Scottish Text Society publications > Old series > Scottish alliterative poems in riming stanzas

INTRODUCTION.
xxxi
of Douglas, how Sir James carried it to the Holy Grave,
how he fought against Saracens, casting the heart before
him, how at last he died while rescuing a knight sur¬
rounded by the infidels, xxxi.-xlii. Then we are told how
Archibald (the Grim) added to the Douglas arms the three
stars of Moray by marrying the heiress of that house, and
the lion rampant by his conquest of Galloway for the
crown, xliii.-xlv. After a short description of the bearings
of the Earl of Moray and of his two younger brothers, and
of the crest on the family shields, he returns to the subject
of his poem, xlvi.-xlix. The Emperor’s retinue comprised
also the Merlins, bold bachelors ; the Buzzards and the
Bald Kites, soldiers and sumptermen ; the u Pitill" and
“ Pipe-Gled',' purveyors of the party ; Robin Redbreast, the
henchman; the Wren, a dwarf; the Hobby, the Kestrel,
the “SteroRis,” and a multitude of other officers. The
Pope welcomes them and invites them to dinner. The
Falcon marshals them to table in due order. There are
two stewards—the Stork for flesh-time, and the Solan-Goose
for fast-days. The Bittern, as cook, prepares the feast,
l.-lv. In the middle of the banquet the Mavis, the Merle,
the Ousels, the Starlings, the Lark, and the Nightingales
enter as minstrels and sing a hymn to the Virgin, Iv.-lix.
Next comes the Jay with his juggling tricks, who, among
other wonders, makes the Emperor see his horses pounded
by the Corn-Crake because they have eaten the Church
corn. The Rook, a bard from Ireland, entertains the
company with a string of meaningless Gaelic words in¬
terspersed with requests for food and drink, and is re¬
proved by the rural dean, who is roundly abused for his
pains. Two fools, the Lapwing and the Cuckoo, rush in,
attack the bard, drive him out of the hall, then fight among