by R. P. Gillies. Copies of the original edition have been sold for more than £25. At Bindley's sale one brought £26, 58. JAMES, the Sixth of Scotland and First of England, called by Sully "the wisest fool in Europe," was born in the castle of Edinburgh, June 19, 1566. He was the son of Queen Mary, by her husband Henry Lord Darnley. Both by his father and mother James was the great-grandson of Henry VII. of England. It is well known that a confederation of conspirators dethroned Mary about a year after the birth of her son. While this illfated princess was imprisoned in Lochleven Castle James was taken to Stirling, and there crowned King of Scotland at the age of thirteen months and ten days. When he was scarcely nineteen years he became an author, by publishing The Essayes of a Prentice in the Divine Art of Poesie, with the Rewlis and Cauteles to be pursued and avoided. These essays were printed at Edinburgh in 1585, by T. Vautroullier, and consist of a mixture of prose and poetry; the poems being chiefly a | series of sonnets, while the prose consists of a code of laws for the construction of verse according to the ideas of that age. There is little in the king's style or his ideas to please the present age; yet compared with the efforts of contemporary authors these poems may be said to present a respectable appearance. This volume was reprinted in 1814, with a prefatory memoir | Doron, particularly the last two books, will In 1591 King James produced a second volume of verse entitled Poeticall Exercises at Vacant Houres, in the preface to which he informs the reader, as an apology for inaccuracies, that "scarcelie but at stolen moments had he leisure to blenk upon any paper, and yet nocht that with free, unvexed spirit." He also appears about this time to have proceeded some length with his translation of the Psalms into Scottish verse. A few years later the king wrote a treatise of counsel for his son Prince Henry, under the title of Basilicon Doron, which, although containing some passages offensive to the clergy, is a work of good sense, and conveys, upon the whole, a respectable impression at once of the author's abilities and moral temperament. It was published in 1599, and gained him a great accession of esteem among the English, for whose favour, of course, he was anxiously solicitous. Camden says "that in this book is most elegantly portrayed and set forth the pattern of a most excellent, every way accomplished king." Bacon considered it as "excellently written;" and Hume remarks that "whoever will read the Basilicon confess James to have possessed no mean genius." It was a time when puns and all sorts of literary quips and quirks were much in vogue. The king was not behindhand in following this peculiar and distressing fashion. James greeted his Scottish subjects on a certain solemn occasion with a string of punning rhymes on the names of their most learned professors, Adamson, Fairlie, Sands, Young, Reid, and King. "As Adam was the first of men, whence all beginning tak; So Adam-son was president, and first man in this act (!) The theses Fair-lie did defend, which, though they lies contain, Yet were fair lies, and he the sam right fairlie did maintein. The field first entred Master Sands, and there he made me see That not all sands are barren sands, but that some fertile bee. Then Master Young most subtilie the theses did im pugne, And kythed old in Aristotle, although his name be Young. On March 28, 1603, Queen Elizabeth expired, having named James as her successor, and he was crowned King of Great Britain, July 25, by Archbishop Whitgift, with all the ancient solemnity of that imposing ceremony. James was the author of various works in addition to those already mentioned: A Discourse on the Gunpowder Plot, Demonology, A Counterblast to Tobacco, &c. Kings are generally, as Milton has remarked, though strong in legions, but weak at arguments. James, although proud of his literary abilities, was certainly not strong in argument. He was dogmatic and pedantic, and his idea of his vocation appears to have been- "To stick the doctor's chair into the throne, So fond was James of polemics that he founded Chelsea College expressly for controversial theology. His grandson, Charles II., however, To him succeeded Master Reid, who, though Reid be converted it into an asylum for disabled sol his name, diers. Neids neither for his disput blush, nor of his speechking think shame. also founded, in April, 1582, the UniverFor the encouragement of learning the sity of Edinburgh; and he conferred a lasting benefit on all who read the English language by the Authorized Version of the Holy Bible, still in use, nearly three centuries after it was completed and published by his orders. His And will their colledge hence be cald the Colledge of reign was also distinguished by the establishKing James." The king also wrote some vivacious verses when fifty-six years old, on the courting expedition to Spain of his son Charles and the courtly Buckingham. ment of new colonies and the introduction of manufactures. Early in the spring of 1625 the king was seized with tertian fever, and died March 27th, in the fifty-ninth year of his age. A SHORT POEM OF TIME. As I was pansing in a morning aire, Athort the fields, it seemed to me the best. Who by his rising in the azure skyes Did dewlie helse all thame on earth do dwell. The balmie dew through birning drouth he dryis, Which made the soile to savour sweit, and smell By dew that on the night before downe fell, Which then was soukit by the Delphienns heit Whose hie ascending in his purpour chere As beasts to feid, and birds to sing with beir, Then woundred I to see them seik a wyle So willingly the precious tyme to tyne; The chirping birds among the leaves, with beir To sing, whil all the rocks aboute rebounde. A woundrous worke, that thou, Father deir, Maks throtts so small yeild furth so great a sounde! O thou who from thy palace oft letts fall (For to refresh the hills) thy blessed raine: Who with thy works maintains the earth and all: Who maks to grow the herbs and grass to gaine. The herbs for foode to man, grass dois remaine For food to horse and cattel of all kynde. Thou causeth them not pull at it in vaine, But be thair food, such is thy will and mynde. Who dois rejoyse the hart of man with wyne, And who with oyle his face maks cleir and bright, And who with foode his stomack strengthnes syne, Who nourishes the very treis aright. The cedars evin of Liban tall and wight He planted hath, where birds do bigg their nest. He made the firr trees of a woundrous hight, Where storks dois mak their dwelling-place, and rest. Thou made the barren hills, wylde goats refuge, Thou maid the sunne in tyme go to, that lest He still sould shyne, then night sould never come: But thou in ordour all things hes so drest, Some beasts for day, for night are also some. For lyons young at night beginnis to raire, Then, in the morning, gone is all thair caire, How large and mightie are thy workis, O Lord! And with what wisdome are they wrought, but faill. The earth's great fulnes, of thy gifts recorde Dois beare: heir of the seas (which divers skaile Of fish contenis) dois witnes beare: ilk sail Of divers ships upon the swolling waves Dois testifie, as dois the monstrous whale Who frayis all fishes with his ravening jawes. All thir (O Lord), yea all this woundrous heape |