The Petition Of The Gray Horse, Auld Dunbar is an appeal by the Scots poet William Dunbar to his patron King James IV of Scotland in which he requests a new gown to mark Christmas. In the poem Dunbar presents himself as an old, worn-out horse in need of a horsecloth to keep him warm during Yule. The equine metaphor is sustained throughout the poem. By comparing human affairs with those of horses, Dunbar depicts his career as being one of longstanding, loyal but poorly rewarded service to the King. The poem is found in the and as a fragment in the Maitland Folio Manuscript.
The Petition Of The Gray Horse, Auld Dunbar is an appeal by the Scots poet William Dunbar to his patron King James IV of Scotland in which he requests a new gown to mark Christmas. In the poem Dunbar presents himself as an old, worn-out horse in need of a horsecloth to keep him warm during Yule. The equine metaphor is sustained throughout the poem. By comparing human affairs with those of horses, Dunbar depicts his career as being one of longstanding, loyal but poorly rewarded service to the King. A royal gift of clothes, known as livery, was seen as a sign of special favour. It would have been valued for the prestige gained as well as for the garments themselves. The petition may well have been successful. On two occasions Dunbar was recorded as receiving Christmas gifts of clothing from the King. The poem is found in the and as a fragment in the Maitland Folio Manuscript. (en)
The Petition Of The Gray Horse, Auld Dunbar is an appeal by the Scots poet William Dunbar to his patron King James IV of Scotland in which he requests a new gown to mark Christmas. In the poem Dunbar presents himself as an old, worn-out horse in need of a horsecloth to keep him warm during Yule. The equine metaphor is sustained throughout the poem. By comparing human affairs with those of horses, Dunbar depicts his career as being one of longstanding, loyal but poorly rewarded service to the King. The poem is found in the and as a fragment in the Maitland Folio Manuscript. (en)
