little attention to the music of the female minstrel. His proud heart was struggling between the allegiance he owed his Sovereign, as well as the love he still found lurking in his bosom for the person of his well-natured King, and a desire of vengeance arising out of his disappointed ambition, and the disgrace done to him by the substitution of Marjory Douglas, to be bride of the heir-apparent, instead of his betrothed daughter. March had the vices and virtues of a hasty and uncertain character, and even now, when he came to bid the King adieu, with the purpose of renouncing his allegiance, as soon as he reached his own feudal territories, he felt unwilling, and almost unable, to resolve apon a step so criminal, and so full of peril. It was with such dangerous cogitations that he was occupied during the beginning of the glee maiden's lay; but objects which called his attention powerfully, as the songstress proceeded, affected the current of his thoughts, and rivetted them on what was passing in the court-yard of the monastery. The song was in the Provençal dialect well understood as the language of poetry in all the courts of Europe, and particularly in Scotland. It was more simply turned, however, than was the general caste of the Sirventes, and rather resembled the lai of a Norman Minstrel. It may be translated thus:

THE LAY OF POOR LOUISE.

Aн, poor Louise! The live-long day
She roams from cot to castle gay;
And still her voice and viol say,

Ah, maids, beware the woodland way,

Ah, poor Louise! Thy treasure's reft!
I know not if by force or theft,

Or part by violence, part by gift;
But misery is all that's left

To poor Louise.

Let poor Louise some succour have!
She will not long your bounty crave,
Or tire the gay with warning stave—
For Heaven has grace, and earth a grave

For poor Louise." pp. 143-144.

The Minstrel herself is thus described :

"The glee-maiden already mentioned, had planted herself, where a rise of two large broad steps, giving access to the main gateway of the royal apartments, gained her an advantage of a foot and a half in height over those in the court, of whom she hoped to form an audience. She wore the dress of her calling, which was more gaudy than rich, and showed the person more than did the garb of other females. She had laid aside an upper mantle, and a small basket which contained her slender stock of necessaries, and a little French spaniel dog sat beside them, as their protector. An azure-blue jacket, embroidered with silver, and sitting close to the person, was open in front, and showed several waistcoats of different-coloured silks, calculated to set off the symmetry of the shoulders and bosom, and remaining open at the throat. A small silver chain worn around her neck, involved itself among these brilliant coloured waistcoats, and was again produced from them, to display a medal of the same metal, which intimated, in the name of some court or guild of minstrels, the degree she had taken in the Gay or Joyous Science. A small scrip, suspended over her shoulders by a blue silk ribband, hung on her left side.

Her sunny complexion, snow-white teeth, brilliant black eyes, and raven locks, marked her country lying far in the south of France, and the arch smile and dimpled chin bore the same character. Her luxuriant locks, twisted around a small gold bodkin, were kept in their position by a net of silk and gold. Short petticoats, deep-laced with silver, to correspond with the jacket, red stockings which were visible to near the calf of the leg, and buskins of Spanish leather, completed her adjustment, which, though far from new, had been saved as an untarnished holiday suit, which much care had kept in good order. She seemed about twenty-five years old; but, perhaps, fatigue and wandering had anticipated the touch of time, in obliterating the freshness of early youth." pp. 147-148.

March declined giving any opinion about the music when asked to do so by the King, referring him to the Duke of Rothsay, who had just entered the quadrangle of the monastery, and was sitting on horseback by the glee-maiden, to the scandal of his royal father and all the bystanders-but above all, of the

"tremendous Archibald Douglas," commonly called the Black Douglas, (Austerus, says Buchanan,) the father-in-law of Rothsay, who happened to arrive at the gate of the monastery a few moments after him. This very striking scene is thus desribed :

"Just as she commenced, she was stopped by a cry for 'Room— room-place for the Duke of Rothsay!'

'Nay, hurry no man on my score,' said a gallant young cavalier, who entered on a noble Arabian horse, which he managed with exquisite grace, though by such slight handling of the reins, such imperceptible pressure of the limbs and sway of the body, that to any eye save that of an experienced horseman, the animal seemed to be putting forth his paces for his own amusement, and thus gracefully bearing forward a rider who was too indolent to give himself any trouble about the matter. The Prince's apparel, which was very rich, was put on with slovenly carelessness. His form, though his stature was low, and his limbs extremely slight, was elegant in the extreme; and his features no less handsome. But there was on his brow a haggard paleness, which seemed the effect of care or of dissipation, or of both these wasting causes combined. His eyes were sunk and dim, as from late indulgence in revelry on the preceding evening, while his cheek was inflamed with unnatural red, as if either the effect of the Bacchanalian orgies had not passed away from the constitution, or a morning draught had been resorted to, in order to remove the effects of the night's debauchery.

Such was the Duke of Rothsay, and heir of the Scottish crown, a sight at once of interest and compassion. All unbonneted, and made way for him, while he kept repeating carelessly, 'No haste-no hasteI shall arrive soon enough at the place I am bound for. How's this-a damsel of the joyous science? Ay, by St. Giles! and a comely wench to boot Stand still, my merry men; never was minstrelsy marred for me. A good voice, by the mass! Begin me that lay again, sweetheart.'

Louise did not know the person who addressed her; but the general respect paid by all around, and the easy and indifferent manner in which it was received, showed her she was addressed by a man of the highest quality. She recommenced her lay, and sung her best accordingly; while the young Duke seemed thoughtful and rather affected towards the close of the ditty. But it was not his habit to cherish such melancholy affections. This is a plaintive ditty, my nut-brown maid,' said he, chucking the retreating glee-maiden under the chin, and detaining her by the collar of her dress, which was not difficult, as he sat on horseback so close to the steps on which she stood. 'But I warrant me you have livelier notes at will, ma bella tenebrosa; and canst sing in bower as well as wold, and by night as well as day.'

*

At this moment, as he turned to ask an attendant for his purse, the Prince encountered the stern and piercing look of a tall black man, seated on a powerful iron-grey horse, who had entered with attendants while the Duke of Rothsay was engaged with Louise, and now remained stupified and almost turned to stone by his surprise and anger, at this

unseemly spectacle. Even one who had never seen the Black Douglas, must have known him by his swart complexion, his gigantic frame, his buff-coat of bull's hide, and his air of courage, firmness and sagacity, mixed with the most indomitable pride. The loss of an eye in battle, though not perceptible at first sight, as the ball of the injured organ remained similar to the other, gave yet a stern immoveable glare to the whole aspect.

The meeting of the royal son-in-law with his terrible step-father, was in circumstances which arrested the attention of all present; and the by-standers waited the issue with silence and suppressed breath, lest they should lose any part of what was to ensue.

When the Duke of Rothsay saw the expression which occupied the stern features of Douglas, and remarked that the Earl did not make the least motion towards respectful, or even civil salutation, he seemed determined to show him how little respect he was disposed to pay to his displeased looks. He took his purse from his chamberlain.

Here, pretty one,' he said, 'I give thee one gold piece for the song thou hast sung me, another for the nuts I have stolen from thee, and a third for the kiss thou art about to give me. For know, my pretty one, that when fair lips (and thine for fault of better may be called so) make sweet music for my pleasure, I am sworn to St. Valentine to press them to mine.'

'My song is recompensed nobly,' said Louise, shrinking back; 'my nuts are sold to a good market-farther traffic, my lord, were neither befitting you nor beseeming me.'

'What! you coy it, my nymph of the highway?' said the Prince, contemptuously. Know, damsel, that one asks you a grace who is

unused to denial.'

'It is the Prince of Scotland'-'the Duke of Rothsay'—said the courtiers around, to the terrified Louise, pressing forward the trembling young woman; you must not thwart his humour.'

'But I cannot reach your lordship,' she said, 'you sit so high on horseback.'

'If I must alight,' said Rothsay, 'there shall be the heavier penaltyWhat does the wench tremble for? Place thy foot on the toe of my boot, give me hold of thy hand-Gallantly done!' He kissed her as she stood thus suspended in the air, perched upon his foot, and supported by his hand; saying, "There is thy kiss, and there is my purse to pay it; and to grace thee farther, Rothsay will wear thy scrip for the day.' He suffered the frightened girl to spring to the ground, and turned his looks from her to bend them contemptuously on the Earl of Douglas, as if he had said, 'All this I do in despite of you and of your daughter's claims.'

6

'By St. Bride of Douglas!' said the Earl, pressing towards the Prince, this is too much unmannered boy, as void of sense as honour! You know what considerations restrain the hand of Douglas, else had you never dared

'Can you play at spang-cockle, my lord?' said the Prince, placing a nut on the second joint of his fore-finger, and spinning it off by a smart VOL. II. NO. 3.

30

application of the thumb. The nut struck on Douglas's broad breast, who burst out into a dreadful exclamation of wrath, inarticulate, but resembling the growl of a lion, in depth and sternness of expression. 'I cry your pardon, most mighty lord,' said the Duke of Rothsay, scornfully, while all around trembled; 'I did not conceive my pellet could have wounded you, seeing you wear a buff-coat. Surely, I trust, it did not hit your eye.' Vol. i. pp. 150-153.

This chapter is quite a master-piece. Nothing can be better painted than the thoughtlessness and levity of the unfortunate Rothsay, contrasted with the stern pride of the Douglas, and the subtle hypocrisy of Albany. The offended Earl determines to defer his revenge against his son-in-law to some fitter time, but he would have wreaked it immediately upon poor Louise, whom he ordered to be scourged. Her supplications, however, secured her the interposition of Rothsay, who prevails upon the humanity of Henry Gow, to conduct her to some place of safety. The Smith complies from a sense of duty, but is overwheimed with confusion at the idea of being seen in so equivocal a situation on St. Valentine's Day, and especially dreaded lest it should get to the ears of his mistress. He, therefore, took the most private way to his own house, but for his sins, he met with the Pottingar and Proudfute, the former of whom, of course, to make mischief, took great pains to circulate the report as soon as possible, and was the means of producing a misunderstanding between our hero and the Glover's daughter, which leads to the most fatal consequences.

After the riot in the court-yard was subsided, the haughty chiefs still burning with the mingled passions of the late strife, are summoned to the royal presence; the motley council of the King consisted of Albany, the Prior, Douglas and March, the two latter upon the very eve of a deadly feud. The Douglas draws from his pocket the hand of a man, and a placard, which he had plucked down from some public place in the city. The paper was signed by Sir Patrick Charteris, and offered a reward in the name of the Provost and Burgesses of Perth, for the discovery of those who had been concerned in the assault upon the Glover's house. An altercation takes place between Douglas and March, the latter of whom abruptly quits the room. A battle then impending between the Clan Chattan and the Clan Quhele is next discussed, and it is proposed to settle the controversy by a combat of an equal number of their bravest warriors, in the presence of the Court. The King breaks out into some very pious and pathetic lamentations about the distempers of his devoted realm, which gives the Prior an opportunity of imputing them all to the judgments of God upon the heresy