Графични страници
PDF файл
ePub
[blocks in formation]

The brief account of Macbeth's life raises his character above all the preeeding princes, at least in as far as their actions are known to us. The

66

gret plente

"Abowndand, bath on land and se,"

and the riches of the country during his reign, which, together with the firm establishment of his government, enabled him to make a journey to Rome, and there to exercise a liberality of charity to the poor, remarkable even in that general refort of wealthy pilgrims, exhibit undeniable proofs of a beneficent government, and a prudent attention to agriculture, and to the fishery, that inexhauftible fund of wealth, wherewith bountiful nature has furrounded Scotland. Macbeth's journey to Rome is not a fable, as supposed by the learned and worthy author of The Annals of Scotland, [Vol. I. p. 3, note,] but refts on the evidence of Marianus Scotus, a respectable contemporary hiftorian, whose words, almoft literally translated by Wyntown, are---" A. D. ml. Rex Scotie Machetad Rome argentum feminando pauperibus diftribuit." [See VI. xviii. 48, 53, 303, 408.]

The only blot upon his memory is the murder of his predeceffor, (if it was indeed a murder,) who, to make the crime the blacker, is called his uncle, though that point is extremely doubtful. Among the numerous kings who made their way to the throne by the same means, is Greg, who is held up as a mirror to princes. To this is added the crime of incest in taking his uncle's widow to wife; but, admitting her former husband to have been hisuncle, we must remember, that the rules concerning marriage in Scotland appear to have been partly formed upon the Jewish model, before the ecclefiaftical polity was re-formed, or romanized, by the influence of Queen Margaret. [Vita Margaretæ ap. Bollandi Acta Sanctorum 10mo. Junii, p. 331.]

Thus much was due from juftice to a character calumniated in the beaten track of hiftory. D. MACPHERSON.

[blocks in formation]

Lyk all wrythyn in hys skyn,

Hys awyn Nek he fuld put in
Đe yhoke, and ger hym drawchtis drawe,

135

Noucht dowtand all hys Kynnys awe.

Frá þe Thayne Makbeth herd speke,
Dat he wald put in yhok hys Neke,
Of all hys thowcht he mád ná Sang;
Bot prewaly owt of be thrang
Wyth flycht he gat; and be Spensere
A Láfe hym gawe til hys Supere.
And als fwne as he mycht se
Hys tyme and opportunytè,
Owt of be Curt he paft, and ran,

140

145

F151 a And þat Láyf bare wyth hym þan
To be Wattyre of Eryne. Dat Brede
He gawe be Batwartis hym to lede,
And on be fowth half hym to fete,
But delay, or ony lete.
Dat passage cald wes eftyre ban
Lang tyme Portnebaryan;
De Hawyn of Brede bat fuld be
Callyd in-tyl propyrtè.
Owre be Wattyre pan wes he fete,
Bwt dawngere, or bwt ony lete.

At Dwnsynane Makbeth bat nycht,
As fone as hys Supere wes dycht,
And hys Marchalle hym to be Halle
Fechyd, þan amang þaim all

150

155

160

L. 152.] In the infancy of navigation, when its efforts extended no further than croffing a river, ferrying places were the only harbours, and were called port in the Gaelic languages, and apparently in the most ancient Greek. Hence we have so many places on the banks of rivers and lochs in Scotland, called ports, and hence the Greeks called their ferry-boats porthmia and porthmides. [Dictionaries, and Calcagnini opera, p. 307.] No ferry on the Earn is known by this name; perhaps it was originally the brade (broad) ferry, which being confounded with bread, has been gaelized port-ne-bara, -the harbour of bread. [v. Davies Dict. Brit. V. BARA.] The transcriber of the Cotton MS. has here interpolated a line with a French explanation of the name. [v. V. R.] D. MACPHERSON.

[blocks in formation]

And Felny gret bare wald have done:

F 151 b Bot þis Lady wyth fayre Trettè
Hys purpos lettyde done to be.
And fone, frá scho be Sayle wp faw,
Đan til Makbeth wyth lytil awe

200

L. 179.] This "hows of defens" was perhaps Maiden Castle, the ruins of which are on the fouth fide of the prefent Kennoway. There are some remains of Roman antiquity in this neighbourhood, and it is very probable that Macduff's castle stood on the fite of a Roman Castellum.

D. MACPHERSON.

1

Scho sayd, Makbeth, luke wp, and se
Wndyr yhon Sayle forsuth is he,
De Thayne of Fyfe, bat bow has fowcht.
Trowe powe welle, and dowt rycht nowcht,
Gyve evyr bow fall hym se agayne,
He fall be set in-tyl gret payne;
Syne bow wald hawe put hys Neke
In-til þi yhoke. Now will I speke
Wyth be ná mare: fare on þi waye,
Owpire welle, or ill, as happyne may.'
Dat passage syne wes comownly

In Scotland cald be Erlys-ferry.
Of pat Ferry for to knaw
Báth be Statute and be Lawe,
A Bate fuld be on ilkè syde
For to wayt, and tak pe Tyde,
Til mak pame frawcht, þat wald be
Frá land to land be-yhond be Se.
Frá þat pe fowth Bate ware sene
De landis wndyre fayle betwene
Frá þe sowth as þan passand
Toward be north be trad haldand,
De north Bate fuld be redy made
Towart be fowth to hald be trade :
And bare fuld náne pay mare
Dan foure pennys for bare fare,
Quha-evyr for his frawcht wald be
For caus frawchtyd owre bat Se.
Đis Makduff þan als fast
In Ingland a-pon Cowndyt past.
Dare Dunkanys Sownnys thre he fand,
Dat ware as banyfyd off Scotland,
Quhen Makbeth-Fynlake bare Fadyr flwe,
And all be Kynryk til hym drwe.

205

210

215

220

225

230

L. 228.] Four pennies, in Wyntown's time, weighed about one eightieth part of a pound of filver: how much they were in Macbeth's time, I suppose, cannot be afcertained; but, in the reign of David Ift, they weighed one fixtieth of a pound. If we could truft to Regiam Majestatem, four pennies, in David's time, were the value of one third of a boll of wheat, or two lagenæ of wine, or four lagenæ of ale, or half a sheep. [Tables of Money and Prices in Ruddiman's Introduction to And. Diplo. For the quantity of the lagenæ compare VIII. xvii. 35, with Fordun, p. 990: Sc. Chr. V. II. p. 223, wherein lagena is equivalent to galown in Wyntown.] It is reasonable to suppose, that the whole of the boat was hired for this fum.

The landing place on the fouth fide was most probably at North Berwick, which belonged to the family of Fife, who founded the nunnery there. D. MACPHERSON.

Saynt Edward Kyng of Ingland þan,
Dat wes of lyf a haly man,
Dat trettyd bir Barnys honestly,
Reffayvyd Makduff rych curtafly,
Quhen he come til hys prefens,
And mád hym honowre and reverens,
As afferyd. Til þe Kyng
He tauld be caus of hys cummyng.
Đe Kyng ban herd hym movyrly,
And answeryd hym all gudlykly,
And fayd, hys wyll and hys delyte

235

240

245

F 152 a Wes to se for be profyte

Of þá Barnys; and hys wille
Wes bare honowre to fullfille.
He cownsalyd bis Makduffe for-pi
To trete þá Barnys curtafly.
And quhilk of bame wald wyth hym gá,
He fuld in all pame sykkyre má,

250

As þai wald þame redy mak
For bare Fadyre dede to take
Revengeans, or wald bare herytage,
Dat to pame felle by rycht lynage,
He wald þame helpe in all bare rycht
With gret suppowale, fors, and mycht,

Schortly to fay, be lawchful twá

Brebire forsuke wyth hym to gá
For dowt, he put þaim in þat peryle,
Dat pare Fadyre fufferyd qwhyle.
Malcolme be thyrd, to say schortly,
Makduff cownfalyd rycht thraly,
Set he wes noucht of lauchfull bed,
As in bis Buke yhe have herd rede:
Makduff hym trettyd nevyr-be-les
To be of stark hart and stowtnes,
And manlykly to tak on hand
To bere be Crowne pan of Scotland:
And bade hym þare-of hawe ná drede :
For kyng he fuld be made in-dede:
And bat Traytoure he fuld fla,

Dat banysyd hym and hys Bredyr twa.

255

260

265

270

L. 274.] The story of these two brothers of Malcolm, (fee alfo c. xvi. of this book) and their refusal of the kingdom, which he, a bastard, obtained, feems to be a mere fiction. Yet, why it should have been invented, I can fee no reafon: furely not with intent to disgrace Malcolm, whose pofterity never loft the crown, and were such eminent friends to the church. The

« ПредишнаНапред »