ABSTRACT
The Jamesian Scotland whose brief noontide of splendour, prosperity, gaiety, and culture is reflected in his poems had suffered eclipse. The reason is that the period of sophistication, when oral literature is in danger and attempts are made to preserve some of it in writing, began much earlier in England than in Scotland, which is also one reason why Scotland is richer in ballads than England. Apart from the very old religious and gnomic ballads extant in England, there is the Robin Hood cycle, dealing with events of the twelfth century, whereas the oldest Scots event known to have been the subject of a ballad-the murder of Lord Liddesdale-occurred in 1353. From the true spirit of the old ballads most Scots writers during last century departed almost as completely as from the spirit of Dunbar; and the ballad has been a potent influence in the modern revival of Scots letters.
