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He found his chamber well arrayit,
With dornick-work on board displayit.
Of venison he had his waill;2

Good aqua-vitæ, wine, and ale;

With noble comfits, brawn and geill: 3
And swa the squyer fuir 4 right weill.

1

Sa, to hear mair of his narration,
This lady came to his collation;
Sayand he was right welcome hame.s
"Grandmerci then," quod he, "madame."
They past the time with chess and table,
For he to every game was able.
Then unto bed drew every wight.
To chamber went this lady bright,
The which this squyer did convoy :
Syne, till his bed he went with joy.

That night he sleepit never ane wink,
But still did on the lady think.

'Damasked? (Pink. Gloss.) Ornicle, in La Combe's Dict. du Vieux Lang. is interpreted "sorte d'étoffe fort "riche;" and linen imitating the patterns of such stuff might be called travail d'ornicle. In Dutch, doornick is the name for Tournay; the word, therefore, may be synonimous with Flemish linen.

Choice. Ruddiman's Gloss.

4 Fared.

'Jelly.
• Home.

The adventure which follows 'nearly resembles that of Dido and Eneas; but Lindsay, though more circumstantial, is less delicate than Virgil in relating the good fortune of his hero: which is the more to be lamented, because his description contains some curious particulars respecting the customs and fashions of the age.

Sir David Lindsay has enumerated no less than seven contemporary poets, of whom, however, we have no remains, excepting three pieces composed by one of the Stewarts, and inserted in p. 146, 148, and 151, of lord Hailes's extracts from the Bannatyne MS. They are principally remarkable for the freedom with which they censure the conduct of king James V.

But the finest specimen of Scotish poetry, during this period, is a piece which is quoted by Mr. Tyrwhitt from the Maitland MSS. under the title of the Mourning Maiden, and printed by Mr. Pinkerton (Anc. Scot. Poems, 1786, p. 205).

THE MOURNING MAIDEN.

Still under the leavis green

This hinder day I went alone:

I heard ane may I

sair mourn, and meyne;

To the king of love she made her moan.

2

1

A virgin. Sax.

Moan, complain.

She sighit sely1 sore;

Said, "Lord, I love thy lore,

"Mair woe dreit2 never woman one.

"O langsum life! and thou were gone, "Then should I mourn no more!"

As red gold-wire shinit her hair,
And all in green the may she glaid;3
Ane, bent bow in her hand she bare,

Under her belt were arrows braid.+

I followit on that free,s

That seemly was to see:

With still mourning her moan she made.

That bird under a bank she bade 6

And leanit to ane tree.

"Wan-weird!"7 she said, "what have I wrought,

8

That on me kytht has all this care?

"True love, so dear I have thee bought! "Certis, so shall I do na mair.9

'Wonderfully? sellie. Sax.

3 Glided along.

5 After that noble maid.

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Free, in old English, is almost

constantly used in the sense of noble or genteel.

• Abode.

* Cast.

7 Misfortune.

9 No more.

"Sen that I go beguil'd

"With ane that faith has syl'd,"

2

"That gars me oft-syis 3 sigh full sair,

"And walk among the holtis hair,✦ "Within the woodis wild.

"This great disease for love I dre ;5
"There is no tongue can tell the wo:
"I love the love that loves not me;
"I may not mend, but mourning mo,
"While God send some remeid

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Through destiny or deid.7

"I am his friend, and he my foe.
"My sweet, alas! why does he so?
"I wrought him ne'er na feid! 8

"Withoutin feign I was his friend

6

"In word and work, great God it wait! "Where he was plac'd, there list I leynd,1° "Doand him service

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ayr II and late.

3 Oft-sithes, i. c. oft-times. Holtis hoar is used in Sir • Endure.

except by a continuance of 8 Feud, enmity.

10 To dwell. Rudd. Gloss.

D

"He kepand' after syne2
"Till his honoùr and mine:

"But now he gais another gait,3
"And has no eye to my estate,+
"Which does me all this pyne.5

"It does me pyne that I may prove,
"That makis me thus mourning mo.
"My love he loves another love;

"Alas, sweet-heart, why does he so?
"Why should he me forsake?
"Have mercy on his maik.6

"Therefore my heart will burst in two:
"And thus, walking with doe and roe
"My life now here I take.".

Then weepit she, lusty in weed,

And on her wayis can she went,"

In hy, after that heynd I yede,

And in my armis could her hent,9

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Gait, or gate, and way, were formerly synonymous; and the Scots still use gang your gait, for go your way.

* State, situation.

6 Companion, mistress.

Beautiful woman.

5 Pain.

7 Wend, go.

9 Seize: hende. Sax.

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