I met Dame Flora in dule weid disagysit, The small fowlis in flockis saw I fle; Allace Aurora! the sillie lark can cry, Quhair hes thow left thy balmy liquour sweit, He enters a cave, and purposes "to register in rhyme some merry matter of antiquity;" but finding himself opprest and languid, he wraps himself in his cloak and is overpowered by sleep. He fancies himself accosted by a beautiful female named Remembrance; who conducts him to many unknown regions. They first descend into hell, and there perceive innumerable shoals of popes, emperors, kings, cardinals, bishops, and ba rons. Lindsay's notions of the infernal dominions are not very unlike those of Virgil. Having surveyed this dreary region, they ascend towards heaven, but in their passage visit the sun and the planets: and the poet thus finds an opportunity of entering into some of the more curious speculations of astronomy. They at length pass through the crystalline heaven, and arrive in the celestial kingdom. This leads to brief disquisitions relative to the trinity and the nine orders of angels. After having contemplated the various divisions of the earth, he enquires concerning the terrestrial paradise, and is presented with a view of its delightful boundaries. This paradise, of all plesour repleit, That glorious garth of euery flouris did fleit, Baith herbe and tre thair growis euer grene, The sweit hailsum aromatike odouris And als sa hie in situatioun, Surmounting the mid regioun of the air, Of wedder may ascend sa hie as 'thair.' The country closit is about full richt With wallis hie of hote and birning fyre, Sen the departing of Adam our grandschyre, Baith from him self and his successioun. To compare Lindsay's description of paradise with that of Milton, may be no unpleasing task: So on he fares, and to the border comes Now nearer, crowns with her inclosure green, Cedar, and pine, and fir, and branching palm, Of stateliest view. Yet higher than their tops And higher than that wall a circling row The difference between these two passages is almost beyond calculation; and yet Lindsay's description is not entirely devoid of poetical merit. The poet is next gratified with a distant view of his native land. He expresses his astonishment that a country possest of such natural advantages, and inhabited by so ingenious a race of men, should still continue in a hopeless state of poverty. Wealth, replies his conductress, can never enter where policy is not to be found and equity can only reside with peace. A nation must of necessity be unprosperous, when those who ought to administer justice are guilty of slumbering in the tribunal.-Their attention is now attracted by a very remarkable figure: And thus as we wer talking to and fro, We saw ane busteous beirne cum ouir the bent, But hors, on fute, als fast as he micht go, 'With scrip on hip, and pykestaff in his hand, Quod he, My, sone, of that I think greit schame: Schir Commoun-weill declares his resolution of abandoning a country where he has only experienced neglect or insult from people of every denomination. My friends, says he, are all fled. Policy is returned to France. My sister Juftice is no longer able to hold the balance. Wrong is now appointed captain of the ordinance. No Scotishman shall again find favour with me, until the realm be governed by a king who shall delight in equity, and bring strong traitors to condign punishment." Wo to the realme yat hes ouir zoung ane king." Having closed this pathetic oration, he departs. Remembrance conducts the poet back to the cave on the sea-shore; and he is speedily roused by a discharge of artillery from a vessel which appears under sail. The Exhortatioun to the Kingis Grace contains several good counsels, delivered with the utmost freedom. The Complaint directit to the Kingis Grace, though unadorned with many poetical ornaments, is a valuable and interesting production. It exhibits lively sketches of the author's personal fortunes, of the manners of the times, and of the early education and private character of James the Fifth. The plan of The Tragedie of the Cardinal is similar to that adopted in the Myrrour for Ma |