LIVES

OF

SCOTTISH WORTHIES.//

(17)

BY

PATRICK FRASER TYTLER, ESQ.

F. R. S. AND F. S. A.

(3)

VOL. III.//

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR JOHN MURRAY,
ALBEMARLE STREET;

AND THOMAS TEGG, No. 73, CHEAPSIDE.

MDCCCXL.

LONDON:

BALNE BROTHERS, PRINTERS, GRACECHURCH STREET.

CONTENTS.

JAMES I.

(Continued from Vol. II.)

Good Effects of the King's Return to his Dominions, page 2.-

-

Internal Administration of his Kingdom, 3.-Birth of the

Princess Margaret; Embassy from Charles VII. of France,

3.-Institution of the "Session," 5.-Acts of the Parliament

assembled at Perth, 12th March, 1425, 6.-State of the

Highlands, and James's Progress to the North, 8.-Rebellion

of Alexander of the Isles: he is compelled to submit, 9.-

The King's Sternness, 13.-Constitution of the Scottish Par-

liament; important Change in it, 14. - Marriage with

France, 16.-James's Attention to the Condition of the

Poorer Tenantry and Labourers, 17.-Parliament at Perth,

April, 1429; its Sumptuary Laws, 19.-State of the Navy,

19.-Rebellion of Donald Balloch, 20.-Feuds in Strath-

naver, 21.-Royal Progress to the North, 22.-Pestilence

revisits Scotland, 23.-Persecution of the Wickliffites, and

burning of Paul Crawar, 24.-James's Efforts to strengthen

the Royal Authority. Power of the Earl of March, 28.-

Stripped of his Lands, he flies to England, 20.--Jealousy

and Alarm of the Nobles, 32.-Hostilities with England on

the Borders; Skirmish at Piperden, 34.-Marriage of the

Princess Margaret of Scotland to the Dauphin, 35.--War

with England; the King besieges Roxburgh, but suddenly

retires, 35.-Conspiracy against James I.; its Secret History

investigated, 36.-Graham's Flight to the Highlands, 41.—

His league with Athole and Stewart, 43.-A Spae-wife

attempts to warn James of his Danger, 43.-The King arrives

at Perth, 44.-His Murder, 45.-The Murderers escape, 19.

iv

CONTENTS.

-They are apprehended and executed, 50.-James's great

Talents, 51.-His Genius as a Poet, 52.-The King's Quhair;

Criticism of this Poem, 52.-Its Opening, 53.-Description

of Windsor, 55.-The Garden, 56.-Appearance of his

Mistress, 59.-Introduction of the Vision, 62.-Its Conclu-

sion, 67.-Remarks upon it, 68.-Humorous Poetry of

James I., 69.-" Christ's Kirk on the Green," 70.-" Peebles

at the Play," 72.-James's varied Accomplishments, 74.

ROBERT HENRYSOUN.

Scantiness of our Biographical Notices of Henryson, 76.-Pas-

sage from Urry, 77.-Character of his Poetry, 78.—Fine

Picture of Saturn, 78.-Troilus and Cressida, 79.-Fine

description of a Winter Night, 81.-Analysis of the Poem,

82.- Praise of Age," 83.-" Town and Country Mouse,"

85. Criticism on the Poem, and Extracts, 87.- Con-

clusion, 88.

WILLIAM DUNBAR.

Little known of Dunbar, 89.-Error of Pinkerton, 89.-Edu-

cated for the Church, 90.-Received a small Annual Pen-

sion, 90.- His Address to the Lords of the King's Checquer,

91. He attaches himself to the Court of James IV., 92.-

Character of this Monarch, 93.-Dunbar's Description of

the Court, 94.-Verified by the curious Manuscript Accounts

of the Lord High Treasurer, 96.-Poverty of Dunbar, and

Neglect with which he is treated, 99.-Poem of the " Thistle

and the Rose," 100.-Its beautiful Commencement, 101.-

Criticism of the Poem, and Extracts, 102.-Fine Picture of

the Lion, 104.--Coronation of the Rose as Queen of Flowers,

105.-Digression on the Marriage of James IV., 107.-Par-

ticulars of this Event, from the Treasurer's Accounts, 108.-

Dunbar's humorous Address to Jamie Doig, 109.-Com-

plaint of the Grey Horse, Auld Dunbar, 111.-Reply of

James IV., 112.-Flytings of Dunbar and Kennedy, 112.-

Dance in the Queen's Chamber, 114.-Reform in Edinburgh;

Address to its Merchants, 115.-Dunbar's Allegorical Taste;

his Dream, 116.-Dunbar's Satirical Powers; his "Twa

Married Women and the Widow," 118.-His "Friars of

Berwick," 120.-Criticism of this Poem, and Extracts, 121.

"The Golden Targe," 128.-Its fine Opening, 129.-

Address to Chaucer and Gower, 131.-Dunbar's Religious

Poetry, 132.-Conclusion of the Life, 123.

GAVIN DOUGLAS.

Douglas's noble Birth; born about 1474, 137.-Anecdote of his

Father, the Earl of Angus, 138.-Death of his Brethren at

Flodden, 140.-Douglas made Rector of Hawick, 140.-His

Poem of "King Hart," 141.-His own Analysis of the Story,

142.-Its spirited Opening, 143.-Criticism on its Merits and

Defects, 144.-" Castle of Dame Pleasance," 145.-Progress

of the Poem, 146.-Marriage of King Hart, and Happy

Life, 147.-Arrival of Age, and King Hart's Distress, 148.-

His Queen and her Subjects desert him, 149.-His Death

and Testament, 149.-Douglas's "Palace of Honour," 151.

-Indiscriminate Panegyric of Sage, 151.-True Character

of the Poem, 152.-Extracts, 153.-Progress of the Story,

156.-Court of Minerva, 157.-Court of Venus, 158.-Fine

Picture of Mars, 158.--The Castalian Spring, 159.-Appa-

rition of the Muses, 161.-Palace of Honour, 162.-De-

scription of King Honour, 165.-Conclusion of the Poem,

168.-Douglas's Translation of Virgil, 169.-Extracts, 170.

-Great Beauty of his Prologues to each Book, 172.-Pro-

logue to the 7th Book, 173.-Douglas's Language, 176.—

His Adieu to his Poetical Studies, 177.-His future Life

troubled and eventful, 179.-Nominated Archbishop of St.

Andrews, 180.-Hepburn and Forman compete with hin

for the Primacy, 180.-Douglas retires from the Contest,

180.--He is elected to fill the See of Dunkeld, 181.-Diffi-

culty in obtaining possession of this Dignity, 182.-Factions

amongst the Nobles and the Clergy, 183.-Bishop Douglas

takes refuge at the Court of Henry VIII., 185.-He is seized

with the Plague; Dies, 186.-His Character, 187.

SIR DAVID LINDSAY.

Lindsay's Birth in the Reign of James IV., 191.-Antiquity

and respectability of his Family, 191.-His early introduc-

tion at Court, 192.-Singular Apparition at Linlithgow, 193.

-Lindsay's Picture of the Infancy of James V., 194.-

Troubled State of the Country, 196.-Letter of Lord Dacre,

197.-English Incursions, 198.-James's promising Boy-

hood, 199.-Revolution which deprives Lindsay of his

Office, 200.-Servitude under which the young King is kept;

he escapes, 201.-Lindsay writes his "Dream;" its defects,

and beauties, 202.-A Winter Landskip, 203.-Analysis of

the Poem, 204.-Appearance of Johne Commonweill; his

Description of the state of Scotland, 205.-Nervous Lines