: eari of Angns: then he was set at liberty, re- Soon after his coming to London, it pleased ceived into the favour of the regent, and conse- God to put an end to the persecutions of his erated bishop at Glasgow. Notwithstanding, his enemies, y taking him to himself. Most authors troubles were not yet at an end; for his old an- agree that he died of the plague, which then tagonist, Andrew Stuart, had possessed himself raged in the city, in April 1522, about the fortyof ihe palace of Dunkeld, and seemed resolved eighth year of his age. He was buried in the to defend it against the bishop by force of arnis: hospital-church of the Savoy, on the left side of however, at last it was yielded up, without any the toml)-stone of Thomas Halsay, bishop of bloodshed; which was very acceptable to the Leighlin in Ireland, In Weever's aptient mo. goudt bishop, who was of a gentle and merci.numents, we find this inscription for them both. ful dispo-ition, and always regulated himself Hic jacet Tho. Halsay Leighlinen. Episcopus, by the excellent laws of the Christian reli- in Basilica St. Petri Romæ nationis Anglicorum gion. Pænitentiarius, summæ probitatis vir, qui hoc Peing at last put in peaceable possession of his solum post se reliquit; vixit, dum vixit, bene. office, he resolved to give himself wholly to the Cui. lævus. conditur. Gawinus. Douglas Scofaithful discharge of his duty: but the interest tus. Dunkelden. Præsul. Patria. sua, exul. of bis country wouid not permit bim long to 1532. satisfy his own inclinations ; for he was pitched Such was the fate of this great genius and good upon to attend the duke of Albany into France, man ; for whose elogy, as a poet, I shall refer to renew the antieat league between the two pa- the reader to his works, which are very eloquent 10.18: however, he soon returned to Edinburgh, in his praise ; and out of several testimonies of with a joyful account of the confirmation of the eminent men that might be produced in his faleague; and i hence repaired to his diocese, vour, shall only traoscribe this passage from and applied himself to the duties of his func- Hume's History of the Douglasses, p. 220, tiou. “ G. Douglas left behind him great approbaBut several unhappy divisions being soon after tion of his virtues, and love of his person, in the fumented in Scotland, and the bishop of Dunkeld hearts of all good men ; for besides ibe nobility perceiving the violent aversion which the court of his birth, the dignity and comeliness of his had conceived against the fainiiy of Angus, and personage, he was learned, temperate, and of the danger be was exposed to on that account, singular moderation of mind ; and in those turresolved to retire into England till the storin was bulent times had always carried himself among blown over. This bappened a a time when the the factions of the nobility equally, and with a king of England had just declared war against mind to make peace, and not to stir up par. the Scots: which gave his enemies at home, who ties." were the prevailing party at court, an opportu- His chief works are, his translacion of Virgil's nity to endeavour bis ruin. A proclamation wa Æneis,, the Palace of Honour, a Poem, Aurea son issued out against him, he was declared an varrationes, Comediæ aliquot sacra, & de rebus enemy to bis country, the revenues of his bishop. Scoticis Liber. ric were sequestered, and all corespondence with him was forbid. A DESCRIPTION OF MAY. GAWIN DOUGLAS BY GAWIN DOUGLAS, BISHOP OF DUNKELD. MODERNIZED. NIS SINCI'LAR LE SIT PROLOUG OF THE DESCRIP TION OF MAY. D'Orfa, nycht hird, and wache of day, 4 Venus, bright beam of night, and watch of day house; And ek the heninly portis christallyne The crystal gates of Heaven expanded wide Upwarpis brade, the warlde till illumyne; Pour'd streams of splendour in an ample tide: The twynkling stremouris of the orient The beaming orient beauteous to bebold, Scher pourpour sprayogis with gold and asure Shr-e purple rays, and azure mix'd with gold, Persand the sabil barıkin nocturnall, (ment, Dispersing with all-penetrating light Bet down the skyes cloudy mantil wall; The solid gloom of cloud.covelop'd vight. Eous the stede, with ruby hammys rede, The Sun's gay coursers, in their harness red, Abufe the seyis liftis furth his hele, Above the billowy ocean's boundless bed Of cnlloure sore, and sume dele broune as bery, Rais'd high their heads, impetuous in career, For to alichtin and glad our emispery, To give the light, and glad our hemisphere. 'The flambe out brastin at the neiss thirlis, So fast they scour'd, that from their nostrils came S, fast Phaeton 'with the quihip hiig quhirlis, A cloud of smoke, and streams of living fame. To rull Apollo his fatleris goldin chare, Fır'd by the whirling whip their round to run, That schroudith all the henyonys and the are; And roll the golden chariot of the Sun. Quhil schortlie wi' h the blesand torche of day, While shortly with the blazing torch of day, Abulzeit in his lemaud freche array, Forth from his royal ball in fresh array, Furth of his palice riall ischit Phebus, Sprung Phoebus, by his flaming mantle knowo; With goldin croun and visage glorius, His glorious visage, and his golden crown; Crisp haris, bricht as chrissolite or thopas, His glossy locks were as the topaz bright, For quhais hew mycht nane behald his face His radiance beam'd intolerable light; The fyrie sparkis brastiog from his ene, His eye-balls sparkled with celestial sheen, To purge the are, and gilt the tendir grene, To purge the air, and gild the tender green, Defoundand from his sege etheriall Diffusing from the brightness of his brow, Glade influent aspectis celicall, Etherial mildness on the world below. Before his regal hie magnificence Before the king of day thin vapours rose, Mysty vapoure vpspringand sweet as sence, Like clouds of incense, and as sweet as those, In smoky soppis of donk dewis wak, (Tine dewy tribute which the meads exhale) With hailsum stous onerheiland the slak, Curling they rose, and hover'd o'er the vale. The auriate phanis of his trone souerane The golden splendour of bis glorions beams With glitterand glance overspred the octiane, Glanc'd on the floods, and glitter'd in the streams, The large fludis lemand all of licht, And all the ocean shone serenely bright, Bot with ene blenk of his superpale sicht; With the first glimpse of his supernal sight. For to behald it was ane glore to se, How calm ! how still! how pleasing to behold The stabyllyt wyndys, and the calmyt se, The sea's broad bosom where no billows rollid! The soft sessoun, the firmament serene, The season soft, the firmament serene, The loune illuminate are, and firth amene, Th’illumin'd landscape, and the watry scene ! The siluer scalit fyschis on the grele, (hete, Where sportive fish display'd their silver pride, Ouer thowrt clere stremes sprinkilland for the Quick glancing on the surface of the tide, With fynnys schinand broun as synopare, By russet fins impellid from shore to shore, And chesal talis, stourand here and tiare; Their tail tbe rudder, and their fin the oar. The new cullour alichting all the landis New lustre gilded all the rising lands, Forgane the stanryis schene, and berial strandis: The stony hillocks, and the beryl strands; Qubil the reflex of the diurnal bemes While the reflection of the glowing beams The bene bonkis kest full of variant glemes : Play'd on the banks in variegated gleams. And lusty Flora did hir blomes sprede Where-e'er Apollo's radiant coursers went, Under the fete of Phebus sulzeart stede: Sprung flowers unnumber'd of delicious scent; The swardit soyll enbrode with selkouth hewis, Earth's flourish'd carpet various hues display'd, Wod and forest obumbrate with the bewis, And wood and forest wore a fuller shade. (green, Qohais blysful branchis porturate on the ground Whose beuuteous branches, chequer'd on the With schaddois schene shew rocbis rubicund, Imbrown'd the rigid rocks that rose between: Towris, turettis, kirnalis, and pynnakillis hie Tow'rs, battlements, and castles huge and high, Of kirkis, castellis, and ilk faire ciete, Turrets, and spires that mingle with the sky, Stude payntit, euery fane, phioll and stage And every dome, and pinnacle, and fane, Apoun the plane ground, by their awin umbrage: By their own shade stood figurd on the plain. of Eolus north blastis hauand na drede, The giebe, now fearless of the north's keen air, The sulze spred bir brade bosum on brede, To buxom Zephyr spread her bosom bare, With genial warinth her fertile lap to cheer, And cloth'd the country with a robe of green: So thyk the plantis sprang in euery pete, And plants so numerous opened to the view, The feildis ferlyis of their fructuous fete: The fields rejoicing wonder'd how they grew. Byssy dame Ceres, and proude Priapus With joy the goddess of the golden grain, Reiosing of the planis plentuous, And proud Priapus ey'd the pregnant plain ; * This confusion of Phæbus and Phaeton is an errour which several old English writers have fallen into. Plennyst so plesand, and maist propirly, Where fruitful Nature wak'd her genial power, By nature nurissit wounder tendirly, And rear'd, and fo-ter'd every herb and flower: Plennast so plesand, and maist propirly The fair creation swell’d upon the eye; By nature nurissit wounder tendirly, Farth was their bed, their canopy the sky. On the fertyl skyrt lappis of the ground A varied verdure rob'd the vales around, Strekand on brede under the cyrkil round: And spread luxuriant o'er the furrow'd ground: . The varyant vesture of the venust vale And flowery weeds, that grew profuse between Schrowdis the scherand fur, and euery fale The barley-lands, diversified the scene. * Ouerfrett with fulzeis and fyguris ful dyuers, The silver springs, that thro' the meadows flow'd The pray bysprent with spryng and sproutis dy- In many a rill, fertility bestow'd; spers, And where the humid night's restoring dew For callour humours on the dewy nycht, Dropt on the ground the bladed herbage grew, Rendryng sum place the gyrs pylis thare licht, As fast as cattle the long summer's day Als fer as catal the lang somerys day Had cropt the grassy sustenance away. Had in thare pasture ete and gnyp away: A bloom diffusive o'er the gardens run, and blyssfull blossomys in the blomyt zard Confiding in the safeguard of the Sun : Submiltis thare ledys in the zoung sonnys saf- Wreath'd ivy mantled round the lofty tower; gard : And hawthorn-hedges whiteu'd into flower. Jue leius rank ouerspred the barmkyn wall, The fresh-form'd grapes in little clusters hung; The blomit hauthorne cled his pykis all, Close to their props the curling tendrils clung. Purth of fresche burgeoins the wyne grapis zing The buds, that swellid in gems on every tree, Endlang the trazileys dyd on twistis bing, Burst into foliage, nature's tapestry. The loukit buttouns on the gemyt treis Lo! by soft zephyrs wak'd, and gentle showers, Ouerspredand leuis of naturis tapestryis. On bending stalks smile voluntary powers, Soft gresy verdoure eftir balmy schouris. Trick'd off in vast variety of bule, On curland stalkis smyland to thare flowris : Some red, pale, purple, yellow, brown or blne; Behaldand thame sa mony. divers hew Some brightly ting'd in Heaven's etherial stain, Sam piers, sum pale, sum burnet, and sum blew, And some cerulean like the watry main, Sum gres, sum gowlis, sum purpure, sum san- Some crimson-colour'd fairly fleckt with white, guane, Soine gold that gaily glitter'd in the light. Blanchis or broun, fauch zallow mony ane, The daisy did its coronet unveil, Sum heuinly colourit in celestial gre, And every flower unfolded in the dale; Sum watty hewit as the haw wally se, Rank sprung salubrious herbs, and every weed, And som departe in freklis rede and quhyte, And clover bloom'd luxuriant in the mead : Sum bricht as gold with aureate leuis lyte. The flow'r-de-luce abroad its beauty spread, The dasy did on brede hır crowned sinale, And columbine advanc'd his purple head : And euery flour unlappit in the dale, From dandelion flew the seeded down, (own. In battil gers burgeouns, the banwart wyid, And strawb'ry beds bore wild weeds, not their The clauir, catcluke, and the cammomylde; Caruations glow'd in gaily-mingled hue; The flourdelyce furth sprede his heuynly hew, Pale was the primrose, and the violet blue, Floure damas, and columbe blak and blew, Its velvet lips the bashful rose begun Sere downis smal on dentilioun sprang, To shov, and catch the kisses of the Sun ; The zoung grene blomit strabery leus amang, Some fuller blown their crimson honours shed; Gimp jerefouris 8 thareon leuis unschet, Sweet smelt the golden ehives that grac'd their Fresche prymrois, and the pourpour violet, head. The rois knoppis, teland furth thare hede, Queen of the field, in milkwhite mantle drest, Gan chyp, and kyth thare vernale lippis rede. The lovely lilly wav'd her curling crest. Crysp skarlet leuis sum scheddand baith attanis, • Kest fragrant smelamyd fra goldin granis, Heuinlie lyllyis, with lokkerand toppis quhyte, once mentions the scent of flowers till he comes Opynnit and schew thare istis redemyte, to the rose, and never at all the scent of any pare ticular flower, except the rose, not even of the : It is evident our author intends to describe lilly; for I take it, the words, from thure sylkyn two distinct things, viz. cornfields, and mea- croppis , are meant to describe the flowers in gedows or pasture-lands, the former in the three neral; and the balmy vapour to be the same first lines, the varyant vesture, &c.- is with the fresche liquor, and the dulce humouris plainly arable, and the fulceis and fyguris full Quhareof the beis wrochl thare hony sweete, an dyuers, are the various leaves and flowers of the exhalation distinct from that which causes the weeds growing among the corn, and making a scent; and redulent odour, is general; for he piece of embroidery. And here the description certainly means to close his description of the veof cornfields ends, and that of pasture-lands be- getable world, (and he does it nobly) by one unigins at, the pray bysprent, &c. pray, not as the versal cloud of fragrance from all nature. glossary to G. Donglas says, corruptedly for spray, but forined from the Lat. prratum and spryngand sproutis, rising springs, from the Ital. spruzzare, spruzzolare aspergere. * Probably Gawin Douglas wrote thare awin. Vide ver. 72. thare awin umbrage. * It is observable, that Gawin Douglas never The balmy vapour from thare sylkyn croppis From every flower ambrosial sweets distilla, Distilland balesum sugurat bony droppis, Ambrosial sweets the ambient ether fill'd. And sylver schakeris gan fra leuis bing, Dew-drops like diamonds hung on every tree, Wiih chrystal sprayngis on the verdure zing: And sprinkled silvery lustre o'er the lea, The plane pouderit with semelie seitis sound, And all the verrlurous herbage of the ground Bedyit ful of dewy peirlys round; Was deck'd with pearls which cast a splendour So that ijk burgeon, syon, herbe, or floure, round. Wox all embalmit of tb- fresche liquour, The flowers, the buds, and every plant that grew, And baithit hait did in dulce humouris flete, Sipt the fresh fragrance of the morning dew: Quhareuf the beis wrocht thare bony swete, In every plant the liquid nectar How'd, Be mychty Phebus operatiouns, In every bud, and every flower that blow'd; In sappy subtell exhalationns, Here rov'd the busy bees without control, Porgane the cummyo of this prynce potent, Robb’d the sweet bloom,and suck'd its balmy soul Re dolent odour up from the rutis sprent, To greet the god, from Earth's fair bosom tow'd Halesum of smel as ony fyne potioun, All nature's incense in a fragrant cloud, Must, myr, aloyes, or confectioun. More grateful far than those gross fumes impart, Ane paradise it semyt to draw nere Which torturing fires extract by chemic art. Their galzeard gardingis, and eik grene herbere: Like Paradise appear'd each blissful scene Mayst amyabil waxis the emnerant medis. Of purple gardens, and enclosures green, Ssannis souchis thruw out the respand redis, Of bloomy bedges, and of waving woods, Ouer all tbe lucbis and the fludis gray, Of flowery meads, and rushy-fringed foods: Sersand by kynd ane place quhare they suld lay Where silver swans, with snowy pride elate, Phebus s redt foule bis curale creist can stere, Their tall necks mantling, sail'd along in state, Oft strekand furth his hekkil crawand clere By instinct tanght their ozier nests to make Amyd the wortis, and the rutis gent. in the dank margin of the lucid lake. Piekland hys mete in alayis quhare he went, Brisk chanticleer wav'd high his coral crest, His wyffis Toppa and Partolet hyın by, And crowing clapt his pinions to his breast; As bird al tyme that hantis bygamy ; With orient beel be ligbuy spurn’d the ground, The payntit powne paysand with plumys gym, And chuck'd for joy at every corn he found; Kest ap bis tale and proud plesand quhiie rym, And as he strutted on in gallant pride, Ischrowdit in his fedderane bricht and schene, Two wives obsequious waited at his side; Schapand the prent of Argois bundreth ene; For cocks, that couple with their nearest kin, Amang the bronys of the olyue twistis, Hold bygamy a pardonable sin. Sere smale foulis, wirkand crafty nestis, The peacuck proudly pac'd upon the plain, Endlang the hedgeis thik, and on rank akis And like a circle bent his gandy train, Iik bird reiosand with thare mirthful makis: Where vivid colours brightly-beaming strore; In corneris and clere tenesteris of glas He seemn'd beneath a canopy to move : Full besely Arachne wenand was, His starry plumes reflected various dyes, To knyt hyr nettisand hyr wobbis sle, Resembling Argus with his hundred eyes. Tharewith to cauch the litil mige or fle: Where leafy branches form'd a secret shade Under the bewis bene in lufely valis, The painted birds their cunning fabrics made, Within fernance and parkis clois of palis, Or on the oak, or implicated thoro, The bustuous bukkis rakis furth on raw, And wanton'd in the beauty of the morn. Heirdis of hertis throw the thyck wod schaw, Her wary stand the watchful spider took The zoung fownys followand the dun days, Iu the glass window, or some gloomy nook, Kiddis skippand throw ronnys eftir rais, There wove her web, in filmy texture sly, la lesuris and on leyis litill lammes To captivate the little goat, or fly, Within the limits of the fencing pale, Lambs nibble in the wantonness of play. Emerging from their coral-paven cave By rynnand straudis, nymphs and naiades, Thetis and Doris walk upon the wave, Sic as we clepe wenschis and damyssellis, But stream presiding nymphs, and vajads trim, la gersy grauis wanderand by spring wellis, By the clear current, or the fountain's brim, Of blomed branchis and flouris quhyte and rede Such as we name our gentle maids that rove Plettand their lusty chaplettis for thare hede: By water swelling in the grassy grove, Sum sang ring sangis, dancis, ledis, and roundis, Culling green boughs,aud bells, and flowerets fair, With vocis scbil, quhil all the dale resoundis ; And weaving garlands for their golden hair; And thochtful luffaris rownyis to and fro, Sone sweetly sing, some lead the festive round; To leis tbare pane, and plene thare joly wo, The distant dales re-echoe to the sound: s That Milton had his eye upon this passage, attributes, that our author has given them. is plain from his describing the swan, the cock, Vid. b. 7. v. 438, &c. and peacock, in the order and with several of the Eftir thare rise, now singand, now in sorrow, , And thoughtful lovers to the winds complain, Wich hertis pensiue, the lang siuneris murrow: To mitigate the madness of their pain; Sinn bailettis list endite of his lady, Now warbling madrigals so light and gav, Sup leuis in hope, and sum alluterly Now pale and pensire the long summer's day; Disparit is, and sa quyte out of grace, Some write in high heroics to the fair, Hys purgarory he fyndis in euery place. Some live in hope, and some thro' sad despair In every place a purgatory find; Such is the moody genius of their mind. *** new curage kitillis all gentil hertis, All gentle hearts confess the quickening spring, Seand throw kyod ilk thing spryngis and reuertis: for May invigorates every living thing. Dame naturis menstralis on that uthyr parte, Hark! how the merry minstrels of the grove Thare blissful bay intonyng euery arte, Devote the day to melody and love; To bete thare amouris of thare nychtis.bale, The ouzle shrill, that haunts the thorny dale, The merle, the mauys, and the nychtingale, The mellow thrush, the love-lorn nightingale; With mirry notis myrthfully furth brist, Their little breasts with emulation swell, Enforsing thaym quba micht do clink it best : And sweetly strive in singing to excell. The kowschot crondis and pykkis on the ryse, In the thick forest feeds the cooing dove; I he stirling changis diuers steuynnys nyse, The starling whistles various notes of lore: The sparrow cbirmis in the wallis clyft, The sparrow chirps, the clefted walls among; Goldspirk and lintquhite fordyunand the lyft, To the sweet wildness of the linnet's song, The gukkow galis, and so qubiiteris the quale, To the harsh cuckoo, and the twittering quail Qubil ryveris reirdit, schawis, and euery dale, Resounds the wood, the river, and the vale; And tendir twistis trymblit on the treis, And tender twigs, all trembling on the trees, For birdis sang, and bemyng of the beis, Dance to the murmuring music of the bees. In werblis dulce of heuinlie armonyis, Upspring the airy larks, shrill voic'd and loud, The larkis loudle releischand in the skyis, And breathe their mattins from a morning cloud Louis thare lege with tunys curious; To greet glad Nature, and the god of day, Bayth to dame Natur, and the fresche Venus, And fowery Venus, blooming queen of May; Rendring hie laudis in thare observance, The songs of praise their tuneful breasts employ, Quhais suggourit throttis madle glade hartis dance Charm every ear, and wrap the soul in joy. And al smal foulis singis on the spray; Thus sung the sweet musicians ou the spray; Welcum the lord of licht, and lampe of day, “Welcome, thou lord of light, and lamp of day; Welcum fosterare of tendir berbis grene, Welcome to tender berbs, and myrtle bowers, Welcum quhikkynnar of flurist flouris schene, Welcome to plants, and odour-breathing flowers; Welcum support of euery rute and vane, Welcome to every root upon the plain, Welcum confort of al kind frute and grane, Welcome to gardens, and the golden grain: We cum the birdis beild apoun the brere, Welcome to birds that build upon the breere, Welcum maister and reulare of the zere, Welcome, great lord and ruler of the year: Welcuin welefare of husbandis at the plewis, Welcome, thou source of universal good, Wekum reparare of woddis, treis, and bewis, Of buds to boughs, and beauty to the wood: Wekcum depaynter of the blomyt medis, Welcome, brigit Phæbus, whose' prolific power Welcun the lyfle of eury thing that spredis, In every meadow spreads out every flower; Welcum storare of all kynd bestial, Where-e'er thy beams in mild effulgence play, Welcum be thy bricht bemes gladand al. Kind Nature smiles, and all the world is gay.” As bricht Phebus schene souerane heuinnis E To the Memory of my late ingenious and learned Friend, and Schoolmaster, the Rev. John just Sense of Giatitude, inscribed. |
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