But I'm his poor fhepheard, as plain you may fee,
That am come to beg pardon for him and for mee. 100

The king he laughed, and fwore by the maffe,
Ile make thee lord abbot this daye in his place !
Now naye, my liege, be not in fuch speede,
For alacke I can neither write, ne reade.

Four nobles a weeke, then I will give thee,

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For this merry jeft thou hast showne unto mee;

And tell the old abbot when thou comest home,

Thou haft brought him a pardon from good king John.

VIII.

VERSES BY K. JAMES I.

As in the former book we gave two fonnets of 2. Eliza, beth, we were willing to afford the reader a fhort fpecimen of the poetical talents of her fucceffor James I. and we the rather felected this, as it shows his majefty's dexterity at punning, and is mentioned in no catalogue of his works. It properly confifts of long alexandrines, and is preferved in A choice collection of Scots poems," 8vo. part II. Edinburgh, 1709, "K. James (Jays the editor of that book) having returned "to Sterling the 18th of July, 1617, on the morrow deigned with his prefence fome philofophick difputations; and gave "the following characters of the performers." VOL. II.

U 2

A$

A

S Adam was the firft of men,

whence all beginning takt:

So Adamfon was prefident,

and first man in this act.

The thefes Fairlie did defend,

which, though they lies contein, Yet were fair lies, and he the fame right fairlie did maintein.

The feild first entred Mafter Sands, and there he made me fee,

That not all fands are barren fands,

but that fome fertile bee. Then Mafter Young moft fubtilie, the thefes did impugne, And kythed old in Aristotle, althogh his name be Young. To him fucceeded Master Reid, , who, though Reid be his name, Neids neither for his difpute blufs

nor of his speech think shame, Laft entred Mafter King the lifts,

and difput like a king, How reafon reigning, as a queene, fhuld anger under-bring.

To their deserved praise have I

thus playd upon their names,

And wil's their colledge hence be cal'd the colledge of king JAMES.

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20

25.

5

IX. THE

IX.

THE HEIR OF LINNE.

It is owing to an overfight that this old ballad is not placed higher in the volume. It is given from a copy in the editor's folio MS; fome breaches and defects in which, rendered the infertion of a few supplemental ftanzas necessary. Thefe it is hoped the reader will pardon.

From the Scottish phrafes here and there difcernable in this poem, it should feem to have been originally compofed beyond the Tweed.

The Heir of Linne feems not to have been a Lord of Parliament, but a LAIRD, whofe title went along with his eftate.

L

PART THE FIRST.

ITHE and liften, gentlemen,

To fing a fong I will beginne:

It is of a lord of faire Scotland,

Which was the unthrifty heire of Linne,

His father was a right good lord,

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His mother a lady of high degree;

But they, alas! were dead, him froe,
And he lov'd keeping companie.

VOL. II.

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To

To spend the daye with merry cheare,
To drinke and revell every night,
To card and dice from eve to morne,

It was, I ween, his hearts delighte.

To ride, to runne, to rant, to roare;
To alwaye spend and never spare,
I wott, an' it were, the king himselfe,
Of gold and fee he mote be bare.

Soe fares the unthrifty lord of Linné
Till all his gold is gone and fpent;
And he mun fell his landes fo broad,
His houfe, and landes, and all his rent

His father had a keen stewarde,

And John o' the Scales was called hee:
But John is become a gentel-man,
And John has gott both gold and fee.

Sayes, Welcome, welcome, lord of Linne,
Let nought disturb thy merry cheere,
Iff thou wilt fell thy landes foe broad,

Good ftore of gold Ile give thee heere.

My gold is gone, my money is spent ;

My lande nowe take it unto thee,
Give me the golde, good John o' the Scales,
And thine for aye my lande fhall bee.

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Then

Then John he did him to record draw,

And John he gave him a gods-pennìe*; But for every pounde that John agreed,

The lande, I wis, was well worth three,

He told him the gold upon the board,

He was right glad his land to winne : The land is mine, the gold is thine,

And now Ile be the lord of Linne.

Thus he hath fold his land foe broad,

Both hill and holt, and moore and fenne,

All but a poore and lonesome lodge,

That stood farr off in a lonely glenne.

For foe he to his father hight:

My fonne when I am gonne, fayd hee, Then thou wilt spend thy lande fo broad, And thou wilt spend thy gold fo free.

But fweare me nowe upon the roode,

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40

45

That lonesome lodge thou'lt never spend ;

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For when all the world doth frown on thee,
Thou there fhalt find a faithful friend.

The heire of Linne is full of golde :

And come with me, my friends, fayd hée,
Let's drinke, and rant, and merry make,
And he that fpares, ne'er mote he thee.

VOL. II.
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* i. e. earneft-money: from the French Denier à Dicu.

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They