What wight art thou, the ladye sayd, iii. chap. vii. 66 The "scelestissima!-that is-gudewife". malefica-that is to say-Mrs. Merrilies"...." sceleratissima!—which meansMrs. Margaret," and, still more ludicrous, the "conjuro tethat is, I thank you heartily," of the perplexed and horrorstricken Dominie, recall some lines in the "Nonnes Preestes Tale" of Chaucer, better known by its more modern title of "The Cock and the Fox." "For al so siker* as In principio, Mulier est hominis confusio. Madame, the sentence † of this Latine is, Woman is mannes joye and mannes blis."-1. 15169-72. It may be thought that the Latine, here so favourably translated, is not a little at variance with the high strain of compliment which immediately precedes; and that the gallant husband of" Dame Pertelote," probably not being gifted with the prodigious erudition of Mr. Sampson, may have risked a quotation without knowing much about its import. The extent of the acquirements of the "gentil cok" is not very easily to be determined; but the poet evidently points him out as a bird of no common order: "In all the land of crowing, n' as his pere." His chagrin had been excited by a domestic lecture couched in no very gentle terms: "How dorsten ye for shame to say to your love, Han ye no mannes herte, and have a berde ?" His wife, then, proceeding to discuss the causes of her husband's depression, enlarges upon a formidable course of medicine which it may be desirable that he should pursue, till she is obliged to confess that "she can say him no more." Her partner, for whose especial benefit all this rhetoric is intended, having in the most exemplary manner refrained from interruption, seizes the moment to signify his impatience : "Madame, quod he, grand mercy of your lore." May we not then conclude that he eagerly availed himself of a medium, through which he could with impunity indulge *siker-Saxon, sure. † sentence-opinion, meaning. n'as, ne was-was not the expression of his spleen without externally violating the courtesy of his demeanour? THE ANTIQUARY, p. 55. The seven lines form the fifth stanza of the " Floure and the Leafe," which Dryden has made so familiar to all lovers of beautiful poetry. "In which were Okes great, streight as a line, With branches brode, laden with leves new, p. 68. The two following lines are to be found, vol. ii. p. 68, of "Antient and Modern Scotish Songs," &c. Edinb. 1791. They are lines 58 and 59 of a nonsensical medley, called "The Dreg Song" and may be quoted to illustrate the first verse of Elspeth's ballad. "The oysters are a gentle kin, They winna tak unless you sing." Oysters appear to have preserved their comparative gentility to a late period. In a dialogue overheard, not many years ago in a street of Edinburgh, between two fishwomen, lamenting the death of a member of their sisterhood, one of the speakers happened to inquire" if the deceased was not in the oyster line." "Hoot! puir body, she never got abune the muscle line in all her life." A ballad, describing "The Battle of Harlaw, foughten upon Friday, July 24, 1411, against Donald of the Isles," is printed, p. 177, of "The Caledonian Muse; a Chronological Selection of Scotish Poetry from the earliest Times." Edited by the late Joseph Ritson, Esq. London: printed 1785: first published, 1821. The lines, p. 72. "With that he gave his able horse the head," &c. are taken from the Second Part of King Henry IV. Act. I. Sc. 1. ROB ROY. The lines in the motto to vol. ii. chap. x. p. 86, occur, vol. ii. p. 74, of" Antient and Modern Scotish Songs," &c. Edinb. 1791. "Ben went our good man, And then he spy'd a sturdy man "And how came this man here? How can this be? How came this man here, Without the leave o' me?"-1. 99-106. Motto to vol. iii. chap. x. p. 89. Stanzas xvii. xviii. of "The Rising in the North," which took place in the 12th of Elizabeth, 1569: printed in Percy's Reliques, i. p. 248, edit. 1765. "Come ye hither, my nine good sonnes, Gallant men I trowe you bee: How many of you, my children deare, "Eight of them did answer make, Eight of them spake hastilie, O father, till the daye we dye We'll stand by that good earle and thee." OLD MORTALITY, vol. iii. chap. ii. p. 101. The fourth and last stanza of Lovelace's celebrated song "To Althea, from Prison," set to music by Dr. John Wilson to be found at p. 61, part I. of the elegant reprint of" Lucasta,' in Mr. Singer's "Early English Poets," and in Percy's Reliques, ii. p. 359, edit. 1812. HEART OF MID-LOTHIAN, p. 122. The "Bannocks of Barley-Meal," occurs in "Antient and Modern Scotish Songs," vol. ii. p. 241. The song consists of seven Notwithstanding that this republication is not quite so correct as could be wished, we cannot help expressing our regret that the parts do not appear more frequently.-We avail ourselves of the present opportunity to inquire for the remaining numbers of the "Ancient Humorous Poetry." stanzas of eight lines: the lines quoted are the third and fourth of the second stanza : "At the sight of Kirkaldy ance again, I'll cock up my bonnet and march amain." And the seventh and eighth of the third stanza : "Wi' my claymore * hanging down to my heel, p. 122. The first stanza of "Sheriff-Muir," in twenty-one stanzas, to be found in vol. ii. p. 56, of " Scotish Songs; in two volumes, 1794," published by Ritson, who observes in a note: "The battle of Dunblain, or Sheriff-Muir, was fought the 13th of November, 1715, between the Earl of Mar, for the Chevalier, and the Duke of Argyle for the government. Both sides claimed the victory, the left wing of either army being routed. The capture of Preston, it is very remarkable, happened on the same day." The stanza is as follows: "There's some say that we wan, Some say that nane wan at a' man; That at Sherif Muir A battle there was, which I saw man: And we ran and they ran, and they ran and we run, and we ran and they ran, awa' man.” BRIDE of LAMMERMOOR. Motto to vol. i. chap. viii. p. 130. Stanzas 2, 3, 4, of " the Heir of Linne," part the second, printed in Percy's Reliques, ii. p. 309, edit. 1765 †. "He looked up, he looked downe, In hope some comfort for to winne, "Glaymore. A highland broad-sword: from the Erse glay, or glaive, a sword; and more, great." Grose. We may mention that it is desirable to be able to refer to the first edition of Bishop Percy's Reliques, and to the last superintended by his nephew. There are numerous variations in the essays, &c. in the different editions. Dr. Dibdin, in the "Bibliographical Decameron," gives an interesting account of the Bishop's celebrated folio MS. the existence of which was treated with such fierce incredulity by Ritson. "No chair, ne table he mote spye, That dangling hung up o'er his head." It is also printed at p. 129, vol. ii. of Ritson's Scotish Songs. P. 131. Those lines are the four first of the second stanza of a song, "Tod aunton me," printed in Ritson's Scotish Songs, vol. ii. p. 112. The whole stanza is as follows: "But to wanton me, but to wanton me, Do you ken the thing that would wanton me? To see gued corn upon the rigs, And banishment to all the whigs, And right restor❜d where right should be; O! these are the things that wa'd wanton me." A LEGEND OF MONTROSE. Motto to vol. iv. chap. iv. P. 144. This is taken from Act I. Sc. 1. of" The Hogge hath lost his Pearle a comedy, by Robert Tailor." London, 1614. 4to, and reprinted in page 344, vol. vi. of the new edition of Dodsley's Old Plays" with additional notes. 66 hold in Their child's affections, and controul that love, Which the high powers divine inspire them with, iv. chap. vii. p. 144. An improvement of the last stanza in the first part of the Marquis of Montrose's Address to his Mistress, printed in Evans's "Old Ballads," vol. iv. p. 301. edit. 1810. "But if thou wilt be constant then I'll make thee glorious by my pen, I'll serve thee in such noble ways I'll crown and deck thee all with bays, Motto to vol. iv. chap. viii. p. 145. The two last stanzas of the sixth fit of “The Battle of Floddon Field; a Poem of the Sixteenth Century," p. 85 of the edition by Weber. Edinb. 1808. |