ITi

Tis not the plan of this work to comprehend the Scotch poetry. But when I confider the close and national connection between England and Scotland in the progress of manners and literature, I am fenfible I should be guilty of a partial and defective representation of the poetry of the former, was I to omit in my series a few Scotch writers, who have adorned the prefent period, with a degree of fentiment and fpirit, a command of phrafeology, and a fertility of imagination, not to be found in any English poet fince Chaucer and Lydgate: more especially as they have left ftriking fpecimens cf allegorical invention, a species of compofition which appears to have been for fome time almost totally extinguished in England.

The firft I fhall mention is William Dunbar, a native of Salton in East Lothian, about the year 1470. His moft celebrated poems are The THISTLE AND THE ROSE, and THE GOLDEN TERGE.

The THISTLE AND THE ROSE was occafioned by the mar riage of James the fourth, king of Scotland, with Margaret Tudor, eldest daughter of Henry the feventh, king of England: an event, in which the whole future political state of both nations was vitally interested, and which ultimately produced the union of the two crowns and kingdoms. It was finished on the ninth day of May in the year 1503, nearly three months before the arrival of the queen in Scot land: whofe progrefs from Richmond to Edinburgh was attended with a greater magnificence of parade, proceffions, and fpectacles, than I ever remember to have seen on any fimilar occafion. It may be pertinent to premife, that Mar

a See a memoir, cited above, in Leland's COLL. tom. iii. APPEND. edit. 1770. p. 265. It is worthy of particular notice, Vol. II.

that during this expedition there was in the magnificent fuite of the princefs a company of players, under the direction of one John L 1 Inglish,

garet was a fingular patronefs of the Scotch poetry, now beginning to flourish. Her bounty is thus celebrated by Stewart of Lorne, in a Scotch poem, called LERGES OF THIS NEW YEIR DAY, written in the year 1527.

Grit god relief' MARGARET our quene!
For and fcho war and fcho has bene
Scho wold be larger of lufray

d

Than all the laif that I of mene,

Dunbar's THISTLE AND ROSE is opened with the following ftanzas, which are remarkable for their defcriptive and picturefque beauties.

Quhen Merche was with variand windis past,
And Apperyll had with her filver shouris
Tane leif of Nature, with ane orient blaft,
And lufty May, that muddir is of flouris
Had maid the birdis to begyn thair houris',

Inglish, who is fometimes called Johannes. "Amonge the faide lordes and the qweene "was in order, Johannes and his com66 panye, the menftrells of muficke, &c." P 267. See alfo, p. 299. 300. 280. 289. In the midst of a moft fplendid proceffion, the princess rode on horfe-back behind the king into the city of Edinburgh, p. 287.. Afterwards the ceremonies of this stately marriage are described; which yet is not equal, in magnificence and expence, to that of Richard the fecond with Ifabell of France, at Calais, in the year 1397. This laft-mentioned marriage is recorded with the moft minute circumftances, the dreffes of the king and the new queen, the names of the French and English nobility who attended, the prefents, one of which is a golden cup ftudded with jewels, and worth three thousand pounds, given on both fides, the banquets, entertainments, and a variety of other curious particulars, in five large vellum pages, in an antient Register of

k

Merton priory in Surrey, in old French. MSS. LAUD, E. 54. fol. 105. b. Bibl. Bodl. Oxon. Froiffart, who is most commonly prolix in defcribing pompous ceremonies, might have greatly enriched his account of the fame royal wedding, from this valuable and authentic record. See his CRON. tom. iv. p. 226. ch. 78. B. penult. Paris, 1574. fol. Or lord Berners's Tranflation, vol. ii. f. 275. cap. ccxvi. edit. Pinfon, 1523. fol.

Amang the tendir odouris reid and quhyt,
Quhois harmony to heir it was delyt :

In bed at morrow fleiping as I lay,
Methoct Aurora, with her cristall ene
In at the window lukit " by the day,
And halfit me with vifage pale and grene;
On quhois hand a lark fang, fro the splene",
"Awak, luvaris, out of your flemering,
"Se how the lufty morrow doth upfpring!"

Methoct freshe May befoir my bed upftude,
In weid' depaynt of mony diverse hew,
Sober, benygn, and full of manfuetude,
In bright atteir of flouris forgit new',

Hevinly of color, quhyt, reid, brown, and blew,
Balmit in dew, and gilt with Phebus' bemys;
Quhil al the house illumynit of her lemys '.

MAY then rebukes the poet, for not rifing early, according to his annual custom, to celebrate the approach of the fpring; especially as the lark has now announced the dawn. of day, and his heart in former years had always,

chapel-clarkes of Venus, St. iii. In the COURTE OF LOVE, Chaucer introduces the birds finging a mass in honour of May. Edit. Urr. p. 570. v. 1353. feq.

On May-day, when the larke began to ryfe, TO MATTINS went the luftie nighingale. He begins the fervice with Domine labia. The eagle fings the Venite. The popingay Cæli enarrant. The peacock Dominus regnavit. The owl Benedicite. The Te Deum is converted into Te Deum AMORIS, and fung by the thrufh, &c. &c. Skelton, in the BOKE OF PHILIP SPARROW, ridicules the miffal, in fuppofing various parts of it to be fung by birds. p. 226. edit. Lond. 1739, 12mo. Much the fame fort of fic

L12

Brightnefs.

-glaid

glaid and blissful bene

Sangis" to mak undir the levis grene*.

The poet replies, that the fpring of the present year was unpromifing and ungenial; unattended with the usual song of birds, and ferenity of sky: and that storms and showers, and the loud blafts of the horn of lord Eolus, had ufurped her mild dominion, and hitherto prevented him from wandering at leisure under the vernal branches. MAY rejects his excufe, and with a smile of majesty commands him to arise, and to perform his annual homage to the flowers, the birds, and the fun. They both enter a delicious garden, filled with the richest colours and odours. The fun fuddenly appears in all his glory, and is thus described in the luminous language of Lydgate.

The purpour fone, with tendir bemys reid,
In orient bricht as angell did appeir,
Thorow goldin skyis putting up his heid,
Quhois gilt treffis fchone fo wondir cleir,

That all the world take comfort far and neir".

Immediately the birds, like the morning-stars, finging together, hail the unufual appearance of the fun-fhine.

Songs.

And, as the blissful fone of cherarchy",
The fowlis fung throw comfort of the licht;
The burddis did with oppin voices cry,
"O luvaris, fo away thow dully nicht,
"Ánd welcum day that comfortis every wicht.

* St. iv. See Chaucer's KNIGHT's TALE, V. 1042. p. 9. Urr.

She was arifin, and all redie dight,
For May will have no fluggardy annight:
The season prikkith every gentill herte;

The hierarchy. See Joв, ch. xxxviii. v. 7. The morning-ftars finging together.

"Hail May, hail Flora, hail Aurora schene,

"Hail princes Nature, hail Venus luvis quene".

NATURE is then introduced, iffuing her interdict, that the progrefs of the spring should be no longer interupted, and that Neptune and Eolus fhould cease from disturbing the waters and air.

Dame Nature gaif an inhibitioun thair,
To fers Neptune, and Eolus the bauld
Nocht to perturb the wattir nor the air;
And that no schouris nor blastis cawld.

d

с

Effray fuld floris, nor fowlis on the fauld;
Scho bad eke Juno goddes of the sky

That scho the hevin fuld amene and dry .

This preparation and fufpence are judicious and ingenious; as they give dignity to the fubject of the poem, awaken our curiofity, and introduce many poetical circumstances. NATURE immediately commands every bird, beast, and flower, to appear in her prefence; and, as they had been used to do every May-morning, to acknowledge her univerfal fovereignty. She fends the roe to bring the beafts, the swallow to collect the birds, and the yarrow' to fummon the flowers. They are affembled before her in an instant. The lion advances first, whofe figure is drawn with great force and expreffion.

a St. ix.

Bold.

Read Scho-u-ris.

d Should hurt.

e St. x.

f The yarrow is Achillea, or Millefolium, commonly called Sneefwort. There is no reafon for felecting this plant to go on a

meffage to the flowers; but that its name has been fuppofed to be derived from Arrow, being held a remedy for healing wounds inflicted by that weapon. The poet, to apologise for his boldness in perfonifying a plant, has added, "full craf "tely conjurit fcho." St. xii.