Notwithstanding she was well set in eild ; Her age I hold of seven score of winters held;

sooth,

Into her head, I trust, was not a tooth; Therefore grwew1 most greedily eat she; And, lacking teeth, famulit her facultie;2 That few folk might consave her mumbling mouth.

But I that was expert therein3 of youth. Then would I say she had great grace of God.

Why so quod she, my son? and made a nod.

Madam, quod I, for there be many wives Through aboundance of speech, that never thrives;

And I would change, might it be at my reid, 4

For a good tongue, all the teeth in their

She said, my son, by this said tale thou shall Learn five wits.

Or, as we would say, lessons, which she illustrates by the incidents of the foregoing stories. The first of them is to avoid the company of fools and knaves, who lose what they get dishonestly, by a silly cry.

The second lesson is, never to presume that poverty may not attain to wealth and power, as this poor pig, which is held up as an example of courage overcoming difficulties, and, by monks' logic, its career is made to engender the expectation that God will assist the man who maintains a just quarrel.

The third lesson, drawn from the fortunes of Adria, is to respect wit and virtue, whether in old or young, rich or poor.

The fourth is, never to let money nor goods be master of thee:

Therefore hold not pennies over precious, But suffer them pass prospering commodious,

For sooth, a time, a penny thou may spend, That may avail thee to thy life's end; Therefore, my son, gif thou think to endure,

Spend with measure, for luck, wit, and

measure.

The fifth lesson is, never to make a hoard of your money, for

At least in the hoard while it lies

It serves neither the world nor multiplies.

plain;

For why, folk lived by natural laws then.

man.

He took to wife his fair true sister Toppok.
Coktrawdoun was the third, and his wife,
Coppok.

And to compt just, the fourt Coklykouris,
And little Henpen, his pretty paramouris.
The fifth lord was Lyricok in hall,
And Kekilcrouss they did his lady call.
Bride to Kittilcok that sat on red kail
stock,

And Feklefaw, fairest of all the flock,
Was the sext; and Cokrusty the seven,
Dame Strange his wife whilk had a stout
stevin."

Cokky the aucht, his lady clepit Lerock. Coknolus the nynt, spoused his sister Erok. 3

Cokoby the tent, and Sprutok his special.

Cokobenar the levint, his maik1 they call
Dame Juliane; the twelt was Cokjawbert:
And lady Wagtail his joy, and all his heart:
So stout a store come of their brethren
twelf,

And their fair sisters, I cannot say myself.
The fift pair they were so fructuous,
And at schreftis-evin2 some was so battalous
That he would win to his master, in field,
Forty florans with bill and spuris beild.3
Some of this store this Cockelbie did sell,
Some auld, some young, some eggs in the
shell;

And coft 4 therewith other ware, and so, it turned,

This penny, that fifteen year it not fowrnit, He multiplied more than a thousand pound. Then his godson he called to him a stound,5 Before his father, mother, and friends all;

And said: "Cockalb, my son, receive thou shall

All thir goods, for justly they are thine. Of thy child gift stored, through grace

divine,

Fro twenty-four hen eggs which I thee gave;

I allege none other authority.
In this sentence made on revill rail'
Which seems most to be a wise tale.
With correction, while now, I this con-
clude,

God that us bought with his own blessèd blood,

Both you and me to conserve, he diden, Through meek meritis of his only son, Amen.

THE MURNING MAIDEN.

PINKERTON, who first drew attention

to the beauties of this very fine love ballad, in terms if somewhat characteristic of the fervour of a discoverer, yet hardly an exaggeration of the truth, says:-"This capital piece, narrated with exquisite simplicity and beauty, is a kind of rival of the Ephesian Matron; and, for the age in which it was written, is almost miraculous. The tender pathos is finely recommended by an

duced this might produce almost any perfection in poetry."

It is referred to in The Complaynt of Scotland, 1548, by its first line "Still under the levis grene; " and has been preserved in the Maitland MS., 1586. It was first printed by Pinkerton, and afterwards by Sibbald and by Dr Laing; but by none of these editors is there author assigned to it. any Sibbald ventures a conjecture in reference to its authorship, to the effect 'that no poet of that age was equal to the task, but one who could produce such a poem as 'Robene and Makyne'

1 Revelling, raillery.