young man who fell in the unlucky affair eight years since at the Mains."

"Ah!" said the Baron, instantly relaxing the doubtful sternness of his features, "I can take mickle frae a man to whom I have unhappily rendered sic a displeasure as that. Ye were right to apprize me, Glennaquoich; he may look as black as midnight at Martinmas ere Cosmo Comyne Bradwardine shall say he does him. wrang.-Ah! I have nae male lineage, and I should bear with one I have made childless, though you are aware the bloodwit was made up to your ain satisfaction by assythment, and that I have since expedited letters of slains.-Well, as I have said, I have no male issue, and yet it is needful that I maintain the honour of my house; and it is on that score I prayed ye for your peculiar and private attention."

The two young men awaited in anxious

curiosity. I doubt na, lads, but your education has been sae seen to, that ye un

derstand the true nature of the feudal te nures ?”

Fergus, afraid of an endless dissertation, answered, "Intimately, Baron," and touched Waverley, as a signal to express no ignorance.

And ye are aware, I doubt not, that the holding of the Barony of Bradwardine is of a nature alike honourable and pecu-liar, being blanch, (which Craig opines ought to be Latinated blancum, or rather francum, a free holding,) pro servitio detrahendi, seu exuendi, caligas regis post battal liam." Here Fergus turned his falcon eye upon Edward, with an almost imperceptible rise of his eyebrow, to which his shoulders corresponded in the same degree of elevation. "Now, two points of dubitation occur to me upon this topic. First, whether this service, or feodal homage, be at any event due to the person of the Prince, the words being, per expressum, caligas regis, the boots of the king him

self; and I pray your opinion anent that particular before we proceed farther."

Why, he is Prince Regent," answered Mac-Ivor, with laudable composure of countenance; "and in the court of Francè all the honours are rendered to the person of the Regent which are due to that of the King. Besides, were I to pull off either of their boots, I would render that service to the young Chevalier ten times more willingly than to his father."

Ay, but I talk not of personal predilections. However, your authority is of great weight as to the usages of the court of France: And doubtless the Prince, as alter ego, may have a right to claim the homagium of the great tenants of the crown, since all faithful subjects are commanded, in the commission of regency, to respect him as the King's own person. Far, therefore, be it from me to diminish the lustre of his authority, by withholding this act of homage, so peculiarly calculated to give it splendour; for I question if

the Emperor of Germany hath his boots taken off by a free baron of the empire. But here lieth the second difficulty-The Prince wears no boots, but simply brogues and trews."

This last dilemma had almost disturbed Fergus's gravity. "Why," said he, "

you know, Baron, the proverb tells us, ' It's ill taking the breeks off a Highlandman,'-and the boots are here in the same predicament.

"The word caliga, however," continued the Baron, "though I admit, that, by family tradition, and even in our ancient evidents, it is explained lie BOOTS, means, in its primitive sense, rather sandals; and Caius Cæsar, the nephew and successor of Caius Tiberius, received the agnomen of Caligula, a caligulis, sive caligis levioribus, quibus adolescentior usus fuerat in exercitu Germanici patris sui. And the calige were also proper to the monastic bodies; for I read in an ancient Glossarium, upon the rule of St Benedict, in the Abbey of

St Amand, that caliga were tied with lat

chets."

"That will apply to the brogues," said Fergus."

"It will so, my dear Glennaquoich, and the words are express; Caliga dicta sunt quia ligantur; nam socci non ligantur, sed tantum intromittuntur;" that is, calige are denominated from the ligatures, wherewith they are bound; whereas socci, which may be analogous to our slippers, are only slipped upon the feet. The words of the charter are also alternative, eruere seu detrahere; that is, to undo, as in the case of sandals or brogues; and to pull off, as we say vernacularly, concerning boots. Yet I would we had more light; but I fear there is little chance of finding hereabout any erudite author, de re vestiaria.”

"I should doubt it very much," said the Chieftain, looking around on the strag gling Highlanders, who were returning, loaded with spoils of the slain, "though