This lady liftit up his clawis clear,
And let him lightly lean upon her knee, And crownit him with diadem full dear,
Of radiant stones most royal for to see;
Saying, The king of beastis mak I thee,
And the chief protector in woods and shaws;
Unto thy lieges go forth and keep the laws.
Then called she all the flowers that grew in field,
Discerning all their fashions and effeirs;
Upon the awful Thrissil she beheld,
And saw him kepit with a bush of spears;
Considering him so able for the weirs,
A radiant crown of rubies she him gave,
And said, In field go forth and find the lave;
Nor hold none other flower in sic denty,
As the fresh Rose, of colour red and white: For if thou do, hurt is thine honesty ;
Considering that no flower is so perfyt,
So full of virtue, pleasure, and delight,
So full of blissful angelic beautie,
Imperial birth, honour, and dignity.
Then to the Rose she turned her visage,
And said, O lusty daughter most benign
Above the lily's illustrious lineage,
From the stock royal rising fresh and ying,
Without one spot or blemish doing spring:
Come, bloom of joy with genius to be crowned,
For o'er the lave thy beauty is renowned.
Then all the birdis sang with voice on hicht,
Whose mirthful sound was marvellous to hear;
The mavis sang: Hail Rose, most rich and right,
That does upflourish under Phoebus' spear;
Hail plant of youth, hail prince's daughter dear,
Hail blossom breaking out of the blood-royal,
Whose precious virtue is imperial.
The merle she sang: Hail Rose of most delight.
Hail of all flowers queen and sovereign :
The lark she sang: Hail Rose, both red and white
Most pleasant flower of mighty colours vain :
The nightingale sang Hail Nature's suffragan,
In beauty, nurture, and every nobleness,
In rich array, renown, and gentleness.
The common voice uprose of birdis small,
Upon this ways, O blessed be the hour
That thou wast chosen to be our principal
Welcome to be our princess of honour,
Our pearl, our pleasure, and our lover,
Our peace, our play, our plain felicity-
Christ thee conserve from all adversitie
A YOUNGER Son of the Earl of Angus, he was educated for the church, and rose to be Bishop of Dunkeld. He wrote a long poem, "The Palace of Honour," and made a translation of Virgil's Eneid into Scottish
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 ment
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,
So fast Phaeton with the whip him whirls.
While shortly, with the bleezand torch of day,
Abulyit in his lemand fresh array,
Furth of his palace royal ishit Phoebus,
With golden crown and visage gloricus,
Crisp hairs, bricht as chrysolite or topaz ;
For whase hue micht nane behald his face.
The auriate vanes of his throne soverane
With glitterand glance o'erspread the oceane
The largé fludes, lemand all of licht,
But with ane blink of his supernal sicht.
For to behald, it was ane glore to see
The stabled windis and the calmed sea,
The soft season, the firmament serene,
sultry
uncommon
boughs battlements
The loune illuminate air and firth amene. tranquil, pleasant
And lusty Flora did her bloomis spread
Under the feet of Phoebus' sulyart steed;
The swarded soil embrode with selcouth hues,
Wood and forest, obnumbrate with bews.
Towers, turrets, kirnals, and pinnacles hie,
Of kirks, castles, and ilk fair citie,
Stude painted, every fane, phiol, and stage,
Upon the plain ground by their awn umbrage
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.
THE Lyon King-at-arms," Sir David Lindsay of the Mount was born in Fife about the year 1490. On leaving the university he became a great favourite of James V., who knighted him. He possessed great poetical talents, especially for satire. The evils of his time, both political and ecclesiastical, are handled with an unsparing hand; and his writings are believed to have had a powerful effect in promoting the Scottish Reformation. He was a supporter of Knox, whom he urged to become a preacher. His poetry and sayings became in Scotland household words; and though he spared no class, he seems to have been a favourite with all. He died at his seat, the Mount, in the sixty-seventh year of his age.
FROM THE COMPLAYNT.
IMPRUDENTLY, like witles fules,
Thay tuke the young prince from the scules,
Quhere he, under obedience,
Was learnand vertew and science,
And hastilie pat in his hand
The governance of all Scotland:
As quha wald, in ane stormie blast
Quhen marinaris been all agast,
Throw danger of the seis rage,
Wald tak ane child of tender age,
Quhilk never had bin on the sey,
And gar his bidding all obey,
Geving him hail the governall
To ship, marchand, and marinall
For dreid of rockis and foir land,
To put the ruthir in his hand.
I will nocht say that it was tressoun,
But I dar sweir it was na ressoun.
I pray God lat me never see ring
Into this realme sa young ane king.
IN CONTEMPTION OF SIDE TAILS.
SOVEREIGN, I mean of thir side tails,
Whilk through the dust and dubs trails,
Three quarters lang behind their heels,
Express again' all commonweals.
Though bishops, in their pontificals,
Have men for to bear up their tails,
For dignity of their office;
Richt so ane queen or ane emprice;
Howbeit they use sic gravity,
Conformand to their majesty,
Though their robe-royals be upborne,
I think it is ane very scorn,
That every lady of the land
Should have her tail so side trailand:
Howbeit they been of high estate,
The queen they should not counterfeit.
Wherever they go it may be seen;
How kirk and causay they soop clean.
The images into the kirk
May think of their side tails irk;
For when the weather been maist fair,
The dust flies highest into the air,
And all their faces does begary,
Gif they could speak, they wald them wary.
But I have maist into despite
Poor claggocks clad in Raploch white,
Whilk has scant twa merks for their fees,
Will have twa ells beneath their knees.
Kittock, that cleckit was yestreen,
The morn, will counterfeit the queen.
In baron nor byre she will not bide,
Without her kirtle tail be side.
In summer, when the streets dries,
They raise the dust aboon the skies;
Nane may gae near them at their ease,
Without they cover mouth and neese.
I think maist pane after ane rain,
To see them tuckit up again;
Then when they step furth through the street,
Their fauldings flaps about their feet;
Of tails I will no more indite,
For dread some duddron me despite :
Notwithstanding, I will conclude,
That of side tails can come nae gude,
Sider nor may their ankles hide,
The remanent proceeds of pride,
And pride proceeds of the devil,
Thus alway they proceed of evil.
Ane other fault, sir, may be seen-
They hide their face all bot the een;
When gentlemen bid them gude-day,
Without reverence they slide away.
Without their faults be soon amended,
My flyting, sir, shall never be ended;
But wald your grace my counsel tak,
Ane proclamation ye should mak,
Baith through the land and burrowstouns,
To shaw their face and cut their gowns.
Women will say, this is nae bourds,
To write sic vile and filthy words;
But wald they clenge their filthy tails,
Whilk over the mires and middings trails,
Then should my writing clengit be,
None other mends they get of me.
SATIRE ON THE THREE ESTATES.
My potent pardons ye may see,
Come frae the Cham of Tartary,
Weel sealed with oyster-shells ;
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