; 20 18 "Yon bonny 17 brig quhan folk wald 1a big,1 For thai yon image fram't, "Quhan lads and lasses wauk the clais,"" Narby 23 yon whinny hicht, The sound of me their daffin 24 lays; Quhan toozlin' 26 on the haugh; 27 Than quhihher 28 by thaim doun the stream, Loud nickerin 29 in a lauch.30 "Sick like's my fun, of wark quhan run: But I do meikle mair; 1 Ken-Know.- Nar-Near.-3 Leid-Language.-4 ReidRead.-5 Strypes-Rills of the smallest kind. 6 Staig-A young horse.-7 Stravaig-Stray, roam.-8 GarTo cause, to force.-9 Wirk-Work.-10 Mirk-During night. - Ten-Take care, be attentive.—12 Biggin-Building, house. -13 Chiell-Fellow.-14 Sair-brizz'd-Sore bruised.-15 Gudewillit-Without constraint, cordially. 16 17 in-Dig from a In pool or ford can nane be smur'd 31⁄2 Quhair ane sal 36 meet his dede: 37 Nor wit nor pow'r put aff the hour, For his wanweird 38 decreed. 41 "For oulks 39 befoir, alangis the shoir, "The taiken 44 leil 45 thai ken fow weel, And aw but thai quha's weird 46 I spae, 47 Fast frae the danger run. But fremmit fouk 48 I thus provoke To meit the fate thai flee : To wilderit wichts thai're waefow 49 lichts, But lichts of joy to me. "With ruefow cries, that rend the skies, Thair fait I seem to mourn, Like crocodile, on banks of Nile; For I still do the turn. 50 36 Sal-Shall.-37 Dede-Death-38 Vanweird-Unhappy fate. -39 Oulks-Weeks. 40 17'ull-Wild.-41 Wanerthly-Preternatural.— 4a Vod— Deprived of reason.-43 Wanchancy—Unlucky, causing misfortune. -44 Taiken-Token. -45 Leil - True, not delusive. 46 Weird-Fate.-47 Spae-Predict.—48 Fremmit fouk-Strange folk.-49 Waefow-Fatal, causing woe.-50 Do the turn-Ac quarry.-17 Bonny-Handsome, beautiful.-18 Wald-Would.complish the fatal event.-51 Douce-Sober, sedate.-52 Fey19 Big-Build.— -10 Braw-Fine. 21 Pend-Arch.-22 Wauk the clais-Watch the clothes.23 Narby-Near to.-24 Daffin-Sport.-25 Mudge-Budge, stir. -26 Toozlin-Toying, properly putting any thing in disorder.27 Haugh-Low flat ground on the side of a river.-28 Quhihher. -The idea is nearly expressed by whiz.-29 Nickering-Neighing. -30 Lauch-Laugh.—31 Sicklike-Of this kind.—3» Smur’d— smothered.-33 Thare--There—34 Fow-Full.-35 Spat-Spot.— Affording presages of approaching death, by acting a part directly the reverse of their proper character.-53 Heyrt-Furious. 54 Rede-Counsel. -55 Festreen - Yesternight.- 56 SpateFlood.-57 Stanners-Gravel on the margin of a river, or of any body of water.—581 Var cur'd-Were covered.-59 Haill-Whole. 60 Gliffin-A moment.-61 Aip.-Ape, imitate-6a StarnlessWithout stars.- 63 Bustuous — Huge. 64 Glint · Moment.63 Ahint-Behind.-66 Fang't—Seized. To his dore-cheik' I kept the cleik ; ' "My name itsell wirks like a spell, 4 5 Quhan greits the wean, the nurse in vain, Thoch tyke-tyrit," tries to sleip, But gin scho say, 'Lie still, ye skrae,7 There's Water-Kelpie's chap; ' It's fleyit to wink, and in a blink9 It sleips as sound's a tap."-" He said, and thrice he rais't his voice, Thrice with his tail, as with a flail, He struck the flying pool. Resoundin' through the wude: The fire thrice flash't; syne in he plash't, APPENDIX TO THE WATER-KELPIE. The fisher's houp forgat to loup.-P. 298, v. 4. And aw for rest made boun.-P. 298, v. 4. All commonly occurs in our old writers. But aw is here used, as corresponding with the general pronunciation in Scotland; especially as it has the authority of Dunbar, in his Lament for the Deth of the Mackaris. His form a gaist uprear`d.-P. 298. v. 5. It is believed in Angus, that the Spirit of the Waters appears sometimes as a man, with a very frightful aspect; and at other times as a horse. The description here given, must therefore be viewed as the offspring of fancy. All that can be said for it is, that such attributes are selected as are appropriate to the scenery. Twa huge horse-mussels glar'd.—P. 298, v. 6. South-Esk abounds with the fresh-water oyster, vulgarly called the horse-mussel; and, in former times, a pearl fishery was carried on here to a considerable extent. Frae yon deep glack, at Catla's back.-P. 298, v. 9. Part of the Grampian mountains. Calla appears as a promontory, jutting out from the principal ridge towards the plain. The Esk, if I recollect right, issues from behind it. Thy mortal life to tyne.-P. 298, v. 11. The vulgar idea is, that a spirit, however frequently it appear, will not speak, unless previously addressed. It is, however, at the same time believed, that the person who ventures to speak to a ghost, forfeits his life, and will soon lose it, in consequence of his presumption. His bridle frae my mow.-P. 299, v. 3. to tell! has not yet lost all credit. In the following verses, the principal articles of the vulgar creed in Angus, with respect to this supposed being, are brought together, and illustrated by such facts as are yet appealed to by the credulous. If I mistake not, none of the historical circumstances mentioned are older than half a century. It is only about thirty years since the bridge referred to was built. For sair-brizz'd back and banes.-P. 299, v. 4. It is pretended that Kelpie celebrated this memorable event in rhyme; and that for a long time after he was often heard to cry with a doleful voice, "Sair back and sair banes, Carrying the Laird of Murphy's stanes!" And it thai Kelpie nam't.-P. 299, v. 5. A head, like that of a gorgon, appears above the arch of the bridge. This was hewn in honour of Kelpie. His shroud I had prepar'd-P. 299, v. 11. A very common tale in Scotland is here alluded to by the poet. On the banks of a rapid stream the Water Spirit was heard repeatedly to exclaim, in a dismal tone, "The hour is come. but not the man," when a person coming up, contrary to all remonstrances, endeavoured to ford the stream, and perished in the attempt. The original story is to be found in Gervase of Tilbury.-In the parish of Castleton, the same story is told, with this variation, that the bystanders prevented, by force, the predestined individual from entering the river, and shut him up in the church, where he was next morning found suffocated, with his face lying immersed in the baptismal font. To a fey person, therefore, Shakspeare's words literally apply: Put a little water in a spoon, N. B. The last note is added by the Editor. ELLANDONAN CASTLE. A HIGHLAND TALE. NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED. BY COLIN MACKENZIE, ESQ." Ellandonan Castle stands on a small rocky isle; situated in Loch Duich, (on the west coast of Ross,) near the point where the Western Sea divides itself into two branches, forming Loch Duich and Loch Loung. The magnificence of the castle itself, now a roofless ruin, covered with ivy, the beauty of the bay, and the variety of hills and valleys that surround it, and particularly the fine range of hills, between which lie the pastures of Glensheal, with the lofty summit of Skooroora, overtopping the rest, and forming a grand background to the picture, all contribute to make this a piece of very romantic Highland scenery.13 The castle is the manor-place of the estate of Kintail, which is denominated the barony of Ellandonan. The popular tradition is here faithfully described; and, strange | That estate is the property of Francis, Lord Seaforth. It has descended to him through a long line of gal- | lant ancestors; having been originally conferred on Colin Fitzgerald, son to the Earl of Desmond and Kildare, in the kingdom of Ireland, by a charter, dated 9th January, 1266, granted by King Alexander the Third, "Colino Hybernio," and bearing, as its inductive cause, "pro bono et fideli servitio, tam in bello quam in pace." He had performed a very recent service in war, having greatly distinguished himself in the battle of Largs, in 1263, in which the invading army of Haco, King of Norway, was defeated. Being pursued in his flight, the King was overtaken in the narrow passage which divides the Island of Skye from the coasts of Inverness and Ross, and, along with many of his followers, he himself was killed, in attempting his escape through the channel dividing Skye from Lochalsh. These straits, or kyles, bear to this day appellations, commemorating the events by which they were thus distinguished, the former being called Kyle Rhee, or the King's Kyle, and the latter Kyle Haken. The attack on Ellandonan Castle, which forms the subject of the following poem, lives in the tradition of the country, where it is, at this day, a familiar tale, repeated to every stranger, who, in sailing past, is struck with admiration at the sight of that venerable monument of antiquity. But the authenticity of the fact rests not solely on tradition. It is recorded by Crawford, in his account of the family of Macdonald, Lord of the Isles, and reference is there made to a genealogy of Slate, in the possession of the family, as a warrant for the assertion. The incident took place in 1537. The power of the Lord of the Isles was at that time sufficiently great to give alarm to the Crown. It covered not only the whole of the Western Isles, from Bute northwards, but also many extensive districts on the mainland, in the shires of Ayr, Argyle, and Inverness. Accordingly, in 1535. on the failure of heirs-male of the body of John, Lord of the Isles, and Earl of Ross, as well as of his natural sons, in whose favour a particular substitution had been made, King James the Fifth assumed the Lordship of the Isles. The right was, however, claimed by Donald, fifth Baron of Slate, descended from the immediate younger brother of John, Lord of the Isles. This bold and high-spirited chieftain lost his life in the attack on Ellandonan Castle, and was buried by his followers on the lands of Ardelve, on the opposite side of Loch Loung. The barony of Ellandonan then belonged to John Mackenzie, ninth Baron of Kintail. Kenneth, third Baron, who was son to Kenneth, the son of Colin Fitzgerald, received the patronymic appellation of MacKenneth, or MacKennye, which descended from him to his posterity, as the sirname of the family. John, Baron of Kintail, took a very active part in the general affairs of the kingdom. He fought gallantly at the battle of Flodden, under the banners of King James the Fourth; was a member of the privy council in the reign of his son, and, at an advanced age, supported the standard of the unfortunate Mary, at the battle of Pinkie. In the sixth generation from John, Baron of Kintail, the clan was, by his lineal descendant, William, fifth Earl of Seaforth, summoned, in 1715, to take up arms in the cause of the house of Stuart. On the failure of that spirited, but ill-fated enterprise, the Earl made his escape to the continent, where he lived for about eleven years. Meantime, his estate and honours were forfeited to the crown, and his castle was burnt. A steward was appointed to levy the rents of Kintail, on the King's behalf; but the vassals spurned at his demands, and, while they carried on a successful defensive war, against a body of troops sent to subdue their obstinacy, in the course of which the unlucky steward had the misfortune to be slain, one of their number made a faithful collection of what was due, and carried the money to the Earl himself, who was at that time in Spain. The descendants of the man, to whom it was intrusted to convey to his lord this unequivocal proof of the honour, fidelity, and attachment of his people, are at this day distinguished by the designation of Spaniard as Duncan the Spaniard, etc. The estate was, a few years after the forfeiture, purchased from government, for behoof of the family, and reinvested in the person of his son. ELLANDONAN CASTLE. [shore? O wot ye, ye men of the island of Skye, His lands and his vassals shall never see more. To that Lord the green banks of Loch Duich belong, M'Donald has chosen the best of his power; [rayed; In each boat twenty men, for the war of Kintail; Iron hooks they all carry, to grapple the shore, And ladders, the walls of the fortress to scale. They have pass'd the strait kyle, through whose billowy | While thine eyes wander oft from the green plains of flood, From the arms of Kintail-men, fled Haco of yore, Whose waves were dyed deep with Norwegian blood, Which was shed by M'Kenneth's resistless claymore. They have enter'd Loch Duich-all silent their course, Save the splash of the oar on the dark bosom'd wave, Which mingled with murmurs, low, hollow, and That issued from many a coralline cave. [hoarse, Either coast they avoid, and right eastward they steer; Nor star, nor the moon, on their passage has shone; Unexpecting assault, and unconscious of fear, All Kintail was asleep, save the watchman alone. "What, ho! my companions, arise and behold Where Duich's deep waters with flashes are bright! Hark! the sound of the oars; rise, my friends, and be bold! [night." For some foe comes, perhaps, under shadow of At the first of the dawn, when the boats reach'd the shore, [crown'd. The sharp ridge of Skooroora with dark mist was And the rays that broke through it, seem'd spotted with gore, [ground, As M'Donald's bold currach first struck on the Of all the assailants that sprung on the coast, Of valour undaunted, appear'd in his mien. Whose plumage was toss'd to and fro by the gale, Their glances of lightning his eagle-eyes threw, Which were met by the frowns of the sons of Kintail. 'Twas the Lord of the Isles; whom the chamberlain saw, While a trusty long bow on his bosom reclin'd— Of stiff yew it was made, which few sinews could draw; Its arrows flew straight, and as swift as the wind. With a just aim he drew-the shaft pierced the bold Chief; Indignant he started, nor heeding the smart, While his clan pour'd around him, in clamorous grief, From the wound tore away the deep-riveted dart. The red stream flow'd fast, and his cheek became white; Slate, In pursuit of thy lord, O M'Donald's fair dame, Ah! little thou know'st 'tis the hour mark'd by Fate, To close his ambition, and tarnish his fame. On the shore of Ardelve, far from home, is his grave, And the news of his death swiftly fly o'er the seaThy grief, O fair dame! melts the hearts of the brave, E'en the bard of Kintail wafts his pity to thee. And thou, Ellandonan! shall thy towers e'er again Be insulted by any adventurous foe, While the tale of the band, whom thy heroes have slain, Excites in their sons an inherited glow! Too sure is the presage that tells me thy doom, When thy turrets, dismantled, in ruins shall fall, When, alas! through thy chambers shall howl the sea-blast, And the thistle shall shake his red head in thy hall. Shall this desolation strike thy towers alone? No, fair Ellandonan! such ruin 'twill bring, That the whirl shall have power to unsettle the throne, And thy fate shall be link'd with the fate of thy King. And great shall thy pride be, amid the despair; To their Chief, and their Prince, still thy sons shall be true; The fruits of Kintail never victor shall share, Nor its vales ever gladden an enemy's view. And lovely thou shalt be, even after thy wreck; Thy battlements never shall cease to be grand; Their brown rusty hue the green ivy shall deck, And as long as Skooroora's high top shall they stand. THE CURSE OF MOY. A HIGHLAND TALE. BY J. B. S. MORRITT, ESQ. [OF ROKEBY.] The Castle of Moy is the ancient residence of Mackintosh, the Chief of the Clan Chattan. It is situated among the mountains of Inverness-shire, not far from the military road that leads to Inverness. It stands in the hollow of a mountain, on the edge of a small His knees, with a tremor unknown to him, shook, gloomy lake, called Loch Moy, surrounded by a black And his once piercing eyes scarce directed his sight, As he turn'd towards Skye the last lingering look. Surrounded by terror, disgrace, and defeat, From the rocks of Kintail the M'Donalds recoil'd; No order was seen in their hasty retreat, [wild. And their looks with dismay and confusion were wood of Scotch fir, which extends round the lake, and terminates in wild heaths, which are unbroken by any other object as far as the eye can reach. The tale is founded on an ancient Highland tradition, that originated in a feud between the clans of Chattan and Grant. A small rocky island in Loch Moy is still shown, where stood the dungeon in which prisoners were confined, by the former Chiefs of Moy.' THE CURSE OF MOY. Loud, in the gloomy towers of Moy, Shoots o'er the loch its trembling blaze. And vassals shout, "An heir! an heir!" The well-spiced bowl the dames prolong, Young maids and active soldiers join. Less lively sounds the pibroch's call,-3 A figure crept, of all the train Most alien from a scene of mirth, And muttering sigh'd, ""Tis vain, 'tis vain!" Soon ceased the shout, a general thrill By age and frenzy haggard made; Still follows where her footsteps tread. But cursed the witch, and quick withdrew. It would be painful to trace farther the history, real or traditional, of the Curse of Moy, to which superstition has, even of late years, ascribed a certain degree of influence.-W. S 4831. * The Chattan clan is a federal clan, consisting of the families of Macintosh, Macpherson, and some others of less consequence. The Chief is the Laird of Macintosh; the Chattan country is in the inland part of Inverness-shire. 3 The pibroch is a wild music, played by the piper at the assembling of a clan, in marches, etc. Every clan had its own particular tune, which was played most scrupulously and indefatigably on all great and signal occasions. 4 Grant, the Laird of Urquhart, was the chief of the clan of Grant; his castle of Urquhart, now in ruins, covers one of the most beautiful of the craggy promontories that adorn Loch Ness. Slowly she crawl'd before the throng, Have listen'd to the tales of glee, THE WITCH'S TALE. Full sixty fatal years have roll'd, Since clamour shook these gloomy towers; When Moy's black Chief, with Urquhart old, Led Grant's and Chattan's mingled powers. " Like yours, their followers shouted brave, Like yours, the minstrels answer'd loud, To solemn league the Chieftains swore; Shall lead the war on the banks of Spey; That whistled at eve in his locks so grey. With him went Alva's heir, who stay'd, The Chieftain's weal or woe to share; So Urquhart's trembling daughter pray'd, So Alva vow'd who loved her dear." But drear was Badenoch's wintry waste, And mirk the night that round them fell, As over their heads the night-raven pass'd And they enter'd Glen Iral's darkling dell. 7 The raven scream'd, and a slogan yell Burst from Glen Iral's sable wood, They heard in the gale a bugle swell, They saw in the shade a man of blood. Grimly he points, and a hundred hands Their horses seize; in that fatal hour, The delightful vale of Glen Urquhart is embosomed in the mountains behind it. The possessions of the clan in the southern part of Inverness-shire, border on those of the clan Chattan, with whom, of course, they were continually at variance. 5 The Lowland district of Moray, or Elginshire, along the banks of the Spey, being comparatively fertile and civilized, and in the immediate vicinity of the Grampians, was long exposed to the ravages and inroads of the Highland clans, who possessed the mountains on the border, and the upper part of Strathspey. 6 Alva is an ancient possession of a chieftain of the family of Grant. 7 The Iral is a small stream that rises in the Chattan country, and falls into the river of Nairn, between Moy and Loch Ness. |