Than Patience says, "Be na aghast; "Hold hope and truth within thee fast; "And let Fortune work forth her rage; "When that no reason may assuage, "While that her glass be run and past.” VI. And Prudence in my ear says aye, "Why would you hold what will away ? "Or crave what you may have no space 66 [To brook, as] to another place "A journey going every day?" VII. And then says Age, "My friend come near, "And be not strange I thee requeir; "Come brother, by the hand me take! "Remember, thou has 'compt to make "Of all the time thou spendit here!" VIII. Syne, Deid' casts up his gatis wide, Then Death. • These shall wait for you always open. 2 "Albeit that thou were ne'er so stout, "Under this lintel' shall thou lout: " "There is nane other way beside." IX. For fear of this, all day I droop. 3 No gold in kist, nor wine in coop,* No lady's beauty, nor love's bliss, 6 X. Yet, when the night begins to short, Of thought oppressit with the showers. [Pinkerton, p. 125.] It is pleasant to observe in this fine poem the elastic spirit of Dunbar struggling against the pressure of melancholy indeed it appears that his morality was of the most cheerful kind. We have seen the description of his own feelings, and the following stanzas contain his advice to others. No Treasure without Gladness. I. Be merry, man! and take not far in mind The wavering of this wretchit world of sorrow! To God be humble, and to thy friend be kind, And with thy neighbours gladly lend and borrow: His chance to-night, it may be thine to-morrow. Be blithe in heart for any áventure; For oft with wysure it has been said aforrow,* Without gladness availis no treasure. II. Make thee good cheer of it that God thee sends, For worldis wrak, 3 but welfare, nought avails; Na good is thine, save only but thou spends; Remenant all thou brookis but with bales. 4 Seek to solàce when sadness thee assails : In dolour lang thy life may not endure; Wherefore of comfort set up all thy sails: Without gladness availis no treasure. • Wisdom. A-fore, before. 3 Merchandize, treasure. Thou canst enjoy all the remainder only with bale, or sorrow. III. Follow on pity;' flee trouble and debate; Be rich in patience, gif thou in goods be poor; Who livis merry, he livis mightily: Without gladness availis no treasure. IV. Thou sees thir wretches set with sorrow and care, And, when their bags are full, their selves are bare, Which of thy winning no labour had nor cure. Take thou example, and spend with merriness: Without gladness availis no treasure. V. Though all the werk3 that ever had livand wight Were only thine, no more thy part does fall But meat, drink, clais, and of the laif 5 a sight! Yet, to the judge thou shall give 'compt of all, Originally pity and piety are the same (Rudd. Gloss.). • No longer than a sound. 4 Clothes. * Possessions. • Remainder. Ane reckoning right comes of ane ragment1 small. Be just, and joyous, and do to none injùre, And truth shall make thee strong as any wall: Without gladness availis no treasure. [Lord Hailes's Anc. Scot. Poems, p. 54.] In these specimens we see much good sense and sound morality, expressed with force and conciseness. This indeed is Dunbar's peculiar excellence. His style, whether grave or humourous, whether simple or ornamented, is always energetic; and though all his compositions cannot be expected to possess equal merit, we seldom find in them a weak or redundant stanza. But his most admired and most truly poetical works are the Thistle and the Rose, and the Golden Terge. The first of these was composed for the marriage of James IV. of Scotland with Margaret eldest daughter of our Henry VII. an event which is likely to have produced many invocations to the Muses, but which probably was hailed by very few panegyrics so delicate and ingenious as this of Dunbar. In the age of allegory and romance, when a knowledge of heraldry was a necessary accomplishment, it was natural enough to compliment |