The lonely mountains o'er,
And the resounding shore,

A voice of weeping heard and loud lament;
From haunted spring, and dale
Edged with poplar pale,

The parting Genius is with sighing sent:
With flower-inwoven tresses torn,

The nymphs in twilight shade of tangled thickets mourn,

In consecrated earth,

And on the holy hearth,

The Lars and Lemures moan with midnight plaint;
In urns, and altars round,

A drear and dying sound

Affrights the flamens at their service quaint;

And the chill marble seems to sweat,

While each peculiar power foregoes his wonted seat.

Peor and Baalim

Forsake their temples dim,

With that twice-batter'd god of Palestine;
And mooned Ashtaroth,

Heaven's queen and mother both,

Now sits not girt with tapers' holy shine;

The Lybic Hammon shrinks his horn,
In vain the Tyrian maids their wounded Thammuz mourn.*

The Bishop of Dunkeld would, probably, have rested his defence, as his encomiasts may still be inclined to do, upon the plea, that the Palace of Honour is a vision or dream; that dreams are remarkable for their wild transitions, confined within no rules of waking realities, and becoming only the more natural as they assume more mixed, multiform, and extravagant phases. All this true; but there is little in the defence which can excuse the no doubt unintentional insult offered to the feelings of a pious reader. Whilst our souls are pent in mortal clay, we may,

* Milton's Ode on the Nativity.

and too often are, visited by dreams, which ought not to be written: but we can have no excuse if, when awake, we communicate these extravagant and sinful fancies to others, and insist on writing what cannot, without injury, be read.

On entering the Palace of Honour, the poet beholds Venus seated on a splendid throne, having before her a magic mirror, supported by three golden trees :

Bot straicht before Venus' visage, but let
Stude emerant stages twelve, grene precious greis1,
Quhairon thair grew three curious golden treis.
Sustendand weill, the goddes face beforne
Ane fair Mirrour, be them quaintly upborne.
In terrac'd pomp before the Cyprian Queen,
Rose twelve bright stages as the emerald green;
Above them wav'd, most glorious to behold,
Three wondrous trees with leaves of rustling gold;
And on their stems supported, clear and bright,
A magic Mirror stood, and shed unearthly light.

This mirror reflects the shadowy train of past ages, the most remarkable events recorded in history float over its surface, and the poet, of course, beholds an infinite variety of incongruous personages; amongst the ancient warlike worthies, the supporters of the authenticity of Ossian will be pleased to discover the mighty Fingal, and Gaul the son of Morni; Great Gowmakmore, and Fyn Mac Cowl; and how

Thai suld be goddis in Ireland, as thai say.

It reflects, also, the necromantic tricks of the famous Roger Bacon and other astrologers, who are seen diverting themselves by many subtle

grass.

should.

"

1

2

points of juggling, changing a nutmeg into a monk, and a penny pie into a parish church :

The necromancy there saw I eke anone,
Of Benytas, Bungo, and Frier Becone,
With many subtel point of jugglery;
Of Flanders pyes made mony precious stone,
Ane great laid saddle of a chicken bone;

Of a nutmeg they made a monk in hy1;
A parish kirk out of ane penny pie:
And Benytas of ane mussil made an ape,
With many other subtle mow and jaip2.

What connexion these amusements of the astrologers are supposed to have with the Palace of Honour, it would be hopeless to inquire. The poet now presses on to an eminence, from which he beholds the attempts of the multitude to scale its walls, and the disasters with which they are accompanied. Equity stands as warder on the battlements, denouncing vengeance against Envy, Falsehood, and Covetousness; Patience officiates as porter, and instantly admits him and his conductress. We shall give the description of the palace, and the monarch, King Honour, who inhabits it, in his own words:

The durris and the windors all were breddit 3
With massie gold, quhairof the fynes scheddit,
With burnist evir, baith pallice and touris,
War theikit weill maist craftilie that cled it;
For so the quhitely blanchit bone ourspred it,
Midlit with gold, anamalit all colouris,
Importurait with birdis and sweet flouris;
Curious knottis and mony a hie device,
Quhilkis to behald war perfite paradyce.

1 haste.

2 cheat. 3 broidered.
7 decorated.

6 inlaid.

4
• ivory;

8 which.

5 roofed. perfect.

And to proceed, my nymphe and I furth went
Straight to the hall, throwout the palice gent,

And ten stages of topaz did ascend;
Schute was the door, in at a boir I blent1,
Quhair I beheld the gladdest represent

That ever on earth a wretched caitiff kend.
Brieffly this process to conclud and end;
Methocht the flure was all of amethyst,
Bot quhairof war the wallis I not wist.
The multitud of precious stainis seir3,
Thairon sa schone, my febell sicht but weir3

Micht not behald their verteous gudeliness.
For all the ruif* as did to me appear
Hung full of plesand, lowped sapphires cleir:
Of diamontis and rubeis as I ges,
War all the burdis 5 maid of maist riches:
Of sardanis, of jasp, and smaragd ane,
Traists, formes, and benkes, war polist plane.
Baith to and fro amid the hall thai went:
Royal princes in plait and armouris quent,

Of bernist gold couchit with precious stanis ;
Enthronit I sawe ane king gret and potent,
Upon quhais maist bricht visage, as I blent?

In wonderment, be his brichtnes at anis,

He smote me doune, and brissit all my banis Thair lay I still in swoun with colour blaucht, Quhile at the last my nymphe up hes me caught. Sine with grit paine with womenting 10 and cair, In her armis scho bare me doun the stair,

11

And in the clois full softlie laid me down; Upheld my heid to tak the hailsome 11 air; For of my life scho stude in greit dispair,

Me till awak wes still that lady boun 12, Quhilk finallie out of that deidlie 13 soun. Iswyith overcome, and up mine ene did cast, Be merry, man, quoth scho, the worst is past. 1 looked in at a window. • roof. 5 boards. bruised. • bones. that lady was busied—or intent to wake me.

fomenting.

10

2 various.
6 burnished.

3 without injury

looked.

11 wholesome.

deadly.

13

It will be perceived that the description, although beautiful, is, to the general reader, more thickly sown with obscure words than the poetry of Dunbar or Henrysoun. This must plead our excuse for attempting to present it in a modern garb.

In high relief of rich and massive gold,

The borders round the doors and windows shone; Each tower and turret, beauteous to behold,

Of polish'd ivory form'd-ne was there one That did not show inlaid its walls upon

Bright shapes of birds, midst sweet enamell'd flowers, And curious knots, carv'd in the snow-white bone, With matchless cunning by the artist's powers.— So perfect and so pure were Honor's lordly bowers. But pass we on-the nymph and I did wend

Straight to the hall-and climb'd a radiant stair, Form'd all of topaz clear-from end to end.

The gate was shut-but through a lattice there Of beryl, gazing, a transcendant glare

Broke dazzlingly on mine astonished sight.A room I saw-but oh, what tongue shall dare

To paint that chamber, so surpassing bright! Sure never such a view was given to mortal wight. From every part combin'd, roof, wall, and floor,

A flood of light most gloriously was cast; And as the stream upon mine eyes gan pour,

Blinded I stood awhile: that sight surpast
Aught that in Eastern story read thou hast
Öf richest palace, or of gorgeous stall;
On diamond pillars, tall as any mast,
Clustering, and bound with ropes of rubies all,
The sapphire arches leant of that celestial hall.

The very benches, forms, and footstools mean,

Were shap'd of smaragdine and precious stone, And on the carpet brilliant groups were seen

Of heroes old, whose steely corslets shone Embost with jewels ;-near them, on a throne Sat Honor, mighty prince, with look severe,