victim to the tyranny of Henry VIII.: but it is presumed most of them were composed before the death of Sir Thomas Wyat, in 1541.-See Surrey's Poems, 4to, folios 19, 49.

Though written perhaps near half a century before the Shepherd's Calendar, this will be found far superior to any of those Eclogues, in natural unaffected sentiments, in simplicity of style, in easy flow of versification, and all other beauties of pastoral poetry. Spenser ought to have profited more by so excellent a model.

His beard it had not long be shave;

His heare hong all unkempt:
A man most fit even for the grave,
Whom spitefull love had spent.

30

His eyes were red, and all 'forewacht ;'
His face besprent with teares;

It semde unhap had him long hatcht,'

35

In mids of his dispaires.

"My beastes a whyle your foode refraine,
And harke your herdmans sounde,
Whom spitefull love, alas! hath slaine,
Through-girt with many a wounde.

Ver. 33, &c. The corrections are from ed. 1574.

"The ewe she hath by her the ramme; The young cow hath the bull;

The calfe with many a lusty lambe

75

Do fede their hunger full.

"But wel-away! that nature wrought
The, Phylida, so faire !

For I may say that I have bought
Thy beauty all to deare.

"What reason is that crueltie

With beautie should have part? Or els that such a great tyranny Should dwell in womans hart!

"I see therefore to shape my death
She cruelly is prest;

To th' ende that I may want my
My dayes been at the best.

breath:

"Here lieth unhappy Harpalus
By cruell love now slaine;
Whom Phylida unjustly thus
Hath murdred with disdaine."

XIII.

Robin and Makpne.

AN ANCIENT SCOTTISH PASTORAL.

The palm of pastoral poesy is here contested by a contemporary writer with the author of the foregoing. The critics will judge of their respective merits; but must make some allowance for the preceding ballad, which is given simply as it stands in the old editions: whereas this which follows has been revised and amended throughout by Allan Ramsay, from whose Ever-Green, vol. i., it is here chiefly printed. The curious reader may however compare it with the more original copy, printed among "Ancient Scottish Poems, from the MS. of George Bannatyne, 1568, Edinb. 1770, 12mo." Mr. Robert Henryson (to whom we are indebted for this poem) appears to so much advantage among the writers of eclogue, that we are sorry we can give little other account of him besides what is contained in the following eloge, written by W. Dunbar, a Scottish poet, who lived about the middle of the 16th century:

"In Dumferling, he [Death] hath tane Broun,
With gude Mr. Robert Henryson."

Indeed, some little further insight into the history of the Scottish bard is gained from the title prefixed to some of his poems preserved in the British Museum; viz. "The morall Fabillis of Esop compylit be Maister Robert Henrisoun, scolmaister of Dumfermling, 1571.”Harleian MSS. 3865, § 1.

In Ramsay's Ever-Green, vol. i., whence the above distich is extracted, are preserved two other little Doric pieces by Henryson; the one entitled The Lyon and the Mouse; the other, The garment of gude Ladyis. Some other of his poems may be seen in the "Ancient Scottish Poems, printed from Bannatyne's MS." above referred to.

ROBIN sat on the gude grene hill,
Keipand a flock of fie:

Quhen mirry Makyne said him till,
"O Robin rew on me;

I haif thee luivt baith loud and still,
Thir towmonds twa or thre;
My dule in dern bot giff thou dill,
Doubtless but dreid Ill die."

5

Robin replied, "Now by the rude,
Naithing of luve I knaw,

10

But keip my sheip undir yon wod;

Lo quhair they raik on raw.

Quhat can have mart thee in thy mude,
Thou Makyne to me schaw;

Or quhat is luve, or to be lude?

Fain wald I leir that law."

"The law of luve gin thou wald leir,
Tak thair an A, B, C ;

Be heynd, courtas, and fair of feir,
Wyse, hardy, kind and frie.

Sae that nae danger do the deir,

Quhat dule in dern thou drie ;
Press ay to pleis and blyth appeir,
Be patient and privie."

Robin, he answert her againe :
"I wat not quhat is luve,

But I haif marvel in certaine,
Quhat makes thee thus wanrufe.
The wedder is fair, and I am fain,
My sheep gais hail abuve,

15

20

25

30

And sould we pley us on the plain,
They wald us baith repruve."

Ver. 19, Bannatyne's MS. reads as above, heynd, not keynd, as in the

Edinb. edit. 1770.

V. 21. So that no danger. Bannatyne's MS.