That lyf1 was none walking there forbye,2
That might within scarce any wight espy.

XIII.

So thick the boughis and the leavis green
Beshaded all the alleys that there were
And, midst of every herbere might be seen
The sharp, green, sweet juniper,

Growing so fair, with branches here and there,
That, as it seemed to a lyf without,

The boughis spread the arbour all about.

*

*

*

XXI.

*.

*

And, therewith, cast I down mine eye again
Where as I saw walking under the tower
Full secretly, new comen her to pleyne,
The fairest or the freshest youngé flower
That e'er I saw, methought, before that hour;
For which suddèn abate," anon6 astart
The blood of all my body to my heart.

XXII.

And though I stood abaisit tho a lyte,"
No wonder was; for why? my wittis all
Were so o'ercome with pleasaunce and delight,
Only through letting of mine eyén fall,

That suddenly my heart became her thrall9
For ever of free will: for of menace
There was no token in her sweet face.

XXIII.

And in my head I drew right hastily;
And eftésoons10 I leant it out again;
And saw her walk that11 very womanly,
With no wight mo' but only women twain.
Then 'gan I study in myself and sayn;
"Ah, sweet, are ye a worldly creature?
Or heavenly thing in likeness of nature?

1 Living person.

2 Beside.

3 As is often found subjoined to the adverbs where, when, there, etc.-It seems used as a relative pronoun-where as, at the place at which; when as, at the time at which. The accounts in the dictionaries of the origin and composition of the relative pronouns and adverbs appear unsatisfactory.

To play; to amuse herself. James, however, uses this word in the sense of

complain. Vid. Canto II. St. 51 and 54.

This word seems to be taken in the sense of the French verb abattre, to beat down; abate, here, is an unexpected stroke that paralyses the faculties.

The aileged etymology is on, an, i.e. one; on one time; at once; immediately. 7 Abashed then a little (sc. time): abash and abase from French abaisser to lower-tho (Sax.) those or then. 8 Wits.

Slave; it is applied to feudal serfs. See Ivanhoe, Chap. I.

10 Eft, aft, after. Coleridge, in imitating the old dialect, uses "eftsoons" in the Ancient Mariner. 11 Used like so; no that ill (Scotch).

THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE.

29

XXIV.

"Or are ye god Cupìdis own princess,
And comen are to loose me out of band?
Or are ye very Nature, the goddess

That have depainted with your heavenly hand
This garden full of flowers as they stand?
What shall I think?-alas !-what reverence
Shall I mester1 unto your excellence?"2

XLVIII.

And, when she walkéd had, a little thraw
Under the sweeté, greené boughis bent,
Her fair fresh face, as white as ony snaw,
She turned has, and forth her wayis went.
But tho began mine axis and torment,
To sene her part, and follow I na might;
Methought the day was turned into night.

THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE.?

CANTO V. STANZA XI.

And underneath the wheelé saw I there
An ugly pitté, deep as ony hell,
That to behold thereon I quokes for fear;
But a thing heard I, that who therein fell
Come no more up again tidìngs to tell;
Of which astonied at that fearful sight,
I ne wist what to done, I was so fright.

XII.

But for to see the sudden weltering

Of that ilk1o wheel, that sloppare" was to hold,
It seemít unto my wit a strong thing;
Sae mony I saw that then clumben wold,12
And failit footing, and to ground were roll'd;

1 Minister.

2 His particular description of the Lady Joan in Stanzas xxvii-xxxi. is very beautiful.

A throw, i.e. a cast or glance of the eye; hence a short time. The word is often used by Chaucer and Gower.

+ Then.

period.

"Sifted and ypicked many a throw."-Chauc.

5 Anguish.

6 See.

7 This extract is introduced as a succinct example of the allegorical style of the 8 Quaked. 11 Slippery.

Rolling; Ang.-Sax. waeltan, to revolve; hence wallow,

10 Same.

12 Would have climbed;-the auxiliary have is often thus omitted in the older writers. So Burns

"The wind blew as 'twad blawn its last."-Tam o' Shanter. Clomb is used as the past tense and participle of climb;—

"That looking down whence lately I was cloame.”—Mirror for Magistrates. "So clomb this first grand thief into God's fold."-Milton. And Coleridge, imitating the old dialect, has "Till clomb above the eastern bar the horned moon."-Ancient Mariner.

And other, eke, that sat above on high,
Were overthraw1 in twinkling of an eye.

XIII.

And, on the wheel, was little void space,
Wele near oure straught fro law to high,
And they were waré that long sat in place,
So tolter whilom did she it to wry;2

There was but climbé, and right downward hie;
And some were eke that falling had (so) sore,
There for to climb their courage was no more.

XIV.

I sawé also, that, where some were slungen,
By whirling of the wheel, unto the ground;
Full suddenly she hath (them) up ythrungen,3
And set them on again full safe and sound;
And ever I saw, a new swarm abound,
That (did) to climb upward upon the wheel,
Instead of them that might no longer rele.*

WILLIAM DUNBAR.

(1460?-1520?)

AFTER the death of James I., we have several Scottish poets, ROBERT HENRYSON, a teacher in Dunfermline in the reign of James II., produced several moral and descriptive poems and fables far above mediocrity. BLIND HARRY, an itinerant minstrel, about 1470, wrote a rhyming history of Sir William Wallace, extending to no less than 11,858 lines. In many of its incidents this work outrages all history and probability, but it contains passages of vigorous description and strong national feeling. Harry was living so late as 1492, and enjoyed the bounty of King James IV. The greatest poet of the age, and inferior only as a native bard to Burns, was WILLIAM DUNBAR. He was born in Lothian and studied at St. Andrews, taking his degree of M.A. in

1 Overthrown.

The explanations given of this obscure passage are unsatisfactory; it may possibly be paraphrased thus,-There was a little void space in the nearly perpendicular part of the wheel between the highest and lowest points; and those must have been cautious and skilful that could long hold their place there, she (Fortune) did so totter (or shake) it awry. Law, Scotch for low; were seems to be used in the sense of must have been; ware, wary; tolter, to move unequally-totter-perhaps there is an inversion for "so did she at times writhe herself to make it totter."-Jamieson in allusion to this passage. This construction would make to wry, a verb. Tolter, alleged etymology to welter; so toddle, to waddle; twinkle, to winkle; sultry, sweltry. Tolter is also an adjective, unsteady.

Thring, to thrust, to press, to throw; Ang. -Sax. thringan; hence throng, a

press. Whirl; reel. For an interesting account of James I. see "A Royal Poet," in Washington Irving's Sketch Book.

THRISSLE AND THE ROSE.

31

1479. Early in life he entered the order of Franciscan friars. In this capacity he travelled through England and France, and he laments the sins, probably professional frauds, with which this period of his life is stained. Though apparently a personal favourite of James IV., and mingling familiarly in the gaieties of that monarch's festive court, he never obtained from the king any ecclesiastical preferment and was but scantily pensioned. Dunbar has been too little known. His works remained till a comparatively recent date, buried in manuscript. He is a varied and powerful writer; great alike in descriptive, didactic and humorous poetry; and rich in the knowledge of men and of life. His "Golden Targe" is an allegorical piece, illustrative of the power of reason in preventing the misery of indulgence in headlong passion. The "Thistle and the Rose" is like the "Golden Targe," an allegory embodied in a vision. Both poems are gorgeously adorned with imagery and "aureate termes;" and characterized by ingenuity in the construction of the fable; and wisdom in the lessons conveyed by the allegory. "The Dance of the Seven Deadly Sins" is a powerful allegorical poem. The cheerful philosophy of Dunbar's shorter poems, as well as the simplicity and grace of their style, remind us of Horace. His comic pieces are clever, but full of the usual grossness of similar writings in those times.

FROM THE "THRISSLE AND THE ROSE."

THEN all the burdis sang with voice on hight,
Whose mirthful sound was marvellous to hear,
The mavis1 sang; "Hail rose2 most rich and right,3
That does upflourish under Phoebus speir !5
Hail plant of youth! Hail prince's daughter dear!
Hail blossom breaking out of the blood royal,
Whose precious virtue is imperial!"

1 Thrush.

*

*

*

*

The common voice uprose of burdis small
Upon this wise; "Oh blessed be the hour
That thou was chosen to be our principal.
Welcome be to our princess of honour,
Our pearl, our pleasaunce, and our paramour;7
Our peace, our play, our plain felicity;
Christ thee conserve from all adversity!"8

2 The Princess Margaret, Henry VII.'s eldest daughter. The "Thistle and the Rose" was written in honour of her marriage with James IV., and abounds with delicate compliments and advices to that prince. For a description of the magnificent festivities at the Scottish court on this occasion, see Scott's "History of Scotland," and "Tales of a Grandfather." Rose is appropriate to Margaret. It is the emblem at once of England and of Lancaster, from which family the Tudors sprung. 3 Excellent or beautiful.

4 The Scottish poetry never has the st in the 2d per. sing. "Cheerfully thou glinted forth."-Burns. This omission is sometimes practised by English poets apparently for smoothness

Thou my song inspire

Who touched Isaiah's hallowed lips with fire.-Pope.

Sphere.
Sovereign lady.

7 Object of chivalrous love.

In the concluding lines the poet has attempted the Saxon ornament of alliteration.

AND first of all in dance was Pride,
With hair wiled1 back and bonnet on side,
Like to make vaistie wanes,2
And round about him as a wheel,
Hung all in rumples3 to the heel,
His kethat for the nanes,5

Mony proud trompour with him trippit;
Through scalding fire ay as they skippit,
They girned' with hideous granes.

Then Ire came in with sturt9 and strife;
His hand was aye upon his knife,
He brandished1o like a bear.
Boasters, braggers, and bargainers,
After him passit into pairs,
All bodin in feir of weir;12

9 Turmoi!. This combination occurs repeatedly in Dunbar and Lyndsay.

19 Apparently used intransitively.

11 In. These prepositions are interchangeable in Scotch. Burns uses in for into: "Deil mak his king's hood in a spleuchan." In Latin there is but one form for both, with a distinction in the government.

12 Accoutred in equipment of war. Bodin signifies prepared; equally matched.

I trow he would be hard to slay,

An he were bodin evenly.-Barbour, vii. 103.

Bode in Scotland is the bidding of a price at an auction sale. Feir, effeir, fere, effere, affer, signifies, 1. condition; 2. equipment for war; 3. appearance, show; 4. demea nour.-Jamieson; see above, p. 17, note 8. Fere is also entire, as in the phrase "hale and fere." 13 Steel armour.

14 This word is given differently in different copies of the poem-scryppis-strippis -stirps it perhaps implies ships of plate armour.

15 Probably "encased in chain armour.'

"

17 Beff or buff is to beat; hence buffet, rebuff.

19 Pierced.

19 Handle.

16 See note 12.

20 Fierce person; freik (adj.), is eager, prompt: hence, freak, freakisk.