ther Gawin, about to commence his bucolical career, was an ample dower; not to forget the generous donation of the gray steed, the lordly possessor of hereditary trophies of ancient val our, armour, pennons, and ensanguined banners, won by the illustrious Allantons of departed memory, at the battles of Dundalk, Morningside, and elsewhere, dwindles down into the humble owner of a scanty farm, some stots, and of four motherless calves! The rank and condition of the family is easily gathered from the testament without any commentary. It may be only observed, that the entire household plenishing and furniture,— the boards upon which they reposed their hardy limbs, after, in many cases, but a hopeless wrestling with a stubborn and ungrateful soil, where some of the common fruits of the earth never arrive at maturity,-the platters, trenchers, and salt-vats, &c. affording but slender means of appeasing the cravings of an appetite not a little exasperated by the vicinage of the keen air of the Shotts,-clothes, vessels, &c. &c. every thing within the walls of the steading amounted to the mighty value of forty shillings, at that time the price of the common military implement, a cross-bow; as also, of a friar's cloak, and of the homely utensil, a mortar and pestle, adapted for an ordinary family.* Contrasted with what these must have been, the goods and chattels in communion, in the well-known ballad of "The Vowing of Jock and Jynny," written at least a very few years after the death of Allan, if not before it, that were to crown the approaching nuptial felicity of that rustic pair, which Lord Hailes has pronounced ludicrous and wretched, and which he quotes as a good example of the " 豪 "Item unum le corsbow, price xls; Item ane brasing mortar cum le pestell, price xls" Original confirmed testament of the Vicar of Govan, in the year 1552; where are also noticed, "ane tangis and yrne scwill, price xs; three beif tubbis," price cur These prices are taken from the list of the "gudis and geir" of one "Johne Gib," burgess of Edinburgh, who died before the year 1570: "ane diager, price xs; ane hat, price xls; ane auld frer's clak, price xls; ane plaid, price xls; ane irne chimnay, price vli; ane pair of black hoise, price iiil" Edinburgh Commissary Records, 7th April 1571. ta supellex" of the inferior orders of the community of Scotland in the sixteenth century, would nevertheless strike us as luxurious and profuse. And yet the age was lavish in furniture, and apparel, or "abulziments" and moveables of all descriptions, to a degree that by a modern person could scarcely be credited, as might easily be proved by the adduction of many contemporary inventories-a mania which descended even to the lowest vulgar. That Allan was a farmer, or rentaller, and not even a petty fewar, is evident from his allusion to the property which in any shape he retained; to the "steddingis yat (he) haid of my Lord Zester in Auchtermuire ;”and to the lands of wester Daldüe, belonging to the Bishop of Glasgow, in which Gawin is to be rentalled, and NOT INFEFT: The former, the ancient estate of Allanton, which, according to Candidus, was bestowed in full property, by the Church, upon their immediate vassal, Sir Allan Stewart of Daldüe whose father was "second cousin to Robert the Second," in the year 1420, in reward of his military services! The other, upon the same authority, that still more venerable possession, or barony," as it is called, " upon the Clyde" near Glasgow, that Sir Robert Stewart, the progenitor certainly" of one of the most ancient branches of the house of Stewart," had obtained" in patrimony” from his father, Sir John Stewart of 66 66 Steddyng." A farm-house and offices. The farms were small, and the mi serable steadings (the old phrase for a farmhouse and offices) denoted the poverty of the tenants. "(P. Alloa Clackmann, Stat. Acc. viii. 603.)"—I am exilit fra my takkis and fra my steddingis. "Compl. S. p. 191." Jamieson. + The term "rental" is abundantly known. Farmers, in these days, were for the most part stationary upon the grounds of their landlord, and hence sometimes came to be styled native rentallers. I admit, that as now, it was at this period expedient, occasionally, even for absolute proprietors, to rentall, or take in lease, some necessary portion of the territory of their neighbours; but it is extremely obvious, that without a certain quantity of land feudally held, none then could be admitted into the ranks of gentry, or possess the smallest political consideration in the coun try. The speculations of Candidus upon the term fewar are now utterly irrelevant, Bonkill, killed at Falkirk in the year 1298, to whom it is thus alleged originally to have belonged, and not to the See of Glasgow, who, notwithstanding, were the ancient proprietors. The family of Yester, or Tweeddale, held all Auchtermuir Blench of the opulent religious house of Arbroath,* upon which, previous to the reign of David II., the high privileges of a regality had been conferred.† Agreeably to the usage that prevailed in such great jurisdictions, the Abbot of Arbroath would, in the event of the general raising of the militia of the country to repel such an invasion as that of the Earl of Hertford, in the year 1547, evidently alluded to by Allan in his testament, have the leading of the men of Auchtermuir, who would necessarily rally under his clerical banner. By various notices, however, in the Chartulary of Arbroath, it appears that the Abbots were in the habit of delegating to their vassal, Lord Yester, the duty of discharging many of their civil rights, such as the office of justiciary, within the limits of Auchtermuir. Hence, they would not fail also to invest him with those. but I peremptorily defy any one to prove his existence. They have totally suppressed Gawin and Euphan, but dropt their own offspring into their nests; but these exotics, not agreeing with the change of climate, are all suffered piteously to die away; an expedient indispensible, in order to give the thing a natural appearance, it being rather an odd race that was in the habit of producing only one member at a time. When these authorities are so accurate in modern points, they must assuredly be much more so in those of greater antiquity, and hence, upon their bare allegation, and in the absence of any other evidence, we must believe in the prodigies of Dundalk and Morningside, and all that has been asserted of this unparalleled family. The eventual fate of Gawin and Euphan I have not been able to unravel; these are the only faint glimmerings Í have detected respecting them.-I have now trespassed sufficiently, for the present, upon the attention of your readers-if their patience be not altogether exhausted, perhaps the residue of " the Historie" may be forthcoming in the course of your next Number. J. R. of a military nature; and, accordingly, 111, George Street, } Allan Stewart, along with other peasantry of the muir, is to accompany Lord Yester, acting for the Abbot, to the border. Mr John Brown, and that precious family manuscript, have so utterly metamorphosed those early members of the family of Allanton, that it might have defied their own acquaintance to have recognised them,-not to advert to the more obvious disguisements, for whom this personage, Sir James Tait of Ernock, stands proxy, I know not, Chart! The Tweeddale family were seated there as far back as the year 1432. of Arbroath, Ad. Liby, fol. 39 b. + Ib. fol. 38. Universis pateat per presentes nos David permissione divina Abbatem monasterii Sancti Thome Martiris de Abberbrothock et ejusdem loci conventus- -fecisse constituisse et ordinasse-Nobilem et potentem Dominum Johannem Dominum Hay de Zester, Johannem Ogilvy de Fingask," &c." et eorum quemlibet conjunctim et divisim nostros ballivos commissarios camerarios justiciurios infrà regalitatem nostram de Abberbrothock et Ethcarmore." (5 April 1494.) Chart! of Arbroath, fol. 182 b. There had also been previously a similar commission to John Lord Zester, dated 14, August 1488. Ib. fol. 124. 9th August 1817. 'P. S.-I see it is inaccurately stated, that "the learned and worthy Baronmemoration of a tournament in which et" bears in his arms a spear, in comthe Hero of the day of Morningside is supposed to have shared. The fact is, that, on the 21st of December 1815, the present Lyon Depute-who exercises even royal prerogatives-conferred upon him, and certain heirs in remainder, by "Patent," a new honourable augmentation, a broken spear, surmounted by a helmet, as a further mark of his (Sir Allan's) gallantry in that engagement;"-as also the motto, "Virtutis in bello præmium." 66 AMBER IMBEDDED IN LIMESTONE. Edinburgh, July 29, 1817. MR EDITOR, HAVING observed in the last Number of your Magazine, that Count. Dunin Borkowsky had announced his having discovered amber imbedded in sandstone, I think it may not be uninteresting to state an analogous observation which was made about the end of the year 1813, on the sea-shore, in the immediate neighbourhood of Santander, in the province of Santander, in the north of Spain. The mountains which bound and traverse the whole of the northern provinces of Spain, appear to be a continuation of the Pyrennean range-and the regular succession of the primitive and newer rocks, is very beautifully illustrated in travelling from east to west, especially in the picturesque vallies of Biscay; in the course of which, the most magnificent sections are produced by the impetuosity of the winter torrent. In that portion which skirts the shores of the province of Santander, the principal rocks are sandstone and limestone, occurring in alternate strata. Coal is found near Reynosa, in the higher districts, as well as at Laredo, on the coast. In one of the lowest members of this series, close to the shore, I found a considerable mass of yellow amber, firmly imbedded in the limestone. The union was so perfect, that it was impossible to separate the amber without shattering it into small fragments. The whole was extracted, and is now in London, with some of the limestone. The fact was mentioned in letters to two scientific friends in Britain, soon M. after it was noticed. NUGE LITERARIÆ. I.-The Black Prince. THERE is a wonderful simplicity and beauty in the following humble epitaph on so great a man as the Black Prince. The author is unknown-but it would probably be composed by the best poet of the age, perhaps by Chaucer, who was at this time in the height of his reputation, and, from his travels in France, must have been well acquainted with the French language. The verses are introduced by this in scription: Cy gist le noble Prince Monsieur Edward aisnez fils de tres noble Roy Edward Tiers: Jadis Prince D'Aquitaine et de Gales, Duc de Cornwaille, et Compte de Cestre, qi mourust en la Feste de la Trinite q'estoit le VIII. jour de juyn, l'an de grace, mil trois cens Septante sisine. L'Alme de qi Dieu eut merci, Amen. IN Tod's Life of Spenser, in which there is to be found much valuable information regarding the studies and pursuits of this great man, and the state of English literature at that period, there is a curious letter of Spenser's friend, Harvey, in which he recommends to the author of the Faery Queen the study of Petrarch. "Thinke upon Petrarche, and perhappes it will advaunce the wings of your imagination a degree higher-at least if any thing can be added to the loftiness of his conceite, whom gentle Mistress Rosalind once reported to have all the intelligences at commandment, and another time christened him Signor Pegaso. The gentle Mistress Rosalind, here mentioned, was a lady to whom Spenser was early attached. It shows the poetical conversations with which he and his mistress must have entertained themselves, alluding, as Tod " Ou. Entendez. Telle. § Jamais. **Suis-je-pauvre. | Terre. ¶ Maisons. ++ Si vous m'avez vu. ‡‡ Pense. §§ Peut. says, "to the pleasant days that were gone and past," for the lady deserted Signor Pegaso, and married his rival. In July 1580, Spenser was, by the influence of the Earl of Leicester and Sir Philip Sydney, appointed secretary to Lord Grey, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He afterwards received, on his return to England, a grant of a considerable property in the county of Cork from Queen Elizabeth. His residence, every spot around which is classic ground, is described by Smith in his Natural and Civil History of the County of Cork. The castle was then nearly level with the ground. It must have been a noble situation: a plain almost surrounded by mountains, with a lake in the middle; and the river Mulla, so often mentioned by Spenser, running through his grounds. In this romantic retreat he was visited by the noble and injured Sir Walter Raleigh, himself an accomplished scholar and poet, under whose encouragement he committed his Faery Queen to the press. III. Quaintness of Expression. Ir is difficult to define precisely what we mean by the common term, "quaintness of expression." It implies, I think, great simplicity of thought and language-with a certain dryness, which is humorous, from the perfect gravity and good faith in which the thought is given, and the absence of all intention to excite ludiIt is, in some respect, synonymous to the French naïvé. I should say, for instance, that the following sentence regarding poetical physicians was quaint. crous ideas. "Such physicians as I have marked to be good practitioners, do all piddle somewhat in the art of versifying, and raise up their contemplation very high-and their verses are not of any rare excellence." ¡English Translation of Huarte's Examen de Ingenio. In the Poem of Psyche, or Love's Mystery, by Dr J. Beaumont, we have an example of quaintness of poetical expression, in the description which Aphrodisius gives of the court paid to him, and the pretty messages sent him by the ladies. "How many a pretty embassy have I Receiv'd from them, which put me to my wit How not to understand-but by-and-by Some comment would come smiling after it, But I had other thoughts to fill my head, Books call'd me up-and books put me to bed," VOL. I, The following ludicrous title of a collection of old poems, by George Gascoigne, has the appearance of being too intentionally absurd to be called quaint. "A hundred sundrie flowers bound up in one small posie, gathered, partly by translation, in the fine and outlandish gardens of Euripides, Ovid, Petrarch, Ariosto, and others, and partly by invention, out of our own fruitful gardens of England-yielding sundrie sweet savours of tragicall, comicall, and moral discourses, both pleasant and profitable to the well smelling noses of learned readers." IV. Stage Directions. It appears from the stage directions in some of our oldest English plays, that parts of the minor speeches were left to the discretion and invention of the actors themselves. This at least would appear, from the following very ludicrous note in Edward IV. "Jockey is led whipping over the stage speaking some words, but of small importance." CROMLIX OR DUNBLANE MINERAL SPRING, &c. MB EDITOR, WHILE I by no means intend to detract from the celebrity of the salubrious mineral waters of Pitcaithly, &c. yet I cannot refrain from making your readers acquainted with a mineral spring which has lately come into notice in the estate of Cromlix, the property of the Earl of Kinnoul. Cromlix lies about one mile and a half north from Dunblane, and about seven miles in the same direction from the town of Stirling. Indeed there are two springs; and Dr Murray of Edinburgh, the celebrated chemist, in an ingenious paper communicated to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, has given the following analysis of these, and of Pitcaithly: In a pint of the water of Cromlix north spring. South spring. Muriate of Soda,24 grs. Muriate of lime, . www.18 Sulphate of lime, Carbonate of lime, Oxide of iron, 46.17 Of Pitcaithly. 22.5 3.5 2.3 0.5 www. 0.3 41.25 13.4 grains. 19.5 0.9 0.5 34.3 3Q Muriate of soda, Muriate of lime, Sulphate of lime, Carbonate of lime, www Thus the comparative strength of these waters are ascertained. Cromlix possesses many advantages for the convenience and amusement of those who may resort to reap benefit from its mineral waters. The town of Dunblane (formerly a Bishop's See,) where visitors can be comfortably accommodated with lodgings, is in its immediate vicinity. Through it daily passes a coach to and from Glasgow and Perth, and it has a daily post. The soil is gravelly, and therefore after a fall of rain no way inconvenient to pedestrians. The river Allan affords sport to the angler, and the surrounding country abounds with game. If the visitor finds it convenient to intermit his libations at the spring, he may amuse himself with examining some most interesting remains of a Roman camp at Ardoch, within two or three miles. If he bends his course to the west, he is within five miles of the remarkable improvements on BlairDrummond Moss, and of the ingenious wheel constructed by Lord Kames for raising water to clear away that moss. Proceeding still farther in the same direction, he views the stately ruins of Doune Castle; and a few miles farther on, beyond Callander, he is enraptured with the beautiful scenery of Loch Catrine, of which the immortal SCOTT has sung. He may cross Monteith, and will soon reach the banks of Lochlomond, or, from the top of the lofty Ben, view at once both sides of our island. Again, if he proceeds to Stirling, he can, from its ancient castle, survey a finer and more extensive landscape than painter ever delineated or fancy ever pictured. If from thence he proceeds to Carron works, he will reap much gratification from contemplating the largest iron manufactory in Europe. If from Dunblane he makes an excursion by the south of the Ochil Hills, he reaches the romantic scenery of Castle Campbell. A little farther on, he arrives at the falls of the River Devon, the Caldron Lin, the Rumbling Bridge, and the Devil's Mill, all minutely described by Pennant and by every Scottish tourist. And here I may remark, that if the Carron Cerberus has hounded him from his por tals, he will have a welcome reception at the Devon iron foundry, which is carried on on the estate of Lord Mans field near Alva. If he proceeds farther east, he has the view of Lochleven, and of the castle where the unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots was confined. I think, Mr Editor, we have made a very pretty trip. Allow me to conduct you back to the Caldron Lin, and to request of you to record in your Magazine one of the most providential escapes from immediate death that has happened in the memory of man. The detail is strictly true is known to hundreds,-but others who may view these terrific falls will scarcely credit it in after times. In the month of September 1805, JH, Esq. (for he has interdicted me from giving his name) conducted his friend, the late David Sibbald, Esq. of Abden, W.S. to view the grand scenery upon this part of the Devon. The schoolmaster of the parish of Muckart, Mr Black, accompanied them. A short way above the first caldron are stepping stones across the river. By these Mr H., perhaps too adventurously, attempted to pass. One heel getting entangled with the other, by his spurs locking, he was precipitated into the river, and by the current carried headlong down into the first caldron, a fall of at least thirty feet. Fortunately for him, an overflowing of the river had recently brought down a considerable quantity of sand and gravel, which, by the action of the water, had been heaped up on the south side of the cylindrical cavity. After having been tossed about for some time in this horrible vortex, Providence stretched forth his hand and placed him upon this heap, where he found himself standing in water up to the breast, just beyond the reach of the immense foaming torrent. With a canopy of rock over his head, surmounted by a precipitous bank covered with wood,-in all a height of fifty feet from where he stood, did he remain for the space of forty minutes, He has told me, awful as his situation was, that hope never forsook him. His agonized friend and attendant, who had been looking for his lifeless body in the dreadful abysses below in vain, again returned, and at length discovered him. Ropes were speedily procured from a neighbouring farmhouse. By this time the gravel on which he stood had so much receded that the water was up to his chin, The ropes were lowered, but fell short |