Hes leirnit Latine, Greik, and aud Hebrew; -Sanct Hierome, in his proper toung Romane, In this manner, Lindsay vindicates the use of the vulgar Scotish dialect, which, he contends, ought to be preferred to Latin, both in the institutions of law and theology; though he admits that curious questions of philosophy may be properly discussed in the learned languages. "Lat doctouris write yair curious questiounis, And argumentis sawin full of sophistrie; Thair Logick, and thair heich opiniounis ; Thair dark judgementis of astronomie ; Thair medicine and thair philosophie: Lat poetis schaw thair glorious ingyne, As euer thay pleis, in Greik or in Latyne. As he proceeds to urge the necessity of employing the vulgar language, in subjects relating to "commoun weill, and our saluatioun," he suddenly recollects, that his own work included many curious questions of philosophy, and therefore concludes his apology with a particular request of exemption. "Bot "Bot lat us hi ue the buikis necessare To commoun weill, and our saluatioun, Justly translatit in our toung vulgare: And als I mak the supplicatioun, O gentill reidar! haue na indignatioun, Thinkand I mell me with sa bie matair :Now to my purpois forwart will I fair.” The author of the Complaynt is likewise afraid "to mel vitht ony faculte that passis his Luaulage," p. 24.5 and declares, that he "suld nocht he ouer temerair to set furtht ane verk that surpassis his ingyne," p. 19.; and that it is his intention to " help to the auansing of the public veil, vitht his studye and vitht his pen," p.. 15. Like Lyndsay, he intrcats the "gude redar to correct him familiarly, and be cherite, and til interpreit his intentione fauorablye; for the motione of the compilatione of the tracteit, procedis mair of the compassione that he hes of the public necessite, nor it dois of presumptione or vane gloir," p. 27. It may be proper to add here, that the instances of affected words, or, as the author terms them, "oncoutht exquisite termis," adduced in p. 25, are not adopted Latin words assimilated to the Scotish dialect, but words of the Latin form and termination, which could only be used in that language; a circunstance which seems to strengthen the position, that the author rather apologises for not employing the Latin language, than for not using words of Latin origin. Indeed, such an apology would have been extremely impertinent, after having already employed so many words of that class; though he had interlined them still more with his "barbir agrest termis," or words of " the vulgar rurale grose," as G. Douglas says. At this period, similar apologies for using the English language in literary compositions, were not uncommon; and perhaps it may not be improper to contrast these apologies of Scotish authors, with that of an English contemporary. "As for the Lattine or Grecke tongue, euerye thing is so excellentlye done in them, that none can do better; in the Englishe tongue, contrary, cuery thing in a maner so meanlye, both for the matter and handelinge, that no man can do worse. For therein the learned, for the most part, haue bene alwayes most redye to write; and they which had least hope in Lattine, haue bene most bould in Englishe: when surelye euerye man that is most ready to talke, is not most able to write. He that will write well in any tongue, must folow this counseil of Aristotle; to speake as the commoun people do, to thinke as wise men do; ande so shoulde euerye man understand him, and the iudgement of wise men alowe him. Manye Englishe writers haue not done so; but usinge straunge wordes, as Lattine, French, and Italian, do make all thinges darke and harde. Ones I communed with a man, which reasoned the Englishe tongue to be enriched and encreased thereby; sayinge, Who will not prayse that feast where a man shall drincke at a dinner both wyne, ale, and beere? Truly, quoth I, they be al good, euery one taken by himself alone; but if you put malmesye and sacke, redde wyne and white, ale and beere, and al in one pot, you shall make a drinke, neither easye to be knowen, nor yet wholsome for the bodye." Ascham's Preface to Toxophilus, 4to, Lond. 1545. Though, at the revival of literature, the tyranny of custom imposed this task on many of the earliest writ crs ers in the vulgar dialects, yet I do not consider that custom invalidates my conjecture. Before the publication of the Complaynt, the Royal patronage in Scotland had been long successfully employed in supporting our native literature, and bursting the shackles of authority, which preferred verse to prose, and dead languages to to the living. So early as 1490, John de Irlandia, a priest, concerning whose history a few notices shall be afterwards adduced, has composed a digest of Practical Theology, in the vulgar language, for the use of James IV. The Porteous of Noblenes, translated from the French by Androw Cadiou, was printed at Edinburgh in 1508 by Chepman and Myllar, the year after they obtained the Royal patent. The Scotish history of Boethius, translated by Bellenden at the command of James V, was printed in 1537; and a translation of the first five books of Livy, by the same author, at the same command, still remains in Mrs. In 1540, the Scotish acts of Parliament, of the reign of I A warrant and licence, dated September 15th 1507, for bringing home a printer's press, with all stuff belonging thereto, and experiments to use the same, for imprinting the books of laws, &c. &c. granted to Walter Chepman and Androw Myllar, burgesses of Edinburgh, occurs in the third book of Privy Seal, fol. 129. After Chepman, "Thomas Dauidsone, a northlande man, borne on the watter of Die, was appointed Royal printer in 1549, and printed the Acts of the Scotish Parliament, the only known copy of which is in vellum, and preserved in the Library of the Faculty of Advocates at Edinburgh. The acts of the Scotish Parliament were, in 1566, printed by Robert Lek previck. Concerning this edition, the following curious circumstance is mentioned in Bysset's Rolment of Courtes, Ms. "The saidis actis, "imprinted be ye said Lekprevick, war coft fra him in albis, unbund, "be umq! Mr James Makgill of neyir rankeloure, clerk of register "for the tyme, and for the maist part war distroyed, sua that within "schort space therefter, few or nane culd be fundin gettabill to buy "and sell thareof be the liegis. " of James V, were printed, by Royal authority, in the vulgar dialect. These facts are sufficient to demonstrate the early attention of the Scotish nation to their native literature, in prose compositions as well as in verse; while they detract from the propriety of apologising for the use of the "vulgare and maternal language," and consequently render this coincidence between Lindsay and the author of the Complaynt more remarkable. It is true, that men of learning and original genius, at this period, generally affected a wider sphere of reputation, than their vernacular tongues afforded them a prospect of attaining. The first vernacular authors in every language, are the poets, who, according to the nature and style of their compositions, partly employ common language, and partly adopt foreign words and idioms. The admission of foreign idioms, and the resuming of antiquated terms and phrases, give an adventitious air of dignity and grandeur to the poetical style. The first prose authors have greater difficulties to encounter. As there are no native models to which their style can be adapted; no dignified class of words, which have not been debased by popular use if they attempt a plain and intelligible style, they incur the hazard of meanness and vulgarity; while, if they endeavour to avoid a flat and trivial one, they risk the censure of affectation. Though the style of the Complaynt of Scotland be often simple and unaffected in the choice and collocation of words, and frequently terse and pithy in an eminent degree, the author sometimes displays an affectation of " ynkehorne terms, a pomp of expression which could not be very intelligible to the common people; a fault severely censured by Smith in his Arte of Rhetorike. : "Some |