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MARGARET

DAUGHTER то

HENRY VII. OF ENGLAND,

QUEEN то

JAMES IV. KING OF SCOTS.

BY WILLIAM DUNBAR.

The THISTLE and the ROSE,
O'er flowers and herbage green,

By Lady Nature chofe,

Brave King and lovely Queen.

I.

HEN March with varying winds was overpaft,

W and fweet April had with his filver showers

Ta'n leave of Nature with an orient blast,
And lufty May, that mother is of flowers,
Had made the birds begin by tymous hours;
Among the tender odours red and white,
Whose harmony to her was great delight.

II.

In bed at morrow, fleeping as I lay,
Methought Aurora with her ruby ene,
In at my window looked by the day,
And halfit me with vifage pale and green;
Upon her hand a lark fang frae the spleen,
"Lovers, awake out of your slumbering.
See how the lufty morning does upfpring."
III.

Methought fresh May before my bed upstood,
In weed depainted of ilk diverse hue,
Sober, benign, and full of manfuetude,
In bright attire of flowers, all forged new,
Of heavenly colour, white, red, brown and blue,
Balmit in dew, and gilt with Phebus' beams,
"While all the house illumin'd with her leams.
IV.

Sluggard, fhe faid, awake anon for fhame,
And in mine honour fomething thou go write;
The lark has done, the merry day proclaim,
Lovers to raise with comfort and delight;
Will nought increase thy courage to indite,
Whose heart fometime has glad and blissful been,
Songs oft to make, under the branches green ?

V.

Whereto, quoth I, fhall I uprise at morrow,

For in thy month few birds have I heard fing, They have mare caufe to weep and plain their forrow:

Thy air it is not wholsome nor benign,

Lord Eolus does in thy season ring,

So boufteous are the blasts of his shrill horn,
Among thy boughs to walk I have forborn.
VI.

With that the lady foberly did smile,
And faid, uprife and do thy obfervance :
Thou did promife in May's lufty while,
Then to defcribe the ROSE of most pleasance
Go fee the birdis how they fing and dance,
And how the skies illumined are bright,
Enamell'd richly with new azure light.
VII.

When this was faid, away then went the Queen,
And enter'd in a lufty garden gent;
And then methought, full haftily befeen,
In fark and mantle after her I went

Into this garth moft dulce and redolent,

Of herb and flower, and tender plants most sweet, And the green leaves doing of dew down fleit.

VIII.

The purple fun, with tender rayis red,
In orient bright as angel did appear,
Through golden fkies advancing up his head,
Whofe gilded treffes fhone fo wondrous clear,
That all the world took comfort far and near,
To look upon his fresh and blissful face,
Doing all fable frae the Heavens chace.

IX.

And as the blissful fun drove up the sky,
All nature fang through comfort of the light,
The minstrels wing'd, with open voices cry,
"O Lovers now is fled the dully night,
"Come welcome day, that comforts ev'ry wight;
"Hail May! hail Flora! hail Aurora sheen,
"Hail Princefs Nature! hail love's hartfome Queen!
X.

Dame Nature gave an inhibition there,
To Neptune fierce, and Eolus the bold,
Not to perturb the water or the air,

That neither blashy shower, nor blasts more cold
Should flowers affray nor fowls upon the fold.
She bade eke Juno, Goddess of the sky,

That she the heaven fhould keep amene and dry.

XI.

Alfo ordain'd that every bird and beast
Before her Highness should anon compear;
And every flower of virtue moft and least,
And every herb of fair field far and near,
As they had wont in May from year to year;
To her their Queen to make obedience,

Full low inclining with due reverence.

XII.

With that anon fhe fent the fwift foot Roe,
To bring in alkind beaft from dale and down;
The reftlefs fwallow order'd fhe to go,

And fetch all fowl of great and small renown,
flowers appear of all faffoun:

And to gar
Full craftily conjured fhe the Yarrow,

Which did forth fwirk as fwift as any arrow.
XIII.

All brought in were in twinkiing of an eye,
Both beaft and bird and flower before the Queen;
And firft the Lion, greatest of degree,

Was fummon'd there; and he, fair to be seen,
With a full hardy countenance and keen,
Before Dame Nature came, and did incline,
With visage bold, and courage leonine.

XIV.

This awful beaft was terrible of chear,
Piercing of look, and ftout of countenance,
Right ftrong of corps, of fashion fair, but fear,
Lufty of fhape, light of deliverance,
Red of his colour, as the ruby glance:
In field of gold he ftood full rampantly,
With flower-de-lyces circled pleafantly.

XV.

This Lady lifted up his claws fo clear,
And lute him liftly lean upon her knee,
And crowned him with diadem full dear,
Of radious ftones most royal there to fee,
Saying the King of all beafts make I thee;
And the protector chief in woods and shaws,
Go forth, and to thy lieges keep the laws.

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