King James VI and I

Selected Writings

Neil Rhodes, Jennifer Richards

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781351923958
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Geschichte
• Subtopic: Weltgeschichte

'Yet hath it been ever esteemed a matter commendable to collect [works] together, and incorporate them into one body, that we may behold at once, what divers Off-springs have proceeded from one braine.' This observation from the Bishop of Winchester in his preface to King James's 1616 Workes is particularly appropriate, since James's writings cross the boundaries of so many different fields. While several other monarchs engaged in literary composition, King James VI and I stands out as 'an inveterate scribbler' and is certainly the most extensively published of all British rulers. King James VI and I provides a broad representative selection of King James's writings on a range of secular and religious topics. Each text is provided in full, creating an invaluable reference tool for 16th and 17th century scholars working in different disciplines and a fascinating collection for students and general readers interested in early modern history and literature. In contrast to other editions of James's writings, which have been confined to a single aspect of his work, the present edition brings together for the first time his poetry and his religious writing, his political works and his treatises on witchcraft and tobacco, in a single volume. What makes this collection of James's writings especially significant is the distinctiveness of his position as both writer and ruler, an author of incontestable authority. All his authorly roles, as poet, polemicist, theologian, political theorist and political orator are informed by this fact. James's writings were also inevitably influenced by the circumstances of his reigns and this volume reflects the turbulent issues of religion, politics and nationhood that troubled his three kingdoms.

THE ESSAYES OF A PRENTISE IN THE DIVINE ART OF POESIE.¹

SONNET.

IF Martiall deeds, and practise of the pen

Have wonne to auncient Grece a worthie fame:

If Battels bold, and Bookes of learned men

Have magnified the mightie Romain name:

Then place this Prince, who well deserves the same:

Since he is one of Mars and Pallas race:²

For both the Godds in him have sett in frame

Their vertewes both, which both, he doth embrace.

Of Macedon, adornde with heavenly grace,

Of Romain stout, decorde with learned skill,

The Monarks all to thee shall quite their place:

Thy endles fame shall all the world fulfill.

And after thee, none worthier shalbe seene,

To sway the Sword, and gaine the Laurell³ greene.

T.H.⁴

SONNET.

THE glorious Grekis in stately style do blaise

The lawde, the conqurour gave their Homer olde:

The verses Cœsar song in Maroes praise,

The Romanis in remembrance depe have rolde.

Ye Thespian Nymphes, that suppe the Nectar colde,

That from Parnassis⁵ forked topp doth fall,

What Alexander or Augustus bolde,

May sound his fame, whose vertewes pass them all?

O Phœbus, for thy help, heir might I call,

And on Minerve,⁶ and Maias⁷ learned sonne:

But since I know, none was, none is, nor shall,

Can rightly ring the fame that he hath wonne,

Then stay your travels, lay your pennis adowne,

For Cæsars works, shall justly Cæsar crowne.

R.H.⁸

SONNET.

Can goldin Titan⁹ shyning bright at morne

For light of Torchis, cast ane greater shaw?

Can Thunder reard the heicher for a horne?

Craks Cannons louder, thoght ane Cok sould craw?

Can our weake breath help Boreas¹⁰ for to blaw?

Can Candill lowe give fyre a greater heit?

Can quhytest* Swans more quhyter mak the Snaw?

Can Virgins tears augment the Vinters weit?*

Helps pyping Pan Apollos¹¹ Musique sweit?

Can Fountanis small the Ocean sea incresse?

No, they augment the greater nocht a quheit:*

Bot they them selves appears to grow the lesse.

So (worthy Prince) thy works sall mak the knawin.

Ours helps not thyne: we steynzie* bot our awin.

A.M.¹²

ANE SCHORT TREATISE, CONTEINING SOME REULIS and cautelis* to be observit and eschewit* in Scottis Poesie.

A QUADRAIN OF ALEXANDRIN VERSE, DECLARING TO QUHOME THE Authour hes directit his labour.

To ignorants obdurde, quhair* wilfull errour lyis,

Nor zit to curious folks, quhilks carping dois deject thee,

Nor zit to learned men, quha* thinks thame onelie wyis,

Bot to the docile¹³ bairns of knawledge I direct thee.

THE PREFACE TO
the Reader.

The cause why (docile Reader) I have not dedicat this short treatise to any particular personis, (as commounly workis usis to be) is, that I esteme all thais quha hes already some beginning of knawledge, with ane earnest desyre to atteyne to farther, alyke meit* for the reading of this worke, or any uther, quhilk* may help thame to the atteining to thair foirsaid desyre. Bot as to this work, quhilk is intitulit,* The Reulis and cautelis¹⁴ to be observit & eschewit in Scottis Poesie, ze may marvell paraventure, quhairfore I sould have writtin in that mater, sen sa mony learnit men, baith of auld and of late hes already written thairof in dyvers and sindry languages: I answer, That nochtwithstanding, I have lykewayis writtin of it, for twa caussis: The ane* is, As for them that wrait of auld, lyke as the tyme is changeit sensyne,* sa is the ordour* of Poesie changeit. For then they observit not Flowing,¹⁵ nor eschewit not Rhyming in termes,¹⁶ besydes sindrie uther thingis, quhilk now we observe, & eschew, and dois weil in sa doing: because that now, quhen* the warld is waxit auld, we have all their opinionis in writ, quhilk were learned before our tyme, besides our awin ingynis,* quhair as they then did it onelie be thair awin ingynis, but help of any uther. Thairfore, quhat I speik of Poesie now, I speik of it, as being come to mannis age* and perfectioun, quhair as then, it was bot in the infancie and chyldheid. The uther cause is, That as for thame that hes written in it of late, there hes never ane of thame written in our language. For albeit sindrie hes written of it in English, quhilk is lykest to our langu...