Digital Index of Middle English Verse: No. 3603

DIMEV 3603

IMEV 2244

NIMEV TP 1160

My good dame was one gay wife but she was right gend

‘Kynd Kittok’ by Dunbar — three 13-line stanzas

Author(s): William Dunbar

Title(s): ‘Kynd Kittok’

Subjects: women, satire directed against; women, erring; wives, erring

Versification: — thirteen-line — ababababcdddc

Manuscript Witnesses:

1.Source: Edinburgh, National Library of Scotland, Advocates’ 1.1.6 [Bannatyne MS], ff. 135v-136

First Lines:

My guddame wes ane gay wyfe bot scho wes rycht gend
Scho dwelt far furth in france on falkland fell…

Last Lines:

…Drynk with my guddame quhen ȝe gang by
Anis for my saik

Facsimiles:

Fox, Denton, and William A. Ringler. The Bannatyne Manuscript: National Library of Scotland Advocates’ MS. 1.1.6 London: Scolar Press, in Association with The National Library of Scotland, 1980.

Editions:

Baildon, Henry Bellyse. The Poems of William Dunbar. Cambridge: University Press, 1907: 23.

Smith, G. Gregory. Specimens of Middle Scots. Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwell, 1902: 26-7.

Laing, David. The Poems of William Dunbar. 2 vols. Edinburgh: Laing and Forbes, 1834; Supplement, 1865: 2.35-6.

Murdoch, James Barclay. The Bannatyne Manuscript. 4 vols. in 11 parts, paged continuously. Hunterian Club 16, 32, 40, 46, 50, 55-56, 64-67 Glasgow: Anderson, 1873-1896: 3.382-3.

Schipper, Jakob. The Poems of William Dunbar. Vienna: Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1894: 70-2.

Schipper, Jakob, ed. The Poems of William Dunbar. 4 vols. Denkschriften der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Philosophische-Historische Klasse 40/2; 40/4; 41/4; 42/4. Vienna, 1892-93: 1.69-72.

Ritchie, W. Tod, ed. The Bannatyne Manuscript. 4 parts in 4 vols. Scottish Text Society 3rd ser. 5 (1928); n.s. 22 (1928); n.s. 23 (1930); n.s. 26 (1934) Edinburgh and London: Blackwood, 1928-34; ed. by Ritchie et al: 3.10-11.

Print Witnesses:

1.Source: STC 7350. Dunbar, William, The Tua Mariit Wemen and the Wedo, and Other Poems, [Scotland? printer of The tua mariit wemen, 1507?] , sigs. b.4v-b.5

First Lines:

My gudame wes a gay wif bot scho wes ryght gend
Scho duelt furht fer in to france apon falkland fellis…

Last Lines:

…Drink with my guddame as ȝe ga by
Anys for my saik

Note: Follows 6134 and 2291.

Facsimiles:

Beattie, William. “Introduction.” The Chepman and Myllar Prints: Nine Tracts from the First Scottish Press, Edinburgh, 1508 Followed by the Two other Tracts in the same Volume in the National Library of Scotland. Edinburgh: Edinburgh Bibliographical Society, 1950: 192.

Editions:

Pinkerton, John, ed. Scottish Poems Reprinted from Scarce Editions. 3 vols. London: Nicol, 1792: 3.141-2.

Sibbald, John. Chronicle of Scottish Poetry…. 4 vols. Edinburgh and London, 1802: 1.358-9.

Laing, David, ed. The Knightly Tale of Golagros and Gawane and other ancient poems. repr. of Chepman and Myllar 1508. Edinburgh, 1827.

Small, John, Ae. James George Mackay, George Powell McNeill, and Walter Gregor, eds. The Poems of William Dunbar. 5 pts. Scottish Text Society 2, 4, 16, 21, 29. Edinburgh, 1884-93: 2.52.

Browne, William Hand, ed. Selections from the Early Scottish Poets. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1896: 133-5.

Neilson, William Allan, and Kenneth Grant Tremaye Webster. Chief British Poets of the 14th and 15th Centuries London: Dent; and New York: Dutton, 1916: 397-8.

Stevenson, George. Pieces from the Makculloch and the Gray MSS. together with The Chepman and Myllar Prints. Scottish Text Society 65. Edinburgh, 1918: 262.

Zupitza, Julius. Alt- und mittelenglisches Uebungsbuch mit einem Wörterbuch. 8th ed. Vienna and Leipzig: Braumüller, 1907; 12th ed., ed. Albert Eichler. Wein: Braumüller, 1922: 202-3.

MacKenzie, William Mackay. The Poems of William Dunbar. Edinburgh, 1932: 169-70.

Kinsley, James. William Dunbar, Poems. Oxford: Clarendon, 1958; repr. 1979: 101-2.