LIII. The long day thus gan I prye and poure, Till Phebus endit had his bemes bryt, I bade at lenth, and, kneeling, maid my mone. LIV. So lang till evin for lak of my tand mynd, t Ourset so sorow had bothe hert and mynd, t Ffor-wepit.] For, thus preceding the verb, is far from being an expletive. It is always used by the old poets, to give strength to the following word; or, as a superlative of it, thus for-wepit, forpleynit, &c. weeping and complaining bitterly. u Ourset so.] A strong expression of anguish. Quite overwhelmed both in body and spirit. The Prince's violent passion, struck at first sight of the beautiful Jane; the corroding thought of his confinement, without immediate prospect of relief; and his despair at her departure, are strong K I laid, and lenit, amaisit verily ! Half-sleping and half-suoun, in such a wise, ly and naturally painted.—What a fine picture does the following pathetic lines exhibit! "Ouerset so with sorrow. "That to the cold stone my hede on wrye "I laid and leanit amazed verily ! "Half sleeping and half in swoon.' A modern sentimental poet would, with a great deal of metaphysical wit, have laboured, perhaps, through fifty lines, in describing the Prince's situation on this occasion. THE KING'S QUAIR. CANTO III. THE POET IS TRANSPORTED TO THE SPHERE OF LOVE. I. METHOT yt thus all sodeynly a lyt, In at the wyndow come quhare at I lent, Qf quhich the chambere wyndow schone full bryt, And all my body so it hath ouerwent, That of my sicht the vertew hale * I blent, And that wt all a voce unto me said, I bring the comfort and hele, be not affrayde. II. And furth anon it passit sodeynly, * My sicht-hale I blent.] Or Y blent; dazzled with the light. And sone methot furth at the dure in hye I was araisit up into the aire," a + 1 4 Clippit in a cloude of crystall clere and faire. III. Ascending vpward ay fro spere to spere, Off' signifere quhare fair bryt and © schere, IV. Off quhich the place, quhen I com there nye, y In hye.] In haste. * Was nathing me ageyne.] Nothing opposing me. a Clippit in a cloude.] Embraced, surrounded, held fast. From the A. Saxon clyppan. 78 179 ** z@༼、·; h Signifer.] The Zodiac, or Circle of the twelve signs. c Bryt and schere.] Burning bright. G. D. p. 276. l. 43.. And to the port I liftit was in hye, Quhare sodaynly, das quho sais at a thot, Win a chamber, large rowm and faire, V. This is to seyne, yt present in that place, Of quhois chancis maid is mencion In diverse bukis quho thame list to se, de The phrases," As who says at a thought," and " Of people great repair," I take to be both Scottish. The following allegorical description of the Court of Venus, with the various groupes or classes of the votaries of Love, is extremely picturesque, and shows great powers of fancy and imagination. The poet, I apprehend, has had the celebrated Tablature of Cebes in his view, although his groupes of figures are different. The pictures progressively brought into view by our poet are distinct, and the figures well painted: The description is simple and pleasant, because not embarrassed with frequent interruption, as in Cebes, by the dialogue frequently breaking in. To a few readers, a short analysis or argument may perhaps not be unnecessary. § IV. and V. Description of the Palace of Love, and the poet's entry into it, where he sees groupes of people of every nation, the devotees to love, whose stories are recorded in diverse books. |