Scottish Text Society publications > Old series > Kingis quair

xliv
INTRODUCTION.
Quair ; the texts of these poems ; and a Dissertation on the
Scottish Music. The editor was William Tytler, Esq., Writer
to the Signet, and father of Lord Woodhouselee. A copy
of the work here described, in the British Museum, contains
also a short account of him, cut out of the European Maga¬
zine. He tells us that the King’s Quair “was never before
published.” The editor’s attention was drawn to it by a
notice by Bishop Tanner, who had observed it amongst the
Selden MSS. in the Bodleian Library. After an unsuc¬
cessful search for the MS., he at last applied “to an inge¬
nious young gentleman, a student of Oxford, who undertook
the task, and found the MS. accordingly. From a very
accurate copy made by him ” (says Mr Tytler) “ the present
publication is given.” Unfortunately, the transcript was by
no means a good one ; and the following examples of mis¬
readings and misapprehensions exhibit extraordinary non¬
sense :—
(a) “And freschly in thair birdis kynd araid,
Thaire fatheris new, and fret thame in the sonne” (35).
To make sense, delete the comma after araid, and read
fetheris, as in the MS.
{ti) “ So fere forth of my lyf the hevy lyne,
Without confort in sorowe, abandoune
The second sistere, lukit hath to tuyne,
Nere, by the space of zeris twice nyne,” &c. (25).
To make sense, alter the punctuation.
(c) “To lyve under zour law and so seruise" (52).
For so read do, as in the MS.
{cl) “And, quhen sche walkit, had a lytill thrawe ” (67)
Delete both the commas.
(c) “There saw I sitt in order by thame one
With hedis hare," &c. (80).