With all her nuns and Clove that haneath his care, 1 MS." North Berwick's town, The convent alluded to is a foundation of Cistertian nuns, was founded by Duncan, Eart of rife, in 1216. MS.-"The lofty Bass, the Lamb's green isle " : With all her nuns and Clare. No audience had Lord Marmion sought; Ever he fear'd to aggravate Clara de Clare's suspicious hate; And safer 'twas, he thought, To wait till, from the nuns removed, The influence of kinsmen loved, And suit by Henry's self approved, Her slow consent had wrought. His was no flickering flame, that dies Unless when fann'd by looks and sighs, And lighted oft at lady's eyes; He long'd to stretch his wide command O'er luckless Clara's ample land: Besides, when Wilton with him vied, Although the pang of humbled pride The place of jealousy supplied, Yet conquest by that meanness won He almost loath'd to think upon, Led him, at times, to hate the cause, Which made him burst through honor's laws. If e'er he lov'd, 'twas her alone, Who died within that vault of stone. XXIX. And now, when close at hand they saw Whose turrets view'd, afar, At tolling of a bell, forth came fair lady, grieve e'en from my heart, Think not discourtesy, But lords' commands must be obey'd; MS.-" North Berwick's town, and conic Law." The convent alluded to is a foundation of Cistertian nuns, Commanding, that, beneath his care, XXX. The startled Abbess loud exclaim'd; But she, at whom the blow was aim'd, Grew pale as death, and cold as lead,She deem'd she heard her death-doom read "Cheer thee, my child!" the Abbess said, "They dare not tear thee from my hand, To ride alone with armed band." "Nay, holy mother, nay," Fitz-Eustace said, "the lovely Clare Will be in Lady Angus' care, In Scotland while we stay; Nor thinks nor dreams my noble lord, To harass Lady Clare. Her faithful guardian he will be, Nor sue for slightest courtesy Till he shall place her, safe and free, He spoke, and blush'd with earnest grace; And Clare's worst fear relieved. To curse with candle, bell, and book. XXXI. The Abbess, seeing strife was vain, "Thy master, bold and bad, near North Berwick, of which there are still some remains. It was founded by Duncan, Earl of Fife, in 1216. 3 MS.-" The lofty Bass, the Lamb's green isle " Drove the monks forth of Coventry,1 Prancing in pride of earthly trust, He died his band before. God judge 'twixt Marmion and me; And I a poor recluse: Yet oft, in holy writ, we see Even such weak minister as me May the oppressor bruise: For thus, inspired, did Judith slay All day, with bonnet in thy hand, Will sharper sermon teach. Come, d'on thy cap, and mount thy horse; The Dame must patience take perforce." XXXII. "Submit we then to force," said Clare, "But let this barbarous lord despair His purposed aim to win; In me were deadly sin: Where even a homicide might come, And safely rest his head, The kinsmen of the dead; 1 See Appendix, Note 4 B. This line, necessary to the rhyme, is now for the first time restored from the MS. It must have been omitted by an oversight in the original printing.-ED. Mother, your blessing, and in prayer Remember your unhappy Clare!" Loud weeps the Abbess, and bestows Kind blessings many a one: Weeping and wailing loud arose, Round patient Clare, the clamorous woes Of every simple nun. His eyes the gentle Eustace dried, And scarce rude Blount the sight could bide. Then took the squire her rein, And gently led away her steed, And, by each courteous word and deed, XXXIII. But scant three miles the band had rode, When o'er a height they pass'd, And, sudden, close before them show'd His towers, Tantallon vast; Broad, massive, high, and stretching far, And held impregnable in war. On a projecting rock they rose, And round three sides the ocean flows, The fourth did battled walls enclose, And double mound and fosse." By narrow drawbridge, outworks strong, To the main court they cross. And towers of various form, XXXIV. Here did they rest. -The princely care Or why the tidings say, 3 For the origin of Marmion's visit to Tantallon Castle, in the Poem, see Life of Scott, vol. iii. p. 17. 4 "During the regency (subsequent to the death of James V.) the Dowager Queen Regent, Mary of Guise, became desirous of putting a French garrison into Tantallon, as she had into Dunbar and Inchkeith, in order the better to bridle the lords and barons, who inclined to the reformed faith, and to secure by citadels the sea-coast of the Frith of Forth. For this purpose, the Regent, to use the phrase of the time, 'dealed with' the (then) Earl of Angus for his consent to the proposed measure. He occupied himself, while she was speaking, in feeding a falcon which sat upon his wrist, and only replied by addressing the bird, but leaving the Queen to make the appli cation, 'The devil is in this greedy gled-she will never be fou.' But when the Queen, without appearing to notice this hint, continued to press her obnoxious request, Angus replied, in the true spirit of a feudal noble, Yes, Madam, the castle is yours: God forbid else. But by the might of God, Madam!' such was his usual oath, I must be your Captain and Keeper for you, and I will keep it as well as any you can place there." - SIR WALTER SCOTT's Miscellaneous Prosa Works, vol. vii. p. 436. And, first they heard King James had won With. Heron's wily dame. And not a history. At length they heard the Scottish host Began to chafe, and swear :- Even, heathen yet, the savage Dane And well our Christian sires of old 10 30 Loved when the year its course had roll'd, 25 1 Mertoun-House, the seat of Hugh Scott, Esq., of Harden, s beantifully situated on the Tweed, about two miles below Oryburgh Abbey. The fire, with well-dried logs supplied, Went roaring up the chimney wide; The huge hall-table's oaken face, Scrubb'd till it shone, the day to grace Bore then upon its massive board No mark to part the squire and lord. Then was brought in the lusty brawn, By old blue-coated serving-man; 2 See Appendix, Note 4 C. Ibid. Note 4 D |