1

1

His eyes were red, and all forewacht';
His face befprent with teares:

It femde unhap had him long hatcht',
In mids of his dispaires.

His clothes were blacke, and alfo bare;

As one forlorne was he;

Upon his head alwayes he ware

A wreath of wyllow tree.

His beaftes he kept upon the hyll,

And he fate in the dale;

35

49

As eafy it were for to convert
The froft into a' flame;

As for to turne a frowarde hert,

Whom thou fo faine wouldft frame.

Ver, 33. &c. The Corrections are from Ed. 1574.

55

Corin

H

Corin he liveth carèleffe:

He leapes among the leaves:
He eates the frutes of thy redreffe :
Thou 'reapft', he takes the sheaves.

My beaftes, a whyle your foode refraine,
And harke your herdmans founde:
Whom spitefull love, alas! hath flaine,
Through-girt with many a wounde.

O happy be ye, beaftès wilde,
That here your pasture takes :

60

65

I fe that ye be not begilde
Of thefe your faithfull makes.

The hart he feedeth by the hinde:

The bucke harde by the doe: The turtle dove is not unkinde To him that loves her fo.

The ewe fhe hath by her the ramme:
The yong cowe hath the bulle:

70

The calfe with many a lufty lambe
Do fede their hunger full.

75

But, wel-a-way! that nature wrought

Thee, Phylida, fo faire :

For I may say that I have bought

Thy beauty all tò deare.

F 4

80

What

What reafon is that crueltie

With beautie should have part? Or els that fuch great tyranný Should dwell in womans hart?

I fee therefore to shape my death.
She cruelly is preft;

To th'ende that I may want my breath:
My dayes been at the best.

O Cupide, graunt this my request,
And do not stoppe thine eares;

That she may feele within her breft
The paines of my difpaires :

Of Corin 'who' is carèleffe,

That she may crave her fee:

As I have done in great diftreffe,
That loved her faithfully.

95

But fince that I fhal die her flave;
Her flave, and eke her thrall:

Write you, my frendes, upon my grave
This chaunce that is befall.

"Here lieth unhappy Harpalus
"By cruell love now flaine :
"Whom Phylida unjustly thus,
"Hath murdred with difdaine."

100

XIII. ROBIN

ROBIN

XIII.

AND

MAKYN E..

AN ANCIENT SCOTTISH PASTORAL.

The palm of paftoral poefy is here contested by a cotemporary writer with the author of the foregoing. The critics will judge of their respective merits; but must make fome allowance for the preceding ballad, which is given fimply, as it ftands in the old editions: whereas this, which follows, has been revifed and amended throughout by ALLAN RAMSEY, from whofe EVER-GREEN, Vol. I. it is here chiefly printed. The curious Reader may however compare it with the more original copy, printed among "Ancient Scottish "Poems, from the MS. of George Bannatyne, 1568. Edinb. 1770. 12mo.' Mr. ROBERT HENRYSON (to whom we are indebted for this Poem) appears to fo much advantage among the writers of eclogue, that we are forry we can give little other account of him, befides what is contained in the following eloge, written by W. Dunbar, a Scottish poet, who lived about the middle of the 16th century:

"In Dumferling, he [Death] hath tane Broun,
"With gude Mr. Robert Henryfon."

Indeed fome little farther infight into the history of this Scottish bard is gained from the title prefixed to fome of his poems preferved in the British Museum; viz. "The morall "Fabillis of Efop compylit be Maifter ROBERT HENRI

་

SOUN, SCOLMAISTER of Dumfermling, 1571." Harleian MSS. 3865. §1.

In Ramfay's EVERGREEN, Vol. I. whence the above diftich is extracted, are preserved two other little Doric pieces by Henryfon; the one intitled THE LYON AND THE MOUSE; the other, THE GARMENT OF GUDE LADY IS. Some other of his Poems may be feen in the "Ancient Scottish Poems "printed from Bannatyne's MS. above referred to."

R

OBIN fat on the gude grene hill,
Keipand a flock of fie,

Quhen mirry Makyne faid him till,

"O Robin rew on me

"I haif thee luivt baith loud and ftill,

"Thir towmonds twa or thre:

"My dule in dern bot gif thou dill,
"Doubtless but dreid Ill die.

Robin replied, Now by the rude,
Naithing of luve I knaw,

But keip my fheip undir yon wod:

Lo quhair they raik on raw.

Quhat can have mart thee in thy mude,
Thou Makyne to me schaw;

Or quhat is luve, or to be lude?
Fain wald I leir that law.

"The law of luve gin thou wald leir,
"Tak thair an A, B, C ;

"Be heynd, courtas, and fair of feir,
"Wyfe, hardy, kind and frie,
"Sae that nae danger do the deir,

66 Quhat dule in dern thou drie ;
Prefs ay to pleis, and blyth appeir,
"Be patient and privie."

Ver. 19. Bannatyne's MS. reads as above, heynd, not, keynd, as in the Edinb. edit. 1770. Ver. 21. So that no danger. Bannatyne's MS.