of the most current traditions concerning Michael Scott. He was chosen, it is said, to go upon an embassy, to obtain from the king of France satisfaction for cer tain piracies committed by his subjects upon those of Scotland. Instead of preparing a new equipage and splendid retinue, the ambassador retreated to his study, opened his book, and evoked a fiend in the shape of a huge black horse, mounted upon his back, and forced him to fly through the air towards France. As they crossed the sea, the devil insidiously asked his rider, What it was that the old women of Scotland muttered at bed-time? A less experienced wizard might have answered, that it was the Pater Noster, which would have licensed the devil to precipitate him from his back. But Michael sternly replied, "What is that to thee? Mount, Diabolus, and fly!" When he arrived at Paris, he tied his horse to the gate of the palace, entered, and boldly delivered his message. An ambassador, with so little of the pomp and circumstance of diplomacy, was not received with much respect, and the king was about to return a contemptuous refusal to his demand, when Michael besought him to suspend his resolution till he had seen his horse stamp three times. The first stamp shook every steeple in Paris, and caused all the bells to ring; the second threw down three of the towers of the palace; and the infernal steed had lifted his hoof to give the third stamp, when the king rather chose to dismiss 'Michael, with the most ample concessions, than to stand to the probable consequences. Another time it is said, that, when resid ing at the tower of Oakwood, upon the Ettricke, abou three miles above Selkirk, he heard of the fame of a sorceress, called the witch of Falsebope, who lived on the opposite side of the river. Michael went one morning to put her skill to the test, but was disappointed, by her denying positively any knowledge of the necromantic art.

In his discourse with her, he laid his wand inadvertently on the table, which the bag observing, suddenly shatched it up, and struck him with it. Feeling the

force of the charm, he rushed out of the house; but, as it had conferred the external appearance of a hare, his servant, who waited without, halloo'd upon the discomfited wizard his own greyhounds, and pursued him so close, that, in order to obtain a moment's breathing to reverse the charm, Michael, after a very fatiguing course, was fain to take refuge in his own jaw-hole (anglicé, common sewer.) In order to revenge himself of the witch of Falsehope, Michael, one morning in the ensuing harvest, went to the hill above the house with his dogs, and sent down his servant to ask a bit of bread from the good wife for his greyhounds, with instructions what to do if he met with a denial. Accordingly, when the witch had refused the boon with contumely, the servant, as his master had directed. laid above the door a paper, which he had given him, containing, amongst many cabalistical words, the well-known rhyme,

Maister Michael Scott's man

Sought meat, and gat nane.

Immediately the good old woman, instead of pursuing her domestic occupation, which was baking bread for the reapers, began to dance round the fire, repeating the rhyme, and continued this exercise till her husband sent the reapers to the house, one after another to see what had delayed their provision; but the charm caught each as they entered, and, losing all idea of returning, they joined in the dance and chorus. At length the old man himself went to the house; but as his wife's frolic with Mr. Michael, whom he had seen on the bill, made him a little cautious, he contented himself with looking in at the window, and saw the reapers at their involuntary exercise, dragging his wife, now completely exhausted, sometimes round, and sometimes through the fire, which was, as usual, in the midst of the house. Instead of entering, he saddled a horse, and rode up the hill to humble himself before Michael, and beg a cessation of the spell; which the good natured warlock immediately granted, directing him to enter the house backwards, and, with his left hand, take the spell from

above the door; which accordingly ended the superna tural dance. This tale was told less particularly in for mer editions, and I have been censured for inaccuracy in doing so.-A similar charm oceurs in Huon de Bordeaux, and in the ingenious Oriental tale, called the Caliph Vathek.

Notwithstanding his victory over the witch of False, hope, Michael Scott, like his predecessor Merlin, fell at last a victim to female art. His wife, or concubine, cli cited from him the secret, that his art could ward off any danger except the poisonous qualities of broth, made of the flesh of a breme sow. Such a mess she ac cordingly administered to the wizard, who died in conse quence of eating it; surviving, however, long enough to put to death his treacherous confidante.

NOTE XIV.

The words, that cleft Eildon Hills in three,
And bridled the Tweed with a curb of stone.-P. 33.

Michael Scott was, once upon a time, much embar rassed by a spirit, for whom he was under the necessi ty of finding constant employment. He commanded him to build a could, or dam-head, across the Tweed at Kelso; it was accomplished in one night and still does honour to the infernal architect. Michael next order. ed, that Eildon hill, which was then a uniform cone, should be divided into three. Another night was suffi cient to part its summit into three picturesque peaks which it now bears. Atlength the enchanter conquer ed this indefatigable dæmon, by employing him in the hopeless and endless task of making ropes out of seaaand.

NOTE XV.

That lamp shall burn unquenchably.-P. 34.

Baptista Porta, and others authors who treat of natu ral magic, talk much of eternal lamps, pretended to have been found burning in ancient sepulchres. Forta

nius Licetus investigates the subject in a treatise, De Lucernis antiquorum reconditis, published at Venice, 1621. One of these perpetual lamps is said to have been discovered in the tomb of Tulliola, the daughter of Cicero. The wick was supposed to be composed of asbestos. Kircher enumerates three different receipts for constructing such lamps; and wisely concludes, that the thing is nevertheless impossible.-Mundus Subterraneus, p. 72. Delrio imputes the fabrication of such lights to magical skill. Disquisitiones Magicæ, p. 58. In a very rare romance, which "treateth of the lyfe of Virgilius, and of his deth and many marvayles that he dyd in his lyfe-time, by wyche-crafte and nygramancye, through the helpe of the devyls of hell," mention is made of a very extraordinary process, in which one of these mystical lamps was employed. It seems that Virgil, as he advanced in years, became desirous of renovating his youth by his magical art. For this purpose he constructed a solitary tower, having only one nar row portal, in which he placed twenty-four copper figures, armed with iron flails, twelve on each side of the porch. These enchanted statues struck with their flails incessantly, and rendered all entrance impossible, unless when Virgil touched the spring which stopped their motion. To this tower he repaired privately, attended by one trusty servant, to whom he communicated the secret of the entrance, and hither they conveyed all the magician's treasure. "Then sayde Virgilius, my dere beloved frende, and be that I above alle men truste and know mooste of my secret ;" and then he led the man into a cellar, where he made a fayer lamp at all seasons burnynge. And then sayd Virgilius to the man, "Se you the barrel that standeth here ?" and he sayd yea: "Therein must you put me: fyrste ye must slee me, and hewe me smalle to pieces, and cut my head in iiii pieces, and salte the heed under in the bottom, and then the pieces there after, and my herte in the myddel, and then set the barrel under the lampe, that nyghte and day the fat therin may droppe and leake; and ye shall ix dayes long, ones in the day, fyll the lampe,

and fayle nat. And when this is all done, then shall I be renued, and made yonge agen." At this extraordinary proposal, the confidant was sore abashed, and made some scruple of obeying his master's commands. At length, however, he complied, and Virgil was slain, pickled, and barrelled up, in all respects according to his own direction. The servant then left the tower, taking care to put the copper thrashers in motion at his departure. He continued daily to visit the tower, with the same precaution. Meanwhile, the emperor, with whom Virgil was a great favourite, missed him from the court; and demanded of his servant where he was. The domestic pretended ignorance, till the emperor threatened him with death, when at length he conveyed him to the enchanted tower. The same threat extorted a discovery of the mode of stopping the statues from wielding their flails. "And then the emperour entered into the castle with all his folke, and soughte all aboute in every corner after Virgilius; and at last they soughte so longe, that they came into the seller, where they sawe the lampe hang over the barrell, where Virgilius lay in deed. Then asked the emperour the man, who had made hym so herdy to put his mayster Virgilius so to dethe; and the man answered no worde to the emperour. And then the emperour, with great anger, drew out his sworde, and slew he there Virgilius' man. And when all this was done, then sawe the emperour, and all his folke, a naked child iii tymes rennynge about the barrel, saynge these wordes, 'cursed be the tyme that ye ever came here !? And with those words vanyshed the chylde awaye, and was never sene ageyn; and thus abyd Virgilius in the barrell deed." Virg. bl. let. printed at Antwerp by John Doesborcke. This curious volume is in the valuable library of Mr. Douce; and is supposed to be a translation from the French, printed in Flanders for the English market. See Goujet Biblioth. Franc. ix. 225. Catalogue de la Bibliotheque Nationale, Tom. II. p. 5. De Bure, No. 3857.