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V.

That my light youth-head is opprest and Law, love, and lawtie, graven 1low 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 mon2 obey and Flattery is fostered both with friends and

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ANONYMOUS POETRY.

THE FRIARS OF BERWICK.

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that no one would dispute that his genius was equal to its production; yet the more we consider it, the less does it seem to us to be his writing. The fact of its appearing anonymously in both the manuscripts in which most of Dunbar's poems are preserved, is perhaps the strongest external objection to his authorship; yet neither this, nor the alleged modernness of the language, would weigh much against the assumption in our estimation, did the literary structure of the composition exhibit that mastery of the art of poetry, which, without exception, marks all Dunbar's poems.

[THIS very excellent tale has been preserved, in both the Bannatyne and Maitland MSS., without any author's name in either. It has been printed so early as 1603, by Robert Charteris, Edinburgh; but the earliest edition | preserved is that of Raban of Aberdeen, 1622, of which only a single copy is known. In 1723, Allan Ramsay made a transcript of it from the Bannatyne MS., on which he founded his tale of "The Monk and the Miller's Wife," without however acknowledging his indebtedness. Pinkerton printed the Mr Fraser Tytler remarks that :Maitland Ms. version in 1786, attribut- "There are few of Chaucer's tales which ing the authorship to Dunbar; while are equal, and certainly none of them Sibbald, in 1802, reprinted Pinker- superior to this excellent piece of satire. ton's edition, collating it with the The whole management of the story, its Bannatyne MS., and ascribing the quiet comic humour, its variety and authorship to the unknown author of natural delineation of human character, the "Priests of Peebles." Dr David the freshness and brilliancy of its colourLaing printed the Bannatyne MS. ing, the excellence and playfulness of its version, in his edition of Dunbar s satire upon the hypocritical and dissoWorks, 1834, in which, on the authority | lute lives of many of the monastic orders, of Pinkerton, he places it among and the vigorous versification into which poems attributed to Dunbar. He it is thrown, are entitled to the highest remarks :—“That the Friers of Berwick | praise." Without detracting in the 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."

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 stankis1 castin many ane,
And syne the castel is so strong and wight,
With stately towers, and turrets high on
hight,

With kirnalis 2 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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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:

They ate, and drank, and sat at their ain❘ "Ye bide not here, by Him that us all

ease.

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

And fill this stoup again, anis1 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,

coft, a

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. She made their bed, and syne went, but 5

fast,

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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 hecht7 to walk this

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She was full blithe that they were closed She was als proud as any papingo.'
The board she covered with cloth of costly

there,

For she had made ane tryst, that samen
night,

Friar John her lovis supper for to dight.'
And she wald have nane other company;
Because Friar John all night with her should

be:

Whilk dwelland was into that samen town;
And ane black friar he was of great renown.
He governed all hail the abbacy:
Silver and gold he had abundantly;
He had ane privy postern of his awin,
That he might issue, when him list,
unknawin.

Now, thus into the town I leave him still,
Bidand his time; and turn again I will
To this fair wife, how she the fire could
beit :3

And thrusted on fat capons on the speet;
And fat cunyngs4 to the fire gan she lay,
Syne bade her maid, in all the haste she
may

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Therefore I reid? now that we make good cheer.

To flawme,5 and turn, and roast them Sen it is so that Symon is frae hame,

tenderly.

And till her chalmer syne she went in hye. She pulled her mawkin, and gave her buffets tway

I will be hamely now, with you good dame." She says, "Ye are right heartily welcome here,

At any time, when that ye list appear."

Upon the cheeks, syne till her could she With that she smiled wonder lustily :

say,

Ye should be blithe and glad at my request,
Thir mullis of yours, are called to ane feast.
She cleithis? her in a kirtle of fine red;
Ane fair white curch 8 she put upon her head.
Her kirtle was of silk, her keyis gingling
syne,

He thristed her hand again right privily.
Then in het love they talked other till.
Thus at their sport I will them leaven still,
Bidand their time; and turn again I will
To tell you of thir silly friars twa,
That ligged in the loft among the straw.
Friar Allan still into the loft can ly:

Her other garments as the red gold did Friar Robert had a little jelosy;
shine.

On ilkane finger she weared ringis two :

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For in his heart he had ane persaving. And through the burde he made, with his bodkin, 8

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