; Edin. 1630, and 1634, 12mo.

The above editions generally contain the whole, except N's 4 aud 12.

No 3 was printed at Lond. by John Byde, 1538, 4to.

N° 1, 2, 3, and 11, separately at St. Androis (St. Andrews) by John Skott, 1559, all in 4to.

N° 11, at Lond. by Day, [1546] 12mo.

N° 13, Lond. by Thos. Purfoote, 1566, 4to.

No 12, at Edin. by H. Charteris, 1594, 4to.; again, by R. Lawson, 1610, 8vo.

N° 4, at Edin. by Robert Charteris, 1602,† and 1604, 4to. MAITLAND, JOHN, Lord Thirlstane. Second son of Sir Rd. Maitland. Two Poems in the M. MS.

MAITLAND, Sir RICHARD, of Lethington, 40 Poems in the M. MS.; 26 have been printed by Pinkerton, and one from the B. MS. in Ramsay's Evergreen.

MAITLAND, MARY, third daughter of Sir Richard M. married Alex. Lauder of Hattoun.. Poem in the M. MS. MERSAR. Two Poems in the B. and M. MSS.

MOFFETT, Sir JOHN. Two Poems in the B. MS.

MONTGOMERY, ALEXANDER. A "Sonet" with his initials before the "Essayes of a Prentise," &c. 1584. The Cherrie and the Slae, Edin. 1597, 4to.; again, newly perfected before the author's death, Edin. 1615, 12mo.; many editions have been since printed: it was translated into Latin, and published at Arct. 1638, and Edin. 1696, both 12mo.‡ Two Poems in the

Cens. Literaria, Vol. VII. p. 113.

H.

+ Bibl. Wright, 1787, No. 1357. Lyndsay's Satires, in quarto, Edin. 1632, probably a mistake for 1602.

Ritson in the Caledonian Muse, already noticed, has reprinted "the Cherry and the Slae" from "the Evergreen," with the following note: "This poem is said to have been written in 1590. Ramsay tells us that his edition is taken from two curious old ones, the first printed by Robert Walgrave, the king's printer in 1597, according to a copy corrected by the author himself, the other by Andro Hart, printed 1615, said on the title page to be newly altered, perfyted, and divided into 114 quatuorzeims, not long before the author's death.' Captain Montgomery was not, as is generally supposed, the inventor of this kind of stanza. He only imitated a more ancient piece called The Banks of Helicon, which is still extant."

However it seems to have escaped the notice of Ritson that K. James quoted the Cherry and the Slae in the Revlis and Cavtelis

the M. MS. Drummond of Hawthornden, presented to the College Library (along with the rest of his library), a large collection of Montgomery's Poems, ten of which only have been published in Sibbald's Chronicle, Vol. III.

MONTGOMERY, ROBERT, sometime Archbishop of Glasgow. Two Poems in the B. MS. along with a version of the first and twenty-third Psalmes.

NAPIER, JOHN. To the various editions of his Plaine Discovery of the Revelation of St. John (first printed at Edinburgh, 1593, in 4to, where the fifth and last edition was likewise printed in 1645), is prefixed An Address to Antichrist of 24 lines, under this title,

"The book this bill sends to the beast

Craving amendment now in heast,"

with a poetical version of certain notable prophecies, extract out of the bookes of Sibylla.”

NORNALL, ROBERT. His Mirroure of ane Christian, (in verse), Edin. R. Lekpreuike, 1561, 4to.

NORVAL. Poem in the B. MS.

ROLLAND, JOHN. Ane Treatise callit the Court of Venus, devidit into four Buikes, Edir. Johnne Ros, 1575, 4to. The Sevin Seages, translatit out of Prois into Scottis meiter, Edin. pr. by J. Ros, for Henrie Charteris, 1578, 4to. again, ·Edin. by the heirs of Andro Hart, 1631, 8vo.

RowL. There appear to have been two writers of this

Catelis of Scottis Poesie, 1584. In describing the verse that may be used in love matters, he says, "also all kyndis of cuttit and brokin verse, quhairof new formes are daylie inuentit according to the poetis pleasour, as

"Qoha wald haue tyrde to heir that tone,
Quhilk birds corroborat ay abone

Through schouting of the larkis ?

They sprang sa heich into the skyes
Quhill Cupide walknis with the cryis
Of Naturis chapel clarkis.

Then leauing all the heauins aboue
He lichted on the eard,

Lo how that lytill god of loue,

Before me then appeard.

So myld lyke

And chyld lyk

So moylie
And coylie

With bow thre quarters skant

He lukit lyke a sant."

This is the sixth stanza in the poem, and as it was well known that Montgomery's" poetical talents procured him the patronage of his Sovereign," it was perhaps one of the pieces communicated, in manuscript, which obtained him that notice. See Irving's Liver, Vol. II. p. 185.

VOL. IV.

H.

name

name, but it is uncertain to which the poem in the B. and M. MSS. belongs.

SCHAW, QUINTIN. Posm in the B. MS. ·

SCOT, ALEXANDER. Thirty-three Poems in the B. MS, one of which is also found in the M. MS.

SELBY. Poem in the B. MS.

SEMPLE, OF SEMPILL, ROBERT. Three Poems in the B. MS. besides four others, printed at Edin. in 1570, 71, 72, and 73, in folio. He is likewise supposed to be the author of Philotus, Edin. R. Charteris, 1603; again, Edin. 1612, 4to.; 1682, 12mo.; reprinted by Pinkerton, 1792.*.

STUART, OF STEWART. There appear to have been several poets of this name about the middle of the 16th century. In

There were reprinted in July last a few copies of the poem called The Sege of the castel of Edinburgh. Imprentit at Edinburgh be Robert Lek reuik, Anno M D. lxxjjj. It is subscribed" Quod Sempill," and in justice to the ingenions young bookseller who has edited it, and who obliged me with a copy, I shall give the conclusion of his prefixture, relative to the author.

"Spotswood mentions the "Masters of Ruthven and Semple” as being among the hostages entered in Barwick, as pledges for the fulfilment of the articles agreed to between the Regent and the English, respecting the siege. That the above mentioned persons were the Lords Ruthven and Semple there can be little doubt, nor is it likely that any but persons of rank would be given as hostages on such an occasion? We learn by the two following versos that the author was not present at the siege :

Bot Hume wes first that ouir the walis wan,

As I heir say I wes not thair my sell.

And there is every appearance of his being at Berwick when he wrote the poem, from the two first lines :

Buschmet of Beruik mak zow for the gait,

To ring zour drumis and rank zour me of weir, &c. These circumstances would seem to identify Lord Semple as the author of the following poem: his other printed works are as follow:-The Regentis Tragedie (17 nine-line stanzas), Quod Robert Sempil, Lekpreuik, 1570. In the Duke of Roxburghe's collection of Ballads, Vol. III-The Bischopis Lyfe and Testament, Quod Sempil (four leaves). Strieiling, 571-My Lord Methvenis Tragedie (24 nine line stanzas), Quod Sempil. Sanct Androis, 1572. Philotus, a play, is also supposed to have been written by him, besides several small pieces published by Ramsay in his Evergreen, remarkable for nothing but their obscenity. From his printed works it may be observed, that after the year 1570, he drops his christian name, and signs himself merely Sempil. As his father died some time in the year 1570, he suc ceeded to his titles, which were confirmed by charter, December 15, 1572. (See Douglas's Peerage, new edition), and this satisfactorily explains the above circumstance."

H..

the