Page images
PDF
EPUB

(Seek not the scene-the axe the plough,
The boor's dull fence, have marr'd it now,)*
But then, soft swept in velvet green
The plain with many a glade between,
Whose tangled alleys far invade
The depth of the brown forest shade.
Here the tall fern obscured the lawn,
Fair shelter for the sportive fawn;

There, tufted close with copsewood green,
Was many a swelling hillock seen;
And all around was verdure meet
For pressure of the fairies' feet.
The glossy holly loved the park,
The yew-tree lent its shadow dark,t
And many an old oak, worn and bare,
With all its shiver'd boughs, was there.
Lovely between, the moonbeams fell
On lawn and hillock, glade and dell.
The gallant Monarch sigh'd to see
These glades so loved in childhood free,
Bethinking that, as outlaw now,
He ranged beneath the forest bough.

XX.

Fast o'er the moonlight Chase they sped.
Well knew the band that measured tread
When, in retreat or in advance,
The serried warriors move at once;
And evil were the luck, if dawn
Descried them on the open lawn.
Copses they traverse, brooks they cross,
Strain up the bank and o'er the moss.
From the exhausted page's brows
Cold drops of toil are streaming now;
With effort faint and lengthen'd pause,
His weary step the stripling draws.
"Nay, droop not yet!" the warrior said;
"Come, let me give thee ease and aid!
Strong are mine arms, and little care
A weight so slight as thine to bear.-
What! wilt thou not?-capricious boy!—
Then thine own limbs and strength employ.
Pass but this night, and pass thy care,
I'll place thee with a lady fair,
Where thou shalt tune thy lute to tell
How Ronald loves fair Isabel!"
Worn out, dishearten'd, and dismay'd,
Here Amadine let go the plaid;
His trembling limbs their aid refuse,**
He sunk among the midnight dews!tt

XXI.

What may be done?-the night is gone-
The Bruce's band moves swiftly on-
Eternal shame, if at the brunt

Lord Ronald grace not battle's front!

The Castle of Turnberry, on the coast of Ayrshire, was the property of Robert Bruce, in right of his mother. Lord Hailes mentions the following remarkable circumstance concerning the mode in which he became proprietor of it: Martha, Countess of Carrick in her own right, the wife of Robert Bruce, Lord of Annandale, bare him a son, afterwards Robert L. (11th July, 1274.) The circumstances of her marriage were singular; happening to meet Robert Bruce in her domains, she became enamoured of him, and with some violence led him to her castle of Turnberry. A few days after she married him, without the knowledge of the relations of either party, and without the requisite consent of the king. The king instantly seized her castle and whole estates: She afterwards atoned by a fine for her feudal delinquency. Lit tle did Alexander foresee, that, from this union, the restorer of the Scottish monarchy was to arise."-Annals of Scotland, vol. ii. p. 180. The same obliging correspondent, whom I have quoted in the preceding note, gives me the following account of the present state of the ruins of Turnberry. Turnberry Point is a rock project ing into the sea; the top of it is about eighteen feet above highwater mark. Upon this rock was built the castle. There is about twenty five feet high of the wall next to the sea yet standing. Upon the land-side the wall is only about four feet high; the length has been sixty feet, and the breadth forty-five: It was sur rounded by a ditch, but that is now nearly filled up. The top of the ruin, rising between forty and fifty feet above the water, has a majestic appearance from the sea. There is not much local tradition in the vicinity connected with Bruce or his history. In front, however, of the rock, upon which stands Culzean Castle, is the mouth of a romantic cavern, called the Cove of Colean, in which it is said Bruce and his followers concealed themselves immediately after landing, till they arranged matters for their farther enterprises. Burns mentions it in the poem of Hallowe'en. The only place to the south of Turnberry worth mentioning, with reference to Bruce's history, is the Weary Nuik, a little romantic green hill, where be and his party are said to have rested, after assaulting the castle."

"See yonder oak, within whose trunk
Decay a darken'd cell hath sunk ;
Enter, and rest thee there a space,
Wrap in my plaid thy limbs, thy face.#

I will not be, believe me, far;
But must not quit the ranks of war.
Well will I mark the bosky bourne,
And soon, to guard thee hence, return.-
Nay, weep not so, thou simple boy!
But sleep in peace, and wake in joy."
In sylvan lodging close bestow'd,§§
He placed the page, and onward strode
With strength put forth, o'er moss and brook,
And soon the marching band o'ertook.
XXII.

Thus strangely left, long sobb'd and wept
The page, till, wearied out, he slept-
A rough voice waked his dream-"Nay, here,
Here by this thicket, pass'd the deer-
Beneath that oak old Ryno staid-
What have we here?-a Scottish plaid,
And in its folds a stripling laid ?--
Come forth thy name and business tell!-
What, silent?-then I guess thee well,
The spy that sought old Cuthbert's cell,
Wafted from Arran yester morn--
Come, comrades, we will straight return.
Our Lord may choose the rack should teach
To this young lurcher use of speech.
Thy bow-string, till I bind him fast."-
Nay, but he weeps and stands aghast;
Unbound we'll lead him, fear it not
'Tis a fair stripling, though a Scot.'
The hunters to the castle sped,
And there the hapless captive led.
XXIII.

[ocr errors]

Stout Clifford in the castle-court
Prepared him for the morning sport;
And now with Lorn held deep discourse,
Now gave command for hound and horse.
War-steeds and palfreys paw'd the ground,
And many a deer-dog howl'd around.
To Amadine, Lorn's well-known word
Replying to that Southern Lord,
Mix'd with this clanging din, might seem
The phantasm of a fever'd dream.
The tone upon his ringing ears

Came like the sounds which fancy hears,
When in rude waves or roaring winds
Some words of wo the muser finds,
Until more loudly and more near,
Their speech arrests the page's ear. T¶¶
XXIV.

"And was she thus," said Clifford, "lost?
The priest should rue it to his cost!

Around the Castle of Turnberry was a level plain of about two miles in extent, forming the castle park. There could be nothing. I am informed, more beautiful than the copsewood and verdure of this extensive meadow, before it was invaded by the ploughshare. [MS.-"The dark-green holly loved the down,

The yew tree lent its shadow brown."] :["Their moonlight muster on the beach, after the sudden extinction of this portentous flame, and their midnight march through the paternal fields of their royal leader, also display much beautiful painting, (stanzas 15 and 19) After the castle is won, the same strain is pursued."-JEFFREY.]

$ [MS." From Amadine's exhausted brow."]
[MS." And double toil," &c.]
[MS." Nay, fear not yet," &c.]
** [MS.
his weight refuse."]

++ ["This canto is not distinguished by many passages of extraordinary merit: as it is, however, full of business, and compara tively free from those long rhyming dialogues which are so fre quent in the poem, it is upon the whole spirited and pleasing. The scene in which Ronald is described sheltering Edith under his plaid, for the love which he bears to Isabel, is, we think, more poetically conceived than any other in the whole poem, and contains some touches of great pathos and beauty."-Quarterly Revier.]

1: (MS.-" And mantle in my plaid thy face."]
$$ [MS.-"In sylvan castle warm bestow'd,
He left the page."]

[MS.-"And now with Lorn he spoke aside,
And now to squire and yeoman cried.
War-horse and palfrey," &c.]
or roaring wind.
Some words of wo his musings find,
Till spoke more loudly and more near,
These words arrest the page's ear."]

TT [MS.

What says the monk ?"-"The holy Sire
Owns, that in masker's quaint attire,
She sought his skiff, disguised, unknown
To all except to him alone.

But, says the priest, a bark from Lorn*
Laid them aboard that very morn,
And pirates seized her for their prey.
He proffer'd ransom-gold to pay,
And they agreed-but ere told o'er,

The winds blow loud, the billows roar;
They sever'd, and they met no more.

He deems-such tempest vex'd the coast-
Ship, crew, and fugitive, were lost.
So let it be, with the disgrace
And scandal of her lofty race!t
Thrice better she had ne'er been born,
Than brought her infamy on Lorn!"

XXV.

[ocr errors]

Lord Clifford now the captive spied;
"Whom, Herbert, hast thou there?" he cried.
"A spy we seized within the Chase,
A hollow oak his lurking-place."-t
"What tidings can the youth afford?"—
"He plays the mute.' Then noose a cord-
Unless brave Lorn reverse the doom
For his plaid's sake."-" Clan-Colla's loom,"
Said Lorn, whose careless glances trace
Rather the vesture than the face,
"Clan-Colla's dames such tartans twine;
Wearer nor plaid claims care of mine.
Give him, if my advice you crave,

His own scathed oak ;§ and let him wave
In air, unless, by terror wrung,
A frank confession find his tongue.-Il
Nor shall he die without his rite;
-Thou, Angus Roy, attend the sight,
And give Clan-Colla's dirge thy breath,
As they convey him to his death."-
"O brother! cruel to the last!"
Through the poor captive's bosom pass'd
The thought, but, to his purpose true,
He said not, though he sigh'd, "Adieu!"
XXVI.

And will he keep his purpose still,
In sight of that last closing ill, T
When one poor breath, one single word,
May freedom, safety, life, afford?
Can he resist the instinctive call,
For life that bids us barter all?-

Love, strong as death, his heart hath steel'd,
His nerves hath strung-he will not yield!
Since that poor breath, that little word,
May yield Lord Ronald to the sword.-**
Clan-Colla's dirge is pealing wide,
The griesly headsman's by his side;
Along the greenwood Chase they bend,
And now their march has ghastly end!
That old and shatter'd oak beneath,
They destine for the place of death.
-What thoughts are his, while all in vain
His eye for aid explores the plain?
What thoughts, while, with a dizzy ear,
He hears the death-prayer mutter'd near?
And must he die such death accurst,
Or will that bosom-secret burst?
Cold on his brow breaks terror's dew,
His trembling lips are livid blue;

The agony of parting life

Has naught to match that moment's strife!

XXVII.

But other witnesses are nigh,

Who mock at fear, and death defy!
Soon as the dire lament was play'd,
It waked the lurking ambuscade.

* [MS.-"To all save to himself alone.

Then, says he, that a bark from Lorn
Laid him aboard," &c.]

[In place of the couplet which follows, the MS. has:
"For, stood she there, and should refuse
The choice my better purpose views,
I'd spurn her like a bond-maid tame,
Lost to {resensent an pride and shame."]
[MS.-" A spy, whom, guided by our hound,

to

Lurking conceal'd this morn we found."]

$ [MS." Yon scathed oak."}

The Island Lord look'd forth, and spied
The cause, and loud in fury cried,‡‡
"By Heaven they lead the page to die,
And mock me in his agony!

They shall abye it !"-On his arm

Bruce laid strong grasp, "They shall not harm
A ringlet of the stripling's hair;
But, till I give the word, forbear.
-Douglas, lead fifty of our force
Up yonder hollow water-course,
And couch thee midway on the wold,
Between the flyers and their hold:
A spear above the copse display'd,
Be signal of the ambush made.
-Edward, with forty spearmen, straight
Through yonder copse approach the gate,
And, when thou hear'st the battle-din,
Rush forward, and the passage win,
Secure the drawbridge-storm the port,
And man and guard the castle-court.-
The rest move slowly forth with me,
In shelter of the forest tree,
Till Douglas at his post I see."

XXVIII.

Like war-horse eager to rush on,
Compell'd to wait the signal blown,§§
Hid, and scarce hid, by green wood bough,
Trembling with rage, stands Ronald now,
And in his grasp his sword gleams blue,
Soon to be died with deadlier hue.-
Meanwhile the Bruce, with steady eye,
Sees the dark lill death-train moving by,
And heedful measures oft the space,
The Douglas and his band must trace,
Ere they can reach their destined ground.
Now sinks the dirge's wailing sound,
Now cluster round the direful tree
That slow and solemn company,
While hymn mistuned and mutter'd prayer
The victim for his fate prepare.-
What glances o'er the greenwood shade?
The spear that marks the ambuscade!-
Now, noble Chief! I leave thee loose;
Upon them, Ronald!" said the Bruce.

XXIX.

"The Bruce, the Bruce!" to well-known cry
His native rocks and woods reply,
"The Bruce, the Bruce!" in that dread word
The knell of hundred deaths was heard.
The astonish'd Southern gazed at first,
Where the wild tempest was to burst,
That waked in that presaging name.
Before, behind, around it caine!
Half-arm'd, surprised, on every side
Hemm'd in, hew'd down, they bled and died.
Deep in the ring the Bruce engaged,

And fierce Clan-Colla's broadsword raged!
Full soon the few who fought were sped,
Nor better was their lot who fled,
And met, mid terror's wild career,

The Douglas's redoubted spear!

Two hundred yeomen on that morn
The castle left, and none return.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

And hardly recollection* drown'd
The accents in a murmuring sound:
And once, when scarce he could resist
The Chieftain's care to loose the vest,
Drawn tightly o'er his labouring breast.
But then the Bruce's bugle blew,
For martial work was yet to do.

XXXI.

A harder task fierce Edward waits.
Ere signal given, the castle gates

His fury had assail'd ;t

Such was his wonted reckless mood,
Yet desperate valour oft made good,
Even by its daring, venture rude,

Where prudence might have fail'd.
Upon the bridge his strength he threw,
And struck the iron chain in two,

By which its planks arose;
The warder next his axe's edge
Struck down upon the threshold ledge,
"Twixt door and post a ghastly wedge !5

The gate they may not close.
Well fought the Southern in the fray,
Clifford and Lorn fought well that day,
But stubborn Edward forced his wayli

Against a hundred foes.

Loud came the cry, "The Bruce, the Bruce!"
No hope or in defence or truce,

Fresh combatants pour in;

Mad with success, and drunk with gore,
They drive the struggling foe before,
And ward on ward they win.
Unsparing was the vengeful sword,

And limbs were lopp'd and life-blood pour'd,
The cry of death and conflict roar'd,

* [MS.-" And scarce his recollection," &c.]

↑ [MS.-"A harder task fierce Edward waits, Whose ire assail'd the castle gates."] 1 [MS.-"Where sober thought had fail'd.

Upon the bridge himself he threw."]
[MS.-"His axe was steel of temper'd edge.

That truth the warder well might pledge
He sunk upon the threshold ledge i
The gate, &c."]

$IMS.-"Well fought the English yeomen then,
And Lorn and Clifford play d the men,
But Edward mann'd the pass he won
Against," &c.]

T[The concluding stanza of " The Siege of Corinth" contains an obvious, though, no doubt, an unconscious imitation of the preceding nine lines, magnificently expanded through an extent of about thirty couplets :-

"All the living things that heard That deadly earth shock disappear'd; The wild birds flew; the wild dogs fled, And howling left the unburied dead; The camels from their keepers broke ; The distant steer forsook the yokeThe nearer steed plunged o'er the plain, And burst his girth, and tore his rein," &c.] **[In point of fact, Clifford fell at Bannockburn.] [MS." And swiftly hoisted sail"]

I [MS.-" Short were his shrift, if in that hour of fate, of fury, and of power,

He 'counter'd Edward Bruce !"]

$5 I have followed the flattering and pleasing tradition, that the Bruce, after his descent upon the coast of Ayrshire, actually gained possession of his maternal castle. But the tradition is not accurate The fact is, that he was only strong enough to alarm and drive in the outposts of the English garrison, then commanded, not by Clifford, as assumed in the text, but by Percy. Neither was Clifford slain upon this, occasion though he had se veral skirmishes with Bruce. He fell afterwards in the battle of Bannockburn. Bruce, after alarming the castle of Turnberry, and surprising some part of the garrison, who were quartered without the walls of the fortress, retreated into the mountainous part of Carrick, and there made himself so strong, that the English were obliged to evacuate Turnberry, and at length the Castle of Ayr. Many of his benefactions and royal gifts attest his attachment to the hereditary followers of his house, in this part of the country. It is generally known, that Bruce, in consequence of his dis tresses after the battle of Methven, was affected by a scorbutic disorder, which was then called a leprosy. It is said he experienced benefit from the use of a medicinal spring, about a mile north of the town of Ayr, called from that circumstance King's Fase.* The following is the tradition of the country, collected by Mr. Train: After Robert ascended the throne, he founded the priory of Dominican monks, every one of whom was under the obligation of putting up to Heaven a prayer once every week-day, and twice in holydays, for the recovery of the king; and, after his death, these masses were continued for the saving of his soul. [Sir Walter Scott had misread Mr. Train's MS., which gave not King's Ease, but King's Case, i. e. Casa Regis, the name of the royal foundation described below. Mr. Train's kininess enables the Editor to make this correction. 1833.

And fearful was the din! The startling horses plunged and flung, Clamour'd the dogs till turrets rung, Nor sunk the fearful cry,

Till not a foeman was there found Alive, save those who on the ground Groan'd in their agony !T

XXXII.

The valiant Clifford is no more;**
On Ronald's broadsword stream'd his gore.
But better hap had he of Lorn,
Who, by the foemen backward borne,
Yet gain'd with slender train the port,
Where lay his bark beneath the fort,
And cut the cable loose.tt
Short were his shrift in that debate,
That hour of fury and of fate,

If Lorn encounter'd Bruce !##
Then long and loud the victor shout
From turret and from tower rung out,
The rugged vaults replied;
And from the donjon tower on high,
The men of Carrick may descry
Saint Andrew's cross, in blazonry
Of silver, waving wide!

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

The ruins of this old monastery are now nearly level with the ground. Robert hikewise caused houses to be built round the well of King's Ease, for eight lepers, and allowed eight bulls of oatmeal, and 281. Scotch money, per annum, to each person. These donations were laid upon the lands of Fullarton, and are now payable by the Duke of Portland. The farm of Shiels, in the neighbourhood of Ayr, has to give, if required, a certain quantity of straw for the lepers' beds, and so much to thatch their houses annually. Each leprous person had a drinking horn provided him by the king, which continued to be hereditary in the house to which it was first granted. One of those identical horns. of very curious workmanship, was in the possession of the late Colonel Fullarton of that Ilk."

My correspondent proceeds to mention some curious remnants of antiquity respecting this foundation. "In compliment to Sir William Wallace, the great deliverer of his country, King Robert Bruce invested the descendants of that hero with the right of placing all the lepers upon the establishment of King's Case. This patronage continued in the family of Craigie, till it was sold along with the lands of the late Sir Thomas Wallace. The burgh of Ayr then purchased the right of applying the donations of King's Case to the support of the poor house of Ayr. The lepers' charter-stone was a basaltic block, exactly the shape of a sheep's kidney, and weighing an Ayrshire boll of meal. The surface of this stone being as smooth as glass, there was not any other way of lifting it than by turning the hollow to the ground. there extending the arms along each side of the stone, and clasp ing the hands in the cavity. Young lads were always considered as deserving to be ranked among men, when they could lift the blue stone of King's Case. It always lay beside the well, till a few years ago, when some English dragoons encamped at that place wantonly broke it, since which the fragments have been kept by the freemen of Prestwick in a place of security. There is one of these charter stones at the village of Old Daily in Carrick, which has become more celebrated by the following event, which happened only a very few years ago:-The village of New Daily being now larger than the old place of the same name, the inhabitants insisted that the charter-stone should he removed from the old town to the new, but the people of Old Daily were unwilling to part with their ancient right. Demands and remonstrances were made on each side without effect, till at last man, woman, and child, of both villages, marched out, and by one desperate engagement put an end to a war, the commence ment of which no person then living remembered. Justice and victory, in this instance, being of the same party, the villagers of the old town of Daily now enjoy the pleasure of keeping the blue stane unmolested. Ideal privileges are often attached to some of these stones. In Girvan, if a man can set his back against one of the above description, he is supposed not liable to be arrested for debt, nor can cattle, it is imagined, be poinded as long as they are fastened to the same stone. That stones were often used as symbols to denote the right of possessing land, before the use of written documents became general in Scotland, is, I think, exceedingly probable. The charter stone of Inverness is still kept with great care, set in a frame, and hooped with iron, at the marketplace of that town. It is called by the inhabitants of that dis trict Clack na Couddin. I think it is very likely that Carey has mentioned this stoue in his poem of Craig Phaderick. This is only a conjecture, as I have never seen that work. While the famous marble chair was allowed to remain at Scoon, it was considered as the charter stone of the kingdom of Scotland."

And there the vaulted arch, whose sound
Echoed my joyous shout and bound
In boyhood, and that rung around

To youth's unthinking glee!
O first, to thee, all-gracious Heaven,
Then to my friends, my thanks be given !"-
He paused a space, his brow he cross'd-
Then on the board his sword he toss'd,
Yet steaming hot; with Southern gore
From hilt to point 'twas crimson'd o'er.

[ocr errors]

XXXIV.

Bring here," he said, "the mazers four, My noble fathers loved of yore.t

Thrice let them circle round the board,
The pledge, fair Scotland's rights restored!
And he whose lip shall touch the wine,
Without a vow as true as mine,

To hold both lands and life at naught,
Until her freedom shall be bought,-
Be brand of a disloyal Scot,
And lasting infamy his lot!

Sit, gentle friends! our hour of glee
Is brief, we'll spend it joyously!
Blithest of all the sun's bright beams,

When betwixt storm and storm he gleams.
Well is our country's work begun,
But more, far more, must yet be done.
Speed messengers the country through;
Arouse old friends, and gather new ;S
Warn Lanark's knights to gird their mail,
Rouse the brave sons of Teviotdale,
Let Ettrick's archers sharp their darts,
The fairest forms, the truest hearts !!!

→ [MS.-" And see the vaulted arch," &c.]

1. e.

[ocr errors]

These mazers were large drinking cups, or goblets. Mention of them occurs in a curious inventory of the treasure and jewels of James III, which will be published, with other curious documents of antiquity, by my friend, Mr. Thomas Thomson, D. Register of Scotland, under the title of "A Collection of Inventories, and other Records of the Royal Wardrobe, Jewel House," &c. copy the passage, in which mention is made of the mazers, and also of an habiliment, called "King Robert Bruce's serk," shirt, meaning, perhaps, his shirt of mail; although no other arms are mentioned in the inventory. It might have been a relic of more sanctified description, a penance shirt perhaps. Extract from "Inventare of ane Parte of the Gold and Silver conyeit and unconyeit, Jowellis, and uther Stuff perteining to Umquhile oure Soverane Lords Fader, that he had in Depois the Tyme of his Deceis, and that come to the Handis of oure Soverane Lord that now is, M.CCCC. LXXXVIII." Memorandum fundin in a bandit kist like a gardeviant,* in the fyrst the grete chenyet of gold, contenand sevin score sex linkis. Item, thre platis of silver.

Item, tuelf salfatis. I

Item, fyftene discheiss ouregilt.

Item, a grete gilt plate.

Item, twa grete bassingis ouregilt.

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

And brand of a disloyal Scot !"]

§ As soon as it was known in Kyle, says ancient tradition, that Robert Bruce had landed in Carrick, with the intention of recovering the crown of Scotland, the Laird of Cragie, and fortyeight men in his immediate neighbourhood, declared in favour of their legitimate prince. Bruce granted them a tract of land, still retained by the freemen of Newton to this day. The original charter was lost when the pestilence was raging at Ayr; but it The freemen of Newton were formerly officers by rotation. The was renewed by one of the Jameses, and is dated at Faulkland. Provost of Ayr at one time was a freeman of Newton, and it happened to be his turn, while provost in Ayr, to be officer in Newton, both of which offices he discharged at the same time.

The forest of Selkirk, or Ettrick, at this period, occupied all the district which retains that denomination, and embraced the neighbouring dales of Tweeddale, and at least the Upper Ward of Clydesdale. All that tract was probably as waste as it is mountainous, and covered with the remains of the ancient Caledonian Forest, which is supposed to have stretched from Cheviot Hills as

Item, FOUR MASARIS, CALLED KING ROBERT THE BROCIS with far as Hamilton, and to have comprehended even a part of Ayr

a cover.

Item, a grete cok maid of silver.

Item, the hede of silver of ane of the coveris of masar.

Item, a fare dialle ¶

Item, twa kasis of knyffis.**

Item, a pare of auld kniffis.

Item, in Inglys grotistt

Item, takin be the smyth that opinnit the lokkis, in gold fourty demyis. xxiiii li. and the said silver given again to the takaris of hym. Item, ressavit in the cloissat of Davidis tour, ane haly water-fat of silver, twa boxis, a cageat tume, a glas with rois-water, a dosoune of torchis, King ROBERT BRUCIS SERK." The real use of the antiquarian's studies, is to bring the minute information which he collects to bear upon points of history. For example, in the inventory I have just quoted, there is given the contents of the black kist, or chest, belonging to James III, which was his strong box, and contained a quantity of treasure, in money and jewels, surpassing what might have been at the period expected of poor Scotland's gear." This illustrates and authenticates a striking passage in the history of the house of Douglas, by Hume of Godscroft. The last Earl of Douglas (of the elder branch) had been reduced to monastic seclusion in the Abbey of Lindores, by James II. James III., in his distresses, would willingly have recalled him to public life, and made him his lieutenant. "But he," says Godscroft," laden with years and old age, and weary of troubles, refused, saying, Sir, you have keept mee, and your black coffer in Sterling, too long, neither of us can doe you any good : 1, because my friends have forsaken me, and my followers and dependers are fallen from me, betaking themselves to other masters; and your black trunk is too farre from you, and your enemies are between you and it: or (as others say) because there was in it a sort of black coyne, that the king had caused to be coyned by the advice of his courtiers; which moneyes (saith he) sir, if you had

* Gard-vin, or wine-cooler.-† Chain. - Salt-cellars, anciently the object of tauch carious workmanship.- Dishes Basine.- Dial. Cases of ivca- English groats.

shire. At the fatal battle of Falkirk, Sir John Stewart of Bonkill, brother to the Stewart of Scotland, commanded the archers of Selkirk Forest, who fill around the dead body of their leader. The English historians have commemorated the tall and stately persons, as well as the unswerving faith, of these foresters. Nor has their interesting fall escaped the notice of an elegant modern poetess, whose subject led her to treat of that calamitous engage

ment.

"The glance of the morn had sparkled bright
On their plumage green and their actons light;
The bugle was strung at each hunter's side,
As they had been bound to the chase to ride:
But the bugle is mute, and the shafts are spent,
The arm unnerved and the bow unbent,
And the tired forester is laid

Far, far from the clustering greenwood shade!
Sore have they toil'd-they are fallen asleep,
And their slumber is heavy, and dull, and deep!
When over their bones the grass shall wave,
When the wild winds over their tomb shall rave,
Memory shall lean on their graves, and tell
How Selkirk's hunters bold around old Stewart fell!"
WALLACE, or the Fight of Falkirk, (by Miss HOLFORD,]
Lond. 4to. 1809, pp. 170, 1.

T[MS-"Hast thou forgot-No! who can e'er forget."] **Who can avoid conjuring up the idea of men with broad sheets of foolscap scored with victories rolled round their hats, and horns blowing loud defiance in each other's mouth, from the top to the bottom of Pall Mall, or the Has market, when he reads such a passage. We actually hear the Park and Tower guns, and the clattering of ten thousand bells, as we read, and stop our ears from the close and sudden intrusion of the clamours of some hot

and horn fisted patriot, blowing ourselves, as well as Bonaparte, to the devil! And what has all this to do with Bannockburn ?"-Monthly Review.]

[MS." Watch'd Joy's broad banner rise, watch'd Triumph's flashing gun."]

Such news o'er Scotland's hills triumphant rode, When 'gainst the invaders turn'd the battle's scale,

When Bruce's banner had victorious flow'd

O'er Loudoun's mountain, and in Ury's vale ;*
When English blood oft deluged Douglas-dale, t
And fiery Edward routed stout St. John,+
When Randolph's war-cry swell'd the southern
gale,§

And many a fortress, town, and tower, was won, And Fame still sounded forth fresh deeds of glory done.

II.

Blithe tidings flew from baron's tower,
To peasant's cot, to forest bower,
And waked the solitary cell,

Where lone Saint Bride's recluses dwell.
Princes no more, fair Isabel,

A vot'ress of the order now,
Say, did the rule that bid thee wear
Dim veil and woollen scapulare,
And reft thy locks of dark-brown hair,
That stern and rigid vow,
Did it condemn the transport high,
Which glisten'd in thy watery eye,
When minstrel or when palmer told
Each fresh exploit of Bruce the bold ?-
And whose the lovely form, that shares
Thy anxious hopes, thy fears, thy prayers?
No sister she of convent shade;,

So say these locks in lengthen'd braid,
So say the blushes and the sighs
The tremors that unbidden rise,
When, mingled with the Bruce's fame,
The brave Lord Ronald's praises came.

The first important advantage gained by Bruce, after landing at Turnbury, was over Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, the same by whom he had been defeated near Methven. They met, as has been said, by appointment, at Loudonhill, in the west of Scotland. Pembroke sustained a defeat; and from that time Bruce was at the head of a considerable flying army. Yet he was subsequently obliged to retreat into Aberdeenshire, and was there assailed by Comyn, Earl of Buchan, desirous to avenge the death of his relative, the Red Comyn, and supported by a body of English troops under Philip de Moubray. Bruce was ill at the time of a scrofulous disorder, but took horse to meet his enemies, although obliged to be supported on either side. He was victo rious, and it is said that the agitation of his spirits restored his health.

[ocr errors]

The "good Lord James of Douglas," during these commotions, often took from the English his own castle of Douglas, but being unable to garrison it, contented himself with destroying the fortifications, and retiring into the mountains. As a reward to his patriotism, it is said to have been prophesied, that how often soever Douglas Castle should be destroyed, it should always again arise more magnificent from its ruins. Upon one of these Occasions he used fearful cruelty, causing all the store of provi sions, which the English had laid up in his castle, to be heaped together, bursting the wine and beer-casks among the wheat and flour, slaughtering the cattle upon the same spot, and upon the top of the whole cutting the throats of the English prisoners. This pleasantry of the "good Lord James" is commemorated under the name of the Douglas's Larder. A more pleasing tale of chivalry is recorded by Godscroft. By this means, and such other exploits, he so affrighted the enemy, that it was counted a matter of great jeopardie to keep this castle, which began to be called the adventurous (or hazardous) Castle of Douglass; whereupon Sir John Walton being in suit of an English lady, she wrote to him, that when he had kept the adventurous Castle of Douglas seven years, then he might think himself worthy to be a suitor to her. Upon this occasion Walton took upon him the keeping of it, and succeeded to Thruswall, but he ran the same fortune with the rest that were before him. Por Sir James, ha ving first dressed an ambuscado near unto the place, he made fourteen of his men take so many sacks, and fill them with grass, as though it had been corn, which they carried in the way to Lanark, the chief market town in that county: so hoping to draw forth the captain by that bait, and either to take him or the castle, or both. Neither was this expectation frustrated, for the captain did bite, and came forth to have taken this victual (as he supposed.) But ere he could reach these carriers, Sir James, with his company, had gotten between the castle and him; and these disguised carriers, seeing the captain following after them, did quickly cast off their sacks, mounted themselves on horseback, and met the captain with a sharp encounter, being so much the more amazed, as it was unlooked for: wherefore, when he saw these carriers metamorphosed into warriors, and ready to assault him, fearing that which was, that there was some train laid for them, he turned about to have retired to his castle, but there he also met with his enemies; between which two companies he and his whole followers were slain, so that none escaped: the captain afterwards being searched, they found (as it is reported) his mistress's letter about him."-HUME's History of the House of Douglas, fol. pp. 29, 30.*

-Ed.

John de St John, with 15,000 horseman, had advanced to This is the foundation of the Author's last romance, Castle Dangerous.

III. Believe, his father's castle won, And his bold enterprise begun, That Bruce's earliest cares restore The speechless page to Arran's shore: Nor think that long the quaint disguise Concealed her from a sister's eyes; And sister-like in love they dwell In that lone convent's silent cell. There Bruce's slow assent allows Fair Isabel the veil and vows;. And there, her sex's dress regain'd, The lovely Maid of Lorn remain'd, Unnamed, unknown, while Scotland far Resounded with the din of war; And many a month, and many a day, In calm seclusion wore away.

IV.

[ocr errors]

These days, these months, to years had worn,
When tidings of high weight were borne

To that lone island's shore;

Of all the Scottish conquests made
By the first Edward's ruthless blade,
His son retain'd no more,
Northward of Tweed, but Stirling's towers,
Beleaguer'd by King Robert's powers;

And they took term of truce,!!

If England's King should not relieve
The siege ere John the Baptist's eve,
To yield them to the Bruce.
England was roused-on every side
Courier and post and herald hied,

To summon prince and peer,

At Berwick-bounds to meet their Liege,¶
Prepared to raise fair Stirling's siege,

oppose the inroad of the Scots. By a forced march he endeavored to surprise them, but intelligence of his motions was timeously received. The courage of Edward Bruce, approaching to temeri ty, frequently enabled him to achieve what men of more judicio valour would never have attempted. He ordered the infantry, and the meaner sort of his army, to intrench themselves in streng narrow ground. He himself, with fifty horsemien well harnessed, issued forth under cover of a thick mist, surprised the English on their march, attacked and dispersed them."-DALRYMPLE'S ANnals of Scotland. quarto, Edinburgh, 1779, p. 5.

Thomas Randolph, Bruce's sister's son, a renowned Scottish chief, was in the early part of his life not more remarkable for consistency than Bruce himself. He espoused his uncle's party when Bruce first assumed the crown, and was made prisoner at the fatal battle of Methven, in which his relative's hopes appear ed to be ruined. Randolph accordingly not only submitted to the English, but took an active part against Bruce, appeared in arms against him, and in the skirmish where he was so closely pursued by the bloodhound, it is said his nephew took his standard with his own hand. But Randolph was afterwards made prisoner by Douglas in Tweeddale, and brought before King Robert. Some harsh language was exchanged between the uncle and nephew, and the latter was committed for a time to close custody. After wards, however, they were reconciled, and Randolph was created Earl of Moray about 1312, After this period he eminently distinguished himself, first by the surprise of Edinburgh Castle, and afterwards by many similar enterprises, conducted with equal courage and ability.

When a long train of success, actively improved by Robert Bruce, had made him master of almost all Scotland, Stirling Castle continued to hold out. The care of the blockade was committed by the king to his brother Edward, who concluded a treaty with Sir Philip Mowbray, the governor, that he should surrender the fortress, if it were not succoured by the king of England before St. John the Baptist's day. The King severely blamed his brother for the impolicy of a treaty, which gave time to the King of England to advance to the relief of the castle with all his assembled forces, and obliged himself either to meet them in battle with an inferior force, or to retreat with dishonour. "Let all England come," answered the reckless Edward; "we will fight them were they more." The consequence was, of course, that each kingdom mustered its strength for the expected battle; and as the space agreed upon reached from Lent to Midsummer, full time was allowed for that purpose.

There is printed in Rymer's Fodera the summons issued upon this occasion to the sheriff of York; and he mentions eigh teen other persons to whom similar ordinances were issued. It seems to respect the infantry alone, for it is entitled, De pediti bus ad recussum Castri de Strycelin a Scotis obsessi, prope rare faciendis. This circumstance is also clear from the reason ing of the writ, which states: "We have understood that our Scottish enemies and rebels are endeavouring to collect as strong a force as possible of infantry, in strong and marshy grounds, where the approach of cavalry would be difficult, between us and the castle of Stirling."-It then sets forth Mowbray's agreement to surrender the castle, if not relieved before St. John the Baptist's day, and the king's determination, with divine grace, to raise the siege. "Therefore," the summons further bears, "to remove our said enemies and rebels from such places as above mentioned, it is necessary for us to have a strong force of infantry fit for arms." And accordingly the sheriff of York is commanded to equip and send forth a body of four thousand infantry, to be assembled

« PreviousContinue »