Among the flowris fresh, fragrant and Full joyfully John Uponland appleisèd,1 formose ;1 My vital spirits duly did rejoice The bad aspect of Saturn was appeased, That day, by Juno, of Jupiter the joy, When Phoebus rose, and rave the cloudis Perturband spirits causing to hold coy.2 sable, 'I will,' said she, 'ascend vailye quod I did approach, under ane hawthorn Vailye,' It is my kyne to climb aye to the hight; Of feather and bone, I wat weel I am wight.'2 XXII. Sae on the highest little tender twist, With wing displayed, she sat full wantonly; But Boreas blew ane blast or ere she wist, Whilk brake the branch, and blew her suddenly, green, Down to the ground, with many careful This day, at morn, who knew this care Strong. 2 Write down. THE MONARCHY; OR, ANE DIALOGUE BETWIXT EXPERIENCE AND ANE COURTIER OF THE MISERABLE ESTATE OF THE WORLD. Chalmers observes that Lindsay is indebted to Gower's Confessio Amantis for the manner, and to Lydgate's Fall of Princes for much of the matter of the Monarchy; and, considering his obligation to these, and other writers in prose and verse, "he can only be allowed to have made a great display, without much exertion, of original thought or literary retrospect." He agrees with Warton's praise of the Prologue, in which "our poet has perhaps outdone himself in a grand display of the higher qualities of his art, in elegant metaphors, artful fictions, mythological retrospections, and picturesque recitals." The subject is the history of the world from the creation to the day of judgment, with such moral reflections as the different in cidents suggest. The preliminary argument in justification of his use of the "vulgar tongue," is a species of apology used by most of his poetical predecessors, but by none with greater force or more common sense. ANE EXCLAMATION TO THE READER TOUCHING THE WRITING OF VULGAR AND MATERNAL LANGUAGE. 1. Gentle reader, have at me no despite, Thinking that I presumptuously pretend In vulgar tongue so high matter to write : |
