sary to point out, for instance, the close resemblance of the passage which we here quote, the King's first sight of Lady Jane, to the passage in The Knightes Tale (see p.) where Palamon and Arcite first see Emilye. Not only the general idea but the details are copied; for example, the King, like Palamon, doubts whether the beautiful vision be woman or goddess. The ascent to the Empire of Venus is like an abridgement of The Hous of Fame. Minerva's discussion of Free Will is imitated from Chaucer's rendering of the same theme, after Boethius, in Troylus and Creseyde. The catalogue of beasts near the dwelling of Fortune, is an echo of Chaucer's catalogue of birds in The Parlement of Foules. Isolated instances of imitation abound; thus 'Til Phebus endit had his bemës brycht, And bad go farewel every lefe and floure, That is to say, approchen gan the night,' is a repetition of a well-known passage in The Frankeleynes Tale: · For the orizont had left the sonne his liht, A passage in Troylus is recalled by 'O besy goste, ay flikering to and fro'; and another by the King's concluding address to his book—'Go, litel tretis.' Outside The King's Quair, the 'gude and godlie ballate' here given (although it would be difficult to prove that it belongs to King James) is obviously modelled on the 'good counseil of Chaucer' which we have quoted above (p. ). These examples of the influence of Chaucer upon so rich a mind as that of the young King of Scotland are strong evidence of the greatness of the earlier poet and of the instantaneousness with which his genius made itself felt. EDITOR. THE KING'S QUAIR. (St. 30 et seqq.) Bewailling in my chamber thus allone, Now was there maid fast by the Touris wall So thick the beuis 2 and the leves grene The bewis spred the herbere all about. And on the smalë grenë twistis sat The lyti suetë nyghtingale, and song So loud and clere, the ympnis consecrat Of luvis use, now soft now lowd among, That all the gardynis and the wallis rong Ryght of thaire song, and on the copil next Of thaire suete armony, and lo the text : 'Worschippe, ye that loveris bene, this May, Come somer, come, the suete seson and sonne, Thank Lufe that list you to his merci call.' Quhen thai this song had song a littil thrawe1, From beugh to beugh thay hippit and thai plaid, Thaire fatheris" new, and fret thame in the sonne, This was the planë ditie of thair note, And therewithall unto myself I thought, It is nothing, trowe I, bot feynit chere", Eft wold I think, O Lord, quhat may this be? Is it of him, as we in bukis fynd, For giff he be of so grete excellence, That he of every wight hath cure and charge, Can I not ellis fynd bot giff that he Be lord, and, as a god, may lyve and regne, To bynd, and louse, and maken thrallis free, Than wold I pray his blissful grace benigne To hable me unto his service digne, And evermore for to be one of tho Him trewly for to serve in wele and wo. And therewith kest I doun myn eye ageyne, The fairest or the freschest youngë floure And though I stood abaisit tho a lyte, No wonder was; for quhy? my wittis all 3 And in my hede I drew rycht hastily, Or ar ye god Cupidis owin princesse ? That have depayntit with your hevinly hand 'enable. pride, lit. menace. s token. 1 Giff ye a goddesse be, and that ye like That lufis you all, and wote of nought but wo? Quhen I a lytill thrawe had maid my mone, My hert, my will, my nature, and my mynd, In hir was youth, beautee, with humble aport, In word, in dede, in schap, in contenance, O Venus clere! of goddis stellifyit, To quhom I yelde homage and sacrifise, causes me to sigh. 2 did it please. 3 received. ⚫ nearly dies. |