CHAP. XI.
This general doctrine of the text explained, I proceed, in what remains of this discourse, to point out to you three important and material considerations concerning the nature and character of woman. These shall be, _1stly_, What she was; _2dly_, What she is; and, _3dly_, What she will be hereafter. And are not these, my brethren, matters of high importance?
_Dickson's Sermons._
All things of this world wear to an end, saith Isaac; so also did thishigh Christmas festival within the halls and towers of Roxburgh. Thelady Jane had borne a principal share in all the sports, both in andout of doors. In the hall she was led up to every dance, and in thelists she presided as the queen of the games, distributing the prizeswith her own fair hands to the Scottish heroes, and, of course,crowning her old friend Charlie with the bays at least once a day. SirCharles was a most unassuming character, and seldom adventuredon addressing his superiors first. But when once they addresseddiscourse to him, he never failed answering them with perfect ease andunconcern; and often, as is well known ere this time, with morevolubility than he himself approved of. Once, and only once during allthese days of his triumph and high honours, did the lady Jane rememberhim of having brought her into captivity, and of the high bribe he hadrefused for her liberty. "An' if it be your will, honoured lady, Iwish ye wadna say ony mair about that matter," said Sir Charles; "formony queer fidgetty kind o' feelings I hae had about it sinsyne. Andif I had kend then what I ken now,--if I had kend wha I had in myarms, and what I had in my arms, I had nae borne the honours that Iwear the day. My heart had some sair misgiving aince about you, whenthere were hard news gaun of your great jeopardy; but now that you arein sic high favour, I am e'en glad that I brought you, for troth yehae a face and a form that does ane good to look at."
The lady Jane only sighed at this address, and looked down, thinking,without doubt, of the long and dismal _widowhood_ which it wouldbehoove her to keep for the dismal end of her betrothed knight, andthen a virgin widowhood too, which was the worst of all. There was anobscure glimpse of the same sort of ideas glanced on Charlie's mind ashe viewed her downcast blushing countenance; and afraid of givingbirth to any painful sensations in such a lovely lady's mind, hedesisted from further conversation.
The Queen was still so much interested in that lady as to endeavour byall means to procure her liberty without any ransom, somewhat contraryto her son-in-law's opinion. The Queen reasoned, that she was not alawful prisoner of war; the Douglas that she was, there being no bondof peace subsisting between the nations, and she entering Scotlandwith forged credentials, at least signed and sealed in favour ofanother and non-existing person. She applied to the King, who gave hisconsent, but, at the same time, professed having nothing to do in thematter. At length she teazed Lord Douglas so much that he resolved toindulge her Majesty before the court took leave of him, but to leaveit until the very last day. He, however, reckoned before his host; fornow that the abbot of Melrose had conjoined him with royalty, he foundthat he had at the very least two to please instead of one.
Here, we must, with that regard to veracity which so well becomesevery narrator of a true tale, divulge a disagreeable secret; that is,we must delineate truly a trait in the character of our heroine, thelady Douglas, (lately the princess Margaret of Scotland,) which wewould rather have concealed, had it been possible to have done so. Butshe could not conceal it any longer herself,--and why should Isaac andI vex ourselves about it; for one day when Mary Kirkmichael waited onher in her chamber, she found her drowned in tears, and with greatperplexity, and no less curiosity, set herself to discover the cause.
"What? My dearest and most noble lady in tears?" exclaimed she. "Now,a plague on these teazing, battling, boisterous, deluding creaturescalled men, that will not let poor innocent maids alone to live atheart's ease, but hold them thus in constant ferment, married orunmarried! Well did I ween from experience, that the maiden's troubleswere the most insufferable to be borne! The neglects--the disappointedhopes--the fears--and, above all, the jealousies! Oh these jealousies!What infernal tormentors they are! But now little wot I what to say,or what to think; for beshrew me if I remember the time when I saw myroyal mistress in tears before. Let me recollect. No, not since dameMary Malcolm's palfrey leaped the ravine before the lords of Huntlyand Athol, and yours refused. Then, indeed, you wept; and when Ilaughed you struck me. Yes, you know you struck me, and that hadnearly made matters worse."
"Pray, madam," said lady Douglas, "could you conveniently commandyourself so far as to bring a surgeon here on the instant?"
"A surgeon! Sanct Marie's grace! what is your ailment, my dearestlady?"
"It is not for myself, it is for you I want him. You are very ill of aquinsey, dame, and bleeding below the tongue is necessary. Go bringmy father's leech to me, without delay, and come with him."
"You have not forgot your sweet maiden frolics for all that is comeand all that is done. Well, I am glad you are still in that whimsicalhumour. I was afraid you were grievously vexed or disappointed atsomething in your new state."
"Step forth, I say, and bring me in a surgeon, for I insist on havingyou bleeded under the tongue. You are very ill indeed, and the diseaseis infectious."
"By my maidhood, and by your own, sweet lady, (the Douglas's I mean,)there shall no leech that ever drew lancet open a vein in my blessedand valuable member. No, not were it to humour a queen, or a _ladyJane Howard_."
"Now, may all the plagues that prey on the heart of woman seize andtorment thee if thou hast not guessed the cause of my uneasiness.There's a latent devil within thee that whispers to thy imaginationthe thoughts that are passing in my heart. O Kirkmichael, I am ill! Ihave suffered many distresses in my time! many, many distresses!"
"Yes, indeed you have, my royal mistress! many, many distresses!"
"Bring the surgeon, I say. Cannot you, for the life of you, composeyourself for a little space, when you see me in such distress? Yourroyal mistress, Mary? I am no royal mistress now! No, I a'nt! Nothingbut a plain jog-trot wife of a lord, or earl, or how do you call thatbeautiful title? While the lady Jane Howard!--Oh Kirkmichael, I cannottell you the half of what I feel!"
"I know it all. Jealousy! my dear lady, jealousy! Think you I know notwhat it is to suffer that? Do you remember young Spinola, that came toour court from the places abroad? He loved me the best after all; Ihad certain demonstrative proofs of it. But do you know what Isuffered? Racks, tortures, strangulations! Fiends tearing out my eyes,pouring hellebore into my ears, and boring through my heart with redhot irons! Not know what jealousy is? Was not I telling your royalself the last minute"--
"Mary! stop, and be advised. You are very ill."
"I humbly ask forgiveness. I was coming to it. Dear lady, I have notedyour trouble these nine days past, and that it was still gainingground. But I can partly account for it, so that, with a littleprudence and patience, it may be removed. Ever since the day on whichyou was a bride, or the one following perhaps, there has been morecourt and more flattery paid to the southern beauty than to thenorthern one. It is the course of nature, madam; you are now a marriedwife, and your charms must be admired at a distance with respect andawe. The maid must still be courted and flattered. Quite natural,madam, I assure you. Think you any knight durst caper and bow, andprate to the lady Douglas, as they do to _the English puppet_?"
"Mary, I will give you all my wedding apparel for these two lastwords. Is not she a mere puppet, without soul or magnanimity?But--Mary!--How gladly would I change places with her, Mary! She hasconquered after all. Yes: She has conquered Margaret Stuart, there isno denying of it to one's own heart."
"Gramercy, dearest lady, are you not raving? Has not the noble lord ofyour adoption proved victorious, and gained you with all honour andapprobation?"
"But then the lord of _her_ adoption _died_ for her, Mary. Think ofthat. The gallant, faithful, and magnanimous Musgrave _died_ for themistress of his affections. But who died for the poor degrade
d ladyMargaret of Scotland? I am conquered with my own weapons. There is nodenying of it! I would rather that one lover had laid down his lifefor me than have had fifty husbands."
"Palpably wrong! I'll prove it. Fifty husbands! How delightful--Begpardon, madam."
"I tried the Douglas hardly for it. But he was too selfish, and wouldnot die for me. Base, cruel knight! No, he _would not_ die for me;even though I got him to believe that I was put to death, and myghost haunting him, yet he _would not_ kill himself. What a valuethose monstrous men set upon their lives! Musgrave died. Lady Jane hasconquered, and I am _married_! I wish I were dead, Kirkmichael!"
"'Tis a pity but that you were, madam! If ladies are to live on theseterms with the world, they had better be out of it. For you know ifthe man that one loves best will not condescend always to die when thegratification of his mistress' vanity requires it, why there is an endof all endurance. I managed otherwise with young Spinola."
"Mention the name of your Spinola again to me for the head that standson your body, since you deprecate the more gentle prescription ofbleeding below the tongue; and now find me some anodyne without delayfor the distemper that is preying on my vitals. None of your jeers andyour jibes, Kirkmichael, for I am not in humour to bear them. Theworst thing of all is yet to come. This puppet,--this painteddoll,--this thing of wax! after triumphing over me in my own countryand among my own people,--after being died for, while I was onlylived for,--after being courted, and flattered, and smiled on, while Iwas only bowed to and gazed on,--after being carressed by my father,and bedaubed with praises by my newfangled and volatile mother,--afterall this, I say, there is she going to be set at liberty, and withoutall question wedded to one of the royal dukes, one of the princes ofthe blood! How shall the blood of the Bruce and the spirit of theStuart brook this? Before I heard of that lady's name, I knew not whatjealousy was. Ever since that time has she held me in misery. Ithought I had once achieved the greatest conquest that ever wasaccomplished by heroine. And I _did_ seize a noble prize! How has itturned out?--in every instance to her honour, and my disparagement.And there, through the unnatural fondness of my doating mother, willshe return home, and be courted for her princely fortune, not for herbeauty I am sure! But then, they will hear that the bravest and mostchivalrous knight in England _died for her_; and as certainly as Ispeak to you, will she achieve a higher marriage than Margaret, andhow shall she ever show her face again?"
"A higher marriage than you, dearest lady? Then must she be married tosome of the kings on the continent, for in all the dominion of Englandthere is not a subject of such power as your lord, the Earl of Douglasand Mar, nor one whose military honours flourish so proudly."
"My lord and husband is all that I could wish in man, only----"
"Only that he is _not dead_. That's all."
"You had better! _Only_ I say that he is not _a prince of the bloodroyal_, Mary. Think of that. There are many such in England. And thereto a certainty will my great and only rival be wedded to one of these.The Duke of York or Glocester, mayhap; or to Prince Henry, the heir ofthe house of Mortimer, and then she'll be _a queen_! Yes, Kirkmichael!then she will be _queen of England_!--And I--what will I be? No morethan plain _Lady Douglas_! The wife of the _Black Douglas_!--Och! whatshall I do, Mary? I'll go and wipe my shoes on her as long as I haveit in my power."
"Tarry for a small space; there is time enough for that afterward, mydearest lady. Be staid for a little while, till I tell you a secret. Avery important and profound one it is, and it behoves you to know it.There is a certain distemper that young newly married ladies aresubjected to, which, is entitled PHRENZY, or some such delightfulname. Some call it _derangement of intellect_, but that is too long aname, I hate long names, or very long things of any sort. So you mustknow, madam, that this delightful trouble, for it is delightful in itsway, produces a great deal of animation. It is quite proper youshould know this grand matrimonial secret, madam. This delicious,spirit-stirring trouble then soon goes off, and when it goes all thegiddy vapours of youth fly with it. The mirror of the eye is changed,its convex being thence turned inward, reflecting all nature on thesoul in a different light from that in which it had ever appearedbefore; and, at the same time the whole structure and frame of thecharacter is metamorphosed, and the being that is thus transmutedbecomes a more rational and respectable creature than it was previously,and at the same time a more happy one, although it must be acknowledgedits happiness is framed on a different model. This is my secret, and itis quite proper that every _young_ lady who is married should beinitiated into it. As for the old ones, they are too wise to beinitiated into any thing; or for any thing to be initiated into them."
"Now, you imagine you have said a very wise thing; and it is notwithout shrewdness. But I can add a principal part which you havewholly left out, and it is this: When the patient is labouring underthis disease, it is absolutely necessary that she be indulged, andhumoured in every one of her caprices, else her convalesence is highlyequivocal. Don't you acknowledge this?"
"I grant it. And the first case that comes under my care I promise toabide by this prescription."
"That is spoken like yourself,--like the trusty friend andconfidante. What then is to be done? for something must be done, andthat suddenly."
"That is easily decided. She must be kept in confinement. Kept here aprisoner at large, until she turn an old maid and lose a few of herfore-teeth. That will be delightful! Eh! Then make her believe all thetime that it is a duty incumbent on her to remain in that widowedstate for the sake of Musgrave--Hoh! beg pardon, madam!"
"I charge you never to let that triumph of hers sound in my earsagain. It creates the same feeling within me as if you informed methat an adder was laced in my stays. Kirkmichael, you never took anything in hand that you did not accomplish for me. This lady must beretained for the present, till we can determine on some other course.I gave my lord a lesson about it already, but his reply was not onlyunsatisfactory but mortifying in the extreme. It has almost put mebeside myself, and my pride will not suffer me to apply to him again."My dearest love," said he, "I pray that you will not shew a asense of any inferiority by a jealousy of that unfortunate lady."Inferiority! I never had such a sentiment as a feeling of inferiority!What absurd notions these men imbibe. Is it possible, Mary, that I canhave a sense of inferiority?"
"No, no! quite impossible! Think no more of such antiquated and absurdapothegms as these. I will manage it for you. I take in hand to keepher as long as I live, if that will satisfy you. But are you sure thatyour brother will not fall in love with her, and marry her, and thenshe will be queen of Scotland?"
"Ooh!--Oooh! Give me a drink, Mary. I am going into fits! Ooh!--Yes:as sure as you stand there, he will. The prince is his mother allover, newfangled and volatile in the extreme, and amorous to anintolerable degree. Disgustingly amorous, she is the very sort of foodfor his passion. Then her princely fortune, and the peace of the tworealms! Oh! give me another drink, Mary; and bathe my hands--and mybrow--That is kindly done. Queen of Scotland! Then I must pay courtto her,--perhaps be preferred as lady of the bed-chamber. No, no. Tothe Scottish court she _must not go_!"
"Be calm, my sweet lady! I have it. You shall assume your brother'scharacter once more--pay court to her--seduce her, and have herdisgraced."
"What did you say, Kirkmichael? repeat that again. What did you sayabout disgracing? I am so very ill."
"O no! That scheme will not do. It will end ill! it will end ill! Youare lady Douglas now, not the maiden princess. Why, I will get hermarried to one of your footmen for you. That will do."
"Prithee speak of things possible, and within some bounds ofprobability. If she were but married to a knight but one step below mylord in dignity, I would be satisfied. Nay, were that step only idealit would give my heart content."
"Is that then so much to make such a pother about? I will accomplishit in two days. So difficult to get a maid of her complexion to marry?Difficulty in fattening--a pig! baiting a hook for a ba
grel!--astickleback!--a perch! I'll do it in two days--in one day--in half aday, else never call me Mary Kirkmichael of Balmedie again. Difficultyin marrying a maid with light blue eyes--golden locks and rosycheeks--with a languishing smile always on her countenance? and thatmaid an English one too? Peugh! Goodbye, my lady, Lady Black Douglas.I'm off. (Opening the door again.) It is a shame and a disgrace forany gentleman not to _die_ for his mistress! I say it is! YoungSpinola would have died for me cheerfully if I would have sufferedhim,--that he would! Goodbye, madam."
Mary was as busy all the remaining part of that day as ever was a beein a meadow. She had private business with the Queen, and had art orinterest enough to get two private audiences. She had business withthe lady Jane Howard; a word to say to the King, and two or three tothe lord Douglas--But it is a great loss that these importantdisclosures cannot be imparted here,--for every word that she told toeach of them was a profound secret! Not a word of it ever to berepeated till death! What a loss for posterity! It had one quality,there was not a word of truth in all this important disclosure; but aningenious lie by a woman is much more interesting than one of her truestories. There was, however, one of Mary Kirkmichael's secrets came tolight, though none of those above-mentioned; and from the complexionof that, a good guess may be made at the matter of all the rest.
Sir Charles Scott, alias Muckle Charlie of Yardbire, was standing atthe head of his hard-headed Olivers, his grimy Potts, and hisskrae-shankit Laidlaws, in all amounting now to 140 brave and wellappointed soldiers. He had them all dressed out in their best lightuniform, consisting of deer-skin jackets with the hair outside;buckskin breeches, tanned white as snow, with the hair inside; bluebonnets as broad as the rim of a lady's spinning wheel, and cloutedsingle-soaled shoes. He was training them to some evolutions for agrand parade before the King, and was himself dressed in his splendidbattle array, with his plumes and tassels of gold. His bonnet was ofthe form of a turban, and his tall nodding plumes consisted of threefox tails, two of them dyed black, and the middle one crimson. Agoodlier sight than Sir Charles at the head of his borderers, no eyeof man (or woman either) ever beheld. As he stood thus giving the wordof command, and brandishing the Eskdale souple by way of example, inthe great square in the middle of the fortress, a little maid camesuddenly to his side and touched him. Charles was extending his voiceat the time, and the interruption made him start inordinately, and cuta loud syllable short in the middle. The maid made a low courtesy,while Charles stooped forward and looked at her as a man does who hasdropt a curious gem or pin on the ground, and cannot find it. "Eh? Godbless us, what is't hinny? Ye war amaist gart me start."
"My mistress requests a few minutes private conversation with you, sirknight."
"Whisht dame! speak laigh," said Sir Charles, half whispering, andlooking raised-like at his warriors: "Wha's your mistress, my littlebonny dow? Eh? Oh you're nodding and smirking, are you? Harkee, It'sno the auld Queen, is it? Eh?"
"You will see who it is presently, gallant knight. It is a matter ofthe greatest import to you, as well as your captain."
"Ha! Gude faith, then it maunna be neglected. I'll be w'ye even now,lads; saunter about, but dinna quit this great four-nooked fauld tillI come back again. Come along, then, my wee bonny hen chicken. Raux upan' gie me a grip o' your finger-ends. Side for side's neighbourlike." So away went Sir Charles, leading his tiny conductor by thehand, and was by her introduced into one of the hundred apartments inthe citadel.
"Our captain is gaun aff at the nail now," said Will Laidlaw; "Thaenew honours o' his are gaun to be his ruin. He's getting far owermuckle in favour wi' the grit fo'k."
"I wonder to hear ye speak that gate," said Gideon Pott of Bilhope: "Ithink it be true that the country says, that ye maun aye read aLaidlaw backward. What can contribute sae muckle to advance agentleman and his friends as to be in favour with the great?"
"I am a wee inclined to be of Laidlaw's opinion," said Peter Oliver ofthe Langburnsheils, (for these three were the headsmen of the threenames marshalled under Sir Charles,)--"Sudden rise, sudden fa'; thatwas a saying o' my grandfather's, and he was very seldom in the wrong.I wadna wonder a bit to see our new knight get his head choppit off;for I think, if he haud on as he is like to do, he'll soon be owergrit wi' the Queen. Fo'k should bow to the bush they get bield frae,but take care o' lying ower near the laiggens o't. That was a sayingo' my grandfather's aince when they wantit him to visit at the castleof Mountcomyn."
"There is he to the gate now," said Laidlaw, "and left his men, hisbread-winners, in the very mids o' their lessons; and as sure as wesaw it, some o' thae imps will hae his simple honest head into Hoy'snet wi' some o' thae braw women. Wha wins at their hands will lose atnaething. I never bodit ony good for my part o' the gowden cuishes andthe gorget, and the three walloping tod tails. Mere eel-baits forcatching herons!"
"Ay weel I wat that's little short of a billyblinder, lad!" said PeterOliver; "I trow I may say to you as my grandfather said to the ghost,'Ay, ay, Billy Baneless, 'an a' tales be true, yours is nae lie,' quo'he; and he was a right auldfarrant man."
But as this talk was going on among the borderers, Sir Charles, asbefore said, was introduced into a private chamber, where sat no lessa dame than the officious and important lady of all close secrets,Mistress Mary Kirkmichael of Balmedie, who rose and made three lowcourtesies, and then with an affected faultering tongue and downcastlook, addressed Sir Charles as follows: "Most noble and gallantknight,--hem--Pardon a modest and diffident maiden, sir knight!--pinkof all chivalry and hero of the Border: I say be so generous asto forgive the zeal of a blushing virgin for thus presuming tointerrupt your warrior avocations.--(Sir Charles bowed.)--But, Oknight--hem--there is a plot laying, or laid against your freedom.Pray may I take the liberty to ask, Are you free of any loveengagement?"
"Perfectly so, madam, at--hem!----"
"At my service. Come that is so far well. You could not then possiblyhave any objections to a young lady of twenty-one or thereby, noblydescended, heir to seven ploughgates of land, and five half-davochs,and most violently in love with you."
"I maun see her first, and hear her speak," said the knight, "and kenwhat blood and what name; and whether she be Scots or English."
"Suppose that you _have_ seen her and heard her speak," said the dame;"and suppose she was of Fife blood; and that her name was _lady_ MaryKirkmichael: What would you then say against her?"
"Nothing at all, madam," said Sir Charles, bowing extremely low.
"Do you then consent to accept of such a one for your lady?"
"How can I possibly tell? Let me see her."
"O Sir Charles! gallant and generous knight! do not force a youngblushing virgin to disclose what she would gladly conceal. You _do_see her, Sir Charles! You _do_ see her and hear her speak too. Nay,you see her kneeling at your feet, brave and generous knight! You seeher _tears_ and you hear her _weep_,--and what hero can withstandthat? Oh Sir Charles!--
"Hout, hout, hout!" cried Sir Charles interrupting her, and raisingher gently with both hands, "Hout, hout, hout! for heaven's sakebehave yoursel, and dinna flee away wi' the joke athegither, sweetlady. Ye may be very weel, and ye are very weel for ought that I see,but troth ye ken a man maun do ae thing afore another, and a womantoo. Ye deserve muckle better than the likes o' me, but I dinnaincline marriage; and mair than that, I hae nae time to spare."
"Ah, Sir Charles, you should not be so cruel. You should think betterof the fair sex, Sir Charles! Look at this face. What objections haveyou to it, Sir Charles?"
"The face is weel enough, but it will maybe change. The last bloomingface that took me in turned put a very different article the next day.Ah, lady! Ye little ken what I hae suffered by women and witchcraft,or ye wadna bid me think weel o' them."
"Well, knight, since I cannot melt your heart, I must tell you thatthere is a plot against your liberty, and you will be a married manbefore to morrow's night. It is a grand plot, and I am convinced it ismade solely to entrap you to marry an English
heiress that is a captivehere, who is fallen so deeply in love with you that, if she does notattain you for her lover and husband, her heart will break. She has madeher case known to the Queen, and I have come by it: therefore, sirknight, as you value my life, keep this a _profound_ secret. I thoughtit a pity not to keep you out of English connections; therefore I sentfor you privily to offer you my own hand, and then you could get off onthe score of engagement."
"Thank you kindly, madam."
"Well, Sir. On pretence of an appendage to the marriage of the king'sfavourite daughter with the greatest nobleman of the land, before thefestival conclude, it is agreed on that there are to be a number ofweddings beside, which are all to be richly endowed. The ladies are tochoose among the heroes of the games; and this lady Jane Howard isgoing to make choice of you, and the law is to be framed in such amanner that there will be no evading it with honour. You have been amortal enemy to the English; so have they to you. Had not you betterthen avoid the connection by a previous marriage, or an engagementsay?
"I think I'll rather take chance, with your leave, madam: Alwaysbegging your pardon, ye see. But, depend on it, I'll keep your secret,and am indebted to you for your kind intentions. I'll take chance.They winna surely force a wife on ane whether he will or no?"
"Perhaps not. One who does _not incline marriage_, and has not _timeto spare_ to be married, may be excused. Tell me, seriously; surelyyou will never think of accepting of her?"
"It is time to decide about that when aince I get the offer. I canhardly trow what ye say is true; but if the King and the Warden willhae it sae, ye ken what can a body do?"
"Ah, there it is! Cruel Sir Charles! But you know you really have nota minute's _time to spare_ for marriage, and the want of _inclination_is still worse. I have told you, sir knight, and the plot will beaccomplished to-morrow. I would you would break her heart, andabsolutely refuse her, for I hate the rosy minx. But three earldomsand nine hundred thousand marks go far! Ah me! Goodbye, noble knight.Be secret for my sake."
Sir Charles returned to his men in the great square, laughing in hissleeve all the way. He spoke some to himself likewise, but it was onlyone short sentence, which was this: "Three earldoms and nine hundredthousand marks! Gudefaith, Corbie will be astonished."
It was reported afterwards, that this grand story of Mary's to SirCharles was was nothing at all in comparison with what she toldto lady Jane, of flames and darts, heroism, royal favour, anddistinction; and, finally, of endless captivity in the event of utterrejection. However that was, when the troops assembled around thefortress in the evening, and the leaders in the hall, proclamationswere made in every quarter, setting forth, that all the champions whohad gained prizes since the commencement of the Christmas games wereto meet together, and contend at the same exercises before the King,for other prizes of higher value; and, farther, that every successfulcandidate should have an opportunity of acquiring his mistress' handin marriage, with rich dowries, honours, manors, and privileges, to beconferred by the King and Queen; who, at the same time gave forththeir peremptory commands, that these gallants should meet withno denial, and this on pain of forfeiting the royal favour andprotection, not only towards the dame so refusing, but likewise to herparents, guardians, and other relations.
Never was there a proclamation issued that made such a deray among thefair sex as this. All the beauty of the Lowlands of Scotland wasassembled at this royal festival. The city of Roxburgh and the town ofKelso were full of visitors; choke full of them! There were ladies inevery house, beside the inmates; and, generally speaking, three _at anaverage_ for every male, whether in the city or suburbs. Yet, for allthese lovely women of high rank and accomplishments, none else fledfrom the consequences of the mandate but one alone, who dreaded arival being preferred,--a proof how little averse the ladies of thatage were to the bonds of matrimony. Such a night as that was in thecity! There were running to and fro, rapping at doors, and calling ofnames during the whole night. It was a terrible night for thedressmakers; for there was such a run upon them, and they had so muchado, that they got nothing done at all, except the receiving of orderswhich there was no time to execute.
Next morning, at eight of the day, by the abbey bell, the multitudewere assembled, when the names of the former heroes were all calledover, but only sixteen appeared, although twenty-two stood on thelist. The candidates were then all taken into an apartment bythemselves, and treated with viands and wines, with whatever else theyrequired. There also they were instructed in the laws of the game.Every one was obliged to contend at every one of the exercises;and the conqueror in each was to retire into the apartment of theladies, where they were all placed in a circle, lay his prize at hismistress's feet, and retire again to the sports without uttering aword.
The exercises were held on the large plain south of the Teviot, sothat they were beheld by the whole multitude without any inconveniency.The flowers of the land also beheld from their apartment in the castle,although no one saw them in return, save the fortunate contenders inthe field. The first trial was a foot race for a chain of gold, given bythe lady Douglas, and all the sixteen being obliged to run, the sportafforded by the race was excellent; for the eager desire to be foremostacted not more powerfully to urge the candidates to exertion than thedread of being the last, so that the two hindmost were straining everynerve, and gasping as voraciously for breath as the two foremost. SirCharles Scott took the lead, leaving the rest quite behind, so far thatevery one thought he would gain with all manner of ease, and they beganto hail him as conqueror. But owing to his great weight he lost breath,and in spite of all he could do the poet made by him and won the prize,which he took with a proud and a joyful heart, and laid at the feet ofDelany. "Bauchling shurf!" exclaimed Sir Charles, laughing when he sawthe poet passing his elbow, "Useless bauchling shurf! an I had kend Iwad hae letten ye lie, and been singit to an izle in the low o'Ravensworth."
"Knight, I think ye hae lost," cried one.
"I think sae, too," said Charles. "I liket aye better to rin ahint anEnglishman than afore him a' my life."
The next game given out was a trial in leaping, for a pair ofbracelets, clasped with gold, and set with jewels, given by the Queen.These also the poet won, and laid at Delany's feet. Sir Charles wonthree; one for tilting on horseback, one for wrestling, and one forpitching the iron bar, and he laid all the three prizes at the feet oflady Jane Howard. Two lords won each of them two prizes, and other twoknights won each of them one; and all, unknown to one another, laidthem at the feet of lady Jane Howard.
When the sports of the day were finished, the seven conquerors, allcrowned with laurel, and gorgeously arrayed, were conducted to thegallery where the ladies still remained; and after walking round theroom to the sound of triumphal music, they were desired to kneel oneby one in the order in which they had entered before, and each toinvoke his mistress's pity in his own terms. It fell to the poet's lotto kneel first, who stretched forth his hands toward a certain pointin the room, and expressed himself as follows: "O lovely darling of mysoul! in whom my every hope is centered; at whose feet I laid myhonours down. This laurel wreath I also consecrate to thee. By all thelove that I have borne for thee, the pains that I have suffered, Iconjure you to raise me up, and say thou wilt be mine:--else here I'llkneel till doomsday!"
A pause ensued; the King and his nobles looked on in breathlesscuriosity, for they knew not where he had bestowed his favours. Thedames also gazed in envious silence, and in hopes that the supplicantwould be refused. He soon himself began to dread what they hoped; hiscountenance changed; the wild lustre of his eye faded; and he began tolook around to see where he could get a sword on which to fall andkill himself. He cast one other pitiful look to Delany, but shedeigned no movement to his relief,--still keeping her seat, thoughvisibly in great agitation. But, at length, when hope was extinct inhis bosom, there appeared one to his relief. This was no other thanhis old rival the gospel friar, who had been admitted in an officialcapacity, in order to join hands and b
less unions if any such chancedto be agreed on. He was standing ruminating behind backs; but seeingthe first offer about to be rejected, and aware of the force ofexample, whether good or bad, and how little chance he had ofemployment that day if the first effort misgave, he stepped briskly upto Delany, and, taking her hand, said, "Lo, my daughter, have not Itravelled for thee in pain, and yearned over thee as a mother yearnethover the son of her youth? Why wilt thou break my heart, and the heartof him that burneth for thy love?" Delany then rose, and withtrembling step came toward her lover, led by the grotesque form of thegood friar. The tears gushed from the poet's eyes as she lifted thelaurel crown from the floor, and replacing it on his head, said, asshe raised him up, "Thou hast adventured and overcome. Hence be thouthe lord of my heart and affections."
The friar gave them no more time to palaver, but joined their hands,pronounced them a married pair, and blessed their union in the name ofthe Trinity. Then Sir Charles Scott kneeled, and, casting his eyesgravely toward the floor, said only these words: "Will the lady whom Iserve take pity on her humble slave, or shall he retire from thispresence ashamed and disgraced."
Woman, kind and affectionate woman, is ever more ready to confer anobligation on our sex than accept of one. Lady Jane arose without anyhesitation, put the crown on the knight's head, and, with a mostwinning grace, raised him up, and said, "Gallant knight, thou wertborn to conquer my countrymen and me; I yield my hand and with it myheart." The friar lost no time in joining their hands; he judged itbest and safest to take women at their first words; and short time wasit till the two were pronounced husband and wife, "and whom God hathjoined let no man dare to put asunder. Amen!" said the friar, andbestowed on them an earnest blessing.--Isaac the curate expatiateslargely on the greatness and goodness of this couple; how theyextended their possessions, and were beloved on the Border. Their son,he says, was the famous Sir Robert of Eskdale, the warden of themarches, from whom the families of Thirlstane, Harden, and many otheropulent houses are descended. No union could be more happy; andbesides, it rendered the Lady Douglas the happiest of women, and MaryKirkmichael the proudest.
But to return to the scene in the gallery with the knights and theirmistresses. The King and his nobles who accompanied the gallants intothe apartment of the ladies, knowing nothing of the choices each hadmade, expected great amusement from compliances and non-compliances;and at all events, after so fair a beginning, a number of weddings tobe the result. Every one of the successful knights expected the samething; for it is a curious fact, which shows the duplicity of ourcharacter in a striking light, that, when the champions were all inthe apartment together in the morning, some mentioned one lady as theflower of the land and of all present, some mentioned another, and soon. But no one ever mentioned the names either of _Delany_ or _JaneHoward_. Sir Charles indeed mentioned no name, but when each had nameda pretended favourite with mighty encomiums, he only added, "I'll nosay muckle; but there's ane that I rank aboon a' thae."
The master of the ceremonies looked round to call the next champion tokneel; but, behold, he was not there! He called the next again. He wasgone also! Every one of the knights had vanished, each thinking_himself_ slighted by the preference given to Sir Charles Scott, butnone knowing that for his sake they were all slighted alike. Thenoblemen were all in the utmost consternation; the King became highlyoffended, and said "What is the meaning of this? Have these knightsdared to desert their colours on the very eve of action? This is notonly an affront put upon us, but upon our fair and noble visitors, ofwhose honour and feelings we are more jealous than of our own."
But the friar, who was a man of peace, and disliked all sort ofoffence, when he saw the King was displeased, took speech to himself,and his speech set all the gallery into a burst of laughter. He wasstanding in the midst of the floor, with his book in hand, ready andeager to officiate still farther as a knitter and binder; but when hesaw the knights all fled, and the King offended, he uplifted both ofhis hands and one of his feet, standing still on the other, and criedwith a loud voice, "Behold my occupation is ended! Woe is me for thechildren of my people! For the spirit of man is departed away, and hehath no strength remaining. Oh what shall I do for the honour of mybrethren! For, lo, the virgins are come to the altar, and there isnone to accept of the offering. The men of might are dismissed, yeathey are confounded and fled away, and the daughters of the land areleft to bewail the months and years of their virginity. Woe is me, formy hand findeth nothing more to do!"
The ladies laughed immoderately at the cases of the forlorn anddiscomfited knights; for they had witnessed the proceedings, and sawthat all their devotions were paid to one object; and as no lady ofScotland had been chosen, one could not envy another,--so theytittered and laughed off the affront as well as they could.
The friar got passports into England, and after much labour and paingot the poet established in his father's possessions, and acknowledgedas the lord of Ravensworth. He also regained for him his lady'spossessions on the continent, which the Nevilles retained for thespace of two hundred years. That amiable couple cultivated the arts ofpeace, music, and song, as long as they lived. After these things, thefriar was preferred to great emoluments in his old age, and he spentthem all in acts of charity and benevolence.
From Roxburgh the royal party proceeded to Melrose, where they remainedtwo days, which they spent partly in devotion and thanksgivings,and partly in viewing the magnificent scenes in the neighbourhood,particularly the great hill of Eildon, so lately reft asunder anddivided into three by the power of the elemental spirits. To this awfultheme the mind of the Queen still reverted; and, on her last visit tothese mountains, she passed through the recent chasms, gazing andtrembling at the effects produced by that tremendous convulsion ofnature; and, at length, she had spoken and dreamed so much about it,that she proposed to go and visit the castle of Aikwood, and if possibleto get a sight of the great enchanter himself, before she left theBorder counties, where, she said, she might never be again. Every onetried to dissuade her from the attempt, and the King got into a highpassion, but still she could not not be driven from her purpose. "As wereturn to the abbey," said she, "we will go by the ford of Dornick-burnat the foot of the deep dell that you told me of, where the devil firstmade his appearance on horseback to the four warriors. I should notwonder that we shall see him there again under some disguise."
"I would not wonder that we should," said Sir Charles: "I have beentold that he is sometimes seen there in the shape of a clerk;sometimes as a mariner; and sometimes in the form of the King ofScotland. Always begging your pardon, royal madam."
"There is no offence, Sir Charles, as long as you do not tell me thathe appears in the shape of a Queen. I hope he has never yet been knownto assume the shape of a woman."
"He has enow to appear for him in _that_ form, which I ken somethingabout to my cost; and which your royal majesty kens mair about than Icould have wished. What does your majesty account the greatest perilthat man is subject to in this world?"
"Oh war, war, certainly! Nineteen out of twenty of his perilsconcentrate in that, or are derived from it."
"Ye may be thankfu' ye ken nae mair about it than that, my lady queen!Aince ye gang near the castle of Aikwood ye'll get a little mairexperience perhaps. Now ye are determined on ganging there the morn,and I am determined on accompanying you, since you will go. But trothI would be right wae to see my queen turned into a cow, and a littledeil set to drive her; or into a grey mare, and a witch or warlock setto gallop on her; or a doe, or a hare, or a she-fox, and a tichel o'tikes set after her to tear her a' to tareleathers. Always beggingyour pardon, my liege lady."
As they were chatting on in this familiar and jocular style, they cameto the identical little deep dell, at the meeting of two rivulets, ormoorland burns, where the devil and his three attendant imps hadappeared to our warriors on their way to Melrose; and, as Dan Chisholmwas of the party, the Queen caused him to be called up to describe thewhole scene,--with the personal appearance of the arch f
iend,--thewords he spoke, and also the extraordinary course that he had with himalong the marble pavement of the air. All these matters were detailedto her by the trooper with perfect seriousness and simplicity, whichmade such an impression on the Queen's romantic and superstitiousmind, that her countenance altered in every feature, and she was everynow and then gazing around as if expecting Satan's personal appearancebefore them once more. The party were sitting on horseback conversingtogether, when the sharp eye of Sir Charles, well accustomed to thediscernment of all living or moving objects, whether by night or byday, perceived a miserable looking wight approaching them by the verypath on which the infernal cavalcade had formerly proceeded. The Queenwas talking to Dan, still pushing her inquiries, when Sir Charlestouched her gently on the shoulder, and said, "Hush, your majesty. Seewho is this approaching us by the very road that the deils took? It isa question who we have here. Ane is nae sure of ony shape that appearsin sic a place and sic a time as this."
Then there was such crossing and telling of beads, and calling on thenames of saints, took place with the Queen and her ladies, every oneof them asking the same question in terrified whispers, "Is it he,think you? Is it he? Oh, is it he?" Then there was a general requestmade that they should take instant flight, and ride home to the abbeyfull speed; but an opposition arose to this proposal from a quarternot expected. This was from no other than Sir Charles' English lady,whose education had taught her to despise the superstitions soprevalent in Scotland; and seeing them all about to fly from a poorwo-begone, half-famished wretch, she opposed it with indignation,adding, that she would abide his coming by herself if none else would.Sir Charles was still far from being clear about these matters, hardexperience having taught him caution; however, he commended his lady'sspirit, and drew up by her side: They rest marshalling behind them,they awaited in a body the coming of this doubtful guest; and everyeye being fixed on his motions, so every tongue was busied in givingvent to the spontaneous movements of the mind. "It is a palmer," saidone. "It is a warlock," said another. "It is the devil," said a third;"I ken him by his lang nose!" "Aha, my royal and noble dames!" criedSir Charles exultingly: "If it be nae the deil, it's his man; sae wemay expect some important message, either frae his infernal majesty orthe great enchanter, for this is no other than his seneschal. My royalliege, this man that you see approaching is no other than GilbertJordan, the late laird of the Peatstackknowe, who was drawn by lot tosupply the room of the wretch whom our gospel friar sent up throughthe clouds in a convoy of fire and brimstone. Whether this be Gibbieor his ghaist, it is hard to say; but I ken weel by the coulter noseit is either the one or the other. Your majesty will scrimply believeit, but the last time I saw that carl the deil was hauding him by thecuff o' the neck ower the topmost tower of the castle of Aikwood, andthe poor laird was sprawling like a paddock in a gled's claws, whenfifty fathom frae the ground. There is nought in nature I expectedless to see than that creature again in the land of the living; yet itis actually he himself in flesh and blood, and that is all, for he isworn to skin and bone, and his nose is even longer than it was! Hech,laird, is this you? And are you indeed returned to the Christian worldaince mair?"
"Aye troth, Yardbire, it is a' that's to the fore of me. But who haveyou got all here? Good-e'en to you, gentles. This brings me in mind ofa story, man, that I hae heard about the hunting of Stanebires' cat--"
"Whisht, Gibbie,and gie us nane o' your auld stories about cats evennow. This is the Queen of Scots and her attendants. Rather tell us, inone word, how you have made your escape from yon infernal gang in thecastle of Aikwood?"
"Aha, Yardbire, that is a tale that winna tell in ae word, nor twaneither; it wad take a winter night in telling, and it is theawesomest ane that ever passed frae the lips o' man; but I am owersair forespent at this time to begin to it."
"Oh, no!" cried the Queen: "Honest man, do not begin it at present. Itshall serve for our evening's amusement, and you shall tell it beforeyour King and his nobles, after you have had such refreshment as youstand in need of." She then caused one of her squires to alight, andmounting the wearied and exhausted laird on his horse, they rode offto Melrose, where, after a plentiful meal, the laird was brought intothe apartment where the King, the Queen, the abbot, with the noblesand ladies of the court, were all assembled; and then, at the royalrequest, he related to them the following narrative.
CHAPTER XII.
Commissions and black bills he had, And a' the land went hey-gae mad, The like was never seen, joe:
* * * * *
To dance and caper in the air, And there's an end of him, joe.
_Old Jacobite Song._
Weel, ye see, my masters and mistresses, this is what I never expectedto see. There is something sae grand in being in the presence of aKing and Queen and their courtiers, that it brings me in mind of thedevil and his agents that I have been in the habit of entertaining fora month bygane. But there is some wee difference in masters for a'that; for, in my late service, if I had been brought in to entertainthem, in an instant they would have had me transformed into somepaltry animal, and then amused themselves by tormenting that animal todeath, by dissecting it while living. But the queerest thing of allwas this,--there was aye a spark of life that they could not destroy,which, for all their cruelties, remained active and intelligent asbefore; and the moment they put that spark of life out of one animal,they popped it into another, and there was I obliged to undergo thesame dismemberment and pain once more, and so on for ever. Theinflicting of torment was their chief delight, and of that delightthere was no satiety,--it seemed still to increase by gratification.
On the very first day that I entered on my probation they had a feast,as my comrades know, and as I also have good reason to know, for onthat day I suffered death nine times; and yet I was Gibbie Jordanagain before night. They first turned me into a cock, and after thethree pages had chased me round the castle, and thrown stones at metill I was hanging out my tongue, and could not cackle another lilt,they seized me, took me into the scullery, and drew my neck. Ere everI was aware, they had me transformed into a huge lubberly calf, whileone of the hellish pages was dragging me by the neck with a pricklyrope made of hurcheon hides, and the two others were belabouring myrumple with cudgels. I suspected their intentions, and being stillterrified for death, and inclining rather to suffer any thing, I drewback, shook my head, and bellowed at them, while they still redoubledtheir blows on my carcase, and cursed me. In spite of all I could do,they dragged me gasping into the slaughter-house, kept the knife anexcruciating long time at my throat, and then, after piercing thejugular vein, they laughed immoderately to see me running about,bleeding to death, with my glazed stupid eyes; and when, throughfaintness, I began to flounder and grovel on the floor, they laughedamain, threshed me to make me plunge a little more, and when I coulddo nothing farther than give a faint baa! they thought that the bestsport of all, and mimicked me.
I had scarcely ceased baaing as a calf, when I found myself abeautiful cappercailzie, winging the winter cloud, and three devils offalcons after me. 'Now,' thinks I to myself, 'If I do not give youthe glaiks now, my hellish masters, may I never wap a wing again. Byall the powers of swiftness, but I shall try for once if the feathersshall not carry the flesh away.' Sanct Martha, as I did scour the rimyfirmament! I took the wind in my tail, but I went with such amazingvelocity that I left it behind me, and as I clove it, it seemed toreturn in my face. I reached the shoulder of a lofty mountain, andthen I laid back my wings, and bolted through the air like a flash oflightning. 'O ho! Messrs Hawks, where are you now?' thought I tomyself. Good Lord! ere ever I was aware, there was ane o' themgave me a nab on the crown, that dovered me, and gart me tumbleheels-o'er-head down frae the shelves of the clouds; and lighting witha dunt on the ground, I had nae shift but to stap my head in a heatherbush, and let them pelt at me till I got some breath again. Then Imade for a cottage, thinking the inmates could not but pity mycondition, and dr
ive the hawks away from me. I took cover among theircabbage, in the sight of both man and wife; but instead of pitying me,the one came with an old spear, and the other with the tongs, tofinish my existence,--and always when the falcons came down on me withtheir talons, the two cried out, "Weel done, little hawkie! Yether himup! puik him weel!" I was forced to take wing again, till at length,through fatigue and want of feathers I dropt close to the castlewhence I had set out, and the three falcons, closing with me, firstpicked out my eyes and then my brains. I was stabbed as a salmon,hunted as a roe-buck, felled as a bull, and had my head chopped offfor a drake. The dinner was made up of me. I supplied every dish, andthen was forced to cook them all afterward. It was no wonder that Icould not partake of the fragments of the meal.
From the moment that the Christian warriors were all dismissed withdisgrace from the castle, the devil became contumacious with theMaster, and assayed to carry matters with a very high hand. But he hadto do with one that would not succumb, no not in the smallest point,but who opposed him with a degree of virulence of which even themaster fiend seemed scarcely capable. It was a scene of constantcontention and rage, and the little subordinate demons did not alwaysknow which to obey. It was, if it please your Majesties, a scene actedin terrible magnificence, of which I have seen several poor andabortive emblems among mortal men. And henceforth I shall awaysbelieve and feel, when I see a family or society constantly involvedin disputes, wranglings, and angry emotions, that they are children ofthe wicked one, and moved by the spirit of discord, that bane of thehuman race.
"The worthy gentleman hath said well," said the abbot. "It is a moraltruth that can never be too deeply impressed, that _peace and loveonly lead to happiness_. They are emanations from above, and thecontrary passions from beneath. All the fierce and fiery passions ofthe soul are the offspring of hell fire. But a truce with preaching.Honest friend go on with your strange relation, and acquaint us inwhat manner his infernal majesty and the king of mortal magiciansspent their time."
In constant discord and jarring. The devil challenged the Master withimpotency in entertaining a poor crazy monk, and submitting to beprotected and even cowed by him; at which the Master took highoffence, and retorted in the bitterest terms; while the other alwayshinted that he would make him repent his intercourse with thatpreposterous and presumptive fool. So he termed our own worthy friarand head chaplain.
In one thing only they agreed, and that was in abusing the witches.Never were there poor deluded creatures guided in such a way as they.The devil says to the Master one day in my hearing, "Brother Michael,"says he, "I have an act of justice to perform to all our true andtrusty female lieges in this quarter. I gave them my princely word ofhonour, that on their yielding themselves up souls and bodies to meand to my service, they should all be married, and all to young andgoodly husbands too. That having been the principal, and almost theonly boon, the good consistent creatures required of me for thesacrifice they made, they must not be disappointed." The Masteracquiesced, but at the same time remarked, with what I judgedunreasonable chagrin, that when he was keeping his word so punctually,it betokened nothing good for those to whom he kept it.
Well, we had a witch's wedding every night for nine nights running;but such extreme of wickedness is past all human comprehension, beyondthe possibility of description. The marriage ceremony itself, alwaysperformed by a demon in the habit of a friar, was a piece of the mosthorrid blasphemy ever conceived; and every night one of the witcheswas married to the devil in disguise. Sometimes the bridegroom madehis appearance as a gay cavalier, sometimes as a country squire, aforeign merchant, a minstrel, and a moss-trooper. The old wretch of abride was all painted by some devilish cantrip, and bedecked withfalse jewels, and though she seemed always aware of the deceit in acertain degree, from former experiences, yet it was wonderful withwhat avidity each of the old creatures clung to her enamoured andgoodly husband! How they mumped and minced in their talking, and ogledwith their old grey ropy eyes! And then how they danced! Gracious me,how they flung, and danced among the deils and the warlocks! andcapered and snapped their fingers, giving their partners often a jerkon the nose or the temple as they passed and repassed in the reel, asquick as green clocks on a pool. Then the bedding of the brides, thesesurpassed all description; and as they had me fairly in thrall, I wassuffered to witness every thing. The first witch bride was led out atthe back door of the castle with much state and ceremony, into a placethat had been a bowling green, and in which there was nothing elsesave a bowling green: Yet, to my amazement, there stood a bower of themost superb magnificence; and there, in a chamber hung with gorgeoustapestry that glittered all with gold and rubies, the loving coupleretired to their repose, and to all the delights and joys of so happyan union. Then wishing them the greatest conjugal felicity, all thegallants returned to the castle. But I, being curious to see whatwould be the end of this grand pavilion in the bowling-green, which Iknew must be merely a delusion, avision, a shadow of something thathad no stability of existence, went up to the top of the castle, andfrom a loop-hole sat and watched what was to be the end of thisphenomenon. I waited a good long while, and began to think all wasreal, and that the splendid witch had met with a happy fortune,--for Iknew them too well to be all witches from former happy experience. Butat length the lusty bridegroom, as I supposed, began to weary of hismate, for I saw the form of the bower beginning to change, and fallflat on the top, and its hue also became of a lurid fiery colour. Icannot tell your Majesties what sort of sensations I felt when I sawthe wedded couple sinking gradually down through a bed of red burningfire, and the poor old beldame writhing to death in the arms of a hugeand terrible monster, that squeezed her in its embraces, and huggedher, and caressed her till the spark of wretched life was whollyextinguished. I saw distinctly by the light of the flame thatsurrounded them, and marked every twist of the features, and everyquiver of the convulsed limbs; yet these were not more impressive thanthe joy of the exulting fiend, who continued to caress and kiss hisagonized mate to the last, and called her his love, and his darling,and his heart's delight. At length the distortions of the humancountenance reached their acme--the shrivelled bosom forgot to throb,and, with the expiry of the mortal spark, the lurid flame that burntaround them also went out, and all was darkness, There was no bower,no chamber, no bridal bed, but a cold winter soil; and I thought that,through the gloom, I perceived the couple still lying on it.
As I could get no rest all that night for thinking of the terriblescene I had witnessed, as soon as the sun rose next morning I went outto the bowling-green, but found nothing there save the strangled bodyof the wretched woman,--a dismal and humbling sight,--squeezed almostto a jelly, and every bone broken as if it had been smashed on ananvil. Being curious to examine her robes in which she appeared withsuch splendour the evening before, and her jewels, part of which I hadseen her lay carefully aside, I took every thing up as it lay. Herrobes were a small heap of the most wretched rags imaginable: herpearl necklace was a string of dead beetles, and her diamond ringspieces of thread, on which were fastened small knots of clay, andevery thing else proportionally mean. While I was standing consideringthis vile degradation that had taken place, I heard a voice at alittle distance that called to me and said, "Gibbie Jordan! GibbieJordan! why standest thou in amazement at a true emblem of all worldlygrandeur! It is all equally unreal and unsubstantial as that on whichthou lookest, and to that it must all come at last."
'Hout, friend,' thought I, 'it canna surely be a' sae perfectly unrealas this, else what does it signify?' But a' that I could look andglime about, I could never discover the speaker that said this; andwhen I thought seriously of the matter, I found that it comes a' tothe same thing in the end.
"Honest friend, thou hast again illustrated a momentous moral truth,"said the abbot,--"and I thank thee for it. Thou hast the art, in thysimplicity, of extracting more good out of real evil than any expounderof divine truths throughout the land. Thou art both a moral and anatural philosopher, and I intend
conferring on thee some benefice underthe church, that thy talents may no longer remain locked up in a helmet.Prithee, go on with thy extraordinary narrative; but these witchweddings are too horrible for mortal ears."
Then you may consider, my Lord Abbot, what they were for mortal eyes,especially such a run of them, which were every night varied in theirhorrors, and terminated in something perfectly distinct from all thosepreceding. On the second night the bridegroom was a foreign merchant, aman of bustle and punctuality, who said he could not remain late withhis kind convivial friends, and was under the necessity of carrying hisbride off at an early hour, having business of importance to transacton the morrow. It was a speculation, he said, on which he calculatedmaking a good profit, and a man who was coming in to have a wife, and inall probability a small family to maintain, required to look after andattend to these matters. The witch caressed him in ecstacy when he madethis speech, and proffered to go with him as soon as he chose. Shesaluted her cronies, and bade them farewell; and although there is nolove among those sort of people, yet there was still so much of humannature remaining, that there seemed to subsist a degree of regret thatthey should never meet again. My own heart was even sore for thewretched beldame; for I had witnessed a scene the preceding night whichhad been withheld from her view, and those of the other brides that wereto be; and I knew that a fate somewhat similar awaited them all. Theymounted this one behind the spruce merchant on a tall gallant chargerwhose eyes gleamed like lightning, and away they set over the leas ofCarterhaugh, at a light gallop; but at every bound the swiftness of thesteed increased, till it was quickly beyond the speed of the eagle. Thewitch held like grim death, and would fain have expostulated with thebridegroom on the madness of risking their necks for a little percentage,--but her velocity was such that she could make no fartherspeech of it, than just a squeak now and then like a shot hare. Thereckless merchant flew on, still increasing his rapidity, until he cameto the very highest rock of the Harehead linn. The witch knew of thedreadful chasm that was before them, and weening that her husband didnot know she uttered a piercing shriek; but the void was only thirtyyards across and a hundred deep, so the fearless merchant, meaning totake it at one leap, made his charger bound from the top of theprecipice. The infernal courser cleared the linn, but the witch's headfailing, she toppled off about the middle space. There were twofishermen spearing salmon in the bottom of the gulf, who saw thephenomenon pass over their heads, and the wife lose her hold and falloff; they heard her likewise saying, as she came adown the air, "Aih,what a fa' I will get!" And as she said, so it fell out; for shealighted on the rocks a short space from the place where they stood, andwas literally dashed in pieces; but the steed ran away with the merchantover hill and dale like a thunderbolt, and neither the one nor the otherever looked over his shoulder to see what had befallen the bride.
This continuation of horrors still depriving me of rest, I went intothe linn the next morning to look after the corpse; but the threepages, Prig, Prim, and Pricker, were engaged with it, cutting ittrimly up, and hanging it on the trees of the linn to be frozen, sothat they might thereby be enabled to preserve it for some grandexperiment. In the same manner did they serve the remains of all thebrides; none of them ever being buried,--but there was one taken awaybodily. I shall now, in conformity with your reverence's hint, desistfrom the description of any more of these weddings, and proceed to theadventure by which I attained my liberty.
I had often attempted this, both by night and by day, but these impsseemed to possess a sort of prescience, for in all my attempts I wasseized and maltreated so grossly that I gave up all hopes of escape,otherwise than by some upbreaking of the warlock's establishment, andof all such incidents I had resolved to avail myself, and you all seethat at last I have succeeded,--which happened on this wise.
Still as Christmas tide drew on, the wranglings between my two chiefmasters, the devil and the warlock, grew more and more fierce; and asI heard they were obliged to sever before that time, I both hoped anddreaded some terrible convulsion. The fiend, for several successivedays, was always hinting to the Master that it now behoved the latterto deliver him up the black book and the divining rod; and he tried tocajole him out of them by fair speeches and boundless promises: butwith these requests the Master testified no disposition to comply, andthe promises he utterly disregarded, bidding him bestow his promiseson those who did not know him. At length the fiend fairly told him,that he must and would have the possession of these invaluabletreasures, which ought never to have been put into the hands of mortalman, and that now he would have them if he should tear his heart fromhis bosom to attain the boon.
I weened that matters were come to that pass now that the Master wouldbe obliged to yield, and that all this show of resistance was only theebullition of a proud and indignant spirit struggling against the yokeunder which it knew it was obliged to bow, like a horse that champsthe bit, to the sway of which it knows too well it must submit. In allthis, however, I had reckoned before mine host, and knew not theresources of the great magician. Beneath the influence of the cross Ifound him a child, a novice, a nonentity, unresolved and inconsistent inhis actions. But amongst the beings with whom he associated I found hima superior intelligence, a spirit formed to controul the mightiestenergies, and not brooking submission to any power unless by compulsion.To my utter astonishment he not only gave the arch-fiend absoluterefusal, but haughty defiance; and then it was apparent, that, exceptfrom necessity, all forbearance was at an end.
"Preposterous madman! dost thou know whom thou beardest?" said thefiend, gnashing his teeth with rage and thirst of vengeance: "Knowestthou with whom thou art contending, thou maniac?--and that I can wringthy soul out of thy body, consigning the one to the dunghill, and theother to elemental slavery, at my will and pleasure?"
"I defy thee," said the Master: "Do thy worst. He that imparts amoiety of his power to another, must abide by the consequences. Do Inot know with whom I am contending? Yes! I know thee! And thou art sowell aware that I do, that at this moment thou tremblest beneath myrod. I know thee for a liar, a deceiver, a backbiter, and a spirit ofinsatiable malevolence. Who can lay one of these charges to my name?Were I immortal as thou art, how I would hurl thee from thy usurpedand tyrannic sway over the mighty energies of nature. Were I freed ofthe incumbrances of mortality,--of blood that may be let out by abodkin,--bones that may be broken by the tip of an ox-goad,--andbreath that may be stopped by the twang of a bow-string; of vitals,subjected to be torn by disease,--preyed on by hunger, thirst, and athousand casualties beside:--yes, were I rid of these congregatedimpediments, as I shall soon be, I would thrust thee down into thatsubordinate sphere of action to which only thy perverse nature isfitted. This black book and this divining-rod are mine. They wereconsigned to my hands by thyself and the four viceroys of theelements, and part with them shall I never, either in life or indeath; and while I possess them I am thy superior. Begone, and let mehear no more of thy brawling at this time, lest I humble thee, andtrample on thee before thy day of power be expired."
This the Master pronounced in loud and furious accents; and as hefinished he struck the devil across the gorge with his golden rod.The blow made him spring aloof, and tumble into the air, it had suchpowerful effect on his frame; and when he stood again on his feet, heroared with rage and indignation, in a voice that resembled thunder.The Master had the black book belted to his bosom, with bands ofsteel, that were hammered in the forge of hell; and laying his lefthand upon that, and brandishing his divining-rod in his right, hedared the fiend to the combat. The latter approached, and poured fromhis mouth and nostrils such a stream of liquid flame on the magician,that it appeared like a fiery rainbow between them. This greatlyincommoded the Master, and made him skip like a mountebank; but it wassoon exhausted, and then the fiend threw trees and rocks at him, someof the latter of the weight of five tons. All these the Mastereschewed; and though he sought no other weapons but his rod, he brakein upon his antagonist, and chaced him from the field. Th
en the war ofwords again commenced, which increased to a tempest of threatening,wrath, and defiance. The arch-demon boasted of his legions, and oftheir irresistible power; and threatened to bring them all to thecontest, and annihilate the Master and his adherents, root and branch.
"I have already said that I fear neither them nor thee," said theMaster. "What though thou hast the sovereignty over the element offire, and all the fierce and indurated spirits that sojourn and ply inthe sultry regions of flame, as also of the grovelling spirits of themould? Have not I at my command those of the air and the water? I canmuster against thee the storm, the whirlwind, and the raging tempest,the overwhelming wave, and the descending torrent. These shallextinguish thy meteor hosts, and sweep thy mold-warps from the face ofthe earth. I am in the midst of my elements here. Thou art out ofthine, and that thou shalt feel when thou bringest it to trial."
Thus parted these two once-bound associates, but now jealous andinexorable foes,--a good lesson to all those who form combinationsinimical to the laws or authority of the land in which they reside.Like those master-spirits, such are likewise conspirators againstrightful sovereignty, although on a smaller scale; and like those whomthey imitate, and by whom they are moved, their counsels will alwaysbe turned either to foolishness or against themselves.
"The sphere that this man hath filled in society," said the abbot, "isfar below that in which he ought to have moved. If his narrative istrue, which I can hardly believe, he turns it to most excellent uses;and if it is an apologue, it is one well conceived for the purposes ofinstruction. Verily, this gentleman hath never moved in his propersphere."
"I think it is not very unlikely that your reverence says," said SirRingan, "for he made no great figure in it. Tho' I had always apartiality for him, I had no great faith in his valour. He wouldrather have cut down a warrior behind his back than before his faceany time. He has made mare quake this night wi' his tale than ever hedid wi' his weapon. I entreat ye to get on, laird, and let us hearhow they made up matters."
Made up matters, does my chief say? That was a term no more mentionedbetween them. They separated but to raise their different forces, andmeet again with more fury and effect. The Master spoke to his threepages, and asked if they were resolved to stand firm to his interest?They answered, that they would, till the term of their bondageexpired.
"Then am I doubly armed!" said the Master, exultingly; "and I willshow your tyrant that I can quell his utmost rage. Speed thee, mytrusty and nimble spirits; speed to the western and northern spheres,and rouse the slumbering angels of the winds and the waters. Tell themto muster their array, and bear hitherward,--to rear the broad billowsof the Atlantic up against the breast of heaven, and to make a bellowsof every cloud to gather the winds up behind them. Then bring down theirresistible spirits of the frozen north in ambush,--and who shallstand against their fury! How soon will you execute your commissions?"
"Master, I'll ring the surface of the ocean, from the line to thefirst field of pickled ice, before the hour-glass is half run."
"Master, I'll look south on the polar star,--call every whale,sea-monster, and ice-shagged spirit by his name, and return to youbefore the cock-bittern can boomb his vesper."
"And I'll to the moon, And the stars aboon, And rack my invention For the coming contention: And the wind and the weet, And the snow and the sleet, I'll gather and gather, And drive them on hither."
With that the three imps departed on their several missions, but notbefore they had seized me, and bound me to a ring on a turret of thecastle. The Master retired into his apartment for some time, but sooncame up to the level space on the top of the castle, our old birth,and strode about in the most violent agitation, but appearing ratherto be moved by anger and impatience than by dread. At length, he cameup to me, and said, "How now, droich? What thinkest thou of all this?"
I said nothing, for I durst not answer a word.
"Dost thou think," continued he, "that there exists another being,either mortal or immortal, like me, thy master?"
I still durst not answer a word; for if I had said _no_, it would havebeen blasphemy; and if I had said _yes_, it would have provoked him todo me a mischief; so I looked at my bonds, and held my peace.
"Thou darest not say there is," continued he; "but I know what thouthinkest. Sit thou there in peace till this great trial of power beover; and if thou darest for thy life invoke another name than mine,thou shalt never stir from that spot dead or alive. But if thou takestheed to this injunction, and cease from all petitions to, or mentionof, a name which thou mayest judge superior to mine, then shalt thoube set at liberty to join thy friends."
I determined to attend to this,--but he waited not for my answer, butstrode away, looking now and then on the book of destiny, and at thewestern heaven alternately. At length he exclaimed, "Yonder they come!Yonder they rise in grand battalia! Noble and potent spirits! Howspeedily have you executed your commission. Yonder comes the muster ofmy array, and who shall stand against them!"
I looked towards the west when I heard him talking in such ecstacies,but could see nothing save a phalanx of towering clouds, rolling up inwreaths from the dun horizon. I had seen the same scene a hundredtimes, and could hardly help smiling at his enthusiasm, especiallywhen he went over a long muster-roll of the names of spirits andmonsters whom he saw approaching in the cloud. 'It is a sign thatwarlocks have clear een,' thinks I, quietly, 'for I see nothing but arange of rolling and restless clouds.' However, he was so overjoyedwith the sight of this visionary array, that, having no other tocommunicate with, he came rapidly up to me, and said, "Tell me,droich, didst thou ever witness any thing so truly grand as theapproach of this host of mine?"
"You must first lend me the use of your eyes that I may see them,"said I; "for, on my word, I see nothing save two or three files ofcastled clouds, which I have seen an hundred times."
With that he lent me a blow with his rod, and said, though notapparently in wrath, "Thou hast no brighter eyes, and no brighterconceptions, than a hedgehog, but art a mere clod of the valley, aworm; if I knew of aught lower to liken thee to, I would do it! Dostthou see nothing like fleets and armies approaching yonder? Dost thounot see an hundred and seven of the ships of the ocean above, comingfull sail, with colours flying, and canvas spread? Seest thou notalso, to the south of these, two files of behemoths, with ten thousandwarrior-spirits beside?"
I looked again, and though I was sensible it must be a delusionbrought on by by the stroke of his powerful rod, yet I did see theappearance of a glorious fleet of ships coming bounding along thesurface of the firmament of air, while every mainsail was bosomed outlike the side of a Highland mountain. I saw, besides, whole columns ofwhat I supposed to be crocodiles, sharks, kelpies, and water-horses,with a thousand monsters never dreamed of by human being. The Mastermarked my astonishment, and exulted still the more; and then hedesired me to turn round, and look toward the north. At first I couldsee nothing; but on being touched again with the divining-rod, I shallnever forget such a sight as opened gradually to my view. The wholenorthern hemisphere, from the eastern to the western horizon, wascovered with marshalled hosts of the shades of gigantic warriors. Theywere all mailed in white armour, as if it had been sprinkled withhoar-frost; and their beards, which had the appearance of icicles,hung down, swinging in the wind, like so many inverted forests,stripped of their foliage and bark, and encrusted with ice. They wereall mounted on the ghosts of crackens, whales, and walruses: and forbows and quivers each had a blown bladder on his bade as large as thehill of Ben-Nevis. My heart quaked at the view of these tremendouspolar spirits, and I said, "Great and magnificent Master, are yonterrible chaps all coming hither?"
"Certes they are," said he: "Why dost thou ask after having heard mymandate sent forth?"
"Because," said I, "If yon bearded spirits be a' coming here, I wish Iwere somewhere else, for the like of yon was never beheld by man. Ifyour opponents dare face you, they have a spirit beyond what I canconceive."
r /> "They will be here, and that instantly," said he, "And lo! yonder theycome! I will go down and meet them on the open field. But, in themeantime, I will loose you with my own hands, for who knows what maybe the issue of this day; remain where thou art, for here thou shaltbe safe, but no where else."
I looked; and as far as my eyes could discern, I saw as it were athousand thousand sparks of fire rising from the east, that came in astraight line toward me, and with great velocity. As they came nearerI perceived that they were all fiery serpents, with faces like men,and small flaming spears issuing from their mouths, which they heldbetween their teeth, or drew in as they listed. These were led on tothe combat by the arch-fiend himself who came at their head in theform of a huge fiery dragon with his iron crown on his head, and wingsspringing from his shoulders behind, that reached as high as the hillof Blackandro. 'Aih! God guide us!' thinks I to mysel, 'Michael has anawsome adversary to contend with the day!' He was nothing daunted,however, but went boldly down the valley, where he was met by hosts ofcrawling monsters, such as snakes, lizards, and a thousand others.These I took to be the spirits of the element of earth,--but they werelubbards in a field of battle, for, at a brandish of the Master'smagical rod, they ran off wagging their tails in such a vengeance ofa hurry that they overturned one another.
The van of Michael's western array had by this time gained the middlesky, and hung boiling and wheeling like a troubled ocean straightabove his head and above mine. Its colour was as dark as pitch, butthere was now and then a shade of a dead white colour rolled out, andas suddenly again swallowed up in the darkness. I never saw ought soawfully sublime. It had now descended so low, that it hid the polargiants entirely from my view, and the Master kept waving his rodtowards it, and clapping his left hand always on the black book, tillat length, with the motion of a whirlpool, the cloud came and settledall round him. The fiend and his firebrands perceiving this, dartedwith the utmost fury into the middle of it, and the most tremendouscrash of thunder ensued that ever shook heaven and earth. My eyes weredazzled so that I could not see ought distinctly, but I perceivedthese flaming meteors glancing and quivering round the verges of thedarkness, and ever and anon darting again into it. Seven of thesepeals of thunder succeeded one another, and then I saw the spirits offlame would overcome, for the darkness began to scatter, and I sawthe Master hard bested, defending himself with his rod against amultitude. He then cried with a loud voice, and waved his rod towardthe north, and that moment the giant warriors of the polar regionsloosed all their quivers at once, and with such effect, that theytossed the opposing legions before them like chaff. The hailstones,the snow, and the sleet, poured upon them thicker and faster, and thewind roared louder than their thunders had done before. There was nomore power in their foes to stand before them; they were scattered,driven away, and extinguished. When the Master saw this, he shoutedaloud for joy, calling out 'Victory!' and leaping from the ground inecstacy. But when he was in the very paroxysm of exultation, the greatdragon came round with a circular motion behind the castle, andapproaching behind the wizard's back before he was aware, seized himby the hair with one paw, and by the iron belt with the other, andbore him off into the air straight upward. The Master struggled andwrithed very hard, but never opened his lips. At length, after greatexertion, he struck the monster a blow with his rod that made him quithis hold, and fly away yelling after his discomfited legions.
The Master fell to the ground from a great height, and lay still, andwhen I saw no one to come near him, I left the corner where I had hidmyself, and ran to his assistance; but he was quite dead. His teethhad severed his tongue in two, and were clenched close together; hiseyes were open, and every bone of his body was broken. Havingwitnessed the unspeakable value of the golden rod, I put out my handand took hold of it, wanting to bring it away with me, but I might aswell have tried to have heaved the castle from its foundations.Besides, when I tugged at it, the dead man turned his eyes toward mewith a fierceness that chilled me to the heart, so I fled and camehitherward with all my might. He is lying in a little hidden valley,at the side of the burn, immediately above the castle, with the bookof fate locked in his bosom, his rod in his hand, and his eyes open. Ihave now described to your Majesties this scene exactly as I saw it;but I must also tell you, that when I came to the mill, both themiller and his man, neither of whom knew me, said it had been an awfulstorm of thunder and lightning. I asked if they perceived nothingabout it but a common storm of thunder and lightning? And they said,nothing, save that it was exceedingly violent, and rather uncommon atsuch a season of the year. I have, therefore, some suspicions thatthere might be magical delusion operating on my sight; but of this Iam certain, that the great enchanter was carried up into the middlespace between heaven and earth, fell down, and was killed."
"I think there can be no doubt," said the King, "that what you havetold us is the plain and unvarnished truth, though, perhaps, the rodof divination might open your eyes to see the storm in a differentlight from that seen by the eyes of common men. Of this there can beno doubt, that the greatest man, and the most profound scholar of theage, has perished in this conflict of the elements. He has not onlykept the world in awe, but in dreadful agitation for the space ofthirty years; let us, therefore, all go to-morrow and see himhonourably interred. I ask no rites of sepulture to be performed overhis remains, which, if living, he would have deprecated, only let usall go and see his body reverendly deposited in the tomb, lest it beleft to consume in the open fields."
They went, and found him lying as stated, only that his eyes wereshut, some of his attendant elves having closed them over night. Hisbook was in his bosom, and his rod in his hand, from either of whichno force of man could sever them, although when they lifted the bodyand these together, there was no difference in weight from the body ofanother man. The King then caused these dangerous relics to bedeposited along with the body in an iron chest, which they buried in avaulted aisle of the abbey of Melrose; and the castle of Aikwood hasnever more been inhabited by mortal man.
THE END.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes
This text is a reproduction of the 1822 edition. It includes manydialect and archaic words and spellings, as well as many typographicalerrors which have not been changed.
Some characters were not printed clearly:
p. 79 The letter "i" in "you would deify" was not printed and isconjectural
p. 131 the line ending "The wines and liquor" does not meet the margin;"liquor" may be plural.
p. 151 the line ending "of beings so blind" does not meet the margin,and may end in a comma
p. 274 the colon in "by the Douglas:" is unclear and may be a semi-colon
p. 307 the semi-colon in "the attempt prematurely;" is unclear and maybe a comma
Chapters are inconsistently headed "CHAPTER" or "CHAP."
The text includes the following inconsistent spellings:
Father Lawrence and father Lawrence
galloped and gallopped
Castle-Wearie and Castle-Weary
Corby and Corbie
chace and chase
The text includes many examples of inconsistent hyphenation. Thefollowing are inconsistently hyphenated or printed as two words:
yester eve and yester-eve
all four and all-four
arch fiend and arch-fiend
back friends and back-friends
bowling green and bowling-green
coulter nose and coulter-nose
deep wooded and deep-wooded
divining rod and divining-rod
high born and high-born
high spirited and high-spirited
hoar frost and hoar-frost
iron door and iron-door
The following are inconsistently hyphenated or printed as one word:
daylight and day-light
Castlewearie and Castle-Wearie
drawbridge and draw-bridge
auldfarrant and aul
d-farrant
bareheaded and bare-headed
eyebrows and eye-brows
outdone and out-done
staircase and stair-case
The following are inconsistently printed as one or two words:
fairy land and fairyland
Gude faith and Gudefaith
mean time and meantime
The text contains the following apparent errors:
p. 10 missing apostrophe ("its only the devil")
p. 17 missing quotation mark ("What do you think")
p. 25 missing quotation mark ("is the better. The imps")
p. 30 extra quotation mark ("behind the friar."")
p. 46 missing quotation mark ("preserve their worshippers.")
p. 47 missing quotation mark ("and who must yield.")
p. 60 missing quotation mark ("all unsafe with such.")
p. 62 question mark instead of full stop ("off thy frame?")
p. 68 missing quotation mark ("those we love.")
p. 79 two instances of missing quotation marks (""Stay, they cried, stay the solemnity,")
p. 89 missing quotation mark ("your's was the best tale.")
p. 98 mis-spelling "in the expecsation"
p. 102 extra space in "the sweetest strain s"
p. 112 missing quotation mark ("follow them.")
p. 158 extra quotation mark ("ever cattle put on."")
p. 163 mis-placed apostrophe ("that I ken o.'")
p. 163 missing quotation mark ("and that of such momentous")
p. 168 missing full stop ("them to think of")
p. 183 extra quotation mark ("Scott'" said Yardbire:")
p. 189 mis-spelling "possessession"
p. 196 duplicate word "themsels; and and if ye hear a Laidlaw"
p. 205 missing quotation mark ("Strangers, I think!")
p. 206 comma instead of full stop ("he says, We'll never make")
p. 207 missing quotation mark ("But whoever refuses,")
p. 213 mis-spelling "disingeniousness"
p. 222 duplicate word "the fourth was a a boy"
p. 225 missing space "andbegan"
p. 237 extra quotation mark (""Alas, for my beloved")
p. 284 single instead of double quotation mark ("the like o' that?'")
p. 299 missing quotation mark ("begging admission to your")
p. 321 extra quotation mark (""The Queen crossed herself,")
p. 331 extra quotation mark ("'it's 'God's will?'")
p. 346 extra quotation mark ("new born beauties."")
p. 349 full stop instead of comma ("from a beam's end.")
p. 378 mis-spelling "convalesence"
p. 379 missing quotation mark ("apply to him again.")
p. 380 duplicate word "shew a a"
p. 380 missing quotation mark ("Inferiority!")
p. 382 missing full stop ("the lord Douglas--But")
p. 389 missing quotation mark ("Oh Sir Charles!--")
p. 391 missing quotation mark ("or an engagement say?")
p. 393 duplicate word "to Sir Charles was was nothing"
p. 405 duplicate word "she could not not be"
p. 409 "They" instead of "The" ("They rest marshalling")
p. 410 mis-spelling "Peatstackknowe"
p. 411 missing space ("Gibbie,and")
p. 422 missing space ("a delusion, avision")
p. 423 comma instead of full stop ("all was darkness, There was no")
p. 440 duplicate word "brought on by by the stroke"
p. 447 extra quotation mark ("was killed."")
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