the Scottish poets of that period, the most worthy are precisely those whose works have been preserved. This impression may, however, be an incorrect one; and we have the evidence of contemporary writers that some at least of Dunbar's Makars were as highly esteemed in their own age as himself.

William Dunbar was born in East Lothian,1 of the family of the Earls of March. He graduated at St. Andrews in 1479; joined the mendicant order of St. Francis; travelled in England and abroad in the service of that order; and appears likewise to have performed on many occasions the office of clerk or notary in King James's foreign missions. He was pensioned by the King in 1500, and during James's life his home was almost entirely in Edinburgh, and near to the King's person. Here we may picture him in his friar's habit, living on his pension, which is augmented from time to time, and writing to the delight of the King and his courtiers no end of verses on all kinds of topics, humorous, satirical, and imaginative. Dunbar was remarkable for his habit of taking note of all that was passing in the courtly life around him. Almost everything he wrote appears to have been suggested by some incident of court or of city life. And no matter what is the incident, whether a royal marriage, a dance in the Queen's chamber, his own dangerous illness, or the gossip of old wives over their wine, his verse is always vivacious, his animal spirits prodigious. The boisterous levity of his less dignified compositions contrasts curiously at times with his sound but somewhat worldly wisdom; and, in spite of his unequivocal begging for a benefice from the King, which forms the subject of a number of his poems, there are not wanting in others of them strains of a higher and more reflective mood, with here and there luscious Chaucerian scene-painting, or an overflow of fun that is thoroughly human and pleasant. Dunbar's chief poems are The Thrissel and the Rose, and The Golden Targe. These are his works of greatest effort, and represent him very dis

1 He was probably a grandson of Sir Patrick Dunbar of Beill, in East Lothian, younger son of George, 10th Earl of March, and one of the hostages for

tinctly as a student of Chaucer and of medieval literature. In his minor pieces we come upon a great variety of metres, and some of Dunbar's lyric cadences are almost perfectly musical.

With the disaster of Flodden and the death of James IV. in 1513, the records of Dunbar's life come to an abrupt end. We know nothing of him in the troubled years which followed. The date and place of his death are forgotten; and it is only from references to his memory in the writings of his contemporaries that we infer his death to have taken place about 1520.

FROM THE THRISSEL AND THE ROSE.1

DAME NATURE CROWNS THE SCOTTISH LION KING OF BEASTS.'

All present were in twinkling of an ee,

Baith beast and bird and flower, before the Queen.

And first the Lion, greatest of degree,

Was callit there; and he, most fair to seen,
With a full hardy countenance, and keen,
Before Dame Nature came, and did incline
With visage bauld and courage leonine.

This awful beast full terrible was of cheer,2
Piercing of look, and stout of countenance,
Richt strong of corpse, of fashion fair, but3 fear,
Lusty of shape, licht of deliverance,

Red of his colour as is the ruby glance;
On field of gold he stood full michtily,
With fleur-de-lys circulit lustily.

This Lady liftit up his cluvis clear,
And let him listly lean upon her knee;
And crownit him with diadem full dear

Of radious stones, most royal for to see;
Saying, "The King of Beastis mak I thee,
And the protector chief in woods and shaws;7
To thy lieges go forth, and keep the laws.

1 This poem was written in honour of the marriage of James IV. of Scotland to Margaret, daughter of Henry VII. of England, 1503.

2 Face.

"Exerce1 justice with mercy and conscience;
And let no small beast suffer scaith nor scorns
Of great beastis that been of more puissence ;2
Do law alike to apes and unicorns;
And let no bogle3 with his busteous horns
The meek pleuch-ox oppress, for all his pride,
But in the yoke go peaceable him beside."

THE KING AND QUEEN OF FLOWERS.

Then callit she all flowers that grew on field,
Discerning all their fashions and effeirs :"
Upon the awful THRISSEL she beheld,
And saw him keepit' with a bush of spears.
Considering him so able for the weres,8

A radious crown of rubies she him gave,
And said, "In field go forth and fend the lave...
"Nor hold none other flower in sic dainty
As the fresh ROSE, of colour red and white;
For, gif10 thou does, hurt is thine honesty ;
Considering that no flower is so perfite,11
So full of virtue, pleasance, and delight,
So full of blissful angelic beauty,
Imperial birth, honour, and dignity."

Then to the ROSE she turnit her visage,
And said, 66
O, lusty dochter, most bening,12
Above the Lily illuster of linage,13

14

From the stalk royal rising fresh and ying,1
But 15 ony spot or macul16 doing spring :17
Come, bloom of joy, with gemis to be crowned,
For, ower the lave,18 thy beauty is renowned !"

A costly crown, with clarified stonès bricht,

This comely Queen did on her head inclois,
While all the land illumined of the licht:

Wherefore, methocht, the Flowers did rejoice,
Crying at once, "Hail be thou richest Rose !
Hail, Herbès' Empress, freshest Queen of Flowers!
To thee be glory and honour at all hours!”

1 Exercise.

5 Dame Nature.

2 Power.

6 Qualities.

9 Defend the rest. 10 If.

3 Goblin.

7 Protected. 11 Perfect.

4 Plough-ox.

8 Wars. 12 Benign.

13 The English rose was of more illustrious growth than the French lily. This was in allusion to a former treaty of marriage between James IV. and a French princess. 15 Without. 16 Blemish (Latin, macula).

14 Young.

THE TWA CUMMERS.1

Richt early on Ash-Wednesday,
Drinkand the wine sat cummers tway.2
The tane gouth to the tother complean;3
Groanand, and suppand gouth she say,
"This lang Lentren maks me lean !"

"My fair sweet Cummer," quoth the tother,'
"Ye tak that niggerdness of your mother;
All wine to taste she would disdain
But mavasy; she bade 10 nane other :-

9

This lang Lentren maks me lean!"

Cummer, be glad both even and morrow ;11
Though ye suld baith beg and borrow,

Frae ower lang 12 fasting ye you refrene ;13
And lat your husband dree 14 the sorrow :-
This lang Lentren maks me lean!"

"Your counsel, Cummer, is good,” quoth she;
"All is to tene 15 him that I do ;

My husband is not worth a bean;
Fill fou 16 the glass, and drink me to :-
This lang Lentren maks me lean!"

Of wine out of ane choppin-stoup 17
They drank twa quartis sowp and sowp,

18

Of drouth sic excess did them constrein.
By then 19 to mend they had good hope :-
That Lentren suld nocht mak them lean.

FROM THE GOLDEN TARGE.

A MAY-DAY DREAM.

Bright as the starn1 of day begouth 2 to shine,
When gone to bed were Vesper and Lucine,
I rase,3 and by a rosere1 did me rest.
Up sprang the golden candle matutine,
With clear depurit beamès crystalline,
Gladding the merry fowlès in their nest:
Or Phoebus was in purpur cape revest,
Up rose the lark, the heavens' minstrel fine,
In May, intill9 a morrow mirthfulest.

8

Full angel-like thir 10 birdès sang their hours
Within their curtains green into their bowers,
Apparelled white and red with bloomès sweet :
Enamelled was the field with all colours;
The pearly droppis shook in silver showers,
While all in balm did branch and leavès fleet :11
To part frae Phoebus did Aurora greet;
Her crystal tears I saw hing on the flowers,
Whilk 13 he, for luve, all drank up with his heat.

12

For mirth of May, with skippès and with hops,14
The birdès sang upon the tender crops

With curious notes, as Venus' chapel-clerks :
The roses young, new spreading of their knops,15
Were powdered bricht with heavenly beryl drops,
Through beamès red, burning as ruby sparks :
The skyès rang for shouting of the larks:
The purpur heaven, o'er-scaled in silver slops,
O'er-gilt the treès, branches, leaves, and barks.

Down through the rik 16 a River ran with streams,
So lustily again 17 those likand leams,18

That all the land as lamp did leam of licht;
Whilk shadowit all about with twinkling gleams,

9 In a morning. 10 These.

3 Rose.

7 Before.

11 Flow. 12 Weep.

4 Rose-bush.

8 Reclothed.
13 Which.

14 This line was read, "with skippis and with hoppis," and the rhymes of this stanza were all double,-hoppis, croppis, knoppis, droppis, etc. Such rhymes are, however, so ungraceful to modern ears that we have sacrificed the reading of the first line for the sake of rendering the entire verse pleasant.