And looke at last up to that Soveraine Light,
From whose pure beams all perfect beauty springs,
That kindleth love in every godly spright,
Even the love of God; which loathing brings
Of this vile world and these gay-seeming things;
With whose sweet pleasures being so possest,
Thy straying thoughts henceforth for ever rest.
A Scottish Poet of the sixteenth century, very popular in his day. His principal performance is "The Cherrie and the Slae," an allegory of wearisome length, and very unequal merit. There are in it, however, some passages of extraordinary beauty. His smaller pieces are, on the whole, more sprightly and pleasing to modern ears.
SVPREME Essence, beginning vnbegun,
Ay Trinall ane,-ane vndevydit three,
Eternall Worde, that victorie hes wun
Ouir Death, ouir Hell, triumphand on the Trie,
Foirknawledge, Wisdome, and All-seand Ee,
Iehovah, Alpha and Omega, All,
Lyke vnto none, nor none lyke vnto thee, Vnmuifit, quha muifis the rounds about the Ball, Conteiner vnconteind; is, was, and sall,
Be sempiternall, mercifull, and just.
Creator vncreated, now I call.
Teich me thy truth, since into thee I trust,
Increase, confirme, and kendill from aboue
My fauth, my hope, but, by the leave, my loue.
High Architectur, vondrous-vautit-rounds;
Huge-host of Hevin, in restles-rolling spheers;
Firme-fixt polis, whilk all the axtrie beirs;
Concordant-discords, suete harmonious sounds;
Boud-Zodiak, circle-belting-Phœbus bounds;
Celestiall signis, of moneths making zeers;
Bright Titan, to the Topiks that reteirs,
Quhais fyrie flammis all chaos-face confounds;
Just balanced ball, amidst the hevins that hings;
All creaturs that Natur creat can,
To serve the vse of most vnthankfull man ;-
Admire zour Maker, only King of Kings.
Prais him, O man! his mervels that remarks,
Quhais mercyis far exceids his wondrous warks.
Iniquitie on eirth is so increst,
All flesh bot feu with falset is defyld,
Givin ou'r of God, with gredynes beguyld;
So that the puir, but pitie, ar opprest.
God in his justice dou na mair digest
Syk sinfull suyn with symonie defyld,
But must revenge, thair vyces ar so vyld,
And pour doun plagues of famin, suord, and pest.
Aryse, O Lord, delyuer from the lave
Thy faithfull flock, befor that it infect;
Thou sees hou Satan sharps for to dissave,
If it were able, euen thyn auin Elect.
Sen Conscience, Love, and Cheritie all laiks,
Lord, short the season, for the Chosen's saiks.
Paraphrase of Psalm CXXI.
WHEN I behold these montanes cold, can I be bold
To take my journey through this wildernesse,-
Wherein doth stand, on eyther hand, a bloodie band,
To cut me off, with cruell craftinesse?
Heere, subtle Sathan's slight doth me assaill:
Ther, his proud worldly might thinks to preuaill.
In euerie place, with pleasant face,
The snares of sinne besets me round about;
With poysone sweete to slay the spirite,
Conspyred all, to take my life, no doubt.
But God is hee, will succour mee, and let me see
His sauing health ay readie at command:
Euen IEHOVA, that creat al, both great and smal,
In heauen and aire, and in the sea and land.
Freat not, my fearefull heart, my breast within ;
This God will take thy part, thy course to rin.
He will thee guyde; thou shalt not slyde;
Thy feet shall steadfast stand in the right way :
He will thee keepe; he will not sleepe,
Nor suffer foes to catch thee as a pray.
The Lord doth keepe Israel his sheepe, and will not sleepe.
Beneath his shadow, thou shalt saiflie ly.
Right sure and firme, with his right arme, saue the from harme
He shall; and all thy fearefull foes defy.
The day, hote sunnes offence shall not thee greeue; Nor cold moones influence, by night, thee moue. God, of his grace, from his high place,
Shall saue thee from all ill in euerie way
Thou goes about, both in and out,
He shall thee blesse and prosper, now and ay.
On the Death of Sir Richard Maitland, 1586.
These lines, which are nevertheless powerfully written, present a curious specimen of alliteration and rhyme combined; the former being as frequently employed here as in ancient pieces of the kind (such as Piers Plowman's Vision) without the latter.
THE sliding time so slilie slips away,
It reaves (a) from us remembrance of our state,
And while we doe the oar of tyme delay,
We tyne (b) the tide, and so lament our fate :
Then, to eschew such dangerous debate,
Propone for Patron, manlie Maitland knycht;
Learne by his life to live in sembil rate, (a)
With love to God, religion, law, and rycht:
For, as he was of virtue lucent lycht,
Of ancient blood and nobil spirit and name,
Beloved of God and every gracious wycht, (b)
So died He auld, deserving worthy fame :
A rare example set for us, to see
What we have been, now are, and aucht to be.
Author of many extravagant treatises in prose: as, Dæmonology, or, a Discourse on Witchcraft; a Counter Blast against Tobacco; Basilicon Doron; Advice to his Son, &c. The following Sonnet, prefixed to a French translation (by Du Bartas,) of James's Poem on "the Battle of Lepanto," is no unfavourable specimen of His Majesty's talent for rhyme.
THE azure vaulte, the crystall circles bright,
The gleaming fyerie torches powder'd there;
The changing round, the shining beamie light,
The sad and branded fyres, the monsters fairé;
The prodigies appearing in the aire,
The rending thunder and the blustering winds;
The foules, in hue, and shape, and nature rare,
The prettie notes the wing'd musician finds;
In earth, the savourie flowres, the metall'd mines,.
The wholesum herbs, the hautie, pleasant trees;
(b) These Scottish endings need only be changed into ight, knight, right, &c. and the words will be at once intelligible.
The silver streames, the beasts of sundrie kinds,
The bounded waves and fishes of the seas;
All these, for teaching Man, the Lord did frame,
To do his will, whose glory shines in thame.
Principal Works :-Poly-Olbion, The Barrons' Warres, England's Heroical Epistles, Legends, and numerous minor poems. The following extracts are from one of his least known pieces-" The Birth and Miracles of Moses." The allusion to the destruction of the Spanish Armada, (then a recent event) in the first quotation, is peculiarly happy.
The Passage of the Red Sea.
THOSE which at home scorn'd Pharaoh and his force,
And whose departure he did humbly pray,
He now pursues with his Egyptian horse
And warlike foot to spoil them on the way.
Where his choice people strongly to protect,
The only God of empire and of might,
Before his host his standard doth erect,
A glorious pillar in a field of light,
Which he by day in sable doth unfold,
To dare the Sun his ardour to forbear,
By night converts it into flaming gold,
Away the coldness of the same to fear.
Not by Philistia he his force will lead,
Though the far nearer and the happier way,
His men of war a glorious march shall tread
On the vast bowels of the bloody sea;
And sends the winds as couriers forth before,
To make them way from Pharaoh's power to fly,
And to convey them to a safer shore;
Such is his might that can make oceans dry.
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