20 The sun most like a speedy post With ardent course ascends; 21 The breathless flocks draw to the shade And freshure1 of their fauld;" The startling nolt, as they were mad, 22 The herds beneath some leafy trees, 23 The hart, the hind, the fallow-deer, The fowls and birds that made thee beare,+ 24 The rayons dure5 descending down, In city, nor in burrough town, 25 Back from the blue pavemented whun,7 The hot reflexing of the sun 26 The labourers that timely rose, 1 Freshure:' freshness.- Fauld:' fold.- 'Tapish'd:' stretched as on a carpet.-Beare:' sound, music.-Rayons dure:' hard or keen rays.—6 · Gleid :' fire. Whun:' whinstone. For heat down to their houses goes, 27 The caller1 wine in cave is sought, 28 With gilded eyes and open wings, 29 The dove with whistling wings so blue, Her purple pens turn many a hue 30 Now noon is gone-gone is mid-day, 31 The rayons of the sun we see The shade of every tower and tree 32 Great is the calm, for everywhere The reek throws up right in the air, Caller:' cool. 3 Brothing:' burning.- Ule:' oil. 'Dings:' beats. 4 Reek:' smoke. 33 The mavis and the philomeen,1 The starling whistles loud, The cushats on the branches green, 34 The gloamin comes, the day is spent, 35 The scarlet nor the golden thread, * 36 What pleasure then to walk and see, The perfect form of every tree 37 The salmon out of cruives and creels,7 The bells and circles on the weills,9 38 O sure it were a seemly thing, The praise of God to play and sing 6 1 The mavis and the philomeen:' thrush and nightingale.-2 'Cushats:* wood-pigeons.-3 Crood:' coo.-Gloamin:' evening. Endlong:' along.6Cruives:' cages for catching fish.- 'Creels:' baskets.-8 Scouts:' small boats or yawls. Weills:' eddies. 39 Through all the land great is the gild1 Of bleating sheep, from they be fill'd, 40 All labourers draw home at even, Thanks to the gracious God of heaven, 6 OTHER SCOTTISH POETS. ABOUT the same time with Hume flourished two or three poets in Scotland of considerable merit, such as Alexander Scott, author of satires and amatory poems, and called sometimes the Scottish Anacreon;' Sir Richard Maitland of Lethington, father of the famous Secretary Lethington, who, in his advanced years, composed and dictated to his daughter a few moral and conversational pieces, and who collected, besides, into a MS. which bears his name, the productions of some of his contemporaries; and Alexander Montgomery, author of an allegorical poem, entitled 'The Cherry and the Slae.' The allegory is not well managed, but some of the natural descriptions are sweet and striking. Take the two following stanzas as a specimen 'The cushat croods, the corbie cries, To geck there they begin ; The jargon of the jangling jays, The turtle wails, on wither'd trees, 'Gild:' throng. Repeating, with greeting, His shadow in the well. 'The air was sober, saft, and sweet, Some knopping, some dropping Of balmy liquor sweet, Excelling and smelling Through Phoebus' wholesome heat.' The Cherry and the Slae' was familiar to Burns, who often, our readers will observe, copied its form of verse. SAMUEL DANIEL. THIS ingenious person was born in 1562, near Taunton, in Somersetshire. His father was a music-master. He was patronised by the noble family of Pembroke, who probably also maintained him at college. He went to Magdalen Hall, Oxford, in 1579; and after studying there, chiefly history and poetry, for seven years, he left without a degree. When twentythree years of age, he translated Paulus Jovius' Discourse of Rare Inventions.' He became tutor to Lady Anne Clifford, the elegant and accomplished daughter of the Earl of Cumberland. She, at his death, raised a monument to his memory, and recorded on it, with pride, that she had been his pupil. After Spenser died, Daniel became a ' voluntary laureat' to the Court, producing masques and pageants, but was soon supplanted by 'rare Ben Jonson.' In 1603 he was appointed Master of the Queen's Revels and Inspector of the Plays to be enacted by |