Selected Poems

by David Lyndsay

In the late 16th-18th centuries, a literate Scottish household was likely to own two books: the Bible and the poems of Sir David Lyndsay. This collection is both an accessible introduction to new readers, for whom there are on-the-page annotations and references, and a valuable resource for specialists, who will appreciate the freshly-established texts. The supplemental notes illustrate the richness of Lyndsay's language and explain numerous references of the time, while an introduction provides biographical information and discusses important features of Lyndsay's poetry.

374 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount, (also spelled Lindsay) (c.1490 – c.1555) was a Scottish officer of arms, poet (Makar) and dramatist, whose works reflect the spirit of the Renaissance.

He attended the University of St. Andrews and was subsequently engaged as a courtier in the Royal Household; first as an equerry, then as an usher (assistant to a head-tutor) to the future King James V of Scotland. His first heraldic appointment was as Snowdon Herald and in 1529 he was appointed Lord Lyon King of Arms, and knighted. After the death of James V, in 1542, he continued to sit in Parliament of Scotland as commissioner for Cupar, Fife; and in 1548 he was member of a mission to Denmark which obtained privileges for Scottish merchants.

Lyndsay's Ane Pleasant Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis is of great historical interest, being the only extant example of a complete Scottish morality play.