by R. P. Gillies. Copies of the original edition have been sold for more than £25. At Bindley's sale one brought £26, 58. 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 JAMES, the Sixth of Scotland and First of England, called by Sully "the wisest fool in Europe," was born in the castle of Edin- | burgh, 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 treatise of counsel for his son Prince Henry, scarcely nineteen years he became an author, under the title of Basilicon Doron, which, by publishing The Essayes of a Prentice in the although containing some passages offensive Dirine Art of Poesie, with the Rewlis and to the clergy, is a work of good sense, and conCauteles to be pursued and avoided. These veys, upon the whole, a respectable impression essays were printed at Edinburgh in 1585, by at once of the author's abilities and moral temT. Vau troullier, and consist of a mixture of perament. It was published in 1599, and prose and poetry; the poems being chiefly a gained him a great accession of esteem among series of sonnets, while the prose consists of a the English, for whose favour, of course, he code of laws for the construction of verse accord- was anxiously solicitous. Camden says "that ing to the ideas of that age. There is little in in this book is most elegantly portrayed and the king's style or his ideas to please the present set forth the pattern of a most excellent, every age; yet compared with the efforts of contem- way accomplished king." Bacon considered porary authors these poems may be said to pre- it as "excellently written;" and Hume resent a respectable appearance. This volume marks that "whoever will read the Basilicon was reprinted in 1814, with a prefatory memoir | Doron, particularly the last two books, will 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. Jaines 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, Give law to words, or war with words alone, Senates and courts with Greek and Latin rule, And turn the council to a grammar-school." 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 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 Up in the aire: it was so light and weit. 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: And how they did themselfis so farr begyle, For what hath man bot tyme into this lyfe, But sen that tyme is sic a precious thing, THE CIIII. PSALME. O Lord inspyre my spreit, and pen, to praise Made heavens lyke courtenis for to spraid abreid, Who walks upon the wings of restles winde, Who of the clouds his chariot made, even he Who, in his presence, still the spreits doeth find Ay ready to fulfill ilk just decree Of his, whose servant's fyre and flammis they be; Who set the earth on her fundations sure, So as her brangling none shall ever see: Who, at thy charge, the deip upon her bure. So as the tops of mountains hie Be fluids were onis ouerflowed at thy command, Ay whill thy thundring voice sone made them flie Ower hiddeous hills and howes, till noght but Band Was left behind, syne with thy mightie hand Thon limits made unto the roring deip. So shall she never droun againe the land, But brek her waves on rockis, her mairch to keip. Thir are thy workis, who made the strands to breid, Syne rinn among the hills from fountains cleir, Whairto wyld asses oft dois rinn with speid, With uther beasts, to drinke. Hard by we heir The chirping birds among the leaves, with beir To sing, whil all the rocks aboute rebounde. A woundrous worke, that thou, O Father deir, Maks throtts so small yeild furth so great a sounde! O thou who from thy palace oft letts fall 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, And from their denns to crave of God some pray: Then, in the morning, gone is all thair caire, And homeward to their caves rinnis fast, fra day Beginnes to kythe, the sunne dois so them fray. Then man gois furth, fra tyme the sunne dois ryse, And whill the evening he remainis away At lesume labour, where his living lyes. 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 |