his master a small oaken casket, mounted with brass ornaments of curious form. The Baron, drawing out a private key, unlocked the casket, raised the lid, and produced a golden goblet of a singular and antique appearance, moulded into the shape of a rampant bear, which the owner regarded with a look of mingled reverence, pride, and delight, that irresistibly reminded Waverley of Ben Jonson's Tom Otter, with his Bull, Horse, and Dog, as that wag wittily denominated his chief carousing cups. But Mr. Bradwardine, turning towards him with complacency, requested him to observe this curious relick of the olden time. "It represents," he said, "the chosen crest of our family, a bear, as ye observe, and rampant; because a good herald will depict every animal in its noblest posture, as a horse salient, a greyhound currant, and, as may be inferred, a ravenous animal in actu ferociori, or in a voracious, lacerating, and devouring posture. Now, sir, we hold this most honourable achievement by the wappen-brief, or concession of arms of Frederic Red-beard, emperor of Germany, to my predecessor Godmond Bradwardine, being the crest of a gigantic Dane, whom he slew in the lists in the Holy Land, on a quarrel touching the chastity of the emperor's spouse or daughter, tradition saith not precisely which; and thus, as Virgilius hath it—

Mutemus clypeos, Danaumque insignia nobis

Aptemus.

Then for the cup, Captain Waverley, it was wrought by the command of Saint Duthac, abbot of Abberbrothock, for behoof of another baron of the house of Bradwardine, who had valiantly defended the patri, mony of that monastery against certain encroaching nobles. It is properly termed the Blessed Bear of Bradwardine, (though old Dr. Doublet used jocosely to call it Ursa Major,) and was supposed, in old and catholic times, to be invested with certain properties of a mystical and supernatural quality. And though I give not in to such anilia, it is certain it has always been esteemed a solemn standard cup and heirloom of our house; nor is it ever used but upon seasons of high festival, and such I hold to be the arrival of the heir of Sir Everard under my roof; and I devote this draught to the health and prosperity of the ancient and highly-to-be honoured house of Waverley." During this long harangue, he carefully decanted a cobwebbed bottle of claret into the goblet, which held nearly an English pint; and, at the conclusion, delivering the bottle to the butler, to be held carefully in the same angle with the horizon, he devoutly quaffed off the contents of the Blessed Bear of Bradwardine.

Edward, with horror and alarm, beheld the animal making his rounds, and thought with great anxiety upon the appropriate motto, "Beware the bear;" but plainly foresaw, that, as none of the guests scrupled to do him this extraordinary honour, a refusal on his part to pledge their courtesy would be extremely ill received. Resolving, therefore, to submit to this last piece of tyranny, and then to quit the table, if possible, and confiding in the strength of his constitution, he did justice to the company in the contents of the Blessed Bear, and felt less inconveniency from the draught than he could possibly have expected. The others, whose time had been more actively employed, began to

show symptoms of innovation," the good wine did its good office." The frost of etiquette, and pride of birth, began to give way before the genial blessings of this benign constellation, and the formal appellatives with which the three dignitaries had hitherto addressed each other, were now familiarly abbreviated into Tully, Bally, and Killie. When a few rounds had passed, the two latter, after whispering together, craved permission (a joyful hearing for Edward) to ask the grace cup. This, after some delay, was at length produced, and Waverley concluded the orgies of Bacchus were terminated for the evening. He was never more mistaken in his life. As the guests had left their horses

at the small inn, or change-house, as it was called, of the village, the Baron could not, in politeness, avoid walking with them up the avenue, and Waverley, from the same motive, and to enjoy, after this feverish revel, the cool summer evening, attended the party. But when they arrived at Luckie Macleary's, the Lairds of Balmawhapple and Killancureit declared their determination to acknowledge their sense of the hospitality of Tully-Veolan, by partaking, with their entertainer and his guest, Captain Waverley, what they technically called dock and dorrock, a stirrup-cup, to the honour of the Baron's roof tree.

'It must be noticed, that the baillie, knowing by experience that the day's joviality, which had been hitherto sustained at the expense of his patron, might terminate partly at his own, had mounted his spavined gray pony, and, between gayety of heart, and alarm for being hooked into a reckoning, spurred him into a hobbling canter, (a trot was out of the question,) and had already cleared the village. The others entered the change-house, leading Edward in unresisting submission; for his landlord whispered him that to demur to such an overture would be construed into a high misdemeanour against the leges conviviales, or regulations of genial compotation. Widow Macleary seemed to have expected this visit, as well she might, for it was the usual consummation of merry-bouts, not only at Tully Veolan, but at most other gentlemen's houses in Scotland, Sixty Years since.

Accordingly, in full expectation of these distinguished guests, Luekie Macleary had swept her house for the first time this fortnight, tempered her turf fire to such a heat as the season required in her damp hovel even at Midsummer, set forth her deal table newly washed, propped its lame foot with a fragment of turf, arranged four or five stools of huge and clumsy form, upon the sites which best suited the inequalities of her clay floor; and having, moreover, put on her clean toy, rokelay, and scarlet plaid, gravely awaited the arrival of the company, in full hope of custom and profit. When they were seated under the sooty rafters of Luckie Macleary's only apartment, thickly tapestried with cobwebs, their hostess, who had already taken her cue from the Laird of Balmawhapple, appeared with a huge pewter measuring pot, containing at least three English quarts, familiarly denominated à Tapit Hen, and which, in the language of the hostess, reamed (i. e. mantled) with excellent claret just drawn from the cask.

'It was soon plain that what crumbs of reason the Bear had not devoured, were to be picked up by the Hen; but the confusion which

began to prevail favoured Edward's resolution to evade the gaily circling glass. The rest began to talk thick and at once, each performing his own part in the conversation, without the least respect to his neighbour. The Baron of Bradwardine sung French chansons-a-boire, and spouted pieces of Latin; Killancureit talked in a steady unalterable dull key, of top-dressing and bottom-dressing, and year olds, and gimmers, and dinmonts, and stots, and runts, and kyloes, and a proposed turnpike-act; while Balmawhapple, in notes exalted above both, extolled his horse, his hawks, and a greyhound called Whistler.'— Vol. i. pp. 134—149.

We trust that we are entitled to ask from our readers rather thanks than forgiveness, for the length of these extracts, which exhibit scenes, at once (in our judgment) so new and so natural as to be equally valuable as specimens of national manners, and amusing as delineations of individual absurdity. Under this impression we proceed to extract some further specimens of the state of society into which Waverley was thrown.

When he had been a guest at Tully-Veolan nearly six weeks, be descried, one morning, as he took his usual walk before the breakfast hour, signs of unusual perturbation in the family. Four bare-legged dairy-maids, with each an empty milk-pail in her hand, ran about with frantic gestures, and uttering loud exclamations of surprise, grief, and resentment. From their appearance, a pagan might have conceived them a detachment of the celebrated Belides, just come from their baleing penance. As nothing was to be got from this distracted chorus, excepting "Lord guide us!" and "Eh sirs!" ejaculations which threw no light upon the cause of their dismay, Waverley repaired to the fore-court, as it was called, where he beheld Baillie Macwheeble cantering his white pony down the avenue with all the speed it could muster. He had arrived, it would seem, upon a hasty summons, and was followed by half a score of peasants from the village, who had no great difficulty in keeping pace with him.

The baillie, greatly too busy, and too important to enter into explanations with Edward, summoned forth Mr. Saunderson, who appeared with a countenance in which dismay was mingled with solemnity, and they immediately entered into close conference. Davie Gellatly* was also seen in the group, idle as Diogenes at Sinope, while his countrymen were preparing for a siege. His spirits always rose with any thing, good or bad, which occasioned tumult, and he continued frisking, hopping, dancing, and singing the burden of an old ballad,

"Our gear's a' gane,"

until, happening to pass too near the baillie, he received an admonitory hint from his horse-whip, which converted his songs into lamentation. 'Passing from thence towards the garden, Waverley beheld the Baron in person measuring and re-measuring, with swift and tremendous

* A kind of half-witted idler, one of the appendages of the Barony, of whom it i reasonably doubted whether he be more knave or fool.

strides, the length of the terrace; his countenance clouded with offended pride and indignation, and the whole of his demeanour such as seemed to indicate, that any inquiry concerning the cause of his discomposure would give pain at least, if not offence. Waverley therefore glided into the house, without addressing him, and took his way into the breakfast parlour, where he found his young friend Rose, who, though she neither exhibited the resentment of her father, the turbid importance of Baillie Macwheeble, nor the despair of the handmaidens, seemed vexed and thoughtful. A single word explained the mystery. "Your breakfast will be a disturbed one, Captain Waverley.— A party of catherans have come down upon us last night, and driven off all our milch cows."

"A party of catherans?"

"Yes, robbers from the neighbouring Highlands. We used to be quite free from them while we paid black mail to Fergus Mac-Ivor Vich Ian Vohr; but my father thought it unworthy of his rank and birth to pay it any longer, and so this disaster has happened. It is not the value of the cattle, Captain Waverley, that vexes me; but my father is so much hurt at the affront, and is so bold and hot, that I fear he will try to recover them by the strong hand; and then, if he is not hurt himself, he will hurt some of these wild people, and there will be no peace between them and us perhaps for our lifetime; and we cannot defend ourselves as in old times, for the government have taken all our arms; and my dear father is so rash-O what will become of us!"---Here poor Rose lost heart altogether, and burst into a flood of tears.

'The Baron entered at this moment, and rebuked her with more asperity than Waverley bad ever heard him use to any one. "Was it not a shame," he said, "that she should exhibit herself before any gentleman in such a light, as if she shed tears for a drove of horned nolt and milch kine, like the daughter of a Cheshire yeoman!-Captain Waverley, I must request your favourable construction of her grief, which may, or ought to proceed solely from seeing her father's estate exposed to spulzic and depredations from common thieves and sornars, while we are not allowed to keep a half score of muskets, whether for defence or rescue."

'Baillie Macwheeble entered immediately afterwards, and, by his report of arms and ammunition, confirmed this statement, informing the Baron, in a melancholy voice, that though the people would cer tainly obey his honour's orders, yet was there no chance of their following the gear to any guid purpose, in respect there were only his honour's body servants who had swords and pistols, and the depredators were twelve Highlanders, completely armed after the manner of their country. Having delivered this doleful annunciation, he assumed a posture of silent dejection, shaking his head slowly with the motion of a pendulum when it is ceasing to vibrate, and then remained stationary, his body stooping at a more acute angle than usual, and the latter part of his person projected in proportion.

'Here there was an awful pause; after which all the company, as is usual in cases of difficulty, began to give separate and inconsistent counsel. Alexander ab Alexandro proposed they should send some

one to compound with the catherans, who would readily, he said, give up their prey for a dollar a-head. The baillie opined that this transaction would amount to theft-boot, or composition of felony; and he recommended that some cunny hand should be sent up to the glens to make the best bargain he could, as it were for himself, so that the Laird might not be seen in such a transaction. Edward proposed to send off to the nearest garrison for a party of soldiers and a magistrate's warrant; and Rose, as far as she dared, endeavoured to insinuate the course of paying the arrears of tribute-money to Fergus Mac-Ivor Vich lan Vohr, who, they all knew, could easily procure restoration of the cattle, if he was properly propitiated.

• None of these proposals met the Baron's approbation. In fact, his voice was still for war, and he proposed to send expresses to Balmawhapple, Killancureit, Tilliellum, and other lairds, who where exposed to similar depredations, inviting them to join in the pursuit.

The baillie, who by no means relished these warlike councils, here pulled forth an immense watch, of the colour, and nearly the size of a pewter warmingpan, and observed it was now past noon, and that the catherans had been seen in the pass of Ballybrough soon after sunrise: so that before the allied forces could assemble, they and their prey would be far beyond the reach of the most active pursuit, and sheltered in those pathless deserts where it was neither advisable to follow, nor indeed possible to trace them.

This proposition was undeniable. The council therefore broke up without coming to any conclusion, as has occurred to councils of more importance.

The Baron having also retired to give some necessary directions, Waverley seized the opportunity to ask whether this Fergus, with the unpronounceable name, were the chief thief-taker of the district?

"Thief-taker!" answered Rose, laughing; "he is a gentleman of great honour and consequence; the chieftain of an independent branch of a powerful Highland clan, and is much respected, both for his own power, and that of his kith, kin and allies."

"And what has he to do with the thieves then? Is he a magistrate, or in the commission of peace?"

As

"The commission of war rather, if there be such a thing," said Rose; "for he is a very unquiet neighbour to his un-friends, and keeps a greater following on foot than many that have thrice his estate. to his connexion with the thieves, that I cannot well explain; but the boldest of them will never steal a hoof from any one that pays black mail to Vich Ian Vohr."

“And what is black-mail?”

"A sort of protection-money that low-country gentlemen and heritors, lying near the Highlands, pay to some Highland chief, that he may neither do them harm himself, nor suffer it to be done to them by others; and then if your cattle are stole, you have only to send him word, and he will recover them; or it may be, he will drive away cows from some distant place, where he has a quarrel, and give them to you to make up your loss.”