Scottish Text Society publications > Old series > Poems of Alexander Montgomerie

360
NOTES TO MISCELLANEOUS POEMS.
Maxwell of Southbar, to whom there is a reference in the line, ‘Sprang
thou from Maxwell and Montgomerie’s Muse,’ in a sonnet addressed
to Sir William Mure of Rowallan, by a writer whose identity is con¬
cealed under the initials A. S. William Motherwell, in an article in
the ‘ Paisley Magazine,’ August I, 1828, quotes examples of Maxwell’s
verse from a manuscript in his possession, of which he gives the
following description : “A small MS. of thirty-six leaves closely and
beautifully written, the first date of which is 17th March 1584, and the
last date 3rd July 1589. It appears to be nothing else than a book
of boyish exercises and attempts at verse-making,” &c. Of several
triolets quoted this is an example :—
“ I die for Iwife of sweit Susanna
But rest or rwife,1 I die for lowe,
I wald remove, sir, yet I canna,
I die for lowe of sweit Susanna.”
The manuscript also contains a transcript of Montgomerie’s sonnet to
King James prefixed to the ‘Essayes of a Prentise.’
XV.
The following charter from the Register of the Great Seal of Scot¬
land throws an interesting light on the subject of these verses, which
are apparently only a portion of a longer poem :—
24^ September 1597. Rex concessit Thome Lowthiane mercatori
burgensi de Edinburgh, heredibus ejus et assignatis, terram posteri-
orem infra duo tenementa terre dicti Tho. per eum noviter edificat.
(continen. 3 cellaria, 3 cameras et solium cum superiore horto)
ex parte australi vici regii burgi de Edinburgh prope montem castri
(inter terram dicti Tho. ab Adamo Wallace conquestam, et terras
Francisce Weir); que fuit quondam Robert! Donaldsoun in Falkirk
burgensis de Striviling; et regi devenit ob existentiam dicti Rob.
mense Aug. 1597 convicti et mortem passi pro quibusdam criminibus
magice, sorcerie, diabolice incantationis et consultationis cum sagis:
Tenend. in libero burgagio : Test, ut in aliis cartis oc.
The Beggis (Beatrice?) Donaldsoun of the poem was no doubt the
daughter of Robert Donaldsoun, who, according to the above charter,
was put to death for sorcery in August 1597. Evidently by this date
Beggis had become the wife of Thomas Louthian, hence the royal
grant of part of her father’s land to her husband. In the Register
of the Privy Council there is an entry on the 6th October 1584 record¬
ing the complaint of “ Beigis Wyise, spouse to William Donaldsoun,
1 Misprinted ‘rwise’ by Motherwell. Of. ‘My luif remow pis ruif of care,’
p. 209, 1. 26.