VI.

"Allace AURORE, (the fillie lark did cry)

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Quhair has thou left thy balmy liquour sweit, "That us rejoifit mounting in the sky?

"Thy filver drops are turned into fleit.

"Of fair PHEBUs quhair is the holfum heit,

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Qhuy tholis thow thy hevinlie plesand face, "With mystie vapouris to be obscurit, allace!

VII.

grene,

Qhuair art thou May, with June thy fifter fchene "Weill bordourit with dafeis of delyte? "And gentill Julie, with thy mantill "Enamelit with rofis reid and quhyte ? "Now auld and cauld Januar in dispyte "Reiffis from us all paftime and plesure "Allace! quhait gentill hart may this indure?

VIII.

"Ovirfilit ar with cloudis odious

"The goldin skyis of the orient,

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Changeing in forrow our fing melodious,

"Quhilk we had wont to fing with gude intent, "Refoundand to the hevinnis firmament,

"But now our day is changed into the nicht," With that they rose and flew forth of my ficht.

HARDY KNUTE

A FRAGMENT.

STATELY

I.

TATELY ftept he east the wa,
And stately stept he weft,

Full feventy zeirs he now had fene,
With fkerfs feven zeirs of rest.
He livit quhen Britons breach of faith
Wroucht Scotland meikle wae :

And ay his fword tauld to their cost,
He was their deidly fae.

II.

Hie on a hill his castle ftude,

With halls and touris a hicht,

And guidly chambers fair to fe,

Quhair he lodgit mony a Knicht.
His Dame fae peirless anes and fair,
For chaft and bewtie deimt,
Nae marrow had in all the land,

Seif ELENOR the queen.

III.

Full thirtein fons to him fcho bare,
All men of valour ftout;

In bluidy ficht with fword in hand
Nyne loft their lives bot doubt;
Four zit remain, lang may they live
To stand my liege and land:

Hie was their fame, hie was their micht,
And hie was their command.

IV.

Great luve they bare to FAIRLY fair,

Their fifter faft and deir,

Her girdle fhawd her middle gimp,

And gowden glift her hair.

Quhat waefau wae her bewtie bred?

Waefou to zung and auld, Waefou I trow to kyth and kin, As story ever tauld.

V.

The king of Norfe in fummer tyde,
Puft up with powir and micht,
Landed in fair Scotland the yle,
With mony a hardy knicht:
The tydings to our gude Scots king
Came, as he fat at dyne,
With noble chiefs in braif aray,

Drinking the blude-reid wyne.

VI.

"To horfe, to horfe, my ryal liege,
"Zour faes ftand on the ftrand,
"Full twenty thoufand glittering spears
"The king of Norse commands.
Bring me my fteed Mage dapple gray,
Our gude king raise and cry'd,
A truftier beaft in all the land

A Scots king nevir feyd.

VII.

Go little page, tell HARDYKNUTE,
That lives on hill fo hie,

To draw his fword, the dreid of faes,
And hafte and follow me.

The little page flew fwift as dart

Flung by his masters arm,

Cum down, cum down lord HARDYKNUTE,

And rid zour king frae harm.

VIII.

Then reid, reid grow his dark-brown cheiks,

Sae did his dark-brown brow;

His luiks grew kene, as they were wont,

In dangers great to do;

He hes tane a horn as grene as glass,

And gien five founds fae fhrill,

That treis in grene wod fchuke thereat,
Sae loud rang ilka hill.

IX.

His fons in manly fport and glie,
Had pafsd the fummer's morn,
Quhen lo! down in a graffy dale,
They heard their fatheris horn.

That horn, quod they, neir founds in peace,
We haif other sport to byde;

And fune they heyd them up the hill,

Aud fune were at his fyde.

X.

Late, late the zettrene I weind in peace
To end my lengthen'd lyfe,

My

age micht weil excuse my arm

Frae manly feats of ftryfe;

But now that NORSE dois proudly boast

Fair Scotland to inthrall,

Its neir be faid of HARDYKNUTE

He feard to ficht or fall.

XI.

ROBIN of Rothfay, bend thy bow,
Thy arrows fhcute fae leil,

Many a comely countenance

They haif turnd to deidly pale: Brade THOMAS tak ze but zour lance, Ze neid nae weapons mair,

Gif ze ficht weit as ze did anes

Gainst Westmorlands ferfs heir.