thoucht he happin to be ane king, his empire sall end unhappelie, and nane of his blude sall eftir him succeid; be contrar, thow sall nevir be king, bot of the sal cum mony kingis, quhilkis, with lang progressioun, sall rejose the croun of Scotland.' Als sone as thir wourdis wer said, thay suddanlie evanist out of sicht. This prophecy and divinatioun wes haldin mony dayis in derision to Banquho and Makbeth. For sum time, Banquho wald call Makbeth, King of Scottis, for derisioun; and he, on the samin maner, wald call Banquho the fader of mony kingis. Yit, becaus al thingis succedit as thir wemen devinit, the pepill traistit and jugit thaim to be weird sisteris. Not lang eftir, it hapnit that the Thane of Cawder wes disherist and forfaltit of his landis, for certane crimes of lese majeste; and his landis wer gevin be King Duncane to Makbeth. It hapnit in the next nicht, that Banquho and Makbeth wer sportand togiddir at thair supper. Than said Banquho, Thow hes gottin all that the first two weird sisteris hecht. Restis nocht bot the croun, quhilk wes hecht be the thrid sister.' Makbeth, revolving all thingis as thay wer said be thir weird sisteris, began to covat the croun; and yit he concludit to abide quhil he saw the time ganand thairto, fermelie beleving that the thrid weird suld cum, as the first two did afore.

incontinent thairefter was drownit in ane fresche rever. Now I belief nane hes sic eloquence, nor fouth of langage, that can sufficientlie declare, how far we, in thir present dayis, ar different fra the virtew and temperance of our eldaris. For quhare our eldaris had sobriete, we have ebriete and dronkines; quhare thay had plente with sufficence, we have immoderat cursis [courses] with superfluite; as he war maist noble and honest, that culd devore and swelly maist; and, be extreme diligence, serchis sa mony deligat coursis, that thay provoke the stomok to ressave mair than it may sufficientlie degest. And nocht allenarliel may surfet dennar and sowper suffice us, above the temperance of oure eldaris, bot als to continew our schamefull and immoderit voracite with duble dennaris and sowparis. Na fishe in the se, nor foul in the aire, nor best in the wod, may have rest, but socht heir and thair, to satisfy the hungry appetit of glutonis. Nocht allenarly ar winis socht in France, bot in Spainye, Italy, and Grece; and, sumtime, baith Aphrik and Asia socht, for new delicius metis and winis, to the samin effect. Thus is the warld sa utterly socht, that all maner of droggis and electuaris, that may nuris the lust and insolence of pepill, ar brocht in Scotland, with maist sumptuus price, to na les dammage than perdition In the mene time, King Duncane maid his son Mal- of the pepill thereof: for, throw the immoderat glutcolme Prince of Cumbir, to signify that he suld ony, our wit and reason ar sa blindit within the preregne eftir him. Quhilk wes gret displeseir to Mak- soun of the body, that it may have no knawledge of beth; for it maid plane derogatioun to the thrid weird, hevinly thingis; for the body is involvit with sic promittit afore to him be thir weird sisteris. Noch- clowdis of fatnes, that, howbeit it be of gud comtheles, he thocht, gif Duncane wer slane, he had maist plexioun be nature, it is sa opprest with superfleu richt to the croun, becaus he wes nerest of blud thair-metis and drinkis, that it may nothir weild, nor yit to, be tennour of the auld lawis maid eftir the deith of King Fergus, ‘Quhen young children wer unabil to govern the croun, the nerrest of thair blude sall regne.' Als, the respons of thir weird sisteris put him in beleif, that the thrid weird suld cum als weill as the first two. Attour, his wife, impacient of lang tary, as all wemen ar, specially quhare thay ar desirus of ony purpos, gaif him gret artation to persew the thrid weird, that scho micht be ane quene; calland him, oft timis, febil cowart, and nocht desirus of honouris; sen he durst not assailye the thing with manheid and curage, quhilk is offerit to him be benivolence of fortoun; howbeit sindry otheris hes assailyeit síc thingis afore, with maist terribil jeopardyis, quhen thay had not sic sickernes to succeid in the end of thair laubouris as he had.

Makbeth, be persuasion of his wife, gaderit his freindis to ane counsall at Innernes, quhare King Duncane happinit to be for the time. And because he fand sufficient oportunite, be support of Banquho and otheris his freindis, he slew King Duncane, the vii yeir of his regne. His body was buryit in Elgin, and eftir tane up and brocht to Colmekill, quhare it remanis yit, amang the sepulturis of uthir kingis; fra our redemption, MXLVI yeris.

The New Maneris and the Auld, of Scottis. Our eldaris howbeit thay war richt virtewis baith in weir and peace, war maist exercit with temperance; for it is the fontane of all virtew. Thay disjunit airly in the morning with smal refectioun, and sustenit thair liffis thairwith quhil the time of sowper; throw quhilk thair stomok was nevir surfetly chargit, to empesche thaim of uthir besines. At the sowpar thay war mair large; howbeit thay had bot ane cours. Thay eit, for common, flesche half raw; for the saup is maist nurisand in that maner. All dronkatis, glutonis, and consumers of vittalis, mair nor was necessar to the sustentation of men, war tane, and first commandit to swelly thair fowth3 of quhat drink thay plesit, and

ouir2 the self; bot, confessand the self vincust, gevis place to all infirmiteis, quhill it be miserably destroyit.

[Extract from the Complaynt of Scotland.]

There eftir I heard the rumour of rammasche3 foulis and of beystis that made grite beir, quhilk past beside burnis and boggis on green bankis to seek their sustentation. Their brutal sound did redond te the high skyis, quhil the deep hou3 cauernis of cleuchis and rotche craggis ansuert vitht ane high note of that samyn sound as thay beystis hed blauen. It aperit be presumyng and presuposing, that blaberand eccho had been hid in ane hou hole, cryand hyr half ansueir, quhen Narcissus rycht sorry socht for his saruandis, quhen he was in ane forrest, far fra ony folkis, and there efter for love of eccho he drounit in ane drau vel. Nou to tel treutht of the beystis that maid sic beir, and of the dyn that the foulis did, ther syndry soundis hed nothir temperance nor tune. For fyrst furtht on the fresche fieldis the nolt maid noyis vitht mony loud lou. Baytht horse and meyris did fast nee, and the folis neckyr. The bullis began to bullir, quhen the scheip began to blait, because the calfis began till mo, quhen the doggis berkit. Than the suyne began to quhryne quhen thai herd the asse rair, quhilk gart the hennis kekkyl quhen the cokis creu. The chekyns began to peu when the gled quhissillit. The fox follouit the fed geise and gart them cry claik. The gayslingis cryit quhilk quhilk, and the dukis cryit quaik. The ropeen of the rauynis gart the cras crope. The huddit crauis cryit varrok varrok, quhen the suannis murnit, because the gray goul mau pronosticat ane storme. The turtil began for to greit, quhen the cuschet zoulit. The titlene followit the goilk,8 and gart hyr sing guk guk. The dou9 croutit hyr sad sang that soundit lyik sorrou.

Robeen and

6 Hollow. 6 Cloughs, deep valleys

7 Forced, caused. 8 Cuckoo. 9 Dove.

throughout very closely followed it. To use the words of a profound modern scholar, It is astonishing how little obsolete the language of it is, even at this day; and, in point of perspicuity and noble simplicity, propriety of idiom, and purity of style, no English version has yet surpassed it.'* A beautiful edition of it has lately been published.† The following are Tyndale's translations of the Magnificat and Lord's Prayer, in the spelling of the original edition :-

And Mary sayde, My soule magnifieth the Lorde, and my sprete reioyseth in God my Savioure.

For he hath loked on the povre degre off his honde mayden. Beholde nowe from hens forthe shall all generacions call me blessed.

For he that is myghty hath done to me greate thinges, and blessed ys his name:

And hys mercy is always on them that feare him thorow oute all generacions.

These translations were speedily followed by others, so that the desire of the people for scriptural knowledge was amply gratified. The dissemination of so many copies of the sacred volume, where neither the Bible nor any considerable number of other books had formerly been in use, produced very remarkable effects. The versions first used, having been formed in some measure from the Latin translation, called the Vulgate, contained many words from that language, which had hardly before been considered as English; such as perdition, consolation, reconciliation, sanctification, immortality, frustrate, inexcusable, transfigure, and many others requisite for the expression of compound and abstract ideas, which had never occurred to our Saxon ancestors, and therefore were not represented by any terms in that language. These words, in the course of time, became part of ordinary discourse, and thus the language was enriched. In the Book of Common Prayer, compiled in the subsequent reign of Edward VI., and which affords many beautiful specimens of the English of that time, the efforts of the learned to make such words familiar, are perceptible in many places; where a Latin term is often given with a Saxon word of the same or nearly the same meaning following it, as humble and lowly,' 'assemble and meet together.' Another effect proceeded from the freedom with which the people were allowed to judge of the doctrines, and canvass the texts, of the sacred writings. The keen interest with which they now perused the Bible, hitherto a closed book to the most of them, is allowed to have given the first imOure Father which arte in heven, halowed be thy pulse to the practice of reading in both parts of the Let thy kingdom come. Thy wyll be ful-island, and to have been one of the causes of the filled, as well in erth, as hit ys in heven. Geve vs flourishing literary era which followed. this daye oure dayly breade. And forgeve vs oure treaspases, even as we forgeve them which treaspas VS. Leede vs not into temptacion, but delyvre vs from yvel!. Amen.

He hath shewed strengthe with his arme; he hath scattered them that are proude in the ymaginacion of their hertes.

He hath putt doune the myghty from their seates, and hath exalted them of lowe degre.

He hath filled the hongry with goode thinges, and hath sent away the ryche empty.

He hath remembred mercy, and hath holpen his servaunt Israhel.

Even as he promised to oure fathers, Abraham and to his sced for ever.

name.

MILES COVERDALE.

In translating the Pentateuch, Tyndale was assisted by MILES COVERDALE, who, in 1535, published the first English translation of the whole Scriptures, with this title: Biblia, the Bible; That is, the Holy Scripture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully and newly translated out of the Doutche and Latyn into English. Coverdale was made bishop of Exeter in 1551, but retired to the Continent during the reign of Mary. When Elizabeth ascended the throne, he returned to England, and remained there till his death. His translation of the Bible has lately been reprinted in London. The extent of its variation from that of Tyndale will appear by contrasting the following verse, as rendered by each translator:

SIR JOHN CHEKE.

Among the great men of this age, a high place is due to SIR JOHN CHEKE, (1514-1557), professor of Greek at Cambridge, and one of the preceptors of

the prince, afterwards Edward VI. He is chiefly distinguished for his exertions in introducing the study of the Greek language and literature into England. Having dictated to his pupils an improved mode of pronouncing Greek words, he was violently assailed on that account by Bishop Gardiner, then

thing doen. For what other is the painful travail of Ulysses, described so largely by Homer, but a lively picture of man's misery in this life? And as Plutarch saith, and likewise Basilius Magnus, in the Iliads are described strength and valiantness of body: in Odyssea is set forth a lively pattern of the mind. The poets are wise men, and wished in heart the redress of things; the which when for fear they durst not openly rebuke, they did in colours paint them out, and told men by shadows what they should do in good sothe: or else, because the wicked were unworthy to hear the truth, they spake so that none might understand but those unto whom they please to utter their meaning, and knew them to be of honest conversation.

ROGER ASCHAM.

A still more distinguished instructive writer of this age was ROGER ASCHAM, university orator at Cambridge, at one time preceptor, and ultimately Latin secretary, to Queen Elizabeth. He must be

Aschamus..

This

merrily for a mere matter; this I am sure, which thing this fair wheat (God save it) maketh me remember, that those husbandmen which rise earliest, and come latest home, and are content to have their dinner and other drinkings brought into the field to them, for fear of losing of time, have fatter barns in the harvest, than they which will either sleep at noontime of the day, or else make merry with their neighbours at the ale. And so a scholar, that purposeth to be a good husband, and desireth to reap and enjoy much fruit of learning, must till and sow thereafter. Our best seed time, which be scholars, as it is very timely, and when we be young; so it endureth not over long, and therefore it may not be let slip one hour; our ground is very hard and full of weeds, our horse wherewith we be drawn very wild, as Plato saith. And infinite other mo lets, which will time in sport and play. Toxophilus.-That Aristotle and make a thrifty scholar take heed how he spendeth his Tully spake earnestly, and as they thought, the earnest matter which they entreat upon, doth plainly prove. And as for your husbandry, it was more probably told with apt words, proper to the thing, than thoroughly proved with reasons belonging to our matter. For, contrarywise, I heard myself a good husband at his book once say, that to omit study for some time of the day, and some time of the year, made as much for the increase of learning, as to let the land lie some time fallow, maketh for the better increase of corn. we see, if the land be ploughed every year, the corn considered as the first writer on education in our cometh thin up; the ear is short, the grain is small, language, and it is remarkable that many of his and when it is brought into the barn and threshed, views on this subject accord with the most en- giveth very evil faule. So those which never leave lightened of modern times. His writings themselves poring on their books, have oftentimes as thin invenfurnished an improved example of style, and they tion, as other poor men have, and as small wit and abound in sound sense and excellent instructions. weight in it as in other men's. And thus your husWe are the more called on to admire them, when we bandry, methink, is more like the life of a covetous reflect on the tendency of learned men in that age snudge, that oft very evil proves, than the labour of a to waste their talents and acquirements on profitless good husband, that knoweth well what he doth. And controversy-which was so strong a passion, that, surely the best wits to learning must needs have much whenever Sir John Cheke was temporarily absent recreation, and ceasing from their book, or else they from Cambridge, his associates immediately forsook mar themselves; when base and dumpish wits can the elegant studies to which he had tempted them, never be hurt with continual study; as ye see in lutand fell into disputes about predestination, original ing, that a treble minikin string must always be let sin, &c. Ascham died in 1568, and Elizabeth did down, but at such time as when a man must needs him the honour to remark, that she would rather play, when the base and dull string needeth never to have given ten thousand pounds than lost him. His be moved out of his place. The same reason I find principal work, The Schoolmaster, printed by his true in two bows that have, whereof the one is quick widow, contains, besides the good general views of of cast, trig and trim, both for pleasure and profit; education above alluded to, what Johnson has ac- the other is a lugge slow of cast, following the string, knowledged to be perhaps the best advice that ever more sure for to last than pleasant for to use. Now, was given for the study of languages.' It also pre- Sir, it chanced this other night, one in my chamber sents judicious characters of ancient authors. An- would needs bend them to prove their strength, but other work, entitled Toxophilus, published in 1544, is (I cannot tell how) they were both left bent till the a dialogue on the art of Archery, designed to promote next day after dinner; and when I came to them, an elegant and useful mode of recreation among purposing to have gone on shooting, I found my good those who, like himself, gave most of their time to bow clean cast on the one side, and as weak as water, study, and also to exemplify a style of composition that surely, if I were a rich man, I had rather have more purely English, than what was generally prac-spent a crown; and as for my lugge, it was not one tised. Ascham also wrote a discourse on the affairs whit the worse, but shot by and by as well and as far as ever it did. And even so, I am sure that good wits, of Germany, where he had spent three years in attendance on the English ambassador during the reign except they be let down like a treble string, and unof Edward VI. The following extracts from Ascham's bent like a good casting bow, they will never last and writings show generally an intellect much in advance be able to continue in study. And I know where I of his age :speak this, Philologe, for I would not say thus much afore young men, for they will take soon occasion to study little enough. But I say it, therefore, because I know, as little study getteth little learning, or none at all, so the most study getteth not the most learning of all. For a man's wit, fore-occupied in earnest study, must be as well recreated with some honest pastime, as the body, fore-laboured, must be refreshed with sleep and quietness, or else it cannot endure very long, as the noble poet saith:

[Study should be Relieved by Amusement.] [The following is from the opening of the Toxophilus. It may

be remarked, that what was good sense and sound philosophy in Ascham's time is so still, and at the present time the lesson is not less required than it was then.]

* Philologus.-How much in this matter is to be given to the authority of Aristotle or Tully, I cannot tell, seeing sad men may well enough speak

'What thing wants quiet and merry rest, endures but a small while.'