Specimens of English literature from the 'Ploughmans crede' to the ...

VI.HENRY THE MINSTREL.ABOUT A. D. 146 1.Of Henry the Minstrel, commonly known as 'Blind Harry,'nearly all that is known is contained in a single sentence writtenby John Mair [or Major], the Scotch historian, who was bornabout the year 1470.In Book IV, ch. xv, he has a sentence whichjamieson thus translates :— ' Henry, who was blind from his birth,in the time of my infancy composed the whole book of WilliamWallace ; and committed to writing in vulgar poetry, in whichhe was well skilled, the things that were commonly related ofhim. For my own part, I give only partial credit to writings ofthis description. By the recitation of these, however, in thepresence of men of the highest rank, he procured, ashe indeeddeserved, food and raiment.' His poem was first printed in 1570,and has since then been frequently reprinted, the best editionbeing that by Dr. Jamieson, printed in 1820 from the uniqueMS. in the Advocate's Library at Edinburgh, transcribed byJohn de Ramsay in the year 1488. The date commonly assignedto the poem is about 1460, but Dempster and others give it as1361. The latter is clearly wrong (probably by an oversight) asto the century, but may easily be right otherwise, and I havetherefore adopted 1461 as the true year. For further remarks,see Jamieson's edition, Morley'i, ' English Writers,' Irving's ' Livesof the Scottish Poets,' Warton, Craik, &c. The text is given(with very slight alterations) as it stands in Jamieson's edition,but has been recompared with the MS.