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sity, where he took his degree of M.A. in 1478, and in 1481 was elected one of the four Examiners of that University. He appears to have resided principally in Ayrshire, and is supposed, on probable grounds, to have filled the offices of Bailie-depute of Carrick, and Provost of the Collegiate Church of Maybole, founded by his ancestor Sir John Kennedy, whose heirs held the patronage. He also appears to have resided in Edinburgh, and to have had some knowledge of court life.

This is all that is known regarding him, beyond what may be inferred from certain personal allusions in the "Flyting." There are also some references to his history in Dunbar's share of that composition, which, like all caricature, may be supposed to be exaggerations of the truth; yet it is manifest that many circumstances are pure inventions, any modification of which would be dishonourable, if true, of the person to whom they refer. In reference to the sources of his own and Dunbar's poetic inspiration, he not inelegantly says:—

I perambulated of Parnassus the mountain, Inspired with Mercury frae his golden sphere;

And dulcely drank of eloquence the fountain, When it was purified with frost and flowèd clear !

And thou come fool! in March or Februeir,

There till ane pool, and drank the paddock rude,2

That gars thee rhyme into thy termis glude,3 And blabberis that, noyis men's ears to hear,

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The last stanza gives a good idea of the Billingsgate of the piece, while it confirms the opinion elsewhere stated, as to the sportive, tournamentile character of the composition. The ascription of Lollardism to Dunbar also shows that the tendency of his writings toward Protestantism was not unmarked by his brother churchmen; yet the fact of his being one of the orthodox and more rigid party does not appear to have acted as a restraint upon Kennedy's freedom of vituperative expression.

Duelbeir, thy speir of weir, but feir thou yeild, Hangit, mangit, eddir stangit stryndie stultorum,

To me, maist hee Kennydie, and flie the field, Pickit, wickit, stickit, convickit lamp Lollardorum.

Diffamit, schamit, blamit Primus Paganorum. Out! out! I schowt, upon that snout that snevillis.

Tailltellar, rebellar, indwellar with the divillis, Spink, sink with stink ad Tartara Termagorum.

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V.

That my light youth-head is opprest and Law, love, and lawtie, graven 'low they lie;

done,

Honour with age to every virtue.draws.

II.

Dissimulance has borrowed conscience

clais;

Aithis, writ, wax nor seals are nought set by;2

Green youth, to age thou mon obey and Flattery is fostered both with friends and

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ANONYMOUS POETRY.

THE FRIARS OF BERWICK.

Mr Fraser Tytler remarks that :"There are few of Chaucer's tales which are equal, and certainly none of them

that no one would dispute that his genius was equal to its production; yet the more [THIS very excellent tale has been pre- we consider it, the less does it seem to us served, in both the Bannatyne and to be his writing. The fact of its appearMaitland MSS., without any author's ing anonymously in both the manuscripts name in either. It has been printed so in which most of Dunbar's poems are early as 1603, by Robert Charteris, preserved, is perhaps the strongest Edinburgh; but the earliest edition external objection to his authorship; preserved is that of Raban of Aberdeen, yet neither this, nor the alleged modern1622, of which only a single copy is ness of the language, would weigh much known. In 1723, Allan Ramsay made against the assumption in our estimaa transcript of it from the Bannatyne | tion, did the literary structure of the MS., on which he founded his tale of composition exhibit that mastery of the "The Monk and the Miller's Wife," art of poetry, which, without exception, without however acknowledging his marks all Dunbar's poems. indebtedness. Pinkerton printed the Maitland Ms. version in 1786, attributing the authorship to Dunbar; while Sibbald, in 1802, reprinted Pinker-superior to this excellent piece of satire. ton's edition, collating it with the Bannatyne MS., and ascribing the authorship to the unknown author of the "Priests of Peebles." Dr David Laing printed the Bannatyne MS. version, in his edition of Dunbar s Works, 1834, in which, on the authority of Pinkerton, he places it among poems attributed to Dunbar. He remarks:-"That the Friers of Berwick | is a composition belonging to the commencement of the sixteenth century, and not later than the minority of James Fifth, cannot, I think, be doubted, That it affords such intrinsic evidence as might warrant an unhesitating ascription of it to Dunbar, seems much less certain. Pinkerton's reasons on this head are certainly not very conclusive."

The whole management of the story, its quiet comic humour, its variety and natural delineation of human character, the freshness and brilliancy of its colouring, the excellence and playfulness of its satire upon the hypocritical and dissolute lives of many of the monastic orders, and the vigorous versification into which it is thrown, are entitled to the highest praise." Without detracting in the least from Mr Tytler's estimate of the piece as a tale, and even admitting it to be superior, in that aspect of it, to anything Dunbar has written, yet we cannot see that in literary finish, and that masterly ironic ease that characterises Dunbar's analysis of character, and that penetrating insight that dissects the motives of human action with a

We have said, in the life of Dunbar, skill that has seldom been equalled, the

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Where many a lady (als) been, fair of face,
And many ane fresh lusty gallant was.
Into this town, the whilk is called Berwick
Upon the sea, there standis none it like;
For it is walléd well about with stane,
And double stankis' castin many ane,
And syne the castel is so strong and wight,
With stately towers, and turrets high on
hight,

With kirnalis wrought craftily with all;
The portcullis most subtlely to fall,
When that them list to draw them upon
hight,

That it might be of nae manner of might,
To win that house by craft or subtlety.
Wherefore it is maist good alluterly ;3
Into my time wherever I have been,
Most fair, most goodly, most pleasant to
be seen.

The town, the castle, and the pleasant land;

The sea wall is upon the other hand;
The great Cross kirk, and eik the Mason
Dew ;4

The Jacobine friars of the white hue,
The Carmeletis, and the monkis eik
Of the four orders were not to seek ;
Thay were all into this town dwelling.
So happened it in a May morning,
That twa of the white Jacobine frieris,
As they were wont and used many yearis,

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Friar Allan said than, "Good brother, dear,
It is so late, I dread the yett 3 be closed;
And I am tired, and very ill disposed
To lodge out of the town; but gif that we
In some good house this night mot herbered
be."

Sae winned there ane wonder good hostellar
Without the town, intil ane fair manor ;
And Symon Lawder was he called by name.
Ane fair blithe wife he had, of ony ane;
But she was something dink, 4 and danger-

ous.

Thir silly friars when they come to the house,

With fair hailsing and becking courteously, To them she answerèd again in hye.5 Friar Robert speirèd after the goodman, And she again answered them than ;

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"He went frae hame, God wait, on

Wednesday,

Into the country, to see for corn and hay, And other thingis, whereof we have need." Friar Allan said, "I pray great God him speed,

And save him sound in till his travale." Friar Robert said, "Dame fill ane stoup of ale,

That we may drink, for I am wonder dry." With that the wife went forth right shortly; And filled the stoup, and brought in bread and cheese :

They ate, and drank, and sat at their ain

ease.

Friar Allan said to the goodwife in hye, "Come hither, dame, and sit you down me by,

And fill this stoup again, anis' to me;" Friar Robert said, " Full weell payed shall ye be."

The friars were blithe, and merry tales - could tell:

And even with that they heard the prayer bell

Of their ain Abbey; and then they were aghast,

Then auld Friar Allan said, "Nae, fair dame,

For Godis love hear me what I shall say;
Ye put us out, we will be dead or day.
The way is evil, and I am tired and wet;
And, as ye know, it is now sae late,
That to our Abbey we can not win in ;
To cause us perish but help, ye have great
sin.

Therefore of very need we maun bide still, And us commit all hail into your will.” The goodwife looked at the friars tway ;— And, at the last, to them thus gan she say: "Ye bide not here, by Him that us all coft,

But gif ye list to lig3 up in yon loft,
The whilk is wrought into the hallis end,
Ye shall find strae; and claiths I shall you

send;

Where and ye list, pass on baith in feir;4 For on no wayis will I repair have hear."

Her maiden then she sendis on before, And her they followed baith withouten

more.

They were full blithe to do as she them kend:

And up they went, into the hallis end, Because they wist the yetts were locked Intill ane loft was made for corn and hay.

fast,

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She made their bed, and syne went, but 5

delay,

Closed the trap, and they remained still Into the loft, they wanted of their will. Friar Allan liggis down as he best might.

But she to them gave answer with great Friar Robert said, "I hecht? to walk this hight,

"The goodman is frae hame, as I you told;
And God it wait, gif I dare be so bold
To herber friars in this house with me.
What wald Symon say? Ha benedicite!
I trow I durst ne'er look him in the face,
But in his absence I abused his place
Our dear Lady Mary keep frae sic case!
And save me out of peril, and frae shame!"

night:

Wha wait, perchance some sport I may espy?"

Thus in the loft I let the friars lie.

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