portion is a love-piece, obviously written at an earlier date than the rest of the poem; the remainder, which in the first and second editions ended in the middle of the 77th stanza, and was afterwards extended to 114 stanzas, is a moral allegory, in which Virtue is represented by the cherry and Vice by the sloe. The poem contains many passages of singular freshness and beauty, and bristles with homely proverbs pithily and tersely put. The first edition was printed by Robert Walde-graue in 1597 (no copy extant); 2nd edit, same year (copy in the Advocates' Library, Edinb.); by Andro Hart, 1615 (no copy extant); in Allan Ramsay's 'Evergreen,' 1724; Foulis, Glasgow, 1746 and 1751; Urie, Glasgow, 1754. A spirited Latin version by Dempster— 'Cerasum et Silvestre Prunum'—appeared in 1631. 'The Flyting betwixt Montgomery and Polwart' was first published by Andro Hart in 1621 (the only known copy was in the Harleian Library at its dispersion, but all trace of it has been lost): another edit., by 'The Heires of Andro Hart,' was dated 1629. 'The Flyting ' belongs to a species of composition scurrilous and vituperative in the extreme, but much relished by the Scots of the sixteenth century. It is an imitation of 'The Flyting' of Dunbar and Kennedie, and quite as coarse and abusive. A portion of it was quoted in King James's 'Revlis and Cavtelis of Scottis Poesie ' in 1584. 'The Mindes Melodie' (Edinburgh, by Robert Charteris, 1605) a version of fifteen of the psalms, Simeon's song, and 'Gloria Patri' was among his last works.
Other poems are found in the following manuscripts : The Drummond MS. in the university of Edinburgh has seventy sonnets and many miscellaneous and devotional poems; the Bannatyne MS. in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, has seven smaller poems. The sonnets are valuable for the light they throw on the poet's life and character. Those in praise of the king are marred by flattery and cringing servility; a few that owe their origin to his vexatious lawsuit are unspeakably bitter; others, addressed to friends, are models of good taste and feeling. The miscellaneous poems are cast in a great variety of measures, and are largely amatory. Two pieces, 'The Navigatioun' and 'A Cartell of thre ventrous Knichts,' are noteworthy as pageants written in Montgomerie's capacity of court poet. They were evidently composed on the occasion of the king's 'first and magnificent entry' into Edinburgh in 1579, when he assumed the reins of government. The Maitland MS. in the Pepysian Library, Magdalene College, Cambridge, has poems on Lady Margaret Montgomerie and 'The Bankis of Helicon,' which have been doubtfully attributed to Montgomerie.
The first complete collection of Montgomerie's works, with a biographical sketch by Dr. Irving, was issued under Dr. Laing's supervision in 1821. The latest edition, with introduction, bibliography, notes, and glossary, by the present writer, was published by the Scottish Text Society, 1887.
[James Melville's Diary; Dempster's Ecclesiastical History of the Scottish Nation; Pont's Topography of Cunningham (Maitland Club), pp. 19, 89-91; Pinkerton's Ancient Scotish Poems; Lyle's Ancient Ballads and Songs; Biographical Notice in Laing's edition; Montgomerie's Poems, ed. Scottish Text Society.]
MONTGOMERIE or SETON, ALEXANDER, sixth Earl of Eglinton (1588–1661), born in 1588, was third son of Robert Seton, first earl of Wintoun, by Margaret, eldest daughter of Hugh Montgomerie, third earl of Eglinton [q. v.] Hugh, fifth earl of Eglinton, the third earl's grandson, was thus his first cousin. He is first known as Sir Alexander Seton of Foulstruther. On 2 July 1606 he and his brother George, master of Wintoun, were summoned to appear before the privy council to answer for an attack on the Earl of Glencairn at Perth (Reg. P. C. Scotl. vii. 222). Having failed to appear, they were on 10 July denounced as rebels (ib. p. 224). On 30 July they, however, gave sureties to answer before the council on the 14th of the following October (ib. p. 646); and the matter was finally settled by an order on 23 Dec. to the master of Wintoun and the Earl of Glencairn to subscribe an assurance (ib. p. 288).
The fifth Earl of Eglinton having no issue made a resignation and settlement of the earldom and entail on his cousin and heirs male of his body, he and they taking the name and arms of Montgomerie. This settlement was confirmed by charter under the great seal, dated 28 Nov. 1611, and after the death of the earl in 1612, Seton was infeft in the earldom on 30 Oct. King James, however, challenged the transference of the title as having been done without his authority, and on 28 April 1613 the privy council decided that Seton should be charged to appear before it on 18 May, to 'hear and see him discharged of all assuming unto himself the style, title, and name of earl' (ib. x. 32). This he declined to do, but ultimately on 15 March 1615 he appeared before the council, apologised for having used the title without the king's authority, and resigned it into the king's hands. Thereupon the king, in accordance with a previous arrangement, was graciously pleased to confer
