pofition; more efpecially in the glaring affectation of anglicifing Latin words. The feveral books are introduced with metrical prologues, which are often highly poetical; and fhew that Douglas's proper walk was original poetry. In the prologue to the fixth book, he wishes for the Sybill's golden bough, to enable him to follow his master Virgil through the dark and dangerous labyrinth of the infernal regions. But the moft confpicuous of these prologues is a defcription of May. The greater part of which I will infert'.

น

As fresche Aurore, to mychty Tithone spous,
Ifchit of her faffron bed, and euyr hous,
In crammefy" clad and granite violate,

With fanguyne cape, the felvage * purpurate;

у

Unfchet the wyndois of hir large hall,

Spred all with rofis, and full of balme royall.
And eik the hevinly portis cristallyne

Upwarpis brade, the warlde till illumyne.

The twynkling ftremouris of the orient

Sched purpour sprayngis with gold and afure ment 2.
Eous the stede, with ruby hammys rede,

Abouf the feyis liftis furth his hede

Of culloure fore, and fomedele broun as bery,
For to alichtin and glad our emifpery;

The flambe out braftin at the neis thirlis.

Quhil fchortlie, with the blefand' torche of day,
Abulzeit in his lemand" frefche array,

Furth of his palice ryall ischit Phebus,
With golden croun and vifage glorious,

Crifp haris, bricht as chriffolite or thopas;
For quhais hew' mycht nane behold his face:
The firie sparkis brafting from his ene,

g

To purge the air, and gilt the tender grene.-
The auriat phanis of his trone foverane
With glitterand glance overspred the octiane";
The largè fludis, lemand all of licht,
Bot with ane blenk' of his fupernal ficht,
For to behald, it was ane glore to fe

k

The stabillyt wyndis, and the calmyt se;
The foft feffoun', the firmament ferene;

The loune illuminate are ", and firth" amene:
The filver-fcalit fyschis on the grete ̊,

Ouer thowrt clere ftremes fprinkilland for the hete,
With fynnys fchinand broune as fynopare',
And chefal talis, ftourand here and there':

The new cullour, alichting" all the landis,

Forgane the stanryis fchene", and beriall strandis :
Quhil the reflex of the diurnal bemes

The bene bonkis keft ful of variant glemes:

And luftie Flora did her blomes fprede

Under the fete of Phebus fulzeart' stede,

The fwardit foyll enbrode with selkouth hewis *,
Wod and forest obumbrate with bewis',

Quhais. blysful branchis, porturate' on the ground,
With fchaddois fchene fchew rocchis rubicund:
Towris, turrettis, kirnallis, and pynnakillis hie,
Of kirkis, caftellis, and ilk faire citie,

Stude payntit, every fane, phioll, and stage*,
Apoun the playn grounde by thaire awn umbrage'.
Of Eolus north blaftis havand no drede,
The fulze fpred hir brad bosum on brede".
The cornis croppis, and the bere new-brerde',
With gladfum garment revesting the erde *.
The variant vefture of the venust vale
Schrowdis the scherand fur', and every falem
Ouerfrett" with fulzeis°, and fyguris ful dyuers,
The pray bysprent with spryngand sproutis dyspers,
For callour humours on the dewy nycht,
Rendryng fum place the gyrs pylis thare licht,
Als fer as catal the lang fomerys day

Had in thare pasture ete and gnyp away:

And blyfsful bloffomys in the blomyt zard

9

Submittis thare hedys in the zoung fonnys fafgard:
Iue leius rank ouerfpred the barmkyn' wall,
The blomit hauthorne cled his pykis all,

&c, is plainly arable,, and the fulzeis and fyguris full dyuers, are the various leaves. and flowers of the weeds growing among the corn, and making a piece of embroidery. And here the defcription of corn-fields ends and that of pafture-lands begins at,. The pray by prent, &c. Pray, not as the printed gloffary fays, corruptedly for Spray, but formed, through the French, from the Lat. Pratum, and Spryngand Sproutis, rising fprings, from the Ital. Spruzzare, Spruzzslare, afpergere.

Leaves.

P Mead.
9 Ivy-leaves.

I

Rampart.

Furth

Furth of fresche burgeouns' the wyne grapis zing
Endlang the trazileys " dyd on twistis hing,
The loukit" buttouns on the gemyt treis
Ouerfpredand leuis of naturis tapestryis.
Soft grefy verdoure eftir balmy schouris,
On curland stalkis fmyland to thare flowris:
Behaldand thame fa mony divers hew

Sum piers, fum pale, fum burnet, and fum blew,
Sum gres, fum gowlis, fum purpure, fum fanguane,
Blanchit or broun, fauch zallow mony ane,

a

Sum heuinly colourit in celestial gre,
Sum watty hewit as the haw wally " fe,
And fum departe in freklis rede and quhyte,
Sum bricht as gold with aureate leuis lyte.
The dafy did on brede hir crownel fmale,
And euery flour unlappit in the dale,
In battil gers' burgeouns, the banwart wyld,
The clauir, catcluke, and the cammomylde;
The flourdelyce furth fprede his heuynly hew,
Floure damas, and columbe blak and blew,
Sere downis fmal on dentilioun sprang,
The zoung grene blomit ftrabery leus amang,
Gimp jereflouris thareon leuis unschet,

с

d

Frefche prymrois, and the pourpour violet,.
The rois knoppis, tetand furth thare hede,
Gan chyp, and kyth thare vernale lippis rede,
Cryfp fkarlet leuis fum fcheddand baith at attanis,
Kest fragrant smel amyd fra goldin granis3,

⚫ Sprigs.

t

Young.

"Trelliffes. Efpaliers for vines.

w Locked. Enclosed. Gemmed.

* Red.

y Watchet.

z Blue and wavy.

a Unbraid.

Grafs embattelled.

Heuinlie lyllyis, with lokkerand toppis quhyte,
Opynnit and schew thare creiftis redemyte",
The balmy vapour from thare fylkyn croppis
Distilland halefum fugurat hony droppis,
And fylver schakeris 'gan fra leuis hing,
With chrystal sprayngis on the verdure zing:
The plane pouderit with femelie feitis found,
Bedyit ful of dewy peirlys round;

So that ilk burgeon, fyon, herbe, or floure,
Wox all enbalmit of the frefche liquour,
And baithit hait did in dulce humouris flete,
Quhareof the beis wrocht thare hony fwete.-
Swannis fouchis throw out the refpand' redis,
Ouer all the lochis " and the fludis gray,

k

Sersand by kynd ane place quhare they fuld lay;
Phebus rede foule his curale creift can ftere,
Oft ftrekand furth his hekkil crawand clere
Amyd the wortis, and the rutis gent,
Pickland hys mete in alayis quhare he went,
His wyffis Toppa and Partolet hym by,
As bird al tyme that hantis bygamy;

till he comes to the rofe, and never at all the fcent of any particular flower, except the rofe, not even of the lily; for I take it, the words, from thare fylkyn croppis, are meant to defcribe the flowers in general; and the balmy vapour to be the fame with the frefche liquour, and the dulce bumouris qubareof the beis wrocht thare bony fwete, an exhalation diftin&t from that which causes the fcent. Afterwards redolent odour, is general; for he certainly means to close his defcription of the vegetable world, by one univerfal cloud of fragrance from all nature. g Seeds.

h Redeemed. Released, opened. The gloffary fays, Decked, Beautiful, from Redimitus, Lat.

i Shakers.

That Milton had his eye upon this paffage is plain, from his describing the