THOMAS PERCY (1728-1811)

THE BONNY EARL OF MURRAY

 

In-text Notes (by G. G. Falle) are keyed to line numbers.

1     Ye highlands, and ye lawlands,
2     Oh! whair hae ye been?
3     They hae slaine the earl of Murray,
4     And hae layd him on the green.

5     Now wae be to thee, Huntley!
6     And whairfore did you sae!
7     I bade you bring him wi' you,
8     But forbade you him to slay.

9     He was a braw gallant,
10   And he rid at the ring;
11   And the bonny earl of Murray,
12   Oh! he might hae been a king.

13   He was a braw gallant,
14   And he playd at the ba';
15   And the bonny earl of Murray
16   Was the flower among them a'.

17   He was a braw gallant,
18   And he playd at the gluve;
19   And the bonny earl of Murray,
20   Oh! he was the queenes luve.

21   Oh! lang will his lady
22   Luke owre the castle downe,
23   Ere she see the earl of Murray
24   Cum sounding throw the towne.

NOTES

1.

In 1765, Thomas Percy, later Bishop of Dromore, published in three volumes his collection of "old heroic ballads, songs and other pieces of our earlier poets together with some few of later date," under the title Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, The edition contained, in addition to a dedication to the Countess of Northumberland and a preface, an "Essay on the Ancient English Minstrels" which was, in part, responsible for the increasing interest in the ballad and minstrel literature of the past. It encouraged one poet at least, James Beattie (1735-1803), to write one of the century's best poems in the Spenserian stanza, The Minstrel (1771-74). Percy collected his materials from old manuscripts, from English and Scottish correspondents, from earlier printings of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century ballads, from the archives of various antiquarian societies, and from earlier collections of ballads, especially the Pepys collection, "near 2000 in number, which he has left pasted in five volumes in folio," in the Library of Magdalen College, Cambridge. This poem is sub-titled "A Scottish Song." "In December, 1591, Francis Stewart, Earl of Bothwell, had made an attempt to seize on the person of his sovereign James VI., but being disappointed, had retired towards the north. The king unadvisedly gave a commission to George Gordon, Earl of Huntley, to pursue Bothwell and his followers with fire and sword. Huntley, under cover of executing that commission, took occasion to revenge a private quarrel he had against James Stewart, Earl of Murray, a relation of Bothwell's. In the night of Feb. 7, 1592, he beset Murray's house, burnt it to the ground, and slew Murray himself; a young nobleman of the most promising virtues, and the very darling of the people. See Robertson's Hist." (Percy's note).

9.

braw: brave.

20.

"King James, who took no care to punish the murderers, is said by some to have privately countenanced and abetted them, being stimulated by jealousy for some indiscreet praises which his Queen had too lavishly bestowed on this unfortunate youth" (Percy's note).

22.

luke owre: look o'er.

castle downe. "Castle downe here has been thought to mean the Castle of Downe, a seat belonging to the family of Murray" (Percy's note).

24.

throw: through.


THOMAS CHATTERTON (1752-1770)

AN EXCELENTE BALADE OF CHARITIE: AS WROTEN BIE THE GODE PRIESTE THOMAS ROWLEY, 1464

 

In-text Notes are keyed to line numbers.

1     In Virgynë the sweltrie sun gan sheene,
2     And hotte upon the mees did caste his raie;
3     The apple rodded from its palie greene,
4     And the mole peare did bende the leafy spraie;
5     The peede chelandri sunge the livelong daie;
6     'Twas nowe the pride, the manhode of the yeare,
7     And eke the grounde was dighte in its moste defte aumere.

8     The sun was glemeing in the midde of daie,
9     Deadde still the aire, and eke the welken blue,
10   When from the sea arist in drear arraie
11   A hepe of cloudes of sable sullen hue,
12   The which full fast unto the woodlande drewe,
13   Hiltring attenes the sunnis fetive face,
14   And the blacke tempeste swolne and gatherd up apace.

15   Beneathe an holme, faste by a pathwaie side,
16   Which dide unto Seyncte Godwine's covent lede,
17   A hapless pilgrim moneynge did abide.
18   Pore in his newe, ungentle in his weede,
19   Longe bretful of the miseries of neede,
20   Where from the hail-stone coulde the almer flie?
21   He had no housen theere, ne anie covent nie.

22   Look in his glommed face, his sprighte there scanne;
23   Howe woe-be-gone, how withered, forwynd, deade!
24   Haste to thie church-glebe-house, asshrewed manne!
25   Haste to thie kiste, thie onlie dortoure bedde.
26   Cale, as the claie whiche will gre on thie hedde,
27   Is Charitie and Love aminge highe elves;
28   Knightis and Barons live for pleasure and themselves.

29   The gatherd storme is rype; the bigge drops falle;
30   The forswat meadowes smethe, and drenche the raine;
31   The comyng ghastness do the cattle pall,
32   And the full flockes are drivynge ore the plaine;
33   Dashde from the cloudes the waters flott againe;
34   The welkin opes; the yellow levynne flies;
35   And the hot fierie smothe in the wide lowings dies.

36   Liste! now the thunder's rattling clymmynge sound
37   Cheves slowlie on, and then embollen clangs,
38   Shakes the hie spyre, and losst, dispended, drown'd,
39   Still on the gallard eare of terroure hanges;
40   The windes are up; the lofty elmen swanges;
41   Again the levynne and the thunder poures,
42   And the full cloudes are braste attenes in stonen showers.

43   Spurreynge his palfrie oere the watrie plaine,
44   The Abbote of Seyncte Godwynes convente came;
45   His chapournette was drented with the reine,
46   And his pencte gyrdle met with mickle shame;
47   He aynewarde tolde his bederoll at the same;
48   The storme encreasen, and he drew aside,
49   With the mist almes craver neere to the holme to bide.

50   His cope was all of Lyncolne clothe so fyne,
51   With a gold button fasten'd neere his chynne;
52   His autremete was edged with golden twynne,
53   And his shoone pyke a loverds mighte have binne;
54   Full well it shewn he thoughten coste no sinne:
55   The trammels of the palfrye pleasde his sighte,
56   For the horse-millanare his head with roses dighte.

57   "An almes, sir prieste!" the droppynge pilgrim saide,
58   "O! let me waite within your covente dore,
59   Till the sunne sheneth hie above our heade,
60     And the loude tempeste of the aire is oer;
61   Helpless and ould am I alas! and poor;
62   No house, ne friend, ne moneie in my pouche;
63   All yatte I call my owne is this my silver crouche."

64   "Varlet," replyd the Abbatte, "cease your dinne;
65   This is no season almes and prayers to give;
66   Mie porter never lets a faitour in;
67   None touch mie rynge who not in honour live."
68   And now the sonne with the blacke cloudes did stryve,
69   And shettynge on the grounde his glairie raie,
70   The Abbatte spurrde his steede, and eftsoones roadde awaie.

71   Once moe the skie was blacke, the thunder rolde;
72   Faste reyneynge oer the plaine a prieste was seen;
73   Ne dighte full proude, ne buttoned up in golde;
74   His cope and jape were graie, and eke were clene;
75   A Limitoure he was of order seene;
76   And from the pathwaie side then turned hee,
77   Where the pore almer laie binethe the holmen tree.

78   "An almes, sir priest!" the droppynge pilgrim sayde,
79   "For sweete Seyncte Marie and your order sake."
80   The Limitoure then loosen'd his pouche threade,
81   And did thereoute a groate of silver take;
82   The mister pilgrim dyd for halline shake.
83   "Here take this silver, it maie eathe thie care;
84   We are Goddes stewards all, nete of oure owne we bare.

85   "But ah! unhailie pilgrim, lerne of me,
86   Scathe anie give a rentrolle to their Lorde.
87   Here take my semecope, thou arte bare I see;
88   Tis thyne; the Seynctes will give me mie rewarde."
89   He left the pilgrim, and his waie aborde.
90   Virgynne and hallie Seyncte, who sitte yn gloure,
91   Or give the mittee will, or give the gode man power.

NOTES

1.

First published in 1777. This was one of the "Rowley Poems," declared by Chatterton to have been written by a priest of the late fifteenth century, Thomas Rowley, Chatterton seems to have composed his poetry in the language of his own time; then to have substituted, where he conveniently could, antiquated words, and disguised the whole by a quaint spelling which he supposed resembled that of the fifteenth century. His chief sources for this process were Speght's edition of Chaucer, Bailey's Universal Etymological Dictionary, and Kersey's Dictionarium Anglo-Britannicum. Skeat, in his edition of Chatterton, says: "Chatterton has ... employed no old words whatever but such as are contained in Kersey or Speght; the only exceptions to this rule occurring in the case of a few words which he modifed or invented." This next and the following notes in quotation marks are Chatterton's: "Thomas Rowley, the author, was born at Norton Malreward in Somersetshire, educated at the Convent of St. Kenna at Keynesham, and died at Westbury in Gloucestershire." #In Virgyne: in Virgo, the Sign of the Zodiac which the sun enters in August.

2. mees: "meads."

3. rodded: "reddened, ripened."

4. mole: "soft."

5. peede chelandri: "pied goldfinch."

7. dighte: "drest, arrayed." defte "neat, ornamental."       aumere: "a loose robe or mantle."

9. welken: "the sky, the atmosphere."

10 arist: "arose."

13.hiltring: "hiding, shrouding." attenes: "at once."           fetive: "beauteous."

15.holme: a kind of oak.

16.Seyncte Godwine's convent. "It would have been charitable, if the author had not pointed at personal characters in this Ballad of Charity. The Abbot of St. Godwin's at the time of the writing of this was Ralph de Bellomont, a great stickler for the Lancastrian family. Rowley was a Yorkist."

17.moneynge: moaning.

18.viewe: appearance. ungentle: "beggarly."       weede: dress.

19.bretful: "filled with."

20.almer: "beggar."

22.glommed: "clouded, dejected. A person of some note in the literary world is of opinion, that glum and glom are modern cant words; and from this circumstance doubts the authenticity of Rowley's Manuscripts. Glum-mong in the Saxon signifies twilight, a dark or dubious light: and the modern word gloomy is derived from the Saxon glum."

23.forwynd: "dry, sapless."

24.church-glebe-house: "the grave." asshrewed: "accursed, unfortunate."

25.kiste: "coffin." dortoure: "a sleeping room."

26.cale: cold. gre: grow.

30.forswat: "sun-burnt."            smethe: "smoke."          drenche: 'drink."

31.pall: "A contraction from appall, to fright."

33.flott: "fly."

34.levynne: "lightning."

35.smothe: "steam, or vapours." lowings: "flames."

36. clymmynge: "noisy."

37. cheves: "moves." embollen: "swelled, strengthened."

39. gallard: "frighted."

40. elmen: elm. swanges: swings.

42. braste: "burst." attenes: at once        stonen: stony.

45. chapournette: "a small round hat, not unlike the Shapournette in heraldry, formerly worn by Ecclesiastics and Lawyers."

46. pencte: "painted."

47. aynewarde tolde his bederoll. "He told his beads backwards; a figurative expression to signify cursing."

49. mist: "poor, needy."

50. cope: "a cloke." Lyncolne clothe: green cloth, for making which the town of Lincoln was famous.

52 autremete: "a loose white robe, worn by Priests."

53.shoone: shoes. pyke: peaked.           loverds: "a lord."

55. trammels: shackles used to make a horse amble.

56. horse-millanare: horse-milliner. "I believe this trade is still in being, though but seldom employed."

57. droppynge: drooping.

63. yatte: that. #crouche: crucifix.

66. faitour: "a beggar, or vagabond."

69. shettynge: shooting.

72. reyneynge: running.

74. jape: "a short surplice, worn by Friars of an inferior class, and secular priests."

75. Limitoure: a friar licensed to beg in a certain limited area. Chaucer's friar was a "lymytour"; Cf. "Prologue." The Canterbury Tales, 209.           of order: as to his order.

82. mister: poor. halline: "joy."

83. eathe: "ease."

84. nete: "nought."

85. unhailie: "unhappy."

86. scathe: scarcely.

87. semecope: "a short under-cloke."

89. aborde: went on.

90. gloure: "glory."

91. mittee: "mighty, rich."


 

JAMES MACPHERSON

FRAGMENTS OF ANCIENT POETRY,

Collected in the Highlands of Scotland,

AND

Translated from the Gaelic or Erse Language.

 
 

Vos quoque qui fortes animas, belloque peremtas

Laudibus in longum vates dimittitis avum

Plurima securi fudistis carmina Bardi.

Lucan.

 

EDINBURGH:

Printed for G. Hamilton and J. Balfour.

MDCCLX.

 

 

 

 

 

PREFACE.

The public may depend on the following fragments as genuine remains of ancient Scottish poetry. The date of their composition cannot be exactly ascertained. Tradition, in the country where they were written, refers them to an era of the most remote antiquity: and this tradition is supported by the spirit and strain of the poems themselves; which abound with those ideas, and paint those manners, that belong to the most early state of society. The diction too, in the original, is very obsolete; and differs widely from the style of such poems as have been written in the same language two or three centuries ago. They were certainly composed before the establishment of clanship in the northern part of Scotland, which is itself very ancient; for had clans been then formed and known, they must have made a considerable figure in the work of a Highland Bard; whereas there is not the least mention of them in these poems. It is remarkable that there are found in them no allusions to the Christian religion or worship; indeed, few traces of religion of any kind. One circumstance seems to prove them to be coeval with the very infancy of Christianity in Scotland. In a fragment of the same poems, which the translator has seen, a Culdee or Monk is represented as desirous to take down in writing from the mouth of Oscian, who is the principal personage in several of the following fragments, his warlike achievements and those of his family. But Oscian treats the monk and his religion with disdain, telling him, that the deeds of such great men were subjects too high to be recorded by him, or by any of his religion: A full proof that Christianity was not as yet established in the country.
 

Though the poems now published appear as detached pieces in this collection, there is ground to believe that most of them were originally episodes of a greater work which related to the wars of Fingal. Concerning this hero innumerable traditions remain, to this day, in the Highlands of Scotland. The story of Oscian, his son, is so generally known, that to describe one in whom the race of a great family ends, it has passed into a proverb; "Oscian the last of the heroes."
 

There can be no doubt that these poems are to be ascribed to the Bards; a race of men well known to have continued throughout many ages in Ireland and the north of Scotland. Every chief or great man had in his family a Bard or poet, whose office it was to record in verse, the illustrious actions of that family. By the succession of these Bards, such poems were handed down from race to race; some in manuscript, but more by oral tradition. And tradition, in a country so free of intermixture with foreigners, and among a people so strongly attached to the memory of their ancestors, has preserved many of them in a great measure incorrupted to this day.
 

They are not set to music, nor sung. The versification in the original is simple; and to such as understand the language, very smooth and beautiful. Rhyme is seldom used: but the cadence, and the length of the line varied, so as to suit the sense. The translation is extremely literal. Even the arrangement of the words in the original has been imitated; to which must be imputed some inversions in the style, that otherwise would not have been chosen.
 

Of the poetical merit of these fragments nothing shall here be said. Let the public judge, and pronounce. It is believed, that, by a careful inquiry, many more remains of ancient genius, no less valuable than those now given to the world, might be found in the same country where these have been collected. In particular there is reason to hope that one work of considerable length, and which deserves to be styled an heroic poem, might be recovered and translated, if encouragement were given to such an undertaking. The subject is, an invasion of Ireland by Swarthan King of Lochlyn; which is the name of Denmark in the Erse language. Cuchulaid, the General or Chief of the Irish tribes, upon intelligence of the invasion, assembles his forces. Councils are held; and battles fought. But after several unsuccessful engagements, the Irish are forced to submit. At length, Fingal King of Scotland, called in this poem, "The Desert of the hills," arrives with his ships to assist Cuchulaid. He expels the Danes from the country; and returns home victorious. This poem is held to be of greater antiquity than any of the rest that are preserved: And the author speaks of himself as present in the expedition of Fingal. The last three poems in the collection are fragments which the translator obtained of this epic poem; and though very imperfect, they were judged not unworthy of being inserted. If the whole were recovered, it might serve to throw considerable light upon the Scottish and Irish antiquities.


 

 

FRAGMENT

I.

SHILRIC, VINVELA.

VINVELA.

My love is a son of the hill. He pursues the flying deer. His grey dogs are panting around him; his bowstring sounds in the wind. Whether by the fount of the rock, or by the stream of the mountain thou liest; when the rushes are nodding with the wind, and the mist is flying over thee, let me approach my love unperceived, and see him from the rock. Lovely I saw thee first by the aged oak; thou wert returning tall from the chase; the fairest among thy friends.
   

SHILRIC.

What voice is that I hear? that voice like the summer wind. —— I sit not by the nodding rushes; I hear not the fount of the rock. Afar, Vinvela, afar I go to the wars of Fingal. My dogs attend me no more. No more I tread the hill. No more from on high I see thee, fair-moving by the stream of the plain; bright as the bow of heaven; as the moon on the western wave.
   

VINVELA.

Then thou art gone, O Shilric! and I am alone on the hill. The deer are seen on the brow; void of fear they graze along. No more they dread the wind; no more the rustling tree. The hunter is far removed; he is in the field of graves. Strangers! sons of the waves! spare my lovely Shilric.
   

SHILRIC

If fall I must in the field, raise high my grave, Vinvela. Grey stones, and heaped-up earth, shall mark me to future times. When the hunter shall sit by the mound, and produce his food at noon, "some warrior rests here," he will say; and my fame shall live in his praise. Remember me, Vinvela, when low on earth I lie!
   

VINVELA.

Yes! — I will remember thee — indeed my Shilric will fall. What shall I do, my love! when thou art gone forever? Through these hills I will go at noon: I will go through the silent heath. There I will see where thou often sattest returning from the chase. Indeed, my Shilric will fall; but I will remember him.