[vite, Pigram undam volvunt, & sola papavera pascunt: | The woods, if woods there be, lie leafless, low The owl, mole, dormouse, tortoise, and the toad, Perpetual slumbers in perpetual night. Swift o'er the level of the liquid plain, again. MATERIES GAUDET VI INERTIÆ. THE TEMPLE OF DULNESS. Deep in the bosom of Batavian plains, reigns, Dark is the sky and perilous the way; Dense fogs exhale, and dwe l upon the ground. Templum ingens, immane, altum penetrale Here should you rove, by Fate's severe com. Stuporis. mand, Plumbea stat turris, plumbum sinuatur in arcus, You'll see, within the centre of the land, Et solido limosa tument fundamina plumbo. The fane of Duluess, of prodigious size, Hanc pia Materies Divo'ædem extruxit inerti, Emerging from a sable clond arise. Stultitiæ impulsu-quid enim? Lethargica sem A leaden tower upheaves its heavy head, per Large leaden arches press the slimy bed, Sponte suâ nihil aggreditur, dormitat in horas, The soft soil swells beneath the load of lead. Et, sine vi, nullo gaudet Dea languida motu. Old Matter here erected this abude, Hic ea monstra habitant, quæ olim sub lumi- At Folly's impulse, to the slothful god. nis auras Here the majestic drone delights to stay, Here still, unless by foreign force imprest, Their habitation here those monsters keep, Usque adeo videas hebetes properare ?-nec Whom Matter father'd on the god of Sleep: adfert Here Zoilus, with cankering envy pale, Quidquam opis Anglorum doctæ vicinia gentis. Here Mævius bids his brother Bavius, bail; Sic quondam, ut perhibent, stupuit Bæotica tel- Bold atheist leaders head their senseless mobs, Vicinâ licet Antycira, nibil inde salutis, [!us Spinoza, Pyro, Epicurus, Hobbes. Nil tulit hellebori Zephyrus, cum sæpe per How can the Muse recount the numerous crew æquor Of frequent duuces crowding on the view ? Pelicem ad Lesbon levibus volitaverit alis, Nor can learn'd Albion's sun that burns so bright, Indigenæ mellita ferens suspiria Flore. Illuminate the realms involv'd in night. Bæotia thus remain'd, in days of yore, Porticus illa vides ? Gothicis suffulta columnis, Senseless and stupid, tho' the neighbouring shore Templi aditus, quàm laxa patet! custodia qualis Afforded salutary hellebore: Ante fores! quatuor formæ sua tollere iniris No cure exhal'd from Zephyr's buxom breeze, Ora modis ! en! torva tuens stat limine in ipso, That gently brush'd the bosom of the seas, Personam Logices induta, Sophistica, denis As oft to Lesbian fields he wing'd his way. Cincta Categoriis ; matrem quæ maxima natu Fanning fair Flora, and in airy play Filia Materiem agnoscit,quantum instar in Breath’d balmy sighs, that melt the soul away. ipsâ est ! Behold that portico ! how vast, how wide! Grande caput, tenues oculi, cutis arida produnt , She from Old Matter, the great mother came, Fallacem : rete una manus tenet, altera fustem. By birth the eldest—and how likethe dame! Her shriveld skin, small eyes, enormous pate, Vestis arachneis sordet circumdata telis, Denote her shrewd, and subtle in debate : This hand a net, and that sustains a club, T'entangle ber antagonist, or drub. Quàm lentè saltaverunt post Orphea montes : The spider's toils, all o'er her garment spread, Quàm lentè, Oxonii, solennis pondera cænæ Imply the mazy errours of her head. Behold her marching with funereal pace, Next her, mad Mathesis; her feet all bare, Proxima deinde tenet loca sorte insana Mathesis, Ungirt, untrimm’d, with loose neglected hair: [capillos, Nuda pedes, chlamydem discincta, incompta Reclin'd she sits, and ponders o'er a point No foreign object can her thoughts disjoint; Immemor externi, punctoque innixa reclinat. Before her, lo ! inscrib'd upon the ground Ante pedes vario insriptam diagrammate arenam Strange diagrams th' astonish'd sight confound, Cerpas, rectis curva, atque intertexta rotunda Schemata quadratis-queis scilicet abdita rerum Right lines and curves, with figures square and rouud. Pandere se jactat solam, doctasque sorores With these the monster, arrogant and vain, Fastidit, propriæque nibil non arrogat arti. Boasts that she can all mysteries explain, Illam olim, duce Neutono, dum tendit ad astra, And treats the sacred sisters with disdain, Ætheriasque doinos superûn, indignata volantem She, when great Newton sought his kindred skies, [scens Turba mathematicûm retrahit, pænasque repo- Sprung high in air, and strove with him to rise, Detinet in terris, nugisque exercet ineptis. In vain—the mathematic mob restrains Unmeaning problems, and deliberate dreams Tertia Microphile, proles furtiva parentis Micropbile is station'd next in place, The spurious issue of celestial race; From heavenly Physice she took her birth, Lustrat inexpletùm, collumque & tempora rident Her sire a madman of the sons of Earth ; On flies she pores with keen, unwearied sight, Floribus, & fungis, totâque propagine veris. And moths and butterflies, her dear delight; Rara oculis nugarum avidis animalia quærit Omne genus, seu serpit humi, seu ludit in undis, Around her neck hang dangling on a string Seu volitans tremulis liquidum secat aëra pennis With greedy eyes she'll search the world to find The fungous tribe, with all the flowers of spring. O! ubi littoribus nostris felicior aura Polypon appulerit , quanto cava templa Stuporis Whether along the lap of Earth they stray, Insects and reptiles rare of every kind; Or through the light expanse of ether fiy, [ardet, And on light wing float wavering in the sky. Non bombyx, chonchæve juvant: sed Folypon o let the polypus be wafted o'er ; Ye gales, that gently breathe upon our shore, Solum Polypon ardet,-& ecce! faceta feraci Falce novos creat assiduè, pascitque creatos, How will the hollow dome of Dulness ring? Abi modo dilectis pascit nova gaudia muscis. With what loud joy receive the wonderous thing? The fourth dire shape from mother Matter Quartam Materies peperit conjuncta Stupori, Dulness her sire, and Atheism her name ; (came, Nomen Atheia illi, monstrum cui lumenademp- ln her no glimpse of sacred Seuse appears, Depriv'd of eyes, and destitute of ears: tum, Atque aures; cui sensus abest, sed mille trisulcæ And yet she brandishes a thousand tongues, And blasts the world with air-infecting lungs, Qre picant lingua, refugas quibus inficit auras. rum, Mauc stupor ipse parens odit, vicina nefandos Curs'd by her sire, ber very words are wounds, Roar in grand chorus to the lord of Heaven; Loudly pronounce the god, and shake the sounding pole. Fonte ortus Lethæo, ipsus ad ostia templi, A river, murmuring from Lethæan source, Ire soporifero tendit cum murmure rivus, Full to the fane direcis its sleepy course ; Huc potum Stolidos Deus evocat agmine magno: The Power of Dulness, leaning on the brink, Crebri adsunt, largisque sitim restinguere gau Here calls the multitude of fools to drink. deut (stupendo. Swarming they crowd tu stupify the skull, Haustibus, atque iterant calices, certantque With frequent cups contending to be dull. “Me, me etiam," clamo, occurrens ;-sed vellicat “Me, let me taste the sacred stream,”(I cry'd), With out-stretch'd arm—the Muse my boon Calliope, nocuasque vetat contingere lymphas deny'd, And sav'd me from the sense-intoxicating tide. auren MECHANICAL SOLUTION OF THE MUTUA OSCITATIONUM PROPAGA. PROPAGATION OF YAWNING. Momus, the mimic of the gods above, Exiluit cerebro Jovis, est pro more jocatus In bis mock mood impertinently spoke, Nescio quid stultum de partu: excanduit irâ About the birth, some low, ridiculous joke: Jupiter, asper, acerba tuens; “ et tu quoque, Jove, sternly frowning, glow'd with vengeful ire, dixit, And thus indignant said th' almighty sire; Garrule, concipies, fætumque ex ore profundes:" “ Loquacious slave, that laugh'st without a cause, Haud mora, jamque supinus in aulâ extenditur Thou shalt conceive, and bring forth at thy jaws." ingens He spoke-stretch'd in the hall the mimic lies, Derisor; dubiâ velantur lumina nocte; Supinely dull, thick vapours dim his eyes : The Gallic trumpet sounded from his nose; Like German jargon grating on the ear. At length was Polychasmia trought to light, proles Like her strange sire, and grandmother, old. Tanto digna parente, aviæque simillima Nocti. Night. Illa oculos tentat nequicquam aperire, veterno Her eyes to open oft in vain she try'd, Torpida, & borrendo vultum distorta cachinno. Lock'd were the lids, her mouth distended wide. Ænulus hanc Jovis aspiciens, qui fictile vulgus Her when Prometheus happen'd to survey Fecerat infelix, imitarier arte Prometheus (Rival of Jove, that made niankind of clay) Avdet-nec flammis opus est cælestibus: auræ He dar'd to emulate the wonderous frame, Tres Stygiæ flatus, nigræ tria pocula Lethes Nor sougbt assistance from celestial fame. Miscet, & innuptæ suspiria longa puellæ, To three Lethæan cups he learn'd to inix His adipem suis & guttur coujungit aselli, Deep sighs of virgins, with three blasts from Styx, Tensaque cum gemitu somnisque sequacibus ora, The bray of asses, with the grunt of boar, Sic etiam in terris dea, quæ mortalibus agris The sleep-preceding groan, and hideous snore. Ferret opem, inque hebutes duninarier apta, Thus took the goddess her mirac'lous birth, creata est, Helpful to all the muzzy sons of Earth. Nonne vides, ut præcipiti petit oppida cursu Behold! the motley multitude from far Rustica plebs, stipatque forum ? subliine tribunal Haste to the town, and crowd the clam'rous bar. Armigerique equitesque premunt, de more parati The prest bench groans with many a squire and Justitiæ lances proferre fideliter æquas, knight, Grande capillitium induti, frontemque minacem, Who weigh out justice, and distribute right: Non temerè attoniti caupones, turbaque furum Severe they seem, and formidably big, Aufugiunt, gravidæque timent trucia ora puellæ. With awful aspect and tremendous wig. At mox fida comes Polychasmia, matutinis The pale delinquent pays averse his fine, Quæ se miscuerat poc'lis Cerealibus, ipsum And the fat landlord trembles for bis sign. Judicus in cerebrum scandit-jamque unus & Poor, pilfering villains skulk aloof dismay'd, Coperunt longas in hiatum ducere voces : [alter And conscious terrours seize the pregnant maid. Donec per cunctos dea jam solenne, profundum Soon Polychasmia, who was always near, Sparserit Hum-nutaut taciti, tum brachia Full fraught with morning cups of humming beer, magno Steals to his worship’s brain; thence quickly ran Extendunt nisu, patulis & faucibus biscunt. Prodigious yawnings, catch'd from man to man: vestros care, Intereà legum caupones jurgia miscent, Silent they nod, and with laborious strain Queis nil rhetorice est, nisi copia major hiandi : Stretch out their arms, then listless yawn again : Vocibus ambiguis certant, nugasque strophasque for all the flowers of rhetoric they can boast, Alterais jaculantur, & irascuntur amicè, Amidst their wranglings, is to gape the roost; Donantque accipiuntque stuporis missile plum- Ambiguous quirks, and friendly wrath they vent, bum. And give and take the leaden argument. And not one meaning interrupts their sleep, Add groan to groan, and yawn a loud applause. Nec vos, qui falsò matrem jactatis Hygeian,! The quacks of physic next provoke my ire, Patremque Hippocratem, taceam-Polychasmia, Who falsely boast Hippocrates their sire : Goddess! thy sons I ken-verbose and loud, Agnosco nalos: tumidas sine pondere voces They feed with windy puffs the gaping crowd. In vulgum eructant; emuncto quisque bacillum With look important, critical, and vain, Applicat auratum naso, graviterque facetus Each to his nose applies the gilded cane; Totuun se in vultum cogit,medicamina pandens- Each as he nods, and ponders o'er the case, Rusticus haurit amara, atque insanabile dormit; Gravely collects himself into his face, Nec sensus revocare queaot fomenta, nec herbæ, Explains his med'cines—which the rustic buys, Non ars, non miræ magicus sonus Abracadabræ. Drinks the dire draught, and of the doctor dies; No pills, no potions can to life restore; Abracadabra, necromantic power ! Ante alios summa es, Polychasmia, cura so- Can charm, and cunjure up from death no more. phistæ : The Sophs, great goddess, are thy darling Ille Tui cæcas vires, causamqne latentem Sedulus exquirit-quo scilicet impete fauces Who hunt out questions intricately rare; Invitæ disjungantur; quo vortice aquosæ Explore what secret spring, what hidden cause, Particulæ fluitent, comitesque ut fulminis im- Distends with hideous chasm th' unwilling jaws, bres, How watery particles with wonderous power Cum strepitu erumpant; ut deinde vaporet Burst into sound, like thunder with a shower : ocellos How subtile matter, exquisitely thin, Materies subtilis; ut in cutis ipsinuet se Pervades the curious net-work of the skin, Retia ; tum, si forte datur contingere nervos Affects th' accordant nerves all eyes are Concordes, cunctorum ora expanduntur hjulca. drown'd Sic ubi, Phæbe pater, sumis chelyn, harmoniam. In drowsy vapours, and the yawn goes round. que When Phæbus thus his flying fingers flings Abstrusan in chordis simul elicis, altera, siquam Across the chords, and sweeps the quiverings Æqualis tenor aptavit, tremit æmula cantûs, If e'er a lyre at unison remain, (strings; Memnoniamque imitata lyram sine pollicis ictu Trembling it swells, and emulates the strain : Divinum resonat proprio modnlamine carmen. Thus Mempon's harp, in ancient times renown'd, Me quoque, mene tuum tetigisti, ingrata, Express'd, untouch'd, sweet-modulated sound. poetam? But oh ! ungrateful! to thy own true bard, Hei mihi ? totus hio tibi jam stupefactus, in ipso Is this, O goddess ! this my just reward? Parnasso captus longè longèque remotas Thy drowsy dews upon my head distil, Prospecto Musas, sitioque, ut Tantalus alter, Just at the entrance of th’ Aonian hill; Castalias situs inter aquas, inbiantis ab ore Listless 1 yawn, unactive, and supine, Nectarei fugiunt latices-hos Popius urna And at vast distance view the sacred Nine: Excipit undanti, & fontem sibe vendicat omnem. Wishful I view Castalia's streams, accurst, Like Tantalus, with unextinguish'd thirst; The waters fy my lips, my claim disownHaud aliter Socium esuriens Sizator edacem Pope drinks them deeply, they are all his own. Dum videt, appositusque cibus frustratur hian- Thus the lank Sizar views, with gaze aghast, tem, The harpy tutor at bis noon's repast ; In vain, no morsel 'scapes the greedy jaw, The lamentable waiter clears the board, bones of Angus. His father was Archibald, the sixth earl of Angus : he married Elizabeth, daughter A DESCRIPTION OF MAY, to Robert Boyd, (who was chancellor and one FROM GAWIN DOUGLAS, BISHOP OF of the governors of the kingdom of Scotland, A. D. 1468) by whom he had issue four so's, DUNKELD. George, William, Gawin, and Archibald. The two eldest, with two hundred gentleman of the Hic ver porpureum; varius hoc Alumina circum Fundit humus flores. Virg. name of Douglas, were killed in the battle of Flodden. Our author was born the latter end of the year TO WILLIAM DIXON, ESQ. 1474, or the beginning of 1475. Great care was Waile at your Loversal, secure retreat, taken of his education,and he was early instruct ed in the liberal arts and sciences. When he had Far from the vain, the busy, and the great, Retirement's calm, yet useful arts you know, completed his studies in his own country, he Bid buildings rise, and future navies grow ; went abroad, that he might farther improve Or, by the sacred thirst of learning led, himself by conversation with great and learned Converse familiar with th’illustrious dead, men, and observations on the laws and customs of other countries. Upon his return to Scotland, Worthies of old, who life by arts refin'd, he was advanced to be provost of the collegiate Taught wholesome laws, and humaniz'd inan. kind : church of St. Giles in Edinburgh, and rector of Heriot church, some few miles distant from it. Can my friend listen to this flowery lay, Where splendid Douglas paints the blooining In this station he continued several years, be having himself as became his holy character, May? If aught these lines thy candid ear engage, noble birth, and liberal education. After the The Muse shall learn to moralise the page, battle of Flodden many ecclesiastical dignities Give modest merit the reward that's due, became vacant; among which was the abbacy of Aberbrothock, one of the most considerable in And place the interests of mankind in view, Form tender minds by virtue's better lore, the kingdom. The queen mother, wbo was then And teach old infidels to doubt no more. regent, and shortly after married to the earl of To thee this verse belongs ; and may it prove Angus, our author's nephew, presented him to it; and soon after to the archbishopric of St. AnAn earnest of my gratitude and love. drews. But he met with so great opposition in this affair, that neither the royal authority, nor the jofuence of his noble relations, nor his own unexceptionable merit, were able to procure hima THE PRRFACE. peaceable possession: for Andrew. Forman (bi shop of Murray, and archbishop of Bourges in The following poem of Gawin Douglas is prefixed to the XIIth book of his translation of Vir- France) by the interest he had in the court of gil's Æneis, and entitled, “ Ane singular lernit from the pope for that dignity, and was accord Pome, and the duke of Albany, obtained a bull Proloug of the discription of May;" and is now publish'd, as a proof, that the muses had visited ingly acknowledged as archbishop by most of the clergy of the see. Mr. Douglas, reflecting on Great Britain, and the flowers of poetry began the scandals which arose from such unworthy to bloom 250 years ago. It may also serve as an instance, that the lowland Scotch language and tian, and peaceable disposition to his temporal contests, and preferring the honour of a Christhe English, at that time were nearly the same. interest and greatness, wholly laid aside his Chaucer and Douglas may be look'd upon as the two bright stars that illumined England and Dunkeld becoming vacant, in January 1515, the But the bishopric of pretensions to that see. Scotland, after a dark interval of dulness, a long queen advanced him to it; and afterwards, by the night of ignorance and superstition, and foretold intercession of Henry III. king of England, the return of day, and the revival of learn- obtained a ball in his favour from pope Leo X. ing. Notwithstanding his right was founded on the This description of May is extremely pictu- royal and papal authority, yet he could not resque and elegant, and esteemed to be one of obtain consecration for a considerable time, the most splendid descriptions of that month because of a powerful competitor; for Andrew that has appeared in print ; which is all the apo- Stuart, prebendary of Craig, and brother logy I shall make for having given it a more to the earl of Athole, had got himself nomi. modern dress. nated bishop by such of the chapter as were The old Scotch is printed exactly after the present ; and his title was supported by all the Edinburgh edition, which was published in the enemies of the queen and her husband the earl year 1710. of Angus, particularly the duke of Albany, who returning to Scotland in May 1515, was declared regent. In the first session of parliament after the governor's arrival, Mr. Douglas was accused, SOME ACCOUNT OF GAWIN DOUG on some groundless pretext or other, of acting LAS. covtrary to the laws of the nation, was pronoun ced guilty, and committed to the castle of St. GAWIN Drelas, bishop of Dunkeld, was pobly Andrews, and imprisoned upwards of a year, till descended, being a son of the illustrious family the governor was reconciled to the queen and the |