Phebe (ait) immerisi magnus tibi rector olympi

Scribit epistolio qué velit ille, suo.
Cura fuit phebo celerés cohibere Jugales,

Et cohibet, donec litera lecta fuit,
Nec mora, signatum diducit pollice cerami,

Et legit auratis talia verba notis.
Nos qui celestes positis digessimus orbes

Legibus, et certis voluimus astra modis,
Cura hominum nonnulla tenet terrena potestas

Summa nisi flaueant numina, nulla foret. En mea progenies regni moderator auiti

Jam sceptrum arripuit; Seotica iura tuens,
Est illic pietas, illie reuerentia nostri,

Est illic pure religionis amor
Ut regem auersata fuit fortuna potentein,

Dura sub infausto sydere fata tulit.
Nam desperátis languet pessundata rebus

Scotia, que miseros ducere visa dies.
Factio, rupta fides, et pax simulata, tumultus,

Fulsus amor, cedes, lata rapina, dolus,
Regnandi cepere locum, concordia, fedus,

Pax, amor atq. quies, et sine cede manus:
Extorres abiere simul aurea veri

Gloria, iustitie lycia rupta iacent;
Nam vexat iustos immensa licentia furum,

Templorum passim diruta tectà cadunt.
Si quis in hac dignus est tempestate catonis

Nomine perpetuo, consilioq valens, Ipsius catilina loco sceleratus honore

Fungitur, et tumido suspicit ore minax. Elati incedunt mentita pelle lycurgi,

Is bonus est consul, qui mage fraudis habet, Cogimur errores tandem componere tantos Ne quis regnantem non putet esse Jouem.

çc%

Hoc

Hoc Jacobus' aget quintus rex stirpe suorum

Inclytus offitium, quod sibi Jure vacat.
Clarior haud bello quisqs, nec pacis amrator

Ancus pace fuit, Relligione numa.
Mascula tlmoracem vertärs huic pectora fortem

Induet, et galeam spes geret ampla suam.
Ferripidem urgenti viso calcaribus hoste

Aggressoq. hastam porriget alma fides. Periure nulla dextre formidine pulsus,

Subueniet miseris, colla superba premens. Hectore nec tantum sua troia superstite gaudens:

Nec fuit eacide gretia beta suo : Quantnm gaudebit promisso principe fatis

Scotia, solus erit ille daturus opem.
Omnia que tanto felicem principe terram

Effitiant, diuum sedula cura geret.
Eia age, phebe tuis circundes ignibus orbem

Et plaga feruores sentiat illa tuos.
Temperiem diffunde bonam, sit grata colonis

Ut veniat messis semine digna suo.
Nos quoq pro īre prolis faciemus honore

Quod bene susceptum, secula cuncta canent. Delius ut cartam legit, gramioque reclusam

Condidit, expediam jussa totantis, ait. Alipedes premittit equos, curruq. sequutus

Auriuomo, placida dirigit ora manu. Vertice ceruleo summus se extollit olympus.":

Et fugiunt toto nubila densa polo. Hinc natura suas varie et subtiliter artes

Perq. astra exercet, viscera aperq. soli. Id mirata, colunt Imasque numina terras,

Que degunt tremulis flumina clara vadis.. Frugiferum hoc celum (dixerunt) destinat annum. Florescet leto germine terra ferax.

Scotia (sentimus) tardo subjecta boeth,

Rege sub excelso fenora larga dabit. Mox capiunt fauni siluas, hortisq. priapus

Pomiferis prohibet sidere nudus aues. Flora recens campos gemmato vestit honore,

Officio dryadum pascua leta virent. Herbida gramineos exhalat terra sa pores,

Inq. nouum pergunt, sponte fruteta decus, Per valles blando lapidosas murmure serpunt

Flumina, nereides flumina clara tenent. Seminibus paleata ceres fecundat opimis

Jugera, que nullo culta labore forent.
Ingentemq. auidi spem non lusura coloni

Sydere promittit grana legenda suo.
Pan curare greges, pan cogere montibus agnos

Armentisque studet claudere septa vagis.
Maiori redeunt spumantia mulctra colostro,

Et solito pecudes grandius vber habent. Res Ita disposuit nostra clementia diuum,

Propitios meminit quis magis ante deos. Interea Jouis ipse puer placidissima regni

Sceptra gerens, populo dat bona Jura suo.

Finis.

Impressum Ediburgi apud

Thomam Dauidson.

REMARKS.

James V. was born on the twelfth of April, 1512. He died on the fourteenth of December, 1542, He took upon himself the government C¢3

in

in July 1528. He obtained the supreme au; thority by expelling the faction of the Douglases, who, for their own selfish and ambitious purposes held him in a sort of thraldom.

The STRENA, printed above, was evidently addressed to King James V. on this memorable occasion of his triumph over a factious party.

The first manuscript note informs us how this Poem came into the King's library by purchase, at West's sale. The reference to Herbert's edition of Ames in this manuscript note, should be 1472. The following description which there occurs is curious enough.

“ It is a thin quarto it is unique.”

The second manuscript note, which is, seemingly, the intimation of a Scotish Antiquary of the last century, is quite apocryphal.

Davidson, who stands at the head of the second dynasty of Scotish printers was appointed printer to the King in December 1541. This STRENA was printed by him before this epoch of his good fortune, otherwise he would have been naturally proud, and have avowed the honourable distinction he had obtained.

I suspect, from various circumstances, that Daviesone, or Davidson, for there was no uniform orthography in these times, did not begin to print in Scotland before the year 1540, whatever the said Scotish Antiquary may affirm, or Herbert may intimate: and this year may be, in

my

my opinion, safely assigned as the real period when the Strena was printed.

As to its merit as a composition, no great deal can be said. The author seems to have been tolerably well read in the Classics, and has borrowed very freely from Ovid. As a whole, however, it is far from contemptible.