Page images
PDF
EPUB

maid he had rescued; and who having fallen in love with him for his courage, good services, and noble demeanour, becomes distracted at his loss-composes a Lai Mortel, and at last, in a fine heroical style, expires by his side. And with this, the whole in a great measure concludes.

More particulars respecting this metrical Romance, with some conjectures, touching its age and author, and as many more of its verses as can be deciphered, will appear in the Gowpenfou of guidlie Conceitts, or Ragment of Rosie Rondellis and plesant meteris," to be published in the beginning of next year.

66

Here followis ane litill fang clepit

"Com hidder, com hidder, & let us woo."

Twa gentil birdis sat on ane tre,
Twa bonnie burdis as e'er culd be,
And as thay sat for ay thay sang,
Quhyl wuddis and rochis wi echois rang.

Com hidder, com hidder, mi bonnie dow,
Wi honeyit halse and dew dabbit mou,
And ay the ane sang to the uthir--
Com hither, bot nae delay come hither,
Com hidder, com hidder, & let us woo.

The sun rase hie in the purpour east,
And flichterit doun in the glumie west,
And nicht cam on befoir thair dune,
In singand of this gentil crune.

Com hidder, com hidder, &c.

Syne gaed thir birdis sua traist and free,
Be nichtfal to thair herbourie,

In suth to say, thair hertis wer licht,
Sithens they sang thorow the nicht.

Com hidder, come hidder, &c.

An account of this old song will be found in the publication referred to, in the note to the foregoing. In the meantime, we think it is one of the songs mentioned by Gawin Douglass, in his " Prolouge to the XII. Booke Eneados." Edin. 1700, p. 404.

G

No. 2.

ANE EPISTIE DIRECTED FROM THE HOLY HEREMITE OF ALLAREIT, TO HIS BRETHREN THE GRAVE FRERS,

I, Thomas, hermite of Lareit,

Sanct Frances ordour hartely greit;
Beseiking you, with ferme intent,
To be wakryif and diligent.

For thir Lutherans, rissen of new,
Our ordour dayly dois persew.

Thir smaikis do set their haill intent
To read the Inglisch New Testment;
And sayis we have thame clein disceypit,
Therefore in hast they mon be stoppit.
Our Stait hypocrisie they pryiss,
And us blasphemis on this wyiss :
Sayand that we are heretykes,
And fals loud lying mastif tykes;

Cummerars and quellers of Christis kirk,
Sweir swyngeours that will not wirk,
But idele our living wynnis,
Devouring woiltis into sheepe skinnis ;
Hurkland with huidis into our nek,
With Judas mind to jouke and bek „J
Seikand Christis people to devoir,
The doun-thringers of Goddis gloar; :
Professors of hypocrisie,

And Doctouris in idolatrie;

Stout fischeiris with the feyndis net,
The upclosers of hevins yett;
Cancart corruptars of the creede,
Humlock sawers amang gude seede;
To trow in trators that men do tyist,
The hye way kennand them fra Chryist.
Monsters with the beistis marke,
Dogges that never stintes to barke,
Kirkmen that are to Christ unkend,
A sert that Nathanis selfe has seni,

Lurkand in hoils lyke trator toddis,
Maintainers of idolles and false goddis;
Fantastike fuiles, and fenyeit fleichers,
To turn fra trueth the verray teachers.
For to declair their haill sentence,
Wald mekill cumber your conscience :
To say your faith it is sa stark ;
Your cord and lousie cote and sark;
Ye lippin may bring you to salvatioun,
And quyte excludis Chrystis passioun.
I dread this doctrine, and it last,
Sall outher gar us wirke or fast.
Thairfore with speede we menn provide,
And not our proffit ovirslide.

I schaip myselfe, within short quhile,
To course our Ladie in Argyle.
And thair on craftie wyse to wirk,
Till that we biggit haif ane kirk.
Syne miracles mak be your advice.
The kitterills, though they haif bot lyce,
The twa part to us they will bring.
But orderlie to dresse this thing,

A Gaist I purpose to gar gang,

Be counsayll of frear Walter Lang;

Quhilk sall make certaine demonstrations

To help us in our procurations,

Your hailie order to decoir.

That practick he proved anis befoir,
Betwixt Kircaldie and Kinghorne ;
But lymmaris made therat sic skorne ;
And to his fame made sic degression,
Synsyne he hard not Kingis confession.
Thouch at that time he cam no speide,
I pray you tak gude will as deide;
And so me amang you ressave,
As ane worth mony of the lave.
Quhat I obtaine may, throuch his airt,
Reason wald ye had your pairt.
Your order handillis na monie ;
But for other casualtie,

As beefe, meale, butter, and cheese,
Or quhat we haif, or that ye pleese,
To send your brethren & habete.

As now nocht ellis but valete,

Be Thomas your bruther at command,
A culrunne kythit throuch mony a land.
Alex. Cunninghame, Earl of Glencairn.

THE SOLSEQUIUM;

OR, THE LOVER COMPAIRING HIMSELF TO A SUN-FLOWER.

Lyk as the dum Solsequium with cair owrecum

Dois sorrow, quhen the sun gois out of sight,

Hings doun his heid, and droupis as deid, and will not spreid,

But lukis his levis throw langour all the nicht,
Til fulisch Phæton aryse with quhip in hand
To purge the christal skyis, and licht the land.
Birds in thair bower wait on that hour,
And to thair King ane glade gude-morrow gives,
Frae than that flowir lists not to lour,

But laughs on Phebus lowsing on his levis.

Swa stands with me, except I be quhair I may se
My lamp of licht, my lady and my luve,
Frae scho depairts, a thousand dairts in sindrie airts
Thirle thruch my heavy heart, bot rest or ruve.

My countenance declairs my inward grief,

And houp almaist dispairs to find relief.

I die, I dwyne, play dois me pyne,

I loth on every thing I luke, allace!

Till Titan myne upon me schyne,

That I revive thruch favour of hir face.

Frae scho appeir into hir sphere, begins to cleir

The dawing of my lang desyrit day.

Then courage cryis on houp to ryse quhen he espyis

The noysum nicht of absens went away;

No noyis, frae I awalke, can me impesche,
But on my staitly stalk I flurische fresche,
I spring, I sprout, my leivis ly out,
My collour changis in ane hairtsum hew;

Na mair I lout, but stand up stout,
As glad of hir for quhome I only grew.

O happy day, go not away, Apollo stay
Thy chair frae going doun unto the west,
Of me thou mak thy Zodiac, that I may tak
My plesour to behald quhome I love best.
Thy presens me restoris to lyfe from deth,
Thy absens lykways schoris to cut my breth.
I wiss in vain, thee to remain.

Sen primum mobile says me always nay,
At leist thy wane bring sune again,

Fareweil with patiens per forss till day.

Alex. Montgomerie.

THE SEGE

OF THE

CASTEL OF EDINBURGH.

Buschment of Beruik, mak zow for the gait,
To ring zour drumis, & rank zour men of weir;
Addres zour armour round zou for debait,
With sound of trumpet mak zour steids to steir,
Sen ze ar freikis that weil dar fecht but feir:
As, for exampill, we haue sene zow ellis,
Lyk as the last tym, that your camp come heir,
Lend vs ane borrouing of zour auld blak bellis.

Zour camp conuoyit but cumer throw the land,
In gude array, and rewlit by thair rank,
Reddie to pas, as plesit vs command,
Throw all our bounds, to the west sey bank;
Thocht sum men say ze serue bot lytill thank,
Suppose occatioun cum first of thame sellis,
As thay haue brouin that bargane, sa thay drank,
And rewis that tyme that euer they saw zour bellis.

« PreviousContinue »