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In ragges as she was to-tore

He set her on his horse to-fore,

and riding through all the lanes and by-ways, that no one might see him, he arrives, by design, at the castle by night. He then calls one or two of his trusty friends, and tells them that he was obliged

This beste wedde to his wife,
For elles he had lost his life.

The maids of honor were then sent in;

Her ragges they anon off draw,
And, as it was that timé law,
She haddé bath, she haddé rest,
And was arrayed to the best,

all except her matted and unsightly hair, which she would not allow them to touch.

But when she was fully array'd
And her attire was all assay'd,

Then was she fouler unto see.

But poor Florent must take her for better for worse, though the worse seemed then rather to predominate. The company are all assembled, and the bride and bridegroom stand up to be united in the holy bonds of matrimony. The ceremony being over, the ill-fated knight covered up his head in grief.

His body mighté well be there;

But as of thought and of memoire
His hearté was in Purgatoire.

She endeavored to ingratiate herself in his affections, and approached and took him softly by the hand. He turned suddenly, and saw one of the most beautiful beings that ever his eyes beheld. He was about to draw her unto himself when she stopped him,

And sayth, that for to win or lose

He mote one of two thinges choose,
Wher' he will have her such o' night
Or elles upon daye's light;

For he shall not have bothé two.

Here Florent was utterly at a loss what to say. At last he exclaims,

I n'ot what answer I shall give,
But ever, while that I may live,
I will that ye be my mistress,
For I can naught myselvé guess
Which is the best unto my choice.
Thus grant I you mine wholé voice.
Choose for us bothen, I you pray,
And, what as ever that ye say,
Right as ye willé, so will I.

This is the point-he yields up his will entirely to hers. This is what “allé

1 Whether.

women most desire," to be sovereign of man's love-in short-to have their own way. The bride then thus answers the happy groom:

"My lord," she saide, "grand-merci1
For of this word that ye now sayn
That ye have made me sovereign,
My destiny is overpass'd;

That ne'er hereafter shall be lass'd2
My beauty, which that I now have,
Till I betake unto my grave.
Both night and day, as I am now,
I shall alway be such to you.
Thus, I am yours for evermó."

JAMES I. OF SCOTLAND. 1395-1437.

To an incident which happened in the reign of Henry IV. of England, we are indebted for the most elegant poem that was produced during the early part of the fifteenth century-The King's Quair," by James I. ol Scotland.

This prince was the second son of Robert III., and was born in 1395. His elder brother died, and the king determined to send his surviving son, James to be educated at the court of his ally, Charles VI., of France; and he em. barked for that country with a numerous train of attendants in 1405. But the ship was stopped by an English squadron, and the passengers were, by order of Henry IV., sent to London. It was, of course, an outrageous violation of all right, for Henry to make James a prisoner; but the accident that placed him in his power was ultimately advantageous to the prince as well as to the nation he was born to govern. He was at that time only ten years of age, but Henry, though he kept him closely confined, took great pains to have him educated in the most thorough manner, and so rapid was the progress that he made in his studies that he soon became a prodigy of erudition, and excelled in every branch of polite accomplishments.

During fifteen years of his captivity, he seemed forgotten or at least neglected by his subjects. The admiration of strangers and the consciousness of his own talents only rendered his situation more irksome, and he had begun to abandon himself to despair, when he was fortunately consoled for his seclusion at Windsor Castle by a passion of which sovereigns in quie possession of a throne have seldom the good fortune to feel the influence The object of his admiration was the lady Jane Beaufort, (daughter of John Beaufort, duke of Somerset,) whom he afterwards married, and in whose commendation he composed his principal poetical work, " The King's Quair." In 1423 he was released, and, taking possession of the throne of his ancestors, he did very much to improve the civilization of his country, by repressing many disorders, and enacting many salutary laws. But his stringent measures

1 Many thanks.

2 Lessened.

8 "Quair," quire, pamphlet, or nook; hence the "King's Quair" means the King's Book. See Ellis's "Specimens," i. 299, Warton's "History of English Poetry," ii. 437, and Park's edition of Walpole's "Royal and Noble Authors.'

of reform were very offensive to a lawless nobility; a conspiracy was formed against him, and he was murdered at Perth, in 1437.

The chief poem of James I., as mentioned above, consists of one hundred and ninety-seven stanzas. It contains various particulars of his own life; is full of simplicity and feeling, and, as has been correctly said, is superior to any poetry besides that of Chaucer produced in England before the reign of Elizabeth, as will be testified by the following stanzas.

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* The gardens of this period seem to have been very small. In Chaucer's “Troilus and Cresselde re and the same place indifferently called a garden and a yard; and this, at Windsor, fast by the Tours nei, was probably either in the yard or on the terrace.

1 Probably an arbour, though the word is also very frequently used for an herbary, or garden of simples. 6 Living person.

* Mr Tytler imagines that this relates to the pairing of the birds; but the word couple scems here to be used as a musical term.

Come, summer, come! the sweet season and sun!
Awake, for shame! that have your heavens won!!
And amorously lift up your headis all;

Thank Love, that list you to his mercy call!'"

When they this song had sung a little throw,2
They stents awhile, and, therewith unafraid

As I beheld, and cast mine eyen a-lowe,

From bough to bough they hipped and they play'd,
And freshly, in their birdis kind, array'd
Their feathers new, and frets them in the sun,
And thanked Love that had their makis won.

And therewith cast I down mine eye again,
Whereas I saw, walking under the Tower
Full secretly, new comyn her to pleyne,7

The fairest, or the freshest younge flower
That ever I saw, methought, before that hour;
For which sudden abate anon astert8

The blood of all my body to my heart.

And though I stood abased tho a lyte,9
No wonder was; for why? my wittis all
Were so o'ercome with pleasance and delight
Only through letting of mine eyen fall,
That suddenly my heart become her thrall
For ever; of free will; for of menáce
There was no token in her sweete face.

And in my head I drew right hastily;
And eft-soones I lent it forth again:
And saw her walk that very womanly,
With no wight mo10 but only women twain.
Then gan I study in myself, and sayn,
"Ah sweet, are ye a worldly créature,
Or heavenly thing in likeness of nature?

"Or are ye god Cupidis own princess,

And comen are to loose me out of band?
Or are ye very Nature the goddess,

That have depainted with your heavenly hand
This garden full of flouris as they stand?
What shall I think, alas! what reverence
Shall I mester11 [un] to your excellence?

"Giff12 ye a goddess be, and that ye like
To do me pain, I may it not astert:
Giff ye be worldly wight, that doth me sike,13

1 Mr. Tytler explains this as follows: "Ye that have attained your highest bliss, by winning your mates."-See the last line of the next stanza.

4 Hopped.

2 A little time.

5 Pecked.

3 Stopped
6 Mates.

18 Make me sigh.

* This seems to mean complain; but should it not rather be playen, to play or sport!
8 Started back.
12 If.

9 Then a little.

10 More.

11 Administer

Why lest! God make you so, my dearest heart,
To do a silly prisoner thus smart,

That loves you all, and wote of nought but wo?
And, therefore, mercy sweet! sen it is so."

Of her array the form gif I shall write,
Toward her golden hair and rich attire,
In fret-wise couch'd with pearlis white,
And greaté balas3 lemyng4 as the fire,
With many an emerant and fair sapphire,
And on her head a chaplet fresh of hue
Of plumys, parted red, and white, and blue.

Full of quaking spangis5 bright as gold,
Forged of shape like to the amorettis ;6
So new, so fresh, so pleasant to behold;
The plumis eke like to the floure-jonettis,7
And other of shape like to the floure-jonettis;8
And above all this there was, well I wote,
Beauty enough to make a world to dote!

About her neck, white as the fyre amaille,9
A goodly chain of small orfeverye ;10
Whereby there hung a ruby without fail,
Like to an heart [y-] shapen verily,
That as a spark of lowe, so wantonly
Seemned burning upon her white throat;
Now gif there was good party, God it wote.

And for to walk, that freshe Maye's morrow,
And hook she had upon her tissue white,
That goodlier had not been seen to-forrow,12
As I suppose; and girt she was a lyte ;13
Thus halfling14 loose for haste, to such delight

It was to see her youth in good lihead,
That, for rudenéss, to speak thereof I dread.

In her was youth, beauty, with humble aport,
Bounty, richess, and womanly feature;
God better wote than my pen can report:
Wisdom, largéss, estate, and cunning sure,
In every point so guided her measure,
In word, in deed, in shape, in countenance,
That Nature might no more her child avance.

1 Pleased: that is, "If thou art a goddess, I cannot resist thy power; but if only a mortal creature, God surely cannot lest or incline you to grieve or give pain to a poor creature that loves you."-Tyller. 3 A sort of precious stone. 4 Shining.

• Spangles.

2 Inlaid like fret-work.
6"Made in the form of a love-knot or garland."-Tytler.

* A kind of Illy. It is conjectured that the royal poet may here allude covertly to the name of his
mistress, which, in the diminutive, was Janet or Jonet.—Thomson's Edition of King's Quhair. Ayr, 1824.
*The repetition of this word is apparently a mistake of the original transcriber.
Qu. Is this an error for fair email, i. e. enamel ? 10 Gold-work.
11 Fire, flame.

14 Half

Before.

13 A little.

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