The Poems of William Dunbar
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,M s-.fi THE POEMS OF WILLIAM DUNBAR. •• WILLIAM DUNBAR, THE GREATEST POET THAT SCOTLAND HAS PRODUCED."—GEORGE ELLIS. " THIS DARLING OF THE SCOTTISH MUSES HAS BEEN JUSTLY- RAISED TO A LEVEL WITH CHAUCER BY EVERY JUDGE OF POETRY, TO WHOM HIS OBSOLETE LANGUAGE HAS NOT RENDERED HIM UNINTELLIGIBLE."—SIR WALTER SCOTT. THE POEMS OF WILLIAM DUNBAR. NOW FIRST COLLECTED. WITH NOTES, AND A MEMOIR OF HIS LIFE. BY DAVID LAING. VOLUME SECOND. EDINBURGH : MDCC( XXXI\ . PRINTED FOR LAING AND FORBES, PRINCE'S STREET; AND WILLIAM PICKERING, LONDON. 1 CONTENTS OF VOLUME SECOND. PAGE POEMS ATTRIBUTED TO DUNBAR. The Freiris of Berwik, 3 A General Satyre, 24 A Brash of Wowing, 28 Counsale in Luve, ....... 31 Advyce to Luvaris, . 33 Ballad of Kynd Kittok, 35 The Droichis part of the Play, 37 Ballad of Unstedfastness, ...... 44 To the Quene Dowager, ...... 45 The Lordis of Scotland to the Governour, &c. 47 The Danger of Wry ting, 49 Do for Thyself, &c. 51 Of the Nativitie of Christ, 55 Jerusalem rejois for joy, . 57 The Sterne is Rissin, &c 59 Of the Resurrection of Christ, . G THE FLYTING OF DUNBAR AND KENNEDY. Dunbar to Sir John the Ross, . 65 Kennedy to Dunbar, ...... 66 Dunbar to Kennedy, . 67 Kennedy to Dunbar, ...... 75 POEMS BY WALTER KENNEDY. The Praise of Age, Ane Aigit Man's Invective, Ballat in Praise of our Lady, Pious Counsale, The Passioun of Christ, . NOTES TO VOLUME FIRST. Poems by Dunbar, NOTES TO VOLUME SECOND. Poems attributed to Dunbar, 372 The Flyting, 417 Poems by Kennedy, 440 ADDITIONAL NOTES, 451 GLOSSARY, 459 POEMS ATTRIBUTED TO WILLIAM DUNBAR. ; ; — THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK. As it befell, and happinnit in to deid, Upoun a rever, the quhilk is callit Tweid At Tweidis mowth thair ftandis a nobill town, Quhair mony lordis lies bene of grit renoune, Quhair mony a lady bene fair of face, 5 And mony ane frefche lufty galland was. In to this toun, the quhilk is callit Berwik. Upoun the fey thair ftandis nane it lyk For it is wallit weill abowt with ftane, And dowbill ftankis caftin mony ane ; 10 And fyne the caftell is fo ftrang and wicht, With ftrait towris, and turattis he on hicht, The wallis wrocht craftely with all, The portcules moft fubtelly to fall, [15 Quhen that thame lift to draw thame upoun hicht, That it raicht be of na maner of micht, To win that houfs be craft or fubteltie ; Quhairfoir it is maift gud allutirly In to my tyme quhair evir I haif bene, Moft fair, moft gudly, moft plefand to be fene ; 20 The toune, the wall, the caftell, and the land, ;: ; ; ; THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK. The lie wallis upoun the upper hand, The grit Croce kirk, and eik the Maifone Dew The Jacohene freiris of the quhyt hew, The Carmeleitis, and the Moulds eik, 25 The four Ordouris wer nocht for to feik Thay wer all in [to] this toun dwelling. So appinnit [it] in a May morning, That twa of the quhyt Jacohyne freiris, As thay wer wont and ufit mony yeiris 30 To pafs amang thair brethir upaland, Wer fend of thame bell practifit and cunnand Freir Allane, and Freir Robert the uder Thir fyllie Freiris with wyftis weill cowld gluder, Rycht wondir weill plefit thai all wyffis, 35 And tawld thame tailis of haly Sanctis lyffis. Quhill, on a tyme, thay purpofit to pals hame, Bot verry tyrit and wett wes Freir Allane, For he wes awld, and micht nocht wele travell, And als he had ane littill fpyce of gravell 40 Freir Robert wes young, and verry hett of blude, And be the way he bure both clothis and hude, And all thair geir, for he Aves ftrong and wicht. Be that it drew neir [hand] towart the nicht, As thay wer cumand towart the toune full neir, 45 Freir Allane faid than, Gud bruder deir, It is fo lait, I dreid the yett be clofit, And we ar tyrit, and verry evill difpofit To luge owt of the toun, bot gif that we In funi gude houfs this nycht mot herbryt be. 50 : ; : : THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK. Swa wynnit thair ane woundir gude hoftillar Without the toun, in till a fair manar, And Symon Lawder he was callit be name Ane fair blyth wyf he had, of ony ane Bot fcho wes funi thing dynk, and dengerous. 55 The filly Freiris quhen thay come to the houfs, With fair hailfing and bekking courtellye, To thame fcho anfuerit agane in hye. Freir Robert fpeirit eftir the Gudman ; And fcho agane anfuerit thame thane, 60 He went fra hame, God wait, on Weddinfday, In the cuntre, for to feik corne and hay, And uthir thingis, quhairof we haif neid. Freir Robert faid, I pray grit God him fpeid, Him haill and found in to his travaill 65 And hir defyrit the ftowp to fill of aill, That we may drink, for I am wondir dry. With that the wyfe went furth richt fchortly, And fillit the ftowp, and brocht in breid and cheifs ; Thay eit, and drank, and fatt at their awin eifs. 70 Freir Allane faid to the Gudwyf in hye, Cum hidder, Dame, and fett yow down me bye, And fill the cop agane anis to me. Freir Robert faid, Full weill pay it fall ye be. [75 The Freiris wer blyth, and mirry taillis cowld tell And even with that thay hard the prayer bell Off thair awin Abbay ; and than thay wer agaft, Becaufs thay knew the yettis wer clofit fait, That thay on na wayifs micht gett entre. ; ; ; ; ; ; THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK. Than the Gudwyfe thay prayit, for cheritie, 80 To grant thame herberye [thair] that ane nicht. Bot fcho to thame gaif anfuer, with grit hicht, The Gudman is fra hame, as I yow tald And God it wait, gif I durft be fo bald To herbery Freiris in this houfs with me 85 Quhat wald Symon fay? Ha, Benedicite ! Bot in his abfence I abnfit his place. Our deir Lady Mary keip fra fie cace ! And keip me owt of perrell, and of fchame. Than auld Freir Allane faid, Na, fair Dame, 90 For Godis fake, heir me quhat I fall fay, In gud faith, Ave will both be deid or day, The way is evill, and I am tyrit and wett Our yettis ar clofit that we may nocht in gett, And to our Abbay we can nocht win in; 95 To caufs us perreifs but help ye haif grit fyn Thairfoir of verry neid we mon byd ftill, And us commit alhaill in to your will. The Gudwyf lukit unto the Freiris tway; And, at the laft, to thame this culd fcho fay, 100 Ye byd nocht heir, be Him that us all coft Bot gif ye Hit to lig up in yone loft, Quhilk is weill wrocht in to the hallis end, Ye fall fynd ftray, and clathis I fall yow fend Quhair, and ye lift, pafs on baith in feir; 105 For on no wayifs will I repair haif heir. Hir Madin than fcho fend hir on befoir, And hir thay folio wit baith withowttin moir; ; — THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK. Thay war full blyth, and did as fcho thame kend, And up thay went, in to the hallis end, 110 In till a loft wes maid for come and hay. Scho maid thair bed, fyne paft doun but delay, Clofit the trop, and thay remanit ftill In to the loft, thay wantit of thair will. Freir Allane [liggis] down as he beft micht : 115 Freir Robert laid, I hecht to walk this nicht, Quha wait perchance fum fport I ma efpy ? Thus in the loft latt I thir Freiris ly, And of the Gudwyf now I will fpeik mair. Scho wes richt blyth that thay wer clofit thair, 120 For fcho had maid ane tryft, that famyn nicht, Freir Johne hir luvis fupper for to dicht; And fcho wald haif none uder cumpany, Becaus Freir Johne that nicht with hir fowld ly, Quha dwelland wes in to that famyn e toun, 125 And ane Blak Freir he wes of grit renown. He govirnit alhaill the Abbacy; Silver and gold he had aboundantly ; He had a prevy pofterne of his awin, [130 Quhair he micht ifche, quhen that he lift, unknawin. Now thus in to the toun I leif him ftill, Bydand his tyme ; and turne agane I will To this fair wyfe, how fcho the fyre cowld beit, And thriitit on fatt caponis to the fpeit And fatt cunyngis to a fyre did fcho lay, 135 Syne bad the Madin, in all the haift fcho may, To flawme, and turne, and roft thame tenderly. ; : ; ; ; THE FREIRIS OF BERWIK. And to hir chalmer fo fcho went in by. Scho pullit hir raawkin, and gaif hit buffettis tway, Upoun the cheikis, fyne till it cowld fcho fay, 140 Ye fowld be blyth and glaid at my requeift, Thir midlis of youris ar callit to ane feift. Scho cleithis hir in a kirtill of fyne reid, Ane fair quhyt curch fcho puttis upoun hir held; Hir kirtill wes of filk, and filver fyne, 145 Hir uther garmentis as the reid gold did fchyne, On every finger fcho weiris ringis two ; Scho was als proud as ony papingo. The burde fcho cuverit with clath of colily grene, Hir napry aboif wes wondir weill befene. 150 Than but fcho went, to fe gif ony come, Scho thocht full lang to meit hir lufe Freir Johtio. Syne fchortly did this Freir knok at the yett His knok fcho kend, and did fo him in lett Scho wclcomit him in all hir belt maneir.