The Lady of the Lake · Walter Scott

Chapter 6: Canto Sixth

"Lord Jeffrey has objected to the guard-room scene and its accompanyingsong as the greatest blemish in the whole poem. The scene contrastsforcibly with the grace which characterizes the rest; but in apoem which rests its interest upon incident, such a criticism seemsoverstrained. It gives us a vigorous picture of a class of men whoplayed a very important part in the history of the time, especiallyacross the Border; men who, many of them outlaws, and fighting, not forcountry or for king, but for him who paid them best, were humoredwith every license when they were not on strict military duty. Therequirements of the narrative might have been satisfied without thesedetails, it is true; but the use which Sir Walter has made of them—toshow the power of beauty and innocence, and the chords of tenderness andgoodness which lie ready to vibrate in the wildest natures—may surelyreconcile us to such a piece of realism.

"The scene of Roderick's death harmonizes well with his character. Theminstrel's account of the battle the poet himself felt to be somewhatlong, and yet it is difficult to see how it could be curtailed withoutspoiling it. It is full of life and vigor, and our only cause ofsurprise is that the lay should only come to a sudden stand when it isreally completed" (Taylor).

6. Scaring, etc. The 1st ed. reads: "And scaring prowling robbers totheir den."

  1. Battled. Battlemented; as in ii. 702 above.
  1. The kind nurse of men. Cf. 2 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 5:

"O sleep, O gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse," etc.

23. Through narrow loop, etc. The MS. has "Through blackened arch,"etc.; and below:

"The lights in strange alliance shone Beneath the arch of blackened stone."

  1. Struggling with. Some recent eds. misprint "struggling through."

47. Adventurers they, etc. Scott says: "The Scottish armies consistedchiefly of the nobility and barons, with their vassals, who held landsunder them for military service by themselves and their tenants. Thepatriarchal influence exercised by the heads of clans in the Highlandsand Borders was of a different nature, and sometimes at variance withfeudal principles. It flowed from the Patria Potestas, exercised by thechieftain as representing the original father of the whole name, andwas often obeyed in contradiction to the feudal superior. James V. seemsfirst to have introduced, in addition to the militia furnished fromthese sources, the service of a small number of mercenaries, who formeda body-guard, called the Foot-Band. The satirical poet, Sir DavidLindsay (or the person who wrote the prologue to his play of the ThreeEstaites), has introduced Finlay of the Foot-Band, who after muchswaggering upon the stage is at length put to flight by the Fool, whoterrifies him by means of a sheep's skull upon a pole. I have ratherchosen to give them the harsh features of the mercenary soldiers of theperiod, than of this Scottish Thraso. These partook of the character ofthe Adventurous Companions of Froissart, or the Condottieri of Italy."

53. The Fleming, etc. The soil of Flanders is very fertile andproductive, in marked contrast to the greater part of Scotland.

  1. Halberd. A combination of spear and battle-axe. See Wb.
  1. Holytide. Holiday. For tide = time, see on iii. 478 above.
  1. Neighboring to. That is, lying in adjacent rooms.

75. Burden. Alluding to the burden, or chorus, of a song. Cf. ii. 392above. The MS. has "jest" for joke; and in the next line "And rude oathsvented by the rest."

  1. Trent. the English river of that name. Cf. 231 below.
  1. That day. Modifying cut shore, not grieved.

87. A merry catch, I troll. Cf. Shakespeare, Temp, iii. 2. 126: "willyou troll the catch," etc.

88. Buxom. Lively, brisk; as in Hen. V. iii. 6. 27: "of buxom valour,"etc. Its original sense was yielding, obedient; as in F. Q. i. 11. 37:"the buxome aire" (see also Milton, P. L. ii. 842); and Id. iii. 2. 23:"Of them that to him buxome are and prone." For the derivation, see Wb.

90. Poule. Paul; an old spelling, found in Chaucer and other writers.The measure of the song is anapestic (that is, with the accent on everythird syllable), with modifications.

92. Black-jack. A kind of pitcher made of leather. Taylor quotes OldMortality, chap. viii.: "The large black-jack filled with very smallbeer."

93. Sack. A name applied to Spanish and Canary wines in general; butsometimes the particular kind was specified. Cf. 2 Hen. IV. iv. 3. 104:"good sherris-sack" (that is, sherry wine); and Herrick, Poems:

"thy isles shall lack Grapes, before Herrick leaves Canarie sack."

95. Upsees. "Bacchanalian interjection, borrowed from the Dutch"(Scott). Nares criticises Scott for using the word as a noun. It isgenerally found in the phrases "upsee Dutch" and "upsee Freeze" (thesame thing, Frise being = Dutch), which appear to mean "in the Dutchfashion." Cf. Ben Jonson, Alchemist, iv. 6:

"I do not like the dullness of your eye, It hath a heavy east, 't is upsee Dutch;"

that is, looks like intoxication. See also Beaumont and Fletcher,Beggar's Bush, iv. 4: "The bowl... which must be upsey English, strong,lusty, London beer."

  1. Kerchief. See on iii. 495 above.

100. Gillian. A common old English name (according to Coles and others,a corruption of Juliana), often contracted into Gill of Jill, and usedas a familiar term for a woman, as Jack was for a man. The two are oftenassociated; as in the proverbs "Every Jack must have his Jill," and "Agood Jack makes a good Jill."

103. Placket. Explained by some as = stomacher; by others as =petticoat, or the slit or opening in those garments. Cf. Wb. It is oftenused figuratively for woman, as here. Placket and pot = women and wine.

104. Lurch. Rob. Cf. Shakespeare, Cor. ii. 2. 105: "He lurch'd allswords of the garland;" that is, robbed them all of the prize.

  1. The drum. The 1st ed. has "your drum."
  1. Plaid. For the rhyme, see on i. 363 above.

124. Store of blood. Plenty of blood. Cf. Milton, L'Allegro, 121: "Withstore of ladies," etc. See also on the adjective, i. 548 above.

  1. Reward thy toil. The MS. goes on thus:

"Get thee an ape, and then at once Thou mayst renounce the warder's lance, And trudge through borough and through land, The leader of a juggler band."

Scott has the following note here: "The jongleurs, or jugglers, as welearn from the elaborate work of the late Mr. Strutt, on the sports andpastimes of the people of England, used to call in the aid of variousassistants, to render these performances as captivating as possible.The glee-maiden was a necessary attendant. Her duty was tumbling anddancing; and therefore the Anglo-Saxon version of Saint Mark's Gospelstates Herodias to have vaulted or tumbled before King Herod. InScotland these poor creatures seem, even at a late period, to havebeen bondswomen to their masters, as appears from a case reported byFountainhall: 'Reid the mountebank pursues Scot of Harden and his ladyfor stealing away from him a little girl, called the tumbling-lassie,that dance upon his stage; and he claimed damages, and produced acontract, whereby he bought her from her mother for £30 Scots. But wehave no slaves in Scotland, and mothers cannot sell their bairns; andphysicians attested the employment of tumbling would kill her; and herjoints were now grown stiff, and she declined to return; though she wasat least a 'prentice, and so could not run away from her master; yetsome cited Moses's law, that if a servant shelter himself with theeagainst his master's cruelty, thou shalt surely not deliver him up. TheLords, renitente cancellario, assoilzied Harden on the 27th of January(1687)' (Fountainhall's Decisions, vol. i. p. 439)."

136. Purvey. Provide. Cf. Spenser, F. Q. v. 12. 10: "He all things didpurvay which for them needfull weare."

147. Bertram, etc. The MS. has "Bertram | his | | such | violence withstood."

152. The tartan screen. That is, the tartan which she had drawn over herhead as a veil.

155. The savage soldiery, etc. The MS. has "While the rude soldiery,amazed;" and in 164 below, "Should Ellen Douglas suffer wrong."

167. I shame me. I shame myself, I am ashamed. The very was formerlyused intransitively in this sense. Cf. Shakespeare, R. of L. 1143: "Asshaming any eye should thee behold;" A. Y. L. iv. 3. 136: "I do notshame to tell you what I was," etc.

  1. Needwood. A royal forest in Staffordshire.
  1. Poor Rose, etc. The MS. reads:

"'My Rose,'—he wiped his iron eye and brow,-- 'Poor Rose,—if Rose be living now.'"

178. Part. Act; used for the rhyme. The expression is not unlike "do thepart of an honest man" (Much Ado, ii. 1. 172), or "act the part," as weshould now put it.

183. Tullibardine. The name of an old seat of the Murray family, abouttwenty miles from Stirling.

199. Errant damosel. Cf. Spenser, F. Q. ii. 1. 19: "Th' adventure of theErrant damozell."

209. Given by the Monarch, etc. The MS. has "The Monarch gave to JamesFitz-James."

  1. Bower. Chamber. See on i. 217 above.
  1. Permit I marshal you the way. Permit that I conduct you thither.
  1. The vacant purse, etc. The MS. reads:

"The silken purse shall serve for me, And in my barret-cap shall flee""--

a forced rhyme which the poet did well to get rid of.

  1. Barret-cap. Cloth cap. Cf. the Lay, iii. 216:

"Old England's sign, St. George's cross, His barret-cap did grace."

He puts the purse in his cap as a favor. See on iv. 686 above.

242. Master's. He means the Douglas, but John of Brent takes it to referto Roderick. See 305 below.

  1. Wot. Know, understand. See on i. 596 above.

276. Rugged vaults. The MS. has "low broad vaults;" and in 279,"stretching" for crushing.

  1. Oaken floor. The MS. and 1st ed. have "flinty floor;" and below:

"'thou mayst remain;' And then, retiring, bolt and chain, And rusty bar, he drew again. Roused at the sound," etc.

292, 293. Such... hold. This couplet is not in the 1st ed., andpresumably not in the MS., though the fact is not noted by Lockhart.

295. Leech. Physician. Cf. F. Q. iii. 3. 18: "Yf any leaches skill,"etc.; and in the preceding stanza, "More neede of leach-crafte hath yourDamozell," etc.

  1. Prore. Prow (Latin prora); used only in poetry.
  1. Astrand. On strand (cf. ashore), stranded.

316. At sea. The MS. has "on main," and "plain" for lea in the rhyme.The 1st ed. and that of 1821 have "on sea."

  1. Has never harp, etc. The MS. reads:

"Shall never harp of minstrel tell Of combat fought so fierce and well."

348. Strike it! Scott says: "There are several instances, at leastin tradition, of persons so much attached to particular tunes, as torequire to hear them on their death-bed. Such an anecdote is mentionedby the late Mr. Riddel of Glenriddel, in his collection of Border tunes,respecting an air called the 'Dandling of the Bairns,' for which acertain Gallovidian laird is said to have evinced this strong markof partiality. It is popularly told of a famous freebooter, that hecomposed the tune known by the name of Macpherson's Rant while undersentence of death, and played it at the gallows-tree. Some spiritedwords have been adapted to it by Burns. A similar story is recounted ofa Welsh bard, who composed and played on his death-bed the air calledDafyddy Garregg Wen. But the most curious example is given by Brantomeof a maid of honor at the court of France, entitled Mademoiselle deLimeuil: 'Durant sa maladie, dont elle trespassa, jamais elle necessa, ainsi causa tousjours; car elle estoit fort grande parleuse,brocardeuse, et tres-bien et fort a propos, et tres-belle avec cela.Quand l'heure de sa fin fut venue, elle fit venir a soy son valet (ainsique les filles de la cour en ont chacune un), qui s'appelloit Julien,et scavoit tres-bien jouer du violon. "Julien," luy dit elle, "prenezvostre violon, et sonnez moy tousjours jusques a ce que vous me voyezmorte (car je m'y en vais) la Defaite des Suisses, et le mieux que vouspourrez, et quand vous serez sur le mot, 'Tout est perdu,' sonnez le parquatre ou cing fois, le plus piteusement que vous pourrez," ce qui fitl'autre, et elle-mesme luy aidoit de la voix, et quand ce vint "tout estperdu," elle le reitera par deux fois; et se tournant de l'autre costedu chevet, elle dit a ses compagnes: "Tout est perdu a ce coup, et abon escient;" et ainsi deceda. Voila une morte joyeuse et plaisante. Jetiens ce conte de deux de ses compagnes, dignes de foi, qui virent jouerce mystere' (OEuvres de Brantome, iii. 507). The tune to which thisfair lady chose to make her final exit was composed on the defeat ofthe Swiss of Marignano. The burden is quoted by Panurge in Rabelais, andconsists of these words, imitating the jargon of the Swiss, which is amixture of French and German:

'Tout est verlore, La Tintelore, Tout est verlore bi Got.'"

  1. With what, etc. This line is not in the MS.
  1. Battle of Beal' au Duine. Scott has the following note here:

"A skirmish actually took place at a pass thus called in the Trosachs,and closed with the remarkable incident mentioned in the text. It wasgreatly posterior in date to the reign of James V.

'In this roughly-wooded island [13] the country people secreted theirwives and children and their most valuable effects from the rapacity ofCromwell's soldiers during their inroad into this country, in the timeof the republic. These invaders, not venturing to ascend by the laddersalong the lake, took a more circuitous road through the heart of theTrosachs, the most frequented path at that time, which penetrates thewilderness about half way between Binean and the lake by a tract calledYea-chilleach, or the Old Wife's Bog.

'In one of the defiles of this by-road the men of the country atthat time hung upon the rear of the invading enemy, and shot one ofCromwell's men, whose grave marks the scene of action, and gives name tothat pass. [14] In revenge of this insult, the soldiers resolved toplunder the island, to violate the women, and put the children to death.With this brutal intention, one of the party, more expert than the rest,swam towards the island, to fetch the boat to his comrades, which hadcarried the women to their asylum, and lay moored in one of the creeks.His companions stood on the shore of the mainland, in full view of allthat was to pass, waiting anxiously for his return with the boat. Butjust as the swimmer had got to the nearest point of the island, and waslaying hold of a black rock to get on shore, a heroine, who stood on thevery point where he meant to land, hastily snatching a dagger from belowher apron, with one stroke severed his head from the body. His partyseeing this disaster, and relinquishing all future hope of revenge orconquest, made the best of their way out of their perilous situation.This amazon's great grandson lives at Bridge of Turk, who, besidesothers, attests the anecdote' (Sketch of the Scenery near Callander,Stirling, 1806, p. 20). I have only to add to this account that theheroine's name was Helen Stuart."

376. No ripple on the lake. "The liveliness of this description of thebattle is due to the greater variety of the metre, which resemblesthat of Marmion. The three-accent lines introduced at intervals giveit lightness, and the repetition of the same rhyme enables the poetto throw together without break all that forms part of one picture"(Taylor).

  1. Erne. Eagle. See Wb.
  1. I see, etc. Cf. iv. 152 above.
  1. Boune. See on iv. 36 above. Most eds. misprint "bound."

404. Barded. The reading of the 1st ed. and that of 1821; "corrected"in all the recent ones into "barbed." Scott doubtless wrote barded (=armored, or wearing defensive armor; but applied only to horses), a wordfound in many old writers. Cf. Holinshed (quoted by Nares): "with bardedhorses, all covered with iron," etc. See also Wb. Scott has the wordagain in the Lay, i. 311:

"Above the foaming tide, I ween, Scarce half the charger's neck was seen; For he was barded from counter to tail, And the rider was armed complete in mail."

405. Battalia. Battalion, army. The word is not a plural of battalion,as some have seemed to think. See Wb.

414. Vaward. In the vanward, or vanguard; misprinted "vanward" in someeditions. Shakespeare has the noun several times; as in Hen. V. iv. 3.130: "The leading of the vaward;" Cor. i. 6. 53: "Their bands i' thevaward;" and figuratively in M. N. D. iv. 1. 110: "the vaward of theday," etc.

  1. Pride. Some eds. misprint "power."
  1. As. As if. See on ii. 56 above.

434. Their flight they ply. The reading of the 1st ed. and that of 1821.Most of the eds. have "plight" for flight, and Taylor has the followingnote on Their plight they ply: "The meaning of this is not very clear.Possibly 'they keep up a constant fire,' but they seem in too complete arout for that." Cf. iii. 318 above.

  1. The rear. The 1st ed. has "their rear."

443. Twilight wood. Cf. 403 above. "The appearance of the spears andpikes was such that in the twilight they might have been mistaken at adistance for a wood" (Taylor).

449-450. And closely shouldering, etc. This couplet is not in the MS.

452. Tinchel. "A circle of sportsmen, who, by surrounding a great space,and gradually narrowing, brought immense quantities of deer together,which usually made desperate efforts to breach through the Tinchel"(Scott).

  1. The tide. The 1st ed. has "their tide."
  1. Now, gallants! etc. Cf. Macaulay, Battle of Ivry:

"Now by the lips of those ye love, Fair gentlemen of France, Charge for the golden lilies,-- Upon them with the lance!"

  1. And refluent, etc. The MS. reads:

"And refluent down the darksome pass The battle's tide was poured; There toiled the spearman's struggling spear, There raged the mountain sword."

  1. Linn. Here the word is = cataract. See on i. 71 and ii. 270 above.
  1. Minstrel, away! The MS. has "Away! away!"
  1. Surge. Note the imperfect rhyme. See on i. 223 above.

511. That sullen. The reading of the 1st ed. and that of 1821; "thesullen" in many eds.

  1. That parts not, etc. Lockhart quotes Byron, Giaour:

"the loveliness in death That parts not quite with parting breath."

  1. Seeming, etc. The MS. reads:

"And seemed, to minstrel ear, to toll The parting dirge of many a soul."

For part = depart, see on ii. 94 above.

  1. While by the lake, etc. The MS. reads:

"While by the darkened lake below File out the spearmen of the foe."

  1. At weary bay. See on i. 133 above.

527. Tattered sail. The 1st ed. has "shattered sail;" not noted in theErrata.

  1. Saxons. Some eds. misprint "Saxon."
  1. Wont. See on i. 408 above.

539. Store. See on i. 548 above. Bonnet-pieces were gold coins on whichthe King's head was represented with a bonnet instead of a crown.

  1. To him will swim. For the ellipsis, see on i. 528 above.

556. Her billows, etc. The 1st ed. has "Her billow reared his snowycrest," and "its" for they in the next line.

564. It tinged, etc. The MS. has "It tinged the boats and lake withflame."

Lines 561-568 are interpolated in the MS. on a slip of paper.

  1. Duncraggan's widowed dame. Cf. iii. 428 fol. above.
  1. A naked dirk. The 1st ed. has "Her husband's dirk."
  1. Chime. Music. Cf. iv. 524 above.

595. Varied his look, etc. The MS. has "Glowed in his look, as swelledthe song;" and in 600,

"his | glazing | eye." | fiery |

602. Thus, motionless, etc. Cf. the Introduction to Rob Roy; "Rob Roy,while on his death-bed, learned that a person, with whom he was atenmity, proposed to visit him. 'Raise me from my bed,' said the invalid;'throw my plaid around me, and bring me my claymore, dirk, and pistols:it shall never be said that a foeman saw Rob Roy MacGregor defencelessand unarmed.' His foeman, conjectured to be one of the MacLarens,entered and paid his compliments, inquiring after the health of hisformidable neighbor. Rob Roy maintained a cold, haughty civility duringtheir short conference; and so soon as he had left the house, 'Now,' hesaid, 'all is over—let the piper play Ha til mi tulidh' [we return nomore], and he is said to have expired before the dirge was finished."

605. Grim and still. Originally "stern and still." In a note to theprinter, sent with the final stanzas, Scott writes: "I send the grandfinale, and so exit the Lady of the Lake from the head she has tormentedfor six months. In canto vi. stanza 21,—stern and still, read grim andstill; sternly occurs four lines higher. For a similar reason, stanza24,—dun deer read fleet deer."

608. And art thou, etc. The MS. has "'And art thou gone,' the Minstrelsaid."

  1. Foeman's. Misprinted "foeman's" in some eds.
  1. Breadalbane. See on ii. 416 above.
  1. The shelter, etc. The MS. has "The mightiest of a mighty line."
  1. Even she. That is, Ellen.

638. Storied. Referring to the scenes depicted on the painted glass.Cf. Milton, Il Penseroso, 159: "And storied windows, richly dight." Thechange of tense in fall is of course for the rhyme; but we might expect"lighten" for lightened.

  1. The banquet, etc. The MS. reads:

"The banquet gay, the chamber's pride, Scarce drew one curious glance aside;"

and in 653, "earnest on his game."

665. Of perch and hood. That is, of enforced idleness. See on ii. 525above. In some eds. this song is printed without any division intostanzas.

670. Forest. The 1st ed. and that of 1821 have "forests," but we suspectthat Scott wrote forest.

672. Is meet for me. The MS. has "was meant for me." For the ellipsis,cf. 540 above.

674. From yon dull steeple's," etc. The MS. has "From darkenedsteeple's" etc. See on v. 558 above.

677. The lark, etc. The MS. has "The lively lark my matins rung," and"sung" in the rhyme. The omission of to with ring and sing is here apoetic license; but in Elizabethan English it is common in many caseswhere it would not now be admissible. Cf. Othello, ii. 3. 190: "you werewont be civil;" F. Q. i. 1. 50: "He thought have slaine her," etc.

  1. A hall, etc. The MS. has "a hall should harbor me."
  1. Fleet deer. See on 605 above.

707. At morning prime. Early in the morning. Prime is properly the firstcanonical hour of prayer, or 6 a.m. For its looser use here, cf. F. Q.ii. 9. 25: "at evening and at prime."

  1. Stayed. Supported; not to be printed "staid," as in some editions.
  1. Within, etc. The MS. reads:

"Within 't was brilliant all, and bright The vision glowed on Ellen's sight."

  1. Presence. Presence-chamber. Cf. Rich. II. i. 3. 289:

"Suppose the singing birds musicians, The grass whereon thou tread'st the presence strew'd"

(that is, strewn with rushes); Hen. VIII. iii. 1. 17:

"the two great cardinals Wait in the presence," etc.

  1. For him, etc. The MS. reads: "For him who owned this royal state."
  1. Sheen. Bright. See on i. 208 above.

740. And Snowdoun's Knight is Scotland's King. Scott says: "Thisdiscovery will probably remind the reader of the beautiful Arabian taleof Il Bondocani. Yet the incident is not borrowed from that elegantstory, but from Scottish tradition. James V., of whom we are treating,was a monarch whose good and benevolent intentions often rendered hisromantic freaks venial, if not respectable, since, from his anxiousattention to the interests of the lower and most oppressed class ofhis subjects, he was, as we have seen, popularly termed the King ofthe Commons. For the purpose of seeing that justice was regularlyadministered, and frequently from the less justifiable motive ofgallantry, he used to traverse the vicinage of his several palacesin various disguises. The two excellent comic songs entitled TheGaberlunzie Man and We'll gae nae mair a roving are said to have beenfounded upon the success of his amorous adventures when travelling inthe disguise of a beggar. The latter is perhaps the best comic ballad inany language.

"Another adventure, which had nearly cost James his life, is said tohave taken place at the village of Cramond, near Edinburgh, where he hadrendered his addresses acceptable to a pretty girl of the lower rank.Four or five persons, whether relations or lovers of his mistressis uncertain, beset the disguised monarch as he returned from hisrendezvous. Naturally gallant, and an admirable master of his weapon,the King took post on the high and narrow bridge over the Almond river,and defended himself bravely with his sword. A peasant who was thrashingin a neighboring barn came out upon the noise, and, whether moved bycompassion or by natural gallantry, took the weaker side, and laidabout with his flail so effectually as to disperse the assailants, wellthrashed, even according to the letter. He then conducted the King intohis barn, where his guest requested a basin and a towel, to remove thestains of the broil. This being procured with difficulty, James employedhimself in learning what was the summit of the deliverer's earthlywishes, and found that they were bounded by the desire of possessing, inproperty, the farm of Braehead, upon which he labored as a bondsman. Thelands chanced to belong to the Crown; and James directed him to come tothe palace of Holyrood and inquire for the Guidman (that is, farmer) ofBallenguich, a name by which he was known in his excursions, and whichanswered to the Il Bondocani of Haroun Alraschid. He presented himselfaccordingly, and found, with due astonishment, that he had saved hismonarch's life, and that he was to be gratified with a crown charter ofthe lands of Braehead, under the service of presenting a ewer, basin,and towel for the King to wash his hands when he shall happen to passthe bridge of Cramond. This person was ancestor of the Howisons ofBraehead, in Mid-Lothian, a respectable family, who continue to hold thelands (now passed into the female line) under the same tenure. [15]

"Another of James's frolics is thus narrated by Mr. Campbell from theStatistical Account: 'Being once benighted when out a-hunting, andseparated from his attendants, he happened to enter a cottage in themidst of a moor, at the foot of the Ochil hills, near Alloa, where,unknown, he was kindly received. In order to regale their unexpectedguest, the gudeman desired the gudewife to fetch the hen that roostednearest the cock, which is always the plumpest, for the stranger'ssupper. The King, highly pleased with his night's lodging and hospitableentertainment, told mine host, at parting, that he should be gladto return his civility, and requested that the first time he came toStirling he would call at the Castle, and inquire for the Gudemanof Ballenguich. Donaldson, the landlord, did not fail to call on theGudeman of Ballenguich, when his astonishment at finding that the Kinghad been his guest afforded no small amusement to the merry monarchand his courtiers; and to carry on the pleasantry, he was thenceforthdesignated by James with the title of King of the Moors, which name anddesignation have descended from father to son ever since, and theyhave continued in possession of the identical spot, the property of Mr.Erskine of Mar, till very lately, when this gentleman with reluctanceturned out the descendant and representative of the King of the Moors,on account of his Majesty's invincible indolence, and great dislike toreform or innovation of any kind, although, from the spirited exampleof his neighbor tenants on the same estate, he is convinced similarexertion would promote his advantage.'

"The author requests permission yet farther to verify the subject of hispoem, by an extract from the genealogical work of Buchanan of Auchmar,upon Scottish surnames (Essay upon the Family of Buchanan, p. 74):

'This John Buchanan of Auchmar and Arnpryor was afterwards termed Kingof Kippen [a small district of Perthshire] upon the following account:King James V., a very sociable, debonair prince, residing at Stirling,in Buchanan of Arnpryor's time, carriers were very frequently passingalong the common road, being near Arnpryor's house, with necessariesfor the use of the King's family; and he, having some extraordinaryoccasion, ordered one of these carriers to leave his load at his house,and he would pay him for it; which the carrier refused to do, tellinghim he was the King's carrier, and his load for his Majesty's use; towhich Arnpryor seemed to have small regard, compelling the carrier,in the end, to leave his load; telling him, if King James was King ofScotland, he was King of Kippen, so that it was reasonable he shouldshare with his neighbor king in some of these loads, so frequentlycarried that road. The carrier representing these usage, and telling thestory as Arnpryor spoke it, to some of the King's servants, it cameat length to his majesty's ears, who shortly thereafter, with a fewattendants, came to visit his neighbor king, who was in the meantime atdinner. King James, having sent a servant to demand access, was deniedthe same by a tall fellow with a battle-axe, who stood porter at thegate, telling there could be no access till dinner was over. This answernot satisfying the King, he sent to demand access a second time; uponwhich he was desired by the porter to desist, otherwise he would findcause to repent his rudeness. His Majesty finding this method wouldnot do, desired the porter to tell his master that the Goodman ofBallangeigh desired to speak with the King of Kippen. The porter tellingArnpryor so much, he, in all humble manner, came and received the King,and having entertained him with much sumptuousness and jollity, becameso agreeable to King James, that he allowed him to take so much of anyprovision he found carrying that road as he had occasion for; and seeinghe made the first visit, desired Arnpryor in a few days to return him asecond to Stirling, which he performed, and continued in very much favorwith the King, always thereafter being termed King of Kippen while helived.'

"The readers of Ariosto must give credit for the amiable features withwhich James is represented, since he is generally considered as theprototype of Zerbino, the most interesting hero of the Orlando Furioso."

  1. Glided from her stay. The MS. has "shrinking, quits her stay."

Ruskin asks us to "note the northern love of rocks" in this passage, andadds: "Dante could not have thought of his 'cut rocks' as giving resteven to snow. He must put it on the pine branches, if it is to be atpeace." Taylor quotes Holmes, Autocrat of Breakfast Table: "She meltedaway from her seat like an image of snow."

780. Pry. Look pryingly or curiously. In prose on would not be used withpry.

784. To speed. To a fortunate issue; unless speed be the verb, and =pass.

786. In life's more low but happier way. The MS. has "In lowly life'smore happy way."

789. The name of Snowdoun. Scott says: "William of Worcester, whowrote about the middle of the fifteenth century, calls Stirling CastleSnowdoun. Sir David Lindsay bestows the same epithet upon it in hisComplaint of the Papingo:

'Adieu, fair Snawdoun, with thy towers high, Thy chaple-royal, park, and table round; May, June, and July, would Idwell in thee, Were I a man, to hear the birdis sound, Whilk doth aganethy royal rock rebound.'

"Mr. Chalmers, in his late excellent edition of Sir David Lindsay'sworks, has refuted the chimerical derivation of Snawdoun from snedding,or cutting. It was probably derived from the romantic legend whichconnected Stirling with King Arthur, to which the mention of the RoundTable gives countenance. The ring within which justs were formerlypractised in the Castle park, is still called the Round Table. Snawdounis the official title of one of the Scottish heralds, whose epithetsseem in all countries to have been fantastically adopted from ancienthistory or romance.

"It appears from the preceding note that the real name by which Jameswas actually distinguished in his private excursions was the Goodmanof Ballenguich; derived from a steep pass leading up to the Castle ofStirling, so called. But the epithet would not have suited poetry, andwould besides at once, and prematurely, have announced the plot to manyof my country men, among whom the traditional stories above mentionedare still current."

  1. My spell-bound steps. The MS. has

"Thy sovereign back | to Benvenue." Thy sovereign's steps |

  1. Glaive. Sword. See on iv. 274 above.

803. Pledge of my faith, etc. The MS. has "Pledge of Fitz-James's faith,the ring."

  1. A lightening. Some eds. have "A lightning."
  1. And more, etc. The MS. reads:

"And in her breast strove maiden shame; More deep she deemed the Monarch's ire Kindled 'gainst him, who, for her sire, Against his Sovereign broadsword drew; And, with a pleading, warm and true, She craved the grace of Roderick Dhu."

  1. Grace. Pardon.
  1. Stained. Reddened.

829. The Graeme. Jeffrey says: "Malcolm Graeme has too insignificanta part assigned him, considering the favor in which he is held bothby Ellen and the author; and in bringing out the shaded and imperfectcharacter of Roderick Dhu as a contrast to the purer virtue of hisrival, Mr. Scott seems to have fallen into the common error of makinghim more interesting than him whose virtues he was intended to set off,and converted the villain of the piece in some measure into its hero.A modern poet, however, may perhaps be pardoned for an error of whichMilton himself is thought not to have kept clear, and for which thereseems so natural a cause in the difference between poetical and amiablecharacters."

  1. Warder. Guard, jailer.

841. Lockhart quotes here the following extract from a letter of Byron'sto Scott, dated July 6, 1812:

"And now, waiving myself, let me talk to you of the Prince Regent. Heordered me to be presented to him at a ball; and after some saying,peculiarly pleasing from royal lips, as to my own attempts, he talked tome of you and your immoralities: he preferred you to every bard pastand present, and asked which of your works pleased me most. It wasa difficult question. I answered, I thought the Lay. He said his ownopinion was nearly similar. In speaking of the others, I told him thatI thought you more particularly the poet of princes, as they neverappeared more fascinating than in Marmion and The Lady of the Lake. Hewas pleased to coincide, and to dwell on the description of your James'sas no less royal than poetical. He spoke alternately of Homer andyourself, and seemed well acquainted with both."

  1. Harp of the North, farewell! Cf. the introduction to the poem.
  1. Wizard elm. See on i. 2 above.
  1. Housing. Returning to the hive.

858. The grief devoured. For the figure, cf. Ps. xlii. 3, lxxx. 5, andIsa. xxx. 20.

  1. O'erlive. Several eds. misprint "o'erlived."

Addendum.

Since our first edition appeared we have had the privilege of examininga copy of Scott's 2d ed. (1810), belonging to Mr. E. S. Gould, ofYonkers, N. Y. This 2d ed. is in smaller type than the 1st, and inoctavo form, the 1st being in quarto. A minute collation of the textwith that of the 1st ed. and our own shows that Scott carefully revisedthe poem for this 2d ed., and that the changes he afterwards made init were few and unimportant. For instance, the text includes the verbalchanges which we have adopted in i. 198, 290, 432, ii. 103, 201, 203,534, iii. 30, 173, 190, 508, v. 106, 253, 728, 811, iv. 6, 112, 527,556, 567, etc. In vi. 291 fol. it reads (including the omissions andinsertions) as in our text. In i. 336, 340, the pointing is the same asin the 1st ed.; and in i. 360, the reading is "dear." In ii. 865, 866,it varies from the pointing of the 1st ed.; but we are inclined toregard this as a misprint, not a correction. In ii. 76 this 2d ed.has "lingerewave" for "lingerer wave," and in ii. 217 it repeats thepreposterous misprint of "his glee" from the 1st ed. If Scott couldoverlook such palpable errors as these, he might easily fail to detectthe misplacing of a comma. We have our doubts as to i. 336, 340, wherethe 1st and 2d eds. agree; but there a misprint may have been leftuncorrected, as in ii. 217.

Jan. 25, 1884.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: One of Scott's (on vi. 47) has suffered badly in Lockhart'sedition. In a quotation from Lord Berners's Froissart (which I omit) awhole page seems to have dropped out, and the last sentence, as it nowstands, is made up of pans of the one preceding and the one followingthe lost matter. It reads thus (I mark the gap): "There all thecompanyons made them[... ] breke no poynt of that ye have ordayned andcommanded.,' This is palpable nonsense, but it has been repeated withoutcorrection in every reprint of Lockhart's edition for the last fiftyyears.]

[Footnote 2: Lockhart says: "The lady with whom Sir Walter Scott held thisconversation was, no doubt, his aunt, Miss Christian Rutherford; therewas no other female relation DEAD when this Introduction was written,whom I can suppose him to have consulted on literary questions. LadyCapulet, on seeing the corpse of Tybalt, exclaims,--

'Tybalt, my cousin! O my brother's child!'"]

[Footnote 3: Lockhart quotes Byron, Don Juan, xi. 55:

"In twice five years the 'greatest living poet,' Like to the champion in the fisty ring, Is called on to support his claim, or show it, Although 't is an imaginary thing," etc.]

[Footnote 4: "Sir Walter reigned before me," etc. (Don Juan, xi. 57).]

[Footnote 5: The Spenserian stanza, first used by Spenser in his FaerieQueene, consists of eight lines of ten syllables, followed by a lineof twelve syllables, the accents throughout being on the even syllables(the so-called iambic measure). There are three sets of rhymes: one forthe first and third lines; another for the second, fourth, fifth, andseventh; and a third for the sixth, eighth, and ninth.]

[Footnote 6: Vide Certayne Matters concerning the Realme of Scotland, etc., asthey were Anno Domini 1597. London, 1603.]

[Footnote 7: See on ii. 319 above.]

[Footnote 8: Hallowe'en.]

[Footnote 9: To the raven that sat on the forked tree he gave his gifts.]

[Footnote 10: "This story is still current in the moors of Staffordshire, andadapted by the peasantry to their own meridian. I have repeatedlyheard it told, exactly as here, by rustics who could not read. My lastauthority was a nailer near Cheadle" (R. Jamieson).]

[Footnote 11: See Scottish Historical and Romantic Ballads, Glasgow, 1808,vol. ii. p. 117.]

[Footnote 12: A champion of popular romance; see Ellis's Romances, vol. iii.]

[Footnote 13: "That at the eastern extremity of Loch Katrine, so oftenmentioned in the text."]

[Footnote 14: "Beallach an duine."]

[Footnote 15: "The reader will find this story told at greater length, andwith the addition in particular of the King being recognized, like theFitz-James of the Lady of the Lake, by being the only person covered, inthe First Series of Tales of a Grandfather, vol. iii, p. 37. The heir ofBraehead discharged his duty at the banquet given to King George IV. inthe Parliament House at Edinburgh, in 1822" (Lockhart).]

The end.