est in the country down,
Because she had lovers, one, two, three.
The first was a lord with his chest of gold,
The second a ruddy shepherd so tall,
The third was a spearsman bluff and bold,--
But Pride, it goeth before a fall.

"One hour she smiled, the next she wept
(Oh! the bright Tweed is bonny to see!)
And with frowns and blushes a chain she kept
Round the necks of her hapless lovers three.
For the lord in her lap poured wide his gold,
And the shepherd ran at her beck and call,
And the spearsman swore she was curst and cold,
But Pride, it goeth before a fall.

"At last it fell out on a bleak March day
(Oh! the bright Tweed is bonny to see!)
There sate at her window the maiden gay
And looked o'er the frost for her lovers three.
But the lord had to France sailed forth with his gold,
And the shepherd had married her playmate small,
And the spearsman in battle lay stark and cold,--
So Pride, it goeth before a fall."

As might have been expected, this mournful ditty fails to rouse the Queen
from her melancholy, whereupon Rizzio takes his lute and sings the
canzonet "Calla stagion novella," a very slow and graceful movement,
closing with a sensuous allegro, written in the genuine Italian style,
though rather Verdi-ish for the times of Rizzio. The canzonet has the
desired effect, and is followed by a delightful French romance, sung by
the Queen, in which a tender minor theme is set off against a fascinating
waltz melody, closing with a brilliant finale:--

"In my pleasant land of France
There is gladness everywhere;
In the very streams a dance,
Full of life, yet debonair,
Ah, me! ah, me!
To have left it was a sin,
Even for this kind countrie.
But we will not mourn to-day,
Bid the harp and rebec play,
Merrilie, merrilie,
Sing and smile, and jocund be;
If my father's land is dear,
Mirth and valor still are here;
Maidens faithful, champions gay,
France has melted far away
Beyond the sea."

At the close of the pretty romance, the revel begins with a stately
minuet and vocal trio ("Fal, lal, la") for the Queen, Mary Beatoun, and
Rizzio. It is interrupted by the unison psalm-tune of the Puritans, a
stern, severe old melody set to a "moving bass" accompaniment:--

"O thou who sittest on the throne
And wilt exalt thine horn on high,
While captive men in prison groan,
And women poor of