NOTES TO CANTO SIXTH.

NOTE I.

She wrought not by forbidden spell.-P. 109.

Popular belief, though contrary to the doctrines of the church, made a favourable distinction betwixt ma gicians, and necromancers, or wizards; the former were supposed to command the evil spirits, and the latter to serve, or at least to be in league and compact with those enemies of mankind. The arts of subjecting the dæmons were manifold; and sometimes the fiends were actually swindled by the magicians, as in the case of the bargain betwixt one of their number and the poet Virgil. The classical reader will doubtless be curious to peruse this anecdote:

"Virgilius was at scole at Tolenton, where he stody ed dylygently, for he was of great understandynge. Upon a tyme, the scolers had lycense to go to play and sporte them in the fyldes, after the usance of the holde tyme. And there was also Virgilius therebye, also walkynge among the hylles alle about. It fortuned he spyed a great hole in the syde of a great hyll, wherein he went so depe, that he culd not see no more lyght; and then he went a lytell farther therin, and than he saw some lyght agayne, and than he went fourth streyghte, and within a lytyll wyle after he harde a voyce that called, Virgilius! Virgilius!' and looked aboute, and he colde nat see no body. Than sayd he, (i. e. the voice,) Virgilius, see ye not the lytyll bourde lying bysyde you there markd with that word?" Than answered Virgilius, 'I see that borde weil anough.' The voyce said, 'Doo awaye that borde, and lette me

out there atte." Than answered Virgilius to the voice that was under the lytell borde, and sayde, 'Who art thou that callest me so? Than answered the devyll, *I am a devyll conjured out of the body of a certeyne man, and banysshed here tyll the day of judgmend, without that I be delyvered by the handes of men. Thus, Virgilius, I pray the, delyvere me out of this payn, and I shall shewe unto the many bokes of negromancye, and how thou shall come by it lyghtly, and know the practyse therein, that no man in the scyence of negromancye shall passe the. And moreover, I shall shewe and enforme the so, that thou shalt have alle thy desyre, whereby mythynke it is a great gyfte for so ly. tyll a doyng. For ye may also thus all your power frendys help, and make ryche your enemyes.'-Thorough that great promyse was Virgilius tempted; he badde the fynd show the bokes to him, that he might have and occupy them at his wyll; and so the fynde shewed him. And than Virgilius pulled open a bourde, and there was a lytell hole, and thereat wrang the devil out lyke a yeel, and cam and stode before Virgilius Jyke a bygge man; whereof Virgilius was astonied and marveyled greatly thereof, that so great a man myght come out at so little a hole. Than sayd Virgilius ; 'Shulde ye well passe into the hole that ye cam out of? Yea, I shall well,' said the devyl. I hold the best plegge that I have, that ye shall not do it.'-' Well,' sayd the devyl, 'thereto I consent.' And than the devil wrange himselfe into the lytyll hole ageyne; and as he was therein, Virgilius kyverd the hole ageyne with the bourde close, and so was the devyll begyled, and myght nat there come out agen, but abydeth shytte styll therein. Than called the devyll dredefully to Virgilius, and said, 'What have ye done, Virgilius?' Virgilius answered, Abyde there styll to your day appoynted; and fro thens forth abydeth he there.-And so Virgilius became very connynge in the practyse of the black scyence."

This story may remind the reader of the Arabian tale of the Fisherman and the imprisoned Genie; and

it is more than probable, that many of the marvels nar rated in the life of Virgil are of oriental extraction. Among such I am disposed to reckon the following whimsical account of the foundation of Naples; con. taining a curious theory concerning the origin of the earthquakes with which it is afflicted. Virgil, who was a person of gallantry, had, it seems, carried off the daughter of a certain Soldan, and was anxious to se cure his prize.

"Than he thought in his mynde howe he myghte mareye hyr, and thought in his mynde to founde in the middes of the see a fayer towne, with great lands belongynge to it; and so he dyd by his cunnynge, and called it Napells. And the fandacyon of it was of egges, and in that town of Napells he made a tower with iiii corners, and in the top he set an appell upon an yron yarde, and no man culde pull away that apel without he brake it; and thorough that yren set he a bolte, and in that bolte set he a egge. And he henge the apell by the stauke upon a cheyne, and so hangeth it still. And when the egge styrreth, so shulde the town of Napells quake; and whan the egge brake, than shulde the towne sinke. Whan he had made an ende, he lette call it Napells." This appears to have been an article of current belief during the middle ages, as appears from the statutes of the order Du Saint Esprit, au droit de sir, instituted in 1352. A chapter of the knights is appointed to be held annually at the Castle of Enchanted Egg, near the grotto of Virgil.-Montfaucon, Vol. II. p. 126.

NOTE II.

A merlin sat upon her wrist.-P. 110.

A merlin, or sparrow-hawk, was usually carried by ladies of rank, as a falcon was, in time of peace, the constant attendant of a knight, or baron. See Latham on Falconry.-Godscroft relates, that, when Mary of Lorraine was regent, she pressed the Earl of Angus to admit a royal garrison into his castle of Tantallon. Po

this he returned no direct answer; but, as if apostrophizing a goss-hawk which sat on his wrist, and which he was feeding during the Queen's speech, he exclaimed, "The devil's in this greedy glade, she will never be full." Hume's History of the House of Douglas, 1743, Vol. II. p. 131. Barclay complains of the common and indecent practice of bringing hawks and hounds into churches.

NOTE III.

And princely peacock's gilded train.-P. 110.

The peacock, it is well known, was considered, during the times of chivalry, not merely as an exquisite delicacy, but as a dish of peculiar solemnity. After be ing roasted, it was again decorated with its plumage, and a spunge, dipt in lighted spirits of wine was placed in its bill. When it was introduced on days of grand festival, it was the signal for the adventurous knights to take upon them vows to do some deed of chivalry,“ before the peacock and the ladies."

NOTE IV.

And o'er the boar-head, garnished brave.-P. 110.

The boar's head was also an usual, dish of feudal splendour. In Scotland it was sometimes surrounded with little banners, displaying the colours and achievements of the baron, at whose board it was served.-Pinkerton's History, Vol. I. p. 432.

NOTE V.

And cygnet from St. Mary's wave.-P. 110.

There are often flights of wild swans upon St.. Mary's lake, at the head of the river Yarrow.

NOTE VI.

Smote, with his gauntlet, stout Hunthill.-P. 111.

The Rutherfords of Hunthill were an ancient race of Border lairds, whose names occur in history, sometimes as defending the frontier against the English, sometimes as disturbing the peace of their own country, Dickon Draw-the sword was son to the ancient warrior, called in tradition the Cock of Hunthill.

NOTE VII.

But bit his glove, and shook his head.-P. 111.

To bite the thumb, or the glove, seems not to have been considered, upon the Border, as a gesture of contempt, though so used by Shakspeare, but as a pledge of mortal revenge. It is yet remembered, that a young gentleman of Teviotdale, on the morning after a hard drinking-bout, observed, that he had bitten his glove. He instantly demanded of his companion, with whom he had quarrelled? and learning that he had had words with one of the party, insisted on instant satisfaction, asserting, that though he remembered nothing of the dispute, yet he was sure he never would have bit his glove unless he had received some unpardonable insult. He fell in the duel, which was fought near Selkirk, in

1721.

NOTE VIII.

Arthur Fire-the-braes.-P. 112.

The person, bearing this redoubtable nomme de guerre, was an Elliot, and resided at Thorleshope, in Liddesdale. He occurs in the list of Border riders, in 1597.