In a curious medley of nonsense called Colkelbie Sow, we find the names of several airs popular before the middle of the fifteenth century. With 'stok hornis,' pipes made of 'borit boutre,' and 'bagpype's,' 'Copyn Cull,' and his followers

Sum Symon sonis of Quhynfell

Sum Maist Pier de Conyate.

Laing's Ancient Pop. Poet. of Scotland.

Gawain Douglas, in the Prologue to the Twelfth Book of his Virgil ( translated out of Latyne Verses into Scottish Metir,') tells us of Nymphs and Naiads

Sic as we clepe wenches and damosels,

that wander among flowers of white and red by spring wells plaiting' lusty chaplets' for their heads,

*Twysbank,' Leyden suspected to be the appropriate tune of a song, or rather ballad, preserved in the Bannatyne MS. commencing, Quhen Tayis bank wes blumyt brycht,

With blosvmes blycht and bred.

Laing's Ant. Pop. &c.

and singing ring sangs, dances, ledes and rounds,' till all the dale re-echoes their music; one nymph sings

"The schip salis over the salt faem

Will bring their merchandis and my lemane hame
Sum vther singis I wil be blyith and licht,
My hert is lent apoun sa gudly wicht.'"

In the Thirteenth Prologue, allusion is made by Douglas to a song called 'The joly day now dawis,' which we learn from Dunbar and others, was popular at that period. The following verses preserved in the Fairfax MS. (A. D. 1500), are supposed to be the original.

This day, day dawes,
This gentil day dawes,
And I must home gone.

In a glorious garden grene,
Saw I sytting a comly quene,

Among the flowris that fresh byn.

She gaderd a floure and sett betwene

The lyly whyct rose methought I sawe,

And ever she sang

This day, day dawes

This gentil day dawes.*

6

The Gaberlunzie Man,' and the Jolly Beggar,' are generally allowed to be the productions of King James V. (Ob. 1542), 'he was naturally given to poesie,' says Drummond of Hawthornden, ' as many of his works yet extant testifie.'t We owe these

Hey the day dauis,' is the first line of a song in Montgomery's Poems by Laing, p. 219.

† History of Scotland.

two popular, clever, and ludicrous songs to tradition ; they have lived upon the tongues of the people for three centuries, and judging from the songs of even a later period, had they been preserved in the MS. of the period they would have little interest, save to antiquarians, they certainly would not have their present popularity. Their humour no one need think to exceed.

In a curious and valuable little book printed at St. Andrews in 1549, called The Complaynt of Scotland,' the author gives us the names of sum of the sueit sangis' that he heard a band of shepherds sing in the wholesome green fields. I herd amang them as eftir followis: in the first Pastance vitht gude cumpanye; The breir byndis me soir, Stil under the leyuis grene,* Cou thou me the raschis grene, Allace I vyit zour twa fayr ene, Gode zon gude day vil boy, Lady help zour presoneir, Kyng Villzamis note, The lange noune nou .. The Abirdenis nou, Brume brume on hil, Allone I veip in grit distres, Trolee lolee lemmendou . . The frog cam to the myl dur ... O lusty Maye Vitht Flora Quene... The battel of the Hayrlau, The huntis. of Cheuet, Sal I go vitht zou to Rumbelo fayr, Greuit is my sorrow, Turne the sueit Ville to me, My lufe is lyand seik, Send him ioy send him ioy, Fayr luf

This is a very beautiful poem, one hundred and sixty-two lines in length, it is preserved in the Maitland MS. See Laing's Early Metrical Tales, p. 249.

lent thou me thy mantil ioy, The Persee and the Mongumrye met, that day, that gentil day, My luf is laid upon ane Knycht, Allace that samyn sueit face, In ane myrthful morou, My hart is 'leinit' on the land. Thir scheiphirdis ande there vyuis sang mony vther melodius Sangis, the quilkis i hef nocht. in memorie: than efter this sueit celest armonye tha began to dance,' &c.

Ritson and Leyden, with great industry searched for these songs, and the result of their gleanings is very little; to copy their extracts, snatches of lines, and half chorusses, would be next to useless: they have no beauty to recommend them, and throw little light on the subject of song. The song commencing O lusty Maye vitht Flora quene,' has been published entire; I would assign it to Alexander Scott. O, lustie Maye, with Flora quene, The balmy drops from Phoebus sheene Prelucent beam before the day; By thee, Diana, groweth green,

Through gladness of this lusty May.

Then Aurora, that is so bright,
To woful hearts she casts great light,
Right pleasantly before the day,
And shows and sheds forth of that light,
Through gladness of this lusty May.

Birds on their boughs, of every sort
Send forth their notes and make great mirth
On banks that bloom, and every brae;
And fare and flee ower every firth,
Through gladness of this lusty May.

And lovers all that are in care
To their ladies they do repair,

In fresh morning before the day;
And are in mirth aye mair and mair,

Through gladness of this lusty May.

Of everie moneth in the year
To mirthful May there is no peer;

Her glistering garments are so gay;
You lovers all make merry cheer

Through gladness of this lusty May.*

The Ballads of Chevy Chace and Otterbourne, were among the SWEIT SANGIS sung by the Scheiphirdis'!

Mr. David Laing has preserved the following Lament made by some young lady about this period for the loss of what King James calls " her yellow lokkis;" as it stands it is but a fragment, having some lines eked out by the hand of Mr. Kirkpatrick Sharpe, but it is a pathetic fragment.

Fareweill, fare' weill, my yellow hair,

That curlit cleir' into my neck!

'Allace I' that ever it grew sae fair,

'Or yet in' to ane snood was knet.

Qu' har I was wont to dance and sing;

'A' mang my marrows mak repair-
Now am I put furth of the ring,

For fadit is my yellow hair.

My kirtill was of lincu'm green,'

Weill lacit with silk'en passments rair;'

God gif I had never pridefull' been,'
For fadit is my yellow hair.

* It must be remembered that the above is printed from a modernized copy in the Aberdeen Cantus, 1666. The second verse appears thus in the Bannatyne MS.

Than Esperus, that is so bricht

Till wofull hairtis, castis his lyt

Wt bankis that blumes (on euery bray)-bis ;

And schuris are sched furt of that sicht

Thruch glaidnes of this lusty May.

Scott's Poems by Laing, p. 99.