Dunbar William

Dunbar, William, was born in Lothian, Scotland, about 1460, being of the family of the Earls of March. In 1477 he graduated at St. Andrew's, and appears to have become a preaching Franciscan. Before the end of the century James IV. employed him on diplomatic missions, and from the year 1500 he was a pensioned servant of the king and "rhymer of Scotland." He visited England on the marriage of his master with Princess Margaret, and he received a present from Henry VII., probably for The Thrissil and the Rois, a poem commemorating that event. We have about a hundred of his compositions, most of them short, but showing a good deal of imagination, high descriptive powers, and an exuberant humour that is occasionally unintelligible and not seldom coarse. The Golden Targe is a serious allegory of high aim, but wearisome. The Dance of the Seven Deadlg Synnes, a weird and grotesque performance, has the merit of originality. The Freiris of Berwyh and The Twa Mart/it Weinca and the Wcdo follow Chaucer pretty closely, whilst The Flytiny of Dunbar and Kennedy, being hardly comprehensible, though full of strongly-flavoured expressions, has been very popular in the north. After the battle of Flodden the poet disappears from view, but is supposed to have lived until 1520, or even a few years later.