the Thistle's bush of spears, and it is gallantly charged : In fielde go furth and fend the laif. The ROSE, or the Queen, is then delicately recommended to the tenderness and protection of the THISTLE, addressed in some ornate verses, and exalted above the Lily,-a courtly compliment to the House of Tudor at the expense of that of Valois. THE GOLDEN TERGE, which couches a moral end under an allegorical contest between Love and Reason, and their respective satellites, has some flowery, sweet, but rather diffuse description; for the early poets adorned Nature, as they ascribed charms to their mistresses, with more exuberance of ornament than discrimination of taste. The following description, with which the poem commences, is pointed out by Warton, who warmly praises Dunbar. The scene is the fresh dawn of a May-day : Richte as the starre of day began to schyne, Upsprang the lark, the hevenis menstral syne, (d) (a) Rose-tree. (b) Purified. Phebus was dressed in his purple robe. (c) Cape. Ere (d) Then. Full angelyk the birdis sang thair houris, Within their courtings (a) grene, within thair bouris The perlit droppis schuke as in silver schouris, (b) Hir chrystall teiris I saw hing on the flouris, For mirth of May, with skippis and with hoppis, The skyis rang with schoutyng of the larks, Down thruch the ryss (g) ane revir ran with stremis That all the lake as lamp did leme of licht, Quhilk shaddowit all about with twynkling glemis; (¿) (a) Curtains. (b) The pearled drops fell from the (d) Knobs ; trees like silver showers. buds. (c) Branches. (f) Covered with streaks, (g) Through the bushes, the trees. (h) Pleasant. slips, of silver. (i) The water blazed like a lamp, and threw about it shadowy gleams of twinkling light. high-raised edges or bank. (k) Boughs. (2) The There is much of the flowery voluptuousness of some of Spenser's descriptions in the following opening stanzas. The poet, who drops asleep on Flora's mantle, sees a fairy-vessel, superbly decorated, sail on through a sunny bay, and land its fair freight of an hundred nymphs among the green rushes and reeds of an enamelled meadow. This fair group, Als fresche as flowrs that in the May upspreids are Venus, Aurora, Flora, May, and her sister Months, the goddess of the woodis grene, with their attendants. Cupid leads on another group, with Bacchus, the gladder of the table; and this brilliant assemblage dance under the trees, and sing love-ditties to the harp and lute, till, incited by Venus, they attack the poet, who is defended by Reason, shielded by his GOLDEN TERGE. As is usual in such contests, this, though stoutly maintained, is at last gained by Love. The shout of victory awakens the poet,—the fairy-vision has fled, -he is again alone in the forest where he fell asleep, with the birds singing merrily, and the brook flowing on. As a teacher of life, Dunbar deserves notice. The following lines have a tone of cheerful good (a) Caul. (b) Bound. D sense and moral dignity not frequent among writers of the fifteenth century: I. BE merry, man! and take not far in mind For oft with wysure (a) it has been said aforrow, (b) II. "Make thee good cheer of it that God thee sends, III. Follow on pity; fly trouble and debate; Without gladness availis no treasure. Though all the werk (f) that ever had living wight, Were only thine, no more thy part does fall (a) Wisdom. treasure, &c. (b) A-fore, before. (c) Merchandize, (d) Thou canst enjoy all the remainder (e) No longer than a sound. only with bale, or sorrow. (f) Possessions. But meat, drink, clothes, and of the laif (a) a sight! DUNBAR'S DANCE OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS THROUGH HELL, a bold and spirited sketch of the personified vices, mixes the comic and grotesque with the horrible in a manner more wild than agreeable. It is literally a dance; the figures of this hideous, and yet ludicrous masque, or mumming, just appear, startle the spectator, and evanish, before his alarm gives place to the disgust or contempt which their prolonged appearance could not fail to produce. GAWIN DOUGLAS, third son of the Earl of Angus, named BELL-THE-CAT, flourished about the same time as Dunbar. He was born in 1475, studied at St Andrews, and travelled. Douglas, through his family-interest, obtained high church preferment, and was Bishop of Dunkeld. During the regency of the Duke of Albany, he found it necessary to seek protection at the court of Henry VIII., and died in London of the plague in 1521. His original works are King Hart, an allegorical romance on human life, in which a warfare is car (a) Remainder. (b) Account. |