VI.

"Allace AURORE, (the fillie lark did cry)
"Quhair has thou left thy balmy liquour fweit,
"That us rejoifit mounting in the sky?
"Thy filver dropps are turned into fleit.
"Of fair PHEBUS quhair is the holsum heit,
"Quhy tholis thow thy hevinlie plefand face,
"With mystic vapouris to be obscurit, allace!

VII.

"Quhair art thou May, with June thy fifter fchene "Weill bordourit with dafeis of delyte? "And gentill Julie, with thy mantill grene, "Enamelit with rofis reid and quhyte ? "Now auld and cauld Januar in difpyte "Reiffis from us all paftime and plefure

"Allace! quhait gentle hart may this indure?

VIII.

"Ovirfilit ar with cloudis odious

"The goldin fkyis of the orient,

"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 rofe and flew forth of my ficht.

HARDY KNUT E.

A FRAGMENT.

I.

STATELY ftept he east the wa,
And stately stept he west,
Full feventy zeirs he now had fene,
With fkerfs fevin zeirs of reft.

He livit quhen Britons breach of faith
Wroucht Scotland meikle wae,

And ay his fword told 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,
Quair he lodgit mony a knicht.
His Dame fa peirlefs anes and fair,
For chaft and bewtie deimt,
Nae marrow had in all the land,

Saif ELENOR the queen.

III.

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

In bluidy ficht with sword in hand,
Nyne loft their lives bot doubt;
Four zit remain, lang may they live
To ftand 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 waefou wae hir bewtie bred?
Waefou to zung and auld,
Waefou I trow to kyth and kin,
As flory ever tauld.

V.

The king of Norfe in fummer tyde,

Puft up with power

power 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-ried wyne.

VI.

"To horse, to horse, my ryal liege,
"Zour faes ftand on the strand,
"Full twenty thousand glittering spears
"The king of Norfe commands.”
Bring me my steed Mage dapple grey,
Our gude king raise and cryd,
A truftier beaft in all the land
A Scots king nevir seyd.

VII.

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

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

The little page flew swift as dart

Flung by his master's 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 grass,

And gien five founds fae fhrill,

That treis in grenę wode schuke thereat,
Sae loud rang ilka hill,

IX.

His fons in manly sport and glie,
Had pafs'd the fummer's morn,
Quhen lo! down in a grassy 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,
And fune were at his fyde.

X.

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

My age

micht weil excufe my arm

Frae manly feats of stryfe;

peace

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 fhoute fae leil,

Many a comely countenance

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

Gif ze ficht weit as ze did anes

Gainst Westmorland's ferís heir.