Lorn, that he was forced to abandon the mantle, and broach which fastened it, clasped in the dying grasp of the MacKeochs. A studded broach, said to have been that which King Robert lost upon this occasion, was long preserved in the family of MacDougal, and was lost in a fire which consumed their temporary residence."* Ac * This exploit is celebrated by Sir Walter Scott in the following song, entitled "THE BROACH OF LORN," supposed to be sung by the bard of Lorn at his chieftain's request: "Whence the broach of burning gold, That clasps the chieftain's mantle-fold, As, through night's pale rainbow gleaming, Fitful shines the northern star? "Gem! ne'er wrought on Highland mountain, Did the fairy of the fountain, Or the mermaid of the wave, "No! thy splendours nothing tell By the overweening Bruce, When the royal robe he tied O'er a heart of wrath and pride; "When the gem was won and lost, "Vain was then the Douglas brand, Vain the Campbell's vaunted hand, cording to the account given in Barbour, three of the strongest among Lorn's followers resolved to rid their chief of this formidable foe. 66 They watched their opportunity until Bruce's party had entered a pass between a lake (Loch Dochart probably) and a precipice, where the King, who was the last of the party, had scarce room to manage his steed. Here his three foes sprung upon him at once. One seized his bridle, but received a wound which hewed off his arm; a second grasped Bruce by the stirrup and leg, and endeavoured to dismount him, but the King, putting spurs to his horse, threw him down, still holding by the stirrup. The third taking advantage of an acclivity, sprung up behind him upon his horse. Bruce, however, whose personal strength is uniformly mentioned as exceeding that of most men, extricated himself from his grasp, threw him to the ground, and cleft his skull with his sword. By similar exertion he drew the stirrup from his grasp, whom he had overthrown, and killed him also with his sword as he lay among the horse's feet.” Two miles from Tyndrum is St. Fillan's Church. Here there is a linn in the river Etterick, called St. Fillan's Vain Kirkpatrick's bloody kirk, Fled the fiery De la Haye, When this broach, triumphant borne, Beam'd upon the breast of Lorn. "Farthest fled its former Lord, Left his men to brand and cord, Lord of the Isles, canto ii. stanza 11, and Notes. Pool, in which a considerable number of lunatics are annually immersed, and then hound hand and foot, and laid all night in the churchyard of St. Fillans in the expectation of effecting a cure. Two miles farther Is Crianlarich inn, from which the tourist may either proceed through Glenfalloch to the head of Loch Lomond, or by Glen Dochart and Glen Ogle to Lochearnhead, and join the route described p. 370. FIFTEENTH TOUR. STEAM-BOAT TOUR FROM NEWHAVEN TO ABERDEEN, INVERNESS, WICK, ORKNEY AND SHETLAND ISLANDS. of AFTER leaving Newhaven, the first object of interest is the island of Inchkeith, which received its name from the ancient family of Keith, to whom it formerly belonged. It was fortified by the English in the reign of Edward VI., but the fortifications were afterwards demolished by order of the Scottish Parliament. During the regency Mary of Guise, it was occupied by the French, who designted it L'Isle des Chevaux, because the grass which it produced formed a nutritious food for horses. Inchkeith possesses several fine springs of water, and maintains a few sheep and rabbits. The lighthouse on this island is a work of great neatness, and the machinery by which the lights revolve, is very interesting. A fine view is obtained from the middle of the Firth, of the city of Edinburgh, with the harbours of Leith and Newhaven, and the coast of Fife, thickly studded with towns. In allusion to this striking characteristic of Fife, King James VI. is said to have likened it to a gray cloth mantle with a golden fringe." A little to the west is Burntistand, nearly opposite is the inn of Pettycur,* and 66 * Pettycur is supposed to have derived its name (petit corps) from the land ing of a small body of French troops during the regency of Mary of Guise. Bal a little farther east is the royal burgh of Kinghorn,* which gives the title of Earl to the Earls of Strathmore. About half a mile west of the town is a precipice called King's Woodend, where Alexander III. was thrown from his horse and killed, 16th March 1285. Below Kinghorn is a square tower, the remains of Seafield Castle. A short way farther on is the " lang town of Kirkaldy," a royal burgh of great enterprise and trade. Its streets are extremely irregular, narrow, crooked, illpaved, and dirty. Dr. Adam Smith, author of the "Wealth of Nations," was a native of this town. wearie, in this neighbourhood, was the birth-place of Sir Michael Scott, the famous wizard immortalised in the Lay of the Last Minstrel. The ruins of the old tower of Balwearie are still to be seen. On a rising ground behind Kirkaldy is Raith House, the handsome seat of Colonel Ferguson, M. P. for the Kirkaldy burghs. The situation is commanding, and the pleasure grounds are extensive, and very beautiful. At a short distance is Dunnikier House, the seat of Lady Oswald. To the east of Kirkaldy is Ravenscraig Castle, the property of the Earl of Rossyln, situated upon a rock overhanging the sea. It has been in the possession of the St. Clair family since the reign of James III., and was entire and habitable till the time of Cromwell. About half a mile farther on is Dysart House, a seat of the Earl of Rosslyn, and close to it is the town of Dysart,† a royal burgh of *The parish church of Kinghorn is without a spire. This, and some other circumstances, supposed to be characteristic of the town, have given rise to the following couplet: "Here stands a kirk without a steeple, A drucken priest, and a graceless people." "The canty carles o' Dysart, The merry lads o' Buckhaven, The saucy limmers o' Largo, The bonny lasses o' Leven."-Old Song. |