Description of the Abbeys of Melrose and Old Melrose, with Their Traditions |
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Abbey abbot abbot of Melrose adjoining aisle Alexander altar ancient Andrew anno appears arches arms bars battle beautiful belonging Bishop body breadth Buccleugh building built buried buttress called carried centre charter church confirmed contain convent cross David death died door Douglas Earl east Edinburgh eight Eildon England English erected feet figure finished five four given Gothic grand granted ground hand head heart hill History holding holy hundred inches inscription John King King James land light likewise looking Lord March Mary Melrose mile Milne's monastery monks nave niches night parish pass person pillars possession Pringle remains rest Robert rose ruins Sainct says Scotland Scots seen seven shield side souls stand statues stone succeeded supported taken took tower town tradition Tweed village wall whole window
Popular passages
Page 29 - When the broken arches are black in night, And each shafted oriel glimmers white; When the cold light's uncertain shower Streams on the ruined central tower; When buttress and buttress, alternately, Seem framed of ebon and ivory...
Page 73 - The moon on the east oriel shone, Through slender shafts of shapely stone, By foliaged tracery combined ; Thou would'st have thought some fairy's hand ' Twixt poplars straight the ozier wand, In many a freakish knot, had twined ; Then framed a spell, when the work was done, And changed the willow wreaths to stone.
Page 70 - Loved the church so well, and gave so largely to't, They thought it should have canopied their bones Till doomsday ; but all things have their end : Churches and cities, which have diseases like to men, Must have like death that we have.
Page 29 - When the cold light's uncertain shower Streams on the ruined central tower; When buttress and buttress, alternately, Seem framed of ebon and ivory; When silver edges the imagery, And the scrolls that teach thee to live and die; When distant Tweed is heard to rave, And the owlet to hoot o'er the dead man's grave; Then go — but go alone the while — Then view St David's ruined pile; And, home returning, soothly swear, Was never scene so sad and fair!
Page 70 - I do love these ancient ruins. We never tread upon them but we set Our foot upon some reverend history; And, questionless, here in this open court, Which now lies naked to the injuries Of stormy weather, some men lie...
Page 86 - ... the empty halls, And piecemeal crumble down the tow'rs to dust. Perhaps in some lone, dreary, desert tower, That time has spar'd, forth from the window looks, Half hid in grass, the solitary fox ; While from above, the owl, musician dire ! Screams hideous, harsh, and grating to the ear. Equal in age, and sharers of its fate, A row of moss-grown trees around it stand. Scarce here and there, upon their blasted tops, A shrivell'd leaf distinguishes the year...
Page 25 - Fair Maiden LILLIARD lies under this Stane, Little was her Stature, but great her Fame, On the English Lads she laid many Thumps, And when her Legs were off, she fought upon her Stumps.
Page 44 - Turn your back to the building, stoop down, and look at it through your legs, when the effect is astonishingly grand, the defects of the ruin being but little perceived, as the whole assumes such a beautiful appearance as may be more easily conceived than expressed.
Page 65 - They entered now the chancel tall ; The darkened roof rose high aloof On pillars, lofty, and light, and small ; The key-stone, that locked each ribbed aisle, Was a...
Page 125 - Brae, where Thomas the Rhymer and the Queen of the Fairies frequently met, according to tradition. A little to the east of this is the trysting-tree stone." Mr Gray expressed his opinion that the place referred to must be the field or bank, adjoining what is called the Gallows Hill, but he was as yet unable to find the faintest tradition of the place having borne this name. Subsequently however he writes (8th Nov. 1875) : " I am happy to say that I have...
Bibliographic information
| Title | Description of the Abbeys of Melrose and Old Melrose, with Their Traditions |
| Author | John Bower (of Melrose.) |
| Edition | 2 |
| Publisher | author, 1822 |
| Original from | the New York Public Library |
| Digitized | 20 Jul 2007 |
| Length | 125 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |