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Men of good discretion
Should excuse and love Huchowne
That cunnand was in literature,
He made the great Gest of Arthure,
And the Adventure of Gawane,
The Pystyl also of sweet Susane.
He was curious in his style,
Fair of facund,2 and subtile,
And ay to pleasans and delyte,
Made in metre meet his dyte,3
Little or nought nevertheless,
Waverand frae the soothfastness." 4

THE above specimen of affectionate early criticism, from Wyntoun's Chronicle, modernized in the spelling, contains all that we know directly of the writer, whom the best authorities agree in placing second, in point of time, on the list of Scottish poets. His language is more obscure than that of Sir Tristrem; and Sir Frederic Madden considers the MS. of the poems, to which he maintains he has the best claims, the oldest extant of any author born north of the Tweed. But perhaps the best reason for placing him before Barbour is, that all the poetry attributed to him belongs to the romance school.

Dunbar, in his Lament for the Deth of the Makkaris (makers of poetry), mentions that

"Clerk of Tranent, eik he hes tane,

That made the awenteris of Gawane."

In a second reference to this otherwise unknown poet, in the Maitland MS., the name is written The Clerk;

I Skilful. 2 Speech.

3 Writing.

4 Wavering from the truth.

hence it has been assumed, by several Scottish antiquarian writers, that the Huchowne of Wyntoun, and the Clerk of Dunbar, must be the same person; and that Huchowne being the old Scottish form of the name Hugh, the one gives his name, and the other his profession, seeing both agree in making him the author of a poem bearing the same title. Dr Irving objects to this assumption, on the ground that both Wyntoun and Huchowne, in quoting the name Hugh, spell it Hew; yet he is disposed to follow Chalmers, who thinks there cannot be any doubt about the matter, in considering "the gude Schir Hew of Eglintoun," mentioned by Dunbar, as the author, on account of his connection with the Court of Robert Second, without seeming to see that, in that case, his name must be taken in the Gaelic form, which he calls the old

Scottish.

Besides, Dunbar does not make Sir Hugh the author of “The Adventures of Gawane," &c. Sir Frederic Madden says the former assumption "is satisfactorily refuted by the internal evidence of the poem itself;" and that there are so many difficulties about the latter, "as justly to prevent our yielding assent to it without some additional evidence." There is the further objection that Wyntoun does not prefix any title to Huchowne, who, if he were Sir Hugh of Eglintoun, who was knighted in 1342, Wyntoun, about fifty years after, was not likely to

name as simple Huchowne. Dr David Laing, in his preface to The Pystyl of Swete Susan, says "It seems however agreed among our poetical antiquaries, that this Hucheon was one and the same person with Sir Hugh of Eglynton, a Scottish poet of the fourteenth century."

Besides the poems ascribed to him by Wyntoun, all of which are still extant, Sir F. Madden credits him with the authorship of other three poems, still in MS., on allegorical or scriptural subjects, possessing great merit, and not previously pointed out. He also prints for the first time, from a MS. in the Cotton Collection of the British Museum. the romance of Sir Gawayne and The Grene Knyght. The Gret Gest of Arthure, the Gest Hystoryale, and the Gest of Broytty's Auld Story, mentioned by Wyntoun, he considers to be the same poem under different titles; and that, what in all probability is the MS. of this poem, is in Lincoln Cathedral Library.

Of the author he remarks-" It is I think certain, that the writer of the romance (Syr Gawayne and the Grene Knyght) must have been a man of birth and education; for none but a person intimately versed in the gentle science of wodecraft, could so minutely describe the various sports of the chase; nor could any but an educated individual have been so well acquainted with the early French literature. Of his poetical talents, the pieces contained in the manuscript afford unquestionable proofs, and the descriptions of the change of the seasons, the bitter aspect of winter, the tempest that preceded the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra, and the sea storm

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occasioned by the wickedness of Jonas, are equal to any similar passages in Douglas or Spenser."1

We give specimens of all his poems that have been printed. That of The Pystyl of Swete Susan, which is founded on the apocryphal story of Susanna, may be taken as a specimen of the class still in MS. only. Dr Irving characterizes it as "a curious relique of our early literature."

THE AWNTYRS OF ARTHURE AT THE TERNE WATHELYNE.

[Specimen, unaltered.]

I.

In Kyng Arthure tyme ane awntir by-tyde, By the Terne Wahethelyne, als the buke

tellis,

Als he to Carelele was commene, that conqueroure Kyde,

With dukes and ducheperes that with that dere duellys,

For to hunnte at the herdys, that lang hase bene hyde ;

And one a day thay tham dighte to the depe dellis,

To felle of the femmales, in the foreste wele frythede,

Faire in the fernysone tyme, by frythis and fellis.

Thus to the wode are thay wente, the
wlonkeste in wedys,
Bothe the kynge and the qwene.
And all the doghety by-dene,
Syr Gawane, gayeste one grene.
Dame Gayenoure he ledis.

1 Sir Gawayne; a Collection of Ancient Romance-Poems, edited by Sir Frederic Madden, for the Bannatyne Club, 1839, pp. 301-2.

II.

And thus Syr Gawane the gay dame Gayenour he ledis,

In a gleterande gyde that glemet fulle

gaye;

With riche ribanes reuerrssede, who that

righte redys,

Raylede with rubes, one royalle arraye;
Hir hude was of hawe hewe, that hir hede

hydys,

Dukis and digne lordis, douchty and deir;
Sembillit to his summovne,
Renkis of grete renovne,
Cumly kyngis with crovne,
Of gold that wes cleir.

II.

Thus the royale can remove, with his
Round Tabill,

Wroghte with peloure, and palle, and Of all riches maist rike, in riall array; Wes neuer fundun on fold but fenzeing

perrye to paye;

Schruedede in a schorte cloke that the

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or fabill,

Ane farayr floure on ane feild of fresch men, in fay,

Farand on thair stedis, stout men and stabill;

Mony sterne our the streit stertis on stray. Thair baneris schane with the sone, of siluer and sabill.

And vther glemyt as gold, and gowlis so
gay;

Of siluer and saphir, schirly thai schane;
Ane fair batell on breid,

Merkit our ane fair meid,
With spurris spedely thai speid.
Our fellis in fane.

SYR GAWAYN AND THE GRENE
KNYGHT

kane,

Hym to seik our the sey, that saiklese

wes sald,

[Specimen, unaltered.]

I.

The syre that sendis all seill suthly to Sithen the sege & the assaut watz sesed

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With banrentis, barounis, and bernis full The borz' brittened & brent to brondez bald, & askez, Biggast of bane and blude, bred in Bri- The tulk that the trammes of tresoun ther

tane.

Thai walit out werryouris with wapinnis to wald,

wrozt,

Watz tried for his tricherie, the trewest on erthe;

The gayest grumys on grund, with geir Hit was Ennias the athel, & his highe

that myth gane,

kynde,

C

That sithen depreced prouinces, & patrounes bicome

Welneze of all the wele in the west isles, Fro riche Romulus to Rome ricchis hym swythe,

THE PYSTYL OF SWETE SUSAN.

[Specimen, unaltered.]

There was in Babloine a bern, in that borw riche

With gret bobbaunce that burze he biges That was a Jeugh jentil, and Joachim he vpon fyrst,

& neuenes hit his anne nome, as hit now hat;

hiht;

He was so lele in his lawe, there lived non him liche,

Ticius of Tuskan [turnes] and teldes bi- Of all riches that reuke arayes he was riht: His innes, and his orchardes, weren withinne a dep dich,

gynnes;

Langaberde in Lumbardie lyftes vp

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RALPH THE COLLIER.

THIS curious specimen of our early poetry, though at one time so popular that, according to Dunbar,

Gentle and simple of every clan

Ken of Ralph Collier, and John the Reive, yet for about seventy years it was considered to be lost, when, in 1821, a copy turned up in a volume of English tracts in the Advocates' Library, and was reprinted by Dr David Laing, in Select Remains of the Popular Poetry of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1822. Dr Laing remarks, that "it has claims to public attention altogether independent of its uncommon rarity, as it has no inconsiderable share of poetical merit. Although,

POETRY.

like most poems of the same age (about the beginning of the fifteenth century) and character, many words are altered from their usual acceptation, or introduced merely for the sake of the alliterative style, the language is by no means obscure. The narrative is simple and circumstantial, the characters are well described, and a vein of comic humour runs through the whole." Dr Irving suggests that it may have been written by HUCHOWNE, from its similarity in style to The Adventures of Arthur; but Dr Laing says we are not possessed of such evidence as might entitle us to ascribe it in particular to any one Scottish poet.

Of the reasonableness of Dr Irving's conjecture any one may satisfy himself

by comparing the specimen given with that of The Awntyre of Arthure at the Terne Wathelyne.

Notwithstanding what Dr Laing says of the language, by which we understand him to mean the vocabulary, the obscurity of which is not the only obstacle to the understanding of our early poetry, we think a specimen in its original integrity will suffice. It being, however, a representative of a different class of romances from that of the Arthurian, simpler in structure, and, from the contrast in the social condition of their characters-a consideration that greatly heightens their humour popular that some of them, as The King and the Cobbler, have come down to our own day as chap-books, we give a pretty full outline-rendering of the story or legend of the romance, in which it has been endeavoured to preserve the dramatic humour of the piece.

[Specimen, unaltered.]

SO

In the chieftyme of Charlis, that chosin Christane,

Thair fell ane ferlyfull flan within thay

fellis wyde,

Quhair Empreouris, and Erlis, and vther mony ane,

THE STORY OF THE KING AND THE COLLIER.

[Constructed from the Poem.] When the Emperor Charlemagne one day, about Christmas time, was hunting in the royal forest, attended by the lords and ladies of his court, it came on such a storm of east wind and snow, that, in the hurry to reach some place of shelter, the king got separated from his train, and lost his way. He wandered about without seeing any one till toward evening, when, much exhausted through fatigue and anxiety, he fell in with a collier, with his horse and creels. "For the love of the rood," said the king, addressing him, "tell me your name?" "Men call me Ralph," said the collier; "I sell coals, and work hard for my living, early and late. Tell me now why you ask?" "So might I thrive," said the king, "I ask for no ill; thou seemest a noble fellow; thy answer is so fine. Myself and my horse are well-nigh worn out with cold and fatigue; for the love of Saint July, direct us to some hostelry where we may pass the night." "I know of none hereabout," said the collier, "except mine own house, which lies at

Turnit frae Sanct Thomas befoir the yule some distance across the moor; if you

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wane

like to come along with me, you are

welcome to such fare as I can give you."

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'Right glad," said the king, "and a thousand thanks for your offer." "Don't thank me too soon," said the collier,

Ouir the feildis sa fair thay fure be his syde."in case we fall out; for as yet I have

All the worthiest went in the morning

Baith Dukis and Duchesseiris.

Barrounis and Bacheleiris

Mony stout man steiris

Of town with the King.

given you neither meat nor drink; 'to love and then lack Peter were shame;' the time to praise your host is at parting." "By my faith," said the king, "it is true what you say ;" and thus

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