Let see, quoth he, who now begins.
With that the foul Seven Deadly Sins
Begoud to leap at anes.

And first in all the Dance was PRIDE,

With hair wiled back, and bonnet on side,
Like to mak vaistie wanes;10

And round about him, as a wheel,
Hang all in rumples11 to the heel

His kethat12 for the nanes.13
Mony proud trumpour with him trippit;
Through scaldand fire aye as they skippit,
They grinned with hideous granes.

Then IRE came in with sturt and strife;
His hand was aye upon his knife,
He brandished like a bear;
Boasters, braggarts, and bargainers,
After him, passit in to pairs,

All boden in 'feir of weir,14
In jacks, and scrips, and bonnets of steel;
Their legs were chained down to the heel;
Froward was their effeir:

Some upon other with brands beft, 15
Some jaggit others, to the heft,

With knives that sharp could shear.

Next him in Dance came CoVETICE,
Root of all evil and grund of vice,

That never could be content:

Caitiffs, wretches, and ockerars, 2
Hood-pykes,3 hoarders, and gatherers,
All with that warlock went:
Out of their throats they shot on other
Het molten gold, methought, a fother,
As fire-flaught maist fervent ;

Ay as they toomit them of shot,
Fiends filled them new up to the throat
With gold of all kind prent.5

Syne SWEIRNESS, 6 at the second bidding,
Came like a sow out of a midden,

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,
They gave them in the fire a heat,

*

And made them quicker of counyie,18

Then the foul monster GLUTTONY,
Of wame insatiable and greedy,

To dance he did him dress:
Him followed mony foul drunkart,
With can and collop, caup and quart,
In surfeit and excess;
Full mony a waistful wally-drag,
With wames unweildable, did forth wag,
In creish that did incress.

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,
For gleemen there were halden out,
By day and eke by nicht ;14
Except a menstral that slew a man,
Sae till his heritage he wan,

And entered by brief of richt.

Then cried Mahoun for a Hieland padian :
Syne ran a fiend to fetch Macfadyan,
Far northward in a nook :

By he the coronach had done shout,
Erschemen so gathered him about,

In hell great room they took:
Thae termagants, with tag and tatter,
Full loud in Ersche begond to clatter,
And roop like raven and rook.

1 Many contentious persons. 8 Misers.

Usurers.

Every coinage

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.

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,
At hame thus to his neighbour spak,
What tidings, gossip, peace or weir ?
The tother rounit1 in his ear,

I tell you under this confession,
But lately lichtit off my meare,

I come of Edinburgh fra the Session.
What tidings heard you there, I pray you?
The tother answerit, I sall say you:
Keep well this secret, gentle brother;

Is na man there that trusts another:
Ane common doer of transgression,

Of innocent folk preveens a futher :2
Sic tidings heard I at the Session.
Some with his fallow rouns him to please,
That wald for envy bite aff his nese ;3
His fa' some by the oxter leads;
Some patters with his mouth on beads,

That has his mind all on oppression;
Some becks full law and shaws bare heads,

Wad look full heigh were not the Session.

Some, bydand the law, lays land in wed ;5
Some, super-expended, goes to bed;
Some speeds, for he in court has
Some of partiality compleens,

means;

How feid and favour flemis discretion;

Some speaks full fair, and falsely feigns:
Sic tidings heard I at the Session.

Some castis summons, and some excepts;
Some stand beside and skailed law kepps;
Some is continued; some wins; some tynes;
Some maks him merry at the wines;

Some is put out of his possession;
Some herried, and on credence dines:
Sic tidings heard I at the Session.

Some swears, and some forsakes God,
Some in ane lamb-skin is ane tod;8
Some in his tongue his kindness turses ;9
Some cuts throats, and some pykes purses;

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
Comes there to woo and see fair faces;

*

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 merit, and some for meeds;
Some, wardly honour to uphie;
Some gives to them that nothing needs;
In Giving sould Discretion be.
Some gives for pride and glory vain ;
Some gives with grudging and with pain;
Some gives on prattick for supplie;

Some gives for twice as gude again:
In Giving sould Discretion be.

Some gives for thank, and some for threat;
Some gives money, and some gives meat;
Some givis wordis fair and slie;
And gifts fra some may na man treit:
In Giving sould Discretion be.
Some is for gift sae lang required,
While that the craver be so tired,

That ere the gift delivered be,
The thank is frustrate and expired:
In Giving sould Discretion be.
Some gives so little full wretchedly,
That all his gifts are not set by,1

And for a hood-pick halden is he,
That all the warld cries on him, Fye!
In Giving sould Discretion be.

Some in his giving is so large,
That all o'er-laden is his barge;

Then vice and prodigalitie.
There of his honour does discharge:
In Giving sould Discretion be.

Some to the rich gives his gear,
That might his giftis weel forbear;

And, though the poor for fault sould die,
His cry not enters in his ear:

In Giving sould Discretion be.
Some gives to strangers with faces new,
That yesterday fra Flanders flew; 3

And to auld servants list not see,
Were they never of sae great virtue:
In Giving sould Discretion be.
Some gives to them can ask and pleinyie,
Some gives to them can flatter and feignie;
Some gives to men of honestie,
And halds all janglers at disdenyie:
In Giving sould Discretion be.

Some gettis gifts and rich arrays,
To swear all that his master says,

Though all the contrair weel knaws he;

Are mony sic now in thir days:

In Giving sould Discretion be.
Some gives to gude mer. for their thews;
Some gives to trumpours and to shrews;
Some gives to knaw his authoritie,
But in their office gude iund in few is:
In Giving sould Discretion be.

Some givis parochines full wide,
Kirks of St Bernard and St Bride,

The people to teach and to o'ersee,
Though he nae wit has them to guide:
In Giving sould Discretion be.

Of Discretion in Taking.

After Giving I speak of Taking,
But little of ony gude forsaking;

Some takes o'er little authoritie,
And some o'er mickle, and that is glaiking
In Taking sould Discretion be.

The clerks takes benefices with brawls,
Some of St Peter and some of St Paul's;
Tak he the rents, no care has he,
Suppose the devil tak all their sauls:
In Taking sould Discretion be.

Barons taks fra the tenants puir
All fruit that growis on the fur,

In mails and gersoms raisit o'er hie,

And gars them beg fra door to door:
In Taking sould Discretion be.

Some merchands taks unleesomel wine, Whilk maks their packs oft time full thin,

By their succession, as ye may see,
That ill-won gear 'riches not the kin:
In Taking sould Discretion be.

Some taks other mennis tacks,2
And on the puir oppression maks,

And never remembers that he maun die,

Till that the gallows gars him rax :3
In Taking sould Discretion be.

Some taks by sea, and some by land,
And never fra taking can hald their hand,
Till he be tyit up to ane tree;

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:
In Taking sould Discretion be.
Some wald tak all this warld on breid ;4
And yet not satisfied of their need,

Through heart unsatiable and greedie;

Some wald tak little, and can not speed:
In Taking sould Discretion be.

Great men for taking and oppression,
Are set full famous at the Session,5

And puir takers are hangit hie,
Shawit for ever, and their succession:
In Taking sould Discretion be.

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,
Gem verteuous, maist precious, gudliest,
For hie honour thou art guerdoun conding,1
Of worschip kend the glorious end and rest,
But whome in richt na worthie wicht may lest,
Thy greit puissance may maist auance all thing,
And pouerall to meikall auail sone bring,
I the require sen thow but peir2 art best,
That eftir this in thy hie blis we ring.

[Morning in May.*]

As fresh Aurore, to mighty Tithon spouse,
Ished of her saffron bed and ivor house,
In cram'sy clad and grained violate,
With sanguine cape, and selvage purpurate,
Unshet the windows of her large hall,
Spread all with roses, and full of balm royal,
And eke the heavenly portis chrystalline
Unwarps braid, the warld till illumine;
The twinkling streamers of the orient

Shed purpour spraings, with gold and azure mont
Eous, the steed, with ruby harness red,
Above the seas liftis furth his head,

Of colour sore, and somedeal brown as berry,
For to alichten and glad our emispery;
The flame out-bursten at the neisthirls,7
So fast Phaeton with the whip him whirls.
While shortly, with the bleezand torch of day,
Abulyit in his lemands fresh array,

*

So dusty powder upstours1 in every street,
While corby gaspit for the fervent heat.
Under the bowis bene in lufely vales,
Within fermance and parkis close of pales,
The busteous buckis rakis furth on raw,
Herdis of hertis through the thick wood-shaw.
The young fawns followand the dun dacs,
Kids, skippand through, runnis after raes.
In leisurs and on leyis, little lambs
Full tait and trig socht bletand to their dams.
On salt streams wolk2 Dorida and Thetis,
By rinnand strandis, Nymphis and Naiadis,
Sic as we clepe wenches and damysels,
In gersy graves3 wanderand by spring wells;
Of bloomed branches and flowers white and red,
Plettand their lusty chaplets for their head.
Some sang ring-songes, dances, leids, and rounds
With voices shrill, while all the dale resounds.

Of Eolus' north blasts havand no dreid,
The soil spread her braid bosom on-breid;
The corn crops and the beir new-braird
With gladsome garment revesting the yerd.8
The prai besprent with springand sprouts dispers
For caller humoursto on the dewy nicht

**

Rendering some place the gerse-piles their licht;
As far as cattle the lang summer's day
Had in their pasture eat and nip away;
And blissful blossoms in the bloomed yerd,
Salmits their heids to the young sun's safeguard.
Ivy leaves rank o'erspread the barmkin wall;
The bloomed hawthorn clad his pikis all;
Farth of fresh bourgeonsll the wine grapes ying12
Endland the trellis did on twistis hing;
The loukit buttons on the gemmed trees
O'erspreadand leaves of nature's tapestries;
Soft grassy verdure after balmy shouirs,
On curland stalkis smiland to their flouirs.
The daisy did on-breid her crownal small,

Whereso they walk into their caroling,
For amorous lays does all the rockis ring.
Ane sang, 'The ship sails over the salt faem,
Will bring the merchants and my leman hame.5
Some other sings, 'I will be blythe and licht,
My heart is lent upon so goodly wicht.5
And thoughtful lovers rounis to and fro,
To leis7 their pain, and plein their jolly woe.
After their guise, now singand, now in sorrow,
With heartis pensive the lang summer's morrow.

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
Despairit is, and sae quite out of grace,
His purgatory he finds in every place.
Dame Nature's menstrals, on that other part,
Their blissful lay intoning every art,
And all small fowlis singis on the spray,
Welcome the lord of licht, and lampe of day,
Welcome fosterer of tender herbis green,
Welcome quickener of flourist flouirs sheen,
Welcome support of every rute and vein,
Welcome comfort of all kind fruit and grain,
Welcome the birdis beilds upon the brier,
Welcome master and ruler of the year,

Welcome weelfare of husbands at the plews,
Welcome repairer of woods, trees, and bews,
Welcome depainter of the bloomit meads,
Welcome the life of every thing that spreads
Welcome storer of all kind bestial,
Welcome be thy bricht beamis, gladdand all. *

JOHN SKELTON,

*

JOHN SKELTON flourished as a poet in the earier

Ane paradise it seemed to draw near
Thir zaiyard gardens and each green herbere
Maist amiable wax the emeraut meads;
Swarmis souchis through out the respand reeds.

Over the lochis and the fludis gray,

Phabas red fowl,13 his cural crest can steer, Oft streikana furth his heckle, crawand cleer.

Anid the wortis and the rutis gent
Pickand his meat in alleys where he went,
His wivis Toppa and Partolet him by-
A bird all-time that hauntis bigamy.

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,
Kest ap his tail ane proud plesand wheel-rim,
Ishrouded in his feathering bright and sheen,
Sapand the prent of Argus' hundred een.
Ariang the bowis of the olive twists,
Sere small fowls, workand crafty nests,
Endlang the hedges thick, and on rank aiks
La bird rejoicand with their mirthful makes.
In corners and clear fenestres of glass,
Full busily Arachne weavand was,
To knit her nettis and her wobbis slie,
Therewith to catch the little midge or flie.

Lays 8 Shelsen.