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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7b2a465 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #54980 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54980) diff --git a/old/54980-8.txt b/old/54980-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6c16043..0000000 --- a/old/54980-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13790 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Country of Sir Walter Scott, by Charles S. Olcott - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Country of Sir Walter Scott - -Author: Charles S. Olcott - -Illustrator: Charles S. Olcott - -Release Date: June 26, 2017 [EBook #54980] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COUNTRY OF SIR WALTER SCOTT *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines - - - - - - - - -[Frontispiece: Sir Walter Scott] - - - - - THE COUNTRY OF - SIR WALTER SCOTT - - BY - CHARLES S. OLCOTT - - - _Author of George Eliot: Scenes and People of Her Novels_ - - - - ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS - BY THE AUTHOR - - - - BOSTON AND NEW YORK - HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY - The Riverside Press Cambridge - - - - -COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY CHARLES S. OLCOTT - -ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - -Published September 1913 - - - - - TO - - MY WIFE - - THE COMPANION OF MY TRAVELS - TO WHOSE SYMPATHETIC COOPERATION I AM - INDEBTED FOR MUCH OF THE MATERIAL - THIS BOOK - IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED - - - - - CONTENTS - - Introduction - - I. The 'Making' of Sir Walter - II. The Lay of the Last Minstrel - III. Marmion - IV. The Lady of the Lake - V. Rokeby - VI. The Bridal of Triermain - VII. The Lord of the Isles - VIII. Waverley - IX. Guy Mannering - X. The Antiquary - XI. The Black Dwarf - XII. Old Mortality - XIII. Rob Roy - XIV. The Heart of Midlothian - XV. The Bride of Lammermoor - XVI. A Legend of Montrose - XVII. Ivanhoe - XVIII. The Monastery - XIX. The Abbot - XX. Kenilworth - XXI. The Pirate - XXII. The Fortunes of Nigel - XXIII. Peveril of the Peak - XXIV. Quentin Durward - XXV. St. Ronan's Well - XXVI. Redgauntlet - XXVII. Tales of the Crusaders - XXVIII. Woodstock - XXIX. The Fair Maid of Perth - XXX. The Chronicles of the Canongate and Other Tales - The Highland Widow - The Two Drovers - The Surgeon's Daughter - Anne of Geierstein - Count Robert of Paris - Castle Dangerous - XXXXI. A Successful Life - - Index - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - -Portrait of Sir Walter Scott . . . . . . Frontispiece - Photogravure from an engraving by William Walker of a painting - by Sir Henry Raeburn, R.A., 1822. - -Smailholm - -Kelso Abbey - -The Popping Stone - -Lasswade Cottage - -Map Of Scotland - Showing localities of Scott's writings - -St. Mary's Loch - -Branksome Hall - -Melrose Abbey - -Ashestiel - -Entrance to Norham Castle - -Llndisfarne Abbey - -Tantallon Castle - -Loch Achray - -Cambusmore - -Glenfinglas - -Stirling Castle - -Brackenbury Tower, Barnard Castle - -The Valley of the Tees - From Barnard Castle - -The Valley of St. John - Showing Triermain Castle Rock - -Turnberry Castle, Coast of Ayrshire - -Grandtully Castle - -Doune Castle - From the Teith - -Ullswater - Waverley's retreat after the defeat of the Chevalier - -Caerlaverock Castle - -Edinburgh from the Castle - -Auchmuthie - -The Black Dwarf's Cottage - -Craignethan Castle (Tillietudlem) - -Crichope Linn - -Chillingham Castle - -Loch Lomond from Inversnaid - -St. Anthony's Chapel - -Crichton Castle - -Loch Lubnaig - -Map of England - Showing Localities of Scott's writings - -Castle of Ashby de la Zouch - -The Buck-Gate - Entrance to the Duke of Portland's estate, Sherwood Forest - -The Avenue of Limes, Sherwood Forest - -Interior of Fountains Abbey - -Coningsburgh Castle - -Cathcart Castle - -Leicester's Buildings, Kenilworth - -Cæsar's Tower, Kenilworth - -Entrance to Warwick Castle - -Mervyn's Tower, Kenilworth - -Lerwick, Shetland - -A Crofter's Cottage, Orkney - -Sumburgh Head, Shetland - -Scalloway, Shetland - -The Standing Stones of Stennis - -Stromness, Orkney - -Map of London - Showing localities of Scott's writings - -The Pack-Horse Bridge, Haddon Hall - -The Saxon Tower, Isle of Man - -The Tweed and Eildon Hills - -Scott's Tomb, Dryburgh - -Hoddam Castle - -Powis Castle, Wales - -Godstow Priory - Burial-place of 'The Fair Rosamond' - -Loch Tay - -House of the Fair Maid of Perth - -Abbotsford - -Scott Monument, Edinburgh - - - - -{xiii} - -INTRODUCTION - -On the first day of May, 1911, we began our exploration of the 'Scott -Country.' I say we, because I was accompanied by the companion of a -much longer journey, of which that year was the twenty-fifth milestone. -Whether from reasons of sentiment resulting from the near approach of -our silver anniversary, or because of more prosaic geographical -considerations, we began at the place where Walter Scott discovered -that he would be likely to see more of the beauty of life if he were -equipped with two pairs of eyes rather than one. This was at the -village of Gilsland, in the north of England, where the poet first met -the companion who was to share the joys and sorrows of the best years -of his life. A pony and dogcart took us clattering up to the top of -the hill, where, leaving our conveyance, we started down the glen to -the banks of the river Irthing. Here the camera promptly responded to -the call of a beautiful view and the first exposure was made:--a gently -flowing stream of shallow water, scarcely covering the rocky bed of the -river; a pleasant path along the bank, well shaded from the sun; and a -slender little waterfall in the distance;--the same scene which so -often met the eyes of Walter Scott and his future bride as they -strolled along the stream in their 'courting' days. - -This was the beginning of a tour which eventually led into nearly every -county of Scotland, as far north as the Shetland Islands, and through a -large part of England {xiv} and Wales. We went wherever we thought we -might find a beautiful or an interesting picture, connected in some way -with the life of Sir Walter, or mentioned by him in some novel or poem. -Knowing that he had derived his inspiration from an intimate knowledge -of the country, we sought to follow his footsteps so far as possible. -Months of preparation had been devoted to the work before leaving home. -Every novel and poem had to be read, besides many books of reference, -including, of course, Lockhart's _Life_, for it would not have been -safe to trust to the recollections of earlier reading. Notes were made -of the places to be sought, and two large maps were prepared on which I -marked circles with a red pencil around all points which I thought -ought to be visited, until my maps began to look as though they were -suffering from a severe attack of measles. Then the route was laid out -by 'centres.' The first was Carlisle, then Dumfries, Melrose, -Edinburgh, Berwick, Glasgow, Stirling, Callander, the Trossachs, Oban, -and so on until the entire country had been covered. From each -'centre' as a convenient point of departure we explored the country in -many directions, visiting so far as possible every scene of the novels -and poems that could be identified. - -It was surprising to find so many of these scenes exactly as Sir Walter -had described them. The mountains and valleys, the rivers, lakes, and -waterfalls, the wild ruggedness of the seaside cliffs, the quaint -little old-fashioned villages, the ruined castles and abbeys, all -brought back memories of the romances which he had so charmingly set -amidst these scenes. It was like actually living the Waverley Novels -to see them. And in seeing {xv} them, we came to know, on intimate -terms, Sir Walter himself; to feel the genial influence of his presence -as if he were a fellow traveller, and to love him as his companions had -done a century ago. - -But our constant purpose was to do more than this. With the help of -the camera we sought to catch something of the spirit of the scenery -and to bring it home with us, in the hope that those who have never -seen the 'Scott Country' might at least have a few glimpses of it, and -that those who have seen all or a part of it, might find in these views -a pleasant reminder of what must have been a happy experience. - -There is no occasion to add at the present time to the volume of -literary criticism of such well-known novels and poems as those of -Scott, nor is it possible to add any material facts to his biography. -This book makes no such claim. It does not attempt to retell the -romances, except in so far as may be necessary to explain their -connexion with the scenery or to introduce the 'original' of some -well-known character. If a glimpse of the novelist's genial face is -seen now and then, it is because his spirit pervades every nook and -corner of bonnie Scotland, and it would be impossible for appreciative -eyes to view the scenery without seeing something of the man whose -genius has added so greatly to its charm. - -If this book shall add to the pleasure of any of the readers of Sir -Walter Scott by bringing them into the atmosphere of his novels and -poems, and so a little nearer to the kindly personality of the man, its -purpose will have been fulfilled. - - - - -{1} - - THE COUNTRY - OF SIR WALTER SCOTT - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE 'MAKING' OF SIR WALTER - -'He was makin' himsel' a' the time, but he didna ken maybe what he was -about till years had passed; at first he thought o' little, I dare say, -but the queerness and the fun.' - -In these expressive words, Robert Shortreed, who guided Walter Scott on -the celebrated 'raids' into the Liddesdale country, correctly -summarized the youth and early manhood of the future poet and novelist. -Scott was thirty-four years old when the 'Lay of the Last Minstrel' -appeared, and had reached the mature age of forty-three before he -published the first of the Waverley Novels. But from early childhood -he was busily engaged, with more or less conscious purpose, in -gathering the materials for his future work. - -It is the purpose of this chapter to show, by a brief survey of these -preparatory years, how he acquired that intimate knowledge of human -nature that enabled him to record so truthfully and with such real -sympathy the thoughts and feelings, the hopes and fears, the manners of -life, the dress, the conversation, and the personal peculiarities of -people of every degree, from Mary, Queen of Scots, to Meg Merrilies, -the Queen of the {2} Gipsies; from the lordly Earl of Montrose down to -the humblest of the Children of the Mist. It will also aim to suggest -something of the method by which he learned to paint such charming -pictures of ancient castles and ruined abbeys, of princes' palaces and -fishermen's cottages, of rocky shores and wild paths through the woods, -of rivers, lakes, and mountains, and all the other elements that make -up the varied and beautiful scenery of Scotland and England. - -In the hilly country south of Edinburgh, standing alone on a high rock, -is an old feudal tower called Smailholm. Outlined against the western -sky, in the glow of a summer sunset, it seemed to us like a proud and -beautiful capital letter 'I,' saying with some emphasis on the personal -pronoun, '_I_ am a thing of some importance.' We forgave the egotism, -for the old tower really is important, marking the very beginning of -Walter Scott's career, the spot where he received his first poetic -impulse. Here at the age of three years, he rolled about on the rocks -with the sheep and lambs as if he were one of them. He had been -brought to Sandy Knowe, the home of his grandfather, in an effort to -save his life, for he had been a sickly child, and six brothers and -sisters had died in infancy, so that his parents were naturally more -than anxious. The life out of doors soon brought a marked improvement, -and except for the lameness, which never left him, the boy became -healthy and vigorous. He was attended by an old shepherd, known as the -'cow-bailie,' who had a great fund of Border stories, to which the lad -listened eagerly. - -[Illustration: SMAILHOLM] - -A devoted aunt, Miss Janet Scott, who lived at the farm, often read to -him stories of Bible heroes and of the {3} great men of Scottish -history. From a few volumes of miscellaneous poetry which the family -chanced to own, she read some Scottish ballads which quickly seized -upon his childish fancy. He was especially fond of historical tales, -and under the shadow of the old tower he used to marshal the armies of -Scotland and England, fighting their battles with mimic forces of -pebbles and shells, and always ending the conflict with the complete -rout of the English and the triumph of the Scottish arms. One day he -was missed during a violent thunderstorm, and the household set out in -search of him. He was found lying on his back on the rocks, kicking -his heels in the air and clapping his hands with delight as he watched -the vivid lightning; and as one flash followed another, each more -brilliant than the one before, he would shout, 'Bonnie! Bonnie!! Dae -it again! Dae it again!' I like to think of this scene as symbolic; -as a prophecy of the time, soon to come, when the lad, grown to -manhood, would be sending out flash after flash of his genius while the -whole world looked on in delight, shouting, 'Bonnie! Bonnie!! Dae it -again! Dae it again!' - -How much the old tower of Smailholm really had to do with Scott's -earliest poetic fancy he has himself told in a touching reference in -the Introduction to the Third Canto of 'Marmion':-- - - And still I thought that shattered tower - The mightiest work of human power, - And marvelled as the aged hind - With some strange tale bewitched my mind. - -He made it the setting of one of his earliest poems, 'The Eve of St. -John,' and probably had it in mind, when {4} writing 'The Monastery' -and 'The Abbot,' as the original of Avenel Castle. Smailholm was once -surrounded by water, all of which has been drained off except a very -small portion on the eastern side. With the addition of the original -lake it would make a very good prototype of Avenel. - -At the age of six, Scott was taken for a visit to Prestonpans, where he -made the acquaintance of George Constable, the original of Monkbarns in -'The Antiquary.' This statement should be qualified, however, for -Scott himself was the real 'Antiquary' in many ways. None but a -genuine antiquarian could ever have written that keen bit of humorous -characterization. This old gentleman, besides giving Scott his first -knowledge of Shakespeare, told him many excellent stories of the -'affair of 1745' and of the battle of Prestonpans. Here he also made -the acquaintance of an old man who had seen much service in the German -wars and who was delighted to find a good listener to his tales of -military feats. Under the guidance of this old soldier, whose name, -Dalgetty, subsequently reappears in 'A Legend of Montrose,' he explored -the battle-field, heard the story of Colonel Gardiner's death, and -found the grave of 'Balmawhapple,' 'where the grass grew rank and -green, distinguishing it from the rest of the field.' This was in -1777, when Scott was only six. Thirty-seven years later these early -impressions found a place in 'Waverley.' - -At about the same period young Walter was presented with a Shetland -pony, an animal not so large as a full-grown Newfoundland dog. He soon -learned to ride, and often frightened his Aunt Jenny by dashing -recklessly {5} over the rocks about the tower. The importance of the -event lies in the fact that it was the beginning of Scott's fondness -for horseback riding, his proficiency in which played an important part -in later years, enabling him to gather valuable material that would not -otherwise have been accessible. Scott's father now thought best to -bring him back to Edinburgh, where he lived the life of an average -schoolboy, with this difference, that his lameness frequently confined -him to the house, compelling him to seek his amusement in books instead -of romping with his fellows in George's Square. At twelve years, and -again a little later, he went for a vacation visit to his Aunt -Jenny,--Miss Janet Scott,--who was then living at Kelso in a small -house, pleasantly situated in a garden of seven or eight acres, 'full -of long straight walks, between hedges of yew and hornbeam' and -'thickets of flowery shrubs.' The Grammar School of Kelso was attached -to the old Abbey. Here he met the two men who, though lifelong -friends, were destined to bring to Walter Scott the saddest experience -of his career--James and John Ballantyne, the publishers, whose failure -clouded the last years of the novelist's life, forcing upon him the -payment of a debt of £117,000,--a task which he manfully assumed, and -wore out his life in the execution of it. Another school fellow here -was Robert Waldie, whose mother showed Scott many attentions. It was -through his association with 'Lady Waldie,' who was a member of the -Society of Friends, that Scott in subsequent years was enabled to paint -the lovely picture of the home life at Mount Sharon of Joshua Geddes -and his sister, which adds so much to the pleasure of 'Redgauntlet.' - -{6} - -An old vault in Kelso Abbey was used as the village prison--the kind of -a jail which Edie Ochiltree thought 'wasna so dooms bad a place as it -was ca'd.' No doubt the real Edie was often confined here. He was an -old mendicant, well known in the neighbourhood, by the name of Andrew -Gemmels. Scott met him often. Many curious stories are related of his -eccentricities. He was once presented with a good suit of clothes -which he thankfully accepted. The friendly donor chanced to meet him -later in the day, dragging the clothes behind him along the road -through the dirt and mud. Being asked why he treated the gift in that -way he replied that he would have 'to trail the duds that way for twa -days, to mak them _fit for use_.' - -[Illustration: KELSO ABBEY] - -A few miles southeast of Kelso, in the village of Kirk Yetholm, Scott -picked up another of his most famous characters--the picturesque Meg -Merrilies. Kirk Yetholm was in Scott's boyhood, and even later in his -life, the headquarters of a large gipsy tribe. Such a people could not -fail to interest one of his temperament and he soon came to know them -on familiar terms. The Queen of the Gipsies introduced herself by -giving him an apple. She was a woman of extraordinary height, dressed -in a long red cloak, who naturally inspired the boy with a feeling of -awe. Her name was Madge Gordon, a granddaughter of Jean Gordon, the -most famous of the Gipsies. Jean's history was well known. She was an -ardent Jacobite, and met her death at Carlisle in 1746, in a most -inhuman fashion, being drowned by a mob in the river Eden. She was a -powerful woman and as the men struggled to keep her head under the -water, she kept coming to the surface, each time screaming, {7} -'Charlie yet! Charlie yet!' Scott as a child often heard her story -and cried piteously for old Jean Gordon. She was the real Meg -Merrilies. - -During his frequent visits to Kelso and subsequent residence at -Rosebank, near by, Scott explored the country in every direction. He -rode over the battlefield of Flodden, becoming convinced that 'never -was an affair more completely bungled.' He explored the heights of -Branxton Hill, and riding through the village of Coldstream, passed the -old town of Lennel, where Marmion paused on the eve of the battle. -Then recrossing the river, he came to Twisel Bridge, and following the -course of the Tweed, reached the ruins of Norham Castle, where Marmion -was entertained by Sir Hugh Heron. This was an old Border fortress -which passed from Scottish to English hands and back again for several -centuries. Thus, without conscious effort, Scott laid the foundation -for 'Marmion' early in life, though the poem did not take final shape -until nearly twenty years later. - -When not spending his vacations in the country, Scott was attending the -college in Edinburgh and later preparing himself for the practice of -the law. During all these years the gathering of materials for his -future writings continued. A favourite companion of the days in -Edinburgh was John Irving. On Saturdays, or more frequently during -vacations, the two used to borrow three or four books from the -circulating library and walk to Salisbury Crags, climb high up to some -sequestered nook and read the books together. After continuing this -practice for two years, during which they devoured a prodigious number -of volumes, Scott {8} proposed that they should make up adventures of -their favourite knights-errant, and recite them to each other -alternately--a pastime in which Scott greatly excelled his companion. -At this time the former began to collect old ballads, and as Irving's -mother knew a great many, he used to go to her and learn all she could -repeat. Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat found their way into -'Waverley,' and later, with St. Leonard's Hill, in the same vicinity, -became the background for the earlier chapters of the 'Heart of -Midlothian.' The ruins of St. Anthony's Chapel, on the ascent to -Arthur's Seat, must have been one of these favourite nooks. Blackford -Hill, the third of these resorts, lies south of Edinburgh. Here Scott -carried Marmion for that superb view of Edinburgh, 'mine own romantic -town,' so well described in the poem:--. - - Still on the spot Lord Marmion stayed, - For fairer scene he ne'er surveyed. - -The scene is still a beautiful one, for though the plain that held the -Scottish camp is now filled with well-built suburban homes, we still -may see - - Yon Empress of the North - Sit on her hilly throne, - Her palace's imperial bowers, - Her castle, proof to hostile powers, - Her stately halls and holy towers. - -So great was Scott's love of the picturesque and especially of the old -feudal castles that he yearned to become a painter. But it was of no -use. His lessons came to naught and he could make no progress. -Perhaps this was fortunate, for, as Lockhart points out, success with -the pencil might have interfered with his future greatness {9} as a -'painter with the pen.' At fifteen, Scott entered upon an -apprenticeship to his father as a writer's (lawyer's) clerk, during -which period he formed an intimate companionship with a relative of his -friend Irving, William Clerk, a young man of good intellect and many -accomplishments. The experiences of these two young law students will -be found in 'Redgauntlet.' William Clerk was the Darsie Latimer of -that story, while Scott himself was Alan Fairford. Alan's precise and -dignified father, Mr. Saunders Fairford, whose highest hope in life was -to see his son attain 'the proudest of all distinctions--the rank and -fame of a well-employed lawyer,' was a fairly good portrait of Scott's -own father. The house in which the Fairfords lived was in Brown -Square, then considered 'an extremely elegant improvement.' It is -still standing, and is now used as a dental college. Old 'Peter -Peebles,' whose interminable lawsuit was used for young lawyers to -practise on, actually existed and haunted the law courts at this time. -Scott himself admits that he took his turn as 'counsel' to the -grotesque old litigant. - -The Edinburgh of Scott's day was still chiefly confined to the Old -Town. High Street in those days was considered the most magnificent -street in the world. Again and again Scott refers to it. At one end -is the great Castle, old enough to remember the time when even the Old -Town did not exist. Lower down is St. Giles and the Parliament House. -Next to St. Giles is the site of the Old Tolbooth, which, after serving -the city as a prison for two hundred and fifty years, was pulled down -in 1817. In Writer's Court in the same locality was the tavern where -the lawyers held 'high {10} jinks' in 'Guy Mannering.' Greyfriars -Church, where Colonel Mannering heard a sermon by Scott's old friend, -the Rev. John Erskine, is not far off. Down the street, in the part -called the Canongate, is the house of the Earl of Murray, the Regent of -Scotland in Queen Mary's time, who figures prominently in 'The Abbot.' -Street fighting was a common occurrence in Edinburgh in those days and -there is a good description of such a broil in 'The Abbot.' 'My Lord -Seton's Lodging,' where Roland Graeme took refuge after a scrimmage, is -in the same street, and a little farther on is the 'White Horse Close,' -where the officers of Prince Charles made their headquarters in -'Waverley.' Holyrood Palace is at the extreme end of the street, about -a mile from the Castle. The great ball, which Scott describes in -'Waverley,' was given here by the young Chevalier, Charles Edward -Stuart, on the evening of September 17, 1745. - -While still in his fifteenth year, Scott made his first excursion into -the Highlands of Perthshire through scenery unsurpassed in natural -beauty by any other region in all Scotland. Approaching from the -south, he rode over the mountains, through a pass no longer accessible, -known as the Wicks of Baiglie. Here 'he beheld, stretching beneath -him, the valley of the Tay, traversed by its ample and lordly stream; -the town of Perth, with its two large meadows, or Inches, its steeples -and its towers: the hills of Moncreiff and Kinnoul faintly rising into -picturesque rocks, partly clothed with woods; the rich margin of the -river, studded with elegant mansions; and the distant view of the huge -Grampian Mountains, the northern screen of this exquisite landscape.' -These words were written as part of the Introduction to the {11} 'Fair -Maid of Perth' in 1828. The impression they record was made upon the -mind of a boy of fifteen, forty-two years earlier. On this visit, no -doubt, he saw the original house of Simon Glover in Curfew Street, and -also the home of Hal o' the Wynd, not far away. Both houses still -remain, and the stories connected with them were of course current in -Scott's time. - -During all the time that the scenes and the stories connected with this -and other excursions were making their impress upon the mind of Walter -Scott, it must be remembered that he was not thinking of any ultimate -use of them in literature, but was only ambitious to make a success of -his chosen profession of the law. It so happened that one of the -earliest duties which fell to his lot as a writer's apprentice was to -serve a writ upon a certain obstreperous family in the Braes of -Balquhidder, the country made famous by the exploits of Rob Roy. -Fearing that the execution of the summons would be resisted, an escort -of a sergeant and six men was procured, and Scott, a young man of -scarcely sixteen, marched into the Highlands, 'riding,' as he said, 'in -all the dignity of danger, with a front and rear guard, and loaded -arms.' The sergeant was full of good stories, principally about Rob -Roy, and proved to be a very good companion. This expedition was -Scott's first introduction to the scenery around Loch Katrine, which -later owed most of its fame to his pen. It enabled him, by actual -contact with the Highland clans, to learn for the first time some of -the thrilling tales with which the region abounded and to become -familiar with the habits, the speech, the dress, and all the other -marked characteristics of a romantic people. The delightful {12} -scenery of Loch Vennachar, Loch Achray, and Loch Katrine, the rugged -slopes of Ben Venue and Ben An, the more distant peaks of Ben Lomond -and Ben Ledi, the tangled masses of foliage in the 'deep Trossachs' -wildest nook,'--all appealed at once to the artistic sense within him, -to his poetic feeling, and to his love of nature. 'The Lady of the -Lake' was not written until twenty-three years later, but the germ of -that poem was planted in his bosom by this first youthful experience -and its writing was only a labor of love. - -On his subsequent excursions to the Highlands, Scott gathered some -valuable material which later appeared in 'Waverley.' He found one old -gentleman who had been obliged to make a journey to the cave of Rob -Roy, where he dined on 'collops' or steaks, cut from his own cattle. -This cavern is on Loch Lomond in the midst of most beautiful scenery. -Scott makes it the retreat of Donald Bean Lean in 'Waverley,' but does -not refer to it in his story of 'Rob Roy.' From another aged gentleman -he heard the history of Doune Castle, a fine old ruin on the river -Teith, near Stirling, and this he also introduced into 'Waverley.' The -story of Waverley's saving the life of Colonel Talbot and the death at -Carlisle of Fergus MacIvor are based upon incidents related to Scott at -this time. - -Among the many places visited was Craighall, in Perthshire, from which -some of the features of Tully Veolan were copied. The situation of -this country-seat was convenient for the story, and near by was a cave, -similar to that in which the Baron of Bradwardine sought concealment. -But there is another house, a little to the west, on the river Tay, -which is said to correspond {13} even more closely with Scott's -description. This is Grandtully Castle, the beautiful estate of the -Stewart family. Another house which entered into this composite -picture was the residence of the Earl of Traquair, a place on the -Scottish Border well known to Scott and frequently visited by him -during the time when he was writing 'Waverley.' It has a curious -entrance gate, surmounted by some queer-looking bears, which doubtless -suggested the Bears of Bradwardine. - -These numerous excursions, however fruitful they may have proved in -later years, were not by any means the chief business of Scott's life -at this time. They were only vacation trips, except the first, which -seems to have had a business purpose. He was for the most part hard at -work in Edinburgh in the study of the law and in the duties of a -writer's apprentice, which meant copying by hand page after page of -legal documents, sometimes accomplishing as much as a hundred and -twenty pages in one day. In 1792, at the age of twenty-one, he -successfully passed the law examinations and was admitted to the Bar, -very much to his father's delight. The real Alan Fairford and Darsie -Latimer 'put on the gown' the same day, a solemn ceremony followed by a -jolly dinner to their companions. - -Scott was now a fine, handsome young fellow with a host of friends. -The sickliness of childhood had given way to a robust and vigorous -manhood. His lameness still remained, but in spite of this he had -acquired the frame of a young athlete. He was tall, well formed, -big-chested, and powerful. His complexion was fresh and even -brilliant; his eyes were bright and twinkling with fun; there was a -queer little look about his lips as though {14} they were about to -break out into some funny remark--an expression that was the delight of -all his friends and the despair of portrait painters. Perhaps the most -striking feature of his face was the high forehead, bespeaking -intellectual power and dignity, yet in perfect consonance with his good -humour and affectionate kindliness. In every company of young people -he was easily the life and soul of the group. They crowded around him -to revel in his store of anecdotes and ballads à propos to every -occasion, and his jokes usually kept them in a gale of merriment. He -was fond of every kind of outdoor amusement, especially of fishing, -hunting, and riding. Few could excel him in horsemanship, either in -skill or endurance. From the days of his first Shetland pony he had -loved horses, and but for his ability to make long journeys on -horseback to remote regions at a time when there were no railways and -few coach-roads, he would have been unable to acquire the knowledge of -places and people which gave a peculiar charm to all his writings. - -The day after his admission to the Bar, Scott 'escaped' to the country, -going first to Rosebank and then to Jedburgh, where he met Robert -Shortreed, a sheriff-substitute of Roxburghshire, who consented to -become his guide on a visit to the wild and inaccessible district of -Liddesdale. For seven successive years they made these 'raids' as -Scott called them, 'exploring every rivulet to its source and every -ruined peel from foundation to battlement.' 'There was no inn or -public-house of any kind in the whole valley; the travellers passed -from the shepherd's hut to the minister's manse, and again from the -cheerful hospitality of the manse to the {15} rough and jolly welcome -of the homestead; gathering, wherever they went, songs and tunes, and -occasionally more tangible relics of antiquity.' To his friendly -familiarity with these unsophisticated people and the intimate -knowledge thus acquired of their manner of living, we are indebted for -some of the most charming pages of 'Guy Mannering.' Whether the future -poet had any plan in his mind for using the material so gathered is -doubtful, though much of it went into the 'Minstrelsy of the Scottish -Border' and perhaps these raids suggested that undertaking. - -In the summer vacation of 1797, Scott set out for a visit to the -English Lakes. He was accompanied by his brother John and Adam -Ferguson, an intimate friend through whom he had been introduced to the -highest literary circles of Edinburgh. Their first stop was at the -country home of Dr. Ferguson, the distinguished philosopher and -historian, and the father of Scott's friend. This was at Hallyards, in -the vale of Manor Water, near Peebles. The venerable old gentleman, -then in his seventy-third year, had become interested in one of the -strangest men, physically and mentally, who ever lived,--a poor, -ungainly, and hideous dwarf named David Ritchie. Dr. Ferguson -conducted his young friend to the rude hut of this horrible being, and -Scott, strong and fearless as he was, is said to have come away as pale -as ashes and shaking in every limb. This singular meeting resulted, -nineteen years later, in the story of 'The Black Dwarf,' where Scott -skilfully combined some good traits, which Ritchie was known to -possess, with the grotesque and terrifying external figure. - -Proceeding to the English Lakes, Scott now saw for the {16} first time -the wild and rugged beauty of Saddleback and Skiddaw and the desolate -loneliness of Helvellyn, contrasting with the calm loveliness of -Grasmere and Windermere and with the sweet homeliness of the dalesmen's -cottages, their pastures and peaceful flocks. Like all other scenes of -beauty, it made its impression upon his mind. He found a home here for -Colonel Mannering; when Waverley was hard-pressed after the failure of -the insurrection of 1745, he found it convenient to make a home for his -hero with a farmer at Ullswater; and he marched his gallant Baron of -Triermain into 'the narrow Valley of St. John' in search of the -mysterious castle, as directed by the sage of Lyulph's tower. The -tower of Lyulph may be seen near the shores of Ullswater, and on the -side of a hill rising above St. John's Beck, a little stream flowing -out of Lake Thirlmere, is a huge rock now called 'Triermain Castle,' -which at a distance, under certain conditions of the atmosphere, bears -a fancied resemblance to the phantom castle of the poem. - -Scott frequently showed his profound admiration for the English Lake -district, and if he did not love it with all the devotion of his friend -Wordsworth, it was only because his own beloved Highlands had a prior -claim upon his affections. - -On a summer day soon after his return from the Lake District, in the -same year, Scott and his friend Adam Ferguson were riding together -along a country road near the pleasant little village of Gilsland, in -the north of England. The former was then twenty-six years of age. He -was a tall man of athletic frame, who rode as though incapable of -fatigue. There was a peculiar grace and charm in both face and figure, -which almost irresistibly {17} caused a passer-by to follow his first -glance with a second and longer scrutiny. - -As they rode along, the two companions chanced to pass a young lady, -also on horseback, who immediately attracted their notice. Her form -was like that of a fairy, light and full of grace. Her long silken -tresses were jet black, her complexion a clear olive, and her eyes a -lovely brown, large, deep-set, and brilliant. Young and vivacious, -with a natural air of gaiety, she was both pleasant to meet and -charming to look upon. - -At the ball which took place in the evening there was much rivalry -among the young men for the honour of dancing with this vision of -loveliness, who had blotted out all other thoughts from their morning -ride. To the tall young man fell the privilege of taking the fair -stranger to supper, and this was the introduction of Walter Scott to -Miss Charlotte Margaret Carpenter. The evening of September 30, -immediately following the ball, was one of the happiest Scott ever -knew. A friend records that he 'was _sair_ beside himself about Miss -Carpenter;--we toasted her twenty times over--and sat together, he -raving about her until it was one in the morning.' - -This was not Scott's first love affair, but it was equally genuine. -Some four years previously he had chanced to meet at the Greyfriars -Church in Edinburgh, a very charming young lady of seventeen. As the -Sunday service closed, an unexpected shower came up. Scott had an -umbrella and the lady had none--sufficient reason for escorting the -fair one to her home. There was also sufficient reason for falling in -love with her, for Miss Williamina Stuart was not only beautiful in -face and {18} figure, but lovely in character. Highly educated, -accomplished in music and painting, well versed in literature, and with -the best family connections, she was still a sweet girl, of charming -manners and no affectation. For three years Scott cherished the most -ardent feelings of love, but in silence. He was then a young man of -small worldly prospects. He had written nothing and was unknown -outside the circle of friends in the law courts, where he was but a -beginner. This, however, would not have been an insurmountable -difficulty had the love been mutual. But the young lady had already -given her heart unreservedly to an intimate friend of Scott's, William -Forbes, a man of noble character. She gave Scott no encouragement, but -frequently, wrote him in a friendly way, chiefly concerning literary -topics. After many months of patient restraint, Scott finally wrote -her a frank and unreserved declaration of his feelings, and received in -reply a letter which filled him with many forebodings but with 'new -admiration of her generosity and candour.' She urged upon him the -continuation of their simple friendship as the 'prudent line of -conduct.' Unfortunately, Scott read between the lines, as too hopeful -persons sometimes do, sentiments which were not intended. The final -disappointment came in the autumn of 1796, and in the following January -Miss Stuart became the bride of Walter Scott's successful rival. It is -pleasant to think that the success of the one and the disappointment of -the other led to no bitterness. Both were men of noble and generous -minds. And in the days of Scott's adversity, when he was wearing away -his vitality in a desperate but honourable endeavour to pay his debts, -Sir William Forbes, though {19} his own bank was one of the heavy -losers in the disaster that overwhelmed Scott, came forward with offers -of assistance, and even went so far as to pay secretly a large and -pressing debt, that his friend Sir Walter might not be entirely crushed. - -The poet never forgot the tender experiences of these years, and long -afterward drew a lovely picture of Williamina in 'Rokeby':-- - - Wreathed in its dark brown rings, her hair - Half hid Matilda's forehead fair, - Half hid and half revealed to view - Her full dark eye of hazel hue. - The rose, with faint and feeble streak, - So lightly tinged the maiden's cheek, - That you had said her hue was pale: - But if she faced the summer gale, - Or spoke, or sung, or quicker moved, - Or heard the praise of those she loved, - The mantling blood in ready play - Rivalled the blush of rising day. - - -But Walter Scott was a young man, and in his great big heart there was -still room for love. If he thought his heart was broken, he admitted -that it was 'handsomely pieced' again. Fascinated with the vivacity -and attractiveness of Miss Carpenter, Scott remained at Gilsland much -longer than he had intended. The lovers strolled through many -delightful paths--walks which left their impress upon the poet's mind -and gave him many backgrounds for his future verses and tales. - -Miss Carpenter had rooms at a large hotel, known as Shaw's, where the -momentous ball was held, and Scott was at Wardrew House, a private -residence with a picturesque walled-in garden on the slope of a hill -not far away. We followed them in fancy as they descended {20} into -the glen which separates these two houses, where they might drink of -the mineral spring which gives a local fame to the place. Then like -the faithful page of the Baron of Triermain, no doubt they 'crossed -green Irthing's Mead' and wandering along the shady bank of this -pleasant stream, reached - - the favourite glade, - Paled in by copsewood, cliff and stone, - Where never harsher sounds invade - To break affection's whispering tone - Than the deep breeze that waves the shade, - Than the small brooklet's feeble moan. - -Then, turning a bend in the stream, perchance he invited her to - - Come! rest thee on thy wonted seat; - Mossed is the stone, the turf is green, - A place where lovers best may meet - Who would not that their love be seen. - -Here is the so-called 'Popping Stone,' where, local tradition asserts, -Scott asked the all-important question. Whether this is true or not -makes no difference. The question was asked and the stone is there. -Whatever virtue there may be in the stone, it is certain that thousands -of young couples have found their way thither, and they have literally -worn it away until now it is scarcely half its original size. - -[Illustration: THE POPPING STONE] - -A little farther west we came to the beautiful old ruins of Lanercost, -in which is the tomb of Thomas, Lord Dacre, to whom Marmion, with his -last dying gasp on the field of Flodden, sent a message with his signet -ring. Near by and entered through a beautiful park is the fine old -feudal castle of Naworth, the stronghold of the {21} Dacres and later -of the Howards, both of whom are mentioned in 'The Lay of the Last -Minstrel.' - -The place which seems to have interested Scott the most in these -rambles was the old ruined wall of Triermain Castle. He saw more of it -than can be seen to-day, for a great part of it remained standing until -1832. But it was a ruin in the time of Queen Elizabeth. Scott's -imagination, however, soon rebuilt and repeopled it, and Sir Ronald de -Vaux became immortalized in 'The Bridal of Triermain,' though forgotten -in the pages of history. In almost the latest years of his life, the -novelist came back to these scenes of his early manhood for another -character whom he took from the same old castle of Triermain, the big -and burly, but always faithful, Sir Thomas de Multon of 'The Talisman.' - -During the autumn of 1797, Scott was a frequent visitor to the city of -Carlisle, where Miss Carpenter was living in Castle Street. A few -steps beyond the site of her house is Carlisle Cathedral, the most -striking feature of which is the beautiful East Window, said to be the -finest in England. The cathedral was founded by Henry I in 1101. -During the Civil War it was occupied by soldiers, who pulled down -ninety-six feet of the nave to build fortifications. The portion that -remained, thirty-nine feet, was later enclosed and used as the parish -Church of St. Mary. Here, standing between two great Norman pillars of -red sandstone, on the day before Christmas, 1797, Walter Scott and -Charlotte Carpenter were married. - -They went to live in Edinburgh, but during the following summer took up -their abode in a charming little cottage with a thatched roof and a -delightful garden on {22} the banks of the river Esk at Lasswade. It -was then a small house with only one room of fair size, though now very -much enlarged. The thatched portion, however, is carefully preserved. -Mrs. Scott's good taste and her husband's enthusiasm soon converted the -house and grounds into a veritable bower of delight. Unfortunately, -the rustic archway of ivy, which Scott took so much pleasure in -fashioning, has disappeared. But the vale of the Esk still remains, to -thrill the souls of the romantic. Not even in lovely Scotland is there -a river or glen to surpass it. Deep down between precipitous cliffs -and rocks, shaded by tall trees and overgrown by a bewildering -profusion of creeping plants and overhanging vines, the little river -flows merrily along, seeming to sparkle at every bend with some new -recollection of the romantic legends or fantastic tales of the barons -of old, who once peopled its ancient castles and drank their wine while -they listened to the rhythmic stories of the minstrel bards. Here six -happy summers were spent. Friends came down from Edinburgh and new -friendships were formed with important personages living in the villas -and castles of the vicinity. All found that Scott had formed a -connection with one who had the 'sterling qualities of a good wife,' to -quote Lockhart's phrase. The brothers of the _Mountain_--a group of -boon companions who were closely associated and very fond of each -other's society--welcomed Mrs. Scott with the greatest delight. A -married life of perfect serenity was inaugurated, which lasted until -the death of 'the ever faithful and true companion' in 1826. - -In a confidential letter to Lady Abercorn, written in 1810, Scott -refers to his attempt, in the 'Lady of the {23} Lake,' to make 'a -knight of love who never broke a vow,' and mentions his own melancholy -experience of early days. He adds: 'Mrs. Scott's match and mine was -one of our own making, and proceeded from the most sincere affection on -both sides, which has rather increased than diminished during twelve -years' marriage. But it was something short of love in all its forms, -which I suspect people only _feel_ once in their lives; folks who have -been nearly drowned in bathing rarely venturing a second time out of -their depth.' - -These words should not be misconstrued. Whatever the ardency of his -first love, the second was no less sincere and true. If the first was -the highly poetic type, the young dream of a peculiarly sensitive -nature, the second was the kind that enables young couples to meet in -peace and serenity all the varied problems of life, to establish their -housekeeping in mutual helpfulness, to laugh away their cares, as Scott -wrote to Miss Carpenter, or if the load is too heavy, to share it -between them, 'until it becomes almost as light as pleasure itself.' It -was in this spirit that the young people established their household -gods in the cottage at Lasswade. - -To a man of Scott's disposition, happy in his new home life, with every -incentive to improve his opportunities, his mind steeped from infancy -in the rude ballads of the border country and his heart bounding with -delight at the beauties of nature, this new environment seemed all that -was needed to turn his whole thought to poetry. - - Sweet are the paths, O passing sweet! - By Esk's fair streams that run - O'er airy steep through copsewood deep - Impervious to the sun. - -{24} - - There the rapt poet's step may rove, - And yield the muse the day; - There Beauty, led by timid Love - May shun the telltale ray. - - -No afternoon stroll could be more delightful than one through the -valley of the Esk as far as Roslin. Many go to Roslin by coach from -Edinburgh, but they fail to see the glen. Guided by a Scottish friend, -we found that the better way is to go to Hawthornden and walk through -the gardens and grounds of the ancient castle where the poet Drummond -lived and wrote to his heart's content of the beauties of the scene. -Here we saw the caves, cut out of the solid rock beneath the castle, -which sheltered Robert Bruce during the troublous times when Fortune -seemed to frown. Here, too, we stood under the sycamore tree where -Drummond welcomed Ben Jonson to his home. Descending the path to the -river, we crossed by a little wooden bridge, with a gate in the middle, -which can be opened only from the Hawthornden side. Then a walk, which -was half scramble, brought us finally to Roslin Castle, on a rock -peeping over the foliage, high above the river. Both Roslin and -Hawthornden are mentioned in 'The Lay of the Last Minstrel' in the -ballad of the lovely Rosabelle:-- - - O'er Roslin all that dreary night - A wondrous blaze was seen to gleam; - 'T was broader than the watch-fire light, - And redder than the bright moonbeam. - - It glared on Roslin's castled rock, - It ruddied all the copsewood glen; - 'T was seen from Dreyden's groves of oak, - And seen from caverned Hawthornden. - -{25} - -[Illustration: LASSWADE COTTAGE] - -The quiet of Lasswade gave Scott the opportunity for the compilation of -the 'Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border,' and its romantic beauty -furnished the inspiration for his first serious attempts to write new -ballads in imitation of the old ones. 'It was amidst these delicious -solitudes,' says Lockhart, 'that he produced the pieces which laid the -imperishable foundations of all his fame. It was here that when his -warm heart was beating with young and happy love, and his whole mind -and spirit were nerved with new motives for exertion--it was here in -the ripened glow of manhood he seems to have first felt something of -his real strength, and found himself out in those splendid original -ballads which were at once to fix his name.' - -At this period Scott was a man of unusually robust health. In spite of -the lameness with which he had been afflicted from infancy, his powers -of endurance were very great. He could walk thirty miles a day or ride -one hundred without resting. He was quartermaster of the Edinburgh -Volunteers and had a great reputation as a skilful horseman. 'He had a -remarkably firm seat on horseback,' said Mr. Skene, 'and in all -situations a fearless one: no fatigue ever seemed too much for him, and -his zeal and animation served to sustain the enthusiasm of the whole -corps.' His companions called him 'Earl Walter,' and whenever there -came, at drills, a moment of rest, all turned intuitively to the -quartermaster, whose ever ready fun never failed to lighten the burdens -of the day. It was really this remarkable gift of good companionship, -coupled with his fondness for horses and unusual powers of endurance, -that enabled Scott to gather the materials for his poems. - -{26} - -'Eh me,' said Shortreed, his companion and guide in the Liddesdale -raids, 'sic an endless fund o' humour and drollery as he then had wi' -him! Never ten yards but we were either laughing or roaring or -singing. Wherever we stopped, how brawlie he suited himsel' to -everybody! He aye did as the lave did; never made himsel' the great -man, or took ony airs in the company.' It was literally true, as he -said, that he 'had a home in every farmhouse.' - -To his rare good fellowship and his powers of endurance, Scott added -one other quality without which his vigorous search for literary -material might have been of little use, namely, a most extraordinary -memory, which enabled him to retain what he had heard and use it many -years afterward. James Hogg, the eccentric Ettrick shepherd, gives a -fine instance of this power. One night Scott, with his friends, Hogg -and Skene, was out on a fishing expedition. 'While we three sat down -on the brink of a river,' says Hogg, 'Scott desired me to sing them my -ballad of Gilman's Cleugh. Now be it remembered that this ballad had -never been printed: I had merely composed it by rote, and, on finishing -it three years before, had sung it over once to Sir Walter. I began -it, at his request, but at the eighth or ninth stanza I stuck in it and -could not get on with another verse, on which he began it again and -recited it every word from beginning to end. It being a very long -ballad, consisting of eighty-eight stanzas, I testified my -astonishment, knowing that he had never heard it but once, and even -then did not appear to be paying particular attention. He said he had -been out with a pleasure party as far as the opening of the Firth of -Forth, and, {27} to amuse the company, he had recited both that ballad -and one of Southey's ("The Abbot of Aberbrothock"), both of which -ballads he had only heard once from their respective authors, and he -believed he recited them both without misplacing a word.' - -Living in a country where new beauty appears at every turn in the road -and romance is echoed from every hillside, happy in his domestic -relations, blessed with the faculty of making friends wherever he went, -whether among farmers and shepherds or lords and ladies, active in -travelling into every nook or corner where material could be found, -keen to appreciate a good story or a pleasing ballad, and able to -remember all he ever heard or read, Walter Scott became a poet as -easily and naturally as the rippling waters of his beloved Tweed find -their way to the sea. - - - - -{28} - -CHAPTER II - -THE LAY OF THE LAST MINSTREL - -The years at Lasswade were marked by one of the most momentous -decisions of Scott's life. He had reached the parting of the ways; one -leading to the practice of the law; the other--and the more alluring -one--to literature as a profession. Had his father been alive, it is -probable that a high sense of duty and loyalty would have determined -him to continue in the law, for the old gentleman had set his heart -upon that, and Scott would have submitted to almost any irksome -requirement rather than wound the feelings of his parent. But the -worthy barrister's death a year or two after his son's marriage had put -an end to any scruples on his account. Although Scott had not made a -failure, his success at the Bar was not remarkable. In the year -preceding his marriage and the fifth year of his practice, his fee-book -showed an income of only one hundred forty-four pounds, ten shillings. -He never had any fondness for the law. As he afterwards expressed it: -'My profession and I came to stand nearly upon the footing which honest -Slender consoled himself on having established with Mistress Anne Page: -"There was no great love between us at the beginning and it pleased -Heaven to decrease it on farther acquaintance."' He began to realize -that 'the Scottish Themis was peculiarly jealous of any flirtation with -the Muses,' and that a young lawyer could not expect to succeed unless -he kept up the appearance of {29} being busy even when he had nothing -to do. A barrister who spent his time 'running after ballads' was not -to be trusted. To succeed in the law meant, therefore, a farewell to -literature. It meant other sacrifices, too. His vigorous health at -this period enabled him to indulge a natural fondness for country -sports, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, and the like. His -membership in the Edinburgh Volunteers gave him a most agreeable -companionship with a fine class of men, among whom he was extremely -popular and with whom he spent some of the happiest hours of his life. -All this would have to be given up if he continued at the Bar, and -instead he would feel obliged to tie himself down to a severe course of -study in some musty old office in Edinburgh. - -Two circumstances combined to make feasible the more attractive path. -The first was Scott's appointment as Sheriff of Selkirk with an income -of three hundred pounds a year, which gave him a certain degree of -independence, while the duties were not onerous. The second was the -success of the 'Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border.' For several years -Scott had travelled extensively through many remote nooks and corners -in search of material for this compilation, and its publication had -brought him into public notice as a man of no small literary skill. -His gratification with its success may be judged from a letter to his -brother-in-law, Charles Carpenter, in 1803:-- - - -I have continued to turn a very slender portion of literary talents to -some account by a publication of the poetical antiquities of the -Border, where the old people had preserved many ballads descriptive of -the manners of the country during the wars with England. This trifling -collection was {30} so well received by a discerning public, that, -after receiving about £100 profit for the first edition, which my -vanity cannot omit informing you went off in six months, I have sold -the copyright for £500 more. - - -This enterprise, paying as much as the entire proceeds of Scott's first -five years of legal effort, gave assurance of a financial success in -literature, which coupled with a certain income as Sheriff seemed to -make the future fairly secure. Reasoning in this way, Scott finally -reached his decision to abandon the law and devote his life to -literature. - -[Illustration: Map of Scotland] - -'The Lay of the Last Minstrel' was the immediate result. Scott felt -the responsibility of his position. He was now the head of a family, -having a wife and three children of whom he might well be proud, and he -felt impelled to make a financial as well as literary success of his -chosen profession. He had previously tried his hand at original -composition. Inspired perhaps by his familiarity with the old Scottish -ballads, he had essayed something of the same character. The first of -these productions was 'Glenfinlas,' growing out of his early visits to -the Highlands. Glenfinlas is a forest in Perthshire, north of the -Trossachs and east of Loch Katrine. Next came 'The Eve of St. John,' -in which Scott rebuilt and repeopled the old tower of Smailholm which -had so fascinated his boyish fancy. In 'The Gray Brother,' an -incomplete ballad of this period, the poet sang the praises of the vale -of the Esk, then the scene of his almost daily walks. The fourth of -these early poems was 'Cadyow Castle,' a ballad on the assassination of -the Regent Murray. Cadyow Castle is a very dilapidated old ruin in a -park of wondrous beauty near Hamilton, {31} southeast of Glasgow. -There is a deep glen, through which runs a little river, the Avon, and -on the banks are many tall and beautiful trees. The park was once a -part of the old Caledonian forest, a few of the ancient oaks of which -still remain standing. It was the habitation of the fierce wild cattle -which furnished the liveliest and most dangerous sport whenever a hunt -was arranged. Something of the spirit and fire of Scott's later work -is seen in these lines:-- - - Mightiest of all the beasts of chase - That roam in woody Caledon, - Crashing the forest in his race, - The Mountain Bull comes thundering on. - - Fierce on the hunter's quivered band - He rolls his eyes of swarthy glow, - Spurns, with black hoof and horn, the sand - And tosses high his mane of snow. - -The man who could write such lines as these must have felt an instinct -for poetry which no amount of reasoning could ever set aside. It was, -therefore, well that Scott did not attempt to resist his natural -inclinations. - -We find him, then, deliberately turning to poetry, and carefully -surveying the field to choose his first subject. Three influences, -widely different in character, combined to solve this problem. The -first was his interest in the stories of Border warfare aroused by the -tales of his childhood and immensely stimulated by his thorough search -for ballads to make up the 'Border Minstrelsy.' The second was his -membership in the Edinburgh Volunteers which gave a military trend to -his thoughts. The third was his desire to oblige a lady. The young -Countess of Dalkeith, afterward Duchess of Buccleuch, {32} was an -intellectual woman of extreme beauty and lovely character. She was, -moreover, the wife of the chief of the clan of Scott, and therefore -entitled, in the poet's view at least, to the fealty of her kinsmen. -Having heard the legend of Gilpin Horner, a goblin dwarf in whom most -of the people implicitly believed, the Countess, much delighted with -the story, enjoined upon Scott the task of composing a ballad on the -subject. The slightest wish of one so beloved was a command. - -The poet soon realized that the goblin was likely to prove a veritable -imp of mischief, threatening to ruin his ballad, and before the poem -was finished, relegated him to the kitchen where he properly belonged. -With the goblin story reduced to a mere incident, the poem expanded to -a tale of Border warfare in which all of Scott's military spirit and -knowledge of history and legend came to the front. He wrote it, as he -declared in a letter to Wordsworth, to discharge his mind of the ideas -which from infancy had rushed upon it. In a letter to George Ellis in -1802, he refers to it as a 'kind of romance of Border chivalry in a -light-horseman sort of stanza.' In the autumn of that year, while on -duty with his troop at Musselburgh, during a charge on Portobello -sands, he received a kick from his horse which confined him to his -rooms for three days. This accident gave an unexpected opportunity, -and in these three days the actual writing of the poem was started and -the whole of the first canto completed except the introductory -framework. It is easy to recognize the 'light-horseman' stanza. -Indeed, the clatter of horses' hoofs is heard distinctly as Sir William -of Deloraine sets forth upon his night ride to Melrose:-- - -{33} - - 'O swiftly can speed my dapple-grey steed - Which drinks of the Teviot clear; - Ere break of day,' the warrior 'gan say, - 'Again will I be here: - And safer by none may thy errand be done - Than, noble dame, by me!' - - * * * * * - - Soon in his saddle sate he fast, - And soon the steep descent he passed, - Soon crossed the sounding barbican, - And soon the Teviot side he won. - - * * * * * - - And soon he spurred his courser keen - Beneath the tower of Hazeldean. - The clattering hoofs the watchmen mark: - 'Stand ho! thou courier of the dark!' - 'For Branksome, ho!' the knight rejoined, - And left the friendly tower behind. - -The spirited ride to Melrose; the opening of the wizard's grave; the -delightful picture of the ruined abbey; the meeting of Lady Margaret -and Lord Cranstoun; the telling encounter of the latter with the Knight -of Deloraine; the manly spirit of the young heir of Branksome; the -tales of Watt Tinlinn and the Scotts of Thirlstane, of Harden and of -Eskdale, the coming of the Englishmen, Belted Will Howard and Lord -Dacre, the duel resulting in the death of Richard of Musgrave, and the -triumph of Cranstoun's love for the fair Margaret, all combine to -produce a vivid impression of the stirring events, the conditions of -life, and the ideals of the Border country in the days of chivalry. - -The framework of this picture, from which it takes its name, is -generally considered the most beautiful part of the poem. The old -minstrel is supposed to relate the tale, with the accompaniment of his -harp, to the noble {34} Duchess of Buccleuch. The minstrel, with his -reverence and enthusiasm for the old ballad poetry, now in its -decadence, is of course the poet himself and the Duchess is his patron, -who first suggested the poem. In no more beautiful and delicate way -could the poet have shown his devotion to the lord and lady who had so -greatly inspired him. Moreover, it gave him the method of showing, as -he said, that he had no intention of setting up a new school of poetry, -but was only making 'a feeble attempt to imitate the old.' The -historical basis of the poem is told in a letter to Lady Dalkeith:-- - - -Dame Janet Beatoun, Lady Buccleuch, who flourished in Queen Mary's -time, was a woman of high spirit and great talents. According to the -superstition of the times, the vulgar imputed her extraordinary -abilities to supernatural knowledge. If Lady Dalkeith will look into -the Introduction to the 'Border Ballads,' pages xv and xxix, she will -find some accounts of a deadly feud betwixt the clans of Scott and -Kerr, which, among other outrages, occasioned the death of Sir Walter -Scott of Buccleuch, the husband of Janet Beatoun, who was slain by the -Kerrs in the streets of Edinburgh. The lady resented the death of her -husband by many exploits against the Kerrs and their allies. In -particular the Laird of Cranstoun fell under her displeasure, and she -herself headed a party of three hundred horse with the intention of -surprising and killing that baron in the chapel of St. Mary, beside St. -Mary's Loch at the head of Yarrow. The Baron escaped, but the lady -burned the chapel and slew many of the attendants.... The feud was -finally ended by Cranstoun marrying the lady's daughter. - -[Illustration: ST. MARY'S LOCH] - -About this fragment of history Scott wove his stirring tale of the -Scottish lowlands in the sixteenth century. - - The last of all the bards was he - Who sung of Border chivalry, - -{35} - -The aged minstrel is introduced as he passes - - where Newark's stately tower - Looks out from Yarrow's birchen bower. - -The old ruin was a favourite resort for Scott, and many a happy holiday -excursion was made to those 'rich groves of lofty stature' which -Wordsworth celebrated in his 'Yarrow Visited.' The ancient tower -stands on high ground above the Yarrow, on a road leading westward from -Selkirk, over which Scott often walked or rode. About two miles away -is Bowhill, a country-seat of the Duke of Buccleuch, where the poet was -always a welcome guest. He refers to it affectionately in the closing -stanza of the 'Lay':-- - - When summer smiled on sweet Bowhill. - -Still farther south is Oakwood Tower, a stronghold of the celebrated -Wat of Harden, one of the poet's ancestors. - - Wide lay his lands round Oakwood Tower - And wide round haunted Castle-Ower. - -This was 'Auld Wat,' who married the 'Flower of Yarrow,' one of the -most beautiful women of the Border, who lived at Dryhope, near the foot -of St. Mary's Loch. - - High over Borthwick's mountain flood - His wood-embosomed mansion stood. - -The Borthwick joins the Teviot just above the town of Hawick. The -house of Harden stands high up above a deep and romantic glen where -there was ample room to conceal 'the herds of plundered England.' - - Marauding chief! his sole delight - The moonlight raid, the morning fight; - Not even the Flower of Yarrow's charms - In youth might tame his rage for arms. - -{36} Auld Wat's son, afterwards Sir William Scott of Harden, a -remarkably handsome man and an early favourite of King James VI, -inherited some of his father's propensities for driving off his -neighbour's cattle and other irregularities common to the time. In a -raid upon the lands of Sir Gideon Murray of Elibank he was captured and -carried in chains to the castle. Elibank is now a ruin on the banks of -the Tweed not far from Ashestiel, whither Scott was fond of walking on -Sunday mornings. The legend which Scott tells, about as it was told to -him in his youth, and not, perhaps, in exact accordance with the facts, -is as follows:-- - -When the young marauder was brought to the castle in chains, the Lady -Murray asked her lord what he proposed to do with him. 'Why, hang the -robber, assuredly,' was the answer. 'What,' answered the lady, 'hang -the handsome young knight of Harden when I have three ill-favoured -daughters unmarried! No, no, Sir Gideon, we'll force him to marry our -Meg.' 'Meikle-mouthed Meg' was the ugliest woman in the country, and -young Sir William promptly decided that he would rather hang. Three -days were given him to think the matter over, after which he was led -out beneath a convenient oak, with a rope tied around his neck and the -other end was passed over a stout limb of the tree. Then he began to -reconsider and decided that, as between nooses, he preferred the -matrimonial one. There may be some advantages in ugly wives after all, -and one of them, in this case at least, seemed to be an entire absence -of jealousy. It was said, moreover, that 'Meg' had 'a curious hand at -pickling the beef which Sir William stole.' They lived a very happy -life. The marriage {37} contract was written on the head of a drum and -the parchment is still preserved. Scott was so fond of the legend that -he wanted to make it the subject of a comic ballad. He accordingly -began, but never finished 'The Reiver's Wedding.' The grandson of this -couple was Walter Scott, known as 'Beardie,' the great-grandfather of -the poet. - -About a mile above the junction of the Teviot with the Borthwick stands -the castle of Branksome. Seen from the opposite side of the river -standing on a terraced slope, partly hidden by the trees and shrubs, it -makes a pretty picture. - - All, all is peaceful, all is still, - -and there is nothing to suggest the time when - - Nine and twenty knights of fame-- - Hung their shields in Branksome Hall. - -It seemed to us more modern than it really is, for it was completed in -its present form in the year 1576. The barony of Branxholme, or -Branksome, came into the possession of Sir William Scott of Buccleuch -in the early part of the fifteenth century and still remains in the -family. The towers which formerly occupied the site were attacked by -the English again and again, and the castle burned and pillaged. It -will be remembered that after a preliminary survey of the castle and -its attendant knights, the minstrel tells the story of how Lord Walter -fell, of the widow's desire for vengeance, and of the Lady Margaret's -love for Lord Cranstoun, her father's foe. Then for some purpose which -is not clearly defined, the 'Ladye' calls to her side the boldest -knight of her train, Sir William of Deloraine, and bids him ride with -all {38} haste to Melrose Abbey, there to open the grave of the wizard, -Michael Scott, and to take from it the 'Mighty Book.' Sir Michael -Scott was a man of learning who flourished in the thirteenth century. -He wrote several philosophical treatises and devoted much time to the -study of alchemy, astrology, chiromancy, and other abstruse subjects, -whence he gained the reputation of being a wizard. Many weird tales -are told of his performances. Being sent as an ambassador to France to -demand satisfaction for certain grievances, he opened his magic book -and caused a fiend in the shape of a huge black horse to fly out. -Mounting, he flew across the sea and presented himself to the king. -His demands were about to be met with a curt refusal when Michael -begged the king to defer his answer until the black horse had stamped -three times. The first stamp set all the bells in Paris to ringing; -the second tumbled over three towers of the palace; the horse raised -his foot for the third stamp, but the king would not risk another and -gave to Michael what he wanted. It was this same wizard who 'cleft the -Eildon Hills in three,' the triple peaks which so picturesquely -dominate the entire landscape in the vicinity of Melrose, having been -formerly, so it is said, a single summit. It has always been -understood that the 'magic book' was buried with the wizard, and that -no one dared remove it because of the 'terrible spells' which it -contained. - -[Illustration: BRANKSOME HALL] - -The knight arrived after a spirited gallop, and shortly after midnight -rapped with the hilt of his dagger on the wicket gate. The porter -hurried to admit him, and soon he greeted the aged monk of St. Mary's -Aisle. Sighing heavily the monk conducted the man of arms through {39} -the cloisters, which may still be seen looking very much as the poet -described them in lines not only poetically beautiful but literally -true:-- - - Spreading herbs and flowerets bright - Glistened with the dew of night; - Nor herb nor floweret glistened there - But was carved in the cloister arches as fair. - -Seven graceful arches, forming stalls or seats once used by the -dignitaries of the church, make a continuous line along the eastern -wall. Above the arches, and joining one to another, are stone carvings -of rare delicacy and beauty. Of the more than a hundred separate -figures in this frieze no two are alike. There are roses, lilacs, -thistles, ferns, oak leaves, and scores of other representations of the -forms of nature, all exquisitely carved with inimitable accuracy. -Scott admired these arches so greatly that he copied one of them for -the fireplace of the entrance hall at Abbotsford. - -The 'steel-clenched postern door,' through which the monk and the -knight now entered the chancel, stands nearly intact. Its three arches -rest on graceful pilasters surmounted by capitals, with carved foliage -so delicate that a straw can be passed behind the stalks of the leaves. -We found it interesting upon entering this door to note the accuracy of -the poet's descriptions, which the guide quoted with great fluency. -The pillars supporting the lofty roof spread out to form the great -arches, seeming to be 'bundles of lances which garlands had bound.' - -We stood beneath this arched roof for a long time to admire the -beautiful East Window, and the guide quoted:-- - -{40} - - The moon on the East oriel shone - Through slender shafts of shapely stone - By foliaged tracery combined. - -It is almost impossible to realize that these long and slender shafts -are really carved out of stone and that the work was done many -centuries ago. Scott accounts for it poetically:-- - - Thou wouldst have thought some fairy's hand - Twixt poplars straight the osier wand - In many a freakish knot had twined, - Then framed a spell when the work was done, - And changed the willow wreaths to stone. - -Beneath the window lies the heart of Robert Bruce. It had been the -desire of the monarch that his heart be interred in the Holy Sepulchre -at Jerusalem. After his death the body was buried beneath the high -altar of the church at Dunfermline, but the heart was taken out and -committed to the keeping of James, Lord Douglas, who undertook to carry -it to the Holy Land. But James was defeated and killed by the -Saracens, and the heart of his royal master was taken to Melrose and -buried there. This was as it should be, for the heart of Bruce, -figuratively speaking, was always in Melrose. After the destruction of -the abbey in 1322 by Edward II on his retreat from Scotland, Bruce made -a grant of £2000 sterling, a sum equivalent to about £50,000 in the -money of to-day. Because of this munificence the abbey was rebuilt in -all the beauty and perfection which Gothic architecture could suggest, -so that even in ruins it is still a structure of graceful magnificence. -In 1384, the abbey was again destroyed, but later restored. In 1544, -1545, and finally a century later under the Reformation, {41} the abbey -suffered serious damage from which it never recovered. - -The grave of Michael Scott which Deloraine was sent to open was pointed -out to us, as it is to all visitors, but in reality its exact position -is not known. Johnny Bower, an old guide of whom Scott was very fond, -discovered the position of the grave by noting the direction of the -moonbeams through the oriel window. 'I pointed out the whole to the -Shirra,' said he, 'and he couldna' gainsay but it was varra clear.' -'Scott,' says Washington Irving, who tells the story, 'used to amuse -himself with the simplicity of the old man and his zeal in verifying -every passage of the poem, as though it had been authentic history, and -always acquiesced in his deductions.' - -Like all other visitors we wanted to see the abbey properly, and that, -according to the poet, could only be done by moonlight. - - If thou wouldst view fair Melrose aright, - Go visit it by the pale moonlight. - -The moon was full while we were there and seemed to offer a splendid -opportunity. But an unexpected obstacle appeared. In Scotland, in the -summer time, the evenings are very long, the twilight lasting until ten -or eleven o'clock, while the moon makes very little impression until a -late hour. And the custodian of the abbey goes to bed early! So it -was impossible to see the moon shining through the east oriel, but -fortunately we could see the outer walls from the windows of our hotel, -which adjoins the ruin, and the moon kindly favoured us by making - - Buttress and buttress alternately - Seem framed of ebon and ivory. - -{42} The next day we were treated to a superb view from the private -grounds of a gentleman whose estate adjoins the abbey. From this point -the entire southern wall, which remains nearly intact, gives at first -glance the impression of a complete and beautiful Gothic structure. -The distant hills furnish a fine background and the well-kept lawns and -graceful birches perform the double duty of shutting out the graveyard -and making a charming foreground. - -But to return to the story. While William of Deloraine, with the -mystic book pressed close to his breast, was eagerly returning to -Branksome, the fair Lady Margaret was early awake and seeking the -greenwood at dawn of light to meet her lover, the Baron Henry. - - A fairer pair were never seen - To meet beneath the hawthorn green. - He was stately and young and tall, - Dreaded in battle and loved in hall; - And she, when love, scarce told, scarce hid, - Lent to her cheek a livelier red, - When the half sigh her swelling breast - Against the silken ribbon pressed, - When her blue eyes their secret told, - Though shaded by her locks of gold-- - Where would you find the peerless fair - With Margaret of Branksome might compare! - -Lockhart finds in this passage 'the form and features of Scott's first -love,' and also says that the choice of the hero was dictated by the -poet's affection for the living descendants of the Baron of Cranstoun. -One of these, George Cranstoun, afterward Lord Corehouse, was one of -Scott's earliest friends. His sister, the Countess of Purgstall, was -the confidante of Scott at the time of his early disappointment in love. - -[Illustration: MELROSE ABBEY] - -{43} - -The meeting of the lovers was all too brief. The Baron's horse pricked -up his ears, 'as if a distant noise he hears,' and the goblin dwarf -signed to the lovers to part and fly. William of Deloraine, returning -from his all-night ride, was seen coming down the hill into -'Branksome's hawthorn green.' No words were wasted. - - Their very coursers seemed to know - That each was other's mortal foe. - -Like the bursting of a thundercloud the two champions met, and in -another moment William of Deloraine lay on the ground, with Cranstoun's -lance, broken, in his bosom. The goblin page was directed to attend -the wounded knight, and in doing so discovered the 'Mighty Book' from -which he learned some mischievous 'spells.' The son of the Ladye of -Branksome was lured into the woods and fell into the hands of an -English yeoman who took him, a captive, to Lord Dacre. Scouts hurrying -into the castle brought news of the approach of three thousand -Englishmen led by 'Belted Will Howard' and 'Hot Lord Dacre.' - -Naworth Castle, the home of the Dacres and later of the Howards, was -one of the first places we visited. It is a fine old baronial castle -in Cumberland County, about twelve miles from Carlisle. It was built -in the fourteenth century by the Dacre family, who derived their name -from the exploits of an ancestor who was conspicuous at the Siege of -Acre in the Holy Land, under King Richard the Lion-Hearted. In the -sixteenth century it passed into the possession of Lord William Howard, -a famous 'warden of the marches,' who became known as 'Belted Will -Howard.' - -{44} - - His Bilboa blade, by Marchmen felt, - Hung in a broad and studded belt; - Hence, in rude phrase, the Borderers still - Called noble Howard Belted Will. - -One of the towers of Naworth, which this celebrity occupied, still -remains much as he left it, even to the books that formed his library. -Lanercost Priory, the burial-place of the Howards and Dacres, is an -unusually picturesque and interesting ruin in the same vicinity. - -The beacon fires soon summoned a goodly array of the best blood of -Scotland to meet the English invaders, among whom were Archibald -Douglas, seventh Earl of Angus, a descendant of James, Lord Douglas, -who attempted to carry the heart of Bruce to the Holy Land. But the -battle was averted, and instead a single combat arranged between -Richard of Musgrave and William of Deloraine, the prize of the field to -be the young Buccleuch, who had fallen into the hands of the English. -The Lady of Branksome was escorted to the field of the tournament by -Lord Howard, while Margaret had the stately Douglas by her side. The -strife was desperate and long, and in the end Musgrave was slain. But -not by the hand of William of Deloraine. Lord Cranstoun, by the aid of -magic learned from the 'Mighty Book' and assisted by the goblin page, -had contrived to array himself in the armour of Sir William and so had -won the fight. - - 'And who art thou,' they cried, - 'Who hast this battle fought and won?' - His pluméd helm was soon undone-- - 'Cranstoun of Teviot-side! - For this fair prize I've fought and won'-- - And to the Ladye led her son. - -{45} - -Then and there the feud was ended. The Ladye of Branksome, declaring -that 'pride is quelled and love is free,' gave the hand of Margaret to -the Baron of Cranstoun, with all the noble lords assembled to grace the -betrothal with their presence. - -The sixth canto is superfluous if we consider that the story ends with -the betrothal. And yet it contains some of the finest passages in the -whole poem. It opens with that superb outburst of patriotism, -beginning,-- - - Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, - Who never to himself hath said, - This is my own, my native land?-- - -which shows, better than anything else, the extent to which Scott's -inspiration was derived from his own Scotland. - - O Caledonia, stern and wild, - Meet nurse for a poetic child! - Land of brown heath and shaggy wood, - Land of the mountain and the flood, - Land of my sires! what mortal hand - Can e'er untie the filial band - That knits me to thy rugged strand! - -Here, too, we find the ballad of the lovely Rosabelle, having its scene -in the Castle of Roslin, in the vale of the Esk, which Scott learned to -love during those six bright years spent at Lasswade. This alone would -almost justify the extra canto, but we have in addition the stately -requiem of Melrose Abbey, bringing the poem to a solemn and beautiful -close. - -Then comes the final word of the old minstrel:-- - - Hushed is the harp--the Minstrel gone. - And did he wander forth alone? - Alone, in indigence and age, - To linger out his pilgrimage? - -{46} - - No: close beneath proud Newark's tower - Arose the Minstrel's lowly bower, - A simple hut; but there was seen - The little garden hedged with green, - The cheerful hearth, and lattice clean. - -These lines are but the embodiment of one of Scott's dreams at the time -he wrote them. The small estate of Broadmeadows, near the ruins of -Newark, was about to be offered for sale, and Scott, dreaming of the -time when he might have a home of his own, rode around it frequently -with Lord and Lady Dalkeith, earnestly hoping that some day he might -possess it. But the vision faded when the success of the poem gave him -larger ambitions, leading ultimately to the purchase of Abbotsford. - - - - -{47} - -CHAPTER III - -MARMION - -There was no title of which Scott was more fond than that of 'Sheriff -of Ettrick Forest.' The 'Shirra,' as he was affectionately called, was -a welcome guest in every farmhouse and there were few in the region -where he had not been entertained. The 'Forest' comprises the great -tract of hilly country lying between the Tweed and Ettrick Water and -extending as far east as Selkirk. Perhaps because we were familiar -with the Adirondacks and the Blue Ridge Mountains, where one may travel -for hours in the shade of the 'forest primeval,' it was to us a -distinct disappointment, and recalled the remark of Washington Irving, -that you could almost see a stout fly walking along the profile of the -hills. Centuries ago these hills, now completely denuded, were clothed -with a dense growth of trees and the entire region was set apart as a -royal hunting-ground. It is recorded that in the sixteenth century -King James V gave a royal hunting-party, in which the nobles and -gentlemen of Scotland to the extent of twelve thousand men -participated. But love of sport at length gave way to royal cupidity. -For the sake of increasing his revenue, the king turned the forest into -a huge sheep pasture, and these hungry animals, still retaining -possession, have literally destroyed the forest and changed the whole -aspect of the land. Scott, nevertheless, loved the bare hills, and -said, 'If I {48} could not see the heather at least once a year, I -think I should die.' - -The duties of the Sheriff's office compelled a change from Lasswade to -a place nearer the town of Selkirk, and Scott found a small farm well -suited to his fancy, near the northern limits of the 'Forest,' at -Ashestiel, on high ground overlooking the Tweed. Here he spent some of -the happiest summers of his life. In a letter to Dr. Leyden, he gives -a pleasant picture of his happy family at this time:-- - - -Here we live all the summer like little kings, and only wish that you -could take a scamper with me over the hills in the morning, and return -to a clean tablecloth, a leg of forest mutton, and a blazing hearth in -the afternoon. Walter has acquired the surname of Gilnockie, being -large of limb and bone and dauntless in disposition like that noted -chieftain. Your little friend Sophia is grown a tall girl, and I think -promises to be very clever, as she discovers uncommon acuteness of -apprehension. We have, moreover, a little roundabout girl with large -dark eyes, as brown, as good-humoured, and as lively as the mother that -bore her, and of whom she is the most striking picture. Over and above -all this, there is in _rerum natura_ a certain little Charles, so -called after the Knight of the Crocodile; but of this gentleman I can -say but little, as he is only five months old, and consequently not at -the time of life when I can often enjoy the 'honour of his company.' - - -[Illustration: ASHESTIEL] - -Of the house itself and its surroundings Lockhart has given a charming -description:-- - - -You approached it through an old-fashioned garden, with holly hedges, -and broad, green terrace walks. On one side, close under the windows, -is a deep ravine, clothed with venerable trees, down which a mountain -rivulet is heard, more than seen, in its progress to the Tweed. The -river itself is {49} separated from the high bank on which the house -stands only by a narrow meadow of the richest verdure. Opposite, and -all around, are the green hills. The valley there is narrow and the -aspect in every direction is that of perfect pastoral repose. - - -They were eight miles from the nearest town and four from the nearest -neighbour. The latter circumstance Scott did not regret, though he -found the former somewhat inconvenient for obtaining needed supplies -and naïvely complains to Lady Abercorn that he had been compelled to go -out and shoot a crow to get a quill with which to write her. Nearly -the whole country roundabout belonged to the Duke of Buccleuch, who -gave the poet full liberty to hunt upon his estates. The Tweed in the -vicinity of Ashestiel and of Elibank, a little above, was unsurpassed -for fishing. A favourite sport was 'leistering kippers,' or spearing -salmon at night by the light of a blazing peat fire. Perhaps the most -exhilarating pastime of all was the horseback riding, in which the poet -was an expert. Accompanied by one or more of his most congenial -friends, he would make excursions into remote regions, never -dismounting in the very worst paths and displaying powers of endurance -and fearlessness that made him the wonder and the envy of his -companions. - -Scott was now in the full vigour of his manhood. The weakness of -earlier years had disappeared, and with the exception of the lameness, -which never left him, he was strong and healthy in body as well as -mind. He was in the full flush of his first great fame as a man of -letters, and the trials of his later life had not yet begun. - -It was at this period and under these circumstances {50} that the poem -of 'Marmion' was written. The poet's enthusiasm for the locality in -which he lived, and for the friends who made that life a joy, found -expression in the Introductions to the six cantos, each addressed to -one of his intimate companions. Most readers of 'Marmion,' becoming -absorbed in the story, have regarded these introductions as unnecessary -interruptions. But no one would wish them to be omitted, for they -reveal the author who is telling the tale, and we seem to see him in -his changing environment, through the successive seasons as the poem -advances, beginning with the day at Ashestiel, when - - November's sky is chill and drear - November's leaf is red and sear; - -and closing with the Christmas-time, a year later at Mertoun House, -where the poet passed the happy days in the house where his great -grandsire came of old, 'the feast and holy tide to share.' - -The introductions were originally intended to be published in a -separate volume as 'Six Epistles from Ettrick Forest.' The first, as -of course every one knows, is inscribed to William Stewart Rose, a poet -who is chiefly known for his translation of Ariosto's 'Orlando -Furioso.' It opens with a fine description of the beginning of winter -at Ashestiel, then turns to thoughts of 'My country's wintry state,' -and the loss to Britain brought by the death of the two rival -statesmen, Pitt and Fox, who had passed away in the same year, 1806, in -which the poem was begun. - -The second canto, inscribed to the Rev. John Marriott, is reminiscent -of scenes and incidents of the Ettrick Forest. The third canto is the -most important of {51} all because of its autobiographic character. It -is addressed to William Erskine, a warm friend of the poet's youth, in -whose literary judgment Scott reposed the firmest faith. He had been -from the beginning a kind of literary monitor, sympathizing fully with -Scott's feeling for the picturesque side of Scottish life, but strongly -urging him to follow more closely the masters of poetry in some of the -minor graces of arrangement and diction. This the poet declares is -impossible, and exclaims:-- - - Though wild as cloud, as stream, as gale - Flow forth, flow unrestrained, my tale! - -In this Introduction the poet's mind reverts to the scenes of his -childhood, the old farm at Sandy Knowe, where he lived with his -grandfather, and the ancient tower of Smailholm near by. - - Then rise those crags, that mountain tower, - Which charmed my fancy's wakening hour. - * * * * * - It was a barren scene and wild, - Where naked cliffs were rudely piled, - But ever and anon between - Lay velvet tufts of loveliest green; - And well the lonely infant knew - Recesses where the wall-flower grew, - And honeysuckle loved to crawl - Up the low crag and ruined wall. - I deemed such nooks the sweetest shade - The sun in all its round surveyed. - -The preparation for the writing of 'Marmion' began right here, for the -love of martial tales so early implanted in the poet's breast never -ceased to grow until it reached its full maturity. - - While stretched at length upon the floor, - Again I fought each combat o'er, -{52} - Pebbles and shells, in order laid, - The mimic ranks of war displayed; - And onward still the Scottish lion bore, - And still the scattered Southron fled before. - - -The fourth canto is inscribed to the poet's artist friend, James Skene, -with whom he made many an excursion on horseback through the Border -country. It recalls many memories of summer days and winter nights, -happily spent with mutual friends. The fifth is addressed to George -Ellis, a man of wide knowledge of poetry and extensive literary -attainments, with whom Scott was on terms of almost brotherly intimacy. -It was written from Edinburgh, more than a year after the beginning of -the poem, and is distinguished by a fine outburst of enthusiasm for the -poet's native city, 'Caledonia's Queen.' The sixth canto and the last -is dedicated to Richard Heber, who had rendered able assistance in the -preparation of the 'Border Minstrelsy.' He was a member of Parliament -for Oxford and a man of profound knowledge of the literary monuments of -the Middle Ages. He possessed an extensive library to which he gave -the poet free access, and his oral commentaries were scarcely less -important. The introduction was written at Mertoun House, where Scott -had gone to spend the Christmas season at the home of the head of his -clan. - - Heap on more wood!--the wind is chill; - But let it whistle as it will, - We'll keep our Christmas merry still. - - -[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO NORHAM CASTLE] - -A brief review of the well-known narrative will serve to point out the -most important of the many interesting and often beautiful scenes which -the poet so graphically {53} describes. The story opens, as everybody -knows, at Norham Castle at close of day, when Lord Marmion, mounted on -his red-roan charger, proudly enters,-- - - Armed from head to heel - In mail and plate of Milan steel, - -with helm richly embossed with burnished gold and surmounted by a -flowing crest, amid which - - A falcon hovered on her nest, - With wings outspread and forward breast. - -He was followed by two gallant and ambitious squires; then came four -men-at-arms 'with halbert, bill, and battle-axe,' bearing their -chieftain's lance and pennon; and finally twenty yeomen, each a chosen -archer who could bend a six-foot bow, and all with falcons embroidered -on their breasts. They were welcomed with blare of trumpets and the -martial salute of cannon, making a clangor, such as the old turrets of -Norham had seldom heard. Marmion responded to the noisy welcome of -soldiers and minstrels by a lavish distribution of gold and was ushered -into the presence of Sir Hugh the Heron, with whom he spent the hours -till midnight in sumptuous feasting. - -Norham Castle, the ruins of which we reached at the close of day, after -a long tour by motor from Berwick, was once a magnificent mansion and -fortress, standing on high ground overlooking the Tweed. For a -thousand years it was the scene of alternating peace and turmoil. -Founded in the seventh century, it passed from English to Scottish -hands and back again for many years. By the beginning of the -thirteenth century it had become one of the strongest of English -fortresses. James IV captured it just before the battle of Flodden -Field, but {54} after that event the English recovered it. For the -past three hundred years it has been crumbling to ruins, and now there -is little left except a single wall and a remnant of the - - sable palisade, - That closed the castle barricade - -before which Marmion's bugle-horn was sounded. - -Like so many of Scott's characters, Marmion, though a fictitious -personage, moved among the real people of history and could boast a -genuine ancestry. There was a distinguished family of Marmion, Lords -of Fontenoy in Normandy, one of whom became a follower of William the -Conqueror and received a grant of the castle and tower of Tamworth and -the manor of Scrivelby, in Lincolnshire. The family became extinct in -the latter part of the thirteenth century. - -In the second canto the scene changes to St. Cuthbert's Holy Isle, -where Constance de Beverley is a prisoner. She had broken her vows as -a nun and deserted the convent to follow Marmion, in the guise of a -page, as his paramour-- - - And forfeited to be his slave - All here, and all beyond the grave. - -The island, so called, is on the English coast of the North Sea, about -ten miles southeast of Berwick. We reached it by crossing the sands in -a two-wheeled vehicle, something like an Irish jaunting-car, in which -springless instrument of torture we were compelled to travel about -three miles. At intervals along the route there are little groups of -poles standing in the water, with miniature platforms near the top. -These are havens of refuge. If {55} you get caught by the rising tides -you have only to make for one of these, and, after watching your horse -drown, wait for five or six hours until, with the turn of the tide, -somebody comes along to rescue you. Our enterprising Jehu assured us -that the tide would be running out, and that there was no danger. But -when about halfway over we began to notice that the ride was rising, -and the water was soon nearly up to the bed of the wagon. We had made -the entire journey in the face of a rising tide and reached the island -none too soon, for it was nearly high tide. - -Cuthbert, the patron saint of the Holy Island, flourished in the -seventh century. He was a prior of the original Melrose Abbey--not the -one which is now a ruin in the town of that name, but its predecessor -which occupied a site farther down the Tweed. Later he became Prior of -Lindisfarne and afterward Bishop. The ruins of the abbey show that it -must have been a very extensive establishment of great antiquity. -Besides the foundation stones, little now remains except part of the -walls of the church which are best described in the poet's words:-- - - In Saxon strength that abbey frowned, - With massive arches broad and round, - That rose alternate, row and row, - On ponderous columns, short and low, - Built ere the art was known - By pointed aisle and shafted stalk - The arcades of an alleyed walk - To emulate in stone. - -We searched in vain for the dreadful 'Vault of Penitence,' the awful -dungeon below the abbey, its position known only by the abbot, to which -both victim and {56} executioner were led blindfold. There is no trace -of any underground vaults nor of anything resembling the niche where -poor Constance was immured, to die a slow death from starvation. As a -matter of fact, Lindisfarne was never a convent at all. But at -Coldingham Abbey, on the coast of Scotland not many miles away, there -was discovered, in Scott's time, a female skeleton which, from the -shape of the niche and the position of the figure, seemed to be that of -a nun immured very much as Constance was supposed to have been. - -[Illustration: LINDISFARNE ABBEY] - -Returning to Norham Castle, and continuing the narrative, we find -Marmion and his men preparing to depart at an early hour of the morning -following their arrival. Guided by the supposed Holy Palmer, they -travelled all day, following the mountain paths straight across the -Lammermuir Hills, in a northwesterly direction, until at close of day -they came to the village of Gifford, four or five miles south of the -town of Haddington. A night at the village inn, a weird ghost story by -the landlord, and a strange, uncanny adventure of Marmion resulting -from it, complete the experiences of the first twenty-four hours. The -next day the travellers meet a messenger from the King, Sir David -Lindsay, by whom they are escorted to Crichton Castle and entertained -in royal magnificence. We found the ruins of this picturesque old -castle on the banks of the Tyne, a dozen miles southeast from -Edinburgh. From his boyhood they had exercised a fascinating influence -upon the poet. - - Crichtoun! though now thy miry court - But pens the lazy steer and sheep, - Thy turrets rude and tottered keep - Have been the minstrel's loved resort. - -{57} During his school days, Scott took many a vacation tramp to visit -the scenes in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh which appealed to his -fancy, and nothing ever made a stronger appeal than some old ruin to -which was attached a bit of history or legend. Referring to the time -when he was about thirteen years old, he says, in the brief fragment of -his 'Autobiography':-- - - -To this period I can trace distinctly the awaking of that delightful -feeling for the beauties of natural objects which has never since -deserted me.... The romantic feelings which I have described as -predominating in my mind, naturally rested upon and associated -themselves with these grand features of the landscape around me; and -the historical incidents, or traditional legends connected with many of -them, gave to my admiration a sort of intense impression of reverence, -which at times made my heart feel too big for its bosom. From this -time the love of natural beauty, more especially when combined with -ancient ruins, or remains of our fathers' piety or splendour, became -with me an insatiable passion, which, if circumstances had permitted, I -would willingly have gratified by travelling over half the globe. - - -It was with something of this same feeling that the poet caused Marmion -to travel from Norham to Edinburgh by a circuitous route, in order that -he might visit Crichton and afterward view Edinburgh from the Blackford -Hills. Mr. Guthrie Wright, a friend and relative of Scott's friend, -Erskine, once asked the poet: 'Why did ever mortal coming from England -to Edinburgh go by Gifford, Crichton Castle, Borthwick Castle, and over -the top of Blackford Hill? Not only is it a circuitous detour, but -there never was a road that way since the world was created!' 'That is -a most irrelevant objection,' said Sir Walter; 'it was my good pleasure -to bring Marmion {58} by that route, for the purpose of describing the -places you have mentioned, and the view from Blackford Hill--it was his -business to find the road and pick his steps the best way he could.' - -At Crichton, Marmion heard from Sir David Lindsay a legend of King -James and the Palace of Linlithgow. - - Of all the palaces so fair - Built for the royal dwelling - In Scotland, far beyond compare - Linlithgow is excelling. - -This famous palace, now a ruin, lies about midway between Edinburgh and -Glasgow. It is beautifully situated on a small loch, from the opposite -shores of which it makes an imposing appearance. The walls are in a -good state of preservation and still give some intimations of the early -magnificence of the royal residence. Three of the Stuart kings, James -III, IV, and V, occupied it in succession. Mary, Queen of Scots, was -born here in what was once a large and beautiful room. On the opposite -side of the building is a room ninety-eight feet long and thirty feet -wide, formerly used by the Scottish Parliaments, and the scene of many -a state banquet. At one end is an immense fireplace which still -remains in almost perfect condition. In the large court are the -remains of a fine fountain, with elaborate carvings, erected by James V -in anticipation of his marriage with the Princess Madeleine of France. -The most striking feature of the palace is Queen Margaret's Bower, a -lofty turret, where it is said the Queen watched all day for her -husband's return from Flodden Field, only to learn of his disastrous -defeat and death. As I stood on the parapet opposite the bower, -preparing to make its photograph, {59} the custodian reminded me that I -was standing where many famous people used to promenade. - -Adjoining the palace is the ancient church of St. Michael's, where, -according to Lindsay's story, King James received the ghostly visitor -in the semblance of the Apostle John, bearing the prophetic warning:-- - - 'My mother sent me from afar, - Sir King, to warn thee not to war,-- - Woe waits on thine array; - If war thou wilt, of woman fair, - Her witching wiles and wanton snare, - James Stuart, doubly warned, beware: - God keep thee as he may!' - - -From Crichton the journey to the Scottish camp was resumed, and the -party now traverses ground even more familiar to the poet:-- - - Early they took Dun-Edin's road, - And I could trace each step they trode; - Hill, brook, nor dell, nor rock, nor stone, - Lies on the path to me unknown. - -Over this well-worn road they reached the top of Blackford Hill, and -the view that met their eyes aroused an enthusiasm that even Marmion, -sullen warrior that he was, could scarcely suppress. The Scottish -camp, lying on the plain below, is painted in all the colours of the -rainbow:-- - - A thousand streamers flaunted fair; - Various in shape, device, and hue, - Green, sanguine, purple, red, and blue. - -The city, too, is pictured in colours no less vivid and glows 'with -gloomy splendour, red.' The Ochil Mountains, reflecting the morning -rays are like a 'purple {60} amethyst'; the islands in the Firth are -like 'emeralds chased in gold'; and a 'dusky grandeur clothed the -height, where the huge castle holds its state.' - -The scene which Marmion saw, the poet admits, was far different in his -own time; and it has changed, perhaps, even more since Sir Walter's -day, for the plain where King James's army lay is now filled with -well-built cottages. But the dominating features of the view, the huge -castle on the left, Arthur's Seat and the Salisbury Crags on the right, -Calton Hill, and the crown-shaped steeple of St. Giles still remain to -command our admiration and delight. - -[Illustration: TANTALLON CASTLE] - -Passing through the Scottish camp, Marmion and his train soon came to -Holyrood Palace. The tower on the left was built by James IV as a -royal palace in 1498-1503. In the latter year it was the scene of the -marriage of the King to Princess Margaret, the daughter of Henry VII of -England. The wedding was celebrated with great magnificence. Here -Marmion is received by the King, who, on the night before marching to -the south, is making Holyrood ring with 'wassail, mirth, and glee.' He -is devoting much attention to the wife of Sir Hugh the Heron, who sings -for him the song of the young Lochinvar. A glance, thrown by 'the -witching dame' to Marmion, arouses the jealous displeasure of the King, -and Marmion is hurried off to Tantallon Castle, under conduct of the -owner of that stronghold, Douglas, Earl of Angus, known as Archibald -Bell-the-Cat. Tantallon is on the north coast of Haddingtonshire, near -the town of North Berwick. The ruins still remain, - - Broad, massive, high, and stretching far. - -{61} They stand on a high, projecting rock, guarded on three sides by -the ocean, while on the land side the remnant of the 'double mound and -fosse' may still be seen. The castle was a favourite residence of the -Douglas family, though its fame owes less to history than to the genius -of Sir Walter. It was here that Marmion dared - - To beard the lion in his den - The Douglas in his hall,-- - -and in defiance of Lord Angus gave utterance to one of those dramatic -passages which have made the poem linger so long in the memory of all -its readers. This is one of the chief characteristics of Scott's -poetry, that certain lines will insist upon 'running in one's head.' -George Ellis pointed out the significant fact that 'everybody reads -Marmion more than once' and that it improves on second reading. -Perhaps this is why so many people can quote freely from the poem, -particularly such passages as the quarrel of Marmion and Douglas. - -From Tantallon, Marmion and his men, with the Lady Clare, proceed to -Flodden Field, reaching at eve the convent of Lennel where 'now is left -but one frail arch.' This resting place is on the river Tweed just -below the town of Coldstream and not far from the famous ford at the -mouth of the river Leet, used by Edward I in the invasion of Scotland -near the close of the thirteenth century and by the contending armies -of England and Scotland for nearly four hundred years afterward. Over -this ford Marmion rushes impetuously to throw himself into the thick of -the battle. - - Then on that dangerous ford and deep - Where to the Tweed Leet's eddies creep - He ventured desperately: -{62} - And not a moment will he bide - Till squire or groom before him ride; - Headmost of all he stems the tide, - And stems it gallantly. - -Sir Walter wrote this passage, and many more like it, from experience, -for it was one of his chief delights to ford a stream. James Skene -said he believed there was not a single ford in the whole course of the -Tweed that he and Scott had not traversed together. 'He had an amazing -fondness for fords, and was not a little adventurous in plunging -through, whatever might be the state of the flood, and this even though -there happened to be a bridge in view. If it seemed possible to -scramble through, he scorned to go ten yards about, and in fact -preferred the ford.' There was a ford at Ashestiel that was never a -good one. At one time, after a severe storm, it became quite perilous. -Scott was the first to attempt the passage, which he accomplished in -safety, thanks to his steady nerve and good horsemanship, for his -favourite black horse, Captain, was obliged to swim nearly the whole -distance across. - -Many of the landmarks of Flodden Field may still be seen. The Twisel -Bridge over which the English crossed the Till; Ford Castle, the -residence of Sir William Heron, whom Scott transfers to Norham, -changing his name to Hugh; Etal Castle, which with Ford, Norham, and -Wark was captured by King James; a remnant of the old cross in the -field where Marmion died; the well of Sybil Grey, a spring running into -a small stone basin, upon which has been cut an inscription something -like that referred to in the poem; and 'Marmion's well' at the edge of -the village of Branxton, which the local {63} inhabitants are certain -is the real spring where Clare filled Marmion's helm with the cooling -water,--all these are easily visited in a day's drive. On the summit -of Piper's Hill a monument has been erected, marking the spot where -King James fell. - -The King failed to heed the warning given in Linlithgow. He insisted -upon going to war and wasted too much precious time with the Lady -Heron. As a result he seemed to do everything that a good general -would not have done and he failed to do all that a competent leader -would have done. The poet gives full vent to his righteous -indignation:-- - - And why stands Scotland idly now, - Dark Flodden! on thy airy brow, - Since England gains the pass the while, - And struggles through the deep defile? - What checks the fiery soul of James? - Why sits that champion of the dames - Inactive on his steed? - * * * * * - O Douglas, for thy leading wand! - Fierce Randolph for thy speed! - Oh! for one hour of Wallace wight, - Or well-skilled Bruce, to rule the fight - And cry, 'Saint Andrew and our right!' - Another sight had seen that morn, - From Fate's dark book a leaf been torn, - And Flodden had been Bannockbourne. - - -The King fell, bravely fighting, it is said, within a lance's length of -the Earl of Surrey. The noblest of the Scottish army lay dead and -dying about the field. Never before in Scottish history had there been -so great a disaster as that - - Of Flodden's fatal field - Where shivered was fair Scotland's spear - And broken was her shield! - -{64} Richard H. Hutton thinks that Scott's description of war in this -account is perhaps the most perfect which the English language -contains, and that 'Marmion' is Scott's finest poem. 'The Battle of -Flodden Field,' he says, 'touches his highest point in its expression -of stern, patriotic feeling, in its passionate love of daring, and in -the force and swiftness of its movement, no less than in the brilliancy -of its romantic interests, the charm of its picturesque detail, and the -glow of its scenic colouring.' - -Lockhart, whose judgment must always be regarded, also believed -'Marmion' to be the greatest of Scott's poems, because of its 'superior -strength and breadth and boldness both of conception and execution.' It -has been severely criticized. That Marmion, a knight of many noble -qualities, should have been guilty of the contemptible crime of -forgery, is a blot which Scott himself acknowledged. Mr. Andrew Lang -thinks that 'our age could easily dispense with Clara and her lover.' -George Ellis, on the contrary, thought it too short, that 'the masterly -character of Constance would not have been less bewitching had it been -much more minutely painted--and that De Wilton might have been dilated -with great ease and even to considerable advantage.' Lord Jeffrey -denounced it in characteristic fashion as an 'imitation of obsolete -extravagance.' Such a thing, he thought, might be excused for once as -a 'pretty caprice of genius,' but a second production imposed 'a sort -of duty to drive the author from so idle a task.' - -But Jeffrey's crabbed remarks were universally condemned as unjust and -the public responded to 'Marmion' with enthusiasm. Scott had painted a -picture full of lofty patriotism and glowing with life and colour. -{65} He had glorified his native city with a fervour that went straight -to the hearts of its people. The bravery of the Scottish troops as -they rallied around their king and fought to the bitter end seemed to -turn the worst disaster in their history into a scene of which every -Scotchman might well be proud. The great chieftains of Scotland had -been exalted. The hills and mountains, the rivers and brooks, and all -the delightful scenes of the southern border had been painted in -charming colours. And so the poet had touched the pride of his -countrymen and if there were faults of composition or of diction they -saw them not. - - - - -{66} - -CHAPTER IV - -THE LADY OF THE LAKE - -The most popular of all Scott's poems, as 'The Lady of the Lake' has -proved to be, is in reality a romantic story set to music and staged in -an environment of wondrous natural beauty. It is like an open-air -play, but with this advantage, that the audience seems to move -continually from one scene of beauty to another, each more entrancing -than the one before. You may travel from Stirling to Loch Katrine and -from the Trossachs to the Braes of Balquhidder and all the time feel -the thrill of the poem, which seems fairly to permeate the atmosphere. -It is full of incident, and there is never a dull moment from the -beginning of the stag hunt in the solitudes of Glenartney to the final -scenes of generosity and gratitude, of love and joyous reunion, in the -King's Palace of Stirling Castle. The characters are types, each -presenting a poetic interest of his own, of a race of men famous in -history and in song for deeds of personal prowess, for skill in the use -of claymore and battle-axe, for loyalty to friends, for bitter -resentment of wrongs, for courage, for endurance, for hospitality, for -love of music and poetry, for strength of physique and for picturesque -personal appearance and attire. - -The spell of the Wizard of the North came upon us as we entered the -enchanted land and his whole company of players appeared as if by -magic. In the centre of the group there seemed to be the figure of a -young woman, {67} pure, beautiful, and good--yet not too good to be -human, for she was at least sensitive to the admiring glances of a -certain handsome, well-built, and courteous stranger. But Ellen -Douglas was nevertheless true to her accepted lover, faithful to her -father, and loyal to her own ideals of truth and right. - - And ne'er did Grecian chisel trace - A Nymph, a Naiad, or a Grace - Of finer form or lovelier face. - * * * * * - A chieftain's daughter seemed the maid: - Her satin snood, her silken plaid, - Her golden brooch, such birth betrayed. - And seldom was a snood amid - Such wild, luxuriant ringlets hid - Whose glossy black to shame might bring - The plumage of the raven's wing: - And seldom o'er a breast so fair - Mantled a plaid with modest care, - And never brooch the folds combined - Above a heart more good and kind. - -Grouped about the maiden were the figures of a Lowland king, a Highland -chieftain, a stalwart father, and a sturdy lover. The first two -presented a striking contrast. The King, disguised as a hunter in -Lincoln green, with a bold visage upon which middle age had not yet -quenched the fiery vehemence of youth; with sturdy limbs fitted for any -kind of active sport or contest; with stately mien and ready speech, -'in phrase of gentlest courtesy'; jovial, kindly, even gleeful and -frolicsome at times, with the will to do and the soul to dare, made a -splendid picture as he stood upon the Silver Strand, face to face with -Ellen Douglas. Far different was the sullen visage of Roderick Dhu, as - -{68} - - Twice through the hall the Chieftain strode: - The waving of his tartan broad, - And darkened brow, where wounded pride - With ire and disappointment vied, - Seemed, by the torch's gloomy light, - Like the ill Demon of the night. - -Yet in spite of the fierce aspect of this terrible chief, one cannot -withhold his admiration, and we feel like echoing the shout of -enthusiasm of the cheering boatmen as they approach the island, -singing,-- - - Loud should Clan-Alpine then - Ring from her deepmost glen, - Roderigh Vich Alpine dhu, ho! ieroe! - -When Roderick scorns to take advantage of Fitz-James, though the latter -is in his power, and shares with him his camp-fire, his supper, and his -bed, finally conducting him in safety through hundreds of hostile -Highlanders to the very limits of Clan-Alpine's territory, there to -battle single-handed and on equal terms, we begin to feel what real -Highland hospitality and chivalry mean and to realize the true nobility -of character beneath the rough exterior of this stern soldier. - -Ellen's father, the exiled Douglas, was a giant in stature who could -wield as lightly as a hazel wand a sword which other men could scarcely -lift. - - The women praised his stately form, - Though wrecked by many a winter's storm; - The youth with awe and wonder saw - His strength surpassing Nature's law. - -Contrasting with this fine old man was Malcolm Graeme, Ellen's lover:-- - - Of stature fair, and slender frame - But firmly knit was Malcolm Graeme. -{69} - The belted plaid and tartan hose - Did ne'er more graceful limbs disclose; - His flaxen hair, of sunny hue, - Curled closely round the bonnet blue. - -His mind was 'lively and ardent, frank and kind,' and he had a scorn of -wrong and a zeal for truth that promised to make his name one of the -greatest in the mountains. But poor Malcolm was to the poet's mind not -an artistic success. The latter confessed that he compelled him to -swim from Ellen's Isle to the shore merely to give him something to do, -but 'wet or dry,' he said, 'I could do nothing with him.' - -[Illustration: LOCH ACHRAY] - -Behind these five figures we could fancy a white-haired minstrel, harp -in hand; a hermit monk, in frock and hood, barefooted, with grizzled -hair and matted beard, naked arms and legs seamed with scars, and a -wild and savage face that spoke of nothing but despair; three young men -in kilt skirts and Highland plaids, every movement showing the agile -strength of their youthful limbs, passing from one to another a cross -of fire,--Malise, Angus, and Norman, the messengers who summoned the -clans to battle; and back of all, filling up the picture, Highlanders -of high and low degree, men, women, and children, all fired with -intense loyalty to the Clan-Alpine. The whole picture seemed to -project itself upon a background of mountains and valleys, lakes, -rivers and waterfalls, fantastic rocks and weather-beaten crags, grey -birches and warrior oaks, ferns and wild flowers, all - - So wondrous wild, the whole might seem - The scenery of a fairy dream. - - -Scott was always fond of brilliant hues, but here he fairly revels in -colour:-- - -{70} - - The western waves of ebbing day - Rolled o'er the glen their level way: - Each purple peak, each flinty spire, - Was bathed in floods of living fire. - * * * * * - All twinkling with the dew-drop sheen, - The brier rose fell in streamers green - And creeping shrubs of thousand dyes - Waved in the west wind's summer sighs. - * * * * * - Boon nature scattered, free and wild, - Each plant or flower, the mountain's child, - Here eglantine embalmed the air, - Hawthorn and hazel mingled there: - The primrose pale and violet flower - Found in each clift a narrow bower. - - -The best way to read 'The Lady of the Lake' is to see the Trossachs; -the best way to see the Trossachs is to read 'The Lady of the Lake.' -There is a peculiar affinity between the poem and the country that -makes each indispensable to the other. Those who read the poem without -some knowledge of the scenery are likely to have an inadequate -conception of its real significance, or possibly to feel that the poet -has painted in colours too vivid and that his enthusiasm is not perhaps -fully justified by the facts. Those who see the Trossachs without -reading the poem are apt to say, as one man did say to me, 'Yes, this -is beautiful, but after all I have seen just such roads in New -Hampshire.' He might have added, 'The Rocky Mountains are much higher -and more sublime, and the Italian lakes reflect a sky of more brilliant -blue and are bordered by foliage infinitely more gorgeous in its -colourings,'--all of which is true. But when you come to read the poem -with a mental vision of the Trossachs {71} before you and to see the -Trossachs with the exquisite descriptions of the poem fully in mind, -each acquires a new charm which alone it did not possess. - -Before the poem was written the Trossachs were scarcely known and Loch -Katrine was no more than any other Highland lake. Now these regions -are visited yearly by thousands of tourists and to those who know the -poem, every turn in the road seems to suggest some favourite stanza. -To us the tour was one of unfailing delight and productive of mental -visions that will never fade. The Brig o' Turk is to me not merely an -old stone bridge over a placid rivulet; but, rushing over it at full -speed, eagerly spurring his fine grey horse to further effort, I see -the figure of a gallant hunter clad in a close-fitting suit of green, -his eyes intently fixed on the road ahead, where a splendid stag, now -nearly exhausted, is straining his last ounce of energy in a final -effort to distance the pursuing hounds. To me the low ground on the -edge of Loch Vennachar, known as Lanrick Mead, appears like a military -camp, with great crowds of giant clansmen, in Highland kilts and plaids -of many colours, their spears and battle-axes glistening in the sun. -The aged oak, bending over the water's edge on Ellen's Isle, is not -merely an old dead tree, but it brings the vision of Ellen Douglas -putting forth in her frail shallop to answer (as she supposes) the -bugle call of her noble father from the Silver Strand. - -This is the secret charm of the Trossachs. The tourist who goes -through, as many do, with whole-hearted devotion to the time-table and -guide-book, and whose mind is fixed upon the absolute necessity of -'making' all the points in his itinerary, does not see these scenes any -{72} more than do the horses who draw the lumbering coaches. The more -leisurely traveller who can follow the course of the poem, viewing each -scene as Scott has so charmingly described it, finds exhilaration and -delight in every step of the way. - -Scott was only fifteen when he began to make those merry expeditions to -the Highlands in the company of congenial companions which gave him so -much material of the right kind as to make a poem inevitable. He -learned to know the strange but romantic Highland clansmen; he heard -many tales and bits of history which his memory stored up for the -future, and the rare beauty of the scenery fascinated him as it does -every one else. 'This poem,' he said, 'the action of which lay among -scenes so beautiful and so deeply imprinted on my recollections, was a -labour of love and it was no less so to recall the memories and -incidents introduced.' - -In one of these excursions (in 1793), he visited the home of the young -Laird of Cambusmore, John Buchanan, one of his associates, and -subsequently revisited the place many times. Cambusmore is a charming -estate about two miles southeast of Callander. Entering by the -porter's gate, we drove through a beautiful winding road, lined with -rhododendrons. The shrubs, or rather trees (for their extraordinary -height and wide-spreading branches entitle them to the more dignified -name), were in full bloom, thousands of great, splendid clusters vying -with each other to see which could catch and reflect the most sunlight. -Here we were hospitably received by the present owner, Mrs. Hamilton, a -great-granddaughter of Scott's friend, John Buchanan. The house has -been considerably enlarged, but the older portion, {73} thickly covered -with ivy, is very much as it was when Scott was a guest and sat on the -porch, listening to the story of Buchanan's ancestors. While he was -writing 'The Lady of the Lake,' Scott revisited Cambusmore and recited -parts of the poem to Mrs. Hamilton's grandfather. He also -demonstrated, by actually performing the feat himself, that it would be -possible for a horseman to ride from the foot of Loch Vennachar to -Stirling Castle in the time allotted to Fitz-James. - -[Illustration: CAMBUSMORE] - -From the road in front of this mansion, far away to the north, but -faintly visible through the trees, we could see the 'wild heaths of Uam -Var,' where the stag first sought refuge when, driven by the deep -baying of the hounds, he left the cool shades of Glenartney's hazel -woods. From another side we caught a fine glimpse of what the huntsmen -saw - - When rose Ben Ledi's ridge in air. - - -These hills of Scotland have witnessed many a hunt where scores of men -dashed wildly after the frightened game. But no stag, ever before or -since, has been pursued by so many eager hunters as the creature of -Scott's fancy. We joined in the hunt, as all tourists are supposed to -do, provided they have the time, which many, especially Americans, have -not, for as one Scotchman put it, 'they go through so fast, sir, that -you could set a tea-table on their coat-tails, sir.' - -We saw 'the varied realms of fair Menteith,' a lovely little lake with -irregular shores and studded with bright green islands. I remember I -had to walk a long way over a lonely heath to get my picture of the -lake, and that I was closely followed by a large flock of angry plovers -{74} who feared that I might harm their nests. They flew so close that -I had to keep one arm above my head for defence, and all the time they -were screaming vociferously. - -We visited 'far Loch Ard' and Aberfoyle, both associated more closely -with Rob Roy. We found - - the copsewood grey - That waved and wept on Loch Achray; - -and climbed up among - - the pine trees blue - On the bold cliffs of Ben Venue. - -We passed along 'Bocastle's heath' and reached the shores of Loch -Vennachar, more fortunate than the huntsmen of the poem, most of whom -gave up from sheer exhaustion before they reached that place. For, - - when the Brig o' Turk was won, - The headmost horseman rode alone. - -This picturesque old stone bridge, spanning the little stream that -waters the valley of Glen Finglas, is the entrance to the Trossachs, a -region, as the name implies, of wild and rugged beauty. - - Alone, but with unbated zeal, - That horseman plied the scourge and steel; - For jaded now, and spent with toil, - Embossed with foam, and dark with soil, - While every gasp with sobs he drew, - The labouring stag strained full in view. - -Thus the race went along the shore of Loch Achray until they reached -the dense woods that lie between this little lake and Loch Katrine. -Then just as the hunter,-- - - Already glorying in the prize, - Measured his antlers with his eyes, - -{75} the wily stag dashed suddenly down a darksome glen and disappeared - - In the deep Trossach's wildest nook. - - -The place thus indicated may be reached by leaving the fine wagon road -and walking up the hill on the right by a path that leads along a -little rill to a dense thicket, over which hang some rugged cliffs. We -spent a pleasant Sunday afternoon exploring the dark ravines,-- - - Where twined the path in shadow hid, - Round many a rocky pyramid, - Shooting abruptly from the dell - Its thunder-splintered pinnacle. - -This is one of the most delightful spots in the Trossachs, though never -seen by the thousands who whirl through all this enchanted land in a -single day, packed five or six in a seat on a jolting coach, breathing -the dust of the road and frittering away their golden opportunity in -idle chatter. You cannot catch the spirit of this wild and rugged -region unless you walk into the unfrequented parts and see the 'native -bulwarks of the pass,' where - - The rocky summits, split and rent, - Formed turret, dome, or battlement, - Or seemed fantastically set - With cupola or minaret. - -Here Fitz-James found himself alone and on foot, for his good grey -horse had fallen, exhausted, never to rise again. Marvelling at the -beauty of the scene, he wandered on, until, seeing no pathway by which -to issue from the glen, he climbed a 'far-projecting precipice'; when -suddenly there burst upon his sight the grandest view of all, Loch -Katrine,-- - -{76} - - gleaming with the setting sun - One burnished sheet of living gold. - -As sentinels guarding an enchanted land, two mountains stood like -giants: on the south rose Ben Venue, its sides strewn with rough -volcanic rocks and its summit 'a wildering forest feathered o'er': on -the north 'Ben An heaved high his forehead bare.' - -The stranger stood enraptured and amazed. Then, thinking to call some -straggler of his train, he blew a loud blast upon his horn. To his -great surprise the sound was answered by a little skiff which glided -forth - - From underneath an aged oak - That slanted from the islet's rock. - -The old oak was the supposed landing place of Ellen Douglas on what has -since been known as 'Ellen's Isle.' The oak, old in Scott's day, is -dead now, but singularly enough it died not of old age but by drowning. -Loch Katrine is now the reservoir that supplies the city of Glasgow. -In preparing it for this service the engineers raised the level of the -lake about twenty-five feet, creating many new islands to keep the -'lone islet' company, and completely submerging the 'Silver Strand' so -often mentioned in the poem. But the beauty of the lake has not been -marred, and the scenes, though changed, are still as lovely as when -they aroused the poetic fervour of Sir Walter Scott. - -[Illustration: GLENFINGLAS] - -The visitor who takes the trouble, as we did, to row out to Ellen's -Isle, will find nothing to suggest the imagined home of Roderick Dhu -and the temporary shelter of the Douglas and his daughter. But he will -have an excellent opportunity to indulge his fancy and call back {77} -to memory the stirring incidents which served to bring together all the -leading people of the tale. He may stand on the shore of the island -and see the barges, filled with the warriors of Roderick Dhu, bearing -down upon him, their spears, pikes, and axes flashing and their -banners, plaids, and plumage dancing in the air. He may hear the sound -of the war-pipes and the chorus of the clansmen as they shout their -chieftain's praise. Then, as the storm of war rises higher and higher, -he may fancy Brian the Hermit with wild incantations calling the clans -to battle and uttering a terrible curse upon any who failed to heed the -summons. He may see the fiery Cross placed in the hands of the young -Malise, and watch the fleet messenger as he crosses the lake to the -Silver Strand where he lightly bounds ashore. Then, if he be a real -enthusiast, he may follow the course of the fiery cross. Malise -carried it through the Trossachs, and along the shore of Loch Achray to -the hamlet of Duncraggan, just beyond the Brig o' Turk, and in sight of -Lanrick Mead, the gathering-place of the clans. Then young Angus, the -stripling son of Duncan, seized the fatal symbol, and hurried over the -mountains, crossing the southern slopes of Ben Ledi, until, reaching -the river Leny at the outlet of Loch Lubnaig, he swam the stream, and -after a desperate struggle with the swollen torrent, reached the -opposite bank at the chapel of St. Bride. No chapel now exists, but a -stone wall marks the site where the little church once stood, and -within the enclosure is a single grave. As Angus arrived, a little -wedding party was issuing from the churchyard gate. The dreadful sign -of fire and sword was thrust into the hands of Norman, the bridegroom, -and the command given to 'speed {78} forth the signal.' Not daring to -look a second time upon the tearful face of his lovely bride, Norman -manfully seized the torch and hurried to the north. He followed the -shores of Loch Lubnaig and the swampy course of the river Balvaig, -then, turning sharply to the left, entered the Braes of Balquhidder and -passed along the northern shores of Loch Voil and Loch Doine, two -lovely little Highland lakes that lie hidden away in the solitude of -the hills. Thence, turning to the south, he crossed the intervening -mountains until he came to the valley of Strathgartney on the northern -shore of Loch Katrine. - -The scene now changes to the slopes of Ben Venue, a rugged mountain -peak, towering high above the south-eastern end of Loch Katrine and -dominating the entire region of the Trossachs. On the side nearest the -lake is a confused mass of huge volcanic rocks overhung here and there -by scraggly oaks or birches. Ancient Celtic tradition assigned this -wild spot to the Urisk or shaggy men whose form was part man, part -goat, like the satyrs of Greek mythology. In later times the Celtic -name of Coir-nan-Uriskin gave way to the more euphonious title of the -Goblin Cave. To this 'wild and strange retreat,' fit only for wolves -and wild-cats, Douglas brought his daughter for safety. Roderick Dhu, -hovering about the place like a restless ghost, heard the soft voice of -Ellen, singing her 'Hymn to the Virgin.' Then, goaded by the thought -that he should never hear that angel voice again, the chieftain strode -sullenly down the mountain-side, and crossing the lake soon rejoined -his men at Lanrick Mead. - -In the night Douglas silently departed, resolved to go to Stirling -Castle and give his life as a ransom for his {79} daughter and his -friends. In the morning Fitz-James found the retreat of Ellen and -offered to carry her away in safety. But Ellen in simple confidence -told of her love for Malcolm Graeme, and warned the knight that his -life was in danger from his treacherous guide. Fitz-James then gave a -signet ring to Ellen, telling her to present it to the King, who would -redeem it by granting whatever she might ask. The wanderer then went -on his way, passing through the Trossachs again, where he met the -half-crazed maid, Blanche of Devon. The poet actually saw the original -of this strange character in the Pass of Glencoe. 'This poor woman,' -he says, 'had placed herself in the wildest attitude imaginable upon -the very top of a huge fragment of rock: she had scarce any covering -but a tattered plaid, which left her arms, legs, and neck bare to the -weather. Her long shaggy black hair was streaming backwards in the -wind and exposed a face rather wild and wasted than ugly, and bearing a -very peculiar expression of frenzy. She had a handful of eagle -feathers in her hand.' - -Following the dramatic death of Blanche and the swift justice to her -murderer, the treacherous guide Murdoch, comes the well-remembered -meeting of Fitz-James and Roderick Dhu. Clan-Alpine's chief extended -to his enemy the hospitality of 'a soldier's couch, a soldier's fare,' -and conducted him safely through countless hordes of his own men -concealed behind every bush and stone until they reached the ford of -Coilantogle, at the extreme limit of the Highland chief's territory. -The place is at the outlet of Loch Vennachar, about two miles west of -Callander, and is readily seen from the main road to the Trossachs. -Here occurred the terrific {80} combat, so vividly painted by the poet, -and Roderick was left upon the field, severely wounded, a prisoner in -the hands of Fitz-James's men, who had responded to the bugle call of -their leader. The latter, accompanied by two of his knights, rode -rapidly along the shores of the Forth. They passed 'the bannered -towers of Doune,' now a ruin, which makes a pretty picture seen in the -distance from the bridge over the river. Pressing on, they were soon -in sight of Stirling Castle, when Fitz-James saw a woodsman 'of stature -tall and poor array,' and at once recognized 'the stately form and -step' of Douglas. - -Cambus Kenneth, from which Douglas had just come, is a tall square -tower on the banks of the Forth, west of Stirling. It was once a large -abbey, founded in the twelfth century and built on the site of the -battle-field, where the Scots under Kenneth MacAlpine defeated the -Picts. The tower is all that now remains, but the foundations of some -of the walls show the great extent of the structure. Amid the ruins is -the grave of King James III, over which is a monument erected by Queen -Victoria. It is supposed to be in exactly the place where King James -was buried, under the high altar, but is so far away from the tower as -to indicate that the original abbey must have been unusually large. - -Next to Edinburgh Castle, Stirling is the most imposing fortress in -Scotland. It stands on a rock four hundred and twenty feet above the -sea, commanding a fine view in every direction. On the esplanade is a -statue of King Robert the Bruce. The figure is clad in chain armour -and the king is sheathing his sword, satisfied with his great victory -as he gazes toward the field of {81} Bannockburn. Across the valley on -the Abbey Craig, two miles away, is a tall tower in memory of that -other great national hero, the mention of whose name still brings a -tingle into the blood of the loyal Scotsman, William Wallace. The -castle is entered by a gateway between two round towers, beneath one of -which is the dungeon where Roderick Dhu may be supposed to have been -carried after the fatal duel. Here one may fancy the aged minstrel -Allan-bane, singing to the dying chief the story of the Battle of Beal' -an Duine. A poem that can hold the attention of a company of soldiers -when actually under fire themselves must be thrilling, indeed; yet this -test was successfully applied to the tale as Scott told it through the -minstrel. Sir Adam Ferguson received the poem on the day when he was -posted with his company on a point of ground exposed to the enemy's -artillery. The men were ordered to lie prostrate on the ground, while -the captain, kneeling at their head, read the description of the -battle. The soldiers listened attentively, only interrupting -occasionally with a loud huzza, when a shot struck the bank just above -their heads. - -On the left of the castle gate is the Royal Palace, built by James III -and a favourite residence of James IV and James V. All the windows -have heavy iron bars, making the palace look more like a prison than a -king's mansion. They were placed there for the protection of the -infant James VI, son of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was born in Edinburgh -Castle; but considered unsafe there, he was lowered over the walls in a -basket and carried to Stirling Castle. Queen Mary had lived here for -four years in her childhood and it was here that she was secretly -married to Darnley. Two years later, on a {82} visit to the castle to -see her son, she was intercepted by Bothwell and carried away to -Dunbar, probably with her own connivance, where a month later the two -were married. James VI, afterward James I of England, spent most of -his boyhood here, and when he left to assume the English crown, -Stirling ceased to be a royal residence. - -Among the many strange and much mutilated statues on the exterior of -the palace is one representing King James V as the 'Gudeman of -Ballengeich.' It was the custom of this king, as it had been of his -father, to disguise himself and mingle with the people, thereby finding -relief from the strain of more serious affairs and doubtless learning -at first hand what the people thought of him. Their opinions must have -been favourable, for the King enjoyed the experiences and the -intercourse was always friendly and often amusing. Once on a hunting -expedition, the King became separated from the others of his party and -was obliged to spend the night at a cottage in the moorlands. The -'gudeman,' like all true Highlanders, was extremely hospitable to the -stranger, and ordered the 'gude wife,' to kill for supper the plumpest -of the hens. The stranger, departing the next morning, invited the -farmer to call on the 'Gudeman of Ballengeich' when he next visited -Stirling. The farmer soon accepted the invitation and was much -astonished to find himself received by the King, who enjoyed his -confusion most heartily and gave him the facetious title, 'King of the -Moors.' This story and others like it gave the idea to Scott which he -so skilfully made the basis of 'The Lady of the Lake.' - -[Illustration: STIRLING CASTLE] - -Another gateway leads into the upper court, on the right of which is -the old Parliament House, where {83} the last Scottish Parliament met. -At the north end of the court is the Chapel Royal. A third gateway -leads to the Douglas Garden, at the left of which is the Douglas Room, -where James II treacherously stabbed the Earl of Douglas. The latter -had visited the castle under a safe-conduct granted by the King -himself. The body was dragged into an adjoining room and thrown out of -the window. Later it was buried just where it fell. Scott makes James -Douglas refer to the incident as he sadly returns to Stirling to -surrender himself and die for his family. - - Ye towers, within those circuit dread - A Douglas by his sovereign bled. - -From the parapet along the walls of this garden, built on a rock three -hundred feet high, a splendid landscape may be seen. Down below appear -the windings of the river Forth and the old Stirling Bridge, known as -the 'Key to the Highlands,' the only bridge across the Forth during all -the stirring times of Scottish history. There too is the 'Heading -Hill' to which Douglas also refers:-- - - And thou, O sad and fatal mound! - Thou oft hast heard the death-axe sound, - As on the noblest of the land - Fell the stern headsman's bloody hand. - -From another place on the wall, far down on the plain below, we could -see the King's Knot, a curiously shaped, octagonal mound of great -antiquity, near the base of the precipitous rock upon which the castle -stands. This plain, so easily seen from the castle, was the place -where many a knightly tournament was held, and it was to this castle -park that Douglas went to take part in the games, so that - -{84} - - King James shall mark - If age has tamed these sinews stark, - Whose force so oft in happier days - His boyish wonder loved to praise. - -Here was held the archery contest where Douglas won the silver dart; -here was the wrestling match where he won the golden ring; here his -brave dog Lufra pulled down the royal stag, and Douglas knocked -senseless with a single blow the groom who struck his noble hound; and -from here Douglas was led a captive into the fortress. - -Meanwhile Ellen had found her way to the castle determined to see the -King and with his signet ring beg the boon of her father's life. She -learned to her astonishment that the King and Fitz-James were one, and -that her suit was granted before it was asked, for the genial monarch -announced Lord James of Douglas as 'a friend and bulwark of our throne.' - - The monarch drank, that happy hour, - The sweetest, holiest draught of Power,-- - When it can say with godlike voice, - Arise, sad Virtue, and rejoice! - -Then Ellen blushingly craved, through her father, the pardon of her -lover, and the King in jovial mood commanded Malcolm to stand forth, -exclaiming,-- - - 'Fetters and warder for the Graeme!' - His chain of gold the King unstrung, - The links o'er Malcolm's neck he flung, - Then gently drew the glittering band, - And laid the clasp on Ellen's hand. - - -Looking out from Stirling Castle over the delightful scenery of the -Scottish Highlands, made a hundred times more lovely by the romantic -poem, whose magic has {85} seemed to touch every lake and river, hill -and valley, with its influence, we felt a strange reluctance to leave -the scene, akin to that of the poet himself as he bids farewell to the -Harp of the North:-- - - Hark! as my lingering footsteps slow retire, - Some Spirit of the Air has waked thy string! - 'T is now a seraph bold, with touch of fire, - 'T is now the brush of Fairy's frolic wing. - Receding now, the dying numbers ring - Fainter and fainter down the rugged dell; - And now the mountain breezes scarcely bring - A wandering witch-note of the distant spell, - And now, 't is silent all!--Enchantress, fare thee well! - - - - -{86} - -CHAPTER V - -ROKEBY - -The town of Barnard Castle, where we arrived one evening after a long -tour through Yorkshire, is on the left bank of the river Tees and on -the southern boundary of the county of Durham. In the morning we were -told by 'Boots,' the one man in an English hotel who knows everything, -that the castle, which gives its name to the town, could be reached -through the stable-yard back of the house. After travelling far out of -our way to view the setting of Rokeby, which in the natural beauty of -its scenery is unsurpassed by that of any of Scott's other poems, -except 'The Lady of the Lake,' the suggestion of such an entrance to -the locality of the opening stanzas was a rude shock to our sense of -romantic propriety. The reality was worse than the suggestion and we -began to think that possibly Mr. Boots might have misdirected us, -supposing we wished to see the barnyard instead of Barnard Castle. We -proceeded on our way, however, soon coming to a small cottage with a -pretty little garden,--nearly every English cottage boasts one of these -delightful little areas of colour and of fragrance,--and passing -through, reached the enclosure where all that is left of the castle, or -nearly all, now stands. Two impressive ruined towers and a short -connecting wall are practically all that remain of a once splendid -royal residence. On the left is 'Brackenbury's dungeon-tower,' no -longer 'dismal,' for the ancient stones are partly clothed with {87} -the foliage of fruit trees, trained English fashion against the walls, -while a bed of bright-blooming flowers on the right, the fresh green -leaves of some overhanging branches on the left, and the lawn, -plentifully besprinkled with the dainty little English daisies, each -catching its own ray of sunshine and giving a sparkle to the whole -scene, all spoke eloquently of the change from death to life since the -time when these walls cast only deep shadows of darkness and despair. - -On the right of the enclosure is the old Baliol Tower, and in the wall -connecting it with Brackenbury is an oriel window, where the arms of -King Richard III may still be faintly traced in the stone. - -Baliol Tower is a heavy round structure of great antiquity. It has a -remarkable vaulted ceiling composed entirely of keystones arranged in -circles. A narrow staircase within the walls leads to the battlements -from which we obtained a magnificent view of the valley of the Tees. - - What prospects from his watch-tower high - Gleam gradual on the warder's eye! - Far sweeping to the east he sees - Down his deep woods the course of Tees, - And tracks his wanderings by the steam - Of summer vapours from the stream. - - -If Barnard Castle appeared unromantic, approached from the yard of the -inn, exactly the opposite feeling took possession of us when we viewed -it from the footbridge, just above the dam. Here the river widens -until it looks like a placid lake. The castle rises high above the -stream, its base concealed by trees of heavy growth, but not tall -enough to cover the two great towers and {88} the oriel window of King -Richard. It is no longer a single ruined wall, but the imposing front -of a vast structure, well placed for defence, once strong in war but -now beautiful in peace. - -Barnard Baliol, whose father was one of the followers of William the -Conqueror, founded the castle in the beginning of the twelfth century. -He was the grandfather of John Baliol, who contested with Robert Bruce -the claim to the Scottish crown. The original castle or fortress -covered an extensive area of over six acres, most of which is now given -over to sheep-raising or to the cultivation of fruit trees. An -extensive domain, comprising much of the surrounding country, was -granted to the descendants of Barnard Baliol in the reign of King -Rufus. Edward I granted it to Guy Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, in whose -family it remained for several generations. Through the marriage of -the daughter of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, famous as the -king-maker, to the Duke of Gloucester, afterward King Richard III, the -estate came into possession of the Crown. The castle was a favourite -residence of Richard, who made many additions to it. In the reign of -Charles I it was purchased by Sir Henry Vane the elder. When Scott -makes it the property of Oswald Wycliffe, he does not go very far -astray, for John Wycliffe, the great forerunner of the Reformation in -England, was born on the banks of the river Tees and received his -education at Baliol College, Oxford, which was founded by the Baliols -of Barnard Castle, who were the neighbours of his family. - -[Illustration: BRACKENBURY TOWER, BARNARD CASTLE] - -Barnard Castle, however, interesting as it is, was not the magnet that -drew the poet to this region for his {89} scenery. In 1808, Scott -began his intimacy with John B. S. Morritt, a man of sterling character -and high literary attainments, for whom he came to entertain a genuine -affection. Morritt had inherited the estate of Rokeby, situated about -four miles southeast of Barnard Castle. The Rokebys, like their -neighbours, the Baliols, were descended from one of the followers of -the Conqueror. The old manor house was destroyed by the Scotch after -the battle of Bannockburn (1314), and the Rokeby of that day built the -Castle of Mortham, much of which still remains standing on the opposite -bank of the Greta. The present Hall was built in 1724. It stands in -the midst of an extensive and beautiful park, which Scott, on the -occasion of his first visit, thought 'one of the most enviable places' -he had ever seen. 'It unites,' said he, 'the richness and luxuriance -of English vegetation with the romantic variety of glen, torrent, and -copse, which dignifies our Northern scenery. The Greta and Tees, two -most beautiful and rapid rivers, join their currents in the demesne. -The banks of the Tees resemble, from the height of the rocks, the Glen -of Roslin, so much and justly admired.' The letter containing this -enthusiastic praise of his friend's estate was written in 1809. Two -years later, when the purchase of Abbotsford seemed to require another -poem for its consummation, it was to the one place worthy of comparison -with his beloved Glen of Roslin that the poet instinctively turned for -his backgrounds. - -Scott's ambition to be the 'laird' of an estate was gratified in the -summer of 1811 when he became the owner of an unprepossessing farm of -about one hundred acres. The land was in a neglected state, but little -of it {90} having been under cultivation. The farmhouse was small and -poor, and immediately in front of it was a miserable duck pond. The -place, from its disreputable appearance, had been known as 'Clarty -Hole.' But Scott's prophetic vision could look beyond all this and see -something, if not all, of the transformation which was to be wrought in -the next twelve years. The farm lay for half a mile along the banks of -the beautiful Tweed, the river which Scott loved. He knew the -fertility of the soil and saw the possibility of making the place a -beautiful grove. At first he thought only of 'a cottage and a few -fields,' but as the passion for buying, planting, and building grew -with his apparent prosperity, the farm became a beautifully wooded -estate of eighteen hundred acres, the cottage grew into a castle, and -'Clarty Hole,' its name changed into 'Abbotsford' within less than an -hour after the new owner took possession, became one of the most famous -private possessions in the world. - -The farm cost £4000, one half of which was borrowed from the poet's -brother, Major John Scott, and the other half advanced by the -Ballantynes on the security of 'Rokeby,' though the poem was not yet -written. The plans for the purchase out of the way, Scott wrote to his -friend, Morritt, outlining the new poem, having for its scene the -domain of Rokeby and its subject the civil wars of Charles I. Morritt -was delighted and immediately responded with a letter full of valuable -information. The following summer was a busy one. Until the middle of -July, Scott's duties as Clerk of the Court of Sessions kept him at -Edinburgh five days in the week. Saturdays and Sundays were spent at -Abbotsford. He composed poetry while planting trees and wrote down the -verses {91} amid the noise and confusion incident to building his new -cottage. 'As for the house and the poem,' he wrote to Morritt, 'there -are twelve masons hammering at the one and one poor noddle at the -other.' Both 'Rokeby' and 'The Bridal of Triermain' were written under -these conditions and at the same time, while Scott found opportunity -also to continue his work on the 'Life of Swift,' which eventually -reached nineteen octavo volumes, and to render other literary services -to his publishers, the Ballantynes. - -It was not long before Scott found an opportunity to visit Rokeby -again, where he remained about a week. On the morning after his -arrival, he informed Morritt that he needed 'a good robber's cave and -an old church of the right sort.' Morritt promptly undertook to supply -both, and to find the former rode with his friend to Brignall Woods, -where the Greta flows through a deep glen, on one side of which are -some perpendicular rocks, the site of an old quarry. I could not find -any robber's caves, but it was easy enough for Scott to make one in -such a rock formation. I could, however, form a pretty good idea of -the wild flight of Bertram Risingham as he - - Now clomb the rocks projecting high - To baffle the pursuer's eye: - Now sought the stream, whose brawling sound - The echo of his footsteps drowned. - -In all probability, the scene is the same to-day, as it was in Scott's -time, wild and beautiful. The stream winds around through shady nooks, -here rippling over the rocks and then widening out into a placid pool; -occasionally passing out from beneath the trees into an open glade, -where the well-worn boulders that punctuated its {92} course lay -gleaming in the sun, and presenting at every turn some new and changing -view. - - O, Brignall banks are wild and fair, - And Greta Woods are green. - - -In describing the visit to this place Mr. Morritt gives an excellent -idea of Scott's method:-- - - -I observed him noting down even the peculiar little wild flowers and -herbs that accidentally grew round and on the side of a bold crag near -his intended cave of Guy Denzil; and could not help saying that as he -was not to be upon oath in his work, daisies, violets, and primroses -would be as poetical as any of the humble plants he was examining. I -laughed, in short, at his scrupulousness; but I understood him when he -replied, 'that in nature herself no two scenes were ever exactly alike, -and that whoever copied truly what was before his eyes would possess -the same variety in his descriptions and exhibit apparently an -imagination as boundless as the range of nature in the scenes he -recorded; whereas whoever trusted to imagination would soon find his -own mind circumscribed, and contracted to a few favourite images, and -the repetition of these would sooner or later produce that very -monotony and bareness which had always haunted descriptive poetry in -the hands of any but the patient worshippers of truth. - - -The 'old church of the right sort' was found on the other side of -Rokeby Park. We reached it from Barnard Castle by crossing the high -Abbey Bridge, beneath which the Tees flows in a narrow, rippling, -foaming lane of water, flanked on either side by trees of rich foliage -whose bright green branches wave to each other continually across the -stream in a sort of friendly salute. The old grey Abbey of Egliston is -pleasantly situated on rising ground near where the Tees is joined by -the rivulet known as Thorsgill. - -{93} - - Yet scald or kemper erred, I ween, - Who gave that soft and quiet scene, - With all its varied light and shade, - And every little sunny glade, - And the blithe brook that strolls along - Its pebbled bed with summer song, - To the grim God of blood and scar, - The grisly King of Northern War. - -The abbey was founded in the twelfth century and dedicated to St. Mary -and St. John the Baptist. It was once a beautiful cruciform building -in the Early English style, but has been allowed to fall into decay and -now only parts of the walls of the choir and nave remain. - - The reverend pile lay wild and waste, - Profound, dishonoured, and defaced. - Through storied lattices no more, - In softened light the sunbeams pour, - Gilding the Gothic sculpture rich - Of shrine and ornament and niche. - -This was the scene which Scott chose for the culminating tragedy of the -poem. - -There are many other places in the neighbourhood to which the poet -refers. There is 'Raby's battered tower,' a large castle which boasts -the honour of twice entertaining Charles I. There is the Balder, 'a -sweet brooklet's silver line,' which flows into the Tees a few miles -above Barnard Castle, and farther to the northwest, where the three -counties of York, Durham, and Westmoreland meet, is the place - - Where Tees in tumult leaves his source - Thundering o'er Cauldron and High-Force. - - -These two cataracts are most impressive when rainstorms have swelled -the stream to its full capacity. Just {94} outside the park of Rokeby -is a charming spot where the Greta meets the Tees,-- - - Where, issuing from her darksome bed, - She caught the morning's eastern red, - And through the softening vale below - Rolled her bright waves in rosy glow - All blushing to her bridal bed, - Like some shy maid in convent bred, - While linnet, lark, and blackbird gay - Sang forth her nuptial roundelay. - - -Half hidden by the trees, the old stone 'dairy bridge' crosses the -Greta, just where the river emerges from the park. It makes a pretty -picture as you look through the single arch into the cool shades of the -peaceful domain. Passing over this bridge we came to the old tower of -Mortham. We did not find it deserted as did Wilfrid and Bertram, for -it is now used as a farm and the tower is almost completely surrounded -by low buildings of comparatively recent construction. From the -garden, however, a fairly good view can be obtained. - - And last and least, and loveliest still, - Romantic Deepdale's slender rill. - Who in that dim-wood glen hath strayed, - Yet longed for Roslin's magic glade? - -The glen which Scott would compare with his favourite Roslin must be -romantic, indeed. The rill of Deepdale joins the Tees just above -Barnard Castle. The scenery increases in beauty as the stream is -ascended, to the solitary spot near the Cat Castle rocks-- - - Where all is cliff and copse and sky,-- - -and reaches its climax at the pretty waterfall of Cragg Force. - -{95} - -[Illustration: THE VALLEY OF THE TEES, FROM BARNARD CASTLE] - -The Cavaliers and Roundheads whom Scott introduces into the midst of -this beautiful scenery are not, it must be confessed, particularly -interesting, nor is the villain Bertram, in spite of the fact that the -poet was a little proud of him as a sketch full of dash and vigour. -There are three people, however, who hold the attention. The first is -Matilda, who, by the poet's faintly veiled admission, was intended to -be the picture of his early love, Williamina Stuart. In Wilfrid, the -youth of poetic temperament, who loved in vain, and Redmond, his -successful but generous rival, there is a suggestion, which one can -scarcely escape, of the poet himself and Sir William Forbes, who -married Williamina. Redmond showed his kindly heart and soldierly -strength by fighting desperately over the prostrate figure of his -wounded rival, at length carrying him in his arms from the burning -castle to a place of safety, after his entire train had deserted their -leader. Sir William Forbes was one of the first to offer aid when -financial misfortune overtook Sir Walter, and when one creditor -undertook to make serious trouble, privately paid the entire claim of -nearly £2000, taking care that Scott should not know how it was -managed. As a matter of fact, Sir Walter did not learn the truth until -some time after the death of his generous friend. - - - - -{96} - -CHAPTER VI - -THE BRIDAL OF TRIERMAIN - -One of Scott's chief delights was the little game of _fooling the -critics_. No sooner had he arranged for the publication of 'Rokeby' -than he began to _lay a trap for Jeffrey_, whose reviews of the earlier -poems had not been altogether agreeable. From this innocent little -scheme the poet and his confidant, William Erskine, anticipated great -amusement. The plan was to publish simultaneously with 'Rokeby,' a -shorter and lighter romance, in a different metre and to 'take in the -knowing ones' by introducing certain peculiarities of composition -suggestive of Erskine. The poem thus projected, of which fragments had -already been published, was 'The Bridal of Triermain.' The scheme so -far succeeded that for a long while the public was completely -mystified. A writer in the 'Quarterly Review,' probably George Ellis, -thought it 'an imitation of Mr. Scott's style of composition,' and -added, 'if it be inferior in vigour to some of his productions, it -equals or surpasses them in elegance and beauty.' Jeffrey escaped the -trap by the chance of a voyage to America that year, though it may be -doubted whether he would have fallen into it. - -I have already referred to the fact (chapter I) that much of the -material for this poem came to Scott in the summer of 1797, when, after -a visit to the English Lakes, he found some weeks of real romance near -the village of {97} Gilsland. To this period the poet's recollection -turned for his 'light romance.' In the passage where Arthur derides -the pretensions of his military rival,-- - - Who comes in foreign trashery - Of tinkling chain and spur, - A walking haberdashery - Of feathers, lace, and fur,-- - -Lockhart finds an allusion to some incident of the ball at Gilsland Spa -where Scott first met his future wife. Whether the walk along the -Irthing River below the 'Spa' was really in the poet's mind, when he -wrote of the 'woodland brook' beside which Arthur and Lucy wandered, is -of course unknown, but I do not doubt that it may have been, since so -much of the poem was suggested by the experiences of that pleasant -summer. Triermain Castle, or what is left of it, is about three miles -west of Gilsland. Only a fragment about the size of an ordinary -chimney is now standing, though Scott saw more of it, for a -considerable portion of the ruin fell in 1832. The Barons of Gilsland -received a grant of land from Henry II sometime in the twelfth century, -and Robert de Vaux, son of the original grantee, was probably the -builder of the castle. On his tombstone in Lannercost Priory, near by, -is this inscription:-- - - Sir Robert Vaux that sometime was the Lord of Triermain, - Is dead, his body clad in lead, ligs law under this stane; - Evin as we, evin as he, on earth a levan man, - Evin as he, evin so maun we, for all the craft of men. - -The castle was built of the stones of the old Roman wall which passes -near the place. From Triermain, Sir Roland de Vaux sent his page to -Ullswater, passing {98} through Kirkoswald, a village of Cumberland on -the river Eden. He came to Penrith, to the south of which is a -circular mound supposed to have been used for the exercise of feats of -chivalry, which the poet calls 'red Penrith's Table Round.' In the -same locality near the river Eamont is 'Mayburgh's mound,' a collection -of stones said to have been erected by the Druids. Continuing to the -southward, he came to the shores of Ullswater, where he found the -wizard of Lyulph's Tower. The venerable sage then related the story of -King Arthur's adventure in the Valley of St. John. - -[Illustration: THE VALLEY OF ST. JOHN, SHOWING TRIERMAIN CASTLE ROCK] - -We set out in quest of the mysterious phantom castle and found the -drive through the narrow valley a delightful one. Nearly everybody who -visits the English Lakes drives over the hills from Ambleside to -Keswick. After passing Dunmailraise and skirting the shores of -Thirlmere Lake beneath the shadows of Helvellyn, we turned off the main -road near the mouth of St. John's Beck, one of the many pretty brooks -that are found everywhere in the neighbourhood. A huge pile of rocks, -projecting curiously from the side of a green-coated hill, is called, -from the poem, Triermain Castle Rock. Following the course of the -streamlet, upward, we found a view much like that which appeared to -King Arthur, after the goblet with its liquid fire had disenchanted him. - - The monarch, breathless and amazed, - Back on the fatal castle gazed-- - Nor tower nor donjon could he spy, - Darkening against the morning sky; - But on the spot where once they frowned, - The lonely streamlet brawled around - A tufted knoll, where dimly shone - Fragments of rock and rifted stone. - -{99} - -As we proceeded up the valley, looking back time and again for a last -view of the rock, it was easy to fancy that what we saw in the distance -might well be a castle and that under certain atmospheric conditions -the illusion might be heightened. - - - - -{100} - -CHAPTER VII - -THE LORD OF THE ISLES - -'The Lord of the Isles,' was another effort to deceive the critics. A -long poem acknowledged by Walter Scott, following soon after 'Waverley' -and only a month preceding 'Guy Mannering,' was calculated to 'throw -off' those who were trying to identify the mysterious author of the -Waverley Novels with the well-known poet. It was the result of a -vacation journey of about six weeks in a lighthouse yacht, made in the -summer of 1814 in the company of a party of congenial friends. The -chief of the expedition was Robert Stevenson, a distinguished civil -engineer in charge of the lighthouse service on the north coast of -Scotland, and the grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson. After -circling the Shetland and Orkney Islands they came down into the Minch -or channel which separates the west coast of Scotland from the -Hebrides, and stopped at Dunvegan, on the Isle of Skye, to see the -ancient castle. Two days later they stopped to examine Loch Corriskin, -which made a profound impression upon the poet's mind. 'We were -surrounded,' he said in his Diary of the expedition, 'by hills of the -boldest and most precipitous character and on the margin of a lake -which seemed to have sustained the constant ravages of torrents from -these rude neighbours. The shores consist of huge layers of naked -granite, here and there intermixed with bogs and heaps of gravel and -sand, marking the course of torrents. Vegetation there was {101} -little or none, and the mountains rose so perpendicularly from the -water's edge that Borrowdale is a jest to them. We proceeded about one -mile and a half up this deep, dark, and solitary lake, which is about -two miles long, half a mile broad, and, as we learned, of extreme -depth.... It is as exquisite as a savage scene, as Loch Katrine is as -a scene of stern beauty.' In the poem he gives a little more vivid -description:-- - - For rarely human eye has known - A scene so stern as that dread lake - With its dark ledge of barren stone. - Seems that primeval earthquake's sway - Hath rent a strange and shatter'd way - Through the rude bosom of the hill, - And that each naked precipice, - Sable ravine, and dark abyss, - Tells of the outrage still. - The wildest glen but this can show - Some touch of Nature's genial glow; - On high Benmore green mosses grow, - And heath-bells bud in deep Glencroe, - And copse on Cruchan-Ben; - But here--above, around, below, - On mountain or in glen, - Nor tree nor shrub, nor plant, nor flower, - Nor aught of vegetative power - The weary eye may ken. - For all is rocks at random thrown, - Black waves, bare crags, and banks of stone, - As if were here denied - The summer's sun, the spring's sweet dew, - That clothe with many a varied hue - The bleakest mountain-side. - -No wonder that the exiled monarch, Bruce, should say: - - A scene so rude, so wild as this, - Yet so sublime in barrenness, -{102} - Ne'er did my wandering footsteps press - Where'er I happed to roam. - - -Returning to their vessel after an extraordinary walk, the party left -Loch Scavig and, rounding its southern cape, sailed into the Loch of -Sleapin, where they visited Macallister's Cave. Here they found a -wonderful pool, which, 'surrounded by the most fanciful mouldings in a -substance resembling white marble, and distinguished by the depth and -purity of its waters, might be the bathing grotto of a Naiad.' - -In the morning they sailed toward the south and - - Merrily, merrily goes the bark - On a breeze from the northward free, - So shoots through the morning sky the lark, - Or the swan through the summer sea. - The shores of Mull on the eastward lay, - And Ulva dark and Colonsay, - And all the group of islets gay - That guard famed Staffa round. - -They were following the same route, or nearly so, which the poet -afterward laid down for Robert Bruce on his return from the Island of -Skye to his native coast of Carrick. - -They stopped at Staffa to view the famous basaltic formation,-- - - Where, as to shame the temples decked - By skill of earthly architect, - Nature herself, it seemed, would raise - A minster to her Maker's praise. - -'The stupendous columnar side walls,' says the Diary; 'the depth and -strength of the ocean with which the cavern is filled--the variety of -tints formed by stalactites {103} dropping and petrifying between the -pillars and resembling a sort of chasing of yellow or cream-coloured -marble filling the interstices of the roof--the corresponding variety -below, where the ocean rolls over a red, and in some places a -violet-coloured rock, the basis of the basaltic pillars--the dreadful -noise of those august billows so well corresponding with the grandeur -of the scene--are all circumstances unparalleled.' - -They also stopped to view 'Old Iona's holy fane,' the ancient -burial-place of kings and abbots and other men of eminence. It is said -that Macbeth was buried here and before him sixty other Scottish kings -whose names are now unknown. - -The vivid descriptions of scenes along the route of Bruce to Scotland, -with which 'The Lord of the Isles' abounds, were gathered on this -memorable journey of the poet. It was not so, however, with the -arrival of Bruce at his ancestral castle of Turnberry on the coast of -Ayr, the information for which was supplied by Scott's indefatigable -friend, Joseph Train, whose investigations brought to light the ancient -superstition that on each anniversary of the night of Bruce's return a -meteoric gleam reappeared in the same quarter of the heavens. - - The light that seemed a twinkling star - Now blazed portentous, fierce and far, - Dark red the heaven above it gleamed, - Dark red the sea beneath it flowed, - Red-rose the rocks on ocean's brim, - In blood-red light her islets swim. - - -The ruins of Bruce's castle may still be seen close by the lighthouse -at Turnberry. So little remains that they are scarcely visible from -the land side, and though {104} thousands visit the locality for a run -over the superb golf links, few realize that here was the birthplace of -Robert Bruce, and that the skirmishes here begun, when the future king -returned prematurely from exile, led eventually to the series of -successes which terminated in the great victory of Bannockburn. - -The poetic description of this terrific combat lacks nothing of the -vigour and dramatic force that characterize the story of Flodden Field. -The scene where the Bruce, suddenly attacked by Sir Henry de Bohun, -rises in his stirrups and fells the fierce knight with a single blow of -his battle-axe; the stratagem of the concealed ditches into which the -English rode with fearful losses; the kneeling of the Scottish army in -prayer before the battle; the charge of the cavalry against the English -archers; the sudden appearance of the Scottish camp-followers on the -brow of the hill, waving their spears and banners, so that they -resembled a fresh army of reinforcements; the tragic death of De -Argentine and the final triumph of the Scottish cause are vividly -portrayed with all the poet's accustomed power. - -'The Lord of the Isles' was the last of Scott's important poems. Two -other attempts followed, 'The Field of Waterloo' and 'Harold, the -Dauntless,' but neither was considered successful. - -[Illustration: TURNBERRY CASTLE, COAST OF AYRSHIRE] - -'Rokeby,' 'The Bridal of Triermain,' and 'The Lord of the Isles,' -though well worthy of the genius of the poet, had failed to equal in -popularity the three greater poems by which his fame had been -established. The brilliant success of Byron was, as Scott feared, -'taking the wind out of his sails.' Moreover, his own interest in -poetry had waned under the influence of his greater achievements {105} -in prose. As the author of the Waverley Novels he had stepped into a -new and vastly more important field, where he now stood alone. So with -the passing of Walter Scott the poet came the rising star of the -novelist, and the world was the richer by the transition. - - - - -{106} - -CHAPTER VIII - -WAVERLEY - -One morning during our stay at Melrose, we drove by motor westward -along the Tweed, passing Ashestiel, situated high up on the opposite -bank, but catching only a glimpse of it through the trees. Here -'Waverley' was begun in 1805 and laid aside because of the criticism of -a close friend. Here, too, in 1810, it was resumed and again put aside -because of the faint praise of James Ballantyne. This time the -manuscript was lost and completely forgotten. It came to light in 1813 -when Scott was searching in an old cabinet for some fishing-tackle. He -was seized with a desire to finish it, and the work was done so fast -that the last two of the original three volumes were written in three -weeks. It was published on the 7th of July, 1814. - -Farther up the stream we could see in the distance on a high elevation -the ruins of Elibank, where Scott's ancestor, young Wat of Harden, came -so near paying the penalty for 'lifting' a few head of his neighbour's -cattle. Scott always said that the blood of the old cattle-drivers of -Teviotdale still stirred in his veins, and in this way he accounted for -his 'propensity for the dubious characters of borderers, buccaneers, -Highland robbers, and all others of a Robin Hood description.' - -Our journey on this particular morning was for the purpose of visiting -an old baronial mansion which Scott no doubt had very much in his mind -during the writing {107} of 'Waverley.' This was Traquair House, -situated in the village of that name, about two miles south of -Innerleithen. It presents some striking resemblances to the -description of Tully Veolan. There is a long and wide avenue, having -an upper and a lower gate. 'This avenue was straight and of moderate -length, running between a double row of very ancient horse-chestnuts, -planted alternately with sycamores, which rose to such huge height, and -flourished so luxuriantly, that their boughs completely overarched the -broad road beneath.' Two narrow drives, one on each side of the broad -avenue, converge immediately in front of the inner gate. Between these -is a broad space 'clothed with grass of a deep and rich verdure.' The -outer entrance to the avenue is barred by a pair of iron gates, hung -between two massive pillars of stone, on each of which is a curious -beast, standing on his hind legs, his fore legs resting on a sort of -scroll-work support. The animals face each other like a couple of -rival legislators holding a joint debate from behind tall -reading-desks. Scott says somewhat dubiously that these 'two large -weather-beaten mutilated masses of upright stone ... if the tradition -of the hamlet could be trusted, had once represented, or at least been -designed to represent, two rampant Bears, the supporters of the family -of Bradwardine.' If any of the village people, who stood around as I -arranged my camera, their wide-stretched eyes and open mouths betraying -their curiosity, had told me that these 'bears' were 'rampant -hippopotami,' I should have rewarded them with my usual credulous nod -and 'thank you.' There can be little doubt that Scott took the idea of -the Bears of Bradwardine from this gate, although he {108} multiplied -the two and scattered them all over the place. - -Like Tully Veolan, the house seems to consist of high, narrow, and -steep-roofed buildings, with numberless windows, all very small, while -the roofs have little turrets, 'resembling pepper-boxes.' It was built -'at a period when castles were no longer necessary and when the -Scottish architects had not yet acquired the art of designing a -domestic residence.' - -Scott no doubt was a frequent visitor here. In one of his letters he -refers to the owner in connection with a plan to plant some 'aquatic -trees,--willows, alders, poplars, and so forth,'--around a little pond -in Abbotsford and to have a 'preserve of wild ducks' and other -water-fowl. He says, 'I am to get some eggs from Lord Traquair, of a -curious species of half-reclaimed wild ducks, which abound near his -solitary old château and nowhere else in Scotland that I know of.' This -denotes a somewhat intimate acquaintance with the Earl of Traquair. -The house, indeed, was so near Ashestiel that Scott could hardly fail -to visit so interesting a place many times. It is doubtful if there is -another inhabited house in Scotland more ancient than Traquair. The -present owner takes care to preserve its appearance of antiquity. No -repairs or alterations are made except such as are absolutely -necessary, and then the work is done in such a way as to conceal its -'newness.' Among the early owners of the estate was James, Lord -Douglas, the friend of Bruce, who attempted to carry his chief's heart -to the Holy Land. The founder of the family of Traquair was James -Stuart, and his descendants have held the estate for nearly four -centuries. - -{109} - -The great gate with the grotesque bears has been closed for more than a -century. One tradition is that the defeat of the young Prince Charles -at the battle of Culloden in 1746 was the direct cause of its final -closing. The Prince visited the Earl of that day (Charles, the fifth -Earl of Traquair) to persuade him to lend his active support to the -Jacobite cause. The Earl felt compelled to decline, but in escorting -his visitor from the park, made a vow that the gate should never be -opened again until a Stuart was on the throne. The defeat of the -Prince was a severe disappointment to the Traquair family and the vow -of the Earl has been kept to this day, even though the earldom is now -extinct. - -It is not correct, however, in spite of the striking resemblances, to -speak of Traquair House as the 'original' of Tully Veolan. Scott -himself says in his note in the edition of 1829, 'There is no -particular mansion described under the name of Tully Veolan; but the -peculiarities of description occur in various old Scottish seats.' -Among these were the house of Sir George Warrender upon Bruntsfield -Links; the old house of Ravelston, owned by Sir Alexander Keith, the -author's friend and kinsman, from which he took some hints for the -garden; and the house of Dean, near Edinburgh. He adds,'The author -has, however, been informed that the house of Grandtully resembles that -of the Baron of Bradwardine still more than any of the above.' - -Acting upon this hint, when we were making the city of Perth our -centre, we took a long journey by motor with Grandtully Castle as the -objective point. I doubt if there is a more beautiful drive in all -Scotland. We followed the left bank of the river Tay through a fertile -{110} valley of surpassing loveliness. In the whole journey of nearly -one hundred miles it seemed as though there was never a blot on the -landscape. No neglected farms, no rough patches of naked earth, no -tumble-down fences, no unsightly railroad excavations nor bare -embankments, no swamps filled with fallen timber, no hideous -bill-boards, none of the hundreds of unsightly objects which mar the -scenery of so many country drives. Everything seemed well kept. The -big estates were filled with beautiful trees and shrubs, many of them -in full bloom, and the humbler places did equally well, though on a -smaller scale. I remember passing a hedge of beeches, half a mile -long, the trees growing ninety feet high and so close together as to -make a wall impenetrable to the sunlight. I was told that this hedge -was trimmed once in three years at an expense of fifteen hundred -dollars each time. This is only one item in the care of a large -estate. We passed the park and palace of Scone, where the coronation -stone was kept before its removal to Westminster Abbey, and from which -it received its name. Farther to the north we stopped a few minutes at -Campsie Linn, which I shall mention later in connection with 'The Fair -Maid of Perth.' A little beyond Cargill our course turned sharply to -the West, although the main road continues to the north until it -reaches Blairgowrie, some two or three miles beyond which is another -'original' of Tully Veolan, the house of Craighall. Unfortunately lack -of time did not permit a visit to this place, but I must digress long -enough to explain its significance. It was the seat of the Rattray -family, who were related to William Clerk, one of Scott's most intimate -companions of the early days {111} spent among the law courts of -Edinburgh. During one of the Highland excursions the friends stopped -at Craighall. When 'Waverley' came out, twenty-one years later, Mr. -Clerk was so much struck with the resemblance of Tully Veolan to the -old mansion of the Rattrays that he immediately said, 'This is -Scott's.' The reason for the conviction was probably not so much the -similarity of the real house to the fictitious one as the recollection -of a little incident of the early excursion. Clerk, seeing the smoke -of a little hamlet before them, when they were tired and heated from -their journey, is said to have exclaimed, 'How agreeable if we should -here fall in with one of those signposts where a red lion predominates -over a punch-bowl!' In spite of the lapse of so many years, Clerk -recognized his own expression (with which he knew Scott had been -particularly amused) in that part of the description of Tully Veolan -where 'a huge bear, carved in stone, predominated over a large stone -basin.' - -[Illustration: GRANDTULLY CASTLE] - -Following the course of the beautiful river, upstream, we came at -length, far up in the Perthshire hills, to the Castle of Grandtully. -It is a large and stately mansion, situated in one of those beautiful -parks with which the region abounds. It has the pepper-box turrets and -small windows of Tully Veolan. It is now, as in Scott's time, the home -of a family of Stewarts, one of whom, Sir George, supported the cause -of 'the Young Chevalier' in 1745. The gardener, who, in the absence of -the family, did the honours of the place, told me that Scott had -visited the house many years after 'Waverley' appeared and had said -then that it was more nearly like what he had described than any other -castle, and that {112} 'the only mistake he had made was in putting -bears on the gateway instead of bees.' There is a fine wrought-iron -gate at Grandtully with the figures of two bees, forming a part of the -coat of arms of the Stewart family. An avenue of limes formerly led to -this gate, but it is no longer used and only two of the trees remain. -Scott was always cautious about admitting any connection of his -writings with definite 'originals,' but was ever ready to humour those -who fancied they saw certain resemblances. It is curious that he does -not mention either Traquair House or Craighall in his note, though both -were identified as 'originals' during his lifetime. No doubt, -consciously or unconsciously, he wove into his novel partial -descriptions of both, as well as of Grandtully, while the houses which -he particularly mentions also furnished some of the details. - -The historical value of 'Waverley' lies in its picture of the rising of -the Highland clans in favour of Charles Edward Stuart, called the -'Young Pretender' by the supporters of the reigning king, but -affectionately known among his Scottish adherents as 'Bonnie Prince -Charlie.' The ambitious young man, the grandson of James II, left -France in the summer of 1745 in a small vessel, with only seven -friends, and landed on one of the Hebridean Islands. Before the end of -August he had raised his standard in the valley of Glenfinnan and found -himself at the head of an army of fifteen hundred men, chiefly of the -clans of MacDonald and Cameron. He soon made a triumphant march to -Edinburgh, where he established himself in the Palace of Holyrood, -which the Stuart family had already made famous. On Tuesday, the 17th -of September, he caused the proclamation {113} of his father, 'the Old -Pretender,' as King James VIII, to be read by the heralds at the old -Market Cross in Parliament Square. The people crowded around the -'Young Chevalier,' eager to kiss his hand or even to touch for a single -instant the Scottish tartan which he wore. So great was the crowd that -he was compelled to call for his horse, for otherwise he could make no -progress. It is said that his noble appearance so won the hearts of -all who beheld him that before he reached the palace the polish of his -boots was dimmed by the kisses of the multitude. - -That night the old palace reawakened to something of its former -brilliancy, on the occasion of a great ball, given by the Prince. The -old picture gallery, with its array of queer portraits of -long-forgotten Scottish kings, was a scene of glittering splendour. -The long-deserted halls, now brilliant with a thousand lights, were -crowded with an assembly of men of education and fortune, accompanied -by their ladies in gowns of such elegance as the confusion of the times -might permit. Mingling with these representations of the Jacobean -gentry of Edinburgh were the handsomely arrayed officers of the clans, -the Highland gentlemen of importance, with their many coloured plaids -and sashes, their broadswords glittering with heavy silver plate and -inlaid work, and all the other elegant appurtenances for which the -picturesque Highland costume offered abundant scope. In the chapter on -the Ball, Scott merely introduced into an historic assemblage two -handsome women, Flora MacIvor and Rose Bradwardine, and two men, Fergus -MacIvor and Edward Waverley. - -The palace is to-day much the same as it was in the {114} time of the -Prince, though the adjoining abbey is now roofless and very much more -of a ruin. A walk through the Canongate, from Holyrood to the Market -Cross, would give one a very fair idea of the street through which -Fergus MacIvor and Waverley passed to the lodgings of the former in the -house of the buxom Widow Flockhart, where Waverley received his new -Highland costume from the hands of James of the Needle. At the other -end of the town, beneath the castle, is St. Cuthbert's Church, then -called the West Kirk, where the honest Presbyterian clergyman, -MacVicar, preached every Sunday and prayed for the House of Hanover in -spite of the fact that many of the Jacobites were present. In one of -those petitions he referred to the fact that 'a young man has recently -come among us seeking an earthly crown' and prayed that he might -speedily be granted a heavenly one! - -Much of the material for 'Waverley' was stored up in the retentive -memory of the novelist when he was a mere boy. At six years of age he -was taken for a visit to Prestonpans. If the old veteran of the German -wars, Dalgetty, whom he met here and who found a ready listener in the -bright-eyed little boy, was able to tell the story of the battle in -anything like a graphic manner, it must have made a profound impression -upon the mind of a lad who had already learned to fight the battles of -Scotland with miniature armies of pebbles and shells. On one side was -an army of Highlanders, the chief men of each clan proudly dressed in -their distinctive tartans. They were tall, vigorous, hardy men, all -proud of their ancestry, each capable of deeds of individual daring and -courage, but all loyal to their chiefs and to their temporary leader, -{115} Prince Charles Edward Stuart. They were not only well dressed -but well armed, each man having a broadsword, target, dirk, and fusee, -or flintlock gun, and perhaps a steel pistol. These were the gentlemen -of the Highlands. Contrasting strangely with them and forming the -larger part of the army was the rear guard, a motley crowd, bearing -every appearance of extreme poverty. They were rough, uncouth, -half-naked men of savage aspect, armed with whatever weapon could be -most easily obtained. Some had pole-axes; some carried scythes, -securely fastened to the ends of poles; a few had old guns or swords; -while many had only dirks and bludgeons. But all had the fighting -spirit and a keen desire for plunder. To complete this curious but -formidable array, there was an old iron cannon, dragged along by a -string of Highland ponies. This constituted the entire artillery of -the army and it could only be used for firing signals, yet the leaders -allowed it to be retained because of the belief on the part of the men -in the ranks that it would in some miraculous way contribute to their -expected victory. - -On the English side a complete army of infantry, cavalry, and -artillery, well equipped and disciplined, confronted the Highland -hordes. As they wheeled into line the fixed bayonets of the infantry -glistened in the sun like 'successive hedges of steel.' These, with -the trains of artillery and troop after troop of well-equipped -dragoons, presented a formidable appearance. But they struck no terror -into the hearts of the wild 'petticoat-men.' With terrific yells the -forces of the rebellious Scotchmen rushed into battle. Discipline and -order gave way before the impact of savage zeal, and panic {116} seized -the English army. The result was what the child Scott always contrived -to accomplish in his mimic battles of pebbles,--the complete victory of -the Scots and the utter rout of their enemy. There is now little to be -seen on the battle-field. The old thorn tree, which was once the -central landmark, has almost disappeared. The fertile fields, once -trampled by hostile armies, have given way to railroad tracks and -unsightly collieries. Colonel Gardiner's house, however, where that -hero died after receiving a mortal wound upon the battle-field, still -remains standing, and in front, at the end of a fine avenue of trees, -is a plain but dignified monument to his memory. - -The principal incident of the battle, as told in 'Waverley,' is based -upon a true story, which Scott heard from Alexander Stewart of -Invernahyle, on one of his early visits to the Highlands. When the -Highlanders in 1745 attacked the army of Sir John Cope at Prestonpans, -Stewart was one of the leaders in charge. Noticing an officer of the -English army standing alone, sword in hand, too proud to fly with the -others, he called on him to surrender. The officer answered by a -thrust of his sword which Stewart received in his target, breaking the -blade. A huge Highlander rushed up to the defenceless man with lifted -battle-axe, and in another moment would have killed his victim but for -the chivalrous interference of Stewart, who protected him from injury, -took care of his personal property, and finally secured his release on -parole. This officer was a Scotch gentleman, serving in the King's -army, whose name was Colonel Whitefoord. Stewart later paid him a -visit at his home in Ayrshire. After the battle of Culloden had put an -end to the hopes of Prince Charles and his loyal Scottish {117} -friends, when those who had supported the rebellion were in grave -danger of death and the confiscation of their property, Colonel -Whitefoord took occasion to repay the debt to Mr. Stewart. He called -in person on the Duke of Cumberland to plead for his friend's life, or -at least for the protection of his family and property. On receiving a -positive refusal, he took his commission from his pocket, and laying it -on the table before the Duke, with great emotion begged leave to retire -from the service of a king who did not know how to be merciful to a -vanquished enemy. The Duke was deeply affected and granted the desired -protection. It was none too soon, for the troops were even then -beginning to plunder the country in the immediate vicinity of -Invernahyle's home. That unfortunate gentleman had lain for many days -concealed in a cave, his food being brought by one of his daughters, a -child so young that she was not suspected by the soldiers. - -The rescue of Colonel Talbot by Waverley and the subsequent friendly -assistance of that officer, upon which so much of the plot of the novel -depends, was founded upon this incident, which the old soldier related -to Walter Scott, a boy of fifteen. It will be remembered that Scott's -first Highland visit took place in 1786, so that Stewart, who was 'out' -in the rebellion of 1715, must have been a very old man when he told -the story. The lad, who no doubt listened eagerly, absorbing every -detail into his extraordinary memory, did not use the tale until nearly -a quarter of a century later. - -An example of Scott's remarkable way of remembering and reproducing the -little details of the stories he heard is the use he made of Stewart's -experience in {118} hiding in a cave. The Baron of Bradwardine is -supposed to have concealed himself in similar manner and to have had -important assistance from 'Davie Gellatley,' the Baron's 'natural' or -fool, who was 'no sae silly as folk tak him for.' Colonel Stewart, a -grandson of Stewart of Invernahyle, in his book on the Highlands, -points out that while some gentlemen 'who had been out' in the -rebellion were obliged to conceal themselves in the woods near his -grandfather's house, they were supplied with food and other necessaries -by one of these poor, half-witted creatures, who showed an -extraordinary sagacity as well as fidelity in protecting the friends of -his patron. - -'Davie Gellatley' was a type common enough, especially in the country -districts of Scotland, a century ago. These rustic fools were usually -treated with kindness, the good people feeling a sense of duty to help -those to whom Providence had denied their full share of mental power. -They frequently possessed a certain sagacity or cunning, combined with -sly humour, which enabled them at times to make quick and unexpected -answers, causing much amusement and wonder. Such a man was Daft Jock -Gray, who lived on a farm in Ettrick and was well known to all the -Border people. He was a frequent visitor at Ashestiel, where he -entertained the family with his wild snatches of songs and ballads and -his eccentric performances. Jock was once travelling with a man of his -own type, Jamie Renwick. When night came, they lodged in a convenient -barn. Jock could not sleep and got up and walked about singing his -wild and incoherent songs. This so irritated Jamie that he shouted, -'Come to your bed, ye skirlin' deevil! I canna get a wink o' sleep for -ye; I daur say the folk will think us daft! Od, if ye {119} dinna come -and lie down this instant, I'll rise and _bring ye to your senses_ wi' -my rung!' 'Faith,' says Jock, 'if ye do that, it will be mair than ony -ither body has ever been able to do.'[1] - -The visit of Waverley to the cave of Donald Bean Lean was based upon -another incident, told to Scott on a later excursion to the Highlands -in 1793, when he stopped for a time at Tullibody, the residence of Mr. -Abercrombie, the grandfather of his intimate friend and companion, -George Abercrombie. The old gentleman related how he had been -compelled to make a visit to the wild retreats of Rob Roy, where he was -entertained with great courtesy by that Highland chief in a cave very -much like that described in Waverley. He was treated to a dinner of -'collops' or steaks, cut from his own cattle, which he recognized -hanging by the heels in the cavern. He found it necessary to arrange -for the payment of blackmail to the cateran, which insured the -protection of his herds against not only Rob Roy himself, but all other -freebooters. - -We found just such a cave on the east shore of Loch Lomond in the heart -of the Rob Roy country. It is reached by rowing from Inversnaid about -a mile up the lake, and clambering over some rough rocks to the -opening. It is known as Rob Roy's Cave and gave an excellent idea of -the place where Waverley was entertained by Donald Bean Lean and the -good-natured Highland girl, his daughter, who thought nothing of -walking four miles to 'borrow' enough eggs for his breakfast. From the -rocks we enjoyed a superb view of Loch Lomond, {120} strongly -suggesting the Highland loch of 'Waverley,' 'surrounded by heathy and -savage mountains, on the crests of which the morning mist was still -sleeping.' I was fortunate enough to get a good photograph of these -mists as they rose above the summit of Ben Vorlich on the opposite side -of the lake. - -On this same excursion to the Highlands, Scott learned from another old -gentleman something of the history of Doune Castle, the ruins of which -now stand on the banks of the Ardoch, a tributary of the Tieth, some -ten miles or more north of Stirling. We found the most beautiful view -from the bridge on the main road, crossing the Tieth. The ruins show -that the castle was once of great extent. It was built by Murdoch, -Duke of Albany, while governor of Scotland in the exile of James I. -When James returned in 1423, he took vengeance upon the unfaithful -guardian of his kingdom and beheaded Murdoch on the Heading Hill of -Stirling Castle. The Scottish monarchs, or several of them, utilized -the castle as a dower-house for their queen consorts. James II in 1451 -bestowed it upon his queen, Mary of Gueldres; James III gave it to his -consort, Margaret of Denmark, in 1471; and James IV presented it to -Queen Margaret in 1503, making it one of his royal residences. In the -year 1745 it came into the possession of Charles Edward, the Young -Pretender, who used it as a prison. Scott is quite consistent with the -facts of history, therefore, when he causes Waverley to be detained -there on his way to Holyrood Palace. - -[Illustration: DOUNE CASTLE FROM THE TEITH] - -One other incident of this same Highland excursion must be mentioned. -It was then that Scott first visited the home of his friend, Buchanan, -the Laird of Cambusmore. {121} Francis Buchanan, the great uncle of -the young laird, was carried away from this house to Carlisle, where he -was hanged on a charge of treason, this estate and another at Strathyre -being confiscated. The property was later restored to the family, by -whom it is still owned. The account of the execution of Fergus MacIvor -at Carlisle Castle was based upon this story, as told to Scott on the -porch of Cambusmore by his friend Buchanan. - -Another spot in the Highlands of which Scott was very fond is the -little waterfall of Lediard. We found the place because we were -looking for it, but the casual tourist would not be likely to see it. -It is reached from the road leading along the north shore of Loch Ard, -west of Aberfoyle and south of the Trossachs. I found it necessary to -walk through a lane to a near-by farmhouse and then go up a slight -incline by a narrow winding path along a little brook until I came to a -thick wood. There the rush of the waters could be plainly heard, and -guided by the sound, I was able after some search to find a rock where -I could place my camera for a view of the little cascade. It is not -remarkable either for the height of the fall or for the volume of -water, but its charm comes from the dense foliage through which the -sunlight dances and sparkles, from the rough rocks clothed in ferns and -moss and wild flowers, except where the fantastic play of the streamlet -keeps them bare, and from the deep pool at the bottom filled to the -brim with pure, cold water. - -This exquisite scene was chosen by Scott for one of his most romantic -pictures--the meeting of Waverley and Flora MacIvor, when the graceful -and beautiful daughter of the Highlands, blending her voice with the -music of the waterfall and the accompaniment of the harp, {122} sang -the Celtic verses so full of devotion to her native land and the cause -of the Prince, calling to the clans:-- - - For honour, for freedom, for vengeance awake! - -It is interesting to compare the character of Flora MacIvor and her -devotion to the fortunes of the exiled Stuarts with that of the famous -Flora MacDonald. In the circumstances of their environment there is no -similarity between the two heroines, one of fiction and the other of -real life. Flora MacDonald was born in the Island of South Uist and -brought in infancy to the neighbouring island of Skye. Except for a -brief visit to Argyleshire, she never left those islands until after -the stirring events which made her famous. She did not meet the Prince -until she engaged in her efforts to rescue him, after the battle of -Culloden. - -In personal characteristics there is a very striking resemblance. -Flora MacDonald, though reared in the solitude of a remote island, -acquired an excellent education, to which she added the natural love of -poetry and romance peculiar to her people. 'There was nothing -unfeminine, either in her form or in her manners, to detract from the -charm of her great natural vivacity, or give a tone of hardness to her -strong good sense, calm judgment, and power of decision. Her voice was -sweet and low; the harsher accents of the Scottish tongue were not to -be detected in her discourse.'[2] She always manifested a perfect -modesty and propriety of behaviour coupled with a noble simplicity of -character which led her to regard with surprise the many tributes of -praise which her conduct merited. These were the characteristics {123} -with which Scott invested his heroine. Flora MacDonald's family -belonged to the clan of MacDonald of Clanronald, and one of Scott's -most valued friends, Colonel Ronaldson MacDonnel of Glengarry,[3] was a -descendant of the same clan. He was an eccentric character who tried -to play the chieftain and thought, felt, and acted about as he might -have done a hundred years earlier, but could not do in his own time -without provoking censure and ridicule. He even attempted to have -himself recognized as the chief of the whole clan of Clanronald, though -his own ancestors had been unable to establish the right. Scott -regarded him as a treasure, 'full of information as to the history of -his own clan, and the manners and customs of the Highlanders in -general.' In his effort to make Fergus MacIvor, Vich Ian Vohr, a -typical leader of one of the Highland clans, Scott no doubt received -considerable help from Glengarry, whose castle of Invergarry was on -Loch Oich, in Inverness, in the very heart of the country of the -rebellious chiefs and only a few miles distant from Culloden, the scene -of their final defeat. - -Cosmo Comyne Bradwardine, Esq., the pompous, tiresome, but laughable -bore, with his endless quotations in Latin, the honourable soldier, the -excellent father and the lovable friend, is one of Scott's most -interesting characters. Though an original creation, there was more -than one man of his time who might have sat for the portrait of the -brave, honourable, kind-hearted gentleman who spoke Latin as fluently -as his native Scotch dialect and who loved his 'Livy' so much that -{124} after escaping from some soldiers who had arrested him, he risked -recapture in order to return and secure the beloved volume which he had -forgotten in his haste. The absurd old Baron is represented as -insisting upon his right and duty, under a charter of Robert Bruce, by -which his lands were held, to pull off the boots of the King. Two -difficulties present themselves:--first that Prince Charles is not the -King, and second that he does not wear boots. But it is decided that -Charles represents the King, and that a service performed to him is -done for the King; also that brogues are a legitimate substitute for -boots. So with the good-natured consent of the Prince, the ridiculous -ceremony takes place with due solemnity. This incident, fantastic as -it seems, is only an example of the way in which certain Scottish -tenures were held. Mrs. Hughes, of Uffington, says that Scott told her -of a similar tenure under which the Howistons of Braehead held their -lands, namely, by presenting a basin and ewer with water and a towel -for the King to wash whenever he came to Holyrood. - -The Laird of Balmawhapple was a purely fictitious character, but the -method of his death at Prestonpans was one of the true stories told to -Scott as a child when he first visited the battle-field. A brave and -honourable gentleman, one of the few cavalrymen who followed Prince -Charles, was pursuing some fugitive dragoons. Suddenly discovering -that they were followed only by one man and his two servants, the -soldiers turned and cut down the courageous Highlander. - -[Illustration: ULLSWATER (WAVERLEY'S RETREAT AFTER THE DEFEAT OF THE -CHEVALIER)] - -As in many of Scott's novels, the hero is less attractive than some of -the subordinate characters. The author himself characterized Edward -Waverley, somewhat too {125} severely, as a 'sneaking piece of -imbecility' and added, 'if he had married Flora, she would have set him -up upon the chimneypiece, as Count Borowlaski's wife used to do with -him.' Yet in the third chapter, where the subject is Waverley's -education, he is really giving a bit of autobiography. He refers to -Edward's power of imagination and love of literature and mentions the -pleasure which his uncle's large library afforded him. 'He had read -and stored, in a memory of uncommon tenacity, much curious though -ill-arranged and miscellaneous information. In English literature he -was master of Shakespeare and Milton, of our earlier dramatic authors, -of many picturesque and interesting passages from our old historical -chronicles, and was particularly well acquainted with Spenser, Drayton, -and other poets, who have exercised themselves on romantic fiction.' - -'Waverley' will always be remembered for its graphic picture of the -Scottish Highlands in the period just before they ceased to have a -distinctive individual existence, and for the portrait of the Young -Pretender, who in 'the affair of 1745' achieved such a remarkable hold -upon the affections of the Scottish people. Scott pictures the young -Prince in the most brilliant period of his career, and if he does so in -colours more attractive than his character deserves, it must be -remembered that these were the traits which won the love of his -followers and by which alone that affection can be explained. The -excesses of later years had not yet marred the fine promise of youth, -which, under happier circumstances, might have developed into a higher -type of manhood. - - - -[1] From _Illustrations of the Author of Waverley_, by Robert Chambers. - -[2] From a Memoir, by Mrs. Thomson, 1846. - -[3] It was to this good friend that Scott was indebted for the gift of -his famous staghound Maida. - - - - -{126} - -CHAPTER IX - -GUY MANNERING - -For the principal scenery of Scott's second novel, we found it -desirable to change our headquarters to the city of Dumfries, a royal -burgh of great antiquity, on the banks of the river Nith. A mile or -more to the north, where the Cluden flows into the Nith, are the -picturesque ruins of Lincluden Abbey, to which Robert Burns made many a -pilgrimage. His favourite walk was along the opposite bank of the -stream, and here, at the close of a summer's day, he would promenade in -the twilight, enjoying the calm of the evening while he composed his -lyrics. Several miles farther north is Ellisland, where Burns -endeavoured to combine the pursuit of farming with the collection of -the king's revenue in the excise service, and incidentally 'met the -Muses' to the extent of producing 'Tam o' Shanter' and several other -well-known poems. - -South of the city the Nith is a tidal river, gradually broadening until -it becomes an arm of the Solway Firth. Two fine old ruins guard its -outlet, one on either side. On the west is Sweetheart Abbey, a -beautiful ruin in an excellent state of preservation. Its name comes -from a pretty story. The Lady Devorgilla, mother of John Baliol, who -became King of Scotland, founded the abbey in 1275 and erected a tomb -near the high altar. At her husband's death, six years before, she had -caused his heart to be embalmed and enclosed in a casket adorned {127} -with precious stones, which she ever after carried with her wherever -she went. She gave orders that at her death her body should be laid in -the tomb which she had built and that the precious casket should be -laid on her breast. Thus the two 'sweethearts' were to rest together. -In the opening chapter of the novel, Scott refers to some monastic -ruins which the young English gentleman, Guy Mannering, had spent the -day in sketching. Doubtless Sweetheart Abbey was in his mind, or -possibly Lincluden. - -On the opposite side of the river, or of the bay, for it is difficult -to tell where the river ends and the Solway begins, is the fine old -ruin of Caerlaverock Castle, the original of 'Ellangowan Auld Place,' -the ancestral home of the Bertram family and the place around which -revolves the whole plot of 'Guy Mannering.' - -The day after our arrival at Dumfries we set out to examine this ruin, -stopping first at Glencaple, a small town on the Nith just below the -place where the river begins to widen into an arm of the sea. It was -low tide, and there was a sandy beach of extraordinary width which the -receding waters had sculptured in waving lines of strange contour. The -sky above was filled with fleecy clouds, and in the distance the summit -of Criffell reared its height in a majestic background. It was on such -a coast that Van Beest Brown, or Harry Bertram, landed when he returned -to Scotland after many years, and found himself at the ruins of the -house of his ancestors. The locality might be taken for the original -of Portanferry, if geographical relations were to be considered. - -Caerlaverock Castle is one of the most picturesque ruins in Scotland. -Enough of the original walls remain {128} to show the unusual extent of -the building. It was triangular in form, with two massive round -turrets at one angle, forming the entrance, and a single turret at each -of the others. The two entrance turrets and one of the others are -still intact and well preserved. The turret which once stood at the -third angle has completely disappeared. Between the front towers is a -very tall arched doorway, now reached by a little wooden bridge over -the moat. Many of these old ruins have mounds showing where the moat -used to be, but this is one of the few in which the water still -remains. For centuries the lofty turrets have been appropriated by -rooks, and the moat is now a safe retreat for geese. - -The inner court was three stories high, containing a magnificent suite -of apartments, all richly sculptured. Behind these was a great -banqueting-hall, ninety feet long, extending between the two rear -towers along the base of the triangle. There was a great dais and -ample arrangements for the seating of all guests of high and low -degree. Judging from an ancient document, the castle was richly -furnished. According to this inventory, there were eighty-six beds, -five of them so sumptuous that they were valued at £110 sterling each. -There were forty carpets, and a library worth more than £200. These -figures would not, perhaps, seem large to a twentieth-century -millionaire, but they indicate a scale of magnificence almost without -parallel in the period when this castle flourished. - -[Illustration: CAERLAVEROCK CASTLE] - -Caerlaverock was in existence as early as the sixth century, when it -was founded by Lewarch Og. From him it received the name of Caer -Lewarch Og, which in Gaelic signifies 'the city or fortress of Lewarch -Og.' This {129} was subsequently corrupted to Caer-laverock. In the -beginning of the fourteenth century it was besieged and captured by -Edward I and recovered by Robert Bruce, changing hands twice again -during the wars for independence that ensued. Murdoch, Duke of Albany, -who was arrested for treason on the return of James I from exile, was -imprisoned in one of these towers, and the castle was the residence of -James V when he heard the news that broke his heart, the defeat of his -forces at Solway Moss and the serious disaffection of his nobles. - -On the day of our visit the ruin made a charming picture. The sky was -partly filled with cumulus clouds of a foamy, filmy whiteness through -the open spaces of which the sun was shining brightly. The clear water -of the moat reflected the azure tint of the heavens, so that the old -ruin, its turrets and walls thickly covered with the deep green of the -ivy, was clearly defined against a background of white, bordered above -and below with shades of the loveliest blue. The dry, yellow grass of -the field in the foreground, the green rushes bordering the moat, some -purple flowers at the base of the turrets and hundreds of bright golden -wallflowers in the broken interstices of the walls completed a -brilliancy of colour which I have seldom seen equalled in any landscape. - -The surroundings of Caerlaverock do not in any way correspond with the -environments of Ellangowan Auld Place. I had already learned, however, -not to depend too much upon geographical considerations. It requires -only a superficial knowledge of Scott's method of work to understand -that while he was a most careful observer of all that interested him -and wrote many accurate descriptions of scenery, he did not hesitate to -use his {130} material with a free hand. It was perfectly simple for -him to transplant an old ruin, which admirably fitted one requirement -of the story, to a rocky coast, thirty or forty miles away, where the -other necessary features were to be found, or even to combine two -different parts of the coast for his purpose. - -We found it necessary, therefore, to return to Dumfries, for there is -no bridge below the city, and there, crossing the river, travel again -to the south, this time on the west shore, to the town of -Kirkcudbright, where we stopped long enough to learn to pronounce the -name ('Kir-koo'bry') and to have our lunch. Then, continuing -southward, we stopped our motor at Balmae, the country-seat of Lady -Selkirk, and walked about a mile to the rocky coast of the Solway at -Torr's Point, where we could enjoy a superb view of the Irish Sea, the -English coast far away on the left, and the Isle of Man, faintly -visible in the distance. The coast is high and rocky. It is broken -into many coves or bays, which were a convenient resort for pirates and -smugglers. It would be easy to imagine Ellangowan Auld Place situated -on one of these cliffs, except that some other features have to be -taken from another part of the coast. Scott's description of the -smuggling trade carried on by Dirk Hatteraick and others of his kind -was taken from the local traditions. The coast, to sailors who knew it -well, offered many a haven of refuge, but was an extremely dangerous -place for a stranger ship. There are many stories current regarding -the exploits of Paul Jones, who was a native of Kirkcudbright. After -embracing the American cause in the War of the Revolution, he cruised -in his little ship, the Ranger, along the coasts of England and -Scotland, {131} his familiarity with the Solway enabling him to make -use of its numerous coves to excellent advantage. - -To complete the investigation of the scenery which Scott supposed to be -within a mile of Ellangowan, I made another long journey the next day, -taking the train from Dumfries to Kirkcudbright and thence driving -westward by pony-cart, through Gatehouse-of-Fleet to Ravenshall Point -on the coast of Wigtown Bay. Here we put up the horse at a farm and -walked westward along the shore, my driver acting as guide. Chancing -to meet a gentleman whose family are large land-holders in the -neighbourhood, I was conducted to the Gauger's Loup,[1] a cliff on the -rocky coast, beneath which were some huge rocks that had dislodged and -fallen to the shore. At this point a revenue officer was once attacked -by smugglers and thrown over the cliffs, dashing out his brains on the -ragged rocks below. This well-known incident gave Scott the basis for -his account of the death of Kennedy. Standing on this cliff, my -new-found friend pointed out a notch in a distant hill, called the -'Nick of the Doon,' which he said local tradition assigned as the place -where Meg Merrilies pronounced her malediction upon the Laird of -Ellangowan. Not many hundred yards away is the original of Dirk -Hatteraick's Cave, so called because it was once used by smugglers and -particularly by a Dutch skipper named Yawkins, who was the prototype of -Scott's famous character. To reach it by direct line was impossible, -so we walked down the road a quarter of a mile, crossed a field, -climbed a stone wall, and dropped into a thick {132} wood. Here the -land sloped at an angle of forty-five degrees. The ground was thickly -covered with garlic, emitting a strong odour. We finally reached the -rocks and began a scramble worthy of a mountain goat, until at last we -discovered the cave. The entrance is a narrow opening between two -great rocks, barely large enough to admit a man of moderate size. We -could look down a steep incline of about thirty feet, full of dirt and -slime. It would be very easy to enter, for it would be like pushing a -cork into an empty bottle. The difficulty would be to get the cork -out. Having no desire to experiment, I took the guide's word for it, -that the cave is about sixty feet long, from six to twelve feet wide, -and high enough for a man to stand erect. It would, therefore, afford -plenty of room for the crew of a smuggler's boat and a large cargo of -whiskey and other contraband stores. - -I asked the driver to impersonate Dirk Hatteraick for a few minutes, -and he, good-naturedly, complied, crawling into the opening, which he -completely filled, and looking out at me with a pipe in his mouth and a -broad grin. I took his picture, but his honest young face and amiable -smile made a very poor pose for the desperate old smuggler. It served, -however, to show the small size of the opening, which might easily have -been concealed by shrubbery or brushwood. - -Scott's information regarding this coast came from Joseph Train, a -resident of Newton-Stewart, a town in Galloway on the river Cree, just -above its outlet into Wigtown Bay. He was an excise officer who -performed his duties faithfully. He had early in life developed a -passion for antiquarian research as well as a taste for poetry. With a -friend he had begun the collection {133} of material for a History of -Galloway, when he was surprised and delighted to receive a letter from -Walter Scott, asking for some copies of a poem which he had written. -In a subsequent letter Scott asked for any local traditions or legends -which he did not wish to turn to his own account, adding, 'Nothing -interests me so much as local anecdotes; and, as the applications for -charity usually conclude, the smallest donation will be thankfully -received.' - -Train immediately abandoned the idea of attempting any work of original -authorship and determined to devote himself to collecting material for -the benefit of one who could make far better use of it,--a decision in -which his friend acquiesced. 'Upon receiving Mr. Scott's letter,' he -said, 'I became still more zealous in the pursuit of ancient lore, and -being the first person who had attempted to collect old stories in that -quarter with any view to publication, I became so noted, that even -beggars, in the hope of reward, came frequently from afar to -Newton-Stewart, to recite old ballads and relate old stories to me.' - -In later years Train often visited Abbotsford; a genuine affection -sprang up between him and the novelist; he became one of the few who -knew the secret of the authorship of 'Waverley'; and no other of the -author's many friends ever did so much in furnishing him material of -the kind he wanted. Not only stories and ballads, but more tangible -objects of antiquarian interest were picked up by him and forwarded to -his patron. One of the most interesting possessions now in the study -at Abbotsford is the Wallace Chair, made from the wood of the house in -which Sir William Wallace - -{134} - - Was done to death by felon hand - For guarding well his fathers' land. - -The chair was made under the direction of Train and presented by him to -Sir Walter 'as a small token of gratitude.' - -Besides giving Scott many descriptions of scenery and much local -history, Train supplied a collection of anecdotes of the Galloway -gipsies, and a story about an astrologer which reminded Scott of a -similar story he had heard in his youth. This tale, as related to the -novelist by an old servant of his father's, named John MacKinlay, -appears in full in the Introduction to 'Guy Mannering.' Later Mr. -Train put in writing 'The Durham Garland,' a ballad which was recited -to him by a Mrs. Young, of Castle Douglas, who had been in the habit of -repeating the verses to her family once a year in order not to forget -them. It contains practically the same story. This old tale, -reappearing in several different ways, became the basis of the novel.[2] - -In January, 1813, Scott wrote to his friend, Morritt, mentioning a -murder case in Galloway where the identity of the murderer was -discovered by means of a footprint left upon the clay floor of the -cottage where the {135} death struggle took place. The 'old ram-headed -sheriff,' nicknamed 'Leatherhead,' suddenly became sagacious. He -advertised that all persons in the neighbourhood would be expected to -be present at the burial of the victim and to attest their own -innocence. This would be certain to include the murderer. When the -people were assembled in the kirk he caused all the doors to be locked, -and carefully measured the shoes of all present until he found the -guilty man. The method by which the astute Counsellor Pleydell trapped -Dirk Hatteraick was clearly suggested by this incident. - -It will be seen from the above that the story was put together from -fragments of Galloway incidents, mostly supplied by Train, and from -various legal experiences known to the author. - -Scott himself made a visit to Dumfries in 1807, when he spent several -days visiting Sweetheart Abbey, Caerlaverock Castle, and other ancient -buildings. Mr. Guthrie Wright, who made the trip with him, wrote: 'I -need hardly say how much I enjoyed the journey. Every one who had the -pleasure of his acquaintance knows the inexhaustible store of anecdote -and good humour he possessed. He recited poetry and old legends from -morn until night, and in short it is impossible that anything could be -more delightful than his society.' - -When Scott made his visit to the English Lakes in 1797, he became -impressed with the beauty of Westmoreland and Cumberland and -particularly with the grandeur of the chain of mountains of which -Skiddaw and Saddleback are the best known. It was in this pleasant -country that he placed the home of Colonel Mannering. It will be -remembered that Scott returned {136} from that excursion, through -Cumberland to Gilsland. This is the route which he selected for Harry -Bertram on his return to Scotland after many years. Bertram (or Brown, -as he was then called) paused to view the remains of an old Roman wall, -precisely as Scott himself had done. There are many such ruins in the -vicinity of Gilsland, all remnants of the wall which it is believed the -Roman general Agricola built from the Tyne to the Solway Firth about -A.D. 79. One of these suggested to Scott the lines which he addressed -to a lady friend in the year of his first visit:-- - - Take these flowers, which, purple waving, - On the ruined rampart grew, - Where, the sons of freedom braving, - Rome's imperial standards flew. - - Warriors from the breach of danger - Pluck no longer laurels there; - They but yield the passing stranger - Wild-flower wreaths for Beauty's hair. - - -A few miles from Amboglanna, the most interesting of these remains, in -the village of Gilsland, is a neat little building, occupied by a -store, which is pointed out as 'Mump's Ha'.' It has been so much -rebuilt that it now suggests but little of the disreputable Border inn -which once marked the site, nor does the present well-kept village -suggest much of the scene that was supposed to greet the eyes of -Bertram on his approach. The alehouse was the resort of Border -thieves, and its reputation was so bad that a man known to possess a -fair supply of money dared not remain overnight. Tib Mumps, the -landlady, who was secretly in league with the freebooters who came to -her place, was a real character; or perhaps {137} it would be better to -say there were two women, either of whom might have served for her -prototype. The tavern was kept by Margaret Carrick, who died in 1717 -at the age of one hundred years. She was succeeded by her -granddaughter, Margaret Teasdale, who lived to be ninety-eight. Both -are buried in the churchyard of Over-Denton, a mile away. Scott no -doubt heard much about them both at the time of his visit, and also the -story of 'Fighting Charlie of Liddesdale' which suggested some of the -material for the exploits of Dandie Dinmont. - -Dandie was one of those 'real characters' who are not 'real' because -there were a dozen of him. In Scott's so-called raids into Liddesdale, -where he 'had a home in every farmhouse,' he met many prototypes of -Dandie. James Davidson, one of these worthy farmers, possessed a large -family of terriers, all of whom he named Mustard and Pepper, according -as they were yellow or greyish black. For this reason and because of -his great passion for fox-hunting, the name of Dandie Dinmont became -fixed upon him. Far from resenting it, Davidson considered that he had -achieved a great honour. - -Robert Shortreed, Scott's guide through Liddesdale, fixed upon Willie -Elliott, of Millburnholm, the first of these farmers whom Scott -visited, as the real Dandie. Lockhart, however, gives the honour to -neither, and believes that Scott built up the description of this kind -and manly character and of his gentle wife, Ailie, from his observation -of the early home of William Laidlaw, who later became the novelist's -amanuensis and one of his most affectionate friends. - -At 'Mump's Ha', Bertram first met the old witch, {138} Meg Merrilies, -who played so important a part in his destiny. Scott, as a boy -attending school at Kelso, had made several visits to Kirk Yetholm, a -village near the English Border, then known as the capital of the -gipsies. A certain gipsy soldier, having rendered a service to the -Laird of Kirk Yetholm in 1695, was allowed to settle on his estate, -which thereafter was the headquarters of the tribe. Scott remembered -being accosted on one of his visits by a 'woman of more than female -height, dressed in a long red cloak,' who gave him an apple. This -woman was Madge Gordon, who was the Queen of the Yetholm tribes. She -was a granddaughter of Jean Gordon, whom she greatly resembled in -appearance. An interesting story of the latter, who was the real Meg -Merrilies, is told in the Introduction to 'Guy Mannering.' - -The royal name of the gipsies was Faa, supposed to be a corruption of -Pharaoh from whom they claimed descent. Gabriel Faa, the nephew of Meg -Merrilies, was a character whom Scott met when on an excursion with -James Skene. 'He was one of those vermin-destroyers,' says Skene, 'who -gain a subsistence among the farmers in Scotland by relieving them of -foxes, polecats, rats, and such-like depredators. The individual in -question was a half-witted, stuttering, and most original-looking -creature, ingeniously clothed in a sort of tattered attire, to no part -of which could any of the usual appellations of man's garb be -appropriately given. We came suddenly upon this crazy sportsman in one -of the wild glens of Roxburghshire, shouting and bellowing on the track -of a fox, which his not less ragged pack of mongrels were tracking -around the rocky face of a hill. He was {139} like a scarecrow run -off, with some half-dozen grey-plaided shepherds in pursuit of him, -with a reserve of shaggy curs yelping at their heels.' - -Scott was able to write the vivid description of the salmon-spearing -incident, in which Gabriel lets the torch drop into the water just as -one of the fishermen had speared a thirty-pound fish, because the sport -was one of his own favourite amusements. One night in January, he, -with James Skene, Hogg the Ettrick Shepherd, and one or two others, -were out on the Tweed by the side of Elibank. They had a fine, blazing -light and the salmon were plentiful. The boat, however, was a crazy -old craft, and just as they reached the deepest pool in the river she -began to sink. His companions begged him to push for the shore, but -Scott, in great glee, replied, 'Oh, she goes fine,' and began some -verses of an old song:-- - - An gin the boat war bottomless, - An seven miles to row,-- - -when the boat suddenly went to the bottom. Nothing worse than a good -drenching happened to any of the party and Scott enjoyed the experience -heartily. - -While attending lectures in the University of Edinburgh, it happened -frequently that Scott sat by the side of a modest but diligent student, -whose extreme poverty was quite obvious. This did not deter him from -making a companion of the boy, and they often walked together in the -country. Toward the end of the session, he was strolling alone one day -when he saw his friend talking, in a confidential manner, with an old -beggar to whom he had often given small sums of money. Observing some -confusion on the part of the young man, he made some inquiries, and -learned that the beggar was his friend's {140} father. It was -characteristic of Scott's generous heart that he did not allow this -fact to break the acquaintance, but with great sympathy he kept the -secret. Some time later he called by special request of the old man at -the latter's humble cottage, where he found his fellow student, pale -and emaciated from a recent illness. He learned that the old man had -saved enough for his own maintenance, but had voluntarily subjected -himself to the humiliation of professional mendicancy for no other -purpose than to pay for his son's college expenses. In the course of -the conversation the poor father often expressed the hope that his -bairn 'might wag his pow in a pulpit yet.' These are the words -attributed to the parents of Dominie Sampson, of whom the poor lad was -the earliest suggestion. When the family came to live at Abbotsford, a -tutor for Walter, the eldest son, was required. Scott, always eager to -help the unfortunate, employed George Thomson, 'a gallant son of the -church,' who by accident had lost a leg. He was 'tall, vigorous, -athletic, a dauntless horseman, and expert at the single-stick.' Scott -often said of him, 'In the Dominie, like myself, accident has spoiled a -capital lifeguardsman.' He was a man of many eccentricities and -peculiarities of disposition, among them a remarkable -absent-mindedness, but kind-hearted, faithful, upright, and an -excellent scholar. In these respects he was the prototype of Dominie -Sampson, though the story of the latter's devotion to Lucy Bertram in -the days of her adversity is based upon an incident in the life of -another person. - -Counsellor Pleydell, whom Dominie Sampson regarded as 'a very erudite -and fa-ce-ti-ous person,' was generally identified, by those who knew -Edinburgh a century {141} ago, with Mr. Andrew Crosbie,[3] a -flourishing member of the Scottish Bar of that period. Eminent lawyers -were then in the habit of meeting their clients in taverns, where -important business was transacted to the accompaniment of drinking and -revelry. This typical old Scottish gentleman of real life lived in -Lady Stair's Close and later in Advocate's Close, both resembling the -quarters assigned to Counsellor Pleydell. In those days, the extremely -high buildings, crowded closely together in that part of the Old Town -nearest to the Parliament House, were occupied by the elite of -Edinburgh society. They were ten and twelve stories high and reached -by narrow winding stairs. Access from High Street was gained by means -of narrow and often steep alleyways or closes. As a rule the more -aristocratic and exclusive families lived on the top floors, and as -there were no elevators, it might be said, the higher a man's social -position, the more he had to work for his living. - -Like his brethren in the profession, Mr. Crosbie had his favourite -tavern, where he could always be found by any of the 'cadies'[4] in the -street. This was Dawny Douglas's tavern in Anchor Close, the -meeting-place of the 'Crochallan Fencibles,' a convivial club of which -William Smellie, a well-known printer and editor of the {142} day, was -the inspiring genius, and where Robert Burns, when in Edinburgh, joined -heartily in the bacchanalian revels which were famous for their -duration and intensity. Smellie's printing-office in this close was -frequented by some of the most eminent literary men of the day. - -The game of 'High Jinks' was played on Saturday nights in Douglas's -tavern very much as described in the novel. Clerihugh's, which Scott -mentions as Mr. Pleydell's resort, was a somewhat more respectable -place in Writers' Court. - -It is a curious fact that Mr. Crosbie had a clerk very much like -Pleydell's 'Driver,' who could write from dictation just as well, -asleep or awake, drunk or sober, and whose principal recommendation was -that he could always be found at the same tavern, while less 'steady' -fellows often had half a dozen. The incident which Mr. Pleydell -relates to Colonel Mannering, of how certain legal papers were prepared -while both lawyer and clerk were intoxicated, was, we are assured by -the author, no uncommon occurrence. It will be remembered that Mr. -Pleydell had been dining on Saturday night and at a late hour, when he -'had a fair tappit hen[5] under his belt,' was asked to draw up some -papers. Driver was sent for and brought in both speechless and -motionless. He was unable to see the inkstand, and it was necessary -for some one to dip the pen in the ink. Nevertheless he was able to -write as handsomely as ever and the net result of this attempt to -'worship Bacchus and Themis' {143} at the same time, was a document in -which 'not three words required to be altered.' - -[Illustration: EDINBURGH FROM THE CASTLE] - -Crosbie's clerk, though a dissipated wretch, was well versed in the -law. He had been known to destroy a paper in his employer's writing -and draw up a better one himself. An old Scotchman used to say that -'he would not give ----'s drunken glour at a paper for the serious -opinions of the haill bench.' - -Unfortunately, both Crosbie and his clerk gave up the 'steady' habit of -drinking at a single tavern and in later life began to frequent many -places. The result was the complete ruin of both. Scott's highly -amusing account of the convivial habits of Counsellor Pleydell and his -dissipated clerk is a fairly accurate, if not entirely complimentary -picture of the daily life of a certain class of prominent lawyers in -Edinburgh, in the middle of the eighteenth century. The more pleasing -side of Pleydell's character was taken from Adam Rolland, an old friend -of Scott's, who died at the age of eighty-five, four years after 'Guy -Mannering' was published. He was an accomplished gentleman, an -excellent scholar, an eminent lawyer, and a man of the highest probity -and Christian character. He would have been quite incapable of such a -performance as 'high jinks.' - -As in many of his other novels, Scott makes the subordinate characters -of 'Guy Mannering' the most interesting. Dominie Sampson, Dandie -Dinmont, Meg Merrilies, Dirk Hatteraick, and Paulus Pleydell are -original creations of strong, dramatic interest. Each had a prototype -in real life, but it was the genius of the novelist that brought them -into existence in the sense that Mr. Pickwick and Becky Sharp are real -people, and {144} conferred upon them a kind of immortality that will -be as sure to delight the generations of the future as they have been -successful in appealing to the readers of the past century. - -As to Colonel Mannering himself, I need only repeat the exclamation of -James Hogg when he first read the novel:--'Colonel Mannering is just -Walter Scott painted by himself!' Though doubtless not intended for a -portrait, the fine, dignified, soldierly, and scholarly colonel is the -picture of a perfect gentleman, intended to embody the high ideals -which were a part of Scott's own character and for which we like to -remember him. - - - -[1] A 'Gauger' is an excise officer and 'Loup' is Scottish for 'leap.' - -[2] Another story, some of the details of which may have suggested a -part of the plot, concerns the experiences of James Annesley, a full -account of which appeared in _The Gentleman's Magazine_ of July, 1840, -and is reprinted in full in Lockhart's _Life of Scott_, vol. v. -Lockhart says, 'That Sir Walter must have read the record of this -celebrated trial, as well as Smollett's edition of the story in -_Peregrine Pickle_, there can be no doubt.' The trial took place in -1743. It suggested, perhaps, something of the method by which Glossin -undertook to deprive Harry Bertram of his rights. Another legal case, -which came within Scott's own knowledge and may have suggested some of -the details of the novel, was related by him in a letter to Lady -Abercorn. See _Familiar Letters of Sir Walter Scott_, vol. 1, p. 292. - -[3] As Crosbie died when Scott was only fourteen, the novelist could -scarcely have known him personally; on the other hand, he could hardly -have failed to hear the stories of such an individual, whose exploits -were well known to the frequenters of Parliament Square. - -[4] These cadies (or caddies, a name that has become familiar through -the introduction of the Scotch game of golf) were a class of men and -boys who in the eighteenth century frequented the law courts of -Edinburgh, eager to be employed upon any errand. They knew the -particular haunts of all the lawyers of any consequence, and never -dreamed of looking for anybody at his own home, or in any place other -than the special tavern which he was known to frequent. - -[5] The 'Tappit Hen' was a pewter mug, with the figure of a hen on the -lid. It held three quarts of claret, which was drawn from the -tap,--hence the name. - - - - -{145} - -CHAPTER X - -THE ANTIQUARY - -Washington Irving's story of a week spent with Scott at Abbotsford -always leaves in my mind an indescribable thrill of pleasure. Partly -because Irving really did have a delightful experience such as falls to -the lot of few men and partly because he knew, better than others, how -to transfer his own pleasurable emotions to the minds of other people, -it is certain that, to my mind at least, there is no single sketch in -all the Scott literature, not even in Lockhart's brilliant work, that -throws a stronger light upon the Great Wizard's character or -illuminates a more attractive picture. - -It was a happy week for the American visitor, and I imagine it -contained no happier moment than when the younger author nestled by the -side of his warm-hearted friend, under the lee of a sheltering bank -during a shower, the plaid of the Scotchman closely wrapped around them -both, while the enchanting flow of anecdote, reminiscence, and -whimsical suggestion went merrily on in spite of the Scottish mist. It -was in the course of their walk on this particular morning that Scott -stopped at the cottage of a labourer on his estate to examine some -tongs that had been dug up in the Roman camp near by. 'As he stood -regarding the relic,' says Irving, 'turning it round and round, and -making comments on it, half grave, half comic, with the cottage group -around him, all joining occasionally in the {146} colloquy, the -inimitable character of Monkbarns was again brought to mind and I -seemed to see before me that prince of antiquarians and humourists, -holding forth to his unlearned and unbelieving neighbours.' There was -something peculiarly delightful about Scott's antiquarianism. He -seemed to feel that those who were without his own knowledge of values -were inclined to smile at his enthusiasm, and whenever he talked on his -favourite subject there was an undercurrent of sly humour which gave an -exquisite flavour to his conversation. The discovery of anything -ancient, whether a ruined castle, a broadsword or sporran from the -Highlands, or a scrap of some old ballad, gave him the greatest -pleasure, and nothing afforded his friends more enjoyment than to be -able to present him with such relics and curiosities as they knew he -would appreciate. A casual walk through the Entrance Hall and Armory -of Abbotsford, where hundreds of helmets, suits of armour, swords, -guns, pistols, and curiosities of infinite variety are displayed, is -enough to suggest to any one that Sir Walter himself was the real -Jonathan Oldbuck of 'The Antiquary.' A glance at the Library, with its -collection of twenty thousand rare old volumes, is enough to prove that -Scott, like Monkbarns, was not only an antiquary but a bibliophile as -well. Who but a genuine enthusiast could have written that chapter in -which the worthy Mr. Oldbuck exhibits the treasures of his sanctum -sanctorum to Mr. Lovel? 'These little Elzevirs are the memoranda and -trophies of many a walk by night and morning through the Cowgate, the -Canongate, the Bow, St. Mary's Wynd,--wherever, in fine, there were to -be found brokers and trokers, those miscellaneous dealers in things -{147} rare and curious. How often have I stood haggling on a half -penny, lest, by a too ready acquiescence in the dealer's first price, -he should be led to suspect the value I set upon the article!--how have -I trembled, lest some passing stranger should chop in between me and -the prize, and regarded each poor student of divinity that stopped to -turn over the books at the stall as a rival amateur, or prowling -bookseller in disguise!--And, then, Mr. Lovel, the sly satisfaction -with which one pays the consideration, and pockets the article, -affecting a cold indifference, while the hand is trembling with -pleasure!' - -It was during the visit to Prestonpans, previously mentioned, that -Scott, a child of six, first made the acquaintance of George Constable, -an old friend of his father's, who resided near Dundee. He must have -learned from this gentleman something which started in him the -antiquarian instincts, for, as he himself has remarked, 'children -derive impulses of a powerful and important kind in hearing things -which they cannot entirely comprehend.' Certainly he put enough of Mr. -Constable into the description of Jonathan Oldbuck to cause various -friends to recognize him; and as Constable's intimacy with Scott's -father was well known, this gave colour to the suspicion that Scott -himself was the unknown author of 'The Antiquary.' But even a more -faithful delineation of George Constable than the book contains would -have failed to bring out the real charm of the delightful Oldbuck. It -is the Scott part of his nature that we really enjoy. - -Next to the Antiquary himself, old Edie Ochiltree is the character who -is chiefly responsible for the pleasant {148} flavour of this book. He -is a mendicant whom it is a real pleasure to meet. His amiable nature, -his sly good humour, and his genuine friendliness win your affection in -the beginning and hold it to the very end. He is a picture drawn from -real life, though it is probable that old Andrew Gemmels, his -prototype, did not possess the many endearing qualities with which the -novelist invested Edie. - -The 'blue gowns' of the south of Scotland were a class of licensed -beggars, known as the 'King's Bedesmen.' The number of them was -supposed to be the same as the years of the King's life, so it was -necessary to initiate a new member of the aristocracy of paupers every -year. At every royal birthday each bedesman received a new light-blue -cloak or gown and a pewter badge, together with a purse containing as -many pennies as the years of the King's life. Their sole duty was to -pray for long life for the King, which, considering that the older the -sovereign the larger the purse, they might very cheerfully do. In -return, all laws against beggars were suspended in their favour, and -the 'blue gowns' went about from house to house, fairly assured of food -and lodging and seemingly free from care. - -The service of the 'blue gown' to the community is best set forth in -the words of Edie Ochiltree, who apparently considered himself a public -benefactor:-- - - -And then what wad a' the country about do for want o' auld Edie -Ochiltree, that brings news and country cracks frae ae farm-steading to -anither and gingerbread to the lasses, and helps the lads to mend their -fiddles and the gudewives to clout their pans, and plaits rush-swords -and grenadier caps for the weans and busks the lairds' flees, and has -skill o' {149} cow-ills and horse-ills, and kens mair auld sangs and -tales than a' the barony besides, and gars ilka body laugh whereever he -comes? Troth, my leddy, I canna lay down my vocation; it would be a -public loss. - - -Andrew Gemmels was well known throughout the Border country of Scotland -for more than half a century as a professional beggar or 'gaberlunzie.' -He had been a soldier in his youth and maintained his erect military -carriage even in old age. He was very tall and carried a walking-stick -almost as high as himself. His features were strongly intellectual, -but marked by a certain fierceness and austerity of expression, the -result of his long and peculiar contact with all sorts of hard -experiences. Scott, who had often met him, comments upon his -remarkable gracefulness. With his striking attitudes he would have -made a fine model for an artist. One of his chief assets was an -unusual power of sarcasm, coupled with a keen wit, the fear of which -often gained for him favours which might otherwise have been denied. -He was full of reminiscences of the wars and of adventures in foreign -lands, which he told in a droll fashion, coupled with a shrewd wit, -that always made him an entertaining visitor. He wandered about the -country at pleasure, demanding entertainment as a right, which was -accorded usually without question. His preference as to sleeping -quarters was the stable or some outbuilding where cattle were kept. He -never burdened anybody, usually appearing at the same place only once -or twice a year. He always had money--frequently more than those of -whom he begged. When a certain parsimonious gentleman expressed regret -that he had no silver in his pocket or he would have given him -sixpence, Andrew promptly {150} replied, 'I can give you change for a -note, laird.' In later years he travelled about on his own horse, a -very good one, and carried a gold watch. He died at the age of a -hundred and six years, leaving enough wealth to enrich a nephew, who -became a considerable landholder. His tombstone in Roxburgh -Churchyard, near Kelso, contains a quaint carved figure of the -mendicant, above which are the words, 'Behold the end o' it.' This -refers to an incident related by a writer in the 'Edinburgh Magazine' -in 1817, the year after the publication of the novel:-- - - -Many curious anecdotes of Andrew's sarcastic wit and eccentric manners -are current in the Borders. I shall for the present content myself -with one specimen, illustrative of Andrew's resemblance to his -celebrated representative. The following is given as commonly related -with much good humour by the late Mr. Dodds, of the War-Office, the -person to whom it chiefly refers: Andrew happened to be present at a -fair or market somewhere in Teviotdale (St. Boswell's if I mistake not) -where Dodds, at that time a non-commissioned officer in His Majesty's -service, happened also to be with a military party recruiting. It was -some time during the American War, when they were eagerly beating up -for fresh men--to teach passive obedience to the obdurate and -ill-mannered Columbians; and it was then the practice for recruiting -sergeants, after parading for a due space with all the warlike -pageantry of drums, trumpets, 'glancing blades, and gay cockades,' to -declaim in heroic strains the delights of the soldier's life, of glory, -patriotism, plunder, the prospect of promotion for the bold and the -young, and His Majesty's munificent pension for the old and the -wounded, etc., etc. Dodds, who was a man of much natural talent, and -whose abilities afterwards raised him to an honourable rank and -independent fortune, had made one of his most brilliant speeches on -this occasion. A crowd of ardent and anxious {151} rustics were -standing round, gaping with admiration at the imposing mien, and -kindling at the heroic eloquence, of the manly soldier, whom many of -them had known a few years before as a rude tailor boy; and the -sergeant himself, already leading in idea a score of new recruits, had -just concluded, in a strain of more than usual elevation, his oration -in praise of the military profession, when Gemmels, who, in tattered -guise, was standing close behind him, reared aloft his _meal-pocks_ on -the end of his kent or pike-staff, and exclaimed, with a tone and -aspect of the most profound derision, 'Behold the end o' it!' The -contrast was irresistible--the beau-ideal of Sergeant Dodds, and the -ragged reality of Andrew Gemmels, were sufficiently striking; and the -former, with his red-coat followers, beat a retreat in some confusion, -amidst the loud and universal laughter of the surrounding multitude. - - -The character of the old 'gaberlunzie,' as revealed in this anecdote, -was so faithfully transferred by the novelist to Edie Ochiltree, that -in spite of some embellishments he was immediately recognized. - -To study the scenery of 'The Antiquary,' we went to Arbroath, a town on -the east coast of Scotland, which traces its beginnings back to the -twelfth century. This is the original of Fairport, and we found all of -the scenery of the novel in the immediate neighbourhood. In the midst -of a shower which threatened destruction to all photographic attempts, -we made our first visit to the ruins of the Abbey of St. Thomas, the -original of St. Ruth's. It was a disappointment to find this ruin in -the heart of the city, instead of a 'wild, sequestered spot,' where a -'pure and profound lake' discharged itself into a 'huddling and -tumultuous brook.' But the Wizard always reserved the right to -transplant his ruined castles and abbeys to suit his taste, and he was -quite justified {152} in transferring St. Ruth's to more romantic -surroundings, particularly as there is a deep ravine known as Seaton -Den, on the coast north of Arbroath, which answers every requirement. - -Thanks to the British Government, which took charge of the abbey in -1815, there is still left enough of the walls to make a picturesque -ruin of considerable extent. For two centuries previously the people -of the village freely used the stones for building purposes. It is -necessary to go back six centuries to find the church in its full -perfection, when it was one of the richest and most sumptuously -furnished establishments in Scotland. In the year 1320, a parliament -was held in the abbey by King Robert the Bruce, and a letter, regarded -as one of the most remarkable documents in early British history, was -sent to the Pope, appealing for a recognition of Scottish independence. - -The original abbey was founded in the year 1178 by William the Lion, a -Scottish monarch whose name is associated with nearly all of the -principal buildings which form the scenes of 'The Antiquary.' It was -dedicated to St. Thomas of Canterbury, the famous Thomas à Becket, whom -William had met at the court of the English King, Henry II, when a -young man. From ancient documents it would seem that the monastery was -maintained in a state of great opulence and that it was open to all -comers, rich and poor alike. - -The predominating feature of the ruin, as it stands to-day, is the -south wall, containing what the people of Arbroath call the 'Roond O,' -a window twelve feet in diameter, immediately over the altar of St. -Catharine. Beneath this opening is a gallery with seven arches of -{153} carved stone, suggesting the scene in 'The Antiquary' where the -impostor, Dousterswivel, and Sir Arthur Wardour are digging for -treasure in the ruins, while Lovel and Edie Ochiltree watch the -performance from just such a place of concealment. We could almost -smell the fumes of the 'suffumigation' and hear the violent sneezes of -old Edie and the terrified ejaculation of Dousterswivel, 'Alle guten -Geistern, loben den Herrn!' - -Monkbarns, the home of Jonathan Oldbuck, is closely associated with the -history of the abbey. When the fame of that establishment had spread -throughout Scotland and England, there were many pilgrimages to the -shrine of St. Thomas à Becket. Many of these pilgrims arrived sick and -exhausted. To provide for them, a rude hospital was ordered built, -about two miles away from the abbey, on lands now occupied by a -handsome building known as Hospitalfield. In Scott's day this house -was very much less pretentious and might well have corresponded with -his description of an 'irregular and old-fashioned building, some part -of which had belonged to a grange, or solitary farmhouse, inhabited by -the bailiff, or steward of the monastery, when the place was in -possession of the monks. It was here that the community stored up the -grain which they received as ground-rent from their vassals; ... and -hence, as the present proprietor loved to tell, came the name of -Monkbarns.' Readers of 'The Antiquary' will remember the altercation -between Oldbuck and his sister when the latter was requested to make a -bed ready for Mr. Lovel. '"A bed? The Lord preserve us!" ejaculated -Grizel. "Why, what's the matter now? Are there not beds and rooms -enough in the house? Was it not an ancient _hospitium_ {154} in which, -I am warranted to say, beds were nightly made down for a score of -pilgrims?"' - -The property has a beautiful situation and is otherwise so desirable -that it passed from the monks into private hands centuries ago. It -finally came into the possession of Patrick Allan-Fraser, who made such -extensive additions that whatever is left of the original building -owned by the monks is completely covered up. This public-spirited -gentleman, who died in 1890, left the estate in trust for the benefit -and encouragement of young men who desired to study painting, -sculpture, wood-carving, architecture, or engraving, and the house is -now occupied by teachers and students. It has an art gallery -containing some valuable paintings, sculptures, and wood-carvings, and -a library of old documents and rare folios that would delight the soul -of Jonathan Oldbuck himself. - -It was the most natural thing in the world for us, after visiting -Monkbarns, to seek the residence of his Tory friend and fellow -antiquarian, Sir Arthur Wardour, although we did not find it within -easy walking distance as might have been inferred. Ethie Castle has -been generally fixed upon by local writers as the original of -Knockwinnock. The present building is one of the country-seats of the -Earl of Northesk. It is a red-stone structure of considerable -antiquity and irregular design, which nevertheless made a pleasing -picture when seen at a distance of several hundred yards from the -front. A tiny brook crossed by a wooden bridge and flanked by huge -rhododendrons in full bloom made a charming foreground. Beyond was a -sloping field of tall grass, which had been mown only enough to make a -broad path in {155} the midst of which were countless thousands of -dainty pink-and-white daisies. On either side were ample groves of -well-foliaged trees, making a vista in which the old red mansion -appeared to excellent advantage. - -Ethie Castle was part of the endowment which William the Lion granted -to the Abbey of Aberbrothock. It therefore dates back to the year -1178. In the sixteenth century it was the residence of Cardinal -Beaton, who seems to have bequeathed to it the 'Cardinal's Chapel,' by -which name a room in the house is still known and 'the tramp of the -Cardinal's leg,' a weird, ghostly sound of footsteps on the old stone -stairs, with which the castle is haunted. After the death of the -Cardinal, a natural daughter laid claim to the estate. Thus, as with -Knockwinnock, the 'bar-sinister' appears on the escutcheon of the -family. - -Directly east of Ethie Castle and not far distant are the cliffs of Red -Head. The coast for some miles north of Arbroath is a series of huge -cliffs, with many strange caverns and curious rock formations. Almost -any of them, but Red Head perhaps better than the others, would serve -as the scene of the thrilling incident in 'The Antiquary,' in which Sir -Arthur Wardour and his daughter are overtaken by the tide and rescued -with great difficulty by Saunders Mucklebackit, ably assisted by Lovel -and Edie Ochiltree. Two huge rocks rise almost perpendicularly from -the shore. It is easily conceivable that any attempt to walk around -them, in the face of a swiftly rising tide, would be fraught with -dangerous, if not fatal, consequences. - -The village of Auchmithie, the home of the Mucklebackits, is situated -on one of the cliffs south of Red {156} Head. This is the most -realistic of all the scenes of 'The Antiquary.' The village, with the -exception of a new hotel, is practically as it was when Scott was a -visitor in 1814. There is but one street, and that has no name; but -the houses are numbered, city-fashion. The post-office address of an -inhabitant would, therefore, give the number of the house and the name -of the town, omitting any mention of a street; thus the old fisherman, -who posed for me and to whom I mailed a photograph, lives at Number 58, -Auchmithie, Scotland. This old fellow is a type of the neighbours of -Saunders Mucklebackit. The habits of life of the people, their dress, -their occupations, their houses, their furniture, even their names, are -the same as they were a hundred years ago. I asked the old man how old -his house was. He replied, 'Ou, I dinna ken hoo auld. I'se -seventy-two mysel' and I was born here and my grandfeyther, too.' -Several others of whom I asked the same question gave substantially the -same answer. - -[Illustration: AUCHMITHIE] - -The post-office was in one of these ancient cottages, with a new front, -but otherwise unchanged. Its occupant was quite communicative. He -said it was the original Cargill Cottage, and that George Cargill, who -occupied it a century ago, was the original Mucklebackit. 'When Walter -Scott came to Auchmithie,' said he, 'he came by boat. There was n't -any way to land except through the breakers and he could n't do that -without getting his feet wet. So Cargill had to carry him ashore on -his back. When he set him down on dry land, Scott clapped him on the -back and said, '"What a muckle backed fellow you are, Geordie, to be -sure!" Muckle, you see, sir, means "much" or "big," and George had a -{157} great big broad back, so that's how Walter Scott got the name, -Mucklebackit.' He let me take a photograph of the interior of the -cottage, where a single room served for bedroom, breakfast-room, -kitchen, and numerous other purposes. I suppose the cottage of -Saunders Mucklebackit must have presented much the same appearance to -Monkbarns when he walked in to attend the funeral of young Steenie -Mucklebackit and won the hearts of all by performing the office of -chief mourner, according the family the rare honour of having the laird -'carry the head of the deceased to the grave.' - -I found a very pleasant family group in front of the next cottage, and -after a few moment's conversation asked permission to take their -picture. Not hearing a dissenting voice, I understood my request would -be granted and began to set up my camera in the street. Before I had -half made ready, the entire group had disappeared. The police -department of the town then marched up to me,--one man strong,--and for -a moment I felt afraid I had been violating some law. But he was only -curious, and told me that the people had a strange aversion to being -photographed. I left my camera all focused and ready in the street and -sauntered with the constable to the side of the road. In a few minutes -a picturesque old fishwife, carrying two large empty pails in each -hand, came out of her house, all unconscious of the awful presence of a -loaded camera and I quickly stepped out and pressed the bulb. 'That's -Coffee Betz you got then,' laughed the constable. 'She would n't let -you take her picture, but she's one of the Cargills.' In this way I -came as near as possible to getting a photograph of the original Luckie -Mucklebackit {158} with whom Monkbarns haggled over the price of a -bannock-fluke and a cock-padle. For the fishwives of to-day are the -same as those of a century ago,--'they keep the man, and keep the -house, and keep the siller, too.' The men consider their own work -ended when the boat is pulled up on the beach. It is the wife who must -market the fish, which she does by carrying them on her back to the -nearest town, where she must 'scauld and ban wi' ilka wife that will -scauld and ban wi' her' until the fish are sold. 'Them that sell the -goods guide the purse--them that guide the purse rule the house,' and -therefore by common consent in these communities, the wife is the head -of the family. - -Back from Auchmithie is the mansion house of Kinblethmont, surrounded -by some fine old woods. It will be remembered that Edie Ochiltree was -passing this place on his return from the Earl of Glenallan's castle -when he was arrested on a charge of assaulting Dousterswivel. Colonel -Lindsay, of Kinblethmont, and the Laird of Hospitalfield were the -leaders who took the direction of affairs when a French privateer named -the 'Dreadnought' threatened the town of Arbroath in very much the same -way as Fairport was menaced in 'The Antiquary.' The same scenes of -excitement so vividly described in the novel were there enacted. - -Scott, however, had passed through a similar experience himself, which -enabled him to write the dramatic event with greater ease. For several -years, in the early part of the nineteenth century, the people of -England and Scotland were kept in a state of nervous dread by the -expectation of an invasion by the French. Beacons were erected all -along the coast ready to give instant {159} alarm, and militia -organizations were everywhere kept in a state of readiness. A false -alarm on February 2, 1804, brought out the volunteers of Berwickshire, -Roxburghshire, and Selkirkshire with surprising rapidity. Scott had -gone with his wife for a visit to Gilsland, the scene of their -courtship. He was then a member of the Edinburgh Volunteers. When the -alarm came he promptly mounted his horse and rode with all speed to -Dalkeith, a distance of one hundred miles, within twenty-four hours. -The alarm had subsided when he reached his destination, and after a few -jolly evenings with his fellow volunteers he returned to the south. It -was on this hurried trip that he composed a poem, entitled, 'The Bard's -Incantation.' - -'The Antiquary' thus closes as it began, with a leaf out of the -author's personal experience. I have no doubt that he heartily enjoyed -its composition. It must have been an exquisite pleasure to one so -appreciative of genuine humour to caricature his own antiquarian -foibles; to weave into the pages of romance the many tales he had heard -in his youth of a character so interesting as the old 'gaberlunzie'; -and to make the people of his fancy walk the streets of the ancient -seaport town, visit the old abbey, saunter along the cliffs of the -seashore, or roam about over the adjacent country, where he had spent -many pleasant hours in the company of well-loved friends. - -Although Scott's own opinion at first was that 'The Antiquary' lacked -the romance of 'Waverley' and the adventure of 'Guy Mannering,' yet in -subsequent years he came to regard it as his favourite among all the -Waverley Novels. - - - - -{160} - -CHAPTER XI - -THE BLACK DWARF - -Late in the afternoon of a beautiful May day, while on one of our -drives from Melrose, we turned off the main road a few miles west of -Peebles, and, crossing the Tweed, entered the vale of Manor Water. -This secluded valley, peaceful and charming, would make an ideal -retreat for any one who wished to escape the noise and confusion of a -busy world. The distinguished philosopher and historian, Dr. Adam -Ferguson, found it so, when in old age he took up his residence at -Hallyards, where his young friend, Walter Scott, paid him a visit in -the memorable summer of 1797. - -It was not a desire to retire from worldly activities, however, or to -visit the house of Dr. Ferguson, that led us into the quiet valley. -Our purpose was to see the former home of one of the strangest human -beings who ever lived; one who found the seclusion of the beautiful -vale well adapted to shield him from the unwelcome observation of the -curious-minded. David Ritchie, or 'Bow'd Davie o' the Wud'use,'[1] as -he was called, was for many years a familiar figure to the few farmers -of the valley. He was born about 1735, and lived to be seventy-six -years of age. He had been horribly deformed from birth. His shoulders -were broad and muscular, and his arms unusually long and powerful, -though he could not lift them higher than his breast. But Nature -seemed {161} to have omitted providing him with legs and thighs. The -upper part of his body, with proportions seemingly intended for a -giant, was set upon short fin-like legs, so small that when he stood -erect they were almost invisible. His height was scarcely three feet -and a half. His feet were badly adapted for walking and were kept -wrapped in masses of rags as though they were the particular feature of -which their owner was most ashamed. So completely did he depend upon -the strength of his arms and chest that, unable to use his feet in the -ordinary way in digging his garden, he contrived a peculiar spade which -he could force into the soil with his breast. With his great arms he -had been known to tear a tree up by the roots, which had defied the -strength of two ordinary men. - -His head was unusually large, particularly behind the ears. He had a -long nose, a wide, ugly mouth, and a protruding chin covered with a -grisly black beard. He had eyes of piercing black which in moments of -excitement gleamed with wild and awe-inspiring brightness. His voice -was shrill, harsh, and discordant, more like that of a screech-owl than -a human being, and his laugh was said to be horrible. - -His mind corresponded in deformity with his body. He was eccentric, -irritable, jealous, and strangely superstitious. He was sensitive -beyond all reason and could not endure even the glance of his curious -fellow men. He read insult and scorn in faces where neither was -intended. He thoroughly despised all children and most strangers. His -whole nature seemed to have been poisoned with bitterness of spirit -because he was not like other men. Scott was introduced to this -singular {162} individual by Dr. Ferguson, who had taken a great -interest in him. Nineteen years later, and five years after the death -of David Ritchie, he made the recluse of Manor Valley known to the -world as 'The Black Dwarf,' in the first of the 'Tales of My Landlord.' - -We found the cottage a little off the road and not far from the river, -nestling under the brow of a hill. I should, perhaps, say two -cottages, joined together and nearly of the same size. The one on the -left is of comparatively recent date and has a weather-stained bust of -Sir Walter over the door. The older cottage is divided by a partition. -On the right is a door and window of ordinary size. On the left is a -door three and a half feet high and a very small window. There is no -means of communication between the two apartments. The left side was -occupied by David Ritchie and the right by his half-crazed sister, -Agnes. There was never any affection between these two unfortunates, -but on the contrary, and in spite of the loneliness of their lives, -there was an almost complete estrangement. - -[Illustration: THE BLACK DWARF'S COTTAGE] - -The cottage has a stone over the dwarf's door inscribed 'D. R. 1802.' -This commemorates the date when it was built, by the charity of Sir -James Nasmyth, the owner of the land. It replaces a hut built by David -himself in very much the same manner as described in the novel. With -his own hands the dwarf rolled the heavy stones down from the hill, and -with what seemed to be almost superhuman strength, lifted them into -position. He enlisted the aid of passers-by, however, to help lift the -weightiest ones, which added to the wonderment of the next comers, who -could not know how much he had been assisted. Scott says he settled on -the land {163} without asking or receiving permission, but was allowed -to remain when discovered by the good-natured laird. William Chambers, -however, who gave considerable study to the subject, says that the -owner not only gave him possession of the ground rent-free, but -instructed his servants to render such assistance as might be required. - -The immediate occasion of building a house in this sequestered -neighbourhood was the fact that Ritchie's painful sensitiveness about -his ungainly appearance made it intolerable for him to remain in -Edinburgh, whither he had gone to learn the trade of brush-making. -Whatever instinct guided him to Manor Water, he could scarcely have -found anywhere in Scotland a location better adapted to his -requirements. - -Here the good part of his nature asserted itself--for there is good in -every human being, if only the key can be discovered that unlocks the -secret chambers. The poor misshapen dwarf found his in the cultivation -of a little garden, shut out from an unsympathetic world by a stone -wall of his own construction. Within this sacred enclosure a profusion -of flowers rankly unfolded their beauties to his eyes and shrank not -from his touch. He had contrived to obtain some rare exotics and to -learn their scientific names. He planted fruit trees in his garden and -surrounded his little house with willows and mountain ashes, until he -had converted it into a fairy bower. He found pleasure and profit in -the raising of vegetables, and even cultivated certain medicinal herbs -which he sold or gave to the neighbours. He also supplied some of the -gentlemen of the vicinity with honey and took great delight in the care -of his bees. A {164} cat, a dog, and a goat completed the roll of his -best-loved companions. - -Besides the pleasure he took in the contemplation of his own garden, -Ritchie was an ardent admirer of the natural beauty of the country -which he had chosen for his home. 'The soft sweep of the green hill, -the bubbling of a clear fountain or the complexities of a wild thicket, -were scenes on which he often gazed for hours and, as he said, with -inexpressible delight.' He felt that sense of rest and refreshment -from the contemplation of nature which Bryant has so finely expressed:-- - - To him who in the love of Nature holds - Communion with her visible forms, she speaks - A various language: for his gayer hours - She has a voice of gladness, and a smile - And eloquence of beauty, and she glides - Into his darker musings, with a mild - And healing sympathy, that steals away - Their sharpness, ere he is aware. - -To this great comfort, the poor misanthrope added another--the reading -of good books. He was fond of the history of Wallace, Bruce, and other -Scottish heroes, and he also had a love of poetry. Scott speaks of his -familiarity with 'Paradise Lost' and says he has heard 'his most -unmusical voice repeat the celebrated description of Paradise, which he -seemed fully to appreciate.' Though not a man of orthodox religious -beliefs, he would occasionally speak of the future life with great -earnestness and on such occasions would sometimes burst into tears. He -had chosen a wild and beautiful spot on a neighbouring hillside for the -place of his burial. It was covered with green ferns and enclosed with -a circle of his favourite rowan or mountain ash, planted with his {165} -own hands, partly because of their beauty, but largely on account of -their potency in guarding the grave against evil spirits. He haughtily -expressed great abhorrence of being interred in the parish churchyard -with what he contemptuously called the 'common brush,' but in the last -moments his heart became softened towards his fellow men, his -antipathies relaxed, and his final wish was that he might be buried -with his fathers. - -The writing of a novel based upon a character so grotesque and -repellent was not well suited to a man of Scott's wholesome and genial -temperament. He soon tired of it, and indeed the only satisfaction he -got out of it was in presenting the better side of the Black Dwarf's -nature. He came in time to agree with the criticism of the publisher, -William Blackwood, to which at first he had strenuously objected, and -the novel, originally intended to be in two volumes, was crowded into -one and hurried to an end, thereby producing a narrative, as the author -facetiously remarked in later years, 'as much disproportioned and -distorted as the Black Dwarf, who is its subject.' - - - -[1] Or Bowed Davie of the Woodhouse Farm. - - - - -{166} - -CHAPTER XII - -OLD MORTALITY - -In the grounds of the Observatory at Maxwelltown, across the river from -Dumfries, is a small pavilion, enclosing two sculptured figures. One -represents an old Scotchman, half reclining on a tombstone, a chisel in -his left hand and a mallet resting by his side; the other is a pony, -apparently waiting for his master to arise. The sculptures were the -work of a local artist. They were disposed of by lottery to a young -man, who died by accident the next day, and they are here deposited as -a curious 'memorial to departed worth.' - -The figures, thus used as a monument to the man who chanced to own -them, were intended to represent a very different person. 'Old -Mortality' and his pony were familiar to the people of Dumfriesshire -and other parts of Scotland for more than forty years. His real name, -as is well known, was Robert Paterson. He was a mason or stone-cutter -by trade, who operated a small quarry. In middle life he became so -thoroughly imbued with the religious enthusiasm of the Cameronians, of -which austere sect he was a zealous member, that he felt impelled to -desert his wife and five children, in order that he might perform the -duty which, he conceived, had devolved upon him. This was to travel -about the country and repair the gravestones of the martyred -Covenanters. He would clear off the moss from the old stones and recut -the half-defaced inscriptions, doing this often in {167} remote and -almost inaccessible recesses of the mountains and moors. Scarcely a -churchyard in Ayr, Galloway, or Dumfriesshire is without some evidences -of his work. - -In spite of his eccentricity there was a fine sincerity of purpose in -the old man's devotion to his self-appointed task. He believed that -each grave should serve as a warning to posterity to defend their -religious faith, and he purposed to make every one, however obscure, a -beacon light, so to speak, to proclaim to all the world the sufferings -and devotion of the Covenanters, and thus to perpetuate the ideals for -which they strove. However mistaken he may have been as to the wisdom -of his methods, his calling was apparently as real to himself and as -sincere as that of any minister of the Gospel. He was found dying on -the highway one day in his eighty-sixth year, the little old white pony -standing patiently by his side. Thus he wore out his life in the -service of his religion, as truly devoted to it as any of the martyrs -who perished on battle-field or scaffold. His grave is marked by an -appropriate stone in the churchyard of Caerlaverock, south of Dumfries. - -Scott, who once met the old man in the churchyard of Dunottar and saw -him actually engaged in his usual task, sought an interview, but in -spite of a good dinner and some liquid refreshments, which were quite -acceptable, was unable to induce him to speak of his experiences. This -was when the novelist was a young lawyer and long before he had thought -of looking for materials for a novel. - -'Old Mortality,' which many, including Lord Tennyson, have regarded as -the greatest of Scott's novels, was {168} introduced to the public in a -curious way. The real author, as usual, concealed his identity. The -ostensible writer is Jedediah Cleishbotham, a schoolmaster, who in turn -denies the actual authorship of the story, but claims to be merely the -possessor of some posthumous papers of his late pupil, Peter Pattieson, -who has only transcribed some tales he had heard from the landlord of -Wallace Inn. Even the landlord was not original, for he received his -information from the lips of 'Old Mortality.' Thus, by a circuitous -route, the novelist derives this lengthy but extremely interesting tale -from old Robert Paterson, whom he never saw but once, and then failed -to make him talk! - -After the Introduction and the first chapter, in which 'Old Mortality' -is briefly presented, we hear no more of him. In this respect the -novel irresistibly reminds me of the celebrated American humourist, who -advertised his lecture on 'Milk.' When his usual large audience had -assembled, he would step to the front of the platform and pour out, -from a pitcher conveniently provided for the purpose, a glass of milk, -which he would drink with great deliberation before uttering a word. -The lecture then followed in which he kept his hearers convulsed with -laughter, but there was never a word about milk. - -Three events, all within the space of two months, form the historical -basis of 'Old Mortality.' These are the murder of Archbishop Sharp on -May 3, 1679, the skirmish at Drumclog on June 1, and the battle of -Bothwell Bridge, June 22. It was during the era of the persecution, in -the reign of Charles II, of the Scottish Covenanters, who persistently -resisted the 'Conventicle Act' forbidding the gathering of more than -five persons for {169} religious worship, except in accordance with the -Established Church. James Sharp, Archbishop of St. Andrews, had -incurred the hatred of the Covenanters by selfishly betraying the -Scottish Kirk. An attempt upon his life was made in 1668 by Robert -Mitchell, who was not arrested until six years later. He confessed -under Sharp's personal promise of pardon, but was sent to Bass Island, -where he remained a prisoner without trial for four years. Sharp then -denied his promise, though it was proved by the court records, and -demanded Mitchell's death. His base action met with speedy revenge. -While driving with his daughter he was set upon by a party of nine men -and put to death with the most atrocious cruelty. - -The real leader in this murder was John Balfour of Burley, one of the -fiercest and most fanatical of the proscribed sect. Though he -professed the utmost religious fervour, Burley was more noted for the -violence and zeal with which he undertook the most desperate -enterprises and for his courage and skill with the sword. The murder -of Sharp aroused the Government to new activities and no less -stimulated the zeal of the Covenanters. Burley and a handful of his -followers openly defied their enemies. On the anniversary of the -Restoration, May 29, they interrupted the holiday, which they -considered 'presumptuous and unholy.' They rode into the town of -Rutherglen, extinguished the bonfires in honour of the day, burned the -acts of Parliament for the suppression of the conventicles and other -obnoxious laws, and concluded their 'solemn testimony' with prayer and -psalms. - -Three days later a conventicle was held near Loudon {170} Hill, at -which no doubt sermons like those of Gabriel Kettledrummle and Habakkuk -Mucklewrath were preached with fiery vehemence. The Covenanters seemed -to depend upon their religious enthusiasm, for they were poorly armed -and badly organized. Men and women who had no arms marched out to -battle, relying upon 'the spirit given forth from the Lord.' They did -not wait to be attacked, but advanced eastward about two miles from -Loudon Hill to the farm of Drumclog, singing psalms all the way. -Whether by accident or design they made their stand on peculiarly -favourable ground behind a marsh too soft to support the weight of -cavalry. As it was covered with green herbage and only a few yards in -width, the attacking party, led by John Grahame of Claverhouse, did not -know of its existence. - -'No quarter' was the word passed along on both sides. Claverhouse and -his dragoons, despising their foe, dashed down the declivity. The -horses' feet were entangled in the marsh and the ranks thrown into -confusion. The Covenanters, seizing the opportunity for which they had -waited, made a spirited attack and completely routed the cavalry, -Claverhouse himself having a narrow escape. Thirty-six dragoons were -killed, while the victors lost only three. The successful skirmish -aroused tremendous enthusiasm among the Covenanters, and had they been -able to maintain harmony in their own ranks, might have led to a -serious rebellion. - -It did lead to the battle of Bothwell Bridge which took place on the -22d of the same month, June, 1679. The Government leader was the Duke -of Monmouth, who was anxious to preserve peace and avoid bloodshed. -{171} The more moderate of the insurgents sent a message offering terms -upon which they would surrender. The Duke offered to interpose with -the King on their behalf, provided they would first lay down their -arms. The Cameronians violently opposed the moderate policy and -favoured a fierce and even desperate resistance. While they were -debating the question, the sound of the enemy's guns broke in upon -them. In their disorganized condition, the cause of the Covenanters -was hopeless and the Government gained an easy victory. Claverhouse -rode at the head of his own troop, who were thus able to avenge the -disgraceful defeat at Drumclog. - -It was the portrait of John Grahame of Claverhouse, hanging in the -library of Abbotsford, which, according to Lockhart, first suggested -the idea of the novel. Joseph Train had called to present the purse of -Rob Roy and 'a fresh heap of traditionary gleanings, which he had -gathered among the tale-tellers of his district.' Noticing the -handsome features revealed by the portrait of a man whom most Scotchmen -regarded as 'a ruffian desperado, who rode a goblin horse, was proof -against shot, and in league with the Devil,' Train expressed his -surprise. After Scott had defended his hero's character, Train, always -alive to the possibilities of a new story, asked whether he might not -'be made, in good hands, the hero of a national romance, as interesting -as any about either Wallace or Prince Charlie.' Upon receiving the -novelist's conditional assent, Train resumed: 'And what if the story -were to be delivered as if from the mouth of "Old Mortality?"' Train -then told what he knew of old Paterson, offering to learn more and -report later. Though Scott did not mention it at the time, the {172} -conversation recalled his earlier meeting with Paterson, and led to the -immediate writing of the novel. - -The scenery of 'Old Mortality' required us to explore the course of the -river Clyde for almost its entire length. This picturesque stream -rises in the high country near Moffat. An old rhyme, as repeated to us -by a native of Moffat, runs thus:-- - - Evan, Annan, Tweed and Clyde - All flow out from ae hillside. - - -In its short course of less than seventy-five miles to the Firth of -Clyde at Dumbarton, it descends toward the sea by leaps and bounds, -forming a series of beautiful cataracts. The highest and most famous -of these is Corra Linn where Wordsworth composed a poem, inspired by -the sight of Wallace's Tower. Here the river takes a triple plunge -over the rocks for a distance of eighty-four feet. Not less imposing -is Stonebyres Linn, below the city of Lanark, where the fall is -seventy-six feet. - -Following the downward course of the stream we came to the ruins of -Craignethan Castle, at the juncture of the Nethan with the Clyde. 'A -crag above the river Nethan' is the literal meaning of the name. This -is Tillietudlem, the castle which Scott made the residence of Lady -Bellenden and her granddaughter, Edith. A ravine under the old castle -of Lanark, near by, known as Gillytudlem, no doubt suggested the name. - -[Illustration: CRAIGNETHAN CASTLE (TILLIETUDLEM)] - -In the autumn of 1799, while on a visit to Lord Douglas at Bothwell -Castle, on the Clyde, Scott made an excursion to Craignethan and, as he -afterwards said, immediately fell in love with it so much that he -wanted to live there. Lord Douglas offered him the use for life {173} -of a very good house at one corner of the court. It was built in 1665 -and we found it still in excellent repair. Scott did not at once -decline the offer, but circumstances made it impossible to accept. -That he made a very careful examination of the ruin, however, is shown -by the unusually accurate descriptions. - -The castle stands on a high rock, reached by a long road through the -woods, by the side of a deep glen. I climbed some stairways through a -corner of the building which still remains intact, and stood on the -ruined battlement from which Major Bellenden valiantly defended the -castle. Here I had a fine view over the tree-tops and could see the -village of Braidwood, two miles away; but the road over which Lady -Bellenden saw the troops approaching was not visible to my eyes. - -From this point also I had a good view of the court, which I could -fancy almost filled with a motley crowd of soldiers, domestic servants, -and retainers, including the bluff and stout-hearted Sergeant Bothwell, -who died 'hoping nothing, believing nothing--and fearing nothing'; the -intrepid Tam Halliday; the infamous Inglis; the old drunken cavaliering -butler, John Gudyill; the faithful ploughman, Cuddie Headrigg, with his -sweetheart, Jenny Dennison; and even poor little half-witted Goose -Gibbie, muffled in a big buff coat, 'girded rather _to_ than _with_ the -sword of a full-grown man,' his feeble legs 'plunged into jack-boots' -and a steel cap on his head so big as completely to extinguish him. In -the centre of the court is the entrance gate, formerly the chapel; on -the right a watch-tower and stable, and on the left the very -substantial house now occupied by the keeper's family, to which I have -referred. - -{174} - -The keeper next conducted me to the rear of the castle, where he -pointed out a well-preserved square tower below which the ground slopes -at a sharp angle to the river's edge. The lower part was used as a -dungeon, where we may suppose Henry Morton to have been confined. It -was once occupied by a nobleman of real life, who, not so fortunate as -the hero of the novel, was led away to execution. Above the dungeon -was the kitchen and pantry, with windows perhaps twenty feet above the -ground. At the corner there was once an old yew, the stump of which -may still be seen. - -Readers of 'Old Mortality' will recall that during the siege of the -castle, Cuddie Headrigg, though an old servant, found himself with the -opposing army. With five or six companions he found his way to the -rear, where there was less danger, and proceeded to attempt to capture -the stronghold by climbing the tree and gaining access through the -window of the pantry. All might have gone well had it not been for the -fact that Jenny Dennison had chosen the pantry as the safest place of -retreat. When, therefore, Cuddie's figure appeared at the window, clad -in the steel cap and buff coat which had belonged to Sergeant Bothwell, -Jenny not only failed to recognize her lover, but was terribly -frightened. With an hysteric scream she rushed to the kitchen, where -she had hung on the fire a pot of kail-brose (a kind of vegetable -stew), having promised to prepare Tam Halliday his breakfast. Seizing -the pot and still screaming, she jumped to the window and poured the -whole scalding contents upon the head and shoulders of the unfortunate -Cuddie, thus 'conferring upon one admirer's outward man the viands -which her fair hands {175} had so lately been in the act of preparing -for the stomach of another.' - -I had great difficulty in photographing this tower. The declivity was -so steep that it was almost impossible either to place the tripod in -proper position or to find a footing from which to look into the -camera. While in the midst of my preparations the keeper informed me -casually that a man had fallen down the slope three weeks before and -broken his neck. With this encouragement, I persevered and was finally -able to obtain what I believe to be one of the best evidences of the -accuracy with which Scott often made his investigations and subsequent -descriptions. - -On one of our excursions from Melrose, we followed the course of the -Yarrow, from its junction with the Ettrick to its source in St. Mary's -Loch; then continuing to the southwest, we traced the course of Moffat -Water, which forms the outlet of the Loch of the Lowes, to a point just -above the place where the stream meets the Evan and the Annan; then -turning westward and passing through the town of Moffat, we followed -the course of the Tweed northward and eastward from its source to our -starting-place. For a large part of this drive, we were in wild, -desolate regions, which presented to us, we were well assured, exactly -the same aspect as they did to Sir Walter Scott, and to the Covenanters -a century or more before his time. From St. Mary's Loch to Moffat and -from the latter northward for at least fifteen or twenty miles, we were -in the very region where the Covenanters were wont to find a safe -retreat from persecution. - -Scott was fond of riding through these wild mountain {176} passes, and -often did so with his friend, Skene, of Rubislaw, who has left an -entertaining account of one of these expeditions:-- - - -One of our earliest expeditions was to visit the wild scenery of the -mountainous tract above Moffat, including the cascade of the Grey -Mare's Tail and the dark tarn called Loch Skene. In our ascent to the -lake we got completely bewildered in the thick fog which generally -envelops the rugged features of that lovely region; and as we were -groping through the maze of bogs, the ground gave way, and down went -horse and horsemen pell-mell into a slough of peaty mud and black -water, out of which, entangled as we were with our plaids and -floundering nags, it was no easy matter to get extricated. Indeed, -unless we had prudently left our gallant steeds at a farmhouse below -and borrowed hill-ponies for the occasion, the result might have been -worse than laughable. As it was, we rose like the spirits of the bogs, -covered _cap-à-pie_ with slime, to free themselves from which our wily -ponies took to rolling about on the heather, and we had nothing for it -but following their example. At length, as we approached the gloomy -loch, a huge eagle heaved himself from the margin and rose right over -us, screaming his scorn of the intruders; and altogether it would be -impossible to picture anything more desolately savage than the scene -which opened, as if raised by enchantment on purpose to gratify the -poet's eye, thick clouds of fog rolling incessantly over the face of -the inky waters, but rent asunder, now in one direction and then in -another--so as to afford us a glimpse of some projecting rock or naked -point of land, or island bearing a few scraggy stumps of pine--and then -closing again in universal darkness upon the cheerless waste. Much of -the scenery of 'Old Mortality' was drawn from that day's ride. - - -James Hogg, who conducted the party on that day, says:-- - - -I conducted them through that wild region by a path, which if not rode -by Clavers, as reported, never was rode by {177} another gentleman.... -Sir Walter, in the very worst paths, never dismounted save at Loch -Skene to take some dinner. We went to Moffat that night, where we met -with Lady Scott and Sophia and such a day and night of glee I never -witnessed. Our very perils were to him matters of infinite merriment. - - -The Grey Mare's Tail is a waterfall three or four hundred feet in -height, forming the outlet of Loch Skene. It is a narrow stream and -the water comes boiling and bubbling in foamy whiteness over the -ruggedest of rocks and through the wildest of ravines. - -I am inclined to think that Scott, in striving to find a retreat for -Balfour, or Burley, poetically in keeping with the stern, fierce, and -dangerous character of that terrible individual, combined the awesome -features of the Grey Mare's Tail with the wild beauty of another ravine -which he had visited. The latter is the deep gulch known as Crichope -Linn, near the village of Closeburn, north of Dumfries. A narrow -stream, flowing through a thick wood, has cut a deep chasm in the solid -rock, through which the water has carved many curious channels. One of -these is called 'Hell's Cauldron,' where the water has worn a deep -round hole, through which it rushes with terrific force. Near by is -the Soutar's Seat, so called from the legend that a 'soutar' or cobbler -used to conceal himself there to mend the shoes of the Covenanters. - -I had the pleasure of walking up the stream to the falls through the -wet woods, in a rainstorm, without a guide. The loneliness of my -situation,--for I did not encounter a soul on the journey,--added to -the mist in the atmosphere, gave an impression, which I might {178} not -otherwise have had, of the absolute security of such a hiding-place. I -tried to fancy old Burley appearing at some opening in the rocks and -myself leaping across the chasm, as did Henry Morton, to get out of his -way. I was not obliged to attempt any such feat. But I felt that a -visit to this strange locality had given me a better idea of the -closing scenes of the novel than I had ever had before. - -[Illustration: CRICHOPE LINN] - -'Old Mortality' will always be remembered for its animated picture of -the Covenanters and the conditions under which they lived. It was an -era of perverted sentiment in politics and religion. The times were -'out of joint' more truly than in the days of Hamlet. A powerful and -tyrannical Government was exhibiting cowardly fear of a small minority -of determined people, who demanded only the rights that had been -previously guaranteed. A policy of intolerant persecution prevailed. -The bullies of the Government laughed to scorn the more statesmanlike -propositions of moderation and fair dealing. Under these conditions a -helpless and miserable people found their strength in an underlying -perception of the truth and justice of their cause. They were -exhibiting that quality which, from Magna Charta to the present time, -has come to the front at every crisis in the history of Britain and -America and is at the root of the power of the Anglo-Saxon race--the -quality of earnest and sincere faith in the right of man to civil -liberty and religious freedom. If, in the excess of their enthusiasm, -these people became bigoted and intolerant, and if their frenzied -reading of the Scriptures enabled them to find texts to justify every -sort of deed of violence and cruelty, the harsh measures of a corrupt, -{179} selfish, and incompetent Government would at least explain the -unhappy conditions. - -Scott's marvellous imagination enabled him to reanimate the people of -this excited period. In Habakkuk Mucklewrath we have the extreme of -crazy religious fervor and in Balfour of Burley the perfect embodiment -of that brute force which was so strangely blended with pious ideals. -Henry Morton, the hero of the tale, whose lot is cast with the -Covenanters, is out of place in the picture, but he sufficiently -typifies that class who were opposed to the extreme measures of the -Cameronians. - -On the Government side, Claverhouse, to whom Scott endeavours to do -justice, General Dalzell, the Duke of Monmouth, and the Duke of -Lauderdale are pictured, fairly enough, in the colours of history. - -Scott's treatment of the Covenanters aroused great controversy, some of -their admirers taking him to task in severe terms for his alleged lack -of fairness. Whatever may be said on this point, there is no doubt -that he touches the true sublimity of their faith in his account of the -torture and death of the Reverend Ephraim Macbriar. The dauntless -preacher was brought before the Privy Council and interrogated by the -Duke of Lauderdale. Refusing to reply to an important question, he was -dramatically confronted with the ghastly apparition of the public -executioner and his horrible implements of torture. - - -'Do you know who that man is?' said Lauderdale in a low, stern voice, -almost sinking into a whisper. - -'He is, I suppose,' replied Macbriar, 'the infamous executioner of your -bloodthirsty commands upon the persons of God's people. He and you are -equally beneath my regard; {180} and, I bless God, I no more fear what -he can inflict than what you can command. Flesh and blood may shrink -under the sufferings you can doom me to, and poor frail nature may shed -tears, or send forth cries; but I trust my soul is anchored firmly on -the rock of ages.' - - -By the Duke's command the executioner then advanced and placed before -the prisoner an iron case called the Scottish boot, so constructed that -it would enclose the leg and knee of the victim with a tight fit. An -iron wedge and a mallet completed the equipment. This wedge, when -placed between the knee and the unyielding iron frame, and struck a -sharp blow with the mallet, was calculated to inflict the most -excruciating pain. - -Macbriar faced the implement without flinching, while the executioner -asked in harsh, discordant tones which leg he should take first. - - -'Since you leave it to me,' said the prisoner, stretching forth his -right leg, 'take the best--I willingly bestow it in the cause for which -I suffer.' - - -Here Scott makes use of the actual words of James Mitchell, who -suffered similar torture for his attempt on the life of Archbishop -Sharp. - -When Macbriar was led to his execution, he thanked the Council for his -sentence and forgave them, saying:-- - - -And why should I not?--Ye send me to a happy exchange--to the company -of angels and spirits of the just, for that of frail dust and -ashes.--Ye send me from darkness into day--from mortality to -immortality--and in a word, from earth to heaven! If the thanks -therefore, and pardon of a dying man can do you good, take them at my -hand, and may your last moments be as happy as mine! - - -{181} And thus, 'his countenance radiant with joy and triumph,' he was -led to his execution, 'dying with the same enthusiastic firmness which -his whole life had evinced.' - -The book which contains this superb presentation of a thrilling epoch -of Scottish history is justly termed, by Lockhart, the Marmion of the -Waverley Novels. - - - - -{182} - -CHAPTER XIII - -ROB ROY - -An old flintlock gun of extreme length, with silver plate containing -the initials R.M.C.; a fine Highland broadsword, with the highly prized -Andrea Ferrara mark on the blade; a dirk two feet long, with carved -handle and silver-mounted sheath; a _skene dhu_, or black knife, a -short thick weapon of the kind used in the Highlands for dispatching -game or other servile purposes for which it would be a profanation to -use the dirk; a well-worn brown leather purse; and a _sporran_, with -semicircular clasp and secret lock, which for a century has defied the -ingenuity of all who have attempted to open it, are among the treasures -of Abbotsford. They were all once the property of Robert MacGregor -Campbell, or Rob Roy, the famous 'Robin Hood of the Highlands.' - -When I was permitted to take the long old-fashioned gun into my own -hands and to test its weight by carrying the butt to my shoulder and -casting my eye over the long octagonal barrel, I could not help feeling -that Rob Roy was a far less mythical person than his prototype of the -Forest of Sherwood. - -Rob Roy was, indeed, a very real person, as the Duke of Montrose knew -to his sorrow, but the stories of his exploits are so strange, and at -the same time so fascinating, that it is difficult to determine where -biography ends and pure fiction begins. The MacGregor clan to which he -belonged had been for three hundred years the victims {183} of gross -injustice. David II, the son of Robert Bruce, began the oppression by -wrongfully bestowing their lands upon the rival clan of the Campbells. -The MacGregors were forced to a struggle for self-preservation, and -manfully fought to maintain their rights, exhibiting extraordinary -courage and endurance. But their acts of heroism and self-defence were -construed at court as evidences of lawlessness and rebellion. -Strenuous efforts were made to suppress them, but all such attempts -were met with fiery vindictiveness. Each act of violence led to one of -vengeance. The clan came to be regarded as a fierce and untameable -race of outlaws. Rendered savage and cruel by a treatment which left -no lawful means of obtaining a livelihood, pursued with fire and sword -by the leaders of powerful neighbouring clans, whose subjects were -forbidden to give them food or shelter, the MacGregors were driven to -desperation. Violent deeds of retaliation occurred which no amount of -provocation would justify. Murders, outrages, and bloody skirmishes -were of frequent occurrence. These conflicts reached a terrible crisis -in the battle of Glenfruin, fought on the shores of Loch Lomond with -the powerful clan of Colquhoun, of whom two hundred or three hundred -were slaughtered, many of them being killed without reason after the -battle was over. - -One of the leaders of the MacGregors, who was accused, perhaps -unjustly, of murdering a party of clerical students who had merely -stopped to witness the fight, was Dugald Ciar Mohr, the 'great -mouse-coloured man,' so called from the colour of his face and hair. -He was a man of ferocious character and enormous strength, and was one -of the ancestors of Rob Roy. - -{184} - -This event led to various Acts of Council, proscribing the MacGregors -as outlaws, prohibiting them from carrying weapons, and forbidding them -even to meet together in groups of more than four. The very name of -the clan was abolished, and any one who should call himself either -Gregor or MacGregor was made liable to suffer the penalty of death. - -Rob Roy was the product of these long years of relentless persecution -and retaliation. His family occupied the mountain ranges between Loch -Lomond and Loch Katrine, where they possessed considerable property. -The date of his birth is uncertain, but it was probably 1660 or 1661. -In the latter year, through the orders of King Charles II, the acts -against the MacGregors were annulled and their name restored. The -king, however, could not annul the effects of three centuries of civil -warfare and vengeful retribution, nor prevent Rob Roy from inheriting -some of the traits of his 'mouse-coloured' ancestor. Rob is described -as a man of medium height, but of extraordinary strength. His powers -of endurance were greater than those of any other member of his clan. -His arms were said to be seven inches longer than those of the average -man. This gave him a great advantage with the broadsword, which he -could wield with uncommon skill and effectiveness. His head was -covered with a shock of thick, curly red hair, from which fact he -derived his name, Rob Roy, or Rob the Red. He had keen, flashing, grey -eyes and a firm mouth, which betokened a man with whom it would be -dangerous to trifle, but these features could be frank, cheerful, and -full of kindness when among his friends. He had none of the ferocity -or cruelty of that ancestor whose {185} great powers he seemed to have -inherited. On the contrary, though bold in the execution of his -purposes, he avoided unnecessary bloodshed. Though driven by fate to -the life of an outlaw, he was a man of humane instincts and under -happier circumstances might have been a public benefactor. - -This is the explanation of his extraordinary success in eluding -pursuit. His kindliness of disposition and friendly helpfulness had -raised up friends in every part of the country. In this respect he was -like Robin Hood. He struck at the rich and powerful when they molested -him, but to the poor he was generous and helpful. He was a kind and -gentle robber, who carried a sense of humour into his boldest outrages, -and contrived to take the property of his rich enemy without molesting -the latter's poor tenants, usually managing to make the victim -ridiculous in the eyes of his associates. - -Again and again the Duke of Montrose sent expeditions after him, but -invariably some friend of Rob's carried the news to him well in advance -or sent the Duke's people off in a wrong direction, so that they were -always either disgracefully defeated or hopelessly bewildered. -Meanwhile, Rob would be pretty sure to appear unexpectedly at some -point on the Duke's estate and sweep away everything in sight. Each -new failure brought added wrath to the Duke, which the satirical -remarks of his companions did not tend to soften. - -When Montrose deprived MacGregor of his lands of Craigroyston, along -the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, Rob had no redress in the courts, but -he managed to square accounts pretty well by driving off annually large -numbers of the Duke's cattle, and collecting rents, {186} for which he -invariably gave receipts. He made Craigroyston unbearable for any one -who attempted to live there, until finally a Mr. Graham of Killearn, -the Duke's factor, took possession. This was exactly what Rob Roy -wanted, for Graham was the man who, in MacGregor's absence, had burned -the house of the latter at Balquhidder and brutally thrust his wife out -of doors in a cold winter night. Rob ever after regarded him with -fierce vindictiveness. Graham's cattle mysteriously disappeared time -after time until Craigroyston became unbearable for him also. - -Rob had a queer way of appearing suddenly in places where he was least -expected. One day when Graham was drinking at a tavern and angrily -relating his troubles to a chance acquaintance, he exclaimed, 'Gin God -or the de'il wad gie me a meeting wi' that thievin' loon, Rob Roy -MacGregor, I'd pay aff my score wi' him. But the villain aye keeps oot -o' my road.' 'Here we are, then,' was the reply, 'whether it's God or -the de'il has brocht us thegether. Nae time like the noo, sir, for if -ye're Graham o' Killearn, I'm Rob Roy MacGregor.' Graham did not stand -on the order of his going, but made his exit by leaps and bounds until -three long miles were put between him and 'that devil of a MacGregor.' - -On one occasion Graham had called the tenants of a certain district to -meet at a small house, according to custom, to pay their rent. Rob -Rob, with a single attendant, whom he called 'the Bailie,' reached the -house after dark, and looking through the window, saw Killearn with a -bag of money in his hand and heard him say he would cheerfully give it -all for Rob Roy's head. Rob instantly gave orders in a loud voice to -place two {187} men at each window, two at each corner and four at each -of the doors, as if he had twenty men. He and his attendant then -walked boldly in, each with broadsword in his right hand and a pistol -in his left, and a goodly display of dirks and pistols in their belts. -He then coolly ordered Killearn to put the money on the table and count -it, and to draw a proper receipt showing that he, Rob Roy, had received -the money from the Duke of Montrose on account. Then, finding that -some of the tenants had not been given receipts for their rent, he -caused these to be drawn so that no poor man should suffer, after which -he ordered supper for all present, for which he paid. When they had -eaten their meal and drunk together for several hours, he called upon -'the Bailie' to produce his dirk and take the solemn oath of the factor -that he would not move nor direct any one else to move out of the house -for at least one hour. Pointing to the dirk to signify what the agent -might expect if he broke his oath, Rob calmly walked away with the bag -of money, which he considered rightfully his own, and was soon beyond -pursuit. On another occasion MacGregor not only took possession of the -rents which this same gentleman had collected, but also carried him -away to a small island in the west end of Loch Katrine, where, after -entertaining him five or six days, he dismissed his guest (or -prisoner), returning all the books and papers, but taking good care to -keep the cash. - -The escape of Rob Roy from the Duke of Montrose was based upon an -actual occurrence. He was surprised by Montrose and taken prisoner in -the Braes of Balquhidder. He was then mounted behind a soldier named -{188} James Stewart and secured by a horse-girth. In crossing a -stream, probably the Forth at the Fords of Frew, MacGregor induced -Stewart to give him a chance 'for auld acquaintance' sake.' Stewart, -moved by compassion or possibly fear, slipped the girth-buckle and Rob, -dropping off the horse, dived, swam below the surface, and finally -escaped. - -The novelist's acquaintance with the country of Rob Roy began in his -sixteenth year, when with a military escort of a sergeant and six men, -he first entered the Highlands. He was then a lawyer's clerk, and his -object was to obtain possession of a certain small farm in the Braes of -Balquhidder, known as Invernenty, to secure some debts due from the -owner, Stewart of Appin. The farm had been a part of the property -claimed by Rob Roy, and in the late years of the cateran's life there -had been a great dispute over it with the Stewarts. The quarrel was -finally adjusted and a family of MacLarens took possession as tenants -of Stewart. After the death of Rob Roy, his son, Robin Oig, probably -instigated by his mother, declared that if he could get possession of a -certain gun of his father's, he would shoot MacLaren. He kept his -word, using the weapon to which I have referred at the beginning of -this chapter. The descendants of MacLaren remained on the farm and -refused to leave. So long as they were there, the property could not -be sold. It chanced that one of Scott's earliest legal undertakings -was to secure the eviction of these undesirable tenants. When he -arrived the house was empty, the MacLarens not caring to make any -serious opposition. - -The Kirk of Balquhidder, where Rob Roy made his {189} settlement with -the Stewarts, stands at the foot of Loch Voil, a few miles off the main -road from Callander to Lochearnhead. It is a small ivy-covered chapel, -standing beneath the shadow of two large trees. In front is an iron -railing, of recent construction, enclosing the graves of Rob Roy, his -wife, Helen MacGregor, whose real name was Mary, and two of his sons. -He died a natural death in 1734, at an age which has been variously -stated as between seventy and eighty years. - -The first appearance of Rob Roy in the novel is when under the name of -Campbell (his mother's name, which he assumed, probably for prudential -reasons), he makes the acquaintance of Mr. Frank Osbaldistone at the -Black Bear of Darlington. Frank, it will be remembered, is on the way -to his uncle's estate in Northumberland. There is little by which -Osbaldistone Hall can be identified, but if geographical considerations -count for anything, it is not improbable that Scott may have had in -mind Chillingham Castle, the seat of the Earl of Tankerville. This is -one of the places to which he refers in a letter written in the summer -of 1791, as 'within the compass of a forenoon's ride,' from the farm in -the Cheviot Hills, south-west of Wooler, where he was then staying. -During that vacation excursion he became very familiar with all the -surrounding country, an experience which doubtless had something to do -with choosing Northumberland as the scene of an important part of the -novel. Chillingham Castle is a fine type of the old baronial -residence. It was designed by Inigo Jones, the famous architect of the -seventeenth century, though portions of the building are still -preserved which were built as early as the thirteenth century. It -stands in a magnificent park of {190} fifteen hundred acres, about two -thirds of which is set apart for the accommodation of deer and wild -cattle. The latter, almost the only descendants of the herds of savage -wild cattle which once roamed the Caledonian forests, are famous -throughout England and Scotland. Sir Walter refers to them in the -'Bride of Lammermoor' and again in a note to 'Castle Dangerous.' The -present castle is a large square structure enclosing the walls of the -older building. Entering the inner court, which is paved with stone, -we came to what was once the front of the ancient structure, looking -something like 'the inside of a convent or of one of the older and less -splendid colleges of Oxford,' to quote from the description of -Osbaldistone Hall. We were shown a large banqueting-room, now used as -a library, which extends across the entire width of the building. Its -walls were decorated, after the fashion of Osbaldistone, with many -trophies of the chase, such as the heads of deer, elk, buffalo, and -other animals, all shot by the present earl. But in this splendid -apartment with its luxurious furnishings, there was little else to -suggest the dingy old hall, with its stone floor and massive range of -oaken tables, where the bluff old Sir Hildebrand and 'the happy -compound of sot, gamekeeper, bully, horse-jockey, and fool,' which, -with the addition of a highly educated villain, constituted his family, -daily consumed huge quantities of meat and 'cups, flagons, bottles, -yea, barrels of liquor.' - -[Illustration: CHILLINGHAM CASTLE] - -Frank Osbaldistone had nearly reached the entrance to his uncle's house -when he met the beautiful Diana Vernon. Miss Cranstoun, afterwards the -Countess of Purgstall, one of Scott's early friends in the social -circles of Edinburgh, was thought by many to be the original {191} of -Diana,--a belief which she herself shared, chiefly because she was an -expert horsewoman. Others have said that Scott's first love was the -real Diana. But Miss Vernon is totally unlike either Margaret of -Branksome or Matilda of Rokeby, both of whom were, to some extent, -portraits of Miss Williamina Stuart. Moreover, in the unexpected -meeting of a charming young woman on horseback, her long black hair -streaming in the breeze, her animated face glowing with the exercise, -and her costume attractively arranged in the most striking fashion, -there is a strong suggestion of the circumstances to which I have -previously referred,[1] under which the poet first met the future Lady -Scott. - -The next day after our visit to Chillingham we followed the footsteps -of Frank Osbaldistone to Glasgow, where we soon found the cathedral to -which Frank was conducted by Andrew Fairservice. It well justifies the -old gardener's encomium: 'Ah! it's a brave kirk--none o' yere -whigmaleeries and curliewurlies and open steek hems about it!--a' -solid, weel-jointed mason-wark, that will stand as lang as the warld, -keep hands and gunpowther aff it.' A part of the present building was -erected in 1175. It has been the scene of some important events in -Scottish history. At Christmas of 1301, Edward I of England, on his -campaign against Scotland, made offerings at the high altar. Five -years later, Robert Bruce stood before the same altar and was there -absolved for the murder of his rival, the Red Comyn, at Dumfries. - -The cathedral is supported by sixty-five pillars, some of them eighteen -feet in circumference. The effect of {192} these huge masses is to -throw the crypt into almost total darkness except in the parts near the -narrow stained-glass windows. To make my photograph I set up the -camera, opened the shutter, and left a workman to keep watch while I -went to luncheon. Returning in an hour I shut off the exposure and -realized later that two hours would have been better. - -In this dark crypt it was formerly the custom to hold services. While -standing in front of one of the huge pillars, listening to the sermon, -Frank Osbaldistone heard the mysterious voice of Rob Roy, warning him -that his life was in danger. Turning quickly he could see no one. I -could never understand this scene until I saw the crypt. The large -size of the pillars and the dense shadows which they cast would make it -easy for one to disappear in the darkness as Rob Roy was supposed to do. - -On High Street, Glasgow, we found an old tower, which was a part of the -Tolbooth, where Rob Roy had his curious interview with Bailie Nicol -Jarvie. The old Salt Market has changed greatly since the days of the -good Bailie and his father, the deacon, and it is no longer necessary -at night to be escorted along the city streets by a young maidservant -with a lantern. - -Rob Roy's parting injunction to Frank was 'forget not the clachan of -Aberfoyle.' We therefore made it our business to find that interesting -spot, combining it, as did Scott, with our investigation of the scenery -of 'The Lady of the Lake.' The portion of the Scottish Highlands -generally included in the so-called Rob Roy country comprises all that -part of central Perthshire from Loch Ard and the river Forth on the -south to Strath Fillan and Glen Dochart on the north, and from Loch -{193} Lubnaig on the east to Loch Lomond on the west. This region, so -easily accessible to us by means of carriages and automobiles, was in -the time of Rob Roy not only difficult to approach, but exceedingly -dangerous. The only highways of travel were narrow defiles through the -mountains, easy enough, perhaps, for the experienced and hardy -clansman, who knew every twist and turn of the paths, but as impassable -to the unguided Lowlander or 'Sassenach' as the tablelands of Tibet. - -Frank Osbaldistone and Bailie Nicol Jarvie, guided by the officious and -rascally, but always laughable, Andrew Fairservice, are supposed to -enter the hamlet of Aberfoyle by crossing an old stone bridge over the -Forth. It is the bridge which Scott doubtless crossed when he visited -the place, and is still standing, but it had not been built in the time -of Rob Roy. That, however, was one of those details which never -interested Sir Walter to any great extent. - -We approached from the opposite direction, driving over the hills from -the Trossachs and pausing just above the village to view the splendid -valley to the westward, the termination of which was the mountain peak -of Ben Lomond. Arriving at Aberfoyle, we were fortunately spared the -necessity of stopping at an inn such as the novelist describes, where -the worthy Bailie valiantly defended himself against a too aggressive -Highlander, by wielding a red-hot poker so vigorously as to burn a hole -in his opponent's plaid. But the enterprising landlord of the modern -hotel near the bridge capitalizes the incident by exhibiting the -_identical poker_, which he has attached to the limb of a tree, thereby -recalling Scott's story of the keeper of a museum who showed the very -{194} sword with which Balaam was about to kill his ass. A visitor -interrupted him with the remark that Balaam did not possess a sword; he -only wished for one. 'True, sir,' was the ready reply, 'but this is -the very sword he wished for.' - -There are two groups of old cottages in Aberfoyle, corresponding -closely with those described in the novel. - - -The miserable little bourocks (or heap of rocks) as the Bailie termed -them, of which about a dozen formed the village called the clachan of -Aberfoyle, were composed of loose stones, cemented by clay instead of -mortar, and thatched by tufts, laid rudely upon rafters formed of -native and unhewn birches and oaks from the woods around. The roofs -approached the ground so nearly, that Andrew Fairservice observed, we -might have ridden over the village the night before, and never found -out we were near it, unless our horses' feet had 'gane through the -riggin'.' - - -About half a mile from the bridge, which is the exact distance referred -to in the novel, we found the largest of these clachans, which bore a -very striking resemblance to the one described by Scott, even to the -squalor of its surroundings, for it is still inhabited at one end, -though the other is in ruins. But by way of compensation, the -miserable hovel, with the high bleak hills in the background, made a -strikingly picturesque view, not differing greatly from that which met -the eyes of Rob Roy himself, whenever his 'business' brought him to -that locality. - -Following the road to the westward, we came to some cliffs on the north -shore of Loch Ard, near the foot of the lake, which are pointed out as -the place where Bailie Nicol Jarvie found himself suspended by the -coat-tails {195} from the projecting branches of a thorn-tree, dangling -in mid-air 'not unlike the sign of the Golden Fleece over the door of a -mercer in the Trongate of his native city.' - -The beauty of the lake as it appears from this road, and particularly -from the point where Ben Lomond looms high in the distance, fully -justifies the novelist's enthusiasm. The 'huge grey rocks and shaggy -banks' are neither so high nor so wild as they are described, nor did -we find an elevation from which Helen MacGregor might have pitched the -miserable Morris headlong into the lake. Indeed, had we been able to -look backward through the mists of two centuries and see the famous -Helen herself, we should doubtless have discovered that she, too, was -much less 'wild' than she has been painted. Scott represents her as a -virago, fiercely inspiring her husband and sons to deeds of bloody -vengeance. The real name of Rob Roy's wife was Mary. Mr. A. H. -Miller, in his 'History of Rob Roy,' thinks she has been sadly -misrepresented. 'Mary MacGregor,' says he, 'was of a gentle and -amiable disposition, one who never meddled in the political schemes of -her husband, and whose virtues were of the domestic order.' - -Scott's fondness for the little waterfall of Lediard, north of Loch -Ard, to which I have already referred in connection with 'Waverley,' -led him to introduce it again in 'Rob Roy.' It was the place chosen by -Rob's wife and followers as 'a scene well calculated to impress -strangers with some feelings of awe,' and here Helen MacGregor -presented to Frank Osbaldistone the ring of Diana Vernon as the -love-token of one from whom he believed himself separated forever. - -{196} - -The two sections of the Rob Roy country which the cateran most -frequented, were the eastern shores of Loch Lomond and the valley where -Loch Voil nestles calmly among the hills, known as the Braes of -Balquhidder. After Rob was driven away from Craigroyston, on the -margin of Loch Lomond, he made his headquarters for many years at Fort -Inversnaid, on the high land, about two miles east of the lake. - -The story of how Rob Roy took possession of this place stamps him as a -modern Ulysses as well as a Robin Hood. The Government authorized the -building of the fort on Rob's own land, as a means of guarding the -district from his depredations. The crafty cateran, learning from some -of his numerous spies all about the plans well in advance, took good -care to see that none of his clansmen interfered in the least, so that -all the material for the fort, including ample supplies, guns, and -ammunition, were brought up without molestation. The contractor, happy -in the thought that the peaceful state of the country had enabled him -to complete his task promptly, dismissed most of his men and prepared -to turn the property over to the Duke of Montrose. One evening, in the -midst of a heavy snowstorm, a knocking was heard at the gate. In -response to inquiry, a voice said that a poor pedlar had lost his way -in the snow. The gate was opened, and Rob Roy at the head of a strong -force, rushed in and took possession. The fort made an excellent -vantage-ground from which he harried his enemies for many years. - -[Illustration: LOCH LOMOND FROM INVERSNAID] - -Just below the fort, the little river which forms the outlet of Loch -Arklet joins the Snaid, and finally tumbles over the cliff in a -beautiful little cascade, known as {197} Inversnaid Falls. About two -miles to the north, well hidden among the rocks, is a cave which Rob -Roy was sometimes compelled to use as a hiding-place. It was visited -by Walter Scott and introduced in the story of 'Waverley' as the cave -of Donald Bean Lean, but he refrained from mentioning it in 'Rob Roy.' - -Scott never felt quite satisfied with this novel, although he did -remark in a letter to John Richardson, 'I really think I may so far do -some good by giving striking and, to the best of my information and -abilities, correct likenesses of characters long since passed away.' As -a presentation of the real character of one of the most picturesque and -interesting of all Highlanders, as well as a superb word-painting of -the conditions under which men lived in the country and the time of Rob -Roy, the novel possesses a genuine value. Scott's discontent with it -arose from the hard conditions under which it was written. In a letter -to Daniel Terry, dated March 29, 1817, he says, referring to it, 'I -have made some progress in ye ken what, but not to my satisfaction; it -smells of the cramp, and I must get it into better order before sending -it to you.' After the book was published, he used the same expression -in a letter to Morritt. Lady Louisa Stuart, one of Scott's most valued -friends, who wrote to him with perfect freedom, thought the end of the -story indicated that the author was 'tired, and wanted to get rid of -his personages as fast as he could, knocking them on the head without -mercy.' There is certainly some justification in this when we consider -that the old Baronet and five of his worthless sons are disposed of -within three or four pages, while the last and worst of the lot, the -traitorous Rashleigh, is put {198} out of the way two chapters later. -On the other hand, the Squire and his family were always treated -collectively, and as they were in the way it was just as well to get -rid of them by wholesale. Of course, no good could come from letting -the villain live. If this is a defect, or if there are any other -faults in the novel, they are all redeemed by the happy picture of -Bailie Nicol Jarvie, one of the most original as well as delightful of -all the company of actors in the Waverley Novels,--'a carefu' man, as -is weel kend, and industrious as the hale town can testify; and I can -win my crowns, and keep my crowns, and count my crowns wi' ony body in -the Saut-Market, or it may be in the Gallowgate. And I'm a prudent -man, as my father the deacon was before me.' The poor bailie never -could (and neither can the reader) forget how he must have looked when -he hung head down from the thorn tree in the Pass of Aberfoyle: 'And -abune a', though I am a decent, sponsible man, when I am on my right -end, I canna but think I maun hae made a queer figure without my hat -and my periwig, hinging by the middle like bawdrons, or a cloak flung -over a cloak-pin. Bailie Graham wad hae an unco hair in my neck and he -got that tale by the end.' - -Charles Mackay, the famous actor, made the hit of his career in his -rendition of Bailie Nicol Jarvie, and the dramatization of the novel -enjoyed a remarkable popularity for many years. - - - -[1] Chapter 1, page 17. - - - - -{199} - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN - -'Dis-is-de-heart-of-Midlothian-Jeanie-Deans-walked-t'- -Lunnon-t'-save-her-sister-fr'm-hangin!' This sentence, uttered rapidly -in a monotone, as though it were all a single word, long-drawn-out, -startled us as we were standing in Parliament Square, Edinburgh, -looking up at the stately crown which forms the distinguishing mark of -the old Cathedral of St. Giles. Our eyes quickly dropped, to meet the -wistful, upturned face of a small urchin, very ragged and very dirty. -'What is that you say?' said I, looking down into his expectant eyes. -'Dis-is-de-heart-of-Midlothian-Jeanie-Deans-walked-to-Lunnon, sir,' was -the reply, in the same quick accents, running the words all together. -'Why did she do that?' I asked, hoping to draw him out. 'To save her -sister from hangin', sir,' was the ready reply. 'But who was Jeanie -Deans and how did she save her sister?' To this double inquiry the boy -only shook his head. 'Where did you hear that story?' Another shake. -'Did you ever hear of Sir Walter Scott?' Another slow movement of a -downcast head indicated that the little lad was hopelessly out of his -depth, so I gave him his penny and let him go. He had evidently -learned his lesson by heart from some one whom instinct had taught that -this reference to one of the most popular novels of Edinburgh's most -famous citizen would be likely to prove the readiest means of -interesting the casual tourist and thereby extracting an {200} honest -penny. All the other objects of interest,--the fine old Cathedral, the -Parliament House, the Market Cross, the grave of John Knox--were as -nothing compared to the figure of a heart, outlined in the pavement, -designed to mark the site of the old Tolbooth, but more strongly -reminding the visitor, not of an ancient prison, but of a great novel, -and impressing him with the feeling that, wherever one may go in -Edinburgh, the spirit of Sir Walter Scott seems to permeate the very -atmosphere. - -The square in which we were standing was for centuries the civic centre -of Edinburgh. The southwest corner is occupied by the House of -Parliament, where the Scottish Parliaments met in a room, a hundred and -twenty-two feet long and forty-nine feet wide, with an arched oaken -roof. This large hall is now adorned with numerous portraits and -statues of eminent judges, and its floor, when the courts are in -session, is filled with a throng of advocates, their wigs and gowns -suggesting something of the ceremonials of olden times. Since the -union of England and Scotland under the name of Great Britain, in 1707, -and the consequent dissolution of the Scottish Parliament, the building -has been used by the Court of Session. In the rooms of the First -Division, on the left of the lobby, Sir Walter Scott, as one of the -Principal Clerks, performed his official duties for twenty-five years. -His attendance averaged from four to six hours daily during the -sessions of the court, which usually occupied two months in the late -spring and early summer, and four in the winter. His letter of -resignation, in the last year but one of his life, is one of the valued -treasures of the Advocates' Library. - -In the first half of the eighteenth century, the period {201} of 'The -Heart of Midlothian,' Parliament Close, as it was then called, did not -present the clean, open appearance of to-day. Almost the entire space -between St. Giles on the east and the County Hall on the west was -occupied by the Tolbooth, leaving only a narrow and partly covered -passage at the northwest corner of the square. The prison projected -into the middle of High Street, seeming to form 'the termination of a -huge pile of buildings called the Luckenbooths,' which had been 'jammed -into the midst of the principal street,' and little booths or shops -were plastered against the buttresses of the old Gothic cathedral. The -headquarters of the 'City Guard' were in 'a long, low, ugly building, -which to a fanciful imagination might have suggested the idea of a long -black snail crawling up the middle of the High Street and deforming its -beautiful esplanade.' In this way, what was intended to be and is now -a broad street was at that time so encumbered as to be converted into a -series of narrow, crooked lanes, which were kept in anything but tidy -condition. South of High Street the Cowgate was reached by descending -the steep incline through various narrow lanes, and the two parallel -thoroughfares were connected, a little to the east, by a crooked but -famous street, called West Bow. At the foot of the latter was a wide, -open space known as the Grassmarket, where the public executions took -place. These were the streets through which the rioters of the -Porteous Mob made their way in the exciting days of September, 1736. - -The Tolbooth, considered two centuries ago to be one of the largest and -most sombre buildings in the kingdom, was built by the citizens of -Edinburgh in 1561, {202} originally for a Town Hall, but later devoted -to the use of Parliament and the courts of justice. With the -completion of the Parliament House in 1640, its original usage ceased, -and from that time until its demolition in 1817, it was devoted -exclusively to the imprisonment of debtors and criminals. No -distinction was made between the lowest of the criminal classes and the -poor persons whose only offence was the inability to pay some small -debt. The latter were shut up for months in cells too loathsome for -the most vicious of criminals. There were no areas for exercise nor -any ways of affording the captives a breath of fresh air. The narrow -windows were half-blocked to the light by massive bars of iron. - -The exterior was not less horrible, for on its highest pinnacle were -displayed the heads of prisoners of state who had been executed, and it -was seldom lacking in such tokens. The Regent Morton, accused of the -murder of Darnley; the Duke of Montrose, and later his great enemy, the -Duke of Argyle, were among the most distinguished of these victims; but -there were many others. - -The Church of St. Giles almost touched elbows, so to speak, with the -prison. The central portion was set apart for religious services under -the name of the 'Old Church,' the worshippers of those days having a -strong aversion to the use of the name of a saint. They seemed to have -no objection to attaching to their sacred edifice the designation of -the temporary abode of sinners, for the southwest quarter was called -the 'Tolbooth Church,' from its proximity to the prison. On the -morning of the 11th of April, 1736, according to the account of Robert -Chambers, Wilson and Robertson were conducted to the Tolbooth Church, -to listen to their last sermon, their {203} execution having been -planned for the following Wednesday. Very much as described in the -novel, except that the incident took place almost instantly after they -had seated themselves in the pew, instead of after the sermon as Scott -says, Wilson seized three of the guards and shouted to Robertson to -run. The latter tripped up the fourth soldier and quickly escaped, -aided by the sympathetic church-goers, who contrived to block up the -passages so that pursuit was impossible. Three days later, Wilson was -executed in the Grassmarket. The sympathy of all Edinburgh was with -him, for several reasons. First, his crime was only the robbery of a -revenue officer, in reprisal for the seizure of his own goods on a -charge of smuggling. In those days (and even now, it may be feared) -the crime of cheating the Government out of its revenues was not -considered an enormous one. If a poor smuggler happened to be caught, -there was no reason why he should n't 'get even' with the officers if -he had a good chance. At least, so Wilson argued, and many sympathized -with his view. Second, the Scots were not yet entirely reconciled to -the union, and the exhibition of too much authority at London was -likely to be resented. Third, Wilson had acted the part of a generous -friend and courageous man in sacrificing his own chances to secure the -escape of Robertson. - -Some stones were thrown at the captain of the City Guard, John -Porteous, and that officer, beside himself with rage, snatched a gun -from a soldier and, setting the example himself, commanded his party to -fire. The result was the loss of six lives and the wounding of eleven -persons, many of the victims being innocent spectators {204} who were -watching the affair from neighbouring windows. For this offence -Porteous was tried and convicted, his execution being set for the 8th -of September. Before the prisoner could be executed, a pardon reached -Edinburgh, signed by Queen Caroline, acting as Regent. Robert Chambers -says that it came on the 2d of September, giving the mob five days for -preparation instead of a single afternoon, as described by Scott. It -is a matter of history that the 'mob' acted with remarkable moderation, -harming no one except their intended victim. Ladies of the upper -classes, travelling in their chairs to meet evening engagements, were -quietly turned back. The shopkeeper in the West Bow, whose place was -broken into for a coil of rope, found himself reimbursed with a guinea. -The town guard was disarmed and the city gates closed without -confusion, showing that cool heads were in the lead. The jail was -stormed and, as the door would not yield, it was set on fire. When -this finally became effective, the fire was extinguished. All the -prisoners were set free except Porteous, who was taken to the -Grassmarket and hanged on a post near the scene of his own crime. - -The event caused great excitement, not only in Edinburgh, but in -London. The House of Lords proposed a severe punishment, including the -imprisonment of the Lord Provost, but finally compromised with a fine -upon the city of £2000 for the benefit of Porteous's widow, thus -throwing the punishment upon those who had nothing to do with the -affair and could not have prevented it. - -When the discreditable old Tolbooth was finally demolished, Scott was -presented with the door and its {205} frame, which are now built into -the outer walls of the mansion at Abbotsford and the keys of the prison -are among the treasures of his museum. In 1816, he wrote to Terry, 'I -expect to get some decorations from the old Tolbooth of Edinburgh, -particularly the copestones of the doorway, or lintels, as we call -them, and a _niche_ or two--one very handsome, indeed! Better a niche -_from_ the Tolbooth than a niche _in_ it, to which such building -operations are apt to bring the projectors!' - -The first part of the novel is a skilful blending of the history of the -Porteous Mob, with the true story of an unfortunate girl and her noble -sister, who lived in another part of Scotland. The author represents -Effie Deans as having been incarcerated in the old Tolbooth and places -her trial in one of the buildings of Parliament Close. The real Effie -was imprisoned in the jail at Dumfries and her trial occurred in an -upper room of a curious old building of that city, known as the -Mid-Steeple, a structure, now over two centuries old, which stands in -the middle of the High Street and gives a picturesque effect to that -thoroughfare. On the south front, above a stairway which ascends -across the face of the building, is a sculptured figure of St. Michael -treading on a serpent, the arms of the burgh, and above this are the -royal arms of Scotland, also carved in stone. The space in front is -given a pleasant bit of colour by the display of flowers and -vegetables, here offered for sale. - -The story of Helen Walker, the original of Jeanie Deans, is well -remembered in Dumfries. A stone or two may still be discovered, by -those who care to search for the remnant of her little cottage, near -the banks of the river Cluden. She lived to be seventy or eighty years -{206} old, supporting herself by working stocking-feet and raising -chickens, besides occasionally teaching a few children to read. In -early life she had been left an orphan, charged with the support of a -younger sister, named Isabella, or 'Tibby,' to whom she devoted herself -with many evidences of genuine affection. It was a great shock to her, -therefore, when she learned that the young girl had been accused of -child-murder and that she herself would be called upon as the principal -witness against her. Under the law, as her counsel explained, if she -could testify that her sister had made the slightest preparation or had -even confided to her an intimation on the subject, such a declaration -would save her sister's life. The temptation to tell a plausible lie, -which no one could dispute, was undeniably strong. But Helen was a -woman of finer mould, and not even the purest sisterly love could -induce her to violate her conscience. She swore to the truth and -Isabella was condemned. As she left the court, the latter was heard to -exclaim, 'Oh, Nelly! ye've been the cause of my death!' - -The same moral courage which gave resolution to Helen Walker to stand -for the truth, now impelled her to a remarkable exercise of the power -of an indomitable will. The difficulties seemed insurmountable. There -was no hope except in the royal pardon. There was no one to intercede -with the King and London was many miles away. But Helen did not waste -a moment. A petition was hastily drawn, setting forth the facts in the -case, and on the very night of the conviction, the dauntless Scotch -lassie set out on foot for London, clad in her simple country dress and -tartan plaid, without letters of introduction or recommendation, with -little money in her {207} purse, and scarcely a chance of success -except a sublime faith in Providence and reliance upon her own stout -heart. - -There was one nobleman in London to whom the heart of any of his Scotch -countrymen would instinctively turn in such an emergency. This was -John, Duke of Argyle, who had stoutly resisted the efforts to inflict -an undeserved punishment on the people of Edinburgh for their part in -the Porteous affair. To him Helen Walker presented herself, after -watching three days at his door, just as he was about to enter his -carriage. Her unpretentious dress, her honest face, and the pathos of -her story won the heart of the generous nobleman, who procured the -pardon and forwarded it to Dumfries. Helen returned on foot as she had -come, and had the satisfaction of witnessing the release of her sister. -Isabella married the man who had wronged her and lived many years, -always acknowledging in the most affectionate terms the high nobility -of her sister's character. - -Helen died in poverty and was buried in the picturesque churchyard of -Kirkpatrick Irongray, northwest of Dumfries, where her grave might have -been forgotten but for the generosity of Sir Walter and the interest of -Mrs. Goldie, who told him the story. This good lady requested the -novelist to write an inscription, saying that if he would do so, she -would be able to raise the necessary funds for a monument. Scott, -however, insisted upon supplying both the inscription and the stone. -We made it our first care on the afternoon of our arrival in Dumfries -to drive to the old Kirk where, in spite of the inconvenience of an -unexpected shower, we {208} photographed the memorial and afterwards -stood under an umbrella copying the following inscription:-- - - This Stone was erected - By the author of Waverley - To the memory - - of - - HELEN WALKER - - Who died in the year of God, 1791. - This humble individual - Practised in real life - The virtues - With which fiction has invested - The imaginary character of - - JEANIE DEANS - - Refusing the slightest departure - From veracity - Even to save the life of a sister, - She nevertheless shewed her - Kindness and fortitude - In rescuing her - From the severity of the law, - At the Expense of personal exertions. - Which the times rendered as difficult - As the motive was laudable. - - Respect the grave of poverty - When combined with love of truth - And dear affection. - - -One day during our stay in Edinburgh we hired a conveyance to take us -to the suburban scenes of 'The Heart of Midlothian.' Our driver was -recommended as 'one {209} of the best guides in Edinburgh,' and so he -proved to be. In spite of orders to drive direct to the King's Park, -he insisted upon going by way of High Street and the Canongate, when, -every few rods it seemed, he would bring his horse to a walk, then turn -in his seat until he faced us and point with his long whip to some -window 'where the famous Adam Smith lived' or 'where Dugald Stewart had -his rooms.' Perhaps he was only following the example of Sir Walter, -of whom Lockhart said, 'No funeral hearse crept more leisurely than did -his landau up the Canongate; and not a queer tottering gable but -recalled to him some long-buried memory of splendour or bloodshed, -which, by a few words, he set before his hearers in the reality of -life.' All of this was interesting enough, or would have been, had I -not wished to reach my objective point before sundown, but Jehu was -like the burro I once rode in the Garden of the Gods in Colorado, which -beast responded to the spur by two convulsive steps, then settled down -to his previous pace, which neither coaxing nor threatening, caressing -nor spurring, soft words nor sharp ones, would induce him to change for -the space of more than a minute at a time. So with our 'best guide.' I -finally concluded to let him have his own way, as I had been obliged to -do with his obstinate relative, the burro, and so finally got through -the Canongate after listening to a rehearsal of the entire catalogue of -Edinburgh worthies for several centuries. When the King's Park was -reached, after passing Holyrood Palace, the guide found himself 'out of -bounds' and kindly permitted me to direct the further proceedings. - -Here the city seems to come to a sudden end, and {210} looking toward -the southwest we saw only a mass of steep cliffs backed by a rugged -mountain. This was a favorite resort with Sir Walter, when a boy. In -later years, the Radical Road, which winds around the edge of the -Salisbury Crags in a broad pathway, was laid out at his suggestion, to -give employment to idle men. - -In writing 'The Heart of Midlothian,' Scott was therefore more at home -than with any other of his novels. Muschat's Cairn and St. Anthony's -Chapel, where Jeanie had her midnight interview with the betrayer of -her sister, were familiar sights of the author's boyhood. On a dark -night they would be lonely enough even now. - -Near the park gate we passed some boulders known as Muschat's Cairn, -but as they were carefully enclosed and surrounded by a well-kept plot -of grass, they gave no suggestion of the weird and desecrated ground -where evil spirits had power to make themselves visible to human eyes. -The original cairn was made by passing travellers, each throwing a -stone upon the spot, to express his detestation of the horrible murder -committed in 1720 by Nicol Muchet or Muschat, who killed his wife under -circumstances of great cruelty. In the ordinary course of -improvements, the cairn was swept away, but the novel created a new -interest in its story, which led to its restoration. - -[Illustration: ST. ANTHONY'S CHAPEL] - -St. Anthony's Chapel, on the rugged hillside overlooking St. Margaret's -Loch, gives more of the impression of Scott's tale. The scene on any -moonlight night even now would be the same as it was on that night when -Jeanie met George Robertson at the cairn and was followed by Ratcliffe -and Sharpitlaw, guided by Madge Wildfire. The ruined chapel, where the -jailer and the {211} lawyer succeeded only in capturing each other -instead of the fugitive, is still as lonely and difficult of access as -it was then, the only difference being that some of the walls have -fallen. We drove as near to the base of the hill as it was possible to -go. I then left the carriage and began the ascent, stopping a moment -at St. Anthony's Well, where Madge Wildfire wanted to meet the ghost of -the murdered Ailie Muschat to wash the blood out of her clothes 'by the -beams of the bonny Lady Moon.' Arriving at the chapel after a hard -climb, I was studying the composition of a picture when I was accosted -by a policeman, who had toiled after me all the way up that steep -incline. He informed me that I was welcome to photograph the ruins, -but I must n't take any group pictures. As there was nobody in sight -but the policeman and myself, and as I did not wish to make a 'group' -of him, I wondered why he had taken so much trouble. Perhaps he felt -the proud satisfaction of the hero, who, in the language of an admiring -rustic friend, 'seen his duty and done it noble.' - -The chapel of St. Anthony, of which now only a fragment remains, was -once a Gothic structure, with a tower forty feet high, in which a light -was kept for the guidance of mariners. A hermitage, of which scarcely -a trace remains, was partly formed of one of the sheltering crags near -by. The lofty site, commanding an extensive prospect of sea and sky -was supposed to be favourable for pious meditations. The sight of the -palace below was expected to make an impression in the minds of the -monks of the 'striking contrast between the court, so frequently -assaulted by an unprincipled rabble, and their own tranquil situation -in which they {212} were gladly preparing for the regions of -everlasting repose.' Although overlooking a populous city, the -residents of the hermitage had all the 'advantages' of life in a -wilderness, as secluded and peaceful as a Highland desert. - -On the opposite side of the intervening valley we visited St. Leonard's -Crags at the southwest edge of the King's Park. A neat cottage, with a -little garden on the slope below, passes as the house of David Deans. -Whether Scott had in mind this particular building is immaterial. It -is in the exact locality described in the novel, and we thought it -pleasant to stand on the side of the hill overlooking the same -extensive sheep pasture, and the same crags and mountain beyond, that -met the eyes of Jeanie Deans when she stood at the cottage door -anxiously looking along the various tracks which led to their dwelling, -'to see if she could descry the nymph-like form of her sister.' - -A house known as 'Dumbiedykes,' so called because in Scott's time it -was used as a private school for the deaf and dumb, is not far distant. -The novelist borrowed only the name, which he seems to have transferred -to an old farm called Peffermill, in the vicinity of Liberton. - -'Douce David Deans' is an original creation, the result of Scott's -absorption of the descriptions of character in Patrick Walker's -biographical accounts of the Covenanters. In acknowledging his -indebtedness to this authority, Scott says, 'It is from such tracts as -these, written in the sense, feeling, and spirit of the sect, and not -from the sophisticated narratives of a later period, that the real -character of the persecuted class is {213} to be gathered.' 'David' is -just a touch of the same kind of which we have seen so much in 'Old -Mortality.' His lecture to his daughters on the evil of dancing is -taken from Patrick Walker's Life of Cameron:-- - - -Dance?--dance, said ye? I daur ye, limmers that ye are, to name sic' a -word at my door-cheek! It's a dissolute, profane pastime, practiced by -the Israelites only at their base and brutal worship of the Golden Calf -at Bethel, and by the unhappy lass who danced off the head of John the -Baptist, upon whilk chapter I will exercise this night for your further -instruction, since ye need it sae muckle, nothing doubting that she has -cause to rue the day, lang or this time, that e'er she suld hae shook a -limb on sic' an errand. Better for her to hae been born a cripple, and -carried frae door to door, like auld Bessie Bowie, begging bawbees, -than to be a king's daughter, fiddling and flinging the gate she -did.... And now, if I hear ye, quean lassies, sae muckle as name -dancing, or think there's sic' a thing in this warld as flinging to -fiddle's sounds and piper's springs, as sure as my father's spirit is -with the just, ye shall be no more either charge or concern of mine! - - -What a treat it would be to hear Douce David express an opinion of the -elaborate present-day performances of 'Salome'! - -Madge Wildfire, or Murdockson, was drawn from a crazy woman, called -Feckless Fannie, who travelled over Scotland and England at the head of -a flock of sheep. They were remarkable animals, who recognized their -names as bestowed by their mistress, and responded promptly to her -commands. She slept in the fields in the midst of her flock, and one -very polite old ram, named Charlie, always claimed the honour of -assisting her to rise. He would push the others out of the way, {214} -then bend down his head, and when Madge had taken a firm grasp upon his -large horns, he would raise his head and gently lift his mistress to -her feet. This and numerous other stories of Feckless Fannie were -furnished the novelist by his indefatigable friend, Joseph Train. - -The great popularity of 'The Heart of Midlothian' may be judged from a -letter of Lady Louisa Stuart, who said, 'I am in a house where -everybody is tearing it out of each other's hands and talking of -nothing else,' and from Lockhart's testimony, that he had never seen -such 'all-engrossing enthusiasm' in Edinburgh 'on the appearance of any -other literary novelty.' Andrew Lang only voices the feeling of other -Scotchmen when he declares that it is 'second to none' of the Waverley -Novels and that 'no number of formal histories can convey nearly so -full and true a picture of Scottish life about 1730-40 as 'The Heart of -Midlothian.' - -Lockhart, as usual, sets forth the true secret of the author's success -and does it in a single paragraph. 'Never before,' he says, 'had he -seized such really noble features of the national character as were -canonized in the person of his homely heroine; no art had ever devised -a happier running contrast than that of her and her sister, or -interwoven a portraiture of lowly manners and simple virtues, with more -graceful delineations of polished life or with bolder shadows of -terror, guilt, crime, remorse, madness, and all the agony of passions.' - - - - -{215} - -CHAPTER XV - -THE BRIDE OF LAMMERMOOR - -Ralph Waldo Emerson, who frequently showed his familiarity with the -Waverley Novels, regarded 'The Bride of Lammermoor' as Scott's highest -achievement. He declared that it 'almost goes back to Æschylus for a -counterpart, as a painting of Fate--leaving on every reader the -impression of the highest and purest tragedy.' The dramatic close of -the story is based upon a calamity which marred the private life of -James Dalrymple, the first Lord Stair, a great lawyer, legal writer, -and judge, who was the ancestor of a long line of distinguished -advocates, judges, and public men. - -This gentleman was born in Ayrshire in 1619. He was carefully -educated, and when a young man lectured in the University of Glasgow on -mathematics, logic, ethics, and politics. At twenty-nine he began the -practice of law at Edinburgh, winning great fame in his profession, -because of extensive legal attainments. His great work on 'The -Institutions of the Law of Scotland' is still held in high esteem by -Scottish lawyers, although the feudal law which it elucidated has -become antiquated. It is considered, however, that something of its -spirit still survives. He became a judge, was appointed President of -the Court of Session, served as a member of the Scottish Parliament, -and took a prominent part in various political and diplomatic -undertakings. Unfortunately incurring the enmity of the Duke of York, -he {216} lost his influence at court and was deprived of office. -Fearing prosecution for treason, he retired to Holland, returning, -however, a year later in the suite of William of Orange. He lived to -the age of seventy-six, his latest years saddened by the bitter attacks -of his enemies. This is the man whom Scott introduces as Sir William -Ashton, though without meaning to impute to Lord Stair the tricky and -mean-spirited qualities of the fictitious character. - -James Dalrymple was married in 1644 to Margaret Ross, the heiress of a -large estate in Galloway. She was a woman of great ability and strong -character, who seems to have exerted a powerful influence in promoting -her husband's prosperity and political ambition. She shared his -fortunes, whether good or bad, for nearly half a century, always -exerting an imperious will, which even he did not dare to contradict, -but ever faithful in advancing his interests. Following her husband's -downfall, when the number of his enemies had greatly increased and his -life was in danger, Lady Stair was accused of attending conventicles -and of harbouring 'silenced preachers' in her house. Others went -farther and accused her of witchcraft, maintaining that the great -prosperity of her family was attributable solely to the lady's -partnership with His Satanic Majesty. Whatever may have been the -slanders directed against her good name, the Lady Stair of history was -clearly the prototype of Lady Ashton. - -The lord and lady of real life had a daughter Janet, who was betrothed, -without the consent of her parents, to Lord Rutherford. Lady Stair's -will asserted itself in opposition, and without consideration of her -daughter's {217} feelings, the mother proceeded to annul the -engagement, notifying the lover that his fiancée had retracted her -unlawful vow. After a stormy interview, in which Lord Rutherford -argued his case with the determined mother in the presence of the -younger woman, the latter, who had feebly remained silent and -motionless, at last obeyed with sad reluctance her mother's command and -gave back to her lover the half of a broken coin, which had been the -symbol of their mutual pledge. In a burst of passion Lord Rutherford -left the room and soon after went abroad never to return. - -The marriage desired by Lady Stair now took place, the bridegroom being -David Dunbar, the heir of an estate in Wigtownshire, the lady's native -county. On the night of the wedding some tragic event took place which -resulted in the death of Janet two weeks later. Either the bride -stabbed the husband or the husband stabbed the bride. The family seem -to have thrown a veil of secrecy over the whole affair and the exact -truth was never positively known. According to one account, when the -door of the chamber was opened, the young bridegroom lay upon the floor -badly wounded, while the wife was found in a state of frenzy, screaming -as the door opened, 'Tak' up your bonnie bridegroom.' Another story is -that the mother, inspired by Satan, attempted the murder, the marriage -having been contracted against her will, and that the bridegroom went -crazy. A third rendition is that the disappointed lover concealed -himself in the apartment and committed the crime. - -Scott adopts the most plausible view, namely, that the young lady, -forced to marry against her will, simply lost her reason and in a mad -delirium assaulted her {218} husband. That young gentleman recovered -from his wounds. Thirteen years later, he was killed by a fall from -his horse, a catastrophe which the novelist transfers to the -disappointed suitor. - -The scenery of the drama which led to such a tragic event is placed by -the author in the Lammermuir Hills, a stretch of mountainous country -lying along the borders of Haddington and Berwick, in the southeastern -corner of Scotland. At the extreme eastern limits of this elevated -section, the land drops abruptly into the North Sea, forming a line of -precipitous cliffs, rising three or four hundred feet above the ocean. -To gain some idea of the character of the region, we drove as far as -the motor-car could carry us and came to a stop at the end of the road -on the northern edge of the village of Northfield. A long walk, -leading at first through an open field in which cattle were grazing, -then along a narrow path by a brook, where numerous sheep were -pasturing, thence by a winding road to the summit of a hill, brought me -at last to the lighthouse of St. Abbs Head. Vast masses of rocks rise -directly out of the ocean to enormous heights and stretch along the -coast as far as the eye can see. Except for the lighthouse, there was -no sign of life save the sea-fowl, which flew wildly in every -direction, screaming in one incessant chorus of shrill complaint. A -lowering sky added to the weird loneliness of the scene. I was gone so -long that my wife, who wisely remained in the car, began to feel -certain that I had tumbled over the rocks into the sea, and busied -herself for an hour in unpleasant thoughts of how she should manage to -get my remains home. But after nearly two hours, the remains came -walking back without even the {219} excitement of being chased by a -wild bull. Thus do most of our worries melt away if we give them time -enough. - -Somewhere on this rugged shore was the castle of Wolf's Crag, the last -remnant of the property of the Master of Ravenswood and the scene of -Caleb Balderstone's wonderful expedients to maintain the honour of his -house. Caleb, by the way, who would make a first-class performer in a -farce comedy, and who served a useful purpose in relieving the strain -of a sombre narrative, was not without a prototype in real life. His -exploit in carrying off the roast goose and the brace of wild ducks -from the kitchen of the cooper, to make a dinner for his master's -guests, was based upon a story told to Scott by a nobleman of his -acquaintance. A certain gentleman in reduced circumstances had a -servant named John, whose resourcefulness was much like Caleb's. A -party of four or five friends once sought to surprise this gentleman by -unexpectedly presenting themselves for dinner, suspecting there would -be no provision in the house for such an entertainment. But promptly -as the village clock struck the hour for the noonday meal, John placed -on the table 'a stately rump of boiled beef, with a proper -accompaniment of greens, amply sufficient to dine the whole party.' He -had simply appropriated the 'kail-pot' of a neighbour, leaving the -latter and his friends to dine on bread and cheese, which, John said, -was 'good enough for them.' - -Caleb's trick of magniloquently referring to scores of imaginary -servants and detailing the particulars of fictitious banquets, all to -maintain the honour of the house, had a parallel in the antics of a -Scotch innkeeper of the Border country, who, on the arrival of a person -of {220} importance, would call Hostler No. 10 down from Hayloft No. 15 -to conduct the gentleman's horse to one of the best stalls in Stable -No. 20, and do it in such an eloquent style as to convey the impression -of accommodations on a scale of magnificent proportions.[1] Wolf's -Crag, according to the novel, is between St. Abbs Head and the village -of Eyemouth. There is no such castle on that part of the coast, but in -the opposite direction, only a few miles from St. Abbs Head, on a high -rock overlooking the sea, is Fast Castle, which answers very well to -the description. This much Scott himself acknowledged, but in his -usual cautious way, asserting that he never saw the castle except from -the sea.[2] An interesting painting of Fast Castle, presented to Sir -Walter by the artist, the Rev. John Thomson of Duddingston, adorns the -drawing-room at Abbotsford. - - -Viewed from the sea, Fast Castle is more like the nest of some gigantic -Roc or Condor, than a dwelling for human beings; being so completely -allied in colour and rugged appearance with the huge cliffs, amongst -which it seems to be jammed, that it is difficult to discover what is -rock and what is building. To the land side the only access is by a -rocky path of a very few feet wide, bordered on either hand by a -tremendous precipice. This leads to the castle, a donjon tower of -moderate size, surrounded by flanking walls, as usual, which, rising -without interval and abruptly from the verge of the precipice must in -ancient times have rendered the place nearly impregnable.[3] - - -{221} Fast Castle gained some notoriety from the attempt, in 1600, of -an infamous character, Logan of Restalrig, in conspiracy with the Earl -of Gowrie and his brother, to kidnap King James VI, the intent being to -imprison him there, and to collect their reward from Queen Elizabeth. -Fortunately for James, the plot failed. - -The original of Ravenswood Castle is uncertain. Constable, who -published a volume of 'illustrations to the Waverley Novels' in 1821, -two years after the appearance of 'The Bride of Lammermoor' included an -engraving of Crichton Castle, with a quotation referring to Ravenswood: -'on the gorge of a pass or mountain glen, ascending from the fertile -plains of East Lothian, there stood in former times an extensive -castle, of which only the ruins are now visible.' Crichton is at the -western extremity of the high country of which the Lammermuir Hills -constitute the greatest portion. Scott's fondness for it is well -known, as readers of 'Marmion' will remember. Others have supposed -Wintoun House, a fine old mansion farther to the north, to have been -the original. Scott could hardly have had this in mind, however, for -he distinctly refers to the place as now in ruins. Bearing in mind -that Scott paid little attention to geographical requirements, it seems -probable that he really referred to the ruins of Crichton. This is -further confirmed by the fact that the picture to which I have referred -was painted by Alexander Nasmyth, who was a friend of Scott's and the -father-in-law of the author's frequent correspondent, Daniel Terry. If -Crichton Castle is Ravenswood, the Crichton Kirk may be considered as -the place where the wedding of Lucy Ashton and Bucklaw took place. It -is a curious-shaped building, with {222} square tower and walls, partly -covered with ivy, standing in the midst of a well-kept churchyard. - -The novel opens with the dramatic burial-scene of the father of the -young Master of Ravenswood. The chapel where this took place may be -supposed to be Coldingham Priory, the oldest nunnery in Scotland, a -quaint little structure, partly in ruins, but partly used for religious -worship. In the chapter on 'Marmion' I have already referred to this -chapel as the place where the body of a nun was found immured in the -walls. - -The village of Eyemouth, a quaint old fishing settlement at the mouth -of the river Eye, will serve as an 'original' of Wolf's Hope. On the -links or sand knolls, north of here, were the quicksands called the -'Kelpie's Flow.' While in the village I made diligent inquiries, but -could get no information except from one man, who thought that the -sandy beach of Coldingham Bay might be the locality which Scott meant, -but he had never heard of the quicksands, and said if any had ever -existed in the vicinity they must have disappeared long since. - -[Illustration: CRICHTON CASTLE] - -It will be remembered that the Kelpie's Flow was the culminating scene -of the tragedy. The prophecies of Thomas the Rhymer, so Scott would -have us believe, were always fulfilled, and one of them was hanging -over the head of the Master of Ravenswood, to the great trepidation of -the faithful Caleb. The lines were these:-- - - When the last Laird of Ravenswood to Ravenswood shall ride, - And woo a dead maiden to be his bride, - He shall stable his steed in the Kelpie's flow - And his name shall be lost for evermoe. - -{223} After the tragedy in the Castle, young Ravenswood rode out to -meet the bride's brother, Colonel Ashton, to fight a duel on the sands -of Wolf's Hope. In the agitated state of his mind, he neglected the -precaution of keeping on the firm sands near the rocks, and took a -shorter and more dangerous course. Horse and man disappeared in the -deadly quicksands, and thus was the prophecy fulfilled. Only a large -sable feather was found as a sign of the young man's dreadful fate. -Old Caleb took it up, dried it, and put it in his bosom. Thus ended -the tale which Lockhart considered 'the most pure and powerful of all -the tragedies that Scott ever penned.' - - - -[1] From Robert Chambers's _Illustrations of the Author of Waverley_. - -[2] In a note to the introduction to the _Chronicles of the Canongate_, -Scott says, 'I would particularly intimate the Kaim of Uric, on the -eastern coast of Scotland, as having suggested an idea for the tower -called Wolf's Crag, which the public more generally identified with the -ancient tower of Fast Castle.' - -[3] From _Provincial Antiquities of Scotland_. - - - - -{224} - -CHAPTER XVI - -A LEGEND OF MONTROSE - -Dalgetty--Dugald Dalgetty; Ritt-master Dugald Dalgetty of Drumthwacket; -learned graduate of the Mareschal College, Aberdeen; stalwart soldier; -cavalier of fortune; lieutenant under that invincible monarch, the -bulwark of the Protestant faith, the Lion of the North, the terror of -Austria, Gustavus Adolphus; Captain Dalgetty; and finally Sir Dugald -Dalgetty--stalks with egregious effrontery through the pages of this -novel, from start to finish, dragging his good horse Gustavus along -with him. He is a bore,--undeniably so. Yet we can laugh at his -eccentricities in spite of their tediousness, especially when reading -the novel a second time after the desire to know the outcome of the -story has been satisfied. As an original character he stands by the -side of Bailie Nicol Jarvie, although he does not arouse the same -subtle feeling of delightful satisfaction. The Bailie is always -welcome, but Dalgetty is everlastingly in the way. And yet we could -not possibly get along without him. We can forgive his pedantry and -overlook his interminable lectures on military strategy in view of the -loyalty and courage with which he faces Argyle in the dungeon, compels -that nobleman to furnish a means of escape and rescues Ranald of the -Mist. Nor can we help admiring the very effrontery of the man, when he -uses it to such excellent advantage in cajoling the Presbyterian -chaplain, thereby causing {225} that worthy man to furnish the one -thing needed to facilitate his safe retreat. The story might well have -been called, as it is in the Italian and Portuguese versions, 'A -Soldier of Fortune,' for Dalgetty, rather than Montrose, is the real -hero. In this connection it is curious to note that, in so far as its -chief incidents concern Montrose, the tale is not a legend, but -history. The two important words of the title are both, therefore, -slightly misleading. - -The journey into the Highlands of the Marquis of Montrose, in disguise -and attended by only two gentlemen, is a matter of history. It was in -1644, during the Civil War, when the forces of Charles I were being -menaced by an army of twenty thousand men under the Scotch Covenanter, -General Leslie. Montrose urged Charles to make a counter-demonstration -in the North and to draw Leslie back to the defence of Scotland by -uniting the Highlanders with a strong force of ten thousand Irish -Catholics. At length, armed with extraordinary powers, as the -representative of the King, he was permitted to set out with a small -army of about one thousand men. These became dissatisfied, however, -and most of them deserted. In despair Montrose now resolved upon the -bold stroke which proved to be the beginning of his brilliant military -record. Disguised as a groom and attended only by Sir William Rollo -and Colonel Sibbald, he made his way to the Perthshire Highlands, where -he was joined by Lord Kilpont, son of the Earl of Airth and Menteith, -with about five hundred men. The Irish troops, after being in danger -of complete extermination by the Marquis of Argyle, finally arrived, -but mustered only twelve hundred men instead of ten thousand. They -were ordered to march {226} to Blair Atholl, where Montrose met the -Highland chiefs and sent out the call to arms. The 'fiery cross,' no -doubt very much as described in 'The Lady of the Lake,' went out from -house to house and from clan to clan, and Montrose soon had an army of -three thousand men. He marched toward Perth, and at Tippermuir, four -miles west of that city, defeated the Covenanters on the 1st day of -September, 1644. Marching rapidly towards Aberdeen, he won another -victory at the Bridge of Dee on the 12th of the same month. - -With the swift movements which characterized his generalship, Montrose -won many a battle. Meanwhile the Marquis of Argyle, whom most of the -clans hated for his unscrupulous aggressions, was gathering a strong -force on the shores of Loch Linnhe. In midwinter, with snow upon the -ground, Montrose crossed the mountains with his army, a feat hitherto -regarded as impossible, but quite within the compass of that leader's -remarkable genius. He met Argyle at Inverlochy and defeated him with a -loss of fifteen hundred men, his own losses being only one officer and -three privates. Argyle's forces scattered in every direction and were -pursued for many miles. The Marquis himself, regarding discretion as -the better part of valour, turned over the command of his forces to his -cousin and watched the battle from his ship--an act that was severely -condemned as cowardice, even by his own friends. In extenuation it can -only be said that Argyle, while an able politician and statesman, was -never a soldier. - -While Scott based his story upon these historical events, he departed -from the facts in some of the less important details, to serve the -purposes of his romance. {227} The most conspicuous of these -variations is in the part played by Lord Kilpont, as the Earl of -Menteith. According to the novel, the Earl is a young man who falls in -love with Annot Lyle, a pretty little maiden living in the household of -the McAulays and supposed to be a rescued waif of the hated and greatly -feared tribe, known as the 'Children of the Mist.' Annot is also -beloved by the half-crazy Highlander, Allan McAulay. Lord Menteith, so -long as the girl's antecedents are supposed to be so lowly, can -entertain no thought of marriage and so informs Allan. When it is -discovered, however, that she is really the daughter of Sir Duncan -Campbell, and the heiress of Ardenvohr, a family as honourable as his -own, Menteith no longer hesitates, and as Annot has long reciprocated -his affection, the marriage is easily arranged. Allan does not consent -so readily, but hastily encounters the Earl and fiercely challenges -him. Convinced that the man is insane, the Earl hesitates a moment, -when Allan suddenly draws his dirk and with terrific force plunges it -into the Earl's bosom. A steel corslet saves the latter's life, though -a severe wound is inflicted, and in a few weeks he is well enough to be -married and the ceremony takes place in Sir Duncan's castle. Allan -meanwhile appears suddenly before the Marquis of Argyle at Inverary, -throws a bloody dirk upon the table, makes a brief explanation, and -disappears forever. The novel closes in the conventional way. The -Earl of Menteith, adding his bride's large estate to his own, 'lived -long, happy alike in public regard and in domestic affection, and died -at a good old age.' - -The Earl, Lord Kilpont, was not so fortunate. He was {228} suddenly -stabbed by James Stewart of Ardvoirlich, a supposed friend with whom he -was on terms of the closest intimacy. This event, which was -immediately fatal, took place a few days after the battle of Tippermuir -and not after Inverlochy. There was no question of jealous rivalry in -love. Kilpont had been married about twelve years and left a family of -several children. The most probable explanation is that Stewart, who -had a streak of insanity owing to the frightful circumstances of his -birth,[1] quarrelled with his friend at a time when he was heated with -drink and killed him under some sudden mad impulse. He immediately -deserted Montrose and was subsequently made a major in one of the -regiments of Argyle, a fact which gave colour to the suspicion that he -had sought Lord Kilpont's assistance in a conspiracy to assassinate -Montrose, for which Argyle would have paid a rich reward, but upon -meeting with an indignant refusal, struck his friend with a dirk as the -readiest means of avoiding the betrayal of his plans. - -Stewart, like McAulay, is described as 'uncommonly tall, strong, and -active, with such power in the grasp of his hand as could force the -blood from beneath the nails of the persons who contended with him in -this feat of strength. His temper was moody, fierce, and irascible.' -There was good reason for this savage disposition and for his -implacable hostility toward the 'Children of the Mist,' his father and -mother having been the victims of one of the most fiendish outrages -which ever disgraced the history of the Highlanders. - -The scenery of 'A Legend of Montrose' brings us back {229} to the -people and the country which Scott described with so much enthusiasm in -'The Lady of the Lake' and again in 'Waverley' and 'Rob Roy.' To catch -something of the spirit of it we drove westward from Callander and -paused for a short time at the beautiful Falls of Leny, where the river -of that name forms the outlet of Loch Lubnaig and the head waters of -the river Teith. Here we may suppose Lord Menteith and 'Anderson,' the -disguised earl, to be passing on their way to the north when they fell -in with the garrulous Captain Dalgetty. Darnlinvarich, where the clans -gathered, is wholly fictitious, the real meeting having taken place -near Blair Atholl. One of the incidents which happened there is, -however, based upon fact. - -An Englishman, Sir Miles Musgrave, it will be remembered, had made a -wager with Angus McAulay which threatened to embarrass that gentleman. -When on a visit to the house of the former, Angus had seen six solid -silver candlesticks put on the table. The Englishman rallied Angus a -little, knowing that the sight was a novelty to the Scotchman, and the -latter promptly swore that he had more and better candlesticks in his -own castle. A wager was immediately offered and accepted that the -Scotch laird could not produce them, the amount being so large that its -payment would have embarrassed either party, but more particularly the -Scotchman. The Englishman appeared with a friend at Darnlinvarich, -just at the time of the arrival of the Earl of Menteith and his party, -and there was great anxiety over the apparently certain loss of the -wager. But Allan, the brother of Angus, was equal to the emergency. -Dinner was announced and the company marched in. A large {230} oaken -table, spread with substantial joints of meat, was set for eight -guests, and behind each chair stood a gigantic Highlander, in full -native costume, holding in his right hand a drawn broadsword, the point -turned downward, and in his left a blazing pine torch. Then Allan -stepped forth, and pointing to the torch-bearers, said in a deep and -stern voice: 'Behold, gentlemen cavaliers, the chandeliers of my -brother's house, the ancient fashion of our ancient name; not one of -these men knows any law but their Chief's command. Would you dare to -compare to _them_ in value the richest ore that ever was dug out of the -mine? How say you, cavaliers?--is your wager won or lost?' 'Lost, -lost,' said Musgrave, gaily; 'my own silver candlesticks are all melted -and riding on horseback by this time, and I wish the fellows that -enlisted were half as trusty as these.' - -The meeting of the clans was interrupted by an unwelcome guest, Sir -Duncan Campbell, who came with a message from Argyle. Captain Dalgetty -was appointed to return with him, under a flag of truce, and together -they journeyed to the Castle of Ardenvohr, the residence of Sir Duncan. - -[Illustration: LOCH LUBNAIG] - -The ancient Celtic fortress here described is the ruined castle of -Dunstaffnage, reached by a short drive north from Oban. Its origin is -unknown. According to one tradition, it was founded by a Pictish -monarch, contemporary with Julius Cæsar. In its present shape the -building probably dates from about 1250. It fell into the hands of -Robert Bruce in 1308. The castle is a heavy structure of stone, -standing on a solid rock, and protected by the waters of Loch Linnhe on -three sides. It was originally accessible only by a drawbridge. It is -{231} about one hundred and forty feet long and one hundred feet wide. -The walls are ten feet thick and sixty feet high. - -This ancient castle is the place where the Scottish princes were once -crowned. They sat on the same stone that was used at the recent -coronation of King George V, and of a long line of his -predecessors,--the famous Stone of Scone. This ancient relic was -carried from Ireland to the Island of Iona, and thence to Dunstaffnage, -where it remained many years. Kenneth MacAlpine, in the ninth century, -removed it to the palace of Scone, near Perth, where it remained five -centuries. It was finally seized by Edward I and carried to London, -where it has remained for the last six centuries. - -A knoll on the south of the castle curiously suggests the Drumsnab of -the novel, which Dalgetty insisted should be fortified according to his -own military ideas. The castle of Inverary, on the shore of Loch Fyne, -has been replaced by a magnificent modern mansion, the seat of the -present Duke of Argyle. The secret passage to the dungeon, under the -old castle, through which the novelist supposes the Marquis to have -visited his prisoners, was suggested by a similar arrangement in the -castle of Naworth, to which I have previously referred.[2] A private -stairway leads from the apartment of Lord William Howard to the -dungeon, by which the experiment of Argyle might have been and -doubtless was practised. - -A sail of less than four hours, from Oban, north through the -picturesque channels of Loch Linnhe, brought us to Fort William. From -this point we walked about two miles to the battle-field of Inverlochy -and the {232} ruins of the old castle of that name, which we found to -be in a sadly neglected state, far different from its neighbour, -Dunstaffnage. The four walls of the enclosure may still be seen, but -everything is in a ruinous condition. An antiquated horse with large -protruding hip-bones was grazing in what was once the moat, and before -taking a picture I was about to ask a boy to chase him away. But on -second thought I let him stay, because he harmonized so perfectly with -the surroundings. - -The courtyard is about one hundred feet square. The walls are nine -feet thick and of varying height. Like Dunstaffnage the castle is so -old that its early history is shrouded in mystery. Tradition ascribes -its origin to the Comyns, near the end of the thirteenth century. The -view in every direction is charming. Across the river Lochy, a small -stream which joins the Caledonian Canal to the waters of Loch Linnhe, -may be seen the town of Banavie, and in the distance the highlands of -Inverness-shire. In the opposite direction we could barely see the -peaks of Ben Nevis, peeping through the mists that hung over the -mountains. To the north are the heights of Lochaber over which the -Marquis of Montrose made his famous march of thirty miles by an -unfrequented route, during a heavy fall of snow, and suddenly -confronted his enemy in the night, when they supposed him to be far -away in another part of the country. - -I think this novel must have been inspired by Scott's admiration of the -'Great Marquis,' whose brief but brilliant campaign in the Highlands -appealed to his imagination just as the longer career of Rob Roy had -done. It took him back among the picturesque people whom he loved to -describe, and amidst scenery where {233} he had roamed with -never-failing delight. The one possession in the remarkable -antiquarian collection at Abbotsford which Scott cherished more than -any other--more even than Rob Roy's gun--was the sword of Montrose, -presented to the Marquis by Charles I and formerly the property of the -monarch's father, King James. Sir Walter thought a dialogue between -this sword and Rob Roy's gun might be composed with good effect. It -seems a pity he did not undertake it. The sword bears on both sides -the royal arms of Great Britain. The blade is handsomely ornamented, -the hilt is finished in open scrollwork of silver gilt, and the grip is -bound with chains of silver, alternating with bands of gold. - -Scott did not follow the fortunes of his hero beyond the battle of -Inverlochy, where he left him in triumph. Montrose continued his -success until, on the 15th of August, 1645, he reached his climax in -the decisive victory of Kilsyth. He was now the master of Scotland, -but, unfortunately, fate deprived him of the fruits of his genius. -Summoned to England to meet the exigencies which threatened the King, -and unable to hold his Highlanders for an invasion of the South, he was -attacked at Philiphaugh by Leslie, who easily overcame the small -opposing force. Montrose escaped to the Highlands, but was never again -able to organize an army. After spending the next few years abroad, he -returned to Scotland in 1650, where, after failing again to summon the -clans, he was betrayed and carried a prisoner to the Tolbooth in -Edinburgh. On the 21st of May, when only thirty-eight years old, he -was hanged in the Grassmarket and bravely met his death. - - - -[1] The story is related at length in the Introduction to _A Legend of -Montrose_. - -[2] Pages 20 and 43. - - - - -{234} - -CHAPTER XVII - -IVANHOE - -From 'Bonnie Scotland' to 'Merrie England' was not a long step for Sir -Walter, for he had already peeped into Yorkshire at Barnard Castle for -his poem, 'Rokeby.' The principal scenes of 'Ivanhoe' are laid in the -opposite end of the same county, between Sheffield and Doncaster. They -extend, however, as far south as Ashby de la Zouch, and northward to -the ancient city of York. As we rode through this populous country, -humming with the industry of thousands of busy mills, its crowded -cities showing street after street of substantial business houses, its -more open spaces dotted with neat cottages surrounded by well-kept -gardens, its streams crossed by bridges of stone and steel, its roads -in excellent repair, and its entire aspect betokening the peace and -prosperity of a great civilization, it was difficult to picture it in -fancy as the great forest roamed by Robin Hood and his merry men; as a -land in which King Richard and Wilfred of Ivanhoe performed their feats -of chivalry and daring; as the region in which Cedric the Saxon still -resented the intrusion of the Normans, and Front-de-Boeuf maintained a -feudal castle concealing horrors too frightful to mention. - -[Illustration: Map of England] - -We succeeded, however, in finding a bit of the original forest, in -identifying the ruins of two castles which figure prominently in the -story, and several others which doubtless served as types of the -prevailing Norman style {235} of architecture, besides other -interesting places more remotely associated with the tale. - -The town of Ashby de la Zouch, to which all the people of the story -wend their way in the early chapters, is on the western edge of -Leicestershire, about midway between Birmingham and Nottingham. The -ancient castle derives its name from the fact that it was formerly -owned by the Zouch family, who seem to have had possession until 1399. -Scott was slightly in error in stating that at this time (1194) 'the -castle and town of Ashby belonged to Roger de Quincey, Earl of -Winchester,' who was then absent in the Holy Land. It is not -inconceivable, however, that Prince John might have taken temporary -possession, and, after all, that is the main point of the story. - -The castle was a ruin in Scott's day, presenting an appearance very -much the same as now. It suggested the scene of Prince John's banquet, -but the novelist well knew that it was not the original castle which -stood on the spot in 1194. Of the old castle we found only a single -wall. The date of its foundation is uncertain, but it was probably -built in the earlier part of the same century. Its successor, -represented by the ruins now visible, was built in 1474, nearly three -hundred years after the period of the novel. The reigning king was -Edward IV, and one of his prime favourites was William, Lord Hastings, -who was not only loaded with wealth by his sovereign, but given almost -unlimited authority to enclose for private use whatever land he wished -and to build wherever he pleased. Accordingly Hastings took possession -of three thousand acres of land at Ashby and erected a huge castle, -despoiling the {236} neighbouring castle of Belvoir of much lead, with -which he covered his towers. The strong fortress and splendid castle -thus erected stood intact for less than two centuries. During the -Civil War it was besieged and captured by the Parliamentary Army, and -in 1648 was deliberately made untenable by a Committee of the House of -Commons, who had been appointed to determine what castles and other -fortified places were to be retained and which ones were to be -destroyed. Ashby, unfortunately, was condemned and huge sections of -its walls and towers were undermined and pulled down. - -The ruin consists of two large towers, connected by an underground -passage, the great hall, the chapel, and the room of Mary Queen of -Scots. The kitchen tower was of great strength, having walls in some -places ten feet thick, and the remains of a huge kitchen fireplace may -still be seen. The most imposing part of the ruin is the keep. This -was a tower eighty feet high, fitted up in great magnificence as the -Earl's apartment. - -[Illustration: CASTLE OF ASHBY DE LA ZOUCH] - -The great tournament was supposed to be held in a field a mile or two -from the tower. After the tournament and the banquet in the castle -which followed, Cedric the Saxon and his kinsman, Athelstane of -Coningsburgh, with the Lady Rowena and their servants and retainers, -set out for Rotherwood, the house of Cedric, presumably in the -neighbourhood of, or possibly a fictitious substitute for, the present -city of Rotherham. Their way led through a great forest, some remnants -of which may still be seen. In King Richard's time the entire country -between Ashby and Rotherham may have been thickly wooded. The famous -Sherwood Forest occupied the western portion of Nottinghamshire, -extending north {237} and south about twenty-five miles, with a width -varying from six to eight miles. In this extensive woodland, Robin -Hood, with the jolly Friar Tuck and the minstrel Allan-a-Dale, and all -the rest of the 'merry men,' hunted the king's deer, robbed the rich -and bestowed charity upon the poor, worshipped the Virgin and pillaged -the ecclesiastical establishments, supported themselves by means of -their marvellous archery, played practical jokes and indulged in no end -of fun, and lived a free, open, adventurous, brave, and generous life, -in spite of their outlawry. Robin Hood was undoubtedly an historical -character, who may have had an existence as early as the time of King -Richard, but whose deeds have been so much enveloped in fiction and -poetry that his real exploits cannot be determined. The legends that -have been woven about him are like the tales of King Arthur--mythical -but probably evolved from some hidden germ of truth. From 1377, when -the oldest known mention of him was made in an edition of 'Piers the -Ploughman,' down to the Elizabethan era, his popularity is evinced by -the great volume of ballad poetry recording his performances. - -That such a personage should have made a strong appeal to Sir Walter -Scott was inevitable, and he seems to have woven the characteristic -exploits of Robin Hood into the tale of 'Ivanhoe' with the same zest -which he displayed in 'The Lady of the Lake,' 'Waverley,' 'Rob Roy,' -and 'A Legend of Montrose,' where he so delighted to picture the -Scottish Highlanders in their native country. - -North of Mansfield, in Nottinghamshire, a beautiful part of the Forest -of Sherwood may still be seen. For {238} many miles we drove through -endless glades and avenues, the rugged oaks intertwining their branches -over our heads, now and then forming those 'long sweeping vistas' which -Scott describes so well, 'in the intricacy of which the eye delights to -lose itself, while imagination considers them as the paths to yet -wilder scenes of silvan solitude.' Here and there we could see herds -of deer, coming boldly into view, knowing well that the arrows of Robin -Hood's men are things of the past. All this region is now well cared -for. There are splendid palaces with lakes, fountains, and flowers, -transforming the old forest into a veritable fairy-land. Thoresby -House with its beautiful park is the property of Earl Manvers; Clumber, -on the border of the Carburton Lakes, is the stately seat of the Duke -of Newcastle, and Welbeck Abbey, with gardens covering thirty-two -acres, lakes of one hundred and fifty-nine acres, and a deer park of -sixteen hundred and forty acres, is the magnificent domain of the Duke -of Portland. All this section, which has been dubbed 'the Dukeries,' -while preserving something of the appearance of a forest, can only -present a striking contrast to the wild tangle of the woods, with their -narrow and devious paths, through which the Saxon party passed on their -way to Rotherwood. - -[Illustration: THE BUCK-GATE. ENTRANCE TO THE DUKE OF PORTLAND'S -ESTATE, SHERWOOD FOREST] - -Cedric, it will be remembered, soon overtook Isaac of York, the rich -Jew, and his lovely daughter, Rebecca, who had been deserted by their -cowardly escort. They were carrying, in a litter, 'a sick friend,' -under which designation they concealed the identity of Ivanhoe. The -whole party was later surprised and captured by some of the Norman -nobles of Prince John's party, {239} disguised as outlaws, by whom they -were carried to Torquilstone, the castle of Front-de-Boeuf. This -imaginary feudal edifice may be supposed to be in the vicinity of -Harthill, a village nine miles south of Rotherham. - -The dramatic incidents that occurred here are familiar to every one: -how De Bracy made his futile attempt to woo the Lady Rowena, trusting -to his handsome face and foppish clothes; how the Templar tried his -blandishments upon Rebecca and was defeated by her courage in -threatening to leap from the battlements, should he advance a single -step; how Front-de-Boeuf sought to extort a fortune from Isaac the Jew -by the most cruel torture; and how the villainy of all three was -interrupted by a bugle blast, announcing an attack upon the castle by a -band of outlaws, headed by the gallant Robin Hood, who was ably -supported by the powerful battle-axe of the Black Knight and the wit of -Wamba the Jester. - -After the fall of the castle it will be remembered that the victors -assembled under a huge oak to divide the spoils, and that Isaac of York -and the rich Prior Aymer were compelled to sentence each other to the -payment of a heavy ransom--a clever scheme well calculated to furnish -not only amusement but substantial profit to the outlaws. - -There are several large oaks of Sherwood Forest still in existence, any -one of which might have been in the mind of Sir Walter. We found an -excellent type, which was perhaps known to him, near Edwinstowe, -northeast of Mansfield. It is called the 'Major Oak' and was a monarch -of the forest in Robin Hood's time. It is said to be fourteen hundred -years old. Its circumference, just {240} above the ground, is sixty -feet, and there is room inside the hollow trunk for a round dozen of -average-sized men. Unlike many other ancient oaks, its huge limbs are -well preserved and remarkably symmetrical, its foliage forming a huge -ellipsoid, seventy-five feet in length. - -Although Torquilstone was imaginary, Sir Walter was not without types -of the old Norman castles. He refers to Middleham as the seat of the -brother of Prior Aymer, and the ruins of this castle may still be seen -in the village of that name, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The -interior or keep is in the distinctive Norman style of architecture, -but the outer walls belong to a later period. This castle was founded -by Robert Fitz-Ralph or Ranulph, a nephew of King William Rufus, about -1190. Its walls are plain and massive, suggesting great strength, but -no beauty. In the interior of the keep may be seen the remains of what -was once a huge and magnificent banqueting-hall, with high arched -windows on the side. For centuries Middleham was the residence of -powerful barons and at times of royalty. In the fifteenth century it -came into the possession of the famous Earl of Warwick, 'the -Kingmaker,' and later of his infamous son-in-law, the Duke of -Gloucester, afterward King Richard III. Edward, Prince of Wales, the -only legitimate son of Richard, was born here. It was to secure the -succession of this prince to the throne that Richard caused the murder -of his two nephews to be perpetrated in the Tower of London. - -[Illustration: THE AVENUE OF LIMES, SHERWOOD FOREST] - -Edward IV was a prisoner here, and made his escape as told by -Shakespeare in 'King Henry VI.'[1] After the battle of Bosworth, Henry -VII took possession of {241} Middleham. In the Civil Wars the forces -of Cromwell destroyed the castle. From that time until 1884, when it -came into possession of the present owner, the ruins have been a stone -quarry for the neighbourhood and a large part of the castle has been -carried away piecemeal. The enclosure became a dumping-ground for all -kinds of trash and a free pig-pen and cow-stable. In 1884, it was -cleaned out and is now in charge of a keeper. This famous castle, -occupied as it was at times by men of all the ferocious and -conscienceless qualities of Front-de-Boeuf, might well have served as a -suggestion for Torquilstone. - -Richmond Castle, lying a few miles north of Middleham, is of even -greater antiquity and a far nobler specimen of the Norman architecture. -It was founded in 1071 by Alan Rufus, to whom William the Conqueror -granted the land of Richmondshire. Alan selected a rock on the bank of -the river Swale and here he constructed a fortress that was well-nigh -impregnable. The great 'keep' was built in 1146, and still stands -proudly erect, in spite of its nearly eight hundred years' resistance -to wind and weather as well as the storms of war, looking as if -conscious of its power to stand the assaults of eight centuries more. -We went to Richmond expecting to see a ruin; we were astonished to -find, instead, a fine tower one hundred and eight feet high, fifty-four -feet long, and forty-eight feet wide, used as an armoury by a modern -regiment of soldiers. Its walls are of extraordinary thickness and the -masonry looks as fresh and clean as that of many a building of half a -century's duration. - -Aside from the remarkable keep, the castle is really a ruin. Its -walls, which originally enclosed a triangular {242} space of five -acres, have crumbled away, but enough remains to identify various -halls, chapels, dungeons, and underground passages. - -The castle was seized by Richard Coeur-de-Lion and held by him and his -successor King John for several years. For five centuries thereafter -it passed from royalty to nobility and back again, time after time, as -a reward for services or the spoils of war, until in 1674 it was -granted by Charles II to the ancestor of the present Duke of Richmond. - -Torquilstone is described as 'a fortress of no great size, consisting -of a donjon, or large and high square tower, surrounded by buildings of -inferior height, which were encircled by an inner courtyard.' It had -'towers upon the outward wall so as to flank it at every angle.' It -would appear from this that the castle of Front-de-Boeuf might have -been a miniature copy of Richmond Castle. - -South of Richmond and about three miles from Middleham are the ruins of -Jorvaulx Abbey, the seat of the Prior Aymer, 'a free and jovial priest, -who loves the wine-cup and the bugle-horn better than bell and book.' -The monks of Jorvaulx were famous for their love of feasting and the -excellence of their wines. The Abbey church was originally an -extensive structure, two hundred and seventy feet long, with transepts -one hundred and thirteen feet wide. It was roughly treated and nearly -demolished during the Reformation and neglected in the succeeding years -until about a century ago, when the accumulated rubbish was cleared -away. It now presents a picturesque appearance because of the ivy, -moss, and shrubbery with which nature has softened {243} the aspect of -its rudely broken walls and the fragments of stone which once were -heavy columns supporting a lofty nave. - -Still farther south are the imposing ruins of Fountains Abbey, which -must not be overlooked in any survey of the scenery of 'Ivanhoe,' for -here was the alleged abode of that delightful character, the jolly -Clerk of Copmanhurst, Friar Tuck, whose all-night carousal with King -Richard in the forest 'Chapel of St. Dunstan' will be ever memorable as -one of Scott's choicest bits of humour. This celebrated 'churchman' -was the type of a class of so-called 'hedge-priests' who flourished in -the period preceding the Reformation, when every great house maintained -a confessor to say masses and grant absolution. The bands of outlaws, -with equal superstition, felt the need of the same services, and -maintained their own priests accordingly. Many of these performed -their holy offices in ragged and dirty attire and with improper forms -of ritual, for the benefit of thieves and murderers in out-of-the-way -ruins and other hiding places, thereby incurring the wrath of the -dignitaries of the Church. Not infrequently, no doubt, their -uncanonical performances were no better than those of Friar Tuck. - -Fountains Abbey is, next to Melrose, the most beautiful ruin of the -kind in Great Britain--at least so far as I have been able to observe. -In beauty of situation, it far surpasses Melrose. The latter is in the -midst of a town with nothing to make a picturesque setting except its -own churchyard and the garden of an adjoining estate. Fountains is -reached by walking nearly a mile through the beautiful park of Studley -Royal, first by the {244} side of a canal, bordered by trees of -luxuriant foliage, through which, at intervals, are various 'peeps,' -revealing carefully studied scenes, with temples, statuary, rustic -bridges, towers, lakes, and woods; then by a path of more natural -beauty, beside the little rivulet called the Skell, until the extensive -ruins are reached. The foundation of Fountains Abbey has been traced -to the year 1132, according to the narrative of a monk which was -committed to writing in 1205. In the winter of 1132-33, a small -company of Benedictine monks from St. Mary's Abbey at York, becoming -dissatisfied with the laxity of discipline there, felt impelled to -withdraw. They retired to a wild and uncultivated valley, covered with -stones and briars, and better suited for wild beasts and reptiles than -for humanity, and built a monastery beside the brook Skell. From this -humble beginning, Fountains Abbey grew until the establishment became -one of the richest in England, comprising sixty-four thousand acres of -valuable lands and its buildings, covering an area of twelve acres, -were among the most magnificent. In 1539, King Henry VIII confiscated -the entire property, and rendered the monastery unfit for further use. - -[Illustration: INTERIOR OF FOUNTAINS ABBEY] - -The ruins are more complete than those of any other similar structure, -and give an excellent idea of the extent and arrangement of an -important monastery. From the Chapel of the Nine Altars to the west -doorway, which was the chief entrance, is a distance of three hundred -and sixty-nine feet. It is an impressive architectural vista, the eye -sweeping over the choir and transepts and down through the narrow nave, -where the walls are supported by eleven obtuse pointed arches, -springing {245} from massive columns, each sixteen feet in -circumference and twenty-three feet high. The Chapel of the Nine -Altars, considered to have been the most magnificent architectural -feature of the structure, is divided into three parts by a series of -very high pointed arches, supported by slender octagonal pillars -scarcely two feet in diameter. A great east window, sixty feet high -and twenty-three feet wide, completed the dignity and beauty of the -chapel. From the exterior, the most striking feature is the tower, -rising one hundred and sixty-eight feet high, with walls nearly thirty -feet square, and projecting buttresses, adding an effect of great -solidity. - -The connection of Friar Tuck with this fine abbey is derived from the -ancient ballad of 'Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar.' The outlaws were -indulging in an exhibition of their wonderful archery when an unusually -fine shot caused Robin Hood to exclaim:-- - - I would ride my horse an hundred miles - To finde one could match with thee. - -This brought a laugh from Will Scarlet, who declared:-- - - There lives a curtal frier in Fountains Abby - Will beat both him and thee. - -Robin Hood could not rest until he found the friar, walking by the -waterside near the abbey. A conflict followed in which the friar threw -Robin into the stream. After Robin had shot all his arrows at the -friar without effect,-- - - They took their swords and steel bucklers - And fought with might and maine; - - From ten oth' clock that day, - Till four ith' afternoon. - -{246} Then Robin blew three blasts of his horn and called half a -hundred yeomen. The friar whistled with fist in his mouth and half a -hundred ban-dogs answered. The end of the battle proved the stout -friar well qualified to join the band of merry men. - - This curtal frier had kept Fountains Dale - Seven long years or more; - There was neither knight, lord, nor earl - Could make him yield before. - -An arched recess, of stone, well covered with foliage, by the side of -the path along the river, marks the traditional site of this famous -combat, and is known as 'Robin Hood's Well.' The following lines were -written by Sir Walter while a guest at Studley Royal, and the -manuscript is now in the possession of the Marquess of Ripon:-- - - Beside this crystal font of old, - Cooled his flushed brow an outlaw bold, - His bow was slackened while he drank, - His quiver rested on the bank, - Giving brief pause of doubt and fear - To feudal lords and forest deer. - - Long runs the tale, but village sires - Still sing his feats by Christmas fires; - And still old England's free-born blood - Stirs at the name of Robin Hood. - - -After the fall of Torquilstone and the almost miraculous deliverance of -all the prisoners, Cedric and his company journeyed to the Castle of -Coningsburgh, the seat of Athelstane, to perform the funeral rites of -that noble warrior, who had fallen a victim to the Templar's -battle-axe. Athelstane interrupts the proceedings, somewhat {247} -unnecessarily it would seem, by coming to life again. A visit to this -castle takes us back to the valley of the Don, where the story began. -Conisborough, as the village is now called, is situated about midway -between Rotherham and Doncaster. There is nothing fanciful in Scott's -description here. He introduced the castle because it interested him, -and made it the seat of Athelstane for convenience. In a letter to his -friend Morritt in 1811 Scott inquires, 'Do you know anything of a -striking ancient castle ... called Coningsburgh? ... I once flew past -it in a mail-coach when its round tower and flying buttresses had a -most romantic effect in the morning dawn.' - -It was characteristic of Scott, not only that every old ruined castle -appealed to his imagination, but that his curiosity, once aroused, -usually had to be satisfied by a personal inspection. It was so with -Coningsburgh. He went to the village and spent two nights at the -Sprotbrough Boathouse, a near-by inn, that he might have leisure to -examine the ruins of the castle. The result of his study and the -further reading of such antiquarian authorities as were available, -convinced him that the round tower was an ancient Saxon castle. He -found satisfaction in comparing it with the rude towers, or burghs, -built by the Saxons or Northmen, of which one of the most striking -examples is the Castle of Mousa[2] in the Shetland Islands. These were -built of rough stone, without cement. They were roofless, and had -small apartments constructed within the circular walls themselves. In -this last respect Coningsburgh somewhat resembles these ancient burghs, -and Scott conceived {248} that the former was an evolution from the -latter, and therefore Saxon. He says, 'the outer walls have probably -been added by the Normans, but the inner keep bears token of very great -antiquity.' He also says: 'When Coeur-de-Lion and his retinue -approached this rude yet stately building, it was not, as at present, -surrounded by external fortifications. The Saxon architect had -exhausted his art in rendering the main keep defensible, and there was -no other circumvallation than a rude barrier of palisades.' - -The facts, as indicated by more recent investigation, seem to be that -the Saxons selected the hill of hard limestone as a suitable place for -a stronghold, excavated a ditch around it and erected some outworks. -There is no doubt that Harold, the last of the Anglo-Saxon kings, -either purchased or inherited the property, and there is mention of a -certain 'lord of Coningesboro,' who possessed part of the domain as -early as the year 1000 A.D. - -William the Conqueror, shortly after his accession to the English -throne, granted the estate to an adherent, William de Warrenne, who was -created Earl of Surrey. A great-granddaughter of this earl married -Hameline Plantagenet, a half-brother of Henry II, and he was one of the -soldiers and faithful attendants of Richard I. It is this earl who is -supposed to have built the tower, or keep, at least a century after his -Norman predecessors had erected the outer walls of the castle. This, -it will be noted, is exactly the reverse of Scott's supposition. - -[Illustration: CONINGSBURGH CASTLE] - -The Saxon founders selected a steep hill, or knoll, rising one hundred -and seventy-five feet above the river--an ideal site for a fortress in -those days. - -{249} - -Earl Warren, who came into possession about 1068, found the place -already well fortified. His son and grandson were the ones who, it is -supposed, constructed the outer walls, with their various buildings for -domestic purposes, comprising a hall, kitchen, chapel, etc. These -cover a large area, but present no features of extraordinary interest. -The inner tower, or keep, however, is one of the most remarkable -structures in England. It is a huge cylindrical tower built of grey -limestone on a base of solid natural rock. It formerly rose to a -height of one hundred and twenty feet, and is now about ninety feet -high. It is sixty-six feet in diameter at the base, and is supported -by six massive buttresses, each fifteen and one half feet broad and -extending outward about nine feet. The walls themselves are nearly -fifteen feet in thickness. The only entrance is a door, twenty feet -above the ground, originally reached by an outside stair connecting -with a small drawbridge. - -The rooms beneath the main floor were used for the storage of -provisions and in the centre was a well, said to have been one hundred -and five feet deep. There was then ample provision to resist a siege, -lack of food and water being the only danger to be feared, inasmuch as -the catapults and other engines of war of that period would be -powerless against the massiveness of such a castle. The upper rooms -are built within the walls and reached by narrow stairways. The main -floor was probably used by the lord of the castle with his family and -guests; the rooms above were occupied by the ladies of the household, -and on the same floor was a small oratory or chapel, hexagonal in shape -and about eight feet wide. The top floor contained the kitchen and the -{250} sleeping-rooms of the garrison. The six buttresses projected -above the level of the parapet, forming turrets, convenient for -defence. These have now disappeared. The parapet floor is still -accessible, and from it a fine view is obtained of the surrounding -country. - -The Castle of York, where Prince John is supposed to have feasted the -nobles and leaders after the exciting scenes of Torquilstone, and where -De Bracy announced to him that Richard was really in England, was the -Norman fortress built by William the Conqueror in 1068, some portions -of which are now incorporated in the building known as Clifford's -Tower. A substantial rectangular structure stands between two ancient -and ruined turrets, which lean outward, looking as though the stronger -building were trying to usurp the hill on which they stand and push his -feebler brethren out of the way. This castle was the scene in 1190 of -a terrible massacre of the Jews. Two rich Jewish bankers, Joses and -Benedict, attended the coronation of Richard I. In a general attack -upon the Jews, Benedict was killed, but Joses got back to York. The -house of Benedict in York was plundered and his wife and children -murdered. Joses rallied the other Jews, who took refuge, with their -property, in the castle. The governor ordered an assault, and the -Jews, finding themselves unable to hold the citadel, set fire to the -buildings, put to death all their relatives, and killed themselves, -over five hundred lives being sacrificed. This incident throws some -light upon the state of mind of the wealthy Isaac, who was a resident -of the city of York. - -'Ivanhoe' closes with the wedding of Wilfred and Rowena, 'celebrated in -the most august of temples, the {251} noble minster of York.' The -cathedral as it stands to-day is, indeed, noble. Perhaps it cannot -properly be called the largest in England; Winchester Cathedral is -longer, and Lincoln's towers are higher; but in the length of its choir -and nave, the breadth of its transepts, the height of the great pointed -arches supporting the roof, and the massive grandeur and dignity of the -whole, whether viewed from the exterior or the interior, it is -unsurpassed by any other cathedral in England and by few on the -continent. - -It was not in this magnificent temple, however, that the wedding took -place, and perhaps if we could see a picture of the old Norman church -which stood on the site in 1194, we might not think of it as 'a noble -minster.' The church of that period was the structure built by the -first Norman Archbishop of York, with the addition of the choir, -erected a century later. In the crypt of the present cathedral some -bits of the walls of these early buildings are still preserved. They -replaced the first stone church, built about 633, which had superseded -the original wooden church, built by Eadwine, King of Northumbria, then -the most powerful monarch in England. The minster was, therefore, more -than five centuries old even in the period of 'Ivanhoe.' - -Of the characters in the novel, King Richard and his brother John were -of course historical. Cedric and Athelstane were types of the Saxon -nobles who still resented the intrusion of the Normans. Front-de-Boeuf -represents a class of Norman noblemen who did not hesitate at any deed -of villainy to accomplish their selfish purposes. Brian de -Bois-Guilbert typifies the chivalry which professed great zeal for the -Christian {252} religion, but used it as a cloak to cover motives of -vengeance or other base purposes. Prior Aymer stands for the wealthy -churchman and Isaac of York for the Jewish banker, upon whom all -classes, kings, barons, and churchmen, were obliged to depend for the -accomplishment of their various plans. Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, and the -men in Lincoln Green were borrowed from the ballad poetry of the Middle -Ages. All of these were introduced to perfect the picture of the -conditions of social and political life in the reign of King Richard. - -One character only found a place in the novel for another reason. The -story of Rebecca reveals an interesting incident in the life of -Washington Irving. When the American author visited Sir Walter at -Abbotsford a feeling of mutual respect and admiration quickly sprang up -between them and developed into a friendly intimacy. In the course of -their conversations, Irving told Sir Walter something of the character -of Rebecca Gratz, a young woman of Jewish family, living in the city of -Philadelphia. One of this lady's brothers was a warm personal friend -of Irving's, who was always a welcome guest at their home. One of -Rebecca's dearest friends was Matilda Hoffman, Irving's first and only -love. This estimable young woman died at the early age of eighteen, -tenderly nursed to the end by her friend Rebecca, in whose arms she -expired. - -Rebecca Gratz is described as a very beautiful girl. 'Her eyes were of -exquisite shape, large, black, and lustrous; her figure was graceful -and her carriage was marked by a quiet dignity,--attractions which were -heightened by elegant and winning manners. Gentle, benevolent, with -instinctive refinement and innate {253} purity, she inspired affection -among all who met her.'[3] Although a Jewess, Rebecca Gratz found many -companions among the Christians by whom she was held in high esteem. -She was interested in all kinds of benevolent work, founded an orphan -asylum and a mission Sabbath-School for Hebrew children, and -contributed to many charities. - -A Christian gentleman of wealth and high social position fell in love -with her and his feelings were reciprocated. But Rebecca conceived -that duty demanded loyalty to her religion, and her lofty -conscientiousness and remarkable moral courage enabled her to maintain -her resolution. She refused to marry, in spite of the pain to herself -and the bitter disappointment to her lover which the self-denial -involved. Her life was devoted to 'a long chain of golden deeds,' -until the end came at the good old age of eighty-eight. - -Such a story could not fail to capture the sympathetic heart of Sir -Walter, and as usual when anything appealed strongly to him, he wove it -into a novel at the earliest opportunity, later writing to Irving, 'How -do you like your Rebecca? Does the picture I have painted compare well -with the pattern given?' - -'Ivanhoe' marks the high-tide of Scott's literary success. The book -instantly caught the attention of thousands to whom the Scottish -romances had not appealed. It sold better than its predecessors, and -from the day of its publication has been easily the most popular of the -Waverley Novels. Lockhart, who, in common with most Scotchmen, could -not help {254} preferring the tales of his native land and thought -'Waverley,' 'Guy Mannering,' and 'The Heart of Midlothian' superior as -'works of genius,' nevertheless gave 'Ivanhoe' the first place among -all Scott's writings, whether in prose or verse, as a 'work of art.' -Its historical value is perhaps greater than that of any of the others, -and certainly no other author has ever given a picture, so graphic and -yet so comprehensible, of 'merrie England' in the days of chivalry. - - - -[1] Part iii, act iv, scene v. - -[2] See Chapter xxi, 'The Pirate,' p. 300. - -[3] From an article by Grata van Rensselaer, in the _Century Magazine_, -September, 1882. - - - - -{255} - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE MONASTERY - -Scott had some strange ways of seeking relaxation from the strain of -his work. On Christmas Day, 1814, he wrote Constable that he was -'setting out for Abbotsford to refresh the machine.' During the year -he had written his first great novel, 'Waverley'; one of his longer -poems, 'The Lord of the Isles'; nearly the whole of his 'Life of -Swift'; two essays for an encyclopædia; a two-volume family memoir for -a friend; and kept up a voluminous personal correspondence,--an amount -of industry which is best described by Dominie Sampson's word, -_prodigious_. Surely the 'machine' needed 'refreshment,' and it -consisted in producing, in six weeks' time, another great novel, 'Guy -Mannering'! In the same way, while dictating 'Ivanhoe,' in spite of -severe bodily pain which prevented the use of his pen, he sought -refreshment by starting another novel, 'The Monastery.' 'It was a -relief,' he said, 'to interlay the scenery most familiar to me with the -strange world for which I had to draw so much on imagination.' - -'The Monastery' was the first of Scott's novels in which the scenery is -confined to the immediate vicinity of his own home. It is all within -walking distance of Abbotsford and much of it had been familiar to the -author from childhood. Melrose, or Kennaquhair, is only about two -miles away. This little village is as ancient as the abbey from which -it takes its name, and {256} that splendid ruin dates from 1136, when -the pious Scottish king, known as St. David, founded the monastery and -granted extensive lands to the Cistercian Order of Monks for its -maintenance. The village has followed the fortunes of the -abbey--prospering when the monks prospered, and suffering the blight of -war whenever the English kings descended upon it. Its present -prosperity, so far as it has any, is the gift of Sir Walter Scott. -Hawthorne, who rambled through the country in 1856, noted in his -journal that 'Scotland--cold, cloudy, barren little bit of earth that -it is--owes all the interest that the world feels in it to him.' I -cannot endorse this view of Scotland, for it left quite the opposite -impression upon my mind, but the last part of the remark is certainly -true of Melrose. It bears about the same relation to Scotland that -Stratford does to England. Thousands go there every year to see the -work of art, glorious even in ruins, which represents the highest -development of the Gothic architecture and to marvel at the rich -carvings in stone which, after the lapse of nearly six hundred years, -still remain as a monument to the patience, skill, and devotion of the -monks of St. Mary's. But they go because the great Wizard of the North -has thrown the glamour of his genius over the whole of the Border -country, of which Melrose is the natural centre. And when they arrive, -they find the abbey interpreted in the words of 'The Lay of the Last -Minstrel,' which the custodians of the ruin, for fourscore years, have -never tired of quoting. - -In the novel, no attempt is made to describe the beauty of the ruin. -The poem had already done that to perfection. But the monks spring -into life again, the {257} venerable ruin is transformed into a church, -the monastic buildings resume their former shape, and the palace of -their ruler is refurnished in all its original magnificence. A fire of -glowing logs gives warmth to the apartments. An oaken stand, with a -roasted capon and 'a goodly stoup of Bourdeaux of excellent flavour,' -suggests the truth of the old rhyme:-- - - The monks of Melrose made fat kail - On Fridays when they fasted, - Nor wanted they gude beef and ale - So lang's their neighbours' lasted. - - -In a richly carved chair before the fire sits a portly abbot, with -round face, rosy cheeks, and good-natured, laughing eyes, the product -of a long life of good feeding and indolent ease. By his side stands -the sub-prior, a cadaverous, sharp-faced little man, with piercing grey -eyes bespeaking a high order of intellect, his emaciated features -testifying to rigid fastings and relentless self-abasement. The abuse -of the monastic privileges, common enough at the time, is thus -contrasted with the conscientious observance of all the rules of the -order. In and out of the cloisters, the refectory, and the palace, -monks in black gowns and white scapularies are continually passing. -The old ruin has been restored by the genius of the novelist to the -life and activity of the sixteenth century. - -The earliest date referred to in the story is 1547, the year of the -battle of Pinkie, when the Scottish forces met with a disaster exceeded -only by Flodden Field. In this battle Simon Glendinning, a soldier -fighting for the 'Halidome' of St. Mary's, met his death. His son -Halbert was then nine or ten years old. The story comes {258} to a -close when he is nineteen, which would be 1557. The hostility of Henry -VIII had caused great anxiety to the abbots of Melrose long before this -time and the persecution reached a climax in 1545. Sir Ralph Ewers and -Sir Brian Latoun systematically ravaged the Scottish Border, burning -hundreds of towns, castles, and churches, slaughtering and imprisoning -the people by the thousands and driving off their cattle and horses. -In the course of their raids, they reached Melrose with a force of five -thousand men and vented their spite on the beautiful old abbey. The -Scots took prompt vengeance. They quickly raised an army, and under -the leadership of Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch, met the English and -defeated them with heavy losses. Both Ewers and Latoun were among the -slain, and the monks of Melrose buried them in the abbey with great -satisfaction. 'The Monastery' does not refer to this event, but its -graphic picture of the unsettled state of the country and the -consequent anxiety of the monks constitutes its chief value. - -North of the abbey and across the Tweed is a green hillside, at the -base of which is a weir or dam. This is the place where the sacristan -of St. Mary's was pitched out of his saddle into the stream by the -'White Lady of Avenel,' who dipped him in the water two or three times -to make sure that 'every part of him had its share of wetting.' - -The old bridge, which the sacristan was prevented from crossing by the -perversity of old Peter, the bridge-tender, was about a mile and a half -up the stream. Such a bridge once existed, though now there are no -traces visible. Scott used to see the foundations {259} occasionally -when drifting down the river at night in pursuit of one of his -favourite pastimes, spearing salmon by torchlight. There were three -towers in the water. A keeper lived in the middle one and controlled -the traffic by raising or lowering the draws at his pleasure. Those -who refused to pay his price, or whom he did not wish to accommodate, -might ford the stream, but at some stages of the water this was a -perilous operation. - -The river Allan flows into the Tweed near the site of this bridge. It -is a little mountain brook that flows, in serpentine course, through -the valley of Glendearg. A mile or so up the rivulet there is a -picturesque and shady glen called Fairy Dean. After a flood, little -pieces of curious stones, in fantastic shapes, are often found, the -play of the waters having transformed the fragments of rock into fairy -cups and saucers, guns, boats, cradles, or whatever a childish -imagination might suggest. This was the abode of the fairies where the -little elfin folk held their nightly carnivals, and who knows but Queen -Titania herself might have held her moonlight revels upon this very -spot? At any rate, the neighbouring people, for centuries, by common -consent, recognized the feudal rights of the fairy race to this little -dell, and left them undisturbed. It must have been the abode of the -White Lady, and no doubt stood in the author's mind for the secluded -glen which he calls, in Celtic, _Corrie nan Shian_, meaning 'Hollow of -the Fairies,' where Halbert Glendinning found the huge rock, the wild -holly tree, and the spring beneath its branches. Here, doubtless, for -no more appropriate spot can be found, Halbert summoned the mystic -maiden with the words:-- - -{260} - - Thrice to the holly brake-- - Thrice to the well:-- - I bid thee awake, - White Maid of Avenel! - - Noon gleams in the Lake-- - Noon glows on the Fell-- - Wake thee, O wake, - White Maid of Avenel! - - -At the head of the glen there are three ruined peel-houses or Border -towers, known as Hillslap, Colmslie, and Langshaw. The first of these -may fairly stand for the original of Glendearg, the home of the -Glendinnings. This old tower has a sculptured date on the lintel of -the entrance which seems to indicate that it was built in 1585--a -little too late for the story, to be sure, but trifles like that never -worried Sir Walter. He wanted to place the Widow Glendinning and her -two children in a tower suited to the ancient family connexions of her -husband who might have been able to defend his secluded retreat against -all comers for many years, had not the necessities of the time required -his service in the wars for the defence of his country. Hillslap -offered an excellent type of such a Border fortalice, and its situation -at the head of the glen, well protected by the surrounding mountains -and isolated by its remoteness from the ordinary lines of travel, made -it suitable for the purposes of the tale. - -Referring to the castle of Julian Avenel, Scott, in a footnote, remarks -that it is vain to search near Melrose for any such castle, but adds -that in Yetholm Loch, a small sheet of water southeast of Kelso, there -is a small castle on an island, connected with the mainland by a {261} -causeway, but it is much smaller than Avenel. Of course we must take -the author's word for this, and yet, whether he did it with conscious -purpose or not, he succeeded in putting into his description some -features which irresistibly suggest a castle only seven miles from -Melrose, the tower of Smailholm, associated with the dearest memories -of his childhood. - -Smailholm is one of the most perfect examples of the old feudal keeps -to be found in Scotland. A very small pool lies on one side of the -tower, but it is suggestive of the loch which once surrounded the -entire castle, making it a retreat of great security. 'The surprise of -the spectator was chiefly excited by finding a piece of water situated -in that high and mountainous region, and the landscape around had -features which might rather be termed wild, than either romantic or -sublime.' It was a surprise to me to find even a small pool of water -in such a locality, and I cannot help thinking that at least some -recollections of the peculiar situation of Smailholm may have been in -the author's mind when he wrote this description. - -Scott has himself mentioned a prototype of the vulgar, brutal, and -licentious Julian Avenel in the person of the Laird of Black Ormiston, -a friend and confidant of Bothwell and one of the agents in the murder -of Darnley. - -The concluding scene of the novel represents a sorrowful procession of -monks, in long black gowns and cowls, marching solemnly to the -market-place of the town, where they formed a circle around 'an ancient -cross of curious workmanship, the gift of some former monarch of -Scotland.' This old Mercat Cross still stands {262} in the centre of -the market-place of Melrose. It is about twenty feet high and is -surmounted by the figure of the unicorn and the arms of Scotland. It -requires a vivid imagination to identify the unicorn, however, the -ravages of time giving it more the aspect of a walrus, rampant. - -'The Monastery,' following so soon after Scott's greatest success, -suffers severely by comparison with 'Ivanhoe,' and, perhaps for this -reason, was considered something of a failure. The cause, generally -assigned by the critics, was twofold, or rather, may be attributed to -two characters, which did not appeal to the public as Scott had -expected. One of these was the 'White Lady of Avenel' and the other, -Sir Piercie Shafton. - -Scott had always manifested a fondness for ghosts, goblins, witches, -and the supernatural. The goblin-page made a nuisance of himself in -'The Lay of the Last Minstrel' and came near spoiling the poem; Marmion -had to fight a phantom knight, and so did Bertram Risingham, but in -both cases a rational explanation dispelled the mystery; the Baron of -Triermain visited a phantom castle in the Valley of St. John; Bruce -landed on the shores of Carrick, guided by a weird supernatural light; -Fergus MacIvor was dismayed by the Bodach Glas, a cheerful sort of -family ghost which always appeared when disaster was impending; the -guest of the Antiquary was compelled to sleep in a haunted chamber; a -mysterious fountain had a fatal influence upon the life of the Bride of -Lammermoor; and so throughout the pages of Scott's poems and novels we -find these strange incidents and phantom appearances. The real -orthodox ghost only peeps in at you occasionally and quickly vanishes. -{263} Although you may be frightened a little, you delight, -nevertheless, in the mystery. But there is something too substantial -about a female ghost who climbs up behind a man on horseback, guides -him into a stream of deep water, and ducks him three times, meanwhile -reciting long stanzas of poetry. And when the same ghost appears again -and again, as though the whole plot depended upon her personal -exertions, the constant exposure to the limelight causes the illusion -to melt away. This, I fancy, is the reason the Maid of Avenel failed -to appeal to Scott's readers. - -Sir Piercie Shafton, the Euphuist, seems in like manner to have been -overdone. A suggestion of the foppery and absurdities of the coxcombs -of Queen Elizabeth's court might have been interesting, but Sir Piercie -remains on the stage too long and becomes a bore. The pedantic Baron -of Bradwardine in 'Waverley' is a bore, but we like him. The garrulous -Dalgetty is tiresome, but we could not do without him. Sir Piercie, on -the contrary, has no redeeming traits. - -Aside from the failure of these two characters to please the public, -the novel lacks the interest that attaches to all its predecessors. -There is no Dandie Dinmont, nor Meg Merrilies, nor Dominie Sampson; no -Jonathan Oldbuck nor Edie Ochiltree; no historical personage of -interest like Rob Roy or King Richard; no Jeanie Deans; no Flora -MacIvor; no Die Vernon; no Rebecca. - -On the other hand, it has some fine pictures of the sturdy Scotch -character, it gives a glimpse of monastic life in the sixteenth -century, and has an historical value in its presentation of the -conflict of cross-currents of {264} thought and feeling, as they -affected the people who lived amid the furious contentions of the -Reformation. Father Eustace is a fine type of the able, intelligent, -and devoted Catholic priest, and Henry Warden of the brave, -unflinching, determined apostle of the reformed doctrines. - - - - -{265} - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE ABBOT - -Scott was quick to realize the mistake in 'The Monastery,' and promptly -redeemed his popularity by the bold stroke of writing a sequel. The -White Maiden was banished along with Sir Piercie, and in their place -came a train of new characters, well calculated to win the sympathetic -approval of the public. Mary Queen of Scots was the chief of these, -and the novelist's skilful portrayal of her character made a success of -'The Abbot.' Roland Graeme, who proved to be one of the best of -Scott's heroes, and Catherine Seyton, a young woman of charming -vivacity, added not a little to the popularity of the novel. - -The scenery, at first, remains the same. The story opens at the Castle -of Avenel, of which Sir Halbert Glendinning is now the knight and Mary -Avenel the lady. Henry Warden is established there as chaplain. The -monks are still permitted to linger in the cloisters of St. Mary's, and -among them is Edward Glendinning, known as Father Ambrose, who, later, -becomes the abbot. - -The beautiful abbey is pictured at the beginning of its decay. The -niches have been stripped of their sculptured images, on the inside as -well as the outside of the building. The tombs of warriors and of -princes have been demolished. The church is strewn with confused heaps -of broken stone, the remnants of beautifully {266} carved statues of -saints and angels, with lances and swords torn from above the tombs of -famous knights of earlier days, and sacred relics brought by pious -pilgrims. The disheartened monks are seen conducting their ceremonials -in the midst of all the rubbish, scarcely daring to clear it away. In -keeping with this picture of decay and ruin is the vivid presentation -of the invasion of the sacred abbey by the irreverent mob of -masqueraders in grotesque costumes, led by 'the venerable Father -Howleglas, the learned Monk of Misrule and the Right Reverend Abbot of -Unreason.' - -The tale now leads to Edinburgh, where young Roland Graeme is struck -with surprise as he comes, for the first time, into the Canongate. -'The extreme height of the houses, and the variety of Gothic gables, -and battlements, and balconies' are still surprising. Graeme gets -involved in a street scrimmage, common enough in the Edinburgh of those -days, and, without knowing it, renders service to Lord Seyton, one of -the most faithful adherents of Queen Mary. A few minutes later he -catches sight of Catherine Seyton as that pretty damsel is about to -'dive under one of the arched passages which afforded an outlet to the -Canongate from the houses beneath.' Many of these arched passages may -still be seen in the Canongate. The house of Lord Seyton into which -Roland followed the maiden was about opposite Queensbury House, near -the eastern end of the street. - -Holyrood Palace comes into the story as the place where Roland was -presented to the Regent Murray, an introduction into which Scott is -believed to have woven some recollections of his own presentation to -the Duke {267} of Wellington. Although the palace has stood for many -centuries and has been the abode of many kings, its real interest -centres about the fortunes of Mary Queen of Scots. Visitors are shown -the audience chamber in which the Queen received John Knox, and found -that the great Reformer, unlike other men, was proof against the -loveliness of her countenance, the charm of her manner, and the -softness of her speech. Knox found, too, that Mary was proof against -the bitterness of his arraignment and the violence of his denunciation. -Opening out of the audience chamber is Queen Mary's bedroom, where a -bed, said to be Mary's own, is carefully preserved, its dingy and -tattered hangings conveying little suggestion of the former richness of -the crimson damask, with its fringe and tassels of green. A narrow -door leads to a small dressing-closet, and another to the supper-room, -where Mary sat with David Rizzio and other friends on the fatal night -of February 13, 1565. Darnley, in a state of intoxication, burst into -the room with a party of brutal conspirators, put his arms around Mary -in seeming endearment, while the others dragged Rizzio into the -audience chamber and stabbed him to death with their daggers. - -The introduction of Loch Leven Castle gives a new scene to the novel -and one of great beauty and interest. It was partly Scott's -association with the Blair Adam Club that led to the use of this scene -and the historical incident associated with it. A visit of Scott and -his life-long friends, William Clerk and Adam Ferguson, to the Right -Honourable William Adam, in 1816, led to the formation of the Blair -Adam Club, at the meetings of which Scott was a constant attendant for -fifteen years. {268} Mr. Adam, who held the distinguished office of -Lord Chief Commissioner of the Jury Court in Scotland, was, says -Lockhart, 'the only man I ever knew that rivalled Sir Walter Scott in -uniform graciousness of bonhomie and gentleness of humour.' In a book -privately printed for the benefit of his own family and friends, the -judge says:-- - - -The Castle of Loch Leven is seen at every turn from the northern side -of Blair Adam. This castle, renowned and attractive above all others -in my neighbourhood, became an object of much increased attention and a -theme of constant conversation, after the author of 'Waverley' had, by -his inimitable power of delineating character, by his creative poetic -fancy in representing scenes of varied interest, and by the splendour -of his romantic descriptions, infused a more diversified and a deeper -tone of feeling into the history of Queen Mary's captivity and escape. - - -Many little allusions to localities on the estate of Blair Adam and -references to the virtues and manners of its occupants, were woven into -the story, which, while they escape the attention of the casual reader, -did not fail to please the genial owner. - -The castle stands on an island in Loch Leven, a pretty sheet of water, -about three or four miles long, on the western border of which lies the -town of Kinross. Two sturdy fishermen rowed us out to the island where -we found the ruin of a square building. The tower is in good repair, -but the remaining walls are quite ruinous. In one corner the room -where Queen Mary was imprisoned was pointed out by the guides. It is -very small, but has windows overlooking the lake, and there is room on -the island for a pleasant garden. Except for {269} the loss of her -liberty, Queen Mary might have found the castle a pleasant abode. - -Loch Leven Castle was the property of Sir William Douglas, whose wife -was the mother of the Earl of Murray, the illegitimate son of James V. -The Lady Douglas could be supposed to have little sympathy for the -legitimate daughter of the king to whom she pretended to have been -married. In placing Mary in the hands of such a custodian, the lords -who opposed her felt reasonably secure. - -Scott gives a wonderfully dramatic picture of the visit of Lord -Lindsay, Lord Ruthven, and Sir Robert Melville to the castle, and the -method by which they extorted Mary's signature to deeds abdicating the -throne in favour of her infant son and creating the Earl of Murray -regent, and although the scene is purely fictitious, the facts of -history are not distorted. Roland Graeme is represented as unsheathing -his sword and discovering a hidden parchment rolled around the blade. -It proved to be a secret message from Lord Seyton, advising Mary to -yield to the necessity of the situation. The incident is based upon -the fact that Sir Robert Melville was sent to accompany the ruffianly -Lindsay, and his no less harsh associate Ruthven, to prevent violence -to the Queen, and to carry, concealed in the scabbard of his sword, a -message from her friends advising submission and carrying the assurance -that deeds signed under such compulsion would not be legally binding -when she regained her liberty. - -The escape of the Queen is told in substantial accordance with the -facts, though with a variation of details which the license of the -novelist would easily permit. {270} George Douglas, a younger brother -of the lord of Loch Leven, was much impressed by the beauty of the -Queen, and captivated by her pleasant manners and fair promises. He -devised a plan of escape, but this was discovered and George was -expelled from the castle by his brother. Another attempt was more -successful. An inmate of the castle, called 'the Little Douglas,' had -also felt a sympathy for the Queen. He was a lad of seventeen or -eighteen and really played the part which Scott assigned to Roland -Graeme. He stole the keys and set the prisoner at liberty in the -night. Placing her in a boat, he paused long enough to lock the iron -gates of the tower from the outside so that pursuit would be -impossible, then, throwing the keys into the lake, rowed his passenger -ashore. George Douglas, Lord Seyton, and other friends were waiting to -receive her and conveyed her in triumph to Hamilton. - -An army of six thousand men was quickly assembled, the plan being to -place the Queen safely in the fortress of Dumbarton, and then give -battle to the Regent Murray. The latter was too quick for the allies, -however. He was then at Glasgow and marched at once, though with an -inferior force, to intercept the advancing army. They met at Langside, -now a suburb of Glasgow, and after a fierce struggle the Queen's forces -were scattered. Mary herself continued her flight, until she reached -the Abbey of Dundrennan, in the County of Kirkcudbright, where she -spent her last night in Scotland. - -[Illustration: CATHCART CASTLE] - -The novelist represents Queen Mary as viewing the battle from the -Castle of Crookston, and the unfortunate lady dramatically exclaims, -'O, I must forget much ere I can look with steady eyes on these -well-known {271} scenes! I must forget the days which I spent here as -the bride of the lost--the murdered'--Here Mary Fleming interrupts to -explain to the Abbot that in this castle 'the Queen held her first -court after she was married to Darnley.' - -Mary could not have witnessed the battle of Langside from Crookston, -unless, indeed, she had had, in the language of Sam Weller, instead of -eyes, 'a pair o' patent double million magnifyin' gas microscopes of -hextra power,' for Langside is at least four miles away and the contour -of the country would make such a view impossible. She really watched -it from a knoll near the old Castle of Cathcart, which has since been -known as Court Knowe. Scott admitted the error, but did not much -regret it, as Crookston seemed the place best suited to the dramatic -requirements of the tale, because of Mary's former association with the -castle. Here again the facts are against him. Crookston was the -property of the Earl of Lennox, Darnley's father, but Darnley himself -never lived there, except possibly as a boy, before he went to France -at the age of sixteen. It seems to be certain to those who have -investigated the facts that after his return he had no opportunity of -going there and that he and Queen Mary could not have visited the place -together, either before or after their marriage. - -Nevertheless, Scott was wise to let the incident remain as he wrote it, -for 'The Abbot' is not a work of history, but a romance. - - - - -{272} - -CHAPTER XX - -KENILWORTH - -The successful introduction of Mary Queen of Scots as the central -figure of 'The Abbot' resulted, not only in repairing the reputation -which had been somewhat damaged by its predecessor, but in suggesting -the theme of a new novel which was to achieve a popularity second only -to 'Ivanhoe.' The desire to portray, in the form of romance, the great -rival of Queen Mary, was perhaps irresistible, particularly in view of -the fact that it meant a new opportunity to reach that English audience -which had given to 'Ivanhoe' so cordial a reception. Constable, the -publisher, was of course delighted to have a new English novel and -particularly one in which Queen Elizabeth was to be an important -figure. With characteristic presumptuousness he argued that it should -be a story of the Armada. Scott, however, had been enchanted in his -youth by a ballad of the Scotch poet, Mickle, entitled 'Cumnor Hall,' -and particularly by its first stanza:-- - - The dews of summer night did fall; - The moon, sweet regent of the sky, - Silver'd the walls of Cumnor Hall, - And many an oak that grew thereby. - -He insisted, therefore, in spite of his adviser, upon taking the theme -of the ballad for his subject and would even have called the novel -'Cumnor Hall.' In deference to Constable, however, he accepted the -title, 'Kenilworth,' {273} although John Ballantyne growled a little at -a name which he thought suggested 'something worthy of a kennel.' - -Here, then, were the determining points of the new novel, namely, a -favourite poem concerning the marriage of the Earl of Leicester to a -lady whom he kept concealed at Cumnor Hall, the desire to sketch, in a -romantic way, the character of Queen Elizabeth, and the opportunity to -secure a dramatic climax by confronting the Queen with the wife of her -favourite courtier, in the splendid castle of the latter at Kenilworth. - -Cumnor is one of those lovely little villages in the Midlands of -England where Father Time employs his talents as an artist, softening -the outlines of the stone walls and fences with graceful mantles of -dark green ivy and imparting richer and deeper shades of brown to the -old thatched roofs of the cottages. - -We saw few evidences of activity on the part of the inhabitants, and -reached the conclusion that Cumnor, in Walter Scott's time, and even in -the days of the Earl of Leicester, could not have been very different -from its present aspect. - -We did not ruin our reputation as travellers by failing to 'wet a cup -at the bonny Black Bear,' for that 'excellent inn of the old stamp,' if -indeed it ever existed, has disappeared as effectually as its famous -landlord, Giles Gosling. Its prototype, bearing the sign of the 'Bear -and Ragged Staff,' formerly stood opposite the church, but its bar-room -became objectionable to the vicar and, by what a local writer calls 'an -impious act of vandalism,' the inn was destroyed. - -Cumnor Place has likewise disappeared. The site {274} where it stood -appears to be a comparatively small piece of land, near the street, but -well covered with large trees. It was not an extensive park with -formal walks and avenues, nor was the house itself so large or high as -the structure described in the novel. It was a single-story building -or series of buildings, forming an enclosure about seventy feet long -and fifty feet wide. It was built about 1350 as a country residence -for the Abbot of Abingdon and as a sanitarium for the monks. After two -centuries its use by the monastery ceased and Cumnor Place passed into -the hands of the Court physician, George Owen, who leased it to Anthony -Foster. As the servant of Lord Robert Dudley, Foster received into his -house the ill-fated Amy Robsart, whom that gentleman had married in -1550. The marriage was not secret, but was celebrated in the presence -of the young King, Edward VI, and his Court. It had been arranged by -Dudley's father, John, Earl of Warwick and Duke of Northumberland, who -seems to have had a fondness for match-making, of the kind which -promised a profit. He managed to marry his fourth son, Guildford -Dudley, to Lady Jane Grey, a great-granddaughter of Henry VII. In the -last two years of the reign of Edward VI, Northumberland was virtually -the ruler of England. He induced the King to execute a will, -disinheriting his two sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, who were the legal -heirs to the crown, and naming Lady Jane Grey as his successor. The -reign of this unfortunate lady, who never desired the throne, lasted -but nine days. The rightful Queen, Mary, was restored by the people, -and Northumberland, like his father before him, was beheaded in the -Tower. His son, Guildford, with Jane {275} Grey, his wife, suffered -the same penalty a year later, as the result of another revolt, in -which the lady, at least, had no share. - -[Illustration: LEICESTER'S BUILDINGS, KENILWORTH] - -Robert Dudley came near falling a victim to the same fate as his father -and grandfather. He took up arms against Queen Mary, was sent to the -Tower and condemned to death. But the Queen pardoned him and made him -Master of the Ordnance. On the accession of Elizabeth he became Master -of the Horse, and thereafter rose rapidly in the royal favour. -Elizabeth made him a Knight of the Garter, bestowed upon him the Castle -of Kenilworth, the lordship of Denbigh and other rich lands in -Warwickshire and Wales. In 1564 the Queen made him Earl of Leicester, -and recommended him (perhaps not seriously) as a possible husband of -Mary Queen of Scots. The University of Oxford made him their -chancellor and the King of France conferred upon him the order of St. -Michael. He reached the culmination of the high honours which -Elizabeth and others crowded upon him, in the appointment as -Lieutenant-General of the army mustered to meet the Spanish invasion, -in the year of the great Armada, 1588. - -This was the outward show, and it was brilliant enough; but the Earl -was like a worm-eaten apple--fair enough to look upon, but rotten to -the core--and his private life was thoroughly contemptible. The -marriage to Amy Robsart in 1550 was not a happy one. She was never a -countess, for Dudley did not become Earl of Leicester until four years -after her death. After the favours of Elizabeth began to be showered -upon him, Dudley had good reason for concealing this marriage, for the -Queen soon began to show a longing to make him {276} her royal husband. -In 1560, two years after the accession of Elizabeth, the dead body of -Amy was found at the foot of the stairs at Cumnor. All the servants -had gone to a neighbouring fair and apparently Anthony Foster was the -only person besides Amy at home on that day. It was given out that Amy -had accidentally fallen downstairs and broken her neck. She was -ostentatiously buried in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Oxford, -though Lord Dudley was not present at the funeral nor did he again -visit Cumnor. - -More than twenty years later a pamphlet was published, anonymously, -under the title 'Leicester's Commonwealth,' in which the Earl was -bitterly attacked as an atheist and a traitor as well as a man of -infamous character. He was openly accused of the murder of his wife, -and there were not wanting many evidences seeming to corroborate this -view. It was alleged that efforts to poison her were made, by -direction of the Earl. That Leicester was not incapable of such an act -is indicated by the circumstances of his own death. The tradition is -that he gave his wife (the third one) a bottle of medicine to be used -for faintness. The lady kept it, unused, and later, not knowing it to -be poison, administered a dose to her husband, with a fatal result. -This lady was the widow of Walter, Earl of Essex, with whom the Earl of -Leicester was carrying on an intrigue before her husband's death. -There was a quarrel and Essex died suddenly, under some suspicion of -poison. Leicester's secret marriage with the widow led to serious -accusations against him. According to the author of 'Leicester's -Commonwealth,' when the Earl fell in love with Lady Douglas Sheffield -(who became his second wife), {277} her husband suddenly died under -mysterious circumstances. Leicester had in his employ an Italian -physician who was a skilful compounder of poisons. It was said that -his cunning and skill enabled him to cause a person to die with the -symptoms of any disease he might choose, or to administer a poison so -that the victim would expire at whatever hour he might appoint. These -weird tales no doubt suggested something of the character of the -fraudulent alchemist and astrologer, Alasco. - -The stair at the foot of which Amy Robsart's body was found was a -narrow winding flight, something like a corkscrew. It has been pointed -out that Amy would have had considerable difficulty in hurling herself -headlong around the twists and turns of such a staircase with enough -force to break her neck. Without definite knowledge of the facts, the -most reasonable supposition is that Lord Dudley, having a motive for -the crime and being a man of unscrupulous character, would not hesitate -to order it committed. His grandfather had been the agent of Henry VII -in the infamous extortions which gave that sovereign an enormous -fortune; his father had not hesitated to risk the lives of his son and -an innocent lady to accomplish his own treasonable purposes, besides -directly causing the death of the Duke of Somerset, and indirectly -bringing about the execution of the Duke's brother, Lord Seymour. It -is therefore not unreasonable to suppose that the scion of this -ambitious family, who was himself cherishing no less bold a project -than his own marriage with the Queen, should willingly give orders to -remove the one great obstacle in his path. - -The great festivities at Kenilworth occurred in 1575. Amy Robsart had -been dead fifteen years. The Earl of {278} Leicester was none the less -entangled, however, for he was at the time married to Lady Sheffield, -who strongly maintained the validity of the marriage, though it was -denied by the Earl and concealed from the Queen. At the same time, -also, the intrigue with the Countess of Essex was in progress. From -this it will be seen that although Scott departed from the facts of -history in bringing poor Amy to Kenilworth, he nevertheless gave a true -picture of the Earl of Leicester's embarrassment in the presence of his -Queen. Scott softens the black-hearted villainy of the Earl, by making -him an unwilling victim of his own ambition, duped into deeds of infamy -by the determination of the conscienceless Richard Varney. He admits -that he preferred to make the Earl 'rather the dupe of villains than -the unprincipled author of their atrocities,' because in the latter -capacity, he would have been a character too disgustingly wicked for -the purposes of fiction. - -[Illustration: CÆSAR'S TOWER, KENILWORTH] - -According to Scott's account, the unfortunate Amy, after falling -completely into the toils of Varney, was carried back to Cumnor Place, -and lodged in a tower room at the top of the building. A gallery, -arranged by a secret contrivance to be used as a drawbridge, which, -when dropped, would cut off all access to the chamber, was the only -means of entrance or exit. After Amy had entered the chamber, Varney -and Foster withdrew the supports of the bridge in such manner that the -slightest weight would cause it to fall. Varney then reached the -consummation of his villainy by imitating the whistle of Leicester. -Amy, deceived by the signal and eager to meet her Lord, rushed upon the -bridge and fell to the deepest vault of the castle. The method of the -real {279} Amy's death is not definitely known, but it was probably by -no such elaborate invention. She was doubtless strangled in her room -and her body carried to the foot of the stairs to suggest an accidental -death. - -Anthony Foster lies buried in Cumnor Church, which stands on land -adjoining the site of Cumnor Place, near the entrance to the village on -the road from Oxford. It is one of those stone churches, with square, -substantial towers and ivy-clad walls, which add to the charm of the -landscape throughout the length and breadth of England, as though she -intended thereby to express both the beauty and the solidity of her -religion. - -The Foster tomb is an elaborate monument of grey marble, within the -altar rail, and is easily the most noteworthy feature of the interior -of the church. Two engraved brass plates represent the family at -prayers, and beneath is a long inscription in Latin, indicating that -Anthony Foster was a distinguished gentleman of good birth, skilled in -the arts of music and horticulture, a good linguist and renowned for -charity, benevolence, and religious fidelity. Looking upon this -elaborate memorial, one cannot escape the conviction that Tony Foster -was either a greatly maligned saint or the parent of a family of -hypocrites. If the intention of those who composed the inscription was -to convince the world of his innocence, they could not have been -expected to foresee that, for every person who should read and -understand the epitaph, ten thousand would be led to a perception of -Foster's real character through the pen of a Scottish novelist, but for -whom few of us would ever have known the sad story of the Lady of -Cumnor Hall. - -{280} - -As for the Earl of Leicester, a more truthful epitaph exists, not -indeed carved upon stone, but preserved in the Collections of Drummond -of Hawthornden. It reads:-- - - Here lies a valiant warrior, - Who never drew a sword; - Here lies a noble courtier, - Who never kept his word; - Here lies the Erle of Leister, - Who govern'd the estates; - Whom the earth could never living love, - And the just Heaven now hates. - -The escape of Amy Robsart from Cumnor Place was achieved through the -aid of Wayland Smith, a blacksmith, pedler, and strolling juggler, who -had picked up from a former master some knowledge of medicine which he -employed to good advantage. There was a legend current in Berkshire of -a mysterious smith, who lived among the rocks and replaced lost -horseshoes for a fee of sixpence, feeling offended if more were -offered. Scott used this tale as the basis of his story of Wayland -Smith. The idea of having his smithy in a cave may have been suggested -by just such a place in Gilmerton, a village on the outskirts of -Edinburgh, with which Scott must have been familiar. I had no -difficulty in finding it. It is an artificial cavern, with many -ramifications, and as the light can enter only from the door at the -head of a stone stairway, its farther corners are extremely dark. Near -the entrance is a blacksmith's forge. In a small and dark alcove -opposite is an oblong stone, evidently intended as a dining-table. A -rough shelf or ledge, cut out of the stone partition, served as a bench -at meal-times. Any of the dark corners could be {281} used as -sleeping-rooms. The cave was probably used by thieves or smugglers as -a convenient hiding-place. - -Amy's journey from Cumnor Village, four miles west of Oxford, to -Kenilworth, in the centre of Warwickshire, was a ride of about fifty -miles. Perhaps the Countess's mental condition would not permit her to -enjoy it and doubtless the country then was wild and the roads rough; -but the route to-day would be a delightful one, especially that part of -it which passes through Warwickshire with its 'hedgerows of -unmarketable beauty.' - -As they approached the old town of Warwick, travelling by circuitous -paths to avoid the crowds then journeying to witness the festivities at -Kenilworth, Amy and her humble guide, the blacksmith, passed through -some of the most beautiful country in England. But they were obliged -to avoid what to-day forms the grand climax of interest to the tourist, -the magnificent Castle of Warwick. This was the resting-place of Queen -Elizabeth on the day preceding her triumphal progress to Kenilworth. -In those days it was the seat of Ambrose Dudley, a brother to the Earl -of Leicester and the third son of the notorious John Dudley. - -There was never a time, say the local antiquaries, back as far as the -reign of the celebrated King Arthur, when Warwick did not have its -Earls. The most renowned of these was Guy, a great warrior supposed to -stand nine feet high, among whose exploits were the killing of 'a -Saracen giant, a wild boar, a dun cow, and a green dragon.' After a -life devoted to these pleasant diversions, he retired to Guy's Cliffe, -a retreat near Warwick, famed for its natural beauty, where he lived as -a hermit until his death. The real building of the {282} castle began -when the Normans took possession, William the Conqueror granting the -vast estate, including the castle and the town, to Henry de Newburgh, -the first Earl of Warwick. In the fifteenth century it came into the -possession of Richard Neville, the famous 'King-Maker.' Since that -time many improvements have been made, especially in the spacious -grounds, which now make a splendid park, with well-kept lawns and -paths, stately trees, formal gardens with yews fantastically trimmed, -and a profusion of flowers. - -[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO WARWICK CASTLE] - -The entrance road, cut through solid rock, looks as if carved out of -soft moss, so thickly does the ivy cling to the walls. Trees of varied -foliage overarch the path, and near the entrance the edges are bordered -by narrow lines of flowers. At the end of this delightful avenue a -sharp turn to the left brought us in front of the great Castle. On the -right is Guy's Tower, rising one hundred and twenty-eight feet high and -having walls ten feet thick. On the left is Cæsar's Tower, built by -the Normans eight hundred years ago and still firm as the rock upon -which it stands. The two are joined by an ivy-covered wall in the -centre of which is a great gate between two towers. Passing through -this gateway we entered the spacious court. Directly opposite is the -mound, or keep, almost completely covered from base to summit with -trees and shrubs, over the tops of which the towers and battlements -peep out. On the right are two unfinished towers, one of them begun by -Richard III, the whole side of the quadrangle forming a massive line of -ramparts and embattled walls. On the left is the great mansion, -occupied for centuries by the Earls of Warwick. The square formed by -these huge stone buildings {283} is beautiful in its simplicity--a wide -expanse of lawn, its rich velvet green broken only by the white gravel -walks. To see the interior of the castle we were compelled to join a -party of tourists, and march in solemn procession through the rooms of -state, while our guide, an old soldier with a Cockney accent, -loquaciously explained that his 'hobject' in telling us about the -'hearls' in this room was to prepare us to appreciate the 'hearls' in -the next! This agony over, we departed by the road which leads across -the Avon, where we were rewarded by a superb view of the castle from -the bridge. - -The next day we were at Kenilworth. It requires the exercise of a -vivid imagination to walk among the ruins and trace the progress of -Scott's story, but we found it a delightful study. We entered by the -little wicket gate, next to the mansion known as the Gatehouse, erected -by Dudley in 1570 as the chief entrance to the castle. Walking south, -across the outer court, we came to the ancient entrance in the -southeast angle known as Mortimer's Tower. From this point an -embankment stretched to the southeast for about one hundred and fifty -yards. It was eighteen yards wide and twenty feet high. Besides -serving its original purpose of a dam, to hold back the waters of a -great lake covering one hundred and eleven acres, this bank of earth -made an admirable tilt-yard. At the extreme end of the embankment was -the Gallery Tower, containing a spacious room from which the ladies -could witness the tournaments. A wall eight feet high and eighty-five -feet long is all that remains of this structure. It was built by Henry -III in the thirteenth century and reconstructed {284} by the Earl of -Leicester in preparation for the great festivities. - -Here Amy presented herself under strange circumstances. As the wife of -the great Earl of Leicester, the magnificent castle was her own and all -its army of servants, and the vast crowd of sight-seers, could they -have recognized their countess, would have bowed in humble reverence -and have delighted to execute her slightest wish. But she came unknown -and unrespected, not as the honoured Countess, but as 'the bale of -woman's gear' belonging to a blacksmith, disguised as a juggler. At -the Gallery Tower the two strange companions were halted by a giant -porter, and gained admission only by the intercession of the -mischievous little imp called Flibbertigibbet. They traversed the -length of the tilt-yard, and passing through Mortimer's Tower, came in -front of the splendid buildings, all with doors and gates wide open as -a sign of unlimited hospitality. - -On their right stood the stately Cæsar's Tower, a fine specimen of the -military architecture of the Normans, built about 1170 to 1180, and -still the best-preserved portion of the ruins. On their left was the -great 'Leicester's Building,' erected in honour of the occasion for the -accommodation of the Queen. It reached a height of ninety-three feet -and was ninety feet long and fifty feet wide. The walls are thin, -however, and although the most recent in date of all the important -parts of the castle, this structure has crumbled into ruins to such an -extent that it can be preserved only by constant attention. - -Between Cæsar's Tower and Leicester's Building, and joining the two, -Amy and her guide saw a stately edifice, {285} then known as King Henry -VIII's Lodgings, because it was used by that monarch on the occasion of -his visits to the castle. The portion on the left, immediately -adjoining Leicester's Building, was called Dudley's Lobby. No vestige -of these structures, which originally formed the eastern side of a -magnificent quadrangle, can now be seen. - -Passing through an open gateway between Cæsar's Tower and King Henry's -Lodgings, the Countess entered the Inner Court. On the right, and in -the rear of Cæsar's Tower, she could see the great kitchens, then a -busy part of the establishment, but now showing little more than the -remains of a huge fireplace and a thick wall from which project a -broken arch or two. On the left were the White Hall, now entirely -destroyed, and next to it the Presence Chamber, which had a fine oriel -window looking into the court. Directly in front Amy could see the -'Great Hall' in which her princely husband had made lavish preparations -to entertain the Queen with unprecedented extravagance. It was built -in the fourteenth century by John of Gaunt, son of Edward III, who took -up his residence at the castle on the death of his father, and spent -the remainder of his life in adding to its magnificence. The hall was -ninety feet long and forty-five feet wide. The floor has disappeared, -but the remains of the pillars and arches which once supported it may -still be seen. The Great Hall was lighted by large and very high -windows, set in deep recesses, the outlines of which are still well -preserved. The remains of two large fireplaces, one on each side, may -still be seen. At the southern end was a dais, upon which was the -Throne of State, with crimson canopy of {286} richly embroidered -velvet. At the opposite end was a minstrel gallery for the musicians. -From the centre of the roof hung a chandelier of brass, shaped like an -eagle, its spreading wings supporting six human figures, each of which -carried a pair of branches containing huge candles. The tables, -chairs, cushions, carpets, and silken tapestries were all of the -costliest workmanship. It is stated that the Earl of Leicester spent -£60,000 upon this lavish entertainment, a sum which, to-day, would be -better represented by half a million. - -[Illustration: MERVYN'S TOWER, KENILWORTH] - -Amy and her escort were not at liberty to view this regal magnificence. -They proceeded across the court to a tower at the northwestern angle, -which was doubtless intended for a prison, judging from the thickness -of the walls and the small size of the rooms. It was called, for this -reason, the Strong Tower, though Scott's name for it is Mervyn's Tower. -During the Elizabethan festivities it was used for the accommodation of -guests. Here we must leave Amy for the present and go back to trace -the movements of Elizabeth. - -The Queen approached by way of the Gallery Tower, heralded by the roll -of drums, the blare of trumpets, the roar of cannon, and the tumultuous -shouts of a vast multitude. Two hundred thick waxen torches, each -borne by a horseman, cast a glare of light upon the cavalcade. The -Queen, mounted upon a milk-white horse and clad in gorgeous raiment, -blazing with jewels, was accompanied by the Earl of Leicester, -'glittering like a golden image with jewels and cloth of gold.' He -rode a jet-black horse, renowned as one of the most splendid chargers -in Europe. Both horse and rider seemed perfectly formed to grace an -occasion so glorious. {287} A great procession of the most -distinguished noblemen, the ablest statesmen, and the proudest knights -of England followed the Queen, together with the ladies of the Court, -famed for splendour and beauty and arrayed in garments only a little -less magnificent than those of the Queen herself. Passing upon the -bridge or dam which stretched between the gallery and Mortimer's Tower, -the royal procession paused to witness a gorgeous spectacular -performance on the lake. Then, entering the Base Court, they moved -through various pageants to the Inner Court, and came at length to the -Great Hall, where the Queen was handed to the Throne by the Earl of -Leicester. - -The Pleasance was an irregular-shaped enclosure, visible to the west -from Mervyn's Tower and connecting with a rectangular section on the -north known as the garden. The latter had a terrace along the castle -wall, ten feet high and twelve feet wide, covered with grass and -decorated with obelisks, spheres, and stone bears. At each end was an -arbour of trees and fragrant flowers. The garden was intersected by -walks or alleys, each of which had, in the middle, a square pilaster, -fifteen feet high, surmounted by an orb. In the centre of the garden -was a fountain of white marble, its pedestal carved with allegorical -subjects and surmounted by two Atlantes, back to back, holding a ball, -from which streams of water poured into the basin. At the side of the -terrace was a large aviary, well filled with birds. - -This was the scene of the dramatic climax toward which the novel -trends, where Queen Elizabeth finally confronts Amy Robsart and begins -to unravel the whole story of Leicester's duplicity. - -{288} - -Aside from their associations with the novel, the ruins of Kenilworth -seem to exert a strong fascination. It is as though Nature were -reasserting herself. A thousand years ago the domain was untouched by -the hand of man. Then came kings and conquerors, who replaced the -pristine beauty with artificial structures. Stately halls and palaces -sprang into existence. Their inner walls were hung with the costliest -of silks. Their floors were covered with the richest carpets from the -looms of the Orient. Chairs, stools, tables, and bedsteads of -elaborate workmanship, gorgeously covered with lace and embroidered -with cloth of gold; paintings; musical instruments; curiously wrought -plate, of silver and mother-of-pearl; everything, indeed, that the -handicraft of the times could fashion and the wealth of its owners -could buy, was brought to the castle in mute testimonial of man's -conception of beauty. But these things passed. Kings and queens no -longer made the castle their home, nor honoured it with even a brief -visit. The people seized the government and, jealous lest royalty -should again find shelter there, demolished the costly buildings. For -the sake of a few pounds of lead, the roofs were torn away and sold. -The artificial dam which backed up the waters of the great lake was cut -and the waters flowed once more in their natural channels. Nature -again assumed control. The formal gardens became a green pasture. The -spacious courts which had been worn hard by the iron hoofs of countless -steeds became soft again with a covering of deep and velvety grass. -The proud war-horses vanished and in their place the gentle sheep -appeared. The frightful scars on the face of the ruined buildings were -concealed {289} beneath a rich cloak of deep-green ivy. Wall-flowers -sprang out of the broken crevices below the arches. - -All is peaceful, all is still. Nature has brought to the castle her -own conception of beauty, and once more reigns supreme. - - - - -{290} - -CHAPTER XXI - -THE PIRATE - -The Shetland and Orkney Islands, seen from an aeroplane at great height -on a calm day, would resemble, I fancy, two handfuls of gravel thrown -upon a horizontal sheet of window-glass. When I was a boy they meant -little to me except a few black specks at the top of the map of Great -Britain. Upon examining a larger map, an active lad might fancy that -it would be great fun to skip from one island to another, or to play -tag, leaping over the numerous indentations in the coast. The Shetland -group is broken into about one hundred islands, stretching north and -south for seventy miles, but the total land surface is only five -hundred and fifty-one square miles, or less than half the area of the -State of Rhode Island. The Orkney group, lying fifty miles farther -south, is even smaller, its fifty-six islands containing only three -hundred and seventy-five square miles. - -Upon closer acquaintance, however, the islands do not seem so -diminutive. Great rugged cliffs tower perpendicularly to enormous -heights above the sea-level. Huge broken fragments of rock form -gigantic towers, or stacks, rising out of the sea to a height of -hundreds of feet. One of the most picturesque of these, the Old Man of -Hoy, would tower above the dome of St. Peter's in Rome. Our small boy, -standing on the edge of one of these cliffs, looking down upon the -ocean, boiling and seething through strange caverns and natural arches, -{291} five hundred feet below, would quickly forget his desire to leap -to the nearest island. The wildness of the scene is accentuated by the -screaming of thousands of cormorants, guillemots, and gulls, mingling -with the roar of the sea and the mournful soughing of the wind. - -We sailed into the Sound of Bressay, the harbour of Lerwick, at twelve -o'clock on a Saturday night in June. It was still light enough to see -plainly, for in these regions the summer sun has to rise so early in -the morning that he does not think it worth while to go to bed. -Expecting to land at the wharf of some quiet little seaport town, we -were astonished at the sight which the twilight revealed. A forest of -masts crowded the sound, which is here a mile wide. It was at the -height of the herring-fishing, and nearly a thousand vessels had -arrived to land their fish and enable their crews to spend Sunday on -shore, for these fishermen observe the Sabbath, piously or otherwise, -as a day of rest. All the remainder of that night and all day Sunday -the stone pavements of Lerwick resounded to the clatter of wooden shoes -worn by the Dutch fishermen. These Dutchmen are largely responsible -for the importance of Lerwick, having discovered many years ago that it -would be a convenient centre for the curing and shipping of herring. -Other nations are also represented, particularly Norway, Sweden, -Germany, and France, while the native Shetlanders still retain a -portion of the trade, though relatively a small one. Besides filling -the harbour, the vessels were crowded along the quays, five or six -deep, so that the crews of late arrivals could reach the shore only by -crossing the decks of several other ships. As soon as possible after a -boat arrives, its cargo is auctioned off at {292} the Fishmarket, after -which it proceeds to one of the curing stations. Nearly all the -vessels were 'steam-drifters,' which have superseded the old -sailing-boats. These drifters usually carry a crew of ten men. Their -engines are capable of ten knots an hour, sometimes more. As it often -happens that profitable shoals of fish cannot be found without -travelling at least a hundred miles, the advantage over the old -sailing-ships is apparent. - -Crowds of people flock to Lerwick in the season to look for employment -in the curing establishments. On the little steamer which conveyed us -thither, we noticed, in various out-of-the-way corners of the deck, -what seemed to be piles of black and brown rags. They were there when -we came on board at Aberdeen, and remained nearly all the next day. -They turned out to be women, huddling together to keep warm, and -covered only by their thick dresses and a few old shawls. They -belonged to a class known by the not very pleasing, but thoroughly -descriptive, name of gutters, and were making their annual trip to -Lerwick to spend the season in the great curing establishments. These -sturdy women become very expert. Each fish is eviscerated with two -quick motions of the knife, assisted by the thumb and fingers, the -process continuing for long hours, at the rate of about two dozen of -herring a minute. - -[Illustration: LERWICK, SHETLAND] - -Lerwick, the capital of the Shetland Islands, is a town of picturesque -appearance. When it was built there were no carts in the islands, and -no occasion for any, for there were no roads. A long zigzag street -runs the length of the town, near the shore, and is the main business -thoroughfare. A century ago it would have been impossible to drive an -ordinary wagon through its narrow and awkward {293} turnings. Now the -buildings are sufficiently altered to admit the passage of teams, but -in many places, when a vehicle passes, the pedestrians must step into -the nearest doorways. The town is built on a hillside, so that the -cross-streets are steep lanes, alternating with short flights of -stairs. They have rough pavements, and usually a rail is placed along -the buildings for the safety of the pedestrians in icy weather. The -main thoroughfare, varying in width from ten to twenty-five feet, is -paved with flagging and its stone buildings, though small and of many -different shapes, have a substantial look. Strolling through the -streets of Lerwick, one might estimate the population at about five -thousand; looking out over the harbour on Sunday morning he would be -inclined to change the figure to twenty times that number; but again -looking seaward on Monday afternoon, when the fishing fleet has -disappeared, he would doubtless revert to his original estimate. - -The men of the islands are nearly all fishermen. They work hard in the -season, which lasts from June to September, and spend their money, -during the long dark days of winter, in various amusements. Some -maintain small farms of five or ten acres each, known as crofts, where -they raise a few cattle and sheep. Only about one sixth of the land is -under cultivation, and of this about three fourths is pasture land. -The soil and climate of the Shetlands is decidedly unfavourable to -agriculture. The women look after the cattle, till the soil in their -small kail-yards, or gardens, bring in the winter supply of peat, and -attend to all the duties of housekeeping. In the intervals of their -busy lives, they knit shawls and other garments, out of wool which they -card and spin {294} themselves. Indeed, they knit nearly all the time. -It is not uncommon to see them walking along the roads or across the -moors, with heavy baskets of peat on their backs, the knitting-needles -clicking busily, as if every woman had been born with these implements -in her hands. - -On the morning after our arrival we set out to discover the scenes of -'The Pirate.' Not knowing what changes had occurred since Scott's -visit to the islands in 1814, I was not sure whether I should be -obliged to catch a Shetland pony upon which to travel or make up my -mind to walk the twenty-seven miles between Lerwick and Sumburgh Head, -over a roadless country of rocks and mountains, morasses, and -quagmires. It was a delight, therefore, to learn not only that there -was a good road all the way, but that Lerwick now boasted the -possession of an automobile, the only one on the islands. I lost no -time in hiring the car, with a chauffeur who said he 'knew the road,' -though he afterwards confessed he had never been over it. When he -reached the mountainous regions, where the road dodges in and out -around a bewildering succession of short curves, along the edges of -cliffs from which we could look down upon rugged rocks or into the -lakes and voes a hundred feet below, speeding the machine as though he -were on level ground and familiar with every foot of it, he gave us a -thrill or two at every turn. - -[Illustration: A CROFTER'S COTTAGE, ORKNEY] - -We started out in the general direction taken by Mordaunt Mertoun, when -he left the comfortable home of Magnus Troil and his two pretty -daughters, Minna and Brenda, to return to the forlorn habitation of his -father at Jarlshof. There was just enough strong wind, with occasional -dashes of rain, to suggest the storm which {295} Mordaunt faced. But -he had to find his way around the edges of the numerous inland lakes -and voes by a kind of instinct, having no path to follow. We -travelled, on the contrary, over a good hard road, one of the -improvements of the last half-century. Most of the people whom we -passed had never seen an automobile. They not only hastily gave us the -road, but usually climbed high up on the adjacent banks, sometimes -dragging their pony-carts after them. One old man, when he saw us -coming, hastily took his horse out of the shafts, and rushed up the -side of the hill with the animal, to a safe distance of a hundred yards -before he dared look back. The horse gazed upon us in mild-eyed -curiosity, but the man's expression of terror suggested that he might -have seen old Norna of the Fitful Head herself and her leering, -sneering, grinning, and goggling dwarf, Nick Strumpfer, flying along in -a vehicle of the Devil's own invention. Though not particularly -grateful for the implied compliment, we were obliged to accept some -such explanation of the fact, which became more and more apparent, that -the men and women feared us far more than did their horses. - -At one point we stopped to watch some women gathering peat. Only the -wealthy can afford to import coal and there is no wood on the islands, -because the fierce winds and rocky soil prevent the growth of trees. -The universal fuel for the poor is therefore peat, which seems to have -been providentially provided. For a fee of half-a-crown a year, or in -some cases a little more, paid to some large landowner, each family may -take a winter's supply. Every crofter's cottage has its peat-stack -near the door. Peat is simply decayed moss, the most common variety of -which is called _Sphagnum_. It is a small plant with {296} thin, scaly -leaves. In the light it has a hue of vivid green, changing in the -lower and darker places to a sickly yellow, and finally in the lowest -and dampest places, where it is thoroughly decayed, to a deep black. -This decayed portion is the peat, which, when well dried, burns with a -smouldering fire, of greater heat than an equal weight of wood, but -with far greater volume of smoke. The peat-banks resemble miniature -terraces, each about a foot high. The cutting is done with a curious -spade, with long narrow blade, called a _twiscar_ or _tuskar_. The top -layer, consisting of coarse dry grasses and the roots of heather and -other plants, is of no value. The second layer is a thick, moist, -spongy substance of a dark brown or black colour, while the third is -still more compressed, and, but for the moisture, looks somewhat like -coal. Each spadeful resembles a big, blackened brick, of unusual -length. They are laid in rows to dry and finally carried away to the -crofter's cottages, generally in baskets. The women swing their heavy -loads upon their backs and trudge long distances. Occasionally the -peat is loaded upon small sledges drawn by ponies. We saw an old -woman, with a very pretty granddaughter, loading their fuel upon one of -these sledges, which was drawn by a little 'Sheltie' with furry coat of -pure white. The old woman kindly allowed me to take her picture, a -favour which two other women declined to grant, because they did n't -have on their best clothes! - -Burgh-Westra, the home of Magnus Troil and his daughters, is purely -fictitious. It was supposed to be twenty miles from Sumburgh Head, -which would make it seven miles south of Lerwick. We passed numerous -voes, as the long arms of the sea are called, any of which {297} would -have answered the description of the one upon which the Udaller's -residence was situated, and we could have found many sheltered places -among the rocks, corresponding to that in which Mordaunt Mertoun -secretly met Brenda, or to the beach of white sand beneath a precipice, -where Minna offered to pledge her hand to the pirate, Cleveland, by the -mysterious 'promise of Odin.' - -Ten miles below Burgh-Westra was Stourburgh, where Triptolemus -Yellowley and Mistress Baby took up their residence. This, too, is -fictitious. Sumburgh Head, on the contrary, is very real. It is a -rocky promontory, three hundred feet high, at the southern extremity of -the Mainland, as the largest of the Shetland Islands is called. -Conflicting tides, sweeping around the rugged headland from two oceans, -make a dangerous current, called the Roost of Sumburgh, from the -Icelandic word, _röst_, signifying a strong tide. It has been a menace -to navigation for centuries and the scene of countless shipwrecks. The -novelist, quite naturally, therefore, made it the scene of the wreck -and rescue of Cleveland. Such a place would appeal strongly to Scott, -whose visit to the islands was made on a lighthouse yacht, the business -of which was to inspect just such points of danger. He climbed the -grassy slope to the top of the head, where he could look down from the -loftiest crag upon a wild mass of rocks below, and said it would have -been a fine situation in which to compose an ode to the Genius of -Sumburgh Head or an elegy upon a cormorant or to have written and -spoken madness of any kind. Instead of doing this he gave vent to his -enthusiasm by sitting down on the grass and sliding a few hundred feet -down to the beach! {298} Whether the performance was voluntary or -involuntary, he did not see fit to inform us. - -A short distance north of Sumburgh Head, and in full view of it, we -found the ruins of Jarlshof, the abode of Basil Mertoun and his son. -It was a poorly built house of rough, unhewn stone, and even at its -best must have been desolate enough. Its age and history are not -definitely known. Robert Stewart, a son of James V, who received the -earldom of the Orkney and Shetland Islands from Mary Queen of Scots in -1565, may have been the builder. He is known to have dwelt in the -house, as did his son, Patrick, who abandoned Jarlshof after building -the Castle of Scalloway. - -When Scott visited Sumburgh he saw nothing in Jarlshof more interesting -than a ruined dwelling-house, partly buried by the sand, and once the -residence of one of the Orkney earls. But directly beneath his feet, -though he knew it not, was an object that would have delighted his -antiquarian instincts more than anything else in the islands. He gave -great attention to the old Pictish castles or brocks, especially to a -small one on the shores of a lake near Lerwick, called by him -Cleik-him-in (Clickimin), and later to the larger tower on the island -of Mousa. Here at Jarlshof, though the fact was unknown to the -inhabitants at the time of Scott's visit, there was once a series of -brocks, as old as Mousa or Clickimin, and far more extensive. - -[Illustration: SUMBURGH HEAD, SHETLAND] - -This interesting discovery was made in 1897. Mr. John Bruce, the -principal landowner in the parish of Kinrossness, upon whose property -the ruin of Jarlshof stands, noticing the encroachments of the sea -after a storm, began to suspect the existence of masonry beneath {299} -the old castle. Two friends who were visiting him saw what seemed to -be jutting ends of walls. They threw off their coats and began to -excavate, continuing with enthusiasm until they discovered, to their -great surprise, evidences of a far more extensive building than they -had suspected. Mr. Bruce then engaged labourers and continued the work -of excavation for five years. - -The Castle of Jarlshof was erected on top of an older structure, the -existence of which was evidently entirely unknown to the builder. The -excavations reveal a circular tower sixty-three feet in diameter, -similar in design to the other Shetland brochs, but larger at the base. -Its main wall is pierced with a passage three feet wide, evidently -leading to a staircase, and it has, within its thickness several -chambers. Half of the broch has been swept away by the sea. On the -west are portions of three smaller buildings, resembling beehives in -form, the largest of which is oval in shape with a length of -thirty-four feet and a width of nineteen. Outside of this structure -was a great wall, varying from ten to twenty feet thick. It has been -uncovered for a distance of seventy feet. Its shape suggests that it -may have been part of a great circular wall surrounding the whole group -of buildings, of which the central tower was the strongest and most -important. Away back in the eighth or ninth century, some Pictish -ruler may have constructed this immense fortress at the southern end of -the islands, to repel attacks by sea, and to afford a refuge to the -inhabitants in case of danger. Had Walter Scott known of its -existence, he would have fairly revelled in the discovery, and perhaps -the plot of 'The Pirate' might have been different. - -{300} - -Standing on the sands at Jarlshof, we could see, toward the northwest, -the towering promontory of the Fitful Head, rising nine hundred and -twenty-eight feet above the sea. This seemed a little puzzling at -first, for Scott places the residence of Norna of the Fitful Head at -the extreme northwestern edge of the Mainland. The Pictish burgh, or -broch, which Norna is supposed to have inhabited, is on the island of -Mousa,[1] off the eastern coast about ten miles north of Sumburgh Head. -The Wizard, for a very good reason, set the old tower on the top of a -great headland, ten miles to the south-west, and then moved the -combination fifty miles to the north. - -[Illustration: CROSS-SECTION OF THE BROCH OF MOUSA] - -The dwelling of Norna, therefore, which to the casual reader seems so -weird, was a very real thing. It represents {301} one of the earliest -forms of architecture, a rude attempt to construct a dwelling of loose -stones, without cement or timber, and with very slight knowledge of the -art of building. The Norsemen did not come to the Shetland Islands -until late in the eighth century and they found many of these brochs -already in existence. The most perfect of them all is the one on the -island of Mousa. It measures fifty-three feet in diameter at the base -and thirty-eight feet at the top. It is forty-two feet high. The -interior of what appears, externally, to be a rather large building, is -less than twenty feet in diameter owing to the peculiar construction of -the walls, which are really double. They are seventeen feet wide at -the base. Inside the walls is a kind of rude stair, or inclined plane, -winding around the building, and a series of very narrow galleries or -chambers. These receive air through openings in the inner wall, but, -excepting the door, there is no aperture in the outer wall. - -This is the real building which Scott made the residence of Norna -because of his profound interest in it as a structure of unknown -antiquity. But standing in full view, firmly planted on a solid and -easily accessible rock, its situation was too commonplace for the -requirements of the story. He knew well how to create quite a -different impression, by supposing the same kind of house situated in a -wild and remote locality, on a ragged piece of rock split off from the -main plateau and leaning outward over the sea as though the slightest -weight would tumble the whole structure, rock and all, into the ocean. -Then, to supply the needed air of mystery, he fancied it occupied by a -crazy old witch, claiming sovereignty over the winds and the seas; her -servant an ugly, big-mouthed, {302} tongueless dwarf, with malignant -features and a horrible, discordant laugh; her favourite pet an uncouth -and uncanny trained seal; her companions the unseen demons of the air; -and her occupations the utterance of sibylline prophecies and the -incantation of weird spells. Clearly, all this would have been -impossible on the island of Mousa, so the author simply adjusted the -geography of the country to the requirements of his romance. - -[Illustration: SCALLOWAY, SHETLAND] - -Although Lerwick is now the only town of importance in the Shetlands, -the village of Scalloway, directly across the Mainland on the eastern -coast, once held that distinction. It is picturesquely situated on an -arm of the sea. Approaching from the east, we paused at the top of the -hill to look down upon it. Just below was one of those long narrow -voes, so common in these islands. The whale-hunt described in 'The -Pirate' came instantly to mind. It was easy to understand how one of -these monsters might come in at high tide and find himself stranded at -the ebb. At the mouth of this voe and circling around a small bay of -its own lies the quaint little village. At the extremity of a point of -land between the voe and the bay, rising higher than any of the -surrounding buildings, stands the ruined Castle of Scalloway. It was -built in 1600 by Patrick Stewart, the Earl of Orkney to whom I have -previously referred. He was the 'Pate Stewart' whose name is still a -synonym on the islands for all that is cruel and oppressive. He -compelled the people to do his bidding. They were obliged to work in -the quarries, drag the stone to the town, build the house as best they -could without proper appliances, and perform any kind of menial service -he might exact. For this they received a penny a day if the Earl felt -{303} good-natured. Otherwise they received nothing. If they -displeased him they were thrown into dungeons and not infrequently -hanged. A huge iron ring near the top of the castle, which was used -for this purpose, still bears witness to Pate Stewart's cruelty. He is -said to have boasted that the ring seldom lacked a tassel. As -mentioned in 'The Pirate,' the inhabitants only remembered one thing to -his credit, and that was a law which accorded well with Patrick's own -ideas of the rights of people to possess their own property. This was -the law, so dear to boyish hearts, of 'finders keepers.' Property -washed up from wrecks at sea belonged to those who found it. There was -a prevalent superstition that to save a drowning person was unlucky, -and no doubt this was one of the results of Pate Stewart's ruling. If -a man was not rescued he could claim no rights of property. It was -this superstition, so prevalent on the islands, that Scott wove into -his plot, making the rescue of Cleveland and the saving of his chest an -extremely unlucky occurrence for Mordaunt Mertoun. - -We left Lerwick at midnight and stood on deck for an hour enjoying the -scenery by twilight. The little steamer was loaded to the gunwales -with barrels of fish, piled upon the decks in every nook and corner, so -that there was scarcely room to stand, making us feel like two very -insignificant bits of merchandise in the midst of such a valuable cargo -of good salt herring. In the morning we reached the port of Kirkwall, -the capital and chief city of the Orkneys. - -Instead of a long busy quay, lined with hundreds of steam-drifters as -at Lerwick, we saw an almost empty harbour and a dock, which, but for -the arrival of our {304} own vessel, would have been deserted. The -permanent population of the two towns is about the same, Kirkwall -having the advantage of the better agricultural facilities of the -Orkneys. Its streets are narrow like those in Lerwick. Bridge Street, -up which the pirates marched so insolently to meet the city -magistrates, and down which they swaggered again, dragging the -terrified Triptolemus Yellowley, is one of the narrowest of -thoroughfares. It is commonly said that here, 'two wheelbarrows -tremble as they meet.' At the end, or 'top' of this street we turned -to the right and found ourselves in Albert Street, one striking feature -of which is a solitary tree. It was said, enviously, in Lerwick, that -the people of Kirkwall were so proud of this wonderful vegetation that -they took it in every night and set it out again in the morning. - -Kirkwall is far more interesting than Lerwick because of its historical -associations, most of which centre about the Cathedral of St. Magnus. -The ancient building looks almost modern as you approach the wide plaza -opening out from Broad Street. Although older than Melrose, Dryburgh, -Holyrood, and Dunfermline abbeys, all of which are now in ruins, and in -spite of the fact that it is built of the soft red and yellow -sandstone, it still stands, complete and proudly erect. When Melrose -was rebuilt, through the munificence of Robert Bruce in the fourteenth -century, the central portions of St. Magnus had been standing for two -centuries. In the sixteenth century, when an English king was -battering down the fine old Gothic churches of Scotland, the people of -Kirkwall not only protected their cathedral, but witnessed the addition -of some of its finest features, notably the west doorway. In earlier -times it had a spire, which, judging {305} from the massive columns -upon which it rested, must have been an imposing one. The steeple was -burned in 1671, and never replaced, except by a stumpy little tower -which completely spoils the effect of an otherwise impressive building. - -The story of the founding of St. Magnus is one of the most interesting -of the sagas of the Orkneys. Hakon and Magnus, both grandsons of the -great Earl Thorfinn, were joint rulers of the islands. Hakon was -ambitious and treacherous; Magnus was virtuous, kind-hearted, and -well-beloved. By a wicked conspiracy of Hakon and his associates, the -saintly Magnus was murdered in the island of Egilsay in 1115, bravely -meeting his death as a noble martyr. Hakon died soon after, and his -son Paul inherited the earldom. Another claimant appeared in the -person of Rognvald, a nephew of Earl Magnus, now called 'Saint' Magnus, -a bold and skilful warrior and a born leader of men. Before proceeding -against Paul, Rognvald accepted the advice of his father, who told him -not to trust to his own strength, but to make a vow, that if, by the -grace of St. Magnus, he should succeed in gaining his inheritance, he -would build and dedicate to him a minster in Kirkwall, more magnificent -in size and splendour than any other in the North. With the powerful -but mysterious assistance of Sweyn Asleifson, 'the last of the -Vikings,' who seized Earl Paul and carried him away bodily, Earl -Rognvald became the sole ruler of the earldom. He set to work at once -to fulfil his vow, and began work upon the cathedral in the year 1137. - -The massiveness of the building is best realized by looking into the -nave from the west doorway. The roof {306} is supported by immense -round pillars of red sandstone, seven on each side. On the north and -south of these pillars are long aisles, the walls of which are covered -with ancient tombstones, taken up from the floor and set on end. In -the north aisle is a mort-brod, or death-board, inscribed with the name -of a departed Orcadian, whose picture is shown, sitting on the ground -in his grave-clothes, a spade over his shoulder, an hour-glass in his -lap, and a joyful grin on his face. On the reverse is the following:-- - - Below - Doeth lye - If ye wold trye - Come read upon - This brod - The Corps of on Robert - Nicholsone whos souls above - With God. - He being 70 years of age ended - This mortal life and 50 of that he - Was married to Jeane Davidson - His wife. Betwixt them 2 - 12 children had, whereof - 5 left behind the - other 7 with him 's - In Heaven, who's - Joy's shall - never - end - -In the south aisle are some curious tombstones, most of them having -carved representations of the skull and crossbones. The death's heads -are all much enlarged on the left side, the Orcadian idea being that -the soul escapes at death through the left ear. - -{307} - -The pirate, Cleveland, it will be remembered, was kept a prisoner in -these aisles, and was walking about disconsolately when Minna Troil -entered. Concealed from the guards at the door by the huge pillars, -they planned an escape. Suddenly Norna of the Fitful Head mysteriously -appeared, and warning Minna that her plan would lead to certain -discovery, sent the young woman away. Norna then led Cleveland through -a secret passage out of the church to a place of safety. In the south -aisle there is a low arch which formerly led, so it is said, through a -secret underground passage to the Bishop's Palace across the street. -This fact doubtless suggested to the novelist the means by which Norna -might spirit away the captive pirate. - -Across the street which runs by the south side of the cathedral are the -ruins of two large mansions. The Bishop's Palace, which is not -mentioned in 'The Pirate,' is chiefly interesting from the fact that -Hakon Hakonson, the last of the great sea-kings of Norway, after his -splendid fleet had been driven on the rocks by the fury of a great -storm and there almost annihilated by the fierce onset of the Scottish -warriors, sought refuge within its walls, only to die a few days later. -This was in 1263. How much older the palace is, nobody knows. - -The Earl's Palace, with its grounds, occupies the opposite corner, a -narrow street intervening between the two ruins. The enclosure is -filled with sycamores and other trees, thus refuting the slander of the -envious Shetlanders. In fact, when we came to look for them, we found -more than one enclosure in Kirkwall which could boast of fairly -good-sized trees. The castle is, or was, a very substantial building, -with fine broad {308} stairways and many turrets. Seen from the south, -across the bowling-green, it might be taken for the ruin of some large -church. It was built by the notorious Patrick Stewart, the same earl -who abandoned Jarlshof, and compelled the people to build him a larger -castle at Scalloway. By the same methods, he constructed the palace at -Kirkwall, forcing the people to quarry the stone and do all his work -without pay. An example of his tyranny was related to me by a resident -of Kirkwall. According to this tale, the Earl coveted a piece of land -adjoining the palace, with which the owner refused to part. Patrick, -not accustomed to be thwarted in his plans, was quick to apply the -remedy. He secretly caused some casks of brandy to be buried in the -desired tract. In due time he began to complain that somebody was -stealing his liquor and finally charged his neighbour with the offence. -The casks were then triumphantly 'discovered' as proof positive. -Inasmuch as the Earl was his own judge, jury, and court of appeals, the -poor innocent landowner was quickly condemned, hanged, and his property -confiscated. Many a man made over a part of his land to the Earl on -demand, having no alternative. - -We noticed many portholes under the windows, showing that the castle -was intended to serve as a fortress as well as a mansion. This was the -secret of the Earl's final downfall. The authorities of Edinburgh -could go to sleep when the Earl of the far-distant islands merely -oppressed his own people, but to fortify a castle against the King was -an act of treason. When Patrick Stewart and his son Robert prepared to -maintain their independence by fortifying not only the castle but the -cathedral, Scotland woke up. The Earl of Caithness {309} was sent -against the rebels. Robert, who was in command, withstood the siege -for one month, when he was overcome, carried to Edinburgh, and hanged. -Patrick took refuge in the Castle of Scalloway and for a time baffled -his pursuers by hiding in a secret chamber. He could not resist the -consolation of tobacco and took a few surreptitious pulls at his pipe, -while the searchers were in the house. The smoke, or the smell, -betrayed him. He was speedily taken to Edinburgh, where he paid the -penalty on the gallows of a long career of tyranny, cruelty, extortion, -confiscation, robbery, and murder. - -The most interesting room in the Earl's castle is the banqueting-hall, -which had a high roof or ceiling and was lighted on the south by three -tall but narrow arched windows. On one side is a huge fireplace with -two arches, the lower one flat. Supporting this curious combination -are two pillars, on which are carved the initials P.E.O., meaning -Patrick, Earl of Orkney, the letters being still legible. In this room -Cleveland is supposed to have met Jack Bunce upon his return to -Kirkwall. - -The two pirates, after leaving the castle, walked to Wideford Hill, two -miles from the town, where the Fair of St. Olla was being held. The -annual Lammas Market or Fair at this place is still one of the -institutions of Kirkwall, although no longer so important as in the -time of 'The Pirate.' - -If Scott took liberties with the geography of Shetland, he was -scrupulously exact in his treatment of the Orkneys. Every movement of -the brig of Magnus Troil, as well as those of the pirate ship, can be -traced on the map. The latter, it will be recalled, sailed around to -{310} Stromness, where she dropped anchor. Two inland lakes, known as -the Loch of Stennis and the Loch of Harray, now favourite resorts for -anglers, lie northeast of the town. They are separated by a narrow -causeway called the Bridge of Brogar. This is the place where the -pirates landed their boat on the night of the final tragedy of the -story. We found the locality one of the most interesting in the -islands. - -At the entrance of the bridge stands a huge, rough-hewn stone, eighteen -feet high, known as the 'watch-stone' or 'sentinel.' This is the -largest of the 'stones of Stennis,' a collection of ancient monoliths -comparable in Great Britain only to those of Stonehenge. At the -farther end of the bridge is the so-called 'Circle of the Sun,' a ring -about one hundred and twenty yards in diameter, surrounded by a trench -about six feet deep. The stones composing this circle are from eight -to sixteen feet high and of irregular shape. One of them is at least -five or six feet wide. There were about forty stones originally, but -now only fifteen remain standing. A smaller group, known as the -'Circle of the Moon,' but composed of larger stones, stands in a field -near the eastern end of the bridge. A horizontal stone, laid on top of -these vertical ones, makes a rude table or altar. This may have been a -place of druidical sacrifices, if the most prevalent belief is to be -accepted, or possibly the work of Scandinavian hands. It was by this -table of stone that Minna stood, to meet and bid farewell to her lover, -looking like a druidical priestess, or, if the Scandinavian theory be -accepted, 'she might have seemed a descended vision of Freya, the -spouse of the Thundering Deity, before whom some bold sea-king or -champion bent with an awe {311} which no mere mortal terror could have -inflicted upon him.' - -[Illustration: THE STANDING STONES OF STENNIS] - -The Stone of Odin formerly stood on the east side of this circle. -Minna had offered to pledge her faith to Cleveland by the 'promise of -Odin' and Norna of the Fitful Head had married her lover by the same -rite. This stone differed from the others only in the fact that it had -a round hole near the base. Lovers who found it inconvenient to be -married by a priest, or who wished to plight their troth by some -unusually solemn vow, resorted to this stone, and a promise here given -was regarded as sacred and never to be broken. The marriage ceremony -was peculiar. The couple first visited the Circle of the Moon, where -the woman, in the presence of the man, knelt and prayed to the god -Woden, or Odin, that he would enable her to perform all her obligations -and promises. They next went to the Circle of the Sun, where the man -in like manner made his prayers. Then they returned to the Stone of -Odin, where, the man standing on one side and the woman on the other, -they joined hands through the hole and took upon themselves the solemn -vows of matrimony. Such a marriage could never be broken. - -Scott visited the Stones of Stennis in 1814. Had he arrived a year -later he would not have seen the Stone of Odin, for some irreverent -Orcadian broke it up, probably to help build the foundation of his -cottage. - -Leaving, with some reluctance, these relics of a civilization more than -a thousand years old, we resumed our journey toward Stromness. The -town lies on the slope of a hill, resembling Lerwick in this respect -and in the closeness of the houses to the sea. Some of the buildings -{312} stand so near the water that parts of the bay look like a -miniature Venice. Our motor-car frequently occupied the entire width -of the street, sidewalks and all, as we twisted our tortuous course for -a mile along the main thoroughfare. From the high ground behind the -town, we had a fine view of the sea, and across the sound, the great -towering island of Hoy, the highest and most impressive of all the -Orkney group. On the western side a long line of precipitous cliffs, -rising a thousand feet above the sea, opposes an unbroken front to the -full force of the Atlantic. At the western end as we saw it from above -Stromness, the rocks form the profile of a man's face, not so stern as -that in the Franconia Notch of the White Mountains, but having rather a -more genial look. It is said to resemble Sir Walter Scott, a likeness -which, I confess, I could see only when I shut my eyes and thought of -Chantrey's bust. - -The island of Hoy plays an important part in 'The Pirate.' It was the -original home of Norna when the old witch was a handsome young girl. -The Dwarfie Stone, where she met the demon Trolld, and bartered her -life's happiness for the power to control the tempests and the waves of -the sea, is on the southwest slope of Ward Hill, the highest peak of -which rises to a height of over fifteen hundred feet. It is in a -desolate peat-bog, two miles from the nearest human habitation. The -stone is about thirty feet long and half as wide. Hollowed out of the -interior is a chamber, with two beds, one of them a little over five -feet long. It is difficult to conceive why any human being should have -taken the trouble to cut out the rock for a hermitage or place of -refuge, or why any one should seek so desolate an abode. {313} -Tradition therefore affirmed that the rock was fashioned by spirit -hands and was the dwelling of the elfin dwarf, Trolld. It was to this -island that Norna conducted Mordaunt after he had received a wound at -the hands of Cleveland. - -It was at Stromness that Scott, in 1814, made the acquaintance of -Bessie Millie, an aged dame who made her living by selling favourable -winds to mariners at the reasonable price of sixpence each. The touch -of insanity, and the strong influence she possessed over the natives of -the island, who feared her power, were strongly suggestive of Norna. -This old sibyl related to Scott the story of John Gow, whose boyhood -was spent in Stromness. This daring individual had gone to sea at an -early age and returned to the home of his youth, a pirate, commanding a -former English galley of two hundred tons which he had captured and -renamed the 'Revenge.' He boldly came ashore and mingled with the -people, giving dancing-parties in the village of Stromness. Before his -real character was known he became engaged to a young woman, and the -two plighted their troth at the Stone of Odin. The houses of his -former neighbours were plundered and many acts of insolence and -violence committed. At length, through the exertions of a former -schoolmate, Gow was captured with his entire crew and speedily executed -at London. The young woman journeyed to London, too, for the purpose -of touching her former lover's dead body. In that way only, according -to the superstition of her country, could she obtain a release from her -vow and avoid a visit from the pirate's ghost, in case she should ever -marry. Gow's brief career furnished an excellent model for Cleveland, -{314} though the author endowed his 'pirate' with some very commendable -qualities which the prototype probably did not possess. - -Bessie Millie, the old hag of Stromness, needed, in addition to her own -eccentricities, only a few touches of the gipsy nature, to make her a -good 'original' for Norna. A local preacher in the parish of Tingwall, -whom Scott met on his visit to Shetland, is said to have suggested -Triptolemus Yellowley. Three or four families, in whose homes the -novelist was a welcome visitor, have laid claim to the honour of -supplying the 'originals' of Minna and Brenda Troil. These two -delightful characters, however, were no doubt intended merely to embody -the ideal of perfect sisterly affection, and external resemblances to -real people, though such might easily be fancied, were probably far -from the author's purpose. - -[Illustration: STROMNESS, ORKNEY] - -For the rest, the great charm of 'The Pirate' lies in the expression of -the novelist's enthusiasm for the fresh and fascinating scenery of a -wild country, where strange weird tales are wafted on every breeze, -where the quaint customs of past ages are still retained, where Nature -reveals herself in a constant succession of new and ever captivating -forms, where the rush of the wind and the roar of the sea impart fresh -joys to the senses and fill one's soul with renewed veneration for the -Power that rules the elements. - -As we sailed away for Aberdeen, it was with very much the same feeling -which Scott expressed at the close of his diary of the vacation of -1814.[2] He said he had taken {315} as much pleasure in the excursion -as in any six weeks of his life. 'The Pirate' was not written until -seven years later, but it carries as much freshness and enthusiasm as -though it had been composed on the return voyage. - - - -[1] CROSS-SECTION OF THE BROCH OF MOUSA. - _a, a._ Rooms in Circular Wall, connected by a rude spiral stair. - _b, b._ Windows opening into inner court. - -[2] The diary, containing a full account of the visit of 1814, in a -lighthouse yacht, to the Shetland and Orkney Islands, the Hebrides, and -the northern coasts of Scotland and Ireland, is printed in full in -Lockhart's _Life of Scott_. - - - - -{316} - -CHAPTER XXII - -THE FORTUNES OF NIGEL - -Hitherto our exploration of the Scott country had revealed a -never-ending succession of ruined castles, palaces, and abbeys; of -picturesque rivers, lakes, cataracts, and quiet pools; of seashores -where thunderous waves dashed against precipitous cliffs; of quaint -villages and queer-looking dwelling-houses; of weird caverns and -strange monuments suggesting the superstitions and fantasies of bygone -ages; of pleasant meadows, wild moors, rounded hilltops, and rugged -mountains; of a thousand tangible objects of interest which had in some -way suggested to Sir Walter the theme for a poem or story. But when we -reached Scott's London, the camera, which had faithfully recorded all -the other scenes, refused to perform its function. The tangibleness of -the subjects had ceased. My lenses have excellent physical eyes but no -historical insight. They insist upon seeing things as they are and -will not record them as they once existed. The London of Nigel -Olifaunt has completely disappeared and in its place a new London has -arisen. To photograph the city of to-day as the scenes of Nigel's -adventures, would be like painting the 'Purchase of Manhattan Island -from the Indians' with a background of fifty-story 'sky-scrapers.' From -such a task my faithful camera shrank, and I was obliged to lay it -aside, to turn over, for several days, the pages of {317} some huge -piles of books on Old London in the British Museum. - -Lockhart, who places 'The Fortunes of Nigel' in the first class of -Scott's romances, says that his historical portrait of King James I -'stands forth preëminent and almost alone.' This, indeed, is the whole -object of the book,--to picture the London of King James and the -personal peculiarities of that monarch. Scott was thoroughly -saturated--so to speak--with the history and literature of that period, -and especially with the dramas of Ben Jonson and his contemporaries; -and this enabled him to picture the manners of the time almost as if -they were within his personal recollection. - -It is an amusing portrait of a pompous, strutting, and absurd monarch -who yet possessed enough learning, as well as ready wit, to gain the -title of 'the wisest fool in Christendom.' Through his famous tutor at -Stirling Castle, George Buchanan, who freely boxed the royal ears and -administered spankings the same as to other boys, the King had early -acquired a certain taste for learning. He evinced a fondness for the -classics and yearned to become a poet. He wrote in verse a paraphrase -of the Revelation of St. John and a version of the Psalms, besides -prose disquisitions on every conceivable subject. His conversation, as -described by Scott, was a curious compound of Latin, Greek, English, -and the broad Scotch dialect. His tastes, as well as character, were -suggested by the appearance of a table in the palace, which, says the -novelist, 'was loaded with huge folios, amongst which lay light books -of jest and ribaldry; and, amongst notes of unmercifully long orations, -and essays on kingcraft, were mingled miserable roundels {318} and -ballads by the Royal 'Prentice, as he styled himself, in the art of -poetry, and schemes for the general pacification of Europe, with a list -of the names of the King's hounds, and remedies against canine madness.' - -A man of medium height and somewhat corpulent, James managed to make -his figure seem absurdly fat and clumsy, by having his green velvet -dress quilted, so as to be dagger-proof, for he was both timid and -cowardly. The ungainly protuberance thus artificially acquired was -accentuated by a pair of weak legs, which caused him to roll about -rather than walk, and to lean on other men's shoulders when standing. -'He was fond of his dignity while he was perpetually degrading it by -undue familiarity; capable of much public labour, yet often neglecting -it for the meanest amusement; a wit, though a pedant; and a scholar, -though fond of the conversation of the ignorant and uneducated.' - -[Illustration: Sketch Map of London] - -Contrasting strongly with this weak and ludicrous character, Scott -introduced the sterling qualities of a noble Scotchman, George Heriot, -to whom Edinburgh is indebted for one of her most splendid benevolent -institutions, Heriot's Hospital, where for nearly three centuries the -poor fatherless boys of the city have been transformed into eminent and -useful citizens, honoured and respected in many parts of the world. -George Heriot, nicknamed by the King 'Jingling Geordie,' was the son of -an Edinburgh goldsmith, to whose business he succeeded. At thirty-six -years of age he had the good fortune to be appointed goldsmith to Queen -Anne, and shortly after, goldsmith and jeweller to her husband, then -James VI of Scotland. On his accession to the English throne as James -I, in 1603, Heriot followed the King {319} to London. In those times, -and until the eighteenth century, goldsmiths commonly acted as bankers. -Heriot made full use of his unusual opportunity and laid the foundation -of a large fortune. Disheartened by the loss of his young and -beautiful wife, who died at the age of twenty-one, Heriot made a will -leaving his entire property, amounting to £23,625, for the -establishment of the hospital. His picture is thus described in a -quotation copied by Scott in one of his notes: 'His fair hair, which -overshades the thoughtful brow and calm, calculating eye, with the cast -of humour on the lower part of the countenance, are all indicative of -the genuine Scottish character, and well distinguish a person fitted to -move steadily and wisely through the world, with a strength of -resolution to ensure success and a disposition to enjoy it.' - -The weakness of James is still further accentuated in the novel by the -introduction of his imperious favourite, George Villiers, the first -Duke of Buckingham, whom the King called 'Steenie,' from his fancied -resemblance to the portrait of the martyr, Stephen, as painted by the -Italian artists. 'James endured his domination rather from habit, -timidity, and a dread of encountering his stormy passions, than from -any heartfelt continuation of regard towards him.' The King's favour, -nevertheless, made Buckingham the richest nobleman in England (with -possibly a single exception) and the virtual ruler of the kingdom. The -constant companion of the Duke was Baby Charles, as James insisted upon -calling his son, afterward King Charles I, for whose ruin and death on -the scaffold James was himself, all unconsciously, rapidly paving the -way. David Ramsay, the whimsical {320} and absent-minded watchmaker, -who kept shop in Fleet Street, near Temple Bar, was a real character, -who held the post of 'watchmaker and horologer' to James I. His most -famous performance was a search for hidden treasure in the cloister of -Westminster Abbey, by the use of Mosaic rods, or divining rods, which, -according to the current account, failed solely because of the presence -of too many people. The irreverent laughter of these persons caused a -fierce wind to spring up so suddenly that 'the demons had to be -dismissed' for fear the church would fall in on them. - -These are the real characters of the story. To identify the scenes a -good map of Old London, will accomplish more than a personal visit. -Such a map need only follow the windings of the Thames, which for -centuries was the great silent highway of London,--a distinction which -it did not lose until the beginning of the nineteenth century. Over -the highway passed the royal barge of Elizabeth, as described in -'Kenilworth,' and it was by this same method of travelling that George -Heriot conducted his young friend, Nigel, to the presence of the King -at Whitehall. For the streets of the city were narrow and crowded, and -rioting, as the result of debauchery and licentiousness, was not -infrequent, so that few cared to ride on horseback, and carriages, -except for the high nobility, were entirely unknown. So the Thames was -the one great artery through which flowed both the business and social -life of the city. - -When King George and Queen Mary, at the recent coronation, passing -through the Admiralty Arch in Trafalgar Square, turned into Whitehall -on their way to Westminster Abbey, their route lay between great {321} -rows of government buildings, lined with thousands of cheering -subjects. Had conditions remained as they were in King James's time, -this part of the triumphal procession would have been entirely within -the limits of their own royal palace. - -Whitehall Palace, originally built in 1240, was for three centuries -called York House, or York Place, taking its name from the fact that it -was the London residence of the Archbishop of York. Under Cardinal -Wolsey it was rebuilt and refurnished in a style of magnificence -excelling anything ever before known in England and equal in splendour -to the best in the palaces of the kings. With the fall of Wolsey in -1529 the mansion became the property of King Henry VIII, who changed -the name to Whitehall, and proceeded to enlarge and improve both the -palace and the grounds. A plan published in 1680 shows that the -buildings, with their courtyards and areas, then covered twenty-three -acres. It included a cock-pit and a tennis-court, on the site of the -present Treasury buildings, and the Horse-Guards Parade was then a -tilt-yard. These arrangements sufficiently suggest some of the -favourite amusements of royalty. Henry VIII took great delight in -cock-fighting and James I amused himself with it regularly twice a -week. Queen Elizabeth found pleasure in tournaments and pageants, and -it is recorded that in the sixty-seventh year of her age she 'commanded -the bear, the bull, and the ape to be bayted in the Tilt-yard.'[1] - -King James I found the palace in bad repair and determined to rebuild -it on a vast and magnificent scale. {322} Inigo Jones, one of the most -famous architects of his time, was employed and made plans for a -building, which, if completed, would have covered an area of -twenty-four acres. Judging from drawings now in the British Museum, it -seems a pity that this admirable project was never fully executed. -Only the banqueting-hall was finished, and this still remains as the -sole survivor of the Palace of Whitehall. Its chief historical -interest lies in the fact that, from one of its windows, Charles I -stepped out upon the scaffold where he was beheaded. - -If we were to follow ancient custom and use the Thames for our highway, -as did two hundred peers and peeresses at the late coronation, we -should now row down the river and land at Charing Cross Pier, where we -should find the remnant of the sumptuous palace built by 'Steenie,' the -Duke of Buckingham. This is the York Water Gate, formerly the entrance -to the Duke's mansion from the Thames, but now high above the water, -overlooking the garden of the Victoria Embankment. - -Continuing down the river, we should stop at Temple Pier, and visit the -Temple Gardens, where Nigel walked in despair, after his encounter with -Lord Dalgarno in St. James's Park, and where, it will be remembered, he -fell in with the friendly Templar, Reginald Lowestoffe. The Temple -property was granted in 1609 by James I to the benchers of the Inner -and Middle Temple for the education of students and professors of the -law. Oliver Goldsmith lived in Middle Temple Lane, and in the same -house, Sir William Blackstone, the great English jurist, and William -Makepeace Thackeray, also had chambers. {323} Dr. Johnson lived in -Inner Temple Lane, as did Charles Lamb, who was born within the Temple. - -Coming out into Fleet Street, we should stand before the figure of a -griffin on a high pedestal, which marks the site of Temple Bar. In -Scott's time it was an arch crossing the street, and in the time of -King James, merely a barricade of posts and chains. When the -coronation procession passed this point, King George V, according to -ancient custom, paused to receive permission from the Lord Mayor to -enter the City of London. The civic sword was presented to the King -and immediately returned to the Lord Mayor, after which the procession -resumed its march. - -Within Temple Bar and on the north side of Fleet Street, between Fetter -Lane and Chancery Lane, is St. Dunstan's Church, built in 1832 on the -site of an older church building. A few yards to the eastward, -according to Scott, was the shop of David Ramsay, the watch-maker, -before which the two 'stout-bodied and strong-voiced' apprentices kept -up the shouts of 'What d'ye lack? what d' ye lack?'--very much after -the fashion of a modern 'barker.' This was the opening scene of the -novel, though not suggested in the slightest by the Fleet Street of -to-day. - -On the opposite side a narrow lane, called Bouverie Street, leads down -toward the river along the eastern boundary of The Temple, into -'Whitefriars,' or Alsatia, where Nigel was compelled to take refuge for -a time in the house of the old miser, Trapbois. The 'Friars of the -Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel,' otherwise known as the 'White Friars,' -established their London house in 1241, between Fleet Street and the -Thames, on land {324} granted by Edward I. This carried with it the -privileges of sanctuary or immunity from arrest, which were allowed to -the inhabitants long after the dissolution of the religious houses. -Indeed, before the suppression of the monastery, the persons of bad -repute, who had flocked to the district in great numbers, were wont to -make so much disturbance with their continual clamours and outcries, -that the friars complained that they could not conduct divine service. -The privilege was confirmed by James I, and in his time, as a -consequence, 'Alsatia,' as the district came to be called, was one of -the worst quarters in London. It was the common habitation of thieves, -gamblers, swindlers, murderers, bullies, and drunken, dissipated -reprobates of both sexes. Its atmosphere, thick with the fogs of the -river, fairly reeked with the smell of alehouses of the lowest order, -which outnumbered all the other houses. The shouts of rioters, the -profane songs and boisterous laughter of the revellers, mingled with -the wailing of children and the screaming of women. The men were -'shaggy, uncombed ruffians whose enormous mustaches were turned back -over their ears,' and they swaggered through the dirty streets, -quarrelling, brawling, fighting, swearing, and 'smoking like moving -volcanoes.' They waged a ceaseless warfare against their proud and -noisy, but not so disreputable, neighbours of The Temple. - -Coming back to our imaginary trip by river (for we really visited these -sites either on foot or by taxi-cab), we continue down the river, -passing under Blackfriars Bridge, and stop for a moment at Paul's -Wharf, near where Nigel found quarters in the house of John Christie, -the honest ship-chandler. Journeying {325} onward, we pass under -London Bridge, which in James's time was the only means of crossing the -river, other than by boat. It was then overloaded with a great weight -of huge buildings, many stories high, under which passed a narrow -roadway. At the southern entrance was a gate, the top of which was -decorated with the heads of traitors. All the buildings were finally -cleared away in 1757 and 1758. - -Passing under London Bridge we soon come to the Tower of London, which -the unfortunate Nigel entered through the Traitor's Gate. From the -time of William the Conqueror, by whom its foundations were begun, -until the reign of Charles II, the Tower of London was used as a palace -by the kings of England. It has been said that the 'strong monarchs -employed the Tower as a prison, the weak ones as a fortress.' It was -as a prison that the Tower achieved its unenviable fame in history as - - London's lasting shame; - With many a foul and midnight murder fed. - -In its dark precincts many of the noblest of England's men and women -found themselves prisoners, the majority of them perishing upon the -block. Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, wives of Henry VIII; Lady -Jane Grey and her husband Guildford Dudley; the father[2] and the -grandfather[3] of Dudley; and Sir Walter Raleigh were among the most -famous of these victims. Nigel was confined in the Beauchamp Tower, -where many distinguished persons were imprisoned. The inscriptions to -which Scott refers may still be seen, including that {326} of Lady Jane -Grey, though it is probable that this was written by her husband or by -his brother, who is supposed to have carved the device of the bear and -ragged staff, 'the emblem of the proud Dudleys,' which is an elaborate -piece of sculpture on the right of the fireplace. - -To complete our survey of the scenery of 'The Fortunes of Nigel,' we -have to continue our journey down the Thames until we land in Greenwich -Hospital and the Royal Naval College, which occupy the site of the old -royal palace, formerly called Placentia or Pleasaunce. It was a -favourite royal palace as early as 1300, though it passed into the -hands of the nobility and came back to the Crown in 1433 on the death -of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. It was the birthplace of King Henry -VIII and of Mary and Elizabeth. The building was enlarged by Henry -VIII, James I, and Charles I. Charles II caused it to be pulled down, -intending to carry out some ambitious plan, but succeeded in erecting -only the building which is now the west wing of the hospital. Back of -the palace is an extensive park of one hundred and ninety acres. This -is where Nigel unexpectedly encountered the King, at the very climax of -a stag-hunt, frightening him nearly to death; and here he was -unceremoniously arrested and hurried off to the Tower. The park still -has herds of deer, though they are no longer hunted, and a row of fine -old chestnuts, originally planted by command of Charles II, who laid -out the enclosure. In the centre is a hill, surmounted by the famous -Royal Greenwich Observatory, from whose meridian longitude is reckoned -and whose clock determines the standard of time for all England. - -Just as 'The Heart of Midlothian' had produced {327} a vivid picture of -life in Edinburgh during the reign of George II, so 'The Fortunes of -Nigel' reproduced the life of London in the time of King James. For -this brilliant study, not only of the curious monarch, but of the -strange manners and customs as well as the lawlessness of the city, -which the King's folly did so much to create, the novel has been -generally accorded a very high rank among Scott's productions. - - - -[1] Quoted from Sydney's 'State Papers,' in _The Old Royal Palace of -Whitehall_, by Edgar Sheppard, D.D. - -[2] John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. - -[3] Edmund Dudley, the notorious agent of King Henry VII. - - - - -{328} - -CHAPTER XXIII - -PEVERIL OF THE PEAK - -'Old Peveril' was one of the pet nicknames with which Scott was dubbed -by some of his young legal friends in Parliament House, and he carried -the sobriquet for the remainder of his life, taking great delight in -it. He did not, however, take much pleasure from the composition of -the novel, finding it a tiresome task from which he could only find -relief by planning its successor. It marks the beginning of a malady -which ultimately proved fatal. Scott concealed the symptoms from his -family, but confided to a friend that he feared Peveril 'will smell of -the apoplexy.' It proved a heavy undertaking, covering a period of -twenty years of exciting history and three distinct, but widely -differing, localities, namely, Derbyshire, the Isle of Man, and London -in the time of Charles II. - -In the high Peak country of Derbyshire, about fifteen miles west of -Sheffield, lies the village of Castleton, nestling snugly at the foot -of a somewhat precipitous hill. Away back in the time of William the -Conqueror, a son of that monarch received a grant of large estates in -Derbyshire, and selected the very summit of this steep and almost -inaccessible rock as the site of his castle. His name was William -Peveril and the bit of a ruin which still remains, high in the air -above the village, is called Peveril Castle. We reached it after a -very hard climb, by a steep path running zigzag across the face of a -long {329} grassy slope. It was scarcely worth the effort, for the -'castle' is now only a small square tower, of no interest whatever, -except from the fact that it gave the name to one of the Waverley -Novels. - -The domain of this William Peveril seems to have extended far to the -south of Castleton, and included in it was the site of Haddon Hall, a -fine mediæval mansion, picturesquely situated on the river Wye, between -Bakewell and Rowsley, and still in wonderfully good repair. The -Peverils held the property for about a century, when they were deprived -of the lands by King Henry II. In 1195, Haddon came into the -possession of the Vernon family, who continued to reside there for -nearly four centuries. The last of the name was Sir George Vernon, who -became celebrated as the 'King of the Peak.' His large possessions -passed into the hands of his youngest daughter, Dorothy, whose -elopement and marriage with John Manners, youngest son of the Earl of -Rutland, threw about the old mansion that atmosphere of poetry and -romance which has ever since been associated with it. To me, the most -pleasing part of the old hall is the terrace and lawn, back of the -house. A flight of broad stairs, with stone balustrades, leads to -Dorothy Vernon's Walk, which is shaded by the thick foliage of oaks, -limes, sycamores, and other forest trees, for which the park was once -famous. Grassy mounds mark the boundaries of the lawn, and the castle -walls, with their wide windows and luxurious mantle of deep green ivy, -add a delightful charm to the picture. This is further enhanced by the -romantic associations of the place. Traditions say that John Manners, -who, for some reason, was forbidden the opportunity to {330} visit the -fair Dorothy openly, hovered about these terraces disguised as a -forester, seeking brief interviews in secret. On the night of a ball -in celebration of her sister's wedding, Dorothy slipped into the -garden, and passing through the terrace made her way across the Wye -over a quaint little bridge, built just large enough for a single -pack-horse, and now known as the 'Pack-Horse Bridge.' On the other -side, John waited with horses, and the two rode away to be married. -Whatever may have been the objection to the marriage, events soon -adjusted the affair and Dorothy Vernon became the sole owner of the -mansion. It has remained ever since in the possession of the Manners -family, the Earls and Dukes of Rutland. - -In his description of Martindale Castle, the seat of Sir Geoffrey -Peveril, Scott doubtless had in mind, to some extent at least, this -more pretentious mansion on the original property of the Peverils, -rather than the uninteresting tower at Castleton. He refers to Haddon -Hall in one of his notes as having suggested a certain arrangement of -rooms, and in his account of Lady Peveril's dinner to the Cavaliers and -Roundheads, in honour of the restoration of King Charles II, he makes -use of two large dining-rooms, which Haddon Hall could readily supply, -but which might be difficult to find in any ordinary mansion of the -period. - -[Illustration: THE PACK-HORSE BRIDGE, HADDON HALL] - -Lady Peveril, it will be remembered, in spite of the 'good fellowship' -and 'reconciliation' which the banquet was to celebrate, dared not -permit the rival factions to dine together, so she adopted the unique -expedient of placing the jovial Cavaliers in the hall, while the strict -Puritans occupied the large parlour. The great hall of {331} Haddon is -about thirty-five feet long and twenty-five feet wide. At one end is -an ancient table, many centuries old, and at the other is a minstrel's -gallery, with carved panellings and ornamented by stag's heads. A -great open fireplace gives a suggestion of good cheer, even to the bare -room. Back of this is another large dining-room on the oaken walls of -which are some fine old carvings. It also has a large open fireplace, -above which is the motto - - _Drede God and Honor the Kyng._ - -The room was formerly larger than now and may have been in the author's -mind as the scene of the Puritan part of the banquet. Haddon Hall, -however, although it doubtless furnished some few suggestions, must not -be taken as an 'original' of Martindale Castle. The novelist never -felt the necessity of an exact model, but freely used the places with -which he was familiar for such suggestions as they might chance to -furnish. In his later work he often described localities which he had -never visited, frequently doing so with an exactness suggesting the -most intimate personal knowledge. - -This was true of the Isle of Man, which Scott had never seen, but which -he describes in 'Peveril of the Peak' with great accuracy, relying for -his information upon Waldron's 'Description of the Isle of Man,' -published in 1731. - -After an interval of several years following the events in Derbyshire, -Julian Peveril appears as a visitor at Castle Rushen, in the southern -end of the Isle of Man. Tradition says that this ancient castle was -founded in the tenth century by Guttred, the son of a Norwegian {332} -chief named Orry, who took possession and with his sons and successors -reigned for many years as kings of the Isle of Man. Later the Earls of -Derby ruled as monarchs of the island and Castle Rushen was their royal -residence. - -The traditional castle of the Norwegians was replaced in the thirteenth -century by a strong fortress of limestone. This was partly destroyed -by Robert Bruce in 1313 and remained in ruins for three centuries. It -was then rebuilt by the Earls of Derby in its present form. The -central keep is a strong tower with walls twenty-two feet thick at the -base and about seventy feet high. It is surrounded by an embattled -wall twenty-five feet high and nine feet thick. On the tower facing -the market square is a clock presented in 1597 by Queen Elizabeth. - -In 1627, James Stanley, celebrated as 'the great Earl of Derby,' became -lord of the island. This nobleman was executed in 1651, charged with -the crime of assisting Charles II before the battle of Worcester. -During his absence in England the Castle Rushen was heroically defended -by his wife, the brave Charlotte de la Tremouille, Countess of Derby. -William Christian, popularly known as William Dhône, or 'the -fair-haired William,' had been entrusted by the Earl with the care of -his wife and children. Whatever may have been his motive, the -Receiver-General, by which title Christian was known, surrendered the -island without resistance, on the appearance of the Parliamentary army, -and the Countess was imprisoned in the castle. After the Restoration -of Charles II, the Countess accused Christian of treachery to herself -and brought about his execution in 1662. - -{333} - -These were the main facts which, coming to the novelist's attention -through his brother, Thomas Scott, who for several seasons resided in -the Isle of Man, attracted his fancy and suggested the writing of -'Peveril of the Peak.' - -Peel Castle, to which the action of the story is soon transferred, -stands on a rocky islet off the western coast of the island. It was -once a vast ecclesiastical establishment and now contains the ruins of -two churches, two chapels, two prisons, and two palaces. Of these the -best preserved and most interesting is the Cathedral of St. Germain, a -cruciform building, some parts of which were built in the thirteenth -century. In a crypt below was the ecclesiastical prison where many -remarkable captives were confined, the most notable of whom was Eleanor -Cobham, wife of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, who was accused of -witchcraft and of devising a wicked plot to kill the King and place her -husband upon the throne. - -Higher up on the rock are the remains of St. Patrick's Church, in the -walls of which are some good examples of the 'herring-bone' masonry -indicating great antiquity. The walls are thought by antiquarians to -date back to the fifth century. Behind this is the remarkable round -tower, about fifty feet high, which Mr. Hall Caine has introduced in -'The Christian.' - -The custodian, when he learned of our interest in Sir Walter Scott, -could scarcely restrain his anxiety to show us Fenella's Tower. This -is a bit of the surrounding wall, containing a small square turret. -Beneath is a narrow stairway, forming a sally-port, through which -entrance could be gained to a space between two {334} parallel outside -walls. In time of siege, soldiers could go out and fire at the enemy -from this place of concealment through openings in the walls. If -hard-pressed they could retire to the tower and pour scalding water or -hot lead upon an attacking body. In Scott's tale, Julian Peveril, -seeking to leave the castle by this stair, is intercepted by Fenella, -who is anxious to prevent his departure. Finally eluding her grasp, he -hastens down the stair only to be confronted again by the deaf-and-dumb -maiden, who has accomplished her purpose by leaping over the parapet. -We gazed down from the walls upon a ledge of rocks at least fifteen -feet below and concluded that, for a little girl, this was a pretty big -leap! - -[Illustration: THE SAXON TOWER, ISLE OF MAN] - -The keep and guard-house near the entrance was the scene of the Manx -legend of the Moddey Dhoo, a large black spaniel with shaggy hair, -which haunted Peel Castle. This dog is referred to in 'The Lay of the -Last Minstrel': - - For he was speechless, ghastly, wan, - Like him of whom the story ran - Who spoke the spectre-hound in Man. - - -The Moddey Dhoo was the terror of all the soldiers on the island, who -believed he was an evil spirit, only awaiting an opportunity to do them -harm. At length, a drunken soldier declared he would find out whether -the animal were dog or devil. He departed bravely, with much noise and -boasting, but none dared follow. When he returned the fellow was sober -and silent. He never spoke again, but three days later died in agony. - -The remaining scenery of 'Peveril of the Peak' is London in the time of -Charles II. The 'dark and shadowy' city had now attracted nearly all -the personages of {335} the story. In St. James's Park, adjoining the -Palace of Whitehall, Fenella danced with wondrous grace and agility -before the King. As in 'The Fortunes of Nigel,' the Thames is the -great highway of traffic, and Julian Peveril is carried by coach to the -river from old Newgate Prison, and thence by boat to the Tower, which, -like Nigel, he enters through the Traitor's Gate. - -The Savoy, a dilapidated old pile, where Julian unexpectedly meets -Fenella, was once a great palace. It was built by Simon de Montfort, -the great Earl of Leicester, in 1245. In the following century it was -almost demolished by a mob, but in 1509 King Henry VII restored and -rebuilt the palace and converted it into a hospital. Half a century -later, Queen Mary refounded and reëndowed the institution. In the time -of the story the building was probably not so antiquated and ruinous as -Scott describes it. Charles II, after the Restoration, used it as the -meeting-place of the Savoy conference for the revision of the Liturgy. -In Scott's time it was ruinous enough and since then has entirely -disappeared. Westminster Hall, where the trial of the Peverils was -held, is now the vestibule of the Houses of Parliament. It was -originally built by William Rufus, son of the Conqueror, in 1097, but -afterward destroyed by fire and rebuilt. In it some of the earliest -English Parliaments were held and it has been the scene of many -coronation festivals. - -The novel gives a graphic picture of the gay, dissipated, and -scandalous court of Charles II, and an excellent portrait of that -selfish, indolent, and sensual, but witty and good-natured monarch. -His chief favourite, George Villiers, the second Duke of Buckingham, is -painted in no more flattering colours. He was a statesman of fickle -{336} character who could not long be trusted by any one. He was a -writer of verses, farces, and comedies, a musician, and a man of great -talent and accomplishments; but he was a profligate, absolutely -insincere and without principle. - -'Peveril of the Peak' cannot be considered one of Scott's best novels. -It has never been popular. Scott himself tired of it, and even -Lockhart can find little to say in its praise. - -Lady Louisa Stuart, who was one of Scott's most valued friends, -summarized it all, at the end of a good-natured criticism, with the -remark: 'However, in all this I recognize the old habit of a friend of -mine, growing tired before any of his readers, huddling up a conclusion -anyhow, and so kicking the book out of his way; which is a provoking -trick, though one must bear it rather than not _have_ his book, with -all its faults on its head. The best amends he can make is to give us -another as soon as may be.' - - - - -{337} - -CHAPTER XXIV - -QUENTIN DURWARD - -The true 'Scott Country' is limited strictly to Scotland, England, and -Wales. So long as he remained upon the soil of his own native kingdom, -Sir Walter wrote of what he had seen and for the most part traversed -only familiar ground. In Scotland, he was equally at home in the -Lowlands or Highlands. He visited England often enough to know well -the inspiring mountains of Cumberland and Westmoreland, the hills and -valleys of Northumberland, the broad expanse of Yorkshire, with its -delightful scenery and many historical associations, the moorlands of -Derby, the charming roads and pleasant villages of Nottingham, -Leicester, Warwick, and Oxford, and the highways and by-ways of the -ever-fascinating London. With the history, the legends and the poetry -of his own country he was as familiar as a child would be with the -environment of his own home. They were a part of the mental equipment -that had been developing steadily from the time he was three years old. - -When he stepped out of this familiar region, for the first time, there -came a remarkable change, and in January, 1823, when he began the -composition of 'Quentin Durward,' we find him floundering about in a -sea of gazetteers, atlases, histories, and geographies. On the 23d of -that month he wrote to Constable:--'It is a vile place, this village of -Plessis les Tours, that can baffle {338} both you and me. It is a -place famous in history ... yet I have not found it in any map, -provincial or general, which I have consulted.... Instead of -description holding the place of sense, I must try to make such sense -as I can find, hold the place of description.' - -Fortunately he had the assistance of his friend Skene, who about this -time returned from a tour in France, and placed at the disposal of the -author a great variety of sketches of landscapes and ancient buildings, -besides a journal full of accurate notes; for the novelist's -artist-friend knew from long companionship exactly what would be most -appreciated. - -Though a stranger in a strange land, Scott was not entirely alone, for -he took with him into the unknown country three good Scotchmen, namely, -Quentin Durward, whom he made an archer in the Scots Guard of King -Louis XI; the picturesque and interesting Le Balafré, Quentin's uncle, -already a guardsman; and Lord Crawford, the aged commander of the -guard, a Scotch nobleman, whose great ability and experience had won -the esteem and confidence even of the suspicious King. This was surely -a stroke of genius. The old Scotch friends of the novelist could not -help following with interest the thrilling adventures of their -countrymen in a foreign land, while, on the other hand, the tale raised -up a host of new admirers in France and throughout the Continent. The -Frenchmen saw with amazement King Louis XI and Charles the Bold -suddenly come to life and, under the skilful direction of the Scottish -Wizard, walk about again amidst some of the most stirring scenes of -European history. Not in all their literature had the French people -seen such striking {339} portraiture of these famous men nor such vivid -pictures of the ancient manners of their own people. - -A line, nearly straight, drawn diagonally across the map of France and -Belgium, representing a distance of perhaps three hundred and fifty -miles, will fairly suggest the geography of 'Quentin Durward.' Its -southwestern extremity would be Tours, about one hundred and forty-five -miles from Paris. It would pass through Péronne, in the north of -France directly east of Amiens; then dropping slightly to the south, -and across the border of Belgium would reach its northeastern -termination in the city of Liège. - -The town of Tours was much favoured in the fifteenth century by the -frequent visits of Charles VII, Louis XI, and Charles VIII, in -consequence of which it then reached its highest state of prosperity. -It was long famed for its silk industry, founded by Louis XI. Two -miles west of the town, on a low marshy plain between the rivers Loire -and Cher, and close by a hamlet of a few scattered cottages, is the -famous Castle of Plessis les Tours, where the action of the story -begins. Only a fragment of the original structure now remains, as part -of a modern château. - -The old castle looked more like a prison than a king's palace, and -seemed well adapted to be the den of the 'universal spider,' as Louis -came to be called, from which he could weave his dangerous web in every -direction and ensnare the feet of those whom he selected for his prey. -It was in this dismal place that Louis XI shut himself in the last days -of his life, weak from illness and pain and almost insane from -distrust. Here he died, in 1483, to the great joy of the kingdom. - -{340} - -Every year he had added new walls and ditches to his fortress. The -towers were covered with iron as a protection against arrows. Eighteen -hundred heavy planks bristling with nails were placed outside the -ditches to impede the approach of cavalry. Four hundred crossbowmen -manned the towers and the villainous Tristan l'Hermite had full -authority to seize and hang any innocent stranger whom he might choose -to suspect. - -As I write, I have before me two pictures:--one a contemporary print of -the ancient castle, the other a portrait of the King. The former, a -group of low, irregular buildings, with slanting roofs and small barred -windows, having a chapel attached to one end, contains nothing whatever -to suggest a royal palace. The latter shows the face of a sly, -cunning, unscrupulous plotter, full of cruelty, baseness, vulgarity, -and hypocrisy, yet terribly in earnest and revealing the features that -mark an irresistible will. I can almost fancy a resemblance between -the two pictures. The mean unpretentiousness of the castle and its -lack of symmetry suggest the unprepossessing appearance of the King, -whose whole aspect was vulgar, his clothing purposely plain and often -untidy and his manners completely devoid of dignity and common -courtesy. Its numerous defences, including turrets, battlements, -ditches, and drawbridges, suggest the constant fear of treachery in -which the King lived, never daring to regard his most intimate -companions with aught but jealous suspicion. The real strength of the -fortress, in spite of its ugliness and apparent insignificance are -typical of the tremendous power of this monarch, who pursued his -purposes without regard to truth, decency, honour, or human rights, -reducing the {341} people to a state of abject poverty and misery, yet -enlarging the borders of France to nearly their present extent, -reorganizing the army, centralizing the government, and laying the -foundations of the nation in its modern form. - -One might almost indulge the whimsical notion that the little chapel to -which I have referred, pointing heavenward with an attenuated spire of -absurdly slender proportions, symbolizes the King's own feeble efforts -to point in the same direction. His piety was manifested by a dozen -'paltry figures of saints stamped in lead' which he wore on the band of -his hat. He endeavoured to atone for the most atrocious acts of -selfishness and cruelty by gifts of money and outward penance, -continuing his wickedness all the while, but apologizing for it in his -prayers to the saints. But the crowning act of hypocritical piety, as -well as the most absurd, was his attempt to insure his ultimate -salvation by the unique expedient of creating the Virgin Mary a -countess and an honorary colonel of his guards. - -This was the strange, but intensely interesting, character, whom Scott, -making free use of the 'Memoirs of Philippe de Comines,' one of the -King's most intimate councillors, succeeded in portraying so vividly -that the tale of which he is the real hero has won universal -recognition as a novel of genuine historical value. - -A few miles southeast of Tours is the ruin of a castle still more -terrible in its suggestiveness than even Plessis, for here Louis XI -perpetrated deeds of secret cruelty, which he shrank from committing -within the walls of his own palace. It is the Castle of Loches, for -many years a royal residence. It is interesting to Scotchmen from -{342} the fact that it was the scene of the royal wedding of King James -V to the Princess Magdalene, in whose honour the Palace of Linlithgow -was remodelled and greatly embellished. - -The castle is now a pile of ruined buildings, standing on the summit of -a lofty rock, where it dominates the landscape. Its principal tower is -one hundred and twenty feet high, with walls eight feet thick. Its -date is said to be the twelfth century. A part of it is now the local -jail, and the building has been used as a prison for centuries. -Beneath were dungeons under dungeons, dimly lighted by narrow windows, -cut through small recesses in the walls, which are here ten or twelve -feet thick. In two of these were the iron cages invented by Cardinal -John de La Balue. He was a cobbler, some say a tailor, whom Louis -elevated to the highest rank and employed in his secret devices. The -cage was built of iron bars and was only eight feet square. The -Cardinal proved a traitor to his king and the latter's severity kept -him in the dungeon cells for eleven years, a part of which time, at -least, was spent in one of the cages of his own invention. The -governor and gaoler of this dreaded prison was Oliver le Daim, the -King's barber and prime minister. - -The events culminating in the murder of the Bishop of Liège were, of -course, purely fictitious. Scott did not hesitate to 'violate -history,' as he afterward expressed it, to meet the requirements of his -story. The actual murder of the Bishop occurred in 1482, fourteen -years after the period of the novel and five years after the death of -Charles the Bold. William de la Marck, called the 'Wild Boar of -Ardennes,' wishing to place the mitre {343} on the head of his own son, -entered into a conspiracy with some of the rebellious citizens of -Liège, against their Bishop, Louis de Bourbon. The latter was enticed -to the edge of the town, where he was met by the fierce and -bloodthirsty knight, who murdered him with his own hand and caused the -body to be exposed naked in St. Lambert's Place, before the cathedral. -Scott's version, never intended to be historically accurate, places the -scene of the murder in the fictitious Castle of Schonwaldt, outside the -city. - -The description of the meeting of Louis XI and Charles the Bold at the -town of Péronne and the King's imprisonment in the castle, while -somewhat amplified with fictitious details, is in the essential facts -quite in accord with history. Péronne is a small town of great -antiquity, ninety-four miles northeast of Paris, in the Department of -the Somme. Its castle still retains four conical-roofed towers in -fairly good repair. On the ground floor are many dark and dismal -dungeons. In one of these miserable cells Charles the Simple, in the -year 929, ended his days in agony. He was confined in the tower by the -treachery of Herbert, Count of Vermandois, and left there to starve to -death. Adjoining this room, in what is known as the Tour Herbert, is -the chamber said to have been occupied by Louis XI. - -Great was the surprise and alarm among the retainers of Louis when that -monarch, trusting to an exaggerated notion of his own wit and powers of -persuasion, proposed to visit his most formidable adversary, Charles of -Burgundy, at the town of Péronne. The latter granted the King's -request for a safe-conduct, and Louis set forth in October, 1482, -accompanied by a small {344} detachment of his Scots Guard and -men-at-arms, and two faithless councillors, the Constable de St. Pol -and the Cardinal de La Balue. The Duke met the King outside the town -and together they walked in apparent friendliness to the house of the -Chamberlain, Charles apologizing for not taking the King to the castle -because it was not in fit condition. Some portion of the Duke's army -arrived the same day and encamped outside the walls. Learning this, -the King became greatly frightened and demanded quarters in the -castle--a request which Charles granted with great, but secret, glee. -The next day brought forth nothing but ill-feeling and -misunderstanding, which was brought to a climax by the news from Liège. -It was reported that the emissaries of Louis had stirred up sedition -against the Duke, and had killed the Bishop of Liège, and the Lord of -Humbercourt. Charles was a man of tremendous passions and this news -threw him into a fury which he made little attempt to control. His -royal guest became his prisoner, the gates of the town and the castle -were closed, and for a time Louis was in danger of his life at the -hands of his enraged vassal. Louis, meanwhile, remained calm, making -full use of his native shrewdness, keenness of penetration, and unusual -cunning. By a liberal use of money, with which he had sagaciously -provided himself, the Duke's servants were corrupted wherever he could -hope to secure information or assistance. His craftiness, however, -proved unnecessary. Charles cooled off after a day or two and realized -that he could not well afford to violate his safe-conduct. Meanwhile -the news from Liège turned out more favourably. The Bishop had not -been slain and the revolt had been less serious than {345} supposed. -Charles, however, compelled the King to swear a new treaty, which Louis -did by taking from one of his boxes a piece of the 'true cross,' a -relic, formerly belonging, so it was said, to Charlemagne, which Louis -regarded with great veneration. The oath upon the cross duly made, -Louis accompanied his captor on an expedition against the town of -Liège, the particulars of which were not essentially different from the -version of Scott. - -The novel brings out to great advantage the striking contrast between -the King and the Duke. Charles was strong, vigorous, clear-sighted, -and in the words of Philippe de Comines, 'a great and honourable -prince, as much esteemed for a time amongst his neighbours as any -prince in Christendom.' The great fault of his character was that -expressed in the sobriquet, Charles the Rash; and this was the cause of -his downfall. That, however, is a tale which Scott reserved for a -later novel. - -Though received at first with apparent indifference, 'Quentin Durward' -came in time to be regarded as one of the best of the Waverley Novels, -dividing the honours, in the minds of the boys, at least, with -'Ivanhoe' and 'The Talisman.' - - - - -{346} - -CHAPTER XXV - -ST. RONAN'S WELL - -If, as I have said in the preceding chapter, the true Scott Country -comprises the United Kingdom, except Ireland, the inner circle of that -country, the _Sanctum Sanctorum_, so to speak, must be considered as -including that part of Scotland lying between the Firth of Forth and -the English border; or, more strictly, the counties of Edinburgh, -Peebles, Selkirk, and Roxburgh. This was Scott's home, his workshop, -and his playground. From the spring of 1806 to the early winter of -1830, a period of nearly twenty-five years, he performed the duties of -Clerk of the Court of Session. This required his presence in Edinburgh -usually from the 12th of May to the 12th of July and from the 12th of -November to the 12th of March, excepting an interval at Christmas. -This meant from four to six hours' work a day for four or five days -each week, extending over about six months of every year. During the -sessions of the court his residence was No. 39, North Castle Street, a -three-story stone dwelling-house, within sight of Edinburgh Castle. - -The day after the rising of the court usually found its distinguished -clerk ready to 'escape to the country.' For six years his retreat was -the little thatched cottage at Lasswade, in the vale of the Esk. The -next eight summers found him at Ashestiel, and after that Abbotsford -was the lodestone that drew him from the city. Scott loved the wide -sweep of the bare hills, especially {347} when tinged with the purple -hue of the heather. Their pure air was the tonic which had saved his -life, when as a child he rolled about on the rocks of Smailholm, a -companion of the sheep and lambs. Their streams gave him an -opportunity to lure the salmon from their hiding-places. Their rounded -summits gave him many a distant view of battle-fields, famed in the -Border warfare, which filled up centuries of Scottish and English -history. Their pleasant glens and thickets gave him delightful walks -in the woods. Their hospitable cottages extended him a never failing -welcome, and yielded up to him, from the lips of hundreds of old wives, -a treasure of Scottish ballads, songs, and tales of Border chivalry. -Their castles and mansions threw open their doors at his approach, -rivalling the humbler dwellings in the cordiality of their greeting. - -No wonder Scott loved the Border country. 'It may be partiality,' said -he to Washington Irving, 'but to my eye, these grey hills and all this -wild Border country have beauties peculiar to themselves. I like the -very nakedness of the land; it has something bold, and stern, and -solitary about it. When I have been for some time in the rich scenery -about Edinburgh, which is like ornamented garden land, I begin to wish -myself back again among my own honest grey hills; and if I did not see -the heather at least once a year, I think I should die!' - -It was while riding with Lockhart and Willie Laidlaw, along the brow of -the Eildon Hills, looking down upon Melrose, one fine afternoon in -July, 1823, that the suggestion came which led eventually to 'St. -Ronan's Well.' 'Quentin Durward' had recently appeared and Scott, -commenting upon its reception, remarked that he {348} could probably do -something better with a German subject. 'Na, na, sir,' protested -Laidlaw, 'take my word for it, you are always best, like Helen -MacGregor, when your foot is on your native heath; and I have often -thought that if you were to write a novel, and lay the scene here in -the very year you were writing it, you would exceed yourself.' 'Hame -'s hame,' smilingly assented Scott, 'be it ever sae hamely. There's -something in what you say, Willie.' Although Laidlaw insisted that his -friend should 'stick to Melrose in July, 1823,' Scott took a little -broader field and made the scene of 'St. Ronan's Well,' the valley of -the Tweed. - -This was the country which he had pictured in 'The Lay of the Last -Minstrel,' at the very beginning of his fame. He had come back to it -for a bit of the scenery of 'The Monastery' and 'The Abbot.' These, -however, were romances of an earlier period. He was now for the first -time to write of his own country in his own time. The tale was to -depict society life, not of the wholesome and genuine kind to which -Scott was personally accustomed, whether in Edinburgh or the country, -but of the type he had seen at various watering-places and summer -resorts which he had visited. - -[Illustration: THE TWEED AND EILDON HILLS] - -'St. Ronan's Well' may be considered a true picture of this society or -a caricature, according to one's own sympathies. Some of its readers -have been able to find among their own 'social set,' Lady Penelope -Penfeather, Sir Bingo and Lady Sinks, Mr. Winterblossom, Dr. -Quackleben, and even the 'man of peace,' Captain Mungo MacTurk, and -have praised or condemned the author's portraits according to their own -predilections toward such personages. - -{349} - -Scott saw something of this life at Gilsland in the memorable summer of -1797, the year when he met Miss Carpenter at the dance in Shaw's Hotel. -Below the hostelry is a deep and attractive glen, through which flows -the river Irthing, and just above the bridge spanning the river, is one -of those mineral springs, which have the strange power, whatever may be -their medicinal virtues, of drawing hundreds of people away from their -homes in the summer months. There is another of these springs at -Innerleithen, on the banks of the Tweed, and for this reason--for I can -see no other--the people of that town have laid claim to the honour of -residing in the original 'St. Ronan's.' - -Innerleithen, now a prosperous town of about three thousand -inhabitants, is situated amid the hills which border the Tweed in the -most picturesque part of its course. In Scott's time it was only a -small village. Traquair, on the contrary, a few miles to the south, -was of more importance in Scott's time than now, when it is a mere -hamlet, remarkable for nothing except the fine old feudal mansion to -which I have previously referred.[1] If we are to think of -Innerleithen, then, as the 'ancient and decayed village of St. Ronan's' -we must picture it, not as the thriving commercial town of to-day, but -more like its neighbour on the south. - -Of course I felt anxious to taste the waters of the real St. Ronan's -Well, and made a journey to Innerleithen for the purpose. I gained -nothing beyond the experience of exchanging a good shilling for a bad -drink. One taste was enough, and when the girl was n't looking I threw -the rest away. I found an old two-story house in the {350} town which -claims to be the original 'Cleikum Inn'--a claim which is disputed by a -public house in Peebles, 'The Cross Keys Hotel,' formerly a pretentious -seventeenth-century mansion. The latter was kept in Scott's time by a -maiden lady named Marian Ritchie, who seems to have possessed some of -the characteristics which the novelist exaggerated in his delightfully -humorous picture of Meg Dods. She found fault with the new 'hottle,' -and did not hesitate to vent her sarcasm upon those travellers who -ventured to stay there in preference to her own respectable inn. -Scott, according to local history, was occasionally one of her guests. -She ruled with a rod of iron, permitting no excesses, and did not -hesitate to send a young man 'hame to his mither' if she suspected him -to be imbibing too freely. Scott gave this model landlady the real -name of a hostess whom he had patronized when only seventeen years old. -It was on a fishing excursion to a loch near Howgate, in the Moorfoot -Hills, when Scott and three of his boon companions stopped at a little -public-house kept by Mrs. Margaret Dods. It was thirty-five years -later when, in writing 'St. Ronan's Well' the novelist adopted the name -of the real landlady for his fictitious character. - -So far as the rival claimants of the 'Cleikum Inn' honours are -concerned, I do not believe that Scott had any particular house in -mind, either for the 'inn,' or the 'hottle.' Nor can I find any -evidence of the existence of an 'original' for Shaw's Castle, the -family seat of the Mowbrays, though Raeburn House, near St. Boswell's -Green may be taken as a excellent type. The same doubt applies to the -village of St. Ronan's itself. Scott's {351} design seems to have been -merely to place the scene of his story, broadly speaking, in the valley -of the Tweed. - -This picturesque stream rises in the high lands near Moffat and flows -north through a country still wild and solitary. A score of miles or -less from its source, it makes a bend toward the east, above the town -of Peebles, and from this point, until it discharges its waters into -the North Sea at Berwick, there is scarcely a bend in the river or a -village or town on its banks that does not suggest memories of Sir -Walter Scott. - -From the high ground overlooking the river, just at the point where it -bends to the east, we had a view, through the trees, of surpassing -beauty. Below was the ancient Castle of Neidpath, once a scene of -stately splendour, when nobles and monarchs frequented its halls, and -richly attired ladies promenaded in the well-kept gardens, laden with -the perfume and brilliant with the hues of many flowers; when -well-ordered terraces lined the banks of the stream and orchards smiled -from the surrounding hillsides. Amid such scenes the 'Maid of -Neidpath' sat in the tower,-- - - To watch her love's returning-- - -and broke her heart when the lover came and passed with heedless gaze-- - - As o'er some stranger glancing.[2] - - -Time and Nature, working together as landscape artists, have converted -the castle into a picturesque ruin, and replaced the artificial gardens -and terraces with thick groves of fine old trees, clothing the -hillsides {352} with a richer and deeper verdure, and leaving only the -river as of yore, still brightening the scene with the sparkle of its -silvery tide. In the distance we could see the spires and chimneys of -Peebles. - -[Illustration: SCOTT'S TOMB, DRYBURGH] - -Following the river, we passed Innerleithen, six miles below Peebles, -and a short distance beyond we paused for a moment to look toward the -ruins of Elibank, high up on the hillside. This was Scott's favourite -objective point for a summer afternoon walk from Ashestiel, and the -scene of the famous legend of 'Muckle-Mouthed Meg.'[3] Two miles -farther on is Ashestiel, where Scott spent many happy summers. Keeping -the left bank we soon came to a place where we could see Abbotsford on -the opposite side of the river--and a charming view it makes. Then -comes Melrose with all its varied associations. Driving toward the -east, we ascended a hill near the summit of Bemerside Heights and -halted to enjoy 'Scott's favourite view.' Below was a bend of the -river marking the site of Old Melrose, the establishment which preceded -the more pretentious abbey in the village. Far away were the summits -of the Eildon Hills. On the day of Scott's funeral, the procession -climbed this hill on the way to Dryburgh Abbey, the hearse being drawn -by Sir Walter's own coach-horses. At the spot where we were standing, -it is said, the faithful animals halted of their own accord, not -knowing that their master could no longer enjoy his favourite view. - -We soon came to the beautiful ruins of Dryburgh Abbey, where Scott lies -buried. It is a place he was fond of visiting, so much so that in a -letter to Miss Carpenter, before they were married, he referred to it -{353} with enthusiasm, adding, 'When I die, Charlotte, you must cause -my bones to be laid there.' This brought a lively reply from the young -lady: 'What an idea of yours was that to mention where you wished to -have your _bones laid_. If you were married, I should think you were -tired of me. A very pretty compliment _before marriage_.... Take care -of yourself if you love me, as I have _no wish_ that you should _visit_ -that _beautiful_ and _romantic_ scene, the burying-place.' - -Still farther to the east lies Kelso, where Scott spent several summers -with a relative and attended the village school; while in the valley -below lie the principal scenes of 'Marmion.' In the hills to the -north, between Melrose and Kelso, is Sandy Knowe, the farm of the -poet's grandfather, where the fresh air of the Scottish hills gave a -new lease of life to the child of three years. Some recollections of -these early days found their way into 'St. Ronan's Well,' published -nearly half a century later. A frequent visitor at the fireside of -Sandy Knowe was the parish clergyman, Dr. Duncan, who perhaps failed to -appreciate the presence of a poet in embryo. Scott had early committed -to memory long passages from Ramsay's 'Tea-Table Miscellany' and one or -two other favourite volumes, which he would shout at the top of his -voice, regardless of the presence of the good minister, who would -testily exclaim, 'One may as well speak in the mouth of a cannon as -where that child is.' The old gentleman lived to be nearly ninety. -'He was,' says Scott, 'a most excellent and benevolent man, a gentleman -in every feeling, and altogether different from those of his order who -cringe at the tables of the gentry or domineer and riot at those of the -yeomanry.' There {354} seems to be no doubt that in the personage of -Mr. Josiah Cargill, the shy, absent-minded, but learned and -conscientious, and always lovable, clergyman of 'St. Ronan's Well,' -Scott drew a portrait of the excellent divine whom he had learned to -respect in his early days. - - - -[1] See _ante_, p. 106, Chapter viii, 'Waverley.' - -[2] _The Maid of Neidpath_, 1806. - -[3] See _ante_, Chapter 1, page 36. - - - - -{355} - -CHAPTER XXVI - -REDGAUNTLET - -I was standing, one afternoon, among some rugged rocks, half covered -with sand and seaweed, which lined the shores of the Solway Firth, when -my attention was suddenly attracted by a large black horse ridden by a -woman. They were far away from shore and the animal seemed to be -lightly cantering over the surface of the water. I suddenly realized -the peculiar characteristic of the Solway. The tide was going out and -what seemed to be the surface of a wide, inland sea was in reality a -broad stretch of glistening white sand, still wet enough to catch and -reflect the rays of the sun. - -In spite of the fact that the rider was a woman, I was reminded of the -thrilling incident that marks one of the earlier chapters of -'Redgauntlet.' Darsie Latimer had wandered out in the late afternoon -over the wet sands of the Solway, watching with great interest the -exertions of some horsemen, who were intent upon the sport of spearing -salmon. The ebb of the tide leaves numberless little pools, formed by -the inequality of the surface, and in these the fish dart about, making -frantic efforts to escape to deeper water. The horsemen chase the -salmon at full gallop, striking at them with their spears,--a form of -amusement requiring great skill and perfect horsemanship. The riders -had ceased their sport and were returning to the shore, while Darsie -lingered on the sands. Suddenly he heard an abrupt voice, calling out, -{356} 'Soho, brother! you are late for Bowness to-night'; and, turning, -recognized the most expert of the salmon fishers, a tall man riding a -powerful black horse. Darsie replied that he was a stranger and about -to return to the shore. 'Best make haste, then,' said the fisherman. -'He that dreams on the bed of the Solway, may wake in the next world. -The sky threatens a blast that will bring in the waves three feet -abreast.' The young man, not realizing the danger, had to be warned a -third time, and finally was pulled up on the horse behind his rescuer, -who was compelled to gallop to safety at full speed. - -At a later time, the tall fisherman, who proved to be Hugh Redgauntlet, -kidnapped young Latimer, whom he had recognized as his long-lost -nephew, and carried him in a cart across the Solway to England. While -lying on his back upon some sacks of straw, his arms and legs tightly -bound with cloth bandages, Darsie again heard the rush of the advancing -tide. He 'not only heard the roar of this dreadful torrent, but saw, -by the fitful moonlight, the foamy crests of the devouring waves, as -they advanced with the speed and fury of a pack of hungry wolves.' One -or two of the great waves of the 'howling and roaring sea' had reached -the cart, when he was again rescued by Redgauntlet in much the same -manner as before. - -The reality of these fearful tides exceeds even Scott's vivid -description. In a volume published more than eighty years ago[1] by a -local writer, I find this account:-- - - -During spring tides, and particularly when impelled by a strong -southwester, the Solway rises with prodigious {357} rapidity. A loud -booming noise indicates its approach, and is distinguishable at the -distance of several miles. At Caerlaverock and Glencaple, where it -enters the Nith, the scene is singularly grand and imposing; and it is -beautiful to see a mighty volume of water advancing, foam-crested, and -with a degree of rapidity which, were the race a long one, would -outmatch the speed of the swiftest horses. The tide-head, as it is -called, is often from four to six feet high, chafed into spray, with a -mighty trough of bluer water behind--swelling in some places into -little hills, and in others scooped into tiny valleys, which, when -sunlit, form a brilliant picture of themselves. From the tide-head -proceed two huge jets of water, which run roaring along, searching the -banks on either side--the antennæ, as it were, which the ocean puts -forth, and by which it feels its way when confined within narrow -limits. A large fire-engine discharging a strong stream of water bears -a close resemblance to this part of the phenomena of a strong spring -tide; but the sea-water is broken while the other is smooth, and runs -hissing, or rather gallops, along in a manner to which no language of -ours can do justice. - - -Between Bowness, the northernmost point of Cumberland, and Whinnyrig, -south of Annan in Dumfriesshire, the Solway is only two miles wide. It -is now safely crossed by a railroad bridge, but two generations ago the -Scottish farmers and dealers were in the habit of crossing the sands at -low tide to save a long and tedious detour of about thirty miles by way -of Carlisle. Many a belated traveller, missing his way in the darkness -or the fog, has been overtaken by the tide and lost. - -All the scenes of 'Redgauntlet,' except those in Edinburgh and -Dumfries, are laid near the shores of the Solway. Shepherd's Bush and -Brokenburn, imaginary places, of course, may be considered to be -somewhere on the Scottish side near Annan. Mount Sharon, the {358} -residence of the kind-hearted Joshua Geddes, supposed to be in the same -vicinity, was really modelled after some pleasant recollections of the -author's boyhood at Kelso. It was a place of quiet contentment, where -one might wander through fields and pastures and woodlands by -convenient paths amid scenes of peaceful beauty. Even the partridges -and the hares had learned the kindly nature of the good Quaker and his -amiable sister, and did not fear their approach. - -Scott drew the charming picture of the Quaker household from his early -friendship for the Waldie family in Kelso. Their son Robert was one of -his school-fellows. He spent many happy hours in their hospitable -home, where he was treated with the utmost kindness by Robert's mother, -universally known in the neighbourhood as Lady Waldie. A privilege -which Scott particularly appreciated was the permission to 'rummage at -pleasure' through the small but well-selected library which the good -lady's deceased husband had left her. - -On the English side of the Solway, the Wampool River, where the Jumping -Jenny landed Alan Fairford, along with a cargo of contraband goods, -including gunpowder for the use of the Jacobites, may be easily found -on the map. The English scenes were laid between here and Carlisle, -but the story of the visit to this region of Charles Edward, disguised -as Father Buonaventure, is pure fiction, and of course the localities -cannot be identified, except Burgh-upon-Sands, where there is a -monument to Edward I, to which Hugh Redgauntlet refers as the party is -passing by. - -The English residence of Hugh Redgauntlet to which Darsie was conducted -by his captor, described as ancient {359} and strong, with battlemented -roof and walls of great thickness, but otherwise resembling a -comfortable farmhouse, is purely fictitious. We visited, however, on -the Scottish side of the Solway, a splendid modern castle, which, -judged by an old painting of the place as it was in 1789, would -admirably fit the description. This is Hoddam Castle, five miles -southwest of the village of Ecclefechan, Carlyle's birthplace, where we -spent a night in one of the quaintest little inns in Scotland, a -survival of the time when Scottish inns offered few comforts to the -traveller, but made up for it in proffered sociability. - -Hoddam Castle is beautifully situated in the midst of a grove of fine -trees overlooking the river Annan. A battlemented tower, surmounted by -conical turrets, rises high above the extensive modern structure -surrounding it. This is the ancient building, for centuries occupied -by the Herries family. Scott originally intended to call his novel -'Herries' instead of 'Redgauntlet,' and was with much difficulty -persuaded by Constable to accept the latter title. The old castle was -built in the fifteenth century by John, Lord Herries, to whom was -granted an extensive tract of land, extending over three or four -counties. - -The Herries family, to which Hugh Redgauntlet is supposed to belong, -was always powerful. In their later years, like their fictitious -descendant, its members were ardent supporters of the Stuart family. -John Maxwell, who took the name of Lord Herries upon his marriage, was -a zealous defender of Mary Queen of Scots. He assisted her escape from -Loch Leven Castle, fought for her at Langside, escorted her, after the -battle, to his {360} own house in Galloway, and thence to Dundrennan -Abbey, and finally conducted her, in a small vessel, to England. His -descendant, William, the ninth Lord Herries and fifth Earl of -Nithsdale, participated in the Jacobite uprising of 1715. He was made -a prisoner at Preston and sent to the Tower, where he was tried and -condemned to death. His countess, with rare courage and -resourcefulness, first forced her way to an audience with the King in -St. James's Palace, and pleaded on her knees for her husband's life. -Finding this ineffectual, she paid a last farewell visit to her -husband, taking several lady friends with her. They succeeded in -disguising the Earl in feminine apparel and thus effected his escape. -When Darsie Latimer was obliged, at his uncle's command, to wear -petticoats as a means of concealing his identity, he was only following -the example of one of his ancestors. - -[Illustration: HODDAM CASTLE] - -In 1690 the castle and Barony of Hoddam passed from the Herries family -to John Sharpe, and remained in the hands of his heirs until very -recent times. One of these was Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Scott's -intimate friend, who helped collect the 'Minstrelsy of the Scottish -Border,' to which he contributed two ballads. Scott was a frequent -guest at his house, and he often dined with Scott's family in Edinburgh -or at Abbotsford. He was a man of distinction in letters and an artist -as well. Two well-known etchings by him, the 'Dish of Spurs' and -'Muckle-Mouthed Meg,' besides a caricature of Queen Elizabeth, adorn -the walls of Abbotsford. His ancestors, like the Herries family, were -ardent Jacobites. - -The Sharpes claimed relationship to the notorious {361} Grierson of -Lag, who was the original of Sir Robert Redgauntlet in 'Wandering -Willie's Tale.' Sir Robert Grierson, who was born in 1655 and died in -1733, was an infamous scoundrel who took fiendish delight in -persecuting the Covenanters. In his drunken revels he made them the -theme of scurrilous jests. In a vaulted chamber of his Castle of Lag, -now in ruins, he had an iron hook upon which he hanged his prisoners. -Often he would amuse himself by rolling his victims down a steep hill -in barrels filled with knives and iron spikes. He was an object of -terror and hatred through all the neighbouring country and for many -years after his death was represented in theatrical productions as a -hideous monster. Scott heard in his youth the wild tales of the -terrible Grierson, and made them the basis of the story told by -Wandering Willie. - -If by Redgauntlet Castle we mean the house of the blind fiddler's hero, -we must take for its original the ancient ruin of Lag Castle, built in -the fourteenth century; but if the seat of the Herries family is meant, -Hoddam Castle is of course the prototype, even though Scott places it -on the English side of the Solway. - -A bit of scenery worth recalling in connection with this novel is the -Marquis of Annandale's Beefstand, or as it is now called, the Devil's -Beef Tub, the place where the Laird of Summertrees had his wonderful -adventure, escaping from his captors by rolling, over and over, like a -barrel, down the steep incline that leads to the bottom of the hollow. -It is as lonely and desolate a spot as we saw anywhere in Scotland. -The hills circle about to form a huge bowl, in the rim of which there -is apparently no break, so that one wonders how the little brook at the -{362} bottom manages to find an outlet so as to remain a brook at all, -instead of accumulating its waters to form a great natural lake. The -old Border raiders used the hollow as a convenient place in which to -collect stolen cattle. From the road on the rim it seems to be a dark, -dismal hole, without sign of life except an occasional ring of earth -and stone, built for the protection of the sheep. Scott knew -personally a Jacobite gentleman, who escaped at this place in precisely -the same manner as 'Pate-in-Peril,' while being taken to Carlisle a -prisoner for participation in the 'affair of 1745.' - -'Redgauntlet' is autobiographical to a greater extent than any other of -Scott's novels. It is true that 'Waverley' gives a hint of his own -early love of reading, while 'The Antiquary' reflects his interest in -the relics of an older civilization. Indeed, bits of personal -reminiscence are woven into nearly all his tales. But 'Redgauntlet' -more directly reveals Scott himself and those nearest to him than any -or all of the others. - -The voluminous correspondence of Alan Fairford and Darsie Latimer is -full of recollections of school days in Edinburgh, when as a boy Scott -climbed the 'kittle nine stanes,' a difficult and dangerous passage -over the steep granite rock upon which the castle stands, or helped -'man the Cowgate Port,' an ancient gateway to the city from which the -youngsters in snowballing time annoyed the passers-by and defied the -town guard. One of his most intimate companions in the days when he -was reading law was William Clerk, whom he describes as a man of acute -'intellect and powerful apprehension,' but somewhat trammelled with -'the fetters of indolence.' There is no doubt that Scott himself was -the original of {363} Alan Fairford nor that William Clerk was the -model for Darsie Latimer. The fine portrait of Saunders Fairford, who -was so anxious to have his son 'attain the proudest of all -distinctions--the rank and fame of a well-employed lawyer,' was drawn -from Scott's own father, many years after the death of that worthy -gentleman. - - -Mr. Saunders Fairford, ... was a man of business of the old school, -moderate in his charges, economical and even niggardly in his -expenditure, strictly honest in conducting his own affairs and those of -his clients, but taught by long experience to be wary and suspicious in -observing the motions of others. Punctual as the clock of St. Giles -tolled nine, the neat dapper form of the little hale old gentleman was -seen at the threshold of the Court-hall ... trimly dressed in a -complete suit of snuff-coloured brown, with stockings of silk or -woolen, as suited the weather; a bob wig and a small cocked hat; shoes -blacked as Warren would have blacked them; silver shoe-buckles and a -gold stock-buckle. A nosegay in summer, and a sprig of holly in -winter, completed his well-known dress and appearance. - - -Even Peter Peebles, the poor old derelict, ruined by a lifetime of -perpetual litigation, was a real character, well known in Edinburgh, -and Scott himself, in common with most young lawyers, took his turn in -'practising' on this case. - -The re-introduction of Charles Edward, who was so fascinating as a -figure in 'Waverley,' was not so successful. In the earlier novel, his -movements are, in the main, historically accurate. His reappearance, -twenty years later, under circumstances purely fictitious, is by -comparison almost wholly lacking in interest. There is, however, a -certain attractiveness about the enthusiasm of his ardent supporter, -Hugh Redgauntlet, and the {364} book is not lacking in minor -characters, who are almost as fascinating as any of the novelist's -earlier creations. Wandering Willie is one of these--the blind fiddler -who holds communication with the captive Darsie, by the rendering of -appropriate tunes, the words of which the latter is quick to recall and -clever enough to interpret. Another is Nanty Ewart, the skipper of the -Jumping Jenny, who can read his Sallust like a scholar, and appeals to -one's sympathies in spite of his dissipation. - -Although 'Redgauntlet' was at first received somewhat coldly, it is -nevertheless true, in the words of Lady Louisa Stuart, that 'the -interest is so strong one cannot lay it down.' Its lack of value -historically is more than offset by the personal interest of its -characters and the many episodes of intense dramatic realism. - - - -[1] _Picture of Dumfries, with Historical and Descriptive Notices_, by -John McDiarmid, 1832. - - - - -{365} - -CHAPTER XXVII - -TALES OF THE CRUSADERS - -The two stories published simultaneously under this title are widely -different in character. In 'The Betrothed,' the reader gets no glimpse -of the Holy Land, though he is amply compensated by a view of some of -the most delightful portions of picturesque Wales. In 'The Talisman,' -on the contrary, not only is the whole of the stage-setting in -Palestine, but our old friend, Richard the Lion-Hearted, who made such -strong appeals to our sympathies in 'Ivanhoe,' appears once more on the -scene. Perhaps this fact accounts for the great popularity of 'The -Talisman,' which has always gone hand in hand with 'Ivanhoe,' in the -estimation of the younger readers, at least, and possibly the older -ones, especially in England and America, as among the most attractive -of Scott's novels. 'The Betrothed' is no more a tale of the Crusades -than is 'Ivanhoe.' In the former the Constable de Lacy is supposed to -be absent in the Holy Land a few years and returns in disguise. King -Richard does the same in 'Ivanhoe.' - -James Ballantyne, who was always a candid critic, found so much fault -with 'The Betrothed' that Scott, bitterly disappointed, decided to -cancel it altogether. The sheets were hung up in Ballantyne's -warehouse, while Scott started a new tale which should be really a -story of the Crusades. Ballantyne was as much pleased with 'The -Talisman' as he had been disappointed with {366} its predecessor. Both -author and printer hesitated to destroy the sheets of an entire edition -of the earlier production, and it was finally decided that 'The -Talisman' was such a masterpiece that it might be relied upon to 'take -the other under its wing.' The publication of the two volumes as the -'Tales of the Crusaders' seemed to justify Ballantyne's faith, for, -says Lockhart, 'The brightness of "The Talisman" dazzled the eyes of -the million as to the defects of the twin story.' Whether this opinion -would be endorsed by careful readers of to-day is doubtful, for 'The -Betrothed' has some excellent characters, notably Eveline Berenger, -Wilkin Flammock, and his daughter Rose, Hugo de Lacy, and his -high-minded nephew Damian. Moreover, Scott here adds to his 'country' -a bit of the United Kingdom, which he had not previously touched, and -does it with his usual charm. - -The novelist's information regarding Welsh history and antiquities was -derived largely from conversations with his friend, the Rev. John -Williams, Archdeacon of Cardigan, who had made a special study of the -subject. But he had always felt an interest in that region. 'There -are,' he writes to Joanna Bailie in 1814, 'few countries I long so much -to see as Wales. The first time I set out to see it I was caught by -the way and married. God help me! The next time, I went to London and -spent all my money there. What will be my third interruption, I do not -know, but the circumstances seem ominous.' Whether he actually saw the -country before writing the novel is doubtful. He did visit it, -however, in August of 1825, just after 'The Betrothed' was published, -and stopped at Llangollen, where he paid a visit to the {367} famous -'Ladies' of that place. These two old ladies, one seventy and the -other sixty-five when Scott saw them, had 'eloped' together from -Ireland, when they were young girls, one of them dressed as a footman -in buckskin breeches. Valuing their liberty above all the allurements -of matrimony, they made a secret journey to Wales, and for fifty years -lived a quiet and comfortable life in the beautiful vale of Llangollen. - -Local tradition assigns this lovely valley as the scene of 'The -Betrothed.' Although this may be doubted, it is nevertheless fairly -representative of what Scott evidently had in mind. The river Dee -winds among a maze of low, partially wooded, and well-rounded hilltops, -here and there finding its way through green meadows, set off by hedges -of full-grown trees, and at each turn glistening in the sun like a -broad ribbon of silver. - -I was induced to walk up a long sloping hillside for a distance of -about three miles from the village, and was rewarded at the summit by a -superb view of northern Wales, for many miles in every direction, and -at the same time saw the ruins of the ancient Castell Dinas Bran. -This, or something very like it, must have been the Garde Doloureuse of -the novel. It certainly had all the natural advantages claimed for -that ancient Welsh stronghold, for no army would have found it easy to -ascend that hill in the face of a determined garrison. The ruin has -the indications also of having been well fortified by the art of man, -its walls enclosing an area two hundred and ninety feet long by one -hundred and forty feet wide. - -The castle may have been built by the Britons before the Roman -invasion. A well-founded tradition fixes it {368} as the seat of -Eliseg, Prince of Powys, in the eighth century, and it figures in -actual history as early as 1200, when it was the residence of a -turbulent Welsh baron named Madog. - -At Welshpool, directly to the south and near the English border, we -visited the magnificent park and castle of the Earl of Powis. It -stands on the site of the ancient Castell Coch, or Red Castle, famous -as the seat of the great Welsh hero, Gwenwynwyn, who flourished in the -latter part of the twelfth and beginning of the thirteenth century. -That hero, whom Scott calls Gwenwyn, it will be remembered, upon seeing -for the first time the beautiful damsel of sixteen, Eveline Berenger, -the only child of his greatest rival and the heir of the strong -fortress which he coveted, promptly resolved to marry her, thus -starting the train of events which are recorded in the novel. - -[Illustration: POWIS CASTLE, WALES] - -The present Powis Castle Park is a magnificent demesne of nearly a -thousand acres. Its most important portion is a great deer-park, in -the midst of which stands the imposing modern palace. The herds of -deer quietly feeding on the lawn were kind enough to pose for me, when -I made a picture of the castle, and added greatly to its picturesque -aspect. On the south, the sloping ground has been cut into broad and -beautiful terraces, surmounted by huge yews, trimmed smoothly in -conical form. The stone walls are broken by a series of arches, above -which are balustrades and statuary in great variety. Clinging vines -and garden flowers of every description add colour to the beauty of the -arrangement. Below the terraces is a gentle slope, planted with fruit -trees, and then a level lawn, in the {369} midst of which is a stately -elm. The whole is a triumph of landscape gardening which would have -amazed the famous Gwenwynwyn. - -Following the course of the tale our next objective was the city of -Gloucester, the crowning glory of which is the great cathedral, founded -by the Saxon earl, Osric, in 680 A.D. The massive Norman nave was -commenced in 1088 and the fine choir was completed in the fourteenth -century. The great east window, measuring seventy-two feet in height, -thirty-eight feet in width, and containing two thousand seven hundred -and thirty-six square feet of glass, is the largest in England if not -in the world. Passing around the cathedral we found a house which -figures in the story,--the Deanery, as it is now called. It was -formerly the prior's lodge of the old Benedictine abbey, and is the -oldest house in Gloucester. Within its walls a meeting of Parliament -is said to have been held by Richard II. - -Of the scenery of 'The Talisman' it is difficult to say much beyond -what is generally known about the Holy Land. Scott never visited -Palestine and wrote only in general terms. He did contrive, however, -to inject a bit of Scottish scenery with which he was familiar, just as -he managed to begin the novel with the adventures of a Scottish knight, -and to find another countryman among the retainers of King Richard, in -the person of Sir Thomas de Multon, the Lord of Gilsland, whose 'love -and devotion to the King was like the vivid affection of the old -English mastiff to his master.' - -Readers of 'The Talisman' will recall, in the mansion of the hermit of -Engaddi, the beautiful miniature Gothic chapel, and will quickly note -the resemblance to Roslin {370} Chapel, near Edinburgh. The famous -feudal baron, William St. Clair, built the latter in a spirit of -penitence. An old manuscript informs us that 'to the end he might not -seem altogether unthankfull to God for the benefices received from Him, -it came in his minde to build a house for God's service of most curious -work, the which, that it might be done with greater glory and splendour -he caused artificers to be brought from other regions and forraigne -kingdoms and caused dayly to be abundance of all kinde of workemen -present.' - -The foundation was laid in 1446. It is called 'florid Gothic' for want -of a better name. There is no other architecture like it in the world. -It is a medley of all architectures, the Egyptian, Grecian, Roman, and -Saracenic being intermingled with all kinds of decorations and designs, -some exquisitely beautiful and others quaint and even grotesque. There -are thirteen different varieties of the arch. The owner possessed -wealth and wanted novelty. He secured the latter by engaging -architects and builders from all parts of Europe. The most striking -feature of an ulterior crowded with beautiful forms is the 'Prentice's -Pillar, a column with spiral wreaths of exquisitely carved foliage. - -It is curious to think of such a chapel as this concealed in a -mysterious mansion in the desert of Engaddi, but it is the only touch -of realistic description in the whole book, and Scott makes use of it -with his usual skill. - - - - -{371} - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -WOODSTOCK - -Between the completion of the 'Tales of the Crusaders' and the next -novel, 'Woodstock,' came the distressing change in Scott's affairs, -that set apart the remaining years of his life as a period of sadness, -disappointment, grief, and physical pain. They were years of almost -superhuman exertion, when the superb personal character of the man, -backed by an unconquerable will, triumphed over an accumulation of -afflictions that would have broken the heart of an ordinary person. -The victory cost him his life--but it was only after a battle of six -hard years, and even then it was the frail body and not the heart of -the man that succumbed. - -In the year 1825, when 'Woodstock' was commenced, the old, happy days, -when writing a story was a joyous pastime, came to an end forever, and -in their stead came a sense of toil and conscious effort. 'It was a -pleasant sight,' said Lockhart, 'when one happened to take a passing -peep into his den, to see the white head erect, and the smile of -conscious inspiration on his lips, while the pen, held boldly and at a -commanding distance, glanced steadily and gayly along a fast-blackening -page of "The Talisman." It now often made me sorry to catch a glimpse -of him, stooping and poring with his spectacles, amidst piles of -authorities, a little notebook ready in his left hand, that had always -used to be at liberty for patting Maida.' - -{372} - -Lockhart is here referring to the vast toil required in the preparation -of a 'Life of Napoleon,' which Scott had undertaken immediately after -returning from the tour through Ireland and Wales, made soon after the -completion of 'The Talisman.' It was the year when rumours of -financial troubles in London began to reach his ears, followed swiftly -by the failure of Constable and the Ballantynes, and later by the -sickness and death of Lady Scott and his own physical suffering. -Undaunted by misfortune he bravely continued his 'Napoleon,' and soon -conceived the idea of composing a work of imagination at the same time. -The first of three volumes of 'Woodstock' was, under these trying -circumstances, completed in fifteen days and the entire novel in three -months. - -The news of Scott's distress had spread throughout Scotland and England -and into many parts of Europe, and there was naturally a keen interest -in the story which he was known to be writing. The announcement that -Scott was the author of the Waverley Novels and that the man who had -accomplished this marvellous success had met with financial failure -came as a shock and a thrill. 'Scott ruined!' exclaimed the Earl of -Dudley; 'the author of "Waverley" ruined! Good God! Let every man to -whom he has given months of delight give him a sixpence, and he will -rise to-morrow morning richer than Rothschild!' The result of this -state of the public mind was that 'Woodstock' was successful beyond the -author's fondest dreams. - -The village of Woodstock, where practically the whole of the scene is -laid, lies about eight miles north-west of Oxford. The market-place -still has an ancient {373} look, though the houses are in fairly good -repair. To readers of the novel the chief place of interest in the -village is the old parish church where the Reverend Nehemiah Holdenough -was rudely crowded from his pulpit by the canting Independent soldier, -Trusty Tomkins, who proceeded to preach one of those weird sermons, -common enough at that time, in which the texts of Scripture were -perverted to apply to current events, with whatever significance the -orator might choose. A fine Norman doorway on the south side marks the -oldest part of the edifice, dating back probably as far as the twelfth -century. The north side is modern, having been built to replace the -older walls that were torn down. The tower was built in 1783. - -The real interest of Woodstock lies not in the church nor the village, -but in the vast park and palace, now called Blenheim, the property of -the Duke of Marlborough. As early as the reign of William the -Conqueror, Woodstock was a royal forest, and was so designated in the -Domesday Book. His son, Henry I, enclosed it with a wall six miles in -circumference (not so large as its present extent) and rebuilt the -house. It was here that Thomas à Becket in 1162 began the quarrel with -King Henry II, which led to his murder at Canterbury. King Henry added -to the old palace of Woodstock the famous tower and maze, where 'the -fair Rosamond' might be safely concealed from the jealous eyes of Queen -Eleanor. 'Rosamond's Well,' where Tomkins met his well-deserved death -at the hands of Joceline Joliffe, is the only remnant of the old palace -in existence. It is a spring, walled in and paved, and guarded by an -iron fence. We drank of its waters {374} and, following the -instructions of the old woman who acts as its keeper, threw what was -left in the glasses over our left shoulders 'for luck.' The well was -originally within the walls of the palace, so that its occupant could -obtain water without the risk of stepping outside. It may, therefore, -be considered as marking approximately the site of the old palace. - -Richard the Lion-Hearted and John were visitors to Woodstock. Henry -III made some improvements in the house. Edward III and Queen Philippa -were much attached to Woodstock and often made it their residence. It -was during their reign that the poet Chaucer, who was first a page and -later a royal 'esquire,' was frequently at Woodstock. He married one -of the Queen's maids of honour, and lived in a house in the village -which is still standing. As late as the time of James II, Woodstock -continued to be occupied, as a favourite country seat, by the English -sovereigns. During the great Civil War it was the scene of frequent -skirmishes and in the time of the Commonwealth was in the possession of -Cromwell. - -The fantastic performances by which the commissioners of the Long -Parliament were imposed upon and badly frightened when they visited -Woodstock, after the execution of Charles I, for the purpose of -destroying it, are fully explained in Scott's Introduction. - -[Illustration: GOLSTOW PRIORY (BURIAL-PLACE OF THE 'THE FAIR ROSAMOND')] - -In 1704, as a reward for his famous triumph in the battle of Blenheim, -the victorious commander, John Churchill, was created first Duke of -Marlborough, and presented with the vast estates of Woodstock. Queen -Anne and the Parliament bestowed upon him in addition the princely sum -of £240,000 with which to build a {375} mansion. Blenheim Palace is -the finest work of the most famous architect of his day, Sir John -Vanbrugh, who designed the building by command of the Queen. Its front -extends, from wing to wing, three hundred and forty-eight feet. The -style is Italo-Corinthian. Its spacious halls are filled with splendid -tapestries and many valuable paintings. There is a long ballroom, -equipped as a library at one end and with a great pipe-organ at the -other. The park comprises two thousand six hundred acres, with many -fine beeches, oaks, elms, cedars of Lebanon, and an avenue of lindens. -The river Glyme, which flowed through the estate of Woodstock, was -dammed by the landscape gardener of Blenheim and converted into a -picturesque lake, over which is an imposing bridge. In a remote corner -of the grounds we found the celebrated King's Oak, a fine old tree -supposed to be at least a thousand years old. - -Two characters of 'Woodstock' stepped into the tale, direct from -Scott's own household, thus giving a charming personal touch to this -novel in common with 'Redgauntlet' and several of the others. One of -these is the fine old hound, Bevis. It seems curious, in view of -Scott's fondness for his dogs, that not one of them should find a place -in any of his stories until so late a period of his life. Bevis, -however, made up for the previous omissions, and he is a splendid -picture of Sir Walter's favourite staghound Maida, 'the noblest dog -ever seen on the Border since Johnnie Armstrong's time.' So wrote -Scott to his friend Terry, adding, 'He is between the wolf and deer -greyhound, about six feet long from the tip of the nose to the tail, -and high and strong in proportion.... Tell Will Erskine he will eat -off his {376} plate without being at the trouble to put a paw on the -table or chair.' This noble animal, who for eight years enjoyed the -distinction of daily companionship with one of the most appreciative -masters who ever lived, came to his end in 1824, the year before -'Woodstock' was commenced. His image, sculptured in stone, had stood -for a year or more by the door of the main entrance to Abbotsford, as a -'leaping-on' stone, which Scott found convenient in mounting his horse. -Maida was buried beneath the stone, and an epitaph in Latin was carved -around its base, Scott's English version of which reads:-- - - Beneath the sculptured form which late you wore - Sleep soundly, Maida, at your master's door. - - -The other character from Scott's household was his daughter Anne--the -Alice Lee of the novel. The same loving care which Alice bestowed upon -her aged parent, Scott had felt at the hands of his youngest daughter. -When financial disaster began to weigh him down, and Lady Scott's -health began to fail, it was Anne who tenderly supported her beloved -father. In the sad days following the death of Lady Scott, she -accompanied him to London and Paris and was by his side when he -received his first paralytic stroke. Her health was shattered by the -long strain of her mother's illness and death, followed by that of her -father, and she survived her distinguished parent less than a year. - -Regarding the historical characters in the novel, the critics seem to -agree that the portraits of Cromwell and Charles II are far from -accurate and of course their part in the story is imaginary. When -Scott's enthusiasm for the Stuart family is considered, and his -sympathy for {377} royalty in general, as well as the habit among -Scotchmen of his time of regarding the great Protector as a hypocrite, -it must be admitted that his picture of Cromwell, while far from -flattering, is on the whole remarkably fair to that stern and powerful -leader. - -Although 'Woodstock' is not ranked among Scott's greatest novels, it is -noteworthy that many critics, including Lockhart and Andrew Lang, both -of whom usually preferred the Scottish romances, saw in it great merit. -In one respect it is the most wonderful of all novels--in the -self-control which enabled its author calmly to compose a -well-constructed story, full of incident and dramatic power, in the -face of afflictions which would have borne down a common mind to those -depths of despair in which the ordinary duties of life are forgotten. -Scott here proved to be not only a master of the art of story-telling, -but the master of himself. - - - - -{378} - -CHAPTER XXIX - -THE FAIR MAID OF PERTH - -Twoscore years elapsed between the day when Walter Scott, a lad of -fifteen, felt a thrill of rapture as he viewed the valley of the Tay -from the Wicks of Baiglie and the time when the same Walter, a worn-out -man, first used the beautiful scene as the setting of a novel. The -'inimitable landscape,' as he called it, took possession of his mind -and retained its influence during the greater part of his life. During -the sad years of discouragement, when the 'Canongate Chronicles' had -met with a cold reception, and his critical publishers were expressing -their views somewhat too sharply, Scott turned once more to his -well-loved Highlands for the theme of a story, and the picture which -had so aroused his 'childish wonder' came back again after more than -forty years. - -Naturally our first thought upon arriving at Perth was to find the -Wicks of Baiglie and enjoy the same sensation of wonder which Sir -Walter had so graphically described. We accordingly drove out over the -hills south of the town, on the Edinburgh road, till we came to the Inn -of Baiglie, but all to no purpose. A burly blacksmith, who looked as -if he might have been a descendant of Henry Gow himself, told us that -many people sought the view which Scott had described, but 'it did not -exist.' Changes in the road and the growth of foliage had completely -destroyed the prospect from the {379} Wicks of Baiglie. We were -compensated for our disappointment, however, by several glimpses of the -valley from Moncreiff Hill and by a superb view, which we enjoyed the -following day, from the summit of Kinnoull Hill, east of the city. At -the foot of this hill is the modern Castle of Kinfauns, replacing the -seat of Sir Patrick Charteris, to which the burghers of Perth made -their memorable journey. - -Perthshire is one of the largest counties in Scotland and excels all -the others in the beauty and variety of its scenery. Along its -southern border lies a region of moorlands, set with sparkling lochs -and rippling streams, in the midst of which are the famous Trossachs. -On the north are the rugged summits of the Grampian Mountains. In the -centre is Loch Tay, one of the loveliest of Highland lakes, fed by the -pure mountain streams that come down through the wild passes of Glen -Lochay and Glen Dochart. Its outlet is the pleasant river Tay, passing -down the eastern border through a valley of green meadows, waving -groves, fertile fields, and princely palaces. In a drive of one -hundred miles from Perth to Taymouth and back again by another route, -we saw not so much as half a mile of scenery that might be called -commonplace or uninteresting. - -North of the city is the Palace of Scone, which became the seat of -government in the eighth century, at which time the famous Stone of -Scone was brought from Dunstaffnage. Most of the Scottish kings were -crowned here, until Edward I, in the fourteenth century, carried the -stone to Westminster Abbey. Farther north, in the same valley, is a -bit of Shakespeare's scenery. We {380} passed through the Birnam Wood -of 'Macbeth,' though we saw no trees. Perhaps this was natural, for -according to Shakespeare they all went to Dunsinane Hill many years ago -and the bard does n't say that they ever came back. - -[Illustration: LOCH TAY] - -Perth is an ancient city, having received a charter from David I in the -early part of the twelfth century. For nearly three hundred years it -was the residence of the Scottish kings, who occupied during the -greater part of that time the monastery of the Dominicans or Black -Friars, formerly situated near the west end of the present bridge. -This is the church to which Simon Glover and his daughter were walking -when they were accosted by the frivolous young Duke of Rothsay, heir to -the throne of Scotland. It was founded in 1231. The city was well -provided with other religious houses, notably the Carthusian Monastery -founded in 1429, the Grey Friars in 1460, and the Carmelites or White -Friars, west of the town, dating from 1260. All of these have -disappeared, the result of a famous sermon preached by John Knox, in -1559, in the old Church of St. John, which aroused the populace to a -frenzy of excitement against the Church of Rome. St. John's Church was -itself despoiled of everything which the mob thought savoured of -popery, its altars, its images, and even its organ being destroyed. -The building itself remained unhurt. Old St. John's was established as -early as the fifth century. The transept and nave of the present -building were erected in the thirteenth century and the choir in the -fifteenth. At present the structure is divided into three churches, -the East, the Middle, and the West. The appeal to the direct judgment -{381} of Heaven, to determine the identity of the murderer of Oliver -Proudfute, which is described as taking place within this building, was -based upon a widespread belief that the corpse of a murdered person -would bleed upon the approach of the guilty person,--the same -superstition which Hawthorne used in 'The Marble Faun.' - -Scott gives the Black Friars' Monastery a conspicuous place in his -story, as the residence of King Robert III. That well-meaning but weak -monarch had three sons: the eldest, David, Duke of Rothsay, died at -Falkland Palace, under suspicious circumstances; the second, John, died -in infancy; while the third, known in history as James I, nominally -succeeded to the throne on the death of his father in 1406, but was -held a prisoner by the English and did not actually come into his -inheritance until 1424. One of his first acts was to throw Murdoch, -the son and successor of the Duke of Albany, into prison, and a little -later he punished the treachery of that nobleman by execution at -Stirling Castle. James I was a great contrast to his weak-minded -father and by the decisiveness of his character, the sagacity of his -statesmanship, and the brilliancy of his literary attainments gave -Scotland a memorable reign. It was due to his untimely death that -Perth lost her prestige as the seat of the Scottish kings. He was -suddenly surrounded by a band of three hundred Highlanders, who entered -his apartment at the Dominican Priory and stabbed him to death with -their daggers. The horror inspired by this assassination caused the -abrupt transfer of the Court to Edinburgh and the King's successor, -James II, was crowned at Holyrood Abbey instead of at Scone. - -{382} - -The house of the Fair Maid of Perth may still be seen in Curfew Street, -near the site of the old monastery. A comparison of its neat, -well-kept appearance with the pictures of the same house as it was -before the 'restoration' shows that it has improved with age as -wonderfully as Shakespeare's birthplace at Stratford-on-Avon. Not far -away, in a very narrow and squalid close, is another house celebrated -in the story--the veritable residence of Hal o' the Wynd. The rapid -multiplication of the Smith family may cause the sceptical to doubt the -authenticity of this landmark, but to the citizens of Perth it is the -original dwelling of the famous Henry Smith, or Henry Gow. - -The great public park and playground, north of the bridge, known as the -North Inch, was the scene of the famous Battle of the Clans which took -place in 1396. Thirty sturdy representatives of the Clan Chattan -fought to the death with an equal number of the Clan Kay, or as Scott -calls them, the Clan Quhele. When the conflict was about to commence, -it was discovered that the Clan Chattan numbered only twenty-nine, -whereupon a citizen of Perth, having no interest in the struggle, -volunteered, for the paltry sum of half a mark, to risk his life in the -frightful battle, and thus made up the required number. An ancient -chronicler sums up the result in these quaint words:-- - - -At last, the Clankayis war al slane except ane, that swam throw the -watter of Tay. Of Glenquhattannis, was left xi personis on live; bot -thay war sa hurt, that thay micht nocht hold thair swerdis in thair -handis. - - -There is a touch of contrition in Scott's portrayal of the cowardice of -Conachar. The novelist's brother, {383} Daniel, a man of dissipated -habits, had been employed in the island of Jamaica in some service -against a body of insurgent Negroes, and had shown a deficiency in -courage. He returned to Scotland a dishonoured man and Scott refused -to see him. A stern sense of duty impelled him to refuse even to -attend the funeral of the man who had disgraced his family. In later -years he bitterly repented this austerity and atoned for it by tenderly -caring for the unfortunate brother's child. - -Something of these feelings may have been in his mind when he wrote in -his Diary on December 5, 1827: 'The fellow that swam the Tay would be a -good ludicrous character. But I have a mind to try him in the serious -line of tragedy.... Suppose a man's nerves, supported by feelings of -honour, or say by the spur of jealousy, sustaining him against -constitutional timidity to a certain point, then suddenly giving way, I -think something tragic might be produced.... Well, I'll try my brave -coward or cowardly brave man.' - -Campsie Linn, where Conachar made his final appearance, and with a last -despairing shriek 'plunged down the precipice into the raging cataract -beneath,' is a pleasant little waterfall in the Tay, seen through a -small clearing in the woods. It is scarcely a cataract nor are the -precipices formidable. The religious house where Catharine took refuge -has completely disappeared. - -Falkland Castle, to which the Duke of Rothsay was carried, a prisoner, -is in Fifeshire, about fifteen miles southeast of Perth. The rooms in -which the Prince was quartered were probably in the old tower, which -has completely disappeared. Excavations made by the Marquis of Bute in -1892 show it to have been an {384} extensive building fifty feet in -diameter. The present castle, or the greater part of it, was built at -a period somewhat later than that of the story. As early as 1160, -Falkland was known as part of the property of the Earls of Fife, who -were descendants of Macduff, the famous Thane of Fife, who put an end -to the reign of Macbeth in 1057. On the death of Isabel, Countess of -Fife, the last of her race, Falkland came into the hands of the Duke of -Albany, the brother of King Robert III. Albany was intensely jealous -of his nephew, the Duke of Rothsay, who, after attaining his majority, -began to display traits of character more worthy than those ascribed to -him in the novel. He was entrusted by the King with affairs of some -importance and gave promise of developing into an active and vigorous -successor to his father. This was, of course, a menace to the plans of -Albany, who sought the crown for himself, and he therefore managed to -exaggerate the young man's faults to the King and to stir up suspicions -against him, until the feeble monarch consented to allow his son to be -imprisoned for a time as a cure for his profligacy. The Queen, who -might have interceded for the Prince, was dead, as was also the Bishop -of St. Andrew, who had often been a mediator in the royal quarrels. -Sir John de Ramorny, the young man's tutor, who had suggested to him -the assassination of Albany and had been indignantly repulsed, revenged -himself by false reports to his pupil's uncle, and was commissioned by -the latter to arrest his former charge. The Duke of Rothsay was -thereupon waylaid and carried to the Castle of Falkland. The common -report was that he was placed in a dungeon and starved to death. It -was said that a poor woman, who heard {385} his groans while she was -passing through the garden, kept him alive for a time by passing small -pieces of barley cake through the bars. Another woman fed him with her -own milk, which she conveyed through a small reed to the famished -prisoner. Another story is that the daughter of the governor of the -castle was the one who took compassion on the Prince, and that her -wicked father put her to death as a punishment for showing mercy. The -Duke of Albany and the Earl of Douglas were charged with the murder, -but maintained that the Prince had died from natural causes and the -Parliament unanimously acquitted them. Lord Bute, who gave much study -to the records of the case, was inclined to doubt the commission of an -actual murder, but admitted that the cause of the young Duke's death -must always remain uncertain. - -[Illustration: HOUSE OF THE FAIR MAID OF PERTH] - -James I and James II made important additions to Falkland, and James V, -who found it in a ruinous condition, made many extensive repairs and -additions. It was here that the latter king died of a broken heart, at -the early age of thirty-two. A few moments before his death, when -informed of the birth of his daughter, Mary, who became the Queen of -Scots, he exclaimed prophetically, referring to the crown, 'It cam' wi' -a lass and it'll gang wi' a lass.' Mary herself visited the castle -annually for five or six years, before her marriage with Darnley and -spent many happy days there. Her son, James VI, also made it his -residence and was living there at the time he was enticed away in the -'Gowrie Conspiracy.' The last king to visit the palace was Charles II, -who came for a stay of several days, after his coronation at Scone in -1651. Later the troops of Cromwell {386} occupied the place, and its -historical interest ceased soon afterward. - -'The Fair Maid of Perth' was finished in the spring of 1828. When the -author laid down his pen, it was to mark the real close of the Waverley -Novels. True, others were yet to be written, but they were the work of -a broken man, and failed to come up to Scott's high standard. It is -one of the marvels of literature that a novel so attractive and -interesting as 'The Fair Maid' could be produced under circumstances so -distracting and painful. No one places it in the same rank as 'Guy -Mannering' and 'Ivanhoe,' yet it was popular at the time of publication -and has always been regarded as entirely worthy of the reputation of -the 'Great Wizard.' The indomitable will of the master was still able -to hold his matchless imagination to its task, though the days of its -power were now numbered. - - - - -{387} - -CHAPTER XXX - -THE CHRONICLES OF THE CANONGATE AND OTHER TALES - -The remaining tales of the Waverley Novels require only brief mention. -There is but little in them of the 'Country of Sir Walter Scott,' and -scarcely more of the author himself. They are the final efforts of a -man whose extraordinary buoyancy of youthful spirit is at last -beginning to sink beneath a burden too great for human endurance. To -begin at fifty-five the uninspiring task of 'paying for dead horses' -the vast sum of £117,000, an amount which few men are able to earn by -honest labour in all the days of their lives, required a superb courage -which only Scott's high sense of honour could have sustained. Scarcely -had the resolve been made when a second crushing blow fell with a force -more stunning than the first. His beloved wife, the companion of -thirty years, was taken away at the hour of his greatest need. She who -could relieve the tedium of his toil by slipping quietly into the room -to see if the fire burned, or to ask some kind question, was no longer -present to comfort him. He felt a paralyzing sense of loneliness and -old age, which even the devotion of his daughter Anne could not -relieve. To continue the awful grind of writing for money--for -something which he could not enjoy nor save for any cherished purpose, -but must surrender at once to others--required an almost superhuman -exertion of will power. His health began to fail. Headaches and -insomnia, added to rheumatism, {388} caused him great distress. His -early lameness became intensified and made walking so painful that he -had to abandon what had been his favourite form of exercise. The once -vigorous frame had prematurely worn out under the strain imposed upon -it. Scott had become an aged man at less than threescore years. Yet -in these years of disappointment, grief, and physical pain he produced -an amount of work of which an ordinary man might well be proud had it -represented a lifetime of toil. From 1826, the year of Constable's -failure, to 1831, this man of iron will produced no less than forty[1] -volumes, besides fifteen important reviews, essays, etc., and in -addition supervised the publication of his complete prose writings and -the Waverley Novels, preparing for the latter a series of exhaustive -introductions and notes. - -I have anticipated a little by devoting a separate chapter to 'The Fair -Maid of Perth' which appeared as {389} the Second Series of the -'Chronicles of the Canongate' in 1828. The 'First Series' was -published in 1827 and comprised 'The Two Drovers,' 'The Highland -Widow,' and 'The Surgeon's Daughter.' To many the chief interest lies -in the Introduction. When the work was first projected, Scott thought -of preserving his incognito by conceiving the tales to be the work of -one Chrystal Croftangry, an elderly gentleman who had taken quarters -for a time within the Sanctuary, as the immediate vicinity of Holyrood -was called. Here, as in the famous Alsatia of London, debtors were -safe from arrest. Scott at one time feared that the importunities of a -certain relentless creditor might force him to take refuge in the -Sanctuary. On November 1, 1827, he made this entry in his Journal: 'I -waked in the night and lay two hours in feverish meditation ... I -suppose that I, the Chronicler of the Canongate, will have to take up -my residence in the Sanctuary, unless I prefer the more airy residence -of the Colton Jail, or a trip to the Isle of Man.' Fortunately this -creditor was silenced by Scott's generous friend, Sir William Forbes, -who privately paid the claim out of his own pocket.[2] - -There is much in Mr. Croftangry's lengthy biography to remind one of -Sir Walter himself. He finds pleasure in visiting the Portobello sands -to see the cavalry drill, suggesting at once the young quartermaster of -the Edinburgh Volunteers, who rode a black charger up and down the -sands while he composed some of the most spirited stanzas of 'Marmion.' -He delights to spend the wet mornings with his book and the pleasant -ones in strolling upon the Salisbury Crags--just as Walter, {390} the -high-school boy and college student loved to do. In Mrs. Bethune -Baliol, the genial old lady who assists Mr. Croftangry in his literary -speculations, we have a kindly reference to a dear friend of the -author--Mrs. Murray Keith, who died at eighty-two years of age, 'one of -the few persons whose spirits and cleanliness, and freshness of mind -and body made old age lovely and desirable.' - -The volume is still more interesting because it contains Scott's first -printed acknowledgment of the authorship of the Waverley Novels and -gives an insight into some of the original suggestions of both -characters and scenery. It also contains an account of the Theatrical -Fund Dinner held in Edinburgh in February, 1827, in which Scott was -publicly referred to as the author of the Waverley Novels and -acknowledged in the presence of three hundred gentlemen the secret -which he had hitherto confided to only twenty. - - -'The Highland Widow' is a story of that wild but beautiful portion of -Argyllshire of which Loch Awe is the chief attraction. Dumbarton -Castle, where the widow's unfortunate son bravely paid with his life -for the mistaken teachings and indiscretions of his mother, is a -conspicuous object on the right bank of the Clyde, a few miles below -Glasgow. It stands on a high rock, the circumference of which at the -base is fully a mile. It is still maintained as one of the defences of -Scotland, in accordance with the Treaty of Union. - - -'The Two Drovers' is an excellent short story picturing the life of -those men who drove their cattle from the {391} Highlands about Doune, -to the markets of Lincolnshire or elsewhere in England, making the -entire journey on foot, sleeping with their droves at night in all -kinds of weather and enduring many hardships. - - -'The Surgeon's Daughter,' though it opens in one of the midland -counties of Scotland, is chiefly a story of India, and the scenery is -therefore not a part of Scott's Country, for he never saw it. The good -old doctor, Gideon Grey, was, however, an old friend who lived in -Selkirk, Dr. Ebenezer Clarkson, one of those hard-working country -doctors who often combine, 'under a blunt exterior, professional skill -and enthusiasm, intelligence, humanity, courage, and science.' - - -'Anne of Geierstein,' though sharply criticized by James Ballantyne and -regarded by the author himself as a task which he hated, is -nevertheless a wonderful work of imagination, in which the old-time -genius is clearly manifest. Lockhart points out the power, which Scott -retained in advanced years, of depicting 'the feelings of youth with -all their original glow and purity,' and says that nowhere has the -author 'painted such feelings more deliciously' than in certain -passages of 'Anne of Geierstein.' He assigns as a reason the fact that -Scott always retained in memory the events of his own happy life, and -besides 'he was always living over again in his children, young at -heart whenever he looked on them.' - -Though admittedly erroneous in certain historical details, the volume -contains some wonderful descriptions of scenery. Scott never visited -Switzerland, where {392} the chief interest of the story lies, but -seemed to have an instinctive grasp of its charm, which he accounted -for by saying, 'Had I not the honour of an intimate personal -acquaintance with every pass in the Highlands; and if that were not -enough, had I not seen pictures and prints _galore_?' The story opens -at the village of Lucerne, and the Lake of the Four Cantons, beneath -the shadow of the awe-inspiring Mount Pilatus. Those who have -travelled from this point to Bâle, and thence down the Rhine to -Strasburg, should have a fairly good idea of the scenery of the -novel--better, perhaps, than the author himself. Charles of Burgundy, -whose character and career had made a strong impression upon Scott -through the pages of Philippe de Comines, appears once more, and the -novel closes with his defeat at Nancy and tragic death in a half-frozen -swamp, the victim of the traitorous Campo-basso. The story of King -René and the events at Aix in Provence was an afterthought, woven into -the tale at the suggestion of James Skene, who supplied the necessary -details. - - -'Count Robert of Paris' is a tale of Constantinople, a city which Scott -had not visited. The difficulties under which it was written may be -judged from such expressions in the Journal as these: 'My pen stammers -egregiously and I write horridly incorrect'; 'The task of pumping my -brain becomes inevitably harder'; 'My bodily strength is terribly gone; -perhaps my mental also.' The spirit which enabled him to persevere in -spite of Cadell and Ballantyne, who were again criticizing severely, -may be seen from these lines: 'But I will fight it out if I can. It -would argue too great an attachment {393} of consequence to my literary -labours to sink under critical clamour. Did I know how to begin, _I -would begin again this very day, although I knew I should sink at the -end._' - -In spite of the doctor's advice, he kept on with his dictation--for he -could no longer use the pen--and finished 'Count Robert' amidst a -frightful sea of troubles. He had suffered three or four strokes of -apoplexy or palsy, and had experienced daily tortures from cramp, -rheumatism, and increasing lameness. Yet in the midst of all this -affliction he thought of his creditors and said repeatedly to Lockhart, -'I am very anxious to be done, one way or another, with this "Count -Robert," and a little story about the "Castle Dangerous"'--thus to the -last continuing the old trick of starting a new story before its -predecessor was finished. He even resumed his youthful practice of -going in search of material, and actually undertook an excursion to -Douglas in Lanarkshire, where he examined attentively the old -ivy-covered fragment of the original castle, the ruins of the old -church, and the crypt of the Douglases, filled with leaden coffins. He -even talked with the people of the village, after his old-time fashion, -and gathered such legends as they could remember. He was now on -familiar ground and speedily finished the latest story, bringing 'Count -Robert' to a close about the same time. The two were published in -November, 1831, as the Fourth Series of 'Tales of My Landlord.' These -volumes completed the literary labours of Sir Walter, except that he -continued to work a little at his notes and introductions, but at last -he took the advice of his friends and agreed to do no more work of an -exacting {394} nature. A journey to the Continent followed, including -a visit to Malta, but in the following year he was glad to return to -his beloved Abbotsford. On the 21st of September, 1832, lying in the -dining-room of the mansion which his industry and courage had saved to -his family, and listening to the rippling of his beloved river Tweed, -the brave and honourable as well as honoured writer, breathed his last. -He had fought a good fight and died in the belief that he had won. And -so he had. For although the debt was not entirely paid, the subsequent -sale of copyrights realized enough to satisfy all claims. Scott's -sense of honour and superb courage had won a glorious victory. - - - -[1] The volumes were:-- - - Woodstock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 volumes - - Life of Napoleon Buonaparte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 - - Chronicles of the Canongate, First Series,--comprising - The Two Drovers, The Highland Widow, and The Surgeon's - Daughter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - - Tales of a Grandfather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 - - Chronicles of the Canongate, Second Series--The Fair - Maid of Perth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - - Anne of Geierstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - - A History of Scotland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - - The Doom of Devorgoil and Auchindrane . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - - Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - - Tales of My Landlord, Fourth Series,--Count Robert of - Paris, and Castle Dangerous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 - __ - 40 - -Three short stories, which Ballantyne objected to including in the -Canongate Chronicles, were printed in The Keepsake. These were 'My -Aunt Margaret's Mirror,' 'The Tapestried Chamber,' and the 'Death of -the Laird's Jock.' - -[2] See Chapter V, _Rokeby_, page 95. - - - - -{395} - -CHAPTER XXXI - -A SUCCESSFUL LIFE - -In travelling so many miles to view the scenery of Scott's work, I -think the strongest impression I have received is that of the -all-pervading personality of Scott himself. It was one of the joys of -the experience that so many places, not particularly attractive in -themselves, should suddenly become interesting when found to be -connected in some way with Scott's life or with something he had -written; and that scenes of great natural beauty should become invested -with a new fascination whenever they were found to suggest some line of -poetry or to recall some well-remembered incident. I am sure I should -never have given a second thought to the bit of an old wall which is -now the scant remnant of Triermain Castle, had I passed it without -knowledge of its identity; but it was worth going far out of the way to -see, if only for the sake of realizing how the merest fragment of an -old ruin could suggest a poem to Scott and how he could rebuild a -castle in all its early magnificence and people it with the children of -his fancy. - -I know of no more romantic place in all of beautiful Scotland than the -vale of the Esk, where the river flows between high cliffs, clothed -with thick shrubbery and overhanging vines; and one can stand by the -side of the stream, looking over the lacelike foliage of the tree-tops, -and catch glimpses now and then of some fascinating old ruin, peeping -down like a fairy castle, lodged in the {396} topmost branches. Yet -when I recall its charm, I cannot help remembering how it transformed -an Edinburgh lawyer of small reputation into a poet of world-wide fame. - -Wherever we went, whether driving through the Canongate of Edinburgh, -or looking across the Tweed toward the Eildon Hills, or listening to -the shrill screams of the sea-fowl as they dashed about the dizzy -heights of St. Abb's Head, or wandering quietly through the woods that -lend a wild and fairy-like enchantment to the Trossachs, there was -always the feeling that Scott had been there before and had so left the -impress of his personality that his spirit seemed to remain. - -It was a pleasant sensation, for there seemed to be in it an -indefinable consciousness of the presence of Scott's own genial nature, -that spirit of good-fellowship which so delighted Washington Irving -when he enjoyed the rare privilege of wandering over the hills and -valleys with Sir Walter, listening to countless anecdotes and ballads, -and sharing his boundless hospitality for several days. - -[Illustration: ABBOTSFORD] - -This feeling became more and more intense as we went about in the -Border Country, which must be regarded as Scott's real home, and it -reached its culmination when we came to Abbotsford. Here, thanks to -the courtesy of Mr. James Curie, the representative in Melrose of the -Honourable Mrs. Maxwell-Scott, a great-granddaughter of the poet and -the present owner of the estate, we were greeted with a kindness worthy -of Sir Walter's own ideas of hospitality. We seemed to meet the -original owner face to face--not the poet--not the novelist--but Walter -Scott, the man. - -The great mansion and the spacious, well-wooded estate which he took so -much joy in creating and {397} struggled so desperately to save, seemed -to typify all the success and all the failure of his career. The -garden with the arched screen, copied by his own desire from the -cloisters of Melrose Abbey; the pile of stones in the centre, that once -formed the base of the ancient Mercat Cross of his native city; the -stone image of the favourite old stag-hound Maida, placed just outside -the door, as a constant reminder of the faithful friend of many years; -the entrance itself, copied from the Palace of Linlithgow; the hall, -with its fine carved woodwork from the old Kirk of Dunfermline; the -museum with its collection of guns, swords, armour, and curious -articles of every description, suggesting the author's antiquarian -tastes and the loving interest which scores of friends took in -presenting him with the things they knew he would appreciate; the -library with its thousands of volumes representing the author's own -literary tastes; the study with his own desk and chair; the dining-room -with its highly prized ancestral portraits; and the bay-window through -which Sir Walter looked for the last time upon the rippling waters of -his beloved Tweed--all these seemed to bring his kindly personality -nearer to us. - -I believe it was this all-pervading personality, the spirit of -brotherly kindness, of generosity and of love, that made Scott's life a -success. It is reflected through page after page in the novels and -poems, and shines out brilliantly from the beginning to the end of -Lockhart's great biography. It is the very essence of that wholesome -quality which has been so often remarked as one of the most -distinguishing characteristics of the Waverley Novels. - -There were no signs on Scott's property warning {398} trespassers to -'keep out.' He felt that such things would be offensive to the -feelings of the people and if any of his neighbours could shorten a -journey by walking through his grounds, he wanted them to have the -advantage. There was one sign on his land, by a broad path through the -woods, reading 'The _Rod_ to Selkirk.' The spelling was Tom Purdie's, -but the implied invitation to take a 'short cut' through the private -estate was warmly endorsed by his master. It was a pleasure to him to -see children come up with a pocketful of nuts gathered from his trees, -rather than run away at sight of him, and he declared that no damage -had ever been done in consequence of the free access which all the -world had to his place. - -When he walked over his estate, talking familiarly with Maida, who -almost invariably accompanied him, he would stop for a friendly word -with every tenant. 'Sir Walter speaks to every man as if they were -blood relations,' said one of them. Happy the companion who could take -such a walk with him. 'Oh! Scott was a master spirit--as glorious in -his conversation as in his writings,' wrote Irving. 'He spoke from the -fulness of his mind, pouring out an incessant flow of anecdote and -story, with dashes of humour, and then never monopolizing, but always -ready to listen and appreciate what came from others. I never felt -such a consciousness of happiness as when under his roof.' - -The same kindliness, experienced by tenants and visitors, was extended -to the servants of the family, as Tom Purdie could heartily testify. -Tom was brought before Scott, as sheriff, charged with poaching. He -told his story with such pathos,--of a wife and many children {399} to -feed, of scarcity of work and abundance of grouse,--mingling with it so -much sly humour, that the 'Shirra's' kind heart was touched. He took -Tom into his own employment as shepherd, and no master ever had a more -faithful servant. When Purdie died, twenty-five years later, he was -laid to rest in the churchyard of Melrose Abbey, where his grave is -marked by a simple monument, inscribed by his master, 'in sorrow for a -humble but sincere friend.' Peter Mathieson, a brother-in-law of Tom, -who was employed as coachman about the same time, survived his master. -The portraits of both these servants occupy an honoured place on the -walls of the armoury at Abbotsford. - -No man was ever on more delightful terms with his family than Sir -Walter. Captain Basil Hall, who spent a Christmas fortnight at -Abbotsford, recorded that 'even the youngest of his nephews and nieces -can joke with him, and seem at all times perfectly at ease in his -presence--his coming into the room only increases the laugh and never -checks it--he either joins in what is going on, or passes.' When -writing in his study, if Lady Scott or the children entered, his train -of thought was not disturbed. He merely regarded the interruption as a -welcome diversion by which he felt refreshed. Sometimes he would lay -down his pen and, taking the children on his knee, tell them a story; -then kissing them, and telling them to run away till supper-time, he -would resume his work with a contented smile. He considered it 'the -highest duty and sweetest pleasure' of a parent to be a companion to -his children. They in turn reciprocated by sharing with 'papa' all -their little joys and sorrows and taking him into their hearts as their -{400} very best playfellow. No man ever took more pleasure in the -education of his children. On Sundays he would often go out with the -whole family, dogs included, for a long walk, and when the entire party -were grouped about him, by the side of some pleasant brook, he would -tell stories from the Bible, weaving into them all that picturesque -charm and richness which have made his written stories so delightful. -He taught his children to love the out-of-door life, and especially -insisted upon their attaining proficiency in horsemanship, that they -might become as fearless as himself. 'Without courage,' he said, -'there cannot be truth; and without truth, there can be no other -virtue.' - -What Scott taught his children, he impressed upon all, by the force of -example, throughout his life. Shortly before his death, in a few -simple words, he epitomized his creed--without intending to do so--in a -tender parting message to his son-in-law. 'Lockhart,' he said, 'I may -have but a minute to speak to you. My dear, be a good man--be -virtuous--be religious--be a good man. Nothing else will give you any -comfort when you come to lie here.' When Lockhart asked if he should -send for Sophia and Anne, he said, 'No, don't disturb them. Poor -souls! I know they were up all night--God bless you all.' - -This lifelong desire to 'be good' and to do good, without the slightest -affectation, prudery, or sanctimoniousness, was I believe the crowning -glory of Scott's life and the secret of his success. - -Yet in many ways Scott was not successful. Judged by that test which -is the only one allowed to many men, his life was distinctly a failure. -In the ordinary usage of {401} the term, a man is accounted successful -if he accomplishes his chief aim in life. Wealth is the aim of so many -that rich men are usually considered successful, and those who die poor -are commonly supposed to be failures. - -Scott aimed to write a popular kind of poetry, and in this he -succeeded. He then turned to fiction and here he was even more -successful. But this kind of success did not represent his supreme -desire. He sought to make it the means to an end, and the dream of his -life was, after all, wealth. Not riches for himself. He was never -mean enough for that, and selfishness did not enter into his nature. -It was wealth for his family that he desired. He was a man of great -pride and the old feudal system was full of attractiveness. He knew -every detail of the history of the Scott family for centuries. He -revered the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch as the head of his clan. As -his writings, year after year, brought him financial returns almost -fabulous in size, he began to cherish the desire to found a new branch -of the Scott Clan. The irresistible impulse to add new lands to -Abbotsford, regardless of cost, and to erect a great mansion, fit for -the residence of an earl, all sprang from this one motive. The -readiness with which he purchased a captaincy in the army for his -eldest son, at a cost of £3500, and the cheerfulness with which he -settled nearly the whole of Abbotsford upon young Walter and his -affianced bride, promising that if he should be spared ten years he -would give them as much more, are striking indications of his intense -longing to establish the Scotts of Abbotsford among the great families -of Scotland. - -In this, the greatest ambition of his life, Scott was {402} completely -thwarted. Though Abbotsford was saved from the wreck of his fortunes -by an almost superhuman effort, the estate which passed to his heirs -was not so large as he had expected, nor did his sons live long to -enjoy it. The eldest, Walter, died in 1847, and as he had no son, the -baronetcy expired with him. The younger son, Charles, had died in 1841. - -The failure of Scott's hopes was the result of a long chain of -circumstances. In early life he had undertaken the practice of law, -and continued for ten years without rising above the level of mere -drudgery, his earnings for the first five years averaging only eighty -pounds annually and probably not rising very much higher during the -subsequent years. Finding it necessary, at length, to give up the law -entirely, he arranged to secure an appointment as Clerk of the Court of -Session, to succeed an aged incumbent of that office. The agreement -was that Scott should do the work while his predecessor drew the pay, -in consideration of which he was to have the entire emolument after the -old gentleman's death. The office was worth eight hundred pounds a -year and offered a very fair substitute for the small earnings at the -bar. Unfortunately the gentleman was so inconsiderate as to prolong -his existence for six years after the bargain was made. - -Scott was already in possession of a private income of one thousand -pounds, to which the office of Sheriff of Selkirk added three hundred -pounds, and was beginning to receive large rewards for his literary -labour, 'The Lay of the Last Minstrel' bringing him £769 6_s._ for the -first and second editions. It might be supposed that such an income -would satisfy a young man not yet {403} thirty-four. Scott, however, -was ambitious, and feeling the need of the additional income which did -not at once materialize from the clerkship, sought to make up the -deficiency by investing nearly all his capital in a commercial venture. -He entered into a secret partnership with James Ballantyne in the -printing business, which proved, with one exception, to be the greatest -mistake of his life. The exception, which marked, in Lockhart's -phrase, 'the blackest day in his calendar,' was in connecting his -fortunes with John Ballantyne in the publishing business. - -James Ballantyne's greatest fault was a tendency to rely too much upon -Scott's judgment, and the latter was too much swayed by generous -motives to be a prudent business manager. He would favour the -publication of an unmarketable book rather than disappoint a friend. -Moreover, his own great interest in works of an historical or -antiquarian nature often led him astray. His judgment of good -literature was better than his knowledge of what the public was likely -to buy. The firm became loaded with unprofitable enterprises, which -they, in turn, unloaded, in part, upon Constable, thus contributing one -of the causes of the latter's downfall. Another weakness of James -Ballantyne, who was an excellent printer and in many ways an exemplary -man, was his distaste for figures and utter indifference to his -balance-sheets--a fatal error for a business man. - -John Ballantyne, a younger brother of James, was a light-headed, -happy-go-lucky, careless little fellow, who could amuse a company of -friends with comic songs and droll mimicry, who loved all kinds of -sports, drove a tandem down the Canongate, was fond of {404} -dissipation and gay company, and without the slightest capacity for -business or interest in it. Like his brother he was intensely fond of -Scott and loyal to him, but a reckless adventurer and spendthrift. -Scott nicknamed him 'Rigdumfunnidos' and was always amused by him, but -could scarcely have had respect for his business qualities. It must -always remain a mystery why he entrusted so large an interest in his -own fortunes to such a weakling. - -An alliance, and, what is worse, a secret one, with two such men, who -could not in any sense act as a brake upon Scott's own impulses nor -steady him with the business experience which he sadly lacked, was -mistake enough; but Scott himself committed a serious error in his own -affairs. He fell into the habit of selling his literary productions -before they were written, and carried this folly to such an extreme -that about the time of the issue of 'The Fortunes of Nigel,' he had -received payment, by notes, from the bookseller, for no less than four -works of fiction, which at that time had not even been planned. They -subsequently appeared as 'Peveril of the Peak,' 'Quentin Durward,' 'St. -Ronan's Well,' and 'Redgauntlet.' The proceeds were spent upon the -castle at Abbotsford before the books were even named. John Ballantyne -was rapidly spending money which his firm had not earned, and Scott, -who ought to have remonstrated against such rashness, was committing -the same fault on a larger scale. Under the circumstances the only -wonder is that the disaster was so long averted. When it came, Scott -found himself involved in the debts of the Ballantynes to the extent of -£117,000. - -[Illustration: SCOTT MONUMENT, EDINBURGH] - -With superb courage he rose to the emergency. {405} Assuming the -entire burden, and struggling against almost insuperable difficulties, -he succeeded in paying £63,000, or considerably more than half of the -indebtedness. Life insurance of £22,000 and £2000 in the hands of his -trustees reduced the debt to about £30,000, which sum was advanced by -Cadell, the publisher. All the creditors, except the latter, were then -paid in full, and in 1847, fifteen years after Scott's death, Cadell -was paid by a transfer of copyrights and the entire obligation was thus -finally extinguished. - -Had Scott died at the time of the Constable failure, leaving his -affairs to be settled by the ordinary process of the law, and the -Ballantyne creditors unpaid, the world would never have known whether -the unprecedented success of his literary labours was after all quite -sufficient to counterbalance the disastrous failure of his business -affairs. - -The catastrophe, however, brought out all the sterling qualities of his -character. How much courage he possessed, what a high sense of honour, -what patience, what endurance, even his closest friends had never -realized. Just as those kindly personal qualities had woven an -indescribable charm into the products of his fancy, such as no other -series of writings had ever before possessed, so the highest and -noblest traits of his character responded to the call of a great -emergency, and converted the failures of a lifetime into a final -triumph. - - - -THE END - - - - -{407} - -INDEX - - -ABBOT, THE, 4, 10, 265-271; 348. - -Abbotsford, 39, 46, 89, 90, 133, 146, 220, 233, 346, 352, 360, 376, -394, 396, 397, 398, 399, 401, 402. - -Abercorn, Lady, letter to, 22. - -Abercrombie, George, 119. - -Aberfoyle, 74; clachan of, 192, 193; 194; old bridge, 193. - -Adam, Rt. Hon. William, 267, 268. - -Albany, Duke of, 381, 384, 385. - -Allan-Fraser, Patrick, 154. - -Allan, the river, 259. - -Alsatia (Whitefriars), 323, 324. - -Amboglanna, 136. - -Annan, 357. - -Annan, the river, 359. - -ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN, 391, 392. - -Anne, Queen, 374. - -ANTIQUARY, THE, 145-159. - -Arbroath, 151-155; 158. - -Argyle, John, Duke of, 202, 207. - -Argyle, Marquis of, 225, 226, 227, 228, 231. - -Arthur's Seat, 8, 60. - -Ashby de la Zouch, 234, 235, 236. - -Ashestiel, 48, 62, 106, 346, 352. - -Auchmithie, 155, 158. - -Avon, the river, 283. - - - -Baiglie, the Wicks of, 10, 378. - -Bailie, Joanna, letter to, 366. - -Balfour, John, of Burley, 169, 177, 178, 179. - -Baliol, Barnard, founder of Barnard Castle, 88. - -Ballantyne, James, 5, 106, 365, 372, 391, 392, 403. - -Ballantyne, John, 5, 273, 372, 403, 404. - -Balmawhapple, 124. - -Balquhidder, Kirk of, 188, 189. - -Balue, Cardinal John de la, 234, 343. - -Bannockburn, 81, 104. - -Bard's Incantation, The, 159. - -Barnard Castle, 86-88, 92. - -Beaton, Cardinal, 155. - -Becket, Thomas à, 373. - -Bemerside Heights, 352. - -Ben An, 12, 76. - -Ben Ledi, 12, 73, 77. - -Ben Lomond, 12, 193. - -Ben Nevis, 233. - -Ben Venue, 12, 74, 76, 78. - -BETROTHED, THE, 365-369. - -Birnam Wood, 380. - -Bishop's Palace, the, Kirkwall, 307. - -Blackford Hill, 8, 57, 59. - -Black Ormiston, the Laird of, original of Julian Avenel, 261. - -Blackwood, William, criticism by, of _The Black Dwarf_, 165. - -Blair Adam Club, The, 267. - -BLACK DWARF, THE, 15, 160-165. - -Blenheim, battle of, 374. - -Blenheim Palace, 373-375. - -Bohun, Sir Henry de, 104. - -Border Minstrelsy, 52. - -Borthwick, the river, 35. - -Bothwell Bridge, 168, 170, 171. - -Bothwell Castle, 172. - -Bower, Johnny, guide at Melrose, 41. - -Bowhill, seat of the Duke of Buccleuch, 35. - -Bowness, 357. - -Bradwardine, Bears of, 107, 109. - -Bradwardine, Cosmo Comyne, 118, 123. - -Bradwardine, Rose, 113. - -Braes of Balquhidder, 11, 66, 78, 186, 187, 196. - -Branksome Hall, 37, 43. - -Branxton Hill, 7. - -BRIDAL OF TRIERMAIN, THE, 16, 20, 21, 91, 96-99; 104. - -BRIDE OF LAMMERMOOR, THE, 215-223; 190. - -Brignall Woods, 91, 92. - -Brig o' Turk, 71, 74, 77. - -Brogar, Bridge of, 310. - -Brown Square, 9. - -Bruce, John, discoveries of, in Kinrossness, Shetland, 208, 209. - -Bruce, Robert, 40, 80, 101, 102, 103, 124, 129, 152, 191, 230, 262, -304, 332. - -Bryant, William Cullen, quoted, 164. - -Buccleuch, Duchess of (Countess of Dalkeith), 31, 32, 34, 46. - -Buccleuch, Duke of, 32; 35; 46; 49. - -Buchanan, Francis, 120. - -Buchanan, John, 72, 120. - -Burgh-upon-Sands, 358. - -Burns, Robert, 126, 142. - -Byron, Lord, 104. - - - -Cadell, Robert, 392, 405. - -Cadyow Castle, 30; quotation, 31. - -Caerlaverock Castle, 127-129, 135, 357. - -Caerlaverock Churchyard, grave of Old Mortality, 167. - -Calton Hill, 60. - -Cambus Kenneth, 80. - -Cambusmore, 72, 120. - -Campbell, Robert MacGregor, original of Rob Roy, exploits of, 182-188; -death of, 189. - -Campsie Linn, 110, 383. - -Canongate, The, Edinburgh, 209. - -Cargill, George, original of Saunders Mucklebackit, 156. - -Carlisle, 21, 121, 357, 358, 362. - -Caroline, Queen, 204. - -Carpenter, Miss Charlotte Margaret. _See_ Lady Scott. - -Carrick, Margaret, original of Tib Mumps, 137. - -Castell Coch, Wales, 368. - -Castell Dinas Bran, 367. - -CASTLE DANGEROUS, 190, 393. - -Castle Street, Edinburgh, Number 39, Scott's residence, 346. - -Castleton, 328. - -Cat Castle rocks, 94. - -Cathcart Castle, 271. - -Chambers, Robert, quoted, 202, 204. - -Chambers, William, quoted, 163. - -Charles I, 90, 225, 233, 319, 322, 326, 374. - -Charles II, 184, 242, 325, 326, 330, 332, 334, 335, 376, 385. - -Charles of Burgundy, 338, 343, 344, 345, 392. - -Chaucer, 374. - -Chillingham Castle, 189-190, 191. - -Christian, William (William Dhône), 332. - -CHRONICLES OF THE CANONGATE, THE, 387-394. - -Churchill, John, Duke of Marlborough, 374. - -Clare, Lady, 61, 63. - -Claverhouse, John Grahame of, 170, 171, 179. - -Cleikum Inn, 350. - -Clerk, William, original of Darsie Latimer, 9, 110, 267. - -Clickimin (_Cleik-him-in_), Pictish broch, 298. - -Clifford Tower, 250. - -Cluden, the river, 126, 205. - -Clyde, the river, 172. - -Coldingham Abbey, 56. - -Coldingham Priory, 222. - -Coldstream, 7, 61. - -Colmslie, 260. - -Comines, Philippe de, 341, 345, 392. - -Coningsburgh, Castle of, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250. - -Constable, Archibald, 272, 372, 403, 404, 405. - -Constable, George, original of Monkbarns, 4, 147. - -Constance de Beverly, 54-56, 64. - -Corehouse, Lord, 42. - -Corra Linn, 172. - -COUNT ROBERT OF PARIS, 392. - -Cragg Force, 94. - -Craighall, 12, 110, 111, 112. - -Craignethan Castle, original of Tillietudlem, 172-175. - -Craigroyston, 185, 186. - -Cranstoun (Lord Corehouse), original of the Baron of Cranstoun, 42. - -Cranstoun, Miss (The Countess of Purgstall), 190. - -Crichope Linn, 177. - -Crichton Castle, 56-58, 221. - -Cromwell, Oliver, 241, 374, 376, 377, 385. - -Crookston Castle, 270, 271. - -Crosbie, Andrew, original of Paulas Pleydell, 141. - -Culloden, battle of, 116, 122, 123. - -Cumberland, 135, 136. - -Cumnor Church, 279. - -Cumnor Hall, 272, 273, 276, 277, 278. - -Cumnor, the village, 273, 281. - -Curle, James, 396. - - - -Dacre, Thomas, Lord, 20, 43. - -Daim, Oliver le, 342. - -Dalgetty, old soldier, 114. - -Dairymple, James, Lord Stair, original of Sir William Ashton, 215, 216. - -Dalzell, General, 179. - -Darnley, Henry, Lord, husband of Mary Queen of Scots, 267, 271. - -David I, 380. - -David II, son of Robert Bruce, 183. - -David Deans, house of, 212. - -Davidson, James, original of Dandie Dinmont, 137. - -Dee, river in Wales, 367. - -Deepdale, 94. - -Derby, Countess of (Charlotte de la Tremouille), 332. - -Derby, Earls of, 332. - -Derbyshire, 328. - -Devil's Beef Tub, 361. - -Dirk Hatteraick's cave, 131, 132. - -Dods, Mrs. Margaret, 350. - -Don, the river, 247. - -Douglas, George, 269, 270. - -Douglas, Lady, 269. - -Douglas, 'The Little,' original of Roland Graeme, 270. - -Douglas, Sir William, 269. - -Douglas, village of, 393. - -Doune Castle, 12, 80, 120. - -Driver, Counsellor Pleydell's clerk, 142. - -Drumclog, battle of, 170, 171. - -Dryburgh Abbey, 304, 352. - -Dryhope, 35. - -Dudley, Edmund, 325. - -Dudley, Guildford, 274, 325, 326. - -Dudley, John, Earl of Warwick and Duke of Northumberland, 274, 277, -281, 325. - -Dudley, Robert. _See_ Leicester. - -Dugald Ciar Mohr, ancestor of Rob Roy, 183. - -Dumbarton, 172, 270. - -Dumbiedykes, 212. - -Dumfries, 126, 127, 130, 131, 135, 191. - Maxwelltown observatory, 166; the -Mid Steeple, 205; Church of Kirkpatrick Irongray, 207. - -Duncan, Rev. Dr., 353. - -Duncraggin, 77. - -Dundrennan Abbey, 270, 360. - -Dunfermline, the Abbey, 40, 304. - -Dunottar, Scott's meeting with Old Mortality, 167. - -Dunstaffnage, 230, 231, 232, 379. - -Dwarfie Stone, the, 312. - - - -Earl's Palace, the, Kirkwall, 307. - -Edinburgh, 7, 8. - The Old Town, 9, 10; Brown Square, -9; High Street, 141; Parliament Square, 190-202; St. Giles, 60, -109-203; Tolbooth, 9, 200-205, 233; Advocates' Library, 200; -Grassmarket, 203, 204; King's Park, 209, 212; Canongate, 209, 266; -Salisbury Crags, 7, 8, 60, 210, 389; Queensbury House, 266; the Castle, -346; Castle St., 346; St. Cuthbert's Church, 114; St. Leonard's Crags, -8, 212; the Cowgate, 201; West Bow, 201; St. Anthony's Chapel, 8, 210, -211. - -Edward I, 129, 191, 231, 324, 358, 379. - -Edward III, 374. - -Edward IV, 235, 240. - -Edward VI, 274. - -Egliston Abbey, 92, 93. - -Eildon Hills, the, 38, 347, 352, 396. - -Elibank, 36, 49, 106, 139, 332. - -Elizabeth, Queen, 272, 273, 274, 275, 286, 287, 321, 326, 332. - -Ellen's Isle, 69, 76. - -Ellis, George, 32, 52, 96; quoted, 61, 64. - -Emerson, Ralph Waldo, opinion of _The Bride of Lammermoor_, quoted, 215. - -English Lakes, the, 15, 16, 96. - -Engaddi, 369, 370. - -Erskine, Rev. John, 10. - -Erskine, William, 51, 96, 375. - -Esk, vale of the. _See_ Roslin Glen. - -Etal Castle, 62. - -Ethie Castle, 154, 155. - -Ettrick Forest, 47. - -Ettrick, the river, 175. - -EVE OF ST. JOHN, THE, 3, 30. - -Eyemouth, 222. - - - -Faa, Gabriel (Tod Gabbie), 138. - -FAIR MAID OF PERTH, THE, 11, 378-386; house of, 382. - -Fairy Dean, 259. - -Falkland Castle, 383, 384, 385. - -Fast Castle, 220. - -Feckless Fannie, original of Madge Wildfire, 213. - -Ferguson, Dr. Adam, 15, 160, 162. - -Ferguson, Sir Adam, 15, 16, 81, 267. - -FIELD OF WATERLOO, THE, 104. - -Fitful Head, the, 300. - -Fitz James. _See_ James V. - -Flodden Field, 7, 53, 58, 61, 62, 64, 257. - -'Flower of Yarrow,' the, 35. - -Forbes, Sir William, 18, 95, 389. - -Ford Castle, 62. - -Forth, the river, 188, 192. - -FORTUNES OF NIGEL, THE, 316-327, 404. - -Fort William, 231. - -Foster, Anthony, 274, 276, 279. - -Fountains Abbey, 243, 244. - -Friar Tuck, 237, 243, 252. - - - -Gardiner, Colonel, 4, 116. - -Gauger's Loup, the, 131. - -Gemmels, Andrew, original of Edie Ochiltree, 6, 148. - -George II, 327. - -George V, 231, 320, 323. - -Gilmerton, 280. - -Gilsland, 16, 20, 97, 136, 159, 349. - -Glasgow-- - The Cathedral, 191, 192; the Tolbooth, -192; the Salt Market, 192; the Trongate, 195; Langside, 270. - -Glencaple, 127, 357. - -Glendearg, 259, 260. - -Glen Finglas, 74. - -GLENFINLAS, 30. - -Glenfruin, battle of, 183. - -Glengarry. _See_ MacDonnel. - -Gloucester, Cathedral of, 369. - -Goblin Cave, the, 78. - -Goldie, Mrs., 207. - -Gordon, Jean, original of Meg Merrilies, 6, 7, 138. - -Gordon, Madge, Queen of the Gipsies, 6, 138. - -Gow, John, original of Cleveland, 313. - -Gowrie Conspiracy, 221, 385. - -Grahame, John. _See_ Claverhouse. - -Graham of Killearn, 186-187. - -Grassmarket, Edinburgh, 203, 204. - -Gratz, Rebecca, original of Rebecca, 252. - -GRAY BROTHER, THE, 30. - -Gray, Daft Jock, original of Davie Gellatley, 118. - -Grandtully Castle, 13, 109, 111, 112. - -Greenwich Palace, called Placentia, 326. - -Greta, the river, 89, 91, 94. - -Grey, Lady Jane, 274, 325, 326. - -Grey Mare's Tail, 176, 177. - -Grierson of Lag, 361. - -GUY MANNERING, 126-144; scenes from, in Edinburgh, 10; Liddesdale, 15; -England, 16. - -Guy's Cliffe, 281. - -Gwenwynwyn, Welsh hero, 368, 369. - - - -Haddon Hall, 329, 330, 331. - -Hall, Captain Basil, 399. - -Kailyards, residence of Dr. Adam Ferguson, 160. - -Hal o' the Wynd, house of, 382. - -Harden, 35. - -Harden, Wat of, 106. - -HAROLD THE DAUNTLESS, 104. - -Harthill, site of Front-de-Boeuf's castle, 239. - -Hastings, William, Lord, 235. - -Hawthornden, 24. - -Hawthorne, Nathaniel, his opinion of Scotland, 256. - -HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN, THE, 8, 199-214, 326. - -Heber, Richard, 52. - -Henry I, 373. - -Henry II, 329, 373. - -Henry III, 374. - -Henry VII, 240, 274, 335. - -Henry VIII, 244, 258, 321, 325, 326. - -Heriot, George, 318, 319. - -Heron, Lady, 60, 63. - -Heron, Sir Hugh, 7, 53. - -Herries family, the, 359-360. - -HIGHLAND WIDOW, THE, 389, 390. - -High Street, Edinburgh, 9, 141. - -Hillslap, 260. - -Hoddam Castle, 359, 360, 361. - -Hogg, James, the Ettrick shepherd, 26, 139, 144, 176. - -Holyrood Abbey, 304, 381. - -Holyrood Palace, 10, 60, 112, 113, 209, 266, 267. - -Hospitalfield, Arbroath, 153. - -Howard, Lord William ('Belted Will'), 21, 43, 331. - -Hoy, Island of, 312. - -Hughes, Mrs., of Uffington, quoted, 124. - -Hutton, Richard H., quoted, 64. - - - -Innerleithen, 349. - -Inverary Castle, 227, 231. - -Inverlochy, battle of, 226, 231-233; Castle, 232. - -Inversnaid, 119; the fort, 196; the falls, 197. - -Iona, 103, 231. - -Irthing River, the, 20, 97, 349. - -Irving, John, 7. - -Irving, Washington, visit of, to Abbotsford, 252, 306; Scott's letter -to, 253; quoted, 41, 47, 145, 146, 347, 398. - -IVANHOE, 234-254, 345. - - - -James I of Scotland, 120, 129, 381, 385. - -James II of Scotland, 83, 120, 381, 385. - -James III, 58, 81, 120. - -James IV, 53, 58, 59, 60, 63, 81, 120. - -James V, 47, 58, 81; as Fitz James, 67, 75, 79, 80, 84; as 'Gudeman of -Ballangeich,' 82, 129, 342, 385. - -James VI of Scotland (James I of England), 36, 82, 221, 233, 317-321, -324-327, 385. - -James VIII, the 'Old Pretender,' 113. - -Jarlshof, Shetland Islands, 294, 298, 299, 300, 308. - -Jedburgh, 14. - -Jeffrey, Lord, 96; quoted, 64. - -Jervaulx Abbey, 242. - -John, King, 235, 242, 251, 374. - -Jones, Paul, 130. - - - -Keith, Mrs. Murray, original of Mrs. Bethune Baliol, 300. - -Keith, Sir Alexander, 109. - -Kelso, 5, 6, 7, 26, 150, 353, 358. - -KENILWORTH, 272-289. - -Kenilworth Castle, 273, 275, 277, 281, 283, 288, 289. - Mortimer's Tower, 283, 284, 287. - The Gallery Tower, 283, 284, 286. - Cæsar's Tower, 284. - Leicester's Building, 284. - Henry VIII's Lodgings, 285. - The White Hall, 285. - The Presence Chamber, 285. - The Great Hall, 285, 287. - Mervyn's Tower, 286, 287. - The Pleasance, 287. - -Kenneth MacAlpine, 231. - -Kilpont, Lord, original of the Earl of Menteith, 225-228. - -Kilsyth, battle of, 233. - -Kinblethmont, 158. - -Kinfauns, Castle of, 379. - -Kinross, 268. - -Kirkcudbright, 130, 131. - -Kirk Yetholm, 6, 138. - -Kirkwall, capital of the Orkney Islands, 303-309. - -Knox, John, 267, 380. - - - -LADY OF THE LAKE, THE, 12, 22, 23, 66-85. - -Lag, Castle of, 361. - -Laidlaw, William, 347, 348. - -Lammermuir Hills, 218, 221. - -Lanark, 172. - -Lanercost Priory, 20, 44, 97. - -Lang, Andrew, quoted, 64, 214, 377. - -Langshaw, 260. - -Langside, battle of, 270, 271. - -Lasswade Cottage, 22, 25, 45, 346. - -Lauderdale, Duke of, 179, 180. - -Lanrick Mead, 71, 77, 78. - -LAY OF THE LAST MINSTREL, THE, 21, 28-46, 348; quotation from, 24. - -Lediard Falls, 121, 195. - -LEGEND OF MONTROSE, A, 4, 224-233. - -Leicester, Earl of (Lord Robert Dudley), 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, -280, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287. - -_Leicester's Commonwealth_, anonymous pamphlet, 276. - -Lennel, 7, 61. - -Leny, Falls of, 229. - -Lerwick, capital of the Shetland Islands, 291-293, 296, 303, 311. - -Leslie, General, 225, 233. - -Leyden, Dr. John, letter to, 48. - -Liddesdale, raids into, 1, 14, 26, 137. - -Liège, 319, 343, 344, 345. - -LIFE OF NAPOLEON, 372. - -Lincluden Abbey, 126, 127. - -Lindisfarne Abbey, 54-56. - -Lindsay, Sir David, 56, 58. - -Linlithgow, 58. - -Llangollen, Wales, 366, 367; the 'Ladies' of, 367. - -Loch Achray, 12, 74. - -Loch Ard, 74, 192, 194, 195. - -Loch Arklet, 196. - -Loch Corriskin, 100. - -Loch Doine, 78. - -Loch Fyne, 231. - -Loch of Harray, 310. - -Loch Katrine, 11, 12, 66, 71, 74, 76, 78, 101, 184, 187. - -Loch Leven Castle, 267, 268, 269, 359. - -Loch Linnhe, 226, 230, 231, 232. - -Loch Lomond, 12, 119, 120, 183-185, 196. - -Loch of the Lowes, 175. - -Loch Lubnaig, 77, 78, 193, 229. - -Loch Oich, 123. - -Loch Scavig, 102. - -Loch Skene, 176, 177. - -Loch of Sleapin, 102. - -Loch of Stennis, 310. - -Loch Tay, 379. - -Loch Vennachar, 12, 71. - -Loch Voil, 78, 189, 196. - -Loches, Castle of, 341, 342. - -Lockhart, John Gibson, 97, 347, 400; quoted, 48, 64, 214, 253, 317, -336, 366, 371, 372, 377, 391. - -London, 316, 317, 320, 327, 334, 335. - -London Bridge, 325. - -LORD OF THE ISLES, THE, 100-105. - -Louis XI of France, 338, 339, 340, 341, 343, 344, 345. - -Lyulph's Tower, 98. - - - -Macallister's Cave, 102. - -MacDonald, Flora, original of Flora MacIvor, 122. - -MacDonnel, Colonel Ronaldson, of Glengarry, 123. - -MacGregor, Clan, 182-184. - -MacGregor, Helen, Rob Roy's wife, 195. - -Mackay, Charles, 198. - -MacVicar, Minister of St. Cuthbert's, 114. - -Maida, Scott's favourite dog, 123, note; 371-375, 398. - -Major Oak, the, in Sherwood Forest, 239-240. - -'Making' of Sir Walter, the, 1-27. - -Malcolm Graeme, 68, 79, 84. - -Man, Isle of, 130, 331. - -Manor Water, vale of, 15, 160, 163. - -Marck, William de la, 342. - -Margaret, Lady, of Branksome Hall, 33, 37, 41, 44 45. - -MARMION, 7, 8, 20, 47-65, 353; quotations from, 3, 8. - -Marquis of Annandale's Beefstand, 361. - -Marriott, Rev. John, 50. - -Mary, Queen of England, 274, 275, 326, 335. - -Mary, Queen of Scots, 58, 81, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, -275, 359, 385. - -Mathieson, Peter, 399. - -Mayburgh, 98. - -Meg Merrilies, 131, 137, 138. - -'Meikle-mouthed Meg,' story of, 36. - -Melrose, 33, 38-42, 45, 106, 255, 258, 265, 266, 304, 347, 348, 352, -399. - -Menteith, Lake, 73. - -Mercat Cross, of Melrose, 261. - -Middleham Castle, 240, 241. - -Miller, A. H., quoted, 195. - -Millie, Bessie, original of Norna of the Fitful Head, 313, 314. - -MINSTRELSY OF THE SCOTTISH BORDER, 15, 25, 29, 31. - -Mitchell, Robert, 169, 180. - -Moddey Dhoo, legend of the, 334. - -Moffat, 172, 175, 176. - -Moffat Water, 175. - -MONASTERY, THE, 4, 255-264, 348. - -Monkbarns (Hospitalfield), 153. - -Monmouth, Duke of, 170, 171, 179. - -Montrose, Duke of, 182, 185, 187, 196, 202. - -Montrose, the Marquis of, 225, 226, 228, 232, 233; sword of, 233. - -Morritt, John B. S., 89, 90, 91, 134, 197. - -Mortham Castle, 89, 94. - -Morton, The Regent, 202. - -Mount Sharon, 5. - -Mousa, broch of, 247, 300, 301. - -Mucklebackit, Saunders, 155-157. - -Multon, Sir Thomas de, of Gilsland, 21, 369. - -Mump's Ha', 136, 137. - -Murdock, Duke of Albany, 129. - -Murray, Earl of, 10, 30. - -Murray, Sir Gideon, of Elibank, 36. - -Muschat's Cairn, Edinburgh, 210. - - - -Nasmyth, Sir James, 162. - -Naworth Castle, 20, 43, 44, 231. - -Neidpath Castle, 351. - -Nethan, the river, 172. - -Neville, Richard, Earl of Warwick, 282. - -Newark Castle, 35. - -Nith, the river, 126, 127, 357. - -Norham Castle, 7, 53, 56. - - - -Oakwood Tower, Stronghold of Wat of Harden, 35. - -Oban, 230, 231. - -Ochil Mountains, 59. - -Odin, Stone of, 311, 313. - -OLD MORTALITY, 166-181; Tennyson's opinion of, 167. - -ORIGINALS OF CHARACTERS-- - Alasco, an Italian physician employed - by the Earl of Leicester, 277. - Lucy Ashton, Janet Dalrymple, 216, 217. - Lady Ashton, Lady Stair, 216, 217. - Sir William Ashton, James Dalrymple, Lord Stair, 215, 216. - Julian Avenel, the Laird of Black Ormiston, 261. - Mrs. Bethune Baliol, Mrs. Murray Keith, 300. - Bevis, Maida, Scott's dog, 123, note; 371-375, 398. - The Black Dwarf, David Ritchie, 160. - Josiah Cargill, Rev. Dr. Duncan, 353. - Cleveland, John Gow, 313. - Baron Cranstoun, George Cranstoun, 42. - Effie Deans, Isabella Walker, 205-208. - Jeanie Deans, Helen Walker, 205-208. - Dandie Dinmont, James Davidson, - 137; Willie Elliott, 137; Mr. Laidlaw, 137. - Meg Dods, Marian Ritchie, 350. - Driver, a clerk of Andrew Crosbie's, 142-143. - Alan Fairford, Sir Walter Scott, 9, 362. - Saunders Fairford, Walter Scott, father of Sir Walter, 9, 363. - Rachel Geddes, 'Lady' Waldie, 5, 358. - Davie Gellatley, Daft Jock Gray, 118. - Roland Graeme, 'The Little Douglas,' 270. - Dr. Gideon Gray, Dr. Ebenezer Clarkson, 391. - Dirk Hatteraick, Yawkins, a Dutch skipper, 131. - Darsie Latimer, William Clerk, 9, 362. - Alice Lee, Anne Scott, 376. - Allan McAulay, James Stewart, 227, 228. - Flora MacIvor, Flora MacDonald, 122. - Colonel Mannering, Sir Walter Scott, 144. - Margaret of Branksome, Williamina Stuart, 43. - Matilda of Rokeby, Williamina Stuart, 95. - Earl of Menteith, Lord Kilpont, 227. - Meg Merrilies, Jean Gordon, 6, 138, 148-151. - Saunders Mucklebackit, George Cargill, 156. - Tib Mumps, Margaret Carrick, 137; Margaret Teasdale, 137. - Norna of the Fitful Head, Bessie Millie, 313. - Edie Ochiltree, Andrew Gemmels, 6. - Jonathan Oldbuck (Monkbarns), Sir - Walter Scott, 4, 146; George Constable, 4, 147 - Old Mortality, Robert Paterson, 166. - Paulus Pleydell, Andrew Crosbie, 141-142; Adam Rolland, 143. - Rebecca of York, Rebecca Gratz, 252, 253. - Sir Robert Redgauntlet, Grierson of Lag, 361. - Hugh Redgauntlet, one of the Herries family, 359. - Rob Roy, Robert MacGregor Campbell, 182. - Dominie Sampson, George Thomson, 140. - Diana Vernon, Miss Cranstoun, 190; - Miss Williamina Stuart, 191; Lady Scott, 191. - Edward Waverley, Sir Walter Scott, 125. - Madge Wildfire, Feckless Fannie, 213. - -Orkney Islands, Scott's visit to, in a light-house yacht, 100. - -Osbaldistone Hall (Chillingham Castle), 189-190. - -Oxford, University of, 275, 276. - - - -Paterson, Robert, original of Old Mortality, 166-168, 171. - -Peat, description of, 295-296. - -Peebles, 350, 331, 352. - -Peel Castle, Isle of Man, 333. - -Penrith, 98. - -Péronne, 319, 343, 344. - -Perth, 10, 109, 226, 231, 378-382. - -Peveril Castle, 328, 330. - -PEVERIL OF THE PEAK, 328-336, 404. - -Philiphaugh, 233. - -Pinkie, battle of, 257. - -PIRATE, THE, 290-315. - -Plessis les Tours, 337, 338, 339, 340, 341. - -Pleydell, Paulus, 135, 140-143. - -'Popping Stone,' the, 20. - -Porteous, John, 203-204. - -Porteous Mob, story of, 205. - -Powis Castle, Wales, 368. - -'Prentice's Pillar, the, 370. - -Prestonpans, 4, 114, 115, 116, 147. - -Purdie, Tom, 308, 399. - -Purgstall, Countess of, 42. - - - -Queen Margaret's Bower, 58. - -QUENTIN DURWARD, 337-346; 347, 404. - - - -Raby Castle, 93. - -Raeburn House, 350. - -Ramsay, David, 319, 320, 323. - -Red Comyn, the, 191. - -REDGAUNTLET, 5, 9, 355-364, 404. - -Red Head, Cliffs of, 155. - -REIVER'S WEDDING, THE, 37. - -René, King, 392. - -Richard I, 43, 234, 239, 242, 248, 251, 365, 369, 374. - -Richard II, 369. - -Richard III, 240, 282. - -Richmond Castle, 241, 242. - -Ritchie David, original of the Black Dwarf, 15, 160. - -Robert III, 381, 384. - -Robin Hood, 237, 239, 245, 246, 252. - -Robin Hood's Well, 246. - -Rob Roy, 11, 12, 182-198. - -Rob Roy's cave, 119, 197. - -Rob Roy's gun, 233. - -Robsart, Amy, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 280, 284, 287. - -Roderick Dhu, 67, 68, 76, 77, 78, 79. - -ROKEBY, 19, 86-95, 96, 104. - -Roman wall at Amboglanna, 136. - -Rosamond's Well, 373. - -Rosebank, 14. - -Rose, William Stewart, 50. - -Roslin Chapel, 369. - -Roslin Glen (vale of the Esk), 22, 23, 24, 30, 45, 89, 94. - -Rotherham, 236. - -Rothsay, Duke of, 381, 384. - -Rushen, Castle, Isle of Man, 331, 332. - - - -Saddleback, 135. - -St. Abbs Head, 218, 220. - -St. Anthony's Chapel, Edinburgh, 8, 210, 211. - -St. Bride, the chapel of, 77. - -St. Clair, William, 370. - -St. Cuthbert's Church, 114. - -St. Cuthbert's Holy Isle, 54-56. - -St. Giles Cathedral, 60, 199-203. - -St. John, Church of, Perth, 380. - -St. John, Valley of, 98. - -St. Leonard's Crags, Edinburgh, 8, 212. - -St. Magnus, Cathedral of, 304, 305, 306, 307. - -St. Margaret's Loch, Edinburgh, 210. - -St. Mary's Loch, 35, 175. - -ST. RONAN'S WELL, 346-354, 404. - -St. Thomas's Abbey (St. Ruth's), 151, 152. - -Salisbury Crags, the, Edinburgh, 7, 8, 60, 210, 389. - -Sandy Knowe, 2, 51, 353. - -Scalloway, Castle of, 298, 302, 303, 309. - -Scalloway, village in the Shetland Islands, 302. - -Scone, Palace of, 110, 231, 379, 381, 385. - -Scott Country, the, limits of, 337, 346, 366. - -Scott, Anne, daughter of Sir Walter, 48, 376, 400. - -Scott, Charles, son of Sir Walter, 48, 402. - -Scott, Daniel, brother of Sir Walter, 383. - -Scott, Miss Janet, aunt of Sir Walter, 2, 5. - -Scott, John, brother of Sir Walter, 15, 90. - -Scott, Lady (wife of Sir Walter), introduction of, to Sir Walter, 17, -329; courtship, 19, 20; marriage, 21; home at Lasswade, 22, 23; -reference to Dryburgh, 352, 353; sickness and death, 372, 376, 399. - -Scott, Michael, the wizard, 38, 41. - -Scott, Mrs. Maxwell-, granddaughter of Sir Walter, 396. - -Scott, Sophia, daughter of Sir Walter, 48, 400. - -Scott, Thomas, brother of Sir Walter, 333. - -Scott, Sir Walter-- - Liddesdale raids, 1; residence at -Sandy Knowe, 2; visit to Prestonpans, 4; his first pony, 4; at Kelso, -5; passes law examinations, 13; visit to English Lakes, 15; to -Gilsland, 16; meets Miss Carpenter, 17, 349; marriage, 21; -quartermaster of Edinburgh Volunteers, 25; his memory, 26; decides to -abandon the practice of law, 28-30; Sheriff of Selkirk, 29; early -poems, 30; Ashestiel, 48, 49; visit to Highlands, 72, 116; purchases -Abbotsford, 89; Clerk of Court of Session, 90; aided by Sir William -Forbes, 95; later Highland excursion, 119, 120; visit from Joseph -Train, 133; visit to Dumfries, 135; to English Lakes, 135; salmon -spearing incident, 139; at University of Edinburgh, 139; visited by -Irving, 145-146; experience as member of Edinburgh Volunteers, 158-159; -visit to Hallyards, 160; visit to Loch Skene, 175-177; visit to the -Braes of Balquhidder, 188; clerk of Court of Session, 200; driving -through Canongate, 209; suggests building the Radical Road, 210; guest -at Studley Royal, 246; visited by Washington Irving, 252; 'refreshing -the machine,' 255; presentation to the Duke of Wellington, 266; visit -to Shetland Islands, 294, 298, 311, 313, 314; familiarity with history -and literature of England, 317; duties as clerk of the Court of -Session, 346; residence in Edinburgh, 346; fondness for country life, -347; practices in case of Peter Peebles, 363; visit to Wales, 366; -distressing change in personal affairs, 371; announcement of authorship -of Waverley Novels, 372; visit to Wicks of Baiglie, Perth, 378; feeling -toward brother Daniel, 383; circumstances under which _The Fair Maid of -Perth_ was written, 386; paying off the debt, 387; writings of the last -five years, 388; importunities of a creditor, 389; Theatrical Fund -Dinner, 300; spirit of perseverance, 392; apoplexy and other ailments, -393; journey to the Continent, 394; death, 394; personality of, 395; -kindness, 397; generosity, 398; conversation, 398; relations with -family, 399, 400; creed, 400; ambition, 401; failure of hopes, 402; -relations with the Ballantynes, 403, 404; indiscretion, 404; courage -and final triumph, 405. - -Scott, Walter, 'Beardie,' great-grandfather of Sir Walter, 37. - -Scott, Walter, father of Sir Walter, original of Saunders Fairford, 9. - -Scott, Walter, son of Sir Walter, 48, 401, 402. - -Scott, Sir William, of Harden, 36. - -Scott, Sir William, of Buccleuch, 37. - -Seymour, Lord, 277. - -Sharp, James, Archbishop, 168-169, 180. - -Sharpe, Charles Kirkpatrick, 360. - -Sherwood Forest, 236, 237. - -Shetland Islands, visit to, in a lighthouse yacht, 100. - -Shortreed, Robert, 1, 14, 26,137. - -Skene, James of Rubislaw, 52, 338, 392; quoted, 25, 26, 62, 138, 139, -176. - -Skiddaw, 135. - -Skye, Island of, 100, 102. - -Smailholm, 2, 3, 4, 30, 261, 347. - -Smellie, William, 141. - -Solway Firth, 126, 127, 355, 356, 357. - -Somerset, the Duke of, 277. - -Staffa, 102. - -Stennis, stones of, 310, 311. - -Stewart, Alexander of Invernahyle, 116, 117, 118. - -Stewart, James, of Ardvoirlich, original of Allan McAulay, 188, 227, -228. - -Stewart, Patrick, Earl of Orkney, 298, 302, 308, 309. - -Stirling Castle, 66, 78, 80-84, 381. - -Stonebyres Linn, 172. - -Strathgartney, 78. - -Stromness, village in Orkney, 310, 311, 312, 313. - -Stuart, Charles Edward, 10, 109, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 120, 125, -358, 363. - -Stuart, Lady Louisa, 197, 214, 336, 364. - -Stuart, Miss Williamina (Lady Stuart-Forbes), Scott's first love, 17, -18, 23; original of Margaret of Branksome, 42; original of Matilda, 95. - -Studley Royal, 243, 246. - -Sumburgh Head, 294, 296, 297, 208, 300. - -SURGEON'S DAUGHTER, THE, 389, 390. - -Sweetheart Abbey, 126, 127, 135. - -SWIFT, LIFE OF, 91. - - - -TALES OF THE CRUSADERS, 365-370. - -TALISMAN, THE, 21, 345, 365, 369-372. - -Tantallon Castle, 60, 61. - -Tay, the river, 109, 110, 379. - -Teasdale, Margaret, original of Tib Mumps, 137. - -Tees, the river, 89, 92, 93, 94. - -Teith, the river, 229. - -Temple, the, London, 322, 323, 324. - -Terry, Daniel, 197, 375. - -Teviot, the river, 35. - -Thames, the, London, 320, 322. - -Thomas the Rhymer, 222. - -Thomson, George, original of Dominie Sampson, 140. - -Thomson, Rev. John, of Duddingston, 220. - -THORESBY HOUSE, 238. - -Thorsgill, the river, 92, 93. - -Tillietudlem. _See_ Craignethan. - -Tippermuir, battle of, 226. - -Tolbooth, Edinburgh, 9, 201-205, 233. - -Tours, 339, 341. - -Tower of London, 325. - -Train, Joseph, provides information used in _The Lord of the Isles_, -103; in _Guy Mannering_, 132-135; in _Old Mortality_, 171; in _The -Heart of Midlothian_, 214. - -Traquair, Earl of, 108, 109. - -Traquair House, 13, 107, 108, 109, 112, 329. - -Triermain Castle, 11, 97, 395. - -Triermain Castle Rock, 16, 98. - -Trossachs, the, 12, 66, 70, 71, 74, 75. - -Tully Veolan, 107-111. - -Turnberry Castle, 103. - -Tweed, the river, 258, 348-353, 396, 397. - -Twisel Bridge, 7. - -TWO DROVERS, THE, 389, 390, 391. - - - -Ullswater, 97. - - - -Vaux, Sir Roland de, 97. - -Vernon, Dorothy, of Haddon Hall, 329. - -Villiers, George, first Duke of Buckingham, called 'Steenie,' 319, 322. - -Villiers, George, second Duke of Buckingham, 335. - - - -Waldie family, the, of Kelso, 5, 358. - -Waldie, 'Lady,' original of Rachel Geddes, 5. - -Waldie, Robert, 5. - -Wales, 366, 367, 368. - -Walker, Helen, original of Jeanie Deans, 205-208. - -Walker, Isabella, original of Effie Deans, 205-208. - -Walker, Patrick, author of _Life of Cameron_, 213. - -Wallace, William, 81. - -Wampool River, the, 358. - -Wark Castle, 62. - -Warrender, Sir George, 109. - -Warwick Castle, 281, 282, 383. - -Warwick, Earl of, 240. - -Warwickshire, 281. - -Wat of Harden, 35. - -WAVERLEY, 8, 10, 106-125, 197. - -Welbeck Abbey, 238. - -Welshpool, 368. - -Westmoreland, 135. - -Whinnyrig, 357. - -Whitefoord, Colonel, 116, 117. - -Whitefriars (Alsatia), 323, 334. - -Whitehall, Palace of, 321, 322, 335. - -Wideford Hill, Kirkwall, 309. - -William the Conqueror, 241, 248, 250, 282, 328, 373. - -William the Lion, 152, 155. - -Williams, Rev. John, Archdeacon of Cardigan, 366. - -Wolf's Crag, 220. - -Wolf's Hope, 222. - -WOODSTOCK, 371-377. - -Woodstock, village of, 372; palace of, 373-375. - -Wordsworth, 16; letter to, 32; 35, 172. - -Wright, Guthrie, 57; quoted, 135. - -Wycliffe, Oswald, 88. - - - -Yarrow, the river, 175. - -Yawkins, Dutch skipper, original of Dirk Hatteraick, 131. - -Yetholm Loch, 260. - -York, Castle of, 250. - -York Minister, 251. - -York, city of, 234, 250. - -York Water Gate, 322. - - - -The Riverside Press CAMBRIDGE * MASSACHUSETTS U.S.A. - - - - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Country of Sir Walter Scott, by -Charles S. 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Olcott - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Country of Sir Walter Scott - -Author: Charles S. Olcott - -Illustrator: Charles S. Olcott - -Release Date: June 26, 2017 [EBook #54980] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COUNTRY OF SIR WALTER SCOTT *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines - - - - - -</pre> - - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-front"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-front.jpg" alt="Sir Walter Scott" /> -<br /> -Sir Walter Scott -</p> - -<h1> -<br /><br /> - THE COUNTRY OF<br /> - SIR WALTER SCOTT<br /> -</h1> - -<p class="t3b"> - BY<br /> - CHARLES S. OLCOTT<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="t4"> - <i>Author of George Eliot: Scenes and People of Her Novels</i><br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS<br /> - BY THE AUTHOR<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - BOSTON AND NEW YORK<br /> - HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY<br /> - The Riverside Press Cambridge<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t4"> -COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY CHARLES S. OLCOTT -<br /> -ALL RIGHTS RESERVED -<br /> -Published September 1913 -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - TO<br /> -<br /> - MY WIFE<br /> -<br /> - THE COMPANION OF MY TRAVELS<br /> - TO WHOSE SYMPATHETIC COOPERATION I AM<br /> - INDEBTED FOR MUCH OF THE MATERIAL<br /> - THIS BOOK<br /> - IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3b"> - CONTENTS<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - <a href="#chap00b">Introduction</a><br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - I. <a href="#chap01">The 'Making' of Sir Walter</a><br /> - II. <a href="#chap02">The Lay of the Last Minstrel</a><br /> - III. <a href="#chap03">Marmion</a><br /> - IV. <a href="#chap04">The Lady of the Lake</a><br /> - V. <a href="#chap05">Rokeby</a><br /> - VI. <a href="#chap06">The Bridal of Triermain</a><br /> - VII. <a href="#chap07">The Lord of the Isles</a><br /> - VIII. <a href="#chap08">Waverley</a><br /> - IX. <a href="#chap09">Guy Mannering</a><br /> - X. <a href="#chap10">The Antiquary</a><br /> - XI. <a href="#chap11">The Black Dwarf</a><br /> - XII. <a href="#chap12">Old Mortality</a><br /> - XIII. <a href="#chap13">Rob Roy</a><br /> - XIV. <a href="#chap14">The Heart of Midlothian</a><br /> - XV. <a href="#chap15">The Bride of Lammermoor</a><br /> - XVI. <a href="#chap16">A Legend of Montrose</a><br /> - XVII. <a href="#chap17">Ivanhoe</a><br /> - XVIII. <a href="#chap18">The Monastery</a><br /> - XIX. <a href="#chap19">The Abbot</a><br /> - XX. <a href="#chap20">Kenilworth</a><br /> - XXI. <a href="#chap21">The Pirate</a><br /> - XXII. <a href="#chap22">The Fortunes of Nigel</a><br /> - XXIII. <a href="#chap23">Peveril of the Peak</a><br /> - XXIV. <a href="#chap24">Quentin Durward</a><br /> - XXV. <a href="#chap25">St. Ronan's Well</a><br /> - XXVI. <a href="#chap26">Redgauntlet</a><br /> - XXVII. <a href="#chap27">Tales of the Crusaders</a><br /> - XXVIII. <a href="#chap28">Woodstock</a><br /> - XXIX. <a href="#chap29">The Fair Maid of Perth</a><br /> - XXX. <a href="#chap30">The Chronicles of the Canongate and Other Tales</a><br /> - The Highland Widow<br /> - The Two Drovers<br /> - The Surgeon's Daughter<br /> - Anne of Geierstein<br /> - Count Robert of Paris<br /> - Castle Dangerous<br /> - XXXI. <a href="#chap31">A Successful Life</a><br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - <a href="#chap32">Index</a><br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3b"> -ILLUSTRATIONS -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Portrait of Sir Walter Scott . . . <a href="#img-front">Frontispiece</a><br /> - Photogravure from an engraving by William Walker of a painting<br /> - by Sir Henry Raeburn, R.A., 1822.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-002">Smailholm</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-006">Kelso Abbey</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-020">The Popping Stone</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-024">Lasswade Cottage</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-030">Map Of Scotland</a><br /> - Showing localities of Scott's writings<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-034">St. Mary's Loch</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-038">Branksome Hall</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-042">Melrose Abbey</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-048">Ashestiel</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-052">Entrance to Norham Castle</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-056">Llndisfarne Abbey</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-060">Tantallon Castle</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-068">Loch Achray</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-072">Cambusmore</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-076">Glenfinglas</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-082">Stirling Castle</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-088">Brackenbury Tower, Barnard Castle</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-094">The Valley of the Tees</a><br /> - From Barnard Castle<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-098">The Valley of St. John</a><br /> - Showing Triermain Castle Rock<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-104">Turnberry Castle, Coast of Ayrshire</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-110">Grandtully Castle</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-120">Doune Castle</a><br /> - From the Teith<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-124">Ullswater</a><br /> - Waverley's retreat after the defeat of the Chevalier<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-128">Caerlaverock Castle</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-142">Edinburgh from the Castle</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-156">Auchmuthie</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-162">The Black Dwarf's Cottage</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-172">Craignethan Castle (Tillietudlem)</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-178">Crichope Linn</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-190">Chillingham Castle</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-196">Loch Lomond from Inversnaid</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-210">St. Anthony's Chapel</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-222">Crichton Castle</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-230">Loch Lubnaig</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-234">Map of England</a><br /> - Showing Localities of Scott's writings<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-236">Castle of Ashby de la Zouch</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-238">The Buck-Gate</a><br /> - Entrance to the Duke of Portland's estate, Sherwood Forest<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-240">The Avenue of Limes, Sherwood Forest</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-244">Interior of Fountains Abbey</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-248">Coningsburgh Castle</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-270">Cathcart Castle</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-274">Leicester's Buildings, Kenilworth</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-278">Cæsar's Tower, Kenilworth</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-282">Entrance to Warwick Castle</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-286">Mervyn's Tower, Kenilworth</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-292">Lerwick, Shetland</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-294">A Crofter's Cottage, Orkney</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-298">Sumburgh Head, Shetland</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-302">Scalloway, Shetland</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-310">The Standing Stones of Stennis</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-314">Stromness, Orkney</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-318">Map of London</a><br /> - Showing localities of Scott's writings<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-330">The Pack-Horse Bridge, Haddon Hall</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-334">The Saxon Tower, Isle of Man</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-348">The Tweed and Eildon Hills</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-352">Scott's Tomb, Dryburgh</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-360">Hoddam Castle</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-368">Powis Castle, Wales</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-374">Godstow Priory</a><br /> - Burial-place of 'The Fair Rosamond'<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-380">Loch Tay</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-384">House of the Fair Maid of Perth</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-396">Abbotsford</a> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<a href="#img-404">Scott Monument, Edinburgh</a> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap00b"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="Pxiii"></a>xiii}</span></p> - -<h3> -INTRODUCTION -</h3> - -<p> -On the first day of May, 1911, we began our exploration -of the 'Scott Country.' I say we, because I was -accompanied by the companion of a much longer journey, -of which that year was the twenty-fifth milestone. -Whether from reasons of sentiment resulting from the -near approach of our silver anniversary, or because of -more prosaic geographical considerations, we began at -the place where Walter Scott discovered that he would -be likely to see more of the beauty of life if he were -equipped with two pairs of eyes rather than one. This -was at the village of Gilsland, in the north of England, -where the poet first met the companion who was to share -the joys and sorrows of the best years of his life. A pony -and dogcart took us clattering up to the top of the hill, -where, leaving our conveyance, we started down the -glen to the banks of the river Irthing. Here the camera -promptly responded to the call of a beautiful view and -the first exposure was made:—a gently flowing stream -of shallow water, scarcely covering the rocky bed of the -river; a pleasant path along the bank, well shaded from -the sun; and a slender little waterfall in the distance;—the -same scene which so often met the eyes of Walter -Scott and his future bride as they strolled along the -stream in their 'courting' days. -</p> - -<p> -This was the beginning of a tour which eventually led -into nearly every county of Scotland, as far north as the -Shetland Islands, and through a large part of England -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="Pxiv"></a>xiv}</span> -and Wales. We went wherever we thought we might -find a beautiful or an interesting picture, connected in -some way with the life of Sir Walter, or mentioned by -him in some novel or poem. Knowing that he had -derived his inspiration from an intimate knowledge of -the country, we sought to follow his footsteps so far as -possible. Months of preparation had been devoted to -the work before leaving home. Every novel and poem -had to be read, besides many books of reference, including, -of course, Lockhart's <i>Life</i>, for it would not have been -safe to trust to the recollections of earlier reading. Notes -were made of the places to be sought, and two large -maps were prepared on which I marked circles with a red -pencil around all points which I thought ought to be -visited, until my maps began to look as though they -were suffering from a severe attack of measles. Then -the route was laid out by 'centres.' The first was -Carlisle, then Dumfries, Melrose, Edinburgh, Berwick, -Glasgow, Stirling, Callander, the Trossachs, Oban, and -so on until the entire country had been covered. From -each 'centre' as a convenient point of departure we -explored the country in many directions, visiting so far -as possible every scene of the novels and poems that -could be identified. -</p> - -<p> -It was surprising to find so many of these scenes -exactly as Sir Walter had described them. The mountains -and valleys, the rivers, lakes, and waterfalls, the -wild ruggedness of the seaside cliffs, the quaint little -old-fashioned villages, the ruined castles and abbeys, all -brought back memories of the romances which he had so -charmingly set amidst these scenes. It was like actually -living the Waverley Novels to see them. And in seeing -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="Pxv"></a>xv}</span> -them, we came to know, on intimate terms, Sir Walter -himself; to feel the genial influence of his presence as if -he were a fellow traveller, and to love him as his -companions had done a century ago. -</p> - -<p> -But our constant purpose was to do more than this. -With the help of the camera we sought to catch -something of the spirit of the scenery and to bring it home -with us, in the hope that those who have never seen the -'Scott Country' might at least have a few glimpses of it, -and that those who have seen all or a part of it, might -find in these views a pleasant reminder of what must -have been a happy experience. -</p> - -<p> -There is no occasion to add at the present time to the -volume of literary criticism of such well-known novels -and poems as those of Scott, nor is it possible to add -any material facts to his biography. This book makes -no such claim. It does not attempt to retell the -romances, except in so far as may be necessary to explain -their connexion with the scenery or to introduce the -'original' of some well-known character. If a glimpse -of the novelist's genial face is seen now and then, it is -because his spirit pervades every nook and corner of -bonnie Scotland, and it would be impossible for -appreciative eyes to view the scenery without seeing -something of the man whose genius has added so greatly to -its charm. -</p> - -<p> -If this book shall add to the pleasure of any of the -readers of Sir Walter Scott by bringing them into the -atmosphere of his novels and poems, and so a little -nearer to the kindly personality of the man, its purpose -will have been fulfilled. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap01"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P1"></a>1}</span></p> - -<p class="t2"> -THE COUNTRY<br /> -OF SIR WALTER SCOTT -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER I -<br /> -THE 'MAKING' OF SIR WALTER -</h3> - -<p> -'He was makin' himsel' a' the time, but he didna ken -maybe what he was about till years had passed; at first -he thought o' little, I dare say, but the queerness and -the fun.' -</p> - -<p> -In these expressive words, Robert Shortreed, who -guided Walter Scott on the celebrated 'raids' into the -Liddesdale country, correctly summarized the youth -and early manhood of the future poet and novelist. -Scott was thirty-four years old when the 'Lay of the -Last Minstrel' appeared, and had reached the mature -age of forty-three before he published the first of the -Waverley Novels. But from early childhood he was -busily engaged, with more or less conscious purpose, in -gathering the materials for his future work. -</p> - -<p> -It is the purpose of this chapter to show, by a brief -survey of these preparatory years, how he acquired that -intimate knowledge of human nature that enabled him -to record so truthfully and with such real sympathy the -thoughts and feelings, the hopes and fears, the manners -of life, the dress, the conversation, and the personal -peculiarities of people of every degree, from Mary, -Queen of Scots, to Meg Merrilies, the Queen of the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P2"></a>2}</span> -Gipsies; from the lordly Earl of Montrose down to the -humblest of the Children of the Mist. It will also aim -to suggest something of the method by which he learned -to paint such charming pictures of ancient castles and -ruined abbeys, of princes' palaces and fishermen's -cottages, of rocky shores and wild paths through the -woods, of rivers, lakes, and mountains, and all the other -elements that make up the varied and beautiful scenery -of Scotland and England. -</p> - -<p> -In the hilly country south of Edinburgh, standing -alone on a high rock, is an old feudal tower called -Smailholm. Outlined against the western sky, in the glow of -a summer sunset, it seemed to us like a proud and beautiful -capital letter 'I,' saying with some emphasis on the -personal pronoun, '<i>I</i> am a thing of some importance.' We -forgave the egotism, for the old tower really is -important, marking the very beginning of Walter Scott's -career, the spot where he received his first poetic -impulse. Here at the age of three years, he rolled about on -the rocks with the sheep and lambs as if he were one of -them. He had been brought to Sandy Knowe, the home -of his grandfather, in an effort to save his life, for he had -been a sickly child, and six brothers and sisters had died -in infancy, so that his parents were naturally more than -anxious. The life out of doors soon brought a marked -improvement, and except for the lameness, which never -left him, the boy became healthy and vigorous. He was -attended by an old shepherd, known as the 'cow-bailie,' -who had a great fund of Border stories, to which the lad -listened eagerly. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-002"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-002.jpg" alt="SMAILHOLM" /> -<br /> -SMAILHOLM -</p> - -<p> -A devoted aunt, Miss Janet Scott, who lived at the -farm, often read to him stories of Bible heroes and of the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P3"></a>3}</span> -great men of Scottish history. From a few volumes of -miscellaneous poetry which the family chanced to own, -she read some Scottish ballads which quickly seized -upon his childish fancy. He was especially fond of -historical tales, and under the shadow of the old tower he -used to marshal the armies of Scotland and England, -fighting their battles with mimic forces of pebbles and -shells, and always ending the conflict with the complete -rout of the English and the triumph of the Scottish -arms. One day he was missed during a violent thunderstorm, -and the household set out in search of him. He -was found lying on his back on the rocks, kicking his -heels in the air and clapping his hands with delight as -he watched the vivid lightning; and as one flash followed -another, each more brilliant than the one before, he -would shout, 'Bonnie! Bonnie!! Dae it again! Dae it -again!' I like to think of this scene as symbolic; as a -prophecy of the time, soon to come, when the lad, grown -to manhood, would be sending out flash after flash of -his genius while the whole world looked on in delight, -shouting, 'Bonnie! Bonnie!! Dae it again! Dae it -again!' -</p> - -<p> -How much the old tower of Smailholm really had to -do with Scott's earliest poetic fancy he has himself told -in a touching reference in the Introduction to the Third -Canto of 'Marmion':— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - And still I thought that shattered tower<br /> - The mightiest work of human power,<br /> - And marvelled as the aged hind<br /> - With some strange tale bewitched my mind.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -He made it the setting of one of his earliest poems, 'The -Eve of St. John,' and probably had it in mind, when -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P4"></a>4}</span> -writing 'The Monastery' and 'The Abbot,' as the -original of Avenel Castle. Smailholm was once surrounded -by water, all of which has been drained off except a very -small portion on the eastern side. With the addition of -the original lake it would make a very good prototype -of Avenel. -</p> - -<p> -At the age of six, Scott was taken for a visit to -Prestonpans, where he made the acquaintance of George -Constable, the original of Monkbarns in 'The -Antiquary.' This statement should be qualified, however, -for Scott himself was the real 'Antiquary' in many -ways. None but a genuine antiquarian could ever have -written that keen bit of humorous characterization. -This old gentleman, besides giving Scott his first -knowledge of Shakespeare, told him many excellent stories of -the 'affair of 1745' and of the battle of Prestonpans. -Here he also made the acquaintance of an old man who -had seen much service in the German wars and who was -delighted to find a good listener to his tales of military -feats. Under the guidance of this old soldier, whose -name, Dalgetty, subsequently reappears in 'A Legend -of Montrose,' he explored the battle-field, heard the -story of Colonel Gardiner's death, and found the grave -of 'Balmawhapple,' 'where the grass grew rank and -green, distinguishing it from the rest of the field.' This -was in 1777, when Scott was only six. Thirty-seven -years later these early impressions found a place in -'Waverley.' -</p> - -<p> -At about the same period young Walter was presented -with a Shetland pony, an animal not so large as a -full-grown Newfoundland dog. He soon learned to ride, and -often frightened his Aunt Jenny by dashing recklessly -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P5"></a>5}</span> -over the rocks about the tower. The importance of the -event lies in the fact that it was the beginning of Scott's -fondness for horseback riding, his proficiency in which -played an important part in later years, enabling him to -gather valuable material that would not otherwise have -been accessible. Scott's father now thought best to bring -him back to Edinburgh, where he lived the life of an -average schoolboy, with this difference, that his -lameness frequently confined him to the house, compelling -him to seek his amusement in books instead of romping -with his fellows in George's Square. At twelve years, -and again a little later, he went for a vacation visit to his -Aunt Jenny,—Miss Janet Scott,—who was then -living at Kelso in a small house, pleasantly situated in -a garden of seven or eight acres, 'full of long straight -walks, between hedges of yew and hornbeam' and -'thickets of flowery shrubs.' The Grammar School of -Kelso was attached to the old Abbey. Here he met the -two men who, though lifelong friends, were destined to -bring to Walter Scott the saddest experience of his -career—James and John Ballantyne, the publishers, -whose failure clouded the last years of the novelist's -life, forcing upon him the payment of a debt of £117,000,—a -task which he manfully assumed, and wore out his -life in the execution of it. Another school fellow here -was Robert Waldie, whose mother showed Scott many -attentions. It was through his association with 'Lady -Waldie,' who was a member of the Society of Friends, -that Scott in subsequent years was enabled to paint the -lovely picture of the home life at Mount Sharon of -Joshua Geddes and his sister, which adds so much to the -pleasure of 'Redgauntlet.' -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P6"></a>6}</span> -</p> - -<p> -An old vault in Kelso Abbey was used as the village -prison—the kind of a jail which Edie Ochiltree thought -'wasna so dooms bad a place as it was ca'd.' No doubt -the real Edie was often confined here. He was an old -mendicant, well known in the neighbourhood, by the -name of Andrew Gemmels. Scott met him often. Many -curious stories are related of his eccentricities. He was -once presented with a good suit of clothes which he -thankfully accepted. The friendly donor chanced to -meet him later in the day, dragging the clothes behind -him along the road through the dirt and mud. Being -asked why he treated the gift in that way he replied that -he would have 'to trail the duds that way for twa days, -to mak them <i>fit for use</i>.' -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-006"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-006.jpg" alt="KELSO ABBEY" /> -<br /> -KELSO ABBEY -</p> - -<p> -A few miles southeast of Kelso, in the village of Kirk -Yetholm, Scott picked up another of his most famous -characters—the picturesque Meg Merrilies. Kirk -Yetholm was in Scott's boyhood, and even later in his -life, the headquarters of a large gipsy tribe. Such a -people could not fail to interest one of his temperament -and he soon came to know them on familiar terms. The -Queen of the Gipsies introduced herself by giving him -an apple. She was a woman of extraordinary height, -dressed in a long red cloak, who naturally inspired the -boy with a feeling of awe. Her name was Madge -Gordon, a granddaughter of Jean Gordon, the most famous -of the Gipsies. Jean's history was well known. She was -an ardent Jacobite, and met her death at Carlisle in -1746, in a most inhuman fashion, being drowned by a -mob in the river Eden. She was a powerful woman and -as the men struggled to keep her head under the water, -she kept coming to the surface, each time screaming, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P7"></a>7}</span> -'Charlie yet! Charlie yet!' Scott as a child often heard -her story and cried piteously for old Jean Gordon. She -was the real Meg Merrilies. -</p> - -<p> -During his frequent visits to Kelso and subsequent -residence at Rosebank, near by, Scott explored the -country in every direction. He rode over the battlefield -of Flodden, becoming convinced that 'never was -an affair more completely bungled.' He explored the -heights of Branxton Hill, and riding through the village -of Coldstream, passed the old town of Lennel, where -Marmion paused on the eve of the battle. Then recrossing -the river, he came to Twisel Bridge, and following -the course of the Tweed, reached the ruins of Norham -Castle, where Marmion was entertained by Sir Hugh -Heron. This was an old Border fortress which passed -from Scottish to English hands and back again for -several centuries. Thus, without conscious effort, Scott -laid the foundation for 'Marmion' early in life, though -the poem did not take final shape until nearly twenty -years later. -</p> - -<p> -When not spending his vacations in the country, Scott -was attending the college in Edinburgh and later -preparing himself for the practice of the law. During all -these years the gathering of materials for his future -writings continued. A favourite companion of the days -in Edinburgh was John Irving. On Saturdays, or more -frequently during vacations, the two used to borrow -three or four books from the circulating library and -walk to Salisbury Crags, climb high up to some -sequestered nook and read the books together. After -continuing this practice for two years, during which -they devoured a prodigious number of volumes, Scott -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P8"></a>8}</span> -proposed that they should make up adventures of their -favourite knights-errant, and recite them to each other -alternately—a pastime in which Scott greatly excelled -his companion. At this time the former began to collect -old ballads, and as Irving's mother knew a great many, -he used to go to her and learn all she could repeat. -Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat found their way into -'Waverley,' and later, with St. Leonard's Hill, in the -same vicinity, became the background for the earlier -chapters of the 'Heart of Midlothian.' The ruins of -St. Anthony's Chapel, on the ascent to Arthur's Seat, must -have been one of these favourite nooks. Blackford Hill, -the third of these resorts, lies south of Edinburgh. Here -Scott carried Marmion for that superb view of Edinburgh, -'mine own romantic town,' so well described in -the poem:—. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Still on the spot Lord Marmion stayed,<br /> - For fairer scene he ne'er surveyed.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The scene is still a beautiful one, for though the plain -that held the Scottish camp is now filled with -well-built suburban homes, we still may see -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Yon Empress of the North<br /> - Sit on her hilly throne,<br /> - Her palace's imperial bowers,<br /> - Her castle, proof to hostile powers,<br /> - Her stately halls and holy towers.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -So great was Scott's love of the picturesque and especially -of the old feudal castles that he yearned to become -a painter. But it was of no use. His lessons came to -naught and he could make no progress. Perhaps this -was fortunate, for, as Lockhart points out, success with -the pencil might have interfered with his future greatness -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P9"></a>9}</span> -as a 'painter with the pen.' At fifteen, Scott entered -upon an apprenticeship to his father as a writer's -(lawyer's) clerk, during which period he formed an -intimate companionship with a relative of his friend Irving, -William Clerk, a young man of good intellect and many -accomplishments. The experiences of these two young -law students will be found in 'Redgauntlet.' William -Clerk was the Darsie Latimer of that story, while Scott -himself was Alan Fairford. Alan's precise and dignified -father, Mr. Saunders Fairford, whose highest hope -in life was to see his son attain 'the proudest of all -distinctions—the rank and fame of a well-employed -lawyer,' was a fairly good portrait of Scott's own father. -The house in which the Fairfords lived was in Brown -Square, then considered 'an extremely elegant improvement.' It -is still standing, and is now used as a dental -college. Old 'Peter Peebles,' whose interminable lawsuit -was used for young lawyers to practise on, actually -existed and haunted the law courts at this time. Scott -himself admits that he took his turn as 'counsel' to the -grotesque old litigant. -</p> - -<p> -The Edinburgh of Scott's day was still chiefly -confined to the Old Town. High Street in those days was -considered the most magnificent street in the world. -Again and again Scott refers to it. At one end is the -great Castle, old enough to remember the time when -even the Old Town did not exist. Lower down is -St. Giles and the Parliament House. Next to St. Giles is -the site of the Old Tolbooth, which, after serving the -city as a prison for two hundred and fifty years, was -pulled down in 1817. In Writer's Court in the same -locality was the tavern where the lawyers held 'high -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P10"></a>10}</span> -jinks' in 'Guy Mannering.' Greyfriars Church, where -Colonel Mannering heard a sermon by Scott's old -friend, the Rev. John Erskine, is not far off. Down the -street, in the part called the Canongate, is the house of -the Earl of Murray, the Regent of Scotland in Queen -Mary's time, who figures prominently in 'The Abbot.' Street -fighting was a common occurrence in Edinburgh -in those days and there is a good description of such a -broil in 'The Abbot.' 'My Lord Seton's Lodging,' -where Roland Graeme took refuge after a scrimmage, is -in the same street, and a little farther on is the 'White -Horse Close,' where the officers of Prince Charles made -their headquarters in 'Waverley.' Holyrood Palace is at -the extreme end of the street, about a mile from the -Castle. The great ball, which Scott describes in -'Waverley,' was given here by the young Chevalier, Charles -Edward Stuart, on the evening of September 17, 1745. -</p> - -<p> -While still in his fifteenth year, Scott made his first -excursion into the Highlands of Perthshire through -scenery unsurpassed in natural beauty by any other -region in all Scotland. Approaching from the south, he -rode over the mountains, through a pass no longer -accessible, known as the Wicks of Baiglie. Here 'he beheld, -stretching beneath him, the valley of the Tay, traversed -by its ample and lordly stream; the town of Perth, with -its two large meadows, or Inches, its steeples and its -towers: the hills of Moncreiff and Kinnoul faintly rising -into picturesque rocks, partly clothed with woods; the -rich margin of the river, studded with elegant mansions; -and the distant view of the huge Grampian Mountains, -the northern screen of this exquisite landscape.' These -words were written as part of the Introduction to the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P11"></a>11}</span> -'Fair Maid of Perth' in 1828. The impression they -record was made upon the mind of a boy of fifteen, -forty-two years earlier. On this visit, no doubt, he saw the -original house of Simon Glover in Curfew Street, and also -the home of Hal o' the Wynd, not far away. Both houses -still remain, and the stories connected with them were -of course current in Scott's time. -</p> - -<p> -During all the time that the scenes and the stories -connected with this and other excursions were making -their impress upon the mind of Walter Scott, it must be -remembered that he was not thinking of any ultimate -use of them in literature, but was only ambitious to -make a success of his chosen profession of the law. It so -happened that one of the earliest duties which fell to his -lot as a writer's apprentice was to serve a writ upon a -certain obstreperous family in the Braes of Balquhidder, -the country made famous by the exploits of Rob Roy. -Fearing that the execution of the summons would be -resisted, an escort of a sergeant and six men was -procured, and Scott, a young man of scarcely sixteen, -marched into the Highlands, 'riding,' as he said, 'in all -the dignity of danger, with a front and rear guard, and -loaded arms.' The sergeant was full of good stories, -principally about Rob Roy, and proved to be a very -good companion. This expedition was Scott's first -introduction to the scenery around Loch Katrine, which -later owed most of its fame to his pen. It enabled him, -by actual contact with the Highland clans, to learn for -the first time some of the thrilling tales with which the -region abounded and to become familiar with the -habits, the speech, the dress, and all the other marked -characteristics of a romantic people. The delightful -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P12"></a>12}</span> -scenery of Loch Vennachar, Loch Achray, and Loch -Katrine, the rugged slopes of Ben Venue and Ben An, -the more distant peaks of Ben Lomond and Ben Ledi, -the tangled masses of foliage in the 'deep Trossachs' -wildest nook,'—all appealed at once to the artistic sense -within him, to his poetic feeling, and to his love of -nature. 'The Lady of the Lake' was not written until -twenty-three years later, but the germ of that poem was -planted in his bosom by this first youthful experience -and its writing was only a labor of love. -</p> - -<p> -On his subsequent excursions to the Highlands, Scott -gathered some valuable material which later appeared -in 'Waverley.' He found one old gentleman who had -been obliged to make a journey to the cave of Rob Roy, -where he dined on 'collops' or steaks, cut from his own -cattle. This cavern is on Loch Lomond in the midst of -most beautiful scenery. Scott makes it the retreat of -Donald Bean Lean in 'Waverley,' but does not refer to -it in his story of 'Rob Roy.' From another aged -gentleman he heard the history of Doune Castle, a fine old -ruin on the river Teith, near Stirling, and this he also -introduced into 'Waverley.' The story of Waverley's -saving the life of Colonel Talbot and the death at -Carlisle of Fergus MacIvor are based upon incidents related -to Scott at this time. -</p> - -<p> -Among the many places visited was Craighall, in -Perthshire, from which some of the features of Tully -Veolan were copied. The situation of this country-seat -was convenient for the story, and near by was a cave, -similar to that in which the Baron of Bradwardine -sought concealment. But there is another house, a little -to the west, on the river Tay, which is said to correspond -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P13"></a>13}</span> -even more closely with Scott's description. This is -Grandtully Castle, the beautiful estate of the Stewart -family. Another house which entered into this composite -picture was the residence of the Earl of Traquair, -a place on the Scottish Border well known to Scott and -frequently visited by him during the time when he was -writing 'Waverley.' It has a curious entrance gate, -surmounted by some queer-looking bears, which -doubtless suggested the Bears of Bradwardine. -</p> - -<p> -These numerous excursions, however fruitful they -may have proved in later years, were not by any means -the chief business of Scott's life at this time. They were -only vacation trips, except the first, which seems to have -had a business purpose. He was for the most part hard -at work in Edinburgh in the study of the law and in the -duties of a writer's apprentice, which meant copying by -hand page after page of legal documents, sometimes -accomplishing as much as a hundred and twenty pages -in one day. In 1792, at the age of twenty-one, he -successfully passed the law examinations and was admitted -to the Bar, very much to his father's delight. The real -Alan Fairford and Darsie Latimer 'put on the gown' the -same day, a solemn ceremony followed by a jolly dinner -to their companions. -</p> - -<p> -Scott was now a fine, handsome young fellow with a -host of friends. The sickliness of childhood had given -way to a robust and vigorous manhood. His lameness -still remained, but in spite of this he had acquired the -frame of a young athlete. He was tall, well formed, -big-chested, and powerful. His complexion was fresh and -even brilliant; his eyes were bright and twinkling with -fun; there was a queer little look about his lips as though -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P14"></a>14}</span> -they were about to break out into some funny remark—an -expression that was the delight of all his friends and -the despair of portrait painters. Perhaps the most -striking feature of his face was the high forehead, -bespeaking intellectual power and dignity, yet in perfect -consonance with his good humour and affectionate -kindliness. In every company of young people he was -easily the life and soul of the group. They crowded -around him to revel in his store of anecdotes and ballads -à propos to every occasion, and his jokes usually kept -them in a gale of merriment. He was fond of every kind -of outdoor amusement, especially of fishing, hunting, -and riding. Few could excel him in horsemanship, -either in skill or endurance. From the days of his first -Shetland pony he had loved horses, and but for his -ability to make long journeys on horseback to remote -regions at a time when there were no railways and few -coach-roads, he would have been unable to acquire the -knowledge of places and people which gave a peculiar -charm to all his writings. -</p> - -<p> -The day after his admission to the Bar, Scott -'escaped' to the country, going first to Rosebank and then -to Jedburgh, where he met Robert Shortreed, a -sheriff-substitute of Roxburghshire, who consented to become -his guide on a visit to the wild and inaccessible district -of Liddesdale. For seven successive years they made -these 'raids' as Scott called them, 'exploring every -rivulet to its source and every ruined peel from foundation -to battlement.' 'There was no inn or public-house -of any kind in the whole valley; the travellers passed -from the shepherd's hut to the minister's manse, and -again from the cheerful hospitality of the manse to the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P15"></a>15}</span> -rough and jolly welcome of the homestead; gathering, -wherever they went, songs and tunes, and occasionally -more tangible relics of antiquity.' To his friendly -familiarity with these unsophisticated people and the -intimate knowledge thus acquired of their manner of -living, we are indebted for some of the most charming -pages of 'Guy Mannering.' Whether the future poet -had any plan in his mind for using the material so -gathered is doubtful, though much of it went into the -'Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border' and perhaps these -raids suggested that undertaking. -</p> - -<p> -In the summer vacation of 1797, Scott set out for a -visit to the English Lakes. He was accompanied by his -brother John and Adam Ferguson, an intimate friend -through whom he had been introduced to the highest -literary circles of Edinburgh. Their first stop was at the -country home of Dr. Ferguson, the distinguished -philosopher and historian, and the father of Scott's friend. -This was at Hallyards, in the vale of Manor Water, near -Peebles. The venerable old gentleman, then in his -seventy-third year, had become interested in one of the -strangest men, physically and mentally, who ever -lived,—a poor, ungainly, and hideous dwarf named -David Ritchie. Dr. Ferguson conducted his young -friend to the rude hut of this horrible being, and Scott, -strong and fearless as he was, is said to have come away -as pale as ashes and shaking in every limb. This singular -meeting resulted, nineteen years later, in the story of -'The Black Dwarf,' where Scott skilfully combined some -good traits, which Ritchie was known to possess, with -the grotesque and terrifying external figure. -</p> - -<p> -Proceeding to the English Lakes, Scott now saw for the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P16"></a>16}</span> -first time the wild and rugged beauty of Saddleback and -Skiddaw and the desolate loneliness of Helvellyn, -contrasting with the calm loveliness of Grasmere and -Windermere and with the sweet homeliness of the dalesmen's -cottages, their pastures and peaceful flocks. Like all -other scenes of beauty, it made its impression upon his -mind. He found a home here for Colonel Mannering; -when Waverley was hard-pressed after the failure of the -insurrection of 1745, he found it convenient to make a -home for his hero with a farmer at Ullswater; and he -marched his gallant Baron of Triermain into 'the narrow -Valley of St. John' in search of the mysterious castle, as -directed by the sage of Lyulph's tower. The tower of -Lyulph may be seen near the shores of Ullswater, and -on the side of a hill rising above St. John's Beck, a little -stream flowing out of Lake Thirlmere, is a huge rock -now called 'Triermain Castle,' which at a distance, under -certain conditions of the atmosphere, bears a fancied -resemblance to the phantom castle of the poem. -</p> - -<p> -Scott frequently showed his profound admiration for -the English Lake district, and if he did not love it with -all the devotion of his friend Wordsworth, it was only -because his own beloved Highlands had a prior claim -upon his affections. -</p> - -<p> -On a summer day soon after his return from the Lake -District, in the same year, Scott and his friend Adam -Ferguson were riding together along a country road near -the pleasant little village of Gilsland, in the north of -England. The former was then twenty-six years of age. -He was a tall man of athletic frame, who rode as though -incapable of fatigue. There was a peculiar grace and -charm in both face and figure, which almost irresistibly -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P17"></a>17}</span> -caused a passer-by to follow his first glance with a second -and longer scrutiny. -</p> - -<p> -As they rode along, the two companions chanced to -pass a young lady, also on horseback, who immediately -attracted their notice. Her form was like that of a fairy, -light and full of grace. Her long silken tresses were jet -black, her complexion a clear olive, and her eyes a lovely -brown, large, deep-set, and brilliant. Young and vivacious, -with a natural air of gaiety, she was both pleasant -to meet and charming to look upon. -</p> - -<p> -At the ball which took place in the evening there was -much rivalry among the young men for the honour of -dancing with this vision of loveliness, who had blotted -out all other thoughts from their morning ride. To the -tall young man fell the privilege of taking the fair -stranger to supper, and this was the introduction of -Walter Scott to Miss Charlotte Margaret Carpenter. -The evening of September 30, immediately following the -ball, was one of the happiest Scott ever knew. A friend -records that he 'was <i>sair</i> beside himself about Miss -Carpenter;—we toasted her twenty times over—and -sat together, he raving about her until it was one in the -morning.' -</p> - -<p> -This was not Scott's first love affair, but it was equally -genuine. Some four years previously he had chanced to -meet at the Greyfriars Church in Edinburgh, a very -charming young lady of seventeen. As the Sunday -service closed, an unexpected shower came up. Scott had -an umbrella and the lady had none—sufficient reason -for escorting the fair one to her home. There was also -sufficient reason for falling in love with her, for Miss -Williamina Stuart was not only beautiful in face and -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P18"></a>18}</span> -figure, but lovely in character. Highly educated, -accomplished in music and painting, well versed in literature, -and with the best family connections, she was still a -sweet girl, of charming manners and no affectation. For -three years Scott cherished the most ardent feelings of -love, but in silence. He was then a young man of small -worldly prospects. He had written nothing and was -unknown outside the circle of friends in the law courts, -where he was but a beginner. This, however, would not -have been an insurmountable difficulty had the love -been mutual. But the young lady had already given -her heart unreservedly to an intimate friend of Scott's, -William Forbes, a man of noble character. She gave -Scott no encouragement, but frequently, wrote him in -a friendly way, chiefly concerning literary topics. -After many months of patient restraint, Scott finally -wrote her a frank and unreserved declaration of his -feelings, and received in reply a letter which filled him -with many forebodings but with 'new admiration of her -generosity and candour.' She urged upon him the -continuation of their simple friendship as the 'prudent line -of conduct.' Unfortunately, Scott read between the -lines, as too hopeful persons sometimes do, sentiments -which were not intended. The final disappointment -came in the autumn of 1796, and in the following -January Miss Stuart became the bride of Walter Scott's -successful rival. It is pleasant to think that the success -of the one and the disappointment of the other led to no -bitterness. Both were men of noble and generous minds. -And in the days of Scott's adversity, when he was -wearing away his vitality in a desperate but honourable -endeavour to pay his debts, Sir William Forbes, though -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P19"></a>19}</span> -his own bank was one of the heavy losers in the disaster -that overwhelmed Scott, came forward with offers of -assistance, and even went so far as to pay secretly a -large and pressing debt, that his friend Sir Walter might -not be entirely crushed. -</p> - -<p> -The poet never forgot the tender experiences of -these years, and long afterward drew a lovely picture -of Williamina in 'Rokeby':— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Wreathed in its dark brown rings, her hair<br /> - Half hid Matilda's forehead fair,<br /> - Half hid and half revealed to view<br /> - Her full dark eye of hazel hue.<br /> - The rose, with faint and feeble streak,<br /> - So lightly tinged the maiden's cheek,<br /> - That you had said her hue was pale:<br /> - But if she faced the summer gale,<br /> - Or spoke, or sung, or quicker moved,<br /> - Or heard the praise of those she loved,<br /> - The mantling blood in ready play<br /> - Rivalled the blush of rising day.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -But Walter Scott was a young man, and in his great -big heart there was still room for love. If he thought his -heart was broken, he admitted that it was 'handsomely -pieced' again. Fascinated with the vivacity and -attractiveness of Miss Carpenter, Scott remained at Gilsland -much longer than he had intended. The lovers strolled -through many delightful paths—walks which left their -impress upon the poet's mind and gave him many -backgrounds for his future verses and tales. -</p> - -<p> -Miss Carpenter had rooms at a large hotel, known as -Shaw's, where the momentous ball was held, and Scott -was at Wardrew House, a private residence with a -picturesque walled-in garden on the slope of a hill not -far away. We followed them in fancy as they descended -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P20"></a>20}</span> -into the glen which separates these two houses, where -they might drink of the mineral spring which gives a -local fame to the place. Then like the faithful page of -the Baron of Triermain, no doubt they 'crossed green -Irthing's Mead' and wandering along the shady bank of -this pleasant stream, reached -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - the favourite glade,<br /> - Paled in by copsewood, cliff and stone,<br /> - Where never harsher sounds invade<br /> - To break affection's whispering tone<br /> - Than the deep breeze that waves the shade,<br /> - Than the small brooklet's feeble moan.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Then, turning a bend in the stream, perchance he -invited her to -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Come! rest thee on thy wonted seat;<br /> - Mossed is the stone, the turf is green,<br /> - A place where lovers best may meet<br /> - Who would not that their love be seen.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Here is the so-called 'Popping Stone,' where, local -tradition asserts, Scott asked the all-important question. -Whether this is true or not makes no difference. The -question was asked and the stone is there. Whatever -virtue there may be in the stone, it is certain that -thousands of young couples have found their way thither, -and they have literally worn it away until now it is -scarcely half its original size. -</p> - -<p> -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-020"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-020.jpg" alt="THE POPPING STONE" /> -<br /> -THE POPPING STONE -</p> - -<p> -A little farther west we came to the beautiful old -ruins of Lanercost, in which is the tomb of Thomas, Lord -Dacre, to whom Marmion, with his last dying gasp on -the field of Flodden, sent a message with his signet ring. -Near by and entered through a beautiful park is the fine -old feudal castle of Naworth, the stronghold of the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P21"></a>21}</span> -Dacres and later of the Howards, both of whom are -mentioned in 'The Lay of the Last Minstrel.' -</p> - -<p> -The place which seems to have interested Scott the -most in these rambles was the old ruined wall of Triermain -Castle. He saw more of it than can be seen to-day, -for a great part of it remained standing until 1832. But -it was a ruin in the time of Queen Elizabeth. Scott's -imagination, however, soon rebuilt and repeopled it, and -Sir Ronald de Vaux became immortalized in 'The -Bridal of Triermain,' though forgotten in the pages of -history. In almost the latest years of his life, the -novelist came back to these scenes of his early manhood for -another character whom he took from the same old -castle of Triermain, the big and burly, but always -faithful, Sir Thomas de Multon of 'The Talisman.' -</p> - -<p> -During the autumn of 1797, Scott was a frequent -visitor to the city of Carlisle, where Miss Carpenter was -living in Castle Street. A few steps beyond the site of -her house is Carlisle Cathedral, the most striking -feature of which is the beautiful East Window, said to be -the finest in England. The cathedral was founded by -Henry I in 1101. During the Civil War it was occupied -by soldiers, who pulled down ninety-six feet of the nave -to build fortifications. The portion that remained, -thirty-nine feet, was later enclosed and used as the parish -Church of St. Mary. Here, standing between two great -Norman pillars of red sandstone, on the day before -Christmas, 1797, Walter Scott and Charlotte Carpenter -were married. -</p> - -<p> -They went to live in Edinburgh, but during the following -summer took up their abode in a charming little -cottage with a thatched roof and a delightful garden on -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P22"></a>22}</span> -the banks of the river Esk at Lasswade. It was then a -small house with only one room of fair size, though now -very much enlarged. The thatched portion, however, is -carefully preserved. Mrs. Scott's good taste and her -husband's enthusiasm soon converted the house and -grounds into a veritable bower of delight. Unfortunately, -the rustic archway of ivy, which Scott took so -much pleasure in fashioning, has disappeared. But the -vale of the Esk still remains, to thrill the souls of the -romantic. Not even in lovely Scotland is there a river -or glen to surpass it. Deep down between precipitous -cliffs and rocks, shaded by tall trees and overgrown by a -bewildering profusion of creeping plants and overhanging -vines, the little river flows merrily along, seeming to -sparkle at every bend with some new recollection of the -romantic legends or fantastic tales of the barons of old, -who once peopled its ancient castles and drank their -wine while they listened to the rhythmic stories of the -minstrel bards. Here six happy summers were spent. -Friends came down from Edinburgh and new friendships -were formed with important personages living in the -villas and castles of the vicinity. All found that Scott -had formed a connection with one who had the 'sterling -qualities of a good wife,' to quote Lockhart's phrase. -The brothers of the <i>Mountain</i>—a group of boon -companions who were closely associated and very fond of -each other's society—welcomed Mrs. Scott with the -greatest delight. A married life of perfect serenity was -inaugurated, which lasted until the death of 'the ever -faithful and true companion' in 1826. -</p> - -<p> -In a confidential letter to Lady Abercorn, written in -1810, Scott refers to his attempt, in the 'Lady of the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P23"></a>23}</span> -Lake,' to make 'a knight of love who never broke a vow,' -and mentions his own melancholy experience of early -days. He adds: 'Mrs. Scott's match and mine was one -of our own making, and proceeded from the most sincere -affection on both sides, which has rather increased than -diminished during twelve years' marriage. But it was -something short of love in all its forms, which I suspect -people only <i>feel</i> once in their lives; folks who have been -nearly drowned in bathing rarely venturing a second -time out of their depth.' -</p> - -<p> -These words should not be misconstrued. Whatever -the ardency of his first love, the second was no less -sincere and true. If the first was the highly poetic type, the -young dream of a peculiarly sensitive nature, the second -was the kind that enables young couples to meet in -peace and serenity all the varied problems of life, to -establish their housekeeping in mutual helpfulness, to -laugh away their cares, as Scott wrote to Miss Carpenter, -or if the load is too heavy, to share it between them, -'until it becomes almost as light as pleasure itself.' It -was in this spirit that the young people established their -household gods in the cottage at Lasswade. -</p> - -<p> -To a man of Scott's disposition, happy in his new -home life, with every incentive to improve his -opportunities, his mind steeped from infancy in the rude -ballads of the border country and his heart bounding with -delight at the beauties of nature, this new environment -seemed all that was needed to turn his whole thought to -poetry. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Sweet are the paths, O passing sweet!<br /> - By Esk's fair streams that run<br /> - O'er airy steep through copsewood deep<br /> - Impervious to the sun.<br /> -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P24"></a>24}</span> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - There the rapt poet's step may rove,<br /> - And yield the muse the day;<br /> - There Beauty, led by timid Love<br /> - May shun the telltale ray.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -No afternoon stroll could be more delightful than one -through the valley of the Esk as far as Roslin. Many go -to Roslin by coach from Edinburgh, but they fail to see -the glen. Guided by a Scottish friend, we found that the -better way is to go to Hawthornden and walk through -the gardens and grounds of the ancient castle where the -poet Drummond lived and wrote to his heart's content -of the beauties of the scene. Here we saw the caves, cut -out of the solid rock beneath the castle, which sheltered -Robert Bruce during the troublous times when Fortune -seemed to frown. Here, too, we stood under the -sycamore tree where Drummond welcomed Ben Jonson to his -home. Descending the path to the river, we crossed by -a little wooden bridge, with a gate in the middle, which -can be opened only from the Hawthornden side. Then -a walk, which was half scramble, brought us finally to -Roslin Castle, on a rock peeping over the foliage, high -above the river. Both Roslin and Hawthornden are -mentioned in 'The Lay of the Last Minstrel' in the -ballad of the lovely Rosabelle:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - O'er Roslin all that dreary night<br /> - A wondrous blaze was seen to gleam;<br /> - 'T was broader than the watch-fire light,<br /> - And redder than the bright moonbeam.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - It glared on Roslin's castled rock,<br /> - It ruddied all the copsewood glen;<br /> - 'T was seen from Dreyden's groves of oak,<br /> - And seen from caverned Hawthornden.<br /> -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P25"></a>25}</span> -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-024"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-024.jpg" alt="LASSWADE COTTAGE" /> -<br /> -LASSWADE COTTAGE -</p> - -<p> -The quiet of Lasswade gave Scott the opportunity for -the compilation of the 'Minstrelsy of the Scottish -Border,' and its romantic beauty furnished the inspiration -for his first serious attempts to write new ballads in -imitation of the old ones. 'It was amidst these delicious -solitudes,' says Lockhart, 'that he produced the pieces -which laid the imperishable foundations of all his fame. -It was here that when his warm heart was beating with -young and happy love, and his whole mind and spirit -were nerved with new motives for exertion—it was -here in the ripened glow of manhood he seems to have -first felt something of his real strength, and found -himself out in those splendid original ballads which were at -once to fix his name.' -</p> - -<p> -At this period Scott was a man of unusually robust -health. In spite of the lameness with which he had been -afflicted from infancy, his powers of endurance were -very great. He could walk thirty miles a day or ride one -hundred without resting. He was quartermaster of the -Edinburgh Volunteers and had a great reputation as a -skilful horseman. 'He had a remarkably firm seat on -horseback,' said Mr. Skene, 'and in all situations a -fearless one: no fatigue ever seemed too much for him, and -his zeal and animation served to sustain the enthusiasm -of the whole corps.' His companions called him 'Earl -Walter,' and whenever there came, at drills, a moment -of rest, all turned intuitively to the quartermaster, -whose ever ready fun never failed to lighten the burdens -of the day. It was really this remarkable gift of good -companionship, coupled with his fondness for horses -and unusual powers of endurance, that enabled Scott -to gather the materials for his poems. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P26"></a>26}</span> -</p> - -<p> -'Eh me,' said Shortreed, his companion and guide in -the Liddesdale raids, 'sic an endless fund o' humour and -drollery as he then had wi' him! Never ten yards but we -were either laughing or roaring or singing. Wherever -we stopped, how brawlie he suited himsel' to everybody! -He aye did as the lave did; never made himsel' the great -man, or took ony airs in the company.' It was literally -true, as he said, that he 'had a home in every farmhouse.' -</p> - -<p> -To his rare good fellowship and his powers of endurance, -Scott added one other quality without which his -vigorous search for literary material might have been of -little use, namely, a most extraordinary memory, which -enabled him to retain what he had heard and use it -many years afterward. James Hogg, the eccentric -Ettrick shepherd, gives a fine instance of this power. -One night Scott, with his friends, Hogg and Skene, was -out on a fishing expedition. 'While we three sat down -on the brink of a river,' says Hogg, 'Scott desired me to -sing them my ballad of Gilman's Cleugh. Now be it -remembered that this ballad had never been printed: I -had merely composed it by rote, and, on finishing it -three years before, had sung it over once to Sir Walter. -I began it, at his request, but at the eighth or ninth -stanza I stuck in it and could not get on with another -verse, on which he began it again and recited it every -word from beginning to end. It being a very long -ballad, consisting of eighty-eight stanzas, I testified my -astonishment, knowing that he had never heard it but -once, and even then did not appear to be paying particular -attention. He said he had been out with a pleasure -party as far as the opening of the Firth of Forth, and, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P27"></a>27}</span> -to amuse the company, he had recited both that ballad -and one of Southey's ("The Abbot of Aberbrothock"), -both of which ballads he had only heard once from their -respective authors, and he believed he recited them both -without misplacing a word.' -</p> - -<p> -Living in a country where new beauty appears at -every turn in the road and romance is echoed from every -hillside, happy in his domestic relations, blessed with -the faculty of making friends wherever he went, whether -among farmers and shepherds or lords and ladies, active -in travelling into every nook or corner where material -could be found, keen to appreciate a good story or a -pleasing ballad, and able to remember all he ever heard -or read, Walter Scott became a poet as easily and -naturally as the rippling waters of his beloved Tweed -find their way to the sea. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap02"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P28"></a>28}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER II -<br /> -THE LAY OF THE LAST MINSTREL -</h3> - -<p> -The years at Lasswade were marked by one of the most -momentous decisions of Scott's life. He had reached the -parting of the ways; one leading to the practice of the -law; the other—and the more alluring one—to literature -as a profession. Had his father been alive, it is -probable that a high sense of duty and loyalty would -have determined him to continue in the law, for the old -gentleman had set his heart upon that, and Scott would -have submitted to almost any irksome requirement -rather than wound the feelings of his parent. But the -worthy barrister's death a year or two after his son's -marriage had put an end to any scruples on his account. -Although Scott had not made a failure, his success at the -Bar was not remarkable. In the year preceding his -marriage and the fifth year of his practice, his fee-book -showed an income of only one hundred forty-four -pounds, ten shillings. He never had any fondness for the -law. As he afterwards expressed it: 'My profession and -I came to stand nearly upon the footing which honest -Slender consoled himself on having established with -Mistress Anne Page: "There was no great love between -us at the beginning and it pleased Heaven to decrease it -on farther acquaintance."' He began to realize that -'the Scottish Themis was peculiarly jealous of any -flirtation with the Muses,' and that a young lawyer could not -expect to succeed unless he kept up the appearance of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P29"></a>29}</span> -being busy even when he had nothing to do. A barrister -who spent his time 'running after ballads' was not to be -trusted. To succeed in the law meant, therefore, a -farewell to literature. It meant other sacrifices, too. His -vigorous health at this period enabled him to indulge a -natural fondness for country sports, horseback riding, -hunting, fishing, and the like. His membership in the -Edinburgh Volunteers gave him a most agreeable -companionship with a fine class of men, among whom he was -extremely popular and with whom he spent some of the -happiest hours of his life. All this would have to be -given up if he continued at the Bar, and instead he -would feel obliged to tie himself down to a severe course -of study in some musty old office in Edinburgh. -</p> - -<p> -Two circumstances combined to make feasible the -more attractive path. The first was Scott's appointment -as Sheriff of Selkirk with an income of three hundred -pounds a year, which gave him a certain degree of -independence, while the duties were not onerous. The -second was the success of the 'Minstrelsy of the Scottish -Border.' For several years Scott had travelled extensively -through many remote nooks and corners in search -of material for this compilation, and its publication had -brought him into public notice as a man of no small -literary skill. His gratification with its success may be -judged from a letter to his brother-in-law, Charles -Carpenter, in 1803:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -I have continued to turn a very slender portion of literary -talents to some account by a publication of the poetical -antiquities of the Border, where the old people had preserved -many ballads descriptive of the manners of the country -during the wars with England. This trifling collection was -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P30"></a>30}</span> -so well received by a discerning public, that, after receiving -about £100 profit for the first edition, which my vanity -cannot omit informing you went off in six months, I have -sold the copyright for £500 more. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -This enterprise, paying as much as the entire proceeds -of Scott's first five years of legal effort, gave assurance -of a financial success in literature, which coupled with a -certain income as Sheriff seemed to make the future -fairly secure. Reasoning in this way, Scott finally -reached his decision to abandon the law and devote his -life to literature. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-030"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-030.jpg" alt="Map of Scotland" /> -<br /> -Map of Scotland -</p> - -<p> -'The Lay of the Last Minstrel' was the immediate -result. Scott felt the responsibility of his position. He -was now the head of a family, having a wife and three -children of whom he might well be proud, and he felt -impelled to make a financial as well as literary success of -his chosen profession. He had previously tried his hand -at original composition. Inspired perhaps by his -familiarity with the old Scottish ballads, he had essayed -something of the same character. The first of these productions -was 'Glenfinlas,' growing out of his early visits to -the Highlands. Glenfinlas is a forest in Perthshire, -north of the Trossachs and east of Loch Katrine. Next -came 'The Eve of St. John,' in which Scott rebuilt and -repeopled the old tower of Smailholm which had so -fascinated his boyish fancy. In 'The Gray Brother,' an -incomplete ballad of this period, the poet sang the -praises of the vale of the Esk, then the scene of his -almost daily walks. The fourth of these early poems was -'Cadyow Castle,' a ballad on the assassination of the -Regent Murray. Cadyow Castle is a very dilapidated -old ruin in a park of wondrous beauty near Hamilton, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P31"></a>31}</span> -southeast of Glasgow. There is a deep glen, through -which runs a little river, the Avon, and on the banks are -many tall and beautiful trees. The park was once a part -of the old Caledonian forest, a few of the ancient oaks of -which still remain standing. It was the habitation of the -fierce wild cattle which furnished the liveliest and most -dangerous sport whenever a hunt was arranged. Something -of the spirit and fire of Scott's later work is seen in -these lines:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Mightiest of all the beasts of chase<br /> - That roam in woody Caledon,<br /> - Crashing the forest in his race,<br /> - The Mountain Bull comes thundering on.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Fierce on the hunter's quivered band<br /> - He rolls his eyes of swarthy glow,<br /> - Spurns, with black hoof and horn, the sand<br /> - And tosses high his mane of snow.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The man who could write such lines as these must have -felt an instinct for poetry which no amount of reasoning -could ever set aside. It was, therefore, well that Scott -did not attempt to resist his natural inclinations. -</p> - -<p> -We find him, then, deliberately turning to poetry, and -carefully surveying the field to choose his first subject. -Three influences, widely different in character, combined -to solve this problem. The first was his interest in the -stories of Border warfare aroused by the tales of his -childhood and immensely stimulated by his thorough -search for ballads to make up the 'Border Minstrelsy.' The -second was his membership in the Edinburgh -Volunteers which gave a military trend to his thoughts. -The third was his desire to oblige a lady. The young -Countess of Dalkeith, afterward Duchess of Buccleuch, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P32"></a>32}</span> -was an intellectual woman of extreme beauty and lovely -character. She was, moreover, the wife of the chief of -the clan of Scott, and therefore entitled, in the poet's -view at least, to the fealty of her kinsmen. Having -heard the legend of Gilpin Horner, a goblin dwarf -in whom most of the people implicitly believed, the -Countess, much delighted with the story, enjoined -upon Scott the task of composing a ballad on the -subject. The slightest wish of one so beloved was a -command. -</p> - -<p> -The poet soon realized that the goblin was likely to -prove a veritable imp of mischief, threatening to ruin his -ballad, and before the poem was finished, relegated him -to the kitchen where he properly belonged. With the -goblin story reduced to a mere incident, the poem expanded -to a tale of Border warfare in which all of Scott's -military spirit and knowledge of history and legend -came to the front. He wrote it, as he declared in a letter -to Wordsworth, to discharge his mind of the ideas which -from infancy had rushed upon it. In a letter to George -Ellis in 1802, he refers to it as a 'kind of romance of -Border chivalry in a light-horseman sort of stanza.' In -the autumn of that year, while on duty with his troop -at Musselburgh, during a charge on Portobello sands, he -received a kick from his horse which confined him to his -rooms for three days. This accident gave an unexpected -opportunity, and in these three days the actual writing -of the poem was started and the whole of the first canto -completed except the introductory framework. It is easy -to recognize the 'light-horseman' stanza. Indeed, the -clatter of horses' hoofs is heard distinctly as Sir William -of Deloraine sets forth upon his night ride to Melrose:— -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P33"></a>33}</span> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'O swiftly can speed my dapple-grey steed<br /> - Which drinks of the Teviot clear;<br /> - Ere break of day,' the warrior 'gan say,<br /> - 'Again will I be here:<br /> - And safer by none may thy errand be done<br /> - Than, noble dame, by me!'<br /> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> -<span style="letter-spacing: 4em">*****</span><br /> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Soon in his saddle sate he fast,<br /> - And soon the steep descent he passed,<br /> - Soon crossed the sounding barbican,<br /> - And soon the Teviot side he won.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> -<span style="letter-spacing: 4em">*****</span><br /> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - And soon he spurred his courser keen<br /> - Beneath the tower of Hazeldean.<br /> - The clattering hoofs the watchmen mark:<br /> - 'Stand ho! thou courier of the dark!'<br /> - 'For Branksome, ho!' the knight rejoined,<br /> - And left the friendly tower behind.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The spirited ride to Melrose; the opening of the wizard's -grave; the delightful picture of the ruined abbey; the -meeting of Lady Margaret and Lord Cranstoun; the -telling encounter of the latter with the Knight of -Deloraine; the manly spirit of the young heir of Branksome; -the tales of Watt Tinlinn and the Scotts of Thirlstane, of -Harden and of Eskdale, the coming of the Englishmen, -Belted Will Howard and Lord Dacre, the duel resulting -in the death of Richard of Musgrave, and the triumph -of Cranstoun's love for the fair Margaret, all combine to -produce a vivid impression of the stirring events, the -conditions of life, and the ideals of the Border country in -the days of chivalry. -</p> - -<p> -The framework of this picture, from which it takes its -name, is generally considered the most beautiful part of -the poem. The old minstrel is supposed to relate the -tale, with the accompaniment of his harp, to the noble -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P34"></a>34}</span> -Duchess of Buccleuch. The minstrel, with his reverence -and enthusiasm for the old ballad poetry, now in its -decadence, is of course the poet himself and the Duchess is -his patron, who first suggested the poem. In no more -beautiful and delicate way could the poet have shown -his devotion to the lord and lady who had so greatly -inspired him. Moreover, it gave him the method of -showing, as he said, that he had no intention of setting -up a new school of poetry, but was only making 'a feeble -attempt to imitate the old.' The historical basis of the -poem is told in a letter to Lady Dalkeith:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Dame Janet Beatoun, Lady Buccleuch, who flourished -in Queen Mary's time, was a woman of high spirit and great -talents. According to the superstition of the times, the -vulgar imputed her extraordinary abilities to supernatural -knowledge. If Lady Dalkeith will look into the Introduction -to the 'Border Ballads,' pages xv and xxix, she will find -some accounts of a deadly feud betwixt the clans of Scott -and Kerr, which, among other outrages, occasioned the -death of Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch, the husband of -Janet Beatoun, who was slain by the Kerrs in the streets of -Edinburgh. The lady resented the death of her husband by -many exploits against the Kerrs and their allies. In particular -the Laird of Cranstoun fell under her displeasure, and -she herself headed a party of three hundred horse with the -intention of surprising and killing that baron in the chapel -of St. Mary, beside St. Mary's Loch at the head of Yarrow. -The Baron escaped, but the lady burned the chapel and slew -many of the attendants.... The feud was finally ended by -Cranstoun marrying the lady's daughter. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-034"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-034.jpg" alt="ST. MARY'S LOCH" /> -<br /> -ST. MARY'S LOCH -</p> - -<p> -About this fragment of history Scott wove his stirring -tale of the Scottish lowlands in the sixteenth century. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - The last of all the bards was he<br /> - Who sung of Border chivalry,<br /> -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P35"></a>35}</span> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The aged minstrel is introduced as he passes -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - where Newark's stately tower<br /> - Looks out from Yarrow's birchen bower.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The old ruin was a favourite resort for Scott, and many a -happy holiday excursion was made to those 'rich groves -of lofty stature' which Wordsworth celebrated in his -'Yarrow Visited.' The ancient tower stands on high -ground above the Yarrow, on a road leading westward -from Selkirk, over which Scott often walked or rode. -About two miles away is Bowhill, a country-seat of the -Duke of Buccleuch, where the poet was always a welcome -guest. He refers to it affectionately in the closing -stanza of the 'Lay':— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - When summer smiled on sweet Bowhill.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Still farther south is Oakwood Tower, a stronghold of the -celebrated Wat of Harden, one of the poet's ancestors. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Wide lay his lands round Oakwood Tower<br /> - And wide round haunted Castle-Ower.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -This was 'Auld Wat,' who married the 'Flower of -Yarrow,' one of the most beautiful women of the Border, -who lived at Dryhope, near the foot of St. Mary's Loch. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - High over Borthwick's mountain flood<br /> - His wood-embosomed mansion stood.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The Borthwick joins the Teviot just above the town of -Hawick. The house of Harden stands high up above a -deep and romantic glen where there was ample room to -conceal 'the herds of plundered England.' -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Marauding chief! his sole delight<br /> - The moonlight raid, the morning fight;<br /> - Not even the Flower of Yarrow's charms<br /> - In youth might tame his rage for arms.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P36"></a>36}</span> -Auld Wat's son, afterwards Sir William Scott of Harden, -a remarkably handsome man and an early favourite of -King James VI, inherited some of his father's propensities -for driving off his neighbour's cattle and other -irregularities common to the time. In a raid upon the -lands of Sir Gideon Murray of Elibank he was captured -and carried in chains to the castle. Elibank is now a ruin -on the banks of the Tweed not far from Ashestiel, whither -Scott was fond of walking on Sunday mornings. The -legend which Scott tells, about as it was told to him in -his youth, and not, perhaps, in exact accordance with -the facts, is as follows:— -</p> - -<p> -When the young marauder was brought to the castle -in chains, the Lady Murray asked her lord what he -proposed to do with him. 'Why, hang the robber, -assuredly,' was the answer. 'What,' answered the lady, -'hang the handsome young knight of Harden when I -have three ill-favoured daughters unmarried! No, no, -Sir Gideon, we'll force him to marry our Meg.' 'Meikle-mouthed -Meg' was the ugliest woman in the country, -and young Sir William promptly decided that he would -rather hang. Three days were given him to think the -matter over, after which he was led out beneath a -convenient oak, with a rope tied around his neck and the -other end was passed over a stout limb of the tree. Then -he began to reconsider and decided that, as between -nooses, he preferred the matrimonial one. There may -be some advantages in ugly wives after all, and one of -them, in this case at least, seemed to be an entire -absence of jealousy. It was said, moreover, that 'Meg' had -'a curious hand at pickling the beef which Sir William -stole.' They lived a very happy life. The marriage -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P37"></a>37}</span> -contract was written on the head of a drum and the parchment -is still preserved. Scott was so fond of the legend -that he wanted to make it the subject of a comic ballad. -He accordingly began, but never finished 'The Reiver's -Wedding.' The grandson of this couple was Walter -Scott, known as 'Beardie,' the great-grandfather of the -poet. -</p> - -<p> -About a mile above the junction of the Teviot with -the Borthwick stands the castle of Branksome. Seen -from the opposite side of the river standing on a -terraced slope, partly hidden by the trees and shrubs, it -makes a pretty picture. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - All, all is peaceful, all is still,<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -and there is nothing to suggest the time when -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Nine and twenty knights of fame—<br /> - Hung their shields in Branksome Hall.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -It seemed to us more modern than it really is, for it was -completed in its present form in the year 1576. The -barony of Branxholme, or Branksome, came into the -possession of Sir William Scott of Buccleuch in the early -part of the fifteenth century and still remains in the -family. The towers which formerly occupied the site -were attacked by the English again and again, and the -castle burned and pillaged. It will be remembered that -after a preliminary survey of the castle and its attendant -knights, the minstrel tells the story of how Lord Walter -fell, of the widow's desire for vengeance, and of the Lady -Margaret's love for Lord Cranstoun, her father's foe. -Then for some purpose which is not clearly defined, the -'Ladye' calls to her side the boldest knight of her train, -Sir William of Deloraine, and bids him ride with all -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P38"></a>38}</span> -haste to Melrose Abbey, there to open the grave of the -wizard, Michael Scott, and to take from it the 'Mighty -Book.' Sir Michael Scott was a man of learning who -flourished in the thirteenth century. He wrote several -philosophical treatises and devoted much time to the -study of alchemy, astrology, chiromancy, and other -abstruse subjects, whence he gained the reputation of -being a wizard. Many weird tales are told of his -performances. Being sent as an ambassador to France to -demand satisfaction for certain grievances, he opened his -magic book and caused a fiend in the shape of a huge -black horse to fly out. Mounting, he flew across the sea -and presented himself to the king. His demands were -about to be met with a curt refusal when Michael begged -the king to defer his answer until the black horse had -stamped three times. The first stamp set all the bells in -Paris to ringing; the second tumbled over three towers of -the palace; the horse raised his foot for the third stamp, -but the king would not risk another and gave to Michael -what he wanted. It was this same wizard who 'cleft the -Eildon Hills in three,' the triple peaks which so -picturesquely dominate the entire landscape in the vicinity -of Melrose, having been formerly, so it is said, a single -summit. It has always been understood that the 'magic -book' was buried with the wizard, and that no one dared -remove it because of the 'terrible spells' which it -contained. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-038"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-038.jpg" alt="BRANKSOME HALL" /> -<br /> -BRANKSOME HALL -</p> - -<p> -The knight arrived after a spirited gallop, and shortly -after midnight rapped with the hilt of his dagger on the -wicket gate. The porter hurried to admit him, and soon -he greeted the aged monk of St. Mary's Aisle. Sighing -heavily the monk conducted the man of arms through -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P39"></a>39}</span> -the cloisters, which may still be seen looking very much -as the poet described them in lines not only poetically -beautiful but literally true:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Spreading herbs and flowerets bright<br /> - Glistened with the dew of night;<br /> - Nor herb nor floweret glistened there<br /> - But was carved in the cloister arches as fair.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Seven graceful arches, forming stalls or seats once used -by the dignitaries of the church, make a continuous line -along the eastern wall. Above the arches, and joining -one to another, are stone carvings of rare delicacy and -beauty. Of the more than a hundred separate figures in -this frieze no two are alike. There are roses, lilacs, -thistles, ferns, oak leaves, and scores of other representations -of the forms of nature, all exquisitely carved with -inimitable accuracy. Scott admired these arches so -greatly that he copied one of them for the fireplace of the -entrance hall at Abbotsford. -</p> - -<p> -The 'steel-clenched postern door,' through which the -monk and the knight now entered the chancel, stands -nearly intact. Its three arches rest on graceful pilasters -surmounted by capitals, with carved foliage so delicate -that a straw can be passed behind the stalks of the -leaves. We found it interesting upon entering this door -to note the accuracy of the poet's descriptions, which -the guide quoted with great fluency. The pillars -supporting the lofty roof spread out to form the great -arches, seeming to be 'bundles of lances which garlands -had bound.' -</p> - -<p> -We stood beneath this arched roof for a long time to -admire the beautiful East Window, and the guide -quoted:— -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P40"></a>40}</span> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - The moon on the East oriel shone<br /> - Through slender shafts of shapely stone<br /> - By foliaged tracery combined.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -It is almost impossible to realize that these long and -slender shafts are really carved out of stone and that the -work was done many centuries ago. Scott accounts for it -poetically:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Thou wouldst have thought some fairy's hand<br /> - Twixt poplars straight the osier wand<br /> - In many a freakish knot had twined,<br /> - Then framed a spell when the work was done,<br /> - And changed the willow wreaths to stone.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Beneath the window lies the heart of Robert Bruce. It -had been the desire of the monarch that his heart be -interred in the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. After his -death the body was buried beneath the high altar of the -church at Dunfermline, but the heart was taken out -and committed to the keeping of James, Lord Douglas, -who undertook to carry it to the Holy Land. But James -was defeated and killed by the Saracens, and the heart -of his royal master was taken to Melrose and buried -there. This was as it should be, for the heart of Bruce, -figuratively speaking, was always in Melrose. After the -destruction of the abbey in 1322 by Edward II on his -retreat from Scotland, Bruce made a grant of £2000 -sterling, a sum equivalent to about £50,000 in the -money of to-day. Because of this munificence the abbey -was rebuilt in all the beauty and perfection which -Gothic architecture could suggest, so that even in ruins -it is still a structure of graceful magnificence. In 1384, -the abbey was again destroyed, but later restored. In -1544, 1545, and finally a century later under the Reformation, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P41"></a>41}</span> -the abbey suffered serious damage from -which it never recovered. -</p> - -<p> -The grave of Michael Scott which Deloraine was sent -to open was pointed out to us, as it is to all visitors, but -in reality its exact position is not known. Johnny -Bower, an old guide of whom Scott was very fond, -discovered the position of the grave by noting the direction -of the moonbeams through the oriel window. 'I pointed -out the whole to the Shirra,' said he, 'and he couldna' -gainsay but it was varra clear.' 'Scott,' says Washington -Irving, who tells the story, 'used to amuse himself with -the simplicity of the old man and his zeal in verifying -every passage of the poem, as though it had been authentic -history, and always acquiesced in his deductions.' -</p> - -<p> -Like all other visitors we wanted to see the abbey -properly, and that, according to the poet, could only be -done by moonlight. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - If thou wouldst view fair Melrose aright,<br /> - Go visit it by the pale moonlight.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The moon was full while we were there and seemed to -offer a splendid opportunity. But an unexpected -obstacle appeared. In Scotland, in the summer time, -the evenings are very long, the twilight lasting until ten -or eleven o'clock, while the moon makes very little -impression until a late hour. And the custodian of the -abbey goes to bed early! So it was impossible to see the -moon shining through the east oriel, but fortunately we -could see the outer walls from the windows of our hotel, -which adjoins the ruin, and the moon kindly favoured us -by making -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Buttress and buttress alternately<br /> - Seem framed of ebon and ivory.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P42"></a>42}</span> -The next day we were treated to a superb view from the -private grounds of a gentleman whose estate adjoins the -abbey. From this point the entire southern wall, which -remains nearly intact, gives at first glance the impression -of a complete and beautiful Gothic structure. The -distant hills furnish a fine background and the well-kept -lawns and graceful birches perform the double duty of -shutting out the graveyard and making a charming -foreground. -</p> - -<p> -But to return to the story. While William of Deloraine, -with the mystic book pressed close to his breast, -was eagerly returning to Branksome, the fair Lady -Margaret was early awake and seeking the greenwood at -dawn of light to meet her lover, the Baron Henry. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - A fairer pair were never seen<br /> - To meet beneath the hawthorn green.<br /> - He was stately and young and tall,<br /> - Dreaded in battle and loved in hall;<br /> - And she, when love, scarce told, scarce hid,<br /> - Lent to her cheek a livelier red,<br /> - When the half sigh her swelling breast<br /> - Against the silken ribbon pressed,<br /> - When her blue eyes their secret told,<br /> - Though shaded by her locks of gold—<br /> - Where would you find the peerless fair<br /> - With Margaret of Branksome might compare!<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Lockhart finds in this passage 'the form and features of -Scott's first love,' and also says that the choice of the -hero was dictated by the poet's affection for the living -descendants of the Baron of Cranstoun. One of these, -George Cranstoun, afterward Lord Corehouse, was one -of Scott's earliest friends. His sister, the Countess of -Purgstall, was the confidante of Scott at the time of his -early disappointment in love. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-042"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-042.jpg" alt="MELROSE ABBEY" /> -<br /> -MELROSE ABBEY -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P43"></a>43}</span> -</p> - -<p> -The meeting of the lovers was all too brief. The -Baron's horse pricked up his ears, 'as if a distant noise he -hears,' and the goblin dwarf signed to the lovers to part -and fly. William of Deloraine, returning from his -all-night ride, was seen coming down the hill into -'Branksome's hawthorn green.' No words were wasted. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Their very coursers seemed to know<br /> - That each was other's mortal foe.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Like the bursting of a thundercloud the two champions -met, and in another moment William of Deloraine lay -on the ground, with Cranstoun's lance, broken, in his -bosom. The goblin page was directed to attend the -wounded knight, and in doing so discovered the 'Mighty -Book' from which he learned some mischievous 'spells.' The -son of the Ladye of Branksome was lured into the -woods and fell into the hands of an English yeoman who -took him, a captive, to Lord Dacre. Scouts hurrying -into the castle brought news of the approach of three -thousand Englishmen led by 'Belted Will Howard' and -'Hot Lord Dacre.' -</p> - -<p> -Naworth Castle, the home of the Dacres and later of -the Howards, was one of the first places we visited. It is -a fine old baronial castle in Cumberland County, about -twelve miles from Carlisle. It was built in the -fourteenth century by the Dacre family, who derived their -name from the exploits of an ancestor who was conspicuous -at the Siege of Acre in the Holy Land, under King -Richard the Lion-Hearted. In the sixteenth century it -passed into the possession of Lord William Howard, a -famous 'warden of the marches,' who became known as -'Belted Will Howard.' -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P44"></a>44}</span> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - His Bilboa blade, by Marchmen felt,<br /> - Hung in a broad and studded belt;<br /> - Hence, in rude phrase, the Borderers still<br /> - Called noble Howard Belted Will.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -One of the towers of Naworth, which this celebrity occupied, -still remains much as he left it, even to the books -that formed his library. Lanercost Priory, the burial-place -of the Howards and Dacres, is an unusually picturesque -and interesting ruin in the same vicinity. -</p> - -<p> -The beacon fires soon summoned a goodly array of -the best blood of Scotland to meet the English invaders, -among whom were Archibald Douglas, seventh Earl of -Angus, a descendant of James, Lord Douglas, who -attempted to carry the heart of Bruce to the Holy Land. -But the battle was averted, and instead a single combat -arranged between Richard of Musgrave and William of -Deloraine, the prize of the field to be the young -Buccleuch, who had fallen into the hands of the English. -The Lady of Branksome was escorted to the field of the -tournament by Lord Howard, while Margaret had the -stately Douglas by her side. The strife was desperate -and long, and in the end Musgrave was slain. But not -by the hand of William of Deloraine. Lord Cranstoun, -by the aid of magic learned from the 'Mighty Book' and -assisted by the goblin page, had contrived to array -himself in the armour of Sir William and so had won the -fight. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'And who art thou,' they cried,<br /> - 'Who hast this battle fought and won?'<br /> - His pluméd helm was soon undone—<br /> - 'Cranstoun of Teviot-side!<br /> - For this fair prize I've fought and won'—<br /> - And to the Ladye led her son.<br /> -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P45"></a>45}</span> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Then and there the feud was ended. The Ladye of -Branksome, declaring that 'pride is quelled and love is -free,' gave the hand of Margaret to the Baron of Cranstoun, -with all the noble lords assembled to grace the -betrothal with their presence. -</p> - -<p> -The sixth canto is superfluous if we consider that the -story ends with the betrothal. And yet it contains some -of the finest passages in the whole poem. It opens with -that superb outburst of patriotism, beginning,— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,<br /> - Who never to himself hath said,<br /> - This is my own, my native land?—<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -which shows, better than anything else, the extent to -which Scott's inspiration was derived from his own -Scotland. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - O Caledonia, stern and wild,<br /> - Meet nurse for a poetic child!<br /> - Land of brown heath and shaggy wood,<br /> - Land of the mountain and the flood,<br /> - Land of my sires! what mortal hand<br /> - Can e'er untie the filial band<br /> - That knits me to thy rugged strand!<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Here, too, we find the ballad of the lovely Rosabelle, -having its scene in the Castle of Roslin, in the vale of the -Esk, which Scott learned to love during those six bright -years spent at Lasswade. This alone would almost justify -the extra canto, but we have in addition the stately -requiem of Melrose Abbey, bringing the poem to a -solemn and beautiful close. -</p> - -<p> -Then comes the final word of the old minstrel:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Hushed is the harp—the Minstrel gone.<br /> - And did he wander forth alone?<br /> - Alone, in indigence and age,<br /> - To linger out his pilgrimage?<br /> -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P46"></a>46}</span> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - No: close beneath proud Newark's tower<br /> - Arose the Minstrel's lowly bower,<br /> - A simple hut; but there was seen<br /> - The little garden hedged with green,<br /> - The cheerful hearth, and lattice clean.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -These lines are but the embodiment of one of Scott's -dreams at the time he wrote them. The small estate of -Broadmeadows, near the ruins of Newark, was about to -be offered for sale, and Scott, dreaming of the time when -he might have a home of his own, rode around it -frequently with Lord and Lady Dalkeith, earnestly hoping -that some day he might possess it. But the vision faded -when the success of the poem gave him larger ambitions, -leading ultimately to the purchase of Abbotsford. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap03"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P47"></a>47}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER III -<br /> -MARMION -</h3> - -<p> -There was no title of which Scott was more fond than -that of 'Sheriff of Ettrick Forest.' The 'Shirra,' as he -was affectionately called, was a welcome guest in every -farmhouse and there were few in the region where he -had not been entertained. The 'Forest' comprises the -great tract of hilly country lying between the Tweed and -Ettrick Water and extending as far east as Selkirk. -Perhaps because we were familiar with the Adirondacks -and the Blue Ridge Mountains, where one may travel -for hours in the shade of the 'forest primeval,' it was to -us a distinct disappointment, and recalled the remark of -Washington Irving, that you could almost see a stout -fly walking along the profile of the hills. Centuries ago -these hills, now completely denuded, were clothed with a -dense growth of trees and the entire region was set apart -as a royal hunting-ground. It is recorded that in the -sixteenth century King James V gave a royal hunting-party, -in which the nobles and gentlemen of Scotland to -the extent of twelve thousand men participated. But -love of sport at length gave way to royal cupidity. For -the sake of increasing his revenue, the king turned the -forest into a huge sheep pasture, and these hungry -animals, still retaining possession, have literally destroyed -the forest and changed the whole aspect of the land. -Scott, nevertheless, loved the bare hills, and said, 'If I -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P48"></a>48}</span> -could not see the heather at least once a year, I think I -should die.' -</p> - -<p> -The duties of the Sheriff's office compelled a change -from Lasswade to a place nearer the town of Selkirk, -and Scott found a small farm well suited to his fancy, -near the northern limits of the 'Forest,' at Ashestiel, -on high ground overlooking the Tweed. Here he spent -some of the happiest summers of his life. In a letter to -Dr. Leyden, he gives a pleasant picture of his happy -family at this time:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Here we live all the summer like little kings, and only wish -that you could take a scamper with me over the hills in the -morning, and return to a clean tablecloth, a leg of forest -mutton, and a blazing hearth in the afternoon. Walter has -acquired the surname of Gilnockie, being large of limb and -bone and dauntless in disposition like that noted chieftain. -Your little friend Sophia is grown a tall girl, and I think -promises to be very clever, as she discovers uncommon -acuteness of apprehension. We have, moreover, a little -roundabout girl with large dark eyes, as brown, as -good-humoured, and as lively as the mother that bore her, and of -whom she is the most striking picture. Over and above all -this, there is in <i>rerum natura</i> a certain little Charles, so -called after the Knight of the Crocodile; but of this -gentleman I can say but little, as he is only five months old, and -consequently not at the time of life when I can often enjoy -the 'honour of his company.' -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-048"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-048.jpg" alt="ASHESTIEL" /> -<br /> -ASHESTIEL -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Of the house itself and its surroundings Lockhart has -given a charming description:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -You approached it through an old-fashioned garden, with -holly hedges, and broad, green terrace walks. On one side, -close under the windows, is a deep ravine, clothed with -venerable trees, down which a mountain rivulet is heard, more -than seen, in its progress to the Tweed. The river itself is -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P49"></a>49}</span> -separated from the high bank on which the house stands only -by a narrow meadow of the richest verdure. Opposite, and -all around, are the green hills. The valley there is narrow -and the aspect in every direction is that of perfect pastoral -repose. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -They were eight miles from the nearest town and four -from the nearest neighbour. The latter circumstance -Scott did not regret, though he found the former -somewhat inconvenient for obtaining needed supplies and -naïvely complains to Lady Abercorn that he had been -compelled to go out and shoot a crow to get a quill with -which to write her. Nearly the whole country roundabout -belonged to the Duke of Buccleuch, who gave the -poet full liberty to hunt upon his estates. The Tweed in -the vicinity of Ashestiel and of Elibank, a little above, -was unsurpassed for fishing. A favourite sport was -'leistering kippers,' or spearing salmon at night by the -light of a blazing peat fire. Perhaps the most exhilarating -pastime of all was the horseback riding, in which the -poet was an expert. Accompanied by one or more of -his most congenial friends, he would make excursions -into remote regions, never dismounting in the very worst -paths and displaying powers of endurance and fearlessness -that made him the wonder and the envy of his companions. -</p> - -<p> -Scott was now in the full vigour of his manhood. The -weakness of earlier years had disappeared, and with the -exception of the lameness, which never left him, he was -strong and healthy in body as well as mind. He was in -the full flush of his first great fame as a man of letters, -and the trials of his later life had not yet begun. -</p> - -<p> -It was at this period and under these circumstances -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P50"></a>50}</span> -that the poem of 'Marmion' was written. The poet's -enthusiasm for the locality in which he lived, and for -the friends who made that life a joy, found expression -in the Introductions to the six cantos, each addressed -to one of his intimate companions. Most readers of -'Marmion,' becoming absorbed in the story, have -regarded these introductions as unnecessary interruptions. -But no one would wish them to be omitted, for they -reveal the author who is telling the tale, and we seem to see -him in his changing environment, through the successive -seasons as the poem advances, beginning with the day at -Ashestiel, when -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - November's sky is chill and drear<br /> - November's leaf is red and sear;<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -and closing with the Christmas-time, a year later at -Mertoun House, where the poet passed the happy days -in the house where his great grandsire came of old, 'the -feast and holy tide to share.' -</p> - -<p> -The introductions were originally intended to be published -in a separate volume as 'Six Epistles from Ettrick -Forest.' The first, as of course every one knows, is -inscribed to William Stewart Rose, a poet who is chiefly -known for his translation of Ariosto's 'Orlando Furioso.' It -opens with a fine description of the beginning of winter -at Ashestiel, then turns to thoughts of 'My country's -wintry state,' and the loss to Britain brought by the -death of the two rival statesmen, Pitt and Fox, who had -passed away in the same year, 1806, in which the poem -was begun. -</p> - -<p> -The second canto, inscribed to the Rev. John Marriott, -is reminiscent of scenes and incidents of the -Ettrick Forest. The third canto is the most important of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P51"></a>51}</span> -all because of its autobiographic character. It is -addressed to William Erskine, a warm friend of the poet's -youth, in whose literary judgment Scott reposed the -firmest faith. He had been from the beginning a kind of -literary monitor, sympathizing fully with Scott's feeling -for the picturesque side of Scottish life, but strongly -urging him to follow more closely the masters of poetry -in some of the minor graces of arrangement and diction. -This the poet declares is impossible, and exclaims:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Though wild as cloud, as stream, as gale<br /> - Flow forth, flow unrestrained, my tale!<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -In this Introduction the poet's mind reverts to the -scenes of his childhood, the old farm at Sandy Knowe, -where he lived with his grandfather, and the ancient -tower of Smailholm near by. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Then rise those crags, that mountain tower,<br /> - Which charmed my fancy's wakening hour.<br /> - <span style="letter-spacing: 4em">*****</span><br /> - It was a barren scene and wild,<br /> - Where naked cliffs were rudely piled,<br /> - But ever and anon between<br /> - Lay velvet tufts of loveliest green;<br /> - And well the lonely infant knew<br /> - Recesses where the wall-flower grew,<br /> - And honeysuckle loved to crawl<br /> - Up the low crag and ruined wall.<br /> - I deemed such nooks the sweetest shade<br /> - The sun in all its round surveyed.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The preparation for the writing of 'Marmion' began -right here, for the love of martial tales so early implanted -in the poet's breast never ceased to grow until it reached -its full maturity. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - While stretched at length upon the floor,<br /> - Again I fought each combat o'er,<br /> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P52"></a>52}</span> - Pebbles and shells, in order laid,<br /> - The mimic ranks of war displayed;<br /> - And onward still the Scottish lion bore,<br /> - And still the scattered Southron fled before.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The fourth canto is inscribed to the poet's artist friend, -James Skene, with whom he made many an excursion -on horseback through the Border country. It recalls -many memories of summer days and winter nights, happily -spent with mutual friends. The fifth is addressed to -George Ellis, a man of wide knowledge of poetry and -extensive literary attainments, with whom Scott was on -terms of almost brotherly intimacy. It was written -from Edinburgh, more than a year after the beginning -of the poem, and is distinguished by a fine outburst of -enthusiasm for the poet's native city, 'Caledonia's -Queen.' The sixth canto and the last is dedicated to -Richard Heber, who had rendered able assistance in the -preparation of the 'Border Minstrelsy.' He was a -member of Parliament for Oxford and a man of profound -knowledge of the literary monuments of the Middle -Ages. He possessed an extensive library to which he -gave the poet free access, and his oral commentaries -were scarcely less important. The introduction was -written at Mertoun House, where Scott had gone to -spend the Christmas season at the home of the head of -his clan. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Heap on more wood!—the wind is chill;<br /> - But let it whistle as it will,<br /> - We'll keep our Christmas merry still.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-052"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-052.jpg" alt="ENTRANCE TO NORHAM CASTLE" /> -<br /> -ENTRANCE TO NORHAM CASTLE -</p> - -<p> -A brief review of the well-known narrative will serve -to point out the most important of the many interesting -and often beautiful scenes which the poet so graphically -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P53"></a>53}</span> -describes. The story opens, as everybody knows, at -Norham Castle at close of day, when Lord Marmion, -mounted on his red-roan charger, proudly enters,— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Armed from head to heel<br /> - In mail and plate of Milan steel,<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -with helm richly embossed with burnished gold and -surmounted by a flowing crest, amid which -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - A falcon hovered on her nest,<br /> - With wings outspread and forward breast.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -He was followed by two gallant and ambitious squires; -then came four men-at-arms 'with halbert, bill, and -battle-axe,' bearing their chieftain's lance and pennon; -and finally twenty yeomen, each a chosen archer who -could bend a six-foot bow, and all with falcons embroidered -on their breasts. They were welcomed with blare -of trumpets and the martial salute of cannon, making a -clangor, such as the old turrets of Norham had seldom -heard. Marmion responded to the noisy welcome of -soldiers and minstrels by a lavish distribution of gold -and was ushered into the presence of Sir Hugh the Heron, -with whom he spent the hours till midnight in sumptuous -feasting. -</p> - -<p> -Norham Castle, the ruins of which we reached at the -close of day, after a long tour by motor from Berwick, -was once a magnificent mansion and fortress, standing -on high ground overlooking the Tweed. For a thousand -years it was the scene of alternating peace and turmoil. -Founded in the seventh century, it passed from English -to Scottish hands and back again for many years. By -the beginning of the thirteenth century it had become -one of the strongest of English fortresses. James IV -captured it just before the battle of Flodden Field, but -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P54"></a>54}</span> -after that event the English recovered it. For the past -three hundred years it has been crumbling to ruins, and -now there is little left except a single wall and a remnant -of the -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - sable palisade,<br /> - That closed the castle barricade<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -before which Marmion's bugle-horn was sounded. -</p> - -<p> -Like so many of Scott's characters, Marmion, though -a fictitious personage, moved among the real people of -history and could boast a genuine ancestry. There was a -distinguished family of Marmion, Lords of Fontenoy in -Normandy, one of whom became a follower of William -the Conqueror and received a grant of the castle and -tower of Tamworth and the manor of Scrivelby, in -Lincolnshire. The family became extinct in the latter -part of the thirteenth century. -</p> - -<p> -In the second canto the scene changes to St. Cuthbert's -Holy Isle, where Constance de Beverley is a prisoner. -She had broken her vows as a nun and deserted -the convent to follow Marmion, in the guise of a page, -as his paramour— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - And forfeited to be his slave<br /> - All here, and all beyond the grave.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The island, so called, is on the English coast of the North -Sea, about ten miles southeast of Berwick. We reached -it by crossing the sands in a two-wheeled vehicle, -something like an Irish jaunting-car, in which springless -instrument of torture we were compelled to travel about -three miles. At intervals along the route there are little -groups of poles standing in the water, with miniature -platforms near the top. These are havens of refuge. If -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P55"></a>55}</span> -you get caught by the rising tides you have only to make -for one of these, and, after watching your horse drown, -wait for five or six hours until, with the turn of the tide, -somebody comes along to rescue you. Our enterprising -Jehu assured us that the tide would be running out, and -that there was no danger. But when about halfway -over we began to notice that the ride was rising, and -the water was soon nearly up to the bed of the wagon. -We had made the entire journey in the face of a rising -tide and reached the island none too soon, for it was -nearly high tide. -</p> - -<p> -Cuthbert, the patron saint of the Holy Island, flourished -in the seventh century. He was a prior of the original -Melrose Abbey—not the one which is now a ruin in -the town of that name, but its predecessor which occupied -a site farther down the Tweed. Later he became Prior -of Lindisfarne and afterward Bishop. The ruins of the -abbey show that it must have been a very extensive -establishment of great antiquity. Besides the foundation -stones, little now remains except part of the walls -of the church which are best described in the poet's -words:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - In Saxon strength that abbey frowned,<br /> - With massive arches broad and round,<br /> - That rose alternate, row and row,<br /> - On ponderous columns, short and low,<br /> - Built ere the art was known<br /> - By pointed aisle and shafted stalk<br /> - The arcades of an alleyed walk<br /> - To emulate in stone.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -We searched in vain for the dreadful 'Vault of Penitence,' -the awful dungeon below the abbey, its position -known only by the abbot, to which both victim and -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P56"></a>56}</span> -executioner were led blindfold. There is no trace of any -underground vaults nor of anything resembling the -niche where poor Constance was immured, to die a slow -death from starvation. As a matter of fact, Lindisfarne -was never a convent at all. But at Coldingham Abbey, -on the coast of Scotland not many miles away, there was -discovered, in Scott's time, a female skeleton which, -from the shape of the niche and the position of the -figure, seemed to be that of a nun immured very much -as Constance was supposed to have been. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-056"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-056.jpg" alt="LINDISFARNE ABBEY" /> -<br /> -LINDISFARNE ABBEY -</p> - -<p> -Returning to Norham Castle, and continuing the -narrative, we find Marmion and his men preparing to -depart at an early hour of the morning following their -arrival. Guided by the supposed Holy Palmer, they -travelled all day, following the mountain paths straight -across the Lammermuir Hills, in a northwesterly -direction, until at close of day they came to the village of -Gifford, four or five miles south of the town of Haddington. -A night at the village inn, a weird ghost story by -the landlord, and a strange, uncanny adventure of -Marmion resulting from it, complete the experiences of the -first twenty-four hours. The next day the travellers -meet a messenger from the King, Sir David Lindsay, by -whom they are escorted to Crichton Castle and entertained -in royal magnificence. We found the ruins of this -picturesque old castle on the banks of the Tyne, a dozen -miles southeast from Edinburgh. From his boyhood -they had exercised a fascinating influence upon the poet. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Crichtoun! though now thy miry court<br /> - But pens the lazy steer and sheep,<br /> - Thy turrets rude and tottered keep<br /> - Have been the minstrel's loved resort.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P57"></a>57}</span> -During his school days, Scott took many a vacation -tramp to visit the scenes in the neighbourhood of -Edinburgh which appealed to his fancy, and nothing ever -made a stronger appeal than some old ruin to which was -attached a bit of history or legend. Referring to the -time when he was about thirteen years old, he says, in -the brief fragment of his 'Autobiography':— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -To this period I can trace distinctly the awaking of that -delightful feeling for the beauties of natural objects which -has never since deserted me.... The romantic feelings which -I have described as predominating in my mind, naturally -rested upon and associated themselves with these grand -features of the landscape around me; and the historical -incidents, or traditional legends connected with many of them, -gave to my admiration a sort of intense impression of reverence, -which at times made my heart feel too big for its bosom. -From this time the love of natural beauty, more especially -when combined with ancient ruins, or remains of our fathers' -piety or splendour, became with me an insatiable passion, -which, if circumstances had permitted, I would willingly have -gratified by travelling over half the globe. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -It was with something of this same feeling that the -poet caused Marmion to travel from Norham to Edinburgh -by a circuitous route, in order that he might visit -Crichton and afterward view Edinburgh from the Blackford -Hills. Mr. Guthrie Wright, a friend and relative -of Scott's friend, Erskine, once asked the poet: 'Why did -ever mortal coming from England to Edinburgh go by -Gifford, Crichton Castle, Borthwick Castle, and over the -top of Blackford Hill? Not only is it a circuitous detour, -but there never was a road that way since the world was -created!' 'That is a most irrelevant objection,' said -Sir Walter; 'it was my good pleasure to bring Marmion -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P58"></a>58}</span> -by that route, for the purpose of describing the places -you have mentioned, and the view from Blackford Hill—it -was his business to find the road and pick his steps -the best way he could.' -</p> - -<p> -At Crichton, Marmion heard from Sir David Lindsay -a legend of King James and the Palace of Linlithgow. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Of all the palaces so fair<br /> - Built for the royal dwelling<br /> - In Scotland, far beyond compare<br /> - Linlithgow is excelling.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -This famous palace, now a ruin, lies about midway -between Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is beautifully -situated on a small loch, from the opposite shores of which -it makes an imposing appearance. The walls are in a -good state of preservation and still give some intimations -of the early magnificence of the royal residence. Three -of the Stuart kings, James III, IV, and V, occupied it in -succession. Mary, Queen of Scots, was born here in -what was once a large and beautiful room. On the -opposite side of the building is a room ninety-eight feet -long and thirty feet wide, formerly used by the Scottish -Parliaments, and the scene of many a state banquet. -At one end is an immense fireplace which still remains in -almost perfect condition. In the large court are the -remains of a fine fountain, with elaborate carvings, erected -by James V in anticipation of his marriage with the -Princess Madeleine of France. The most striking feature -of the palace is Queen Margaret's Bower, a lofty turret, -where it is said the Queen watched all day for her -husband's return from Flodden Field, only to learn of his -disastrous defeat and death. As I stood on the parapet -opposite the bower, preparing to make its photograph, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P59"></a>59}</span> -the custodian reminded me that I was standing where -many famous people used to promenade. -</p> - -<p> -Adjoining the palace is the ancient church of -St. Michael's, where, according to Lindsay's story, King -James received the ghostly visitor in the semblance of the -Apostle John, bearing the prophetic warning:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'My mother sent me from afar,<br /> - Sir King, to warn thee not to war,—<br /> - Woe waits on thine array;<br /> - If war thou wilt, of woman fair,<br /> - Her witching wiles and wanton snare,<br /> - James Stuart, doubly warned, beware:<br /> - God keep thee as he may!'<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -From Crichton the journey to the Scottish camp was -resumed, and the party now traverses ground even more -familiar to the poet:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Early they took Dun-Edin's road,<br /> - And I could trace each step they trode;<br /> - Hill, brook, nor dell, nor rock, nor stone,<br /> - Lies on the path to me unknown.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Over this well-worn road they reached the top of -Blackford Hill, and the view that met their eyes aroused an -enthusiasm that even Marmion, sullen warrior that he -was, could scarcely suppress. The Scottish camp, lying -on the plain below, is painted in all the colours of the -rainbow:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - A thousand streamers flaunted fair;<br /> - Various in shape, device, and hue,<br /> - Green, sanguine, purple, red, and blue.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The city, too, is pictured in colours no less vivid and -glows 'with gloomy splendour, red.' The Ochil Mountains, -reflecting the morning rays are like a 'purple -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P60"></a>60}</span> -amethyst'; the islands in the Firth are like 'emeralds chased -in gold'; and a 'dusky grandeur clothed the height, -where the huge castle holds its state.' -</p> - -<p> -The scene which Marmion saw, the poet admits, was -far different in his own time; and it has changed, -perhaps, even more since Sir Walter's day, for the plain -where King James's army lay is now filled with well-built -cottages. But the dominating features of the view, -the huge castle on the left, Arthur's Seat and the -Salisbury Crags on the right, Calton Hill, and the -crown-shaped steeple of St. Giles still remain to command our -admiration and delight. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-060"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-060.jpg" alt="TANTALLON CASTLE" /> -<br /> -TANTALLON CASTLE -</p> - -<p> -Passing through the Scottish camp, Marmion and his -train soon came to Holyrood Palace. The tower on the -left was built by James IV as a royal palace in -1498-1503. In the latter year it was the scene of the -marriage of the King to Princess Margaret, the daughter -of Henry VII of England. The wedding was celebrated -with great magnificence. Here Marmion is received -by the King, who, on the night before marching to the -south, is making Holyrood ring with 'wassail, mirth, -and glee.' He is devoting much attention to the wife -of Sir Hugh the Heron, who sings for him the song -of the young Lochinvar. A glance, thrown by 'the -witching dame' to Marmion, arouses the jealous -displeasure of the King, and Marmion is hurried off to -Tantallon Castle, under conduct of the owner of that -stronghold, Douglas, Earl of Angus, known as Archibald -Bell-the-Cat. Tantallon is on the north coast of -Haddingtonshire, near the town of North Berwick. The -ruins still remain, -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Broad, massive, high, and stretching far.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P61"></a>61}</span> -They stand on a high, projecting rock, guarded on three -sides by the ocean, while on the land side the remnant -of the 'double mound and fosse' may still be seen. The -castle was a favourite residence of the Douglas family, -though its fame owes less to history than to the genius of -Sir Walter. It was here that Marmion dared -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - To beard the lion in his den<br /> - The Douglas in his hall,—<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -and in defiance of Lord Angus gave utterance to one of -those dramatic passages which have made the poem -linger so long in the memory of all its readers. This is -one of the chief characteristics of Scott's poetry, that -certain lines will insist upon 'running in one's head.' George -Ellis pointed out the significant fact that 'everybody -reads Marmion more than once' and that it improves -on second reading. Perhaps this is why so -many people can quote freely from the poem, particularly -such passages as the quarrel of Marmion and Douglas. -</p> - -<p> -From Tantallon, Marmion and his men, with the Lady -Clare, proceed to Flodden Field, reaching at eve the -convent of Lennel where 'now is left but one frail arch.' This -resting place is on the river Tweed just below the -town of Coldstream and not far from the famous ford at -the mouth of the river Leet, used by Edward I in the -invasion of Scotland near the close of the thirteenth -century and by the contending armies of England and -Scotland for nearly four hundred years afterward. Over this -ford Marmion rushes impetuously to throw himself -into the thick of the battle. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Then on that dangerous ford and deep<br /> - Where to the Tweed Leet's eddies creep<br /> - He ventured desperately:<br /> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P62"></a>62}</span> - And not a moment will he bide<br /> - Till squire or groom before him ride;<br /> - Headmost of all he stems the tide,<br /> - And stems it gallantly.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Sir Walter wrote this passage, and many more like it, -from experience, for it was one of his chief delights to -ford a stream. James Skene said he believed there was -not a single ford in the whole course of the Tweed that -he and Scott had not traversed together. 'He had an -amazing fondness for fords, and was not a little adventurous -in plunging through, whatever might be the state of -the flood, and this even though there happened to be a -bridge in view. If it seemed possible to scramble through, -he scorned to go ten yards about, and in fact preferred -the ford.' There was a ford at Ashestiel that was never -a good one. At one time, after a severe storm, it became -quite perilous. Scott was the first to attempt the -passage, which he accomplished in safety, thanks to his -steady nerve and good horsemanship, for his favourite -black horse, Captain, was obliged to swim nearly the -whole distance across. -</p> - -<p> -Many of the landmarks of Flodden Field may still be -seen. The Twisel Bridge over which the English crossed -the Till; Ford Castle, the residence of Sir William Heron, -whom Scott transfers to Norham, changing his name to -Hugh; Etal Castle, which with Ford, Norham, and -Wark was captured by King James; a remnant of the -old cross in the field where Marmion died; the well of -Sybil Grey, a spring running into a small stone basin, -upon which has been cut an inscription something like -that referred to in the poem; and 'Marmion's well' at -the edge of the village of Branxton, which the local -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P63"></a>63}</span> -inhabitants are certain is the real spring where Clare -filled Marmion's helm with the cooling water,—all -these are easily visited in a day's drive. On the summit -of Piper's Hill a monument has been erected, marking -the spot where King James fell. -</p> - -<p> -The King failed to heed the warning given in Linlithgow. -He insisted upon going to war and wasted too -much precious time with the Lady Heron. As a result -he seemed to do everything that a good general would -not have done and he failed to do all that a competent -leader would have done. The poet gives full vent to his -righteous indignation:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - And why stands Scotland idly now,<br /> - Dark Flodden! on thy airy brow,<br /> - Since England gains the pass the while,<br /> - And struggles through the deep defile?<br /> - What checks the fiery soul of James?<br /> - Why sits that champion of the dames<br /> - Inactive on his steed?<br /> -<span style="letter-spacing: 4em">*****</span><br /> - O Douglas, for thy leading wand!<br /> - Fierce Randolph for thy speed!<br /> - Oh! for one hour of Wallace wight,<br /> - Or well-skilled Bruce, to rule the fight<br /> - And cry, 'Saint Andrew and our right!'<br /> - Another sight had seen that morn,<br /> - From Fate's dark book a leaf been torn,<br /> - And Flodden had been Bannockbourne.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The King fell, bravely fighting, it is said, within a -lance's length of the Earl of Surrey. The noblest of the -Scottish army lay dead and dying about the field. Never -before in Scottish history had there been so great a -disaster as that -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Of Flodden's fatal field<br /> - Where shivered was fair Scotland's spear<br /> - And broken was her shield!<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P64"></a>64}</span> -Richard H. Hutton thinks that Scott's description of -war in this account is perhaps the most perfect which -the English language contains, and that 'Marmion' is -Scott's finest poem. 'The Battle of Flodden Field,' he -says, 'touches his highest point in its expression of stern, -patriotic feeling, in its passionate love of daring, and in -the force and swiftness of its movement, no less than in -the brilliancy of its romantic interests, the charm of its -picturesque detail, and the glow of its scenic colouring.' -</p> - -<p> -Lockhart, whose judgment must always be regarded, -also believed 'Marmion' to be the greatest of Scott's -poems, because of its 'superior strength and breadth -and boldness both of conception and execution.' It has -been severely criticized. That Marmion, a knight of -many noble qualities, should have been guilty of the -contemptible crime of forgery, is a blot which Scott -himself acknowledged. Mr. Andrew Lang thinks that -'our age could easily dispense with Clara and her lover.' George -Ellis, on the contrary, thought it too short, that -'the masterly character of Constance would not have -been less bewitching had it been much more minutely -painted—and that De Wilton might have been dilated -with great ease and even to considerable advantage.' Lord -Jeffrey denounced it in characteristic fashion as -an 'imitation of obsolete extravagance.' Such a thing, -he thought, might be excused for once as a 'pretty -caprice of genius,' but a second production imposed 'a -sort of duty to drive the author from so idle a task.' -</p> - -<p> -But Jeffrey's crabbed remarks were universally -condemned as unjust and the public responded to 'Marmion' -with enthusiasm. Scott had painted a picture full -of lofty patriotism and glowing with life and colour. -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P65"></a>65}</span> -He had glorified his native city with a fervour that went -straight to the hearts of its people. The bravery of the -Scottish troops as they rallied around their king and -fought to the bitter end seemed to turn the worst -disaster in their history into a scene of which every -Scotchman might well be proud. The great chieftains of -Scotland had been exalted. The hills and mountains, the -rivers and brooks, and all the delightful scenes of the -southern border had been painted in charming colours. -And so the poet had touched the pride of his countrymen -and if there were faults of composition or of diction they -saw them not. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap04"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P66"></a>66}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IV -<br /> -THE LADY OF THE LAKE -</h3> - -<p> -The most popular of all Scott's poems, as 'The Lady of -the Lake' has proved to be, is in reality a romantic -story set to music and staged in an environment of -wondrous natural beauty. It is like an open-air play, but -with this advantage, that the audience seems to move -continually from one scene of beauty to another, each -more entrancing than the one before. You may travel -from Stirling to Loch Katrine and from the Trossachs to -the Braes of Balquhidder and all the time feel the thrill -of the poem, which seems fairly to permeate the atmosphere. -It is full of incident, and there is never a dull -moment from the beginning of the stag hunt in the solitudes -of Glenartney to the final scenes of generosity and -gratitude, of love and joyous reunion, in the King's -Palace of Stirling Castle. The characters are types, -each presenting a poetic interest of his own, of a race of -men famous in history and in song for deeds of personal -prowess, for skill in the use of claymore and battle-axe, -for loyalty to friends, for bitter resentment of wrongs, for -courage, for endurance, for hospitality, for love of music -and poetry, for strength of physique and for picturesque -personal appearance and attire. -</p> - -<p> -The spell of the Wizard of the North came upon us as -we entered the enchanted land and his whole company -of players appeared as if by magic. In the centre of the -group there seemed to be the figure of a young woman, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P67"></a>67}</span> -pure, beautiful, and good—yet not too good to be -human, for she was at least sensitive to the admiring -glances of a certain handsome, well-built, and courteous -stranger. But Ellen Douglas was nevertheless true to -her accepted lover, faithful to her father, and loyal to -her own ideals of truth and right. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - And ne'er did Grecian chisel trace<br /> - A Nymph, a Naiad, or a Grace<br /> - Of finer form or lovelier face.<br /> -<span style="letter-spacing: 4em">*****</span><br /> - A chieftain's daughter seemed the maid:<br /> - Her satin snood, her silken plaid,<br /> - Her golden brooch, such birth betrayed.<br /> - And seldom was a snood amid<br /> - Such wild, luxuriant ringlets hid<br /> - Whose glossy black to shame might bring<br /> - The plumage of the raven's wing:<br /> - And seldom o'er a breast so fair<br /> - Mantled a plaid with modest care,<br /> - And never brooch the folds combined<br /> - Above a heart more good and kind.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Grouped about the maiden were the figures of a Lowland -king, a Highland chieftain, a stalwart father, and a -sturdy lover. The first two presented a striking -contrast. The King, disguised as a hunter in Lincoln green, -with a bold visage upon which middle age had not yet -quenched the fiery vehemence of youth; with sturdy -limbs fitted for any kind of active sport or contest; with -stately mien and ready speech, 'in phrase of gentlest -courtesy'; jovial, kindly, even gleeful and frolicsome at -times, with the will to do and the soul to dare, made a -splendid picture as he stood upon the Silver Strand, face -to face with Ellen Douglas. Far different was the sullen -visage of Roderick Dhu, as -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P68"></a>68}</span> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Twice through the hall the Chieftain strode:<br /> - The waving of his tartan broad,<br /> - And darkened brow, where wounded pride<br /> - With ire and disappointment vied,<br /> - Seemed, by the torch's gloomy light,<br /> - Like the ill Demon of the night.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Yet in spite of the fierce aspect of this terrible chief, -one cannot withhold his admiration, and we feel like -echoing the shout of enthusiasm of the cheering boatmen -as they approach the island, singing,— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Loud should Clan-Alpine then<br /> - Ring from her deepmost glen,<br /> - Roderigh Vich Alpine dhu, ho! ieroe!<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -When Roderick scorns to take advantage of Fitz-James, -though the latter is in his power, and shares with him his -camp-fire, his supper, and his bed, finally conducting -him in safety through hundreds of hostile Highlanders -to the very limits of Clan-Alpine's territory, there to -battle single-handed and on equal terms, we begin to feel -what real Highland hospitality and chivalry mean and to -realize the true nobility of character beneath the rough -exterior of this stern soldier. -</p> - -<p> -Ellen's father, the exiled Douglas, was a giant in -stature who could wield as lightly as a hazel wand a -sword which other men could scarcely lift. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - The women praised his stately form,<br /> - Though wrecked by many a winter's storm;<br /> - The youth with awe and wonder saw<br /> - His strength surpassing Nature's law.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Contrasting with this fine old man was Malcolm Graeme, -Ellen's lover:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Of stature fair, and slender frame<br /> - But firmly knit was Malcolm Graeme.<br /> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P69"></a>69}</span> - The belted plaid and tartan hose<br /> - Did ne'er more graceful limbs disclose;<br /> - His flaxen hair, of sunny hue,<br /> - Curled closely round the bonnet blue.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -His mind was 'lively and ardent, frank and kind,' and -he had a scorn of wrong and a zeal for truth that -promised to make his name one of the greatest in the -mountains. But poor Malcolm was to the poet's mind not an -artistic success. The latter confessed that he compelled -him to swim from Ellen's Isle to the shore merely to give -him something to do, but 'wet or dry,' he said, 'I could -do nothing with him.' -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-068"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-068.jpg" alt="LOCH ACHRAY" /> -<br /> -LOCH ACHRAY -</p> - -<p> -Behind these five figures we could fancy a white-haired -minstrel, harp in hand; a hermit monk, in frock -and hood, barefooted, with grizzled hair and matted -beard, naked arms and legs seamed with scars, and a wild -and savage face that spoke of nothing but despair; three -young men in kilt skirts and Highland plaids, every -movement showing the agile strength of their youthful -limbs, passing from one to another a cross of -fire,—Malise, Angus, and Norman, the messengers who -summoned the clans to battle; and back of all, filling up the -picture, Highlanders of high and low degree, men, -women, and children, all fired with intense loyalty to the -Clan-Alpine. The whole picture seemed to project itself -upon a background of mountains and valleys, lakes, -rivers and waterfalls, fantastic rocks and weather-beaten -crags, grey birches and warrior oaks, ferns and -wild flowers, all -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - So wondrous wild, the whole might seem<br /> - The scenery of a fairy dream.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Scott was always fond of brilliant hues, but here he -fairly revels in colour:— -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P70"></a>70}</span> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - The western waves of ebbing day<br /> - Rolled o'er the glen their level way:<br /> - Each purple peak, each flinty spire,<br /> - Was bathed in floods of living fire.<br /> -<span style="letter-spacing: 4em">*****</span><br /> - All twinkling with the dew-drop sheen,<br /> - The brier rose fell in streamers green<br /> - And creeping shrubs of thousand dyes<br /> - Waved in the west wind's summer sighs.<br /> -<span style="letter-spacing: 4em">*****</span><br /> - Boon nature scattered, free and wild,<br /> - Each plant or flower, the mountain's child,<br /> - Here eglantine embalmed the air,<br /> - Hawthorn and hazel mingled there:<br /> - The primrose pale and violet flower<br /> - Found in each clift a narrow bower.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The best way to read 'The Lady of the Lake' is to see -the Trossachs; the best way to see the Trossachs is to -read 'The Lady of the Lake.' There is a peculiar affinity -between the poem and the country that makes each -indispensable to the other. Those who read the poem -without some knowledge of the scenery are likely to -have an inadequate conception of its real significance, or -possibly to feel that the poet has painted in colours too -vivid and that his enthusiasm is not perhaps fully -justified by the facts. Those who see the Trossachs without -reading the poem are apt to say, as one man did say to -me, 'Yes, this is beautiful, but after all I have seen just -such roads in New Hampshire.' He might have added, -'The Rocky Mountains are much higher and more sublime, -and the Italian lakes reflect a sky of more brilliant -blue and are bordered by foliage infinitely more gorgeous -in its colourings,'—all of which is true. But when you -come to read the poem with a mental vision of the Trossachs -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P71"></a>71}</span> -before you and to see the Trossachs with the -exquisite descriptions of the poem fully in mind, each -acquires a new charm which alone it did not possess. -</p> - -<p> -Before the poem was written the Trossachs were -scarcely known and Loch Katrine was no more than any -other Highland lake. Now these regions are visited -yearly by thousands of tourists and to those who know -the poem, every turn in the road seems to suggest some -favourite stanza. To us the tour was one of unfailing -delight and productive of mental visions that will never -fade. The Brig o' Turk is to me not merely an old stone -bridge over a placid rivulet; but, rushing over it at full -speed, eagerly spurring his fine grey horse to further -effort, I see the figure of a gallant hunter clad in a -close-fitting suit of green, his eyes intently fixed on the road -ahead, where a splendid stag, now nearly exhausted, is -straining his last ounce of energy in a final effort to -distance the pursuing hounds. To me the low ground on -the edge of Loch Vennachar, known as Lanrick Mead, -appears like a military camp, with great crowds of giant -clansmen, in Highland kilts and plaids of many colours, -their spears and battle-axes glistening in the sun. The -aged oak, bending over the water's edge on Ellen's Isle, -is not merely an old dead tree, but it brings the vision of -Ellen Douglas putting forth in her frail shallop to answer -(as she supposes) the bugle call of her noble father from -the Silver Strand. -</p> - -<p> -This is the secret charm of the Trossachs. The tourist -who goes through, as many do, with whole-hearted devotion -to the time-table and guide-book, and whose mind is -fixed upon the absolute necessity of 'making' all the -points in his itinerary, does not see these scenes any -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P72"></a>72}</span> -more than do the horses who draw the lumbering coaches. -The more leisurely traveller who can follow the course of -the poem, viewing each scene as Scott has so charmingly -described it, finds exhilaration and delight in every step -of the way. -</p> - -<p> -Scott was only fifteen when he began to make those -merry expeditions to the Highlands in the company of -congenial companions which gave him so much material -of the right kind as to make a poem inevitable. He -learned to know the strange but romantic Highland -clansmen; he heard many tales and bits of history which -his memory stored up for the future, and the rare beauty -of the scenery fascinated him as it does every one else. -'This poem,' he said, 'the action of which lay among -scenes so beautiful and so deeply imprinted on my -recollections, was a labour of love and it was no less so to -recall the memories and incidents introduced.' -</p> - -<p> -In one of these excursions (in 1793), he visited the -home of the young Laird of Cambusmore, John Buchanan, -one of his associates, and subsequently revisited -the place many times. Cambusmore is a charming -estate about two miles southeast of Callander. Entering -by the porter's gate, we drove through a beautiful -winding road, lined with rhododendrons. The shrubs, or -rather trees (for their extraordinary height and -wide-spreading branches entitle them to the more dignified -name), were in full bloom, thousands of great, splendid -clusters vying with each other to see which could catch -and reflect the most sunlight. Here we were hospitably -received by the present owner, Mrs. Hamilton, a -great-granddaughter of Scott's friend, John Buchanan. The -house has been considerably enlarged, but the older portion, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P73"></a>73}</span> -thickly covered with ivy, is very much as it was -when Scott was a guest and sat on the porch, listening to -the story of Buchanan's ancestors. While he was -writing 'The Lady of the Lake,' Scott revisited Cambusmore -and recited parts of the poem to Mrs. Hamilton's -grandfather. He also demonstrated, by actually performing -the feat himself, that it would be possible for a horseman -to ride from the foot of Loch Vennachar to Stirling -Castle in the time allotted to Fitz-James. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-072"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-072.jpg" alt="CAMBUSMORE" /> -<br /> -CAMBUSMORE -</p> - -<p> -From the road in front of this mansion, far away to the -north, but faintly visible through the trees, we could see -the 'wild heaths of Uam Var,' where the stag first sought -refuge when, driven by the deep baying of the hounds, he -left the cool shades of Glenartney's hazel woods. From -another side we caught a fine glimpse of what the -huntsmen saw -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - When rose Ben Ledi's ridge in air.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -These hills of Scotland have witnessed many a hunt -where scores of men dashed wildly after the frightened -game. But no stag, ever before or since, has been -pursued by so many eager hunters as the creature of Scott's -fancy. We joined in the hunt, as all tourists are supposed -to do, provided they have the time, which many, -especially Americans, have not, for as one Scotchman put it, -'they go through so fast, sir, that you could set a -tea-table on their coat-tails, sir.' -</p> - -<p> -We saw 'the varied realms of fair Menteith,' a lovely -little lake with irregular shores and studded with bright -green islands. I remember I had to walk a long way over -a lonely heath to get my picture of the lake, and that I -was closely followed by a large flock of angry plovers -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P74"></a>74}</span> -who feared that I might harm their nests. They flew -so close that I had to keep one arm above my head for -defence, and all the time they were screaming vociferously. -</p> - -<p> -We visited 'far Loch Ard' and Aberfoyle, both -associated more closely with Rob Roy. We found -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - the copsewood grey<br /> - That waved and wept on Loch Achray;<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -and climbed up among -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - the pine trees blue<br /> - On the bold cliffs of Ben Venue.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -We passed along 'Bocastle's heath' and reached the -shores of Loch Vennachar, more fortunate than the -huntsmen of the poem, most of whom gave up from sheer -exhaustion before they reached that place. For, -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - when the Brig o' Turk was won,<br /> - The headmost horseman rode alone.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -This picturesque old stone bridge, spanning the little -stream that waters the valley of Glen Finglas, is the -entrance to the Trossachs, a region, as the name implies, -of wild and rugged beauty. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Alone, but with unbated zeal,<br /> - That horseman plied the scourge and steel;<br /> - For jaded now, and spent with toil,<br /> - Embossed with foam, and dark with soil,<br /> - While every gasp with sobs he drew,<br /> - The labouring stag strained full in view.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Thus the race went along the shore of Loch Achray until -they reached the dense woods that lie between this little -lake and Loch Katrine. Then just as the hunter,— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Already glorying in the prize,<br /> - Measured his antlers with his eyes,<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P75"></a>75}</span> -the wily stag dashed suddenly down a darksome glen -and disappeared -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - In the deep Trossach's wildest nook.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The place thus indicated may be reached by leaving -the fine wagon road and walking up the hill on the right -by a path that leads along a little rill to a dense thicket, -over which hang some rugged cliffs. We spent a pleasant -Sunday afternoon exploring the dark ravines,— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Where twined the path in shadow hid,<br /> - Round many a rocky pyramid,<br /> - Shooting abruptly from the dell<br /> - Its thunder-splintered pinnacle.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -This is one of the most delightful spots in the Trossachs, -though never seen by the thousands who whirl through -all this enchanted land in a single day, packed five or -six in a seat on a jolting coach, breathing the dust of -the road and frittering away their golden opportunity -in idle chatter. You cannot catch the spirit of this wild -and rugged region unless you walk into the unfrequented -parts and see the 'native bulwarks of the pass,' -where -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - The rocky summits, split and rent,<br /> - Formed turret, dome, or battlement,<br /> - Or seemed fantastically set<br /> - With cupola or minaret.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Here Fitz-James found himself alone and on foot, for -his good grey horse had fallen, exhausted, never to rise -again. Marvelling at the beauty of the scene, he -wandered on, until, seeing no pathway by which to issue -from the glen, he climbed a 'far-projecting precipice'; -when suddenly there burst upon his sight the grandest -view of all, Loch Katrine,— -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P76"></a>76}</span> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - gleaming with the setting sun<br /> - One burnished sheet of living gold.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -As sentinels guarding an enchanted land, two mountains -stood like giants: on the south rose Ben Venue, its -sides strewn with rough volcanic rocks and its summit 'a -wildering forest feathered o'er': on the north 'Ben An -heaved high his forehead bare.' -</p> - -<p> -The stranger stood enraptured and amazed. Then, -thinking to call some straggler of his train, he blew a -loud blast upon his horn. To his great surprise the sound -was answered by a little skiff which glided forth -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - From underneath an aged oak<br /> - That slanted from the islet's rock.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The old oak was the supposed landing place of Ellen -Douglas on what has since been known as 'Ellen's Isle.' The -oak, old in Scott's day, is dead now, but singularly -enough it died not of old age but by drowning. Loch -Katrine is now the reservoir that supplies the city of -Glasgow. In preparing it for this service the engineers -raised the level of the lake about twenty-five feet, -creating many new islands to keep the 'lone islet' company, -and completely submerging the 'Silver Strand' so often -mentioned in the poem. But the beauty of the lake has -not been marred, and the scenes, though changed, are -still as lovely as when they aroused the poetic fervour -of Sir Walter Scott. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-076"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-076.jpg" alt="GLENFINGLAS" /> -<br /> -GLENFINGLAS -</p> - -<p> -The visitor who takes the trouble, as we did, to row -out to Ellen's Isle, will find nothing to suggest the -imagined home of Roderick Dhu and the temporary shelter -of the Douglas and his daughter. But he will have an -excellent opportunity to indulge his fancy and call back -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P77"></a>77}</span> -to memory the stirring incidents which served to bring -together all the leading people of the tale. He may stand -on the shore of the island and see the barges, filled with -the warriors of Roderick Dhu, bearing down upon him, -their spears, pikes, and axes flashing and their banners, -plaids, and plumage dancing in the air. He may hear -the sound of the war-pipes and the chorus of the clansmen -as they shout their chieftain's praise. Then, as the -storm of war rises higher and higher, he may fancy Brian -the Hermit with wild incantations calling the clans to -battle and uttering a terrible curse upon any who failed -to heed the summons. He may see the fiery Cross placed -in the hands of the young Malise, and watch the fleet -messenger as he crosses the lake to the Silver Strand -where he lightly bounds ashore. Then, if he be a real -enthusiast, he may follow the course of the fiery cross. -Malise carried it through the Trossachs, and along the -shore of Loch Achray to the hamlet of Duncraggan, just -beyond the Brig o' Turk, and in sight of Lanrick Mead, -the gathering-place of the clans. Then young Angus, the -stripling son of Duncan, seized the fatal symbol, and -hurried over the mountains, crossing the southern slopes -of Ben Ledi, until, reaching the river Leny at the outlet -of Loch Lubnaig, he swam the stream, and after a -desperate struggle with the swollen torrent, reached the -opposite bank at the chapel of St. Bride. No chapel -now exists, but a stone wall marks the site where the -little church once stood, and within the enclosure is a -single grave. As Angus arrived, a little wedding party -was issuing from the churchyard gate. The dreadful -sign of fire and sword was thrust into the hands of -Norman, the bridegroom, and the command given to 'speed -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P78"></a>78}</span> -forth the signal.' Not daring to look a second time upon -the tearful face of his lovely bride, Norman manfully -seized the torch and hurried to the north. He followed -the shores of Loch Lubnaig and the swampy course of -the river Balvaig, then, turning sharply to the left, -entered the Braes of Balquhidder and passed along the -northern shores of Loch Voil and Loch Doine, two lovely -little Highland lakes that lie hidden away in the solitude -of the hills. Thence, turning to the south, he crossed the -intervening mountains until he came to the valley of -Strathgartney on the northern shore of Loch Katrine. -</p> - -<p> -The scene now changes to the slopes of Ben Venue, a -rugged mountain peak, towering high above the south-eastern -end of Loch Katrine and dominating the entire -region of the Trossachs. On the side nearest the lake is a -confused mass of huge volcanic rocks overhung here and -there by scraggly oaks or birches. Ancient Celtic -tradition assigned this wild spot to the Urisk or shaggy men -whose form was part man, part goat, like the satyrs of -Greek mythology. In later times the Celtic name of -Coir-nan-Uriskin gave way to the more euphonious title of the -Goblin Cave. To this 'wild and strange retreat,' fit -only for wolves and wild-cats, Douglas brought his -daughter for safety. Roderick Dhu, hovering about the -place like a restless ghost, heard the soft voice of Ellen, -singing her 'Hymn to the Virgin.' Then, goaded by the -thought that he should never hear that angel voice again, -the chieftain strode sullenly down the mountain-side, -and crossing the lake soon rejoined his men at Lanrick -Mead. -</p> - -<p> -In the night Douglas silently departed, resolved to go -to Stirling Castle and give his life as a ransom for his -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P79"></a>79}</span> -daughter and his friends. In the morning Fitz-James -found the retreat of Ellen and offered to carry her away -in safety. But Ellen in simple confidence told of her love -for Malcolm Graeme, and warned the knight that his -life was in danger from his treacherous guide. Fitz-James -then gave a signet ring to Ellen, telling her to -present it to the King, who would redeem it by granting -whatever she might ask. The wanderer then went on -his way, passing through the Trossachs again, where he -met the half-crazed maid, Blanche of Devon. The poet -actually saw the original of this strange character in the -Pass of Glencoe. 'This poor woman,' he says, 'had placed -herself in the wildest attitude imaginable upon the very -top of a huge fragment of rock: she had scarce any -covering but a tattered plaid, which left her arms, legs, and -neck bare to the weather. Her long shaggy black hair -was streaming backwards in the wind and exposed a face -rather wild and wasted than ugly, and bearing a very -peculiar expression of frenzy. She had a handful of eagle -feathers in her hand.' -</p> - -<p> -Following the dramatic death of Blanche and the -swift justice to her murderer, the treacherous guide -Murdoch, comes the well-remembered meeting of Fitz-James -and Roderick Dhu. Clan-Alpine's chief extended -to his enemy the hospitality of 'a soldier's couch, a -soldier's fare,' and conducted him safely through countless -hordes of his own men concealed behind every bush and -stone until they reached the ford of Coilantogle, at the -extreme limit of the Highland chief's territory. The -place is at the outlet of Loch Vennachar, about two -miles west of Callander, and is readily seen from the -main road to the Trossachs. Here occurred the terrific -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P80"></a>80}</span> -combat, so vividly painted by the poet, and Roderick -was left upon the field, severely wounded, a prisoner in -the hands of Fitz-James's men, who had responded to -the bugle call of their leader. The latter, accompanied -by two of his knights, rode rapidly along the shores of the -Forth. They passed 'the bannered towers of Doune,' -now a ruin, which makes a pretty picture seen in the -distance from the bridge over the river. Pressing on, -they were soon in sight of Stirling Castle, when -Fitz-James saw a woodsman 'of stature tall and poor array,' -and at once recognized 'the stately form and step' of -Douglas. -</p> - -<p> -Cambus Kenneth, from which Douglas had just come, -is a tall square tower on the banks of the Forth, west of -Stirling. It was once a large abbey, founded in the -twelfth century and built on the site of the battle-field, -where the Scots under Kenneth MacAlpine defeated the -Picts. The tower is all that now remains, but the -foundations of some of the walls show the great extent of the -structure. Amid the ruins is the grave of King James III, -over which is a monument erected by Queen Victoria. -It is supposed to be in exactly the place where King -James was buried, under the high altar, but is so far -away from the tower as to indicate that the original -abbey must have been unusually large. -</p> - -<p> -Next to Edinburgh Castle, Stirling is the most -imposing fortress in Scotland. It stands on a rock four -hundred and twenty feet above the sea, commanding a -fine view in every direction. On the esplanade is a -statue of King Robert the Bruce. The figure is clad in -chain armour and the king is sheathing his sword, satisfied -with his great victory as he gazes toward the field of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P81"></a>81}</span> -Bannockburn. Across the valley on the Abbey Craig, -two miles away, is a tall tower in memory of that other -great national hero, the mention of whose name still -brings a tingle into the blood of the loyal Scotsman, -William Wallace. The castle is entered by a gateway -between two round towers, beneath one of which is the -dungeon where Roderick Dhu may be supposed to have -been carried after the fatal duel. Here one may fancy -the aged minstrel Allan-bane, singing to the dying chief -the story of the Battle of Beal' an Duine. A poem that -can hold the attention of a company of soldiers when -actually under fire themselves must be thrilling, indeed; -yet this test was successfully applied to the tale as Scott -told it through the minstrel. Sir Adam Ferguson -received the poem on the day when he was posted with his -company on a point of ground exposed to the enemy's -artillery. The men were ordered to lie prostrate on the -ground, while the captain, kneeling at their head, read -the description of the battle. The soldiers listened -attentively, only interrupting occasionally with a loud huzza, -when a shot struck the bank just above their heads. -</p> - -<p> -On the left of the castle gate is the Royal Palace, -built by James III and a favourite residence of James IV -and James V. All the windows have heavy iron bars, -making the palace look more like a prison than a king's -mansion. They were placed there for the protection of -the infant James VI, son of Mary, Queen of Scots. He -was born in Edinburgh Castle; but considered unsafe -there, he was lowered over the walls in a basket and -carried to Stirling Castle. Queen Mary had lived here -for four years in her childhood and it was here that she -was secretly married to Darnley. Two years later, on a -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P82"></a>82}</span> -visit to the castle to see her son, she was intercepted by -Bothwell and carried away to Dunbar, probably with -her own connivance, where a month later the two were -married. James VI, afterward James I of England, spent -most of his boyhood here, and when he left to assume -the English crown, Stirling ceased to be a royal residence. -</p> - -<p> -Among the many strange and much mutilated statues -on the exterior of the palace is one representing King -James V as the 'Gudeman of Ballengeich.' It was the -custom of this king, as it had been of his father, to -disguise himself and mingle with the people, thereby -finding relief from the strain of more serious affairs and -doubtless learning at first hand what the people thought -of him. Their opinions must have been favourable, for -the King enjoyed the experiences and the intercourse -was always friendly and often amusing. Once on a -hunting expedition, the King became separated from the -others of his party and was obliged to spend the night -at a cottage in the moorlands. The 'gudeman,' like all -true Highlanders, was extremely hospitable to the stranger, -and ordered the 'gude wife,' to kill for supper the -plumpest of the hens. The stranger, departing the next -morning, invited the farmer to call on the 'Gudeman of -Ballengeich' when he next visited Stirling. The farmer -soon accepted the invitation and was much astonished -to find himself received by the King, who enjoyed his -confusion most heartily and gave him the facetious -title, 'King of the Moors.' This story and others like -it gave the idea to Scott which he so skilfully made -the basis of 'The Lady of the Lake.' -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-082"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-082.jpg" alt="STIRLING CASTLE" /> -<br /> -STIRLING CASTLE -</p> - -<p> -Another gateway leads into the upper court, on the -right of which is the old Parliament House, where -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P83"></a>83}</span> -the last Scottish Parliament met. At the north end -of the court is the Chapel Royal. A third gateway leads -to the Douglas Garden, at the left of which is the -Douglas Room, where James II treacherously stabbed -the Earl of Douglas. The latter had visited the castle -under a safe-conduct granted by the King himself. The -body was dragged into an adjoining room and thrown -out of the window. Later it was buried just where it -fell. Scott makes James Douglas refer to the incident -as he sadly returns to Stirling to surrender himself and -die for his family. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Ye towers, within those circuit dread<br /> - A Douglas by his sovereign bled.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -From the parapet along the walls of this garden, built on -a rock three hundred feet high, a splendid landscape may -be seen. Down below appear the windings of the river -Forth and the old Stirling Bridge, known as the 'Key to -the Highlands,' the only bridge across the Forth during -all the stirring times of Scottish history. There too is -the 'Heading Hill' to which Douglas also refers:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - And thou, O sad and fatal mound!<br /> - Thou oft hast heard the death-axe sound,<br /> - As on the noblest of the land<br /> - Fell the stern headsman's bloody hand.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -From another place on the wall, far down on the plain -below, we could see the King's Knot, a curiously shaped, -octagonal mound of great antiquity, near the base of the -precipitous rock upon which the castle stands. This -plain, so easily seen from the castle, was the place where -many a knightly tournament was held, and it was to this -castle park that Douglas went to take part in the games, -so that -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P84"></a>84}</span> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - King James shall mark<br /> - If age has tamed these sinews stark,<br /> - Whose force so oft in happier days<br /> - His boyish wonder loved to praise.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Here was held the archery contest where Douglas won -the silver dart; here was the wrestling match where he -won the golden ring; here his brave dog Lufra pulled -down the royal stag, and Douglas knocked senseless -with a single blow the groom who struck his noble -hound; and from here Douglas was led a captive into the -fortress. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile Ellen had found her way to the castle -determined to see the King and with his signet ring beg the -boon of her father's life. She learned to her astonishment -that the King and Fitz-James were one, and that her -suit was granted before it was asked, for the genial -monarch announced Lord James of Douglas as 'a friend and -bulwark of our throne.' -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - The monarch drank, that happy hour,<br /> - The sweetest, holiest draught of Power,—<br /> - When it can say with godlike voice,<br /> - Arise, sad Virtue, and rejoice!<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Then Ellen blushingly craved, through her father, the -pardon of her lover, and the King in jovial mood -commanded Malcolm to stand forth, exclaiming,— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'Fetters and warder for the Graeme!'<br /> - His chain of gold the King unstrung,<br /> - The links o'er Malcolm's neck he flung,<br /> - Then gently drew the glittering band,<br /> - And laid the clasp on Ellen's hand.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Looking out from Stirling Castle over the delightful -scenery of the Scottish Highlands, made a hundred times -more lovely by the romantic poem, whose magic has -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P85"></a>85}</span> -seemed to touch every lake and river, hill and valley, -with its influence, we felt a strange reluctance to leave -the scene, akin to that of the poet himself as he bids -farewell to the Harp of the North:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Hark! as my lingering footsteps slow retire,<br /> - Some Spirit of the Air has waked thy string!<br /> - 'T is now a seraph bold, with touch of fire,<br /> - 'T is now the brush of Fairy's frolic wing.<br /> - Receding now, the dying numbers ring<br /> - Fainter and fainter down the rugged dell;<br /> - And now the mountain breezes scarcely bring<br /> - A wandering witch-note of the distant spell,<br /> - And now, 't is silent all!—Enchantress, fare thee well!<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap05"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P86"></a>86}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER V -<br /> -ROKEBY -</h3> - -<p> -The town of Barnard Castle, where we arrived one -evening after a long tour through Yorkshire, is on the -left bank of the river Tees and on the southern boundary -of the county of Durham. In the morning we were told -by 'Boots,' the one man in an English hotel who knows -everything, that the castle, which gives its name to the -town, could be reached through the stable-yard back of -the house. After travelling far out of our way to view -the setting of Rokeby, which in the natural beauty of -its scenery is unsurpassed by that of any of Scott's other -poems, except 'The Lady of the Lake,' the suggestion of -such an entrance to the locality of the opening stanzas -was a rude shock to our sense of romantic propriety. -The reality was worse than the suggestion and we began -to think that possibly Mr. Boots might have misdirected -us, supposing we wished to see the barnyard instead of -Barnard Castle. We proceeded on our way, however, -soon coming to a small cottage with a pretty little -garden,—nearly every English cottage boasts one of these -delightful little areas of colour and of fragrance,—and -passing through, reached the enclosure where all that is -left of the castle, or nearly all, now stands. Two -impressive ruined towers and a short connecting wall are -practically all that remain of a once splendid royal residence. -On the left is 'Brackenbury's dungeon-tower,' no longer -'dismal,' for the ancient stones are partly clothed with -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P87"></a>87}</span> -the foliage of fruit trees, trained English fashion against -the walls, while a bed of bright-blooming flowers on -the right, the fresh green leaves of some overhanging -branches on the left, and the lawn, plentifully besprinkled -with the dainty little English daisies, each catching -its own ray of sunshine and giving a sparkle to the whole -scene, all spoke eloquently of the change from death to -life since the time when these walls cast only deep -shadows of darkness and despair. -</p> - -<p> -On the right of the enclosure is the old Baliol Tower, -and in the wall connecting it with Brackenbury is an -oriel window, where the arms of King Richard III may -still be faintly traced in the stone. -</p> - -<p> -Baliol Tower is a heavy round structure of great -antiquity. It has a remarkable vaulted ceiling composed -entirely of keystones arranged in circles. A narrow -staircase within the walls leads to the battlements from -which we obtained a magnificent view of the valley of -the Tees. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - What prospects from his watch-tower high<br /> - Gleam gradual on the warder's eye!<br /> - Far sweeping to the east he sees<br /> - Down his deep woods the course of Tees,<br /> - And tracks his wanderings by the steam<br /> - Of summer vapours from the stream.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -If Barnard Castle appeared unromantic, approached -from the yard of the inn, exactly the opposite feeling -took possession of us when we viewed it from the footbridge, -just above the dam. Here the river widens until -it looks like a placid lake. The castle rises high above -the stream, its base concealed by trees of heavy growth, -but not tall enough to cover the two great towers and -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P88"></a>88}</span> -the oriel window of King Richard. It is no longer a single -ruined wall, but the imposing front of a vast structure, -well placed for defence, once strong in war but now -beautiful in peace. -</p> - -<p> -Barnard Baliol, whose father was one of the followers -of William the Conqueror, founded the castle in the -beginning of the twelfth century. He was the grandfather -of John Baliol, who contested with Robert Bruce -the claim to the Scottish crown. The original castle or -fortress covered an extensive area of over six acres, -most of which is now given over to sheep-raising or to -the cultivation of fruit trees. An extensive domain, -comprising much of the surrounding country, was -granted to the descendants of Barnard Baliol in the -reign of King Rufus. Edward I granted it to Guy -Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, in whose family it remained -for several generations. Through the marriage of the -daughter of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, famous -as the king-maker, to the Duke of Gloucester, afterward -King Richard III, the estate came into possession of the -Crown. The castle was a favourite residence of -Richard, who made many additions to it. In the reign of -Charles I it was purchased by Sir Henry Vane the elder. -When Scott makes it the property of Oswald Wycliffe, -he does not go very far astray, for John Wycliffe, the -great forerunner of the Reformation in England, was -born on the banks of the river Tees and received his -education at Baliol College, Oxford, which was founded -by the Baliols of Barnard Castle, who were the -neighbours of his family. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-088"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-088.jpg" alt="BRACKENBURY TOWER, BARNARD CASTLE" /> -<br /> -BRACKENBURY TOWER, BARNARD CASTLE -</p> - -<p> -Barnard Castle, however, interesting as it is, was not -the magnet that drew the poet to this region for his -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P89"></a>89}</span> -scenery. In 1808, Scott began his intimacy with John -B. S. Morritt, a man of sterling character and high -literary attainments, for whom he came to entertain a -genuine affection. Morritt had inherited the estate of -Rokeby, situated about four miles southeast of Barnard -Castle. The Rokebys, like their neighbours, the Baliols, -were descended from one of the followers of the -Conqueror. The old manor house was destroyed by the -Scotch after the battle of Bannockburn (1314), and the -Rokeby of that day built the Castle of Mortham, much -of which still remains standing on the opposite bank of -the Greta. The present Hall was built in 1724. It stands -in the midst of an extensive and beautiful park, which -Scott, on the occasion of his first visit, thought 'one of -the most enviable places' he had ever seen. 'It unites,' -said he, 'the richness and luxuriance of English -vegetation with the romantic variety of glen, torrent, and -copse, which dignifies our Northern scenery. The Greta -and Tees, two most beautiful and rapid rivers, join their -currents in the demesne. The banks of the Tees resemble, -from the height of the rocks, the Glen of Roslin, so much -and justly admired.' The letter containing this enthusiastic -praise of his friend's estate was written in 1809. -Two years later, when the purchase of Abbotsford -seemed to require another poem for its consummation, -it was to the one place worthy of comparison with his -beloved Glen of Roslin that the poet instinctively turned -for his backgrounds. -</p> - -<p> -Scott's ambition to be the 'laird' of an estate was -gratified in the summer of 1811 when he became the -owner of an unprepossessing farm of about one hundred -acres. The land was in a neglected state, but little of it -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P90"></a>90}</span> -having been under cultivation. The farmhouse was small -and poor, and immediately in front of it was a miserable -duck pond. The place, from its disreputable appearance, -had been known as 'Clarty Hole.' But Scott's -prophetic vision could look beyond all this and see -something, if not all, of the transformation which was -to be wrought in the next twelve years. The farm lay -for half a mile along the banks of the beautiful Tweed, -the river which Scott loved. He knew the fertility of the -soil and saw the possibility of making the place a -beautiful grove. At first he thought only of 'a cottage and a -few fields,' but as the passion for buying, planting, and -building grew with his apparent prosperity, the farm -became a beautifully wooded estate of eighteen hundred -acres, the cottage grew into a castle, and 'Clarty Hole,' -its name changed into 'Abbotsford' within less than an -hour after the new owner took possession, became one of -the most famous private possessions in the world. -</p> - -<p> -The farm cost £4000, one half of which was borrowed -from the poet's brother, Major John Scott, and the other -half advanced by the Ballantynes on the security of -'Rokeby,' though the poem was not yet written. The -plans for the purchase out of the way, Scott wrote to his -friend, Morritt, outlining the new poem, having for its -scene the domain of Rokeby and its subject the civil wars -of Charles I. Morritt was delighted and immediately -responded with a letter full of valuable information. -The following summer was a busy one. Until the middle -of July, Scott's duties as Clerk of the Court of Sessions -kept him at Edinburgh five days in the week. Saturdays -and Sundays were spent at Abbotsford. He composed -poetry while planting trees and wrote down the verses -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P91"></a>91}</span> -amid the noise and confusion incident to building his -new cottage. 'As for the house and the poem,' he wrote -to Morritt, 'there are twelve masons hammering at the -one and one poor noddle at the other.' Both 'Rokeby' -and 'The Bridal of Triermain' were written under these -conditions and at the same time, while Scott found -opportunity also to continue his work on the 'Life of Swift,' -which eventually reached nineteen octavo volumes, and -to render other literary services to his publishers, the -Ballantynes. -</p> - -<p> -It was not long before Scott found an opportunity to -visit Rokeby again, where he remained about a week. -On the morning after his arrival, he informed Morritt -that he needed 'a good robber's cave and an old church -of the right sort.' Morritt promptly undertook to supply -both, and to find the former rode with his friend to -Brignall Woods, where the Greta flows through a deep -glen, on one side of which are some perpendicular rocks, -the site of an old quarry. I could not find any robber's -caves, but it was easy enough for Scott to make one in -such a rock formation. I could, however, form a pretty -good idea of the wild flight of Bertram Risingham as he -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Now clomb the rocks projecting high<br /> - To baffle the pursuer's eye:<br /> - Now sought the stream, whose brawling sound<br /> - The echo of his footsteps drowned.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -In all probability, the scene is the same to-day, as it was -in Scott's time, wild and beautiful. The stream winds -around through shady nooks, here rippling over the -rocks and then widening out into a placid pool; -occasionally passing out from beneath the trees into an open -glade, where the well-worn boulders that punctuated its -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P92"></a>92}</span> -course lay gleaming in the sun, and presenting at every -turn some new and changing view. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - O, Brignall banks are wild and fair,<br /> - And Greta Woods are green.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -In describing the visit to this place Mr. Morritt gives -an excellent idea of Scott's method:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -I observed him noting down even the peculiar little wild -flowers and herbs that accidentally grew round and on the -side of a bold crag near his intended cave of Guy Denzil; and -could not help saying that as he was not to be upon oath in -his work, daisies, violets, and primroses would be as poetical -as any of the humble plants he was examining. I laughed, in -short, at his scrupulousness; but I understood him when he -replied, 'that in nature herself no two scenes were ever -exactly alike, and that whoever copied truly what was before -his eyes would possess the same variety in his descriptions -and exhibit apparently an imagination as boundless as the -range of nature in the scenes he recorded; whereas whoever -trusted to imagination would soon find his own mind -circumscribed, and contracted to a few favourite images, and -the repetition of these would sooner or later produce that -very monotony and bareness which had always haunted -descriptive poetry in the hands of any but the patient -worshippers of truth. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The 'old church of the right sort' was found on the -other side of Rokeby Park. We reached it from -Barnard Castle by crossing the high Abbey Bridge, beneath -which the Tees flows in a narrow, rippling, foaming -lane of water, flanked on either side by trees of rich -foliage whose bright green branches wave to each other -continually across the stream in a sort of friendly salute. -The old grey Abbey of Egliston is pleasantly situated -on rising ground near where the Tees is joined by the -rivulet known as Thorsgill. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P93"></a>93}</span> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Yet scald or kemper erred, I ween,<br /> - Who gave that soft and quiet scene,<br /> - With all its varied light and shade,<br /> - And every little sunny glade,<br /> - And the blithe brook that strolls along<br /> - Its pebbled bed with summer song,<br /> - To the grim God of blood and scar,<br /> - The grisly King of Northern War.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The abbey was founded in the twelfth century and dedicated -to St. Mary and St. John the Baptist. It was once a -beautiful cruciform building in the Early English style, -but has been allowed to fall into decay and now only -parts of the walls of the choir and nave remain. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - The reverend pile lay wild and waste,<br /> - Profound, dishonoured, and defaced.<br /> - Through storied lattices no more,<br /> - In softened light the sunbeams pour,<br /> - Gilding the Gothic sculpture rich<br /> - Of shrine and ornament and niche.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -This was the scene which Scott chose for the culminating -tragedy of the poem. -</p> - -<p> -There are many other places in the neighbourhood to -which the poet refers. There is 'Raby's battered tower,' -a large castle which boasts the honour of twice -entertaining Charles I. There is the Balder, 'a sweet -brooklet's silver line,' which flows into the Tees a few miles -above Barnard Castle, and farther to the northwest, -where the three counties of York, Durham, and -Westmoreland meet, is the place -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Where Tees in tumult leaves his source<br /> - Thundering o'er Cauldron and High-Force.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -These two cataracts are most impressive when rainstorms -have swelled the stream to its full capacity. Just -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P94"></a>94}</span> -outside the park of Rokeby is a charming spot where -the Greta meets the Tees,— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Where, issuing from her darksome bed,<br /> - She caught the morning's eastern red,<br /> - And through the softening vale below<br /> - Rolled her bright waves in rosy glow<br /> - All blushing to her bridal bed,<br /> - Like some shy maid in convent bred,<br /> - While linnet, lark, and blackbird gay<br /> - Sang forth her nuptial roundelay.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Half hidden by the trees, the old stone 'dairy bridge' -crosses the Greta, just where the river emerges from the -park. It makes a pretty picture as you look through the -single arch into the cool shades of the peaceful domain. -Passing over this bridge we came to the old tower of -Mortham. We did not find it deserted as did Wilfrid -and Bertram, for it is now used as a farm and the tower -is almost completely surrounded by low buildings of -comparatively recent construction. From the garden, -however, a fairly good view can be obtained. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - And last and least, and loveliest still,<br /> - Romantic Deepdale's slender rill.<br /> - Who in that dim-wood glen hath strayed,<br /> - Yet longed for Roslin's magic glade?<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The glen which Scott would compare with his favourite -Roslin must be romantic, indeed. The rill of Deepdale -joins the Tees just above Barnard Castle. The scenery -increases in beauty as the stream is ascended, to the -solitary spot near the Cat Castle rocks— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Where all is cliff and copse and sky,—<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -and reaches its climax at the pretty waterfall of Cragg -Force. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P95"></a>95}</span> -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-094"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-094.jpg" alt="THE VALLEY OF THE TEES, FROM BARNARD CASTLE" /> -<br /> -THE VALLEY OF THE TEES, FROM BARNARD CASTLE -</p> - -<p> -The Cavaliers and Roundheads whom Scott introduces -into the midst of this beautiful scenery are not, it must -be confessed, particularly interesting, nor is the villain -Bertram, in spite of the fact that the poet was a little -proud of him as a sketch full of dash and vigour. There -are three people, however, who hold the attention. The -first is Matilda, who, by the poet's faintly veiled -admission, was intended to be the picture of his early love, -Williamina Stuart. In Wilfrid, the youth of poetic -temperament, who loved in vain, and Redmond, his successful -but generous rival, there is a suggestion, which one -can scarcely escape, of the poet himself and Sir William -Forbes, who married Williamina. Redmond showed his -kindly heart and soldierly strength by fighting desperately -over the prostrate figure of his wounded rival, at -length carrying him in his arms from the burning castle -to a place of safety, after his entire train had deserted -their leader. Sir William Forbes was one of the first to -offer aid when financial misfortune overtook Sir Walter, -and when one creditor undertook to make serious -trouble, privately paid the entire claim of nearly £2000, -taking care that Scott should not know how it was -managed. As a matter of fact, Sir Walter did not learn -the truth until some time after the death of his -generous friend. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap06"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P96"></a>96}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VI -<br /> -THE BRIDAL OF TRIERMAIN -</h3> - -<p> -One of Scott's chief delights was the little game of -<i>fooling the critics</i>. No sooner had he arranged for the -publication of 'Rokeby' than he began to <i>lay a trap for -Jeffrey</i>, whose reviews of the earlier poems had not been -altogether agreeable. From this innocent little scheme -the poet and his confidant, William Erskine, anticipated -great amusement. The plan was to publish simultaneously -with 'Rokeby,' a shorter and lighter romance, -in a different metre and to 'take in the knowing ones' by -introducing certain peculiarities of composition suggestive -of Erskine. The poem thus projected, of which fragments -had already been published, was 'The Bridal of -Triermain.' The scheme so far succeeded that for a long -while the public was completely mystified. A writer in -the 'Quarterly Review,' probably George Ellis, thought -it 'an imitation of Mr. Scott's style of composition,' -and added, 'if it be inferior in vigour to some of his -productions, it equals or surpasses them in elegance and -beauty.' Jeffrey escaped the trap by the chance of a -voyage to America that year, though it may be doubted -whether he would have fallen into it. -</p> - -<p> -I have already referred to the fact (chapter I) that -much of the material for this poem came to Scott in the -summer of 1797, when, after a visit to the English Lakes, -he found some weeks of real romance near the village of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P97"></a>97}</span> -Gilsland. To this period the poet's recollection turned -for his 'light romance.' In the passage where Arthur -derides the pretensions of his military rival,— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Who comes in foreign trashery<br /> - Of tinkling chain and spur,<br /> - A walking haberdashery<br /> - Of feathers, lace, and fur,—<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Lockhart finds an allusion to some incident of the ball -at Gilsland Spa where Scott first met his future wife. -Whether the walk along the Irthing River below the -'Spa' was really in the poet's mind, when he wrote of -the 'woodland brook' beside which Arthur and Lucy -wandered, is of course unknown, but I do not doubt -that it may have been, since so much of the poem was -suggested by the experiences of that pleasant summer. -Triermain Castle, or what is left of it, is about three -miles west of Gilsland. Only a fragment about the size -of an ordinary chimney is now standing, though Scott -saw more of it, for a considerable portion of the ruin fell -in 1832. The Barons of Gilsland received a grant of land -from Henry II sometime in the twelfth century, and -Robert de Vaux, son of the original grantee, was probably -the builder of the castle. On his tombstone in -Lannercost Priory, near by, is this inscription:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Sir Robert Vaux that sometime was the Lord of Triermain,<br /> - Is dead, his body clad in lead, ligs law under this stane;<br /> - Evin as we, evin as he, on earth a levan man,<br /> - Evin as he, evin so maun we, for all the craft of men.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The castle was built of the stones of the old Roman wall -which passes near the place. From Triermain, Sir -Roland de Vaux sent his page to Ullswater, passing -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P98"></a>98}</span> -through Kirkoswald, a village of Cumberland on the -river Eden. He came to Penrith, to the south of which is -a circular mound supposed to have been used for the -exercise of feats of chivalry, which the poet calls 'red -Penrith's Table Round.' In the same locality near the -river Eamont is 'Mayburgh's mound,' a collection of -stones said to have been erected by the Druids. -Continuing to the southward, he came to the shores of -Ullswater, where he found the wizard of Lyulph's Tower. -The venerable sage then related the story of King -Arthur's adventure in the Valley of St. John. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-098"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-098.jpg" alt="THE VALLEY OF ST. JOHN, SHOWING TRIERMAIN CASTLE ROCK" /> -<br /> -THE VALLEY OF ST. JOHN, <br /> -SHOWING TRIERMAIN CASTLE ROCK -</p> - -<p> -We set out in quest of the mysterious phantom castle -and found the drive through the narrow valley a delightful -one. Nearly everybody who visits the English Lakes -drives over the hills from Ambleside to Keswick. After -passing Dunmailraise and skirting the shores of Thirlmere -Lake beneath the shadows of Helvellyn, we turned -off the main road near the mouth of St. John's Beck, one -of the many pretty brooks that are found everywhere in -the neighbourhood. A huge pile of rocks, projecting -curiously from the side of a green-coated hill, is called, -from the poem, Triermain Castle Rock. Following the -course of the streamlet, upward, we found a view much -like that which appeared to King Arthur, after the goblet -with its liquid fire had disenchanted him. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - The monarch, breathless and amazed,<br /> - Back on the fatal castle gazed—<br /> - Nor tower nor donjon could he spy,<br /> - Darkening against the morning sky;<br /> - But on the spot where once they frowned,<br /> - The lonely streamlet brawled around<br /> - A tufted knoll, where dimly shone<br /> - Fragments of rock and rifted stone.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P99"></a>99}</span> -As we proceeded up the valley, looking back time and -again for a last view of the rock, it was easy to fancy that -what we saw in the distance might well be a castle and -that under certain atmospheric conditions the illusion -might be heightened. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap07"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P100"></a>100}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VII -<br /> -THE LORD OF THE ISLES -</h3> - -<p> -'The Lord of the Isles,' was another effort to deceive the -critics. A long poem acknowledged by Walter Scott, -following soon after 'Waverley' and only a month -preceding 'Guy Mannering,' was calculated to 'throw off' -those who were trying to identify the mysterious author -of the Waverley Novels with the well-known poet. It -was the result of a vacation journey of about six weeks -in a lighthouse yacht, made in the summer of 1814 in the -company of a party of congenial friends. The chief of -the expedition was Robert Stevenson, a distinguished -civil engineer in charge of the lighthouse service on the -north coast of Scotland, and the grandfather of Robert -Louis Stevenson. After circling the Shetland and -Orkney Islands they came down into the Minch or channel -which separates the west coast of Scotland from the -Hebrides, and stopped at Dunvegan, on the Isle of Skye, to -see the ancient castle. Two days later they stopped to -examine Loch Corriskin, which made a profound impression -upon the poet's mind. 'We were surrounded,' he -said in his Diary of the expedition, 'by hills of the -boldest and most precipitous character and on the margin -of a lake which seemed to have sustained the constant -ravages of torrents from these rude neighbours. The -shores consist of huge layers of naked granite, here and -there intermixed with bogs and heaps of gravel and sand, -marking the course of torrents. Vegetation there was -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P101"></a>101}</span> -little or none, and the mountains rose so perpendicularly -from the water's edge that Borrowdale is a jest to -them. We proceeded about one mile and a half up this -deep, dark, and solitary lake, which is about two miles -long, half a mile broad, and, as we learned, of extreme -depth.... It is as exquisite as a savage scene, as Loch -Katrine is as a scene of stern beauty.' In the poem he -gives a little more vivid description:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - For rarely human eye has known<br /> - A scene so stern as that dread lake<br /> - With its dark ledge of barren stone.<br /> - Seems that primeval earthquake's sway<br /> - Hath rent a strange and shatter'd way<br /> - Through the rude bosom of the hill,<br /> - And that each naked precipice,<br /> - Sable ravine, and dark abyss,<br /> - Tells of the outrage still.<br /> - The wildest glen but this can show<br /> - Some touch of Nature's genial glow;<br /> - On high Benmore green mosses grow,<br /> - And heath-bells bud in deep Glencroe,<br /> - And copse on Cruchan-Ben;<br /> - But here—above, around, below,<br /> - On mountain or in glen,<br /> - Nor tree nor shrub, nor plant, nor flower,<br /> - Nor aught of vegetative power<br /> - The weary eye may ken.<br /> - For all is rocks at random thrown,<br /> - Black waves, bare crags, and banks of stone,<br /> - As if were here denied<br /> - The summer's sun, the spring's sweet dew,<br /> - That clothe with many a varied hue<br /> - The bleakest mountain-side.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -No wonder that the exiled monarch, Bruce, should say: -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - A scene so rude, so wild as this,<br /> - Yet so sublime in barrenness,<br /> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P102"></a>102}</span> - Ne'er did my wandering footsteps press<br /> - Where'er I happed to roam.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Returning to their vessel after an extraordinary walk, -the party left Loch Scavig and, rounding its southern -cape, sailed into the Loch of Sleapin, where they visited -Macallister's Cave. Here they found a wonderful pool, -which, 'surrounded by the most fanciful mouldings in a -substance resembling white marble, and distinguished -by the depth and purity of its waters, might be the -bathing grotto of a Naiad.' -</p> - -<p> -In the morning they sailed toward the south and -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Merrily, merrily goes the bark<br /> - On a breeze from the northward free,<br /> - So shoots through the morning sky the lark,<br /> - Or the swan through the summer sea.<br /> - The shores of Mull on the eastward lay,<br /> - And Ulva dark and Colonsay,<br /> - And all the group of islets gay<br /> - That guard famed Staffa round.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -They were following the same route, or nearly so, which -the poet afterward laid down for Robert Bruce on his -return from the Island of Skye to his native coast of -Carrick. -</p> - -<p> -They stopped at Staffa to view the famous basaltic -formation,— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Where, as to shame the temples decked<br /> - By skill of earthly architect,<br /> - Nature herself, it seemed, would raise<br /> - A minster to her Maker's praise.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -'The stupendous columnar side walls,' says the Diary; -'the depth and strength of the ocean with which the cavern -is filled—the variety of tints formed by stalactites -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P103"></a>103}</span> -dropping and petrifying between the pillars and -resembling a sort of chasing of yellow or cream-coloured -marble filling the interstices of the roof—the -corresponding variety below, where the ocean rolls over a -red, and in some places a violet-coloured rock, the basis -of the basaltic pillars—the dreadful noise of those -august billows so well corresponding with the grandeur of -the scene—are all circumstances unparalleled.' -</p> - -<p> -They also stopped to view 'Old Iona's holy fane,' -the ancient burial-place of kings and abbots and other -men of eminence. It is said that Macbeth was buried -here and before him sixty other Scottish kings whose -names are now unknown. -</p> - -<p> -The vivid descriptions of scenes along the route of -Bruce to Scotland, with which 'The Lord of the Isles' -abounds, were gathered on this memorable journey of -the poet. It was not so, however, with the arrival of -Bruce at his ancestral castle of Turnberry on the coast of -Ayr, the information for which was supplied by Scott's -indefatigable friend, Joseph Train, whose investigations -brought to light the ancient superstition that on each -anniversary of the night of Bruce's return a meteoric -gleam reappeared in the same quarter of the heavens. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - The light that seemed a twinkling star<br /> - Now blazed portentous, fierce and far,<br /> - Dark red the heaven above it gleamed,<br /> - Dark red the sea beneath it flowed,<br /> - Red-rose the rocks on ocean's brim,<br /> - In blood-red light her islets swim.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The ruins of Bruce's castle may still be seen close by -the lighthouse at Turnberry. So little remains that they -are scarcely visible from the land side, and though -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P104"></a>104}</span> -thousands visit the locality for a run over the superb golf -links, few realize that here was the birthplace of Robert -Bruce, and that the skirmishes here begun, when the -future king returned prematurely from exile, led eventually -to the series of successes which terminated in the -great victory of Bannockburn. -</p> - -<p> -The poetic description of this terrific combat lacks -nothing of the vigour and dramatic force that characterize -the story of Flodden Field. The scene where the -Bruce, suddenly attacked by Sir Henry de Bohun, rises in -his stirrups and fells the fierce knight with a single blow -of his battle-axe; the stratagem of the concealed ditches -into which the English rode with fearful losses; the kneeling -of the Scottish army in prayer before the battle; the -charge of the cavalry against the English archers; the -sudden appearance of the Scottish camp-followers on -the brow of the hill, waving their spears and banners, so -that they resembled a fresh army of reinforcements; the -tragic death of De Argentine and the final triumph of -the Scottish cause are vividly portrayed with all the -poet's accustomed power. -</p> - -<p> -'The Lord of the Isles' was the last of Scott's -important poems. Two other attempts followed, 'The Field -of Waterloo' and 'Harold, the Dauntless,' but neither -was considered successful. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-104"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-104.jpg" alt="TURNBERRY CASTLE, COAST OF AYRSHIRE" /> -<br /> -TURNBERRY CASTLE, COAST OF AYRSHIRE -</p> - -<p> -'Rokeby,' 'The Bridal of Triermain,' and 'The Lord -of the Isles,' though well worthy of the genius of the poet, -had failed to equal in popularity the three greater poems -by which his fame had been established. The brilliant -success of Byron was, as Scott feared, 'taking the wind -out of his sails.' Moreover, his own interest in poetry -had waned under the influence of his greater achievements -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P105"></a>105}</span> -in prose. As the author of the Waverley Novels -he had stepped into a new and vastly more important -field, where he now stood alone. So with the passing of -Walter Scott the poet came the rising star of the novelist, -and the world was the richer by the transition. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap08"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P106"></a>106}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VIII -<br /> -WAVERLEY -</h3> - -<p> -One morning during our stay at Melrose, we drove by -motor westward along the Tweed, passing Ashestiel, -situated high up on the opposite bank, but catching only -a glimpse of it through the trees. Here 'Waverley' was -begun in 1805 and laid aside because of the criticism of -a close friend. Here, too, in 1810, it was resumed and -again put aside because of the faint praise of James -Ballantyne. This time the manuscript was lost and -completely forgotten. It came to light in 1813 when Scott -was searching in an old cabinet for some fishing-tackle. -He was seized with a desire to finish it, and the work -was done so fast that the last two of the original three -volumes were written in three weeks. It was published -on the 7th of July, 1814. -</p> - -<p> -Farther up the stream we could see in the distance on -a high elevation the ruins of Elibank, where Scott's -ancestor, young Wat of Harden, came so near paying the -penalty for 'lifting' a few head of his neighbour's cattle. -Scott always said that the blood of the old cattle-drivers -of Teviotdale still stirred in his veins, and in this way he -accounted for his 'propensity for the dubious characters -of borderers, buccaneers, Highland robbers, and all -others of a Robin Hood description.' -</p> - -<p> -Our journey on this particular morning was for the -purpose of visiting an old baronial mansion which Scott -no doubt had very much in his mind during the writing -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P107"></a>107}</span> -of 'Waverley.' This was Traquair House, situated in -the village of that name, about two miles south of -Innerleithen. It presents some striking resemblances to the -description of Tully Veolan. There is a long and wide -avenue, having an upper and a lower gate. 'This avenue -was straight and of moderate length, running between -a double row of very ancient horse-chestnuts, planted -alternately with sycamores, which rose to such huge -height, and flourished so luxuriantly, that their boughs -completely overarched the broad road beneath.' Two -narrow drives, one on each side of the broad avenue, -converge immediately in front of the inner gate. -Between these is a broad space 'clothed with grass of a -deep and rich verdure.' The outer entrance to the -avenue is barred by a pair of iron gates, hung between two -massive pillars of stone, on each of which is a curious -beast, standing on his hind legs, his fore legs resting -on a sort of scroll-work support. The animals face each -other like a couple of rival legislators holding a joint -debate from behind tall reading-desks. Scott says -somewhat dubiously that these 'two large weather-beaten -mutilated masses of upright stone ... if the tradition of -the hamlet could be trusted, had once represented, or at -least been designed to represent, two rampant Bears, -the supporters of the family of Bradwardine.' If any of -the village people, who stood around as I arranged my -camera, their wide-stretched eyes and open mouths -betraying their curiosity, had told me that these 'bears' -were 'rampant hippopotami,' I should have rewarded -them with my usual credulous nod and 'thank you.' There -can be little doubt that Scott took the idea of -the Bears of Bradwardine from this gate, although he -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P108"></a>108}</span> -multiplied the two and scattered them all over the -place. -</p> - -<p> -Like Tully Veolan, the house seems to consist of high, -narrow, and steep-roofed buildings, with numberless -windows, all very small, while the roofs have little -turrets, 'resembling pepper-boxes.' It was built 'at a -period when castles were no longer necessary and when -the Scottish architects had not yet acquired the art -of designing a domestic residence.' -</p> - -<p> -Scott no doubt was a frequent visitor here. In one of -his letters he refers to the owner in connection with a -plan to plant some 'aquatic trees,—willows, alders, -poplars, and so forth,'—around a little pond in -Abbotsford and to have a 'preserve of wild ducks' and other -water-fowl. He says, 'I am to get some eggs from Lord -Traquair, of a curious species of half-reclaimed wild -ducks, which abound near his solitary old château and -nowhere else in Scotland that I know of.' This denotes -a somewhat intimate acquaintance with the Earl of -Traquair. The house, indeed, was so near Ashestiel that -Scott could hardly fail to visit so interesting a place -many times. It is doubtful if there is another inhabited -house in Scotland more ancient than Traquair. The -present owner takes care to preserve its appearance of -antiquity. No repairs or alterations are made except -such as are absolutely necessary, and then the work is -done in such a way as to conceal its 'newness.' Among -the early owners of the estate was James, Lord Douglas, -the friend of Bruce, who attempted to carry his chief's -heart to the Holy Land. The founder of the family of -Traquair was James Stuart, and his descendants have -held the estate for nearly four centuries. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P109"></a>109}</span> -</p> - -<p> -The great gate with the grotesque bears has been -closed for more than a century. One tradition is that the -defeat of the young Prince Charles at the battle of -Culloden in 1746 was the direct cause of its final closing. -The Prince visited the Earl of that day (Charles, the -fifth Earl of Traquair) to persuade him to lend his active -support to the Jacobite cause. The Earl felt compelled -to decline, but in escorting his visitor from the park, -made a vow that the gate should never be opened again -until a Stuart was on the throne. The defeat of the Prince -was a severe disappointment to the Traquair family and -the vow of the Earl has been kept to this day, even -though the earldom is now extinct. -</p> - -<p> -It is not correct, however, in spite of the striking -resemblances, to speak of Traquair House as the 'original' -of Tully Veolan. Scott himself says in his note in -the edition of 1829, 'There is no particular mansion -described under the name of Tully Veolan; but the peculiarities -of description occur in various old Scottish seats.' Among -these were the house of Sir George Warrender -upon Bruntsfield Links; the old house of Ravelston, -owned by Sir Alexander Keith, the author's friend and -kinsman, from which he took some hints for the garden; -and the house of Dean, near Edinburgh. He adds,'The -author has, however, been informed that the house of -Grandtully resembles that of the Baron of Bradwardine -still more than any of the above.' -</p> - -<p> -Acting upon this hint, when we were making the city -of Perth our centre, we took a long journey by motor -with Grandtully Castle as the objective point. I doubt -if there is a more beautiful drive in all Scotland. We -followed the left bank of the river Tay through a fertile -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P110"></a>110}</span> -valley of surpassing loveliness. In the whole journey of -nearly one hundred miles it seemed as though there was -never a blot on the landscape. No neglected farms, no -rough patches of naked earth, no tumble-down fences, -no unsightly railroad excavations nor bare embankments, -no swamps filled with fallen timber, no hideous -bill-boards, none of the hundreds of unsightly objects -which mar the scenery of so many country drives. -Everything seemed well kept. The big estates were filled -with beautiful trees and shrubs, many of them in full -bloom, and the humbler places did equally well, though -on a smaller scale. I remember passing a hedge of -beeches, half a mile long, the trees growing ninety feet -high and so close together as to make a wall impenetrable -to the sunlight. I was told that this hedge was -trimmed once in three years at an expense of fifteen -hundred dollars each time. This is only one item in the -care of a large estate. We passed the park and palace of -Scone, where the coronation stone was kept before its -removal to Westminster Abbey, and from which it -received its name. Farther to the north we stopped a -few minutes at Campsie Linn, which I shall mention -later in connection with 'The Fair Maid of Perth.' A -little beyond Cargill our course turned sharply to the -West, although the main road continues to the north -until it reaches Blairgowrie, some two or three miles -beyond which is another 'original' of Tully Veolan, the -house of Craighall. Unfortunately lack of time did not -permit a visit to this place, but I must digress long -enough to explain its significance. It was the seat of the -Rattray family, who were related to William Clerk, one -of Scott's most intimate companions of the early days -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P111"></a>111}</span> -spent among the law courts of Edinburgh. During one -of the Highland excursions the friends stopped at -Craighall. When 'Waverley' came out, twenty-one years -later, Mr. Clerk was so much struck with the resemblance -of Tully Veolan to the old mansion of the Rattrays -that he immediately said, 'This is Scott's.' The -reason for the conviction was probably not so much the -similarity of the real house to the fictitious one as -the recollection of a little incident of the early excursion. -Clerk, seeing the smoke of a little hamlet before them, -when they were tired and heated from their journey, is -said to have exclaimed, 'How agreeable if we should -here fall in with one of those signposts where a red lion -predominates over a punch-bowl!' In spite of the lapse -of so many years, Clerk recognized his own expression -(with which he knew Scott had been particularly -amused) in that part of the description of Tully -Veolan where 'a huge bear, carved in stone, predominated -over a large stone basin.' -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-110"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-110.jpg" alt="GRANDTULLY CASTLE" /> -<br /> -GRANDTULLY CASTLE -</p> - -<p> -Following the course of the beautiful river, upstream, -we came at length, far up in the Perthshire hills, to the -Castle of Grandtully. It is a large and stately mansion, -situated in one of those beautiful parks with which the -region abounds. It has the pepper-box turrets and small -windows of Tully Veolan. It is now, as in Scott's time, -the home of a family of Stewarts, one of whom, Sir -George, supported the cause of 'the Young Chevalier' -in 1745. The gardener, who, in the absence of the -family, did the honours of the place, told me that Scott -had visited the house many years after 'Waverley' -appeared and had said then that it was more nearly like -what he had described than any other castle, and that -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P112"></a>112}</span> -'the only mistake he had made was in putting bears on -the gateway instead of bees.' There is a fine wrought-iron -gate at Grandtully with the figures of two bees, -forming a part of the coat of arms of the Stewart family. -An avenue of limes formerly led to this gate, but it is no -longer used and only two of the trees remain. Scott was -always cautious about admitting any connection of his -writings with definite 'originals,' but was ever ready to -humour those who fancied they saw certain resemblances. -It is curious that he does not mention either -Traquair House or Craighall in his note, though both -were identified as 'originals' during his lifetime. No -doubt, consciously or unconsciously, he wove into his -novel partial descriptions of both, as well as of -Grandtully, while the houses which he particularly mentions -also furnished some of the details. -</p> - -<p> -The historical value of 'Waverley' lies in its picture -of the rising of the Highland clans in favour of Charles -Edward Stuart, called the 'Young Pretender' by the -supporters of the reigning king, but affectionately -known among his Scottish adherents as 'Bonnie Prince -Charlie.' The ambitious young man, the grandson of -James II, left France in the summer of 1745 in a small -vessel, with only seven friends, and landed on one of the -Hebridean Islands. Before the end of August he had -raised his standard in the valley of Glenfinnan and found -himself at the head of an army of fifteen hundred men, -chiefly of the clans of MacDonald and Cameron. He -soon made a triumphant march to Edinburgh, where he -established himself in the Palace of Holyrood, which -the Stuart family had already made famous. On Tuesday, -the 17th of September, he caused the proclamation -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P113"></a>113}</span> -of his father, 'the Old Pretender,' as King James VIII, -to be read by the heralds at the old Market Cross in -Parliament Square. The people crowded around the -'Young Chevalier,' eager to kiss his hand or even to -touch for a single instant the Scottish tartan which he -wore. So great was the crowd that he was compelled -to call for his horse, for otherwise he could make no -progress. It is said that his noble appearance so won -the hearts of all who beheld him that before he reached -the palace the polish of his boots was dimmed by the -kisses of the multitude. -</p> - -<p> -That night the old palace reawakened to something -of its former brilliancy, on the occasion of a great ball, -given by the Prince. The old picture gallery, with its -array of queer portraits of long-forgotten Scottish kings, -was a scene of glittering splendour. The long-deserted -halls, now brilliant with a thousand lights, were crowded -with an assembly of men of education and fortune, -accompanied by their ladies in gowns of such elegance as -the confusion of the times might permit. Mingling with -these representations of the Jacobean gentry of Edinburgh -were the handsomely arrayed officers of the clans, -the Highland gentlemen of importance, with their many -coloured plaids and sashes, their broadswords glittering -with heavy silver plate and inlaid work, and all the other -elegant appurtenances for which the picturesque Highland -costume offered abundant scope. In the chapter on -the Ball, Scott merely introduced into an historic -assemblage two handsome women, Flora MacIvor and Rose -Bradwardine, and two men, Fergus MacIvor and Edward Waverley. -</p> - -<p> -The palace is to-day much the same as it was in the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P114"></a>114}</span> -time of the Prince, though the adjoining abbey is now -roofless and very much more of a ruin. A walk through -the Canongate, from Holyrood to the Market Cross, -would give one a very fair idea of the street through -which Fergus MacIvor and Waverley passed to the -lodgings of the former in the house of the buxom Widow -Flockhart, where Waverley received his new Highland -costume from the hands of James of the Needle. At the -other end of the town, beneath the castle, is St. Cuthbert's -Church, then called the West Kirk, where the -honest Presbyterian clergyman, MacVicar, preached -every Sunday and prayed for the House of Hanover in -spite of the fact that many of the Jacobites were present. -In one of those petitions he referred to the fact that 'a -young man has recently come among us seeking an -earthly crown' and prayed that he might speedily be -granted a heavenly one! -</p> - -<p> -Much of the material for 'Waverley' was stored up in -the retentive memory of the novelist when he was a mere -boy. At six years of age he was taken for a visit to -Prestonpans. If the old veteran of the German wars, -Dalgetty, whom he met here and who found a ready listener -in the bright-eyed little boy, was able to tell the story of -the battle in anything like a graphic manner, it must -have made a profound impression upon the mind of a lad -who had already learned to fight the battles of Scotland -with miniature armies of pebbles and shells. On one side -was an army of Highlanders, the chief men of each clan -proudly dressed in their distinctive tartans. They were -tall, vigorous, hardy men, all proud of their ancestry, -each capable of deeds of individual daring and courage, -but all loyal to their chiefs and to their temporary leader, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P115"></a>115}</span> -Prince Charles Edward Stuart. They were not only -well dressed but well armed, each man having a broadsword, -target, dirk, and fusee, or flintlock gun, and perhaps -a steel pistol. These were the gentlemen of the -Highlands. Contrasting strangely with them and forming -the larger part of the army was the rear guard, a -motley crowd, bearing every appearance of extreme -poverty. They were rough, uncouth, half-naked men of -savage aspect, armed with whatever weapon could be -most easily obtained. Some had pole-axes; some carried -scythes, securely fastened to the ends of poles; a few -had old guns or swords; while many had only dirks and -bludgeons. But all had the fighting spirit and a keen -desire for plunder. To complete this curious but formidable -array, there was an old iron cannon, dragged along by a -string of Highland ponies. This constituted the entire -artillery of the army and it could only be used for firing -signals, yet the leaders allowed it to be retained because -of the belief on the part of the men in the ranks that it -would in some miraculous way contribute to their -expected victory. -</p> - -<p> -On the English side a complete army of infantry, -cavalry, and artillery, well equipped and disciplined, -confronted the Highland hordes. As they wheeled into line -the fixed bayonets of the infantry glistened in the sun -like 'successive hedges of steel.' These, with the trains -of artillery and troop after troop of well-equipped -dragoons, presented a formidable appearance. But they -struck no terror into the hearts of the wild -'petticoat-men.' With terrific yells the forces of the rebellious -Scotchmen rushed into battle. Discipline and order -gave way before the impact of savage zeal, and panic -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P116"></a>116}</span> -seized the English army. The result was what the child -Scott always contrived to accomplish in his mimic battles -of pebbles,—the complete victory of the Scots and the -utter rout of their enemy. There is now little to be seen -on the battle-field. The old thorn tree, which was once -the central landmark, has almost disappeared. The -fertile fields, once trampled by hostile armies, have given -way to railroad tracks and unsightly collieries. Colonel -Gardiner's house, however, where that hero died after -receiving a mortal wound upon the battle-field, still remains -standing, and in front, at the end of a fine avenue of -trees, is a plain but dignified monument to his memory. -</p> - -<p> -The principal incident of the battle, as told in 'Waverley,' -is based upon a true story, which Scott heard from -Alexander Stewart of Invernahyle, on one of his early -visits to the Highlands. When the Highlanders in 1745 -attacked the army of Sir John Cope at Prestonpans, -Stewart was one of the leaders in charge. Noticing an -officer of the English army standing alone, sword in -hand, too proud to fly with the others, he called on him -to surrender. The officer answered by a thrust of his -sword which Stewart received in his target, breaking the -blade. A huge Highlander rushed up to the defenceless -man with lifted battle-axe, and in another moment -would have killed his victim but for the chivalrous -interference of Stewart, who protected him from injury, took -care of his personal property, and finally secured his -release on parole. This officer was a Scotch gentleman, -serving in the King's army, whose name was Colonel -Whitefoord. Stewart later paid him a visit at his home -in Ayrshire. After the battle of Culloden had put an -end to the hopes of Prince Charles and his loyal Scottish -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P117"></a>117}</span> -friends, when those who had supported the rebellion -were in grave danger of death and the confiscation of -their property, Colonel Whitefoord took occasion to -repay the debt to Mr. Stewart. He called in person on -the Duke of Cumberland to plead for his friend's life, or -at least for the protection of his family and property. -On receiving a positive refusal, he took his commission -from his pocket, and laying it on the table before the -Duke, with great emotion begged leave to retire from the -service of a king who did not know how to be merciful -to a vanquished enemy. The Duke was deeply affected -and granted the desired protection. It was none too -soon, for the troops were even then beginning to -plunder the country in the immediate vicinity of -Invernahyle's home. That unfortunate gentleman had lain for -many days concealed in a cave, his food being brought -by one of his daughters, a child so young that she was -not suspected by the soldiers. -</p> - -<p> -The rescue of Colonel Talbot by Waverley and the -subsequent friendly assistance of that officer, upon -which so much of the plot of the novel depends, was -founded upon this incident, which the old soldier related -to Walter Scott, a boy of fifteen. It will be remembered -that Scott's first Highland visit took place in 1786, so -that Stewart, who was 'out' in the rebellion of 1715, -must have been a very old man when he told the story. -The lad, who no doubt listened eagerly, absorbing every -detail into his extraordinary memory, did not use the -tale until nearly a quarter of a century later. -</p> - -<p> -An example of Scott's remarkable way of remembering -and reproducing the little details of the stories he -heard is the use he made of Stewart's experience in -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P118"></a>118}</span> -hiding in a cave. The Baron of Bradwardine is supposed to -have concealed himself in similar manner and to have -had important assistance from 'Davie Gellatley,' the -Baron's 'natural' or fool, who was 'no sae silly as folk -tak him for.' Colonel Stewart, a grandson of Stewart -of Invernahyle, in his book on the Highlands, points out -that while some gentlemen 'who had been out' in the -rebellion were obliged to conceal themselves in the woods -near his grandfather's house, they were supplied with -food and other necessaries by one of these poor, -half-witted creatures, who showed an extraordinary sagacity -as well as fidelity in protecting the friends of his patron. -</p> - -<p> -'Davie Gellatley' was a type common enough, especially -in the country districts of Scotland, a century ago. -These rustic fools were usually treated with kindness, -the good people feeling a sense of duty to help those to -whom Providence had denied their full share of mental -power. They frequently possessed a certain sagacity or -cunning, combined with sly humour, which enabled them -at times to make quick and unexpected answers, causing -much amusement and wonder. Such a man was Daft -Jock Gray, who lived on a farm in Ettrick and was well -known to all the Border people. He was a frequent -visitor at Ashestiel, where he entertained the family with -his wild snatches of songs and ballads and his eccentric -performances. Jock was once travelling with a man of -his own type, Jamie Renwick. When night came, they -lodged in a convenient barn. Jock could not sleep and -got up and walked about singing his wild and incoherent -songs. This so irritated Jamie that he shouted, 'Come to -your bed, ye skirlin' deevil! I canna get a wink o' sleep -for ye; I daur say the folk will think us daft! Od, if ye -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P119"></a>119}</span> -dinna come and lie down this instant, I'll rise and <i>bring -ye to your senses</i> wi' my rung!' 'Faith,' says Jock, 'if ye -do that, it will be mair than ony ither body has ever -been able to do.'[<a id="chap08fn1text"></a><a href="#chap08fn1">1</a>] -</p> - -<p> -The visit of Waverley to the cave of Donald Bean -Lean was based upon another incident, told to Scott on -a later excursion to the Highlands in 1793, when he -stopped for a time at Tullibody, the residence of -Mr. Abercrombie, the grandfather of his intimate friend and -companion, George Abercrombie. The old gentleman -related how he had been compelled to make a visit to the -wild retreats of Rob Roy, where he was entertained with -great courtesy by that Highland chief in a cave very -much like that described in Waverley. He was treated -to a dinner of 'collops' or steaks, cut from his own cattle, -which he recognized hanging by the heels in the cavern. -He found it necessary to arrange for the payment of -blackmail to the cateran, which insured the protection -of his herds against not only Rob Roy himself, but all -other freebooters. -</p> - -<p> -We found just such a cave on the east shore of Loch -Lomond in the heart of the Rob Roy country. It is -reached by rowing from Inversnaid about a mile up the -lake, and clambering over some rough rocks to the -opening. It is known as Rob Roy's Cave and gave an -excellent idea of the place where Waverley was entertained -by Donald Bean Lean and the good-natured Highland -girl, his daughter, who thought nothing of walking four -miles to 'borrow' enough eggs for his breakfast. From -the rocks we enjoyed a superb view of Loch Lomond, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P120"></a>120}</span> -strongly suggesting the Highland loch of 'Waverley,' -'surrounded by heathy and savage mountains, on the -crests of which the morning mist was still sleeping.' I -was fortunate enough to get a good photograph of these -mists as they rose above the summit of Ben Vorlich on -the opposite side of the lake. -</p> - -<p> -On this same excursion to the Highlands, Scott learned -from another old gentleman something of the history of -Doune Castle, the ruins of which now stand on the banks -of the Ardoch, a tributary of the Tieth, some ten miles -or more north of Stirling. We found the most beautiful -view from the bridge on the main road, crossing the -Tieth. The ruins show that the castle was once of great -extent. It was built by Murdoch, Duke of Albany, -while governor of Scotland in the exile of James I. When -James returned in 1423, he took vengeance upon the -unfaithful guardian of his kingdom and beheaded Murdoch -on the Heading Hill of Stirling Castle. The Scottish -monarchs, or several of them, utilized the castle as a -dower-house for their queen consorts. James II in 1451 -bestowed it upon his queen, Mary of Gueldres; James -III gave it to his consort, Margaret of Denmark, in 1471; -and James IV presented it to Queen Margaret in 1503, -making it one of his royal residences. In the year 1745 -it came into the possession of Charles Edward, the -Young Pretender, who used it as a prison. Scott is quite -consistent with the facts of history, therefore, when he -causes Waverley to be detained there on his way to -Holyrood Palace. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-120"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-120.jpg" alt="DOUNE CASTLE FROM THE TEITH" /> -<br /> -DOUNE CASTLE FROM THE TEITH -</p> - -<p> -One other incident of this same Highland excursion -must be mentioned. It was then that Scott first visited -the home of his friend, Buchanan, the Laird of Cambusmore. -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P121"></a>121}</span> -Francis Buchanan, the great uncle of the young -laird, was carried away from this house to Carlisle, where -he was hanged on a charge of treason, this estate and -another at Strathyre being confiscated. The property was -later restored to the family, by whom it is still owned. -The account of the execution of Fergus MacIvor at -Carlisle Castle was based upon this story, as told to Scott -on the porch of Cambusmore by his friend Buchanan. -</p> - -<p> -Another spot in the Highlands of which Scott was -very fond is the little waterfall of Lediard. We found the -place because we were looking for it, but the casual -tourist would not be likely to see it. It is reached from -the road leading along the north shore of Loch Ard, west -of Aberfoyle and south of the Trossachs. I found it -necessary to walk through a lane to a near-by farmhouse -and then go up a slight incline by a narrow winding path -along a little brook until I came to a thick wood. There -the rush of the waters could be plainly heard, and guided -by the sound, I was able after some search to find a rock -where I could place my camera for a view of the little -cascade. It is not remarkable either for the height of -the fall or for the volume of water, but its charm comes -from the dense foliage through which the sunlight dances -and sparkles, from the rough rocks clothed in ferns and -moss and wild flowers, except where the fantastic play of -the streamlet keeps them bare, and from the deep pool -at the bottom filled to the brim with pure, cold water. -</p> - -<p> -This exquisite scene was chosen by Scott for one of his -most romantic pictures—the meeting of Waverley and -Flora MacIvor, when the graceful and beautiful daughter -of the Highlands, blending her voice with the music -of the waterfall and the accompaniment of the harp, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P122"></a>122}</span> -sang the Celtic verses so full of devotion to her native -land and the cause of the Prince, calling to the clans:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - For honour, for freedom, for vengeance awake!<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -It is interesting to compare the character of Flora -MacIvor and her devotion to the fortunes of the exiled -Stuarts with that of the famous Flora MacDonald. In -the circumstances of their environment there is no -similarity between the two heroines, one of fiction and the -other of real life. Flora MacDonald was born in the -Island of South Uist and brought in infancy to the -neighbouring island of Skye. Except for a brief visit to -Argyleshire, she never left those islands until after the -stirring events which made her famous. She did not -meet the Prince until she engaged in her efforts to rescue -him, after the battle of Culloden. -</p> - -<p> -In personal characteristics there is a very striking -resemblance. Flora MacDonald, though reared in the -solitude of a remote island, acquired an excellent -education, to which she added the natural love of poetry and -romance peculiar to her people. 'There was nothing -unfeminine, either in her form or in her manners, to -detract from the charm of her great natural vivacity, or -give a tone of hardness to her strong good sense, calm -judgment, and power of decision. Her voice was sweet -and low; the harsher accents of the Scottish tongue were -not to be detected in her discourse.'[<a id="chap08fn2text"></a><a href="#chap08fn2">2</a>] She always -manifested a perfect modesty and propriety of behaviour -coupled with a noble simplicity of character which led -her to regard with surprise the many tributes of praise -which her conduct merited. These were the characteristics -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P123"></a>123}</span> -with which Scott invested his heroine. Flora -MacDonald's family belonged to the clan of MacDonald of -Clanronald, and one of Scott's most valued friends, -Colonel Ronaldson MacDonnel of Glengarry,[<a id="chap08fn3text"></a><a href="#chap08fn3">3</a>] was a -descendant of the same clan. He was an eccentric -character who tried to play the chieftain and thought, felt, -and acted about as he might have done a hundred years -earlier, but could not do in his own time without -provoking censure and ridicule. He even attempted to have -himself recognized as the chief of the whole clan of -Clanronald, though his own ancestors had been unable to -establish the right. Scott regarded him as a treasure, -'full of information as to the history of his own clan, and -the manners and customs of the Highlanders in general.' In -his effort to make Fergus MacIvor, Vich Ian Vohr, -a typical leader of one of the Highland clans, Scott no -doubt received considerable help from Glengarry, whose -castle of Invergarry was on Loch Oich, in Inverness, in -the very heart of the country of the rebellious chiefs and -only a few miles distant from Culloden, the scene of -their final defeat. -</p> - -<p> -Cosmo Comyne Bradwardine, Esq., the pompous, tiresome, -but laughable bore, with his endless quotations in -Latin, the honourable soldier, the excellent father and -the lovable friend, is one of Scott's most interesting -characters. Though an original creation, there was -more than one man of his time who might have sat for -the portrait of the brave, honourable, kind-hearted -gentleman who spoke Latin as fluently as his native -Scotch dialect and who loved his 'Livy' so much that -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P124"></a>124}</span> -after escaping from some soldiers who had arrested -him, he risked recapture in order to return and secure -the beloved volume which he had forgotten in his haste. -The absurd old Baron is represented as insisting upon -his right and duty, under a charter of Robert Bruce, by -which his lands were held, to pull off the boots of the -King. Two difficulties present themselves:—first that -Prince Charles is not the King, and second that he does -not wear boots. But it is decided that Charles represents -the King, and that a service performed to him is done for -the King; also that brogues are a legitimate substitute -for boots. So with the good-natured consent of the -Prince, the ridiculous ceremony takes place with due -solemnity. This incident, fantastic as it seems, is only -an example of the way in which certain Scottish tenures -were held. Mrs. Hughes, of Uffington, says that Scott -told her of a similar tenure under which the Howistons -of Braehead held their lands, namely, by presenting a -basin and ewer with water and a towel for the King to -wash whenever he came to Holyrood. -</p> - -<p> -The Laird of Balmawhapple was a purely fictitious -character, but the method of his death at Prestonpans -was one of the true stories told to Scott as a child when -he first visited the battle-field. A brave and honourable -gentleman, one of the few cavalrymen who followed -Prince Charles, was pursuing some fugitive dragoons. -Suddenly discovering that they were followed only by -one man and his two servants, the soldiers turned and -cut down the courageous Highlander. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-124"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-124.jpg" alt="ULLSWATER (WAVERLEY'S RETREAT AFTER THE DEFEAT OF THE CHEVALIER)" /> -<br /> -ULLSWATER (WAVERLEY'S RETREAT AFTER THE DEFEAT <br /> -OF THE CHEVALIER) -</p> - -<p> -As in many of Scott's novels, the hero is less attractive -than some of the subordinate characters. The author -himself characterized Edward Waverley, somewhat too -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P125"></a>125}</span> -severely, as a 'sneaking piece of imbecility' and added, -'if he had married Flora, she would have set him up -upon the chimneypiece, as Count Borowlaski's wife used -to do with him.' Yet in the third chapter, where the -subject is Waverley's education, he is really giving a -bit of autobiography. He refers to Edward's power of -imagination and love of literature and mentions the -pleasure which his uncle's large library afforded him. -'He had read and stored, in a memory of uncommon -tenacity, much curious though ill-arranged and -miscellaneous information. In English literature he was -master of Shakespeare and Milton, of our earlier -dramatic authors, of many picturesque and interesting -passages from our old historical chronicles, and was -particularly well acquainted with Spenser, Drayton, and -other poets, who have exercised themselves on -romantic fiction.' -</p> - -<p> -'Waverley' will always be remembered for its graphic -picture of the Scottish Highlands in the period just -before they ceased to have a distinctive individual -existence, and for the portrait of the Young Pretender, who -in 'the affair of 1745' achieved such a remarkable hold -upon the affections of the Scottish people. Scott pictures -the young Prince in the most brilliant period of his -career, and if he does so in colours more attractive -than his character deserves, it must be remembered -that these were the traits which won the love of his -followers and by which alone that affection can be -explained. The excesses of later years had not yet marred -the fine promise of youth, which, under happier -circumstances, might have developed into a higher type of -manhood. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap08fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap08fn1text">1</a>] From <i>Illustrations of the Author of Waverley</i>, -by Robert Chambers. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap08fn2"></a> -[<a href="#chap08fn2text">2</a>] From a Memoir, by Mrs. Thomson, 1846. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap08fn3"></a> -[<a href="#chap08fn3text">3</a>] It was to this good friend that Scott was indebted -for the gift of his -famous staghound Maida. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap09"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P126"></a>126}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IX -<br /> -GUY MANNERING -</h3> - -<p> -For the principal scenery of Scott's second novel, we -found it desirable to change our headquarters to the -city of Dumfries, a royal burgh of great antiquity, on -the banks of the river Nith. A mile or more to the north, -where the Cluden flows into the Nith, are the picturesque -ruins of Lincluden Abbey, to which Robert Burns -made many a pilgrimage. His favourite walk was along -the opposite bank of the stream, and here, at the close of -a summer's day, he would promenade in the twilight, -enjoying the calm of the evening while he composed his -lyrics. Several miles farther north is Ellisland, where -Burns endeavoured to combine the pursuit of farming -with the collection of the king's revenue in the excise -service, and incidentally 'met the Muses' to the extent -of producing 'Tam o' Shanter' and several other -well-known poems. -</p> - -<p> -South of the city the Nith is a tidal river, gradually -broadening until it becomes an arm of the Solway Firth. -Two fine old ruins guard its outlet, one on either side. -On the west is Sweetheart Abbey, a beautiful ruin in an -excellent state of preservation. Its name comes from -a pretty story. The Lady Devorgilla, mother of John -Baliol, who became King of Scotland, founded the abbey -in 1275 and erected a tomb near the high altar. At her -husband's death, six years before, she had caused his -heart to be embalmed and enclosed in a casket adorned -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P127"></a>127}</span> -with precious stones, which she ever after carried with -her wherever she went. She gave orders that at her -death her body should be laid in the tomb which she had -built and that the precious casket should be laid on her -breast. Thus the two 'sweethearts' were to rest together. -In the opening chapter of the novel, Scott refers -to some monastic ruins which the young English -gentleman, Guy Mannering, had spent the day in sketching. -Doubtless Sweetheart Abbey was in his mind, or -possibly Lincluden. -</p> - -<p> -On the opposite side of the river, or of the bay, for it -is difficult to tell where the river ends and the Solway -begins, is the fine old ruin of Caerlaverock Castle, the -original of 'Ellangowan Auld Place,' the ancestral home -of the Bertram family and the place around which -revolves the whole plot of 'Guy Mannering.' -</p> - -<p> -The day after our arrival at Dumfries we set out to -examine this ruin, stopping first at Glencaple, a small -town on the Nith just below the place where the river -begins to widen into an arm of the sea. It was low tide, -and there was a sandy beach of extraordinary width -which the receding waters had sculptured in waving lines -of strange contour. The sky above was filled with fleecy -clouds, and in the distance the summit of Criffell reared -its height in a majestic background. It was on such a -coast that Van Beest Brown, or Harry Bertram, landed -when he returned to Scotland after many years, and -found himself at the ruins of the house of his ancestors. -The locality might be taken for the original of Portanferry, -if geographical relations were to be considered. -</p> - -<p> -Caerlaverock Castle is one of the most picturesque -ruins in Scotland. Enough of the original walls remain -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P128"></a>128}</span> -to show the unusual extent of the building. It was -triangular in form, with two massive round turrets at -one angle, forming the entrance, and a single turret at -each of the others. The two entrance turrets and one of -the others are still intact and well preserved. The turret -which once stood at the third angle has completely -disappeared. Between the front towers is a very tall -arched doorway, now reached by a little wooden bridge -over the moat. Many of these old ruins have mounds -showing where the moat used to be, but this is one of -the few in which the water still remains. For centuries -the lofty turrets have been appropriated by rooks, -and the moat is now a safe retreat for geese. -</p> - -<p> -The inner court was three stories high, containing a -magnificent suite of apartments, all richly sculptured. -Behind these was a great banqueting-hall, ninety feet -long, extending between the two rear towers along the -base of the triangle. There was a great dais and ample -arrangements for the seating of all guests of high and -low degree. Judging from an ancient document, the -castle was richly furnished. According to this inventory, -there were eighty-six beds, five of them so sumptuous -that they were valued at £110 sterling each. There were -forty carpets, and a library worth more than £200. -These figures would not, perhaps, seem large to a -twentieth-century millionaire, but they indicate a scale of -magnificence almost without parallel in the period when -this castle flourished. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-128"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-128.jpg" alt="CAERLAVEROCK CASTLE" /> -<br /> -CAERLAVEROCK CASTLE -</p> - -<p> -Caerlaverock was in existence as early as the sixth -century, when it was founded by Lewarch Og. From -him it received the name of Caer Lewarch Og, which in -Gaelic signifies 'the city or fortress of Lewarch Og.' This -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P129"></a>129}</span> -was subsequently corrupted to Caer-laverock. In the -beginning of the fourteenth century it was besieged and -captured by Edward I and recovered by Robert Bruce, -changing hands twice again during the wars for -independence that ensued. Murdoch, Duke of Albany, who -was arrested for treason on the return of James I from -exile, was imprisoned in one of these towers, and the -castle was the residence of James V when he heard the -news that broke his heart, the defeat of his forces at -Solway Moss and the serious disaffection of his nobles. -</p> - -<p> -On the day of our visit the ruin made a charming -picture. The sky was partly filled with cumulus clouds -of a foamy, filmy whiteness through the open spaces of -which the sun was shining brightly. The clear water of -the moat reflected the azure tint of the heavens, so that -the old ruin, its turrets and walls thickly covered with -the deep green of the ivy, was clearly defined against a -background of white, bordered above and below with -shades of the loveliest blue. The dry, yellow grass of the -field in the foreground, the green rushes bordering the -moat, some purple flowers at the base of the turrets and -hundreds of bright golden wallflowers in the broken -interstices of the walls completed a brilliancy of colour -which I have seldom seen equalled in any landscape. -</p> - -<p> -The surroundings of Caerlaverock do not in any way -correspond with the environments of Ellangowan Auld -Place. I had already learned, however, not to depend -too much upon geographical considerations. It requires -only a superficial knowledge of Scott's method of work -to understand that while he was a most careful observer -of all that interested him and wrote many accurate -descriptions of scenery, he did not hesitate to use his -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P130"></a>130}</span> -material with a free hand. It was perfectly simple for -him to transplant an old ruin, which admirably fitted -one requirement of the story, to a rocky coast, thirty -or forty miles away, where the other necessary features -were to be found, or even to combine two different parts -of the coast for his purpose. -</p> - -<p> -We found it necessary, therefore, to return to Dumfries, -for there is no bridge below the city, and there, -crossing the river, travel again to the south, this time -on the west shore, to the town of Kirkcudbright, where -we stopped long enough to learn to pronounce the name -('Kir-koo'bry') and to have our lunch. Then, continuing -southward, we stopped our motor at Balmae, the -country-seat of Lady Selkirk, and walked about a mile to -the rocky coast of the Solway at Torr's Point, where we -could enjoy a superb view of the Irish Sea, the English -coast far away on the left, and the Isle of Man, faintly -visible in the distance. The coast is high and rocky. It is -broken into many coves or bays, which were a convenient -resort for pirates and smugglers. It would be easy to -imagine Ellangowan Auld Place situated on one of these -cliffs, except that some other features have to be taken -from another part of the coast. Scott's description of -the smuggling trade carried on by Dirk Hatteraick and -others of his kind was taken from the local traditions. -The coast, to sailors who knew it well, offered many a -haven of refuge, but was an extremely dangerous place -for a stranger ship. There are many stories current -regarding the exploits of Paul Jones, who was a native of -Kirkcudbright. After embracing the American cause -in the War of the Revolution, he cruised in his little -ship, the Ranger, along the coasts of England and Scotland, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P131"></a>131}</span> -his familiarity with the Solway enabling him to -make use of its numerous coves to excellent advantage. -</p> - -<p> -To complete the investigation of the scenery which -Scott supposed to be within a mile of Ellangowan, I -made another long journey the next day, taking the -train from Dumfries to Kirkcudbright and thence -driving westward by pony-cart, through Gatehouse-of-Fleet -to Ravenshall Point on the coast of Wigtown Bay. -Here we put up the horse at a farm and walked westward -along the shore, my driver acting as guide. Chancing -to meet a gentleman whose family are large land-holders -in the neighbourhood, I was conducted to the -Gauger's Loup,[<a id="chap09fn1text"></a><a href="#chap09fn1">1</a>] a cliff on the rocky coast, beneath which -were some huge rocks that had dislodged and fallen to -the shore. At this point a revenue officer was once -attacked by smugglers and thrown over the cliffs, dashing -out his brains on the ragged rocks below. This -well-known incident gave Scott the basis for his account of -the death of Kennedy. Standing on this cliff, my new-found -friend pointed out a notch in a distant hill, called -the 'Nick of the Doon,' which he said local tradition -assigned as the place where Meg Merrilies pronounced -her malediction upon the Laird of Ellangowan. Not -many hundred yards away is the original of Dirk -Hatteraick's Cave, so called because it was once used by -smugglers and particularly by a Dutch skipper named -Yawkins, who was the prototype of Scott's famous -character. To reach it by direct line was impossible, so we -walked down the road a quarter of a mile, crossed a -field, climbed a stone wall, and dropped into a thick -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P132"></a>132}</span> -wood. Here the land sloped at an angle of forty-five -degrees. The ground was thickly covered with garlic, -emitting a strong odour. We finally reached the rocks -and began a scramble worthy of a mountain goat, until -at last we discovered the cave. The entrance is a narrow -opening between two great rocks, barely large enough -to admit a man of moderate size. We could look down a -steep incline of about thirty feet, full of dirt and slime. -It would be very easy to enter, for it would be like -pushing a cork into an empty bottle. The difficulty would -be to get the cork out. Having no desire to experiment, -I took the guide's word for it, that the cave is about -sixty feet long, from six to twelve feet wide, and high -enough for a man to stand erect. It would, therefore, -afford plenty of room for the crew of a smuggler's boat -and a large cargo of whiskey and other contraband stores. -</p> - -<p> -I asked the driver to impersonate Dirk Hatteraick for -a few minutes, and he, good-naturedly, complied, crawling -into the opening, which he completely filled, and looking -out at me with a pipe in his mouth and a broad grin. -I took his picture, but his honest young face and -amiable smile made a very poor pose for the desperate old -smuggler. It served, however, to show the small size -of the opening, which might easily have been -concealed by shrubbery or brushwood. -</p> - -<p> -Scott's information regarding this coast came from -Joseph Train, a resident of Newton-Stewart, a town in -Galloway on the river Cree, just above its outlet into -Wigtown Bay. He was an excise officer who performed -his duties faithfully. He had early in life developed a -passion for antiquarian research as well as a taste for -poetry. With a friend he had begun the collection -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P133"></a>133}</span> -of material for a History of Galloway, when he was -surprised and delighted to receive a letter from Walter -Scott, asking for some copies of a poem which he had -written. In a subsequent letter Scott asked for any -local traditions or legends which he did not wish to -turn to his own account, adding, 'Nothing interests me -so much as local anecdotes; and, as the applications for -charity usually conclude, the smallest donation will -be thankfully received.' -</p> - -<p> -Train immediately abandoned the idea of attempting -any work of original authorship and determined to -devote himself to collecting material for the benefit of -one who could make far better use of it,—a decision -in which his friend acquiesced. 'Upon receiving -Mr. Scott's letter,' he said, 'I became still more zealous in -the pursuit of ancient lore, and being the first person -who had attempted to collect old stories in that quarter -with any view to publication, I became so noted, that -even beggars, in the hope of reward, came frequently -from afar to Newton-Stewart, to recite old ballads and -relate old stories to me.' -</p> - -<p> -In later years Train often visited Abbotsford; a -genuine affection sprang up between him and the novelist; -he became one of the few who knew the secret of the -authorship of 'Waverley'; and no other of the author's -many friends ever did so much in furnishing him material -of the kind he wanted. Not only stories and ballads, -but more tangible objects of antiquarian interest were -picked up by him and forwarded to his patron. One of -the most interesting possessions now in the study at -Abbotsford is the Wallace Chair, made from the wood -of the house in which Sir William Wallace -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P134"></a>134}</span> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Was done to death by felon hand<br /> - For guarding well his fathers' land.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The chair was made under the direction of Train and -presented by him to Sir Walter 'as a small token of -gratitude.' -</p> - -<p> -Besides giving Scott many descriptions of scenery -and much local history, Train supplied a collection of -anecdotes of the Galloway gipsies, and a story about an -astrologer which reminded Scott of a similar story he -had heard in his youth. This tale, as related to the -novelist by an old servant of his father's, named John -MacKinlay, appears in full in the Introduction to 'Guy -Mannering.' Later Mr. Train put in writing 'The -Durham Garland,' a ballad which was recited to him by a -Mrs. Young, of Castle Douglas, who had been in the -habit of repeating the verses to her family once a year in -order not to forget them. It contains practically the -same story. This old tale, reappearing in several -different ways, became the basis of the novel.[<a id="chap09fn2text"></a><a href="#chap09fn2">2</a>] -</p> - -<p> -In January, 1813, Scott wrote to his friend, Morritt, -mentioning a murder case in Galloway where the -identity of the murderer was discovered by means of a -footprint left upon the clay floor of the cottage where the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P135"></a>135}</span> -death struggle took place. The 'old ram-headed sheriff,' -nicknamed 'Leatherhead,' suddenly became sagacious. -He advertised that all persons in the neighbourhood -would be expected to be present at the burial of the -victim and to attest their own innocence. This would be -certain to include the murderer. When the people were -assembled in the kirk he caused all the doors to be locked, -and carefully measured the shoes of all present until he -found the guilty man. The method by which the astute -Counsellor Pleydell trapped Dirk Hatteraick was clearly -suggested by this incident. -</p> - -<p> -It will be seen from the above that the story was put -together from fragments of Galloway incidents, mostly -supplied by Train, and from various legal experiences -known to the author. -</p> - -<p> -Scott himself made a visit to Dumfries in 1807, when -he spent several days visiting Sweetheart Abbey, -Caerlaverock Castle, and other ancient buildings. Mr. Guthrie -Wright, who made the trip with him, wrote: 'I need -hardly say how much I enjoyed the journey. Every one -who had the pleasure of his acquaintance knows the -inexhaustible store of anecdote and good humour he -possessed. He recited poetry and old legends from morn -until night, and in short it is impossible that anything -could be more delightful than his society.' -</p> - -<p> -When Scott made his visit to the English Lakes in -1797, he became impressed with the beauty of -Westmoreland and Cumberland and particularly with the -grandeur of the chain of mountains of which Skiddaw -and Saddleback are the best known. It was in this -pleasant country that he placed the home of Colonel -Mannering. It will be remembered that Scott returned -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P136"></a>136}</span> -from that excursion, through Cumberland to Gilsland. -This is the route which he selected for Harry Bertram -on his return to Scotland after many years. Bertram -(or Brown, as he was then called) paused to view the -remains of an old Roman wall, precisely as Scott himself -had done. There are many such ruins in the vicinity of -Gilsland, all remnants of the wall which it is believed -the Roman general Agricola built from the Tyne to the -Solway Firth about A.D. 79. One of these suggested to -Scott the lines which he addressed to a lady friend in the -year of his first visit:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Take these flowers, which, purple waving,<br /> - On the ruined rampart grew,<br /> - Where, the sons of freedom braving,<br /> - Rome's imperial standards flew.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Warriors from the breach of danger<br /> - Pluck no longer laurels there;<br /> - They but yield the passing stranger<br /> - Wild-flower wreaths for Beauty's hair.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -A few miles from Amboglanna, the most interesting -of these remains, in the village of Gilsland, is a neat little -building, occupied by a store, which is pointed out as -'Mump's Ha'.' It has been so much rebuilt that it now -suggests but little of the disreputable Border inn which -once marked the site, nor does the present well-kept -village suggest much of the scene that was supposed to -greet the eyes of Bertram on his approach. The alehouse -was the resort of Border thieves, and its reputation was -so bad that a man known to possess a fair supply of -money dared not remain overnight. Tib Mumps, the -landlady, who was secretly in league with the freebooters -who came to her place, was a real character; or perhaps -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P137"></a>137}</span> -it would be better to say there were two women, either -of whom might have served for her prototype. The -tavern was kept by Margaret Carrick, who died in 1717 -at the age of one hundred years. She was succeeded by -her granddaughter, Margaret Teasdale, who lived to be -ninety-eight. Both are buried in the churchyard of -Over-Denton, a mile away. Scott no doubt heard much -about them both at the time of his visit, and also the -story of 'Fighting Charlie of Liddesdale' which -suggested some of the material for the exploits of Dandie -Dinmont. -</p> - -<p> -Dandie was one of those 'real characters' who are not -'real' because there were a dozen of him. In Scott's -so-called raids into Liddesdale, where he 'had a home in -every farmhouse,' he met many prototypes of Dandie. -James Davidson, one of these worthy farmers, possessed -a large family of terriers, all of whom he named -Mustard and Pepper, according as they were yellow or -greyish black. For this reason and because of his great -passion for fox-hunting, the name of Dandie Dinmont -became fixed upon him. Far from resenting it, Davidson -considered that he had achieved a great honour. -</p> - -<p> -Robert Shortreed, Scott's guide through Liddesdale, -fixed upon Willie Elliott, of Millburnholm, the first of -these farmers whom Scott visited, as the real Dandie. -Lockhart, however, gives the honour to neither, and -believes that Scott built up the description of this kind -and manly character and of his gentle wife, Ailie, from -his observation of the early home of William Laidlaw, -who later became the novelist's amanuensis and one of -his most affectionate friends. -</p> - -<p> -At 'Mump's Ha', Bertram first met the old witch, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P138"></a>138}</span> -Meg Merrilies, who played so important a part in his -destiny. Scott, as a boy attending school at Kelso, had -made several visits to Kirk Yetholm, a village near the -English Border, then known as the capital of the gipsies. -A certain gipsy soldier, having rendered a service -to the Laird of Kirk Yetholm in 1695, was allowed to -settle on his estate, which thereafter was the headquarters -of the tribe. Scott remembered being accosted on -one of his visits by a 'woman of more than female -height, dressed in a long red cloak,' who gave him an -apple. This woman was Madge Gordon, who was the -Queen of the Yetholm tribes. She was a granddaughter -of Jean Gordon, whom she greatly resembled in appearance. -An interesting story of the latter, who was the -real Meg Merrilies, is told in the Introduction to 'Guy -Mannering.' -</p> - -<p> -The royal name of the gipsies was Faa, supposed to -be a corruption of Pharaoh from whom they claimed -descent. Gabriel Faa, the nephew of Meg Merrilies, -was a character whom Scott met when on an excursion -with James Skene. 'He was one of those vermin-destroyers,' -says Skene, 'who gain a subsistence among the -farmers in Scotland by relieving them of foxes, polecats, -rats, and such-like depredators. The individual in question -was a half-witted, stuttering, and most original-looking -creature, ingeniously clothed in a sort of tattered -attire, to no part of which could any of the usual -appellations of man's garb be appropriately given. We came -suddenly upon this crazy sportsman in one of the wild -glens of Roxburghshire, shouting and bellowing on the -track of a fox, which his not less ragged pack of mongrels -were tracking around the rocky face of a hill. He was -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P139"></a>139}</span> -like a scarecrow run off, with some half-dozen grey-plaided -shepherds in pursuit of him, with a reserve of -shaggy curs yelping at their heels.' -</p> - -<p> -Scott was able to write the vivid description of the -salmon-spearing incident, in which Gabriel lets the -torch drop into the water just as one of the fishermen had -speared a thirty-pound fish, because the sport was one -of his own favourite amusements. One night in January, -he, with James Skene, Hogg the Ettrick Shepherd, and -one or two others, were out on the Tweed by the side of -Elibank. They had a fine, blazing light and the salmon -were plentiful. The boat, however, was a crazy old -craft, and just as they reached the deepest pool in the -river she began to sink. His companions begged him to -push for the shore, but Scott, in great glee, replied, 'Oh, -she goes fine,' and began some verses of an old song:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - An gin the boat war bottomless,<br /> - An seven miles to row,—<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -when the boat suddenly went to the bottom. Nothing -worse than a good drenching happened to any of the -party and Scott enjoyed the experience heartily. -</p> - -<p> -While attending lectures in the University of Edinburgh, -it happened frequently that Scott sat by the side -of a modest but diligent student, whose extreme poverty -was quite obvious. This did not deter him from making -a companion of the boy, and they often walked together -in the country. Toward the end of the session, he was -strolling alone one day when he saw his friend talking, -in a confidential manner, with an old beggar to whom he -had often given small sums of money. Observing some -confusion on the part of the young man, he made some -inquiries, and learned that the beggar was his friend's -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P140"></a>140}</span> -father. It was characteristic of Scott's generous heart -that he did not allow this fact to break the acquaintance, -but with great sympathy he kept the secret. Some time -later he called by special request of the old man at the -latter's humble cottage, where he found his fellow -student, pale and emaciated from a recent illness. He -learned that the old man had saved enough for his own -maintenance, but had voluntarily subjected himself to -the humiliation of professional mendicancy for no other -purpose than to pay for his son's college expenses. In -the course of the conversation the poor father often -expressed the hope that his bairn 'might wag his pow in a -pulpit yet.' These are the words attributed to the -parents of Dominie Sampson, of whom the poor lad was -the earliest suggestion. When the family came to live -at Abbotsford, a tutor for Walter, the eldest son, was -required. Scott, always eager to help the unfortunate, -employed George Thomson, 'a gallant son of the church,' -who by accident had lost a leg. He was 'tall, vigorous, -athletic, a dauntless horseman, and expert at the -single-stick.' Scott often said of him, 'In the Dominie, like -myself, accident has spoiled a capital lifeguardsman.' He -was a man of many eccentricities and peculiarities of -disposition, among them a remarkable absent-mindedness, -but kind-hearted, faithful, upright, and an excellent -scholar. In these respects he was the prototype of -Dominie Sampson, though the story of the latter's -devotion to Lucy Bertram in the days of her adversity is -based upon an incident in the life of another person. -</p> - -<p> -Counsellor Pleydell, whom Dominie Sampson regarded -as 'a very erudite and fa-ce-ti-ous person,' was generally -identified, by those who knew Edinburgh a century -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P141"></a>141}</span> -ago, with Mr. Andrew Crosbie,[<a id="chap09fn3text"></a><a href="#chap09fn3">3</a>] a flourishing member -of the Scottish Bar of that period. Eminent lawyers -were then in the habit of meeting their clients in taverns, -where important business was transacted to the -accompaniment of drinking and revelry. This typical old -Scottish gentleman of real life lived in Lady Stair's Close -and later in Advocate's Close, both resembling the -quarters assigned to Counsellor Pleydell. In those days, -the extremely high buildings, crowded closely together -in that part of the Old Town nearest to the Parliament -House, were occupied by the elite of Edinburgh society. -They were ten and twelve stories high and reached by -narrow winding stairs. Access from High Street was -gained by means of narrow and often steep alleyways or -closes. As a rule the more aristocratic and exclusive -families lived on the top floors, and as there were no -elevators, it might be said, the higher a man's social -position, the more he had to work for his living. -</p> - -<p> -Like his brethren in the profession, Mr. Crosbie had -his favourite tavern, where he could always be found by -any of the 'cadies'[<a id="chap09fn4text"></a><a href="#chap09fn4">4</a>] in the street. This was Dawny -Douglas's tavern in Anchor Close, the meeting-place of -the 'Crochallan Fencibles,' a convivial club of which -William Smellie, a well-known printer and editor of the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P142"></a>142}</span> -day, was the inspiring genius, and where Robert Burns, -when in Edinburgh, joined heartily in the bacchanalian -revels which were famous for their duration and -intensity. Smellie's printing-office in this close was -frequented by some of the most eminent literary men -of the day. -</p> - -<p> -The game of 'High Jinks' was played on Saturday -nights in Douglas's tavern very much as described in -the novel. Clerihugh's, which Scott mentions as -Mr. Pleydell's resort, was a somewhat more respectable -place in Writers' Court. -</p> - -<p> -It is a curious fact that Mr. Crosbie had a clerk very -much like Pleydell's 'Driver,' who could write from -dictation just as well, asleep or awake, drunk or sober, and -whose principal recommendation was that he could -always be found at the same tavern, while less 'steady' -fellows often had half a dozen. The incident which -Mr. Pleydell relates to Colonel Mannering, of how certain -legal papers were prepared while both lawyer and clerk -were intoxicated, was, we are assured by the author, no -uncommon occurrence. It will be remembered that -Mr. Pleydell had been dining on Saturday night and at a -late hour, when he 'had a fair tappit hen[<a id="chap09fn5text"></a><a href="#chap09fn5">5</a>] under his -belt,' was asked to draw up some papers. Driver was -sent for and brought in both speechless and motionless. -He was unable to see the inkstand, and it was necessary -for some one to dip the pen in the ink. Nevertheless he -was able to write as handsomely as ever and the net -result of this attempt to 'worship Bacchus and Themis' -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P143"></a>143}</span> -at the same time, was a document in which 'not three -words required to be altered.' -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-142"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-142.jpg" alt="EDINBURGH FROM THE CASTLE" /> -<br /> -EDINBURGH FROM THE CASTLE -</p> - -<p> -Crosbie's clerk, though a dissipated wretch, was well -versed in the law. He had been known to destroy a -paper in his employer's writing and draw up a better one -himself. An old Scotchman used to say that 'he would -not give ——'s drunken glour at a paper for the serious -opinions of the haill bench.' -</p> - -<p> -Unfortunately, both Crosbie and his clerk gave up the -'steady' habit of drinking at a single tavern and in later -life began to frequent many places. The result was the -complete ruin of both. Scott's highly amusing account -of the convivial habits of Counsellor Pleydell and his -dissipated clerk is a fairly accurate, if not entirely -complimentary picture of the daily life of a certain class of -prominent lawyers in Edinburgh, in the middle of the -eighteenth century. The more pleasing side of Pleydell's -character was taken from Adam Rolland, an old friend -of Scott's, who died at the age of eighty-five, four years -after 'Guy Mannering' was published. He was an -accomplished gentleman, an excellent scholar, an eminent -lawyer, and a man of the highest probity and Christian -character. He would have been quite incapable of such -a performance as 'high jinks.' -</p> - -<p> -As in many of his other novels, Scott makes the -subordinate characters of 'Guy Mannering' the most -interesting. Dominie Sampson, Dandie Dinmont, Meg -Merrilies, Dirk Hatteraick, and Paulus Pleydell are -original creations of strong, dramatic interest. Each had -a prototype in real life, but it was the genius of the -novelist that brought them into existence in the sense -that Mr. Pickwick and Becky Sharp are real people, and -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P144"></a>144}</span> -conferred upon them a kind of immortality that will be -as sure to delight the generations of the future as they -have been successful in appealing to the readers of the -past century. -</p> - -<p> -As to Colonel Mannering himself, I need only repeat -the exclamation of James Hogg when he first read the -novel:—'Colonel Mannering is just Walter Scott -painted by himself!' Though doubtless not intended -for a portrait, the fine, dignified, soldierly, and scholarly -colonel is the picture of a perfect gentleman, intended -to embody the high ideals which were a part of Scott's -own character and for which we like to remember him. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap09fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap09fn1text">1</a>] A 'Gauger' is an excise officer and 'Loup' is Scottish -for 'leap.' -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap09fn2"></a> -[<a href="#chap09fn2text">2</a>] Another story, some of the details -of which may have suggested a -part of the plot, concerns the experiences -of James Annesley, a full -account of which appeared in <i>The Gentleman's Magazine</i> -of July, 1840, -and is reprinted in full in Lockhart's -<i>Life of Scott</i>, vol. v. -Lockhart says, -'That Sir Walter must have read the record -of this celebrated trial, as -well as Smollett's edition of the story in <i>Peregrine Pickle</i>, -there can be no -doubt.' The trial took place in 1743. -It suggested, perhaps, something -of the method by which Glossin undertook -to deprive Harry Bertram of -his rights. Another legal case, -which came within Scott's own knowledge -and may have suggested some of the details -of the novel, was related by -him in a letter to Lady Abercorn. -See <i>Familiar Letters of Sir Walter Scott</i>, -vol. 1, p. 292. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap09fn3"></a> -[<a href="#chap09fn3text">3</a>] As Crosbie died when Scott was only fourteen, -the novelist could -scarcely have known him personally; on the other hand, -he could hardly -have failed to hear the stories of such an individual, -whose exploits were -well known to the frequenters of Parliament Square. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap09fn4"></a> -[<a href="#chap09fn4text">4</a>] These cadies (or caddies, -a name that has become familiar through -the introduction of the Scotch game of golf) -were a class of men and boys -who in the eighteenth century frequented -the law courts of Edinburgh, -eager to be employed upon any errand. -They knew the particular -haunts of all the lawyers of any consequence, -and never dreamed of looking for anybody at his own home, -or in any place other than the special -tavern which he was known to frequent. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap09fn5"></a> -[<a href="#chap09fn5text">5</a>] The 'Tappit Hen' was a pewter mug, -with the figure of a hen on the -lid. It held three quarts of claret, -which was drawn from the tap,—hence the name. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap10"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P145"></a>145}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER X -<br /> -THE ANTIQUARY -</h3> - -<p> -Washington Irving's story of a week spent with Scott -at Abbotsford always leaves in my mind an indescribable -thrill of pleasure. Partly because Irving really did -have a delightful experience such as falls to the lot of -few men and partly because he knew, better than others, -how to transfer his own pleasurable emotions to the -minds of other people, it is certain that, to my mind at -least, there is no single sketch in all the Scott literature, -not even in Lockhart's brilliant work, that throws a -stronger light upon the Great Wizard's character or -illuminates a more attractive picture. -</p> - -<p> -It was a happy week for the American visitor, and I -imagine it contained no happier moment than when the -younger author nestled by the side of his warm-hearted -friend, under the lee of a sheltering bank during a -shower, the plaid of the Scotchman closely wrapped -around them both, while the enchanting flow of -anecdote, reminiscence, and whimsical suggestion went -merrily on in spite of the Scottish mist. It was in the -course of their walk on this particular morning that -Scott stopped at the cottage of a labourer on his estate -to examine some tongs that had been dug up in the -Roman camp near by. 'As he stood regarding the relic,' -says Irving, 'turning it round and round, and making -comments on it, half grave, half comic, with the cottage -group around him, all joining occasionally in the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P146"></a>146}</span> -colloquy, the inimitable character of Monkbarns was again -brought to mind and I seemed to see before me that -prince of antiquarians and humourists, holding forth to -his unlearned and unbelieving neighbours.' There was -something peculiarly delightful about Scott's antiquarianism. -He seemed to feel that those who were without -his own knowledge of values were inclined to smile at -his enthusiasm, and whenever he talked on his favourite -subject there was an undercurrent of sly humour which -gave an exquisite flavour to his conversation. The -discovery of anything ancient, whether a ruined castle, a -broadsword or sporran from the Highlands, or a scrap -of some old ballad, gave him the greatest pleasure, and -nothing afforded his friends more enjoyment than to be -able to present him with such relics and curiosities as -they knew he would appreciate. A casual walk through -the Entrance Hall and Armory of Abbotsford, where -hundreds of helmets, suits of armour, swords, guns, pistols, -and curiosities of infinite variety are displayed, is -enough to suggest to any one that Sir Walter himself -was the real Jonathan Oldbuck of 'The Antiquary.' A -glance at the Library, with its collection of twenty -thousand rare old volumes, is enough to prove that Scott, -like Monkbarns, was not only an antiquary but a bibliophile -as well. Who but a genuine enthusiast could have -written that chapter in which the worthy Mr. Oldbuck -exhibits the treasures of his sanctum sanctorum to -Mr. Lovel? 'These little Elzevirs are the memoranda and -trophies of many a walk by night and morning through -the Cowgate, the Canongate, the Bow, St. Mary's -Wynd,—wherever, in fine, there were to be found -brokers and trokers, those miscellaneous dealers in things -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P147"></a>147}</span> -rare and curious. How often have I stood haggling on -a half penny, lest, by a too ready acquiescence in the -dealer's first price, he should be led to suspect the value I -set upon the article!—how have I trembled, lest some -passing stranger should chop in between me and the -prize, and regarded each poor student of divinity that -stopped to turn over the books at the stall as a rival -amateur, or prowling bookseller in disguise!—And, -then, Mr. Lovel, the sly satisfaction with which one -pays the consideration, and pockets the article, affecting -a cold indifference, while the hand is trembling with -pleasure!' -</p> - -<p> -It was during the visit to Prestonpans, previously mentioned, -that Scott, a child of six, first made the acquaintance -of George Constable, an old friend of his father's, -who resided near Dundee. He must have learned from -this gentleman something which started in him the -antiquarian instincts, for, as he himself has remarked, -'children derive impulses of a powerful and important -kind in hearing things which they cannot entirely -comprehend.' Certainly he put enough of Mr. Constable into -the description of Jonathan Oldbuck to cause various -friends to recognize him; and as Constable's intimacy -with Scott's father was well known, this gave colour to -the suspicion that Scott himself was the unknown author -of 'The Antiquary.' But even a more faithful delineation -of George Constable than the book contains would -have failed to bring out the real charm of the delightful -Oldbuck. It is the Scott part of his nature that we really -enjoy. -</p> - -<p> -Next to the Antiquary himself, old Edie Ochiltree is -the character who is chiefly responsible for the pleasant -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P148"></a>148}</span> -flavour of this book. He is a mendicant whom it is a real -pleasure to meet. His amiable nature, his sly good -humour, and his genuine friendliness win your affection -in the beginning and hold it to the very end. He is a -picture drawn from real life, though it is probable that -old Andrew Gemmels, his prototype, did not possess the -many endearing qualities with which the novelist invested Edie. -</p> - -<p> -The 'blue gowns' of the south of Scotland were a class -of licensed beggars, known as the 'King's Bedesmen.' The -number of them was supposed to be the same as the -years of the King's life, so it was necessary to initiate a -new member of the aristocracy of paupers every year. -At every royal birthday each bedesman received a new -light-blue cloak or gown and a pewter badge, together -with a purse containing as many pennies as the years of -the King's life. Their sole duty was to pray for long life -for the King, which, considering that the older the -sovereign the larger the purse, they might very cheerfully -do. In return, all laws against beggars were suspended -in their favour, and the 'blue gowns' went about from -house to house, fairly assured of food and lodging and -seemingly free from care. -</p> - -<p> -The service of the 'blue gown' to the community is -best set forth in the words of Edie Ochiltree, who -apparently considered himself a public benefactor:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -And then what wad a' the country about do for want o' -auld Edie Ochiltree, that brings news and country cracks -frae ae farm-steading to anither and gingerbread to the lasses, -and helps the lads to mend their fiddles and the gudewives -to clout their pans, and plaits rush-swords and grenadier -caps for the weans and busks the lairds' flees, and has skill o' -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P149"></a>149}</span> -cow-ills and horse-ills, and kens mair auld sangs and tales -than a' the barony besides, and gars ilka body laugh -whereever he comes? Troth, my leddy, I canna lay down my -vocation; it would be a public loss. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Andrew Gemmels was well known throughout the -Border country of Scotland for more than half a century -as a professional beggar or 'gaberlunzie.' He had been a -soldier in his youth and maintained his erect military -carriage even in old age. He was very tall and carried a -walking-stick almost as high as himself. His features -were strongly intellectual, but marked by a certain -fierceness and austerity of expression, the result of his -long and peculiar contact with all sorts of hard -experiences. Scott, who had often met him, comments upon -his remarkable gracefulness. With his striking attitudes -he would have made a fine model for an artist. One of -his chief assets was an unusual power of sarcasm, coupled -with a keen wit, the fear of which often gained for him -favours which might otherwise have been denied. He -was full of reminiscences of the wars and of adventures -in foreign lands, which he told in a droll fashion, coupled -with a shrewd wit, that always made him an entertaining -visitor. He wandered about the country at pleasure, -demanding entertainment as a right, which was accorded -usually without question. His preference as to sleeping -quarters was the stable or some outbuilding where cattle -were kept. He never burdened anybody, usually appearing -at the same place only once or twice a year. He -always had money—frequently more than those of -whom he begged. When a certain parsimonious gentleman -expressed regret that he had no silver in his pocket -or he would have given him sixpence, Andrew promptly -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P150"></a>150}</span> -replied, 'I can give you change for a note, laird.' In later -years he travelled about on his own horse, a very good -one, and carried a gold watch. He died at the age of a -hundred and six years, leaving enough wealth to enrich -a nephew, who became a considerable landholder. His -tombstone in Roxburgh Churchyard, near Kelso, contains -a quaint carved figure of the mendicant, above -which are the words, 'Behold the end o' it.' This refers -to an incident related by a writer in the 'Edinburgh -Magazine' in 1817, the year after the publication of the -novel:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Many curious anecdotes of Andrew's sarcastic wit and -eccentric manners are current in the Borders. I shall for the -present content myself with one specimen, illustrative of -Andrew's resemblance to his celebrated representative. The -following is given as commonly related with much good -humour by the late Mr. Dodds, of the War-Office, the person -to whom it chiefly refers: Andrew happened to be present -at a fair or market somewhere in Teviotdale (St. Boswell's if -I mistake not) where Dodds, at that time a non-commissioned -officer in His Majesty's service, happened also to be with a -military party recruiting. It was some time during the -American War, when they were eagerly beating up for fresh -men—to teach passive obedience to the obdurate and ill-mannered -Columbians; and it was then the practice for recruiting -sergeants, after parading for a due space with all the warlike -pageantry of drums, trumpets, 'glancing blades, and gay -cockades,' to declaim in heroic strains the delights of the -soldier's life, of glory, patriotism, plunder, the prospect of -promotion for the bold and the young, and His Majesty's -munificent pension for the old and the wounded, etc., etc. -Dodds, who was a man of much natural talent, and whose -abilities afterwards raised him to an honourable rank and -independent fortune, had made one of his most brilliant -speeches on this occasion. A crowd of ardent and anxious -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P151"></a>151}</span> -rustics were standing round, gaping with admiration at the -imposing mien, and kindling at the heroic eloquence, of the -manly soldier, whom many of them had known a few years -before as a rude tailor boy; and the sergeant himself, already -leading in idea a score of new recruits, had just concluded, -in a strain of more than usual elevation, his oration in praise -of the military profession, when Gemmels, who, in tattered -guise, was standing close behind him, reared aloft his <i>meal-pocks</i> -on the end of his kent or pike-staff, and exclaimed, with -a tone and aspect of the most profound derision, 'Behold the -end o' it!' The contrast was irresistible—the beau-ideal of -Sergeant Dodds, and the ragged reality of Andrew Gemmels, -were sufficiently striking; and the former, with his -red-coat followers, beat a retreat in some confusion, amidst -the loud and universal laughter of the surrounding multitude. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The character of the old 'gaberlunzie,' as revealed in -this anecdote, was so faithfully transferred by the -novelist to Edie Ochiltree, that in spite of some -embellishments he was immediately recognized. -</p> - -<p> -To study the scenery of 'The Antiquary,' we went to -Arbroath, a town on the east coast of Scotland, which -traces its beginnings back to the twelfth century. This -is the original of Fairport, and we found all of the -scenery of the novel in the immediate neighbourhood. -In the midst of a shower which threatened destruction -to all photographic attempts, we made our first visit to -the ruins of the Abbey of St. Thomas, the original of -St. Ruth's. It was a disappointment to find this ruin in -the heart of the city, instead of a 'wild, sequestered -spot,' where a 'pure and profound lake' discharged itself -into a 'huddling and tumultuous brook.' But the Wizard -always reserved the right to transplant his ruined castles -and abbeys to suit his taste, and he was quite justified -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P152"></a>152}</span> -in transferring St. Ruth's to more romantic surroundings, -particularly as there is a deep ravine known as Seaton -Den, on the coast north of Arbroath, which answers -every requirement. -</p> - -<p> -Thanks to the British Government, which took -charge of the abbey in 1815, there is still left enough of -the walls to make a picturesque ruin of considerable -extent. For two centuries previously the people of the -village freely used the stones for building purposes. It is -necessary to go back six centuries to find the church in -its full perfection, when it was one of the richest and -most sumptuously furnished establishments in Scotland. -In the year 1320, a parliament was held in the abbey by -King Robert the Bruce, and a letter, regarded as one of -the most remarkable documents in early British history, -was sent to the Pope, appealing for a recognition of -Scottish independence. -</p> - -<p> -The original abbey was founded in the year 1178 by -William the Lion, a Scottish monarch whose name is -associated with nearly all of the principal buildings which -form the scenes of 'The Antiquary.' It was dedicated -to St. Thomas of Canterbury, the famous Thomas à -Becket, whom William had met at the court of the -English King, Henry II, when a young man. From ancient -documents it would seem that the monastery was maintained -in a state of great opulence and that it was open -to all comers, rich and poor alike. -</p> - -<p> -The predominating feature of the ruin, as it stands -to-day, is the south wall, containing what the people of -Arbroath call the 'Roond O,' a window twelve feet in -diameter, immediately over the altar of St. Catharine. -Beneath this opening is a gallery with seven arches of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P153"></a>153}</span> -carved stone, suggesting the scene in 'The Antiquary' -where the impostor, Dousterswivel, and Sir Arthur -Wardour are digging for treasure in the ruins, while -Lovel and Edie Ochiltree watch the performance from -just such a place of concealment. We could almost smell -the fumes of the 'suffumigation' and hear the violent -sneezes of old Edie and the terrified ejaculation of -Dousterswivel, 'Alle guten Geistern, loben den Herrn!' -</p> - -<p> -Monkbarns, the home of Jonathan Oldbuck, is closely -associated with the history of the abbey. When the fame -of that establishment had spread throughout Scotland -and England, there were many pilgrimages to the shrine -of St. Thomas à Becket. Many of these pilgrims arrived -sick and exhausted. To provide for them, a rude -hospital was ordered built, about two miles away from the -abbey, on lands now occupied by a handsome building -known as Hospitalfield. In Scott's day this house was -very much less pretentious and might well have corresponded -with his description of an 'irregular and old-fashioned -building, some part of which had belonged to a -grange, or solitary farmhouse, inhabited by the bailiff, -or steward of the monastery, when the place was in -possession of the monks. It was here that the community -stored up the grain which they received as ground-rent -from their vassals; ... and hence, as the present -proprietor loved to tell, came the name of Monkbarns.' Readers -of 'The Antiquary' will remember the altercation -between Oldbuck and his sister when the latter was -requested to make a bed ready for Mr. Lovel. '"A bed? -The Lord preserve us!" ejaculated Grizel. "Why, -what's the matter now? Are there not beds and rooms -enough in the house? Was it not an ancient <i>hospitium</i> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P154"></a>154}</span> -in which, I am warranted to say, beds were nightly -made down for a score of pilgrims?"' -</p> - -<p> -The property has a beautiful situation and is -otherwise so desirable that it passed from the monks into -private hands centuries ago. It finally came into the -possession of Patrick Allan-Fraser, who made such -extensive additions that whatever is left of the original -building owned by the monks is completely covered -up. This public-spirited gentleman, who died in 1890, -left the estate in trust for the benefit and encouragement -of young men who desired to study painting, sculpture, -wood-carving, architecture, or engraving, and the house -is now occupied by teachers and students. It has an art -gallery containing some valuable paintings, sculptures, -and wood-carvings, and a library of old documents and -rare folios that would delight the soul of Jonathan -Oldbuck himself. -</p> - -<p> -It was the most natural thing in the world for us, after -visiting Monkbarns, to seek the residence of his Tory -friend and fellow antiquarian, Sir Arthur Wardour, -although we did not find it within easy walking distance as -might have been inferred. Ethie Castle has been generally -fixed upon by local writers as the original of Knockwinnock. -The present building is one of the country-seats -of the Earl of Northesk. It is a red-stone structure -of considerable antiquity and irregular design, which -nevertheless made a pleasing picture when seen at a -distance of several hundred yards from the front. A tiny -brook crossed by a wooden bridge and flanked by huge -rhododendrons in full bloom made a charming foreground. -Beyond was a sloping field of tall grass, which -had been mown only enough to make a broad path in -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P155"></a>155}</span> -the midst of which were countless thousands of dainty -pink-and-white daisies. On either side were ample groves -of well-foliaged trees, making a vista in which the old red -mansion appeared to excellent advantage. -</p> - -<p> -Ethie Castle was part of the endowment which William -the Lion granted to the Abbey of Aberbrothock. It -therefore dates back to the year 1178. In the sixteenth -century it was the residence of Cardinal Beaton, who -seems to have bequeathed to it the 'Cardinal's Chapel,' -by which name a room in the house is still known and -'the tramp of the Cardinal's leg,' a weird, ghostly sound -of footsteps on the old stone stairs, with which the castle -is haunted. After the death of the Cardinal, a natural -daughter laid claim to the estate. Thus, as with -Knockwinnock, the 'bar-sinister' appears on the escutcheon of -the family. -</p> - -<p> -Directly east of Ethie Castle and not far distant are -the cliffs of Red Head. The coast for some miles north -of Arbroath is a series of huge cliffs, with many strange -caverns and curious rock formations. Almost any of -them, but Red Head perhaps better than the others, -would serve as the scene of the thrilling incident in 'The -Antiquary,' in which Sir Arthur Wardour and his -daughter are overtaken by the tide and rescued with great -difficulty by Saunders Mucklebackit, ably assisted by -Lovel and Edie Ochiltree. Two huge rocks rise almost -perpendicularly from the shore. It is easily conceivable -that any attempt to walk around them, in the face of a -swiftly rising tide, would be fraught with dangerous, if -not fatal, consequences. -</p> - -<p> -The village of Auchmithie, the home of the Mucklebackits, -is situated on one of the cliffs south of Red -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P156"></a>156}</span> -Head. This is the most realistic of all the scenes of 'The -Antiquary.' The village, with the exception of a new -hotel, is practically as it was when Scott was a visitor in -1814. There is but one street, and that has no name; but -the houses are numbered, city-fashion. The post-office -address of an inhabitant would, therefore, give the -number of the house and the name of the town, omitting any -mention of a street; thus the old fisherman, who posed -for me and to whom I mailed a photograph, lives at -Number 58, Auchmithie, Scotland. This old fellow is a -type of the neighbours of Saunders Mucklebackit. The -habits of life of the people, their dress, their occupations, -their houses, their furniture, even their names, are the -same as they were a hundred years ago. I asked the old -man how old his house was. He replied, 'Ou, I dinna -ken hoo auld. I'se seventy-two mysel' and I was born -here and my grandfeyther, too.' Several others of whom -I asked the same question gave substantially the same -answer. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-156"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-156.jpg" alt="AUCHMITHIE" /> -<br /> -AUCHMITHIE -</p> - -<p> -The post-office was in one of these ancient cottages, -with a new front, but otherwise unchanged. Its occupant -was quite communicative. He said it was the original -Cargill Cottage, and that George Cargill, who -occupied it a century ago, was the original Mucklebackit. -'When Walter Scott came to Auchmithie,' said he, 'he -came by boat. There was n't any way to land except -through the breakers and he could n't do that without -getting his feet wet. So Cargill had to carry him ashore -on his back. When he set him down on dry land, Scott -clapped him on the back and said, '"What a muckle -backed fellow you are, Geordie, to be sure!" Muckle, -you see, sir, means "much" or "big," and George had a -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P157"></a>157}</span> -great big broad back, so that's how Walter Scott got the -name, Mucklebackit.' He let me take a photograph -of the interior of the cottage, where a single room served -for bedroom, breakfast-room, kitchen, and numerous -other purposes. I suppose the cottage of Saunders -Mucklebackit must have presented much the same -appearance to Monkbarns when he walked in to attend -the funeral of young Steenie Mucklebackit and won the -hearts of all by performing the office of chief mourner, -according the family the rare honour of having the laird -'carry the head of the deceased to the grave.' -</p> - -<p> -I found a very pleasant family group in front of the -next cottage, and after a few moment's conversation -asked permission to take their picture. Not hearing a -dissenting voice, I understood my request would be -granted and began to set up my camera in the street. -Before I had half made ready, the entire group had -disappeared. The police department of the town then -marched up to me,—one man strong,—and for a -moment I felt afraid I had been violating some law. But -he was only curious, and told me that the people had a -strange aversion to being photographed. I left my -camera all focused and ready in the street and sauntered -with the constable to the side of the road. In a few -minutes a picturesque old fishwife, carrying two large -empty pails in each hand, came out of her house, all -unconscious of the awful presence of a loaded camera -and I quickly stepped out and pressed the bulb. 'That's -Coffee Betz you got then,' laughed the constable. 'She -would n't let you take her picture, but she's one of the -Cargills.' In this way I came as near as possible to -getting a photograph of the original Luckie Mucklebackit -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P158"></a>158}</span> -with whom Monkbarns haggled over the price of a -bannock-fluke and a cock-padle. For the fishwives of -to-day are the same as those of a century ago,—'they -keep the man, and keep the house, and keep the siller, -too.' The men consider their own work ended when the -boat is pulled up on the beach. It is the wife who must -market the fish, which she does by carrying them on her -back to the nearest town, where she must 'scauld and -ban wi' ilka wife that will scauld and ban wi' her' until -the fish are sold. 'Them that sell the goods guide the -purse—them that guide the purse rule the house,' and -therefore by common consent in these communities, the -wife is the head of the family. -</p> - -<p> -Back from Auchmithie is the mansion house of -Kinblethmont, surrounded by some fine old woods. It -will be remembered that Edie Ochiltree was passing -this place on his return from the Earl of Glenallan's -castle when he was arrested on a charge of assaulting -Dousterswivel. Colonel Lindsay, of Kinblethmont, and -the Laird of Hospitalfield were the leaders who took -the direction of affairs when a French privateer named -the 'Dreadnought' threatened the town of Arbroath -in very much the same way as Fairport was menaced -in 'The Antiquary.' The same scenes of excitement -so vividly described in the novel were there enacted. -</p> - -<p> -Scott, however, had passed through a similar experience -himself, which enabled him to write the dramatic -event with greater ease. For several years, in the early -part of the nineteenth century, the people of England -and Scotland were kept in a state of nervous dread by -the expectation of an invasion by the French. Beacons -were erected all along the coast ready to give instant -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P159"></a>159}</span> -alarm, and militia organizations were everywhere kept -in a state of readiness. A false alarm on February 2, -1804, brought out the volunteers of Berwickshire, -Roxburghshire, and Selkirkshire with surprising rapidity. -Scott had gone with his wife for a visit to Gilsland, the -scene of their courtship. He was then a member of the -Edinburgh Volunteers. When the alarm came he -promptly mounted his horse and rode with all speed to -Dalkeith, a distance of one hundred miles, within -twenty-four hours. The alarm had subsided when he -reached his destination, and after a few jolly evenings -with his fellow volunteers he returned to the south. It -was on this hurried trip that he composed a poem, -entitled, 'The Bard's Incantation.' -</p> - -<p> -'The Antiquary' thus closes as it began, with a leaf -out of the author's personal experience. I have no doubt -that he heartily enjoyed its composition. It must have -been an exquisite pleasure to one so appreciative of -genuine humour to caricature his own antiquarian foibles; -to weave into the pages of romance the many tales he -had heard in his youth of a character so interesting as -the old 'gaberlunzie'; and to make the people of his -fancy walk the streets of the ancient seaport town, visit -the old abbey, saunter along the cliffs of the seashore, -or roam about over the adjacent country, where he had -spent many pleasant hours in the company of well-loved friends. -</p> - -<p> -Although Scott's own opinion at first was that 'The -Antiquary' lacked the romance of 'Waverley' and the -adventure of 'Guy Mannering,' yet in subsequent years -he came to regard it as his favourite among all the -Waverley Novels. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap11"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P160"></a>160}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XI -<br /> -THE BLACK DWARF -</h3> - -<p> -Late in the afternoon of a beautiful May day, while on -one of our drives from Melrose, we turned off the main -road a few miles west of Peebles, and, crossing the -Tweed, entered the vale of Manor Water. This secluded -valley, peaceful and charming, would make an ideal -retreat for any one who wished to escape the noise and -confusion of a busy world. The distinguished philosopher -and historian, Dr. Adam Ferguson, found it so, -when in old age he took up his residence at Hallyards, -where his young friend, Walter Scott, paid him a visit in -the memorable summer of 1797. -</p> - -<p> -It was not a desire to retire from worldly activities, -however, or to visit the house of Dr. Ferguson, that led -us into the quiet valley. Our purpose was to see the -former home of one of the strangest human beings who -ever lived; one who found the seclusion of the beautiful -vale well adapted to shield him from the unwelcome -observation of the curious-minded. David Ritchie, or -'Bow'd Davie o' the Wud'use,'[<a id="chap11fn1text"></a><a href="#chap11fn1">1</a>] as he was called, was -for many years a familiar figure to the few farmers of -the valley. He was born about 1735, and lived to be -seventy-six years of age. He had been horribly deformed -from birth. His shoulders were broad and muscular, and -his arms unusually long and powerful, though he could -not lift them higher than his breast. But Nature seemed -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P161"></a>161}</span> -to have omitted providing him with legs and thighs. -The upper part of his body, with proportions seemingly -intended for a giant, was set upon short fin-like legs, so -small that when he stood erect they were almost invisible. -His height was scarcely three feet and a half. His feet -were badly adapted for walking and were kept wrapped -in masses of rags as though they were the particular -feature of which their owner was most ashamed. So -completely did he depend upon the strength of his arms -and chest that, unable to use his feet in the ordinary way -in digging his garden, he contrived a peculiar spade -which he could force into the soil with his breast. With -his great arms he had been known to tear a tree up by -the roots, which had defied the strength of two ordinary -men. -</p> - -<p> -His head was unusually large, particularly behind the -ears. He had a long nose, a wide, ugly mouth, and a -protruding chin covered with a grisly black beard. He had -eyes of piercing black which in moments of excitement -gleamed with wild and awe-inspiring brightness. His -voice was shrill, harsh, and discordant, more like that of -a screech-owl than a human being, and his laugh was -said to be horrible. -</p> - -<p> -His mind corresponded in deformity with his body. -He was eccentric, irritable, jealous, and strangely -superstitious. He was sensitive beyond all reason and could -not endure even the glance of his curious fellow men. -He read insult and scorn in faces where neither was -intended. He thoroughly despised all children and most -strangers. His whole nature seemed to have been -poisoned with bitterness of spirit because he was not -like other men. Scott was introduced to this singular -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P162"></a>162}</span> -individual by Dr. Ferguson, who had taken a great -interest in him. Nineteen years later, and five years after -the death of David Ritchie, he made the recluse of -Manor Valley known to the world as 'The Black Dwarf,' -in the first of the 'Tales of My Landlord.' -</p> - -<p> -We found the cottage a little off the road and not far -from the river, nestling under the brow of a hill. I -should, perhaps, say two cottages, joined together and -nearly of the same size. The one on the left is of -comparatively recent date and has a weather-stained bust of -Sir Walter over the door. The older cottage is divided -by a partition. On the right is a door and window of -ordinary size. On the left is a door three and a half feet -high and a very small window. There is no means of -communication between the two apartments. The left -side was occupied by David Ritchie and the right by -his half-crazed sister, Agnes. There was never any -affection between these two unfortunates, but on the -contrary, and in spite of the loneliness of their lives, -there was an almost complete estrangement. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-162"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-162.jpg" alt="THE BLACK DWARF'S COTTAGE" /> -<br /> -THE BLACK DWARF'S COTTAGE -</p> - -<p> -The cottage has a stone over the dwarf's door -inscribed 'D. R. 1802.' This commemorates the date -when it was built, by the charity of Sir James Nasmyth, -the owner of the land. It replaces a hut built by David -himself in very much the same manner as described in -the novel. With his own hands the dwarf rolled the -heavy stones down from the hill, and with what seemed -to be almost superhuman strength, lifted them into position. -He enlisted the aid of passers-by, however, to help -lift the weightiest ones, which added to the wonderment -of the next comers, who could not know how much he -had been assisted. Scott says he settled on the land -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P163"></a>163}</span> -without asking or receiving permission, but was allowed -to remain when discovered by the good-natured laird. -William Chambers, however, who gave considerable -study to the subject, says that the owner not only gave -him possession of the ground rent-free, but instructed -his servants to render such assistance as might be -required. -</p> - -<p> -The immediate occasion of building a house in this -sequestered neighbourhood was the fact that Ritchie's -painful sensitiveness about his ungainly appearance -made it intolerable for him to remain in Edinburgh, -whither he had gone to learn the trade of brush-making. -Whatever instinct guided him to Manor Water, he could -scarcely have found anywhere in Scotland a location -better adapted to his requirements. -</p> - -<p> -Here the good part of his nature asserted itself—for -there is good in every human being, if only the key can -be discovered that unlocks the secret chambers. The -poor misshapen dwarf found his in the cultivation of a -little garden, shut out from an unsympathetic world by -a stone wall of his own construction. Within this sacred -enclosure a profusion of flowers rankly unfolded their -beauties to his eyes and shrank not from his touch. He -had contrived to obtain some rare exotics and to learn -their scientific names. He planted fruit trees in his -garden and surrounded his little house with willows -and mountain ashes, until he had converted it into a -fairy bower. He found pleasure and profit in the raising -of vegetables, and even cultivated certain medicinal -herbs which he sold or gave to the neighbours. He also -supplied some of the gentlemen of the vicinity with -honey and took great delight in the care of his bees. A -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P164"></a>164}</span> -cat, a dog, and a goat completed the roll of his best-loved -companions. -</p> - -<p> -Besides the pleasure he took in the contemplation of -his own garden, Ritchie was an ardent admirer of the -natural beauty of the country which he had chosen for -his home. 'The soft sweep of the green hill, the bubbling -of a clear fountain or the complexities of a wild thicket, -were scenes on which he often gazed for hours and, as -he said, with inexpressible delight.' He felt that sense -of rest and refreshment from the contemplation of nature -which Bryant has so finely expressed:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - To him who in the love of Nature holds<br /> - Communion with her visible forms, she speaks<br /> - A various language: for his gayer hours<br /> - She has a voice of gladness, and a smile<br /> - And eloquence of beauty, and she glides<br /> - Into his darker musings, with a mild<br /> - And healing sympathy, that steals away<br /> - Their sharpness, ere he is aware.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -To this great comfort, the poor misanthrope added -another—the reading of good books. He was fond of -the history of Wallace, Bruce, and other Scottish heroes, -and he also had a love of poetry. Scott speaks of his -familiarity with 'Paradise Lost' and says he has heard -'his most unmusical voice repeat the celebrated -description of Paradise, which he seemed fully to appreciate.' Though -not a man of orthodox religious beliefs, he would -occasionally speak of the future life with great earnestness -and on such occasions would sometimes burst into -tears. He had chosen a wild and beautiful spot on a -neighbouring hillside for the place of his burial. It was -covered with green ferns and enclosed with a circle of -his favourite rowan or mountain ash, planted with his -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P165"></a>165}</span> -own hands, partly because of their beauty, but largely -on account of their potency in guarding the grave -against evil spirits. He haughtily expressed great -abhorrence of being interred in the parish churchyard with -what he contemptuously called the 'common brush,' -but in the last moments his heart became softened -towards his fellow men, his antipathies relaxed, and his -final wish was that he might be buried with his fathers. -</p> - -<p> -The writing of a novel based upon a character so -grotesque and repellent was not well suited to a man of -Scott's wholesome and genial temperament. He soon -tired of it, and indeed the only satisfaction he got out of -it was in presenting the better side of the Black Dwarf's -nature. He came in time to agree with the criticism of -the publisher, William Blackwood, to which at first -he had strenuously objected, and the novel, originally -intended to be in two volumes, was crowded into one -and hurried to an end, thereby producing a narrative, as -the author facetiously remarked in later years, 'as much -disproportioned and distorted as the Black Dwarf, who -is its subject.' -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="poem"> -<a id="chap11fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap11fn1text">1</a>] Or Bowed Davie of the Woodhouse Farm. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap12"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P166"></a>166}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XII -<br /> -OLD MORTALITY -</h3> - -<p> -In the grounds of the Observatory at Maxwelltown, -across the river from Dumfries, is a small pavilion, -enclosing two sculptured figures. One represents an old -Scotchman, half reclining on a tombstone, a chisel in -his left hand and a mallet resting by his side; the other -is a pony, apparently waiting for his master to arise. -The sculptures were the work of a local artist. They -were disposed of by lottery to a young man, who died -by accident the next day, and they are here deposited as -a curious 'memorial to departed worth.' -</p> - -<p> -The figures, thus used as a monument to the man who -chanced to own them, were intended to represent a very -different person. 'Old Mortality' and his pony were -familiar to the people of Dumfriesshire and other parts -of Scotland for more than forty years. His real name, -as is well known, was Robert Paterson. He was a mason -or stone-cutter by trade, who operated a small quarry. -In middle life he became so thoroughly imbued with the -religious enthusiasm of the Cameronians, of which -austere sect he was a zealous member, that he felt impelled -to desert his wife and five children, in order that he -might perform the duty which, he conceived, had -devolved upon him. This was to travel about the country -and repair the gravestones of the martyred Covenanters. -He would clear off the moss from the old stones and -recut the half-defaced inscriptions, doing this often in -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P167"></a>167}</span> -remote and almost inaccessible recesses of the mountains -and moors. Scarcely a churchyard in Ayr, Galloway, -or Dumfriesshire is without some evidences of his -work. -</p> - -<p> -In spite of his eccentricity there was a fine sincerity of -purpose in the old man's devotion to his self-appointed -task. He believed that each grave should serve as a -warning to posterity to defend their religious faith, and -he purposed to make every one, however obscure, a -beacon light, so to speak, to proclaim to all the world -the sufferings and devotion of the Covenanters, and thus -to perpetuate the ideals for which they strove. However -mistaken he may have been as to the wisdom of his -methods, his calling was apparently as real to himself and -as sincere as that of any minister of the Gospel. He was -found dying on the highway one day in his eighty-sixth -year, the little old white pony standing patiently by his -side. Thus he wore out his life in the service of his -religion, as truly devoted to it as any of the martyrs who -perished on battle-field or scaffold. His grave is marked -by an appropriate stone in the churchyard of -Caerlaverock, south of Dumfries. -</p> - -<p> -Scott, who once met the old man in the churchyard of -Dunottar and saw him actually engaged in his usual -task, sought an interview, but in spite of a good dinner -and some liquid refreshments, which were quite acceptable, -was unable to induce him to speak of his experiences. -This was when the novelist was a young lawyer -and long before he had thought of looking for materials -for a novel. -</p> - -<p> -'Old Mortality,' which many, including Lord Tennyson, -have regarded as the greatest of Scott's novels, was -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P168"></a>168}</span> -introduced to the public in a curious way. The real -author, as usual, concealed his identity. The ostensible -writer is Jedediah Cleishbotham, a schoolmaster, who -in turn denies the actual authorship of the story, but -claims to be merely the possessor of some posthumous -papers of his late pupil, Peter Pattieson, who has only -transcribed some tales he had heard from the landlord -of Wallace Inn. Even the landlord was not original, for -he received his information from the lips of 'Old -Mortality.' Thus, by a circuitous route, the novelist derives -this lengthy but extremely interesting tale from old -Robert Paterson, whom he never saw but once, and -then failed to make him talk! -</p> - -<p> -After the Introduction and the first chapter, in which -'Old Mortality' is briefly presented, we hear no more of -him. In this respect the novel irresistibly reminds me -of the celebrated American humourist, who advertised -his lecture on 'Milk.' When his usual large audience had -assembled, he would step to the front of the platform -and pour out, from a pitcher conveniently provided for -the purpose, a glass of milk, which he would drink with -great deliberation before uttering a word. The lecture -then followed in which he kept his hearers convulsed -with laughter, but there was never a word about milk. -</p> - -<p> -Three events, all within the space of two months, form -the historical basis of 'Old Mortality.' These are the -murder of Archbishop Sharp on May 3, 1679, the skirmish -at Drumclog on June 1, and the battle of Bothwell -Bridge, June 22. It was during the era of the persecution, -in the reign of Charles II, of the Scottish Covenanters, -who persistently resisted the 'Conventicle Act' -forbidding the gathering of more than five persons for -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P169"></a>169}</span> -religious worship, except in accordance with the -Established Church. James Sharp, Archbishop of St. Andrews, -had incurred the hatred of the Covenanters by -selfishly betraying the Scottish Kirk. An attempt upon -his life was made in 1668 by Robert Mitchell, who was -not arrested until six years later. He confessed under -Sharp's personal promise of pardon, but was sent to -Bass Island, where he remained a prisoner without trial -for four years. Sharp then denied his promise, though -it was proved by the court records, and demanded -Mitchell's death. His base action met with speedy -revenge. While driving with his daughter he was set -upon by a party of nine men and put to death with -the most atrocious cruelty. -</p> - -<p> -The real leader in this murder was John Balfour of -Burley, one of the fiercest and most fanatical of the -proscribed sect. Though he professed the utmost -religious fervour, Burley was more noted for the violence -and zeal with which he undertook the most desperate -enterprises and for his courage and skill with the sword. -The murder of Sharp aroused the Government to new -activities and no less stimulated the zeal of the -Covenanters. Burley and a handful of his followers openly -defied their enemies. On the anniversary of the -Restoration, May 29, they interrupted the holiday, which they -considered 'presumptuous and unholy.' They rode into -the town of Rutherglen, extinguished the bonfires in -honour of the day, burned the acts of Parliament for the -suppression of the conventicles and other obnoxious -laws, and concluded their 'solemn testimony' with -prayer and psalms. -</p> - -<p> -Three days later a conventicle was held near Loudon -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P170"></a>170}</span> -Hill, at which no doubt sermons like those of Gabriel -Kettledrummle and Habakkuk Mucklewrath were -preached with fiery vehemence. The Covenanters -seemed to depend upon their religious enthusiasm, for -they were poorly armed and badly organized. Men and -women who had no arms marched out to battle, relying -upon 'the spirit given forth from the Lord.' They did -not wait to be attacked, but advanced eastward about -two miles from Loudon Hill to the farm of Drumclog, -singing psalms all the way. Whether by accident or -design they made their stand on peculiarly favourable -ground behind a marsh too soft to support the weight of -cavalry. As it was covered with green herbage and only -a few yards in width, the attacking party, led by John -Grahame of Claverhouse, did not know of its existence. -</p> - -<p> -'No quarter' was the word passed along on both -sides. Claverhouse and his dragoons, despising their -foe, dashed down the declivity. The horses' feet were -entangled in the marsh and the ranks thrown into -confusion. The Covenanters, seizing the opportunity for -which they had waited, made a spirited attack and -completely routed the cavalry, Claverhouse himself having -a narrow escape. Thirty-six dragoons were killed, while -the victors lost only three. The successful skirmish -aroused tremendous enthusiasm among the Covenanters, -and had they been able to maintain harmony -in their own ranks, might have led to a serious -rebellion. -</p> - -<p> -It did lead to the battle of Bothwell Bridge which -took place on the 22d of the same month, June, 1679. -The Government leader was the Duke of Monmouth, -who was anxious to preserve peace and avoid bloodshed. -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P171"></a>171}</span> -The more moderate of the insurgents sent a message -offering terms upon which they would surrender. The -Duke offered to interpose with the King on their behalf, -provided they would first lay down their arms. The -Cameronians violently opposed the moderate policy -and favoured a fierce and even desperate resistance. -While they were debating the question, the sound of the -enemy's guns broke in upon them. In their disorganized -condition, the cause of the Covenanters was hopeless -and the Government gained an easy victory. Claverhouse -rode at the head of his own troop, who were thus -able to avenge the disgraceful defeat at Drumclog. -</p> - -<p> -It was the portrait of John Grahame of Claverhouse, -hanging in the library of Abbotsford, which, according to -Lockhart, first suggested the idea of the novel. Joseph -Train had called to present the purse of Rob Roy and -'a fresh heap of traditionary gleanings, which he had -gathered among the tale-tellers of his district.' Noticing -the handsome features revealed by the portrait of a -man whom most Scotchmen regarded as 'a ruffian -desperado, who rode a goblin horse, was proof against shot, -and in league with the Devil,' Train expressed his -surprise. After Scott had defended his hero's character, -Train, always alive to the possibilities of a new story, -asked whether he might not 'be made, in good hands, -the hero of a national romance, as interesting as any -about either Wallace or Prince Charlie.' Upon receiving -the novelist's conditional assent, Train resumed: 'And -what if the story were to be delivered as if from the -mouth of "Old Mortality?"' Train then told what he -knew of old Paterson, offering to learn more and report -later. Though Scott did not mention it at the time, the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P172"></a>172}</span> -conversation recalled his earlier meeting with Paterson, -and led to the immediate writing of the novel. -</p> - -<p> -The scenery of 'Old Mortality' required us to explore -the course of the river Clyde for almost its entire length. -This picturesque stream rises in the high country near -Moffat. An old rhyme, as repeated to us by a native of -Moffat, runs thus:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Evan, Annan, Tweed and Clyde<br /> - All flow out from ae hillside.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -In its short course of less than seventy-five miles to -the Firth of Clyde at Dumbarton, it descends toward -the sea by leaps and bounds, forming a series of -beautiful cataracts. The highest and most famous of these -is Corra Linn where Wordsworth composed a poem, -inspired by the sight of Wallace's Tower. Here the river -takes a triple plunge over the rocks for a distance of -eighty-four feet. Not less imposing is Stonebyres Linn, -below the city of Lanark, where the fall is seventy-six -feet. -</p> - -<p> -Following the downward course of the stream we -came to the ruins of Craignethan Castle, at the juncture -of the Nethan with the Clyde. 'A crag above the river -Nethan' is the literal meaning of the name. This is -Tillietudlem, the castle which Scott made the residence -of Lady Bellenden and her granddaughter, Edith. A -ravine under the old castle of Lanark, near by, known as -Gillytudlem, no doubt suggested the name. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-172"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-172.jpg" alt="CRAIGNETHAN CASTLE (TILLIETUDLEM)" /> -<br /> -CRAIGNETHAN CASTLE (TILLIETUDLEM) -</p> - -<p> -In the autumn of 1799, while on a visit to Lord -Douglas at Bothwell Castle, on the Clyde, Scott made an -excursion to Craignethan and, as he afterwards said, -immediately fell in love with it so much that he wanted -to live there. Lord Douglas offered him the use for life -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P173"></a>173}</span> -of a very good house at one corner of the court. It was -built in 1665 and we found it still in excellent repair. -Scott did not at once decline the offer, but circumstances -made it impossible to accept. That he made a very -careful examination of the ruin, however, is shown by the -unusually accurate descriptions. -</p> - -<p> -The castle stands on a high rock, reached by a long -road through the woods, by the side of a deep glen. I -climbed some stairways through a corner of the building -which still remains intact, and stood on the ruined -battlement from which Major Bellenden valiantly defended -the castle. Here I had a fine view over the tree-tops and -could see the village of Braidwood, two miles away; but -the road over which Lady Bellenden saw the troops -approaching was not visible to my eyes. -</p> - -<p> -From this point also I had a good view of the court, -which I could fancy almost filled with a motley crowd of -soldiers, domestic servants, and retainers, including the -bluff and stout-hearted Sergeant Bothwell, who died -'hoping nothing, believing nothing—and fearing -nothing'; the intrepid Tam Halliday; the infamous Inglis; -the old drunken cavaliering butler, John Gudyill; the -faithful ploughman, Cuddie Headrigg, with his sweetheart, -Jenny Dennison; and even poor little half-witted -Goose Gibbie, muffled in a big buff coat, 'girded rather -<i>to</i> than <i>with</i> the sword of a full-grown man,' his feeble -legs 'plunged into jack-boots' and a steel cap on his head -so big as completely to extinguish him. In the centre of -the court is the entrance gate, formerly the chapel; on -the right a watch-tower and stable, and on the left the -very substantial house now occupied by the keeper's -family, to which I have referred. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P174"></a>174}</span> -</p> - -<p> -The keeper next conducted me to the rear of the castle, -where he pointed out a well-preserved square tower -below which the ground slopes at a sharp angle to the -river's edge. The lower part was used as a dungeon, -where we may suppose Henry Morton to have been -confined. It was once occupied by a nobleman of real life, -who, not so fortunate as the hero of the novel, was led -away to execution. Above the dungeon was the kitchen -and pantry, with windows perhaps twenty feet above -the ground. At the corner there was once an old yew, -the stump of which may still be seen. -</p> - -<p> -Readers of 'Old Mortality' will recall that during the -siege of the castle, Cuddie Headrigg, though an old -servant, found himself with the opposing army. With five -or six companions he found his way to the rear, where -there was less danger, and proceeded to attempt to -capture the stronghold by climbing the tree and gaining -access through the window of the pantry. All might -have gone well had it not been for the fact that Jenny -Dennison had chosen the pantry as the safest place of -retreat. When, therefore, Cuddie's figure appeared at -the window, clad in the steel cap and buff coat which -had belonged to Sergeant Bothwell, Jenny not only -failed to recognize her lover, but was terribly frightened. -With an hysteric scream she rushed to the kitchen, -where she had hung on the fire a pot of kail-brose (a -kind of vegetable stew), having promised to prepare -Tam Halliday his breakfast. Seizing the pot and still -screaming, she jumped to the window and poured the -whole scalding contents upon the head and shoulders -of the unfortunate Cuddie, thus 'conferring upon one -admirer's outward man the viands which her fair hands -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P175"></a>175}</span> -had so lately been in the act of preparing for the -stomach of another.' -</p> - -<p> -I had great difficulty in photographing this tower. -The declivity was so steep that it was almost impossible -either to place the tripod in proper position or to find a -footing from which to look into the camera. While in -the midst of my preparations the keeper informed me -casually that a man had fallen down the slope three -weeks before and broken his neck. With this encouragement, -I persevered and was finally able to obtain what -I believe to be one of the best evidences of the accuracy -with which Scott often made his investigations and -subsequent descriptions. -</p> - -<p> -On one of our excursions from Melrose, we followed -the course of the Yarrow, from its junction with the -Ettrick to its source in St. Mary's Loch; then continuing -to the southwest, we traced the course of Moffat Water, -which forms the outlet of the Loch of the Lowes, to a -point just above the place where the stream meets the -Evan and the Annan; then turning westward and passing -through the town of Moffat, we followed the course -of the Tweed northward and eastward from its source -to our starting-place. For a large part of this drive, we -were in wild, desolate regions, which presented to us, we -were well assured, exactly the same aspect as they did -to Sir Walter Scott, and to the Covenanters a century -or more before his time. From St. Mary's Loch to Moffat -and from the latter northward for at least fifteen or -twenty miles, we were in the very region where the -Covenanters were wont to find a safe retreat from -persecution. -</p> - -<p> -Scott was fond of riding through these wild mountain -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P176"></a>176}</span> -passes, and often did so with his friend, Skene, of -Rubislaw, who has left an entertaining account of one of these -expeditions:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -One of our earliest expeditions was to visit the wild -scenery of the mountainous tract above Moffat, including the -cascade of the Grey Mare's Tail and the dark tarn called -Loch Skene. In our ascent to the lake we got completely -bewildered in the thick fog which generally envelops the -rugged features of that lovely region; and as we were groping -through the maze of bogs, the ground gave way, and down -went horse and horsemen pell-mell into a slough of peaty -mud and black water, out of which, entangled as we were -with our plaids and floundering nags, it was no easy matter -to get extricated. Indeed, unless we had prudently left our -gallant steeds at a farmhouse below and borrowed hill-ponies -for the occasion, the result might have been worse than -laughable. As it was, we rose like the spirits of the bogs, -covered <i>cap-à-pie</i> with slime, to free themselves from which -our wily ponies took to rolling about on the heather, and we -had nothing for it but following their example. At length, as -we approached the gloomy loch, a huge eagle heaved himself -from the margin and rose right over us, screaming his scorn -of the intruders; and altogether it would be impossible to -picture anything more desolately savage than the scene which -opened, as if raised by enchantment on purpose to gratify -the poet's eye, thick clouds of fog rolling incessantly over the -face of the inky waters, but rent asunder, now in one -direction and then in another—so as to afford us a glimpse of -some projecting rock or naked point of land, or island -bearing a few scraggy stumps of pine—and then closing again -in universal darkness upon the cheerless waste. Much of the -scenery of 'Old Mortality' was drawn from that day's ride. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -James Hogg, who conducted the party on that day, -says:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -I conducted them through that wild region by a path, -which if not rode by Clavers, as reported, never was rode by -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P177"></a>177}</span> -another gentleman.... Sir Walter, in the very worst paths, -never dismounted save at Loch Skene to take some dinner. -We went to Moffat that night, where we met with Lady -Scott and Sophia and such a day and night of glee I never -witnessed. Our very perils were to him matters of infinite -merriment. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The Grey Mare's Tail is a waterfall three or four hundred -feet in height, forming the outlet of Loch Skene. It -is a narrow stream and the water comes boiling and -bubbling in foamy whiteness over the ruggedest of rocks and -through the wildest of ravines. -</p> - -<p> -I am inclined to think that Scott, in striving to find a -retreat for Balfour, or Burley, poetically in keeping with -the stern, fierce, and dangerous character of that -terrible individual, combined the awesome features of the -Grey Mare's Tail with the wild beauty of another ravine -which he had visited. The latter is the deep gulch -known as Crichope Linn, near the village of Closeburn, -north of Dumfries. A narrow stream, flowing through -a thick wood, has cut a deep chasm in the solid rock, -through which the water has carved many curious channels. -One of these is called 'Hell's Cauldron,' where the -water has worn a deep round hole, through which it -rushes with terrific force. Near by is the Soutar's Seat, -so called from the legend that a 'soutar' or cobbler used -to conceal himself there to mend the shoes of the -Covenanters. -</p> - -<p> -I had the pleasure of walking up the stream to the -falls through the wet woods, in a rainstorm, without a -guide. The loneliness of my situation,—for I did not -encounter a soul on the journey,—added to the mist -in the atmosphere, gave an impression, which I might -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P178"></a>178}</span> -not otherwise have had, of the absolute security of such -a hiding-place. I tried to fancy old Burley appearing -at some opening in the rocks and myself leaping across -the chasm, as did Henry Morton, to get out of his way. -I was not obliged to attempt any such feat. But I felt -that a visit to this strange locality had given me a better -idea of the closing scenes of the novel than I had ever -had before. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-178"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-178.jpg" alt="CRICHOPE LINN" /> -<br /> -CRICHOPE LINN -</p> - -<p> -'Old Mortality' will always be remembered for its -animated picture of the Covenanters and the conditions -under which they lived. It was an era of perverted -sentiment in politics and religion. The times were 'out of -joint' more truly than in the days of Hamlet. A powerful -and tyrannical Government was exhibiting cowardly -fear of a small minority of determined people, who -demanded only the rights that had been previously -guaranteed. A policy of intolerant persecution -prevailed. The bullies of the Government laughed to scorn -the more statesmanlike propositions of moderation and -fair dealing. Under these conditions a helpless and -miserable people found their strength in an underlying -perception of the truth and justice of their cause. They -were exhibiting that quality which, from Magna Charta -to the present time, has come to the front at every -crisis in the history of Britain and America and is at the -root of the power of the Anglo-Saxon race—the quality -of earnest and sincere faith in the right of man to -civil liberty and religious freedom. If, in the excess of -their enthusiasm, these people became bigoted and -intolerant, and if their frenzied reading of the Scriptures -enabled them to find texts to justify every sort of deed -of violence and cruelty, the harsh measures of a corrupt, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P179"></a>179}</span> -selfish, and incompetent Government would at least -explain the unhappy conditions. -</p> - -<p> -Scott's marvellous imagination enabled him to -reanimate the people of this excited period. In Habakkuk -Mucklewrath we have the extreme of crazy religious -fervor and in Balfour of Burley the perfect embodiment -of that brute force which was so strangely blended with -pious ideals. Henry Morton, the hero of the tale, whose -lot is cast with the Covenanters, is out of place in the -picture, but he sufficiently typifies that class who were -opposed to the extreme measures of the Cameronians. -</p> - -<p> -On the Government side, Claverhouse, to whom Scott -endeavours to do justice, General Dalzell, the Duke of -Monmouth, and the Duke of Lauderdale are pictured, -fairly enough, in the colours of history. -</p> - -<p> -Scott's treatment of the Covenanters aroused great -controversy, some of their admirers taking him to task -in severe terms for his alleged lack of fairness. -Whatever may be said on this point, there is no doubt that he -touches the true sublimity of their faith in his account -of the torture and death of the Reverend Ephraim -Macbriar. The dauntless preacher was brought before the -Privy Council and interrogated by the Duke of Lauderdale. -Refusing to reply to an important question, he -was dramatically confronted with the ghastly apparition -of the public executioner and his horrible implements of -torture. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'Do you know who that man is?' said Lauderdale in a low, -stern voice, almost sinking into a whisper. -</p> - -<p> -'He is, I suppose,' replied Macbriar, 'the infamous -executioner of your bloodthirsty commands upon the persons of -God's people. He and you are equally beneath my regard; -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P180"></a>180}</span> -and, I bless God, I no more fear what he can inflict than what -you can command. Flesh and blood may shrink under the -sufferings you can doom me to, and poor frail nature may -shed tears, or send forth cries; but I trust my soul is anchored -firmly on the rock of ages.' -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -By the Duke's command the executioner then -advanced and placed before the prisoner an iron case -called the Scottish boot, so constructed that it would -enclose the leg and knee of the victim with a tight fit. -An iron wedge and a mallet completed the equipment. -This wedge, when placed between the knee and the -unyielding iron frame, and struck a sharp blow with the -mallet, was calculated to inflict the most excruciating -pain. -</p> - -<p> -Macbriar faced the implement without flinching, -while the executioner asked in harsh, discordant tones -which leg he should take first. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'Since you leave it to me,' said the prisoner, stretching -forth his right leg, 'take the best—I willingly bestow it in -the cause for which I suffer.' -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Here Scott makes use of the actual words of James -Mitchell, who suffered similar torture for his attempt -on the life of Archbishop Sharp. -</p> - -<p> -When Macbriar was led to his execution, he thanked -the Council for his sentence and forgave them, saying:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -And why should I not?—Ye send me to a happy exchange—to -the company of angels and spirits of the just, for that -of frail dust and ashes.—Ye send me from darkness into -day—from mortality to immortality—and in a word, from -earth to heaven! If the thanks therefore, and pardon of a -dying man can do you good, take them at my hand, and -may your last moments be as happy as mine! -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P181"></a>181}</span> -And thus, 'his countenance radiant with joy and -triumph,' he was led to his execution, 'dying with the -same enthusiastic firmness which his whole life had -evinced.' -</p> - -<p> -The book which contains this superb presentation of -a thrilling epoch of Scottish history is justly termed, by -Lockhart, the Marmion of the Waverley Novels. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap13"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P182"></a>182}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XIII -<br /> -ROB ROY -</h3> - -<p> -An old flintlock gun of extreme length, with silver plate -containing the initials R.M.C.; a fine Highland -broadsword, with the highly prized Andrea Ferrara mark on -the blade; a dirk two feet long, with carved handle and -silver-mounted sheath; a <i>skene dhu</i>, or black knife, a -short thick weapon of the kind used in the Highlands for -dispatching game or other servile purposes for which it -would be a profanation to use the dirk; a well-worn -brown leather purse; and a <i>sporran</i>, with semicircular -clasp and secret lock, which for a century has defied the -ingenuity of all who have attempted to open it, are -among the treasures of Abbotsford. They were all once -the property of Robert MacGregor Campbell, or Rob -Roy, the famous 'Robin Hood of the Highlands.' -</p> - -<p> -When I was permitted to take the long old-fashioned -gun into my own hands and to test its weight by carrying -the butt to my shoulder and casting my eye over the -long octagonal barrel, I could not help feeling that Rob -Roy was a far less mythical person than his prototype -of the Forest of Sherwood. -</p> - -<p> -Rob Roy was, indeed, a very real person, as the Duke -of Montrose knew to his sorrow, but the stories of his -exploits are so strange, and at the same time so fascinating, -that it is difficult to determine where biography ends -and pure fiction begins. The MacGregor clan to which -he belonged had been for three hundred years the victims -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P183"></a>183}</span> -of gross injustice. David II, the son of Robert Bruce, -began the oppression by wrongfully bestowing their -lands upon the rival clan of the Campbells. The -MacGregors were forced to a struggle for self-preservation, -and manfully fought to maintain their rights, exhibiting -extraordinary courage and endurance. But their acts of -heroism and self-defence were construed at court as -evidences of lawlessness and rebellion. Strenuous efforts -were made to suppress them, but all such attempts were -met with fiery vindictiveness. Each act of violence led -to one of vengeance. The clan came to be regarded as a -fierce and untameable race of outlaws. Rendered savage -and cruel by a treatment which left no lawful means of -obtaining a livelihood, pursued with fire and sword by -the leaders of powerful neighbouring clans, whose -subjects were forbidden to give them food or shelter, the -MacGregors were driven to desperation. Violent deeds -of retaliation occurred which no amount of provocation -would justify. Murders, outrages, and bloody -skirmishes were of frequent occurrence. These conflicts -reached a terrible crisis in the battle of Glenfruin, -fought on the shores of Loch Lomond with the powerful -clan of Colquhoun, of whom two hundred or three -hundred were slaughtered, many of them being killed -without reason after the battle was over. -</p> - -<p> -One of the leaders of the MacGregors, who was -accused, perhaps unjustly, of murdering a party of -clerical students who had merely stopped to witness the -fight, was Dugald Ciar Mohr, the 'great mouse-coloured -man,' so called from the colour of his face and hair. He -was a man of ferocious character and enormous strength, -and was one of the ancestors of Rob Roy. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P184"></a>184}</span> -</p> - -<p> -This event led to various Acts of Council, proscribing -the MacGregors as outlaws, prohibiting them from -carrying weapons, and forbidding them even to meet -together in groups of more than four. The very name -of the clan was abolished, and any one who should call -himself either Gregor or MacGregor was made liable to -suffer the penalty of death. -</p> - -<p> -Rob Roy was the product of these long years of relentless -persecution and retaliation. His family occupied -the mountain ranges between Loch Lomond and Loch -Katrine, where they possessed considerable property. -The date of his birth is uncertain, but it was probably -1660 or 1661. In the latter year, through the orders of -King Charles II, the acts against the MacGregors were -annulled and their name restored. The king, however, -could not annul the effects of three centuries of civil -warfare and vengeful retribution, nor prevent Rob Roy -from inheriting some of the traits of his 'mouse-coloured' -ancestor. Rob is described as a man of medium height, -but of extraordinary strength. His powers of endurance -were greater than those of any other member of his -clan. His arms were said to be seven inches longer than -those of the average man. This gave him a great -advantage with the broadsword, which he could wield with -uncommon skill and effectiveness. His head was -covered with a shock of thick, curly red hair, from which -fact he derived his name, Rob Roy, or Rob the Red. -He had keen, flashing, grey eyes and a firm mouth, -which betokened a man with whom it would be dangerous -to trifle, but these features could be frank, cheerful, -and full of kindness when among his friends. He had -none of the ferocity or cruelty of that ancestor whose -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P185"></a>185}</span> -great powers he seemed to have inherited. On the -contrary, though bold in the execution of his purposes, he -avoided unnecessary bloodshed. Though driven by fate -to the life of an outlaw, he was a man of humane instincts -and under happier circumstances might have been a -public benefactor. -</p> - -<p> -This is the explanation of his extraordinary success -in eluding pursuit. His kindliness of disposition and -friendly helpfulness had raised up friends in every part -of the country. In this respect he was like Robin Hood. -He struck at the rich and powerful when they molested -him, but to the poor he was generous and helpful. He -was a kind and gentle robber, who carried a sense of -humour into his boldest outrages, and contrived to take -the property of his rich enemy without molesting the -latter's poor tenants, usually managing to make the -victim ridiculous in the eyes of his associates. -</p> - -<p> -Again and again the Duke of Montrose sent expeditions -after him, but invariably some friend of Rob's -carried the news to him well in advance or sent the -Duke's people off in a wrong direction, so that they -were always either disgracefully defeated or hopelessly -bewildered. Meanwhile, Rob would be pretty sure to -appear unexpectedly at some point on the Duke's estate -and sweep away everything in sight. Each new failure -brought added wrath to the Duke, which the satirical -remarks of his companions did not tend to soften. -</p> - -<p> -When Montrose deprived MacGregor of his lands of -Craigroyston, along the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, -Rob had no redress in the courts, but he managed to -square accounts pretty well by driving off annually -large numbers of the Duke's cattle, and collecting rents, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P186"></a>186}</span> -for which he invariably gave receipts. He made -Craigroyston unbearable for any one who attempted to live -there, until finally a Mr. Graham of Killearn, the Duke's -factor, took possession. This was exactly what Rob Roy -wanted, for Graham was the man who, in MacGregor's -absence, had burned the house of the latter at -Balquhidder and brutally thrust his wife out of doors in a -cold winter night. Rob ever after regarded him with -fierce vindictiveness. Graham's cattle mysteriously -disappeared time after time until Craigroyston became -unbearable for him also. -</p> - -<p> -Rob had a queer way of appearing suddenly in places -where he was least expected. One day when Graham -was drinking at a tavern and angrily relating his troubles -to a chance acquaintance, he exclaimed, 'Gin God or -the de'il wad gie me a meeting wi' that thievin' loon, -Rob Roy MacGregor, I'd pay aff my score wi' him. But -the villain aye keeps oot o' my road.' 'Here we are, -then,' was the reply, 'whether it's God or the de'il -has brocht us thegether. Nae time like the noo, sir, for -if ye're Graham o' Killearn, I'm Rob Roy MacGregor.' Graham -did not stand on the order of his going, but made -his exit by leaps and bounds until three long miles were -put between him and 'that devil of a MacGregor.' -</p> - -<p> -On one occasion Graham had called the tenants of a -certain district to meet at a small house, according to -custom, to pay their rent. Rob Rob, with a single -attendant, whom he called 'the Bailie,' reached the -house after dark, and looking through the window, saw -Killearn with a bag of money in his hand and heard him -say he would cheerfully give it all for Rob Roy's head. -Rob instantly gave orders in a loud voice to place two -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P187"></a>187}</span> -men at each window, two at each corner and four at -each of the doors, as if he had twenty men. He and his -attendant then walked boldly in, each with broadsword -in his right hand and a pistol in his left, and a goodly -display of dirks and pistols in their belts. He then coolly -ordered Killearn to put the money on the table and -count it, and to draw a proper receipt showing that he, -Rob Roy, had received the money from the Duke of -Montrose on account. Then, finding that some of the -tenants had not been given receipts for their rent, he -caused these to be drawn so that no poor man should -suffer, after which he ordered supper for all present, for -which he paid. When they had eaten their meal and -drunk together for several hours, he called upon 'the -Bailie' to produce his dirk and take the solemn oath of -the factor that he would not move nor direct any one -else to move out of the house for at least one hour. -Pointing to the dirk to signify what the agent might -expect if he broke his oath, Rob calmly walked away -with the bag of money, which he considered rightfully -his own, and was soon beyond pursuit. On another -occasion MacGregor not only took possession of the -rents which this same gentleman had collected, but also -carried him away to a small island in the west end of -Loch Katrine, where, after entertaining him five or six -days, he dismissed his guest (or prisoner), returning all -the books and papers, but taking good care to keep the -cash. -</p> - -<p> -The escape of Rob Roy from the Duke of Montrose -was based upon an actual occurrence. He was surprised -by Montrose and taken prisoner in the Braes of -Balquhidder. He was then mounted behind a soldier named -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P188"></a>188}</span> -James Stewart and secured by a horse-girth. In crossing -a stream, probably the Forth at the Fords of Frew, -MacGregor induced Stewart to give him a chance 'for auld -acquaintance' sake.' Stewart, moved by compassion or -possibly fear, slipped the girth-buckle and Rob, -dropping off the horse, dived, swam below the surface, and -finally escaped. -</p> - -<p> -The novelist's acquaintance with the country of Rob -Roy began in his sixteenth year, when with a military -escort of a sergeant and six men, he first entered the -Highlands. He was then a lawyer's clerk, and his object -was to obtain possession of a certain small farm in the -Braes of Balquhidder, known as Invernenty, to secure -some debts due from the owner, Stewart of Appin. The -farm had been a part of the property claimed by Rob -Roy, and in the late years of the cateran's life there had -been a great dispute over it with the Stewarts. The -quarrel was finally adjusted and a family of MacLarens -took possession as tenants of Stewart. After the death -of Rob Roy, his son, Robin Oig, probably instigated by -his mother, declared that if he could get possession of a -certain gun of his father's, he would shoot MacLaren. -He kept his word, using the weapon to which I have -referred at the beginning of this chapter. The -descendants of MacLaren remained on the farm and refused to -leave. So long as they were there, the property could -not be sold. It chanced that one of Scott's earliest legal -undertakings was to secure the eviction of these -undesirable tenants. When he arrived the house was empty, -the MacLarens not caring to make any serious opposition. -</p> - -<p> -The Kirk of Balquhidder, where Rob Roy made his -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P189"></a>189}</span> -settlement with the Stewarts, stands at the foot of Loch -Voil, a few miles off the main road from Callander to -Lochearnhead. It is a small ivy-covered chapel, -standing beneath the shadow of two large trees. In front is -an iron railing, of recent construction, enclosing the -graves of Rob Roy, his wife, Helen MacGregor, whose -real name was Mary, and two of his sons. He died a -natural death in 1734, at an age which has been -variously stated as between seventy and eighty years. -</p> - -<p> -The first appearance of Rob Roy in the novel is when -under the name of Campbell (his mother's name, which -he assumed, probably for prudential reasons), he makes -the acquaintance of Mr. Frank Osbaldistone at the Black -Bear of Darlington. Frank, it will be remembered, is on -the way to his uncle's estate in Northumberland. There -is little by which Osbaldistone Hall can be identified, but -if geographical considerations count for anything, it is -not improbable that Scott may have had in mind Chillingham -Castle, the seat of the Earl of Tankerville. This -is one of the places to which he refers in a letter written -in the summer of 1791, as 'within the compass of a -forenoon's ride,' from the farm in the Cheviot Hills, -south-west of Wooler, where he was then staying. During that -vacation excursion he became very familiar with all the -surrounding country, an experience which doubtless had -something to do with choosing Northumberland as the -scene of an important part of the novel. Chillingham -Castle is a fine type of the old baronial residence. It was -designed by Inigo Jones, the famous architect of the -seventeenth century, though portions of the building -are still preserved which were built as early as the -thirteenth century. It stands in a magnificent park of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P190"></a>190}</span> -fifteen hundred acres, about two thirds of which is set -apart for the accommodation of deer and wild cattle. -The latter, almost the only descendants of the herds of -savage wild cattle which once roamed the Caledonian -forests, are famous throughout England and Scotland. -Sir Walter refers to them in the 'Bride of Lammermoor' -and again in a note to 'Castle Dangerous.' The present -castle is a large square structure enclosing the walls of -the older building. Entering the inner court, which is -paved with stone, we came to what was once the front -of the ancient structure, looking something like 'the -inside of a convent or of one of the older and less -splendid colleges of Oxford,' to quote from the description of -Osbaldistone Hall. We were shown a large banqueting-room, -now used as a library, which extends across the -entire width of the building. Its walls were decorated, -after the fashion of Osbaldistone, with many trophies of -the chase, such as the heads of deer, elk, buffalo, and -other animals, all shot by the present earl. But in this -splendid apartment with its luxurious furnishings, there -was little else to suggest the dingy old hall, with its -stone floor and massive range of oaken tables, where -the bluff old Sir Hildebrand and 'the happy compound -of sot, gamekeeper, bully, horse-jockey, and fool,' which, -with the addition of a highly educated villain, -constituted his family, daily consumed huge quantities of -meat and 'cups, flagons, bottles, yea, barrels of liquor.' -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-190"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-190.jpg" alt="CHILLINGHAM CASTLE" /> -<br /> -CHILLINGHAM CASTLE -</p> - -<p> -Frank Osbaldistone had nearly reached the entrance -to his uncle's house when he met the beautiful Diana -Vernon. Miss Cranstoun, afterwards the Countess of -Purgstall, one of Scott's early friends in the social circles -of Edinburgh, was thought by many to be the original -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P191"></a>191}</span> -of Diana,—a belief which she herself shared, chiefly -because she was an expert horsewoman. Others have -said that Scott's first love was the real Diana. But Miss -Vernon is totally unlike either Margaret of Branksome -or Matilda of Rokeby, both of whom were, to some -extent, portraits of Miss Williamina Stuart. Moreover, -in the unexpected meeting of a charming young woman -on horseback, her long black hair streaming in the -breeze, her animated face glowing with the exercise, -and her costume attractively arranged in the most -striking fashion, there is a strong suggestion of the -circumstances to which I have previously referred,[<a id="chap13fn1text"></a><a href="#chap13fn1">1</a>] under -which the poet first met the future Lady Scott. -</p> - -<p> -The next day after our visit to Chillingham we -followed the footsteps of Frank Osbaldistone to Glasgow, -where we soon found the cathedral to which Frank was -conducted by Andrew Fairservice. It well justifies the -old gardener's encomium: 'Ah! it's a brave kirk—none -o' yere whigmaleeries and curliewurlies and open -steek hems about it!—a' solid, weel-jointed mason-wark, -that will stand as lang as the warld, keep hands -and gunpowther aff it.' A part of the present building -was erected in 1175. It has been the scene of some -important events in Scottish history. At Christmas of -1301, Edward I of England, on his campaign against -Scotland, made offerings at the high altar. Five years -later, Robert Bruce stood before the same altar and was -there absolved for the murder of his rival, the Red -Comyn, at Dumfries. -</p> - -<p> -The cathedral is supported by sixty-five pillars, some -of them eighteen feet in circumference. The effect of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P192"></a>192}</span> -these huge masses is to throw the crypt into almost total -darkness except in the parts near the narrow stained-glass -windows. To make my photograph I set up the -camera, opened the shutter, and left a workman to keep -watch while I went to luncheon. Returning in an hour -I shut off the exposure and realized later that two hours -would have been better. -</p> - -<p> -In this dark crypt it was formerly the custom to hold -services. While standing in front of one of the huge -pillars, listening to the sermon, Frank Osbaldistone heard -the mysterious voice of Rob Roy, warning him that his -life was in danger. Turning quickly he could see no one. -I could never understand this scene until I saw the -crypt. The large size of the pillars and the dense -shadows which they cast would make it easy for one to -disappear in the darkness as Rob Roy was supposed to do. -</p> - -<p> -On High Street, Glasgow, we found an old tower, -which was a part of the Tolbooth, where Rob Roy had -his curious interview with Bailie Nicol Jarvie. The old -Salt Market has changed greatly since the days of the -good Bailie and his father, the deacon, and it is no -longer necessary at night to be escorted along the city -streets by a young maidservant with a lantern. -</p> - -<p> -Rob Roy's parting injunction to Frank was 'forget -not the clachan of Aberfoyle.' We therefore made it our -business to find that interesting spot, combining it, as -did Scott, with our investigation of the scenery of 'The -Lady of the Lake.' The portion of the Scottish -Highlands generally included in the so-called Rob Roy -country comprises all that part of central Perthshire from -Loch Ard and the river Forth on the south to Strath -Fillan and Glen Dochart on the north, and from Loch -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P193"></a>193}</span> -Lubnaig on the east to Loch Lomond on the west. This -region, so easily accessible to us by means of carriages -and automobiles, was in the time of Rob Roy not only -difficult to approach, but exceedingly dangerous. The -only highways of travel were narrow defiles through the -mountains, easy enough, perhaps, for the experienced -and hardy clansman, who knew every twist and turn of -the paths, but as impassable to the unguided Lowlander -or 'Sassenach' as the tablelands of Tibet. -</p> - -<p> -Frank Osbaldistone and Bailie Nicol Jarvie, guided -by the officious and rascally, but always laughable, -Andrew Fairservice, are supposed to enter the hamlet -of Aberfoyle by crossing an old stone bridge over the -Forth. It is the bridge which Scott doubtless crossed -when he visited the place, and is still standing, but it -had not been built in the time of Rob Roy. That, however, -was one of those details which never interested Sir -Walter to any great extent. -</p> - -<p> -We approached from the opposite direction, driving -over the hills from the Trossachs and pausing just above -the village to view the splendid valley to the westward, -the termination of which was the mountain peak of Ben -Lomond. Arriving at Aberfoyle, we were fortunately -spared the necessity of stopping at an inn such as the -novelist describes, where the worthy Bailie valiantly -defended himself against a too aggressive Highlander, -by wielding a red-hot poker so vigorously as to burn a -hole in his opponent's plaid. But the enterprising -landlord of the modern hotel near the bridge capitalizes the -incident by exhibiting the <i>identical poker</i>, which he has -attached to the limb of a tree, thereby recalling Scott's -story of the keeper of a museum who showed the very -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P194"></a>194}</span> -sword with which Balaam was about to kill his ass. A -visitor interrupted him with the remark that Balaam -did not possess a sword; he only wished for one. 'True, -sir,' was the ready reply, 'but this is the very sword he -wished for.' -</p> - -<p> -There are two groups of old cottages in Aberfoyle, -corresponding closely with those described in the novel. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The miserable little bourocks (or heap of rocks) as the -Bailie termed them, of which about a dozen formed the -village called the clachan of Aberfoyle, were composed of -loose stones, cemented by clay instead of mortar, and -thatched by tufts, laid rudely upon rafters formed of native -and unhewn birches and oaks from the woods around. The -roofs approached the ground so nearly, that Andrew Fairservice -observed, we might have ridden over the village the -night before, and never found out we were near it, unless our -horses' feet had 'gane through the riggin'.' -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -About half a mile from the bridge, which is the exact -distance referred to in the novel, we found the largest -of these clachans, which bore a very striking -resemblance to the one described by Scott, even to the -squalor of its surroundings, for it is still inhabited at one -end, though the other is in ruins. But by way of -compensation, the miserable hovel, with the high bleak hills -in the background, made a strikingly picturesque view, -not differing greatly from that which met the eyes of -Rob Roy himself, whenever his 'business' brought him -to that locality. -</p> - -<p> -Following the road to the westward, we came to some -cliffs on the north shore of Loch Ard, near the foot of -the lake, which are pointed out as the place where Bailie -Nicol Jarvie found himself suspended by the coat-tails -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P195"></a>195}</span> -from the projecting branches of a thorn-tree, dangling -in mid-air 'not unlike the sign of the Golden Fleece -over the door of a mercer in the Trongate of his native -city.' -</p> - -<p> -The beauty of the lake as it appears from this road, -and particularly from the point where Ben Lomond -looms high in the distance, fully justifies the novelist's -enthusiasm. The 'huge grey rocks and shaggy banks' -are neither so high nor so wild as they are described, -nor did we find an elevation from which Helen -MacGregor might have pitched the miserable Morris -headlong into the lake. Indeed, had we been able to look -backward through the mists of two centuries and see -the famous Helen herself, we should doubtless have -discovered that she, too, was much less 'wild' than she has -been painted. Scott represents her as a virago, fiercely -inspiring her husband and sons to deeds of bloody -vengeance. The real name of Rob Roy's wife was Mary. -Mr. A. H. Miller, in his 'History of Rob Roy,' thinks -she has been sadly misrepresented. 'Mary MacGregor,' -says he, 'was of a gentle and amiable disposition, one -who never meddled in the political schemes of her -husband, and whose virtues were of the domestic order.' -</p> - -<p> -Scott's fondness for the little waterfall of Lediard, -north of Loch Ard, to which I have already referred in -connection with 'Waverley,' led him to introduce it -again in 'Rob Roy.' It was the place chosen by Rob's -wife and followers as 'a scene well calculated to impress -strangers with some feelings of awe,' and here Helen -MacGregor presented to Frank Osbaldistone the ring of -Diana Vernon as the love-token of one from whom he -believed himself separated forever. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P196"></a>196}</span> -</p> - -<p> -The two sections of the Rob Roy country which the -cateran most frequented, were the eastern shores of -Loch Lomond and the valley where Loch Voil nestles -calmly among the hills, known as the Braes of -Balquhidder. After Rob was driven away from -Craigroyston, on the margin of Loch Lomond, he made his -headquarters for many years at Fort Inversnaid, on the -high land, about two miles east of the lake. -</p> - -<p> -The story of how Rob Roy took possession of this -place stamps him as a modern Ulysses as well as a Robin -Hood. The Government authorized the building of the -fort on Rob's own land, as a means of guarding the -district from his depredations. The crafty cateran, -learning from some of his numerous spies all about the plans -well in advance, took good care to see that none of his -clansmen interfered in the least, so that all the material -for the fort, including ample supplies, guns, and -ammunition, were brought up without molestation. The -contractor, happy in the thought that the peaceful state of -the country had enabled him to complete his task -promptly, dismissed most of his men and prepared to -turn the property over to the Duke of Montrose. One -evening, in the midst of a heavy snowstorm, a knocking -was heard at the gate. In response to inquiry, a voice -said that a poor pedlar had lost his way in the snow. -The gate was opened, and Rob Roy at the head of a -strong force, rushed in and took possession. The fort -made an excellent vantage-ground from which he -harried his enemies for many years. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-196"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-196.jpg" alt="LOCH LOMOND FROM INVERSNAID" /> -<br /> -LOCH LOMOND FROM INVERSNAID -</p> - -<p> -Just below the fort, the little river which forms the -outlet of Loch Arklet joins the Snaid, and finally tumbles -over the cliff in a beautiful little cascade, known as -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P197"></a>197}</span> -Inversnaid Falls. About two miles to the north, well -hidden among the rocks, is a cave which Rob Roy was -sometimes compelled to use as a hiding-place. It was -visited by Walter Scott and introduced in the story of -'Waverley' as the cave of Donald Bean Lean, but he -refrained from mentioning it in 'Rob Roy.' -</p> - -<p> -Scott never felt quite satisfied with this novel, -although he did remark in a letter to John Richardson, -'I really think I may so far do some good by giving -striking and, to the best of my information and abilities, -correct likenesses of characters long since passed away.' As -a presentation of the real character of one of the -most picturesque and interesting of all Highlanders, as -well as a superb word-painting of the conditions under -which men lived in the country and the time of Rob -Roy, the novel possesses a genuine value. Scott's -discontent with it arose from the hard conditions under -which it was written. In a letter to Daniel Terry, dated -March 29, 1817, he says, referring to it, 'I have made -some progress in ye ken what, but not to my satisfaction; -it smells of the cramp, and I must get it into better -order before sending it to you.' After the book was -published, he used the same expression in a letter to -Morritt. Lady Louisa Stuart, one of Scott's most valued -friends, who wrote to him with perfect freedom, thought -the end of the story indicated that the author was 'tired, -and wanted to get rid of his personages as fast as he -could, knocking them on the head without mercy.' There -is certainly some justification in this when we -consider that the old Baronet and five of his worthless -sons are disposed of within three or four pages, while the -last and worst of the lot, the traitorous Rashleigh, is put -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P198"></a>198}</span> -out of the way two chapters later. On the other hand, -the Squire and his family were always treated collectively, -and as they were in the way it was just as well to -get rid of them by wholesale. Of course, no good could -come from letting the villain live. If this is a defect, or -if there are any other faults in the novel, they are all -redeemed by the happy picture of Bailie Nicol Jarvie, -one of the most original as well as delightful of all the -company of actors in the Waverley Novels,—'a carefu' -man, as is weel kend, and industrious as the hale town -can testify; and I can win my crowns, and keep my -crowns, and count my crowns wi' ony body in the -Saut-Market, or it may be in the Gallowgate. And I'm a -prudent man, as my father the deacon was before me.' The -poor bailie never could (and neither can the reader) -forget how he must have looked when he hung head -down from the thorn tree in the Pass of Aberfoyle: -'And abune a', though I am a decent, sponsible man, -when I am on my right end, I canna but think I maun -hae made a queer figure without my hat and my periwig, -hinging by the middle like bawdrons, or a cloak -flung over a cloak-pin. Bailie Graham wad hae an unco -hair in my neck and he got that tale by the end.' -</p> - -<p> -Charles Mackay, the famous actor, made the hit of -his career in his rendition of Bailie Nicol Jarvie, and the -dramatization of the novel enjoyed a remarkable -popularity for many years. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap13fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap13fn1text">1</a>] Chapter 1, page 17. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap14"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P199"></a>199}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XIV -<br /> -THE HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN -</h3> - -<p> -'Dis-is-de-heart-of-Midlothian-Jeanie-Deans-walked-t'- -Lunnon-t'-save-her-sister-fr'm-hangin!' This sentence, -uttered rapidly in a monotone, as though it were all a -single word, long-drawn-out, startled us as we were -standing in Parliament Square, Edinburgh, looking up -at the stately crown which forms the distinguishing -mark of the old Cathedral of St. Giles. Our eyes quickly -dropped, to meet the wistful, upturned face of a small -urchin, very ragged and very dirty. 'What is that you -say?' said I, looking down into his expectant eyes. -'Dis-is-de-heart-of-Midlothian-Jeanie-Deans-walked-to-Lunnon, -sir,' was the reply, in the same quick accents, -running the words all together. 'Why did she do that?' I -asked, hoping to draw him out. 'To save her sister from -hangin', sir,' was the ready reply. 'But who was Jeanie -Deans and how did she save her sister?' To this double -inquiry the boy only shook his head. 'Where did you -hear that story?' Another shake. 'Did you ever hear of -Sir Walter Scott?' Another slow movement of a downcast -head indicated that the little lad was hopelessly out -of his depth, so I gave him his penny and let him go. He -had evidently learned his lesson by heart from some one -whom instinct had taught that this reference to one of -the most popular novels of Edinburgh's most famous -citizen would be likely to prove the readiest means of -interesting the casual tourist and thereby extracting an -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P200"></a>200}</span> -honest penny. All the other objects of interest,—the -fine old Cathedral, the Parliament House, the Market -Cross, the grave of John Knox—were as nothing compared -to the figure of a heart, outlined in the pavement, -designed to mark the site of the old Tolbooth, but more -strongly reminding the visitor, not of an ancient prison, -but of a great novel, and impressing him with the feeling -that, wherever one may go in Edinburgh, the spirit of Sir -Walter Scott seems to permeate the very atmosphere. -</p> - -<p> -The square in which we were standing was for -centuries the civic centre of Edinburgh. The southwest -corner is occupied by the House of Parliament, where -the Scottish Parliaments met in a room, a hundred and -twenty-two feet long and forty-nine feet wide, with an -arched oaken roof. This large hall is now adorned with -numerous portraits and statues of eminent judges, and -its floor, when the courts are in session, is filled with a -throng of advocates, their wigs and gowns suggesting -something of the ceremonials of olden times. Since the -union of England and Scotland under the name of Great -Britain, in 1707, and the consequent dissolution of the -Scottish Parliament, the building has been used by the -Court of Session. In the rooms of the First Division, -on the left of the lobby, Sir Walter Scott, as one of the -Principal Clerks, performed his official duties for -twenty-five years. His attendance averaged from four to six -hours daily during the sessions of the court, which -usually occupied two months in the late spring and early -summer, and four in the winter. His letter of resignation, -in the last year but one of his life, is one of the -valued treasures of the Advocates' Library. -</p> - -<p> -In the first half of the eighteenth century, the period -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P201"></a>201}</span> -of 'The Heart of Midlothian,' Parliament Close, as it was -then called, did not present the clean, open appearance -of to-day. Almost the entire space between St. Giles on -the east and the County Hall on the west was occupied -by the Tolbooth, leaving only a narrow and partly -covered passage at the northwest corner of the square. The -prison projected into the middle of High Street, seeming -to form 'the termination of a huge pile of buildings -called the Luckenbooths,' which had been 'jammed -into the midst of the principal street,' and little booths -or shops were plastered against the buttresses of the -old Gothic cathedral. The headquarters of the 'City -Guard' were in 'a long, low, ugly building, which to a -fanciful imagination might have suggested the idea of -a long black snail crawling up the middle of the High -Street and deforming its beautiful esplanade.' In this -way, what was intended to be and is now a broad street -was at that time so encumbered as to be converted into -a series of narrow, crooked lanes, which were kept in -anything but tidy condition. South of High Street the -Cowgate was reached by descending the steep incline -through various narrow lanes, and the two parallel -thoroughfares were connected, a little to the east, by a -crooked but famous street, called West Bow. At the -foot of the latter was a wide, open space known as the -Grassmarket, where the public executions took place. -These were the streets through which the rioters of the -Porteous Mob made their way in the exciting days of -September, 1736. -</p> - -<p> -The Tolbooth, considered two centuries ago to be one -of the largest and most sombre buildings in the kingdom, -was built by the citizens of Edinburgh in 1561, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P202"></a>202}</span> -originally for a Town Hall, but later devoted to the use of -Parliament and the courts of justice. With the completion -of the Parliament House in 1640, its original usage -ceased, and from that time until its demolition in 1817, -it was devoted exclusively to the imprisonment of debtors -and criminals. No distinction was made between the -lowest of the criminal classes and the poor persons whose -only offence was the inability to pay some small debt. -The latter were shut up for months in cells too loathsome -for the most vicious of criminals. There were no -areas for exercise nor any ways of affording the captives -a breath of fresh air. The narrow windows were -half-blocked to the light by massive bars of iron. -</p> - -<p> -The exterior was not less horrible, for on its highest -pinnacle were displayed the heads of prisoners of state -who had been executed, and it was seldom lacking in -such tokens. The Regent Morton, accused of the murder -of Darnley; the Duke of Montrose, and later his great -enemy, the Duke of Argyle, were among the most -distinguished of these victims; but there were many others. -</p> - -<p> -The Church of St. Giles almost touched elbows, so to -speak, with the prison. The central portion was set apart -for religious services under the name of the 'Old Church,' -the worshippers of those days having a strong aversion -to the use of the name of a saint. They seemed to have -no objection to attaching to their sacred edifice the -designation of the temporary abode of sinners, for the -southwest quarter was called the 'Tolbooth Church,' -from its proximity to the prison. On the morning of the -11th of April, 1736, according to the account of Robert -Chambers, Wilson and Robertson were conducted to -the Tolbooth Church, to listen to their last sermon, their -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P203"></a>203}</span> -execution having been planned for the following -Wednesday. Very much as described in the novel, except -that the incident took place almost instantly after they -had seated themselves in the pew, instead of after the -sermon as Scott says, Wilson seized three of the guards -and shouted to Robertson to run. The latter tripped up -the fourth soldier and quickly escaped, aided by the -sympathetic church-goers, who contrived to block up -the passages so that pursuit was impossible. Three days -later, Wilson was executed in the Grassmarket. The -sympathy of all Edinburgh was with him, for several -reasons. First, his crime was only the robbery of a -revenue officer, in reprisal for the seizure of his own -goods on a charge of smuggling. In those days (and -even now, it may be feared) the crime of cheating the -Government out of its revenues was not considered an -enormous one. If a poor smuggler happened to be -caught, there was no reason why he should n't 'get -even' with the officers if he had a good chance. At least, -so Wilson argued, and many sympathized with his view. -Second, the Scots were not yet entirely reconciled to -the union, and the exhibition of too much authority at -London was likely to be resented. Third, Wilson had -acted the part of a generous friend and courageous man -in sacrificing his own chances to secure the escape of -Robertson. -</p> - -<p> -Some stones were thrown at the captain of the City -Guard, John Porteous, and that officer, beside himself -with rage, snatched a gun from a soldier and, setting the -example himself, commanded his party to fire. The result -was the loss of six lives and the wounding of eleven -persons, many of the victims being innocent spectators -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P204"></a>204}</span> -who were watching the affair from neighbouring windows. -For this offence Porteous was tried and convicted, -his execution being set for the 8th of September. Before -the prisoner could be executed, a pardon reached -Edinburgh, signed by Queen Caroline, acting as Regent. -Robert Chambers says that it came on the 2d of -September, giving the mob five days for preparation instead -of a single afternoon, as described by Scott. It is a -matter of history that the 'mob' acted with remarkable -moderation, harming no one except their intended -victim. Ladies of the upper classes, travelling in their -chairs to meet evening engagements, were quietly turned -back. The shopkeeper in the West Bow, whose place -was broken into for a coil of rope, found himself -reimbursed with a guinea. The town guard was disarmed -and the city gates closed without confusion, showing -that cool heads were in the lead. The jail was stormed -and, as the door would not yield, it was set on fire. -When this finally became effective, the fire was -extinguished. All the prisoners were set free except Porteous, -who was taken to the Grassmarket and hanged on a -post near the scene of his own crime. -</p> - -<p> -The event caused great excitement, not only in -Edinburgh, but in London. The House of Lords proposed a -severe punishment, including the imprisonment of the -Lord Provost, but finally compromised with a fine upon -the city of £2000 for the benefit of Porteous's widow, -thus throwing the punishment upon those who had -nothing to do with the affair and could not have -prevented it. -</p> - -<p> -When the discreditable old Tolbooth was finally -demolished, Scott was presented with the door and its -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P205"></a>205}</span> -frame, which are now built into the outer walls of the -mansion at Abbotsford and the keys of the prison are -among the treasures of his museum. In 1816, he wrote -to Terry, 'I expect to get some decorations from the old -Tolbooth of Edinburgh, particularly the copestones of -the doorway, or lintels, as we call them, and a <i>niche</i> -or two—one very handsome, indeed! Better a niche -<i>from</i> the Tolbooth than a niche <i>in</i> it, to which such -building operations are apt to bring the projectors!' -</p> - -<p> -The first part of the novel is a skilful blending of the -history of the Porteous Mob, with the true story of an -unfortunate girl and her noble sister, who lived in -another part of Scotland. The author represents Effie -Deans as having been incarcerated in the old Tolbooth -and places her trial in one of the buildings of Parliament -Close. The real Effie was imprisoned in the jail at -Dumfries and her trial occurred in an upper room of a curious -old building of that city, known as the Mid-Steeple, -a structure, now over two centuries old, which stands in -the middle of the High Street and gives a picturesque -effect to that thoroughfare. On the south front, above -a stairway which ascends across the face of the building, -is a sculptured figure of St. Michael treading on a -serpent, the arms of the burgh, and above this are the -royal arms of Scotland, also carved in stone. The space -in front is given a pleasant bit of colour by the display -of flowers and vegetables, here offered for sale. -</p> - -<p> -The story of Helen Walker, the original of Jeanie -Deans, is well remembered in Dumfries. A stone or two -may still be discovered, by those who care to search for -the remnant of her little cottage, near the banks of the -river Cluden. She lived to be seventy or eighty years -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P206"></a>206}</span> -old, supporting herself by working stocking-feet and -raising chickens, besides occasionally teaching a few -children to read. In early life she had been left an orphan, -charged with the support of a younger sister, named -Isabella, or 'Tibby,' to whom she devoted herself with -many evidences of genuine affection. It was a great -shock to her, therefore, when she learned that the young -girl had been accused of child-murder and that she -herself would be called upon as the principal witness against -her. Under the law, as her counsel explained, if she -could testify that her sister had made the slightest -preparation or had even confided to her an intimation on -the subject, such a declaration would save her sister's -life. The temptation to tell a plausible lie, which no one -could dispute, was undeniably strong. But Helen was a -woman of finer mould, and not even the purest sisterly -love could induce her to violate her conscience. She -swore to the truth and Isabella was condemned. As she -left the court, the latter was heard to exclaim, 'Oh, -Nelly! ye've been the cause of my death!' -</p> - -<p> -The same moral courage which gave resolution to -Helen Walker to stand for the truth, now impelled her -to a remarkable exercise of the power of an indomitable -will. The difficulties seemed insurmountable. There was -no hope except in the royal pardon. There was no one -to intercede with the King and London was many miles -away. But Helen did not waste a moment. A petition -was hastily drawn, setting forth the facts in the case, and -on the very night of the conviction, the dauntless Scotch -lassie set out on foot for London, clad in her simple -country dress and tartan plaid, without letters of -introduction or recommendation, with little money in her -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P207"></a>207}</span> -purse, and scarcely a chance of success except a sublime -faith in Providence and reliance upon her own stout -heart. -</p> - -<p> -There was one nobleman in London to whom the -heart of any of his Scotch countrymen would instinctively -turn in such an emergency. This was John, Duke -of Argyle, who had stoutly resisted the efforts to inflict -an undeserved punishment on the people of Edinburgh -for their part in the Porteous affair. To him Helen -Walker presented herself, after watching three days at -his door, just as he was about to enter his carriage. Her -unpretentious dress, her honest face, and the pathos of -her story won the heart of the generous nobleman, who -procured the pardon and forwarded it to Dumfries. -Helen returned on foot as she had come, and had -the satisfaction of witnessing the release of her sister. -Isabella married the man who had wronged her and -lived many years, always acknowledging in the most -affectionate terms the high nobility of her sister's -character. -</p> - -<p> -Helen died in poverty and was buried in the picturesque -churchyard of Kirkpatrick Irongray, northwest of -Dumfries, where her grave might have been forgotten -but for the generosity of Sir Walter and the interest of -Mrs. Goldie, who told him the story. This good lady -requested the novelist to write an inscription, saying -that if he would do so, she would be able to raise the -necessary funds for a monument. Scott, however, insisted -upon supplying both the inscription and the stone. We -made it our first care on the afternoon of our arrival -in Dumfries to drive to the old Kirk where, in spite of -the inconvenience of an unexpected shower, we -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P208"></a>208}</span> -photographed the memorial and afterwards stood under an -umbrella copying the following inscription:— -</p> - -<p class="t3"> - This Stone was erected<br /> - By the author of Waverley<br /> - To the memory<br /> -<br /> - of<br /> -<br /> - HELEN WALKER<br /> -<br /> - Who died in the year of God, 1791.<br /> - This humble individual<br /> - Practised in real life<br /> - The virtues<br /> - With which fiction has invested<br /> - The imaginary character of<br /> -<br /> - JEANIE DEANS<br /> -<br /> - Refusing the slightest departure<br /> - From veracity<br /> - Even to save the life of a sister,<br /> - She nevertheless shewed her<br /> - Kindness and fortitude<br /> - In rescuing her<br /> - From the severity of the law,<br /> - At the Expense of personal exertions.<br /> - Which the times rendered as difficult<br /> - As the motive was laudable.<br /> -<br /> - Respect the grave of poverty<br /> - When combined with love of truth<br /> - And dear affection.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -One day during our stay in Edinburgh we hired a -conveyance to take us to the suburban scenes of 'The Heart -of Midlothian.' Our driver was recommended as 'one -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P209"></a>209}</span> -of the best guides in Edinburgh,' and so he proved to be. -In spite of orders to drive direct to the King's Park, he -insisted upon going by way of High Street and the -Canongate, when, every few rods it seemed, he would -bring his horse to a walk, then turn in his seat until he -faced us and point with his long whip to some window -'where the famous Adam Smith lived' or 'where Dugald -Stewart had his rooms.' Perhaps he was only following -the example of Sir Walter, of whom Lockhart said, 'No -funeral hearse crept more leisurely than did his landau -up the Canongate; and not a queer tottering gable but -recalled to him some long-buried memory of splendour -or bloodshed, which, by a few words, he set before his -hearers in the reality of life.' All of this was interesting -enough, or would have been, had I not wished to reach -my objective point before sundown, but Jehu was like -the burro I once rode in the Garden of the Gods in -Colorado, which beast responded to the spur by two -convulsive steps, then settled down to his previous pace, -which neither coaxing nor threatening, caressing nor -spurring, soft words nor sharp ones, would induce him -to change for the space of more than a minute at a time. -So with our 'best guide.' I finally concluded to let him -have his own way, as I had been obliged to do with his -obstinate relative, the burro, and so finally got through -the Canongate after listening to a rehearsal of the entire -catalogue of Edinburgh worthies for several centuries. -When the King's Park was reached, after passing -Holyrood Palace, the guide found himself 'out of bounds' -and kindly permitted me to direct the further proceedings. -</p> - -<p> -Here the city seems to come to a sudden end, and -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P210"></a>210}</span> -looking toward the southwest we saw only a mass of steep -cliffs backed by a rugged mountain. This was a favorite -resort with Sir Walter, when a boy. In later years, -the Radical Road, which winds around the edge of the -Salisbury Crags in a broad pathway, was laid out at his -suggestion, to give employment to idle men. -</p> - -<p> -In writing 'The Heart of Midlothian,' Scott was -therefore more at home than with any other of his novels. -Muschat's Cairn and St. Anthony's Chapel, where -Jeanie had her midnight interview with the betrayer of -her sister, were familiar sights of the author's boyhood. -On a dark night they would be lonely enough even now. -</p> - -<p> -Near the park gate we passed some boulders known as -Muschat's Cairn, but as they were carefully enclosed -and surrounded by a well-kept plot of grass, they gave -no suggestion of the weird and desecrated ground where -evil spirits had power to make themselves visible to -human eyes. The original cairn was made by passing -travellers, each throwing a stone upon the spot, to -express his detestation of the horrible murder -committed in 1720 by Nicol Muchet or Muschat, who killed -his wife under circumstances of great cruelty. In the -ordinary course of improvements, the cairn was swept -away, but the novel created a new interest in its story, -which led to its restoration. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-210"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-210.jpg" alt="ST. ANTHONY'S CHAPEL" /> -<br /> -ST. ANTHONY'S CHAPEL -</p> - -<p> -St. Anthony's Chapel, on the rugged hillside overlooking -St. Margaret's Loch, gives more of the impression -of Scott's tale. The scene on any moonlight night even -now would be the same as it was on that night when -Jeanie met George Robertson at the cairn and was -followed by Ratcliffe and Sharpitlaw, guided by Madge -Wildfire. The ruined chapel, where the jailer and the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P211"></a>211}</span> -lawyer succeeded only in capturing each other instead -of the fugitive, is still as lonely and difficult of access -as it was then, the only difference being that some of the -walls have fallen. We drove as near to the base of the -hill as it was possible to go. I then left the carriage and -began the ascent, stopping a moment at St. Anthony's -Well, where Madge Wildfire wanted to meet the ghost -of the murdered Ailie Muschat to wash the blood out -of her clothes 'by the beams of the bonny Lady Moon.' Arriving -at the chapel after a hard climb, I was studying -the composition of a picture when I was accosted by a -policeman, who had toiled after me all the way up that -steep incline. He informed me that I was welcome to -photograph the ruins, but I must n't take any group -pictures. As there was nobody in sight but the policeman -and myself, and as I did not wish to make a 'group' -of him, I wondered why he had taken so much trouble. -Perhaps he felt the proud satisfaction of the hero, who, -in the language of an admiring rustic friend, 'seen his -duty and done it noble.' -</p> - -<p> -The chapel of St. Anthony, of which now only a fragment -remains, was once a Gothic structure, with a tower -forty feet high, in which a light was kept for the guidance -of mariners. A hermitage, of which scarcely a trace -remains, was partly formed of one of the sheltering -crags near by. The lofty site, commanding an extensive -prospect of sea and sky was supposed to be favourable -for pious meditations. The sight of the palace -below was expected to make an impression in the -minds of the monks of the 'striking contrast between -the court, so frequently assaulted by an unprincipled -rabble, and their own tranquil situation in which they -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P212"></a>212}</span> -were gladly preparing for the regions of everlasting -repose.' Although overlooking a populous city, the -residents of the hermitage had all the 'advantages' of life in -a wilderness, as secluded and peaceful as a Highland -desert. -</p> - -<p> -On the opposite side of the intervening valley we -visited St. Leonard's Crags at the southwest edge of the -King's Park. A neat cottage, with a little garden on -the slope below, passes as the house of David Deans. -Whether Scott had in mind this particular building is -immaterial. It is in the exact locality described in the -novel, and we thought it pleasant to stand on the side of -the hill overlooking the same extensive sheep pasture, -and the same crags and mountain beyond, that met the -eyes of Jeanie Deans when she stood at the cottage door -anxiously looking along the various tracks which led to -their dwelling, 'to see if she could descry the nymph-like -form of her sister.' -</p> - -<p> -A house known as 'Dumbiedykes,' so called because -in Scott's time it was used as a private school for the -deaf and dumb, is not far distant. The novelist -borrowed only the name, which he seems to have transferred -to an old farm called Peffermill, in the vicinity of -Liberton. -</p> - -<p> -'Douce David Deans' is an original creation, the -result of Scott's absorption of the descriptions of -character in Patrick Walker's biographical accounts of the -Covenanters. In acknowledging his indebtedness to this -authority, Scott says, 'It is from such tracts as these, -written in the sense, feeling, and spirit of the sect, -and not from the sophisticated narratives of a later -period, that the real character of the persecuted class is -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P213"></a>213}</span> -to be gathered.' 'David' is just a touch of the same -kind of which we have seen so much in 'Old Mortality.' His -lecture to his daughters on the evil of dancing is -taken from Patrick Walker's Life of Cameron:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Dance?—dance, said ye? I daur ye, limmers that ye are, -to name sic' a word at my door-cheek! It's a dissolute, -profane pastime, practiced by the Israelites only at their base -and brutal worship of the Golden Calf at Bethel, and by the -unhappy lass who danced off the head of John the Baptist, -upon whilk chapter I will exercise this night for your further -instruction, since ye need it sae muckle, nothing doubting -that she has cause to rue the day, lang or this time, that e'er -she suld hae shook a limb on sic' an errand. Better for her to -hae been born a cripple, and carried frae door to door, like -auld Bessie Bowie, begging bawbees, than to be a king's -daughter, fiddling and flinging the gate she did.... And -now, if I hear ye, quean lassies, sae muckle as name dancing, -or think there's sic' a thing in this warld as flinging to fiddle's -sounds and piper's springs, as sure as my father's spirit is -with the just, ye shall be no more either charge or concern of -mine! -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -What a treat it would be to hear Douce David -express an opinion of the elaborate present-day -performances of 'Salome'! -</p> - -<p> -Madge Wildfire, or Murdockson, was drawn from a -crazy woman, called Feckless Fannie, who travelled -over Scotland and England at the head of a flock of -sheep. They were remarkable animals, who recognized -their names as bestowed by their mistress, and responded -promptly to her commands. She slept in the fields in -the midst of her flock, and one very polite old ram, -named Charlie, always claimed the honour of assisting -her to rise. He would push the others out of the way, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P214"></a>214}</span> -then bend down his head, and when Madge had taken a -firm grasp upon his large horns, he would raise his head -and gently lift his mistress to her feet. This and -numerous other stories of Feckless Fannie were furnished the -novelist by his indefatigable friend, Joseph Train. -</p> - -<p> -The great popularity of 'The Heart of Midlothian' -may be judged from a letter of Lady Louisa Stuart, who -said, 'I am in a house where everybody is tearing it out -of each other's hands and talking of nothing else,' and -from Lockhart's testimony, that he had never seen such -'all-engrossing enthusiasm' in Edinburgh 'on the -appearance of any other literary novelty.' Andrew Lang -only voices the feeling of other Scotchmen when he -declares that it is 'second to none' of the Waverley -Novels and that 'no number of formal histories can convey -nearly so full and true a picture of Scottish life about -1730-40 as 'The Heart of Midlothian.' -</p> - -<p> -Lockhart, as usual, sets forth the true secret of the -author's success and does it in a single paragraph. -'Never before,' he says, 'had he seized such really noble -features of the national character as were canonized in -the person of his homely heroine; no art had ever -devised a happier running contrast than that of her -and her sister, or interwoven a portraiture of lowly -manners and simple virtues, with more graceful delineations -of polished life or with bolder shadows of terror, guilt, -crime, remorse, madness, and all the agony of passions.' -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap15"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P215"></a>215}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XV -<br /> -THE BRIDE OF LAMMERMOOR -</h3> - -<p> -Ralph Waldo Emerson, who frequently showed his -familiarity with the Waverley Novels, regarded 'The -Bride of Lammermoor' as Scott's highest achievement. -He declared that it 'almost goes back to Æschylus for a -counterpart, as a painting of Fate—leaving on every -reader the impression of the highest and purest tragedy.' The -dramatic close of the story is based upon a calamity -which marred the private life of James Dalrymple, the -first Lord Stair, a great lawyer, legal writer, and judge, -who was the ancestor of a long line of distinguished -advocates, judges, and public men. -</p> - -<p> -This gentleman was born in Ayrshire in 1619. He -was carefully educated, and when a young man lectured -in the University of Glasgow on mathematics, logic, -ethics, and politics. At twenty-nine he began the -practice of law at Edinburgh, winning great fame in his -profession, because of extensive legal attainments. His -great work on 'The Institutions of the Law of Scotland' -is still held in high esteem by Scottish lawyers, although -the feudal law which it elucidated has become antiquated. -It is considered, however, that something of its -spirit still survives. He became a judge, was appointed -President of the Court of Session, served as a member -of the Scottish Parliament, and took a prominent part -in various political and diplomatic undertakings. -Unfortunately incurring the enmity of the Duke of York, he -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P216"></a>216}</span> -lost his influence at court and was deprived of office. -Fearing prosecution for treason, he retired to Holland, -returning, however, a year later in the suite of William -of Orange. He lived to the age of seventy-six, his latest -years saddened by the bitter attacks of his enemies. -This is the man whom Scott introduces as Sir William -Ashton, though without meaning to impute to Lord -Stair the tricky and mean-spirited qualities of the -fictitious character. -</p> - -<p> -James Dalrymple was married in 1644 to Margaret -Ross, the heiress of a large estate in Galloway. She was -a woman of great ability and strong character, who -seems to have exerted a powerful influence in promoting -her husband's prosperity and political ambition. She -shared his fortunes, whether good or bad, for nearly -half a century, always exerting an imperious will, which -even he did not dare to contradict, but ever faithful -in advancing his interests. Following her husband's -downfall, when the number of his enemies had greatly -increased and his life was in danger, Lady Stair -was accused of attending conventicles and of harbouring -'silenced preachers' in her house. Others went farther -and accused her of witchcraft, maintaining that the -great prosperity of her family was attributable solely to -the lady's partnership with His Satanic Majesty. -Whatever may have been the slanders directed against her -good name, the Lady Stair of history was clearly the -prototype of Lady Ashton. -</p> - -<p> -The lord and lady of real life had a daughter Janet, -who was betrothed, without the consent of her parents, -to Lord Rutherford. Lady Stair's will asserted itself in -opposition, and without consideration of her daughter's -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P217"></a>217}</span> -feelings, the mother proceeded to annul the engagement, -notifying the lover that his fiancée had retracted her -unlawful vow. After a stormy interview, in which Lord -Rutherford argued his case with the determined mother -in the presence of the younger woman, the latter, who -had feebly remained silent and motionless, at last -obeyed with sad reluctance her mother's command and -gave back to her lover the half of a broken coin, which -had been the symbol of their mutual pledge. In a burst -of passion Lord Rutherford left the room and soon after -went abroad never to return. -</p> - -<p> -The marriage desired by Lady Stair now took place, -the bridegroom being David Dunbar, the heir of an -estate in Wigtownshire, the lady's native county. On the -night of the wedding some tragic event took place which -resulted in the death of Janet two weeks later. Either -the bride stabbed the husband or the husband stabbed -the bride. The family seem to have thrown a veil of -secrecy over the whole affair and the exact truth was -never positively known. According to one account, -when the door of the chamber was opened, the young -bridegroom lay upon the floor badly wounded, while the -wife was found in a state of frenzy, screaming as the door -opened, 'Tak' up your bonnie bridegroom.' Another -story is that the mother, inspired by Satan, attempted -the murder, the marriage having been contracted against -her will, and that the bridegroom went crazy. A third -rendition is that the disappointed lover concealed -himself in the apartment and committed the crime. -</p> - -<p> -Scott adopts the most plausible view, namely, that -the young lady, forced to marry against her will, simply -lost her reason and in a mad delirium assaulted her -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P218"></a>218}</span> -husband. That young gentleman recovered from his -wounds. Thirteen years later, he was killed by a fall -from his horse, a catastrophe which the novelist -transfers to the disappointed suitor. -</p> - -<p> -The scenery of the drama which led to such a tragic -event is placed by the author in the Lammermuir Hills, -a stretch of mountainous country lying along the borders -of Haddington and Berwick, in the southeastern corner -of Scotland. At the extreme eastern limits of this -elevated section, the land drops abruptly into the North -Sea, forming a line of precipitous cliffs, rising three or -four hundred feet above the ocean. To gain some idea -of the character of the region, we drove as far as the -motor-car could carry us and came to a stop at the end -of the road on the northern edge of the village of -Northfield. A long walk, leading at first through an open -field in which cattle were grazing, then along a narrow -path by a brook, where numerous sheep were pasturing, -thence by a winding road to the summit of a hill, brought -me at last to the lighthouse of St. Abbs Head. Vast -masses of rocks rise directly out of the ocean to enormous -heights and stretch along the coast as far as the eye can -see. Except for the lighthouse, there was no sign of life -save the sea-fowl, which flew wildly in every direction, -screaming in one incessant chorus of shrill complaint. -A lowering sky added to the weird loneliness of -the scene. I was gone so long that my wife, who wisely -remained in the car, began to feel certain that I had -tumbled over the rocks into the sea, and busied herself -for an hour in unpleasant thoughts of how she should -manage to get my remains home. But after nearly two -hours, the remains came walking back without even the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P219"></a>219}</span> -excitement of being chased by a wild bull. Thus do most -of our worries melt away if we give them time enough. -</p> - -<p> -Somewhere on this rugged shore was the castle of -Wolf's Crag, the last remnant of the property of the -Master of Ravenswood and the scene of Caleb Balderstone's -wonderful expedients to maintain the honour of -his house. Caleb, by the way, who would make a -first-class performer in a farce comedy, and who served a -useful purpose in relieving the strain of a sombre narrative, -was not without a prototype in real life. His exploit -in carrying off the roast goose and the brace of wild -ducks from the kitchen of the cooper, to make a dinner -for his master's guests, was based upon a story told to -Scott by a nobleman of his acquaintance. A certain -gentleman in reduced circumstances had a servant -named John, whose resourcefulness was much like -Caleb's. A party of four or five friends once sought to -surprise this gentleman by unexpectedly presenting -themselves for dinner, suspecting there would be no -provision in the house for such an entertainment. But -promptly as the village clock struck the hour for the -noonday meal, John placed on the table 'a stately rump -of boiled beef, with a proper accompaniment of greens, -amply sufficient to dine the whole party.' He had -simply appropriated the 'kail-pot' of a neighbour, leaving -the latter and his friends to dine on bread and cheese, -which, John said, was 'good enough for them.' -</p> - -<p> -Caleb's trick of magniloquently referring to scores of -imaginary servants and detailing the particulars of -fictitious banquets, all to maintain the honour of the house, -had a parallel in the antics of a Scotch innkeeper of the -Border country, who, on the arrival of a person of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P220"></a>220}</span> -importance, would call Hostler No. 10 down from Hayloft -No. 15 to conduct the gentleman's horse to one of the -best stalls in Stable No. 20, and do it in such an eloquent -style as to convey the impression of accommodations on -a scale of magnificent proportions.[<a id="chap15fn1text"></a><a href="#chap15fn1">1</a>] Wolf's Crag, -according to the novel, is between St. Abbs Head and the -village of Eyemouth. There is no such castle on that part -of the coast, but in the opposite direction, only a few -miles from St. Abbs Head, on a high rock overlooking -the sea, is Fast Castle, which answers very well to the -description. This much Scott himself acknowledged, -but in his usual cautious way, asserting that he never -saw the castle except from the sea.[<a id="chap15fn2text"></a><a href="#chap15fn2">2</a>] An interesting -painting of Fast Castle, presented to Sir Walter by the -artist, the Rev. John Thomson of Duddingston, adorns -the drawing-room at Abbotsford. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Viewed from the sea, Fast Castle is more like the nest of -some gigantic Roc or Condor, than a dwelling for human -beings; being so completely allied in colour and rugged -appearance with the huge cliffs, amongst which it seems to be -jammed, that it is difficult to discover what is rock and what -is building. To the land side the only access is by a rocky -path of a very few feet wide, bordered on either hand by a -tremendous precipice. This leads to the castle, a donjon -tower of moderate size, surrounded by flanking walls, as -usual, which, rising without interval and abruptly from the -verge of the precipice must in ancient times have rendered -the place nearly impregnable.[<a id="chap15fn3text"></a><a href="#chap15fn3">3</a>] -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P221"></a>221}</span> -Fast Castle gained some notoriety from the attempt, in -1600, of an infamous character, Logan of Restalrig, in -conspiracy with the Earl of Gowrie and his brother, -to kidnap King James VI, the intent being to imprison -him there, and to collect their reward from Queen -Elizabeth. Fortunately for James, the plot failed. -</p> - -<p> -The original of Ravenswood Castle is uncertain. -Constable, who published a volume of 'illustrations to the -Waverley Novels' in 1821, two years after the appearance -of 'The Bride of Lammermoor' included an engraving -of Crichton Castle, with a quotation referring to -Ravenswood: 'on the gorge of a pass or mountain glen, -ascending from the fertile plains of East Lothian, there -stood in former times an extensive castle, of which only -the ruins are now visible.' Crichton is at the western -extremity of the high country of which the Lammermuir -Hills constitute the greatest portion. Scott's fondness -for it is well known, as readers of 'Marmion' will -remember. Others have supposed Wintoun House, a fine old -mansion farther to the north, to have been the original. -Scott could hardly have had this in mind, however, for -he distinctly refers to the place as now in ruins. Bearing -in mind that Scott paid little attention to geographical -requirements, it seems probable that he really referred -to the ruins of Crichton. This is further confirmed by -the fact that the picture to which I have referred was -painted by Alexander Nasmyth, who was a friend of -Scott's and the father-in-law of the author's frequent -correspondent, Daniel Terry. If Crichton Castle is -Ravenswood, the Crichton Kirk may be considered as -the place where the wedding of Lucy Ashton and Bucklaw -took place. It is a curious-shaped building, with -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P222"></a>222}</span> -square tower and walls, partly covered with ivy, -standing in the midst of a well-kept churchyard. -</p> - -<p> -The novel opens with the dramatic burial-scene of -the father of the young Master of Ravenswood. The -chapel where this took place may be supposed to be -Coldingham Priory, the oldest nunnery in Scotland, a -quaint little structure, partly in ruins, but partly used for -religious worship. In the chapter on 'Marmion' I have -already referred to this chapel as the place where the -body of a nun was found immured in the walls. -</p> - -<p> -The village of Eyemouth, a quaint old fishing settlement -at the mouth of the river Eye, will serve as an -'original' of Wolf's Hope. On the links or sand knolls, -north of here, were the quicksands called the 'Kelpie's -Flow.' While in the village I made diligent inquiries, -but could get no information except from one man, who -thought that the sandy beach of Coldingham Bay might -be the locality which Scott meant, but he had never -heard of the quicksands, and said if any had ever -existed in the vicinity they must have disappeared long -since. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-222"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-222.jpg" alt="CRICHTON CASTLE" /> -<br /> -CRICHTON CASTLE -</p> - -<p> -It will be remembered that the Kelpie's Flow was the -culminating scene of the tragedy. The prophecies of -Thomas the Rhymer, so Scott would have us believe, -were always fulfilled, and one of them was hanging over -the head of the Master of Ravenswood, to the great -trepidation of the faithful Caleb. The lines were these:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - When the last Laird of Ravenswood to Ravenswood shall ride,<br /> - And woo a dead maiden to be his bride,<br /> - He shall stable his steed in the Kelpie's flow<br /> - And his name shall be lost for evermoe.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P223"></a>223}</span> -After the tragedy in the Castle, young Ravenswood rode -out to meet the bride's brother, Colonel Ashton, to fight -a duel on the sands of Wolf's Hope. In the agitated -state of his mind, he neglected the precaution of keeping -on the firm sands near the rocks, and took a shorter and -more dangerous course. Horse and man disappeared in -the deadly quicksands, and thus was the prophecy -fulfilled. Only a large sable feather was found as a sign of -the young man's dreadful fate. Old Caleb took it up, -dried it, and put it in his bosom. Thus ended the tale -which Lockhart considered 'the most pure and powerful -of all the tragedies that Scott ever penned.' -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap15fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap15fn1text">1</a>] From Robert Chambers's <i>Illustrations of the Author of Waverley</i>. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap15fn2"></a> -[<a href="#chap15fn2text">2</a>] In a note to the introduction to the <i>Chronicles of the Canongate</i>, -Scott says, 'I would particularly -intimate the Kaim of Uric, on the -eastern coast of Scotland, as having -suggested an idea for the tower called -Wolf's Crag, which the public more -generally identified with the ancient -tower of Fast Castle.' -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap15fn3"></a> -[<a href="#chap15fn3text">3</a>] From <i>Provincial Antiquities of Scotland</i>. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap16"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P224"></a>224}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XVI -<br /> -A LEGEND OF MONTROSE -</h3> - -<p> -Dalgetty—Dugald Dalgetty; Ritt-master Dugald -Dalgetty of Drumthwacket; learned graduate of the -Mareschal College, Aberdeen; stalwart soldier; cavalier -of fortune; lieutenant under that invincible monarch, -the bulwark of the Protestant faith, the Lion of the -North, the terror of Austria, Gustavus Adolphus; -Captain Dalgetty; and finally Sir Dugald Dalgetty—stalks -with egregious effrontery through the pages of -this novel, from start to finish, dragging his good horse -Gustavus along with him. He is a bore,—undeniably -so. Yet we can laugh at his eccentricities in spite of -their tediousness, especially when reading the novel a -second time after the desire to know the outcome of the -story has been satisfied. As an original character he -stands by the side of Bailie Nicol Jarvie, although he -does not arouse the same subtle feeling of delightful -satisfaction. The Bailie is always welcome, but Dalgetty -is everlastingly in the way. And yet we could not -possibly get along without him. We can forgive his pedantry -and overlook his interminable lectures on military -strategy in view of the loyalty and courage with which -he faces Argyle in the dungeon, compels that nobleman -to furnish a means of escape and rescues Ranald of the -Mist. Nor can we help admiring the very effrontery of -the man, when he uses it to such excellent advantage -in cajoling the Presbyterian chaplain, thereby causing -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P225"></a>225}</span> -that worthy man to furnish the one thing needed to -facilitate his safe retreat. The story might well have been -called, as it is in the Italian and Portuguese versions, 'A -Soldier of Fortune,' for Dalgetty, rather than Montrose, -is the real hero. In this connection it is curious to note -that, in so far as its chief incidents concern Montrose, -the tale is not a legend, but history. The two important -words of the title are both, therefore, slightly misleading. -</p> - -<p> -The journey into the Highlands of the Marquis of -Montrose, in disguise and attended by only two gentlemen, -is a matter of history. It was in 1644, during the -Civil War, when the forces of Charles I were being -menaced by an army of twenty thousand men under the -Scotch Covenanter, General Leslie. Montrose urged -Charles to make a counter-demonstration in the North -and to draw Leslie back to the defence of Scotland by -uniting the Highlanders with a strong force of ten -thousand Irish Catholics. At length, armed with -extraordinary powers, as the representative of the King, he -was permitted to set out with a small army of about one -thousand men. These became dissatisfied, however, -and most of them deserted. In despair Montrose now -resolved upon the bold stroke which proved to be the -beginning of his brilliant military record. Disguised as -a groom and attended only by Sir William Rollo and -Colonel Sibbald, he made his way to the Perthshire -Highlands, where he was joined by Lord Kilpont, son of -the Earl of Airth and Menteith, with about five -hundred men. The Irish troops, after being in danger of -complete extermination by the Marquis of Argyle, -finally arrived, but mustered only twelve hundred men -instead of ten thousand. They were ordered to march -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P226"></a>226}</span> -to Blair Atholl, where Montrose met the Highland -chiefs and sent out the call to arms. The 'fiery cross,' -no doubt very much as described in 'The Lady of the -Lake,' went out from house to house and from clan to -clan, and Montrose soon had an army of three thousand -men. He marched toward Perth, and at Tippermuir, -four miles west of that city, defeated the Covenanters -on the 1st day of September, 1644. Marching rapidly -towards Aberdeen, he won another victory at the Bridge -of Dee on the 12th of the same month. -</p> - -<p> -With the swift movements which characterized his -generalship, Montrose won many a battle. Meanwhile -the Marquis of Argyle, whom most of the clans hated -for his unscrupulous aggressions, was gathering a strong -force on the shores of Loch Linnhe. In midwinter, with -snow upon the ground, Montrose crossed the mountains -with his army, a feat hitherto regarded as impossible, -but quite within the compass of that leader's remarkable -genius. He met Argyle at Inverlochy and defeated -him with a loss of fifteen hundred men, his own losses -being only one officer and three privates. Argyle's forces -scattered in every direction and were pursued for many -miles. The Marquis himself, regarding discretion as the -better part of valour, turned over the command of his -forces to his cousin and watched the battle from his -ship—an act that was severely condemned as cowardice, -even by his own friends. In extenuation it can only -be said that Argyle, while an able politician and -statesman, was never a soldier. -</p> - -<p> -While Scott based his story upon these historical -events, he departed from the facts in some of the less -important details, to serve the purposes of his romance. -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P227"></a>227}</span> -The most conspicuous of these variations is in the part -played by Lord Kilpont, as the Earl of Menteith. -According to the novel, the Earl is a young man who -falls in love with Annot Lyle, a pretty little maiden -living in the household of the McAulays and supposed to -be a rescued waif of the hated and greatly feared tribe, -known as the 'Children of the Mist.' Annot is also -beloved by the half-crazy Highlander, Allan McAulay. -Lord Menteith, so long as the girl's antecedents are -supposed to be so lowly, can entertain no thought of -marriage and so informs Allan. When it is discovered, -however, that she is really the daughter of Sir Duncan -Campbell, and the heiress of Ardenvohr, a family as -honourable as his own, Menteith no longer hesitates, -and as Annot has long reciprocated his affection, the -marriage is easily arranged. Allan does not consent so -readily, but hastily encounters the Earl and fiercely -challenges him. Convinced that the man is insane, the -Earl hesitates a moment, when Allan suddenly draws -his dirk and with terrific force plunges it into the Earl's -bosom. A steel corslet saves the latter's life, though a -severe wound is inflicted, and in a few weeks he is well -enough to be married and the ceremony takes place in -Sir Duncan's castle. Allan meanwhile appears suddenly -before the Marquis of Argyle at Inverary, throws a -bloody dirk upon the table, makes a brief explanation, -and disappears forever. The novel closes in the -conventional way. The Earl of Menteith, adding his bride's -large estate to his own, 'lived long, happy alike in -public regard and in domestic affection, and died at a good -old age.' -</p> - -<p> -The Earl, Lord Kilpont, was not so fortunate. He was -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P228"></a>228}</span> -suddenly stabbed by James Stewart of Ardvoirlich, a -supposed friend with whom he was on terms of the closest -intimacy. This event, which was immediately fatal, -took place a few days after the battle of Tippermuir and -not after Inverlochy. There was no question of jealous -rivalry in love. Kilpont had been married about twelve -years and left a family of several children. The most -probable explanation is that Stewart, who had a streak -of insanity owing to the frightful circumstances of his -birth,[<a id="chap16fn1text"></a><a href="#chap16fn1">1</a>] quarrelled with his friend at a time when he was -heated with drink and killed him under some sudden -mad impulse. He immediately deserted Montrose and -was subsequently made a major in one of the regiments -of Argyle, a fact which gave colour to the suspicion that -he had sought Lord Kilpont's assistance in a conspiracy -to assassinate Montrose, for which Argyle would have -paid a rich reward, but upon meeting with an indignant -refusal, struck his friend with a dirk as the readiest -means of avoiding the betrayal of his plans. -</p> - -<p> -Stewart, like McAulay, is described as 'uncommonly -tall, strong, and active, with such power in the grasp of -his hand as could force the blood from beneath the nails -of the persons who contended with him in this feat of -strength. His temper was moody, fierce, and irascible.' There -was good reason for this savage disposition and -for his implacable hostility toward the 'Children of the -Mist,' his father and mother having been the victims of -one of the most fiendish outrages which ever disgraced -the history of the Highlanders. -</p> - -<p> -The scenery of 'A Legend of Montrose' brings us back -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P229"></a>229}</span> -to the people and the country which Scott described -with so much enthusiasm in 'The Lady of the Lake' and -again in 'Waverley' and 'Rob Roy.' To catch something -of the spirit of it we drove westward from Callander -and paused for a short time at the beautiful Falls of -Leny, where the river of that name forms the outlet of -Loch Lubnaig and the head waters of the river Teith. -Here we may suppose Lord Menteith and 'Anderson,' -the disguised earl, to be passing on their way to the -north when they fell in with the garrulous Captain -Dalgetty. Darnlinvarich, where the clans gathered, is -wholly fictitious, the real meeting having taken place -near Blair Atholl. One of the incidents which happened -there is, however, based upon fact. -</p> - -<p> -An Englishman, Sir Miles Musgrave, it will be -remembered, had made a wager with Angus McAulay which -threatened to embarrass that gentleman. When on a -visit to the house of the former, Angus had seen six solid -silver candlesticks put on the table. The Englishman -rallied Angus a little, knowing that the sight was a -novelty to the Scotchman, and the latter promptly swore -that he had more and better candlesticks in his own -castle. A wager was immediately offered and accepted that -the Scotch laird could not produce them, the amount -being so large that its payment would have embarrassed -either party, but more particularly the Scotchman. The -Englishman appeared with a friend at Darnlinvarich, -just at the time of the arrival of the Earl of Menteith -and his party, and there was great anxiety over the -apparently certain loss of the wager. But Allan, the -brother of Angus, was equal to the emergency. Dinner -was announced and the company marched in. A large -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P230"></a>230}</span> -oaken table, spread with substantial joints of meat, was -set for eight guests, and behind each chair stood a -gigantic Highlander, in full native costume, holding in his -right hand a drawn broadsword, the point turned downward, -and in his left a blazing pine torch. Then Allan -stepped forth, and pointing to the torch-bearers, said in -a deep and stern voice: 'Behold, gentlemen cavaliers, -the chandeliers of my brother's house, the ancient -fashion of our ancient name; not one of these men knows -any law but their Chief's command. Would you dare -to compare to <i>them</i> in value the richest ore that ever was -dug out of the mine? How say you, cavaliers?—is your -wager won or lost?' 'Lost, lost,' said Musgrave, gaily; -'my own silver candlesticks are all melted and riding on -horseback by this time, and I wish the fellows that -enlisted were half as trusty as these.' -</p> - -<p> -The meeting of the clans was interrupted by an -unwelcome guest, Sir Duncan Campbell, who came with a -message from Argyle. Captain Dalgetty was appointed -to return with him, under a flag of truce, and together -they journeyed to the Castle of Ardenvohr, the residence -of Sir Duncan. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-230"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-230.jpg" alt="LOCH LUBNAIG" /> -<br /> -LOCH LUBNAIG -</p> - -<p> -The ancient Celtic fortress here described is the -ruined castle of Dunstaffnage, reached by a short drive -north from Oban. Its origin is unknown. According to -one tradition, it was founded by a Pictish monarch, -contemporary with Julius Cæsar. In its present shape -the building probably dates from about 1250. It fell -into the hands of Robert Bruce in 1308. The castle is a -heavy structure of stone, standing on a solid rock, and -protected by the waters of Loch Linnhe on three sides. -It was originally accessible only by a drawbridge. It is -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P231"></a>231}</span> -about one hundred and forty feet long and one hundred -feet wide. The walls are ten feet thick and sixty feet high. -</p> - -<p> -This ancient castle is the place where the Scottish -princes were once crowned. They sat on the same stone -that was used at the recent coronation of King George V, -and of a long line of his predecessors,—the famous -Stone of Scone. This ancient relic was carried from -Ireland to the Island of Iona, and thence to Dunstaffnage, -where it remained many years. Kenneth MacAlpine, -in the ninth century, removed it to the palace of Scone, -near Perth, where it remained five centuries. It was -finally seized by Edward I and carried to London, where -it has remained for the last six centuries. -</p> - -<p> -A knoll on the south of the castle curiously suggests -the Drumsnab of the novel, which Dalgetty insisted -should be fortified according to his own military ideas. -The castle of Inverary, on the shore of Loch Fyne, has -been replaced by a magnificent modern mansion, the -seat of the present Duke of Argyle. The secret passage -to the dungeon, under the old castle, through which the -novelist supposes the Marquis to have visited his -prisoners, was suggested by a similar arrangement in the -castle of Naworth, to which I have previously referred.[<a id="chap16fn2text"></a><a href="#chap16fn2">2</a>] A -private stairway leads from the apartment of Lord -William Howard to the dungeon, by which the experiment -of Argyle might have been and doubtless was -practised. -</p> - -<p> -A sail of less than four hours, from Oban, north -through the picturesque channels of Loch Linnhe, -brought us to Fort William. From this point we walked -about two miles to the battle-field of Inverlochy and the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P232"></a>232}</span> -ruins of the old castle of that name, which we found to be -in a sadly neglected state, far different from its -neighbour, Dunstaffnage. The four walls of the enclosure -may still be seen, but everything is in a ruinous -condition. An antiquated horse with large protruding -hip-bones was grazing in what was once the moat, and before -taking a picture I was about to ask a boy to chase him -away. But on second thought I let him stay, because -he harmonized so perfectly with the surroundings. -</p> - -<p> -The courtyard is about one hundred feet square. The -walls are nine feet thick and of varying height. Like -Dunstaffnage the castle is so old that its early history is -shrouded in mystery. Tradition ascribes its origin to -the Comyns, near the end of the thirteenth century. -The view in every direction is charming. Across the -river Lochy, a small stream which joins the Caledonian -Canal to the waters of Loch Linnhe, may be seen the -town of Banavie, and in the distance the highlands of -Inverness-shire. In the opposite direction we could barely -see the peaks of Ben Nevis, peeping through the mists -that hung over the mountains. To the north are the -heights of Lochaber over which the Marquis of -Montrose made his famous march of thirty miles by an -unfrequented route, during a heavy fall of snow, and suddenly -confronted his enemy in the night, when they supposed -him to be far away in another part of the country. -</p> - -<p> -I think this novel must have been inspired by Scott's -admiration of the 'Great Marquis,' whose brief but -brilliant campaign in the Highlands appealed to his -imagination just as the longer career of Rob Roy had -done. It took him back among the picturesque people -whom he loved to describe, and amidst scenery where -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P233"></a>233}</span> -he had roamed with never-failing delight. The one -possession in the remarkable antiquarian collection at -Abbotsford which Scott cherished more than any -other—more even than Rob Roy's gun—was the sword of -Montrose, presented to the Marquis by Charles I and -formerly the property of the monarch's father, King -James. Sir Walter thought a dialogue between this -sword and Rob Roy's gun might be composed with good -effect. It seems a pity he did not undertake it. The -sword bears on both sides the royal arms of Great -Britain. The blade is handsomely ornamented, the hilt -is finished in open scrollwork of silver gilt, and the grip -is bound with chains of silver, alternating with bands -of gold. -</p> - -<p> -Scott did not follow the fortunes of his hero beyond -the battle of Inverlochy, where he left him in triumph. -Montrose continued his success until, on the 15th of -August, 1645, he reached his climax in the decisive -victory of Kilsyth. He was now the master of Scotland, -but, unfortunately, fate deprived him of the fruits of his -genius. Summoned to England to meet the exigencies -which threatened the King, and unable to hold his -Highlanders for an invasion of the South, he was attacked at -Philiphaugh by Leslie, who easily overcame the small -opposing force. Montrose escaped to the Highlands, -but was never again able to organize an army. After -spending the next few years abroad, he returned to -Scotland in 1650, where, after failing again to summon the -clans, he was betrayed and carried a prisoner to the -Tolbooth in Edinburgh. On the 21st of May, when only -thirty-eight years old, he was hanged in the -Grassmarket and bravely met his death. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap16fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap16fn1text">1</a>] The story is related at length in the -Introduction to <i>A Legend of Montrose</i>. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap16fn2"></a> -[<a href="#chap16fn2text">2</a>] Pages 20 and 43. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap17"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P234"></a>234}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XVII -<br /> -IVANHOE -</h3> - -<p> -From 'Bonnie Scotland' to 'Merrie England' was not -a long step for Sir Walter, for he had already peeped -into Yorkshire at Barnard Castle for his poem, -'Rokeby.' The principal scenes of 'Ivanhoe' are laid in the -opposite end of the same county, between Sheffield and -Doncaster. They extend, however, as far south as -Ashby de la Zouch, and northward to the ancient city -of York. As we rode through this populous country, -humming with the industry of thousands of busy mills, -its crowded cities showing street after street of -substantial business houses, its more open spaces dotted with -neat cottages surrounded by well-kept gardens, its -streams crossed by bridges of stone and steel, its roads -in excellent repair, and its entire aspect betokening the -peace and prosperity of a great civilization, it was -difficult to picture it in fancy as the great forest roamed by -Robin Hood and his merry men; as a land in which King -Richard and Wilfred of Ivanhoe performed their feats of -chivalry and daring; as the region in which Cedric the -Saxon still resented the intrusion of the Normans, and -Front-de-Boeuf maintained a feudal castle concealing -horrors too frightful to mention. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-234"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-234.jpg" alt="Map of England" /> -<br /> -Map of England -</p> - -<p> -We succeeded, however, in finding a bit of the original -forest, in identifying the ruins of two castles which -figure prominently in the story, and several others which -doubtless served as types of the prevailing Norman style -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P235"></a>235}</span> -of architecture, besides other interesting places more -remotely associated with the tale. -</p> - -<p> -The town of Ashby de la Zouch, to which all the -people of the story wend their way in the early chapters, -is on the western edge of Leicestershire, about midway -between Birmingham and Nottingham. The ancient -castle derives its name from the fact that it was formerly -owned by the Zouch family, who seem to have had -possession until 1399. Scott was slightly in error in -stating that at this time (1194) 'the castle and town of -Ashby belonged to Roger de Quincey, Earl of Winchester,' -who was then absent in the Holy Land. It is not -inconceivable, however, that Prince John might have -taken temporary possession, and, after all, that is the -main point of the story. -</p> - -<p> -The castle was a ruin in Scott's day, presenting an -appearance very much the same as now. It suggested -the scene of Prince John's banquet, but the novelist -well knew that it was not the original castle which stood -on the spot in 1194. Of the old castle we found only a -single wall. The date of its foundation is uncertain, but -it was probably built in the earlier part of the same -century. Its successor, represented by the ruins now -visible, was built in 1474, nearly three hundred years -after the period of the novel. The reigning king was -Edward IV, and one of his prime favourites was -William, Lord Hastings, who was not only loaded with -wealth by his sovereign, but given almost unlimited -authority to enclose for private use whatever land he -wished and to build wherever he pleased. Accordingly -Hastings took possession of three thousand acres of -land at Ashby and erected a huge castle, despoiling the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P236"></a>236}</span> -neighbouring castle of Belvoir of much lead, with which -he covered his towers. The strong fortress and splendid -castle thus erected stood intact for less than two -centuries. During the Civil War it was besieged and -captured by the Parliamentary Army, and in 1648 was -deliberately made untenable by a Committee of the -House of Commons, who had been appointed to determine -what castles and other fortified places were to be -retained and which ones were to be destroyed. Ashby, -unfortunately, was condemned and huge sections of its -walls and towers were undermined and pulled down. -</p> - -<p> -The ruin consists of two large towers, connected by an -underground passage, the great hall, the chapel, and the -room of Mary Queen of Scots. The kitchen tower was -of great strength, having walls in some places ten feet -thick, and the remains of a huge kitchen fireplace may -still be seen. The most imposing part of the ruin is the -keep. This was a tower eighty feet high, fitted up in -great magnificence as the Earl's apartment. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-236"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-236.jpg" alt="CASTLE OF ASHBY DE LA ZOUCH" /> -<br /> -CASTLE OF ASHBY DE LA ZOUCH -</p> - -<p> -The great tournament was supposed to be held in a -field a mile or two from the tower. After the tournament -and the banquet in the castle which followed, Cedric the -Saxon and his kinsman, Athelstane of Coningsburgh, -with the Lady Rowena and their servants and retainers, -set out for Rotherwood, the house of Cedric, presumably -in the neighbourhood of, or possibly a fictitious -substitute for, the present city of Rotherham. Their way led -through a great forest, some remnants of which may -still be seen. In King Richard's time the entire country -between Ashby and Rotherham may have been thickly -wooded. The famous Sherwood Forest occupied the -western portion of Nottinghamshire, extending north -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P237"></a>237}</span> -and south about twenty-five miles, with a width varying -from six to eight miles. In this extensive woodland, -Robin Hood, with the jolly Friar Tuck and the minstrel -Allan-a-Dale, and all the rest of the 'merry men,' -hunted the king's deer, robbed the rich and bestowed -charity upon the poor, worshipped the Virgin and pillaged -the ecclesiastical establishments, supported themselves -by means of their marvellous archery, played -practical jokes and indulged in no end of fun, and lived -a free, open, adventurous, brave, and generous life, in -spite of their outlawry. Robin Hood was undoubtedly -an historical character, who may have had an existence -as early as the time of King Richard, but whose deeds -have been so much enveloped in fiction and poetry that -his real exploits cannot be determined. The legends -that have been woven about him are like the tales of -King Arthur—mythical but probably evolved from -some hidden germ of truth. From 1377, when the -oldest known mention of him was made in an edition of -'Piers the Ploughman,' down to the Elizabethan era, -his popularity is evinced by the great volume of -ballad poetry recording his performances. -</p> - -<p> -That such a personage should have made a strong -appeal to Sir Walter Scott was inevitable, and he seems -to have woven the characteristic exploits of Robin Hood -into the tale of 'Ivanhoe' with the same zest which he -displayed in 'The Lady of the Lake,' 'Waverley,' -'Rob Roy,' and 'A Legend of Montrose,' where he so -delighted to picture the Scottish Highlanders in their -native country. -</p> - -<p> -North of Mansfield, in Nottinghamshire, a beautiful -part of the Forest of Sherwood may still be seen. For -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P238"></a>238}</span> -many miles we drove through endless glades and -avenues, the rugged oaks intertwining their branches -over our heads, now and then forming those 'long sweeping -vistas' which Scott describes so well, 'in the intricacy -of which the eye delights to lose itself, while -imagination considers them as the paths to yet wilder -scenes of silvan solitude.' Here and there we could see -herds of deer, coming boldly into view, knowing well -that the arrows of Robin Hood's men are things of the -past. All this region is now well cared for. There are -splendid palaces with lakes, fountains, and flowers, -transforming the old forest into a veritable fairy-land. -Thoresby House with its beautiful park is the property -of Earl Manvers; Clumber, on the border of the -Carburton Lakes, is the stately seat of the Duke of -Newcastle, and Welbeck Abbey, with gardens covering -thirty-two acres, lakes of one hundred and fifty-nine -acres, and a deer park of sixteen hundred and forty -acres, is the magnificent domain of the Duke of -Portland. All this section, which has been dubbed 'the -Dukeries,' while preserving something of the appearance -of a forest, can only present a striking contrast to the -wild tangle of the woods, with their narrow and devious -paths, through which the Saxon party passed on their -way to Rotherwood. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-238"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-238.jpg" alt="THE BUCK-GATE. ENTRANCE TO THE DUKE OF PORTLAND'S ESTATE, SHERWOOD FOREST" /> -<br /> -THE BUCK-GATE. ENTRANCE TO THE DUKE OF<br /> -PORTLAND'S ESTATE, SHERWOOD FOREST -</p> - -<p> -Cedric, it will be remembered, soon overtook Isaac of -York, the rich Jew, and his lovely daughter, Rebecca, -who had been deserted by their cowardly escort. They -were carrying, in a litter, 'a sick friend,' under which -designation they concealed the identity of Ivanhoe. -The whole party was later surprised and captured by -some of the Norman nobles of Prince John's party, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P239"></a>239}</span> -disguised as outlaws, by whom they were carried to -Torquilstone, the castle of Front-de-Boeuf. This -imaginary feudal edifice may be supposed to be in the -vicinity of Harthill, a village nine miles south of Rotherham. -</p> - -<p> -The dramatic incidents that occurred here are -familiar to every one: how De Bracy made his futile -attempt to woo the Lady Rowena, trusting to his -handsome face and foppish clothes; how the Templar tried -his blandishments upon Rebecca and was defeated by -her courage in threatening to leap from the battlements, -should he advance a single step; how Front-de-Boeuf -sought to extort a fortune from Isaac the Jew by -the most cruel torture; and how the villainy of all three -was interrupted by a bugle blast, announcing an attack -upon the castle by a band of outlaws, headed by the -gallant Robin Hood, who was ably supported by the -powerful battle-axe of the Black Knight and the wit of -Wamba the Jester. -</p> - -<p> -After the fall of the castle it will be remembered that -the victors assembled under a huge oak to divide the -spoils, and that Isaac of York and the rich Prior Aymer -were compelled to sentence each other to the payment -of a heavy ransom—a clever scheme well calculated -to furnish not only amusement but substantial profit to -the outlaws. -</p> - -<p> -There are several large oaks of Sherwood Forest still -in existence, any one of which might have been in the -mind of Sir Walter. We found an excellent type, which -was perhaps known to him, near Edwinstowe, northeast -of Mansfield. It is called the 'Major Oak' and was a -monarch of the forest in Robin Hood's time. It is said -to be fourteen hundred years old. Its circumference, just -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P240"></a>240}</span> -above the ground, is sixty feet, and there is room inside -the hollow trunk for a round dozen of average-sized men. -Unlike many other ancient oaks, its huge limbs are well -preserved and remarkably symmetrical, its foliage -forming a huge ellipsoid, seventy-five feet in length. -</p> - -<p> -Although Torquilstone was imaginary, Sir Walter -was not without types of the old Norman castles. He -refers to Middleham as the seat of the brother of Prior -Aymer, and the ruins of this castle may still be seen in -the village of that name, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. -The interior or keep is in the distinctive Norman -style of architecture, but the outer walls belong to a -later period. This castle was founded by Robert -Fitz-Ralph or Ranulph, a nephew of King William Rufus, -about 1190. Its walls are plain and massive, suggesting -great strength, but no beauty. In the interior of the -keep may be seen the remains of what was once a huge -and magnificent banqueting-hall, with high arched -windows on the side. For centuries Middleham was the -residence of powerful barons and at times of royalty. In -the fifteenth century it came into the possession of the -famous Earl of Warwick, 'the Kingmaker,' and later of -his infamous son-in-law, the Duke of Gloucester, -afterward King Richard III. Edward, Prince of Wales, the -only legitimate son of Richard, was born here. It was to -secure the succession of this prince to the throne that -Richard caused the murder of his two nephews to be -perpetrated in the Tower of London. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-240"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-240.jpg" alt="THE AVENUE OF LIMES, SHERWOOD FOREST" /> -<br /> -THE AVENUE OF LIMES, SHERWOOD FOREST -</p> - -<p> -Edward IV was a prisoner here, and made his escape -as told by Shakespeare in 'King Henry VI.'[<a id="chap17fn1text"></a><a href="#chap17fn1">1</a>] After the -battle of Bosworth, Henry VII took possession of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P241"></a>241}</span> -Middleham. In the Civil Wars the forces of Cromwell -destroyed the castle. From that time until 1884, when -it came into possession of the present owner, the ruins -have been a stone quarry for the neighbourhood and a -large part of the castle has been carried away -piecemeal. The enclosure became a dumping-ground for all -kinds of trash and a free pig-pen and cow-stable. In -1884, it was cleaned out and is now in charge of a -keeper. This famous castle, occupied as it was at times -by men of all the ferocious and conscienceless qualities -of Front-de-Boeuf, might well have served as a -suggestion for Torquilstone. -</p> - -<p> -Richmond Castle, lying a few miles north of Middleham, -is of even greater antiquity and a far nobler specimen -of the Norman architecture. It was founded in -1071 by Alan Rufus, to whom William the Conqueror -granted the land of Richmondshire. Alan selected a rock -on the bank of the river Swale and here he constructed -a fortress that was well-nigh impregnable. The great -'keep' was built in 1146, and still stands proudly erect, -in spite of its nearly eight hundred years' resistance to -wind and weather as well as the storms of war, looking -as if conscious of its power to stand the assaults of eight -centuries more. We went to Richmond expecting to see -a ruin; we were astonished to find, instead, a fine tower -one hundred and eight feet high, fifty-four feet long, and -forty-eight feet wide, used as an armoury by a modern -regiment of soldiers. Its walls are of extraordinary -thickness and the masonry looks as fresh and clean as that of -many a building of half a century's duration. -</p> - -<p> -Aside from the remarkable keep, the castle is really a -ruin. Its walls, which originally enclosed a triangular -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P242"></a>242}</span> -space of five acres, have crumbled away, but enough -remains to identify various halls, chapels, dungeons, -and underground passages. -</p> - -<p> -The castle was seized by Richard Coeur-de-Lion and -held by him and his successor King John for several -years. For five centuries thereafter it passed from -royalty to nobility and back again, time after time, as -a reward for services or the spoils of war, until in 1674 -it was granted by Charles II to the ancestor of the -present Duke of Richmond. -</p> - -<p> -Torquilstone is described as 'a fortress of no great -size, consisting of a donjon, or large and high square -tower, surrounded by buildings of inferior height, which -were encircled by an inner courtyard.' It had 'towers -upon the outward wall so as to flank it at every angle.' It -would appear from this that the castle of Front-de-Boeuf -might have been a miniature copy of Richmond -Castle. -</p> - -<p> -South of Richmond and about three miles from -Middleham are the ruins of Jorvaulx Abbey, the seat -of the Prior Aymer, 'a free and jovial priest, who loves -the wine-cup and the bugle-horn better than bell and -book.' The monks of Jorvaulx were famous for their -love of feasting and the excellence of their wines. The -Abbey church was originally an extensive structure, -two hundred and seventy feet long, with transepts one -hundred and thirteen feet wide. It was roughly treated -and nearly demolished during the Reformation and -neglected in the succeeding years until about a century -ago, when the accumulated rubbish was cleared away. -It now presents a picturesque appearance because of the -ivy, moss, and shrubbery with which nature has softened -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P243"></a>243}</span> -the aspect of its rudely broken walls and the fragments -of stone which once were heavy columns supporting -a lofty nave. -</p> - -<p> -Still farther south are the imposing ruins of Fountains -Abbey, which must not be overlooked in any survey of -the scenery of 'Ivanhoe,' for here was the alleged abode -of that delightful character, the jolly Clerk of -Copmanhurst, Friar Tuck, whose all-night carousal with King -Richard in the forest 'Chapel of St. Dunstan' will be -ever memorable as one of Scott's choicest bits of -humour. This celebrated 'churchman' was the type of a -class of so-called 'hedge-priests' who flourished in the -period preceding the Reformation, when every great -house maintained a confessor to say masses and grant -absolution. The bands of outlaws, with equal superstition, -felt the need of the same services, and maintained -their own priests accordingly. Many of these performed -their holy offices in ragged and dirty attire and -with improper forms of ritual, for the benefit of thieves -and murderers in out-of-the-way ruins and other hiding -places, thereby incurring the wrath of the dignitaries -of the Church. Not infrequently, no doubt, their -uncanonical performances were no better than those of -Friar Tuck. -</p> - -<p> -Fountains Abbey is, next to Melrose, the most beautiful -ruin of the kind in Great Britain—at least so far as -I have been able to observe. In beauty of situation, it -far surpasses Melrose. The latter is in the midst of a -town with nothing to make a picturesque setting except -its own churchyard and the garden of an adjoining -estate. Fountains is reached by walking nearly a mile -through the beautiful park of Studley Royal, first by the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P244"></a>244}</span> -side of a canal, bordered by trees of luxuriant foliage, -through which, at intervals, are various 'peeps,' revealing -carefully studied scenes, with temples, statuary, -rustic bridges, towers, lakes, and woods; then by a path -of more natural beauty, beside the little rivulet called -the Skell, until the extensive ruins are reached. The -foundation of Fountains Abbey has been traced to the -year 1132, according to the narrative of a monk which -was committed to writing in 1205. In the winter of -1132-33, a small company of Benedictine monks from -St. Mary's Abbey at York, becoming dissatisfied with -the laxity of discipline there, felt impelled to withdraw. -They retired to a wild and uncultivated valley, covered -with stones and briars, and better suited for wild beasts -and reptiles than for humanity, and built a monastery -beside the brook Skell. From this humble beginning, -Fountains Abbey grew until the establishment became -one of the richest in England, comprising sixty-four -thousand acres of valuable lands and its buildings, -covering an area of twelve acres, were among the most -magnificent. In 1539, King Henry VIII confiscated the -entire property, and rendered the monastery unfit for -further use. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-244"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-244.jpg" alt="INTERIOR OF FOUNTAINS ABBEY" /> -<br /> -INTERIOR OF FOUNTAINS ABBEY -</p> - -<p> -The ruins are more complete than those of any other -similar structure, and give an excellent idea of the -extent and arrangement of an important monastery. From -the Chapel of the Nine Altars to the west doorway, -which was the chief entrance, is a distance of three -hundred and sixty-nine feet. It is an impressive architectural -vista, the eye sweeping over the choir and transepts -and down through the narrow nave, where the walls -are supported by eleven obtuse pointed arches, springing -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P245"></a>245}</span> -from massive columns, each sixteen feet in circumference -and twenty-three feet high. The Chapel of the -Nine Altars, considered to have been the most magnificent -architectural feature of the structure, is divided -into three parts by a series of very high pointed arches, -supported by slender octagonal pillars scarcely two -feet in diameter. A great east window, sixty feet high -and twenty-three feet wide, completed the dignity and -beauty of the chapel. From the exterior, the most -striking feature is the tower, rising one hundred and -sixty-eight feet high, with walls nearly thirty feet square, and -projecting buttresses, adding an effect of great solidity. -</p> - -<p> -The connection of Friar Tuck with this fine abbey is -derived from the ancient ballad of 'Robin Hood and -the Curtal Friar.' The outlaws were indulging in an -exhibition of their wonderful archery when an unusually -fine shot caused Robin Hood to exclaim:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - I would ride my horse an hundred miles<br /> - To finde one could match with thee.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -This brought a laugh from Will Scarlet, who declared:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - There lives a curtal frier in Fountains Abby<br /> - Will beat both him and thee.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Robin Hood could not rest until he found the friar, -walking by the waterside near the abbey. A conflict -followed in which the friar threw Robin into the stream. -After Robin had shot all his arrows at the friar without -effect,— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - They took their swords and steel bucklers<br /> - And fought with might and maine;<br /> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - From ten oth' clock that day,<br /> - Till four ith' afternoon.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P246"></a>246}</span> -Then Robin blew three blasts of his horn and called -half a hundred yeomen. The friar whistled with fist in -his mouth and half a hundred ban-dogs answered. The -end of the battle proved the stout friar well qualified to -join the band of merry men. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - This curtal frier had kept Fountains Dale<br /> - Seven long years or more;<br /> - There was neither knight, lord, nor earl<br /> - Could make him yield before.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -An arched recess, of stone, well covered with foliage, by -the side of the path along the river, marks the traditional -site of this famous combat, and is known as -'Robin Hood's Well.' The following lines were written -by Sir Walter while a guest at Studley Royal, and the -manuscript is now in the possession of the Marquess of -Ripon:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Beside this crystal font of old,<br /> - Cooled his flushed brow an outlaw bold,<br /> - His bow was slackened while he drank,<br /> - His quiver rested on the bank,<br /> - Giving brief pause of doubt and fear<br /> - To feudal lords and forest deer.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Long runs the tale, but village sires<br /> - Still sing his feats by Christmas fires;<br /> - And still old England's free-born blood<br /> - Stirs at the name of Robin Hood.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -After the fall of Torquilstone and the almost miraculous -deliverance of all the prisoners, Cedric and his company -journeyed to the Castle of Coningsburgh, the seat -of Athelstane, to perform the funeral rites of that noble -warrior, who had fallen a victim to the Templar's battle-axe. -Athelstane interrupts the proceedings, somewhat -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P247"></a>247}</span> -unnecessarily it would seem, by coming to life again. A -visit to this castle takes us back to the valley of the -Don, where the story began. Conisborough, as the -village is now called, is situated about midway between -Rotherham and Doncaster. There is nothing fanciful -in Scott's description here. He introduced the castle -because it interested him, and made it the seat of -Athelstane for convenience. In a letter to his friend -Morritt in 1811 Scott inquires, 'Do you know anything -of a striking ancient castle ... called Coningsburgh? ... I -once flew past it in a mail-coach when its round tower -and flying buttresses had a most romantic effect in the -morning dawn.' -</p> - -<p> -It was characteristic of Scott, not only that every old -ruined castle appealed to his imagination, but that his -curiosity, once aroused, usually had to be satisfied by a -personal inspection. It was so with Coningsburgh. He -went to the village and spent two nights at the -Sprotbrough Boathouse, a near-by inn, that he might have -leisure to examine the ruins of the castle. The result of -his study and the further reading of such antiquarian -authorities as were available, convinced him that the -round tower was an ancient Saxon castle. He found -satisfaction in comparing it with the rude towers, or -burghs, built by the Saxons or Northmen, of which one -of the most striking examples is the Castle of Mousa[<a id="chap17fn2text"></a><a href="#chap17fn2">2</a>] in -the Shetland Islands. These were built of rough stone, -without cement. They were roofless, and had small -apartments constructed within the circular walls -themselves. In this last respect Coningsburgh somewhat -resembles these ancient burghs, and Scott conceived -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P248"></a>248}</span> -that the former was an evolution from the latter, and -therefore Saxon. He says, 'the outer walls have -probably been added by the Normans, but the inner keep -bears token of very great antiquity.' He also says: -'When Coeur-de-Lion and his retinue approached this -rude yet stately building, it was not, as at present, -surrounded by external fortifications. The Saxon architect -had exhausted his art in rendering the main keep defensible, -and there was no other circumvallation than a rude -barrier of palisades.' -</p> - -<p> -The facts, as indicated by more recent investigation, -seem to be that the Saxons selected the hill of hard -limestone as a suitable place for a stronghold, excavated a -ditch around it and erected some outworks. There is -no doubt that Harold, the last of the Anglo-Saxon -kings, either purchased or inherited the property, and -there is mention of a certain 'lord of Coningesboro,' -who possessed part of the domain as early as the year -1000 A.D. -</p> - -<p> -William the Conqueror, shortly after his accession to -the English throne, granted the estate to an adherent, -William de Warrenne, who was created Earl of Surrey. -A great-granddaughter of this earl married Hameline -Plantagenet, a half-brother of Henry II, and he was one -of the soldiers and faithful attendants of Richard I. It -is this earl who is supposed to have built the tower, or -keep, at least a century after his Norman predecessors -had erected the outer walls of the castle. This, it will be -noted, is exactly the reverse of Scott's supposition. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-248"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-248.jpg" alt="CONINGSBURGH CASTLE" /> -<br /> -CONINGSBURGH CASTLE -</p> - -<p> -The Saxon founders selected a steep hill, or knoll, -rising one hundred and seventy-five feet above the -river—an ideal site for a fortress in those days. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P249"></a>249}</span> -</p> - -<p> -Earl Warren, who came into possession about 1068, -found the place already well fortified. His son and -grandson were the ones who, it is supposed, constructed -the outer walls, with their various buildings for -domestic purposes, comprising a hall, kitchen, chapel, etc. -These cover a large area, but present no features of -extraordinary interest. The inner tower, or keep, -however, is one of the most remarkable structures in -England. It is a huge cylindrical tower built of grey -limestone on a base of solid natural rock. It formerly rose -to a height of one hundred and twenty feet, and is now -about ninety feet high. It is sixty-six feet in diameter -at the base, and is supported by six massive buttresses, -each fifteen and one half feet broad and extending -outward about nine feet. The walls themselves are nearly -fifteen feet in thickness. The only entrance is a door, -twenty feet above the ground, originally reached by an -outside stair connecting with a small drawbridge. -</p> - -<p> -The rooms beneath the main floor were used for the -storage of provisions and in the centre was a well, said -to have been one hundred and five feet deep. There was -then ample provision to resist a siege, lack of food and -water being the only danger to be feared, inasmuch as -the catapults and other engines of war of that period -would be powerless against the massiveness of such a -castle. The upper rooms are built within the walls and -reached by narrow stairways. The main floor was probably -used by the lord of the castle with his family and -guests; the rooms above were occupied by the ladies of -the household, and on the same floor was a small oratory -or chapel, hexagonal in shape and about eight feet wide. -The top floor contained the kitchen and the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P250"></a>250}</span> -sleeping-rooms of the garrison. The six buttresses projected -above the level of the parapet, forming turrets, convenient -for defence. These have now disappeared. The -parapet floor is still accessible, and from it a fine view is -obtained of the surrounding country. -</p> - -<p> -The Castle of York, where Prince John is supposed to -have feasted the nobles and leaders after the exciting -scenes of Torquilstone, and where De Bracy announced -to him that Richard was really in England, was the -Norman fortress built by William the Conqueror in -1068, some portions of which are now incorporated in -the building known as Clifford's Tower. A substantial -rectangular structure stands between two ancient and -ruined turrets, which lean outward, looking as though -the stronger building were trying to usurp the hill on -which they stand and push his feebler brethren out of -the way. This castle was the scene in 1190 of a terrible -massacre of the Jews. Two rich Jewish bankers, Joses -and Benedict, attended the coronation of Richard I. -In a general attack upon the Jews, Benedict was killed, -but Joses got back to York. The house of Benedict in -York was plundered and his wife and children -murdered. Joses rallied the other Jews, who took refuge, -with their property, in the castle. The governor ordered -an assault, and the Jews, finding themselves unable to -hold the citadel, set fire to the buildings, put to death -all their relatives, and killed themselves, over five -hundred lives being sacrificed. This incident throws -some light upon the state of mind of the wealthy Isaac, -who was a resident of the city of York. -</p> - -<p> -'Ivanhoe' closes with the wedding of Wilfred and -Rowena, 'celebrated in the most august of temples, the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P251"></a>251}</span> -noble minster of York.' The cathedral as it stands -to-day is, indeed, noble. Perhaps it cannot properly be -called the largest in England; Winchester Cathedral is -longer, and Lincoln's towers are higher; but in the length -of its choir and nave, the breadth of its transepts, the -height of the great pointed arches supporting the roof, -and the massive grandeur and dignity of the whole, -whether viewed from the exterior or the interior, it is -unsurpassed by any other cathedral in England and by -few on the continent. -</p> - -<p> -It was not in this magnificent temple, however, that -the wedding took place, and perhaps if we could see a -picture of the old Norman church which stood on the -site in 1194, we might not think of it as 'a noble -minster.' The church of that period was the structure -built by the first Norman Archbishop of York, with the -addition of the choir, erected a century later. In the -crypt of the present cathedral some bits of the walls of -these early buildings are still preserved. They replaced -the first stone church, built about 633, which had -superseded the original wooden church, built by Eadwine, -King of Northumbria, then the most powerful monarch -in England. The minster was, therefore, more than five -centuries old even in the period of 'Ivanhoe.' -</p> - -<p> -Of the characters in the novel, King Richard and his -brother John were of course historical. Cedric and -Athelstane were types of the Saxon nobles who still -resented the intrusion of the Normans. Front-de-Boeuf -represents a class of Norman noblemen who did not -hesitate at any deed of villainy to accomplish their -selfish purposes. Brian de Bois-Guilbert typifies the -chivalry which professed great zeal for the Christian -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P252"></a>252}</span> -religion, but used it as a cloak to cover motives of -vengeance or other base purposes. Prior Aymer stands for -the wealthy churchman and Isaac of York for the -Jewish banker, upon whom all classes, kings, barons, and -churchmen, were obliged to depend for the accomplishment -of their various plans. Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, -and the men in Lincoln Green were borrowed from the -ballad poetry of the Middle Ages. All of these were -introduced to perfect the picture of the conditions of -social and political life in the reign of King Richard. -</p> - -<p> -One character only found a place in the novel for -another reason. The story of Rebecca reveals an -interesting incident in the life of Washington Irving. When -the American author visited Sir Walter at Abbotsford -a feeling of mutual respect and admiration quickly -sprang up between them and developed into a friendly -intimacy. In the course of their conversations, Irving -told Sir Walter something of the character of Rebecca -Gratz, a young woman of Jewish family, living in the -city of Philadelphia. One of this lady's brothers was -a warm personal friend of Irving's, who was always a -welcome guest at their home. One of Rebecca's dearest -friends was Matilda Hoffman, Irving's first and only -love. This estimable young woman died at the early -age of eighteen, tenderly nursed to the end by her friend -Rebecca, in whose arms she expired. -</p> - -<p> -Rebecca Gratz is described as a very beautiful girl. -'Her eyes were of exquisite shape, large, black, and -lustrous; her figure was graceful and her carriage was -marked by a quiet dignity,—attractions which were -heightened by elegant and winning manners. Gentle, -benevolent, with instinctive refinement and innate -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P253"></a>253}</span> -purity, she inspired affection among all who met -her.'[<a id="chap17fn3text"></a><a href="#chap17fn3">3</a>] Although a Jewess, Rebecca Gratz found many -companions among the Christians by whom she was held in -high esteem. She was interested in all kinds of -benevolent work, founded an orphan asylum and a mission -Sabbath-School for Hebrew children, and contributed to -many charities. -</p> - -<p> -A Christian gentleman of wealth and high social -position fell in love with her and his feelings were -reciprocated. But Rebecca conceived that duty -demanded loyalty to her religion, and her lofty -conscientiousness and remarkable moral courage enabled -her to maintain her resolution. She refused to marry, in -spite of the pain to herself and the bitter disappointment -to her lover which the self-denial involved. Her -life was devoted to 'a long chain of golden deeds,' until -the end came at the good old age of eighty-eight. -</p> - -<p> -Such a story could not fail to capture the sympathetic -heart of Sir Walter, and as usual when anything -appealed strongly to him, he wove it into a novel at the -earliest opportunity, later writing to Irving, 'How do -you like your Rebecca? Does the picture I have -painted compare well with the pattern given?' -</p> - -<p> -'Ivanhoe' marks the high-tide of Scott's literary -success. The book instantly caught the attention of -thousands to whom the Scottish romances had not -appealed. It sold better than its predecessors, and -from the day of its publication has been easily the most -popular of the Waverley Novels. Lockhart, who, in -common with most Scotchmen, could not help -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P254"></a>254}</span> -preferring the tales of his native land and thought -'Waverley,' 'Guy Mannering,' and 'The Heart of Midlothian' -superior as 'works of genius,' nevertheless gave -'Ivanhoe' the first place among all Scott's writings, -whether in prose or verse, as a 'work of art.' Its -historical value is perhaps greater than that of any of the -others, and certainly no other author has ever given -a picture, so graphic and yet so comprehensible, of -'merrie England' in the days of chivalry. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap17fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap17fn1text">1</a>] Part iii, act iv, scene v. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap17fn2"></a> -[<a href="#chap17fn2text">2</a>] See Chapter xxi, 'The Pirate,' p. 300. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap17fn3"></a> -[<a href="#chap17fn3text">3</a>] From an article by Grata van Rensselaer, -in the <i>Century Magazine</i>, -September, 1882. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap18"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P255"></a>255}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XVIII -<br /> -THE MONASTERY -</h3> - -<p> -Scott had some strange ways of seeking relaxation from -the strain of his work. On Christmas Day, 1814, he -wrote Constable that he was 'setting out for Abbotsford -to refresh the machine.' During the year he had written -his first great novel, 'Waverley'; one of his longer -poems, 'The Lord of the Isles'; nearly the whole of his -'Life of Swift'; two essays for an encyclopædia; a -two-volume family memoir for a friend; and kept up a -voluminous personal correspondence,—an amount of -industry which is best described by Dominie Sampson's -word, <i>prodigious</i>. Surely the 'machine' needed 'refreshment,' -and it consisted in producing, in six weeks' time, -another great novel, 'Guy Mannering'! In the same -way, while dictating 'Ivanhoe,' in spite of severe bodily -pain which prevented the use of his pen, he sought -refreshment by starting another novel, 'The Monastery.' 'It -was a relief,' he said, 'to interlay the scenery -most familiar to me with the strange world for which I -had to draw so much on imagination.' -</p> - -<p> -'The Monastery' was the first of Scott's novels in -which the scenery is confined to the immediate vicinity -of his own home. It is all within walking distance of -Abbotsford and much of it had been familiar to the -author from childhood. Melrose, or Kennaquhair, is -only about two miles away. This little village is as -ancient as the abbey from which it takes its name, and -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P256"></a>256}</span> -that splendid ruin dates from 1136, when the pious -Scottish king, known as St. David, founded the -monastery and granted extensive lands to the Cistercian -Order of Monks for its maintenance. The village has -followed the fortunes of the abbey—prospering when -the monks prospered, and suffering the blight of war -whenever the English kings descended upon it. Its -present prosperity, so far as it has any, is the gift of Sir -Walter Scott. Hawthorne, who rambled through the -country in 1856, noted in his journal that 'Scotland—cold, -cloudy, barren little bit of earth that it is—owes -all the interest that the world feels in it to him.' I -cannot endorse this view of Scotland, for it left quite the -opposite impression upon my mind, but the last part of -the remark is certainly true of Melrose. It bears about -the same relation to Scotland that Stratford does to -England. Thousands go there every year to see the -work of art, glorious even in ruins, which represents the -highest development of the Gothic architecture and to -marvel at the rich carvings in stone which, after the -lapse of nearly six hundred years, still remain as a -monument to the patience, skill, and devotion of the -monks of St. Mary's. But they go because the great -Wizard of the North has thrown the glamour of his -genius over the whole of the Border country, of which -Melrose is the natural centre. And when they arrive, -they find the abbey interpreted in the words of 'The -Lay of the Last Minstrel,' which the custodians of the -ruin, for fourscore years, have never tired of quoting. -</p> - -<p> -In the novel, no attempt is made to describe the -beauty of the ruin. The poem had already done that to -perfection. But the monks spring into life again, the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P257"></a>257}</span> -venerable ruin is transformed into a church, the -monastic buildings resume their former shape, and the palace -of their ruler is refurnished in all its original -magnificence. A fire of glowing logs gives warmth to the -apartments. An oaken stand, with a roasted capon and 'a -goodly stoup of Bourdeaux of excellent flavour,' -suggests the truth of the old rhyme:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - The monks of Melrose made fat kail<br /> - On Fridays when they fasted,<br /> - Nor wanted they gude beef and ale<br /> - So lang's their neighbours' lasted.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -In a richly carved chair before the fire sits a portly -abbot, with round face, rosy cheeks, and good-natured, -laughing eyes, the product of a long life of good feeding -and indolent ease. By his side stands the sub-prior, a -cadaverous, sharp-faced little man, with piercing grey -eyes bespeaking a high order of intellect, his emaciated -features testifying to rigid fastings and relentless -self-abasement. The abuse of the monastic privileges, -common enough at the time, is thus contrasted with the -conscientious observance of all the rules of the order. In -and out of the cloisters, the refectory, and the palace, -monks in black gowns and white scapularies are -continually passing. The old ruin has been restored by the -genius of the novelist to the life and activity of the -sixteenth century. -</p> - -<p> -The earliest date referred to in the story is 1547, the -year of the battle of Pinkie, when the Scottish forces -met with a disaster exceeded only by Flodden Field. In -this battle Simon Glendinning, a soldier fighting for the -'Halidome' of St. Mary's, met his death. His son -Halbert was then nine or ten years old. The story comes -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P258"></a>258}</span> -to a close when he is nineteen, which would be 1557. -The hostility of Henry VIII had caused great anxiety to -the abbots of Melrose long before this time and the -persecution reached a climax in 1545. Sir Ralph Ewers and -Sir Brian Latoun systematically ravaged the Scottish -Border, burning hundreds of towns, castles, and -churches, slaughtering and imprisoning the people by -the thousands and driving off their cattle and horses. In -the course of their raids, they reached Melrose with a -force of five thousand men and vented their spite on the -beautiful old abbey. The Scots took prompt vengeance. -They quickly raised an army, and under the leadership -of Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch, met the English and -defeated them with heavy losses. Both Ewers and -Latoun were among the slain, and the monks of Melrose -buried them in the abbey with great satisfaction. -'The Monastery' does not refer to this event, but its -graphic picture of the unsettled state of the country -and the consequent anxiety of the monks constitutes -its chief value. -</p> - -<p> -North of the abbey and across the Tweed is a green -hillside, at the base of which is a weir or dam. This is -the place where the sacristan of St. Mary's was pitched -out of his saddle into the stream by the 'White Lady of -Avenel,' who dipped him in the water two or three times -to make sure that 'every part of him had its share of -wetting.' -</p> - -<p> -The old bridge, which the sacristan was prevented -from crossing by the perversity of old Peter, the -bridge-tender, was about a mile and a half up the stream. -Such a bridge once existed, though now there are no -traces visible. Scott used to see the foundations -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P259"></a>259}</span> -occasionally when drifting down the river at night in pursuit -of one of his favourite pastimes, spearing salmon by -torchlight. There were three towers in the water. A -keeper lived in the middle one and controlled the traffic -by raising or lowering the draws at his pleasure. Those -who refused to pay his price, or whom he did not wish -to accommodate, might ford the stream, but at some -stages of the water this was a perilous operation. -</p> - -<p> -The river Allan flows into the Tweed near the site of -this bridge. It is a little mountain brook that flows, in -serpentine course, through the valley of Glendearg. A -mile or so up the rivulet there is a picturesque and shady -glen called Fairy Dean. After a flood, little pieces of -curious stones, in fantastic shapes, are often found, the -play of the waters having transformed the fragments of -rock into fairy cups and saucers, guns, boats, cradles, or -whatever a childish imagination might suggest. This -was the abode of the fairies where the little elfin folk -held their nightly carnivals, and who knows but Queen -Titania herself might have held her moonlight revels -upon this very spot? At any rate, the neighbouring -people, for centuries, by common consent, recognized -the feudal rights of the fairy race to this little dell, and -left them undisturbed. It must have been the abode of -the White Lady, and no doubt stood in the author's -mind for the secluded glen which he calls, in Celtic, -<i>Corrie nan Shian</i>, meaning 'Hollow of the Fairies,' where -Halbert Glendinning found the huge rock, the wild -holly tree, and the spring beneath its branches. Here, -doubtless, for no more appropriate spot can be found, -Halbert summoned the mystic maiden with the -words:— -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P260"></a>260}</span> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Thrice to the holly brake—<br /> - Thrice to the well:—<br /> - I bid thee awake,<br /> - White Maid of Avenel!<br /> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Noon gleams in the Lake—<br /> - Noon glows on the Fell—<br /> - Wake thee, O wake,<br /> - White Maid of Avenel!<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -At the head of the glen there are three ruined -peel-houses or Border towers, known as Hillslap, Colmslie, -and Langshaw. The first of these may fairly stand for -the original of Glendearg, the home of the Glendinnings. -This old tower has a sculptured date on the lintel of the -entrance which seems to indicate that it was built in -1585—a little too late for the story, to be sure, but -trifles like that never worried Sir Walter. He wanted -to place the Widow Glendinning and her two children -in a tower suited to the ancient family connexions of -her husband who might have been able to defend his -secluded retreat against all comers for many years, -had not the necessities of the time required his service -in the wars for the defence of his country. Hillslap -offered an excellent type of such a Border fortalice, and -its situation at the head of the glen, well protected by the -surrounding mountains and isolated by its remoteness -from the ordinary lines of travel, made it suitable for -the purposes of the tale. -</p> - -<p> -Referring to the castle of Julian Avenel, Scott, in a -footnote, remarks that it is vain to search near Melrose -for any such castle, but adds that in Yetholm Loch, a -small sheet of water southeast of Kelso, there is a small -castle on an island, connected with the mainland by a -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P261"></a>261}</span> -causeway, but it is much smaller than Avenel. Of -course we must take the author's word for this, and -yet, whether he did it with conscious purpose or not, he -succeeded in putting into his description some features -which irresistibly suggest a castle only seven miles from -Melrose, the tower of Smailholm, associated with the -dearest memories of his childhood. -</p> - -<p> -Smailholm is one of the most perfect examples of the -old feudal keeps to be found in Scotland. A very small -pool lies on one side of the tower, but it is suggestive of -the loch which once surrounded the entire castle, making -it a retreat of great security. 'The surprise of the -spectator was chiefly excited by finding a piece of water -situated in that high and mountainous region, and the -landscape around had features which might rather be -termed wild, than either romantic or sublime.' It was a -surprise to me to find even a small pool of water in such -a locality, and I cannot help thinking that at least some -recollections of the peculiar situation of Smailholm may -have been in the author's mind when he wrote this -description. -</p> - -<p> -Scott has himself mentioned a prototype of the vulgar, -brutal, and licentious Julian Avenel in the person -of the Laird of Black Ormiston, a friend and confidant -of Bothwell and one of the agents in the murder of -Darnley. -</p> - -<p> -The concluding scene of the novel represents a -sorrowful procession of monks, in long black gowns and -cowls, marching solemnly to the market-place of the -town, where they formed a circle around 'an ancient -cross of curious workmanship, the gift of some former -monarch of Scotland.' This old Mercat Cross still stands -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P262"></a>262}</span> -in the centre of the market-place of Melrose. It is about -twenty feet high and is surmounted by the figure of the -unicorn and the arms of Scotland. It requires a vivid -imagination to identify the unicorn, however, the -ravages of time giving it more the aspect of a walrus, -rampant. -</p> - -<p> -'The Monastery,' following so soon after Scott's -greatest success, suffers severely by comparison with -'Ivanhoe,' and, perhaps for this reason, was considered -something of a failure. The cause, generally assigned -by the critics, was twofold, or rather, may be attributed -to two characters, which did not appeal to the public as -Scott had expected. One of these was the 'White Lady -of Avenel' and the other, Sir Piercie Shafton. -</p> - -<p> -Scott had always manifested a fondness for ghosts, -goblins, witches, and the supernatural. The goblin-page -made a nuisance of himself in 'The Lay of the Last -Minstrel' and came near spoiling the poem; Marmion had to -fight a phantom knight, and so did Bertram Risingham, -but in both cases a rational explanation dispelled the -mystery; the Baron of Triermain visited a phantom castle -in the Valley of St. John; Bruce landed on the shores -of Carrick, guided by a weird supernatural light; Fergus -MacIvor was dismayed by the Bodach Glas, a cheerful -sort of family ghost which always appeared when -disaster was impending; the guest of the Antiquary was -compelled to sleep in a haunted chamber; a mysterious -fountain had a fatal influence upon the life of the Bride -of Lammermoor; and so throughout the pages of Scott's -poems and novels we find these strange incidents and -phantom appearances. The real orthodox ghost only -peeps in at you occasionally and quickly vanishes. -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P263"></a>263}</span> -Although you may be frightened a little, you delight, -nevertheless, in the mystery. But there is something too -substantial about a female ghost who climbs up behind -a man on horseback, guides him into a stream of deep -water, and ducks him three times, meanwhile reciting -long stanzas of poetry. And when the same ghost -appears again and again, as though the whole plot -depended upon her personal exertions, the constant -exposure to the limelight causes the illusion to melt -away. This, I fancy, is the reason the Maid of Avenel -failed to appeal to Scott's readers. -</p> - -<p> -Sir Piercie Shafton, the Euphuist, seems in like -manner to have been overdone. A suggestion of the -foppery and absurdities of the coxcombs of Queen -Elizabeth's court might have been interesting, but Sir -Piercie remains on the stage too long and becomes a -bore. The pedantic Baron of Bradwardine in 'Waverley' -is a bore, but we like him. The garrulous Dalgetty -is tiresome, but we could not do without him. Sir -Piercie, on the contrary, has no redeeming traits. -</p> - -<p> -Aside from the failure of these two characters to -please the public, the novel lacks the interest that -attaches to all its predecessors. There is no Dandie -Dinmont, nor Meg Merrilies, nor Dominie Sampson; no -Jonathan Oldbuck nor Edie Ochiltree; no historical -personage of interest like Rob Roy or King Richard; no -Jeanie Deans; no Flora MacIvor; no Die Vernon; no -Rebecca. -</p> - -<p> -On the other hand, it has some fine pictures of the -sturdy Scotch character, it gives a glimpse of monastic -life in the sixteenth century, and has an historical value -in its presentation of the conflict of cross-currents of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P264"></a>264}</span> -thought and feeling, as they affected the people who -lived amid the furious contentions of the Reformation. -Father Eustace is a fine type of the able, intelligent, -and devoted Catholic priest, and Henry Warden of the -brave, unflinching, determined apostle of the reformed -doctrines. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap19"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P265"></a>265}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XIX -<br /> -THE ABBOT -</h3> - -<p> -Scott was quick to realize the mistake in 'The Monastery,' -and promptly redeemed his popularity by the bold -stroke of writing a sequel. The White Maiden was -banished along with Sir Piercie, and in their place came a -train of new characters, well calculated to win the -sympathetic approval of the public. Mary Queen of Scots -was the chief of these, and the novelist's skilful -portrayal of her character made a success of 'The -Abbot.' Roland Graeme, who proved to be one of the best of -Scott's heroes, and Catherine Seyton, a young woman -of charming vivacity, added not a little to the popularity -of the novel. -</p> - -<p> -The scenery, at first, remains the same. The story -opens at the Castle of Avenel, of which Sir Halbert -Glendinning is now the knight and Mary Avenel the -lady. Henry Warden is established there as chaplain. -The monks are still permitted to linger in the cloisters of -St. Mary's, and among them is Edward Glendinning, -known as Father Ambrose, who, later, becomes the -abbot. -</p> - -<p> -The beautiful abbey is pictured at the beginning of -its decay. The niches have been stripped of their sculptured -images, on the inside as well as the outside of the -building. The tombs of warriors and of princes have -been demolished. The church is strewn with confused -heaps of broken stone, the remnants of beautifully -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P266"></a>266}</span> -carved statues of saints and angels, with lances and -swords torn from above the tombs of famous knights of -earlier days, and sacred relics brought by pious pilgrims. -The disheartened monks are seen conducting their -ceremonials in the midst of all the rubbish, scarcely -daring to clear it away. In keeping with this picture of -decay and ruin is the vivid presentation of the invasion -of the sacred abbey by the irreverent mob of masqueraders -in grotesque costumes, led by 'the venerable -Father Howleglas, the learned Monk of Misrule and the -Right Reverend Abbot of Unreason.' -</p> - -<p> -The tale now leads to Edinburgh, where young -Roland Graeme is struck with surprise as he comes, for -the first time, into the Canongate. 'The extreme height -of the houses, and the variety of Gothic gables, and -battlements, and balconies' are still surprising. Graeme -gets involved in a street scrimmage, common enough in -the Edinburgh of those days, and, without knowing it, -renders service to Lord Seyton, one of the most faithful -adherents of Queen Mary. A few minutes later he -catches sight of Catherine Seyton as that pretty damsel -is about to 'dive under one of the arched passages which -afforded an outlet to the Canongate from the houses -beneath.' Many of these arched passages may still be -seen in the Canongate. The house of Lord Seyton into -which Roland followed the maiden was about opposite -Queensbury House, near the eastern end of the -street. -</p> - -<p> -Holyrood Palace comes into the story as the place -where Roland was presented to the Regent Murray, an -introduction into which Scott is believed to have woven -some recollections of his own presentation to the Duke -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P267"></a>267}</span> -of Wellington. Although the palace has stood for many -centuries and has been the abode of many kings, its real -interest centres about the fortunes of Mary Queen of -Scots. Visitors are shown the audience chamber in -which the Queen received John Knox, and found that -the great Reformer, unlike other men, was proof against -the loveliness of her countenance, the charm of her -manner, and the softness of her speech. Knox found, too, -that Mary was proof against the bitterness of his -arraignment and the violence of his denunciation. -Opening out of the audience chamber is Queen Mary's -bedroom, where a bed, said to be Mary's own, is carefully -preserved, its dingy and tattered hangings conveying -little suggestion of the former richness of the crimson -damask, with its fringe and tassels of green. A narrow -door leads to a small dressing-closet, and another to the -supper-room, where Mary sat with David Rizzio and -other friends on the fatal night of February 13, 1565. -Darnley, in a state of intoxication, burst into the room -with a party of brutal conspirators, put his arms -around Mary in seeming endearment, while the others -dragged Rizzio into the audience chamber and stabbed -him to death with their daggers. -</p> - -<p> -The introduction of Loch Leven Castle gives a new -scene to the novel and one of great beauty and interest. -It was partly Scott's association with the Blair Adam -Club that led to the use of this scene and the historical -incident associated with it. A visit of Scott and his -life-long friends, William Clerk and Adam Ferguson, to the -Right Honourable William Adam, in 1816, led to the -formation of the Blair Adam Club, at the meetings of -which Scott was a constant attendant for fifteen years. -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P268"></a>268}</span> -Mr. Adam, who held the distinguished office of Lord -Chief Commissioner of the Jury Court in Scotland, was, -says Lockhart, 'the only man I ever knew that rivalled -Sir Walter Scott in uniform graciousness of bonhomie -and gentleness of humour.' In a book privately printed -for the benefit of his own family and friends, the judge -says:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The Castle of Loch Leven is seen at every turn from the -northern side of Blair Adam. This castle, renowned and -attractive above all others in my neighbourhood, became an -object of much increased attention and a theme of constant -conversation, after the author of 'Waverley' had, by his -inimitable power of delineating character, by his creative -poetic fancy in representing scenes of varied interest, and by -the splendour of his romantic descriptions, infused a more -diversified and a deeper tone of feeling into the history of -Queen Mary's captivity and escape. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Many little allusions to localities on the estate of Blair -Adam and references to the virtues and manners of its -occupants, were woven into the story, which, while they -escape the attention of the casual reader, did not fail to -please the genial owner. -</p> - -<p> -The castle stands on an island in Loch Leven, a pretty -sheet of water, about three or four miles long, on the -western border of which lies the town of Kinross. Two -sturdy fishermen rowed us out to the island where we -found the ruin of a square building. The tower is in -good repair, but the remaining walls are quite ruinous. -In one corner the room where Queen Mary was -imprisoned was pointed out by the guides. It is very -small, but has windows overlooking the lake, and there -is room on the island for a pleasant garden. Except for -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P269"></a>269}</span> -the loss of her liberty, Queen Mary might have found the -castle a pleasant abode. -</p> - -<p> -Loch Leven Castle was the property of Sir William -Douglas, whose wife was the mother of the Earl of -Murray, the illegitimate son of James V. The Lady -Douglas could be supposed to have little sympathy for -the legitimate daughter of the king to whom she -pretended to have been married. In placing Mary in the -hands of such a custodian, the lords who opposed her -felt reasonably secure. -</p> - -<p> -Scott gives a wonderfully dramatic picture of the -visit of Lord Lindsay, Lord Ruthven, and Sir Robert -Melville to the castle, and the method by which they -extorted Mary's signature to deeds abdicating the throne -in favour of her infant son and creating the Earl of -Murray regent, and although the scene is purely -fictitious, the facts of history are not distorted. Roland -Graeme is represented as unsheathing his sword and -discovering a hidden parchment rolled around the -blade. It proved to be a secret message from Lord -Seyton, advising Mary to yield to the necessity of the -situation. The incident is based upon the fact that Sir -Robert Melville was sent to accompany the ruffianly -Lindsay, and his no less harsh associate Ruthven, to -prevent violence to the Queen, and to carry, concealed -in the scabbard of his sword, a message from her friends -advising submission and carrying the assurance that -deeds signed under such compulsion would not be -legally binding when she regained her liberty. -</p> - -<p> -The escape of the Queen is told in substantial accordance -with the facts, though with a variation of details -which the license of the novelist would easily permit. -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P270"></a>270}</span> -George Douglas, a younger brother of the lord of Loch -Leven, was much impressed by the beauty of the -Queen, and captivated by her pleasant manners and fair -promises. He devised a plan of escape, but this was -discovered and George was expelled from the castle by -his brother. Another attempt was more successful. An -inmate of the castle, called 'the Little Douglas,' had -also felt a sympathy for the Queen. He was a lad of -seventeen or eighteen and really played the part which -Scott assigned to Roland Graeme. He stole the keys -and set the prisoner at liberty in the night. Placing her -in a boat, he paused long enough to lock the iron gates of -the tower from the outside so that pursuit would be -impossible, then, throwing the keys into the lake, -rowed his passenger ashore. George Douglas, Lord -Seyton, and other friends were waiting to receive her -and conveyed her in triumph to Hamilton. -</p> - -<p> -An army of six thousand men was quickly assembled, -the plan being to place the Queen safely in the fortress -of Dumbarton, and then give battle to the Regent -Murray. The latter was too quick for the allies, however. -He was then at Glasgow and marched at once, though -with an inferior force, to intercept the advancing army. -They met at Langside, now a suburb of Glasgow, and -after a fierce struggle the Queen's forces were scattered. -Mary herself continued her flight, until she reached the -Abbey of Dundrennan, in the County of Kirkcudbright, -where she spent her last night in Scotland. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-270"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-270.jpg" alt="CATHCART CASTLE" /> -<br /> -CATHCART CASTLE -</p> - -<p> -The novelist represents Queen Mary as viewing the -battle from the Castle of Crookston, and the unfortunate -lady dramatically exclaims, 'O, I must forget much -ere I can look with steady eyes on these well-known -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P271"></a>271}</span> -scenes! I must forget the days which I spent here as the -bride of the lost—the murdered'—Here Mary Fleming -interrupts to explain to the Abbot that in this castle -'the Queen held her first court after she was married to -Darnley.' -</p> - -<p> -Mary could not have witnessed the battle of Langside -from Crookston, unless, indeed, she had had, in the -language of Sam Weller, instead of eyes, 'a pair o' patent -double million magnifyin' gas microscopes of hextra -power,' for Langside is at least four miles away and the -contour of the country would make such a view impossible. -She really watched it from a knoll near the old -Castle of Cathcart, which has since been known as -Court Knowe. Scott admitted the error, but did not -much regret it, as Crookston seemed the place best -suited to the dramatic requirements of the tale, because -of Mary's former association with the castle. Here -again the facts are against him. Crookston was the -property of the Earl of Lennox, Darnley's father, but -Darnley himself never lived there, except possibly as a -boy, before he went to France at the age of sixteen. It -seems to be certain to those who have investigated the -facts that after his return he had no opportunity of -going there and that he and Queen Mary could not have -visited the place together, either before or after their -marriage. -</p> - -<p> -Nevertheless, Scott was wise to let the incident remain -as he wrote it, for 'The Abbot' is not a work of history, -but a romance. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap20"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P272"></a>272}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XX -<br /> -KENILWORTH -</h3> - -<p> -The successful introduction of Mary Queen of Scots as -the central figure of 'The Abbot' resulted, not only in -repairing the reputation which had been somewhat -damaged by its predecessor, but in suggesting the theme -of a new novel which was to achieve a popularity second -only to 'Ivanhoe.' The desire to portray, in the form of -romance, the great rival of Queen Mary, was perhaps -irresistible, particularly in view of the fact that it meant -a new opportunity to reach that English audience -which had given to 'Ivanhoe' so cordial a reception. -Constable, the publisher, was of course delighted to have -a new English novel and particularly one in which -Queen Elizabeth was to be an important figure. With -characteristic presumptuousness he argued that it -should be a story of the Armada. Scott, however, had -been enchanted in his youth by a ballad of the Scotch -poet, Mickle, entitled 'Cumnor Hall,' and particularly -by its first stanza:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - The dews of summer night did fall;<br /> - The moon, sweet regent of the sky,<br /> - Silver'd the walls of Cumnor Hall,<br /> - And many an oak that grew thereby.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -He insisted, therefore, in spite of his adviser, upon -taking the theme of the ballad for his subject and would -even have called the novel 'Cumnor Hall.' In deference -to Constable, however, he accepted the title, 'Kenilworth,' -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P273"></a>273}</span> -although John Ballantyne growled a little at a -name which he thought suggested 'something worthy of -a kennel.' -</p> - -<p> -Here, then, were the determining points of the new -novel, namely, a favourite poem concerning the -marriage of the Earl of Leicester to a lady whom he kept -concealed at Cumnor Hall, the desire to sketch, in a -romantic way, the character of Queen Elizabeth, and the -opportunity to secure a dramatic climax by confronting -the Queen with the wife of her favourite courtier, in the -splendid castle of the latter at Kenilworth. -</p> - -<p> -Cumnor is one of those lovely little villages in the -Midlands of England where Father Time employs his -talents as an artist, softening the outlines of the stone -walls and fences with graceful mantles of dark green ivy -and imparting richer and deeper shades of brown to the -old thatched roofs of the cottages. -</p> - -<p> -We saw few evidences of activity on the part of the -inhabitants, and reached the conclusion that Cumnor, -in Walter Scott's time, and even in the days of the Earl -of Leicester, could not have been very different from its -present aspect. -</p> - -<p> -We did not ruin our reputation as travellers by failing -to 'wet a cup at the bonny Black Bear,' for that 'excellent -inn of the old stamp,' if indeed it ever existed, has -disappeared as effectually as its famous landlord, Giles -Gosling. Its prototype, bearing the sign of the 'Bear -and Ragged Staff,' formerly stood opposite the church, -but its bar-room became objectionable to the vicar and, -by what a local writer calls 'an impious act of -vandalism,' the inn was destroyed. -</p> - -<p> -Cumnor Place has likewise disappeared. The site -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P274"></a>274}</span> -where it stood appears to be a comparatively small piece -of land, near the street, but well covered with large -trees. It was not an extensive park with formal walks -and avenues, nor was the house itself so large or high as -the structure described in the novel. It was a single-story -building or series of buildings, forming an enclosure -about seventy feet long and fifty feet wide. It was -built about 1350 as a country residence for the Abbot of -Abingdon and as a sanitarium for the monks. After -two centuries its use by the monastery ceased and -Cumnor Place passed into the hands of the Court -physician, George Owen, who leased it to Anthony Foster. -As the servant of Lord Robert Dudley, Foster received -into his house the ill-fated Amy Robsart, whom that -gentleman had married in 1550. The marriage was not -secret, but was celebrated in the presence of the young -King, Edward VI, and his Court. It had been arranged -by Dudley's father, John, Earl of Warwick and Duke -of Northumberland, who seems to have had a fondness -for match-making, of the kind which promised a profit. -He managed to marry his fourth son, Guildford Dudley, -to Lady Jane Grey, a great-granddaughter of Henry -VII. In the last two years of the reign of Edward VI, -Northumberland was virtually the ruler of England. -He induced the King to execute a will, disinheriting his -two sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, who were the legal -heirs to the crown, and naming Lady Jane Grey as his -successor. The reign of this unfortunate lady, who -never desired the throne, lasted but nine days. The -rightful Queen, Mary, was restored by the people, and -Northumberland, like his father before him, was -beheaded in the Tower. His son, Guildford, with Jane -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P275"></a>275}</span> -Grey, his wife, suffered the same penalty a year later, -as the result of another revolt, in which the lady, at -least, had no share. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-274"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-274.jpg" alt="LEICESTER'S BUILDINGS, KENILWORTH" /> -<br /> -LEICESTER'S BUILDINGS, KENILWORTH -</p> - -<p> -Robert Dudley came near falling a victim to the same -fate as his father and grandfather. He took up arms -against Queen Mary, was sent to the Tower and -condemned to death. But the Queen pardoned him and -made him Master of the Ordnance. On the accession of -Elizabeth he became Master of the Horse, and thereafter -rose rapidly in the royal favour. Elizabeth made -him a Knight of the Garter, bestowed upon him the -Castle of Kenilworth, the lordship of Denbigh and other -rich lands in Warwickshire and Wales. In 1564 the -Queen made him Earl of Leicester, and recommended -him (perhaps not seriously) as a possible husband of -Mary Queen of Scots. The University of Oxford made -him their chancellor and the King of France conferred -upon him the order of St. Michael. He reached the -culmination of the high honours which Elizabeth and others -crowded upon him, in the appointment as Lieutenant-General -of the army mustered to meet the Spanish -invasion, in the year of the great Armada, 1588. -</p> - -<p> -This was the outward show, and it was brilliant -enough; but the Earl was like a worm-eaten apple—fair -enough to look upon, but rotten to the core—and -his private life was thoroughly contemptible. The -marriage to Amy Robsart in 1550 was not a happy one. She -was never a countess, for Dudley did not become Earl of -Leicester until four years after her death. After the -favours of Elizabeth began to be showered upon him, -Dudley had good reason for concealing this marriage, -for the Queen soon began to show a longing to make him -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P276"></a>276}</span> -her royal husband. In 1560, two years after the -accession of Elizabeth, the dead body of Amy was found at -the foot of the stairs at Cumnor. All the servants had -gone to a neighbouring fair and apparently Anthony -Foster was the only person besides Amy at home on that -day. It was given out that Amy had accidentally fallen -downstairs and broken her neck. She was ostentatiously -buried in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Oxford, -though Lord Dudley was not present at the funeral nor -did he again visit Cumnor. -</p> - -<p> -More than twenty years later a pamphlet was published, -anonymously, under the title 'Leicester's Commonwealth,' -in which the Earl was bitterly attacked as -an atheist and a traitor as well as a man of infamous -character. He was openly accused of the murder of his -wife, and there were not wanting many evidences seeming -to corroborate this view. It was alleged that efforts -to poison her were made, by direction of the Earl. That -Leicester was not incapable of such an act is indicated -by the circumstances of his own death. The tradition is -that he gave his wife (the third one) a bottle of medicine -to be used for faintness. The lady kept it, unused, and -later, not knowing it to be poison, administered a dose -to her husband, with a fatal result. This lady was the -widow of Walter, Earl of Essex, with whom the Earl -of Leicester was carrying on an intrigue before her -husband's death. There was a quarrel and Essex died -suddenly, under some suspicion of poison. Leicester's -secret marriage with the widow led to serious accusations -against him. According to the author of 'Leicester's -Commonwealth,' when the Earl fell in love with -Lady Douglas Sheffield (who became his second wife), -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P277"></a>277}</span> -her husband suddenly died under mysterious circumstances. -Leicester had in his employ an Italian physician -who was a skilful compounder of poisons. It was -said that his cunning and skill enabled him to cause a -person to die with the symptoms of any disease he might -choose, or to administer a poison so that the victim -would expire at whatever hour he might appoint. These -weird tales no doubt suggested something of the character -of the fraudulent alchemist and astrologer, Alasco. -</p> - -<p> -The stair at the foot of which Amy Robsart's body -was found was a narrow winding flight, something like a -corkscrew. It has been pointed out that Amy would -have had considerable difficulty in hurling herself -headlong around the twists and turns of such a staircase -with enough force to break her neck. Without definite -knowledge of the facts, the most reasonable supposition -is that Lord Dudley, having a motive for the crime and -being a man of unscrupulous character, would not -hesitate to order it committed. His grandfather had been -the agent of Henry VII in the infamous extortions which -gave that sovereign an enormous fortune; his father had -not hesitated to risk the lives of his son and an innocent -lady to accomplish his own treasonable purposes, besides -directly causing the death of the Duke of Somerset, and -indirectly bringing about the execution of the Duke's -brother, Lord Seymour. It is therefore not unreasonable -to suppose that the scion of this ambitious family, -who was himself cherishing no less bold a project than -his own marriage with the Queen, should willingly give -orders to remove the one great obstacle in his path. -</p> - -<p> -The great festivities at Kenilworth occurred in 1575. -Amy Robsart had been dead fifteen years. The Earl of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P278"></a>278}</span> -Leicester was none the less entangled, however, for he -was at the time married to Lady Sheffield, who strongly -maintained the validity of the marriage, though it was -denied by the Earl and concealed from the Queen. At -the same time, also, the intrigue with the Countess of -Essex was in progress. From this it will be seen that -although Scott departed from the facts of history in -bringing poor Amy to Kenilworth, he nevertheless gave -a true picture of the Earl of Leicester's embarrassment -in the presence of his Queen. Scott softens the -black-hearted villainy of the Earl, by making him an unwilling -victim of his own ambition, duped into deeds of infamy -by the determination of the conscienceless Richard -Varney. He admits that he preferred to make the Earl -'rather the dupe of villains than the unprincipled author -of their atrocities,' because in the latter capacity, he -would have been a character too disgustingly wicked for -the purposes of fiction. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-278"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-278.jpg" alt="CÆSAR'S TOWER, KENILWORTH" /> -<br /> -CÆSAR'S TOWER, KENILWORTH -</p> - -<p> -According to Scott's account, the unfortunate Amy, -after falling completely into the toils of Varney, was -carried back to Cumnor Place, and lodged in a tower -room at the top of the building. A gallery, arranged by a -secret contrivance to be used as a drawbridge, which, -when dropped, would cut off all access to the chamber, -was the only means of entrance or exit. After Amy had -entered the chamber, Varney and Foster withdrew the -supports of the bridge in such manner that the slightest -weight would cause it to fall. Varney then reached the -consummation of his villainy by imitating the whistle of -Leicester. Amy, deceived by the signal and eager to -meet her Lord, rushed upon the bridge and fell to the -deepest vault of the castle. The method of the real -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P279"></a>279}</span> -Amy's death is not definitely known, but it was probably -by no such elaborate invention. She was doubtless -strangled in her room and her body carried to the foot of -the stairs to suggest an accidental death. -</p> - -<p> -Anthony Foster lies buried in Cumnor Church, which -stands on land adjoining the site of Cumnor Place, near -the entrance to the village on the road from Oxford. It is -one of those stone churches, with square, substantial -towers and ivy-clad walls, which add to the charm of the -landscape throughout the length and breadth of England, -as though she intended thereby to express both -the beauty and the solidity of her religion. -</p> - -<p> -The Foster tomb is an elaborate monument of grey -marble, within the altar rail, and is easily the most -noteworthy feature of the interior of the church. Two -engraved brass plates represent the family at prayers, -and beneath is a long inscription in Latin, indicating -that Anthony Foster was a distinguished gentleman of -good birth, skilled in the arts of music and horticulture, -a good linguist and renowned for charity, benevolence, -and religious fidelity. Looking upon this elaborate -memorial, one cannot escape the conviction that Tony -Foster was either a greatly maligned saint or the parent -of a family of hypocrites. If the intention of those who -composed the inscription was to convince the world of -his innocence, they could not have been expected to -foresee that, for every person who should read and -understand the epitaph, ten thousand would be led to -a perception of Foster's real character through the pen -of a Scottish novelist, but for whom few of us would -ever have known the sad story of the Lady of Cumnor Hall. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P280"></a>280}</span> -</p> - -<p> -As for the Earl of Leicester, a more truthful epitaph -exists, not indeed carved upon stone, but preserved in -the Collections of Drummond of Hawthornden. It -reads:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Here lies a valiant warrior,<br /> - Who never drew a sword;<br /> - Here lies a noble courtier,<br /> - Who never kept his word;<br /> - Here lies the Erle of Leister,<br /> - Who govern'd the estates;<br /> - Whom the earth could never living love,<br /> - And the just Heaven now hates.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The escape of Amy Robsart from Cumnor Place was -achieved through the aid of Wayland Smith, a blacksmith, -pedler, and strolling juggler, who had picked up -from a former master some knowledge of medicine -which he employed to good advantage. There was a -legend current in Berkshire of a mysterious smith, who -lived among the rocks and replaced lost horseshoes for a -fee of sixpence, feeling offended if more were offered. -Scott used this tale as the basis of his story of Wayland -Smith. The idea of having his smithy in a cave may -have been suggested by just such a place in Gilmerton, -a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, with which -Scott must have been familiar. I had no difficulty in -finding it. It is an artificial cavern, with many -ramifications, and as the light can enter only from the door at -the head of a stone stairway, its farther corners are -extremely dark. Near the entrance is a blacksmith's -forge. In a small and dark alcove opposite is an oblong -stone, evidently intended as a dining-table. A rough -shelf or ledge, cut out of the stone partition, served as a -bench at meal-times. Any of the dark corners could be -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P281"></a>281}</span> -used as sleeping-rooms. The cave was probably used by -thieves or smugglers as a convenient hiding-place. -</p> - -<p> -Amy's journey from Cumnor Village, four miles west -of Oxford, to Kenilworth, in the centre of Warwickshire, -was a ride of about fifty miles. Perhaps the Countess's -mental condition would not permit her to enjoy it and -doubtless the country then was wild and the roads -rough; but the route to-day would be a delightful one, -especially that part of it which passes through -Warwickshire with its 'hedgerows of unmarketable beauty.' -</p> - -<p> -As they approached the old town of Warwick, -travelling by circuitous paths to avoid the crowds then -journeying to witness the festivities at Kenilworth, Amy -and her humble guide, the blacksmith, passed through -some of the most beautiful country in England. But -they were obliged to avoid what to-day forms the grand -climax of interest to the tourist, the magnificent Castle -of Warwick. This was the resting-place of Queen -Elizabeth on the day preceding her triumphal progress to -Kenilworth. In those days it was the seat of Ambrose -Dudley, a brother to the Earl of Leicester and the third -son of the notorious John Dudley. -</p> - -<p> -There was never a time, say the local antiquaries, -back as far as the reign of the celebrated King Arthur, -when Warwick did not have its Earls. The most -renowned of these was Guy, a great warrior supposed to -stand nine feet high, among whose exploits were the -killing of 'a Saracen giant, a wild boar, a dun cow, and a -green dragon.' After a life devoted to these pleasant -diversions, he retired to Guy's Cliffe, a retreat near -Warwick, famed for its natural beauty, where he lived -as a hermit until his death. The real building of the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P282"></a>282}</span> -castle began when the Normans took possession, William -the Conqueror granting the vast estate, including -the castle and the town, to Henry de Newburgh, the first -Earl of Warwick. In the fifteenth century it came into -the possession of Richard Neville, the famous -'King-Maker.' Since that time many improvements have been -made, especially in the spacious grounds, which now -make a splendid park, with well-kept lawns and paths, -stately trees, formal gardens with yews fantastically -trimmed, and a profusion of flowers. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-282"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-282.jpg" alt="ENTRANCE TO WARWICK CASTLE" /> -<br /> -ENTRANCE TO WARWICK CASTLE -</p> - -<p> -The entrance road, cut through solid rock, looks as if -carved out of soft moss, so thickly does the ivy cling -to the walls. Trees of varied foliage overarch the path, -and near the entrance the edges are bordered by -narrow lines of flowers. At the end of this delightful -avenue a sharp turn to the left brought us in front of -the great Castle. On the right is Guy's Tower, rising -one hundred and twenty-eight feet high and having -walls ten feet thick. On the left is Cæsar's Tower, built by -the Normans eight hundred years ago and still firm as the -rock upon which it stands. The two are joined by an -ivy-covered wall in the centre of which is a great gate -between two towers. Passing through this gateway we -entered the spacious court. Directly opposite is the -mound, or keep, almost completely covered from base to -summit with trees and shrubs, over the tops of which the -towers and battlements peep out. On the right are two -unfinished towers, one of them begun by Richard III, -the whole side of the quadrangle forming a massive -line of ramparts and embattled walls. On the left is the -great mansion, occupied for centuries by the Earls of -Warwick. The square formed by these huge stone buildings -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P283"></a>283}</span> -is beautiful in its simplicity—a wide expanse of -lawn, its rich velvet green broken only by the white -gravel walks. To see the interior of the castle we were -compelled to join a party of tourists, and march in -solemn procession through the rooms of state, while our -guide, an old soldier with a Cockney accent, loquaciously -explained that his 'hobject' in telling us about the -'hearls' in this room was to prepare us to appreciate the -'hearls' in the next! This agony over, we departed by -the road which leads across the Avon, where we were -rewarded by a superb view of the castle from the -bridge. -</p> - -<p> -The next day we were at Kenilworth. It requires the -exercise of a vivid imagination to walk among the ruins -and trace the progress of Scott's story, but we found it -a delightful study. We entered by the little wicket gate, -next to the mansion known as the Gatehouse, erected by -Dudley in 1570 as the chief entrance to the castle. -Walking south, across the outer court, we came to the -ancient entrance in the southeast angle known as -Mortimer's Tower. From this point an embankment -stretched to the southeast for about one hundred and -fifty yards. It was eighteen yards wide and twenty feet -high. Besides serving its original purpose of a dam, to -hold back the waters of a great lake covering one -hundred and eleven acres, this bank of earth made an -admirable tilt-yard. At the extreme end of the -embankment was the Gallery Tower, containing a spacious -room from which the ladies could witness the tournaments. -A wall eight feet high and eighty-five feet long -is all that remains of this structure. It was built by -Henry III in the thirteenth century and reconstructed -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P284"></a>284}</span> -by the Earl of Leicester in preparation for the great -festivities. -</p> - -<p> -Here Amy presented herself under strange circumstances. -As the wife of the great Earl of Leicester, the -magnificent castle was her own and all its army of -servants, and the vast crowd of sight-seers, could they -have recognized their countess, would have bowed in -humble reverence and have delighted to execute her -slightest wish. But she came unknown and unrespected, -not as the honoured Countess, but as 'the bale of -woman's gear' belonging to a blacksmith, disguised as a -juggler. At the Gallery Tower the two strange companions -were halted by a giant porter, and gained admission -only by the intercession of the mischievous little imp -called Flibbertigibbet. They traversed the length of the -tilt-yard, and passing through Mortimer's Tower, came -in front of the splendid buildings, all with doors and -gates wide open as a sign of unlimited hospitality. -</p> - -<p> -On their right stood the stately Cæsar's Tower, a fine -specimen of the military architecture of the Normans, -built about 1170 to 1180, and still the best-preserved -portion of the ruins. On their left was the great -'Leicester's Building,' erected in honour of the occasion -for the accommodation of the Queen. It reached a -height of ninety-three feet and was ninety feet long and -fifty feet wide. The walls are thin, however, and -although the most recent in date of all the important -parts of the castle, this structure has crumbled into -ruins to such an extent that it can be preserved only by -constant attention. -</p> - -<p> -Between Cæsar's Tower and Leicester's Building, and -joining the two, Amy and her guide saw a stately edifice, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P285"></a>285}</span> -then known as King Henry VIII's Lodgings, because it -was used by that monarch on the occasion of his visits to -the castle. The portion on the left, immediately -adjoining Leicester's Building, was called Dudley's Lobby. -No vestige of these structures, which originally formed -the eastern side of a magnificent quadrangle, can now -be seen. -</p> - -<p> -Passing through an open gateway between Cæsar's -Tower and King Henry's Lodgings, the Countess entered -the Inner Court. On the right, and in the rear of -Cæsar's Tower, she could see the great kitchens, then a -busy part of the establishment, but now showing little -more than the remains of a huge fireplace and a thick -wall from which project a broken arch or two. On the -left were the White Hall, now entirely destroyed, and -next to it the Presence Chamber, which had a fine oriel -window looking into the court. Directly in front Amy -could see the 'Great Hall' in which her princely -husband had made lavish preparations to entertain the -Queen with unprecedented extravagance. It was built -in the fourteenth century by John of Gaunt, son of -Edward III, who took up his residence at the castle on -the death of his father, and spent the remainder of his -life in adding to its magnificence. The hall was ninety -feet long and forty-five feet wide. The floor has -disappeared, but the remains of the pillars and arches which -once supported it may still be seen. The Great Hall -was lighted by large and very high windows, set in deep -recesses, the outlines of which are still well preserved. -The remains of two large fireplaces, one on each side, -may still be seen. At the southern end was a dais, upon -which was the Throne of State, with crimson canopy of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P286"></a>286}</span> -richly embroidered velvet. At the opposite end was a -minstrel gallery for the musicians. From the centre of -the roof hung a chandelier of brass, shaped like an eagle, -its spreading wings supporting six human figures, each -of which carried a pair of branches containing huge -candles. The tables, chairs, cushions, carpets, and -silken tapestries were all of the costliest workmanship. -It is stated that the Earl of Leicester spent £60,000 -upon this lavish entertainment, a sum which, to-day, -would be better represented by half a million. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-286"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-286.jpg" alt="MERVYN'S TOWER, KENILWORTH" /> -<br /> -MERVYN'S TOWER, KENILWORTH -</p> - -<p> -Amy and her escort were not at liberty to view this -regal magnificence. They proceeded across the court to -a tower at the northwestern angle, which was doubtless -intended for a prison, judging from the thickness of the -walls and the small size of the rooms. It was called, for -this reason, the Strong Tower, though Scott's name -for it is Mervyn's Tower. During the Elizabethan -festivities it was used for the accommodation of guests. -Here we must leave Amy for the present and go back to -trace the movements of Elizabeth. -</p> - -<p> -The Queen approached by way of the Gallery Tower, -heralded by the roll of drums, the blare of trumpets, the -roar of cannon, and the tumultuous shouts of a vast -multitude. Two hundred thick waxen torches, each -borne by a horseman, cast a glare of light upon the -cavalcade. The Queen, mounted upon a milk-white -horse and clad in gorgeous raiment, blazing with jewels, -was accompanied by the Earl of Leicester, 'glittering -like a golden image with jewels and cloth of gold.' He -rode a jet-black horse, renowned as one of the most -splendid chargers in Europe. Both horse and rider -seemed perfectly formed to grace an occasion so glorious. -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P287"></a>287}</span> -A great procession of the most distinguished noblemen, -the ablest statesmen, and the proudest knights of -England followed the Queen, together with the ladies of -the Court, famed for splendour and beauty and arrayed -in garments only a little less magnificent than those of the -Queen herself. Passing upon the bridge or dam which -stretched between the gallery and Mortimer's Tower, -the royal procession paused to witness a gorgeous -spectacular performance on the lake. Then, entering the -Base Court, they moved through various pageants to -the Inner Court, and came at length to the Great Hall, -where the Queen was handed to the Throne by the Earl -of Leicester. -</p> - -<p> -The Pleasance was an irregular-shaped enclosure, -visible to the west from Mervyn's Tower and connecting -with a rectangular section on the north known as the -garden. The latter had a terrace along the castle wall, -ten feet high and twelve feet wide, covered with grass -and decorated with obelisks, spheres, and stone bears. -At each end was an arbour of trees and fragrant flowers. -The garden was intersected by walks or alleys, each of -which had, in the middle, a square pilaster, fifteen feet -high, surmounted by an orb. In the centre of the -garden was a fountain of white marble, its pedestal -carved with allegorical subjects and surmounted by two -Atlantes, back to back, holding a ball, from which -streams of water poured into the basin. At the side of -the terrace was a large aviary, well filled with birds. -</p> - -<p> -This was the scene of the dramatic climax toward -which the novel trends, where Queen Elizabeth finally -confronts Amy Robsart and begins to unravel the whole -story of Leicester's duplicity. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P288"></a>288}</span> -</p> - -<p> -Aside from their associations with the novel, the ruins -of Kenilworth seem to exert a strong fascination. It is -as though Nature were reasserting herself. A thousand -years ago the domain was untouched by the hand of -man. Then came kings and conquerors, who replaced -the pristine beauty with artificial structures. Stately -halls and palaces sprang into existence. Their inner -walls were hung with the costliest of silks. Their floors -were covered with the richest carpets from the looms of -the Orient. Chairs, stools, tables, and bedsteads of -elaborate workmanship, gorgeously covered with lace -and embroidered with cloth of gold; paintings; musical -instruments; curiously wrought plate, of silver and -mother-of-pearl; everything, indeed, that the handicraft -of the times could fashion and the wealth of its -owners could buy, was brought to the castle in mute -testimonial of man's conception of beauty. But these -things passed. Kings and queens no longer made the -castle their home, nor honoured it with even a brief -visit. The people seized the government and, jealous -lest royalty should again find shelter there, demolished -the costly buildings. For the sake of a few pounds of -lead, the roofs were torn away and sold. The artificial -dam which backed up the waters of the great lake was -cut and the waters flowed once more in their natural -channels. Nature again assumed control. The formal -gardens became a green pasture. The spacious courts -which had been worn hard by the iron hoofs of countless -steeds became soft again with a covering of deep and -velvety grass. The proud war-horses vanished and in -their place the gentle sheep appeared. The frightful -scars on the face of the ruined buildings were concealed -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P289"></a>289}</span> -beneath a rich cloak of deep-green ivy. Wall-flowers -sprang out of the broken crevices below the arches. -</p> - -<p> -All is peaceful, all is still. Nature has brought to the -castle her own conception of beauty, and once more -reigns supreme. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap21"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P290"></a>290}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXI -<br /> -THE PIRATE -</h3> - -<p> -The Shetland and Orkney Islands, seen from an -aeroplane at great height on a calm day, would resemble, -I fancy, two handfuls of gravel thrown upon a horizontal -sheet of window-glass. When I was a boy they meant -little to me except a few black specks at the top of the -map of Great Britain. Upon examining a larger map, an -active lad might fancy that it would be great fun to skip -from one island to another, or to play tag, leaping over -the numerous indentations in the coast. The Shetland -group is broken into about one hundred islands, stretching -north and south for seventy miles, but the total land -surface is only five hundred and fifty-one square miles, -or less than half the area of the State of Rhode Island. -The Orkney group, lying fifty miles farther south, is -even smaller, its fifty-six islands containing only three -hundred and seventy-five square miles. -</p> - -<p> -Upon closer acquaintance, however, the islands do -not seem so diminutive. Great rugged cliffs tower -perpendicularly to enormous heights above the sea-level. -Huge broken fragments of rock form gigantic towers, or -stacks, rising out of the sea to a height of hundreds of -feet. One of the most picturesque of these, the Old Man -of Hoy, would tower above the dome of St. Peter's in -Rome. Our small boy, standing on the edge of one of -these cliffs, looking down upon the ocean, boiling and -seething through strange caverns and natural arches, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P291"></a>291}</span> -five hundred feet below, would quickly forget his desire -to leap to the nearest island. The wildness of the scene -is accentuated by the screaming of thousands of cormorants, -guillemots, and gulls, mingling with the roar of -the sea and the mournful soughing of the wind. -</p> - -<p> -We sailed into the Sound of Bressay, the harbour of -Lerwick, at twelve o'clock on a Saturday night in June. -It was still light enough to see plainly, for in these -regions the summer sun has to rise so early in the morning -that he does not think it worth while to go to bed. -Expecting to land at the wharf of some quiet little seaport -town, we were astonished at the sight which the twilight -revealed. A forest of masts crowded the sound, which -is here a mile wide. It was at the height of the -herring-fishing, and nearly a thousand vessels had arrived to -land their fish and enable their crews to spend Sunday -on shore, for these fishermen observe the Sabbath, -piously or otherwise, as a day of rest. All the remainder -of that night and all day Sunday the stone pavements of -Lerwick resounded to the clatter of wooden shoes worn -by the Dutch fishermen. These Dutchmen are largely -responsible for the importance of Lerwick, having -discovered many years ago that it would be a convenient -centre for the curing and shipping of herring. Other -nations are also represented, particularly Norway, Sweden, -Germany, and France, while the native Shetlanders -still retain a portion of the trade, though relatively a -small one. Besides filling the harbour, the vessels were -crowded along the quays, five or six deep, so that -the crews of late arrivals could reach the shore only by -crossing the decks of several other ships. As soon as -possible after a boat arrives, its cargo is auctioned off at -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P292"></a>292}</span> -the Fishmarket, after which it proceeds to one of the -curing stations. Nearly all the vessels were 'steam-drifters,' -which have superseded the old sailing-boats. -These drifters usually carry a crew of ten men. Their -engines are capable of ten knots an hour, sometimes more. -As it often happens that profitable shoals of fish cannot -be found without travelling at least a hundred miles, the -advantage over the old sailing-ships is apparent. -</p> - -<p> -Crowds of people flock to Lerwick in the season to -look for employment in the curing establishments. On -the little steamer which conveyed us thither, we -noticed, in various out-of-the-way corners of the deck, -what seemed to be piles of black and brown rags. They -were there when we came on board at Aberdeen, and -remained nearly all the next day. They turned out to -be women, huddling together to keep warm, and covered -only by their thick dresses and a few old shawls. They -belonged to a class known by the not very pleasing, but -thoroughly descriptive, name of gutters, and were making -their annual trip to Lerwick to spend the season in the -great curing establishments. These sturdy women -become very expert. Each fish is eviscerated with two -quick motions of the knife, assisted by the thumb and -fingers, the process continuing for long hours, at the -rate of about two dozen of herring a minute. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-292"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-292.jpg" alt="LERWICK, SHETLAND" /> -<br /> -LERWICK, SHETLAND -</p> - -<p> -Lerwick, the capital of the Shetland Islands, is a town -of picturesque appearance. When it was built there were -no carts in the islands, and no occasion for any, for there -were no roads. A long zigzag street runs the length of the -town, near the shore, and is the main business thoroughfare. -A century ago it would have been impossible to -drive an ordinary wagon through its narrow and awkward -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P293"></a>293}</span> -turnings. Now the buildings are sufficiently altered -to admit the passage of teams, but in many places, when -a vehicle passes, the pedestrians must step into the -nearest doorways. The town is built on a hillside, so -that the cross-streets are steep lanes, alternating with -short flights of stairs. They have rough pavements, and -usually a rail is placed along the buildings for the safety -of the pedestrians in icy weather. The main thoroughfare, -varying in width from ten to twenty-five feet, is -paved with flagging and its stone buildings, though small -and of many different shapes, have a substantial look. -Strolling through the streets of Lerwick, one might -estimate the population at about five thousand; looking -out over the harbour on Sunday morning he would be -inclined to change the figure to twenty times that -number; but again looking seaward on Monday afternoon, -when the fishing fleet has disappeared, he would -doubtless revert to his original estimate. -</p> - -<p> -The men of the islands are nearly all fishermen. They -work hard in the season, which lasts from June to -September, and spend their money, during the long dark days -of winter, in various amusements. Some maintain small -farms of five or ten acres each, known as crofts, where -they raise a few cattle and sheep. Only about one sixth -of the land is under cultivation, and of this about three -fourths is pasture land. The soil and climate of the -Shetlands is decidedly unfavourable to agriculture. The -women look after the cattle, till the soil in their small -kail-yards, or gardens, bring in the winter supply of peat, -and attend to all the duties of housekeeping. In the -intervals of their busy lives, they knit shawls and other -garments, out of wool which they card and spin -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P294"></a>294}</span> -themselves. Indeed, they knit nearly all the time. It is not -uncommon to see them walking along the roads or across -the moors, with heavy baskets of peat on their backs, -the knitting-needles clicking busily, as if every woman -had been born with these implements in her hands. -</p> - -<p> -On the morning after our arrival we set out to discover -the scenes of 'The Pirate.' Not knowing what changes -had occurred since Scott's visit to the islands in 1814, -I was not sure whether I should be obliged to catch a -Shetland pony upon which to travel or make up my mind -to walk the twenty-seven miles between Lerwick and -Sumburgh Head, over a roadless country of rocks and -mountains, morasses, and quagmires. It was a delight, -therefore, to learn not only that there was a good road -all the way, but that Lerwick now boasted the possession -of an automobile, the only one on the islands. I -lost no time in hiring the car, with a chauffeur who said -he 'knew the road,' though he afterwards confessed he -had never been over it. When he reached the -mountainous regions, where the road dodges in and out -around a bewildering succession of short curves, along -the edges of cliffs from which we could look down upon -rugged rocks or into the lakes and voes a hundred feet -below, speeding the machine as though he were on level -ground and familiar with every foot of it, he gave us a -thrill or two at every turn. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-294"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-294.jpg" alt="A CROFTER'S COTTAGE, ORKNEY" /> -<br /> -A CROFTER'S COTTAGE, ORKNEY -</p> - -<p> -We started out in the general direction taken by -Mordaunt Mertoun, when he left the comfortable home of -Magnus Troil and his two pretty daughters, Minna and -Brenda, to return to the forlorn habitation of his father -at Jarlshof. There was just enough strong wind, with -occasional dashes of rain, to suggest the storm which -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P295"></a>295}</span> -Mordaunt faced. But he had to find his way around the -edges of the numerous inland lakes and voes by a kind -of instinct, having no path to follow. We travelled, on -the contrary, over a good hard road, one of the improvements -of the last half-century. Most of the people whom -we passed had never seen an automobile. They not only -hastily gave us the road, but usually climbed high up on -the adjacent banks, sometimes dragging their pony-carts -after them. One old man, when he saw us coming, hastily -took his horse out of the shafts, and rushed up the side -of the hill with the animal, to a safe distance of a -hundred yards before he dared look back. The horse gazed -upon us in mild-eyed curiosity, but the man's expression -of terror suggested that he might have seen old Norna -of the Fitful Head herself and her leering, sneering, -grinning, and goggling dwarf, Nick Strumpfer, flying -along in a vehicle of the Devil's own invention. Though -not particularly grateful for the implied compliment, we -were obliged to accept some such explanation of the -fact, which became more and more apparent, that the -men and women feared us far more than did their horses. -</p> - -<p> -At one point we stopped to watch some women gathering -peat. Only the wealthy can afford to import coal -and there is no wood on the islands, because the fierce -winds and rocky soil prevent the growth of trees. The -universal fuel for the poor is therefore peat, which seems -to have been providentially provided. For a fee of -half-a-crown a year, or in some cases a little more, paid to some -large landowner, each family may take a winter's supply. -Every crofter's cottage has its peat-stack near the door. -Peat is simply decayed moss, the most common variety -of which is called <i>Sphagnum</i>. It is a small plant with -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P296"></a>296}</span> -thin, scaly leaves. In the light it has a hue of vivid green, -changing in the lower and darker places to a sickly -yellow, and finally in the lowest and dampest places, where -it is thoroughly decayed, to a deep black. This decayed -portion is the peat, which, when well dried, burns with a -smouldering fire, of greater heat than an equal weight of -wood, but with far greater volume of smoke. The -peat-banks resemble miniature terraces, each about a foot -high. The cutting is done with a curious spade, with -long narrow blade, called a <i>twiscar</i> or <i>tuskar</i>. The top -layer, consisting of coarse dry grasses and the roots of -heather and other plants, is of no value. The second -layer is a thick, moist, spongy substance of a dark brown -or black colour, while the third is still more compressed, -and, but for the moisture, looks somewhat like coal. -Each spadeful resembles a big, blackened brick, of -unusual length. They are laid in rows to dry and finally -carried away to the crofter's cottages, generally in -baskets. The women swing their heavy loads upon their -backs and trudge long distances. Occasionally the peat -is loaded upon small sledges drawn by ponies. We saw -an old woman, with a very pretty granddaughter, -loading their fuel upon one of these sledges, which was -drawn by a little 'Sheltie' with furry coat of pure white. -The old woman kindly allowed me to take her picture, -a favour which two other women declined to grant, -because they did n't have on their best clothes! -</p> - -<p> -Burgh-Westra, the home of Magnus Troil and his -daughters, is purely fictitious. It was supposed to be -twenty miles from Sumburgh Head, which would make -it seven miles south of Lerwick. We passed numerous -voes, as the long arms of the sea are called, any of which -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P297"></a>297}</span> -would have answered the description of the one upon -which the Udaller's residence was situated, and we -could have found many sheltered places among the -rocks, corresponding to that in which Mordaunt Mertoun -secretly met Brenda, or to the beach of white sand -beneath a precipice, where Minna offered to pledge her -hand to the pirate, Cleveland, by the mysterious -'promise of Odin.' -</p> - -<p> -Ten miles below Burgh-Westra was Stourburgh, where -Triptolemus Yellowley and Mistress Baby took up -their residence. This, too, is fictitious. Sumburgh Head, -on the contrary, is very real. It is a rocky promontory, -three hundred feet high, at the southern extremity of the -Mainland, as the largest of the Shetland Islands is called. -Conflicting tides, sweeping around the rugged headland -from two oceans, make a dangerous current, called the -Roost of Sumburgh, from the Icelandic word, <i>röst</i>, -signifying a strong tide. It has been a menace to navigation -for centuries and the scene of countless shipwrecks. -The novelist, quite naturally, therefore, made it the -scene of the wreck and rescue of Cleveland. Such a place -would appeal strongly to Scott, whose visit to the islands -was made on a lighthouse yacht, the business of which -was to inspect just such points of danger. He climbed the -grassy slope to the top of the head, where he could look -down from the loftiest crag upon a wild mass of rocks -below, and said it would have been a fine situation in -which to compose an ode to the Genius of Sumburgh Head -or an elegy upon a cormorant or to have written and -spoken madness of any kind. Instead of doing this he -gave vent to his enthusiasm by sitting down on the -grass and sliding a few hundred feet down to the beach! -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P298"></a>298}</span> -Whether the performance was voluntary or involuntary, -he did not see fit to inform us. -</p> - -<p> -A short distance north of Sumburgh Head, and in full -view of it, we found the ruins of Jarlshof, the abode of -Basil Mertoun and his son. It was a poorly built house -of rough, unhewn stone, and even at its best must have -been desolate enough. Its age and history are not -definitely known. Robert Stewart, a son of James V, who -received the earldom of the Orkney and Shetland Islands -from Mary Queen of Scots in 1565, may have been the -builder. He is known to have dwelt in the house, as did -his son, Patrick, who abandoned Jarlshof after building -the Castle of Scalloway. -</p> - -<p> -When Scott visited Sumburgh he saw nothing in -Jarlshof more interesting than a ruined dwelling-house, -partly buried by the sand, and once the residence of one -of the Orkney earls. But directly beneath his feet, -though he knew it not, was an object that would have -delighted his antiquarian instincts more than anything -else in the islands. He gave great attention to the old -Pictish castles or brocks, especially to a small one on -the shores of a lake near Lerwick, called by him -Cleik-him-in (Clickimin), and later to the larger tower on the -island of Mousa. Here at Jarlshof, though the fact was -unknown to the inhabitants at the time of Scott's visit, -there was once a series of brocks, as old as Mousa or -Clickimin, and far more extensive. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-298"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-298.jpg" alt="SUMBURGH HEAD, SHETLAND" /> -<br /> -SUMBURGH HEAD, SHETLAND -</p> - -<p> -This interesting discovery was made in 1897. Mr. John -Bruce, the principal landowner in the parish of -Kinrossness, upon whose property the ruin of Jarlshof -stands, noticing the encroachments of the sea after a -storm, began to suspect the existence of masonry beneath -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P299"></a>299}</span> -the old castle. Two friends who were visiting him -saw what seemed to be jutting ends of walls. They threw -off their coats and began to excavate, continuing with -enthusiasm until they discovered, to their great surprise, -evidences of a far more extensive building than they had -suspected. Mr. Bruce then engaged labourers and -continued the work of excavation for five years. -</p> - -<p> -The Castle of Jarlshof was erected on top of an older -structure, the existence of which was evidently entirely -unknown to the builder. The excavations reveal a -circular tower sixty-three feet in diameter, similar in design -to the other Shetland brochs, but larger at the base. Its -main wall is pierced with a passage three feet wide, -evidently leading to a staircase, and it has, within its -thickness several chambers. Half of the broch has been -swept away by the sea. On the west are portions of three -smaller buildings, resembling beehives in form, the -largest of which is oval in shape with a length of thirty-four -feet and a width of nineteen. Outside of this structure -was a great wall, varying from ten to twenty feet -thick. It has been uncovered for a distance of seventy -feet. Its shape suggests that it may have been part of -a great circular wall surrounding the whole group of -buildings, of which the central tower was the strongest and -most important. Away back in the eighth or ninth -century, some Pictish ruler may have constructed this -immense fortress at the southern end of the islands, to -repel attacks by sea, and to afford a refuge to the -inhabitants in case of danger. Had Walter Scott known of -its existence, he would have fairly revelled in the -discovery, and perhaps the plot of 'The Pirate' might -have been different. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P300"></a>300}</span> -</p> - -<p> -Standing on the sands at Jarlshof, we could see, toward -the northwest, the towering promontory of the Fitful -Head, rising nine hundred and twenty-eight feet above -the sea. This seemed a little puzzling at first, for Scott -places the residence of Norna of the Fitful Head at the -extreme northwestern edge of the Mainland. The -Pictish burgh, or broch, which Norna is supposed to have -inhabited, is on the island of Mousa,[<a id="chap21fn1text"></a><a href="#chap21fn1">1</a>] off the eastern -coast about ten miles north of Sumburgh Head. The -Wizard, for a very good reason, set the old tower on -the top of a great headland, ten miles to the south-west, -and then moved the combination fifty miles to the -north. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-300"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-300.jpg" alt="CROSS-SECTION OF THE BROCH OF MOUSA" /> -<br /> -CROSS-SECTION OF THE BROCH OF MOUSA -</p> - -<p> -The dwelling of Norna, therefore, which to the casual -reader seems so weird, was a very real thing. It represents -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P301"></a>301}</span> -one of the earliest forms of architecture, a rude -attempt to construct a dwelling of loose stones, without -cement or timber, and with very slight knowledge of the -art of building. The Norsemen did not come to the -Shetland Islands until late in the eighth century and -they found many of these brochs already in existence. -The most perfect of them all is the one on the island of -Mousa. It measures fifty-three feet in diameter at the -base and thirty-eight feet at the top. It is forty-two feet -high. The interior of what appears, externally, to be -a rather large building, is less than twenty feet in -diameter owing to the peculiar construction of the walls, -which are really double. They are seventeen feet wide -at the base. Inside the walls is a kind of rude stair, or -inclined plane, winding around the building, and a series -of very narrow galleries or chambers. These receive air -through openings in the inner wall, but, excepting the -door, there is no aperture in the outer wall. -</p> - -<p> -This is the real building which Scott made the residence -of Norna because of his profound interest in it as a -structure of unknown antiquity. But standing in full view, -firmly planted on a solid and easily accessible rock, its -situation was too commonplace for the requirements of -the story. He knew well how to create quite a -different impression, by supposing the same kind of house -situated in a wild and remote locality, on a ragged piece -of rock split off from the main plateau and leaning -outward over the sea as though the slightest weight would -tumble the whole structure, rock and all, into the ocean. -Then, to supply the needed air of mystery, he fancied it -occupied by a crazy old witch, claiming sovereignty over -the winds and the seas; her servant an ugly, big-mouthed, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P302"></a>302}</span> -tongueless dwarf, with malignant features and a horrible, -discordant laugh; her favourite pet an uncouth and -uncanny trained seal; her companions the unseen demons of -the air; and her occupations the utterance of sibylline -prophecies and the incantation of weird spells. Clearly, -all this would have been impossible on the island of -Mousa, so the author simply adjusted the geography of -the country to the requirements of his romance. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-302"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-302.jpg" alt="SCALLOWAY, SHETLAND" /> -<br /> -SCALLOWAY, SHETLAND -</p> - -<p> -Although Lerwick is now the only town of importance -in the Shetlands, the village of Scalloway, directly across -the Mainland on the eastern coast, once held that -distinction. It is picturesquely situated on an arm of the -sea. Approaching from the east, we paused at the top -of the hill to look down upon it. Just below was one of -those long narrow voes, so common in these islands. -The whale-hunt described in 'The Pirate' came -instantly to mind. It was easy to understand how one -of these monsters might come in at high tide and find -himself stranded at the ebb. At the mouth of this voe -and circling around a small bay of its own lies the quaint -little village. At the extremity of a point of land between -the voe and the bay, rising higher than any of the -surrounding buildings, stands the ruined Castle of -Scalloway. It was built in 1600 by Patrick Stewart, the Earl -of Orkney to whom I have previously referred. He was -the 'Pate Stewart' whose name is still a synonym on the -islands for all that is cruel and oppressive. He -compelled the people to do his bidding. They were obliged -to work in the quarries, drag the stone to the town, build -the house as best they could without proper appliances, -and perform any kind of menial service he might exact. -For this they received a penny a day if the Earl felt -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P303"></a>303}</span> -good-natured. Otherwise they received nothing. If they -displeased him they were thrown into dungeons and not -infrequently hanged. A huge iron ring near the top of the -castle, which was used for this purpose, still bears -witness to Pate Stewart's cruelty. He is said to have -boasted that the ring seldom lacked a tassel. As -mentioned in 'The Pirate,' the inhabitants only -remembered one thing to his credit, and that was a law which -accorded well with Patrick's own ideas of the rights of -people to possess their own property. This was the law, -so dear to boyish hearts, of 'finders keepers.' Property -washed up from wrecks at sea belonged to those who -found it. There was a prevalent superstition that to -save a drowning person was unlucky, and no doubt this -was one of the results of Pate Stewart's ruling. If a man -was not rescued he could claim no rights of property. -It was this superstition, so prevalent on the islands, that -Scott wove into his plot, making the rescue of Cleveland -and the saving of his chest an extremely unlucky -occurrence for Mordaunt Mertoun. -</p> - -<p> -We left Lerwick at midnight and stood on deck for -an hour enjoying the scenery by twilight. The little -steamer was loaded to the gunwales with barrels of fish, -piled upon the decks in every nook and corner, so that -there was scarcely room to stand, making us feel like two -very insignificant bits of merchandise in the midst of -such a valuable cargo of good salt herring. In the -morning we reached the port of Kirkwall, the capital and -chief city of the Orkneys. -</p> - -<p> -Instead of a long busy quay, lined with hundreds of -steam-drifters as at Lerwick, we saw an almost empty -harbour and a dock, which, but for the arrival of our -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P304"></a>304}</span> -own vessel, would have been deserted. The permanent -population of the two towns is about the same, Kirkwall -having the advantage of the better agricultural facilities -of the Orkneys. Its streets are narrow like those in -Lerwick. Bridge Street, up which the pirates marched so -insolently to meet the city magistrates, and down which -they swaggered again, dragging the terrified Triptolemus -Yellowley, is one of the narrowest of thoroughfares. -It is commonly said that here, 'two wheelbarrows tremble -as they meet.' At the end, or 'top' of this street we -turned to the right and found ourselves in Albert Street, -one striking feature of which is a solitary tree. It was -said, enviously, in Lerwick, that the people of Kirkwall -were so proud of this wonderful vegetation that they took -it in every night and set it out again in the morning. -</p> - -<p> -Kirkwall is far more interesting than Lerwick because -of its historical associations, most of which centre about -the Cathedral of St. Magnus. The ancient building looks -almost modern as you approach the wide plaza opening -out from Broad Street. Although older than Melrose, -Dryburgh, Holyrood, and Dunfermline abbeys, all of -which are now in ruins, and in spite of the fact that it is -built of the soft red and yellow sandstone, it still stands, -complete and proudly erect. When Melrose was rebuilt, -through the munificence of Robert Bruce in the fourteenth -century, the central portions of St. Magnus had -been standing for two centuries. In the sixteenth -century, when an English king was battering down the fine -old Gothic churches of Scotland, the people of Kirkwall -not only protected their cathedral, but witnessed the -addition of some of its finest features, notably the west -doorway. In earlier times it had a spire, which, judging -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P305"></a>305}</span> -from the massive columns upon which it rested, must -have been an imposing one. The steeple was burned in -1671, and never replaced, except by a stumpy little -tower which completely spoils the effect of an otherwise -impressive building. -</p> - -<p> -The story of the founding of St. Magnus is one of the -most interesting of the sagas of the Orkneys. Hakon and -Magnus, both grandsons of the great Earl Thorfinn, -were joint rulers of the islands. Hakon was ambitious -and treacherous; Magnus was virtuous, kind-hearted, -and well-beloved. By a wicked conspiracy of Hakon and -his associates, the saintly Magnus was murdered in -the island of Egilsay in 1115, bravely meeting his death -as a noble martyr. Hakon died soon after, and his son -Paul inherited the earldom. Another claimant appeared -in the person of Rognvald, a nephew of Earl Magnus, -now called 'Saint' Magnus, a bold and skilful warrior -and a born leader of men. Before proceeding against -Paul, Rognvald accepted the advice of his father, who -told him not to trust to his own strength, but to make -a vow, that if, by the grace of St. Magnus, he should -succeed in gaining his inheritance, he would build and -dedicate to him a minster in Kirkwall, more magnificent -in size and splendour than any other in the North. With -the powerful but mysterious assistance of Sweyn Asleifson, -'the last of the Vikings,' who seized Earl Paul and -carried him away bodily, Earl Rognvald became the -sole ruler of the earldom. He set to work at once to fulfil -his vow, and began work upon the cathedral in the year -1137. -</p> - -<p> -The massiveness of the building is best realized by -looking into the nave from the west doorway. The roof -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P306"></a>306}</span> -is supported by immense round pillars of red sandstone, -seven on each side. On the north and south of these -pillars are long aisles, the walls of which are covered with -ancient tombstones, taken up from the floor and set on -end. In the north aisle is a mort-brod, or death-board, -inscribed with the name of a departed Orcadian, whose -picture is shown, sitting on the ground in his -grave-clothes, a spade over his shoulder, an hour-glass in his -lap, and a joyful grin on his face. On the reverse is the -following:— -</p> - -<p class="t3"> - Below<br /> - Doeth lye<br /> - If ye wold trye<br /> - Come read upon<br /> - This brod<br /> - The Corps of on Robert<br /> - Nicholsone whos souls above<br /> - With God.<br /> - He being 70 years of age ended<br /> - This mortal life and 50 of that he<br /> - Was married to Jeane Davidson<br /> - His wife. Betwixt them 2<br /> - 12 children had, whereof<br /> - 5 left behind the<br /> - other 7 with him 's<br /> - In Heaven, who's<br /> - Joy's shall<br /> - never<br /> - end<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -In the south aisle are some curious tombstones, most of -them having carved representations of the skull and -crossbones. The death's heads are all much enlarged -on the left side, the Orcadian idea being that the soul -escapes at death through the left ear. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P307"></a>307}</span> -</p> - -<p> -The pirate, Cleveland, it will be remembered, was kept -a prisoner in these aisles, and was walking about -disconsolately when Minna Troil entered. Concealed from the -guards at the door by the huge pillars, they planned an -escape. Suddenly Norna of the Fitful Head mysteriously -appeared, and warning Minna that her plan would -lead to certain discovery, sent the young woman away. -Norna then led Cleveland through a secret passage out -of the church to a place of safety. In the south aisle -there is a low arch which formerly led, so it is said, -through a secret underground passage to the Bishop's -Palace across the street. This fact doubtless suggested -to the novelist the means by which Norna might spirit -away the captive pirate. -</p> - -<p> -Across the street which runs by the south side of the -cathedral are the ruins of two large mansions. The -Bishop's Palace, which is not mentioned in 'The Pirate,' is -chiefly interesting from the fact that Hakon Hakonson, -the last of the great sea-kings of Norway, after his -splendid fleet had been driven on the rocks by the fury -of a great storm and there almost annihilated by the -fierce onset of the Scottish warriors, sought refuge -within its walls, only to die a few days later. This was -in 1263. How much older the palace is, nobody knows. -</p> - -<p> -The Earl's Palace, with its grounds, occupies the -opposite corner, a narrow street intervening between the -two ruins. The enclosure is filled with sycamores and -other trees, thus refuting the slander of the envious -Shetlanders. In fact, when we came to look for them, -we found more than one enclosure in Kirkwall which -could boast of fairly good-sized trees. The castle is, or -was, a very substantial building, with fine broad -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P308"></a>308}</span> -stairways and many turrets. Seen from the south, across -the bowling-green, it might be taken for the ruin of some -large church. It was built by the notorious Patrick -Stewart, the same earl who abandoned Jarlshof, and -compelled the people to build him a larger castle at -Scalloway. By the same methods, he constructed the -palace at Kirkwall, forcing the people to quarry the -stone and do all his work without pay. An example of -his tyranny was related to me by a resident of Kirkwall. -According to this tale, the Earl coveted a piece of land -adjoining the palace, with which the owner refused to -part. Patrick, not accustomed to be thwarted in his -plans, was quick to apply the remedy. He secretly -caused some casks of brandy to be buried in the desired -tract. In due time he began to complain that somebody -was stealing his liquor and finally charged his neighbour -with the offence. The casks were then triumphantly -'discovered' as proof positive. Inasmuch as the Earl was -his own judge, jury, and court of appeals, the poor -innocent landowner was quickly condemned, hanged, and -his property confiscated. Many a man made over a part -of his land to the Earl on demand, having no alternative. -</p> - -<p> -We noticed many portholes under the windows, -showing that the castle was intended to serve as a -fortress as well as a mansion. This was the secret of the -Earl's final downfall. The authorities of Edinburgh -could go to sleep when the Earl of the far-distant islands -merely oppressed his own people, but to fortify a castle -against the King was an act of treason. When Patrick -Stewart and his son Robert prepared to maintain their -independence by fortifying not only the castle but the -cathedral, Scotland woke up. The Earl of Caithness -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P309"></a>309}</span> -was sent against the rebels. Robert, who was in -command, withstood the siege for one month, when he was -overcome, carried to Edinburgh, and hanged. Patrick -took refuge in the Castle of Scalloway and for a time -baffled his pursuers by hiding in a secret chamber. He -could not resist the consolation of tobacco and took a -few surreptitious pulls at his pipe, while the searchers -were in the house. The smoke, or the smell, betrayed -him. He was speedily taken to Edinburgh, where he -paid the penalty on the gallows of a long career of -tyranny, cruelty, extortion, confiscation, robbery, and -murder. -</p> - -<p> -The most interesting room in the Earl's castle is the -banqueting-hall, which had a high roof or ceiling and -was lighted on the south by three tall but narrow arched -windows. On one side is a huge fireplace with two arches, -the lower one flat. Supporting this curious combination -are two pillars, on which are carved the initials P.E.O., -meaning Patrick, Earl of Orkney, the letters being still -legible. In this room Cleveland is supposed to have met -Jack Bunce upon his return to Kirkwall. -</p> - -<p> -The two pirates, after leaving the castle, walked to -Wideford Hill, two miles from the town, where the Fair -of St. Olla was being held. The annual Lammas Market -or Fair at this place is still one of the institutions of -Kirkwall, although no longer so important as in the time of -'The Pirate.' -</p> - -<p> -If Scott took liberties with the geography of Shetland, -he was scrupulously exact in his treatment of the -Orkneys. Every movement of the brig of Magnus Troil, -as well as those of the pirate ship, can be traced on the -map. The latter, it will be recalled, sailed around to -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P310"></a>310}</span> -Stromness, where she dropped anchor. Two inland lakes, -known as the Loch of Stennis and the Loch of Harray, -now favourite resorts for anglers, lie northeast of the -town. They are separated by a narrow causeway called -the Bridge of Brogar. This is the place where the -pirates landed their boat on the night of the final -tragedy of the story. We found the locality one of the most -interesting in the islands. -</p> - -<p> -At the entrance of the bridge stands a huge, rough-hewn -stone, eighteen feet high, known as the 'watch-stone' -or 'sentinel.' This is the largest of the 'stones of -Stennis,' a collection of ancient monoliths comparable -in Great Britain only to those of Stonehenge. At the -farther end of the bridge is the so-called 'Circle of the -Sun,' a ring about one hundred and twenty yards in -diameter, surrounded by a trench about six feet deep. -The stones composing this circle are from eight to sixteen -feet high and of irregular shape. One of them is at least -five or six feet wide. There were about forty stones -originally, but now only fifteen remain standing. A smaller -group, known as the 'Circle of the Moon,' but composed -of larger stones, stands in a field near the eastern end -of the bridge. A horizontal stone, laid on top of these -vertical ones, makes a rude table or altar. This may have -been a place of druidical sacrifices, if the most prevalent -belief is to be accepted, or possibly the work of -Scandinavian hands. It was by this table of stone that Minna -stood, to meet and bid farewell to her lover, looking like -a druidical priestess, or, if the Scandinavian theory be -accepted, 'she might have seemed a descended vision of -Freya, the spouse of the Thundering Deity, before whom -some bold sea-king or champion bent with an awe -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P311"></a>311}</span> -which no mere mortal terror could have inflicted upon -him.' -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-310"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-310.jpg" alt="THE STANDING STONES OF STENNIS" /> -<br /> -THE STANDING STONES OF STENNIS -</p> - -<p> -The Stone of Odin formerly stood on the east side of -this circle. Minna had offered to pledge her faith to -Cleveland by the 'promise of Odin' and Norna of the -Fitful Head had married her lover by the same rite. This -stone differed from the others only in the fact that it had -a round hole near the base. Lovers who found it inconvenient -to be married by a priest, or who wished to plight -their troth by some unusually solemn vow, resorted to -this stone, and a promise here given was regarded as -sacred and never to be broken. The marriage ceremony -was peculiar. The couple first visited the Circle -of the Moon, where the woman, in the presence of the -man, knelt and prayed to the god Woden, or Odin, that -he would enable her to perform all her obligations and -promises. They next went to the Circle of the Sun, where -the man in like manner made his prayers. Then they -returned to the Stone of Odin, where, the man standing -on one side and the woman on the other, they joined -hands through the hole and took upon themselves the -solemn vows of matrimony. Such a marriage could never -be broken. -</p> - -<p> -Scott visited the Stones of Stennis in 1814. Had he -arrived a year later he would not have seen the Stone of -Odin, for some irreverent Orcadian broke it up, probably -to help build the foundation of his cottage. -</p> - -<p> -Leaving, with some reluctance, these relics of a -civilization more than a thousand years old, we resumed our -journey toward Stromness. The town lies on the slope of -a hill, resembling Lerwick in this respect and in the -closeness of the houses to the sea. Some of the buildings -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P312"></a>312}</span> -stand so near the water that parts of the bay look like a -miniature Venice. Our motor-car frequently occupied -the entire width of the street, sidewalks and all, as we -twisted our tortuous course for a mile along the main -thoroughfare. From the high ground behind the town, -we had a fine view of the sea, and across the sound, the -great towering island of Hoy, the highest and most -impressive of all the Orkney group. On the western side -a long line of precipitous cliffs, rising a thousand feet -above the sea, opposes an unbroken front to the full force -of the Atlantic. At the western end as we saw it from -above Stromness, the rocks form the profile of a man's -face, not so stern as that in the Franconia Notch of the -White Mountains, but having rather a more genial look. -It is said to resemble Sir Walter Scott, a likeness which, -I confess, I could see only when I shut my eyes and -thought of Chantrey's bust. -</p> - -<p> -The island of Hoy plays an important part in 'The -Pirate.' It was the original home of Norna when the -old witch was a handsome young girl. The Dwarfie -Stone, where she met the demon Trolld, and bartered -her life's happiness for the power to control the tempests -and the waves of the sea, is on the southwest slope -of Ward Hill, the highest peak of which rises to a height -of over fifteen hundred feet. It is in a desolate -peat-bog, two miles from the nearest human habitation. The -stone is about thirty feet long and half as wide. -Hollowed out of the interior is a chamber, with two beds, -one of them a little over five feet long. It is difficult to -conceive why any human being should have taken the -trouble to cut out the rock for a hermitage or place of -refuge, or why any one should seek so desolate an abode. -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P313"></a>313}</span> -Tradition therefore affirmed that the rock was fashioned -by spirit hands and was the dwelling of the elfin dwarf, -Trolld. It was to this island that Norna conducted -Mordaunt after he had received a wound at the hands -of Cleveland. -</p> - -<p> -It was at Stromness that Scott, in 1814, made the -acquaintance of Bessie Millie, an aged dame who made -her living by selling favourable winds to mariners at the -reasonable price of sixpence each. The touch of insanity, -and the strong influence she possessed over the -natives of the island, who feared her power, were strongly -suggestive of Norna. This old sibyl related to Scott the -story of John Gow, whose boyhood was spent in Stromness. -This daring individual had gone to sea at an early -age and returned to the home of his youth, a pirate, -commanding a former English galley of two hundred -tons which he had captured and renamed the -'Revenge.' He boldly came ashore and mingled with the -people, giving dancing-parties in the village of -Stromness. Before his real character was known he became -engaged to a young woman, and the two plighted their -troth at the Stone of Odin. The houses of his former -neighbours were plundered and many acts of insolence -and violence committed. At length, through the exertions -of a former schoolmate, Gow was captured with his entire -crew and speedily executed at London. The young -woman journeyed to London, too, for the purpose of -touching her former lover's dead body. In that way -only, according to the superstition of her country, could -she obtain a release from her vow and avoid a visit from -the pirate's ghost, in case she should ever marry. Gow's -brief career furnished an excellent model for Cleveland, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P314"></a>314}</span> -though the author endowed his 'pirate' with some very -commendable qualities which the prototype probably -did not possess. -</p> - -<p> -Bessie Millie, the old hag of Stromness, needed, in -addition to her own eccentricities, only a few touches of -the gipsy nature, to make her a good 'original' for Norna. -A local preacher in the parish of Tingwall, whom Scott -met on his visit to Shetland, is said to have suggested -Triptolemus Yellowley. Three or four families, in whose -homes the novelist was a welcome visitor, have laid -claim to the honour of supplying the 'originals' of Minna -and Brenda Troil. These two delightful characters, -however, were no doubt intended merely to embody the -ideal of perfect sisterly affection, and external -resemblances to real people, though such might easily be -fancied, were probably far from the author's purpose. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-314"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-314.jpg" alt="STROMNESS, ORKNEY" /> -<br /> -STROMNESS, ORKNEY -</p> - -<p> -For the rest, the great charm of 'The Pirate' lies in the -expression of the novelist's enthusiasm for the fresh -and fascinating scenery of a wild country, where strange -weird tales are wafted on every breeze, where the quaint -customs of past ages are still retained, where Nature -reveals herself in a constant succession of new and ever -captivating forms, where the rush of the wind and the -roar of the sea impart fresh joys to the senses and fill -one's soul with renewed veneration for the Power that -rules the elements. -</p> - -<p> -As we sailed away for Aberdeen, it was with very much -the same feeling which Scott expressed at the close of -his diary of the vacation of 1814.[<a id="chap21fn2text"></a><a href="#chap21fn2">2</a>] He said he had taken -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P315"></a>315}</span> -as much pleasure in the excursion as in any six weeks of -his life. 'The Pirate' was not written until seven years -later, but it carries as much freshness and enthusiasm as -though it had been composed on the return voyage. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap21fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap21fn1text">1</a>] CROSS-SECTION OF THE BROCH OF MOUSA.<br /> - <i>a, a.</i> Rooms in Circular Wall, connected by a rude spiral stair.<br /> - <i>b, b.</i> Windows opening into inner court.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap21fn2"></a> -[<a href="#chap21fn2text">2</a>] The diary, containing a full account of the visit of 1814, in a -lighthouse yacht, to the Shetland -and Orkney Islands, the Hebrides, and the -northern coasts of Scotland and Ireland, -is printed in full in Lockhart's <i>Life of Scott</i>. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap22"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P316"></a>316}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXII -<br /> -THE FORTUNES OF NIGEL -</h3> - -<p> -Hitherto our exploration of the Scott country had -revealed a never-ending succession of ruined castles, -palaces, and abbeys; of picturesque rivers, lakes, cataracts, -and quiet pools; of seashores where thunderous waves -dashed against precipitous cliffs; of quaint villages and -queer-looking dwelling-houses; of weird caverns and -strange monuments suggesting the superstitions and -fantasies of bygone ages; of pleasant meadows, wild -moors, rounded hilltops, and rugged mountains; of a -thousand tangible objects of interest which had in some -way suggested to Sir Walter the theme for a poem or -story. But when we reached Scott's London, the camera, -which had faithfully recorded all the other scenes, -refused to perform its function. The tangibleness of the -subjects had ceased. My lenses have excellent physical -eyes but no historical insight. They insist upon seeing -things as they are and will not record them as they -once existed. The London of Nigel Olifaunt has -completely disappeared and in its place a new London has -arisen. To photograph the city of to-day as the scenes -of Nigel's adventures, would be like painting the -'Purchase of Manhattan Island from the Indians' with a -background of fifty-story 'sky-scrapers.' From such a -task my faithful camera shrank, and I was obliged to -lay it aside, to turn over, for several days, the pages of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P317"></a>317}</span> -some huge piles of books on Old London in the British -Museum. -</p> - -<p> -Lockhart, who places 'The Fortunes of Nigel' in the -first class of Scott's romances, says that his historical -portrait of King James I 'stands forth preëminent and -almost alone.' This, indeed, is the whole object of the -book,—to picture the London of King James and the -personal peculiarities of that monarch. Scott was -thoroughly saturated—so to speak—with the history -and literature of that period, and especially with the -dramas of Ben Jonson and his contemporaries; and this -enabled him to picture the manners of the time almost -as if they were within his personal recollection. -</p> - -<p> -It is an amusing portrait of a pompous, strutting, and -absurd monarch who yet possessed enough learning, as -well as ready wit, to gain the title of 'the wisest fool in -Christendom.' Through his famous tutor at Stirling -Castle, George Buchanan, who freely boxed the royal -ears and administered spankings the same as to other -boys, the King had early acquired a certain taste for -learning. He evinced a fondness for the classics and -yearned to become a poet. He wrote in verse a paraphrase -of the Revelation of St. John and a version of the -Psalms, besides prose disquisitions on every conceivable -subject. His conversation, as described by Scott, was -a curious compound of Latin, Greek, English, and the -broad Scotch dialect. His tastes, as well as character, -were suggested by the appearance of a table in the -palace, which, says the novelist, 'was loaded with huge -folios, amongst which lay light books of jest and ribaldry; -and, amongst notes of unmercifully long orations, and -essays on kingcraft, were mingled miserable roundels -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P318"></a>318}</span> -and ballads by the Royal 'Prentice, as he styled -himself, in the art of poetry, and schemes for the general -pacification of Europe, with a list of the names of the -King's hounds, and remedies against canine madness.' -</p> - -<p> -A man of medium height and somewhat corpulent, -James managed to make his figure seem absurdly fat and -clumsy, by having his green velvet dress quilted, so as -to be dagger-proof, for he was both timid and cowardly. -The ungainly protuberance thus artificially acquired was -accentuated by a pair of weak legs, which caused him -to roll about rather than walk, and to lean on other -men's shoulders when standing. 'He was fond of his -dignity while he was perpetually degrading it by undue -familiarity; capable of much public labour, yet often -neglecting it for the meanest amusement; a wit, though -a pedant; and a scholar, though fond of the conversation -of the ignorant and uneducated.' -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-318"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-318.jpg" alt="Sketch Map of London" /> -<br /> -Sketch Map of London -</p> - -<p> -Contrasting strongly with this weak and ludicrous -character, Scott introduced the sterling qualities of a -noble Scotchman, George Heriot, to whom Edinburgh -is indebted for one of her most splendid benevolent -institutions, Heriot's Hospital, where for nearly three -centuries the poor fatherless boys of the city have been -transformed into eminent and useful citizens, honoured -and respected in many parts of the world. George -Heriot, nicknamed by the King 'Jingling Geordie,' was -the son of an Edinburgh goldsmith, to whose business -he succeeded. At thirty-six years of age he had the good -fortune to be appointed goldsmith to Queen Anne, and -shortly after, goldsmith and jeweller to her husband, -then James VI of Scotland. On his accession to the -English throne as James I, in 1603, Heriot followed the King -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P319"></a>319}</span> -to London. In those times, and until the eighteenth -century, goldsmiths commonly acted as bankers. Heriot -made full use of his unusual opportunity and laid the -foundation of a large fortune. Disheartened by the loss -of his young and beautiful wife, who died at the age of -twenty-one, Heriot made a will leaving his entire -property, amounting to £23,625, for the establishment of the -hospital. His picture is thus described in a quotation -copied by Scott in one of his notes: 'His fair hair, which -overshades the thoughtful brow and calm, calculating -eye, with the cast of humour on the lower part of the -countenance, are all indicative of the genuine Scottish -character, and well distinguish a person fitted to move -steadily and wisely through the world, with a strength -of resolution to ensure success and a disposition to -enjoy it.' -</p> - -<p> -The weakness of James is still further accentuated in -the novel by the introduction of his imperious favourite, -George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham, whom the -King called 'Steenie,' from his fancied resemblance to -the portrait of the martyr, Stephen, as painted by the -Italian artists. 'James endured his domination rather -from habit, timidity, and a dread of encountering his -stormy passions, than from any heartfelt continuation -of regard towards him.' The King's favour, nevertheless, -made Buckingham the richest nobleman in England -(with possibly a single exception) and the virtual ruler -of the kingdom. The constant companion of the Duke -was Baby Charles, as James insisted upon calling his -son, afterward King Charles I, for whose ruin and death -on the scaffold James was himself, all unconsciously, -rapidly paving the way. David Ramsay, the whimsical -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P320"></a>320}</span> -and absent-minded watchmaker, who kept shop in -Fleet Street, near Temple Bar, was a real character, -who held the post of 'watchmaker and horologer' to -James I. His most famous performance was a search for -hidden treasure in the cloister of Westminster Abbey, -by the use of Mosaic rods, or divining rods, which, -according to the current account, failed solely because of -the presence of too many people. The irreverent laughter -of these persons caused a fierce wind to spring up so -suddenly that 'the demons had to be dismissed' for fear -the church would fall in on them. -</p> - -<p> -These are the real characters of the story. To identify -the scenes a good map of Old London, will accomplish -more than a personal visit. Such a map need only follow -the windings of the Thames, which for centuries was the -great silent highway of London,—a distinction which -it did not lose until the beginning of the nineteenth -century. Over the highway passed the royal barge of -Elizabeth, as described in 'Kenilworth,' and it was by this -same method of travelling that George Heriot conducted -his young friend, Nigel, to the presence of the King at -Whitehall. For the streets of the city were narrow and -crowded, and rioting, as the result of debauchery and -licentiousness, was not infrequent, so that few cared to -ride on horseback, and carriages, except for the high -nobility, were entirely unknown. So the Thames was -the one great artery through which flowed both the -business and social life of the city. -</p> - -<p> -When King George and Queen Mary, at the recent -coronation, passing through the Admiralty Arch in -Trafalgar Square, turned into Whitehall on their way -to Westminster Abbey, their route lay between great -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P321"></a>321}</span> -rows of government buildings, lined with thousands of -cheering subjects. Had conditions remained as they were -in King James's time, this part of the triumphal procession -would have been entirely within the limits of their -own royal palace. -</p> - -<p> -Whitehall Palace, originally built in 1240, was for three -centuries called York House, or York Place, taking its -name from the fact that it was the London residence of -the Archbishop of York. Under Cardinal Wolsey it -was rebuilt and refurnished in a style of magnificence -excelling anything ever before known in England and -equal in splendour to the best in the palaces of the kings. -With the fall of Wolsey in 1529 the mansion became the -property of King Henry VIII, who changed the name -to Whitehall, and proceeded to enlarge and improve -both the palace and the grounds. A plan published in -1680 shows that the buildings, with their courtyards and -areas, then covered twenty-three acres. It included -a cock-pit and a tennis-court, on the site of the present -Treasury buildings, and the Horse-Guards Parade was -then a tilt-yard. These arrangements sufficiently suggest -some of the favourite amusements of royalty. Henry -VIII took great delight in cock-fighting and James I -amused himself with it regularly twice a week. Queen -Elizabeth found pleasure in tournaments and pageants, -and it is recorded that in the sixty-seventh year of her -age she 'commanded the bear, the bull, and the ape to -be bayted in the Tilt-yard.'[<a id="chap22fn1text"></a><a href="#chap22fn1">1</a>] -</p> - -<p> -King James I found the palace in bad repair and -determined to rebuild it on a vast and magnificent scale. -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P322"></a>322}</span> -Inigo Jones, one of the most famous architects of his -time, was employed and made plans for a building, -which, if completed, would have covered an area of -twenty-four acres. Judging from drawings now in the -British Museum, it seems a pity that this admirable -project was never fully executed. Only the banqueting-hall -was finished, and this still remains as the sole -survivor of the Palace of Whitehall. Its chief historical -interest lies in the fact that, from one of its windows, -Charles I stepped out upon the scaffold where he was -beheaded. -</p> - -<p> -If we were to follow ancient custom and use the -Thames for our highway, as did two hundred peers and -peeresses at the late coronation, we should now row -down the river and land at Charing Cross Pier, where -we should find the remnant of the sumptuous palace -built by 'Steenie,' the Duke of Buckingham. This is the -York Water Gate, formerly the entrance to the Duke's -mansion from the Thames, but now high above the -water, overlooking the garden of the Victoria Embankment. -</p> - -<p> -Continuing down the river, we should stop at Temple -Pier, and visit the Temple Gardens, where Nigel walked -in despair, after his encounter with Lord Dalgarno in -St. James's Park, and where, it will be remembered, he -fell in with the friendly Templar, Reginald Lowestoffe. -The Temple property was granted in 1609 by James I -to the benchers of the Inner and Middle Temple for the -education of students and professors of the law. Oliver -Goldsmith lived in Middle Temple Lane, and in the same -house, Sir William Blackstone, the great English jurist, -and William Makepeace Thackeray, also had chambers. -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P323"></a>323}</span> -Dr. Johnson lived in Inner Temple Lane, as did Charles -Lamb, who was born within the Temple. -</p> - -<p> -Coming out into Fleet Street, we should stand -before the figure of a griffin on a high pedestal, which -marks the site of Temple Bar. In Scott's time it was an -arch crossing the street, and in the time of King James, -merely a barricade of posts and chains. When the -coronation procession passed this point, King George V, -according to ancient custom, paused to receive permission -from the Lord Mayor to enter the City of London. The -civic sword was presented to the King and immediately -returned to the Lord Mayor, after which the procession -resumed its march. -</p> - -<p> -Within Temple Bar and on the north side of Fleet -Street, between Fetter Lane and Chancery Lane, is -St. Dunstan's Church, built in 1832 on the site of an older -church building. A few yards to the eastward, according -to Scott, was the shop of David Ramsay, the watch-maker, -before which the two 'stout-bodied and strong-voiced' -apprentices kept up the shouts of 'What d'ye -lack? what d' ye lack?'—very much after the fashion -of a modern 'barker.' This was the opening scene of the -novel, though not suggested in the slightest by the Fleet -Street of to-day. -</p> - -<p> -On the opposite side a narrow lane, called Bouverie -Street, leads down toward the river along the eastern -boundary of The Temple, into 'Whitefriars,' or Alsatia, -where Nigel was compelled to take refuge for a time in -the house of the old miser, Trapbois. The 'Friars of the -Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel,' otherwise known as -the 'White Friars,' established their London house in -1241, between Fleet Street and the Thames, on land -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P324"></a>324}</span> -granted by Edward I. This carried with it the privileges -of sanctuary or immunity from arrest, which were allowed -to the inhabitants long after the dissolution of the -religious houses. Indeed, before the suppression of the -monastery, the persons of bad repute, who had flocked -to the district in great numbers, were wont to make so -much disturbance with their continual clamours and -outcries, that the friars complained that they could not -conduct divine service. The privilege was confirmed -by James I, and in his time, as a consequence, 'Alsatia,' -as the district came to be called, was one of the worst -quarters in London. It was the common habitation of -thieves, gamblers, swindlers, murderers, bullies, and -drunken, dissipated reprobates of both sexes. Its -atmosphere, thick with the fogs of the river, fairly reeked -with the smell of alehouses of the lowest order, which -outnumbered all the other houses. The shouts of rioters, -the profane songs and boisterous laughter of the revellers, -mingled with the wailing of children and the screaming -of women. The men were 'shaggy, uncombed ruffians -whose enormous mustaches were turned back over -their ears,' and they swaggered through the dirty streets, -quarrelling, brawling, fighting, swearing, and 'smoking -like moving volcanoes.' They waged a ceaseless warfare -against their proud and noisy, but not so disreputable, -neighbours of The Temple. -</p> - -<p> -Coming back to our imaginary trip by river (for -we really visited these sites either on foot or by -taxi-cab), we continue down the river, passing under -Blackfriars Bridge, and stop for a moment at Paul's Wharf, -near where Nigel found quarters in the house of John -Christie, the honest ship-chandler. Journeying -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P325"></a>325}</span> -onward, we pass under London Bridge, which in James's -time was the only means of crossing the river, other than -by boat. It was then overloaded with a great weight of -huge buildings, many stories high, under which passed -a narrow roadway. At the southern entrance was a -gate, the top of which was decorated with the heads of -traitors. All the buildings were finally cleared away in -1757 and 1758. -</p> - -<p> -Passing under London Bridge we soon come to the -Tower of London, which the unfortunate Nigel entered -through the Traitor's Gate. From the time of William -the Conqueror, by whom its foundations were begun, -until the reign of Charles II, the Tower of London was -used as a palace by the kings of England. It has been -said that the 'strong monarchs employed the Tower as -a prison, the weak ones as a fortress.' It was as a prison -that the Tower achieved its unenviable fame in history -as -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - London's lasting shame;<br /> - With many a foul and midnight murder fed.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -In its dark precincts many of the noblest of England's -men and women found themselves prisoners, the -majority of them perishing upon the block. Anne Boleyn -and Katherine Howard, wives of Henry VIII; Lady Jane -Grey and her husband Guildford Dudley; the father[<a id="chap22fn2text"></a><a href="#chap22fn2">2</a>] -and the grandfather[<a id="chap22fn3text"></a><a href="#chap22fn3">3</a>] of Dudley; and Sir Walter Raleigh -were among the most famous of these victims. Nigel -was confined in the Beauchamp Tower, where many -distinguished persons were imprisoned. The inscriptions -to which Scott refers may still be seen, including that -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P326"></a>326}</span> -of Lady Jane Grey, though it is probable that this was -written by her husband or by his brother, who is -supposed to have carved the device of the bear and ragged -staff, 'the emblem of the proud Dudleys,' which is an -elaborate piece of sculpture on the right of the fireplace. -</p> - -<p> -To complete our survey of the scenery of 'The Fortunes -of Nigel,' we have to continue our journey down -the Thames until we land in Greenwich Hospital and the -Royal Naval College, which occupy the site of the old -royal palace, formerly called Placentia or Pleasaunce. -It was a favourite royal palace as early as 1300, though -it passed into the hands of the nobility and came back -to the Crown in 1433 on the death of Humphrey, Duke -of Gloucester. It was the birthplace of King Henry -VIII and of Mary and Elizabeth. The building was -enlarged by Henry VIII, James I, and Charles I. Charles -II caused it to be pulled down, intending to carry out -some ambitious plan, but succeeded in erecting only -the building which is now the west wing of the hospital. -Back of the palace is an extensive park of one hundred -and ninety acres. This is where Nigel unexpectedly -encountered the King, at the very climax of a stag-hunt, -frightening him nearly to death; and here he was -unceremoniously arrested and hurried off to the Tower. -The park still has herds of deer, though they are no -longer hunted, and a row of fine old chestnuts, -originally planted by command of Charles II, who laid out -the enclosure. In the centre is a hill, surmounted by -the famous Royal Greenwich Observatory, from whose -meridian longitude is reckoned and whose clock -determines the standard of time for all England. -</p> - -<p> -Just as 'The Heart of Midlothian' had produced -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P327"></a>327}</span> -a vivid picture of life in Edinburgh during the reign of -George II, so 'The Fortunes of Nigel' reproduced the -life of London in the time of King James. For this -brilliant study, not only of the curious monarch, but of the -strange manners and customs as well as the lawlessness -of the city, which the King's folly did so much to create, -the novel has been generally accorded a very high rank -among Scott's productions. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap22fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap22fn1text">1</a>] Quoted from Sydney's 'State Papers,' -in <i>The Old Royal Palace of -Whitehall</i>, by Edgar Sheppard, D.D. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap22fn2"></a> -[<a href="#chap22fn2text">2</a>] John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap22fn3"></a> -[<a href="#chap22fn3text">3</a>] Edmund Dudley, the notorious agent of King Henry VII. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap23"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P328"></a>328}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXIII -<br /> -PEVERIL OF THE PEAK -</h3> - -<p> -'Old Peveril' was one of the pet nicknames with -which Scott was dubbed by some of his young legal -friends in Parliament House, and he carried the sobriquet -for the remainder of his life, taking great delight in -it. He did not, however, take much pleasure from the -composition of the novel, finding it a tiresome task from -which he could only find relief by planning its successor. -It marks the beginning of a malady which ultimately -proved fatal. Scott concealed the symptoms from his -family, but confided to a friend that he feared Peveril -'will smell of the apoplexy.' It proved a heavy -undertaking, covering a period of twenty years of exciting -history and three distinct, but widely differing, localities, -namely, Derbyshire, the Isle of Man, and London in the -time of Charles II. -</p> - -<p> -In the high Peak country of Derbyshire, about fifteen -miles west of Sheffield, lies the village of Castleton, -nestling snugly at the foot of a somewhat precipitous hill. -Away back in the time of William the Conqueror, a son -of that monarch received a grant of large estates in -Derbyshire, and selected the very summit of this steep -and almost inaccessible rock as the site of his castle. His -name was William Peveril and the bit of a ruin which -still remains, high in the air above the village, is called -Peveril Castle. We reached it after a very hard climb, -by a steep path running zigzag across the face of a long -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P329"></a>329}</span> -grassy slope. It was scarcely worth the effort, for the -'castle' is now only a small square tower, of no interest -whatever, except from the fact that it gave the name to -one of the Waverley Novels. -</p> - -<p> -The domain of this William Peveril seems to have -extended far to the south of Castleton, and included in -it was the site of Haddon Hall, a fine mediæval mansion, -picturesquely situated on the river Wye, between -Bakewell and Rowsley, and still in wonderfully good -repair. The Peverils held the property for about a -century, when they were deprived of the lands by King -Henry II. In 1195, Haddon came into the possession of -the Vernon family, who continued to reside there for -nearly four centuries. The last of the name was Sir -George Vernon, who became celebrated as the 'King of -the Peak.' His large possessions passed into the hands -of his youngest daughter, Dorothy, whose elopement -and marriage with John Manners, youngest son of the -Earl of Rutland, threw about the old mansion that -atmosphere of poetry and romance which has ever -since been associated with it. To me, the most pleasing -part of the old hall is the terrace and lawn, back of the -house. A flight of broad stairs, with stone balustrades, -leads to Dorothy Vernon's Walk, which is shaded by -the thick foliage of oaks, limes, sycamores, and other -forest trees, for which the park was once famous. -Grassy mounds mark the boundaries of the lawn, and -the castle walls, with their wide windows and luxurious -mantle of deep green ivy, add a delightful charm to the -picture. This is further enhanced by the romantic -associations of the place. Traditions say that John Manners, -who, for some reason, was forbidden the opportunity to -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P330"></a>330}</span> -visit the fair Dorothy openly, hovered about these -terraces disguised as a forester, seeking brief interviews in -secret. On the night of a ball in celebration of her -sister's wedding, Dorothy slipped into the garden, and -passing through the terrace made her way across the -Wye over a quaint little bridge, built just large enough -for a single pack-horse, and now known as the 'Pack-Horse -Bridge.' On the other side, John waited with -horses, and the two rode away to be married. Whatever -may have been the objection to the marriage, events -soon adjusted the affair and Dorothy Vernon became -the sole owner of the mansion. It has remained ever since -in the possession of the Manners family, the Earls and -Dukes of Rutland. -</p> - -<p> -In his description of Martindale Castle, the seat of -Sir Geoffrey Peveril, Scott doubtless had in mind, to some -extent at least, this more pretentious mansion on the -original property of the Peverils, rather than the -uninteresting tower at Castleton. He refers to Haddon Hall -in one of his notes as having suggested a certain -arrangement of rooms, and in his account of Lady Peveril's -dinner to the Cavaliers and Roundheads, in honour of the -restoration of King Charles II, he makes use of two large -dining-rooms, which Haddon Hall could readily supply, -but which might be difficult to find in any ordinary -mansion of the period. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-330"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-330.jpg" alt="THE PACK-HORSE BRIDGE, HADDON HALL" /> -<br /> -THE PACK-HORSE BRIDGE, HADDON HALL -</p> - -<p> -Lady Peveril, it will be remembered, in spite of the -'good fellowship' and 'reconciliation' which the banquet -was to celebrate, dared not permit the rival factions to -dine together, so she adopted the unique expedient of -placing the jovial Cavaliers in the hall, while the strict -Puritans occupied the large parlour. The great hall of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P331"></a>331}</span> -Haddon is about thirty-five feet long and twenty-five -feet wide. At one end is an ancient table, many centuries -old, and at the other is a minstrel's gallery, with carved -panellings and ornamented by stag's heads. A great -open fireplace gives a suggestion of good cheer, even to -the bare room. Back of this is another large dining-room -on the oaken walls of which are some fine old -carvings. It also has a large open fireplace, above which -is the motto -</p> - -<p class="t3"> - <i>Drede God and Honor the Kyng.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -The room was formerly larger than now and may have -been in the author's mind as the scene of the Puritan -part of the banquet. Haddon Hall, however, although -it doubtless furnished some few suggestions, must not -be taken as an 'original' of Martindale Castle. The -novelist never felt the necessity of an exact model, but -freely used the places with which he was familiar for -such suggestions as they might chance to furnish. In -his later work he often described localities which he had -never visited, frequently doing so with an exactness -suggesting the most intimate personal knowledge. -</p> - -<p> -This was true of the Isle of Man, which Scott had -never seen, but which he describes in 'Peveril of the -Peak' with great accuracy, relying for his information -upon Waldron's 'Description of the Isle of Man,' -published in 1731. -</p> - -<p> -After an interval of several years following the events -in Derbyshire, Julian Peveril appears as a visitor at -Castle Rushen, in the southern end of the Isle of Man. -Tradition says that this ancient castle was founded in -the tenth century by Guttred, the son of a Norwegian -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P332"></a>332}</span> -chief named Orry, who took possession and with his -sons and successors reigned for many years as kings of -the Isle of Man. Later the Earls of Derby ruled as -monarchs of the island and Castle Rushen was their -royal residence. -</p> - -<p> -The traditional castle of the Norwegians was replaced -in the thirteenth century by a strong fortress of -limestone. This was partly destroyed by Robert Bruce in -1313 and remained in ruins for three centuries. It was -then rebuilt by the Earls of Derby in its present form. -The central keep is a strong tower with walls twenty-two -feet thick at the base and about seventy feet high. -It is surrounded by an embattled wall twenty-five feet -high and nine feet thick. On the tower facing the market -square is a clock presented in 1597 by Queen Elizabeth. -</p> - -<p> -In 1627, James Stanley, celebrated as 'the great Earl -of Derby,' became lord of the island. This nobleman -was executed in 1651, charged with the crime of assisting -Charles II before the battle of Worcester. During his -absence in England the Castle Rushen was heroically -defended by his wife, the brave Charlotte de la -Tremouille, Countess of Derby. William Christian, -popularly known as William Dhône, or 'the fair-haired -William,' had been entrusted by the Earl with the care -of his wife and children. Whatever may have been his -motive, the Receiver-General, by which title Christian -was known, surrendered the island without resistance, -on the appearance of the Parliamentary army, and the -Countess was imprisoned in the castle. After the -Restoration of Charles II, the Countess accused Christian -of treachery to herself and brought about his execution -in 1662. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P333"></a>333}</span> -</p> - -<p> -These were the main facts which, coming to the novelist's -attention through his brother, Thomas Scott, who -for several seasons resided in the Isle of Man, attracted -his fancy and suggested the writing of 'Peveril of the -Peak.' -</p> - -<p> -Peel Castle, to which the action of the story is soon -transferred, stands on a rocky islet off the western coast -of the island. It was once a vast ecclesiastical -establishment and now contains the ruins of two churches, two -chapels, two prisons, and two palaces. Of these the best -preserved and most interesting is the Cathedral of -St. Germain, a cruciform building, some parts of which -were built in the thirteenth century. In a crypt below -was the ecclesiastical prison where many remarkable -captives were confined, the most notable of whom was -Eleanor Cobham, wife of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, -who was accused of witchcraft and of devising a -wicked plot to kill the King and place her husband upon -the throne. -</p> - -<p> -Higher up on the rock are the remains of St. Patrick's -Church, in the walls of which are some good examples of -the 'herring-bone' masonry indicating great antiquity. -The walls are thought by antiquarians to date back to -the fifth century. Behind this is the remarkable round -tower, about fifty feet high, which Mr. Hall Caine has -introduced in 'The Christian.' -</p> - -<p> -The custodian, when he learned of our interest in Sir -Walter Scott, could scarcely restrain his anxiety to -show us Fenella's Tower. This is a bit of the surrounding -wall, containing a small square turret. Beneath is a -narrow stairway, forming a sally-port, through which -entrance could be gained to a space between two -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P334"></a>334}</span> -parallel outside walls. In time of siege, soldiers could go -out and fire at the enemy from this place of concealment -through openings in the walls. If hard-pressed they -could retire to the tower and pour scalding water or hot -lead upon an attacking body. In Scott's tale, Julian -Peveril, seeking to leave the castle by this stair, is -intercepted by Fenella, who is anxious to prevent his -departure. Finally eluding her grasp, he hastens down the -stair only to be confronted again by the deaf-and-dumb -maiden, who has accomplished her purpose by leaping -over the parapet. We gazed down from the walls upon a -ledge of rocks at least fifteen feet below and concluded -that, for a little girl, this was a pretty big leap! -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-334"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-334.jpg" alt="THE SAXON TOWER, ISLE OF MAN" /> -<br /> -THE SAXON TOWER, ISLE OF MAN -</p> - -<p> -The keep and guard-house near the entrance was the -scene of the Manx legend of the Moddey Dhoo, a large -black spaniel with shaggy hair, which haunted Peel -Castle. This dog is referred to in 'The Lay of the Last -Minstrel': -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - For he was speechless, ghastly, wan,<br /> - Like him of whom the story ran<br /> - Who spoke the spectre-hound in Man.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The Moddey Dhoo was the terror of all the soldiers on -the island, who believed he was an evil spirit, only -awaiting an opportunity to do them harm. At length, a -drunken soldier declared he would find out whether the -animal were dog or devil. He departed bravely, with -much noise and boasting, but none dared follow. When -he returned the fellow was sober and silent. He never -spoke again, but three days later died in agony. -</p> - -<p> -The remaining scenery of 'Peveril of the Peak' is -London in the time of Charles II. The 'dark and shadowy' -city had now attracted nearly all the personages of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P335"></a>335}</span> -the story. In St. James's Park, adjoining the Palace of -Whitehall, Fenella danced with wondrous grace and -agility before the King. As in 'The Fortunes of Nigel,' -the Thames is the great highway of traffic, and Julian -Peveril is carried by coach to the river from old Newgate -Prison, and thence by boat to the Tower, which, like -Nigel, he enters through the Traitor's Gate. -</p> - -<p> -The Savoy, a dilapidated old pile, where Julian -unexpectedly meets Fenella, was once a great palace. It was -built by Simon de Montfort, the great Earl of Leicester, -in 1245. In the following century it was almost -demolished by a mob, but in 1509 King Henry VII restored -and rebuilt the palace and converted it into a hospital. -Half a century later, Queen Mary refounded and reëndowed -the institution. In the time of the story the building -was probably not so antiquated and ruinous as Scott -describes it. Charles II, after the Restoration, used it -as the meeting-place of the Savoy conference for the -revision of the Liturgy. In Scott's time it was ruinous -enough and since then has entirely disappeared. -Westminster Hall, where the trial of the Peverils was held, is -now the vestibule of the Houses of Parliament. It was -originally built by William Rufus, son of the Conqueror, -in 1097, but afterward destroyed by fire and rebuilt. In -it some of the earliest English Parliaments were held -and it has been the scene of many coronation festivals. -</p> - -<p> -The novel gives a graphic picture of the gay, dissipated, -and scandalous court of Charles II, and an excellent -portrait of that selfish, indolent, and sensual, but witty -and good-natured monarch. His chief favourite, George -Villiers, the second Duke of Buckingham, is painted in -no more flattering colours. He was a statesman of fickle -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P336"></a>336}</span> -character who could not long be trusted by any one. -He was a writer of verses, farces, and comedies, a -musician, and a man of great talent and accomplishments; -but he was a profligate, absolutely insincere -and without principle. -</p> - -<p> -'Peveril of the Peak' cannot be considered one of -Scott's best novels. It has never been popular. Scott -himself tired of it, and even Lockhart can find little to -say in its praise. -</p> - -<p> -Lady Louisa Stuart, who was one of Scott's most -valued friends, summarized it all, at the end of a -good-natured criticism, with the remark: 'However, in all this -I recognize the old habit of a friend of mine, growing -tired before any of his readers, huddling up a conclusion -anyhow, and so kicking the book out of his way; which -is a provoking trick, though one must bear it rather -than not <i>have</i> his book, with all its faults on its head. -The best amends he can make is to give us another as -soon as may be.' -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap24"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P337"></a>337}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXIV -<br /> -QUENTIN DURWARD -</h3> - -<p> -The true 'Scott Country' is limited strictly to Scotland, -England, and Wales. So long as he remained upon the -soil of his own native kingdom, Sir Walter wrote of what -he had seen and for the most part traversed only familiar -ground. In Scotland, he was equally at home in the -Lowlands or Highlands. He visited England often -enough to know well the inspiring mountains of -Cumberland and Westmoreland, the hills and valleys of -Northumberland, the broad expanse of Yorkshire, with -its delightful scenery and many historical associations, -the moorlands of Derby, the charming roads and -pleasant villages of Nottingham, Leicester, Warwick, and -Oxford, and the highways and by-ways of the -ever-fascinating London. With the history, the legends and -the poetry of his own country he was as familiar as a -child would be with the environment of his own home. -They were a part of the mental equipment that had -been developing steadily from the time he was three -years old. -</p> - -<p> -When he stepped out of this familiar region, for the -first time, there came a remarkable change, and in -January, 1823, when he began the composition of 'Quentin -Durward,' we find him floundering about in a sea of -gazetteers, atlases, histories, and geographies. On the -23d of that month he wrote to Constable:—'It is a vile -place, this village of Plessis les Tours, that can baffle -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P338"></a>338}</span> -both you and me. It is a place famous in history ... yet -I have not found it in any map, provincial or general, -which I have consulted.... Instead of description -holding the place of sense, I must try to make such sense -as I can find, hold the place of description.' -</p> - -<p> -Fortunately he had the assistance of his friend Skene, -who about this time returned from a tour in France, and -placed at the disposal of the author a great variety of -sketches of landscapes and ancient buildings, besides a -journal full of accurate notes; for the novelist's -artist-friend knew from long companionship exactly what -would be most appreciated. -</p> - -<p> -Though a stranger in a strange land, Scott was not -entirely alone, for he took with him into the unknown -country three good Scotchmen, namely, Quentin -Durward, whom he made an archer in the Scots Guard of -King Louis XI; the picturesque and interesting Le -Balafré, Quentin's uncle, already a guardsman; and -Lord Crawford, the aged commander of the guard, a -Scotch nobleman, whose great ability and experience -had won the esteem and confidence even of the suspicious -King. This was surely a stroke of genius. The old -Scotch friends of the novelist could not help following -with interest the thrilling adventures of their countrymen -in a foreign land, while, on the other hand, the tale -raised up a host of new admirers in France and throughout -the Continent. The Frenchmen saw with amazement -King Louis XI and Charles the Bold suddenly -come to life and, under the skilful direction of the -Scottish Wizard, walk about again amidst some of the most -stirring scenes of European history. Not in all their -literature had the French people seen such striking -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P339"></a>339}</span> -portraiture of these famous men nor such vivid pictures of -the ancient manners of their own people. -</p> - -<p> -A line, nearly straight, drawn diagonally across the -map of France and Belgium, representing a distance of -perhaps three hundred and fifty miles, will fairly suggest -the geography of 'Quentin Durward.' Its southwestern -extremity would be Tours, about one hundred and -forty-five miles from Paris. It would pass through Péronne, -in the north of France directly east of Amiens; then -dropping slightly to the south, and across the border of -Belgium would reach its northeastern termination in the -city of Liège. -</p> - -<p> -The town of Tours was much favoured in the fifteenth -century by the frequent visits of Charles VII, Louis XI, -and Charles VIII, in consequence of which it then -reached its highest state of prosperity. It was long -famed for its silk industry, founded by Louis XI. Two -miles west of the town, on a low marshy plain between -the rivers Loire and Cher, and close by a hamlet of a -few scattered cottages, is the famous Castle of Plessis les -Tours, where the action of the story begins. Only a -fragment of the original structure now remains, as part of a -modern château. -</p> - -<p> -The old castle looked more like a prison than a king's -palace, and seemed well adapted to be the den of the -'universal spider,' as Louis came to be called, from -which he could weave his dangerous web in every direction -and ensnare the feet of those whom he selected for -his prey. It was in this dismal place that Louis XI shut -himself in the last days of his life, weak from illness and -pain and almost insane from distrust. Here he died, in -1483, to the great joy of the kingdom. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P340"></a>340}</span> -</p> - -<p> -Every year he had added new walls and ditches to his -fortress. The towers were covered with iron as a -protection against arrows. Eighteen hundred heavy planks -bristling with nails were placed outside the ditches to -impede the approach of cavalry. Four hundred crossbowmen -manned the towers and the villainous Tristan -l'Hermite had full authority to seize and hang any -innocent stranger whom he might choose to suspect. -</p> - -<p> -As I write, I have before me two pictures:—one a -contemporary print of the ancient castle, the other a -portrait of the King. The former, a group of low, -irregular buildings, with slanting roofs and small barred -windows, having a chapel attached to one end, contains -nothing whatever to suggest a royal palace. The latter -shows the face of a sly, cunning, unscrupulous plotter, -full of cruelty, baseness, vulgarity, and hypocrisy, yet -terribly in earnest and revealing the features that mark -an irresistible will. I can almost fancy a resemblance -between the two pictures. The mean unpretentiousness -of the castle and its lack of symmetry suggest the -unprepossessing appearance of the King, whose whole aspect -was vulgar, his clothing purposely plain and often -untidy and his manners completely devoid of dignity and -common courtesy. Its numerous defences, including -turrets, battlements, ditches, and drawbridges, suggest -the constant fear of treachery in which the King lived, -never daring to regard his most intimate companions -with aught but jealous suspicion. The real strength of -the fortress, in spite of its ugliness and apparent -insignificance are typical of the tremendous power of this -monarch, who pursued his purposes without regard to -truth, decency, honour, or human rights, reducing the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P341"></a>341}</span> -people to a state of abject poverty and misery, yet -enlarging the borders of France to nearly their present -extent, reorganizing the army, centralizing the government, -and laying the foundations of the nation in its -modern form. -</p> - -<p> -One might almost indulge the whimsical notion that -the little chapel to which I have referred, pointing -heavenward with an attenuated spire of absurdly -slender proportions, symbolizes the King's own feeble -efforts to point in the same direction. His piety was -manifested by a dozen 'paltry figures of saints stamped -in lead' which he wore on the band of his hat. He -endeavoured to atone for the most atrocious acts of -selfishness and cruelty by gifts of money and outward -penance, continuing his wickedness all the while, but -apologizing for it in his prayers to the saints. But the -crowning act of hypocritical piety, as well as the most -absurd, was his attempt to insure his ultimate salvation -by the unique expedient of creating the Virgin Mary a -countess and an honorary colonel of his guards. -</p> - -<p> -This was the strange, but intensely interesting, -character, whom Scott, making free use of the 'Memoirs of -Philippe de Comines,' one of the King's most intimate -councillors, succeeded in portraying so vividly that the -tale of which he is the real hero has won universal -recognition as a novel of genuine historical value. -</p> - -<p> -A few miles southeast of Tours is the ruin of a castle -still more terrible in its suggestiveness than even Plessis, -for here Louis XI perpetrated deeds of secret cruelty, -which he shrank from committing within the walls of his -own palace. It is the Castle of Loches, for many years -a royal residence. It is interesting to Scotchmen from -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P342"></a>342}</span> -the fact that it was the scene of the royal wedding of -King James V to the Princess Magdalene, in whose -honour the Palace of Linlithgow was remodelled and -greatly embellished. -</p> - -<p> -The castle is now a pile of ruined buildings, standing -on the summit of a lofty rock, where it dominates the -landscape. Its principal tower is one hundred and -twenty feet high, with walls eight feet thick. Its date is -said to be the twelfth century. A part of it is now the -local jail, and the building has been used as a prison for -centuries. Beneath were dungeons under dungeons, -dimly lighted by narrow windows, cut through small -recesses in the walls, which are here ten or twelve feet -thick. In two of these were the iron cages invented by -Cardinal John de La Balue. He was a cobbler, some say a -tailor, whom Louis elevated to the highest rank and -employed in his secret devices. The cage was built of iron -bars and was only eight feet square. The Cardinal -proved a traitor to his king and the latter's severity kept -him in the dungeon cells for eleven years, a part of -which time, at least, was spent in one of the cages of his -own invention. The governor and gaoler of this dreaded -prison was Oliver le Daim, the King's barber and -prime minister. -</p> - -<p> -The events culminating in the murder of the Bishop -of Liège were, of course, purely fictitious. Scott did not -hesitate to 'violate history,' as he afterward expressed -it, to meet the requirements of his story. The actual -murder of the Bishop occurred in 1482, fourteen years -after the period of the novel and five years after the -death of Charles the Bold. William de la Marck, called -the 'Wild Boar of Ardennes,' wishing to place the mitre -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P343"></a>343}</span> -on the head of his own son, entered into a conspiracy -with some of the rebellious citizens of Liège, against -their Bishop, Louis de Bourbon. The latter was enticed -to the edge of the town, where he was met by the fierce -and bloodthirsty knight, who murdered him with his -own hand and caused the body to be exposed naked in -St. Lambert's Place, before the cathedral. Scott's -version, never intended to be historically accurate, places -the scene of the murder in the fictitious Castle of -Schonwaldt, outside the city. -</p> - -<p> -The description of the meeting of Louis XI and Charles -the Bold at the town of Péronne and the King's -imprisonment in the castle, while somewhat amplified with -fictitious details, is in the essential facts quite in accord -with history. Péronne is a small town of great antiquity, -ninety-four miles northeast of Paris, in the Department -of the Somme. Its castle still retains four conical-roofed -towers in fairly good repair. On the ground floor are -many dark and dismal dungeons. In one of these miserable -cells Charles the Simple, in the year 929, ended his -days in agony. He was confined in the tower by the -treachery of Herbert, Count of Vermandois, and left -there to starve to death. Adjoining this room, in what -is known as the Tour Herbert, is the chamber said to -have been occupied by Louis XI. -</p> - -<p> -Great was the surprise and alarm among the retainers -of Louis when that monarch, trusting to an exaggerated -notion of his own wit and powers of persuasion, -proposed to visit his most formidable adversary, Charles of -Burgundy, at the town of Péronne. The latter granted -the King's request for a safe-conduct, and Louis set -forth in October, 1482, accompanied by a small -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P344"></a>344}</span> -detachment of his Scots Guard and men-at-arms, and two -faithless councillors, the Constable de St. Pol and the -Cardinal de La Balue. The Duke met the King outside -the town and together they walked in apparent friendliness -to the house of the Chamberlain, Charles apologizing -for not taking the King to the castle because it was -not in fit condition. Some portion of the Duke's army -arrived the same day and encamped outside the walls. -Learning this, the King became greatly frightened and -demanded quarters in the castle—a request which -Charles granted with great, but secret, glee. The next -day brought forth nothing but ill-feeling and -misunderstanding, which was brought to a climax by the -news from Liège. It was reported that the emissaries of -Louis had stirred up sedition against the Duke, and had -killed the Bishop of Liège, and the Lord of Humbercourt. -Charles was a man of tremendous passions and -this news threw him into a fury which he made little -attempt to control. His royal guest became his prisoner, -the gates of the town and the castle were closed, and for -a time Louis was in danger of his life at the hands of his -enraged vassal. Louis, meanwhile, remained calm, -making full use of his native shrewdness, keenness of -penetration, and unusual cunning. By a liberal use of money, -with which he had sagaciously provided himself, the -Duke's servants were corrupted wherever he could hope -to secure information or assistance. His craftiness, -however, proved unnecessary. Charles cooled off after a -day or two and realized that he could not well afford to -violate his safe-conduct. Meanwhile the news from -Liège turned out more favourably. The Bishop had not -been slain and the revolt had been less serious than -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P345"></a>345}</span> -supposed. Charles, however, compelled the King to -swear a new treaty, which Louis did by taking from -one of his boxes a piece of the 'true cross,' a relic, -formerly belonging, so it was said, to Charlemagne, which -Louis regarded with great veneration. The oath upon -the cross duly made, Louis accompanied his captor on -an expedition against the town of Liège, the particulars -of which were not essentially different from the version -of Scott. -</p> - -<p> -The novel brings out to great advantage the striking -contrast between the King and the Duke. Charles was -strong, vigorous, clear-sighted, and in the words of -Philippe de Comines, 'a great and honourable prince, -as much esteemed for a time amongst his neighbours as -any prince in Christendom.' The great fault of his -character was that expressed in the sobriquet, Charles the -Rash; and this was the cause of his downfall. That, -however, is a tale which Scott reserved for a later -novel. -</p> - -<p> -Though received at first with apparent indifference, -'Quentin Durward' came in time to be regarded as -one of the best of the Waverley Novels, dividing the -honours, in the minds of the boys, at least, with -'Ivanhoe' and 'The Talisman.' -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap25"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P346"></a>346}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXV -<br /> -ST. RONAN'S WELL -</h3> - -<p> -If, as I have said in the preceding chapter, the true -Scott Country comprises the United Kingdom, except -Ireland, the inner circle of that country, the <i>Sanctum -Sanctorum</i>, so to speak, must be considered as including -that part of Scotland lying between the Firth of Forth -and the English border; or, more strictly, the counties -of Edinburgh, Peebles, Selkirk, and Roxburgh. This was -Scott's home, his workshop, and his playground. From -the spring of 1806 to the early winter of 1830, a period of -nearly twenty-five years, he performed the duties of -Clerk of the Court of Session. This required his -presence in Edinburgh usually from the 12th of May to the -12th of July and from the 12th of November to the 12th -of March, excepting an interval at Christmas. This -meant from four to six hours' work a day for four or -five days each week, extending over about six months -of every year. During the sessions of the court his -residence was No. 39, North Castle Street, a three-story -stone dwelling-house, within sight of Edinburgh Castle. -</p> - -<p> -The day after the rising of the court usually found its -distinguished clerk ready to 'escape to the country.' For -six years his retreat was the little thatched cottage -at Lasswade, in the vale of the Esk. The next eight -summers found him at Ashestiel, and after that -Abbotsford was the lodestone that drew him from the city. -Scott loved the wide sweep of the bare hills, especially -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P347"></a>347}</span> -when tinged with the purple hue of the heather. Their -pure air was the tonic which had saved his life, when as -a child he rolled about on the rocks of Smailholm, a -companion of the sheep and lambs. Their streams gave -him an opportunity to lure the salmon from their -hiding-places. Their rounded summits gave him many a -distant view of battle-fields, famed in the Border warfare, -which filled up centuries of Scottish and English history. -Their pleasant glens and thickets gave him delightful -walks in the woods. Their hospitable cottages extended -him a never failing welcome, and yielded up to him, -from the lips of hundreds of old wives, a treasure of -Scottish ballads, songs, and tales of Border chivalry. -Their castles and mansions threw open their doors at his -approach, rivalling the humbler dwellings in the -cordiality of their greeting. -</p> - -<p> -No wonder Scott loved the Border country. 'It may -be partiality,' said he to Washington Irving, 'but to my -eye, these grey hills and all this wild Border country -have beauties peculiar to themselves. I like the very -nakedness of the land; it has something bold, and stern, -and solitary about it. When I have been for some time -in the rich scenery about Edinburgh, which is like -ornamented garden land, I begin to wish myself back again -among my own honest grey hills; and if I did not see the -heather at least once a year, I think I should die!' -</p> - -<p> -It was while riding with Lockhart and Willie Laidlaw, -along the brow of the Eildon Hills, looking down upon -Melrose, one fine afternoon in July, 1823, that the -suggestion came which led eventually to 'St. Ronan's -Well.' 'Quentin Durward' had recently appeared and -Scott, commenting upon its reception, remarked that he -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P348"></a>348}</span> -could probably do something better with a German subject. -'Na, na, sir,' protested Laidlaw, 'take my word for -it, you are always best, like Helen MacGregor, when -your foot is on your native heath; and I have often -thought that if you were to write a novel, and lay the -scene here in the very year you were writing it, you -would exceed yourself.' 'Hame 's hame,' smilingly -assented Scott, 'be it ever sae hamely. There's something -in what you say, Willie.' Although Laidlaw insisted -that his friend should 'stick to Melrose in July, 1823,' -Scott took a little broader field and made the scene of -'St. Ronan's Well,' the valley of the Tweed. -</p> - -<p> -This was the country which he had pictured in 'The -Lay of the Last Minstrel,' at the very beginning of his -fame. He had come back to it for a bit of the scenery -of 'The Monastery' and 'The Abbot.' These, however, -were romances of an earlier period. He was now for the -first time to write of his own country in his own time. -The tale was to depict society life, not of the wholesome -and genuine kind to which Scott was personally accustomed, -whether in Edinburgh or the country, but of the -type he had seen at various watering-places and -summer resorts which he had visited. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-348"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-348.jpg" alt="THE TWEED AND EILDON HILLS" /> -<br /> -THE TWEED AND EILDON HILLS -</p> - -<p> -'St. Ronan's Well' may be considered a true picture -of this society or a caricature, according to one's own -sympathies. Some of its readers have been able to find -among their own 'social set,' Lady Penelope Penfeather, -Sir Bingo and Lady Sinks, Mr. Winterblossom, -Dr. Quackleben, and even the 'man of peace,' Captain -Mungo MacTurk, and have praised or condemned the -author's portraits according to their own predilections -toward such personages. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P349"></a>349}</span> -</p> - -<p> -Scott saw something of this life at Gilsland in the -memorable summer of 1797, the year when he met Miss -Carpenter at the dance in Shaw's Hotel. Below the -hostelry is a deep and attractive glen, through which -flows the river Irthing, and just above the bridge -spanning the river, is one of those mineral springs, which -have the strange power, whatever may be their medicinal -virtues, of drawing hundreds of people away from their -homes in the summer months. There is another of these -springs at Innerleithen, on the banks of the Tweed, and -for this reason—for I can see no other—the people of -that town have laid claim to the honour of residing in -the original 'St. Ronan's.' -</p> - -<p> -Innerleithen, now a prosperous town of about three -thousand inhabitants, is situated amid the hills which -border the Tweed in the most picturesque part of its -course. In Scott's time it was only a small village. -Traquair, on the contrary, a few miles to the south, -was of more importance in Scott's time than now, when -it is a mere hamlet, remarkable for nothing except the -fine old feudal mansion to which I have previously -referred.[<a id="chap25fn1text"></a><a href="#chap25fn1">1</a>] If we are to think of Innerleithen, then, as the -'ancient and decayed village of St. Ronan's' we must -picture it, not as the thriving commercial town of to-day, -but more like its neighbour on the south. -</p> - -<p> -Of course I felt anxious to taste the waters of the real -St. Ronan's Well, and made a journey to Innerleithen -for the purpose. I gained nothing beyond the experience -of exchanging a good shilling for a bad drink. One taste -was enough, and when the girl was n't looking I threw -the rest away. I found an old two-story house in the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P350"></a>350}</span> -town which claims to be the original 'Cleikum Inn'—a -claim which is disputed by a public house in Peebles, -'The Cross Keys Hotel,' formerly a pretentious -seventeenth-century mansion. The latter was kept in Scott's -time by a maiden lady named Marian Ritchie, who -seems to have possessed some of the characteristics -which the novelist exaggerated in his delightfully -humorous picture of Meg Dods. She found fault with -the new 'hottle,' and did not hesitate to vent her -sarcasm upon those travellers who ventured to stay there in -preference to her own respectable inn. Scott, according -to local history, was occasionally one of her guests. She -ruled with a rod of iron, permitting no excesses, and did -not hesitate to send a young man 'hame to his mither' -if she suspected him to be imbibing too freely. Scott -gave this model landlady the real name of a hostess -whom he had patronized when only seventeen years old. -It was on a fishing excursion to a loch near Howgate, in -the Moorfoot Hills, when Scott and three of his boon -companions stopped at a little public-house kept by -Mrs. Margaret Dods. It was thirty-five years later -when, in writing 'St. Ronan's Well' the novelist adopted -the name of the real landlady for his fictitious character. -</p> - -<p> -So far as the rival claimants of the 'Cleikum Inn' -honours are concerned, I do not believe that Scott had -any particular house in mind, either for the 'inn,' or the -'hottle.' Nor can I find any evidence of the existence of -an 'original' for Shaw's Castle, the family seat of the -Mowbrays, though Raeburn House, near St. Boswell's -Green may be taken as a excellent type. The same -doubt applies to the village of St. Ronan's itself. Scott's -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P351"></a>351}</span> -design seems to have been merely to place the scene of -his story, broadly speaking, in the valley of the Tweed. -</p> - -<p> -This picturesque stream rises in the high lands near -Moffat and flows north through a country still wild -and solitary. A score of miles or less from its source, it -makes a bend toward the east, above the town of Peebles, -and from this point, until it discharges its waters -into the North Sea at Berwick, there is scarcely a bend -in the river or a village or town on its banks that does -not suggest memories of Sir Walter Scott. -</p> - -<p> -From the high ground overlooking the river, just at -the point where it bends to the east, we had a view, -through the trees, of surpassing beauty. Below was the -ancient Castle of Neidpath, once a scene of stately -splendour, when nobles and monarchs frequented its -halls, and richly attired ladies promenaded in the -well-kept gardens, laden with the perfume and brilliant with -the hues of many flowers; when well-ordered terraces -lined the banks of the stream and orchards smiled from -the surrounding hillsides. Amid such scenes the 'Maid -of Neidpath' sat in the tower,— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - To watch her love's returning—<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -and broke her heart when the lover came and passed -with heedless gaze— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - As o'er some stranger glancing.[<a id="chap25fn2text"></a><a href="#chap25fn2">2</a>]<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Time and Nature, working together as landscape -artists, have converted the castle into a picturesque -ruin, and replaced the artificial gardens and terraces -with thick groves of fine old trees, clothing the hillsides -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P352"></a>352}</span> -with a richer and deeper verdure, and leaving only the -river as of yore, still brightening the scene with the -sparkle of its silvery tide. In the distance we could see -the spires and chimneys of Peebles. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-352"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-352.jpg" alt="SCOTT'S TOMB, DRYBURGH" /> -<br /> -SCOTT'S TOMB, DRYBURGH -</p> - -<p> -Following the river, we passed Innerleithen, six miles -below Peebles, and a short distance beyond we paused -for a moment to look toward the ruins of Elibank, high -up on the hillside. This was Scott's favourite objective -point for a summer afternoon walk from Ashestiel, and -the scene of the famous legend of 'Muckle-Mouthed -Meg.'[<a id="chap25fn3text"></a><a href="#chap25fn3">3</a>] Two miles farther on is Ashestiel, where Scott -spent many happy summers. Keeping the left bank we -soon came to a place where we could see Abbotsford on -the opposite side of the river—and a charming view it -makes. Then comes Melrose with all its varied -associations. Driving toward the east, we ascended a hill -near the summit of Bemerside Heights and halted to -enjoy 'Scott's favourite view.' Below was a bend of -the river marking the site of Old Melrose, the establishment -which preceded the more pretentious abbey in the -village. Far away were the summits of the Eildon Hills. -On the day of Scott's funeral, the procession climbed -this hill on the way to Dryburgh Abbey, the hearse -being drawn by Sir Walter's own coach-horses. At the -spot where we were standing, it is said, the faithful -animals halted of their own accord, not knowing that their -master could no longer enjoy his favourite view. -</p> - -<p> -We soon came to the beautiful ruins of Dryburgh -Abbey, where Scott lies buried. It is a place he was -fond of visiting, so much so that in a letter to Miss -Carpenter, before they were married, he referred to it -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P353"></a>353}</span> -with enthusiasm, adding, 'When I die, Charlotte, you -must cause my bones to be laid there.' This brought a -lively reply from the young lady: 'What an idea of yours -was that to mention where you wished to have your -<i>bones laid</i>. If you were married, I should think you -were tired of me. A very pretty compliment <i>before -marriage</i>.... Take care of yourself if you love me, as I -have <i>no wish</i> that you should <i>visit</i> that <i>beautiful</i> and -<i>romantic</i> scene, the burying-place.' -</p> - -<p> -Still farther to the east lies Kelso, where Scott spent -several summers with a relative and attended the village -school; while in the valley below lie the principal scenes -of 'Marmion.' In the hills to the north, between Melrose -and Kelso, is Sandy Knowe, the farm of the poet's -grandfather, where the fresh air of the Scottish hills -gave a new lease of life to the child of three years. -Some recollections of these early days found their way -into 'St. Ronan's Well,' published nearly half a century -later. A frequent visitor at the fireside of Sandy Knowe -was the parish clergyman, Dr. Duncan, who perhaps -failed to appreciate the presence of a poet in embryo. -Scott had early committed to memory long passages -from Ramsay's 'Tea-Table Miscellany' and one or two -other favourite volumes, which he would shout at the -top of his voice, regardless of the presence of the good -minister, who would testily exclaim, 'One may as well -speak in the mouth of a cannon as where that child is.' The -old gentleman lived to be nearly ninety. 'He was,' -says Scott, 'a most excellent and benevolent man, a -gentleman in every feeling, and altogether different from -those of his order who cringe at the tables of the gentry -or domineer and riot at those of the yeomanry.' There -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P354"></a>354}</span> -seems to be no doubt that in the personage of Mr. Josiah -Cargill, the shy, absent-minded, but learned and -conscientious, and always lovable, clergyman of 'St. Ronan's -Well,' Scott drew a portrait of the excellent divine whom -he had learned to respect in his early days. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap25fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap25fn1text">1</a>] See <i>ante</i>, p. 106, Chapter viii, 'Waverley.' -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap25fn2"></a> -[<a href="#chap25fn2text">2</a>] <i>The Maid of Neidpath</i>, 1806. -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap25fn3"></a> -[<a href="#chap25fn3text">3</a>] See <i>ante</i>, Chapter 1, page 36. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap26"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P355"></a>355}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXVI -<br /> -REDGAUNTLET -</h3> - -<p> -I was standing, one afternoon, among some rugged -rocks, half covered with sand and seaweed, which lined -the shores of the Solway Firth, when my attention was -suddenly attracted by a large black horse ridden by a -woman. They were far away from shore and the animal -seemed to be lightly cantering over the surface of the -water. I suddenly realized the peculiar characteristic of -the Solway. The tide was going out and what seemed to -be the surface of a wide, inland sea was in reality a -broad stretch of glistening white sand, still wet enough -to catch and reflect the rays of the sun. -</p> - -<p> -In spite of the fact that the rider was a woman, I was -reminded of the thrilling incident that marks one of the -earlier chapters of 'Redgauntlet.' Darsie Latimer had -wandered out in the late afternoon over the wet sands of -the Solway, watching with great interest the exertions -of some horsemen, who were intent upon the sport of -spearing salmon. The ebb of the tide leaves numberless -little pools, formed by the inequality of the surface, and -in these the fish dart about, making frantic efforts to -escape to deeper water. The horsemen chase the salmon -at full gallop, striking at them with their spears,—a -form of amusement requiring great skill and perfect -horsemanship. The riders had ceased their sport and -were returning to the shore, while Darsie lingered on the -sands. Suddenly he heard an abrupt voice, calling out, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P356"></a>356}</span> -'Soho, brother! you are late for Bowness to-night'; and, -turning, recognized the most expert of the salmon -fishers, a tall man riding a powerful black horse. Darsie -replied that he was a stranger and about to return to -the shore. 'Best make haste, then,' said the fisherman. -'He that dreams on the bed of the Solway, may wake in -the next world. The sky threatens a blast that will -bring in the waves three feet abreast.' The young man, -not realizing the danger, had to be warned a third time, -and finally was pulled up on the horse behind his rescuer, -who was compelled to gallop to safety at full speed. -</p> - -<p> -At a later time, the tall fisherman, who proved to be -Hugh Redgauntlet, kidnapped young Latimer, whom he -had recognized as his long-lost nephew, and carried him -in a cart across the Solway to England. While lying on -his back upon some sacks of straw, his arms and legs -tightly bound with cloth bandages, Darsie again heard -the rush of the advancing tide. He 'not only heard the -roar of this dreadful torrent, but saw, by the fitful -moonlight, the foamy crests of the devouring waves, -as they advanced with the speed and fury of a pack of -hungry wolves.' One or two of the great waves of the -'howling and roaring sea' had reached the cart, when he -was again rescued by Redgauntlet in much the same -manner as before. -</p> - -<p> -The reality of these fearful tides exceeds even Scott's -vivid description. In a volume published more than -eighty years ago[<a id="chap26fn1text"></a><a href="#chap26fn1">1</a>] by a local writer, I find this account:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -During spring tides, and particularly when impelled by -a strong southwester, the Solway rises with prodigious -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P357"></a>357}</span> -rapidity. A loud booming noise indicates its approach, and -is distinguishable at the distance of several miles. At -Caerlaverock and Glencaple, where it enters the Nith, the -scene is singularly grand and imposing; and it is beautiful to -see a mighty volume of water advancing, foam-crested, and -with a degree of rapidity which, were the race a long one, -would outmatch the speed of the swiftest horses. The tide-head, -as it is called, is often from four to six feet high, chafed -into spray, with a mighty trough of bluer water behind—swelling -in some places into little hills, and in others scooped -into tiny valleys, which, when sunlit, form a brilliant picture -of themselves. From the tide-head proceed two huge jets -of water, which run roaring along, searching the banks on -either side—the antennæ, as it were, which the ocean puts -forth, and by which it feels its way when confined within -narrow limits. A large fire-engine discharging a strong -stream of water bears a close resemblance to this part of the -phenomena of a strong spring tide; but the sea-water is -broken while the other is smooth, and runs hissing, or -rather gallops, along in a manner to which no language of -ours can do justice. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Between Bowness, the northernmost point of -Cumberland, and Whinnyrig, south of Annan in Dumfriesshire, -the Solway is only two miles wide. It is now safely -crossed by a railroad bridge, but two generations ago -the Scottish farmers and dealers were in the habit of -crossing the sands at low tide to save a long and tedious -detour of about thirty miles by way of Carlisle. Many a -belated traveller, missing his way in the darkness or the -fog, has been overtaken by the tide and lost. -</p> - -<p> -All the scenes of 'Redgauntlet,' except those in -Edinburgh and Dumfries, are laid near the shores of the -Solway. Shepherd's Bush and Brokenburn, imaginary -places, of course, may be considered to be somewhere -on the Scottish side near Annan. Mount Sharon, the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P358"></a>358}</span> -residence of the kind-hearted Joshua Geddes, supposed -to be in the same vicinity, was really modelled after some -pleasant recollections of the author's boyhood at Kelso. -It was a place of quiet contentment, where one might -wander through fields and pastures and woodlands -by convenient paths amid scenes of peaceful beauty. -Even the partridges and the hares had learned the -kindly nature of the good Quaker and his amiable sister, -and did not fear their approach. -</p> - -<p> -Scott drew the charming picture of the Quaker -household from his early friendship for the Waldie -family in Kelso. Their son Robert was one of his -school-fellows. He spent many happy hours in their hospitable -home, where he was treated with the utmost kindness -by Robert's mother, universally known in the neighbourhood -as Lady Waldie. A privilege which Scott particularly -appreciated was the permission to 'rummage at -pleasure' through the small but well-selected library -which the good lady's deceased husband had left her. -</p> - -<p> -On the English side of the Solway, the Wampool -River, where the Jumping Jenny landed Alan Fairford, -along with a cargo of contraband goods, including -gunpowder for the use of the Jacobites, may be easily found -on the map. The English scenes were laid between here -and Carlisle, but the story of the visit to this region of -Charles Edward, disguised as Father Buonaventure, is -pure fiction, and of course the localities cannot be -identified, except Burgh-upon-Sands, where there is a -monument to Edward I, to which Hugh Redgauntlet -refers as the party is passing by. -</p> - -<p> -The English residence of Hugh Redgauntlet to which -Darsie was conducted by his captor, described as ancient -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P359"></a>359}</span> -and strong, with battlemented roof and walls of great -thickness, but otherwise resembling a comfortable farmhouse, -is purely fictitious. We visited, however, on the -Scottish side of the Solway, a splendid modern castle, -which, judged by an old painting of the place as it was -in 1789, would admirably fit the description. This is -Hoddam Castle, five miles southwest of the village of -Ecclefechan, Carlyle's birthplace, where we spent a -night in one of the quaintest little inns in Scotland, a -survival of the time when Scottish inns offered few -comforts to the traveller, but made up for it in proffered -sociability. -</p> - -<p> -Hoddam Castle is beautifully situated in the midst -of a grove of fine trees overlooking the river Annan. A -battlemented tower, surmounted by conical turrets, -rises high above the extensive modern structure -surrounding it. This is the ancient building, for centuries -occupied by the Herries family. Scott originally -intended to call his novel 'Herries' instead of -'Redgauntlet,' and was with much difficulty persuaded by -Constable to accept the latter title. The old castle was -built in the fifteenth century by John, Lord Herries, to -whom was granted an extensive tract of land, extending -over three or four counties. -</p> - -<p> -The Herries family, to which Hugh Redgauntlet is -supposed to belong, was always powerful. In their later -years, like their fictitious descendant, its members were -ardent supporters of the Stuart family. John Maxwell, -who took the name of Lord Herries upon his marriage, -was a zealous defender of Mary Queen of Scots. He -assisted her escape from Loch Leven Castle, fought for -her at Langside, escorted her, after the battle, to his -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P360"></a>360}</span> -own house in Galloway, and thence to Dundrennan -Abbey, and finally conducted her, in a small vessel, to -England. His descendant, William, the ninth Lord -Herries and fifth Earl of Nithsdale, participated in the -Jacobite uprising of 1715. He was made a prisoner at -Preston and sent to the Tower, where he was tried and -condemned to death. His countess, with rare courage -and resourcefulness, first forced her way to an audience -with the King in St. James's Palace, and pleaded on her -knees for her husband's life. Finding this ineffectual, -she paid a last farewell visit to her husband, taking -several lady friends with her. They succeeded in -disguising the Earl in feminine apparel and thus effected his -escape. When Darsie Latimer was obliged, at his -uncle's command, to wear petticoats as a means of -concealing his identity, he was only following the example -of one of his ancestors. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-360"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-360.jpg" alt="HODDAM CASTLE" /> -<br /> -HODDAM CASTLE -</p> - -<p> -In 1690 the castle and Barony of Hoddam passed from -the Herries family to John Sharpe, and remained in the -hands of his heirs until very recent times. One of these -was Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Scott's intimate -friend, who helped collect the 'Minstrelsy of the -Scottish Border,' to which he contributed two ballads. Scott -was a frequent guest at his house, and he often dined -with Scott's family in Edinburgh or at Abbotsford. He -was a man of distinction in letters and an artist as well. -Two well-known etchings by him, the 'Dish of Spurs' -and 'Muckle-Mouthed Meg,' besides a caricature of -Queen Elizabeth, adorn the walls of Abbotsford. His -ancestors, like the Herries family, were ardent Jacobites. -</p> - -<p> -The Sharpes claimed relationship to the notorious -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P361"></a>361}</span> -Grierson of Lag, who was the original of Sir Robert -Redgauntlet in 'Wandering Willie's Tale.' Sir Robert -Grierson, who was born in 1655 and died in 1733, was -an infamous scoundrel who took fiendish delight in -persecuting the Covenanters. In his drunken revels he made -them the theme of scurrilous jests. In a vaulted chamber -of his Castle of Lag, now in ruins, he had an iron hook -upon which he hanged his prisoners. Often he would -amuse himself by rolling his victims down a steep hill -in barrels filled with knives and iron spikes. He was an -object of terror and hatred through all the neighbouring -country and for many years after his death was -represented in theatrical productions as a hideous monster. -Scott heard in his youth the wild tales of the terrible -Grierson, and made them the basis of the story told by -Wandering Willie. -</p> - -<p> -If by Redgauntlet Castle we mean the house of the -blind fiddler's hero, we must take for its original the -ancient ruin of Lag Castle, built in the fourteenth -century; but if the seat of the Herries family is meant, -Hoddam Castle is of course the prototype, even though -Scott places it on the English side of the Solway. -</p> - -<p> -A bit of scenery worth recalling in connection with this -novel is the Marquis of Annandale's Beefstand, or as it -is now called, the Devil's Beef Tub, the place where the -Laird of Summertrees had his wonderful adventure, -escaping from his captors by rolling, over and over, like -a barrel, down the steep incline that leads to the bottom -of the hollow. It is as lonely and desolate a spot as -we saw anywhere in Scotland. The hills circle about to -form a huge bowl, in the rim of which there is apparently -no break, so that one wonders how the little brook at the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P362"></a>362}</span> -bottom manages to find an outlet so as to remain a -brook at all, instead of accumulating its waters to form -a great natural lake. The old Border raiders used the -hollow as a convenient place in which to collect stolen -cattle. From the road on the rim it seems to be a dark, -dismal hole, without sign of life except an occasional -ring of earth and stone, built for the protection of the -sheep. Scott knew personally a Jacobite gentleman, -who escaped at this place in precisely the same manner -as 'Pate-in-Peril,' while being taken to Carlisle a -prisoner for participation in the 'affair of 1745.' -</p> - -<p> -'Redgauntlet' is autobiographical to a greater extent -than any other of Scott's novels. It is true that -'Waverley' gives a hint of his own early love of reading, while -'The Antiquary' reflects his interest in the relics of an -older civilization. Indeed, bits of personal -reminiscence are woven into nearly all his tales. But -'Redgauntlet' more directly reveals Scott himself and those -nearest to him than any or all of the others. -</p> - -<p> -The voluminous correspondence of Alan Fairford and -Darsie Latimer is full of recollections of school days in -Edinburgh, when as a boy Scott climbed the 'kittle -nine stanes,' a difficult and dangerous passage over the -steep granite rock upon which the castle stands, or -helped 'man the Cowgate Port,' an ancient gateway to -the city from which the youngsters in snowballing time -annoyed the passers-by and defied the town guard. One -of his most intimate companions in the days when he -was reading law was William Clerk, whom he describes -as a man of acute 'intellect and powerful apprehension,' -but somewhat trammelled with 'the fetters of indolence.' There -is no doubt that Scott himself was the original of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P363"></a>363}</span> -Alan Fairford nor that William Clerk was the model for -Darsie Latimer. The fine portrait of Saunders Fairford, -who was so anxious to have his son 'attain the proudest -of all distinctions—the rank and fame of a well-employed -lawyer,' was drawn from Scott's own father, -many years after the death of that worthy gentleman. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Mr. Saunders Fairford, ... was a man of business of the -old school, moderate in his charges, economical and even -niggardly in his expenditure, strictly honest in conducting -his own affairs and those of his clients, but taught by long -experience to be wary and suspicious in observing the -motions of others. Punctual as the clock of St. Giles tolled -nine, the neat dapper form of the little hale old gentleman -was seen at the threshold of the Court-hall ... trimly -dressed in a complete suit of snuff-coloured brown, with -stockings of silk or woolen, as suited the weather; a bob wig -and a small cocked hat; shoes blacked as Warren would -have blacked them; silver shoe-buckles and a gold stock-buckle. -A nosegay in summer, and a sprig of holly in winter, -completed his well-known dress and appearance. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Even Peter Peebles, the poor old derelict, ruined by a -lifetime of perpetual litigation, was a real character, -well known in Edinburgh, and Scott himself, in -common with most young lawyers, took his turn in -'practising' on this case. -</p> - -<p> -The re-introduction of Charles Edward, who was so -fascinating as a figure in 'Waverley,' was not so -successful. In the earlier novel, his movements are, in the -main, historically accurate. His reappearance, twenty -years later, under circumstances purely fictitious, is by -comparison almost wholly lacking in interest. There is, -however, a certain attractiveness about the enthusiasm -of his ardent supporter, Hugh Redgauntlet, and the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P364"></a>364}</span> -book is not lacking in minor characters, who are almost -as fascinating as any of the novelist's earlier creations. -Wandering Willie is one of these—the blind fiddler -who holds communication with the captive Darsie, by -the rendering of appropriate tunes, the words of which -the latter is quick to recall and clever enough to -interpret. Another is Nanty Ewart, the skipper of the -Jumping Jenny, who can read his Sallust like a scholar, -and appeals to one's sympathies in spite of his dissipation. -</p> - -<p> -Although 'Redgauntlet' was at first received somewhat -coldly, it is nevertheless true, in the words of Lady -Louisa Stuart, that 'the interest is so strong one cannot -lay it down.' Its lack of value historically is more than -offset by the personal interest of its characters and the -many episodes of intense dramatic realism. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap26fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap26fn1text">1</a>] <i>Picture of Dumfries, with Historical and Descriptive Notices</i>, -by John McDiarmid, 1832. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap27"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P365"></a>365}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXVII -<br /> -TALES OF THE CRUSADERS -</h3> - -<p> -The two stories published simultaneously under this -title are widely different in character. In 'The -Betrothed,' the reader gets no glimpse of the Holy Land, -though he is amply compensated by a view of some of the -most delightful portions of picturesque Wales. In 'The -Talisman,' on the contrary, not only is the whole of the -stage-setting in Palestine, but our old friend, Richard -the Lion-Hearted, who made such strong appeals to our -sympathies in 'Ivanhoe,' appears once more on the -scene. Perhaps this fact accounts for the great -popularity of 'The Talisman,' which has always gone hand in -hand with 'Ivanhoe,' in the estimation of the younger -readers, at least, and possibly the older ones, especially -in England and America, as among the most attractive -of Scott's novels. 'The Betrothed' is no more a tale of -the Crusades than is 'Ivanhoe.' In the former the -Constable de Lacy is supposed to be absent in the Holy -Land a few years and returns in disguise. King Richard -does the same in 'Ivanhoe.' -</p> - -<p> -James Ballantyne, who was always a candid critic, -found so much fault with 'The Betrothed' that Scott, -bitterly disappointed, decided to cancel it altogether. -The sheets were hung up in Ballantyne's warehouse, -while Scott started a new tale which should be really a -story of the Crusades. Ballantyne was as much pleased -with 'The Talisman' as he had been disappointed with -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P366"></a>366}</span> -its predecessor. Both author and printer hesitated to -destroy the sheets of an entire edition of the earlier -production, and it was finally decided that 'The Talisman' -was such a masterpiece that it might be relied upon to -'take the other under its wing.' The publication of the -two volumes as the 'Tales of the Crusaders' seemed to -justify Ballantyne's faith, for, says Lockhart, 'The -brightness of "The Talisman" dazzled the eyes of the -million as to the defects of the twin story.' Whether -this opinion would be endorsed by careful readers of -to-day is doubtful, for 'The Betrothed' has some -excellent characters, notably Eveline Berenger, Wilkin -Flammock, and his daughter Rose, Hugo de Lacy, and -his high-minded nephew Damian. Moreover, Scott -here adds to his 'country' a bit of the United Kingdom, -which he had not previously touched, and does it with -his usual charm. -</p> - -<p> -The novelist's information regarding Welsh history -and antiquities was derived largely from conversations -with his friend, the Rev. John Williams, Archdeacon of -Cardigan, who had made a special study of the subject. -But he had always felt an interest in that region. 'There -are,' he writes to Joanna Bailie in 1814, 'few countries -I long so much to see as Wales. The first time I set out -to see it I was caught by the way and married. God help -me! The next time, I went to London and spent all my -money there. What will be my third interruption, I do -not know, but the circumstances seem ominous.' Whether -he actually saw the country before writing the -novel is doubtful. He did visit it, however, in August of -1825, just after 'The Betrothed' was published, and -stopped at Llangollen, where he paid a visit to the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P367"></a>367}</span> -famous 'Ladies' of that place. These two old ladies, -one seventy and the other sixty-five when Scott saw -them, had 'eloped' together from Ireland, when they -were young girls, one of them dressed as a footman in -buckskin breeches. Valuing their liberty above all the -allurements of matrimony, they made a secret journey -to Wales, and for fifty years lived a quiet and -comfortable life in the beautiful vale of Llangollen. -</p> - -<p> -Local tradition assigns this lovely valley as the scene -of 'The Betrothed.' Although this may be doubted, it -is nevertheless fairly representative of what Scott -evidently had in mind. The river Dee winds among a maze -of low, partially wooded, and well-rounded hilltops, here -and there finding its way through green meadows, set off -by hedges of full-grown trees, and at each turn glistening -in the sun like a broad ribbon of silver. -</p> - -<p> -I was induced to walk up a long sloping hillside for a -distance of about three miles from the village, and was -rewarded at the summit by a superb view of northern -Wales, for many miles in every direction, and at the -same time saw the ruins of the ancient Castell Dinas -Bran. This, or something very like it, must have been -the Garde Doloureuse of the novel. It certainly had all -the natural advantages claimed for that ancient Welsh -stronghold, for no army would have found it easy to -ascend that hill in the face of a determined garrison. -The ruin has the indications also of having been well -fortified by the art of man, its walls enclosing an area -two hundred and ninety feet long by one hundred and -forty feet wide. -</p> - -<p> -The castle may have been built by the Britons before -the Roman invasion. A well-founded tradition fixes it -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P368"></a>368}</span> -as the seat of Eliseg, Prince of Powys, in the eighth -century, and it figures in actual history as early as 1200, -when it was the residence of a turbulent Welsh baron -named Madog. -</p> - -<p> -At Welshpool, directly to the south and near the -English border, we visited the magnificent park and -castle of the Earl of Powis. It stands on the site of the -ancient Castell Coch, or Red Castle, famous as the seat -of the great Welsh hero, Gwenwynwyn, who flourished -in the latter part of the twelfth and beginning of the -thirteenth century. That hero, whom Scott calls -Gwenwyn, it will be remembered, upon seeing for the -first time the beautiful damsel of sixteen, Eveline -Berenger, the only child of his greatest rival and the -heir of the strong fortress which he coveted, promptly -resolved to marry her, thus starting the train of events -which are recorded in the novel. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-368"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-368.jpg" alt="POWIS CASTLE, WALES" /> -<br /> -POWIS CASTLE, WALES -</p> - -<p> -The present Powis Castle Park is a magnificent -demesne of nearly a thousand acres. Its most -important portion is a great deer-park, in the midst of -which stands the imposing modern palace. The herds of -deer quietly feeding on the lawn were kind enough to -pose for me, when I made a picture of the castle, and -added greatly to its picturesque aspect. On the south, -the sloping ground has been cut into broad and -beautiful terraces, surmounted by huge yews, trimmed -smoothly in conical form. The stone walls are broken by -a series of arches, above which are balustrades and -statuary in great variety. Clinging vines and garden -flowers of every description add colour to the beauty of -the arrangement. Below the terraces is a gentle slope, -planted with fruit trees, and then a level lawn, in the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P369"></a>369}</span> -midst of which is a stately elm. The whole is a triumph -of landscape gardening which would have amazed the -famous Gwenwynwyn. -</p> - -<p> -Following the course of the tale our next objective -was the city of Gloucester, the crowning glory of which -is the great cathedral, founded by the Saxon earl, Osric, -in 680 A.D. The massive Norman nave was commenced -in 1088 and the fine choir was completed in the -fourteenth century. The great east window, measuring -seventy-two feet in height, thirty-eight feet in width, -and containing two thousand seven hundred and thirty-six -square feet of glass, is the largest in England if not in -the world. Passing around the cathedral we found a -house which figures in the story,—the Deanery, as it is -now called. It was formerly the prior's lodge of the old -Benedictine abbey, and is the oldest house in Gloucester. -Within its walls a meeting of Parliament is said to have -been held by Richard II. -</p> - -<p> -Of the scenery of 'The Talisman' it is difficult to say -much beyond what is generally known about the Holy -Land. Scott never visited Palestine and wrote only in -general terms. He did contrive, however, to inject a bit -of Scottish scenery with which he was familiar, just as he -managed to begin the novel with the adventures of a -Scottish knight, and to find another countryman among -the retainers of King Richard, in the person of Sir -Thomas de Multon, the Lord of Gilsland, whose 'love -and devotion to the King was like the vivid affection of -the old English mastiff to his master.' -</p> - -<p> -Readers of 'The Talisman' will recall, in the mansion -of the hermit of Engaddi, the beautiful miniature Gothic -chapel, and will quickly note the resemblance to Roslin -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P370"></a>370}</span> -Chapel, near Edinburgh. The famous feudal baron, -William St. Clair, built the latter in a spirit of penitence. -An old manuscript informs us that 'to the end he might -not seem altogether unthankfull to God for the benefices -received from Him, it came in his minde to build a house -for God's service of most curious work, the which, that -it might be done with greater glory and splendour he -caused artificers to be brought from other regions and -forraigne kingdoms and caused dayly to be abundance of -all kinde of workemen present.' -</p> - -<p> -The foundation was laid in 1446. It is called 'florid -Gothic' for want of a better name. There is no other -architecture like it in the world. It is a medley of all -architectures, the Egyptian, Grecian, Roman, and -Saracenic being intermingled with all kinds of -decorations and designs, some exquisitely beautiful and -others quaint and even grotesque. There are thirteen -different varieties of the arch. The owner possessed -wealth and wanted novelty. He secured the latter by -engaging architects and builders from all parts of Europe. -The most striking feature of an ulterior crowded with -beautiful forms is the 'Prentice's Pillar, a column with -spiral wreaths of exquisitely carved foliage. -</p> - -<p> -It is curious to think of such a chapel as this concealed -in a mysterious mansion in the desert of Engaddi, -but it is the only touch of realistic description in the -whole book, and Scott makes use of it with his usual -skill. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap28"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P371"></a>371}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXVIII -<br /> -WOODSTOCK -</h3> - -<p> -Between the completion of the 'Tales of the Crusaders' -and the next novel, 'Woodstock,' came the distressing -change in Scott's affairs, that set apart the remaining -years of his life as a period of sadness, disappointment, -grief, and physical pain. They were years of almost -superhuman exertion, when the superb personal character -of the man, backed by an unconquerable will, triumphed -over an accumulation of afflictions that would -have broken the heart of an ordinary person. The -victory cost him his life—but it was only after a battle of -six hard years, and even then it was the frail body and -not the heart of the man that succumbed. -</p> - -<p> -In the year 1825, when 'Woodstock' was commenced, -the old, happy days, when writing a story was a joyous -pastime, came to an end forever, and in their stead -came a sense of toil and conscious effort. 'It was a -pleasant sight,' said Lockhart, 'when one happened to -take a passing peep into his den, to see the white head -erect, and the smile of conscious inspiration on his lips, -while the pen, held boldly and at a commanding distance, -glanced steadily and gayly along a fast-blackening -page of "The Talisman." It now often made me -sorry to catch a glimpse of him, stooping and poring -with his spectacles, amidst piles of authorities, a little -notebook ready in his left hand, that had always used -to be at liberty for patting Maida.' -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P372"></a>372}</span> -</p> - -<p> -Lockhart is here referring to the vast toil required in -the preparation of a 'Life of Napoleon,' which Scott -had undertaken immediately after returning from the -tour through Ireland and Wales, made soon after the -completion of 'The Talisman.' It was the year when -rumours of financial troubles in London began to reach -his ears, followed swiftly by the failure of Constable -and the Ballantynes, and later by the sickness and -death of Lady Scott and his own physical suffering. -Undaunted by misfortune he bravely continued his -'Napoleon,' and soon conceived the idea of composing -a work of imagination at the same time. The first of -three volumes of 'Woodstock' was, under these trying -circumstances, completed in fifteen days and the entire -novel in three months. -</p> - -<p> -The news of Scott's distress had spread throughout -Scotland and England and into many parts of Europe, -and there was naturally a keen interest in the story which -he was known to be writing. The announcement that -Scott was the author of the Waverley Novels and that -the man who had accomplished this marvellous success -had met with financial failure came as a shock and a -thrill. 'Scott ruined!' exclaimed the Earl of Dudley; -'the author of "Waverley" ruined! Good God! Let -every man to whom he has given months of delight give -him a sixpence, and he will rise to-morrow morning richer -than Rothschild!' The result of this state of the public -mind was that 'Woodstock' was successful beyond the -author's fondest dreams. -</p> - -<p> -The village of Woodstock, where practically the -whole of the scene is laid, lies about eight miles -north-west of Oxford. The market-place still has an ancient -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P373"></a>373}</span> -look, though the houses are in fairly good repair. To -readers of the novel the chief place of interest in the -village is the old parish church where the Reverend -Nehemiah Holdenough was rudely crowded from his -pulpit by the canting Independent soldier, Trusty -Tomkins, who proceeded to preach one of those weird -sermons, common enough at that time, in which the -texts of Scripture were perverted to apply to current -events, with whatever significance the orator might -choose. A fine Norman doorway on the south side -marks the oldest part of the edifice, dating back -probably as far as the twelfth century. The north side is -modern, having been built to replace the older walls -that were torn down. The tower was built in 1783. -</p> - -<p> -The real interest of Woodstock lies not in the church -nor the village, but in the vast park and palace, now -called Blenheim, the property of the Duke of -Marlborough. As early as the reign of William the -Conqueror, Woodstock was a royal forest, and was so -designated in the Domesday Book. His son, Henry I, -enclosed it with a wall six miles in circumference (not -so large as its present extent) and rebuilt the house. It -was here that Thomas à Becket in 1162 began the -quarrel with King Henry II, which led to his murder at -Canterbury. King Henry added to the old palace of -Woodstock the famous tower and maze, where 'the -fair Rosamond' might be safely concealed from the -jealous eyes of Queen Eleanor. 'Rosamond's Well,' -where Tomkins met his well-deserved death at the -hands of Joceline Joliffe, is the only remnant of the old -palace in existence. It is a spring, walled in and paved, -and guarded by an iron fence. We drank of its waters -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P374"></a>374}</span> -and, following the instructions of the old woman who -acts as its keeper, threw what was left in the glasses over -our left shoulders 'for luck.' The well was originally -within the walls of the palace, so that its occupant could -obtain water without the risk of stepping outside. It -may, therefore, be considered as marking approximately -the site of the old palace. -</p> - -<p> -Richard the Lion-Hearted and John were visitors to -Woodstock. Henry III made some improvements in -the house. Edward III and Queen Philippa were much -attached to Woodstock and often made it their residence. -It was during their reign that the poet Chaucer, -who was first a page and later a royal 'esquire,' was -frequently at Woodstock. He married one of the -Queen's maids of honour, and lived in a house in the -village which is still standing. As late as the time of -James II, Woodstock continued to be occupied, as a -favourite country seat, by the English sovereigns. -During the great Civil War it was the scene of frequent -skirmishes and in the time of the Commonwealth was -in the possession of Cromwell. -</p> - -<p> -The fantastic performances by which the commissioners -of the Long Parliament were imposed upon and -badly frightened when they visited Woodstock, after -the execution of Charles I, for the purpose of destroying -it, are fully explained in Scott's Introduction. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-374"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-374.jpg" alt="GOLSTOW PRIORY (BURIAL-PLACE OF THE 'THE FAIR ROSAMOND')" /> -<br /> -GOLSTOW PRIORY (BURIAL-PLACE OF THE 'THE FAIR ROSAMOND') -</p> - -<p> -In 1704, as a reward for his famous triumph in the -battle of Blenheim, the victorious commander, John -Churchill, was created first Duke of Marlborough, and -presented with the vast estates of Woodstock. Queen -Anne and the Parliament bestowed upon him in addition -the princely sum of £240,000 with which to build a -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P375"></a>375}</span> -mansion. Blenheim Palace is the finest work of the most -famous architect of his day, Sir John Vanbrugh, who -designed the building by command of the Queen. Its -front extends, from wing to wing, three hundred and -forty-eight feet. The style is Italo-Corinthian. Its -spacious halls are filled with splendid tapestries and -many valuable paintings. There is a long ballroom, -equipped as a library at one end and with a great -pipe-organ at the other. The park comprises two thousand -six hundred acres, with many fine beeches, oaks, elms, -cedars of Lebanon, and an avenue of lindens. The river -Glyme, which flowed through the estate of Woodstock, -was dammed by the landscape gardener of Blenheim -and converted into a picturesque lake, over which is an -imposing bridge. In a remote corner of the grounds we -found the celebrated King's Oak, a fine old tree supposed -to be at least a thousand years old. -</p> - -<p> -Two characters of 'Woodstock' stepped into the tale, -direct from Scott's own household, thus giving a -charming personal touch to this novel in common with -'Redgauntlet' and several of the others. One of these is the -fine old hound, Bevis. It seems curious, in view of -Scott's fondness for his dogs, that not one of them should -find a place in any of his stories until so late a period of -his life. Bevis, however, made up for the previous -omissions, and he is a splendid picture of Sir Walter's -favourite staghound Maida, 'the noblest dog ever seen -on the Border since Johnnie Armstrong's time.' So -wrote Scott to his friend Terry, adding, 'He is between -the wolf and deer greyhound, about six feet long from -the tip of the nose to the tail, and high and strong in -proportion.... Tell Will Erskine he will eat off his -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P376"></a>376}</span> -plate without being at the trouble to put a paw on the -table or chair.' This noble animal, who for eight years -enjoyed the distinction of daily companionship with one -of the most appreciative masters who ever lived, came -to his end in 1824, the year before 'Woodstock' was -commenced. His image, sculptured in stone, had stood -for a year or more by the door of the main entrance to -Abbotsford, as a 'leaping-on' stone, which Scott found -convenient in mounting his horse. Maida was buried -beneath the stone, and an epitaph in Latin was carved -around its base, Scott's English version of which -reads:— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - Beneath the sculptured form which late you wore<br /> - Sleep soundly, Maida, at your master's door.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The other character from Scott's household was his -daughter Anne—the Alice Lee of the novel. The same -loving care which Alice bestowed upon her aged parent, -Scott had felt at the hands of his youngest daughter. -When financial disaster began to weigh him down, and -Lady Scott's health began to fail, it was Anne who -tenderly supported her beloved father. In the sad days -following the death of Lady Scott, she accompanied him -to London and Paris and was by his side when he -received his first paralytic stroke. Her health was -shattered by the long strain of her mother's illness and -death, followed by that of her father, and she survived -her distinguished parent less than a year. -</p> - -<p> -Regarding the historical characters in the novel, the -critics seem to agree that the portraits of Cromwell and -Charles II are far from accurate and of course their part -in the story is imaginary. When Scott's enthusiasm for -the Stuart family is considered, and his sympathy for -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P377"></a>377}</span> -royalty in general, as well as the habit among Scotchmen -of his time of regarding the great Protector as a -hypocrite, it must be admitted that his picture of Cromwell, -while far from flattering, is on the whole remarkably -fair to that stern and powerful leader. -</p> - -<p> -Although 'Woodstock' is not ranked among Scott's -greatest novels, it is noteworthy that many critics, -including Lockhart and Andrew Lang, both of whom -usually preferred the Scottish romances, saw in it -great merit. In one respect it is the most wonderful -of all novels—in the self-control which enabled its -author calmly to compose a well-constructed story, full -of incident and dramatic power, in the face of afflictions -which would have borne down a common mind to those -depths of despair in which the ordinary duties of life -are forgotten. Scott here proved to be not only a master -of the art of story-telling, but the master of himself. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap29"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P378"></a>378}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXIX -<br /> -THE FAIR MAID OF PERTH -</h3> - -<p> -Twoscore years elapsed between the day when Walter -Scott, a lad of fifteen, felt a thrill of rapture as he -viewed the valley of the Tay from the Wicks of Baiglie -and the time when the same Walter, a worn-out man, -first used the beautiful scene as the setting of a novel. -The 'inimitable landscape,' as he called it, took -possession of his mind and retained its influence during the -greater part of his life. During the sad years of -discouragement, when the 'Canongate Chronicles' had -met with a cold reception, and his critical publishers -were expressing their views somewhat too sharply, Scott -turned once more to his well-loved Highlands for the -theme of a story, and the picture which had so aroused -his 'childish wonder' came back again after more than -forty years. -</p> - -<p> -Naturally our first thought upon arriving at Perth -was to find the Wicks of Baiglie and enjoy the same -sensation of wonder which Sir Walter had so graphically -described. We accordingly drove out over the hills -south of the town, on the Edinburgh road, till we came -to the Inn of Baiglie, but all to no purpose. A burly -blacksmith, who looked as if he might have been a -descendant of Henry Gow himself, told us that many -people sought the view which Scott had described, but -'it did not exist.' Changes in the road and the growth of -foliage had completely destroyed the prospect from the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P379"></a>379}</span> -Wicks of Baiglie. We were compensated for our -disappointment, however, by several glimpses of the valley -from Moncreiff Hill and by a superb view, which we -enjoyed the following day, from the summit of Kinnoull -Hill, east of the city. At the foot of this hill is the -modern Castle of Kinfauns, replacing the seat of Sir -Patrick Charteris, to which the burghers of Perth made -their memorable journey. -</p> - -<p> -Perthshire is one of the largest counties in Scotland -and excels all the others in the beauty and variety of its -scenery. Along its southern border lies a region of -moorlands, set with sparkling lochs and rippling -streams, in the midst of which are the famous Trossachs. -On the north are the rugged summits of the Grampian -Mountains. In the centre is Loch Tay, one of the -loveliest of Highland lakes, fed by the pure mountain -streams that come down through the wild passes of -Glen Lochay and Glen Dochart. Its outlet is the -pleasant river Tay, passing down the eastern border -through a valley of green meadows, waving groves, -fertile fields, and princely palaces. In a drive of one -hundred miles from Perth to Taymouth and back again -by another route, we saw not so much as half a mile of -scenery that might be called commonplace or uninteresting. -</p> - -<p> -North of the city is the Palace of Scone, which became -the seat of government in the eighth century, at which -time the famous Stone of Scone was brought from -Dunstaffnage. Most of the Scottish kings were crowned -here, until Edward I, in the fourteenth century, carried -the stone to Westminster Abbey. Farther north, in the -same valley, is a bit of Shakespeare's scenery. We -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P380"></a>380}</span> -passed through the Birnam Wood of 'Macbeth,' though -we saw no trees. Perhaps this was natural, for -according to Shakespeare they all went to Dunsinane Hill -many years ago and the bard does n't say that they -ever came back. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-380"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-380.jpg" alt="LOCH TAY" /> -<br /> -LOCH TAY -</p> - -<p> -Perth is an ancient city, having received a charter -from David I in the early part of the twelfth century. -For nearly three hundred years it was the residence of -the Scottish kings, who occupied during the greater part -of that time the monastery of the Dominicans or -Black Friars, formerly situated near the west end of the -present bridge. This is the church to which Simon -Glover and his daughter were walking when they were -accosted by the frivolous young Duke of Rothsay, heir -to the throne of Scotland. It was founded in 1231. The -city was well provided with other religious houses, -notably the Carthusian Monastery founded in 1429, the -Grey Friars in 1460, and the Carmelites or White -Friars, west of the town, dating from 1260. All of these -have disappeared, the result of a famous sermon -preached by John Knox, in 1559, in the old Church of -St. John, which aroused the populace to a frenzy of -excitement against the Church of Rome. St. John's -Church was itself despoiled of everything which the -mob thought savoured of popery, its altars, its images, -and even its organ being destroyed. The building itself -remained unhurt. Old St. John's was established as -early as the fifth century. The transept and nave of -the present building were erected in the thirteenth -century and the choir in the fifteenth. At present the -structure is divided into three churches, the East, the -Middle, and the West. The appeal to the direct judgment -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P381"></a>381}</span> -of Heaven, to determine the identity of the -murderer of Oliver Proudfute, which is described as -taking place within this building, was based upon a -widespread belief that the corpse of a murdered person -would bleed upon the approach of the guilty person,—the -same superstition which Hawthorne used in 'The -Marble Faun.' -</p> - -<p> -Scott gives the Black Friars' Monastery a conspicuous -place in his story, as the residence of King Robert III. -That well-meaning but weak monarch had three sons: -the eldest, David, Duke of Rothsay, died at Falkland -Palace, under suspicious circumstances; the second, -John, died in infancy; while the third, known in history -as James I, nominally succeeded to the throne on the -death of his father in 1406, but was held a prisoner by -the English and did not actually come into his inheritance -until 1424. One of his first acts was to throw Murdoch, -the son and successor of the Duke of Albany, into -prison, and a little later he punished the treachery of that -nobleman by execution at Stirling Castle. James I was -a great contrast to his weak-minded father and by the -decisiveness of his character, the sagacity of his -statesmanship, and the brilliancy of his literary attainments -gave Scotland a memorable reign. It was due to his -untimely death that Perth lost her prestige as the seat -of the Scottish kings. He was suddenly surrounded by -a band of three hundred Highlanders, who entered his -apartment at the Dominican Priory and stabbed him to -death with their daggers. The horror inspired by this -assassination caused the abrupt transfer of the Court to -Edinburgh and the King's successor, James II, was -crowned at Holyrood Abbey instead of at Scone. -</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P382"></a>382}</span> -</p> - -<p> -The house of the Fair Maid of Perth may still be seen -in Curfew Street, near the site of the old monastery. A -comparison of its neat, well-kept appearance with the -pictures of the same house as it was before the -'restoration' shows that it has improved with age as -wonderfully as Shakespeare's birthplace at Stratford-on-Avon. -Not far away, in a very narrow and squalid close, is -another house celebrated in the story—the veritable -residence of Hal o' the Wynd. The rapid multiplication -of the Smith family may cause the sceptical to doubt -the authenticity of this landmark, but to the citizens of -Perth it is the original dwelling of the famous Henry -Smith, or Henry Gow. -</p> - -<p> -The great public park and playground, north of the -bridge, known as the North Inch, was the scene of the -famous Battle of the Clans which took place in 1396. -Thirty sturdy representatives of the Clan Chattan -fought to the death with an equal number of the Clan -Kay, or as Scott calls them, the Clan Quhele. When the -conflict was about to commence, it was discovered that -the Clan Chattan numbered only twenty-nine, whereupon -a citizen of Perth, having no interest in the struggle, -volunteered, for the paltry sum of half a mark, to -risk his life in the frightful battle, and thus made up the -required number. An ancient chronicler sums up the -result in these quaint words:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -At last, the Clankayis war al slane except ane, that swam -throw the watter of Tay. Of Glenquhattannis, was left xi -personis on live; bot thay war sa hurt, that thay micht -nocht hold thair swerdis in thair handis. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -There is a touch of contrition in Scott's portrayal of -the cowardice of Conachar. The novelist's brother, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P383"></a>383}</span> -Daniel, a man of dissipated habits, had been employed -in the island of Jamaica in some service against a body -of insurgent Negroes, and had shown a deficiency in -courage. He returned to Scotland a dishonoured man -and Scott refused to see him. A stern sense of duty -impelled him to refuse even to attend the funeral of the -man who had disgraced his family. In later years he -bitterly repented this austerity and atoned for it by -tenderly caring for the unfortunate brother's child. -</p> - -<p> -Something of these feelings may have been in his -mind when he wrote in his Diary on December 5, 1827: -'The fellow that swam the Tay would be a good -ludicrous character. But I have a mind to try him in the -serious line of tragedy.... Suppose a man's nerves, -supported by feelings of honour, or say by the spur of -jealousy, sustaining him against constitutional timidity -to a certain point, then suddenly giving way, I think -something tragic might be produced.... Well, I'll try -my brave coward or cowardly brave man.' -</p> - -<p> -Campsie Linn, where Conachar made his final appearance, -and with a last despairing shriek 'plunged down -the precipice into the raging cataract beneath,' is a -pleasant little waterfall in the Tay, seen through a small -clearing in the woods. It is scarcely a cataract nor are -the precipices formidable. The religious house where -Catharine took refuge has completely disappeared. -</p> - -<p> -Falkland Castle, to which the Duke of Rothsay was -carried, a prisoner, is in Fifeshire, about fifteen miles -southeast of Perth. The rooms in which the Prince was -quartered were probably in the old tower, which has -completely disappeared. Excavations made by the -Marquis of Bute in 1892 show it to have been an -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P384"></a>384}</span> -extensive building fifty feet in diameter. The present castle, -or the greater part of it, was built at a period somewhat -later than that of the story. As early as 1160, Falkland -was known as part of the property of the Earls of Fife, -who were descendants of Macduff, the famous Thane of -Fife, who put an end to the reign of Macbeth in 1057. -On the death of Isabel, Countess of Fife, the last of her -race, Falkland came into the hands of the Duke of -Albany, the brother of King Robert III. Albany was -intensely jealous of his nephew, the Duke of Rothsay, -who, after attaining his majority, began to display traits -of character more worthy than those ascribed to him in -the novel. He was entrusted by the King with affairs of -some importance and gave promise of developing into -an active and vigorous successor to his father. This was, -of course, a menace to the plans of Albany, who sought -the crown for himself, and he therefore managed to -exaggerate the young man's faults to the King and to -stir up suspicions against him, until the feeble monarch -consented to allow his son to be imprisoned for a time -as a cure for his profligacy. The Queen, who might have -interceded for the Prince, was dead, as was also the -Bishop of St. Andrew, who had often been a mediator -in the royal quarrels. Sir John de Ramorny, the -young man's tutor, who had suggested to him the -assassination of Albany and had been indignantly repulsed, -revenged himself by false reports to his pupil's uncle, -and was commissioned by the latter to arrest his former -charge. The Duke of Rothsay was thereupon waylaid -and carried to the Castle of Falkland. The common -report was that he was placed in a dungeon and starved -to death. It was said that a poor woman, who heard -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P385"></a>385}</span> -his groans while she was passing through the garden, -kept him alive for a time by passing small pieces of -barley cake through the bars. Another woman fed him -with her own milk, which she conveyed through a small -reed to the famished prisoner. Another story is that the -daughter of the governor of the castle was the one who -took compassion on the Prince, and that her wicked -father put her to death as a punishment for showing -mercy. The Duke of Albany and the Earl of Douglas -were charged with the murder, but maintained that the -Prince had died from natural causes and the Parliament -unanimously acquitted them. Lord Bute, who gave -much study to the records of the case, was inclined to -doubt the commission of an actual murder, but admitted -that the cause of the young Duke's death must always -remain uncertain. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-384"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-384.jpg" alt="HOUSE OF THE FAIR MAID OF PERTH" /> -<br /> -HOUSE OF THE FAIR MAID OF PERTH -</p> - -<p> -James I and James II made important additions to -Falkland, and James V, who found it in a ruinous -condition, made many extensive repairs and additions. It -was here that the latter king died of a broken heart, -at the early age of thirty-two. A few moments before -his death, when informed of the birth of his daughter, -Mary, who became the Queen of Scots, he exclaimed -prophetically, referring to the crown, 'It cam' wi' a lass -and it'll gang wi' a lass.' Mary herself visited the castle -annually for five or six years, before her marriage with -Darnley and spent many happy days there. Her son, -James VI, also made it his residence and was living there -at the time he was enticed away in the 'Gowrie -Conspiracy.' The last king to visit the palace was Charles -II, who came for a stay of several days, after his -coronation at Scone in 1651. Later the troops of Cromwell -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P386"></a>386}</span> -occupied the place, and its historical interest ceased soon -afterward. -</p> - -<p> -'The Fair Maid of Perth' was finished in the spring -of 1828. When the author laid down his pen, it was to -mark the real close of the Waverley Novels. True, -others were yet to be written, but they were the work of -a broken man, and failed to come up to Scott's high -standard. It is one of the marvels of literature that a -novel so attractive and interesting as 'The Fair Maid' -could be produced under circumstances so distracting -and painful. No one places it in the same rank as 'Guy -Mannering' and 'Ivanhoe,' yet it was popular at the -time of publication and has always been regarded as -entirely worthy of the reputation of the 'Great Wizard.' The -indomitable will of the master was still able to hold -his matchless imagination to its task, though the days -of its power were now numbered. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap30"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P387"></a>387}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXX -<br /> -THE CHRONICLES OF THE CANONGATE AND OTHER TALES -</h3> - -<p> -The remaining tales of the Waverley Novels require -only brief mention. There is but little in them of the -'Country of Sir Walter Scott,' and scarcely more of the -author himself. They are the final efforts of a man -whose extraordinary buoyancy of youthful spirit is at -last beginning to sink beneath a burden too great for -human endurance. To begin at fifty-five the uninspiring -task of 'paying for dead horses' the vast sum of £117,000, -an amount which few men are able to earn by -honest labour in all the days of their lives, required a -superb courage which only Scott's high sense of honour -could have sustained. Scarcely had the resolve been -made when a second crushing blow fell with a force -more stunning than the first. His beloved wife, the -companion of thirty years, was taken away at the hour -of his greatest need. She who could relieve the tedium -of his toil by slipping quietly into the room to see if the -fire burned, or to ask some kind question, was no longer -present to comfort him. He felt a paralyzing sense of -loneliness and old age, which even the devotion of his -daughter Anne could not relieve. To continue the awful -grind of writing for money—for something which he -could not enjoy nor save for any cherished purpose, but -must surrender at once to others—required an almost -superhuman exertion of will power. His health began to -fail. Headaches and insomnia, added to rheumatism, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P388"></a>388}</span> -caused him great distress. His early lameness became -intensified and made walking so painful that he had to -abandon what had been his favourite form of exercise. -The once vigorous frame had prematurely worn out -under the strain imposed upon it. Scott had become an -aged man at less than threescore years. Yet in these -years of disappointment, grief, and physical pain he -produced an amount of work of which an ordinary man -might well be proud had it represented a lifetime of toil. -From 1826, the year of Constable's failure, to 1831, this -man of iron will produced no less than forty[<a id="chap30fn1text"></a><a href="#chap30fn1">1</a>] volumes, -besides fifteen important reviews, essays, etc., and in -addition supervised the publication of his complete -prose writings and the Waverley Novels, preparing for -the latter a series of exhaustive introductions and notes. -</p> - -<p> -I have anticipated a little by devoting a separate -chapter to 'The Fair Maid of Perth' which appeared as -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P389"></a>389}</span> -the Second Series of the 'Chronicles of the Canongate' -in 1828. The 'First Series' was published in 1827 and -comprised 'The Two Drovers,' 'The Highland Widow,' -and 'The Surgeon's Daughter.' To many the chief -interest lies in the Introduction. When the work was -first projected, Scott thought of preserving his incognito -by conceiving the tales to be the work of one Chrystal -Croftangry, an elderly gentleman who had taken -quarters for a time within the Sanctuary, as the -immediate vicinity of Holyrood was called. Here, as in the -famous Alsatia of London, debtors were safe from -arrest. Scott at one time feared that the importunities -of a certain relentless creditor might force him to take -refuge in the Sanctuary. On November 1, 1827, he made -this entry in his Journal: 'I waked in the night and lay -two hours in feverish meditation ... I suppose that I, -the Chronicler of the Canongate, will have to take up -my residence in the Sanctuary, unless I prefer the more -airy residence of the Colton Jail, or a trip to the Isle of -Man.' Fortunately this creditor was silenced by Scott's -generous friend, Sir William Forbes, who privately paid -the claim out of his own pocket.[<a id="chap30fn2text"></a><a href="#chap30fn2">2</a>] -</p> - -<p> -There is much in Mr. Croftangry's lengthy biography -to remind one of Sir Walter himself. He finds pleasure -in visiting the Portobello sands to see the cavalry drill, -suggesting at once the young quartermaster of the -Edinburgh Volunteers, who rode a black charger up -and down the sands while he composed some of the most -spirited stanzas of 'Marmion.' He delights to spend the -wet mornings with his book and the pleasant ones in -strolling upon the Salisbury Crags—just as Walter, -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P390"></a>390}</span> -the high-school boy and college student loved to do. In -Mrs. Bethune Baliol, the genial old lady who assists -Mr. Croftangry in his literary speculations, we have a -kindly reference to a dear friend of the author—Mrs. Murray -Keith, who died at eighty-two years of age, -'one of the few persons whose spirits and cleanliness, -and freshness of mind and body made old age lovely -and desirable.' -</p> - -<p> -The volume is still more interesting because it -contains Scott's first printed acknowledgment of the -authorship of the Waverley Novels and gives an insight -into some of the original suggestions of both characters -and scenery. It also contains an account of the -Theatrical Fund Dinner held in Edinburgh in February, 1827, -in which Scott was publicly referred to as the author of -the Waverley Novels and acknowledged in the presence -of three hundred gentlemen the secret which he had -hitherto confided to only twenty. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'The Highland Widow' is a story of that wild but -beautiful portion of Argyllshire of which Loch Awe is -the chief attraction. Dumbarton Castle, where the -widow's unfortunate son bravely paid with his life for -the mistaken teachings and indiscretions of his mother, -is a conspicuous object on the right bank of the Clyde, a -few miles below Glasgow. It stands on a high rock, the -circumference of which at the base is fully a mile. It is -still maintained as one of the defences of Scotland, in -accordance with the Treaty of Union. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'The Two Drovers' is an excellent short story picturing -the life of those men who drove their cattle from the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P391"></a>391}</span> -Highlands about Doune, to the markets of Lincolnshire -or elsewhere in England, making the entire journey on -foot, sleeping with their droves at night in all kinds of -weather and enduring many hardships. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'The Surgeon's Daughter,' though it opens in one of -the midland counties of Scotland, is chiefly a story of -India, and the scenery is therefore not a part of Scott's -Country, for he never saw it. The good old doctor, -Gideon Grey, was, however, an old friend who lived in -Selkirk, Dr. Ebenezer Clarkson, one of those -hard-working country doctors who often combine, 'under a -blunt exterior, professional skill and enthusiasm, -intelligence, humanity, courage, and science.' -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'Anne of Geierstein,' though sharply criticized by -James Ballantyne and regarded by the author himself -as a task which he hated, is nevertheless a wonderful -work of imagination, in which the old-time genius is -clearly manifest. Lockhart points out the power, which -Scott retained in advanced years, of depicting 'the -feelings of youth with all their original glow and purity,' -and says that nowhere has the author 'painted such -feelings more deliciously' than in certain passages of -'Anne of Geierstein.' He assigns as a reason the fact -that Scott always retained in memory the events of his -own happy life, and besides 'he was always living over -again in his children, young at heart whenever he looked -on them.' -</p> - -<p> -Though admittedly erroneous in certain historical -details, the volume contains some wonderful descriptions -of scenery. Scott never visited Switzerland, where -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P392"></a>392}</span> -the chief interest of the story lies, but seemed to have -an instinctive grasp of its charm, which he accounted -for by saying, 'Had I not the honour of an intimate -personal acquaintance with every pass in the Highlands; -and if that were not enough, had I not seen pictures and -prints <i>galore</i>?' The story opens at the village of Lucerne, -and the Lake of the Four Cantons, beneath the shadow -of the awe-inspiring Mount Pilatus. Those who have -travelled from this point to Bâle, and thence down the -Rhine to Strasburg, should have a fairly good idea of the -scenery of the novel—better, perhaps, than the author -himself. Charles of Burgundy, whose character and -career had made a strong impression upon Scott through -the pages of Philippe de Comines, appears once more, -and the novel closes with his defeat at Nancy and tragic -death in a half-frozen swamp, the victim of the -traitorous Campo-basso. The story of King René and the -events at Aix in Provence was an afterthought, woven -into the tale at the suggestion of James Skene, who -supplied the necessary details. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'Count Robert of Paris' is a tale of Constantinople, a -city which Scott had not visited. The difficulties under -which it was written may be judged from such expressions -in the Journal as these: 'My pen stammers egregiously -and I write horridly incorrect'; 'The task of -pumping my brain becomes inevitably harder'; 'My -bodily strength is terribly gone; perhaps my mental -also.' The spirit which enabled him to persevere in spite -of Cadell and Ballantyne, who were again criticizing -severely, may be seen from these lines: 'But I will fight -it out if I can. It would argue too great an attachment -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P393"></a>393}</span> -of consequence to my literary labours to sink under -critical clamour. Did I know how to begin, <i>I would -begin again this very day, although I knew I should sink -at the end.</i>' -</p> - -<p> -In spite of the doctor's advice, he kept on with his -dictation—for he could no longer use the pen—and -finished 'Count Robert' amidst a frightful sea of -troubles. He had suffered three or four strokes of -apoplexy or palsy, and had experienced daily tortures -from cramp, rheumatism, and increasing lameness. Yet -in the midst of all this affliction he thought of his -creditors and said repeatedly to Lockhart, 'I am very -anxious to be done, one way or another, with this -"Count Robert," and a little story about the "Castle -Dangerous"'—thus to the last continuing the old -trick of starting a new story before its predecessor was -finished. He even resumed his youthful practice of -going in search of material, and actually undertook an -excursion to Douglas in Lanarkshire, where he examined -attentively the old ivy-covered fragment of the original -castle, the ruins of the old church, and the crypt of the -Douglases, filled with leaden coffins. He even talked -with the people of the village, after his old-time fashion, -and gathered such legends as they could remember. -He was now on familiar ground and speedily finished the -latest story, bringing 'Count Robert' to a close about -the same time. The two were published in November, -1831, as the Fourth Series of 'Tales of My Landlord.' These -volumes completed the literary labours of Sir -Walter, except that he continued to work a little at his -notes and introductions, but at last he took the advice of -his friends and agreed to do no more work of an exacting -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P394"></a>394}</span> -nature. A journey to the Continent followed, including -a visit to Malta, but in the following year he was glad -to return to his beloved Abbotsford. On the 21st of -September, 1832, lying in the dining-room of the -mansion which his industry and courage had saved to his -family, and listening to the rippling of his beloved river -Tweed, the brave and honourable as well as honoured -writer, breathed his last. He had fought a good fight -and died in the belief that he had won. And so he had. -For although the debt was not entirely paid, the -subsequent sale of copyrights realized enough to satisfy all -claims. Scott's sense of honour and superb courage -had won a glorious victory. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap30fn1"></a> -[<a href="#chap30fn1text">1</a>] The volumes were:— -</p> - -<pre class="footnote"> - Woodstock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 volumes - - Life of Napoleon Buonaparte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 - - Chronicles of the Canongate, First Series,--comprising - The Two Drovers, The Highland Widow, and The Surgeon's - Daughter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - - Tales of a Grandfather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 - - Chronicles of the Canongate, Second Series--The Fair - Maid of Perth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - - Anne of Geierstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - - A History of Scotland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - - The Doom of Devorgoil and Auchindrane . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - - Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 - - Tales of My Landlord, Fourth Series,--Count Robert of - Paris, and Castle Dangerous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 - __ - 40 -</pre> - -<p class="footnote"> -Three short stories, which Ballantyne objected to including in the -Canongate Chronicles, were printed in The Keepsake. These were -'My Aunt Margaret's Mirror,' 'The Tapestried Chamber,' and the -'Death of the Laird's Jock.' -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> -<a id="chap30fn2"></a> -[<a href="#chap30fn2text">2</a>] See Chapter V, <i>Rokeby</i>, page 95. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap31"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P395"></a>395}</span></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXXI -<br /> -A SUCCESSFUL LIFE -</h3> - -<p> -In travelling so many miles to view the scenery of -Scott's work, I think the strongest impression I have -received is that of the all-pervading personality of Scott -himself. It was one of the joys of the experience that -so many places, not particularly attractive in -themselves, should suddenly become interesting when found -to be connected in some way with Scott's life or with -something he had written; and that scenes of great -natural beauty should become invested with a new -fascination whenever they were found to suggest some -line of poetry or to recall some well-remembered -incident. I am sure I should never have given a second -thought to the bit of an old wall which is now the scant -remnant of Triermain Castle, had I passed it without -knowledge of its identity; but it was worth going far -out of the way to see, if only for the sake of realizing -how the merest fragment of an old ruin could suggest a -poem to Scott and how he could rebuild a castle in all -its early magnificence and people it with the children of -his fancy. -</p> - -<p> -I know of no more romantic place in all of beautiful -Scotland than the vale of the Esk, where the river flows -between high cliffs, clothed with thick shrubbery and -overhanging vines; and one can stand by the side of the -stream, looking over the lacelike foliage of the tree-tops, -and catch glimpses now and then of some fascinating old -ruin, peeping down like a fairy castle, lodged in the -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P396"></a>396}</span> -topmost branches. Yet when I recall its charm, I cannot -help remembering how it transformed an Edinburgh lawyer -of small reputation into a poet of world-wide fame. -</p> - -<p> -Wherever we went, whether driving through the -Canongate of Edinburgh, or looking across the Tweed -toward the Eildon Hills, or listening to the shrill screams -of the sea-fowl as they dashed about the dizzy heights -of St. Abb's Head, or wandering quietly through the -woods that lend a wild and fairy-like enchantment to -the Trossachs, there was always the feeling that Scott -had been there before and had so left the impress of his -personality that his spirit seemed to remain. -</p> - -<p> -It was a pleasant sensation, for there seemed to be in -it an indefinable consciousness of the presence of Scott's -own genial nature, that spirit of good-fellowship which -so delighted Washington Irving when he enjoyed the rare -privilege of wandering over the hills and valleys with -Sir Walter, listening to countless anecdotes and ballads, -and sharing his boundless hospitality for several days. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-396"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-396.jpg" alt="ABBOTSFORD" /> -<br /> -ABBOTSFORD -</p> - -<p> -This feeling became more and more intense as we -went about in the Border Country, which must be -regarded as Scott's real home, and it reached its -culmination when we came to Abbotsford. Here, thanks -to the courtesy of Mr. James Curie, the representative -in Melrose of the Honourable Mrs. Maxwell-Scott, a -great-granddaughter of the poet and the present owner -of the estate, we were greeted with a kindness worthy -of Sir Walter's own ideas of hospitality. We seemed to -meet the original owner face to face—not the poet—not -the novelist—but Walter Scott, the man. -</p> - -<p> -The great mansion and the spacious, well-wooded -estate which he took so much joy in creating and -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P397"></a>397}</span> -struggled so desperately to save, seemed to typify all -the success and all the failure of his career. The garden -with the arched screen, copied by his own desire from -the cloisters of Melrose Abbey; the pile of stones in the -centre, that once formed the base of the ancient Mercat -Cross of his native city; the stone image of the favourite -old stag-hound Maida, placed just outside the door, as -a constant reminder of the faithful friend of many -years; the entrance itself, copied from the Palace of -Linlithgow; the hall, with its fine carved woodwork -from the old Kirk of Dunfermline; the museum with -its collection of guns, swords, armour, and curious -articles of every description, suggesting the author's -antiquarian tastes and the loving interest which scores -of friends took in presenting him with the things they -knew he would appreciate; the library with its thousands -of volumes representing the author's own literary tastes; -the study with his own desk and chair; the dining-room -with its highly prized ancestral portraits; and the -bay-window through which Sir Walter looked for the last -time upon the rippling waters of his beloved Tweed—all -these seemed to bring his kindly personality nearer to us. -</p> - -<p> -I believe it was this all-pervading personality, the -spirit of brotherly kindness, of generosity and of love, -that made Scott's life a success. It is reflected through -page after page in the novels and poems, and shines out -brilliantly from the beginning to the end of Lockhart's -great biography. It is the very essence of that -wholesome quality which has been so often remarked as one -of the most distinguishing characteristics of the -Waverley Novels. -</p> - -<p> -There were no signs on Scott's property warning -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P398"></a>398}</span> -trespassers to 'keep out.' He felt that such things -would be offensive to the feelings of the people and if -any of his neighbours could shorten a journey by -walking through his grounds, he wanted them to have the -advantage. There was one sign on his land, by a broad -path through the woods, reading 'The <i>Rod</i> to Selkirk.' The -spelling was Tom Purdie's, but the implied invitation -to take a 'short cut' through the private estate -was warmly endorsed by his master. It was a pleasure -to him to see children come up with a pocketful of nuts -gathered from his trees, rather than run away at sight -of him, and he declared that no damage had ever been -done in consequence of the free access which all the -world had to his place. -</p> - -<p> -When he walked over his estate, talking familiarly -with Maida, who almost invariably accompanied him, -he would stop for a friendly word with every tenant. -'Sir Walter speaks to every man as if they were blood -relations,' said one of them. Happy the companion -who could take such a walk with him. 'Oh! Scott was -a master spirit—as glorious in his conversation as in -his writings,' wrote Irving. 'He spoke from the fulness -of his mind, pouring out an incessant flow of anecdote -and story, with dashes of humour, and then never -monopolizing, but always ready to listen and appreciate -what came from others. I never felt such a consciousness -of happiness as when under his roof.' -</p> - -<p> -The same kindliness, experienced by tenants and -visitors, was extended to the servants of the family, as -Tom Purdie could heartily testify. Tom was brought -before Scott, as sheriff, charged with poaching. He told -his story with such pathos,—of a wife and many children -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P399"></a>399}</span> -to feed, of scarcity of work and abundance of -grouse,—mingling with it so much sly humour, that the -'Shirra's' kind heart was touched. He took Tom into -his own employment as shepherd, and no master ever -had a more faithful servant. When Purdie died, twenty-five -years later, he was laid to rest in the churchyard -of Melrose Abbey, where his grave is marked by a -simple monument, inscribed by his master, 'in sorrow -for a humble but sincere friend.' Peter Mathieson, a -brother-in-law of Tom, who was employed as coachman -about the same time, survived his master. The portraits -of both these servants occupy an honoured place on the -walls of the armoury at Abbotsford. -</p> - -<p> -No man was ever on more delightful terms with his -family than Sir Walter. Captain Basil Hall, who spent -a Christmas fortnight at Abbotsford, recorded that -'even the youngest of his nephews and nieces can joke -with him, and seem at all times perfectly at ease in his -presence—his coming into the room only increases -the laugh and never checks it—he either joins in what -is going on, or passes.' When writing in his study, if -Lady Scott or the children entered, his train of thought -was not disturbed. He merely regarded the interruption -as a welcome diversion by which he felt refreshed. -Sometimes he would lay down his pen and, taking the -children on his knee, tell them a story; then kissing -them, and telling them to run away till supper-time, he -would resume his work with a contented smile. He -considered it 'the highest duty and sweetest pleasure' of a -parent to be a companion to his children. They in turn -reciprocated by sharing with 'papa' all their little joys -and sorrows and taking him into their hearts as their -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P400"></a>400}</span> -very best playfellow. No man ever took more pleasure -in the education of his children. On Sundays he would -often go out with the whole family, dogs included, for -a long walk, and when the entire party were grouped -about him, by the side of some pleasant brook, he -would tell stories from the Bible, weaving into them -all that picturesque charm and richness which have -made his written stories so delightful. He taught his -children to love the out-of-door life, and especially -insisted upon their attaining proficiency in horsemanship, -that they might become as fearless as himself. 'Without -courage,' he said, 'there cannot be truth; and without -truth, there can be no other virtue.' -</p> - -<p> -What Scott taught his children, he impressed upon -all, by the force of example, throughout his life. Shortly -before his death, in a few simple words, he epitomized -his creed—without intending to do so—in a tender -parting message to his son-in-law. 'Lockhart,' he said, -'I may have but a minute to speak to you. My dear, -be a good man—be virtuous—be religious—be a -good man. Nothing else will give you any comfort -when you come to lie here.' When Lockhart asked if he -should send for Sophia and Anne, he said, 'No, don't -disturb them. Poor souls! I know they were up all -night—God bless you all.' -</p> - -<p> -This lifelong desire to 'be good' and to do good, without -the slightest affectation, prudery, or sanctimoniousness, -was I believe the crowning glory of Scott's life -and the secret of his success. -</p> - -<p> -Yet in many ways Scott was not successful. Judged -by that test which is the only one allowed to many men, -his life was distinctly a failure. In the ordinary usage of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P401"></a>401}</span> -the term, a man is accounted successful if he accomplishes -his chief aim in life. Wealth is the aim of so -many that rich men are usually considered successful, -and those who die poor are commonly supposed to be -failures. -</p> - -<p> -Scott aimed to write a popular kind of poetry, and in -this he succeeded. He then turned to fiction and here he -was even more successful. But this kind of success did -not represent his supreme desire. He sought to make it -the means to an end, and the dream of his life was, after -all, wealth. Not riches for himself. He was never mean -enough for that, and selfishness did not enter into his -nature. It was wealth for his family that he desired. -He was a man of great pride and the old feudal system -was full of attractiveness. He knew every detail of the -history of the Scott family for centuries. He revered the -Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch as the head of his clan. -As his writings, year after year, brought him financial -returns almost fabulous in size, he began to cherish the -desire to found a new branch of the Scott Clan. The -irresistible impulse to add new lands to Abbotsford, -regardless of cost, and to erect a great mansion, fit for -the residence of an earl, all sprang from this one motive. -The readiness with which he purchased a captaincy in -the army for his eldest son, at a cost of £3500, and the -cheerfulness with which he settled nearly the whole of -Abbotsford upon young Walter and his affianced bride, -promising that if he should be spared ten years he would -give them as much more, are striking indications of his -intense longing to establish the Scotts of Abbotsford -among the great families of Scotland. -</p> - -<p> -In this, the greatest ambition of his life, Scott was -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P402"></a>402}</span> -completely thwarted. Though Abbotsford was saved -from the wreck of his fortunes by an almost superhuman -effort, the estate which passed to his heirs was not so -large as he had expected, nor did his sons live long to -enjoy it. The eldest, Walter, died in 1847, and as he had -no son, the baronetcy expired with him. The younger -son, Charles, had died in 1841. -</p> - -<p> -The failure of Scott's hopes was the result of a long -chain of circumstances. In early life he had undertaken -the practice of law, and continued for ten years without -rising above the level of mere drudgery, his earnings for -the first five years averaging only eighty pounds -annually and probably not rising very much higher during -the subsequent years. Finding it necessary, at length, -to give up the law entirely, he arranged to secure an -appointment as Clerk of the Court of Session, to -succeed an aged incumbent of that office. The agreement -was that Scott should do the work while his predecessor -drew the pay, in consideration of which he was to have -the entire emolument after the old gentleman's death. -The office was worth eight hundred pounds a year and -offered a very fair substitute for the small earnings at -the bar. Unfortunately the gentleman was so inconsiderate -as to prolong his existence for six years after the -bargain was made. -</p> - -<p> -Scott was already in possession of a private income of -one thousand pounds, to which the office of Sheriff of -Selkirk added three hundred pounds, and was beginning -to receive large rewards for his literary labour, 'The Lay -of the Last Minstrel' bringing him £769 6<i>s.</i> for the -first and second editions. It might be supposed that -such an income would satisfy a young man not yet -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P403"></a>403}</span> -thirty-four. Scott, however, was ambitious, and feeling -the need of the additional income which did not at once -materialize from the clerkship, sought to make up the -deficiency by investing nearly all his capital in a -commercial venture. He entered into a secret partnership -with James Ballantyne in the printing business, which -proved, with one exception, to be the greatest mistake -of his life. The exception, which marked, in Lockhart's -phrase, 'the blackest day in his calendar,' was in -connecting his fortunes with John Ballantyne in the -publishing business. -</p> - -<p> -James Ballantyne's greatest fault was a tendency to -rely too much upon Scott's judgment, and the latter -was too much swayed by generous motives to be a -prudent business manager. He would favour the publication -of an unmarketable book rather than disappoint -a friend. Moreover, his own great interest in works of -an historical or antiquarian nature often led him astray. -His judgment of good literature was better than his -knowledge of what the public was likely to buy. The -firm became loaded with unprofitable enterprises, which -they, in turn, unloaded, in part, upon Constable, thus -contributing one of the causes of the latter's downfall. -Another weakness of James Ballantyne, who was an -excellent printer and in many ways an exemplary man, -was his distaste for figures and utter indifference to his -balance-sheets—a fatal error for a business man. -</p> - -<p> -John Ballantyne, a younger brother of James, was -a light-headed, happy-go-lucky, careless little fellow, -who could amuse a company of friends with comic -songs and droll mimicry, who loved all kinds of sports, -drove a tandem down the Canongate, was fond of -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P404"></a>404}</span> -dissipation and gay company, and without the slightest -capacity for business or interest in it. Like his brother -he was intensely fond of Scott and loyal to him, but a -reckless adventurer and spendthrift. Scott nicknamed -him 'Rigdumfunnidos' and was always amused by him, -but could scarcely have had respect for his business -qualities. It must always remain a mystery why he -entrusted so large an interest in his own fortunes to -such a weakling. -</p> - -<p> -An alliance, and, what is worse, a secret one, with two -such men, who could not in any sense act as a brake -upon Scott's own impulses nor steady him with the -business experience which he sadly lacked, was mistake -enough; but Scott himself committed a serious error in -his own affairs. He fell into the habit of selling his -literary productions before they were written, and carried -this folly to such an extreme that about the time of the -issue of 'The Fortunes of Nigel,' he had received -payment, by notes, from the bookseller, for no less than -four works of fiction, which at that time had not even -been planned. They subsequently appeared as 'Peveril -of the Peak,' 'Quentin Durward,' 'St. Ronan's Well,' -and 'Redgauntlet.' The proceeds were spent upon the -castle at Abbotsford before the books were even named. -John Ballantyne was rapidly spending money which his -firm had not earned, and Scott, who ought to have -remonstrated against such rashness, was committing the -same fault on a larger scale. Under the circumstances -the only wonder is that the disaster was so long averted. -When it came, Scott found himself involved in the debts -of the Ballantynes to the extent of £117,000. -</p> - -<p class="capcenter"> -<a id="img-404"></a> -<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-404.jpg" alt="SCOTT MONUMENT, EDINBURGH" /> -<br /> -SCOTT MONUMENT, EDINBURGH -</p> - -<p> -With superb courage he rose to the emergency. -<span class="pagenum">{<a id="P405"></a>405}</span> -Assuming the entire burden, and struggling against -almost insuperable difficulties, he succeeded in paying -£63,000, or considerably more than half of the indebtedness. -Life insurance of £22,000 and £2000 in the hands -of his trustees reduced the debt to about £30,000, which -sum was advanced by Cadell, the publisher. All the -creditors, except the latter, were then paid in full, and -in 1847, fifteen years after Scott's death, Cadell was -paid by a transfer of copyrights and the entire obligation -was thus finally extinguished. -</p> - -<p> -Had Scott died at the time of the Constable failure, -leaving his affairs to be settled by the ordinary process -of the law, and the Ballantyne creditors unpaid, the -world would never have known whether the unprecedented -success of his literary labours was after all quite -sufficient to counterbalance the disastrous failure of his -business affairs. -</p> - -<p> -The catastrophe, however, brought out all the sterling -qualities of his character. How much courage he -possessed, what a high sense of honour, what patience, -what endurance, even his closest friends had never -realized. Just as those kindly personal qualities had -woven an indescribable charm into the products of his -fancy, such as no other series of writings had ever before -possessed, so the highest and noblest traits of his -character responded to the call of a great emergency, and -converted the failures of a lifetime into a final triumph. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> -THE END -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap32"></a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">{<a id="P407"></a>407}</span></p> - -<h3> -INDEX -</h3> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -ABBOT, THE, <a href="#P4">4</a>, <a href="#P10">10</a>, <a href="#P265">265-271</a>; <a href="#P348">348</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Abbotsford, <a href="#P39">39</a>, <a href="#P46">46</a>, <a href="#P89">89</a>, <a href="#P90">90</a>, <a href="#P133">133</a>, <a href="#P146">146</a>, <a href="#P220">220</a>, -<a href="#P233">233</a>, <a href="#P346">346</a>, <a href="#P352">352</a>, <a href="#P360">360</a>, <a href="#P376">376</a>, <a href="#P394">394</a>, <a href="#P396">396</a>, <a href="#P397">397</a>, -<a href="#P398">398</a>, <a href="#P399">399</a>, <a href="#P401">401</a>, <a href="#P402">402</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Abercorn, Lady, letter to, <a href="#P22">22</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Abercrombie, George, <a href="#P119">119</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Aberfoyle, <a href="#P74">74</a>; clachan of, <a href="#P192">192</a>, <a href="#P193">193</a>; <a href="#P194">194</a>; -old bridge, <a href="#P193">193</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Adam, Rt. Hon. William, <a href="#P267">267</a>, <a href="#P268">268</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Albany, Duke of, <a href="#P381">381</a>, <a href="#P384">384</a>, <a href="#P385">385</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Allan-Fraser, Patrick, <a href="#P154">154</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Allan, the river, <a href="#P259">259</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Alsatia (Whitefriars), <a href="#P323">323</a>, <a href="#P324">324</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Amboglanna, <a href="#P136">136</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Annan, <a href="#P357">357</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Annan, the river, <a href="#P359">359</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN, <a href="#P391">391</a>, <a href="#P392">392</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Anne, Queen, <a href="#P374">374</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -ANTIQUARY, THE, <a href="#P145">145-159</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Arbroath, <a href="#P151">151-155</a>; <a href="#P158">158</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Argyle, John, Duke of, <a href="#P202">202</a>, <a href="#P207">207</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Argyle, Marquis of, <a href="#P225">225</a>, <a href="#P226">226</a>, <a href="#P227">227</a>, <a href="#P228">228</a>, <a href="#P231">231</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Arthur's Seat, <a href="#P8">8</a>, <a href="#P60">60</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ashby de la Zouch, <a href="#P234">234</a>, <a href="#P235">235</a>, <a href="#P236">236</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ashestiel, <a href="#P48">48</a>, <a href="#P62">62</a>, <a href="#P106">106</a>, <a href="#P346">346</a>, <a href="#P352">352</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Auchmithie, <a href="#P155">155</a>, <a href="#P158">158</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Avon, the river, <a href="#P283">283</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Baiglie, the Wicks of, <a href="#P10">10</a>, <a href="#P378">378</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bailie, Joanna, letter to, <a href="#P366">366</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Balfour, John, of Burley, <a href="#P169">169</a>, <a href="#P177">177</a>, <a href="#P178">178</a>, <a href="#P179">179</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Baliol, Barnard, founder of Barnard Castle, <a href="#P88">88</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ballantyne, James, <a href="#P5">5</a>, <a href="#P106">106</a>, <a href="#P365">365</a>, <a href="#P372">372</a>, <a href="#P391">391</a>, -<a href="#P392">392</a>, <a href="#P403">403</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ballantyne, John, <a href="#P5">5</a>, <a href="#P273">273</a>, <a href="#P372">372</a>, <a href="#P403">403</a>, <a href="#P404">404</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Balmawhapple, <a href="#P124">124</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Balquhidder, Kirk of, <a href="#P188">188</a>, <a href="#P189">189</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Balue, Cardinal John de la, <a href="#P234">234</a>, <a href="#P343">343</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bannockburn, <a href="#P81">81</a>, <a href="#P104">104</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bard's Incantation, The, <a href="#P159">159</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Barnard Castle, <a href="#P86">86-88</a>, <a href="#P92">92</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Beaton, Cardinal, <a href="#P155">155</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Becket, Thomas à, <a href="#P373">373</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bemerside Heights, <a href="#P352">352</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ben An, <a href="#P12">12</a>, <a href="#P76">76</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ben Ledi, <a href="#P12">12</a>, <a href="#P73">73</a>, <a href="#P77">77</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ben Lomond, <a href="#P12">12</a>, <a href="#P193">193</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ben Nevis, <a href="#P233">233</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ben Venue, <a href="#P12">12</a>, <a href="#P74">74</a>, <a href="#P76">76</a>, <a href="#P78">78</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -BETROTHED, THE, <a href="#P365">365-369</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Birnam Wood, <a href="#P380">380</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bishop's Palace, the, Kirkwall, <a href="#P307">307</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Blackford Hill, <a href="#P8">8</a>, <a href="#P57">57</a>, <a href="#P59">59</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Black Ormiston, the Laird of, original of -Julian Avenel, <a href="#P261">261</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Blackwood, William, criticism by, of <i>The -Black Dwarf</i>, <a href="#P165">165</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Blair Adam Club, The, <a href="#P267">267</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -BLACK DWARF, THE, <a href="#P15">15</a>, <a href="#P160">160-165</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Blenheim, battle of, <a href="#P374">374</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Blenheim Palace, <a href="#P373">373-375</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bohun, Sir Henry de, <a href="#P104">104</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Border Minstrelsy, <a href="#P52">52</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Borthwick, the river, <a href="#P35">35</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bothwell Bridge, <a href="#P168">168</a>, <a href="#P170">170</a>, <a href="#P171">171</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bothwell Castle, <a href="#P172">172</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bower, Johnny, guide at Melrose, <a href="#P41">41</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bowhill, seat of the Duke of Buccleuch, <a href="#P35">35</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bowness, <a href="#P357">357</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bradwardine, Bears of, <a href="#P107">107</a>, <a href="#P109">109</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bradwardine, Cosmo Comyne, <a href="#P118">118</a>, <a href="#P123">123</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bradwardine, Rose, <a href="#P113">113</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Braes of Balquhidder, <a href="#P11">11</a>, <a href="#P66">66</a>, <a href="#P78">78</a>, <a href="#P186">186</a>, <a href="#P187">187</a>, <a href="#P196">196</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Branksome Hall, <a href="#P37">37</a>, <a href="#P43">43</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Branxton Hill, <a href="#P7">7</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -BRIDAL OF TRIERMAIN, THE, <a href="#P16">16</a>, <a href="#P20">20</a>, <a href="#P21">21</a>, <a href="#P91">91</a>, -<a href="#P96">96-99</a>; <a href="#P104">104</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -BRIDE OF LAMMERMOOR, THE, <a href="#P215">215-223</a>; <a href="#P190">190</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Brignall Woods, <a href="#P91">91</a>, <a href="#P92">92</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Brig o' Turk, <a href="#P71">71</a>, <a href="#P74">74</a>, <a href="#P77">77</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Brogar, Bridge of, <a href="#P310">310</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Brown Square, <a href="#P9">9</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bruce, John, discoveries of, in Kinrossness, -Shetland, <a href="#P208">208</a>, <a href="#P209">209</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bruce, Robert, <a href="#P40">40</a>, <a href="#P80">80</a>, <a href="#P101">101</a>, <a href="#P102">102</a>, <a href="#P103">103</a>, <a href="#P124">124</a>, -<a href="#P129">129</a>, <a href="#P152">152</a>, <a href="#P191">191</a>, <a href="#P230">230</a>, <a href="#P262">262</a>, <a href="#P304">304</a>, <a href="#P332">332</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Bryant, William Cullen, quoted, <a href="#P164">164</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Buccleuch, Duchess of (Countess of Dalkeith), <a href="#P31">31</a>, <a href="#P32">32</a>, <a href="#P34">34</a>, <a href="#P46">46</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Buccleuch, Duke of, <a href="#P32">32</a>; <a href="#P35">35</a>; <a href="#P46">46</a>; <a href="#P49">49</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Buchanan, Francis, <a href="#P120">120</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Buchanan, John, <a href="#P72">72</a>, <a href="#P120">120</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Burgh-upon-Sands, <a href="#P358">358</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Burns, Robert, <a href="#P126">126</a>, <a href="#P142">142</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Byron, Lord, <a href="#P104">104</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Cadell, Robert, <a href="#P392">392</a>, <a href="#P405">405</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cadyow Castle, <a href="#P30">30</a>; quotation, <a href="#P31">31</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Caerlaverock Castle, <a href="#P127">127-129</a>, <a href="#P135">135</a>, <a href="#P357">357</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Caerlaverock Churchyard, grave of Old Mortality, <a href="#P167">167</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Calton Hill, <a href="#P60">60</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cambus Kenneth, <a href="#P80">80</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cambusmore, <a href="#P72">72</a>, <a href="#P120">120</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Campbell, Robert MacGregor, original of -Rob Roy, exploits of, <a href="#P182">182-188</a>; death of, <a href="#P189">189</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Campsie Linn, <a href="#P110">110</a>, <a href="#P383">383</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Canongate, The, Edinburgh, <a href="#P209">209</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cargill, George, original of Saunders -Mucklebackit, <a href="#P156">156</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Carlisle, <a href="#P21">21</a>, <a href="#P121">121</a>, <a href="#P357">357</a>, <a href="#P358">358</a>, <a href="#P362">362</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Caroline, Queen, <a href="#P204">204</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Carpenter, Miss Charlotte Margaret. <i>See</i> -Lady Scott. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Carrick, Margaret, original of Tib Mumps, -<a href="#P137">137</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Castell Coch, Wales, <a href="#P368">368</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Castell Dinas Bran, <a href="#P367">367</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -CASTLE DANGEROUS, <a href="#P190">190</a>, <a href="#P393">393</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Castle Street, Edinburgh, Number <a href="#P39">39</a>, -Scott's residence, <a href="#P346">346</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Castleton, <a href="#P328">328</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cat Castle rocks, <a href="#P94">94</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cathcart Castle, <a href="#P271">271</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Chambers, Robert, quoted, <a href="#P202">202</a>, <a href="#P204">204</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Chambers, William, quoted, <a href="#P163">163</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Charles I, <a href="#P90">90</a>, <a href="#P225">225</a>, <a href="#P233">233</a>, <a href="#P319">319</a>, <a href="#P322">322</a>, <a href="#P326">326</a>, <a href="#P374">374</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Charles II, <a href="#P184">184</a>, <a href="#P242">242</a>, <a href="#P325">325</a>, <a href="#P326">326</a>, <a href="#P330">330</a>, <a href="#P332">332</a>, -<a href="#P334">334</a>, <a href="#P335">335</a>, <a href="#P376">376</a>, <a href="#P385">385</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Charles of Burgundy, <a href="#P338">338</a>, <a href="#P343">343</a>, <a href="#P344">344</a>, <a href="#P345">345</a>, <a href="#P392">392</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Chaucer, <a href="#P374">374</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Chillingham Castle, <a href="#P189">189-190</a>, <a href="#P191">191</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Christian, William (William Dhône), <a href="#P332">332</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -CHRONICLES OF THE CANONGATE, THE, <a href="#P387">387-394</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Churchill, John, Duke of Marlborough, <a href="#P374">374</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Clare, Lady, <a href="#P61">61</a>, <a href="#P63">63</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Claverhouse, John Grahame of, <a href="#P170">170</a>, <a href="#P171">171</a>, <a href="#P179">179</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cleikum Inn, <a href="#P350">350</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Clerk, William, original of Darsie Latimer, -<a href="#P9">9</a>, <a href="#P110">110</a>, <a href="#P267">267</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Clickimin (<i>Cleik-him-in</i>), Pictish broch, <a href="#P298">298</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Clifford Tower, <a href="#P250">250</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cluden, the river, <a href="#P126">126</a>, <a href="#P205">205</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Clyde, the river, <a href="#P172">172</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Coldingham Abbey, <a href="#P56">56</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Coldingham Priory, <a href="#P222">222</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Coldstream, <a href="#P7">7</a>, <a href="#P61">61</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Colmslie, <a href="#P260">260</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Comines, Philippe de, <a href="#P341">341</a>, <a href="#P345">345</a>, <a href="#P392">392</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Coningsburgh, Castle of, <a href="#P246">246</a>, <a href="#P247">247</a>, <a href="#P248">248</a>, <a href="#P249">249</a>, <a href="#P250">250</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Constable, Archibald, <a href="#P272">272</a>, <a href="#P372">372</a>, <a href="#P403">403</a>, <a href="#P404">404</a>, <a href="#P405">405</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Constable, George, original of Monkbarns, -<a href="#P4">4</a>, <a href="#P147">147</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Constance de Beverly, <a href="#P54">54-56</a>, <a href="#P64">64</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Corehouse, Lord, <a href="#P42">42</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Corra Linn, <a href="#P172">172</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -COUNT ROBERT OF PARIS, <a href="#P392">392</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cragg Force, <a href="#P94">94</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Craighall, <a href="#P12">12</a>, <a href="#P110">110</a>, <a href="#P111">111</a>, <a href="#P112">112</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Craignethan Castle, original of Tillietudlem, <a href="#P172">172-175</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Craigroyston, <a href="#P185">185</a>, <a href="#P186">186</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cranstoun (Lord Corehouse), original of -the Baron of Cranstoun, <a href="#P42">42</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cranstoun, Miss (The Countess of Purgstall), <a href="#P190">190</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Crichope Linn, <a href="#P177">177</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Crichton Castle, <a href="#P56">56-58</a>, <a href="#P221">221</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cromwell, Oliver, <a href="#P241">241</a>, <a href="#P374">374</a>, <a href="#P376">376</a>, <a href="#P377">377</a>, <a href="#P385">385</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Crookston Castle, <a href="#P270">270</a>, <a href="#P271">271</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Crosbie, Andrew, original of Paulas Pleydell, <a href="#P141">141</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Culloden, battle of, <a href="#P116">116</a>, <a href="#P122">122</a>, <a href="#P123">123</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cumberland, <a href="#P135">135</a>, <a href="#P136">136</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cumnor Church, <a href="#P279">279</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cumnor Hall, <a href="#P272">272</a>, <a href="#P273">273</a>, <a href="#P276">276</a>, <a href="#P277">277</a>, <a href="#P278">278</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Cumnor, the village, <a href="#P273">273</a>, <a href="#P281">281</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Curle, James, <a href="#P396">396</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Dacre, Thomas, Lord, <a href="#P20">20</a>, <a href="#P43">43</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Daim, Oliver le, <a href="#P342">342</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dalgetty, old soldier, <a href="#P114">114</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dairymple, James, Lord Stair, original of -Sir William Ashton, <a href="#P215">215</a>, <a href="#P216">216</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dalzell, General, <a href="#P179">179</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Darnley, Henry, Lord, husband of Mary -Queen of Scots, <a href="#P267">267</a>, <a href="#P271">271</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -David I, <a href="#P380">380</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -David II, son of Robert Bruce, <a href="#P183">183</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -David Deans, house of, <a href="#P212">212</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Davidson, James, original of Dandie -Dinmont, <a href="#P137">137</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dee, river in Wales, <a href="#P367">367</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Deepdale, <a href="#P94">94</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Derby, Countess of (Charlotte de la -Tremouille), <a href="#P332">332</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Derby, Earls of, <a href="#P332">332</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Derbyshire, <a href="#P328">328</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Devil's Beef Tub, <a href="#P361">361</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dirk Hatteraick's cave, <a href="#P131">131</a>, <a href="#P132">132</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dods, Mrs. Margaret, <a href="#P350">350</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Don, the river, <a href="#P247">247</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Douglas, George, <a href="#P269">269</a>, <a href="#P270">270</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Douglas, Lady, <a href="#P269">269</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Douglas, 'The Little,' original of Roland -Graeme, <a href="#P270">270</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Douglas, Sir William, <a href="#P269">269</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Douglas, village of, <a href="#P393">393</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Doune Castle, <a href="#P12">12</a>, <a href="#P80">80</a>, <a href="#P120">120</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Driver, Counsellor Pleydell's clerk, <a href="#P142">142</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Drumclog, battle of, <a href="#P170">170</a>, <a href="#P171">171</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dryburgh Abbey, <a href="#P304">304</a>, <a href="#P352">352</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dryhope, <a href="#P35">35</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dudley, Edmund, <a href="#P325">325</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dudley, Guildford, <a href="#P274">274</a>, <a href="#P325">325</a>, <a href="#P326">326</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dudley, John, Earl of Warwick and Duke -of Northumberland, <a href="#P274">274</a>, <a href="#P277">277</a>, <a href="#P281">281</a>, <a href="#P325">325</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dudley, Robert. <i>See</i> Leicester. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dugald Ciar Mohr, ancestor of Rob Roy, <a href="#P183">183</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dumbarton, <a href="#P172">172</a>, <a href="#P270">270</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dumbiedykes, <a href="#P212">212</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dumfries, <a href="#P126">126</a>, <a href="#P127">127</a>, <a href="#P130">130</a>, <a href="#P131">131</a>, <a href="#P135">135</a>, <a href="#P191">191</a>. -Maxwelltown observatory, <a href="#P166">166</a>; the -Mid Steeple, <a href="#P205">205</a>; Church of Kirkpatrick -Irongray, <a href="#P207">207</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Duncan, Rev. Dr., <a href="#P353">353</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Duncraggin, <a href="#P77">77</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dundrennan Abbey, <a href="#P270">270</a>, <a href="#P360">360</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dunfermline, the Abbey, <a href="#P40">40</a>, <a href="#P304">304</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dunottar, Scott's meeting with Old Mortality, <a href="#P167">167</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dunstaffnage, <a href="#P230">230</a>, <a href="#P231">231</a>, <a href="#P232">232</a>, <a href="#P379">379</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Dwarfie Stone, the, <a href="#P312">312</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Earl's Palace, the, Kirkwall, <a href="#P307">307</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Edinburgh, <a href="#P7">7</a>, <a href="#P8">8</a>. -The Old Town, <a href="#P9">9</a>, <a href="#P10">10</a>; Brown Square, -<a href="#P9">9</a>; High Street, <a href="#P141">141</a>; Parliament Square, -<a href="#P190">190-202</a>; St. Giles, <a href="#P60">60</a>, <a href="#P109">109-203</a>; Tolbooth, -<a href="#P9">9</a>, <a href="#P200">200-205</a>, <a href="#P233">233</a>; Advocates' Library, <a href="#P200">200</a>; -Grassmarket, <a href="#P203">203</a>, <a href="#P204">204</a>; King's Park, <a href="#P209">209</a>, -<a href="#P212">212</a>; Canongate, <a href="#P209">209</a>, <a href="#P266">266</a>; Salisbury Crags, -<a href="#P7">7</a>, <a href="#P8">8</a>, <a href="#P60">60</a>, <a href="#P210">210</a>, <a href="#P389">389</a>; Queensbury House, -<a href="#P266">266</a>; the Castle, <a href="#P346">346</a>; Castle St., <a href="#P346">346</a>; -St. Cuthbert's Church, <a href="#P114">114</a>; St. Leonard's -Crags, <a href="#P8">8</a>, <a href="#P212">212</a>; the Cowgate, <a href="#P201">201</a>; West Bow, -<a href="#P201">201</a>; St. Anthony's Chapel, <a href="#P8">8</a>, <a href="#P210">210</a>, <a href="#P211">211</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Edward I, <a href="#P129">129</a>, <a href="#P191">191</a>, <a href="#P231">231</a>, <a href="#P324">324</a>, <a href="#P358">358</a>, <a href="#P379">379</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Edward III, <a href="#P374">374</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Edward IV, <a href="#P235">235</a>, <a href="#P240">240</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Edward VI, <a href="#P274">274</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Egliston Abbey, <a href="#P92">92</a>, <a href="#P93">93</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Eildon Hills, the, <a href="#P38">38</a>, <a href="#P347">347</a>, <a href="#P352">352</a>, <a href="#P396">396</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Elibank, <a href="#P36">36</a>, <a href="#P49">49</a>, <a href="#P106">106</a>, <a href="#P139">139</a>, <a href="#P332">332</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Elizabeth, Queen, <a href="#P272">272</a>, <a href="#P273">273</a>, <a href="#P274">274</a>, <a href="#P275">275</a>, <a href="#P286">286</a>, -<a href="#P287">287</a>, <a href="#P321">321</a>, <a href="#P326">326</a>, <a href="#P332">332</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ellen's Isle, <a href="#P69">69</a>, <a href="#P76">76</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ellis, George, <a href="#P32">32</a>, <a href="#P52">52</a>, <a href="#P96">96</a>; quoted, <a href="#P61">61</a>, <a href="#P64">64</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Emerson, Ralph Waldo, opinion of <i>The -Bride of Lammermoor</i>, quoted, <a href="#P215">215</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -English Lakes, the, <a href="#P15">15</a>, <a href="#P16">16</a>, <a href="#P96">96</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Engaddi, <a href="#P369">369</a>, <a href="#P370">370</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Erskine, Rev. John, <a href="#P10">10</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Erskine, William, <a href="#P51">51</a>, <a href="#P96">96</a>, <a href="#P375">375</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Esk, vale of the. <i>See</i> Roslin Glen. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Etal Castle, <a href="#P62">62</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ethie Castle, <a href="#P154">154</a>, <a href="#P155">155</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ettrick Forest, <a href="#P47">47</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ettrick, the river, <a href="#P175">175</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -EVE OF ST. JOHN, THE, <a href="#P3">3</a>, <a href="#P30">30</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Eyemouth, <a href="#P222">222</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Faa, Gabriel (Tod Gabbie), <a href="#P138">138</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -FAIR MAID OF PERTH, THE, <a href="#P11">11</a>, <a href="#P378">378-386</a>; -house of, <a href="#P382">382</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Fairy Dean, <a href="#P259">259</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Falkland Castle, <a href="#P383">383</a>, <a href="#P384">384</a>, <a href="#P385">385</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Fast Castle, <a href="#P220">220</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Feckless Fannie, original of Madge Wildfire, <a href="#P213">213</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ferguson, Dr. Adam, <a href="#P15">15</a>, <a href="#P160">160</a>, <a href="#P162">162</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ferguson, Sir Adam, <a href="#P15">15</a>, <a href="#P16">16</a>, <a href="#P81">81</a>, <a href="#P267">267</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -FIELD OF WATERLOO, THE, <a href="#P104">104</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Fitful Head, the, <a href="#P300">300</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Fitz James. <i>See</i> James V. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Flodden Field, <a href="#P7">7</a>, <a href="#P53">53</a>, <a href="#P58">58</a>, <a href="#P61">61</a>, <a href="#P62">62</a>, <a href="#P64">64</a>, <a href="#P257">257</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -'Flower of Yarrow,' the, <a href="#P35">35</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Forbes, Sir William, <a href="#P18">18</a>, <a href="#P95">95</a>, <a href="#P389">389</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ford Castle, <a href="#P62">62</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Forth, the river, <a href="#P188">188</a>, <a href="#P192">192</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -FORTUNES OF NIGEL, THE, <a href="#P316">316-327</a>, <a href="#P404">404</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Fort William, <a href="#P231">231</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Foster, Anthony, <a href="#P274">274</a>, <a href="#P276">276</a>, <a href="#P279">279</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Fountains Abbey, <a href="#P243">243</a>, <a href="#P244">244</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Friar Tuck, <a href="#P237">237</a>, <a href="#P243">243</a>, <a href="#P252">252</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Gardiner, Colonel, <a href="#P4">4</a>, <a href="#P116">116</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Gauger's Loup, the, <a href="#P131">131</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Gemmels, Andrew, original of Edie Ochiltree, <a href="#P6">6</a>, <a href="#P148">148</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -George II, <a href="#P327">327</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -George V, <a href="#P231">231</a>, <a href="#P320">320</a>, <a href="#P323">323</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Gilmerton, <a href="#P280">280</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Gilsland, <a href="#P16">16</a>, <a href="#P20">20</a>, <a href="#P97">97</a>, <a href="#P136">136</a>, <a href="#P159">159</a>, <a href="#P349">349</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Glasgow-- -The Cathedral, <a href="#P191">191</a>, <a href="#P192">192</a>; the Tolbooth, -<a href="#P192">192</a>; the Salt Market, <a href="#P192">192</a>; the Trongate, -<a href="#P195">195</a>; Langside, <a href="#P270">270</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Glencaple, <a href="#P127">127</a>, <a href="#P357">357</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Glendearg, <a href="#P259">259</a>, <a href="#P260">260</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Glen Finglas, <a href="#P74">74</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -GLENFINLAS, <a href="#P30">30</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Glenfruin, battle of, <a href="#P183">183</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Glengarry. <i>See</i> MacDonnel. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Gloucester, Cathedral of, <a href="#P369">369</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Goblin Cave, the, <a href="#P78">78</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Goldie, Mrs., <a href="#P207">207</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Gordon, Jean, original of Meg Merrilies, -<a href="#P6">6</a>, <a href="#P7">7</a>, <a href="#P138">138</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Gordon, Madge, Queen of the Gipsies, <a href="#P6">6</a>, <a href="#P138">138</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Gow, John, original of Cleveland, <a href="#P313">313</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Gowrie Conspiracy, <a href="#P221">221</a>, <a href="#P385">385</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Grahame, John. <i>See</i> Claverhouse. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Graham of Killearn, <a href="#P186">186-187</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Grassmarket, Edinburgh, <a href="#P203">203</a>, <a href="#P204">204</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Gratz, Rebecca, original of Rebecca, <a href="#P252">252</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -GRAY BROTHER, THE, <a href="#P30">30</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Gray, Daft Jock, original of Davie Gellatley, <a href="#P118">118</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Grandtully Castle, <a href="#P13">13</a>, <a href="#P109">109</a>, <a href="#P111">111</a>, <a href="#P112">112</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Greenwich Palace, called Placentia, <a href="#P326">326</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Greta, the river, <a href="#P89">89</a>, <a href="#P91">91</a>, <a href="#P94">94</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Grey, Lady Jane, <a href="#P274">274</a>, <a href="#P325">325</a>, <a href="#P326">326</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Grey Mare's Tail, <a href="#P176">176</a>, <a href="#P177">177</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Grierson of Lag, <a href="#P361">361</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -GUY MANNERING, <a href="#P126">126-144</a>; scenes from, -in Edinburgh, <a href="#P10">10</a>; Liddesdale, <a href="#P15">15</a>; England, <a href="#P16">16</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Guy's Cliffe, <a href="#P281">281</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Gwenwynwyn, Welsh hero, <a href="#P368">368</a>, <a href="#P369">369</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Haddon Hall, <a href="#P329">329</a>, <a href="#P330">330</a>, <a href="#P331">331</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Hall, Captain Basil, <a href="#P399">399</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Kailyards, residence of Dr. Adam Ferguson, <a href="#P160">160</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Hal o' the Wynd, house of, <a href="#P382">382</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Harden, <a href="#P35">35</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Harden, Wat of, <a href="#P106">106</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -HAROLD THE DAUNTLESS, <a href="#P104">104</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Harthill, site of Front-de-Boeuf's castle, <a href="#P239">239</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Hastings, William, Lord, <a href="#P235">235</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Hawthornden, <a href="#P24">24</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Hawthorne, Nathaniel, his opinion of -Scotland, <a href="#P256">256</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN, THE, <a href="#P8">8</a>, <a href="#P199">199-214</a>, <a href="#P326">326</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Heber, Richard, <a href="#P52">52</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Henry I, <a href="#P373">373</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Henry II, <a href="#P329">329</a>, <a href="#P373">373</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Henry III, <a href="#P374">374</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Henry VII, <a href="#P240">240</a>, <a href="#P274">274</a>, <a href="#P335">335</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Henry VIII, <a href="#P244">244</a>, <a href="#P258">258</a>, <a href="#P321">321</a>, <a href="#P325">325</a>, <a href="#P326">326</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Heriot, George, <a href="#P318">318</a>, <a href="#P319">319</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Heron, Lady, <a href="#P60">60</a>, <a href="#P63">63</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Heron, Sir Hugh, <a href="#P7">7</a>, <a href="#P53">53</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Herries family, the, <a href="#P359">359-360</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -HIGHLAND WIDOW, THE, <a href="#P389">389</a>, <a href="#P390">390</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -High Street, Edinburgh, <a href="#P9">9</a>, <a href="#P141">141</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Hillslap, <a href="#P260">260</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Hoddam Castle, <a href="#P359">359</a>, <a href="#P360">360</a>, <a href="#P361">361</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Hogg, James, the Ettrick shepherd, <a href="#P26">26</a>, -<a href="#P139">139</a>, <a href="#P144">144</a>, <a href="#P176">176</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Holyrood Abbey, <a href="#P304">304</a>, <a href="#P381">381</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Holyrood Palace, <a href="#P10">10</a>, <a href="#P60">60</a>, <a href="#P112">112</a>, <a href="#P113">113</a>, <a href="#P209">209</a>, <a href="#P266">266</a>, <a href="#P267">267</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Hospitalfield, Arbroath, <a href="#P153">153</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Howard, Lord William ('Belted Will'), <a href="#P21">21</a>, -<a href="#P43">43</a>, <a href="#P331">331</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Hoy, Island of, <a href="#P312">312</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Hughes, Mrs., of Uffington, quoted, <a href="#P124">124</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Hutton, Richard H., quoted, <a href="#P64">64</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Innerleithen, <a href="#P349">349</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Inverary Castle, <a href="#P227">227</a>, <a href="#P231">231</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Inverlochy, battle of, <a href="#P226">226</a>, <a href="#P231">231-233</a>; Castle, <a href="#P232">232</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Inversnaid, <a href="#P119">119</a>; the fort, <a href="#P196">196</a>; the falls, <a href="#P197">197</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Iona, <a href="#P103">103</a>, <a href="#P231">231</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Irthing River, the, <a href="#P20">20</a>, <a href="#P97">97</a>, <a href="#P349">349</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Irving, John, <a href="#P7">7</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Irving, Washington, visit of, to Abbotsford, -<a href="#P252">252</a>, <a href="#P306">306</a>; Scott's letter to, <a href="#P253">253</a>; -quoted, <a href="#P41">41</a>, <a href="#P47">47</a>, <a href="#P145">145</a>, <a href="#P146">146</a>, <a href="#P347">347</a>, <a href="#P398">398</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -IVANHOE, <a href="#P234">234-254</a>, <a href="#P345">345</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -James I of Scotland, <a href="#P120">120</a>, <a href="#P129">129</a>, <a href="#P381">381</a>, <a href="#P385">385</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -James II of Scotland, <a href="#P83">83</a>, <a href="#P120">120</a>, <a href="#P381">381</a>, <a href="#P385">385</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -James III, <a href="#P58">58</a>, <a href="#P81">81</a>, <a href="#P120">120</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -James IV, <a href="#P53">53</a>, <a href="#P58">58</a>, <a href="#P59">59</a>, <a href="#P60">60</a>, <a href="#P63">63</a>, <a href="#P81">81</a>, <a href="#P120">120</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -James V, <a href="#P47">47</a>, <a href="#P58">58</a>, <a href="#P81">81</a>; as Fitz James, <a href="#P67">67</a>, <a href="#P75">75</a>, -<a href="#P79">79</a>, <a href="#P80">80</a>, <a href="#P84">84</a>; as 'Gudeman of Ballangeich,' -<a href="#P82">82</a>, <a href="#P129">129</a>, <a href="#P342">342</a>, <a href="#P385">385</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -James VI of Scotland (James I of England), -<a href="#P36">36</a>, <a href="#P82">82</a>, <a href="#P221">221</a>, <a href="#P233">233</a>, <a href="#P317">317-321</a>, <a href="#P324">324-327</a>, <a href="#P385">385</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -James VIII, the 'Old Pretender,' <a href="#P113">113</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Jarlshof, Shetland Islands, <a href="#P294">294</a>, <a href="#P298">298</a>, <a href="#P299">299</a>, -<a href="#P300">300</a>, <a href="#P308">308</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Jedburgh, <a href="#P14">14</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Jeffrey, Lord, <a href="#P96">96</a>; quoted, <a href="#P64">64</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Jervaulx Abbey, <a href="#P242">242</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -John, King, <a href="#P235">235</a>, <a href="#P242">242</a>, <a href="#P251">251</a>, <a href="#P374">374</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Jones, Paul, <a href="#P130">130</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Keith, Mrs. Murray, original of Mrs. Bethune Baliol, <a href="#P300">300</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Keith, Sir Alexander, <a href="#P109">109</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Kelso, <a href="#P5">5</a>, <a href="#P6">6</a>, <a href="#P7">7</a>, <a href="#P26">26</a>, <a href="#P150">150</a>, <a href="#P353">353</a>, <a href="#P358">358</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -KENILWORTH, <a href="#P272">272-289</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Kenilworth Castle, <a href="#P273">273</a>, <a href="#P275">275</a>, <a href="#P277">277</a>, <a href="#P281">281</a>, <a href="#P283">283</a>, -<a href="#P288">288</a>, <a href="#P289">289</a>. -Mortimer's Tower, <a href="#P283">283</a>, <a href="#P284">284</a>, <a href="#P287">287</a>. -The Gallery Tower, <a href="#P283">283</a>, <a href="#P284">284</a>, <a href="#P286">286</a>. -Cæsar's Tower, <a href="#P284">284</a>. -Leicester's Building, <a href="#P284">284</a>. -Henry VIII's Lodgings, <a href="#P285">285</a>. -The White Hall, <a href="#P285">285</a>. -The Presence Chamber, <a href="#P285">285</a>. -The Great Hall, <a href="#P285">285</a>, <a href="#P287">287</a>. -Mervyn's Tower, <a href="#P286">286</a>, <a href="#P287">287</a>. -The Pleasance, <a href="#P287">287</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Kenneth MacAlpine, <a href="#P231">231</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Kilpont, Lord, original of the Earl of -Menteith, <a href="#P225">225-228</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Kilsyth, battle of, <a href="#P233">233</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Kinblethmont, <a href="#P158">158</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Kinfauns, Castle of, <a href="#P379">379</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Kinross, <a href="#P268">268</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Kirkcudbright, <a href="#P130">130</a>, <a href="#P131">131</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Kirk Yetholm, <a href="#P6">6</a>, <a href="#P138">138</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Kirkwall, capital of the Orkney Islands, -<a href="#P303">303-309</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Knox, John, <a href="#P267">267</a>, <a href="#P380">380</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -LADY OF THE LAKE, THE, <a href="#P12">12</a>, <a href="#P22">22</a>, <a href="#P23">23</a>, <a href="#P66">66-85</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lag, Castle of, <a href="#P361">361</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Laidlaw, William, <a href="#P347">347</a>, <a href="#P348">348</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lammermuir Hills, <a href="#P218">218</a>, <a href="#P221">221</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lanark, <a href="#P172">172</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lanercost Priory, <a href="#P20">20</a>, <a href="#P44">44</a>, <a href="#P97">97</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lang, Andrew, quoted, <a href="#P64">64</a>, <a href="#P214">214</a>, <a href="#P377">377</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Langshaw, <a href="#P260">260</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Langside, battle of, <a href="#P270">270</a>, <a href="#P271">271</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lasswade Cottage, <a href="#P22">22</a>, <a href="#P25">25</a>, <a href="#P45">45</a>, <a href="#P346">346</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lauderdale, Duke of, <a href="#P179">179</a>, <a href="#P180">180</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lanrick Mead, <a href="#P71">71</a>, <a href="#P77">77</a>, <a href="#P78">78</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -LAY OF THE LAST MINSTREL, THE, <a href="#P21">21</a>, <a href="#P28">28-46</a>, <a href="#P348">348</a>; quotation from, <a href="#P24">24</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lediard Falls, <a href="#P121">121</a>, <a href="#P195">195</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -LEGEND OF MONTROSE, A, <a href="#P4">4</a>, <a href="#P224">224-233</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Leicester, Earl of (Lord Robert Dudley), -<a href="#P273">273</a>, <a href="#P274">274</a>, <a href="#P275">275</a>, <a href="#P276">276</a>, <a href="#P277">277</a>, <a href="#P278">278</a>, <a href="#P280">280</a>, <a href="#P283">283</a>, -<a href="#P284">284</a>, <a href="#P285">285</a>, <a href="#P286">286</a>, <a href="#P287">287</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -<i>Leicester's Commonwealth</i>, anonymous pamphlet, <a href="#P276">276</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lennel, <a href="#P7">7</a>, <a href="#P61">61</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Leny, Falls of, <a href="#P229">229</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lerwick, capital of the Shetland Islands, -<a href="#P291">291-293</a>, <a href="#P296">296</a>, <a href="#P303">303</a>, <a href="#P311">311</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Leslie, General, <a href="#P225">225</a>, <a href="#P233">233</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Leyden, Dr. John, letter to, <a href="#P48">48</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Liddesdale, raids into, <a href="#P1">1</a>, <a href="#P14">14</a>, <a href="#P26">26</a>, <a href="#P137">137</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Liège, <a href="#P319">319</a>, <a href="#P343">343</a>, <a href="#P344">344</a>, <a href="#P345">345</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -LIFE OF NAPOLEON, <a href="#P372">372</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lincluden Abbey, <a href="#P126">126</a>, <a href="#P127">127</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lindisfarne Abbey, <a href="#P54">54-56</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lindsay, Sir David, <a href="#P56">56</a>, <a href="#P58">58</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Linlithgow, <a href="#P58">58</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Llangollen, Wales, <a href="#P366">366</a>, <a href="#P367">367</a>; the 'Ladies' of, -<a href="#P367">367</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Achray, <a href="#P12">12</a>, <a href="#P74">74</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Ard, <a href="#P74">74</a>, <a href="#P192">192</a>, <a href="#P194">194</a>, <a href="#P195">195</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Arklet, <a href="#P196">196</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Corriskin, <a href="#P100">100</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Doine, <a href="#P78">78</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Fyne, <a href="#P231">231</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch of Harray, <a href="#P310">310</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Katrine, <a href="#P11">11</a>, <a href="#P12">12</a>, <a href="#P66">66</a>, <a href="#P71">71</a>, <a href="#P74">74</a>, <a href="#P76">76</a>, <a href="#P78">78</a>, -<a href="#P101">101</a>, <a href="#P184">184</a>, <a href="#P187">187</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Leven Castle, <a href="#P267">267</a>, <a href="#P268">268</a>, <a href="#P269">269</a>, <a href="#P359">359</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Linnhe, <a href="#P226">226</a>, <a href="#P230">230</a>, <a href="#P231">231</a>, <a href="#P232">232</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Lomond, <a href="#P12">12</a>, <a href="#P119">119</a>, <a href="#P120">120</a>, <a href="#P183">183-185</a>, <a href="#P196">196</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch of the Lowes, <a href="#P175">175</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Lubnaig, <a href="#P77">77</a>, <a href="#P78">78</a>, <a href="#P193">193</a>, <a href="#P229">229</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Oich, <a href="#P123">123</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Scavig, <a href="#P102">102</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Skene, <a href="#P176">176</a>, <a href="#P177">177</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch of Sleapin, <a href="#P102">102</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch of Stennis, <a href="#P310">310</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Tay, <a href="#P379">379</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Vennachar, <a href="#P12">12</a>, <a href="#P71">71</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loch Voil, <a href="#P78">78</a>, <a href="#P189">189</a>, <a href="#P196">196</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Loches, Castle of, <a href="#P341">341</a>, <a href="#P342">342</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lockhart, John Gibson, <a href="#P97">97</a>, <a href="#P347">347</a>, <a href="#P400">400</a>; -quoted, <a href="#P48">48</a>, <a href="#P64">64</a>, <a href="#P214">214</a>, <a href="#P253">253</a>, <a href="#P317">317</a>, <a href="#P336">336</a>, <a href="#P366">366</a>, -<a href="#P371">371</a>, <a href="#P372">372</a>, <a href="#P377">377</a>, <a href="#P391">391</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -London, <a href="#P316">316</a>, <a href="#P317">317</a>, <a href="#P320">320</a>, <a href="#P327">327</a>, <a href="#P334">334</a>, <a href="#P335">335</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -London Bridge, <a href="#P325">325</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -LORD OF THE ISLES, THE, <a href="#P100">100-105</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Louis XI of France, <a href="#P338">338</a>, <a href="#P339">339</a>, <a href="#P340">340</a>, <a href="#P341">341</a>, <a href="#P343">343</a>, -<a href="#P344">344</a>, <a href="#P345">345</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Lyulph's Tower, <a href="#P98">98</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Macallister's Cave, <a href="#P102">102</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -MacDonald, Flora, original of Flora MacIvor, <a href="#P122">122</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -MacDonnel, Colonel Ronaldson, of Glengarry, <a href="#P123">123</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -MacGregor, Clan, <a href="#P182">182-184</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -MacGregor, Helen, Rob Roy's wife, <a href="#P195">195</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Mackay, Charles, <a href="#P198">198</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -MacVicar, Minister of St. Cuthbert's, <a href="#P114">114</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Maida, Scott's favourite dog, <a href="#P123">123</a>, note; -<a href="#P371">371-375</a>, <a href="#P398">398</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Major Oak, the, in Sherwood Forest, <a href="#P239">239-240</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -'Making' of Sir Walter, the, <a href="#P1">1-27</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Malcolm Graeme, <a href="#P68">68</a>, <a href="#P79">79</a>, <a href="#P84">84</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Man, Isle of, <a href="#P130">130</a>, <a href="#P331">331</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Manor Water, vale of, <a href="#P15">15</a>, <a href="#P160">160</a>, <a href="#P163">163</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Marck, William de la, <a href="#P342">342</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Margaret, Lady, of Branksome Hall, <a href="#P33">33</a>, -<a href="#P37">37</a>, <a href="#P41">41</a>, <a href="#P44">44</a> <a href="#P45">45</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -MARMION, <a href="#P7">7</a>, <a href="#P8">8</a>, <a href="#P20">20</a>, <a href="#P47">47-65</a>, <a href="#P353">353</a>; quotations -from, <a href="#P3">3</a>, <a href="#P8">8</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Marquis of Annandale's Beefstand, <a href="#P361">361</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Marriott, Rev. John, <a href="#P50">50</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Mary, Queen of England, <a href="#P274">274</a>, <a href="#P275">275</a>, <a href="#P326">326</a>, <a href="#P335">335</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Mary, Queen of Scots, <a href="#P58">58</a>, <a href="#P81">81</a>, <a href="#P265">265</a>, <a href="#P266">266</a>, -<a href="#P267">267</a>, <a href="#P268">268</a>, <a href="#P269">269</a>, <a href="#P270">270</a>, <a href="#P271">271</a>, <a href="#P272">272</a>, <a href="#P275">275</a>, <a href="#P359">359</a>, <a href="#P385">385</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Mathieson, Peter, <a href="#P399">399</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Mayburgh, <a href="#P98">98</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Meg Merrilies, <a href="#P131">131</a>, <a href="#P137">137</a>, <a href="#P138">138</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -'Meikle-mouthed Meg,' story of, <a href="#P36">36</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Melrose, <a href="#P33">33</a>, <a href="#P38">38-42</a>, <a href="#P45">45</a>, <a href="#P106">106</a>, <a href="#P255">255</a>, <a href="#P258">258</a>, <a href="#P265">265</a>, -<a href="#P266">266</a>, <a href="#P304">304</a>, <a href="#P347">347</a>, <a href="#P348">348</a>, <a href="#P352">352</a>, <a href="#P399">399</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Menteith, Lake, <a href="#P73">73</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Mercat Cross, of Melrose, <a href="#P261">261</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Middleham Castle, <a href="#P240">240</a>, <a href="#P241">241</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Miller, A. H., quoted, <a href="#P195">195</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Millie, Bessie, original of Norna of the -Fitful Head, <a href="#P313">313</a>, <a href="#P314">314</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -MINSTRELSY OF THE SCOTTISH BORDER, <a href="#P15">15</a>, -<a href="#P25">25</a>, <a href="#P29">29</a>, <a href="#P31">31</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Mitchell, Robert, <a href="#P169">169</a>, <a href="#P180">180</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Moddey Dhoo, legend of the, <a href="#P334">334</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Moffat, <a href="#P172">172</a>, <a href="#P175">175</a>, <a href="#P176">176</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Moffat Water, <a href="#P175">175</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -MONASTERY, THE, <a href="#P4">4</a>, <a href="#P255">255-264</a>, <a href="#P348">348</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Monkbarns (Hospitalfield), <a href="#P153">153</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Monmouth, Duke of, <a href="#P170">170</a>, <a href="#P171">171</a>, <a href="#P179">179</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Montrose, Duke of, <a href="#P182">182</a>, <a href="#P185">185</a>, <a href="#P187">187</a>, <a href="#P196">196</a>, <a href="#P202">202</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Montrose, the Marquis of, <a href="#P225">225</a>, <a href="#P226">226</a>, <a href="#P228">228</a>, -<a href="#P232">232</a>, <a href="#P233">233</a>; sword of, <a href="#P233">233</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Morritt, John B. S., <a href="#P89">89</a>, <a href="#P90">90</a>, <a href="#P91">91</a>, <a href="#P134">134</a>, <a href="#P197">197</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Mortham Castle, <a href="#P89">89</a>, <a href="#P94">94</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Morton, The Regent, <a href="#P202">202</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Mount Sharon, <a href="#P5">5</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Mousa, broch of, <a href="#P247">247</a>, <a href="#P300">300</a>, <a href="#P301">301</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Mucklebackit, Saunders, <a href="#P155">155-157</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Multon, Sir Thomas de, of Gilsland, <a href="#P21">21</a>, <a href="#P369">369</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Mump's Ha', <a href="#P136">136</a>, <a href="#P137">137</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Murdock, Duke of Albany, <a href="#P129">129</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Murray, Earl of, <a href="#P10">10</a>, <a href="#P30">30</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Murray, Sir Gideon, of Elibank, <a href="#P36">36</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Muschat's Cairn, Edinburgh, <a href="#P210">210</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Nasmyth, Sir James, <a href="#P162">162</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Naworth Castle, <a href="#P20">20</a>, <a href="#P43">43</a>, <a href="#P44">44</a>, <a href="#P231">231</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Neidpath Castle, <a href="#P351">351</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Nethan, the river, <a href="#P172">172</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Neville, Richard, Earl of Warwick, <a href="#P282">282</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Newark Castle, <a href="#P35">35</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Nith, the river, <a href="#P126">126</a>, <a href="#P127">127</a>, <a href="#P357">357</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Norham Castle, <a href="#P7">7</a>, <a href="#P53">53</a>, <a href="#P56">56</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Oakwood Tower, Stronghold of Wat of Harden, <a href="#P35">35</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Oban, <a href="#P230">230</a>, <a href="#P231">231</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ochil Mountains, <a href="#P59">59</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Odin, Stone of, <a href="#P311">311</a>, <a href="#P313">313</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -OLD MORTALITY, <a href="#P166">166-181</a>; Tennyson's -opinion of, <a href="#P167">167</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -ORIGINALS OF CHARACTERS-- -Alasco, an Italian physician employed -by the Earl of Leicester, <a href="#P277">277</a>. -Lucy Ashton, Janet Dalrymple, <a href="#P216">216</a>, <a href="#P217">217</a>. -Lady Ashton, Lady Stair, <a href="#P216">216</a>, <a href="#P217">217</a>. -Sir William Ashton, James Dalrymple, Lord Stair, <a href="#P215">215</a>, <a href="#P216">216</a>. -Julian Avenel, the Laird of Black Ormiston, <a href="#P261">261</a>. -Mrs. Bethune Baliol, Mrs. Murray Keith, <a href="#P300">300</a>. -Bevis, Maida, Scott's dog, <a href="#P123">123</a>, note; <a href="#P371">371-375</a>, <a href="#P398">398</a>. -The Black Dwarf, David Ritchie, <a href="#P160">160</a>. -Josiah Cargill, Rev. Dr. Duncan, <a href="#P353">353</a>. -Cleveland, John Gow, <a href="#P313">313</a>. -Baron Cranstoun, George Cranstoun, <a href="#P42">42</a>. -Effie Deans, Isabella Walker, <a href="#P205">205-208</a>. -Jeanie Deans, Helen Walker, <a href="#P205">205-208</a>. -Dandie Dinmont, James Davidson, -<a href="#P137">137</a>; Willie Elliott, <a href="#P137">137</a>; Mr. Laidlaw, <a href="#P137">137</a>. -Meg Dods, Marian Ritchie, <a href="#P350">350</a>. -Driver, a clerk of Andrew Crosbie's, <a href="#P142">142-143</a>. -Alan Fairford, Sir Walter Scott, <a href="#P9">9</a>, <a href="#P362">362</a>. -Saunders Fairford, Walter Scott, father of Sir Walter, <a href="#P9">9</a>, <a href="#P363">363</a>. -Rachel Geddes, 'Lady' Waldie, <a href="#P5">5</a>, <a href="#P358">358</a>. -Davie Gellatley, Daft Jock Gray, <a href="#P118">118</a>. -Roland Graeme, 'The Little Douglas,' <a href="#P270">270</a>. -Dr. Gideon Gray, Dr. Ebenezer Clarkson, <a href="#P391">391</a>. -Dirk Hatteraick, Yawkins, a Dutch skipper, <a href="#P131">131</a>. -Darsie Latimer, William Clerk, <a href="#P9">9</a>, <a href="#P362">362</a>. -Alice Lee, Anne Scott, <a href="#P376">376</a>. -Allan McAulay, James Stewart, <a href="#P227">227</a>, <a href="#P228">228</a>. -Flora MacIvor, Flora MacDonald, <a href="#P122">122</a>. -Colonel Mannering, Sir Walter Scott, <a href="#P144">144</a>. -Margaret of Branksome, Williamina Stuart, <a href="#P43">43</a>. -Matilda of Rokeby, Williamina Stuart, <a href="#P95">95</a>. -Earl of Menteith, Lord Kilpont, <a href="#P227">227</a>. -Meg Merrilies, Jean Gordon, <a href="#P6">6</a>, <a href="#P138">138</a>, <a href="#P148">148-151</a>. -Saunders Mucklebackit, George Cargill, <a href="#P156">156</a>. -Tib Mumps, Margaret Carrick, <a href="#P137">137</a>; Margaret Teasdale, <a href="#P137">137</a>. -Norna of the Fitful Head, Bessie Millie, <a href="#P313">313</a>. -Edie Ochiltree, Andrew Gemmels, <a href="#P6">6</a>. -Jonathan Oldbuck (Monkbarns), Sir -Walter Scott, <a href="#P4">4</a>, <a href="#P146">146</a>; George Constable, <a href="#P4">4</a>, <a href="#P147">147</a> -Old Mortality, Robert Paterson, <a href="#P166">166</a>. -Paulus Pleydell, Andrew Crosbie, <a href="#P141">141-142</a>; Adam Rolland, <a href="#P143">143</a>. -Rebecca of York, Rebecca Gratz, <a href="#P252">252</a>, <a href="#P253">253</a>. -Sir Robert Redgauntlet, Grierson of Lag, <a href="#P361">361</a>. -Hugh Redgauntlet, one of the Herries family, <a href="#P359">359</a>. -Rob Roy, Robert MacGregor Campbell, <a href="#P182">182</a>. -Dominie Sampson, George Thomson, <a href="#P140">140</a>. -Diana Vernon, Miss Cranstoun, <a href="#P190">190</a>; -Miss Williamina Stuart, <a href="#P191">191</a>; Lady Scott, <a href="#P191">191</a>. -Edward Waverley, Sir Walter Scott, <a href="#P125">125</a>. -Madge Wildfire, Feckless Fannie, <a href="#P213">213</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Orkney Islands, Scott's visit to, in a light-house yacht, <a href="#P100">100</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Osbaldistone Hall (Chillingham Castle), -<a href="#P189">189-190</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Oxford, University of, <a href="#P275">275</a>, <a href="#P276">276</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Paterson, Robert, original of Old Mortality, -<a href="#P166">166-168</a>, <a href="#P171">171</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Peat, description of, <a href="#P295">295-296</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Peebles, <a href="#P350">350</a>, <a href="#P331">331</a>, <a href="#P352">352</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Peel Castle, Isle of Man, <a href="#P333">333</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Penrith, <a href="#P98">98</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Péronne, <a href="#P319">319</a>, <a href="#P343">343</a>, <a href="#P344">344</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Perth, <a href="#P10">10</a>, <a href="#P109">109</a>, <a href="#P226">226</a>, <a href="#P231">231</a>, <a href="#P378">378-382</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Peveril Castle, <a href="#P328">328</a>, <a href="#P330">330</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -PEVERIL OF THE PEAK, <a href="#P328">328-336</a>, <a href="#P404">404</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Philiphaugh, <a href="#P233">233</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Pinkie, battle of, <a href="#P257">257</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -PIRATE, THE, <a href="#P290">290-315</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Plessis les Tours, <a href="#P337">337</a>, <a href="#P338">338</a>, <a href="#P339">339</a>, <a href="#P340">340</a>, <a href="#P341">341</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Pleydell, Paulus, <a href="#P135">135</a>, <a href="#P140">140-143</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -'Popping Stone,' the, <a href="#P20">20</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Porteous, John, <a href="#P203">203-204</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Porteous Mob, story of, <a href="#P205">205</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Powis Castle, Wales, <a href="#P368">368</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -'Prentice's Pillar, the, <a href="#P370">370</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Prestonpans, <a href="#P4">4</a>, <a href="#P114">114</a>, <a href="#P115">115</a>, <a href="#P116">116</a>, <a href="#P147">147</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Purdie, Tom, <a href="#P308">308</a>, <a href="#P399">399</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Purgstall, Countess of, <a href="#P42">42</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Queen Margaret's Bower, <a href="#P58">58</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -QUENTIN DURWARD, <a href="#P337">337-346</a>; <a href="#P347">347</a>, <a href="#P404">404</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Raby Castle, <a href="#P93">93</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Raeburn House, <a href="#P350">350</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ramsay, David, <a href="#P319">319</a>, <a href="#P320">320</a>, <a href="#P323">323</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Red Comyn, the, <a href="#P191">191</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -REDGAUNTLET, <a href="#P5">5</a>, <a href="#P9">9</a>, <a href="#P355">355-364</a>, <a href="#P404">404</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Red Head, Cliffs of, <a href="#P155">155</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -REIVER'S WEDDING, THE, <a href="#P37">37</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -René, King, <a href="#P392">392</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Richard I, <a href="#P43">43</a>, <a href="#P234">234</a>, <a href="#P239">239</a>, <a href="#P242">242</a>, <a href="#P248">248</a>, <a href="#P251">251</a>, <a href="#P365">365</a>, -<a href="#P369">369</a>, <a href="#P374">374</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Richard II, <a href="#P369">369</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Richard III, <a href="#P240">240</a>, <a href="#P282">282</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Richmond Castle, <a href="#P241">241</a>, <a href="#P242">242</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Ritchie David, original of the Black Dwarf, -<a href="#P15">15</a>, <a href="#P160">160</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Robert III, <a href="#P381">381</a>, <a href="#P384">384</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Robin Hood, <a href="#P237">237</a>, <a href="#P239">239</a>, <a href="#P245">245</a>, <a href="#P246">246</a>, <a href="#P252">252</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Robin Hood's Well, <a href="#P246">246</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Rob Roy, <a href="#P11">11</a>, <a href="#P12">12</a>, <a href="#P182">182-198</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Rob Roy's cave, <a href="#P119">119</a>, <a href="#P197">197</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Rob Roy's gun, <a href="#P233">233</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Robsart, Amy, <a href="#P274">274</a>, <a href="#P275">275</a>, <a href="#P276">276</a>, <a href="#P277">277</a>, <a href="#P278">278</a>, <a href="#P280">280</a>, -<a href="#P284">284</a>, <a href="#P287">287</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Roderick Dhu, <a href="#P67">67</a>, <a href="#P68">68</a>, <a href="#P76">76</a>, <a href="#P77">77</a>, <a href="#P78">78</a>, <a href="#P79">79</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -ROKEBY, <a href="#P19">19</a>, <a href="#P86">86-95</a>, <a href="#P96">96</a>, <a href="#P104">104</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Roman wall at Amboglanna, <a href="#P136">136</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Rosamond's Well, <a href="#P373">373</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Rosebank, <a href="#P14">14</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Rose, William Stewart, <a href="#P50">50</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Roslin Chapel, <a href="#P369">369</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Roslin Glen (vale of the Esk), <a href="#P22">22</a>, <a href="#P23">23</a>, <a href="#P24">24</a>, -<a href="#P30">30</a>, <a href="#P45">45</a>, <a href="#P89">89</a>, <a href="#P94">94</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Rotherham, <a href="#P236">236</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Rothsay, Duke of, <a href="#P381">381</a>, <a href="#P384">384</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Rushen, Castle, Isle of Man, <a href="#P331">331</a>, <a href="#P332">332</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Saddleback, <a href="#P135">135</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -St. Abbs Head, <a href="#P218">218</a>, <a href="#P220">220</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -St. Anthony's Chapel, Edinburgh, <a href="#P8">8</a>, <a href="#P210">210</a>, <a href="#P211">211</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -St. Bride, the chapel of, <a href="#P77">77</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -St. Clair, William, <a href="#P370">370</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -St. Cuthbert's Church, <a href="#P114">114</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -St. Cuthbert's Holy Isle, <a href="#P54">54-56</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -St. Giles Cathedral, <a href="#P60">60</a>, <a href="#P199">199-203</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -St. John, Church of, Perth, <a href="#P380">380</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -St. John, Valley of, <a href="#P98">98</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -St. Leonard's Crags, Edinburgh, <a href="#P8">8</a>, <a href="#P212">212</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -St. Magnus, Cathedral of, <a href="#P304">304</a>, <a href="#P305">305</a>, <a href="#P306">306</a>, <a href="#P307">307</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -St. Margaret's Loch, Edinburgh, <a href="#P210">210</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -St. Mary's Loch, <a href="#P35">35</a>, <a href="#P175">175</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -ST. RONAN'S WELL, <a href="#P346">346-354</a>, <a href="#P404">404</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -St. Thomas's Abbey (St. Ruth's), <a href="#P151">151</a>, <a href="#P152">152</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Salisbury Crags, the, Edinburgh, <a href="#P7">7</a>, <a href="#P8">8</a>, <a href="#P60">60</a>, -<a href="#P210">210</a>, <a href="#P389">389</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Sandy Knowe, <a href="#P2">2</a>, <a href="#P51">51</a>, <a href="#P353">353</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scalloway, Castle of, <a href="#P298">298</a>, <a href="#P302">302</a>, <a href="#P303">303</a>, <a href="#P309">309</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scalloway, village in the Shetland Islands, -<a href="#P302">302</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scone, Palace of, <a href="#P110">110</a>, <a href="#P231">231</a>, <a href="#P379">379</a>, <a href="#P381">381</a>, <a href="#P385">385</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott Country, the, limits of, <a href="#P337">337</a>, <a href="#P346">346</a>, <a href="#P366">366</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Anne, daughter of Sir Walter, <a href="#P48">48</a>, -<a href="#P376">376</a>, <a href="#P400">400</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Charles, son of Sir Walter, <a href="#P48">48</a>, <a href="#P402">402</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Daniel, brother of Sir Walter, <a href="#P383">383</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Miss Janet, aunt of Sir Walter, <a href="#P2">2</a>, <a href="#P5">5</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, John, brother of Sir Walter, <a href="#P15">15</a>, <a href="#P90">90</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Lady (wife of Sir Walter), introduction -of, to Sir Walter, <a href="#P17">17</a>, <a href="#P329">329</a>; courtship, -<a href="#P19">19</a>, <a href="#P20">20</a>; marriage, <a href="#P21">21</a>; home at Lasswade, -<a href="#P22">22</a>, <a href="#P23">23</a>; reference to Dryburgh, <a href="#P352">352</a>, <a href="#P353">353</a>; -sickness and death, <a href="#P372">372</a>, <a href="#P376">376</a>, <a href="#P399">399</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Michael, the wizard, <a href="#P38">38</a>, <a href="#P41">41</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Mrs. Maxwell-, granddaughter of -Sir Walter, <a href="#P396">396</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Sophia, daughter of Sir Walter, <a href="#P48">48</a>, -<a href="#P400">400</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Thomas, brother of Sir Walter, <a href="#P333">333</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Sir Walter-- -Liddesdale raids, <a href="#P1">1</a>; residence at -Sandy Knowe, <a href="#P2">2</a>; visit to Prestonpans, <a href="#P4">4</a>; -his first pony, <a href="#P4">4</a>; at Kelso, <a href="#P5">5</a>; passes law -examinations, <a href="#P13">13</a>; visit to English Lakes, -<a href="#P15">15</a>; to Gilsland, <a href="#P16">16</a>; meets Miss Carpenter, -<a href="#P17">17</a>, <a href="#P349">349</a>; marriage, <a href="#P21">21</a>; quartermaster -of Edinburgh Volunteers, <a href="#P25">25</a>; his memory, -<a href="#P26">26</a>; decides to abandon the practice of -law, <a href="#P28">28-30</a>; Sheriff of Selkirk, <a href="#P29">29</a>; early -poems, <a href="#P30">30</a>; Ashestiel, <a href="#P48">48</a>, <a href="#P49">49</a>; visit to -Highlands, <a href="#P72">72</a>, <a href="#P116">116</a>; purchases Abbotsford, -<a href="#P89">89</a>; Clerk of Court of Session, <a href="#P90">90</a>; aided -by Sir William Forbes, <a href="#P95">95</a>; later Highland -excursion, <a href="#P119">119</a>, <a href="#P120">120</a>; visit from -Joseph Train, <a href="#P133">133</a>; visit to Dumfries, -<a href="#P135">135</a>; to English Lakes, <a href="#P135">135</a>; salmon -spearing incident, <a href="#P139">139</a>; at University of -Edinburgh, <a href="#P139">139</a>; visited by Irving, <a href="#P145">145-146</a>; -experience as member of Edinburgh -Volunteers, <a href="#P158">158-159</a>; visit to Hallyards, -<a href="#P160">160</a>; visit to Loch Skene, <a href="#P175">175-177</a>; visit -to the Braes of Balquhidder, <a href="#P188">188</a>; clerk -of Court of Session, <a href="#P200">200</a>; driving through -Canongate, <a href="#P209">209</a>; suggests building the -Radical Road, <a href="#P210">210</a>; guest at Studley -Royal, <a href="#P246">246</a>; visited by Washington -Irving, <a href="#P252">252</a>; 'refreshing the machine,' <a href="#P255">255</a>; -presentation to the Duke of Wellington, -<a href="#P266">266</a>; visit to Shetland Islands, <a href="#P294">294</a>, <a href="#P298">298</a>, -<a href="#P311">311</a>, <a href="#P313">313</a>, <a href="#P314">314</a>; familiarity with history -and literature of England, <a href="#P317">317</a>; duties -as clerk of the Court of Session, <a href="#P346">346</a>; -residence in Edinburgh, <a href="#P346">346</a>; fondness -for country life, <a href="#P347">347</a>; practices in case of -Peter Peebles, <a href="#P363">363</a>; visit to Wales, <a href="#P366">366</a>; -distressing change in personal affairs, -<a href="#P371">371</a>; announcement of authorship of -Waverley Novels, <a href="#P372">372</a>; visit to Wicks of -Baiglie, Perth, <a href="#P378">378</a>; feeling toward -brother Daniel, <a href="#P383">383</a>; circumstances under -which <i>The Fair Maid of Perth</i> was written, -<a href="#P386">386</a>; paying off the debt, <a href="#P387">387</a>; writings -of the last five years, <a href="#P388">388</a>; importunities -of a creditor, <a href="#P389">389</a>; Theatrical Fund -Dinner, <a href="#P300">300</a>; spirit of perseverance, <a href="#P392">392</a>; -apoplexy and other ailments, <a href="#P393">393</a>; -journey to the Continent, <a href="#P394">394</a>; death, <a href="#P394">394</a>; -personality of, <a href="#P395">395</a>; kindness, <a href="#P397">397</a>; -generosity, <a href="#P398">398</a>; conversation, <a href="#P398">398</a>; relations -with family, <a href="#P399">399</a>, <a href="#P400">400</a>; creed, <a href="#P400">400</a>; ambition, -<a href="#P401">401</a>; failure of hopes, <a href="#P402">402</a>; relations -with the Ballantynes, <a href="#P403">403</a>, <a href="#P404">404</a>; indiscretion, -<a href="#P404">404</a>; courage and final triumph, <a href="#P405">405</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Walter, 'Beardie,' great-grandfather of Sir Walter, <a href="#P37">37</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Walter, father of Sir Walter, original -of Saunders Fairford, <a href="#P9">9</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Walter, son of Sir Walter, <a href="#P48">48</a>, <a href="#P401">401</a>, <a href="#P402">402</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Sir William, of Harden, <a href="#P36">36</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Scott, Sir William, of Buccleuch, <a href="#P37">37</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Seymour, Lord, <a href="#P277">277</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Sharp, James, Archbishop, <a href="#P168">168-169</a>, <a href="#P180">180</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Sharpe, Charles Kirkpatrick, <a href="#P360">360</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Sherwood Forest, <a href="#P236">236</a>, <a href="#P237">237</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Shetland Islands, visit to, in a lighthouse -yacht, <a href="#P100">100</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Shortreed, Robert, <a href="#P1">1</a>, <a href="#P14">14</a>, 26,137. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Skene, James of Rubislaw, <a href="#P52">52</a>, <a href="#P338">338</a>, <a href="#P392">392</a>; -quoted, <a href="#P25">25</a>, <a href="#P26">26</a>, <a href="#P62">62</a>, <a href="#P138">138</a>, <a href="#P139">139</a>, <a href="#P176">176</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Skiddaw, <a href="#P135">135</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Skye, Island of, <a href="#P100">100</a>, <a href="#P102">102</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Smailholm, <a href="#P2">2</a>, <a href="#P3">3</a>, <a href="#P4">4</a>, <a href="#P30">30</a>, <a href="#P261">261</a>, <a href="#P347">347</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Smellie, William, <a href="#P141">141</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Solway Firth, <a href="#P126">126</a>, <a href="#P127">127</a>, <a href="#P355">355</a>, <a href="#P356">356</a>, <a href="#P357">357</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Somerset, the Duke of, <a href="#P277">277</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Staffa, <a href="#P102">102</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Stennis, stones of, <a href="#P310">310</a>, <a href="#P311">311</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Stewart, Alexander of Invernahyle, <a href="#P116">116</a>, -<a href="#P117">117</a>, <a href="#P118">118</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Stewart, James, of Ardvoirlich, original of -Allan McAulay, <a href="#P188">188</a>, <a href="#P227">227</a>, <a href="#P228">228</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Stewart, Patrick, Earl of Orkney, <a href="#P298">298</a>, <a href="#P302">302</a>, -<a href="#P308">308</a>, <a href="#P309">309</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Stirling Castle, <a href="#P66">66</a>, <a href="#P78">78</a>, <a href="#P80">80-84</a>, <a href="#P381">381</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Stonebyres Linn, <a href="#P172">172</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Strathgartney, <a href="#P78">78</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Stromness, village in Orkney, <a href="#P310">310</a>, <a href="#P311">311</a>, -<a href="#P312">312</a>, <a href="#P313">313</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Stuart, Charles Edward, <a href="#P10">10</a>, <a href="#P109">109</a>, <a href="#P111">111</a>, <a href="#P112">112</a>, -<a href="#P113">113</a>, <a href="#P114">114</a>, <a href="#P116">116</a>, <a href="#P120">120</a>, <a href="#P125">125</a>, <a href="#P358">358</a>, <a href="#P363">363</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Stuart, Lady Louisa, <a href="#P197">197</a>, <a href="#P214">214</a>, <a href="#P336">336</a>, <a href="#P364">364</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Stuart, Miss Williamina (Lady Stuart-Forbes), -Scott's first love, <a href="#P17">17</a>, <a href="#P18">18</a>, <a href="#P23">23</a>; -original of Margaret of Branksome, <a href="#P42">42</a>; -original of Matilda, <a href="#P95">95</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Studley Royal, <a href="#P243">243</a>, <a href="#P246">246</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Sumburgh Head, <a href="#P294">294</a>, <a href="#P296">296</a>, <a href="#P297">297</a>, <a href="#P208">208</a>, <a href="#P300">300</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -SURGEON'S DAUGHTER, THE, <a href="#P389">389</a>, <a href="#P390">390</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Sweetheart Abbey, <a href="#P126">126</a>, <a href="#P127">127</a>, <a href="#P135">135</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -SWIFT, LIFE OF, <a href="#P91">91</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -TALES OF THE CRUSADERS, <a href="#P365">365-370</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -TALISMAN, THE, <a href="#P21">21</a>, <a href="#P345">345</a>, <a href="#P365">365</a>, <a href="#P369">369-372</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Tantallon Castle, <a href="#P60">60</a>, <a href="#P61">61</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Tay, the river, <a href="#P109">109</a>, <a href="#P110">110</a>, <a href="#P379">379</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Teasdale, Margaret, original of Tib -Mumps, <a href="#P137">137</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Tees, the river, <a href="#P89">89</a>, <a href="#P92">92</a>, <a href="#P93">93</a>, <a href="#P94">94</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Teith, the river, <a href="#P229">229</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Temple, the, London, <a href="#P322">322</a>, <a href="#P323">323</a>, <a href="#P324">324</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Terry, Daniel, <a href="#P197">197</a>, <a href="#P375">375</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Teviot, the river, <a href="#P35">35</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Thames, the, London, <a href="#P320">320</a>, <a href="#P322">322</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Thomas the Rhymer, <a href="#P222">222</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Thomson, George, original of Dominie -Sampson, <a href="#P140">140</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Thomson, Rev. John, of Duddingston, -<a href="#P220">220</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -THORESBY HOUSE, <a href="#P238">238</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Thorsgill, the river, <a href="#P92">92</a>, <a href="#P93">93</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Tillietudlem. <i>See</i> Craignethan. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Tippermuir, battle of, <a href="#P226">226</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Tolbooth, Edinburgh, <a href="#P9">9</a>, <a href="#P201">201-205</a>, <a href="#P233">233</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Tours, <a href="#P339">339</a>, <a href="#P341">341</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Tower of London, <a href="#P325">325</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Train, Joseph, provides information used -in <i>The Lord of the Isles</i>, <a href="#P103">103</a>; in <i>Guy -Mannering</i>, <a href="#P132">132-135</a>; in <i>Old Mortality</i>, -<a href="#P171">171</a>; in <i>The Heart of Midlothian</i>, <a href="#P214">214</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Traquair, Earl of, <a href="#P108">108</a>, <a href="#P109">109</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Traquair House, <a href="#P13">13</a>, <a href="#P107">107</a>, <a href="#P108">108</a>, <a href="#P109">109</a>, <a href="#P112">112</a>, <a href="#P329">329</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Triermain Castle, <a href="#P11">11</a>, <a href="#P97">97</a>, <a href="#P395">395</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Triermain Castle Rock, <a href="#P16">16</a>, <a href="#P98">98</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Trossachs, the, <a href="#P12">12</a>, <a href="#P66">66</a>, <a href="#P70">70</a>, <a href="#P71">71</a>, <a href="#P74">74</a>, <a href="#P75">75</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Tully Veolan, <a href="#P107">107-111</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Turnberry Castle, <a href="#P103">103</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Tweed, the river, <a href="#P258">258</a>, <a href="#P348">348-353</a>, <a href="#P396">396</a>, <a href="#P397">397</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Twisel Bridge, <a href="#P7">7</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -TWO DROVERS, THE, <a href="#P389">389</a>, <a href="#P390">390</a>, <a href="#P391">391</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Ullswater, <a href="#P97">97</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Vaux, Sir Roland de, <a href="#P97">97</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Vernon, Dorothy, of Haddon Hall, <a href="#P329">329</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Villiers, George, first Duke of Buckingham, -called 'Steenie,' <a href="#P319">319</a>, <a href="#P322">322</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Villiers, George, second Duke of Buckingham, <a href="#P335">335</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Waldie family, the, of Kelso, <a href="#P5">5</a>, <a href="#P358">358</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Waldie, 'Lady,' original of Rachel Geddes, <a href="#P5">5</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Waldie, Robert, <a href="#P5">5</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Wales, <a href="#P366">366</a>, <a href="#P367">367</a>, <a href="#P368">368</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Walker, Helen, original of Jeanie Deans, -<a href="#P205">205-208</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Walker, Isabella, original of Effie Deans, -<a href="#P205">205-208</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Walker, Patrick, author of <i>Life of Cameron</i>, -<a href="#P213">213</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Wallace, William, <a href="#P81">81</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Wampool River, the, <a href="#P358">358</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Wark Castle, <a href="#P62">62</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Warrender, Sir George, <a href="#P109">109</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Warwick Castle, <a href="#P281">281</a>, <a href="#P282">282</a>, <a href="#P383">383</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Warwick, Earl of, <a href="#P240">240</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Warwickshire, <a href="#P281">281</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Wat of Harden, <a href="#P35">35</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -WAVERLEY, <a href="#P8">8</a>, <a href="#P10">10</a>, <a href="#P106">106-125</a>, <a href="#P197">197</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Welbeck Abbey, <a href="#P238">238</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Welshpool, <a href="#P368">368</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Westmoreland, <a href="#P135">135</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Whinnyrig, <a href="#P357">357</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Whitefoord, Colonel, <a href="#P116">116</a>, <a href="#P117">117</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Whitefriars (Alsatia), <a href="#P323">323</a>, <a href="#P334">334</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Whitehall, Palace of, <a href="#P321">321</a>, <a href="#P322">322</a>, <a href="#P335">335</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Wideford Hill, Kirkwall, <a href="#P309">309</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -William the Conqueror, <a href="#P241">241</a>, <a href="#P248">248</a>, <a href="#P250">250</a>, <a href="#P282">282</a>, -<a href="#P328">328</a>, <a href="#P373">373</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -William the Lion, <a href="#P152">152</a>, <a href="#P155">155</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Williams, Rev. John, Archdeacon of -Cardigan, <a href="#P366">366</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Wolf's Crag, <a href="#P220">220</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Wolf's Hope, <a href="#P222">222</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -WOODSTOCK, <a href="#P371">371-377</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Woodstock, village of, <a href="#P372">372</a>; palace of, <a href="#P373">373-375</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Wordsworth, <a href="#P16">16</a>; letter to, <a href="#P32">32</a>; <a href="#P35">35</a>, <a href="#P172">172</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Wright, Guthrie, <a href="#P57">57</a>; quoted, <a href="#P135">135</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Wycliffe, Oswald, <a href="#P88">88</a>. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="index"> -Yarrow, the river, <a href="#P175">175</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Yawkins, Dutch skipper, original of Dirk -Hatteraick, <a href="#P131">131</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -Yetholm Loch, <a href="#P260">260</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -York, Castle of, <a href="#P250">250</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -York Minister, <a href="#P251">251</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -York, city of, <a href="#P234">234</a>, <a href="#P250">250</a>. -</p> - -<p class="index"> -York Water Gate, <a href="#P322">322</a>. -</p> - - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t4"> -The Riverside Press -CAMBRIDGE * MASSACHUSETTS -U.S.A. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /><br /></p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Country of Sir Walter Scott, by -Charles S. 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