Be bad aspect quhilk wirkis vengeance,
Or utheris hevinly influence;
Or gif I be predestinate,
In court to be infortunate,

Quhilk hes sa lang in service bene,
Continually with King and Quene,
And enterit to thy Majestie,
The day of thy nativitie:
Quhairthrow my freindis bene eschamit,
And be my fais I am defamit,
Seand that I am nocht regardit,
Nor with my brether of court rewairdit;
Blamand my sleuthfull negligence,
That seikis nocht sum recompence.
Quhen divers men dois me demand,
Quhy gettis thow nocht sum peice of land,
As well as uther men hes gotten?
Than wis I to be deid and rottin,
With sic extreme discomforting,
That I can mak na answering.

I wald sum wise man did me teiche,
Quhidder that I suld flatter or fleiche:
I will nocht flyt-that I conclude,
For crabbing of thy Celsitude:
And to flatter, I am defamit;
Lack I rewaird, than am I schamit:
But I hope thow sall do as weill,
As did the father of fameill,
Of quhome Christ makis mentioun,
Quhilk for ane certane pensioun,
Feit men to wirk in his vineyaird:
Bot quha come last gat first rewaird,
Qubairthrow the first men war displeisit,
But he thame prudently appeisit:

For thouch the last men first war servit,
Yit gat the first quhat they deservit.

Sa am I sure thy Majestie
Sall anis reward me or I die,
And rub the roust off my ingine,
Quhilk bin for langour like to tyne:
Althoch I beir nocht like ane baird,
Lang service yairnis ay rewaird.
I can nocht wyte thine excellence,
That I sa lang want recompense;
Had I solystit like the lave,
My rewaird had nocht bin to crave:
But now I may weill understand,
A dumb man yit wan never land;
And in the court men gettis na thing
Withoutin opportune asking.
Allace! my sleuth and schamefulness
Debarrit me fra all grediness;
Gredy men that are diligent,
Richt oft obtenis thair intent,
And failyeis nocht to conques landis,
And namely at yong princes handis.
But I tuke never no uther cure
In special, but for thy plesure:

And now I am na mair despaird,
Bot I sall get princely rewaird.
The quhilk to me sall be maire gloir,
Nor thame thow did rewaird befoir.
Men quhilk dois ask ocht at ane king,
Suld ask his grace ane nobil thing,
To his excellence honourabill,
And to the asker profitabill:
Thocht I be in my asking lidder,
I pray thy grace for to considder,
Thow hes maid baith lordis and lairdis,
And hes gevin mony rich rewairdis
To thame quhilk was full far to seik,
Quhen I lay nicht lie be thy cheik.

I tak the Quenis grace, thy mother,
My lord chancellar, and mony uther,
Thy nureis, and thy auld maistress,
I tak thame all to beir witness;
Old Willie Dillie wer he on lyve,
My life full weill he culd discryve,
How as ane chapman beiris his pack,
I bure thy grace upon my back:
And sum times strydlingis on my nek,
Dansand with mony bend and bek.
The first syllabis that thow did mute
Was Pa Da Lyn upon the lute.
Than playit I twenty springis perquei
Quhilk was greit plesure for to heir.
Fra play thow let me never rest;
But Gynkertoun thow luifit ay best..
And ay quhen thow came from the sc
Then I behuiffit to play the fule:
As I at lenth into my DREME,
My sindrie service did expreme.
Thoch it bene better, as sayis the wise
Hap at the court nor gude service;'

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I wait thow luiffit me better than,
Nor now sum wife dois hir gude-man
Than men till uther did record
That Lyndesay wald be maid ane lor
Thow hes maid lordis, schir, by St. C
Of sum that hes nocht servit sa weill

To yow, my lordis, that standis by I sall yow schaw the causis quhy; Gif ye list tary, I sall tell

How my infortune thus befell.

I prayit daylie on my kné,

My young maister that I micht sé,

Of eild in his estait royall,

Havand power imperiall;

Than traistit I without demand,
To be promovit to sum land;
Bot myne asking I got ouir sone,
Because ane clipse fell in the mone,
The quhilk all Scotland maid on ste
Than did my purpose ryn arreir,

The quhilk war langsum till declair.
And als myne hart is wounder fair,
Quhen I have in remembrance,
The suddan change to my mischance.
The king was not twelf yeiris of age,
Quhan new rewlaris came in thair rage,
For commoun-weil makand na cair,
Bot for thair profite singulair.

Imprudently, like witles fules,

Thay tuke the young prince from the sculis,
Quhere he, under obedience,
Was learnand vertew and science,
And hastilie pat in his hand
The governance of all Scotland:
As quha wald, in ane stormie blast,
Quhen marinaris been all agast,
Throw danger of the seis rage,
Wald tak ane child of tender age,
Quhilk never had bin on the sey,
And gar his bidding all obey,
Geving him haill the governall,
To ship, marchand, and marinall,
For dreid of rockis and foir land,
To put the ruthir in his hand:
Without Goddis grace is na refuge,
Gif thare be danger ye may judge.
I give thame to

Quhilk first devisit that counsell;
I will nocht say that it was tressoun,
But I dar sweir it was na ressoun.
I pray God lat me never see ring
Into this realme sa young ane king.

SUPPLICATION IN CONTEMPTION

OF SIDE TAILS.

Sovereign, I mean of their side tails, Whilk through the dust and dubs trails, Three quarters lang behind their heels, Express agane all commonweals: Though bishops in their pontificals Have men for to bear up their tails, For dignity of their office; Richt so ane queen or ane emprice, Howbeit they use sic gravity, Comformand to their majesty, Though their robe-royals be upborne, I think it is ane very scorn, That every lady of the land Should have her tail so side trailand; Howbeit they been of high estate, The queen they should not counterfeit. Wherever they go it may be seen

How kirk and causay they soop clean.

Poor claggocks clad in Raploch white,
Whilk has scant twa merks for their fees,
Will have twa ells beneath their knees.
Kittok that cleckit was yestreen,
The morn, will counterfeit the queen:
In barn nor byre she will not bide,
Without her kirtle tail be side.
In burghs, wanton burgess wives
Wha may have sidest tails strives,
Weel bordered with velvet fine,
But followand them it is ane pyne:
In summer, when the streit is dryis,
They raise the dust aboon the skies;
Nane may gae near them at their ease
Without they cover mouth and neese.
I think maist pane after ane rain,
To see them tuckit up again;
Then when they step furth through the street
Their fauldings flaps about their feet;
They waste mair claith, within few years,
Nor wald cleid fifty score of freirs.

Of tails I will no more indite, For dread some duddron me despite. Notwithstanding, I will conclude, That of side tails can come nae gude, Sider nor may their ankles hide, The remanent proceeds of pride, And pride proceeds of the devil: Thus always they proceed of evil.

Ane other fault, sir, may be seen,
They hide their face all bot the een;
When gentlemen bid them gude day
Without reverence they slide away.
Without their faults be soon amended,
My flyting, sir, shall never be ended.
But wad your grace my counsel tak,
Ane proclamation ye should mak,
Baith through the land and burrowstouns,
To shaw their face, and cut their gowns.
Women will say, this is nae bourds,
To write sic vile and filthy words;
But wald they clenge their filthy tails,
Whilk over the mires and middings trails,
Then should my writing clengit be,
None other mends they get of me.
Quoth Lindsay, in contempt of the side tails,
That duddrons and duntibours through the
dubs trails.

and one who in his day played many parts, being "anything by fits, but nothing long." With the single exception of a passage in Knox's History, which imputes to him having accepted bribes to aid Cardinal Beaton in effecting his escape from imprisonment, a charge which is not generally credited, Maitland is uniformly spoken of by contemporary writers with great respect. Many of his manuscript decisions are preserved in the Advocates' Library of Edinburgh. His collections of Early Scottish Poetry, in two vols., a folio and a quarto, were, with other MSS., presented by the Duke of Lauderdale to Samuel Pepys, the

founder of the Pepysian Library at Cambridge, where they are still preserved. A selection from these may be seen in Pinkerton's valuable collection of Ancient Scottish Poems. Sir Richard's own poems were for the first time printed in 1830, in a handsome quarto volume, for the Maitland Club, which derives its name from him. His History and Chronicle of the Hous and Surename of Seytoun was printed for the Maitland Club in 1829. His principal poetical pieces are the "Satyres," Ballet of the Creatioun of the World," "The Blind Baron's Comfort," and a supplication "Agains Oppressioun of the Comouns."

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