crushed the cover to pieces, with the poor little pigs, (as Major calls them,) who were lurking under it. And although their is no royal road to poetry, upon the authority of this couplet, Ritson has admitted Agnes into the company of the Scottish poets.

They warpit at the wall great stanes

Baith hard and heavy for the nanys, (purpose)
But that nane merryng to them made,

And alsua when they castyne had,

With a towel, a damiselle
Arrayed jollily and well,

Wippit the wall, that they micht see
To gere them mair annoyed be;
There at the siege well lang they lay,
But there little vantage got they;
For when they bykkyne wald, or assail,
They tint the maist of their travaile.

And as they bykeryd there a' day,
Of a great shot I shall you say,
For that they had of it ferly,
It here to you rehearse will I.

William of Spens percit a Blasowne*

And thro' three faulds of Awbyrchowne, (habergeon)†

And the Actowne‡ through the third ply

And the arrow in the bodie,

While of that dynt there dead he lay ;

And then the Montagu gan say:

"This is ane of my Lady's pinnis,

Her amouris thus, till my heart rinnis."
While that the siege was there on this wise,
Men sayis there fell sair juperdyis.

* Dress over the armour where the armorial bearings were blazoned.

+ A coat made of several folds of leather, cotton, wool, &c. and covered with mail of

small rings riveted together, or small pieces of iron like fish scales.

Quilted covering for the body made of strong leather.

Few of the assailants were able to return to their trenches. Finding the arts of forcible and open assault unavailing, Salisbury next attempted to gain the castle by treachery. Means were employed to bribe

For Lawrence of Prestoun, that then
Haldin ane of the wichtest men,
That was in all Scotland that tide,
A rout of Inglismen saw ride,
That seemed gude men and worthy,
And were arrayed right richly;
He, with als few folk, as they were,
On them assembled he there;
But at the assembling, he was there
Intil the mouth stricken with a spear,
While it up in the harnys ran;
Till a dike he withdrew him than,
And died; for nae mair live he might.
His men his death perceived noucht;
And with their faes faucht stoutly,
While they them vanquish'd utterly.

Thus was this guid man brought till end,

That was richt greatly to commend.

Of gret wirschipe (manhood) and gret bownte (goodness,)
His saul be aye in saftie.

Sir William als of Galstown

Of Keith, that was of gude renown,

Met Richard Talbot by the way

And set him to sa hard assay,

That to a kirk he gert him gae,

And close there defence to ma;
But he assailed there sa fast,
That him be-hov'd treat at the last,

And twa thousand pound to pay,
And left hostage, and went his way.
The Montagu was yet lyand,
Sieging Dunbare with stalwart hand;

the porter, who had charge of the gate. This he agreed to do; but disclosed the transaction to the countess. Salisbury, at the head of a chosen party, commanded this enterprise in person, and found the

And twa gallies of Genoa had he,
For till assiege it by the sea.

And as he thus assiegend lay,

He was set intil hard assay;

For he had purchased him covyn (secret agreement)
Of ane of them, that were therein,

That he should leave open the yete,
And certain term till him then set

To come; but they therein halily
Were warnit of it privily.

He came, and the yete open fand,
And wald have gane in foot steppand;
But John of Cowpland, that was then
But a right poor simple man,
Shut him off back, and in is gane,
The Portcullis came down on ane;

And spared Montagu, thereout
They cryed with a sturdy shout,
"A Montagu for ever mair!"
Then with the folk that he had there,
He turned to his Herbery,

And let him japyt fullyly.

Syne Alexander, the Ramsay,
That trowed and thought, that they
That were assieged in Dunbar,
At great distress or mischief were;
That in an evening frae the Bass,
With a few folk, that with him was,
Toward Dunbar, intil a boat,
He held all privily his gate;
And by the gallies all slyly
He gat with his company;

E

gates of the castle open to receive him. The offi ciousness of John Copeland, one of his attendants, saved the general from the snare. Copeland hastily passed before the earl, the portcullis was let down,. and the trusty squire, mistaken for his lord, remained a prisoner. Agnes, who from the southern tower

The lady, and all, that were there,
Of his coming well comfort were,
He issued in the morning in hy,
And with the wachis sturdily,
Made ane apart and stout melle,
And but tynsel entered he.

While Montagu was there lyand,
The King Edward of England
Purchased him help and alyawns,
For he wald amowe were in France;
And for the Montagu he sends;

For he cowth (bring) nae thing till end
For owtyn him, for that time he

Was maist of his counsel privie

When he had heard the king's bidding
He removed, but mair dwelling,
When he, I trow, had lying there

A quarter of a year and mair.

Of this assiege in their hethyng (derision)

The English oysid to make karping

"I vow to God, she makes gret stere

The Scottish wenche ploddere, ( fighter)

Come I aire, come I late,

I fand Annot at the yate."

WYNTOWNIS CRONYKIL, Book viii. cap. 33.*

• ANDREW WINTON was canon regular of St Andrews, and prior of Lochleven, and was born about 1360. Rude as his couplets may appear to the moderns, his pages are much prized by the learned for the prospects of society they present, and the early cir cumstances of history they record. As he lived at a time within the memory of man when the siege of the castle took place, his information must have been gathered from oral sources.

observed the event, cried to Salisbury jeeringly, "Adieu, Monsieur Montague; I intended that you should have supped with us, and assisted in defending this fortress against the robbers of England."

Thus unsuccessful in their attempts, the assailants turned the siege into a blockade, and closely environed the castle by sea and land. Amongst the ships were two large Genoese gallies, commanded by John Doria and Nicholas Fiesca. But famine was threatening to effect what force and art could not achieve. In consequence of the protracted siege the garrison was reduced to the utmost extremities for want of provisions; this intelligence reached Sir Alexander Ramsay, a bold and enterprising officer, who having procured a light vessel with a supply of provisions and military stores, sailed in a dark night, with forty chosen companions, from the contiguous rock of the Bass, and eluding the vigilance of the enemy, he entered the castle by a postern next the sea, and brought relief and refreshment to the desponding soldiers. Next morning, Ramsay made a smart sortie on the besiegers, killing and surprising them at their posts, and taking many prisoners; and the same night he completed the glory of his stratagem, by passing from the castle in the same manner, and with the same safety with which he had entered it.

The English having vigorously prosecuted the siege for six weeks, were compelled to abandon this hopeless enterprise. Besides the commanders of the

* Salisbury even consented to a cessation of arms, and departing