" Huchawn of the Awls Ryale," the Alliterative Poet. By
George Neilson. (I MacLehose and Sons, Glasgow. 6a.)—" Awle Ryale "=Aula Regalia, and " Huchown "= Sir Hew of Eglintoan. Sir Hew, born early in the fourteenth century, was knighted in 1342, was taken prisoner in a Border fray under David II., but released before very long. During the next thirty odd years he was actively engaged in Anglo-Scottish politics. More than once we hear of him in London, and in 1369 he seems to have visited Rome on one of the divorce cases out of which the Roman Curia made such vast and scandalous gains. Some eight years later he died. Mr. Neilson seeks to make out that this soldier and diplomat was a poet,—" a unique and lofty spirit," " a superb craftsman of letters." By an elaborate argument built on coin- cidences, resemblances, &c., an argument which it would be quite impossible to present to our readers, he shows that the " Wars of Alexander," various Scriptural poems, the "Destruction of Troy," " Titus and Vespasian," and other alliterative poems were his work. Possibly Mr. Neilson may give us hereafter specimens of this literary phenomenon that will furnish an adequate presenta- tion of his genius.
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