Heil trewe, trouthfull, and tretable,
Heil cheef i chosen of chastite,
Heil homely, hende, and amyable
To preye for us to thi sone so fre! AVE.

II. Heil stern, that never stinteth liht :

Heil bush, brennyng that never was brent;
Heil rihtful rulere of everi riht,

Schadewe to schilde that scholde be schent,
Heil, blessed be yowe blosme briht,
To trouthe and trust was thine entent;
Heil mayden and modur, most of miht,
Of all mischeves and amendement ;
Heil spice sprong that never was spent,
Heil trone of the trinitie;

Heil soiene1 that god us sone to sent
Yowe preye for us thi sone fre! AVE.

III. Heyl hertely in holinesse.
Heyl hope of help to heighe and lowe
Heyl strength and stel of stabylnesse
Heyl reson of rihtwysnesse,
Heyl innocent of angernesse,

Heyl windowe of hevene wowe,
Tovche a caityf comfort to knowe,
Vr takel, vr tol, that we on trowe,
Heyl frend to all that beoth fortth flowe
Heyl liht of love, and of bewte,
Heyl brihter then the blod on snowe,
Yowe preye for us thi sone so fre! AVE

IV. Heyl mayden, heyl modur, heyl martir trowe,
Heyl kyndly i knowe confessour,

Heyl evenere of old lawe and newe,
Heyl buildor bold of cristes bour,

Heyl rose higest of hyde and hewe, Of all ffruytes feirest fflour,

Heyl turtell trustiest and trewe,

Of all trouthe thou are tresour,

Heyl puyred princesse of paramour,
Heyl blosme of brere brihtest of ble,
Heyl owner of eorthly honour,

Yowe preye for us thi sone so fre! AVE, &c.

V. Heyl hende, heyl holy emperesse,

Heyle queene corteois, comely, and kynde,

Heyl distruyere of everi strisse,

Heyl mender of everi monnes mynde,

Heil bodi that we ouht to blesse,

So feythful frend may never mon fynde,

Heil levere and lovere of largenesse

Swete and swetest that never may swynde,

Heil botenere of everie bodi blynde, Heil borgun brihtes of all bounte, Heyl trewore then the wode bynde,

Yow preye for us thi sone so fre! AVE.

1 F. Seyen. Scyon.

210

JOHN BARBOUR-HISTORY OF ROBERT BRUCE.

VI. Heyl modur, heyl mayden, heyl hevene quene,
Heyl gatus of paradys,

Heyl sterre of the se that ever is sene,

Heyl rich, royall, and ryhtwys,

Heyl burde i blessed mote yowe bene,
Heyl perle of al perey the pris,

Heyl schadewe in vche a schour schene,
Heyl fairer thae that flour de lys,

Heyl cher chosen that never nas chis
Heyl chef chamber of charite

Heyl in wo that ever was wis

Yowe preye for us thi sone so fre! AVE, &c. &c1.

These rude stanzas remind us of the Greek hymns ascribed to Orpheus, which entirely consist of a cluster of the appellations appropriated to each divinity.

ALTHOUGH this work is professedly confined to England, yet I cannot pass over two Scotch poets of this period, who have adorned the English language by a strain of versification, expression, and poetical imagery, far superior to their age; and who consequently deserve to be mentioned in a general review of the progress of our national poetry. They have written two heroic poems. One of them is John Barbour archdeacon of Aberdeen. He was educated at Oxford; and Rymer has printed an instrument for his safe passage into England in order to prosecute his studies in that university, in the years 1357 and 13652. David Bruce, king of Scotland. gave him a pension for life, as a reward for his poem called the HISTORY OF ROBERT BRUCE, KING OF THE SCOTS3. It was printed at Glasgow in the year 16714, A battle fought by lord Douglas is thus described.

When that thus thir two battles were
The Stewart Walter that then was
In a battle when that they saw
Assemble with his company,

Assembled, as I said you air,
And the good lord als of Dowglas,
The earl, foroutten dread or aw,
On all that folk so sturdily,
For to help him they held their way,
And their battle with good array,

Beside the earl a little by

They sembled all so hardily,

1 MSS. Vernon, f. 122. In this manuscript are several other pieces of this sort. "The Holy Virgin appears to a priest who often sung to her, and calls him her joculator. MSS. JAMES. XXVI. p. 32.

2 Foed. vi. 31, 478.

3 Tanner, Bibl. p. 73.

4 12mo.

That their foes felt ther coming well:
For with weapons stallwort of steel
They dang on them with all their might,
Their foes received well, I heght,

With swords and spears, and als with mass,
The battle there so fellon was

And so right great spilling of blood, That on the erd the slouces stood,
The Scottish men so well them bare,

And so great slaughter made they there,
And fra so feil the lives they reav'd,
That all the field was bloody leav'd.
That time that thir three battles were
All side by side fighting well near,
There might men hear many a dint,
And weapons upon arms stint,

And might see tumble knights and steeds,
And many rich and royal weeds
Foully defiled under feet,

Some held on loft, some tint the suet.
A long while fighting thus they were,
That men in no wise might hear there.
Men might hear nought but groans and dints
That flew, as men strike fire on flints.
They fought ilk ane so eagerly,

That they made neither noise nor cry
But dang on other at their might

With weapons that were burnisht bright

The arrows also thick there flaw,

(That they well might say, that them saw)

That they a hideous shower can ma; For where they fell, I underta,

They left after them tokening,

That shall need, as I trow, leeching.
The English archers shot so fast,
That might their shot have any last,
It had been hard to Scottishmen.
But king Robert, that wel can ken,
That their archers were perillous,
And their shot right hard and grievous,
Ordained forouth the assembly,
His marshal, with a great menzie,
Five hundred armed into steele
That on light horse were horsed well,
For to prick amongst the archers,
And to assail them with their spears,
That they no leisure have to shoot.
This marshal that I hereof mute,
Sir Robert of Keith he was call'd
When that he saw the battles so
And saw the archers shoot stoutly
In hy upon them can he ride,
And rush'd among them so rudely.

And I before here have you

tould.

Assemble, and together go, With all them of his company, And overtake them at a side, Sticking them so despiteously,

SIR WILLIAM WALLACE, BY BLIND HARRY.

212

And in lik fusion bearing down,

And slaying them forout ransoun,
That they them skailed e'erilkane;
And, fra that time forth, there was nane

That assembled, shot for to ma.
When Scots archers saw that they sa

Reboted were, they wax'd hardy, And with their might shot eagerly
Among the horsemen that there rade,
And wounds wide to them they made,

And slew of them a full great deal. They bore them hardily and well;
For fra that their foes archers were Skailed, as I said to you air,
They more than they were by great thing,
So that they dread not their shooting.
They wax'd so hardy, that them thought,
They should set all their foes at nought.

The following is a specimen of our author's talent at rural description. The verses are extremely soft.

This was in midst of month of May,
Melland their notes with seemly soun,

When birds sing in ilka spray,
Forsoftness of the sweet seasoun,

And leaves of the branches spreeds,
And blooms bright beside them breeds,

And fields strawed are with flowers Well savouring of seir colours,
And all thing worthis, blyth and gay.

The other wrote a poem on the exploits of Sir William Wallace. It was first printed in 1601. And very lately reprinted at Edinburgh in quarto, with the following title. The acts and deeds of the most 'famous and valiant champion Sir William Wallace, knight, of 'Ellerslie. Written by BLIND HARRY, in the year 1361. Together 'with ARNALDI BLAIR RELATIONES. Edinburgh, 1758.' No circumstances of the life of our blind bard appear in Dempster1. This poem, which consists of twelve books, is translated from the Latin of Robert Blare, or Blair, chaplain to Sir William Wallace2. The following is a description of the morning, and of Wallace arming himself in his tent3.

Into a vale by a small river fair,

On either side where wild deer made repair,
Set watches out that wisely could them keep,
To supper went, and timeously they sleep,

1 See Dempst. viii. 349, 662.

2 Tit. GESTA WILLELMI WALLAS. Dempst. ii. 148. He flourished in 1300. He has left another Latin poem, DE LIBERATA TYRANNIDE SCOTIA. Arnald Blair, mentioned in the title page in the text, probably Robert's brother, if not the same, was also chaplain to Wallace, and monk of Dumferling, about the year 1327. Relat. ut supr. p. 1. But see p. 9, 10. In the fifth book of the Scotch poem we have this passage, p. 94, V. 533.

Maister JOHN BLAIR was oft in that message,
A worthy clerk, both wise and als right sage,
Levyt he was before in PARYS town, &c.

He was the man that principell undertook,
Of WALLACE life right famous in rensown,
With him they were and put in story all

That first compild in dyte the Latin book,
And THOMAS GRAY parson of Libertoun,
Oft one or both mickle of his travell, &c.

3 P. 229, P. viii. v. 65. The editor seems to have modernised the spelling.

Of meat and sleep they cease with suffisaunce,
The night was mirk, overdrave the darksom chance,
The merry day sprang from the orient,
With beams bright illuminate occident,

After Titan Phebus upriseth fair,

High in the sphere, the signs he made declare.
Zephyrus then began his morning course,

The sweet vapour thus from the ground resourse;
The humble bregth down from the heaven avail
In every mead, both frith, forest and dale.

The clear rede among the rockis rang

Through grene branches where the byrds blythly sang,

With joyous voice in heavenly harmony,

When Wallace thought it was no time to ly:
He crossyd him, syn suddenly arose,
To take the air out of his pallion goes
Maister John Blair was ready to revess,
In goode intent syne bouned to the mass.
When it was done, Wallace can him array,
In his armore, which goodly was and gay;
His shining shoes that birnisht was ful been,
His leg-harness he clapped on so clean,
Pullane grees he braced on full fast,
A close birnie with many siker clasp,
Breast-plate, brasars, that worthy were in wear:
Beside him forth Jop could his basnet bear;
His glittering gloves that graven on either sid
He seemed well in battell to abide.

His good girdle, and syne his buirly brand,
A staffe of steel he gripped in his hand.
The host him blest, &c.

Adam Wallaice and Boyd forth with him yeed
By a river, throughout a florisht mead.

And as they walk attour the fields so green,

Out of the south they saw when that the queen
Toward the host came riding soberly,

And fifty ladies in her company, &c.

The four following lines on the spring are uncommonly terse and elegant.

Gentle Jupiter, with his mild ordinance,

Both herb and tree reverts into pleasance;
And fresh Flora her flowery mantle spread,
In every dale both hop, hight, hill, and mead1.

A different season of the year is here strongly painted.

The dark region appearing wonder fast,
In November when October was past,

1 Lib. ix. v. 22, ch. i, p. 250.