SIR FRANCIS PALGRAVE.

LORD PANMURE.

HENRY PETRIE, ESQ.

SIR THOMAS PHILLIPS, BART.

EDWARD PIPER, ESQ.

ROBERT PITCAIRN, ESQ.

ALEXANDER PRINGLE, ESQ.

JOHN RICHARDSON, ESQ.

THE EARL OF ROSEBERY.

RIGHT HON. A. RUTHERFURD, LORD ADVOCATE.

THE EARL OF SELKIRK.

JAMES SKENE, ESQ.

WILLIAM SMYTHE, ESQ.

THE EARL SPENCER.

JOHN SPOTTISWOODE, ESQ.

EDWARD STANLEY, ESQ.

MAJOR-GENERAL SIR JOSEPH STRATON.

THE HON. CHARLES FRANCIS STUART.

THE DUKE OF SUTHERLAND.

ALEXANDER THOMSON, ESQ.

WALTER C. TREVELYAN, ESQ.

DAWSON TURNER, ESQ.

ADAM URQUHART, ESQ.

RIGHT HON. SIR GEORGE WARRENDER, BART.

THE VEN. ARCHDEACON WRANGHAM.

HEYR BEGYNNYS

THE WARK OF VIRGYLL PRYNCE OF LATYN POETIS

IN HYS TWELF BUKIS OF ENEADOS

COMPILIT AND TRANSLATIT FURTH OF LATYN

IN OUR SCOTTIS LANGAGE

BY ANE RICHT NOBILL AND WIRSCHIPFULL CLERK

MASTER GAWYN DOWGLAS

PROVEST OF SANCT GYLYS KYRK IN EDINBURGH

AND PERSON OF LYNTOUN IN LOUTHIANE

QUHILK EFTYR WAS BISCHOP OF DUNKELD

INCIPIT PROLOGUS

IN VIRGILII ENEADOS.

LAWD, honour, prayfyngis, thankis infynyte
To the and thy dulce ornat frefch endyte,
Maift reuerend Virgill, of Latyn poetis prynce,
Gem of engyne and flude of eloquens.

5 Thou peirles perle, patroun of poetry,

Roys, regefter, palm, lawrer, and glory,

Chofyn charbukkill, cheif flour, and cedyr tre,
Lantarn, laid ftern, myrrour, and A per fe,

Maister of masteris, fweit fours, and fpryngand well, 10 Wyde quhar our all rung is thyne hevynly bell; I meyn thy crafty warkis curyus,

Sa quyk, lufty, and maist sentencyus,
Plefand, perfyte, and feilabill in all degre,
As quha the mater beheld tofor thar E;
15 In every volume quhilk the lyft do wryte,
Surmontyng for all other maner endyte,
Lyke as the roys in June with her fweit smell
The mary guld or dafy doith excell.

Quhy fuld I than, with dull forhed and vayn,
20 With rude engyne and barrand empty ve brayn,
With bad harsk spech and lewit barbour tong,
Prefume to write quhar thy fweit bell is rung,

Or contyrfate fa precyus wordys deir?

Na, na, noth fwa, bot kneill quhen I thame heir. For quhat compair betwix myd day and nycht, Or quhat compair betwix myrknes and lycht, 5 Or quhat compair is betwix blak and quhyte, Far grettar difference betwix my blunt endyte And thy fcharp fugurate fang Virgiliane, Sa wyfly wrocht, with nevir a word invane. My waverand wyt, my cunnyng febill at all, 10 My mynd mysty, thir may nocht mys a fall; Stra for thys ignorant blabryng imperfyte, Befyde thy polyft termys redymyte.

And netheles with fupport and correctioun, For naturall lufe and frendely affectioun, 15 Quhilkis I beir to thy warkis and endyte; All thocht, God wait, tharin I knaw full lyte; And that thy facund fentence mycht be fong In our langage alfweill as Latyn tong, Alfweill, na, na, impoffibill war, per de; 20 it with thy leif, Virgill, to follow the, I wald, into my rurall wlgar gros, Wryte fum favoryng of thyne Eneados. Bot fair I dreid forto difteyn the quyte, Throu my corruppit cadens imperfyte; 25 Difteyn the, nay forfuyth, that may I nocht, Weill may I fchaw my burall buftuus thocht, Bot thy wark fall endur in lawd and glory, But fpot or falt, condyng etern memory. Thocht I offend, onwemmyt is thy fame,

30 Thyne is the thank, and myne falbe the fchame.