the navy and the artillery, as those sources of national strength which had been neglected or unknown before his time; his anxiety for the preservation of an amicable intercourse with foreign states; his fondness for the clergy, undoubtedly the wisest and most learned amongst his subjects; his familiar friendship and intercourse with his nobles, and his accessibility and kindness to the lowest classes of his people: all these qualities were highly to be commended, and rendered the monarch deservedly popular. But, on the other hand, James had weaknesses and vices which, but for the excuse of youth and a mismanaged education, must have rendered him contemptible. His love of amusement was wild and reckless: plays, dances, dice, occupied every leisure moment; hawks, apes, jugglers, jesters, and every sort of itinerant buffoon, received a ready welcome at court, and partook largely of the royal bounty, whilst his indiscriminate gallantry and admiration of the fair sex destroyed his health and grievously impoverished his exchequer. universal patronage of the monarch, and the picture of the court, are admirably pourtrayed by Dunbar, in his poem entitled a "Remonstrance to the King."

"Sir, ye have mony servitours

And officers of divers cures-
Kirkmen, courtmen, craftsmen fine,
Doctors in jure and medicine,

Philosophers, diviners, rhetors,

Artists, astrologs, orators,

Men of arms and valiant knights,

And mony other gudly wights;

Musicians, minstrels, merry singers,

Chevalours, callanders, French flingers,

The

T

Coiners, carvers, carpentaris,
Builders of barks and ballingaris,
Masons building on the land,

And shipwrights hewing on the strand;
Glasswrights, goldsmiths, lapidaries,
Printers, painters, poticaries-
Labouring all, baith fore and aft,
And wondrous cunning in their craft;
Which pleasant is and honorable,
And to your highness profitable,
And right convenient to be
With your high regal majesty,
Deserving of your grace most ding,1
Both thanks, reward, and cherishing.
And though that I among the heap
Unworthy be a place to keep,
Or in their number to be told,
Yet long as their's my work shall hold,
Complete in every circumstance,
In matter, form, and eke substance;
But wearing or corruption,
Rust, canker, or corruption,
As perfect as their workes all,
Altho' my guerdon be but small."

The poet proceeds to observe, that he can neither blame nor envy any expenditure upon such worthy though multifarious artists; but then, says he, with much boldness, addressing his royal master, "Your highness is so gentle and accessible, that your court is crowded with a different and far less respectable sort.' The enumeration must be given in his own words, and a translation would be almost impossible:

66

Fenyeouris, fleichouris, flatteraris,
Cryaris, crackaris, clatteraris,

Sonkaris, gronkaris, gleddaris, gunnaris,
Monsouris of France, gud clarat cunnaris ;
1 worthy.

Inopportoun askaris of Yrland kynd,
And meit reivaris, lyk out o mind
Scaffaris, and scamlaris in the nuke
And hall huntaris of draik and duke,
Thrinlaris and thriftaris, as they war wod;
Kokenis, that kens na man of gude,

Schoulderaris and schowaris that hes no schame,
And to no cunning that can clame
And ken none uther craft nor curis
Bot to mak thrang schir in your duris,
And rush in whar they counsel hear,
And will at na man nurture leir
In quintessence, eke ingynouris joly
That far can multiply in foly:
Fantastic fulis, bayth fals and greedy,
Of tongue untrue and hand unsteady.
Few dar of all this last additioun

Come in Tolbuith without remission."

When the first are provided for, says he, I may not complain; but when the king's purse opens to these last, and I am passed over, my very heart is ready to burst for despite:

$6

My mind so fer1 is set to flyt
That of nocht els I can indyt,
For owther man my hert to breik,
Or with my pen I man me wreik;
And syne the tane most nedis be,
Into malancolie to dee,
Or lat the venym ische all out-
Bewar, anone for it will spout,
Gif that the treacle com not tyt2

To swage the swalme of my despyt."

Whether this remonstrance and threatening, on the part of Dunbar, had any effect in procuring him a more generous treatment at court cannot be ascertained; but the perfect truth of his de* Poems, vol. i. p. 145-147. 2 quick.

1 fierce.

scription, and his picture of the multifarious vermin which infested the court, may be verified by those interesting manuscript records which reflect so strongly the manners of the times-the accounts of the lord high treasurer. We shall open them almost at random. On the 11th of February, 1488, we find the king bestowing nine pounds on gentil John, the English fule; on the 10th of June, we have an item to English pypers, who played to the king at the castle gate, of eight pounds eight shillings; on the 31st of August, Patrick Johnson and his fallows, that playit a play to the king, in Lithgow, receive three pounds; Jacob, the lutar, the king of bene, Swanky that brought balls to the king, twa wemen that sang to his highness, Witherspoon, the foular, that told tales and brought fowls, Tom Pringill the trumpeter, twa fithelaris, that sang Grey Steill to the king, the brokenbakkit fiddler of St. Andrews, Quhissilgybbourie, a female dancer, Wat Sangster, young Rudman the lutar, the wife that kept the hawks' nest in Craigforth, Willie Mercer, who lap in the stank by the king's command—and innumerable others who come in for a high share of the regal bounty,

"And ken none other craft nor curis

But to mak thrang within the duris"

confirm the assertions of the indignant poet, and evince the extravagance and levity of the monarch.

The same records not only corroborate Dunbar's description, but bring before us, in fresh and lively colours, the court itself, with its gay and laughter-loving monarch. Let not history

deride the labours of the patient antiquary; for never, in her moments of happiest composition, could she summon up a more natural and striking picture than we can derive from these ancient and often neglected records. We are enabled, by the clear and authentic lights which they furnish, to trace the motions of the court and of its royal master, not only from year to year, but to mark the annals of every day. We see his Majesty before he rises on the new-year's morning; we stand beside his chamberlain, and see the nobles, with their gifts and offerings, crowd into the apartment; nor is his favourite, gentle John, the English fool, forgotten, who brings his present of cross-bows; then enters the King of Bene, enacted by Tom Pringle; Jok Goldsmith chants his ballat below the window; the gysars dance; and in the evening the Bishop of Glasgow, the Earl of Bothwell, the Lord Chancellor, and the Treasurer, play at cards with his Highness.

Such are but a few of the characteristic touches of these remarkable records. They would furnish us with a thousand more, had we time or limits to detail them. They enable us to accompany the prince to his chapel royal at Stirling; we see the boys of the choir bending down to remove his spurs, and receive their accustomed largesse; we follow him in his progresses through his royal burghs, and listen to the thanks of the gudewife of the king's lodging, as the generous prince bestows his gratuity; we climb the romantic crag on which St. Anthony's chapel is situated, and almost hear his confession; we can follow him into his study, and find him adding to the scanty library which was