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JAMES L IN LATER LIFE.

From John Jonston's "Inscriptiones Historica." (Amsterdam, 1602.)

Peebles kept Beltane Day with so much holiday fun that strangers were drawn even from Edinburgh. The author of "Peebles to the Play" begins

his sketch of the humours of this Beltane festival with a description of the gathering in the fields. Then he proceeds to the dinner, the dance, the fun of an incidental fight, and so forth; his song being alive throughout with homely incident. It may be noticed that a "Beltane Fair" is still held at Peebles on the second Wednesday of May.

All the wenches of the west

Were up ere the cock crew;

For reeling there might no man rest,
For garray and for glew: 8

One said "My curches are not prest!"'10

Then answerit Meg full blew : 11

"To get an hood I hold it best."

"By [my own] soul that is true!"

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7 Garray, preparation. First English "gearo," ready; "gearwian," to make ready. With the g softened, geara" becomes "yare," as in the opening of the "Tempest," "Fall to't yarely, or we run ourselves aground." Another form "gearcian," to prepare, has the g softened to j, in "jerked" (or prepared) beef; the same word occurs, misspelt through a mistaken etymology, in "jugged hare."

8 Glow (First English "gleo" and "gliw"), glee.

9 Curches, kerchiefs; our "courches" in the original sense of the word as a woman's covering for the head, "couvre-chef." It has been argued that James I. could not be the author of this poem, because curches and hoods are mentioned in it; and a statute of James II., in 1457, enacted "that the wives and daughters of men living in boroughs, and of landwart" (those living in the country), "should not wear sumptuous clothing, but be abulzied" (apparelled, from French "habiller") "in manner correspondent to their estate; that is to say, on their head short curchies, with little hoods, such as are used in Flanders, England, and other countries." From this sumptuary law, and the pointing to the use of "curchies with little hoods" by women in Flanders, England, and elsewhere, of like station with those who over-dressed their heads in Scotland, it is inferred without sufficient reason that the Scottish peasantry never wore curches, or hoods-the simplest of head-coverings-till 1457. In the fashion of ladies' head-dresses, horns, or high heart-shaped

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1 Ilk body bownis, everybody makes ready. "Boun," or "bown," to make ready. Icelandic "búa," past participle "búinn." The word "boun," common in old English-" boun (that is, made ready, or prepared) for sea," &c. was afterwards written "bound," as in "outward bound," "bound for New York." Other old Northern senses of the word "buinn" or "boun," were "ready" or "willing," and allied to it the being about to do anything. Thus in Cleasby's Icelandic Dictionary we have the phrase quoted, "hann var búinn til falls," he was just about to tumble, as one might still say in English of a boy on the edge of a wall that he "is bound to fall." In some common English phrases the word has been confused in usage with the participle of "bind."

2 Found, go. First English "fundian," endeavour to find, go forward. The ending ian is only a sign of the infinitive, like er or ir in French.

3 Graythit, made ready. First English "gera'dian." Wait (First English "wát"), knows.

Stound, time. First English "stund," a space of time.

SUMPTUOUS HEAD-DRESSES. From King's MS. 18, E. II., p. 269.

structures, prevailed during the reign of James I. of Scotland, who was killed in 1437, and they were superseded after the middle of the century by steeple caps half an ell or three-quarters of an ell high. 10 Prest (French " prêt "), ready.

11 Blew, disconcerted, looking blue. On the very morning of the holiday, says Kitty to Meg, "Thy kerchiefs are not ready" (meaning, perhaps, not dry or smooth from the wash). Meg looks concerned, but says, "You'd better get a hood." "Well thought of," says Kitty; "so I will" (takes from its nail her homespun hood, and goes. without a kerchief).

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3 Bend, band, ribbon. She coiled up a length of plaited hair, and would not let it hang down her back, though a sweetheart did offer to grace her back with a bunch, that was to do what a much later song represents as good in a damsel's eyes: "He promised to buy me a bunch of blue ribbon to tie up my bonny brown hair." Guckit, foolish, from "gowk." s Gend, playful.

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TWEEDSIDE, A MILE WEST OF PEEBLES, NEIDPATH CASTLE.

A young man stert into that steid1

As cant's as any colt,

A birkin hat upon his head
With a bow and a bolt; 15

11 Drawn in 1788 for John Carter's "Ancient Architecture of England," from carvings that represent humours of a popular festival (a Whitsun Ale) on the entablature under the parapet of the nave of St. John's Church, Cirencester. The nave was rebuilt between 1504 and 1522, and its carvings, from which I take also the I figures on pages 67-69, were to be seen only from the leads of the side aisles. 1 Steid, place.

13 Cant, and "canty," lively. Old Swedish "ganta," to play.
14 Birkin, birchen.

is Bolt, arrow, that which is thrust forward; from a root meaning "impel." The same idea gives its name to the bolt of a door, indeed, we speak of shooting the bolt of a door.

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1 Smolt (First English "smylt" and "smolt"), serene, mild, calm.

2 C'eikit up, raised, snatched up. The first idea is, catching any

thing up with a "cleik," or iron hook, or chain.-Ruf, rough.

3 Gait, way. Scandinavian "gata."

How at, in what way.

5 The laif, those left.-Fone, fondle.

6 Wys me? direct me? don't try it. First English "wisian," to instruct, show, guide, direct, govern.

7 Swith, in strength, bravely. A First English word.

8 Winklot, young woman. First English "wencle," a maid or daughter. 9 Leuche, laughed.

10 Oly (French "joli"), with jollity, good-humoured prancing. 11 Crous, brisk-tempered. French "courroucé."

12 With ane mischance, with a mischief to you!

13 Braid (First English "bræ'dan "), make broad, spread out. The noun "bræ'de" meant breadth, and also a table, as that which is spread.

14 He hydis, he hurries, says hurryingly; to "hey," to hasten. First

English "higan," to hie, to make haste.-Tyte, soon.

15 In a trance, passing away, dying for our dinner.

16 Napre (French "nappe"), a cloth.

STRIFE.

17 Scorit upon the wauch, kept score upon the wall.

18 Rakin our lauch, reckon our tavern bill. "Lauch" (also "lawin" and "lawing") may be from "lecgan," to lay, or put down.

19 At ye aucht, what you ought. You need not score all my jugs and dishes on the wall, and trouble yourselves to check my reckoning. I shall not cheat you.

20 Lauche for heydin, laugh for scorn. Heydin (Icelandic "hæthni "), mockery, scurrility. 21 Thou servite ane dunt, deservest a blow.

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18 A styme, the faintest form of anything, a glimpse.

1 To red them, to part them and put them in order. The cadger and his wife held men and pulled them from one another; but there was such a dust that there was no seeing how to set them to rights. "To red up one's self" is to dress; "to red a play" is to settle a broil, and so forth.

15 Stert, started. Its r has the value of a second syllable in the metre.

16 Creillis, paniers. The cadger, when he threw off his mare's paniers to mount himself, meant, perhaps, to ride for help to stop the battle. 17 Lap, leapt.

18 Sat him, vexed him. First English "súht," morbid state.

Icelandic "syta," to wail; "sút," sorrow. German "sucht," disease, weakness; any

With that Will Swan came sweatand out A mickle miller man :

"Gif I sall dance, have done! lat see! Blaw up the bagpipe than!

19 Culroun, rascal.

20 Fylit, soiled, fouled.

22 Drest, treated.

21 See as, see how.

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23 Lest me, follow me. First English "l'stan," to observe, follow,

pursue.

24 Kest, cast, threw.

25 Or gif, or it may be.

26 Forfochtin faint, faint by exhaustion from fighting and struggling. 27 The bargain was all played, the battle was all fought; "play" here being from First English "pleo," danger, debate; "play" in the other sense is from "plega," pastime or sport.

28 The bowstrings started from the notches. King James adds the image of the slackened bowstring as a humorous suggestion of the rest from battle.

29 Tulye, broil, quarrel.

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FAIR ALICE.

"My bird, now will I fare."

[Was never] a word that she might speak, But swownit that sweit of swair 12

For kindness,

Of Peebles to the Play.

He fippilit 13 like a fatherless foal; And "Be still, my sweet thing!"

"By the haly ruid of Peblis

I may not rest for greeting.'

He whistlit and he pipit baith

"14

To make her blithe that meeting; "My honey heart, how says the sang, There sall be mirth at our meeting

Yet."

Of Peebles to the Play.

By that the sun was settand shaftis,

And near done was the day;

There men might hear schriken of chaftis 15 When that they went their way.

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11 Winklottis, damsels; when the girls and their wooers twynet, parted.

12 Swownit of swair, fainted on his neck. First English "sweor," the neck.

13 Fippilit, whimpered.

14 Greeting, weeping. First English "græ'tan," to weep.

15 Chaftis, chaps. Icelandic "kjaptr," older form " kjöptr," the jaw, in a vulgar sense. The holiday-makers end their day with shrieking noises on the way home, still familiar to those who live anywhere upon the path of Whitsun or other popular holiday-makers. The tailpiece on the next page is taken, like the other figures representing humours of a popular festival, as carved by a Cruikshank of more than 350 years ago, through Carter's "Ancient Architecture of England," from the wall of St. John's Church, Cirencester.

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