Full suddenly she hath (them) up ythrungen,1 WILLIAM DUNBAR. (1460 ?-1520 ?) DUNBAR, whom Ellis styles" the greatest poet that Scotland has produced," was born in the latter half of the fifteenth century, at Saltoun in East Lothian. He was educated at St Andrews, and entered the order of Franciscan friars. In this capacity he travelled through England and France, and he laments the sins, " probably professional frauds," with which this period of his life is stained. Though apparently a personal favourite of James IV., and mingling familiarly in the gaieties of that monarch's festive court, he never obtained from the king any ecclesiastical preferment, and was but scantily pensioned. Dunbar has been too little known. His works remained, till a comparatively recent date, buried in manuscript. He is a varied and powerful writer; great alike in descriptive, didactic, and humorous poetry; and rich in the knowledge of men and of life. His "Golden Targe" is an allegorical piece, illustrative of the power of reason in preventing the misery of indulgence in headlong passion. The "Thistle and the Rose" is like the "Golden Targe," an allegory embodied in a vision. Both poems are gorgeously adorned with imagery and "aureate termes ;" and characterized by ingenuity in the construction of the fable; and wisdom in the lessons conveyed by the allegory. "The Dance of the Seven Deadly Sins" will bear comparison with Collins' Ode on the Passions. The cheerful philosophy of Dunbar's shorter poems, as well as the simplicity and grace of their style, remind us of Horace. His comic pieces are clever, but full of the usual grossness of similar writings in these times. FROM THE "THRISSLE AND THE ROSE." THEN all the burdis sang with voice on hight, The mavis3 sang; "Hail rose most rich and right," Thring, to thrust, to press, to throw; Ang. Sax. thringan; hence throng, a press. 2 Whirl; reel. For an interesting account of James I. see "A Royal Poet," in Washinton Irving's Sketch Book. 3 Thrush. The Princess Margaret, Henry VII.'s eldest daughter. The" Thistle and the Rose" was written in honour of her marriage with James IV., and abounds with delicate compliments and advices to that prince. For a description of the magnificent festivities at the Scottish court on this occasion, see Scott's " History of Scotland," and "Tales of a Grandfather." Rose is appropriate to Margaret. It is the emblem at once of England and of Lancaster, from which family the Tudors sprung. 5 Excellent or beautiful. The Scottish poetry never has the st in the 2d per. sing. "Cheerfully thou glinted forth."-Burns. This omission is sometimes practised by English poets, apparently for smoothness Thou my song inspire Who touched Isaiah's hallowed lips with fire.-Pope. 1 Sphere. Hail blossom breaking out of the blood royal, The common voice uprose of burdis small FROM THE DANCE OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS." AND first of all in dance was Pride, Mony proud trompour9 with him trippit; Then Ire came in with sturt1 and strife; All bodin in feir of weir;15 In jacks,16 strips,17 and bonnets of steel, Some upon others with brands beft,20 1 Sovereign lady. 4 Drawn-combed. 2 Object of chivalrous love. In the concluding lines the poet has attempted the Saxon ornament of alliteration. 5 Likely to produce wasteful wants."-Campbell. Draped folds. 7 Cassock, robe. 8 Nonce, occasion; see above, p. 7, note 14. Deceiver, (Fr. tromper, deceive.) 10 Grinned, gnashed their teeth. 12 Turmoil. This combination occurs repeatedly in Dunbar and Lyndsay. 13 Apparently used intransitively. Groans. 14 In. These prepositions are interchangeable in Scotch. Burns uses in for into: "Deil mak his king's hood in a spleuchan." In Latin there is but one form for both, with a distinction in the government. 15 Accoutred in equipment of war. Bodin signifies prepared; equally matched. I trow he would be hard to slay, An he were bodin evenly.-Barbour, vii. 103. Bode in Scotland is the bidding of a price at an auction sale. Feir, effeir, fere, effere, affer, signifies, 1. condition; 2. equipment for war; 3. appearance, show; 4. demeanour.-Jamieson; see above, p. 16, note 8. Fere is also entire, as in the phrase "hale and fere." 16 Steel armour. 17 This word is given differently in different copies of the poemscryppis-strippis-stirps: it perhaps implies slips of plate armour. 18 Probably encased in chain armour." 20 Beff or buff is to beat; hence busset, rebuff. 19 See note 15. Some jaggit' others to the heft2 With knives that sharp could shear. Next in the dance followed Envỳ, Hid malice and despite. For privy hatrent that traitor trembled. Of them can never be quyte! Then cried Mahoun for a Hieland padyan," By10 he the coroneth had done shout, And rowp13 like raven and rook; He smoorit1s them with smuke.16 [THE poet having fallen asleep amid the beauty of a May morning, sees in a dream a ship approach, from which there land " a hundred ladies, as fresh as flowers that in the May upspreads." Fierce person; freik (adj.), is eager, prompt: hence freak, freakish. Whisperers; see note 4, p. 17. 5 Compare Dunbar's personifications with Spencer; Faery Queen, Book I. cant. 4: and with P. Fletcher's Purple Island, cantos 9, 10. Mahomet; applied to the Devil; see Burns' song, "The Exciseman." "Pageant? 9A corner. Macfadyan is a name chosen simply for rhyme. 10 By the time that he had shouted the Coronach, a Highland dirge. 8 Then. 11 See note 13, on Barbour, p. 21. 12 Alleged to be from ter, thrice; and magnus, great; sc. deus; Latin: or from tyr, intensive prefix; and magan, mighty; Ang -Sax.-Applied to idol gods: He said, "Childe, by Termagaunt, But if thou prick out of mine haunt, Anon I slay thy steed."-Chauc. Rime of Sir Topar. Of mighty Mahound and great Termagaunt.-Hall's Satires, Book i. sat. 1. It was used formerly without distinction of gender; it is now restricted to a quarrelsome woman. Warton supposes Dunbar here to mean the Highland bird ptarmigan. 13 To cry hoarsely and roughly. 14 Deafened. 15 Smothered. 16 Dunbar was a Lothian man. This stanza illustrates the hostile feeling that subsisted between the population of the northern and southern portions of the kingdom.-See Scott's Lady of the Lake, Canto v. These are Nature, Venus, &c. They are followed by Cupid and other personages. During their sports the poet is discovered, and Venus orders her train to attack him.] AND first of all, with bow in hand ay bent, Came Beauty's dame right as she would me schent;1 With mony divers awful instrument, Into the press fair Having with her went, Syne Portrator,3 Pleasance, and lusty Cheer; In plate of mail, as Mars Armipotent, Defended me that noble chevaleir. [These and other assailants are repelled by the Golden Targe.] When Venus had perceived this rebute, She bade Dissemblance gae mak a pursuit, With all her power to press the Golden Targe; And she, that was of doubleness the root, Asked her choice of Archers in resute ;* Venus the best bade her to wale at large. [Dissemblance then chooses her auxiliaries in the assault.] The awful shower he manly did sustene, Then as a drunken man he all forwayed; When he was blind, the fool they with him played, And banished him among the boughis green: That sight sae sairs me suddenly affrayed. To Lady Beauty, in a moment's space; Why was thou blinded Reason? Why? Alace! I Would have destroyed;-the omission of the auxiliary has been noticed above. Schend, (Ang. Sax. Scendan,) to confound, disgrace, ruin; shent, blamed. Shakesp. 2 See note 15, in the preceding extract, p. 30. Portraiture, i. e. of the beloved object, personified into one of the assailants of the affections. A second attempt; from ressuyer, (Fr.) to attempt anew. 6 Warlikely. 5 Ground-sharpened. Another personified assailant; the 8 So melancholy. presence of the beloved object being one of the greatest incitements to affection. 9 Yielded. 10 Cheer; (French chere); (Ital.ciera); the countenance, look, aspect:-its metapho rical applications in modern English may easily be traced from the original idea. Cheer has been personified above as one of the assailants. 11 Lost. [Several personages then disturb his captivity with temptations and sorrows; till he is delivered over to Heaviness; when suddenly "God Eolus his bugle blew;" the whole scene disappears; he sees the ladies and their ship vanish in a discharge of artillery so loud,] The rockis all resounded with the rak, For reird it seemed that the rainbow brak: [He starts to his feet; and finds himself again alone with the birds and flowers of May.] And as I did awake off this swouning, For mirth of Phoebus tender beamis sheen. In mirthful May of every moneth queen. 1 Young. NO TREASURE WITHOUT GLADNESS. BE merry, man, and tak nought far in mynd3 The wavering of this wretched world of sorrow, And with thy neighbours gladly lend and borrow; For with wysane1 it hath been said aforrow,5 Mak the gude cheer of it that God thee sends; For warld's wrack but weilfare nought avails, Wherefore of comfort set up all thy sail, Follow on pity; flee trouble and debate; 3 Take not too much to heart. Any thing worthless, dilapidated; here applied to 2 Lat. Amanus, pleasant. $ Before. worldly possessions;-but, without. All that remains thou enjoyest only with misfortunes.-Comp. Mark x. 29–30; bruik; brook; to enjoy, to possess: now applied to the suffering of an injury or insult;-bail, bale, woe, grief; hence baleful. Comp. Shakesp. "It is meet That noble minds keep ever with their likes."-Jul. Cæs. Act i. sc. 2. |