But I'm his poor shepheard, as plain you may fee,
That am come to beg pardon for him and for mee. 100

The king he laughed, and fwore by the masse,
Ile make thee lord abbot this daye in his place !
Now naye, my liege, be not in such fpeede,
For alacke I can neither write, ne reade.

Four nobles a weeke, then I will give thee, 105
For this merry jest thou hast showne unto mee;
And tell the old abbot when thou comeít home,
Thou hast brought him a pardon from good king Jolin.

VIII.

VERSES BY K. JAMES I.

As in the former book, we gave two fonnets of Q. Eliza, beth, we were willing to afford the reader a short specimen of the poetical talents of her fucceffor James I. and we the ra. ther selected this, as it shows his majesty's dexterity at punning, and is mentioned in no catalogue of his works. It properly confifts of long alexandrines, and is preserved in ! A choice collection of Scots poems," 8vo. part II. Edinburgh, 1709,

“ K. James (lays the editor of that book) having returned " to Sterling the 18th of July, 1617, on the morrow deigned şs with his presence some philosophick disputations; and gave " the following characters of the performers." Vol. II,

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AS

A whence all beginning take:

S Adam was the first of men,

whence all beginning takt: So Adamson was president,

and first man in this act. The theses Fairlie did defend,

which, though they lies contein, Yet were fair lies, and he the same

right fairlie did maintein. The feild first entred Master Sands,

and there he made me see, That not all sands are barren sands,

but that some fertile bee. Then Master Young most subtilie,

the theses did impugne, And kythed old in Aristotle,

althogh his name be Young. To him succeeded Master Reid,

who, though Reid be his name, Neids neither for his dispute bluss

nor of his speech think shame, Last entred Master King the lifts,

and disput like a king, How reason reigning, as a queené,

fhuld anger under-bring. To their deserved praise have I

thus playd upon their names, And wil's their colledge hence be cal'a

the colledge of king JAMES.

15

20

25

IX. THE

.

IX.

THE HEIR OF LINNE,

It is owing to an oversight that this oid ballad is not placed higber in the volume. It is given from a copy in the editor's folio MS ; fome breaches and defects in which, rendered the insertion of a few supplemental stanzas necesary. These it is hoped the reader will pardon.

From the Scottish phrases here and there discernable in this poem, it should seem to have been originally composed beyond the Tweed.

The Heir of Linne seems not to have been a Lord of Parliament, but a LAIRD, whose title went along with his eftate.

PART THE FIRST.

ITHE and listen, gentlemen,

L I :

1

It is of a lord of faire Scotland,

Which was the unthrifty heire af Linne,

His father was a right good lord,

His mother a lady of high degree ;
But they, alas ! were dead, him froe,

And he lov'd keeping companie.

io

To spend the daye with merry cheare,

To drinke and revell every night, To card and dice from eve to morne,

It was, I ween, his hearts delighte.

To ride, to runne, to rant, to roare;

To alwaye spend and never spare,
I wott, an' it were, the king himselfe,

Of gold and fee he mote be bare.

13

Soe fares the unthrifty lord of Linné

Till all his gold is gone and spent; And he mun sell his landes so broad,

His house, and landes, and all his rente

20

His father had a keen stewarde,

And John o' the Scales was called hee: But John is become a gentel-man,

And John has gott both gold and fee.

25

Sayes, Welcome, welcome, lofd of Linne,

Let nought disturb thy merry cheere, Iff thou wilt sell thy landes foe broad,

Good store of gold Ile give thee heere.

30

My gold is gone, my money is spent;

My lande nowe take it unto thee,
Give me the golde, good John o' the Scales,
And thine for aye my lande hall bce.

Then John he did him to record draw,

And John he gave him a gods-pennìe*; But for every pounde that John agreed,

The lande, I wis, was well worth three,

35

He told him the gold upon the board,

He was right glad his land to winne : The land is mine, the gold is thine,

And now Ile be the lord of Linne.

40

Thus he hath fold his land foe broad,

Both hill and holt, and moore and fenne, All but a poore and lonesome lodge,

That stood farr off in a lonely glenne.

45

For soe he' to his father hight :

My sonne when I am gonne, fayd hee, Then thou wilt spend thy lande so broad,

And thou wilt spend thy gold fo free.

50

But swearè me nowe upon the roode,

That lonesome lodge thou'lt never spend; For when all the world doth frown on thee,

Thou there shalt find a faithful friend.

55

The heire of Linne is full of golde :

And come with me, my friends, fayd hée,
Let's drinke, and rant, and merry make,

And he that spares, ne'er mote he thee.
VOL. II.
*1, 8. earnefi-money: from the French Dezier à Dicu.

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They