CANTO IV.

I have of thy distresse compacience,
And in confort and relesche of thy sore,
The schewit here myn avise therefore,

Pray fortune help; for suich vnlikely thing
Full oft about sche sodeynly dooth bring.

XXVIII.

Now go thy way, and haue gude mynd upon
Quhat I have said, in way of thy doctryne:
I sall, Madame, qd I, and ryt anon

• I tuke my leve, als straught as ony lyne

"I tuke my leve, as straught as ony lyne
"Within a beme, that fro the contree divyne,
"She percyng thro' the firmament extendit,
"To ground ageyne my spirit is descendit."

As Milton makes Uriel to descend to Paradise in the same manner, that is, on a sun-beam, this, with the similar instance noticed in our remark on Stanza XXI. of Canto III. would incline one to conjecture, that he had seen this poem of King James. Be that as it may, Milton has now made the thoughts his own, by the several fine allusions which he has added, and amplified with all the luxu riance of poetical fancy.

"Thither came Uriel, gliding thro' the even
"On a sun-beam, swift as a shooting star
"In autumn thwarts the night, when vapours fir'd

"Impress the air, and shew the mariner

"From what point of his compass to beware
"Impetuous wind”.

Within a beme, yt fro the contree dyvine, Sche percyng throw the firmament extendit, To ground ageyne my spirit is descendit.

THE

KING'S QUAIR.

CANTO V.

HIS JOURNEY IN QUEST OF FORTUNE.

d

I.

QUHARE in a lusty plane tuke I my way,

e

Endlang a ryuer, plesand to behold,
Embroudin all wt fresche flouris gay,

Quhare throu the grauel, bryt as ony gold,
The cristal water ran so clere and cold,
That in myn ere, maid contynualy,
A maner soun mellit with armony.

The scenery, or landskip, as in the three first Canto, is painted in the richest colours of poetry. is extremely harmonious.

d A lusty plane.] A pleasant delightful plain.

e Endlang a ryver.] Along the side of a river.

stanzas of this

The verse, too,

↑ Maner soun.] A pleasant sound, mixed with harmony.

II.

That full of lytill fischis by the brym,

Now here now there, wt bakkis blewe as lede, Lap and playit, and in a rout can swym So prattily, and dressit thame to sprede Thaire curall fynis, as the ruby rede, That in the sonne on thaire scalis bryt, As gesserant ay glitterit in my sight.

III.

And by this ilke ryuer syde alawe
Ane hyeway fand I like to bene,
On quhich, on euery syde, a long rawe
Off trees saw I full of levis grene,

That full of fruyte delitable were to sene;
And also, as it come vnto my mynd,
Of bestis sawe I mony diuerse kynd.

6 As gesserant glitterit.] Like some precious stone, sparkled in my eye.

The epithets, expressive of some distinguishing quality of the several beasts mentioned by the poet, seem to be according to the natural history of these animals in that age, though now, as to some of them, known to be erroneous and exploded. Some of these epithets, I own, I am at a loss to explain.

IV.

h

i

The lyon king and his fere lyonesse,
The pantere like vnto the smaragdyne,
The lytill squerell full of besynesse,

k

The slawe asse, the druggare beste of pyne, The "nyce ape, the " werely porpapyne, The percyng lynx, the lufare vnicorn, That voidis venym with his euoure horne.

Fere lyonesse.] Fierce or wild.

3

¿ The pantere like unto the smaragdyne.] Smaragdus is gcnerally understood to be the emerald, or a stone of green colour. How the spotted panther is likened to the emerald is not obvious; perhaps it meant only, that the panther's skin shone as bright as a precious stone.

* Full of besynesse.] The squirrell always in motion.

1 Slawe asse, druggare beste of pyne.] The meaning of the last two epithets can only be conjectured as applicable to the slow sluggish nature of the ass.

m Nyce ape.] Cunning ape.

n Werely, or warlike porcupine, armed with quills.

° Lufare unicorn.] This epithet of the unicorn, if such an animal is known to exist, and its quality of ejecting poison from its ivory horn, are now unknown.