Let see, quoth he, who now begins. And first in all the Dance was PRIDE, With hair wiled back, and bonnet on side, And round about him, as a wheel, His kethat12 for the nanes.13 Then IRE came in with sturt and strife; All boden in 'feir of weir,14 Some upon other with brands beft, 15 With knives that sharp could shear. Next him in Dance came CoVETICE, That never could be content: Caitiffs, wretches, and ockerars, 2 Ay as they toomit them of shot, Syne SWEIRNESS, 6 at the second bidding, Full sleepy was his grunyie ;7 Mony sweir bumbard belly-huddron, Mony slute daw, and sleepy duddron,9 Him servit ay with sunyie. 10 He drew them furth intill a chenyie, And Belial with a bridle reinyie Ever lashed them on the lunyiel In dance they were sae slaw of feet, * And made them quicker of counyie,18 Then the foul monster GLUTTONY, To dance he did him dress: Drink! ay they cried, with mony a gape; The Fiends gave them het lead to lap, Their levery13 was nae less. * Nae menstrals playit to them, but doubt, And entered by brief of richt. Then cried Mahoun for a Hieland padian : By he the coronach had done shout, In hell great room they took: 1 Many contentious persons. 8 Misers. Usurers. Every coinage 1 Whose close disputation yet moved my thoughts. 3 Accursed men, who had never been absolved in the other world. 5 Prepare a masque. 6 Gambols. 7 Proud. 8 Haughtily. 9 The names of popular spirits in Scotland. 10 Something touching puffed up manners appears to be hinted at in this obscure line. 19 Robe, 11 Large folds. 13 For the occasion. 14 Arrayed in the accoutrements of war. 15 Gave blows. * Dunbar is a poet of a high order. * * His Dance of the Seven Deadly Sins, though it would be absurd to compare it with the beauty and refinement of the celebrated Ode on the Passions, has yet an animated picturesqueness not unlike that of Collins. The effect of both pieces shows how much more potent allegorical figures become, by being made to fleet suddenly before the imagination, than by being detained in its view by prolonged description. Dunbar conjures ap the personified sins, as Collins does the passions, to rise, to strike, to disappear. "They come like shadows, so depart." '-CAMP CLL. 6 Laziness. 8 Dirty, lazy tipplers. 11 Loins. 10 Excuse. 18 Reward. 4 Great quantity. 7 Visage. Slow and sleepy drabs. 12 Circulation, as of coin. 14 A compliment, obviously, to the poetical profession. 15 Pageant. In this stanza Dunbar satirises the outlandist habits and language of the Highlanders. 1 The Devil sae deavit was with their yell, That in the deepest pot of hell, He smoorit them with smook. Tidings fra the Session. [A conversation between two rustics, designed to satirise the roceedings in the supreme civil law court of Scotland.] Ane muirland man, of upland mak, I tell you under this confession, I come of Edinburgh fra the Session. Is na man there that trusts another: Of innocent folk preveens a futher :2 That has his mind all on oppression; Wad look full heigh were not the Session. Some, bydand the law, lays land in wed ;5 means; How feid and favour flemis discretion; Some speaks full fair, and falsely feigns: Some castis summons, and some excepts; Some is put out of his possession; Some swears, and some forsakes God, Some goes to gallows with procession; Some sains the seat, and some them curses : Sic tidings heard I at the Session. Religious men of diverse places * And are unmindful of their profession, The younger at the elder leers : Sic tidings heard I at the Session. Of Discretion in Giving. To speak of gifts and almos deeds: Some gives for twice as gude again: Some gives for thank, and some for threat; That ere the gift delivered be, And for a hood-pick halden is he, Some in his giving is so large, Then vice and prodigalitie. Some to the rich gives his gear, And, though the poor for fault sould die, In Giving sould Discretion be. And to auld servants list not see, Some gettis gifts and rich arrays, Though all the contrair weel knaws he; Are mony sic now in thir days: In Giving sould Discretion be. Some givis parochines full wide, The people to teach and to o'ersee, Of Discretion in Taking. After Giving I speak of Taking, Some takes o'er little authoritie, The clerks takes benefices with brawls, Barons taks fra the tenants puir In mails and gersoms raisit o'er hie, And gars them beg fra door to door: 1 Whispered. Nose. Banishes. Is advanced before a great number. * Armpit. 5 Pledge. • Hostility. 1 Appreciated. Starvation. 3 A large proportion of the strangers who visited Scotland se this early period were probably from Flanders. Complain Some merchands taks unleesomel wine, Whilk maks their packs oft time full thin, By their succession, as ye may see, Some taks other mennis tacks,2 And never remembers that he maun die, Till that the gallows gars him rax :3 Some taks by sea, and some by land, And syne they gar him understand, In Taking sould Discretion be. Some wald tak all his neighbour's gear; Had he of man as little fear As he has dread that God him see; To tak then sould he never forbear: Through heart unsatiable and greedie; Some wald tak little, and can not speed: Great men for taking and oppression, And puir takers are hangit hie, GAVIN DOUGLAS. GAVIN DOUGLAS, born about the year 1474, a younger son of Archibald, fifth Earl of Angus, was pying a prominent place in the history of his country, he died of the plague in London in the year 1522. Douglas shines as an allegorical and descriptive poet. He wants the vigorous sense, and also the graphic force, of Dunbar; while the latter is always close and nervous, Douglas is soft and verbose. The genius of Dunbar is so powerful, that manner sinks beneath it; that of Douglas is so much matter of culture, that manner is its most striking peculiarity. This manner is essentially scholarly. He employs an immense number of words derived from the Latin, as yet comparatively a novelty in English composition. And even his descriptions of nature involve many ideas, very beautiful in themselves, and very beautifully expressed, but inappropriate to the situation, and obviously introduced merely in accordance with literary fashion. The principal original composition of Douglas is a long poem, entitled The Palace of Honour. It was designed as an apologue for the conduct of a king. and therefore addressed to James IV. The poet represents himself as seeing, in a vision, a large company travelling towards the Palace of Honour. He joins them, and narrates the particulars of the pilgrimage. The well-known Pilgrim's Progress bears so strong a resemblance to this poem, that Bunyan could scarcely have been ignorant of it. King Hart, the only other long poem of Douglas, presents a metaphorical view of human life. But the most remarkable production of this author was a translation of Virgil's Eneid into Scottish verse, which he executed in the year 1513, being the first version of a Latin classic into any British tongue. It is generally allowed to be a masterly performance, though in too obsolete a language ever to regain its popularity. The original poems, styled prologues. which the translator affixes to each book, are esteemed amongst his happiest pieces. [Apostrophe to Honour.] (Original Spelling.) O hie honour, sweit heuinlie flour digest, [Morning in May.*] As fresh Aurore, to mighty Tithon spouse, Shed purpour spraings, with gold and azure mont Of colour sore, and somedeal brown as berry, * 1 Unlawful. Leases. In its whole breadth. out of law. 1 Worthy reward. 8 Issued from. 2 Without equal. 4 Opened. 3 Till the gallows stretches him. 5 Purple streaks mingled with gold and azure. 8 Glittering. * Part of the prologue to the 12th book of the Eneid. So dusty powder upstours1 in every street, Of Eolus' north blasts havand no dreid, ** Rendering some place the gerse-piles their licht; Whereso they walk into their caroling, Some ballads list indite of his lady; * * * And every flouer unlappit in the dale. Scre downis small on dentilion sprang, * Some livis in hope; and some all utterly Welcome weelfare of husbands at the plews, JOHN SKELTON, * JOHN SKELTON flourished as a poet in the earier Ane paradise it seemed to draw near Over the lochis and the fludis gray, Searchard by kind ane place where they should lay. part of the reign of Henry VIII. He was rector of Phabas red fowl,13 his cural crest can steer, Oft streikana furth his heckle, crawand cleer. Anid the wortis and the rutis gent Dysse, in Norfolk, and chiefly wrote satires upon his own order, for which he was at one time compelled to fly from his charge. The pasquils of Skelton are copious and careless effusions of coarse humour, displaying a certain share of imagination, and much rancour; but he could also assume a more amiable and poetical manner, as in the following canzonet * * The painted pownel4 pacand with plumes gym, 1 Ocean. Sultry. 3 Uncommon. 4 Boughs. Battlements. 6 Cupola. 7 Storey. Earth. Meadow. 10 Cool vapours. 11 Sprouts. Young. 18 The cock. 14 The peacock. 6 Whisper. 7 Relieve. Lays 8 Shelsen. In everything, Or hawk of the tower; Sweet Pomander, EARL OF SURREY. From Chaucer, or at least from James I., the writers of verse in England had displayed little of the grace and elevation of true poetry. At length a worthy successor of those poets appeared in Thomas Howard, eldest son of the Duke of Norfolk, and usually denominated the EARL OF SURREY. This nobleman was born in 1516. He was educated at Windsor, in company with a natural son of the So cruel prison how could betide, alas! As proud Windsor? where I, in lust and joy, In greater feast than Priam's son of Troy: To bait her eyes, which kept the leads above. With silver drops the mead yet spread for ruth, In active games of nimbleness and strength, The secret groves which oft we made resound, The wild forest, the clothed holts with green, The wide vales, eke, that harboured us each night, The pleasant dreams, the quiet bed of rest: Howard, Earl of Surrey. king, and in early life became accomplished, not only urtly in the learning of the time, but in all kinds of courtly O place of bliss! renewer of my woes, and chivalrous exercises. Having travelled into Italy, he became a devoted student of the poets of that country-Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, and Ariosto-and formed his own poetical style upon theirs. His poetry is chiefly amorous, and, notwithstanding his having been married in early life, much of it consists of the praises of a lady whom he names Geraldine, supposed to have been a daughter of the Earl of Kildare. Surrey was a gallant soldier as well as a poet, and conducted an important expedition, in 1542, for the devastation of the Scottish borders. He finally fell under the displeasure of Henry VIII., and was beheaded on Tower Hill in 1547. The poetry of Surrey is remarkable for a flowing melody, Give me accounts, where is my noble fere ;4 Whom in thy walls thou dost each night enclose; To other leef, but unto me most dear: Echo, alas! that doth my sorrow rue, In prison pine with bondage and restraint, And with remembrance of the greater grief 1 Hover; loiter. 2 A lover tied the sleeve of his mistress on the head of h horse. 3 Reins dropped. 4 Companion. 5 Agreeable |