Drowned or slain among the English host;
Or what it was in likeness of Fawdoun,
Which brought his men to sudden confusion;
Or if the man ended in ill intent,

Some wicked sprite again for him present.
I cannot speak of sic divinity,

To clerks I will let all sic matters be:
But of Wallace, now forth I will you tell.
When he was won out of that peril fell,
Right glad was he that he had 'scaped sa,1
But for his men great mourning can he ma.2
Flait by himself to the Maker above
Why he suffer'd he should sic paining prove.
He wist not well if that it was God's will;
Right or wrong his fortune to fulfil,

Had he pleas'd God, he trow'd it might not be
He should him thole in sic perplexity.
But great courage in his mind ever drave,
Of Englishmen thinking amends to have.
As he was thus walking by him alone
Upon Earnside, making a piteous moan,
Sir John Butler, to watch the fords right,
Out from his men of Wallace had a sight;
The mist again to the mountains was gone,
To him he rode, where that he made his moan.
On loud he speir'd,5 What art thou walks that gate?'
A true man, Sir, though my voyage be late;
Errands I pass from Down unto my lord,
Sir John Stewart, the right for to record,
In Down is now, newly come from the King.'
Then Butler said, 'This is a selcouth thing,
You lied all out, you have been with Wallace,

1 'Sa:' so.-2'Ma:' make.-3'Flait:' chided.-4 Thole:' suffer.-5 'Speir'd:' asked.-6 Selcouth:' strange.

I shall thee know, ere you come off this place;'
To him he start the courser wonder wight,
Drew out a sword, so made him for to light.
Above the knee good Wallace has him ta'en,
Through thigh and brawn in sunder strake the banc.1
Derfly2 to dead the knight fell on the land.
Wallace the horse soon seized in his hand,
An ackward stroke syne took him in that stead,
His craig in two; thus was the Butler dead.

An Englishman saw their chieftain was slain,
A
spear
in rest he cast with all his main,
On Wallace drave, from the horse him to bear;
Warily he wrought, as worthy man in weir.3
The spear he wan withouten more abode,
On horse he lap, and through a great rout rode;
To Dalwryeth he knew the ford full well:
Before him came feil5 stuffed in fine steel.
He strake the first, but bade,7 on the blasoun,8
Till horse and man both fleet9 the water down.
Another soon down from his horse he bare,
Stamped to ground, and drown'd withouten mair.10
The third he hit in his harness of steel,
Throughout the cost,11 the spear it brake some deal.
The great power then after him can ride.
He saw no waill 12 there longer for to bide.
His burnish'd brand braithly 13 in hand he bare,
Whom he hit right they follow'd him na mair.14
To stuff the chase feil freiks 15 follow'd fast,
But Wallace made the gayest aye aghast.

The muir he took, and through their power yede,

1 'Bane:' bone.-2 Derfly:' Quickly.-3 Weir:' war.-4 Lap:' leaped.-5 Feil:' many.—6 Stuffed:' armed.-7 But bade:' without delay. - 'Blasoun:' dress over armour.-9 Fleet:' float.-10 Mair:' more." Cost:' side.Waill:' advantage.-13 Braithly:' violently.-14 Na mair:' no more.

12

15 Feil freiks:' many fierce fellows.

11 6

The horse was good, but yet he had great dread
For failing ere he wan unto a strength,

The chase was great, skail'd1 over breadth and length,
Through strong danger they had him aye in sight.
At the Blackford there Wallace down can light,
His horse stuffed,2 for way was deep and lang,
A large great mile wightly on foot could gang.3
Ere he was hors'd riders about him cast,
He saw full well long so he might not last.
Sad men indeed upon him can renew,
With returning that night twenty he slew,
The fiercest aye rudely rebutted he,
Keeped his horse, and right wisely can flee,
Till that he came the mirkest 5 muir amang.
His horse gave over, and would no further gang.

THE DEATH OF WALLACE.

On Wednesday the false Southron forth him brought To martyr him, as they before had wrought.

·

Of men in arms led him a full great rout.
With a bold sprite good Wallace blink'd about:
A priest he ask'd, for God that died on tree.
King Edward then commanded his clergy,
And said, I charge you, upon loss of life,
None be so bold yon tyrant for to shrive.
He has reign'd long in contrare my highness.'
A blithe bishop soon, present in that place;
Of Canterbury he then was righteous lord;
Against the king he made this right record,
And said, 'Myself shall hear his confessioun,
If I have might, in contrare of thy crown.

2

1 Skail'd' spread. - 'Stuffed:' blown.-3 'Gang:' go.- 'Sad:' steady.

An1 thou through force will stop me of this thing,
I vow to God, who is my righteous king,

That all England I shall her interdict,
And make it known thou art a heretic.
The sacrament of kirk I shall him give :
Syne2 take thy choice, to starve 3 or let him live.
It were more 'vail, in worship of thy crown,
To keep such one in life in thy bandoun,
Than all the land and good that thou hast reft,
But cowardice thee aye from honour dreft.5
Thou hast thy life rougin in wrongous deed;
That shall be seen on thee, or on thy seed.'

7

The king gart charge they should the bishop tae,8
But sad9 lords counselled to let him gae.

All Englishmen said that his desire was right.
To Wallace then he raiked 10 in their sight,
And sadly heard his confession till an end:
Humbly to God his sprite he there commend,
Lowly him served with hearty devotion
Upon his knees, and said an orison.

A psalter-book Wallace had on him ever,
From his childhood from it would not dissever;
Better he trow'd in voyage 11 for to speed.
But then he was despoiled of his weed.12
This grace he ask'd at Lord Clifford, that knight,
To let him have his psalter-book in sight.
He gart a priest it open before him hold,

While they till him had done all that they would.
Steadfast he read for ought they did him there;
Feil 13 Southrons said that Wallace felt no sair.14
Good devotion so was his beginning,

1 An:' if.-2 'Syne:' then.- 'Starve:' perish.-4 'Bandoun:' disposal.5 Dreft:' drove.-6 Rougin:' spent.-7'Gart:' caused.-Tae:' take.-9 Sad:' grave.-10 Raiked:' walked.- 'Voyage:' journey to heaven.-12 Weed:' clothes. 13 Feil: many.-14 Sair:' sore.

VOL. I.

C

33

Continued therewith, and fair was his ending;
Till speech and spirit at once all can fare
To lasting bliss, we trow, for evermair.

JAMES I. OF SCOTLAND.

HERE we have a great ascent from our former subject of biography-from Blind Harry to James I.-from a beggar to a king. But in the Palace of Poetry there are many mansions,' and men of all ranks, climes, characters, professions, and we had almost added talents, have been welcome to inhabit there. For, even as in the House Beautiful, the weak Ready-to-halt and the timid Much-afraid were as cheerfully received as the strong Honest and the bold Valiant-for-truth; so Poetry has inspired children, and seeming fools, and maniacs, and mendicants with the finest breath of her spirit. The 'Fable-tree' Fontaine is as immortal as Corneille; Christopher Smart's 'David' shall live as long as Milton's 'Paradise Lost;' and the rude epic of a blind wanderer, whose birth, parentage, and period of death are all alike unknown, shall continue to rank in interest with the productions of one who inherited that kingdom of Scotland, the independence of which was bought by the successive efforts and the blended blood of Wallace and Bruce.

Let us now look for a moment at the history and the writings of this 'Royal Poet.' The name will suggest to all intelligent readers the title of one of the most pleasing papers in Washington Irving's 'Sketch-book.' James I. was the son of Robert III. of Scotland,—a character familiar to all from the admirable 'Fair Maid of Perth,'—and of Annabella Stewart. He was created Earl of Carrick; and after the miserable death of the Duke of Rothesay, his elder brother, his father, apprehensive of the further designs of Albany, determined to send James to France, to find an asylum and receive his education in that friendly Court. On his way, the vessel was captured off Flamborough Head by an English cruiser, (the 13th of March 1405,) and the young prince, with his attendants, was conveyed to